We alerted you to the forthcoming THE GIRLS’ GUIDE TO GUYS’ STUFF anthology a few posts ago. Edited by MK Reed and Robin Enrico, it’s the latest 99% female comics anthology from Friends of Lulu. The subject matter, when it was announced, engendered quite a bit of controversy, even here in the comments section.
Well, we’ve been reading this book and we are here to say: it is quite possibly one of THE anthologies of the year.
Kids, this book is FRESH.
The subject matter is uncharted territory, and the talents involved are full of energy and enthusiasm. There is a total lack of axe-grinding that, in this day and age, almost made me cry tears of relief. Far from being hobbled by any kind of agenda, the creators here are just talking about stuff they love — whether it’s Lauren Skinner‘s love of baseball, Debbie Huey talking hockey (sports are a recurring theme) or Lark Pien‘s look at video games. There is gentle fun poked at guys from time to time — Yali Lin on why guys don’t notice new hairdos — but it’s all in good spirit and fun. Although the stories are brief, they show a high degree of storytelling (much more so than many of those “pretty picture” anthologies out there.)
There are also blessed few “Why did they put THAT in there?” moments of amateurish execution, and in fact a lot of talented new people in here, like Vanessa Satone (her story is a silent tribute to desert racing), Danica Novgorodoff and Hilary Florido.
You can see previews and check out the websites of all the creators inside here, but we’re previewing the kick-off story by Hellen Jo right now. This story made us laugh and let us know that this book was NOT going to be what we expected–in a very good way. Click for larger images.
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If you like what you see in the previews, consider preordering a copy. The preorders will help defray the cost of printing, and get a book out there that needs to be seen.
“…it is quite possibly one of the anthologies of the year.”
I think that much is a given.
Maybe an adjective would help? ;)
I believe the should be italicized, in bold and underlined. Then no adjective is necessary. JMHO, of course…
think MADLIBS.
Yay! Yeah we put Hellen’s comic as the first one in the book because it completely encapsulates the kind of work we were looking for, both quality wise and tonally. Besides that, she’s definitely an artist deserving of much wider exposure as she is amazingly talented.
Also, thank you for your compliments. This book, for all the frustration and effort involved in making it, has resulted in a final product that I am beyond proud of.
I was lucky enough to get a sneek peak at the story by Diane Colchamiro & Hilary Florido, and it’s top notch. I can’t wait to see the rest of the book!
-Ethan
But, I want to be cute.
perhaps it’s THE anthology of the year. Either a stand-out in its class, or the only one of a dying breed of publication formats.
It’s definitely very good (I’m about 80% through it right now). Not every story is a winner, and the fact that so many of the stories are so short limits the appeal of some of them…but overall, it’s an impressively diverse mix of styles and talent. Julia Durgee is REALLY funny and I hope she continues to do more comics. In general, the comics that worked best for me were the ones that only loosely conformed with the theme instead of trying to actually be a “guide”.
Finally a comic book that isn’t cutesy like most of that crap you find today. I love that terminator bit. Is the book available for affiliate sales?
Keep up the good work!!!