Mason takes a break from being Mason…
Posted by themasonAllow me, for a moment, to take a step out of my skin. Thank you.
As a huge comic nerd who also happens to be a straight male you’d think I’d enjoy the scantily clad women in tights that the wonderful world of periodicals has to offer me, but the truth of the matter is that I find myself more embarrassed than turned on by the impossibly busty women in comics. This is why, for the sake of funny books, I’m taking it upon myself to recommend some truly awesome comics that are entirely feminist friendly. I’ve talked about some of these previously, and will probably talk about them a bit more in the future, so here ya go…
Love and Rockets: New Stories #1-
The Hernandez brothers have lead the independent comic industry in strong female characters for over twenty years and it doesn’t seem like they plan on stopping anytime soon. Their latest collection of stories, Love and Rockets: New Stories #1, shows off Jaime Hernandez’s collection of female super heroes, most notably the chunky Boot Angel who finds it hard to mix in with the premier super-hero group, the Fenomenons, because of her lack of fashion sense and a body shape that isn’t up to standards. Jaime takes a good hard look at women in comics and translates that on to the page with a real-world set of sensibilities and is able to tell entertaining stories all the while.
Embroideries-
Marjane Satrapi, famous for her graphic-novel-turned-animated-movie Persepolis, captures the intimacy of a modern day “sewing circle” with her book embroideries. The concept of the short, autobiographical work is simple: a round table discussion with the female members of Marjane’s Iranian born family, lead by her grandmother. The topic of discussion tends to revolve around men, ranging from sex on ones wedding night to a sexual ritual that promises your lover’s devotion. Embroideries combines to make a funny and charming little book that’s relatable to just about everyone.
(Marjane Satrapi was here, in Chicago, last night and I totally missed her. Man that hurts.)
La Perdida-
Jessica Abel hit the comic book scene and made female cartoonists cool with her popular, indie comic Artbabe. She has also created one of my personal favorite graphic novels, La Perdida, a book about a half-Mexican girl named Carla who leaves her home in America for Mexico City, in search for a heritage she has never known. Along the way she joins a group of ex-pats like herself, gets involved with a drug dealer, teaches English, fantasizes about Frida Khalo and William Burroughs, and gets mixed up in a kidnapping scheme. The story is a rough ride that takes many unexpected drops and is entertaining for everyone, those who are looking for a story about action and those who are looking for an interesting prospective on culture alike.
Swallow me Whole-
Swallow me Whole, by Nate Powell, is the story of Ruth and her step-brother Perry as they go through the changes life throws at all of us during puberty. This tale is very much so about growing up, but it doesn’t feed us all that touchy-feely crap we’ve become used to. It’s unique, giving us a little window into the insanities brought on by life and showing us how Ruth and Perry deal with them. Ruth, who seems to deal with obsessive compulsive disorder and has visions of bugs, is encouraged to deal with her problems through medication. Perry, who sees a little wizard on the end of his pen who makes him draw, guides himself through life with his art. Nate Powell does more with empty black and white space than any other artist out there, his inking is beautiful, all of this lending more depth to an already well written story.
