100 Crushes

by Elisha Lim

100 Crushes compiles five years of queer comics by Elisha Lim, including excerpts from Sissy , The Illustrated Gentleman , Queer Child in the Eighties , and their cult series 100 Butches , as well as new work. It's an absorbing documentary that travels through Toronto, Berlin, Singapore, and beyond in the form of interviews, memoirs, and gossip from an international queer vanguard. Toronto-based artist Elisha Lim 's work celebrates the dignity and power of being neither straight, nor white, nor cis-gendered. In 2011 they also successfully advocated for Canadian gay media to adopt the gender neutral pronoun "they."

Genres: Graphic Novels, Queer, Comics, LGBT, Nonfiction, Graphic Novels Comics, Gender

100 pages, Paperback

First published June 10, 2014

About the author

Elisha Lim takes great pleasure in creatively portraying the beauty, dignity and power of being neither straight, nor white, nor cis-gendered. They also successfully advocated for Canadian gay media to adopt the gender neutral pronoun ‘they’.

They have exhibited art and videos internationally, proudly including the debut solo of Toronto’s notorious Feminist Art Gallery. They have been art awarded grants by the Canada Arts Council, Ontario Arts Council and Quebec Arts Council, and have juried art grants in Canada and the States. They have lectured on race representation and gender neutral pronouns on panels, artist talks and United Nations conferences since 2009, and directed Montréal’s first Racialized Pride Week in 2012, for which they curated the central exhibit “2-Qtpoc” at the gallery articule. Their current film circuit short “100 Butches #9: Ruby” was controversially censored in Singapore and debuted this year at the London BFI.

Their comics include the Bitch Magazine acclaimed “Sissy Calendar”, The Illustrated Gentleman, and most notably – 100 Butches, a graphic novel of portraits and anecdotes about masculine queers, with an introduction by New York Times bestselling author Alison Bechdel.

Reviews

[Danika at The Lesbrary · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a collection of excerpts from pieces that Lim has done, so it does feel a little disjointed, but it makes me want to read the rest of everything sampled here. I don't think I've ever read anything that is such a celebration of queer people of color, and I'd definitely recommend it for anyone who's looking for more diverse representations in comics/graphic novels and memoirs.

[CaseyTheCanadianLesbrarian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some very adorable parts. Wished there was more personal stories type content instead of political analysis. Some gorgeous illustrations. Review to come!

[Mateen Mahboubi · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great collection of Lim's queer lit from various publications. A lot of joy and honest struggle presented here.

[Bogi Takács]

Nonfiction-y comics, mostly about gender, with a focus on butchness. I enjoyed the art and the writing in equal measure; both the memoir-y and the interview-y segments were great. A unique and important book.

But I found the text hard to read, to the point where I think it qualifies as an accessibility issue. Certainly, the handwritten aesthetic matched the whole zine feel, but I struggled. They *content* of the text was great, so I persevered, but it was frustrating, and I imagine some people just won't be able to read this book altogether... which is sad, because there's not that much in a similar vein about butchness and specifically butch people of color and/or non-Western butch people (yes, the book discusses both).
______
Source of the book: Lawrence Public Library (From the Pride display. I did not realize the library had this book! Probably because the spine is thin...)

[AC · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this look into Lim's 100 Crushes. But mostly, I think that Lim really is trying to show the reader the community that surrounds them. I especially found the section on non-binary pronouns and all of the sections on how people identify with their fashion choices and what the outside world sees really interesting. I also liked Lim's unique artistic style that was throughout and her portraits of her crushes.

[Jocilyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would totally be giving this 5 stars, but... it's intentionally very difficult to decipher the fonts and thus takes forever to read a single entry. Putting that aside, it's easily the coolest thing I'll probably read this year. 100 Crushes are single page biographies of diverse lesbians from Lim's "100 Butches" series that originally ran in Diva magazine, as well as short graphic stories of diverse (mostly Asian?) queer women. Fans of Zines will definitely get into 100 Crushes. Very highly recommended.

[Leigh Anne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Samples from 5 years of Elisha Lim's works. The only reason this isn't getting four stars is a nit-pick: the handwritten font, while lovely and intimate, is very hard to read. The content, however, is stellar: explorations of queer identity, close parses of the term "sissy," and, of course, all those crushes. The pattern that graces the cover, and reappears inside at the beginning of "the sacred heart," is gorgeous. The drawings themselves are generous in their roundness and fullness, and they're done up in a really nice palette, too: muted pastels mixed with these almost-neon-bright accents that really pop. It's a beautiful little book.

[Sunny · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book pulls excerpts from 5 years of Elisha Lim's work. From the crushes to the exploration of sissy as an identity, cover to cover is a celebration of queer, trans and gender non-conforming people of color. There's also a great section about pioneering they as a gender neutral pronoun. I will echo another reviewer to say that the handwritten text can be hard to read especially for folks with low vision.

As an aside, I had a small chance to be one of the 100 butches but I wasn't out to my family/ready for all that. At the time I was also newly using they as my pronoun.

[Kaity Molé · Rating 5 out of 5]

Elisha has been one of my favs for years, from reading their comics/series in Sister Spit, seeing it in queer galleries, in Gay Genius (comic anthology), it's always struck a excited radical chord with me that there's a genderqueer illustrator and storyteller of color out there writing comics about sissies and butches and queer love and the pronoun "they" and centering folx of color, something the queer community and the world needs more of. This collection is such a great addition to any fans bookcase or anyone new to their work!

