Naked: The Confessions of a Normal Woman. Pow Pow. 2023. 161pp. $24.95
The auto-bio genre is alive and well. It never really went away, just like figurative painting. There are these cyclical declarations on art that certain things are dead until proven wrong. No one is ever going to stop bringing up their take on the human condition in comics, movies, books or whatever content we are compelled to consume and criticize. Bring in the topic of sex and, are you kidding me? Of course, artists of all stripes have something to say on the subject. Enter cartoonist Eloise Marseille and her coming-of-age misadventures. She shares her sex life with you, every last bit of it in her still young life, providing perhaps a guidebook for those coming up the ranks.
An honest confusion.
Don’t let the title of the book fool you. Marseille is not really claiming to be “normal” as much as she is sharing her struggle with moving past any labels. As a young person who is navigating what it’s all about, Marseille revels in sharing a messy and honest confusion. Like countless other cartoonists who have come before, and will come in the future, Marseille is putting it out there: life can be complicated; people make mistakes; ultimately, if people know what’s good for them, they will trust their feelings. And, so, for example, Marseille depicts her coming to terms with her attraction to women. In the end, it’s not a big deal.
The artwork in this comic is very appealing, minimal and elegant. The two-color palette of red and blue is perfect. Color and design, pacing and composition, all work well in advancing the narrative. There’s a lot to unpack here: numerous tender and vulnerable moments, along with various points to be made about society, sex, and relationships. Through it all, Marseille confides in the reader in the way a best friend will dish about what’s been going on in their life. This is an excellent book, in the best spirit of the auto-bio tradition, from a new talent with a lot to say.
