Project and content management for Contemporary Authors volumes
WORK TITLE: Super Late Bloomer
WORK NOTES:
PSEUDONYM(S):
BIRTHDATE: 6/15/1988
WEBSITE:
CITY: Los Angeles
STATE: CA
COUNTRY: United States
NATIONALITY: American
RESEARCHER NOTES:
| LC control no.: | no2018073564 |
|---|---|
| LCCN Permalink: | https://lccn.loc.gov/no2018073564 |
| HEADING: | Kaye, Julia, 1988- |
| 000 | 00746nz a2200169n 450 |
| 001 | 10765477 |
| 005 | 20180601073105.0 |
| 008 | 180531n| azannaabn |n aaa c |
| 010 | __ |a no2018073564 |
| 035 | __ |a (OCoLC)oca11374515 |
| 040 | __ |a CaBVa |b eng |e rda |c CaBVa |
| 046 | __ |f 1988-06-15 |2 edtf |
| 100 | 1_ |a Kaye, Julia, |d 1988- |
| 370 | __ |e Los Angeles (Calif.) |2 naf |
| 374 | __ |a Graphic artists |a Illustrators |2 lcsh |
| 670 | __ |a Super late bloom, 2018: |b title page (Julia Kaye) page 4 of cover (Julia Kaye is an artist and illustrator who created the webcomic Up and out. Julia lives in Los Angeles.) |
| 670 | __ |a Wikipedia, viewed May 31, 2018 |b (Julia Kaye (born June 15, 1988) is an American artist and illustrator.) |u https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Julia_Kaye |
PERSONAL
Born June 15, 1988.
EDUCATION:College graduate.
ADDRESS
CAREER
Writer and illustrator. Works at Disney TV Animation.
WRITINGS
Author and illustrator of comic strip Up and Out. Work published in periodicals and websites, including Maxim, Cosmopolitan, Buzzfeed, GoComics, Naver Webtoon, and College Humor.
SIDELIGHTS
Julia Kaye, a writer and illustrator, chronicles her life and gender transition in the graphic novel Super Late Bloomer: My Early Days in Transition, which collects six months of her Up and Out online comic strips, covering May through October, 2016. Kaye is a transgender woman, meaning she was identified as male at birth but had an inner sense of being female. Such conflict between inner and outward genders is known as gender dysphoria. She had been creating Up and Out for several years before deciding to use it to tell her transition story. “Up and Out has really changed over time, what started out as an absurdist humor strip shifted to a gender transition-focused autobio series to now a queer romance-focused autobio series,”she told Alex Dueben in an interview at the Smash Pages website.
The strips collected in Super Late Bloomer follow Kaye as she begins taking hormones, experiences physical and emotional changes, adopts a new name, starts using female pronouns, goes through the end of a relationship, and deals with the reactions of friends and relatives. Some are supportive, others not. Kaye describes rewarding moments, such as when her parents begin using female pronouns, along with the hurt she feels when some people still perceive her as male. She also admits to some internalized transphobia on her part before she finally arrives at a place of self-acceptance.
To some extent, the book “feels like another lifetime lived by someone else,” Kaye told Dueben.”I’ve grown so much since then–my relation to womanhood and dysphoria feel very different now. I’m glad I documented such a vulnerable time in my life so thoroughly because I’d have forgotten most of it otherwise.” Creating the comics, which she did as a form of journal-writing, was therapeutic, she told another online interviewer, Davod Ryals at PrideSource. The reaction to her book has been rewarding, she continued. “Queer people of all ages write to me telling me how they’ve come to understand themselves better through reading it, or were inspired to come out in their own lives from it,: she told Ryals. “Cisgender [nontransgender] allies excitedly tell me how helpful it’s been to understand gender dysphoria.” She also realized her comic strip and book were filling a void, she told Dueben. “It quickly made me understand how there is still such a lack of good, nuanced trans representation in media as a whole,” she explained.
