Posts Tagged ‘indy’

« Older Entries
Newer Entries »

Aryan Thrust & Colonel Crotch

Tuesday, March 29th, 2011

It is the 2011 in the dystopian reality of Frank Miller and Dave Gibbons’ Give Me Liberty. The Aryan Thrust is described as a “militant gay racist group” that has sworn retaliation against America’s President Nissen for the accidental incineration of its headquarters in the Appalachian mountains. Its assassination attempt fails, but the Surgeon General cheers the destruction  as an example of how to cleanse America, and follows up by dispatching his “Health Police” to “disinfect Appalachia.”

The Aryan Thrust vow even greater retaliatory measures and under the command of Colonel Wilhelm Crotch captures the orbiting laser cannon that destroyed the Aryan Thrust stronghold. Its crew members are shown floating dead in space. In response Peace Force soldier Martha Washington is dispatched to retake the weapon base. She gains admittance under the pretext of negotiation and is met by the Colonel and three other Aryan Thrust members. They’re simultaneously high camp and ultra butch in their leather uniforms, displaying their violent philosophy and stupidity (threatening to use a firearms on essentially a space station  in the vacuum of space), and racism when Crotch calls Washington “a darkie”. The situation quickly goes bad when Crotch threatens to kill the government representative sent along with Washington. In turn, she proceeds to wound and slay the quartet, but not before Crotch can start the ignition sequence to destroy the White House. Alerted by the shouting, another group chases after her; one of them fires his weapon, causing a hull breach. The sequence is aborted when Washington accidentally discovers and rescues the mutant telepath who functions as the control system. Instead, the pent up energy destroys the laser cannon after the pair barely escape. Having served the plot, the Aryan Thrust die and that’s that.

The Aryan Thrust and Colonel Crotch appear in Give Me Liberty #2 and the Life & Times of Martha Washington in the 21st Century TPB from Dark Horse. The indicia indicates permission for images must be obtained from Miller & Gibbons. You’ll want to find a copy of the trade at your library or look through one at a bookstore to decide for yourself if their depiction is cringe worthy.

© and ® Frank Miller and Dave Gibbons. All rights reserved.

Tags: , ,
Posted in LGBT Characters | 2 Comments »

Rainy Day Recess – The Complete Steven’s Comics

Saturday, March 12th, 2011

Rainy Day Recess – The Complete Steven’s Comics
David Kelly
$19.99
Northwest Press

Hi. My name is Joe. I’m pretty shy around kids and big people. I don’t have a lot of friends. I have secrets. It’s kinda hard because my family moved around a lot and I always feel like I’m the new kid the other kids pick on. It doesn’t seem fair to me, but teachers don’t see it. I sorta told you a fib about my name. Joe is what my name is now, but my real name — well, a couple months ago when I started the second to last new school I told my mom I wanted to called Joe. My real name is Jody and that’s why a lot of kids picked on me. They said it was a girl’s name and called me a girl. It happened at the other schools too. Teachers didn’t care. All they care about is grades and being quiet. I get good grades and can be really quiet.

Please don’t make fun of me because of my name. Or other stuff either.

I like to draw and make model cars and watch TV and sometimes try to sing along to fun songs. Sometimes dance but only if nobody’s watching me. I really like comic books because of the superheroes and all the things they can do! My favorite comic has the Legion of Super Heroes. What’s Legion really mean? I really like Element Lad and Ultra Boy. Sometimes when my mom is mad at my dad — they yell too much — because he drinks I pretend to be in the future with the Legion.

I found a new comic and I hide it for now because my dad would probably take it away. It’s not like Legion or Justice League or Avengers but I like it because it’s about a boy. His name is Steven. He has blond hair and three brothers and a sister. Maybe he’s my age. His mom works and works like mine does and she gets tired too. Steven likes Wonder Woman and has her action figure. I don’t like Wonder Woman so much, but that’s okay. Now I know I’m not the only boy that played with dolls. I feel better about playing Barbies with this girl in first grade. Her name was Janice. Really, I played with Ken, but I pretended it was Captain Action. When Steven’s brother called him a sissy for playing with Wonder Woman I got sad and a little mad. That word is bad but I don’t really understand it. My grandma said it one day to my mom. I was standing right there when she told my mom something about cutting up apron strings or maybe I’ll turn into a sissy. It makes Steven sad too. But Steven is happy a lot too even if his family is messed up.

Steven made friends with a new boy in his class. His name is Christopher and Steven really likes him. Christopher likes Steven. I think they are super special friends and maybe they like each other the same way boys like girls. It’s a secret so you can’t tell anybody! Is that what a sissy is? when a boy likes a boy? But sissy is a mean word and Steven and Christopher aren’t mean boys. Neither am I. And my grandma said sissy to my mom — and — and — you have to promise to keep a secret! Promise! I think I like boys too. I don’t have a friend like Christopher but sometimes I feel funny watching the actors on TV shows. I’m a good boy too even if I got in trouble for something in the shed I don’t want to tell you. I want to kiss a boy and maybe dance with one like Steven does with Christopher. Just maybe dance to a different song. We Are Family is okay but I like this song called Everyday People better. Or maybe Thank You. The singers’ names are Sly and the Family Stone. My dad acts weird if he hears the song so I don’t play it loud. He doesn’t like black people.

