Amatka and West Hollywood Monster Squad

By Zach Shattuck

Amatka By Karin Tidbeck
Whew, do I have a mind-bending book for you all.
Pause and imagine: what would you do if the ruling government had killed your father as a child? What if you kept stumbling into increasingly undeniable evidence that this cruel government was hiding fundamental truths about how the world functioned? What if your partner was deeply committed to that government and utterly convinced that this brutal, unforgiving regime kept everyone safe?
What would you do if your pencil could melt into a pile of dangerous goo before your eyes if you called it the wrong thing?
I don’t know if I have the answers to these questions myself, but Karin Tidbeck reveals what her main character Vanja chooses to do in the book Amatka. Set on a different world, Vanja journeys to the bleak colony Amatka on the ever-exciting mission of learning how to market hygiene products to the local populace. Initially interested in nothing more than writing and sending the trite reports back to headquarters, Vanja decides at the end of her two weeks to remain on the colony and build a life with Nina, the woman she had been staying with while conducting her research. But the comfort she finds in Nina’s arms cannot stop her from noticing that there are many strange things occurring on this colony: books are disappearing, and many original records are redacted of key details. Other official records contradict eye-witness reports. What’s really going on? What is the best way forward?
“We speak of new worlds, we speak of new lives, we speak to give ourselves, to become.”
“They’re not human anymore. You want to stop being human, is that it?”
Are the people of this world really being protected? If so, who (or what) are they being protected from? Is that protection, that isolation, really worth its price?
While the book is a fast read, it starts slowly and then rapidly mounts into a cataclysm (the entire book takes place over a mere four weeks). I had no idea what the ending of this book would look like, and while I think I’m still somewhat disturbed, it’s such a cool book and I’m glad I read it. Even for the out-there genre of sci-fi, this ending is somewhat unique. Tidbeck provides an original and engaging story that leaves me eager to see what else she’s written (once I’m feeling a little less spooked, of course). Something I enjoyed immensely about this book is that homophobia didn’t exist. While love in general, between any lovers or even between parent and child, is discouraged by the ruling government; there is no particular bias against the two women who desperately cling to each other as their paths demand they split apart.

West Hollywood Monster Squad By Sina Grace
West Hollywood Monster Squad opens a group of college kids planning a fun night out to West Hollywood. After bumping into the ex who left him ostracized back in high school (with a hot date in his arm, mind you), and a disappointing drag performance, Marvin Matocho has just about had it. This, of course, is when the monsters attack. A shady drag queen, an immature twink and his awkward ex who wronged him, a couple of lesbians, and a veteran bartender of WeHo are the only ones who can save the world from the sudden onslaught of monsters.
This graphic novel is a fun, quick read. The main character, Marvin, is introduced as a happy, adorable young man. But under stress, he ends up spending most of the book bitter and selfish. “We are in a literal life-or-death situation and you’re bringing up the dumbest, pettiest shit. The fact that we have to pause from an apocalypse to point out you’re being a brat…” Marvin grows up by the end of the book, which I appreciated. I love a good character arc and gay representation which is flawed enough to be realistically human.
Two e-book copies of this book are available through San Diego Public Libraries. I found the e-book format for a comic to be onerous, as one had to zoom in and out to read the dialogue. I’d encourage you to buy this book instead.