A Bold New Voice Tackles Social Media and Image Manipulation
(September 7, 2022) This September Graphic Universe, an imprint of Lerner Publishing Group, will publish Sofia Szamosi’s graphic novel debut titled UNRETOUCHABLE. Equally timely and thoughtful, Szamosi’s debut provides an unforgettable take on social media and our image-conscious society with an art style that recalls Marjane Satrapi’s Persepolis.
In UNRETOUCHABLE, Olive is spending the summer before art school at a coveted internship, helping one of the fashion industry’s elite digital-imaging specialists. After a glamorous New York photoshoot, she learns that taking pictures is only the first step. She discovers the “violent verbs” (cut, crop, slice, lasso) of image retouching software and the secrets behind “virtual models.” Soon Olive is fixating on her own appearance and pondering the ethics of her work behind the scenes. As college gets closer, she’ll try to get out of her own head, attempt to quit the Internet, and finally embrace image-making on her own terms. UNRETOUCHABLE is a window into the little-known, hugely influential world of photo retouching and a tribute to self-acceptance.
“Unretouchable dives headlong into the complications of being a person in a world of nonstop images. Sofia’s a constantly adventurous cartoonist, and she’s created a story about the challenge of being authentically yourself—without ever losing her sense of humor,” said Lerner Books Graphic Universe Editorial Director Greg Hunter.
“Having been a young woman facing these very real issues, I am excited to offer a new angle on the many anxieties young women face in our hyper-image focused world,” said cartoonist Sofia Szamosi.
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