Mail Order Bride Author:Mark Kalesniko A powerful graphic novel about race, identity, stereotypes and love, nominated for "Best Graphic Novel" in the 2002 Firecracker Book Awards and nominated for Harvey and Eisner Comic Industry Awards. This adept look at life after a Korean mail order bride arrives to meet her Canadian husband defies anyone who has an opinion (but no experi... more »ence) regarding the little-understood world of mail order marriages. Monty Wheeler, a pathetic, emasculated, 39-year-old virgin struggling with his own societal demons, expects Kyung Seo to fulfill his female Asian fantasy stereotype: domestic, obedient, hardworking and loyal. But Kyung, tall and accent-less, is much more human that Monty is ready to accept. Kyung soon finds, in addition to predictable dissatisfaction with her husband's inane expectations, outspoken inspiration in Eve Wong, a western-born Asian woman. Could Eve be Kyung's ticket to rebellious self-fulfillment, or do her actions not always ring true? Through explorations of art, passion, identity and rebellion, the reader must ponder strength and cowardice while Kyung herself fights a potent war between independence and safety. Kalesniko adroitly juxtaposes Monty's non-sexual, juvenile obsessions with the character's objectification of Kyung, drawing a direct line between loneliness, consumerism, and how the need for order in one's life compromises the approach to matters of the heart. 264 pages b/w illustrations.« less