Hot Comb offers a poignant glimpse into Black women's lives and coming of age stories as seen across a crowded, ammonia-scented hair salon while ladies gossip and bond over the burn. The titular story is about a young girl's first perm-a doomed ploy to look cool and to stop seeming "too white" in the all-black neighborhood her family has just moved to. Realizations about race, class, and the imperfections of identity swirl through Flowers' stories, which are by turns sweet, insightful, and heartbreaking.
Overall, an honest assemblage of stories and narratives that elaborates and celebrates the legendary connection of Black women and their hair and ultimately paints the struggle that they endure, sometimes heartbreakingly so, in their most delicate moments. The stories by Flowers, is propitious, gifted and masterfully told. The art by Flowers, is sophisticated and rich in broad strokes. Altogether, a tome that will inoculate compassion and understanding into most readers even when the world resists the need to celebrate our differences. Read Full Review
There's a wealth of moments that can only be equated to Blackness and the culture that comes with it as a Black girl who grew up into a Black woman, I cherish this collection of such moments. A lasting question of who is this book for which I can answer quoting the author, "Black women. I created the stories & drew the comics for black women like my mother, sister, aunts & friends " all who raised me up." Hot Comb isn't a book you should ignore if you want to read more work by Black women. Especially if you love comics. Period. Read Full Review
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