My review for Booklist is here: https://www.booklistonline.com/Happiness-Will-Follow-Mike-Hawthorne/pid=9736564

The review was also cross-posted to Smithsonian BookDragon: http://smithsonianapa.org/bookdragon/happiness-will-follow-by-mike-hawthorne-in-booklist/

Unfortunately, this title was archived before I had a chance to read it. It's a pity, because the topic seems very interesting.

CW: child abuse, racism, death of a parent

This was such a gripping graphic memoir that had my heart breaking for Mike. The story focuses on the author’s  complicated relationship with his mother and the affects poverty, racism, and abuse on his life growing up. The story is told in flashes and you don’t get the full picture as the reader. There is a lot the author didn’t know as a child that he is just finding out while writing this story and he captures that as the story progresses. Overall it was a well done graphic novel memoir and the art is beautiful.

Mike Hawthorne's graphic memoir details growing up in a cycle of abuse and poverty.  Raised by his Puerto Rican mother and abandoned by his white father, Mike and his mother move to York, PA to find somewhere safer than New York.  Being dark skinned in PA at the time meant not being able to find steady work, sinking further into poverty and self-hatred.  Eventually she begins to take it out on her son, although a lot of people at the time considered it "tough love" to keep Mike out of gangs.  This feels like an outlet for Hawthorne to shed some of the anger and self-loathing he grew up with.  There's a lot of emotion portrayed through the art and story.

I loved thus book. I would trul recommend it. The art is also beautiful. The stories were very interesting.

This book will break your heart in a thousand ways. This is a story about a little  boy that loves his mother no matter what she does. He loves her through abuse, through drugs, through so many horrible things. But, Hawthorne does a fantastic job of showing his mother as a very complex character. You soon realize that she's just trying to stay afloat and keep her kids alive and that leads her to bad places and horrible decisions. I think if you are fans of such books like Hey, Kiddo, or Stitches then you will enjoy this one as well (although enjoy may be the wrong word).

Searing.  An unflinching, harsh, loving, harrowing examination of the author's life growing up in extreme poverty as a Puerto Rican goring up in the northeast US.  The core of the book is the author's mother, and her complex/abusive/self-sacrificing/angry/self-defeating relationship with her extended family and her son.  This is a sad story with no happy ending (other than the author's success as an artist and storyteller) but it is one well worth reading.

Happiness Will Follow by Mike Hawthorne is a free NetGalley e-comicbook that I read in late August.

With a bad-ass, ballsy, hardened mother in Blanca, Hawthorne has a scrappy, bitter childhood away from his mom and a lonely, solitary, haunted, angry, and truly punitive one with her, so he acts out with vandalism and destruction against their social rung, while being shoved into the ground emotionally beyond what someone can take. Later, he reaches out for ties to his family, trying to reclaim what had been held apart from him.

Copy provided by Boom! Studios and Archaia publications via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I really liked this graphic memoir! It's the first one I read of its genre. It was an emotional read and one I will recommend to a lot of people for sure!

I love reading book like this (graphic novel memoirs) and this book did not disappoint. the illustrations made it impossible to not be hooked into the story, and the story itself sealed the deal that i would finish this in one sitting. the dark topics in this book make it hard to read at times, however in the best way, as you feel so connected to reading the story and all that the author has been through. i feel that often books of this kind do include darker content, and the addition of the illustrations make it all the more intense. love this book, and i will read it again.

I appreciate Hawthorne's reflectiveness on his mom and the rest of the family, but I still felt disconnected from the story as a whole. It really felt like he was just describing things and there wasn't an arc to follow - just like listening to someone ramble. I wasn't a fan of the artwork at all.

So, for those of you who love comics: how many of you loved the Superior Spiderman? Great. Well, one of the artists who worked on that has a story to tell you, so sit back and grab yourself a drink. Happiness Will Follow is Mike’s story, growing up with a single mother, a Puerto Rican in New York. His mother has… issues. On a first read through, it feels like she’s a horrible person. She abuses him, deals drugs, lies about everything. Under the surface, though, there is more to the story.

