Review: Comics Will Break Your Heart by Faith Erin Hicks

Hey all, Dani here.

Well, so much for having posts prepped to go up on time. I got a phone call and a text from work and one of my co-workers is having a family health situation, so my 8 hour shifts just got turned into 12 hour shifts for the rest of the week. It makes for a very long day, but it will also mean a rather nice paycheck…and just in time for our trip to Gen Con too.

So I’m hoping the longer shift will mean that I actually do have a little more time to work on some blog stuff, and do a little more reading.

Anyway, let’s jump into today’s review.

Summary

Miriam’s family should be rich. After all, her grandfather was the co-creator of smash-hit comics series The TomorrowMen. But he sold his rights to the series to his co-creator in the 1960s for practically nothing, and now that’s what Miriam has: practically nothing. And practically nothing to look forward to either-how can she afford college when her family can barely keep a roof above their heads? As if she didn’t have enough to worry about, Miriam’s life gets much more complicated when a cute boy shows up in town . . . and turns out to be the grandson of the man who defrauded Miriam’s grandfather, and heir to the TomorrowMen fortune.

In her endearing debut novel, cartoonist Faith Erin Hicks pens a sensitive and funny Romeo and Juliet tale about modern romance, geek royalty, and what it takes to heal the long-festering scars of the past (Spoiler Alert: love).

My Thoughts

Rating: 4.5 stars

Again, I will keep saying this over and over, because I totally mean it. I need more books like this in my life. Books where fandom and geekdom are a big focus for the characters. These are the books I relate to the most, and where I see myself most accurately reflected in the characters.

Was I a bit annoyed by Weldon’s mom’s opinions about SDCC and her thoughts on what is a true geek versus a fake geek? Yeah, honestly, it was a massively frustrating part of her character. BUT, I also know that there are people like that in geekdom, so while I don’t like it, I at least understand that it is a real belief.

I also enjoyed all the talks of comic books and superheroes. Even if it was a made-up series, I could feel the love and respect people had for the issues, and the characters, and the fandom.

Then add in to everything the fact that Miriam is finishing up her junior year of high school and she’s feeling a bit anxious and uncertain. She doesn’t know what she wants to do with her life, and she is putting this pressure on herself to have all of the answers, but she feels lost and adrift. She wants to find something she’s passionate about, and to know what path she needs to be on. Add in to all of that her family’s money issues and it creates a whole extra layer of pressure.

I related to Miriam’s struggles so much. Then again, I knew that I wanted my life to be focused on books, so I was aiming to be a teacher or a librarian, and I settled on librarian. But I’m turning 31 this year and I still feel lost and uncertain. I’m still struggling to find my place, as I continue to search and apply for librarian positions, knowing that my chances are getting slimmer and slimmer the farther I get away from when I earned my degree–you know, why hire a 2011 graduate of a Master’s program when you can hire a 2019 graduate?

And okay, I do believe that this is supposed to be a stand-alone book, but honestly, I would love to check back in on Miriam and Weldon a year later, as they are finishing up their senior year and going out into the world. I want to know if they are still a couple. I want to know if they have decided on their for-now career paths. I want to check back in on the comics and the fandoms and all of that. So yeah, I enjoyed this book, and now I would like more.

Where to Buy

You can pick up your own copy of this book from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Books-a-million, Book Depository, or your local independent bookstore.