Several reviewers thought Kaye provided just that type of representation, and they predicted her book would be appealing and inspiring to a wide range of readers, transgender or not. “At turns funny, sarcastic, and bittersweet, Super Late Bloomer is essential reading for humans,” remarked Kelly Garbato at the Vegan Daemon website. Another online critic, John Glynn at GoComics, noted: “This isn’t a book just for a specific audience, this is a warm, strong story of how one person finds herself in a complicated world.” A Publishers Weekly contributor observed that Kaye’s “tenacity in this hopeful story will be resonant for readers going through personal transitions of many kinds.”
Some pointed out, though, that her book would have special resonance for transgender audiences. Super Late Bloomer “was a candle in the darkness lit by a strong, brave woman pressing forward in a world that is not always kind towards difference,” related Alyn Spector, who is transgender, at his eponymous blog. Alexandra Erin, reviewing at the site bearing her name, reported that for transgender readers, “certain parts of it can be a real heart-wrenching punch in the gut.” For nontrans people, it will aid in understanding transgender people’s lives, but they should keep in mind that it is the story of one individual, not a primer in being transgender, Erin added, going on to advise: “It is well worth your time for the privilege of seeing inside another human being’s head.” In School Library Journal, Amanda MacGregor summed up Super Late Bloomer as “an important and accessible work, especially given that relatively few books tackle the process of transitioning.”
BIOCRIT
BOOKS
Kaye, Julia, Super Late Bloomer: My Early Days in Transition (graphic memoir; self-illustrated), Andrews McMeel (Kansas City, MO), 2017.
PERIODICALS
Publishers Weekly, Marxh 19, 2018, review of Super Late Bloomer, p. 60.
School Library Journal, June, 2018, Amanda MacGregor, review of Super Late Bloomer, p. 108.
ONLINE
Alexandra Erin website, http://www.alexandraerin.com/ (May 2, 2018), Alesandra Erin, review of Super Late Bloomer.
Alyn Spector website, http://alynspector.com/ (May 8, 2018), Alyn Spector, review of Super Late Bloomer.
GoComics, https://www.gocomics.com/ (May 1, 2018), John Glynn, review of Super Late Bloomer.
PrideSource, https://pridesource.com/ (May 9, 2018), David Ryals, “There’s Nothing Wrong with Being a ‘Super Late Bloomer.’
Smash Pages, http://smashpages.net/ (April 27, 2018), Alex Dueben, interview with Julia Kaye.
Up and Out website, http://upandoutcomic.tumblr.com/ (August 1, 2018), brief biography.
Vegan Daemon, http://www.easyvegan.info/ (May 4, 2018), Kelly Garbato, review of Super Late Bloomer.
Hi there! My name is Julia Kaye and I make the comic UP and OUT.
I’ve worked with Maxim Magazine, Cosmopolitan, Buzzfeed, GoComics, Naver Webtoon, and College Humor. I currently work for Disney TV Animation.
For inquiries: upandoutcomic@gmail.com
FAQ
Q How do I get better at drawing?
A Just get out there and draw draw draw draw. Draw from life, look up videos on Youtube, take a class, befriend other artists at your level
and improve together, never stop drawing, post your work to the internet for others to see, etc etc etc. It’s all about putting in the time.
Q What do you use for drawing?
A For my digital work, I use an ancient 12wx Cintiq tablet. I typically draw in Manga Studio and then switch over to Photoshop for coloring.
For my traditional work, I’ve come to love Faber Castel drawing pens. I like drawing on Moleskine watercolor sketchbooks, I like the texture
and thickness of the paper (though the texture probably ruins my pen tips, causing me to need to constantly replace them).
Q I have a specific question about being trans or questioning my gender identity!
A Wow!! Seriously, that’s so rad that you decided to reach out and talk to someone about it. For so many people that’s a HUGE step!!
Unfortunately, I don’t have the time to talk one-on-one about this kinda thing, so I recommend asking your questions over at AskTransgender over on Reddit.
They’re a large online trans community, very active, and I found them extremely helpful myself early on.
