Quite educational, as I suspect many will not have heard of the subjects, but somewhat confusing, perhaps because a lot is covered in not a lot of space. I very much appreciated the inclusion of the photos and other art samples. I get the impression that the artists are significant not because of their work, but for living as themselves in a time not friendly to queer people. More historical discovery of this type is welcome.

Liberated it's a story about queer liberation, fighting against tyranny, and the freedom of artistic expression.
the art of the book it's really good and different, i really enjoyed this book

Wonderful graphic novel! I enjoyed every part, from the story, to the writing, to the art. I also learned a lot!

Reading this as a queer Jew who comes from a family of Holocaust survivors and is experiencing the rise of neo-nazism and queerphobia... this was such a punch in the face - in a good way!

I ADORED THIS BOOK

One of my favorite topics to research is trans art history and getting my hands on a graphic novel about one of my fave historical trans artists is a dream. If you don't know who Claude Cahun is, they were a surrealist artist and activist during the nazi regime who identified their gender as 'nueter.' Before reading this book I knew mostly about their art and identity, but this book taught me so much more about their late life and activism. And the art style! I adored the depictions of Claude and their partner Marcel, it is so beautifully and thoughtfully done. I can't recommend this enough

First time crying with a graphic novel and that is an automatic 5 star.

This is a biography about Claude Cahun who was a rebel her whole life, from bending societal norms, embracing her Jewishness during anti-Semitic Europe and being a freedom fighter during the war as well as a feminist
“You are francs-tireurs Guerrilla fighters, even though you used spiritual arms instead of firearms.
It is indeed a more serious crime. With firearms, one knows at once what damage has been done.
But with spiritual arms, one cannot tell how far-reaching it may be.”

This novel is set before and during WW2 making it a very emotional and difficult to swallow story yet it remains filled with some much hope and courage.
The art is perhaps what makes this novel so incredible. It really contrasts all the chaos and fears with the choice of colour and the whimsical-like style of art.

My favourite quote:
“If my identity is a performance, then my body is the breather.”

Biggest thanks to Kaz Rowe, Getty and a NetGalley for this beautiful ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This graphic novel biography or Claude Cahun and Marcel Moore (Lucy Schwob and Suzanne Malherbe) and is peppered with real life photos (which I very much appreciated!) and a subject I knew about zero about until now. This was a short read, less than 100 pages including a timeline of both WWI/WWII and the life timelines of the biography subjects, and written in first person, which sometimes made it so that speech bubbles were happening that were probably not what the subjects were saying, but a statement on the happenings of the time.

Still, it was an easy read and quite educational as most of the (as few as it is) queer history that comes out of the early 1900s is always male/designated male at birth focused so it was great to have a history of art and queer life and resistance out of a pair designated female at birth (while we may call them lesbians, or sapphic, or we may call Claude/Lucy genderfluid or gender non-conforming or non-binary now it's important to remember that these are not terms that either existed or were in common use at this era, and assigning gender identity to someone who did not assign it to themselves is tricky). I think it's also great that this project was taken on by a non-binary artist/writer, bringing the subject material that much closer to home, and that it was apparently started the journey into this book on YouTube and includes a set of further references for learning.

I do wish there was more, maybe about the pair as people or more about the artistic life in Paris, but so much of that era was so heavily overshadowed by the wars and occupation and just living through it (whereas they did so much more than just bide their time). I want to look into them more after this for sure.

Thanks to NetGalley and Getty Publications for the eARC in exchange for this honest review.

I don't care what content Kaz Rowe produces, I will gulp it down like a cool glass of water on a hot summer day. Finding our that besides editing their niche historical video essays to perfection they are also an artist brought me so much joy - the joy of reading Liberated. Kaz, ilu.

Beautifully crafted story of Nazi resistance from a couple that were just wanting to enjoy life together. Their efforts focused on telling the truth- something kept from the troops
VERDICT- Fab historical addition to graphic novel collections.

A beautiful depiction of a little-known queer visionary, artist, and rebel. Packed with interesting details, portrayed with heart and even sprinkles of humor ("we were lucky that we couldn't have been less remarkable [...] who would suspect us?" with Claud and Marcel smug muggin' walking past frazzled Nazi soldiers had me charmed). Loved the art style and the creative autobiographical approach, too!

Liberated felt...disjointed. The story of Claude Cahun and Marcel Moore is a fascinating one; a story that focuses on queer liberation, fighting against tyranny, and the freedom of artistic expression. Rowe's art is gorgeous and faithful to the source material but the storytelling at the beginning of the graphic novel is abrupt and confusing to readers. This could have used some extra time after edits to create a more cohesive story.

A very, very special thank you to NetGalley and Getty Publications for this ARC!

5 out of 5⭐

I absolutely loved it. The art style is phenomenal: the composition, the use of color (the contextual meaning of lavender), the use of negative space, the line art, the loving care spent on Jewish features--I can go on forever!

