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Gumballs #1-4
Gumballs
Discover the pioneering new comic from transgender cartoonist Erin Nations! Called by critics "funny, sincere, and just generally brilliant," Gumballs is a one-man variety show spanning graphic memoir, observational comedy, razor-sharp character studies, and so much more.
Gumballs dispenses an array of bright, candy-colored short comics about Erin's gender transition, anecdotal tales of growing up as a triplet, and fictional stories of a socially inept lovestruck teenager named Tobias. The wide-ranging series is filled with single-page gag cartoons, visual diaries of everyday life, funny faux personal ads, and real-life horror stories of customers at his day job. Gumballs offers a variety of flavors that will surely delight anyone with a taste for candid self-reflection and observations of humanity.
Gumballs tips its hat to the classic alt-comic tradition of Eightball, Optic Nerve, and Box Office Poison, but speaks with a delightfully fresh voice for the modern age.
This book collects Gumballs #1-4, plus 32 pages of brand-new content!
Gumballs dispenses an array of bright, candy-colored short comics about Erin's gender transition, anecdotal tales of growing up as a triplet, and fictional stories of a socially inept lovestruck teenager named Tobias. The wide-ranging series is filled with single-page gag cartoons, visual diaries of everyday life, funny faux personal ads, and real-life horror stories of customers at his day job. Gumballs offers a variety of flavors that will surely delight anyone with a taste for candid self-reflection and observations of humanity.
Gumballs tips its hat to the classic alt-comic tradition of Eightball, Optic Nerve, and Box Office Poison, but speaks with a delightfully fresh voice for the modern age.
This book collects Gumballs #1-4, plus 32 pages of brand-new content!
160 pages, Paperback
First published May 30, 2018
6 people are currently reading
323 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 76 reviews
August 3, 2023
This is an engaging collection of short comics pieces dealing with various topics. Nations has helpfully provided a color key for those topics on the table of contents--for example, all stories about Tobias have a pink dot next to the title. If, like me, you simply ignore this key and dive in, reading everything straight through, it's still an enjoyable experience. But, when I was collecting my thoughts prior to writing ths review, I thought about how the stories each seem to fit into one of several categories, and was wondering how best to convey that fact. And I happened to glance at the table of contents. And saw the color key for the first time. And had two simultaneous thoughts: 1) Thanks, Erin, for anticipating my needs, and 2) [sarcastically] boy, that Stewart fellow is such a careful reader to not even notice that on the first read through …
One of those categories I might as well deal with first: “Tales of Being Trans.” Erin was born female, but now identifies as male, and some of the stories revolve around that. I almost hate to dwell on that to any degree because it's such an easily sensationalized topic. Erin takes a relatively low key approach to these stories, very calm and matter of fact. Which makes sense, because it's only one of many facets of his life, and the multi-category nature of this book supports that. Erin is not a trans person who happens to be a cartoonist, but a cartoonist who happens to be trans.
Actually, some of the strips I related to most were the ones dealing with his job. Because he works in the produce department at a grocery store. As a fellow grocery employee--although in meat, not produce; and the store I work at is, like, three timezones away from his, probably not even part of the same chain--I definitely recognize all of the customers and coworkers he writes about.
I also really liked the series of “Personal Ads” sprinkled throughout the book. They're pretty much what the category says: a portrait of a person followed by a personal ad seeking a romantic partner. They are sometimes cringe-y and naive, but, at the same time, heartfelt and genuine. They tend to reveal probably more about the person writing them than perhaps is best. But I found myself rooting for them. I may not want to date them (which is good, because my wife would probably get annoyed) but kudos to them for daring to dream and put themselves out there like that. And it's a tribute to Nations’ abilities that they all feel real enough for me to react to them like that. At least, I’m assuming that these are made up and not just real ads that he copied from some Portland weekly or somewhere …
All in all, this book was more entertaining than I expected. Nations has an engaging, somewhat blocky art style. The stories are well-written, full of life and observed detail. Highly recommended!
One of those categories I might as well deal with first: “Tales of Being Trans.” Erin was born female, but now identifies as male, and some of the stories revolve around that. I almost hate to dwell on that to any degree because it's such an easily sensationalized topic. Erin takes a relatively low key approach to these stories, very calm and matter of fact. Which makes sense, because it's only one of many facets of his life, and the multi-category nature of this book supports that. Erin is not a trans person who happens to be a cartoonist, but a cartoonist who happens to be trans.
Actually, some of the strips I related to most were the ones dealing with his job. Because he works in the produce department at a grocery store. As a fellow grocery employee--although in meat, not produce; and the store I work at is, like, three timezones away from his, probably not even part of the same chain--I definitely recognize all of the customers and coworkers he writes about.
I also really liked the series of “Personal Ads” sprinkled throughout the book. They're pretty much what the category says: a portrait of a person followed by a personal ad seeking a romantic partner. They are sometimes cringe-y and naive, but, at the same time, heartfelt and genuine. They tend to reveal probably more about the person writing them than perhaps is best. But I found myself rooting for them. I may not want to date them (which is good, because my wife would probably get annoyed) but kudos to them for daring to dream and put themselves out there like that. And it's a tribute to Nations’ abilities that they all feel real enough for me to react to them like that. At least, I’m assuming that these are made up and not just real ads that he copied from some Portland weekly or somewhere …
All in all, this book was more entertaining than I expected. Nations has an engaging, somewhat blocky art style. The stories are well-written, full of life and observed detail. Highly recommended!
