Review: "Praising the Surface" by Stella Lory and Tilila Relmani

Praising the Surface by Stella Lory and Tilila Relmani
Translated from the French by Anna Howell
English translation published October 2023 via Europe Comics
★★★

Yasmina is educated, with a good (and important) job—but she's not as educated or decorated (or married) as the rest of her family, and between that and her love of reality television, she feels like the black sheep of the family. So what's she to do...? Apply to be on reality TV, of course. And fail—and take a job on set instead, where she can analyze it from up close.

I appreciate the aim here—this is a blend of lighthearted poking fun at the reality TV industry (and the expectations of the participants, especially the women) and something of Yasmina's more academic manifesto about the whys and hows of reality TV—how it came about, why it attracts viewers, and the ways in which contestants (who are often white, heterosexual, thin/fit, etc.) are typecast...and in some cases choose to play to type.

The art style is not for me. The cover hints at the cartoonish art, but in the graphic novel itself it's far more exaggerated. Think Foxtrot (I'm sure there's a better comparison, but that's what I can come up with right now), but without any noses. Still miles better than anything I can draw, of course, but I read graphic novels partly for the story and partly for the art, and this is just one where the style really didn't add to my experience. Recommended for those entertained more by the industry of reality TV than by the reality TV itself, and those who appreciate a more comic-y art style.


Thanks to the author and publisher for providing a review copy through NetGalley.