thanks for the fuckin dirt babe

Ask yourself, how does this piece make you feel? (No wrong answers)

Look for an artist statement nearby. What does it say about the artist and their relationship to their work? What does the artist say that they are trying to convey with their art? What contextual clues can you pick up from what they say about their background, or what they omit?

Look at the title of the piece. What is the artist saying about their work by naming it that, either explicitly or implicitly?

Look at the medium. Is there anything about the piece that stands out to you, knowing what it's made of?

Look at the year it was made. What cultural events might have been happening around this time? Was this piece part of a particular art movement? What was the purpose of that art movement, and what was it trying to say?

I've started reading Dreadnought by April Daniels. The pitch is that a closeted trans girl inherits the powers of NotSuperman as he lays dying and said powers (as you can surmise from the above screenshot) instantly transition her. I picked this up because my local library has the eBook version and it was recommended to me at some point.

Not sure how I'll like this one because like many before it has elements that I don't relate to (teen protagonist, she Always Knew) AND has a trope I don't care for (instant transition). I DO like superhero novels so that may carry the story if the prose isn't full of YA snark, and this being a published story means that the editing should have been pretty thorough.

Horus Heresy: Leviathan Dreadnought / Thunderhawk / Deimos Pattern Rhino