[Brook · Rating 5 out of 5]

A gorgeous cross-section of Lim's work- they paint a picture of butchness, NB identity, sissies, and jealousy that makes me grin from ear to ear. I don't often get to see queerness so artfully portrayed in nonfiction, interview, or graphic novel, but this is a fantastic combo of all 3. Read this.

[Tess · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow!!! Thank you Elisha for compiling such important stories & sharing your own!!!

[Jenna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not really a graphic novel, more along the lines of an illustrated literary journey through Elisha Lim's career as an artist and icon of the international LGBTQIA community. I was particularly interested in the Singapore-centered portions, but found the illustrations / sketches wonderful. The handwritten aspect to the writing, however, was tiresome to read and, while I understand that it did go along with the sketchbook motif, it made it difficult for me to enjoy all the wonderful, diverse stories in this small book.

[h · Rating 5 out of 5]

100 Crushes is a collection of samples taken from various works of Elisha Lim. This was an enjoyable and in certain ways cathartic read that centered around a celebration of queer people of color, particularly in regards to gender expression and the exploration of one's identity. My one critique was that the font was hard to decipher at certain points, which made it difficult to get into certain entries. However, overall this was a lovely read, and I would love to pick up more of Elisha Lim's work.

[Bryan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyable read! I love it when author's do "profiles" for characters in their books and this book is full of them. Everyone and everything kept me just engaged in one sitting as the book is pretty short. Minor gripe would be that I had trouble focusing in on the lettering style used throughout the book.

[Navya · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars, rounded down because some parts use a very small typeface and that is a pet peeve of mine

An interesting collection that gives a good introduction to Lim's writing/art. Curious to check out more from them now

[Andi · Rating 3 out of 5]

collection of Lim's work over 5-year period

profiles of butches, discussions - theirs and others' - on gender identity/fluidity, relations to self/others/society

[Sunni · Rating 4 out of 5]

lovely. wanted more.

[Tyler Graham · Rating 5 out of 5]

A romantic, bite-sized compilation of intimate vignettes, comics, writing, and artwork, all by Lim, and featuring butch, sissy, and QPOC folx especially.

[Chloe Halpenny]

A great read for pride month or any month 🌈 I loved Lim’s artwork and especially the section on “they.” Lots of great bits in here.

[andrea]

this was so good!! such an expansive portrait of so many queer people and drawn and written/transcribed with such care.

[Kenzie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Canadian queer trans comic excerpts what more could you want!

[Jacquelyn Delcamp · Rating 4 out of 5]

Elisha provides an aesthetic adventure into the lives of several queer individuals, showcasing the different identifiers, ranging from butch to sissy.

The goal of the book is to help break down stereotypes while still respecting those who want and own different titles. Each page serves as a new experience, a new outlook and a new representation of different labels often constricted. Although an easy read, the varied individuals that touch the book are what make it so moving and powerful. It is a great way to document the lives of many to show that people, especially in the queer community, cannot be placed under a simplified umbrella.

A clear trail blazer for discussion across different LGBTQ issues, Elisha's 100 Crushes provides a unique look into the lives of those often overlooked.

[Will · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful selection of Lim's comics throughout the years. Lim blends her skilled drawing abilities with observant prosaic thoughts and interviews. It was fun and powerful to see drawings of friends and lovers next to their own words. At times funny and other times powerful, all the crushes are moving and innovative depictions of queers and their communities across the globe. A quick read and one that hope to have by my bedside to consistently revisit.

[Kate · Rating 3 out of 5]

Do you enjoy international writing? Illustrated narratives? Slender volumes that fit as easily into your hand as into your attaché, so that you can carry them everywhere? If so, check out 100 Crushes by Elisa Lim and immerse yourself in this compilation of honest, daring, deftly drawn queer comics that examine race, gender and identity in the context of real and imagined relationships. Learn about Lim’s experiences, reflect upon your own and travel the world through their compelling pen.

[Liz Scheier · Rating 3 out of 5]

Torn on this one. The art is beautiful and lush, and the stories compellingly told, with great vulnerability and style. But it doesn't hold together as a book; it's a sampler comprising a few pages from one project, a few pages from another, and the book feels unfinished and cursory as a result. I hope Lim will consider a more comprehensive collection in the future.

[Madeleine · Rating 4 out of 5]

So fucking important! No excuses, just read it! The last section broke my heart (or utterly elevated it) and offered me so, so much. 4 stars for brevity and less development of certain sections than I would have liked, but that by no means counteracts the radical (creative, brave, celebratory) nature of its content.

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cannot say enough about Elisha as an artist - I have loved to watch their work develop over the years and can't wait to see more. Their ability to create community through their vulnerability, questions and art is so inspiring.

[Beth Counselman · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book - the writing, the drawing and the hand written text. At times, like others, I found it a bit disjointed, but couldn't put it down. It's a great addition to any library filled with queer literature and I look forward to
exploring more of Lim's work.

[willowdog · Rating 2 out of 5]

Compilation of the works of queer comic artist Elisha Lim including excerpts from a number of her previous works are part memoir, part biographies of friends. Hand written anecdotes tend to be hard to read (her style).

[Denicemarcell]

sounded really interesting somewhere but I found the text really tiny and difficult to read (and I LOVE non-standard fonts) & was more of a sampler than I wanted. Did not inspire me to read other works by this author.