It’s not a perfect resource, but it’s generally pretty great. Best of luck!! :)
Quoted in Sidelights: “Up and Out has really changed over time, what started out as an absurdist humor strip shifted to a gender transition-focused autobio series to now a queer romance-focused autobio series,”
“feels like another lifetime lived by someone else,” Kaye told Dueben.”I’ve grown so much since then–my relation to womanhood and dysphoria feel very different now. I’m glad I documented such a vulnerable time in my life so thoroughly because I’d have forgotten most of it otherwise.”
“It quickly made me understand how there is still such a lack of good, nuanced trans representation in media as a whole,”
Author Alex Dueben
Posted on April 27, 2018
SMASH PAGES
Smash Pages Q&A: Julia Kaye on ‘Super Late Bloomer’
The cartoonist and animator discusses the first collection of her webcomic ‘Up and Out.’
Julia Kaye had been making comics for years – and making the webcomic Up and Out for years – before she transitioned. What had been a humor strip made in full color then became something else as Kaye used the strip to document her own life and trying to adjust to life as a woman. Her first book is Super Late Bloomer: My Early Days in Transition. The book collects six months of strips from 2016. They range from funny to absurd to heartbreaking as Kaye captures her changing life three panels at a time.
Kaye is currently working at Disney Animation and continues to draw Up and Out. With Super Late Bloomer out this week, we sat down to talk about the book, her work and how it’s changed over the years.
How did you come to comics?
Growing up I always had a love of newspaper strips and later as a teen, webcomics. After graduating college with a degree in illustration, I naturally started gravitating toward making comics of my own, spending my time teaching myself how to draw comics instead working on an illustration portfolio. Over the next few years I kept making comics while working various day-jobs, eventually taking a leap of faith to try doing it full time. That’s when I started Up and Out.
For people who don’t know or haven’t read it, what is Up and Out?
I’m not sure I know anymore! Up and Out has really changed over time, what started out as an absurdist humor strip shifted to a gender transition-focused autobio series to now a queer romance-focused autobio series. Who knows where it’ll be in a few years!
Tell me about Super Late Bloomer.
It’s a six-month collection of short autobiographical comics about my experience going through the early days of my transition. They’re a very personal and honest day-to-day portrayal of what it’s like to navigate the complexities of gender dysphoria and exist as a trans person in this society.
You were making comics before you transitioned. At what point did you know or feel like you had to make comics about the experience?
Behind the scenes in early 2016, while I was busy making gag strips for the internet, I was dealing with a lot of emotional turmoil as a closeted trans woman. My life felt like a constant struggle as I wrestled with my gender dysphoria and went through what felt like endless new and scary experiences. It was such a vulnerable period of self-discovery and without having any trans friends in my life who I could directly relate my experiences to, I felt incredibly isolated.
So when some cartoonist friends (who I was out to) pushed me to start making journal comics about my experiences to help process everything, I really latched onto the idea. It became a nightly ritual for me to break away from the distractions of technology, take take out a physical sketchbook, and reflect on my day. It was such a breath of fresh air to make comics just for myself, feeling free to fully express myself without the judgment of an audience to worry about. I kept journaling until I’d reached a point where it felt like I didn’t need it as much any more.
The book covers six months, May through October, in 2016, and I’m curious how the comics read to you now?
It’s surreal to look back on that time now. I know I made them and it was my lived experience, but in some ways it feels like another lifetime lived by someone else. I’ve grown so much since then- my relation to womanhood and dysphoria feel very different now. I’m glad I documented such a vulnerable time in my life so thoroughly because I’d have forgotten most of it otherwise.
Do you think that transitioning changed you as a cartoonist? Or forced you to rethink how you work and how you thought about the work?
I wouldn’t say transitioning changed me as a cartoonist, maybe it’s changed the way some of my work is received by my audience, but the biggest factor of change was posting strips from what eventually became Super Late Bloomer online. Countless trans people have responded so passionately to the series, it’s been absolutely overwhelming. It quickly made me understand how there is still such a lack of good, nuanced trans representation in media as a whole. Positive queer representation is currently what I most care about when creating art now. Media of all kinds plays such a large role in our society and it’s absolutely crucial for people to be able to see themselves out there.
