BOOM! Studios imprint Archaia have announced a new graphic novel called “Girlsplaining: A (Sorta) Memoir,” by German cartoonist Katja Klengel.
In the graphic novel, Klengel will explore prominent subjects in her life, ranging from body shaming and her sexuality, to the media’s representation of women and the pressure on women who don’t have children. The press release for “Girlsplaining” asks the questions, “Why do we fear the word ‘vulva’ so much? Do we really have to be ashamed of our body hair? Why do gender roles in children’s toys seem to be stuck in the ‘50s?”
Klengel describes the graphic novel as “the book I would have liked to have when I was younger to help me realize I’m not alone in this,” stating “When I was a teenager I couldn’t imagine that there were other girls and women who had the same problems and experienced the same things I did.”
The graphic novel began in Germany as a column for Broadly magazine in 2017, and was first collected by Berlin-based publisher Reprodukt in 2019. Klengel looks forward to “[reaching] out to many more teenagers and grown-ups in the U.S. and elsewhere.”
Klengel’s other works include the graphic novel “Blattonisch (Blattonic),” and the serialized graphic novel “Als ich so alt war (When I Was Your Age).”
“Girlsplaining: A (Sorta) Memoir” will be released in English on March 9, 2021.