July 30, 2018
This is a very uneven short story collection. I really like the sequences about Nation's gender transition and youth as a triplet, but offsetting those were the constant interruption of rather mediocre customers-are-awful gags, tedious personal ads, and dull visual diary entries. Also, the creator and publisher experimented with an odd color coding system to let you know about the subjects of the stories scattered throughout the book instead of just gathering all the like material into their own sections.
I'd love to see Nation dump the chaff and attempt a longer work about being a triplet and/or physically becoming the man he knew he was.
I'd love to see Nation dump the chaff and attempt a longer work about being a triplet and/or physically becoming the man he knew he was.
November 17, 2019
This book collects short stories by Erin Nations, some auto-bio, some fictional. He writes about experiences growing up as a triplet, his transition, working at a grocery store, biking around Portland and road trips. Also included are personal ads of stereotypical Pacific Northwesterners and stories about Tobias, a sweet gay teen plagued by constant unrequited crushes. The different types of material are interspersed a bit randomly, but I enjoyed it all.
June 8, 2019
Oh my gaaahhhh!!!! Oh man these are PERFECT I love them so much and only want more. More more moooore.
March 19, 2019
Read for work. This wasn't to my taste, unfortunately -- really disliked the art, the narrative threads never actually came together to form a coherent whole (I don't think they were supposed to? but it's a book, not a webcomic; there should be some sort of overarching story), and frankly the entire fake dating profile concept felt just plain mean. I'm sure Nations is a lovely person with plenty of friends in real life but the way the book is centered on him to the exclusion of any meaningful portrayal of other human beings (his friends are never shown, his sisters only exist in flashbacks to childhood, his coworkers and customers pretty much only appear to illustrate microaggressions and general bad manners) feels like a poor narrative choice. People aren't islands; we need to connect, and I have a hard time getting into a story about one person in a world where other humans are just background characters. (I'm also apparently just barely young enough that I recognize NONE of the pop culture references, which doesn't help.) The book is certainly strongest when it focuses on snapshots of Nations' transition, which by nature creates a narrative arc of sorts, but at the end of the day the volume as a whole is just too scattershot for me. (Full disclosure: I might not be so opinionated about this except that I just read Gender Queer by Maia Kobabe, which is also a graphic memoir about the author's childhood and gender journey, and Gumballs really suffers in comparison.)
December 27, 2021
Content warnings are listed at the end of my review!
The unique style piqued my interest and the concept of the gumball categorization for the stories inside was interesting enough, but just like a handful of gumballs, it’s pretty random what you’ll get. Gumballs is pretty much an illustrated journal of author Erin Nations’ mind, memories, and experiences, reading a lot like flipping through someone’s sketchbook. Most comics are only a page long, but some will be longer, each varying in contents severely based on its gumball classification as listed in the table of contents, and reflected on the page numbers:
Red- “TWINS-TRIPLET” This usually follows Erin and his triplet siblings, Abby and Lauren (his twin), or his parents recounting childhood antics.
Green- “PLEASANT PEOPLE” Quite the opposite, as it sarcastically features Erin each time standing next to a very impolite customer at his workplace depicting different aggravating conversational scenarios.
Yellow- “TALES OF BEING TRANS” All of these stories capture transness in some way, be it gender feelings awakening early on in life, social transition woes, changes from testosterone, or moments with transphobia and dysphoria.
Orange- “ILLUSTRATION” Exactly as it says, depicting a large illustration with little to no text.
Blue- “PERSONAL ADS” This is always depicting a standing fictional character describing themself, usually a critical archetype of dating profiles.
Purple- “VISUAL DIARY” These are retellings of Erin’s days, travels, and feelings, text heavy with collages of illustrations.
Pink- “TOBIAS” These are fictional comics following 17 year old high school boy Tobias and his hopeless romantic adventures.
Brown- “MISCELLANEA” Random thoughts, observations, and complaints.
It’s a lot to take in, constantly getting something new, the only real overarching theme being general art style and attitude, not subject. That’s what makes it cohesively a bit hard to be invested with, you’re constantly getting thrown random information. Some of the comics like “PLEASANT PEOPLE” and “TALES OF BEING TRANS” can be different enough but still related through Erin as a central character, but “PERSONAL ADS” and “TOBIAS” especially are completely disjointed from the others- leaving me absolutely dreading their reappearances. This was probably noticeable from the descriptions too, most of the themes are fixated on complaining, criticizing, bad experiences- there’s a dominating aura of pessimism. Alone, this wouldn’t be that big of an issue as there are moments that break away like “ILLUSTRATIONS” with some of “TWINS-TRIPLET” and “TALES OF BEING TRANS” as well, but combined with the randomness it only dampened the reading experience.
That being said, I found “TALES OF BEING TRANS” to be my overall favorite, and I wanted more of “VISUAL DIARY”. “TALES” was nice to see moments of personal growth and comfort, “MALE PRIVILEGE” especially highlighting the complex transition from a victim of misogyny to being read and treated as a man with male privilege. “DIARY” was always a big leap from the others, with large paragraphs of text surrounded by accompanying drawings. I’d love to read a book of just these uninterrupted honestly, as the formatting was really beautiful, like a professionally formatted journal.
