Publisher: SelfMadeHero Writer/Artist: Tillie Walden Release Date: September 2017 While Spinning, the latest offering from the critically acclaimed Tillie Walden, is ostensibly a graphic memoir about the tumultuous world of teen and pre-teen figure skating, it shouldn’t take too long for any reader picking this one up to realise that it’s actually so, so much more. We are quickly introduced to a bleary-eyed Walden as she goes through her morning routine in New Jersey, waking before dawn for morning skating lessons, attending school before heading off to group practice as soon as the hometime bell rings. It’s an eye-opening account of the grueling schedule these youngsters willingly put themselves through in the pursuit of perfection, but Walden’s clear affection for what she’s doing instantly has us invested in her story as she rushes out onto the ice to enjoy a few moments alone with her thoughts before the lessons begin.However, it doesn’t take long for the book to shift noticeably.  After a while, we’re no longer particularly focused on the events themselves, but more in how Walden reacts to them.  She becomes the story, and her anxious yet confident internal monologue spurs the book forwards as she faces more difficult [...]