The Cephalopod Coffeehouse: October 2013

Welcome one and all to the Cephalopod Coffeehouse, a cozy gathering of book lovers, meeting to discuss their thoughts regarding the tomes they enjoyed most over the previous month.  Pull up a chair, order your cappuccino and join in the fun.  If you wish to add your own review to the conversation, please sign on to the link list at the end of my post.

Title: Marble Season
Writer and Artist: Gilbert Hernandez

via drawn and quarterly

Gilbert Hernandez is one of the biggest names in indie comics.  Brothers Gilbert and Jaime Hernandez created the groundbreaking series Love and Rockets, first published in 1982 - groundbreaking in part because it focused on Latina characters and in part because it was initially self-published.  I have yet to explore that series but this more recent semi-autobiographical graphic novel has me convinced that I should.

Set in 1960s southern California, Marble Season chronicles the adventures of childhood.  Huey - the young Gilberto in fictional guise - is the second youngest in a large family.  No surprise, he likes comic books.  In fact, there's nothing particularly unusual about Huey's life - which is sort of the point.  Marble Season is an honest glimpse of what it is to be a kid.  He has friends, though not always the same ones.  Some move in to the neighborhood, then move away.  Others drift in and out, fueling particular interests, fulfilling certain needs.

The downside of youth is here, too.  There are full-blown bullies in the neighborhood along with the petty cruelties children everywhere inflict upon one another.  Huey and his brothers must be wary of sketchier friends. 

The biggest changes come as they all get older.  The neighborhood tomboy ditches her baseball bat and cap for a dress (though she's still far from demure).  The brothers all gradually take more interest in girls.

There is some clear Peanuts influence in Marble Season.  One never sees any adults, though it's clear they're important.  The afore mentioned tomboy has quite a lot of Lucy in her.  Hernandez was also a big fan of the Archie comics growing up and has always sought to bring a similar teenager sensibility to his work.

If you're keen for more bloghops, a couple of fun ones are coming up next week: Denise Covey's Write...Edit...Publish on Wednesday and Tony Laplume's Ode-Athon.  Go check them out!

Please join us and share your own review of your best read from the past month.  This month's link list is below.  I'll keep it open until the end of the day.  I'll post November's tomorrow.  Meetings are the last Friday of each month.  Next gathering is November 29th.  In the United States, that's the day after Thanksgiving so it may well be a quieter month at the Coffeehouse.  On the other hand, a short vacation provides a chance to catch up on reading!