Publication: December 9th 2015
Publisher: Dark Horse
Pages: 293 pages
Source: Bookstore (Chapters)
Genre: Fantasy, Love, Romance, Non Fiction, Graphic Novel, Anthology, Adult, Feminisim
My Rating: ⛤⛤⛤⛤
I remember hearing about this anthology back when it was a Kickstarter, when everyone was talking about it because “Margaret Atwood can draw comics?!”. It’s what peaked my interested (big Atwood fan over here, if it wasn’t already obvious), but then I looked at what the anthology was actually about, and I became interested. Unfortunately, I focused more on the words “Geek Girls” than romance, but even that didn’t stop my interest in the book.
The anthology is wonderful blend of humour, loneliness, feminism, geekiness, and yes romance. I loved the different aspects to the anthology and range from essays to comics, though I found myself more drawn to the comics because they were all different. And while I enjoyed the happy, funny, and hopeful message the anthology gave, I thought some sad or darker stories could have been added. Then again, I may just be too used to reading Gothics and Thrillers.
And yes, it had a lot of romance in it (though this anthology literally has “love” in the title so I can’t be too picky). Sometimes too much for my taste, some of the stories blur in my mind from how similar they are. As I’ve mentioned before, I am not a romance fan, but The Secret Loves of Geek Girls isn’t about ooey gooey love-at-first-sight romance, it’s about hope. It’s about telling Geek Girls (Geek People) that yes, sometimes it can feel lonely being a geek. Sometimes it can seem that while we are loving and obsessing over tv shows, board/video games, and fictional characters, that no one will love us. And this anthology showed me that I wasn’t alone in feeling this, and that romance and love is out their, it’s just about being patient and waiting for it, because eventually it will come.
Some of my favourite stories and comics from The Secret Loves of Geek Girls:
- Comics, Paper Dolls, Glasses, and Contacts by Margaret Atwood: Because she can draw okay and write pretty funny comics? Who knew?!
- Anne of Linux Pine by Erin Cossar (Illustration by Kristen Gudsnuk): Which follows the authors look into the ups-and-downs of online dating before it was a thing in the 90s, and the importance of finding awesome geek girls to hang with.
- Cherry by Cherelle Higgins (Illustration by Rachael Wells, Colour by Meaghan Carter): Which deals with racism, bullying, and escapism through literature.
- Read: 1:19 am by Jen Aprahamain: A funny comic about waiting to be texted back and the obvious jumped conclusions that come with it.
- I’m Your Biggest Fan by Adrienne Kress (Illustration by Deena Pagliarello): Which BLEW MY MIND about how we can sometimes hold up our crushes on pedestals like we do with celebrities and fan culture.
- How Fanfic From an American Girl Captured an English Boy by Megan Lavey-Heaton (Illustration by Isabelle Melancon): A very cute essay about how the author met her husband through fanfiction. What? Sometimes I’m a big sap…
- They Bury You in White by Laura Neubert: A comic that sums up EXACTLY why I love Jane Eyre (character and book).
- Menage A 3 by Gisele Lagace and David Lumsdon (Colours by Shouri): Because I didn’t know the Power Pachyderms were a real thing.
- There’s Nothing Wrong, It Must Be Love by Diana McCallum: An important story about loving and loving passionately.
- Rise of the Late Bloomer by Hope Nicholson (Illustration by Kristen Gudsnuk): An important story on how it’s okay to be a late bloomer.
- Regards to the Goblin King by Megan Kearney (Colours by Jordie Bellaire): A comic about Gothic literature (my FAV) and why we love bad (aka jerk) boys.
- Ghost by Marjorie Liu: Which focuses on memories, stories, abuse, and healing.
- A First by Gillian G.: A comic about the awkwardness of dating.
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