What I meant wasn’t that your style changed, but what you were interested in drawing, and what you wanted from it seems to have changed.
Yeah, definitely. As I progressed further into my transition and had time to reflect on the general lack of available media representation for trans and queer people, it became increasingly important to me to add my perspective into the mix, however possible. It’s not enough for me to just create absurdist strips in a vacuum any more- I can do it, but I really don’t feel the pull to make them the way I used to. Clear, nuanced reflections of my life as a queer woman is at the forefront of my mind when making personal art.
How do you work?
I started out as an all-digital artist working on a tablet, but moved to pen and paper when I started making Super Late Bloomer. As I mentioned earlier, I found it to be a great way to block out digital distractions, and just focus on making a comic. Also, I now work in animation, drawing on a tablet all day, so it’s nice to just not stare into a glowing screen for awhile.
You make these personal comics without color and just line drawings. You want this very raw, very simple approach and I wonder if you could talk a little about why you like this style.
To be honest, it mostly had to do with speed of creation. When I started making autobio strips, I was already feeling pretty maxed out creating 4 color gag strips each week, I didn’t have time or energy for anything more than quick 3 panel black and white comics! If I didn’t put those constraints on myself, I would’ve quickly become overburdened and probably would’ve stopped making the series after the first few days from burnout. Nowadays I enjoy that it’s reminiscent of the newspaper strips I grew up reading so I’ve kept it up.
You’re also working in animation. What are you doing?
I work for Disney TV Animation on the show Big City Greens (out later this year!) as a Storyboard Revisionist. I help draw characters on-model, adjust and add necessary character acting, and really anything else that needs doing to get a storyboarded episode ready to be shipped out to the animation studios.
Are you doing any shows or events this summer?
The list of shows is slowly growing, but I’m currently scheduled to be at VanCaf in Vancouver in May, ALA in New Orleans in June, and FlameCon in August.
Quoted in Sidelights: “Queer people of all ages write to me telling me how
they’ve come to understand themselves better through reading it, or were inspired to come out in their own lives from it,: she told Ryals. “Cisgender [nontransgender] allies excitedly tell me how helpful it’s been to understand gender dysphoria.”
There’s Nothing Wrong with Being a ‘Super Late Bloomer’
By David Ryals| May 9th, 2018| Michigan, News
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Though many choose to keep a written diary as a way to cope with troubles, author Julia Kaye did so in a more art-inspired way: through comic strips. What started as a personal project of daily, stress-releasing three-frame comics, turned into a full book format. Each page is essentially a daily reflection that helped Kaye through her 2016 transition. The book, released in May of this year, examines all the various ups and downs of transitioning and how some days can feel much better than others.
Between The Lines reached out to Kaye before the book’s release to talk about her struggles in writing the book, its public reception and about new projects in the works.
What made you realize you were a cartoonist and how did the subject of “Super Late Bloomer” choose you?
Comics have always been a part of my life in one way or another — from reading newspaper
strips growing up to web/indie comics as a teen and beyond. I tried my hand at a lot of areas of the visual arts over the years but I always gravitated right back to it. I started spending all my off-hours from work writing and drawing, I had the bug and felt a powerful need to make my own. In my mid-20s I started and eventually became known for an absurdist humor webcomic called “Up and Out”.
Meanwhile, around 2015 or so, my gender dysphoria had steadily gotten worse to the point where I couldn’t ignore it any longer, leading me to finally start down the path toward self-acceptance — and transitioning. Early on in transition I found myself facing new, mentally-taxing situations daily and desperately needed a way to help process all of the complex emotions that come with living with gender dysphoria. I didn’t know any other trans people at the time — which was incredibly isolating — I found there was just so much to transitioning that was difficult to explain and relate to the cisgender people in my life. There was a very real gap in their understanding.
So, alongside seeing a therapist, I turned to making journal comics. A little daily project just for myself, my only goal to be as honest with myself as possible — which was a very new thing for me then! And so it all just sort of came together over time.