This graphic novel is a touching biography on a Jewish lesbian figure that I had known nothing of previously, and it was sorely missed information: I am so glad to know of her now!! It focuses on the life and many faces of Claude Cahun (Lucy Renee Mathilde Schwob) from girlhood to antifascist fighter in old age and failing health during the entirety of World War II.

I highly recommend this to anyone who loves LGBT history, Jewish literature, and the mix of the two!

Absolutely breathtaking!

While I am always impressed with the bravery that is required of people in the LGBTQIA community now, it never ceases to amaze me how brave people had to be at a time when their love was illegal and could’ve gotten them killed. Compound that time period with Nazi occupation, and it is even more astounding that these two people were not only willing to live with each other and love each other, but we’re willing to speak out against the Nazi regime and attempt to bring it down through their art and their words. You don’t hear a lot about gender queer people in the 1940s, and especially one who would be so outgoing as to be a surrealist artist. I’m really glad I know about this person now. I do wish it had had a bit more detail, but maybe this is all that’s known? It just felt a little sparse.

I have been a fan of Kaz Rowe's YouTube for a while and was very happy to receive a chance to review their book. I am really happy to say it was really interesting and informative to read the art work was well done.

Rating ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Through this book, I found Kaz’s YouTube and have been watching videos back to back. I’ve been seeking a graphic biography that lived up to my last one for ALL of 2023 this is the only one that’s made it for me. I haven’t read a biography this good in SO long. Genuinely cannot recommend highly enough.

“The love that dares not speak its name lies like a golden haze upon my horizon.”

I really adored this graphic novel. Simple yet evocative art, occasional photos to ground the story and remind the reader that this was truly someone's life. It was not overly gentle about the dark parts of this history, but neither was it aggressive in forcing those on the reader. It struck a very measured and intentional tone that was consistent throughout the book.

Thank you NetGalley and Getty Publications for the advance digital copy of this book!

I was so excited to receive a copy of Kaz Rowe's graphic novel "Liberated". I've been a fan of their Youtube channel for some time, and was highly anticipating the release of this book. I enjoyed the first person perspective of the story. It brought Claude Cahun and their struggle with identity and oppression closer to the reader by phrasing it in their own words and with words they might have said. The illustrations were also supplemented with actual historical photographs and I thought that was another great touch. It can be difficult for the modern queer community to find queer historical figures to look back to. So many of their stories have been lost to time because of the times they lived in, or because past historians are unwilling to bring queer identities into consideration. I am immensely grateful to "Liberated" for bringing one of those stories to light, Claude Cahun and their life partner Marcel Moore's courage and art won't be forgotten.

I was looking forward to this, and I loved it - the art, the history, the love for these real people. It was excellent, weighted without feeling too heavy, but not so light that it made less of the topics.

Masculine? Feminine? It depends on the situation"--Claude Cahun

Liberated by Kaz Rowe is pretty amazing. It's the biograpy--creative non-fiction, as if the subject were telling it themselves--of Lucy Schwob, who was a Jewsih lesbian artist who was connected to Paul Breton and the Suurelaists, but went her own way. She changed her named in the thirties to Claude Cahun, and lived until she died with Susan Malherbe, who changed their name to Marcel Moore. She performed on stage with masks, changing genders; she called herself "gender neutral," and hoped to disrupt the world's view of a fixed identity. Gender fluid, we might call it now? She and Marcel created amazing surrealist photographs helping us question the nature of reality.

During the Nazi invasion of France they lived in Jersey and resisted the invasion with art, creating flyers with statements and poetry that was intended to undermine the confidence of young and exhausted Nazi soldiers. Someone--for a good price--turned them in and they were sentenced to death, though in the last months of the war, their sentence was commuted.

The book is really well done--simply illustrated, tightly constructed narrative using the actual words of Cahun as much as possible throughout. Inspiring, at times thrilling in the ways art might resist against wars and fascism. How is it I--a person who loves dada and surrealism and studied it for a time--did not know of Cahun? Because the men of these movements were largely in the spotlight, just as the men of The Beats were in the spotlight. I am glad to know them. I strongly recommend this terrific book, one of my favorite of the year.

For the early look, thanks to Net Galley, Getty Publications and Kaz Rowe: Go!

Before reading this graphic novel I knew nothing about Claude Cahun so I went into this blindly and I was not disappointed. This graphic novel does a wonderful job of introducing the reader to Claude Cahun, their history, and their work. The illustrations were beautifully rendered and the addition of actual photographs from the artist really helped to enhance the story and provide more context. I thought the author did a great job of telling the life story of Claude Cahun and educating the reader on both the reader and the time period in which the artist lived.


Thank you to NetGalley and Getty Publications for this E_ARC of "Liberated".