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Reviews of Kiss & Tell: A Romantic Resume Ages 0 to 22 “MariNaomi is a true original. This sometimes harrowing tale of young love made me rock with laughter and wince with sympathetic mortification.” —Armistead Maupin, author of Mary Ann in Autumn and Tales of the City “Kiss & Tell gets love, sex and everything in between exactly right. Reading MariNaomi's graphic memoir is like reading my own childhood journal—if my journal were extremely funny and well drawn.” —Amy Bryant, author of Polly “Despite offering an abundance of convenient stopping points, Kiss & Tell insists on not being put down until you’ve read every sordid detail. MariNaomi’s romantic resume is extensive and messy, but it's a funny and rewarding wreck to watch.” —Jeffrey Brown, author of Clumsy and Funny Misshapen Body “This book isn’t merely a laundry list of men that Mari has dated over the years; it’s the earnest story of a young woman’s tumultuous, hilarious and heartbreaking youth. It’s also smart, funny, original and compulsively readable.” —Julia Wertz, author of Drinking at the Movies and The Fart Party Volumes 1 & 2 “The book’s charm lies in MariNaomi’s amused and loving perspective on her curious, tough, occasionally foolish younger self: she knows she may have misunderstood the dynamics of her relationships, but she can still evoke the intensity of her feelings.” —The New York Times “Girlish innocence and disarming candor mark this graphic memoir. Whether she’s writing about threesomes, foursomes or the possibility of moresomes, MariNaomi exudes a sweetness undefiled by experience.... Though there are some dark interludes, this is ultimately a celebration of a girl’s life, from larva to wings.” —Kirkus Reviews “Picaresque, but down-to-earth, Kiss & Tell winningly marries its spare, gestural, black-and-white style to its capricious though thoughtful tone. The soulfulness and even loneliness she expresses is all hers.” —Boston Globe “Let’s hear it for a sexual coming-of-age that, for all its bumps, isn’t about victimology and regret. In Kiss & Tell, MariNaomi outlines in bold, woodblock-style graphic nonfiction just how a girl does it in this day and age.” —ELLE Magazine “MariNaomi succeeds in documenting the genuine transformation of a confused young girl into a self-aware woman. She is honest about her mistakes... She effectively shies away from a pity party or woe-is-me girlhood. Her frankness...makes the book painfully and embarrassingly relatable. It’s a quick read but packed with wisdom and raw experience.” —BUST Magazine “Though it can be a painful read—who wants to be reminded of mistakes they made at 15—MariNaomi’s honesty and humor make it absolutely compelling.” —USA Today, Pop Candy “Reads like a Tales of the City for Generation X.” —San Francisco Chronicle “Fearless, funny, tender, unsparing... SF’s own MariNaomi shows us how it’s done.” —SF Weekly “A good-humored and bracingly honest memoir.” —Seattle Weekly “Never flinching from the down and dirty details of what went on with all these guys (and, eventually, girls), the author gives a refreshing and poignant look at early sexual experience and romance, including the actually dirty, the tragic, and the semisweet.” —Publishers Weekly Reviews of Estrus Comics #6 …
Read Rob Clough’s sequart.org review here. Read Rod Lott’s Bookgasm review here. “Estrus Comics #6: More Kiss and Tell Stories details MariNaomi’s love
life from 1984 to 1990, during which period she falls all-too-swiftly for
a variety of cads. Well, the guy who ends up going to prison seems all
right—other than, you know, the prison part—but I don’t want to spoil the
story for you. Clean, bold art with nicely delineated characters is something I always appreciate. Even though I don’t particularly like most
of the characters, this is the most engaging perzine/bio-comic I’ve read
in some time.” * * * * *
Reviews of Estrus Comics #5 …