How was the creation process for “Super Late Bloomer?” Has making this book made you want to continue drawing comics?
The whole process was very therapeutic and relaxing. At the end of each day I would step
away from the distractions of technology and life to reflect on the events of the day and how they affected me emotionally. I limited myself to three panels because I didn’t want it to be stressful, just a quick ‘n easy little mental check-in. It all happened very naturally. The biggest difficulty I faced being the days where there was just too much for one comic, but I tried my best to choose what felt most important. Being so vulnerable and opening up publicly has been an amazing experience. I definitely will moving forward.
What has the reception been to the book so far? And how have you felt about it after its completion and release?
The reception has blown me away. Queer people of all ages write to me telling me how
they’ve come to understand themselves better through reading it, or were inspired to come
out in their own lives from it. Cisgender allies excitedly tell me how helpful it’s been to understand gender dysphoria. A few have even confided that they were unknowingly transphobic before reading my work and have since become allies. It’s incredible! I’m so happy to have been able to have made such a positive impact.
What are you future plans for making comics? Are there any projects you have coming up that you would like to divulge?
I’ve got some ideas for moving forward but it’s still much too early to talk about them. Gonna keep my little baby ideas close to the chest for now!
About the Author: David Ryals
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Quoted in Sidelights: “tenacity in this hopeful story will be resonant for readers going through personal transitions of many kinds.”
Super Late Bloomer: My Early Days in Transition
Publishers Weekly.
265.12 (Mar. 19, 2018): p60+. From Book Review Index Plus. COPYRIGHT 2018 PWxyz, LLC http://www.publishersweekly.com/
Full Text:
* Super Late Bloomer: My Early Days in Transition
Julia Kaye. Andrews McMeel, $19.99 trade paper (160p) ISBN 978-1-4494-8962-5
Cartoonist and Disney artist Kaye's debut collection is a series of complementary contradictions: blunt yet precise; straightforward but nuanced; simple but beautiful. A collection of Kaye's first autobiographical strips from her once-absurdist, now rawly honest webcomic Up and Out, this work follows Kaye, a transgender woman, through part of her tumultuous first year on hormone replacement therapy and the social, physical, and mental shifts that accompanied that change. Reading what is effectively Kaye's diary, it's nearly impossible not to empathize with her story, especially given her wide-eyed, inviting style of cartooning, which recalls elements of Bill Amends Foxtrot. Over five months' worth of strips, readers witness Kaye deal with an estranged family member, acclimate to new pronouns, heal and grow from a breakup, and develop a greater appreciation of her own unique beauty. Regardless of a reader's own orientation or identity, there are universal points of recognition and inspiration in Kaye's frank and open telling. While repackaged web strips don't always translate well to book form, the accumulation of quotidian moments creates a greater whole in this volume. Kaye skillfully and effectively relates the daily indignities borne by trans women and the triumphs and quiet joys as well. Her tenacity in this hopeful story will be resonant for readers going through personal transitions of many kinds.
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(May)
Source Citation (MLA 8th Edition)
"Super Late Bloomer: My Early Days in Transition." Publishers Weekly, 19 Mar. 2018, p. 60+.
Book Review Index Plus, http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A531977365 /GPS?u=schlager&sid=GPS&xid=54dce7fd. Accessed 16 July 2018.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A531977365
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Quoted in Sidelights: “an important and accessible work, especially given that relatively few books tackle the process of transitioning.”
http://go.galegroup.com/ps/marklist.do?actionCmd=GET_MA...
KAYE, Julia. Super Late Bloomer:
My Early Days in Transition
Amanda MacGregor
School Library Journal.
64.6 (June 2018): p108+. From Book Review Index Plus.
COPYRIGHT 2018 Library Journals, LLC. A wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/
Full Text:
* KAYE, Julia. Super Late Bloomer: My Early Days in Transition, illus. by Julia Kaye. 160p. Andrews McMeel. May 2018. pap. $14.99. ISBN 9781449489625.
