#Jasmine Walls

[haveyoureadthisqueerbook]

[fatphobiabusters]

Brooms by Jasmine Walls and Teo DuVall

[PHOTO ID: The title Brooms is in white all capital letters set against a night scene with a full moon. The cover features two shoulder up illustrations: one is a biracial woman looking away with long black hair and a large earing, one is a Black woman looking forward with a blue collared shirt and a purple biller har, one smaller shoulder up illustration of a Black man with a white collared shirt.

Two full body illustrations on brooms. One of a Chinese woman riding the broom like a surf board wearing a blue handkerchief, white t shirt and blue skirt the other is a Black woman in a yellow dress with one leg up in a stirrup and one arm out with a glow.

And two waist up illustrations of biracial sisters one in pink with glasses and braids and one in purple with her hair up.

Next to the girl in pink and the woman in yellow are the author, illustrator, letter setter and colorist names, in large text: Jasmine Walls, Teo DuVall then in smaller text: Bex Glendining & Ariana Maher. END ID]

Image from Goodreads

Overall rating: 10/10

I can't do a traditional pro cons list because I can't think of a thing I would have wanted different, outside of topics I cant "review" of course (more on this later). However before we get too far I need to lay out the setting so you know what you are getting into! This is a graphic novel about magic realism set in 1930s Mississippi. It follows women (and two girls) of color and their attempt to make cash doing illegal broom racing to make their lives, well easier for one, but also safer.

This isnt a utopia, magic is woven into the racism of the era. No slurs are used but subtle racism is depicted. There is a hierarchy of legality of who can use magic and what kind. It's a underdog story of solidarity and love, it has that "one last job and we retire" energy. While the young girls learn to harness their magic the police patrol, they are supported by a type of found family along side their blood family.

There is a happy ending I will at least spoil that much.

The blending of era and magic is lovingly crafted. For instance one character, Loretta, works as a laundress, she, like a lot of women in the time and place struggle with money and finds work where she can. Magic here isn't like the cheat code for easy living, she cant just magic the cloths clean and mended. It's a muscle to train and partner with not a deus ex eject button for every little thing. Each character reveals so much yet so little of themselves to us and there is an epiloge of sorts that delights the mind to want more of these characters. So I guess my point is, yes magic but also hardships and I've never seen it done like this before.

So all that said let me pull back on all the other things about this story and answer the question...

Hows the fat rep?: The characters come in many sizes, Loretta seems to be the biggest of her friend group. Her weight is never mentioned, no jokes about how a fat person could ride a broom! She's got a loving husband (no jokes about the size difference!) Billie Mae is the second biggest of the main cast perhaps more musclar than fat but is distinct imo in body shape and build and its my review so...she's different from Loretta, Lor is femme leaning and Billie is butch and here too there are no jokes it's simply a part of her design, shes the only woman on the team to wear pants. There are background and unnamed fat characters! You'd be suprised how hard that is to find.

This is very much a situation where weight is not brought up, it exists as a thing and thats it. And I appreciate that because fat peoples lives shouldn't be all about our weight, we deserve to exist with hobbies and interests and jobs.

Additionally: You might have seen that trend where people list off rep of a book and don't even mention the plot? Well I hope my introduction was enough to cover story and such because this comic has: visible and invisible disability rep, sapphics, a trans main character, and remember how I gushed about unnamed characters? There's also physical disabilities. The attention to detail while designing otherwise nameless characters is appreciated.

My limits as a reviewer:

I can't say if there good enough representation for Black women btw. For me this was obvious but I'm adding it just in case.

A main character is Deaf and due to the limitations of the medium the artist and writer had to imply signs. Consideration for the eye line of this character is given, she will bump and nudge people to turn towards her so she can read lips. I cannot say if this is a good compromise or not.

The issue of cultural appropriation could be had. It is mentioned that the author worked with the language experts from the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians, and in story residential schools are mentioned and briefly depicted. Was this respectful or enough research I cannot say.

You mighy find additional concern with the trans rep, it is mentioned that an outside source was consulted to bring authenticity. Related, a person was consulted about the Cantonese depicted. Was this enough I cannot say.

Individuals will each have their own feelings about own voices vs researched stories. There's no one perfect answer but I can only provide the info that's in the book to help you make informed decisions.

On Goodreads

[bethelctpride]

Brooms by Jasmine Walls

Mississippi, 1930s. Magic simmering beneath the surface, kept in check by unjust laws and societal expectations. But for six extraordinary women, the roar of enchanted engines and the thrill of the forbidden broom race offer a chance to rewrite their destinies.

Meet Billie Mae, captain of the Night Storms racing team, and Loretta, her best friend and second-in-command. They're determined to make enough money to move out west to a state that allows Black folks to legally use magic and take part in national races.

