Tag Archives: comics

HEATHEN banner

Book Review: Heathen, by Natasha Alterici

Leave a reply

I accepted a review copy of The Complete Series Omnibus Edition of Heathen by Natasha Alterici (author/artist/colorist), Ashley A. Woods (Illustrations), Rachel Deering (Letterer) and Morgan Martinez (designer). The graphic novel was also featured over on Sadie’s Spotlight. So, you can hop over there for author/artist information and Rockstar Book Tours‘ tour schedule.

WOMAN. WARRIOR. VIKING. HEATHEN. OUTCAST. 

THE GODS MUST PAY…

Born into a time of warfare, suffering, and subjugation of women, and exiled from her village for kissing another woman, the lesbian Viking warrior, Aydis, sets out to destroy the god-king Odin and end his oppressive reign. She is a friend to many as she is joined by mermaids, immortals, Valkyries, and the talking horse, Saga. But she is also a fearsome enemy to the demons and fantastic monsters that populate the land.

my review

I enjoyed the heck out of this, and, my goodness, could it be any more timely, with its ‘throwing off the oppressive yoke of the patriarchy’ theme? At one point, a character even explicitly says, “Each one of us is the person she is because we reject the authority of men.” And let me tell you, Odin (the representation of male authority here) does not give that oppressive authority up easily, nor the insistence that it’s actually benevolence.

I also loved the art style. I’m admittedly picky about what I like and don’t like in the graphic part of a graphic novel, but I like this a lot. I did find all the female flesh on display an odd choice. I’m not necessarily bothered by it—and sure women can enjoy it too—but all the…I’m gonna call it fan-service…has always seemed very male-gazey to me. And that just felt out of place in a graphic novel that so explicitly was addressing female liberation (sexual and otherwise) from male dictatorship and control.

I also thought the last volume felt far more rushed than the previous ones, and therefore the ending was a little anti-climactic. All in all, however, this was a winner for me.

heathen photo

Other Reviews:

https://the-girl-who-reads.com/giveaway-heathen-the-complete-omnibus-by-natasha-alterici-ashley-a-woods-book-review/

WITCHBLOOD banner

Book Review: Witchblood, by Matthew Erman

Leave a reply

I accepted a copy of Witchblood for review. The graphic novel was also featured over on Sadie’s Spotlight. So, you can hop over there for the tour schedule and for information on the author Matthew Erman, artist Lisa Sterle, colorist Gab Contreras, and letterers Jim Campbell and Andworld.
witchblood cover

A modern, Wild West road trip about a witch named Yonna cruising the Southwest as a band of bloodthirsty biker vampires, The Hounds of Love, hunt her scattered coven for the source of all magic: witch blood. From the critically acclaimed creators of The Modern Witch Tarot Deck and Long Lost comes Witchblood, a blend of action, lore, and Americana—perfect for fans of Buffy and American Gods.

my review

I liked the art a lot. And, while I know it’s an itty-bitty little thing, I cannot tell you how much I loved that Yonna had armpit hair! I liked some of the way the world is changed. Women in the confessionals and Mother Superiors giving orders, for example. It also blends humor and horror, with a punk-ish dystopian Wild West vibe. If I say it felt super Tank Girl-like, will I be showing my age too much? Actually, now that I’ve said that, Lori Petty would make a great Yonna, IMO.

But the whole things sags on story. I wouldn’t say I disliked it. But I wasn’t blown away by it for a few reasons. For one, the pacing is off. It meanders through the first half and then rushes through the second, where arguably the more important action happens.

But the real issue for me is that here you have a story full of powerful women— a female deity, all of her female witch descendants, some female hex hunters, and a female vampire with important knowledge. But the story hinges on a man. The vampire with knowledge doesn’t use it herself. Noooo, she gives it to a man. And he becomes the cliched villain while she clings wordlessly to his back through out the story. Where this graphic novel had an open opportunity to do something interesting, it instead trod the dull, well-worn path. It just felt cheap and unoriginal.

All in all, I’d call this a middle of the road read. I merely enjoyed the graphic part more than the novel part.

Other Reviews:

Blog Tour, Review, and Giveaway: Witchblood by Matthew Erman and Lisa Sterle

 

Lifestyle Of Me: Witchblood

Book Review of Child of the Sun 1 & 2

Leave a reply

I’ve got something a little different today. Michael Van Cleve, the author of the comic book Child of the Sun (along with illustrators  Renee Reeser, Jon Bass and Adam Rosenlund ) sent me the first two volumes for review. I went into this with such high hopes.

Child of the Sun, 1 Child of the Sun, 2

Description from Goodreads:
Child of the Sun is a very loose adaptation of the biblical Samson mixed with some other biblical tales, biblical legends, and ancient biblical fiction. The story focuses on the first half of Samson’s life: before Delilah, before the fall, when his power and confidence was at its height. It is also a love story between Samson and the little known wife of his youth.

Review:
I’m going to start by saying the art is pretty good. There are some flashy color panels and I like the illustrations in general. But much of my praise ends there. Largely because I’m obviously not the target audience.

I totally get that comics are traditionally a boys club. And I completely understand that it’s based on Biblical and mythological tales that are very androcentric in general. But nothing in that disallows the author & illustrators from breaking out of the well-worn and ill-thought females are nothing more than walking fleshlites or inconveniences to ‘bog’ a man down rut and including even one that wasn’t just there to be oogled or ‘taken.’ Outside of the focus on hard drinking and whoring there is basically only graphic violence here.

Again, I get it, comics ‘are for boys’ and I guess you write/draw for your market, right?  I have to question what inspired anyone to send this particular comic to a female reader, a fairly vocal feminist reviewer at that. Because as a woman, there was NOTHING in this to appeal to me. I don’t think there was meant to be, unless someone really missed their mark. In fact, it pretty much just pissed me off. The second even worse than the first, as it’s just basically borderline porn involving a truly miserable woman, a gang rape, an attempted rape and a carousal whore house.

So, if you’re a 16-year-old boy who revels in imagining that the paragon of manliness is puffed up, muscle bound, hard drinking, violence and ancient Greek era sex-bots go ahead and buy this. If you’re a girl, or God forbid the parent of a girl, run away. Quickly. Because, being as this is based on Hercules and Sampson (and we all know what happened to Sampson when he trusted a woman) I can only imagine the  denigration and villainization of women is going to get worse. Maybe I’m wrong. I hope I’m wrong. But I’m not sticking around to find out.