Gr 8 Up--Cartoonist Kaye, who is transgender, reveals the many ups and downs of starting hormone replacement in this collection of strips from her webcomic Up and Out. In a "Before" section, she writes about her life before fully understanding her identity and transitioning, which helps ground the short, disconnected comics. The strips begin four months into Kaye's decision to take hormones, and express her joy and excitement along with her impatience, frustration, dysphoria, and internalized transphobia. She describes moving home, changing her name, and coming out and explores self-image, reactions from others, misgendering, and more. Kaye shares many affirming experiences such as her parents using the right pronouns, her forays into trying out different clothes and makeup, and her reminders that she is valid no matter how she looks or is perceived, but never shies away from moments of frustration or self-loathing. The strips are like reading a diary--raw, honest, emotional, and not always uplifting. While Kaye's feelings are complicated, she is ultimately hopeful. The simple line drawings add warmth and whimsy to the small snippets of text. Though Kaye focuses on her experiences as an adult, teens will relate to her reflections on identity and acceptance. VERDICT An important and accessible work, especially given that relatively few books tackle the process of transitioning.--Amanda MacGregor, Parkview Elementary School, Rosemount, MN
Source Citation (MLA 8th Edition)
MacGregor, Amanda. "KAYE, Julia. Super Late Bloomer: My Early Days in Transition." School
Library Journal, June 2018, p. 108+. Book Review Index Plus, http://link.galegroup.com /apps/doc/A540903034/GPS?u=schlager&sid=GPS&xid=be29ba2a. Accessed 16 July 2018.
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Quoted in Sidelights: “This isn’t a book just for a specific audience, this is a warm, strong story of how one person finds herself in a complicated world.”
Julia Kaye's 'Super Late Bloomer' Springs onto Bookshelves
by John Glynn
May 1, 2018
You may know Julia Kaye from the excellently weird comic "Up and Out" she does here on GoComics and elsewhere. But did you also know she has a full-time job as an artist at a little place I like to call Disney? I've heard very good things about them, FWIW.
You may have seen the viral article on Bored Panda last year where the larger world got a look at her journal comics that chronicled her transition.
But did you also know that today is the day that her new book (a collection of those transition comics) from our amigos at Andrews McMeel Publishing hits the streets? Well, listen to me first and believe me later because it's all true.
"Super Late Bloomer" is Julia's autobiographical story told through her comics. At times funny, and other times heartbreaking, it's the story of someone coming to terms with who they are in a wonderfully honest and thoughtful way. Along her path, you see doubt and pain but also hope and acceptance. It's an inspiring story and Julia handles it with a deft touch, knowing when to shine some light after a dark moment.
This isn't a book just for a specific audience, this is a warm, strong story of how one person finds herself in a complicated world.
Slainte, Julia!
Check out Up and Out on GoComics.
Quoted in Sidelights: “certain parts of it can be a real heart-wrenching punch in the gut.”
“It is well worth your time for the privilege of seeing inside another human being’s head.”
MAY 2, 2018
REVIEW: Super Late Bloomer by Julia Kaye (@upandoutcomic)
So, a while back I was sent a review copy of SUPER LATE BLOOMER (<— Amazon affiliate link), a collection of the diary webcomic Up and Out by Julia Kaye. My intent had been to get a review up before its launch (yesterday), but, well… I guess “better late than never” is one of the life lessons of the comic. So…
Super Late Bloomer is a collection of strips that Kaye made to document her transition and help process her feelings about it. If you’re trans and you read it, certain parts of it can be a real heart-wrenching punch in the gut. Which parts exactly will probably vary wildly from person to person, because none of us walk the same journey. There were parts (mostly relating to reflections in mirrors) that I found intensely relatable, and others I could merely empathize with.
If you’re a cis person, I recommend you approach this book from the point of view of “this is an autobiographical comic about a person”. That she is a trans woman is not incidental, it’s the major theme and focus of the comics. And getting insight into the life of a trans woman, any trans woman, is likely to help you relate to and understand other trans women. But you’ll be doing yourself and any other trans women in your life now or in the future a bit of a disservice if you look at the comic as a guidebook or instruction manual on The Trans.