Cheng-Kwan – doing her best to handle the delicate and dangerous double act of being the perfect "son" to her parents, and being true to herself while racing.

Mattie and Emma -- Choctaw and Black -- the youngest of the group and trying to dodge government officials who want to send them and their newly-surfaced powers away to boarding school.

And Luella, in love with Billie Mae. Her powers were sealed away years ago after she fought back against the government. She'll do anything to prevent the same fate for her cousins.

"Brooms" is a heart-pounding graphic novel soaring with magic, friendship, and rebellion. It's a Fast and the Furious with broomsticks instead of cars, a historical spotlight on struggles silenced by time, and a celebration of the indomitable spirit that dares to defy the odds. Buckle up, witches and dreamers, for this ride is about to take flight.

Drop into Discord anytime during the two days of book club and discuss it via text chat.

[atthequillsmercy]

Lenni Reviews: "Brooms" by Jasmine Walls & Teo Duvall

(Image Source) In 1930’s Mississippi, magic is common but either banned or severely restricted for people of color. Despite this, Billie Mae and Cheng Kwan introduce young Mattie and Emma broom racing in order to participate in underground broom racing to earn money to learn magic from a real school. Despite the abundance of characters, it’s easy to empathize with their struggles and hopes. The…

[qbdatabase]

Jay, Lana, Drew, Walter, and Shen began playing Dice & Deathtraps in high school. Now dealing with college and all the twists and turns of their lives, their weekly game has been a wonderful constant. But, as college graduation looms and it feels like their lives are all moving down very different paths, Lana’s thrilled to finally finally complete the party’s unfinished original campaign.

So when Jay’s partner Cassandra joins the game, Lana refuses to let her inexperience ruin the best part of her week! But in the end, that may be Lana and the party’s undoing …

[wildsummerrose]

Reminds me of Fated (Written by Jasmine Walls, Illustrated by Amy Phillips)

https://mythjae.wordpress.com/2016/01/28/fated-3/

*stumbles in through the door* I-I took on 5 orcs.

What do I get?

REWARDS: 86 Gold, 94 EXP, Orc Phone Number (x5)

[readtilyoudie]

THE LAST SESSION

[graphicpolicy]

Preview: Midst: The Valorous Farmer #1

Midst: The Valorous Farmer #1 preview. For years Hildebrand has run the family farm alone, with only their reliable old truck, a few far-off neighbors, and their own common sense to rely on #comics #comicbooks

[comicbookclub]

Dark Horse Comics Preview: Midst: The Valorous Farmer

Read a preview of Midst: The Valorous Farmer from Dark Horse Comics, written by Jasmine Walls with art by Aviv Or.

[comicbookclublive]

Dark Horse Comics Preview: Midst: The Valorous Farmer

Read a preview of Midst: The Valorous Farmer from Dark Horse Comics, written by Jasmine Walls with art by Aviv Or.

[nevinslibrary]

Comic Book Saturday

Vixen NYC, Vol. 1 by Jasmine Walls

[vulpixbookpix]

5 out of 5 stars

If you like historical fantasy with great art, then this is for you!

Set in 1930s Mississippi as the Great Depression gets underway, a group of young women have to deal with not only the racism of the time period, but also the worry of where their families will next get their meal and how they may be caught at any moment while they are racing their brooms for a bit of cash to make ends meet.

The illustrations were beautiful and the world-building of the magic system was fun. I do wish that there was a lot more though. We get small glimpses into the lives of the women outside of the racing scene, enough to know that they are a diverse group that are trying to make it and somehow manage to find each other to help discover who they are.

I liked the other racers that they came across and want to know more about them too, like the older women dressed up as fighter pilots. This could be a world explored several times and I'd definitely pick up the series.

[yeesiine]

[drinkabletoxicdishsoap]

Since I asked for Wells Family headcanons (you should definitely respond to that and give me yours../hj) another silly little team came to my mind. You all should share your dream team (Hazel, Winn, and Jasmine) headcanons in the reblogs or replies. I need to imagine this silly trio in hijinks/high jinks together (idk the correct spelling) 😭 they’re so silly !! We need more episodes with them in season 2 (go watch fopanw on Netflix 😼) especially since they know about fairies now. You can also share your individual headcanons for each of them if you would like !! (Only if you’re comfortable, but I’ll take any art too :3)

[smashpages]

Preview pages from Brooms (Levine Querido, October 2023) by Jasmine Walls, Teo DuVall, Bex Glendining and Ariana Maher.

[novelconcepts]

A secondary look at just the Taivan of it all because oh man. Oh man. To have young Van being the only one to look at her older self, while older Van is so distant in the eyes. To have Taissa in the arms of her adult version, but with her back to her—and the elder version not looking down at her. Oh man, the road ahead is going to hurt me.