Now that I’ve read Tender, you’d better believe that I’m going to pick up everything I see with Beth’s name on it. This book could not be more different than Tender, but it’s still amazing, which is a positive sign for my “grab all of her stuff” plan. And hey, now I’m only a couple of hours away from Quimby’s, which should be a big help in letting me get caught up with what all the Chicago artists are up to. If you don’t know Quimby’s, they’re a mandatory visit if you’re in town, along with Chicago Comics. There are probably more by now, as my information is outdated, so I’ll mention any updates the next time I visit. Anyway! This is a collection of three mini comics put together into one volume, detailing the Hetland family’s experiences with music over a couple of generations. The first mini is entirely about Beth’s mother, but there are no hints given about that fact, so I was left wondering for awhile whether this is one of those kinda sorta autobio comics, the ones where some things are true but events are played up for dramatic effect. Nope, it’s just that the first comic is the detailed story of her mother (as a child) getting a piano in the house, playing it throughout the years before finally ending up going to college for a different major. A chance meeting with some musicians changes those plans, and she carries her love of music into the second comic, where she’s raising three daughters. This section covers the reactions of all of her kids to her attempting to teach them to play music, and it’s probably not too much of a spoiler to say that they each take to it in different ways, but none of them with the fervor that she was hoping to see. There’s a complete journey for all three and they’re each beautifully told, with a bit of a heartbreaking finale, but that’s all I’ll say about it. The third comic is almost an epilogue to the previous two, as it’s much shorter, but it details a trip back home for the graduation of the youngest daughter, and it really ties together how much music effected each of their lives, even if it took a bolt of inspiration for the connection to really become clear. It’s another really solid graphic novel from Beth, and it makes me wonder once again how I’ve mostly missed her stuff for all these years, since these comics came out from 2011-2013. It’s almost like it’s impossible for one person to keep up with all of the amazing comics in the world. Still, it’s not like I’m going to quit trying… $12
Posted by Kevin 
