The Heavy Bright

By Cathy Malkasian

2023

First Published

3.21

Average Rating

340

Number of Pages

10H19M

Audio Length

In this allegorical, fantastical graphic novel, a queer young woman aims to dispel the greed and cruel masculine energy that has consumed the world. Once, the world lived in harmony. People trusted and aided each other, dreamed freely, and communed with their ancestors. And then one day the eggs appeared. One thousand black eggs, heavy as pure lead, which by some mystical property, provoked greed and violence in all who came in contact with them. A family of brutish men managed to hoard the eggs and build a misogynistic dynasty that held all of the land in an iron grip. Years later, Arna, an orphaned young woman immune to the beguiling power of the eggs, is charged with a monumental hunt down these formidable men, pilfer their eggs, and release the bright from the heavy. Along the way, she falls for the enchanting Sela, who shows her how beautiful the world can be. In The Heavy Bright, masterful cartoonist and animator Cathy Malkasian propels the reader into a lushly watercolor, Ghibli-esque fantasy world tinged with equal parts whimsy and menace. Her characters are vulnerable and relatable, made real through deep, psychological underpinnings. Perhaps Malkasian’s most ambitious and impactful work to date, The Heavy Bright is an allegorical graphic novel that grapples with the themes of greed, corruption, ignorance and bigotry, toxic masculinity, female empowerment, gender and queerness, love, death, and the urgent necessity for all to come together to heal our ailing world. Full-color illustrations throughout

Avg Rating

3.21

Number of Ratings

5 STARS

14%

4 STARS

30%

3 STARS

24%

2 STARS

26%

1 STARS

goodreads

Author

Cathy Malkasian

Author · 6 books

Cathy Malkasian's alternative comics career began at age four, with the covert distribution of sketches to an unreceptive neighbor (“Keep your brat’s pamphlets off my porch!”). Hot on the heels of this and various kindergarten triumphs, she became overbearingly enthused, teaching herself to sketch and paint, pursuing music lessons, play auditions and somehow ending up with a degree in musicology. Her blend of goofiness, sarcasm, and rumination has carried her through the years. In the early 1990s Malkasian began her career in animation, starting in design and storyboarding, then directing series episodes and pilots, and eventually co-directing the Wild Thornberrys Movie in 2002. Soon after she turned her efforts to novel and graphic novel storytelling, and returned to animation to direct many episodes of Curious George TV.