Some major issues I ended up having: The story “BREAKROOM” retells Erin’s experience having a coworker talk about disliking Caitlyn Jenner, but the retelling was shocking to me. Erin explicitly retells what the coworker said, repeatedly saying Caitlyn’s deadname, and Erin goes to use it too when remarking on how uncomfortable it all was. I tried to give the benefit of the doubt to the author, wondering if maybe Caitlyn hadn’t chose a name publicly at the time of publication- but she did in July 2015. The earliest copy of the Gumballs series came out in 2016, this collection came out in 2019 so I really don’t understand the excuse for doing this let alone keeping it. “TESTOSTERONE” also features risks t can come with and lists endometrial and ovarian cancers as a possibility, which isn’t true, as there is no conclusive medical evidence of this. https://transcare.ucsf.edu/guidelines...
Summary:
Readability: ★★★☆☆, It’s alright, but noticeably dismal. This could just be me reading on mobile, but the font was a bit small. Otherwise, there’s a lot of talk of alcohol, drinking, anxiety, and multiple negative comments about weight and diet. There is also an extremely graphic depiction of sexual assault in “WELL-BEHAVED BOYS” that readers should be aware of.
Entertainment: ★★☆☆☆, It was an interesting premise, but the execution just really didn’t live up to the potential. It felt like something I might read for class or in a waiting room, not something for enjoyment. It had its moments of humor, but the redundancy of the bad customer jokes (I would confidently say it’s half of the book) got tiresome. I felt similarly about “PERSONAL ADS” and “TOBIAS”, both of the segments’ humor felt very repetitive and dry.
Audience: It does have some detailed insight into trans experiences that cis people could easily learn some new things from, and I think it could benefit them, especially with supplement. Questioning folks could also learn more about being trans and what it’s like transitioning, but trans folks in general I’m not sure how much you can get out of this. It’s ok, I just wouldn’t say it’s a must read.
Content Warnings: alcohol, anxiety, bullying, cancer, childhood trauma, deadnaming, death, depictions of penis, depression, dietary shaming, dysphoria, food guilt, gambling, homophobia, masturbation, misgendering, misogyny, needle imagery, possible pedophillia, pregnancy, puberty, self hatred, sexual harassment, suicide, transmisogyny, transphobia, weight gain, weight loss
The unique style piqued my interest and the concept of the gumball categorization for the stories inside was interesting enough, but just like a handful of gumballs, it’s pretty random what you’ll get. Gumballs is pretty much an illustrated journal of author Erin Nations’ mind, memories, and experiences, reading a lot like flipping through someone’s sketchbook. Most comics are only a page long, but some will be longer, each varying in contents severely based on its gumball classification as listed in the table of contents, and reflected on the page numbers:
Red- “TWINS-TRIPLET” This usually follows Erin and his triplet siblings, Abby and Lauren (his twin), or his parents recounting childhood antics.
Green- “PLEASANT PEOPLE” Quite the opposite, as it sarcastically features Erin each time standing next to a very impolite customer at his workplace depicting different aggravating conversational scenarios.
Yellow- “TALES OF BEING TRANS” All of these stories capture transness in some way, be it gender feelings awakening early on in life, social transition woes, changes from testosterone, or moments with transphobia and dysphoria.
Orange- “ILLUSTRATION” Exactly as it says, depicting a large illustration with little to no text.
Blue- “PERSONAL ADS” This is always depicting a standing fictional character describing themself, usually a critical archetype of dating profiles.
Purple- “VISUAL DIARY” These are retellings of Erin’s days, travels, and feelings, text heavy with collages of illustrations.
Pink- “TOBIAS” These are fictional comics following 17 year old high school boy Tobias and his hopeless romantic adventures.
Brown- “MISCELLANEA” Random thoughts, observations, and complaints.
It’s a lot to take in, constantly getting something new, the only real overarching theme being general art style and attitude, not subject. That’s what makes it cohesively a bit hard to be invested with, you’re constantly getting thrown random information. Some of the comics like “PLEASANT PEOPLE” and “TALES OF BEING TRANS” can be different enough but still related through Erin as a central character, but “PERSONAL ADS” and “TOBIAS” especially are completely disjointed from the others- leaving me absolutely dreading their reappearances. This was probably noticeable from the descriptions too, most of the themes are fixated on complaining, criticizing, bad experiences- there’s a dominating aura of pessimism. Alone, this wouldn’t be that big of an issue as there are moments that break away like “ILLUSTRATIONS” with some of “TWINS-TRIPLET” and “TALES OF BEING TRANS” as well, but combined with the randomness it only dampened the reading experience.
That being said, I found “TALES OF BEING TRANS” to be my overall favorite, and I wanted more of “VISUAL DIARY”. “TALES” was nice to see moments of personal growth and comfort, “MALE PRIVILEGE” especially highlighting the complex transition from a victim of misogyny to being read and treated as a man with male privilege. “DIARY” was always a big leap from the others, with large paragraphs of text surrounded by accompanying drawings. I’d love to read a book of just these uninterrupted honestly, as the formatting was really beautiful, like a professionally formatted journal.
Some major issues I ended up having: The story “BREAKROOM” retells Erin’s experience having a coworker talk about disliking Caitlyn Jenner, but the retelling was shocking to me. Erin explicitly retells what the coworker said, repeatedly saying Caitlyn’s deadname, and Erin goes to use it too when remarking on how uncomfortable it all was. I tried to give the benefit of the doubt to the author, wondering if maybe Caitlyn hadn’t chose a name publicly at the time of publication- but she did in July 2015. The earliest copy of the Gumballs series came out in 2016, this collection came out in 2019 so I really don’t understand the excuse for doing this let alone keeping it. “TESTOSTERONE” also features risks t can come with and lists endometrial and ovarian cancers as a possibility, which isn’t true, as there is no conclusive medical evidence of this. https://transcare.ucsf.edu/guidelines...
