You may have heard of Blue Is the Warmest color earlier this summer. The French motion picture adaptation won the Cannes film festival Palme d’Or, followed by the author Julie Maroh denouncing the film. (The motion picture is due to be released in north america in October 2013 through Sundance Selects/IFC films (USA) and Mongrel Media (Canada).)
Now, the graphic novel is being translated into English, and it’s well worth reading. It’s the story of Clementine, a high schooler pertaining to terms with her attraction to Emma, an older student with striking blue hair.
Much of the book is in flashback, as an older Emma reads Clementine’s diaries. She sees (as we do) her teenage feelings and struggles during major turning points in her life. The watercolor images are well-suited to the memories, particularly with the sepia tones used for the historical sequences. Emma’s blue hair sticks out even more, drawing our eyes and symbolizing the way Clementine is drawn to someone a lot more self-assured than she is.
Clementine’s situation is complicated by the bigotry she experiences when her pals and family start thinking she’s a lesbian. She doesn’t know herself exactly what she wants, and she feels forced into the box they’re creating … and hating. Her struggles are authentic and uncomfortable to experience but ultimately inspiring.
Blue Is the Warmest color captures the entire life of a relationship in affecting and sincere style. It can be bought from your local comic shop with diamond code AUG13 1086. It’s due out in late September. There are preview pages available at the publisher’s website. (The publisher supplied a digital review copy.)
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