Who can resist that smirk on the cover? I sure can't. And as is par for the course for me, I flipped through the pages of Blue is the Warmest Color by Julie Maroh (originally called
Blue Angel when it was published in France) before I read it and my art geek tendencies were immediately satisfied by the breathy style of the art in this book. Every page is like a sigh; poignant and emotional.
The story begins with a young woman named Emma vising the home of her deceased lover, Clementine. Before she died, Clementine wrote a letter to her mother asking for her diary to be delivered to Emma after she passed. The story of how Clementine realizes she is a lesbian and her relationship with Emma is told via the entries Clementine wrote.
I am a fan of well done LGBT comics and I am a sucker for a good (honest) love story no matter the sexual orientation of the characters. As long as the characters are genuine and the relationship realistic, they could be
tri-sexual for all I care (apparently that's a thing). As long as the story is good, I'll be a happy otaku.
As the story is told in flashbacks, the colors are muted, save for blue; the color Emma's hair was dyed when Clementine met her. Even the scenes set in the present have a dream like quality. This story does contain some scenes of smexy woman love so be aware if that offends your sensibilities.
I know there are readers out there who get tired of the traditional coming out story but this comic is worth picking up. It isn't just the story of how Clementine became a lesbian, its the story of two women in love who were taken from one another too soon. This graphic novel has been made into
a movie and when it comes out, I plan to watch it to see if its as good as the book. If your heart can stand the ending, I highly recommend this stunning graphic novel.
Can't get enough of Lenni's writing? See more here.