Summary:
Readability: ★★★☆☆, It’s alright, but noticeably dismal. This could just be me reading on mobile, but the font was a bit small. Otherwise, there’s a lot of talk of alcohol, drinking, anxiety, and multiple negative comments about weight and diet. There is also an extremely graphic depiction of sexual assault in “WELL-BEHAVED BOYS” that readers should be aware of.
Entertainment: ★★☆☆☆, It was an interesting premise, but the execution just really didn’t live up to the potential. It felt like something I might read for class or in a waiting room, not something for enjoyment. It had its moments of humor, but the redundancy of the bad customer jokes (I would confidently say it’s half of the book) got tiresome. I felt similarly about “PERSONAL ADS” and “TOBIAS”, both of the segments’ humor felt very repetitive and dry.
Audience: It does have some detailed insight into trans experiences that cis people could easily learn some new things from, and I think it could benefit them, especially with supplement. Questioning folks could also learn more about being trans and what it’s like transitioning, but trans folks in general I’m not sure how much you can get out of this. It’s ok, I just wouldn’t say it’s a must read.
Content Warnings: alcohol, anxiety, bullying, cancer, childhood trauma, deadnaming, death, depictions of penis, depression, dietary shaming, dysphoria, food guilt, gambling, homophobia, masturbation, misgendering, misogyny, needle imagery, possible pedophillia, pregnancy, puberty, self hatred, sexual harassment, suicide, transmisogyny, transphobia, weight gain, weight loss
August 12, 2019
Really great episodic slice-of-life autobio stuff, interspersed with a few other kinds of content (memorably: dating profiles for some real characters).
Love the unique angular drawing style and color sense. Nations lives in PDX, so everything feels just a breath away. There's a section where he travels to the Sou'wester & Long Beach, WA, which is a place my partner could easily go on a weekend getaway (hence the travelogue shelf).
Really appreciate the vulnerability and transparency here. Lots of details about Nations' transition. "Male Privilege" on pp. 95-6 is especially great.
I'd love to see this remixed into a longer-form "Graphic Novel" about Nations life - maybe this is in the works? A great voice in the GN world.
Love the unique angular drawing style and color sense. Nations lives in PDX, so everything feels just a breath away. There's a section where he travels to the Sou'wester & Long Beach, WA, which is a place my partner could easily go on a weekend getaway (hence the travelogue shelf).
Really appreciate the vulnerability and transparency here. Lots of details about Nations' transition. "Male Privilege" on pp. 95-6 is especially great.
I'd love to see this remixed into a longer-form "Graphic Novel" about Nations life - maybe this is in the works? A great voice in the GN world.
August 22, 2019
3.5 stars
December 24, 2023
December 2023. I haven’t posted what I’ve read the last couple weeks so some stuff will end up out of order, but that’s fine.
Overall, I liked this graphic novel but found it uneven and lacking focus.
Most of it is an honest autobiographical account of the transmasc author’s experience being assigned female at birth, growing up, and eventually going through various steps to transition to a male identity in a physically noticeable way (top surgery, changes to hair and clothing styles, preferred pronouns, HRT).
Mixed in are 1 page dating profiles for fictional characters, and an ongoing story of an awkward fictional gay teen crushing on a classmate. I didn’t like the dating profiles as much, as it was unclear for a bit that we would never see those characters again. Maybe someone more familiar with his work would’ve known immediately which characters would come back and which wouldn’t, but it threw me as a new reader.
A color coded table of contents for every other page wasn’t particularly helpful for this, as I wasn’t going to check the table of contents every 2-3 pages to figure out which of the 8 categories things were to be able to make sense of the book.
There are also random short chunks of the author talking about visiting various sites in the Portland area and sometimes just sharing what they had for lunch and dinner on a day off, which I found to be the low point. There was no insight, humor, or plot to these, and they tended to have long blocks of text which was less appealing than the rest of the comic. I’d probably give it a higher rating if these were omitted.
Overall reluctantly recommend for a personal transmasc autobiography, but not the best one out there. “Gumballs” by Erin Nations.
Overall, I liked this graphic novel but found it uneven and lacking focus.
Most of it is an honest autobiographical account of the transmasc author’s experience being assigned female at birth, growing up, and eventually going through various steps to transition to a male identity in a physically noticeable way (top surgery, changes to hair and clothing styles, preferred pronouns, HRT).
Mixed in are 1 page dating profiles for fictional characters, and an ongoing story of an awkward fictional gay teen crushing on a classmate. I didn’t like the dating profiles as much, as it was unclear for a bit that we would never see those characters again. Maybe someone more familiar with his work would’ve known immediately which characters would come back and which wouldn’t, but it threw me as a new reader.
A color coded table of contents for every other page wasn’t particularly helpful for this, as I wasn’t going to check the table of contents every 2-3 pages to figure out which of the 8 categories things were to be able to make sense of the book.
There are also random short chunks of the author talking about visiting various sites in the Portland area and sometimes just sharing what they had for lunch and dinner on a day off, which I found to be the low point. There was no insight, humor, or plot to these, and they tended to have long blocks of text which was less appealing than the rest of the comic. I’d probably give it a higher rating if these were omitted.
Overall reluctantly recommend for a personal transmasc autobiography, but not the best one out there. “Gumballs” by Erin Nations.
August 25, 2018
A creative nonfiction comic memoir that interweaves a couple of different stories into one pretty phenomenal graphic novel IMHO.
