Really lovely; it's fascinating and takes such care with its characters. ( )

A mix of short stories and memoirs that each include something about Black hair - whether it's young Ebony getting her first relaxer, a young girl whose softball team is fascinated by her hair and she starts pulling it out, or a group of friends traveling in Angola discuss life and getting their hair done.

Hair is the uniting theme in the stories, but it really touches on a lot of things, from the intimacy of braiding someone's hair to the way white people comment on or want to touch Black hair. Interspersed between stories are drawings of ads for hair-care products. I imagine Black readers will find a lot to relate to, and for readers who are not, perhaps they will learn some about the variety of Black hair and hair care out there and be a little less likely to ask, "Can I touch it?" ( )

I really enjoyed this incisive and witty graphic novel of linked stories, about young Black girls and how their hair is such an issue for them, their moms, and their classmates and team mates. The subtitle could be: JUST LEAVE ME ALONE. The last story in particular, "Last Angolian Saturday", is filled with joy as a day trip to the beach with three girlfriends turns out to be a Best Day Ever. White readers will receive an education on why hair and its care is so fraught for women of color. ( )

First, I can be superficial with graphic novels at times. The art style here is not visually-appealing, and the cursive writing is a pain to read. However, the art style in “Big Ma” didn’t look too bad. I think it’s the boldness of the lines and the faces that turn me off.

Anyway, Hot Comb features nuanced short stories all involving black hair in some shape or form (though some focus on it more than others). I understood the hot comb struggle all too well. By the time you finish one side, the other has crinkled up.

Still, I’m not really sure of what to make of this collection. Some of the stories feel unsettling like the one where the sister continually pulls out her hair. The one with the former “crackhead” sister just went nowhere. I get the little girl was having fun being carefree, wearing her grandma’s wigs, but what was the point? On the other hand, in "Sisters & Daughters" even though there was no real story, I just love seeing the aunt part the sections of hair and spray water. Just loved it.

Still, I also enjoy the straightforwardness of everything. I think the last comic “Angola” was my favorite.

3.5 ( )

The graphic novel universe is now FINALLY expanding beyond manga and white dudebros. This one centers around black girls and women and their fraught hair lives. In eight enjoyable tales, Flowers covers perms, swim team, hair being done in a park, in Angola, and in a salon. Identifiable by black women, teachable for white women, pleasurable for all women. Men probably won't get it, but there's the Barbershop movies for them. ( )