The art is fantastic. Hawthorne has an expressive style that draws out desperation and rage in equal measure. The lines of his characters are crisp, and they feel so full of character that when we see those people in photos, you can imagine the whole thing in reality. Honestly, I wish I had longer with this book just to study his lineart.

The plot, however, is a bit different. Do not expect a typical arc. This is a true story, but it is also the man coming to grips with his mother’s nature, the damage she did to him, and his own place in the world as a result. Because of that, the story is more of a meandering road, taking us where his mind leads instead of on a structured path. It’s more like a pianist plinking keys all over the keyboard, rather than a real melody. In a way, that may be representative of how he feels. It isn’t exactly to my taste, but it may be to other people.

Happiness Will Follow is a memoir in graphic novel form.   It focuses on the author's relationship with his mother.  Mike Hawthorne was raised by his single Puerto Rican mother Blanca.  When he was young they lived in New York City but his mom moves them to York, PA because she thinks it will be safer than NYC.   Mike's childhood is one of poverty and insecurity.  His mother is proud and has a temper, so Mike faces his share of abuse.   

I found the story to be raw and powerful. The artwork was awesome and done by the author himself.  The narrative was a little uneven, but it is good to see the author being so open and honest about his difficult childhood.

A gorgeous autobiography of the author who was raised by his mother. The book is heartbreaking and will give the reader a hope.

A great read

An honest and introspective memoir about abuse, poverty, and growing up Puerto Rican in 1980s and '90s America.

TW: child abuse, referenced rape, substance use and abuse, parental death, mentions of miscarriage and abortion

The author's story of growing up with a single parent and suffering abuse by that parent was very hard hitting.  The illustrations were very well done.  The timeline wasn't straight through which made it hard to follow.  I am also aware that this book probably wasn't written for me as the intended audience.

Graphic memoirs are one of my favorites, so I'm thankful to have read #HappinessWillFollow.  The author tells his story as a young Puerto Rican boy growing up with his single mother, moving around New York and York.  The story jumps back and forth in time and also telling stories of his mother and his own life.  Despite all of the hardships he lived through, Hawthorne does not paint a totally dreary picture of his childhood--pointing out the beauty and community despite--alongside his mother's abuse and emotions.  He wants very clearly for the reader to see that she was a complex person and not the "villain."  There are warnings here for topics of abuse, drugs, violence, and other.  It is not suitable for younger children, but it may be OK for older teens.  Thank you to the publishers and #NetGalley for this early copy.

'Happiness Will Follow' by Mike Hawthorne is a graphic novel autobiography of Mike Hawthorne who was raised by his mother, Blanca.

Mike and his mother Blanca, fought to keep food on the table.  They fought a family that didn't want them.  Mike and his mother fought too, but that was mainly Mike getting abused by his mother.  Blanca has a lot to make her angry, and the only one to take it out on is Mike.  He shows how complicated people can be, so Blanca is never just a one dimensional person.

This kind of story can feel pretty one-sided, but Mike Hawthorne makes sure the angles are seen.  This must have been a painful and cathartic story to write.  Mike's art here is as good as his other work in the Marvel books I know him from.  This kind of story takes a lot of courage to tell.

I received a review copy of this graphic novel from BOOM! Studios and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.  Thank you for allowing me to review this graphic novel.

I was pretty happy with this graphic novel memoir. Hawthorne really digs deep and explores the complexities of his relationship with his mother. He acknowledges abuse and emotional manipulation. But also love and empathy. We see how the upheaval, poverty, and trauma of his early childhood have continued impact through his youth and his adulthood. I think what I appreciate about it most was the portrayal of his mother. Visually she changes as she falls apart mentally. And she's never show as a true villain. We can feel his struggle to understand her and the things that motivated her actions.

Thank you NetGalley and BOOM! Studios for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

This memoir is both heartwrenching and engrossing. The author 's difficult relationship with his mother is greatly displayed in the detailed illustrations. Hawthorne has to endure the abuse from his mother but he has a hard time blaming her, especially when he takes the time to look into her past. This is a great story that explores what the word home really means and how surviving can also mean losing that connection with your family.