Born one of a set of triplets and assigned female at birth, Erin's childhood is fertile ground for slice of life vignettes., intermixed with vignettes about his life in Portland as he transitions, intermixed with presumably fictional dating profiles of an outsider like myself see as very Portlandia esque, intermixed with the fictional story of a shy gay highschooler. Which can sound a bit daunting now that I've written all that out.
Thinking a bit too long on how to best describe why this book is not at all confusing I finally landed on the continuity of theme. The vignettes are well contained and this is not Erin's magnum opus that's trying to confuse you to make him look smart. As long as you find Nations interesting, both as someone writing about himself, but also about what he might want to write fictionally, you shouldn't have an issue following along.
What I probably liked about this comic the most though was actually the style. As someone who knows they should just jump into making comics but keeps backing down because time and anxiety I have started paying more attention to author-artists and personal style. Not only does Nations have an iconic style that is very professionally consistent, he also has quite the take on how to draw ears.
Born one of a set of triplets and assigned female at birth, Erin's childhood is fertile ground for slice of life vignettes., intermixed with vignettes about his life in Portland as he transitions, intermixed with presumably fictional dating profiles of an outsider like myself see as very Portlandia esque, intermixed with the fictional story of a shy gay highschooler. Which can sound a bit daunting now that I've written all that out.
Thinking a bit too long on how to best describe why this book is not at all confusing I finally landed on the continuity of theme. The vignettes are well contained and this is not Erin's magnum opus that's trying to confuse you to make him look smart. As long as you find Nations interesting, both as someone writing about himself, but also about what he might want to write fictionally, you shouldn't have an issue following along.
What I probably liked about this comic the most though was actually the style. As someone who knows they should just jump into making comics but keeps backing down because time and anxiety I have started paying more attention to author-artists and personal style. Not only does Nations have an iconic style that is very professionally consistent, he also has quite the take on how to draw ears.
March 29, 2018
Read these in the single issues - GUMBALLS is an anthology series reminiscent of alternative comics from the 90s like Hate and Eightball. The main storyline (and the most interesting to me) is Nations' autobiographical comics - either memories of being a triplet before he transitioned and short comics about his transition. Completely honest, authentic and deeply human. This is a much-needed and welcomed addition to LGBT comics.
August 29, 2018
I think because this had been published as a graphic novel I was expecting more of a linear storytelling, but it certainly worked as a series of snippets and concepts.
Cool art and very readable. Unfortunately though I found some parts very interesting, there were other parts I found less so (I didn't really get the series of random profile bios, they just weren't that funny to me I think).
Good read but didn't love it as much I thought.
Cool art and very readable. Unfortunately though I found some parts very interesting, there were other parts I found less so (I didn't really get the series of random profile bios, they just weren't that funny to me I think).
Good read but didn't love it as much I thought.
July 9, 2020
Gumballs is a graphic novel written and illustrated by Erin Nations and collects all four issues of the series with the addition 30 pages of new material.
Erin Nations is an illustrator and cartoonist living in Portland, Oregon. He graduated from SOU in 2005 and was accepted into the summer semester of Comics/Graphic Novel Certificate Program at the IPRC in 2013. He is a frequent contributor to the quarterly comics newspaper Vision Questand has been featured in Original Plumbingmagazine.
Much of Nations' material is autobiographical, detailing his upbringing as the middle of three triplets, the tedium of work at a grocery store, and his journey through gender confirmation as a transgendered man. However, the collection also contains several unrelated threads, such as vignettes from idiosyncratic or off-putting dating profiles, and the fictional saga of Tobias, a gay high school outcast.
Gumballs is written and constructed rather well. Blocky and bold, Nations' expressive character designs and depictions of his own character shift subtly over the course of his transition. However, some of the diary comics meander, and Tobias' struggle, while charming, feels out of place amid weightier personal comics. The wide-ranging series is filled with single-page gag cartoons, visual diaries of everyday life, funny faux personal ads, and real-life horror stories from customers at his day job.
The graphic novel is at its most resonant when Nations grapples with issues like his unwanted, troubling accumulation of male privilege, or the everyday perils of social anxiety and depression. While the far-ranging scope distracts from the central story line, Nations presents a much-needed perspective on modern American life.
All in all, Gumballs is a wonderful biographical graphic novel dealing with the transition and the ramification of the author – Erin Nations.
Erin Nations is an illustrator and cartoonist living in Portland, Oregon. He graduated from SOU in 2005 and was accepted into the summer semester of Comics/Graphic Novel Certificate Program at the IPRC in 2013. He is a frequent contributor to the quarterly comics newspaper Vision Questand has been featured in Original Plumbingmagazine.
Much of Nations' material is autobiographical, detailing his upbringing as the middle of three triplets, the tedium of work at a grocery store, and his journey through gender confirmation as a transgendered man. However, the collection also contains several unrelated threads, such as vignettes from idiosyncratic or off-putting dating profiles, and the fictional saga of Tobias, a gay high school outcast.
Gumballs is written and constructed rather well. Blocky and bold, Nations' expressive character designs and depictions of his own character shift subtly over the course of his transition. However, some of the diary comics meander, and Tobias' struggle, while charming, feels out of place amid weightier personal comics. The wide-ranging series is filled with single-page gag cartoons, visual diaries of everyday life, funny faux personal ads, and real-life horror stories from customers at his day job.
The graphic novel is at its most resonant when Nations grapples with issues like his unwanted, troubling accumulation of male privilege, or the everyday perils of social anxiety and depression. While the far-ranging scope distracts from the central story line, Nations presents a much-needed perspective on modern American life.
