Comments for If This Be Sin

If This Be Sin: 11/05/14

If This Be Sin by Hazel Newlevant is a short graphic novel (or a longish comic) about queer women expressing themselves through music. For some it's dancing. For others it's performing. For others it's composing and performing.

There are three stories: one about Gladys Bentley, blues singer from the Harlem Renaissance, one about a dance competition, and one about the strife between Prince and Wendy and Lisa — a lesbian couple who co-wrote and performed a number of his early songs.

This absolute gem of a book was a lucky find via Tumblr when pre-order publicity panels were posted. I'm normally more cautious about pre-ordering books, especially from new-to-me authors or new-to-me publishers, but the Tumblr post came at the time I was re-reading Vested Interests by Marjorie Garber, so I was in the right mood to read a graphic novel that covered the same topic (and in the case of Glady Bentley, the same person).

I tore through my copy the day it arrived. It's short, intense, and beautifully drawn.

Five stars

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