: (3 of 5cowls)

This is a small press format book, and as such it is printed on standard paper stock with a light cardstock cover, reprinting a panel of the interior art. I really can't grade the cover, as it isn't so much a cover as a container for the story within. The back cover, however, sums up quite a bit of the story with simple elegance, so I'm tossing it a 3 cowl mark in spite of the format.

Story: (5 of 5 cowls)

Wow…Sara Ryan is Steve Lieber's wife and a notable author in her own right. Talent seems to run in the family. Her first book, "Empress of the World" was a finalist for the Lambda Literary Award for "Best Book for Young Adults." "Me and Edith Head" was nominated for an Eisner award for "Best Short Story", and there is a reason for it. It's a wonderful little book that really explores the struggles a young person has trying to feel accepted and confident in growing up and how something as simple as a single hobby or talent can make all the difference. There are so many other messages in the story, and I think they will be different for everyone who reads this book. My only wish would be for it to be longer. It could have easily gone a full 22 pages instead of the abbreviated 16. I would have loved to have seen more of Katrina's day to day life and interaction (negative and positive) with schoolmates. I really like the little touches in the book (things like the poke at Microsoft Access databases) and I think everyone in some form can relate to Katrina. What did I take away from this story? That everyone in the world is good at something, and confidence can come from within, through that, without needing to come from an external pat on the back. This is a book everyone, old and young, should read.


Artwork: (4 of 5 cowls)

If you've read my reviews of Steve's work in 'Tec, you already know that he has been growing on me over the issues I've been exposed to his penciling. His style is a mix of realism with a slight comic edge to it, which helps a reader to relate more to the characters. His work in "Edith Head" is no exception. Who in their life hasn't known (or been) someone with at least some of Katrina's characteristics? From the frazzled hair, to the double chin, to the pudgy form, to the unfashionable clothes…we've all been there. (I've worn glasses since I was 4, got contacts before high school but by then I had braces. I also had very strict and somewhat overprotective parents. I knew how it felt to be "snubbed" by the in-crowd or ridiculed for being different.) Steve's portrayal of Katrina is dead on perfect and a clear reminder of myself growing up. I think he uses a technique here that may or may not be intentional, but which I've begun to also see a pattern of in his Bat-work. His drawings of the main character are very consistent, and more detailed than the other characters revolving around them. This places the emphasis on the main character and leaves the rest of the "cast" to blend into their background. I'm beginning to have an appreciation for it, especially when it is working within this kind of a story, a real narrative tale. His images are simple in some panels, but his body language and expressions say what needs to be said. I'd have liked to have seen this in full sized format, but I personally like it in black and white. I think color might distract the reader from the story and linework. My only complaint here is that some of the inkwork feels a touch rushed (in the crosshatching and some of the shading which seemed to flow out of the barriers of the containing lines)

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