All in all, Gumballs is a wonderful biographical graphic novel dealing with the transition and the ramification of the author – Erin Nations.
August 4, 2019
These comic shorts are near perfection. Erin Nations, a trans man, has created a series of strips relating to various subject matter. The subjects, my favorite of which are his trans experiences and tales from growing up one of triplets, are color-coded, hence the title Gumballs. I love Nations' sense of humor, his clean cut lines and neat coloration. I will be looking out for more from him for sure.
March 12, 2019
I love how brutally honest this is. Although at the same time, it makes it difficult to read at points. But I think it's important to read things that make us uncomfortable, that remind us what other people have to face every day. It keeps us from taking our own lives for granted, and help us be more considerate and compassionate human beings.
April 19, 2021
This one surprised me. I don’t normally go in for gimmicky art, which is this case are squarefaced people who wouldn’t look out of place of a LEGO build. I also generally stay away from memoirs, because of all the oversharing and an innate difficulty in reviewing them. But…but…this one just charmed right past all my reservations.
And yes, the squares were notably animated and personable. And no, this wasn’t unbearably dear diaryesque, just personal enough to make it interesting and pleasingly interspersed with adorable randomness, like made up personal ads, a story of a seventeen year old gay boy and author’s own very realistic sounding exchanges with the customers in her produce department.
The bulk of the book is biographical and covers things from growing up as one of the triplets to coming out as trans and having a sex change. Because the latter (and sexuality in general) is something of an it subject nowadays, this wasn’t actually the first comic I’ve read with about this, but it was certainly the best one, many power levels above the repetitive basicness of The Late Bloomer for instance.
The themes might be similar, but this one uses a more engaging well rounded approach and fun bright colors and a much more sophisticated cartooning techniques. I’d say there’s also a genuinely likeable protagonist, but that’s be reviewing the author and that’s where it gets weird, so let’s just say…fun read. I liked it. Liked that it was Portland based. A nicely drawn life. Recommended.
And yes, the squares were notably animated and personable. And no, this wasn’t unbearably dear diaryesque, just personal enough to make it interesting and pleasingly interspersed with adorable randomness, like made up personal ads, a story of a seventeen year old gay boy and author’s own very realistic sounding exchanges with the customers in her produce department.
The bulk of the book is biographical and covers things from growing up as one of the triplets to coming out as trans and having a sex change. Because the latter (and sexuality in general) is something of an it subject nowadays, this wasn’t actually the first comic I’ve read with about this, but it was certainly the best one, many power levels above the repetitive basicness of The Late Bloomer for instance.
The themes might be similar, but this one uses a more engaging well rounded approach and fun bright colors and a much more sophisticated cartooning techniques. I’d say there’s also a genuinely likeable protagonist, but that’s be reviewing the author and that’s where it gets weird, so let’s just say…fun read. I liked it. Liked that it was Portland based. A nicely drawn life. Recommended.
Read
January 4, 20203: Read a graphic novel, comic, or manga
May 10, 2019
A graphic novel memoir/slices of life written by a man who was born as a woman. Insightful, funny and true. Author Erin Nations shares his journey and helps the reader to understand his (and others’) situation. The art is a great part of the book, full of square-headed people, and Portland, OR is almost its own character.
May 25, 2019
Nations gives us insight into what it was like for him to transition into a man and the struggles, physical and emotional, that gender dysphoria entails. Peppered throughout are vignettes about his childhood, glimpses of his current life in Portland, cringe-worthy characters and their personal ads and the ongoing adventures of the hapless, lovelorn Tobias. Insightful, touching, funny stuff.
March 25, 2024
3.75 stars.
June 26, 2018
I had the pleasure to meet the author at ALA 2018 New Orleans and I had to read this first out of all the books I received there because he was such a sweet quiet guy and I wanted to know his story.
I try to be as kind and supportive as I possibly can to all the Trans people I meet but I didn’t really know much about their daily life and struggles. This book was such an eye opener to the little things I never thought about being a problem. It was a joy to read and definitely helps one understand the LBGTQ community just a little better.
I try to be as kind and supportive as I possibly can to all the Trans people I meet but I didn’t really know much about their daily life and struggles. This book was such an eye opener to the little things I never thought about being a problem. It was a joy to read and definitely helps one understand the LBGTQ community just a little better.
August 2, 2018
I liked the variety of stories on offer: some addressing a big issue affection Nations' life because he's trans, some just daily comics, some fictional(?), some one shot work jokes that gain humor because they're a running "column" of sorts. I didn't know what to do with the personal ads... some of them seemed just steretype humor a la Portlandia, some of them seemed earnest. I couldn't tell what my reaction was supposed to be and my natural reaction was... "huh". And, I'm not a fan of the square jaw thing, since Nations is clearly capable of more naturalistic cartooning without being super-realistic, and since the use of making everyone have similar heads doesn't add anything to what the comics are trying to do (at least not to me), it ends up feeling like an early attempt at a style that the rest of the comic, in story and art, has grown past.
June 25, 2018
One of the things I appreciate about the Gumballs series is Nations's format, one that is largely absent from today's comics...specifically indie or alternative comics. His single-authored anthology is something that we used to see all the time, as in Eightball, Acme Novelty Library, Yummy Fur, and Palookaville. Now those creators have either gone the "graphic novel" route or just discontinued these kind of collections altogether, opting instead for the OGN format. I hope that Nations continues this series, now that the fourth issue of the quarterly is behind him and the first trade is available.