“Jeffrey Brown once said that to make effective comics, you have to write about stuff that you don’t want anyone to know. MariNaomi does just that, telling short stories about her experiences with dudes. Some recollections go back ten years, and they are masterpieces that I wish were longer. I like reading about disappointments and the learning that comes from them—especially when they’re not mine.” “Mari Naomi tells honest stories about her love life. Sometimes they're sweet, sometimes painfully embarrassing...but they're so genuine every time.” MariNaomi takes an amusing angle on the confessional comic, telling various stories about the various relationships she's had throughout her life. This ranges from childhood crushes to flings to serious romances, and it's unsparing in detail, no matter how embarrassing. What makes the comic work is Naomi's trenchant wit and ability to shape a series of anecdotes into a kind of narrative. The way she jumps around in time, providing a bit of disorientation for the reader, is another key to making each story pop.” “With a bold cartooning style, San Francisco-based artist MariNaomi chronicles her past relationships with boys – mostly sexual – in the self-published ESTRUS COMICS. The current fifth issue opens with a remembrance of a “I’ll show you mine if…” incident with a male babysitter; when she sees his penis, rainbows and butterflies swirl about the room. Later, she plays “marriage” with boys on her street, gets disgusted administering her first blowjob (”What are those things under his balls?! Dingleberries! Can’t he reach that far when he wipes?!”), loses her virginity and gives in to butt sex. It all sounds prurient, but it’s not pornographic, and MariNaomi is too smart to not slather a layer of knowing humor on top.” Read the Comics Reporter review here. Read the Daily Crosshatch review here. Reviews of Estrus Comics #4 … “For a laugh, check out MariNaomi’s comic ‘Recipe for Disaster,’ which hits a little too close to home for the culinarily challenged.” “I love getting comix in the mail, especially when they are good, and Estrus Comics by MariNaomi is certainly no exception...While most self exposing autbio comix can be very embarrassing to read and somewhat tedious, filled with nauseating naval gazing, Mari knows this and pokes fun at her own misfortune making for a really entertaining read...I hate the term of a comic being a good one to show to your girlfriend, but its kinda true with this one. The strength is how relate-able her work is. Mari has a great minimal cartoony style, making great use of some solid blacks, and strong inks. For the skeptical reader looking for some kind of artistic comparison to base opinion on, I would say there is definitely a flavour of Mary Fleener, which equals goodness to me. “Also included in this collection, is her story from the Pet Noir anthology, which was actually my fav from the book, so it’s a nice inclusion. Over all, it’s a great self-published collection that promises for more awesomeness in the future.” “MariNaomi avoids going the ‘woe is me’ route while telling stories of her romantic life experiences. Instead, she looks at the humorous and absurd side of love and relationships all the way from kindergarten to present day. The innocence of first kisses, awkward teenage sexual experiences and post 9/11 hippy boyfriends are all covered in the 20 pages that make up the first half of this issue. While she focuses more on the let downs she’s had to endure, you get the feeling that she’s laughing at most of these experiences with you ... All said, Estrus Comics is a fun, well-told comic.” “[Estrus is] a diverse collection of stories, and I highly recommend it.” “The bulk of this comic recounts a handful of author MariNaomi’s romantic mishaps, beginning in kindergarden. Some focus on small amusing moments; others give clipped overviews of an entire relationship. They’re all pretty funny and easy to relate to. As for the art—at its best it is quite terrific, hinting at primitive and Etruscan influences (think Modigliani or, closer David B.)...” “The subject matter—coming-of-age stories about sex and love lost—is quite personal, but somehow universal. Hey, we were all stupid teenagers once.” * * * * * Earlier Reviews of Estrus Comics …“Estrus 3 is ... really thought provoking ... a little heavy and a tad depressing ... I wonder if I really delved into my psyche if I could write about this kind of personal material or if I would be too frightened and retreat back to my more familiar light entertainment.” - Omnibus of Fun “Mari is ... unafraid to break conventional panel & page layout and does so to fine effect
... Good reading if you enjoy autobiographical comics.” “This
is worth checking out!”
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© 2011 MariNaomi
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