As they say dans la belle Lifetime Channel: this is one woman’s journey.
And it is a herky-jerky, old-fashioned wooden roller coaster ride of a journey: even the ups and downs aren’t nice and smooth. It’s not a sob story, and there’s no cheap pathos. Just genuine human emotions in a genuine human life. Don’t read this comic expecting everything laid out in a nice, progressive story arc; it’s a journal comic, written one day at a time, each strip capturing not the entirety of a day or even its summary but something that resonated emotionally within it. Don’t read it expecting a laugh a minute or gag a day. It’s not that kind of comic strip.
But, by all means, do read it. It is well worth your time for the privilege of seeing inside another human being’s head, reading her reflections at her most confident and most vulnerable moments, and going along on the roller coaster ride.
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Quoted in Sidelights: “At turns funny, sarcastic, and bittersweet, Super Late Bloomer is essential reading for humans,”
Book Review: Super Late Bloomer: My Early Days in Transition by Julia Kaye (2018)
May 4th, 2018 7:00 am by Kelly Garbato
Lovely and heartfelt.
four out of five stars
(Full disclosure: I received a free e-ARC through NetGalley. Trigger warning for transphobia.)
Growing up, artist Julia Kaye didn’t know she was trans. While she felt a certain, low-level sense of discomfort with her own body, it wasn’t until she was twenty-four – when she stumbled upon a website where users documented their transitions – that she identified the source of her gender dysphoria. And it would take another two years before she was comfortable enough to come out to her friends and family and begin her transition. A near-daily diary in graphic novel format, Super Late Bloomer documents the first six months of her transition, from May through October of 2016.
Super Late Bloomer very much feels like the fabulously queer cousin of a Sarah’s Scribbles collection. The visual style is similar (princess eyes and puddle of flesh = pure joy!), yet still its own; and Kaye’s social awkwardness and anxiety feels familiar to me, even if the source is something that I can only try to understand. Kaye documents the tiny triumphs and devastations that marked her path along the way.
The bad: misgendering; being outed by well-meaning but clueless family members; post-laser stubble; friends who suddenly make themselves scarce.
The good: being complimented by other women; finding a dress that fits; accepting parents; looking in the mirror and seeing your true self stare back.
At turns funny, sarcastic, and bittersweet, Super Late Bloomer is essential reading for humans in this word.
(This review is also available on Amazon, Library Thing, and Goodreads. Please click through and vote it helpful if you’re so inclined!)
Quoted in Sidelights: “was a candle in the darkness lit by a strong, brave woman pressing forward in a world that is not always kind towards difference,”
Book Review: Julia Kaye's "Super Late Bloomer"
5/8/2018 1 Comment
Earlier this week, I was thrilled at the arrival of "Up and Out" comic writer Julia Kate's new book, "Super Late Bloomer."
As my readers know, I'm in the process of transitioning and have recently come out more broadly in my personal life. When I saw Kaye's book for sale, I immediately purchased myself a copy on Amazon.
Here are my thoughts on her work:
"Super Late Bloomer" is the autobiographical account of a young woman's transition to a physical appearance and hormonal balance reflective of her female identity. She details her experiences through a series of skillfully simplistic comics that offer poignant glimpses into the stops along her path of self-actualization.
Each panel captures a moment in time. Events and emotions in Julia's life are portrayed with great sincerity and self-reflection within the black and white frames. We get a window into Julie's journey and its impacts on her inner world. The effect is poignant, and powerful.
For me, "Super Late Bloomer" was deeply comforting. It was a candle in the darkness lit by a strong, brave woman pressing forward in a world that is not always kind towards difference.
Her journey her victories; setbacks; frustrations; and interactions with the larger world, remind me that I'm not alone. They remind me that my personal transition is not in a vacuum and that there are other people out there whose bodies and hormone configurations are still works in progress, and who are striving to make room for themselves at the table, and in the narrative.