Comic adventures about parenting are something the US market could use more of
2 Comments Published by Avi Green on Thursday, November 12, 2020 at 1:46 AM.
The Israeli innovations site NoCamels interviewed two local artists, Yehuda and Maya Devir, who produced a webcomic about their parenting experiences that's also available in GN format:
Raising a rambunctious one-year-old is no easy task, but throw in a global health crisis and a thriving career in comics and you’ve got the chaotic but rewarding lives of Israeli couple Yehuda and Maya Devir. The two have been depicting their domestic adventures for several years now through charming, hilarious illustrations that have often gone viral. And those that paint a picture of life with an infant and toddler are especially relatable.Thinking about this, it's exactly what the US market needs to see more of, because it's hardly a seriously emphasized theme today, whereas sleazy stories like a gay marriage for Northstar have become far more so, and look at how Marvel insulted people's intellects by not following through on a marriage between Kitty Pryde and Colossus, all so that later, she could be turned bisexual. And lest we forget Joe Quesada's erasure of the Spider-marriage in 2007, and how DC similarly wouldn't enable a marriage between Batman and Catwoman. That's how far the mainstream's fallen for starters, and the independent scene's no better.
There’s more good news, though. Last month, the Tel Aviv-based duo announced they were expecting their second child. And this week, the artists will release their wildly popular webcomic series One of Those Days as a first-edition hardcover featuring 272 vividly printed pages of their work, published by Penguin Random House. The book, which was previously available for pre-order on the Penguin Random House website and on Amazon.com, has already become Amazon’s #1 new release in the bookseller’s Romance Graphic Novels section.
The couple’s ongoing series chronicles the life and love of Yehuda and Maya Devir as they take on the minutiae of marriage, the ups and downs of daily life, and the paradigm shift of new parenthood.
That's why the Devirs' webcomic and GN series is decidedly welcome news, because almost nobody in comicdom stateside is respecting marriage and parenthood today, and a more positive example is in dire need. That's why Devirs' contribution is a good thing, and I'd strongly suggest the western market start taking note of the themes they're working on.
Labels: Europe and Asia, indie publishers, technology
There have been lots of examples of comics respecting marriage and parenthood lately! There is the revived Fantastic Four, which has two sets of parents raising challenging kids, there is the third Mage series by Matt Wagner, there have been recent stories about Luke Cage and Jessica Jones, and Thom Zahler's Love and Capes. They are all over the place if you make the effort to look for them.
You would also like Scarenthood, a new comic from IDW that deals a lot with parenting while hero.