October 28, 2018
Gumballs is jam-packed with brief, interesting, often amusing, sometimes sad glimpses into Erin Nations' quirky Portland life. I really appreciated the comics about gender transition, as that's still an uncommon topic in mainstream literature, comic or otherwise. But Nations' stories about being a triplet and working in a grocery store are just as delightful. With such a diverse grab-bag, it's true that at least a quarter of the short works fall flat, but Gumballs is still worth perusing for it's unique perspective.
November 4, 2018
I was kind of surprised by how much I enjoyed this vignette-y, webcomicy?, very Pacific Northwesty comic of trans life, triplet life, grocery store staff life, general cartoonist hanging around in places life.
I dunno man? Drawing style/color sense was definitely a major plus. Too loose to be on a best of, but it was really good.
I dunno man? Drawing style/color sense was definitely a major plus. Too loose to be on a best of, but it was really good.
April 5, 2020
One of the things I love most about comics is that, as perhaps the most personal form of artistic expression, they really give you a sense of how the creator processes the world around them. The precise ennui of Chris Ware is very different from the gleeful irreverence of James Kochalka which is very different from the naturalist passion of Nate Powell and so on. Reading Erin Nation’s spectacular collection, “Gumballs,” is the closest one can get to climbing inside his head and viewing life through his eyes. It’s timid, honest, vulnerable, and unlike the work of any other cartoonist.
“Gumballs” is a veritable bonanza of short comics, helpfully color-coded by type. There’s diary pieces, random illustrations, imaginary dating profiles, an ongoing strip about a queer teenager named Tobias, and a whole bunch of autobiographical work, from encounters Erin has had in his job as the produce manager at a grocery store to his experiences growing up as the middle sibling of triplet girls. If that sentence makes you pause for a moment, you read that right. Nations was born a girl but now lives as a transgender man and a lot of the comics in “Gumballs” deal with his transition. These pieces are easily the most fascinating, illuminating, and best comics in the book. Nations doesn’t sugarcoat his struggles or anxieties, giving a complete picture of the highs and lows of his female-to-male transformation. His clean drawing style and bold, poppy colors help counterbalance the heavy subject matter, although Nations definitely sneaks in some snarky humor now and then, particularly in his fictional work. Honestly, I enjoyed every page of “Gumballs.” There’s no filler whatsoever.
In Erin Nation’s world, shy hipsters, badass lady skateboarders, transgender artists, and so many others coexist peacefully and respectfully. Who wouldn’t want to live in a world like that? To borrow a tired meme, “Gumballs” is the future liberals want and that’s 100% awesome with me.
“Gumballs” is a veritable bonanza of short comics, helpfully color-coded by type. There’s diary pieces, random illustrations, imaginary dating profiles, an ongoing strip about a queer teenager named Tobias, and a whole bunch of autobiographical work, from encounters Erin has had in his job as the produce manager at a grocery store to his experiences growing up as the middle sibling of triplet girls. If that sentence makes you pause for a moment, you read that right. Nations was born a girl but now lives as a transgender man and a lot of the comics in “Gumballs” deal with his transition. These pieces are easily the most fascinating, illuminating, and best comics in the book. Nations doesn’t sugarcoat his struggles or anxieties, giving a complete picture of the highs and lows of his female-to-male transformation. His clean drawing style and bold, poppy colors help counterbalance the heavy subject matter, although Nations definitely sneaks in some snarky humor now and then, particularly in his fictional work. Honestly, I enjoyed every page of “Gumballs.” There’s no filler whatsoever.
In Erin Nation’s world, shy hipsters, badass lady skateboarders, transgender artists, and so many others coexist peacefully and respectfully. Who wouldn’t want to live in a world like that? To borrow a tired meme, “Gumballs” is the future liberals want and that’s 100% awesome with me.
February 18, 2025
🅡🅔🅥🅘🅔🅦
Gumballs
2016
Comic book
Rating: 3/5
Gumballs is a thought-provoking series that blends humour, personal reflection, and social commentary. On one hand, Erin Nations’ distinctive art style and candid storytelling capture the ups and downs of the author’s personal experiences with wit and warmth. The book’s narrative about growing up, identity, and the struggles of being true to oneself is relatable and often overlooked. The style provides a unique perspective, sadly its structure overcompensates the narrative.
The book succeeds in its emotional depth, however there are moments where the pacing feels uneven. I didn’t feel it explored its topics at length, often touching the tip of the iceberg, and never dialling into the emotional drama. At times, it seems to jump from one topic to the next without giving enough time for each story to fully develop, leaving the reader wanting more exploration into certain moments or characters. Additionally, some of the humour can feel a bit forced or awkward, which may not resonate with everyone.
Gumballs is a worthwhile read, especially for fans of graphic memoirs, but it won’t hit the mark for those looking for a more polished or cohesive narrative. It’s a raw, often humorous portrayal of life’s complexities, but with a few rough edges. The book glosses over events, when it dive into them head first and explore the history of the author’s past. The book will hold relevance for anyone who is questioning their sexual identity, and the topics within the book can help, especially if you’re feeling alone in your thoughts.
#gumballs#2016#comics#comicbooks#comicbookcommunity#comicbooklover#booklover#bookworm#comicbookreview#comicbookcollection#comicbookcollector#comicbookcollecting#dupreewenttothemovies#books#bookrecommendations#readingtime#readingaddict#readingcommunity#readinglist#readingbooks#readingisfun#alwaysreading#ilovereading#lovereading#readreadread#readersgonnaread#erinnations#book#idw #graphicnovel
Gumballs
2016
Comic book
Rating: 3/5
Gumballs is a thought-provoking series that blends humour, personal reflection, and social commentary. On one hand, Erin Nations’ distinctive art style and candid storytelling capture the ups and downs of the author’s personal experiences with wit and warmth. The book’s narrative about growing up, identity, and the struggles of being true to oneself is relatable and often overlooked. The style provides a unique perspective, sadly its structure overcompensates the narrative.
