Tonta (Love and Rockets)

...but them boys are some mighty keen observers of human nature. I've been reading their work since they went national, and they continue to make me gasp, they still knock me out.

It can be read and (more or less) understood by anybody, regardless of their familiarity with the characters/universe. Self-contained story with gorgeous art and lots of palpable emotions plus a few chuckles.

I was a comic book nerd as a child, well a teen, okay I'll admit it, my entire life. I normally went for the superhero genre, but occasionally dipped my foot into other genres when they looked interesting. I enjoyed books like Sin City, The Watchmen, and others but never exposed myself to Love and Rockets. I now regret that choice and will probably go back and fill that gap.This is not a child's tale and is very much a series made for adults. It's a bit hard hitting and about a family that has experiences many of us will never encounter, yet... many family's do. It's fictionalized, and over the top, but illustrative of many of the struggles inner-city families experience. It was a glimpse into a different world, but one that lives right around the corner.I also appreciated the fact the artwork was "real" if you get my meaning. The characters, except one, aren't gorgeous, built like bodybuilders, or overly cartoonized. These are characters that feel like they could be your neighbors, or random people on the street.Overall: I loved it. 5-stars!

At best I can say that I have a mild familiarity with Love and Rockets, of which Tonta acts a spin-off graphic novel (one of many that the Hernandez brothers have published over the years). Luckily, I don’t think knowledge of the Love and Rockets universe is particularly important to this story, which revolves around the antics of the titular character Tonta during her summer break. Though I suspect many who are considering reading this will already know and like this character.The world created by Jaime Hernandez, the author of this book, and his brothers has been chugging along since the early 80s. That longevity really shows in both the substance and style of Tonta. It doesn’t seem to take place in any specific year, but both the characters and imagery drip with nostalgia from a time when scuzzy punk bands dominated the underground and high school scene. The artwork is good but minimalistic, and all the characters are young, brash, and angry. Typical teenagers, along with people who just act like teenagers.There isn’t much of a unified story in these pages. A narrative does develop near the end that involves a botched robbery, but any tension it adds to the dynamic of Tonta and her family seems unimportant - the tension was there already. That plot-line seems almost like an afterthought. The book is mostly a collection of moments during Tonta’s summertime, which are either funny, traumatizing, drama-filled, or some combination thereof.As a graphic novel that I could casually pick up and put down, I enjoyed Tonta. However, I could understand why many might be turned off by the immature characters and the sometimes purposely-ugly artwork, But, obviously, if you’re a Love & Rockets fan - especially if you’re a fan of the character Tonta - you will like this book.

Way back in the eighties, I scored a copy of House of Raging Women (Amazon product links seem to be more difficult now, so excuse the lack of them in this review). I loved it. After graduating college, I bought a few more Love and Rockets books - fast forward a few decades and I was lucky enough to pick up Palomar, Luba, Locas, and Locas II (lucky because now some of them are shamefully out of print and selling for inflated used prices) when they were new.So I was looking forward to this title. As soon as it started, I was immediately comfortable, back in the world of teenagers and punk music, family sagas with petty criminals, all in a line style that uses no stippling, but has nearly Nagel-esque elegance of line and sharp contrast. I also like the lettering they use, all hand drawn.Tonta is a minor character given a story arc here, sister to Vivian and typical rebellious teen trying to get through her confusing year, navigating family, school and friends. All three of those things get complicated, and she finds herself navigating a crime, a mysterious teacher who moonlights as a wrestler, and friends who are sometimes spooked by the proceedings.The story is not strictly linear. Maggie makes a cameo here as well. This makes it more interesting to me, but might turn off more conventional readers. As the story jumps around, blanks fill in, but never completely and with a sense of final purpose - more open ended. Just like life, I suppose.If you are a Love and Rockets fan, this is a great way to get back in. And since it is a different character, it's a nice footnote to the main series, adding more color to the universe of Los Bros Hernandez that needs to be visited by more people - not just comics fans.

Great addition to the long running series

Narrativa já padrão da serie Love and Rockets.