Dragon's Breath - MariNaomi
a review by B.F. Hubbard (published Sept. 2014, revised Sept. 2024)
a review by B.F. Hubbard (published Sept. 2014, revised Sept. 2024)
marinaomi is in the midst of a tour for their new book Dragon’s Breath and Other True Stories, published by 2DCloud. I finished the last of 384 pages today, captivated throughout just as much by this memoir as I was by Mari’s previous release, Kiss & Tell. Those stories unfolded with the theme of relationships and growing up, and while this collection is described as “graphic vignettes” covering “a wide spectrum of topics,” I found reoccurring motifs here, too. Or maybe it’s just that I repeatedly had lip quivers and held back sniffles.
Mari may be one of the most empathetic people I’ve ever know. The first time we met, me in my role as interviewer and them as my guest for the podcast, our conversation ran deeper off mic. They instilled some wisdom in me that I still try to carry to this day, though I’m afraid I’m just not as evolved as them. I really do love people, but I can be a grump, and I often find myself drawing lines between “us” and “the others.” In contrast, Mari appreciates both the good and the bad, all the complexities, in everyone from smelly and weird neighbors to cocky and withdrawn rock stars. Their point of reference, as well as probably most of the people who will be reading Dragon’s Breath, is having come up in the counterculture, in underground art and music scenes. But these tales put the reader in touch with everything that we share as humanity, no matter our stage or station in life, Mari’s specific anecdotes speaking to universal experiences.
The stories show Mari at various points in their life - as a kid who wants to rebel but is afraid to defy their parents, as a young person who has run away from home, as a budding artist navigating their craft and bad relationships, and as a happily married adult contemplating a ballot and their own ethics. There is an undercurrent of fear throughout - fear of the unknown, fear of loneliness, fear of death, fear of strangers, and even fear of what loved ones can be capable of, whether they be kindly grandfathers with an abusive past or jealous, hypocritical boyfriends. But there are emotional victories, too, like moments of understanding between Mari and their parents, and finding love with their husband, Gary. There is one story that ends with photographs from the night that has just been chronicled in the previous pages, and it struck me as particularly poignant, a reminder that these “characters” in the comics I am enjoying are (or used to be) living, breathing people.
Mari is a brilliant artist, compelling storyteller and bonafide dragonslayer. Read their books, attend their readings, and join me in anticipating their next release, Turning Japanese. In the meantime, the dragon’s cave awaits your visit…
Mari may be one of the most empathetic people I’ve ever know. The first time we met, me in my role as interviewer and them as my guest for the podcast, our conversation ran deeper off mic. They instilled some wisdom in me that I still try to carry to this day, though I’m afraid I’m just not as evolved as them. I really do love people, but I can be a grump, and I often find myself drawing lines between “us” and “the others.” In contrast, Mari appreciates both the good and the bad, all the complexities, in everyone from smelly and weird neighbors to cocky and withdrawn rock stars. Their point of reference, as well as probably most of the people who will be reading Dragon’s Breath, is having come up in the counterculture, in underground art and music scenes. But these tales put the reader in touch with everything that we share as humanity, no matter our stage or station in life, Mari’s specific anecdotes speaking to universal experiences.
The stories show Mari at various points in their life - as a kid who wants to rebel but is afraid to defy their parents, as a young person who has run away from home, as a budding artist navigating their craft and bad relationships, and as a happily married adult contemplating a ballot and their own ethics. There is an undercurrent of fear throughout - fear of the unknown, fear of loneliness, fear of death, fear of strangers, and even fear of what loved ones can be capable of, whether they be kindly grandfathers with an abusive past or jealous, hypocritical boyfriends. But there are emotional victories, too, like moments of understanding between Mari and their parents, and finding love with their husband, Gary. There is one story that ends with photographs from the night that has just been chronicled in the previous pages, and it struck me as particularly poignant, a reminder that these “characters” in the comics I am enjoying are (or used to be) living, breathing people.
Mari is a brilliant artist, compelling storyteller and bonafide dragonslayer. Read their books, attend their readings, and join me in anticipating their next release, Turning Japanese. In the meantime, the dragon’s cave awaits your visit…