The book succeeds in its emotional depth, however there are moments where the pacing feels uneven. I didn’t feel it explored its topics at length, often touching the tip of the iceberg, and never dialling into the emotional drama. At times, it seems to jump from one topic to the next without giving enough time for each story to fully develop, leaving the reader wanting more exploration into certain moments or characters. Additionally, some of the humour can feel a bit forced or awkward, which may not resonate with everyone.
Gumballs is a worthwhile read, especially for fans of graphic memoirs, but it won’t hit the mark for those looking for a more polished or cohesive narrative. It’s a raw, often humorous portrayal of life’s complexities, but with a few rough edges. The book glosses over events, when it dive into them head first and explore the history of the author’s past. The book will hold relevance for anyone who is questioning their sexual identity, and the topics within the book can help, especially if you’re feeling alone in your thoughts.
#gumballs#2016#comics#comicbooks#comicbookcommunity#comicbooklover#booklover#bookworm#comicbookreview#comicbookcollection#comicbookcollector#comicbookcollecting#dupreewenttothemovies#books#bookrecommendations#readingtime#readingaddict#readingcommunity#readinglist#readingbooks#readingisfun#alwaysreading#ilovereading#lovereading#readreadread#readersgonnaread#erinnations#book#idw #graphicnovel
November 9, 2018
Gumballs is a visual mix of memoir, mini-fiction, and micro-fiction, if you will. It revolves around the author, Portland, Oregon native Erin Nations, and their gender transition from female to male, as well as their childhood as a triplet, their work-life, and hand-picked experiences. It also features real or imagined characters doing one page dating profiles (interesting and funny...?), the saga of a gay boy's crushes (interesting), and other bits and pieces (hit/miss).
There's a lot of educational material in here for many folks, particularly teens going through gender or transition crises, or thought processes. How people relate to trans people is explored; some issues, negative experiences and positive experiences trans people may have are also looked at, and gender role concerns are another topic given teachable attention. Anxiety is another topic Nations illuminates in Gumballs, as is employment and its variety of contemporary forms.
Some issues I have with the book include: dialog sometimes starts in the upper-right corner of a pane, instead of the left, which can be a bit annoying; almost all of Nations' bad customer sketches (depicting ignorant and/or obstinate grocery store customers) leave to be desired - which sucks because these people need to be outed; and the last four-fifths of the book are full of typos, giving the impression the editor tuned-out or something.
All-in-all, a colourful, interesting, educational, and timely book.
3.8 Stars
*Bonus: I learned that not only The Goonies, but Short Circuit and Kindergarten Cop were all filmed in or around Astoria, Oregon.
*Note: Nudity-wise, a penis is depicted (oh no!), though it is a fake penis and its presence is explained in an educational manner. Likewise, there is some offensive language, used non-gratuitously.
October 12, 2020
Gumballs is collection of short comics about topics that range from Nations’ gender transition to vignettes of everyday life, personal ads from an array of male personalities and the misadventures of Tobias a teenage social misfit. The most engaging stories are those about Nations’ transition. He expresses his struggles without making the reader feel like they are getting a needed lesson. But these stories also contain reminders about the dangers and prejudices transgender people face even in seemingly progressive cities like Portland, OR. Nations’ experiences with sexual harassment before he transitioned are also interesting since he has experienced female sexual harassment first-hand. The stories about growing up as a female triplet are entertaining and highlight the hijinks kids get up too. Some of the one-page personal ads walk a fine line between mean-spirited and funny. Nations’ explanation and drawings about “packing” might make this title too sophisticated for some high school shelfs though he never talks about sex in any detail. This is an accessible read for older teens and acceptable for public library teen collections.
March 3, 2019
Gumballs is a perfect name for this sweet and funny assortment of brightly illustrated stories, mixing autobiographical vignettes along with fictional takes on finding your place in a not always welcoming world.
Erin Nations is at his best when he shares his personal stories about transitioning to live his true gender in public. Whether he is writing and drawing about packing, body dysmorphia, the effects of taking HRT/testosterone, or addressing these changes with co-workers, he offers tender insight into the sometimes frustrating challenge of being true to who you are in the world. I was so interested in these vignettes that I found the fictional stories a bit of a distraction, but the storyline about a nerdy gay high schooler dreaming about finding a boyfriend actually offered an affecting parallel in the search for love and acceptance. I did not enjoy the one page personal ads though as they seemed almost mocking which did not match the otherwise kind tone of the collection.
Overall a fun book with quirky characters illustrated in a charming manner.
Erin Nations is at his best when he shares his personal stories about transitioning to live his true gender in public. Whether he is writing and drawing about packing, body dysmorphia, the effects of taking HRT/testosterone, or addressing these changes with co-workers, he offers tender insight into the sometimes frustrating challenge of being true to who you are in the world. I was so interested in these vignettes that I found the fictional stories a bit of a distraction, but the storyline about a nerdy gay high schooler dreaming about finding a boyfriend actually offered an affecting parallel in the search for love and acceptance. I did not enjoy the one page personal ads though as they seemed almost mocking which did not match the otherwise kind tone of the collection.
Overall a fun book with quirky characters illustrated in a charming manner.
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