Bloom

Product Information

Minor critique but I don't feel like the characters really felt like they had chemistry and part of the story really wasn't for me. As someone a little older than him who still only has the barest ideas of what I want out of life, I really, really related to the road to self-discovery he goes on throughout this graphic novel. Com as férias de verão, Ari sonha em sair da sua cidade, da padaria dos pais, ir viver com os amigos e tocar numa banda. That's not what the book says, the book says Hector 'cares about' Ari, but for the love of Pete I don't see how!

Now that high school is over, Ari is dying to move to the big city with his ultra-hip band―if he can just persuade his dad to let him quit his job at their struggling family bakery. It’s sad, really, that this is pretty much what we’ve come to expect in stories of young gay men today. Ari loved working at the bakery with his family when he was younger, but now he wants to escape to the city with his band. Savanna has also contributed to comic series such as Adventure Time, Lumberjanes, Jem and the Holograms, and The Backstagers.Though he loved working there as a kid, Ari doesn’t want to spend the rest of his life wasting away over rising dough and hot ovens.

A sweet story today to offset the odd ones from earlier this week – a very cute romance set in a bakery! It’s a wonder, quite frankly, how this graphic novel so deftly normalizes a burgeoning homosexual relationship between two young men. The superb writing matches the beautiful illustrations in an effortless way, sharing young love in its simplest form. I was honestly worried that my e-copy of Bloom was malfunctioning and it took me a while to figure out that. Kevin came to writing after years dedicated to comics as a reader, retailer, and convention organizer.

Ari has no idea what he wants other than to escape what he considers to be the confines of his family bakery business for a creative life in a more culturally fertile metropolis. Unless you also think that I explicitly need to say “This is a heterosexual love story” when I talk about graphic novels that have those in them? It's mostly set in a family bakery and the people who wrote it made the food the characters made while writing it. Ganucheau’s first image capturing a moment of Ari and Hector’s intimacy is breathtaking, palpable in its permanence.

Written by Kevin Panetta and illustrated by Savanna Ganucheau, this is a heartwarming story about finding yourself and stumbling upon love (oh, and baking.What I believe these authors are trying to communicate is that as we are trying to discover who we are, especially as young adults, we cannot rush the process, and we must accept that we may mess up. Every single page holds so much thought and care, and all the illustrative choices work together so well. In addition to creating the popular webcomic George and Johnny, Savanna's artwork has appeared in notable publications including Jem and the Holograms, Adventure Time Comics, and Lumberjanes. But it’s also very much about Ari, his growth as a character and the difference a supportive relationship can make.