This One Summer - Jillian & Mariko Tamaki (2014 First Second)

First Second has to be one of my favourite comic imprints. Their books are so beautifully presented, and feature such wonderfully written and drawn stories. These are proper 'graphic novels'; a single one-off story that balances words and pictures. This One Summer is by two Japanese-Canadian cousins, and was apparently the 'most challenged' book in the US in 2016. This means that lots of parents didn't like the idea that their children should read about anything to do with lesbians. It's weird that people are like that, but as we all know, there are millions of these people. Anyway, this is the story of two girls, Rose and 'Windy', around 11 or 12 I guess, who meet up every year when their families go to Awago Beach for the summer. Awago Beach is in Ontario, it seems. The two girls do general kids-on-holiday stuff like swimming, watching horror videos on a laptop, going for walks, and collecting stones. Rose's parents are going through a rough patch, due to the mother's miscarriage and subsequent depression. There are also a bunch of teenagers who work in or hang around at the local store, and Rose and Windy become intrigued by their problems, as if they were a real-life soap opera. The artwork by Jillian Tamaki is sublime; soft brush strokes in a dark blue rather than black, that create a real sense of place. You can almost smell the surf and the trees, and the tang of empty beer bottles and general garbage around the store. The dialogue always rings true, and characters are consistent and emotionally-satisfying. It's a little melancholy masterpiece. If you're not sure about comics, because you don't like superheroes, this might turn you around.
http://jilliantamaki.com/illustration/
http://marikotamaki.blogspot.co.uk/