Steven’s dad isn’t a nice person either. His parents get divorced like my mom almost did. I wanted her to but she got scared and stopped. After a while he has to move to his grandma’s and go to a new school. It got scary for him but his grandma helps him fell better and they have fun together. She’s really nice like my grandma even if she did say sissy. Being at a new school means Steven doesn’t see Christopher anymore. It’s sad and he has trouble making new friends. I know how that makes me feel so I wish Steven could be my friend. Maybe then we could talk about boys because I don’t think telling a real life friend I like boys would be a smart idea.

Steven has to eat fried baloney sandwiches too. Fried baloney on mushy bread is okay sometimes. Nobody wants to trade sandwiches with you at lunchtime. Steven is nice because he made friends with a boy named Kit Reece who gets picked on even more than he does. Some kids are just bullies and will pick on you. It won’t matter if you have a girl’s name. Steven likes Kit but not the same way he likes Christopher. And Steven takes swim lessons and starts to like an older boy named Troy kinda the way he likes Christopher. I think Troy was just being nice when the other older kids and Mr. Terwilliger were being really mean. It’s good because they’re friends too. Sometimes older kids and adults are nice and they make you feel good and special and okay. That’s why I like Steven. I know he’s only a make believe kid in a book made up by somebody named David Kelly. He’s probably a big person too because adults don’t let kids make comics unless you draw it yourself. Steven makes me feel good because now I know it’s okay if a boy likes another boy! Oh! But if an adult made up Steven does that mean some adults think it’s okay for grownups too? Oh my gosh! Maybe when I grow up I can find another grownup boy and we can kiss and dance! Maybe he’ll read Steven’s comicbook stories and find out it gets better.

Do you want to take a peek?

Sly and the Family Stone’s Everyday People

Tags: ,
Posted in Reviews | No Comments »

Henry & Glenn Forever Show

Wednesday, February 16th, 2011

From Ed Luce…

We’re very excited to announce the opening of the Henry & Glenn Forever Gang Bang group exhibition at the legendary La Luz de Jesus Gallery in Los Angeles, California!   The Igloo Tornado guys (Tom Neely, Gin Stevens, Scot Nobles & Levon Jihanian) have invited two dozen artists (including Ed Luce, Dave Davenport, Justin Hall, Johnny Ryan, KAZ and Coop!) to explore and expand their take on the hard rock love that dare not speak its name.

For those not familiar, the original Henry & Glenn Forever book asks the question, “what if Henry Rollins and Glenn Danzig were a little more than ‘friends’?”  It has sold more than 30,000 copies since its debut last spring, garnering nods from Spin, National Public Radio, MTV, LA Weekly, Decibel, Maximum Rock’n’roll and Razorcake.  The book is still available at Microcosm Publishing.

The reception is Friday, February 18th from 8 – 11pm and features a signing with Igloo Tornado and performances by the faBUlous BLACK FAG (seriously, they’re rad) and Danzig cover band GLENN!!!  The show itself will run February 18th – 27th.

Ed will be on hand for the exhibition’s opening reception…so long lost LA peeps, please stop by and say howdy!

For more info visit here.

Also…

LIMITED EDITION HENRY & GLENN PRINTS!!!

To coincide with the event, we’re releasing limited edition 8″ x 8″ prints of Ed’s two pieces, “Henry & Glenn, Cat Fanciers” and “Henry & Glenn, Newlyweds”.  Each is reproduced in crisp, effulgent color on Bright White 300 Entrada Paper!  Which means it’s archival and stuff…

Hop over to Wuvable Oaf and snag yourself some, before Oaf finds out Ed’s been cheating on him and shuts the site down!

See you next month with some info on Ed’s Hunx & His Punx comic for San Francisco’sNoise Pop Festival…and news on the next proper Oaf issue!

Tags: ,
Posted in Farrago | 1 Comment »

Female Force: Rosie O’Donnell

Saturday, February 12th, 2011

Female Force: Rosie O’Donnell
Uncredited writer and Uncredited artist*
Bluewater Productions
$3.99

Review by Joe Palmer

Bluewater Productions publisher Darren Davis recently sent a blind/ BCC email talking about the upcoming release of its Female Force: Rosie O’Donnell comic to be release March 2nd and offered a preview PDF copy for review. I took the bait, as I did once before when offered a preview PDF of its Ellen bio comic; a book which I decided not to review as I was somewhat confused if the author intended to write about DeGeneres or her unnamed narrator that frequently appeared on panel. The art for that comic seemed somewhat ill suited for the material and not quite as polished as one would like. That said, the work of Sandra Ruckedeschel and Pedro Ponzo on the Ellen comic is hands above the work of the writer and artist for the Rosie comic, uncredited in the preview copy. The illustration adorning the cover here is beautiful. And that’s the extent of the cover artist’s work, which in itself is not an unusual practice in this industry.

One gets the feeling that something is amiss when credits aren’t included by the publisher. Who to praise? Who to critique? Who to be accountable? Dan Rafter and Fritz Saalfeld were attached as the writer and artist, at least according to the solicitation copy I snagged while compiling the February edition of my monthly Gay Previews based on the Previews catalog.

*UPDATE: It has now come to my attention that a different, unknown to me person drew this book.  This calls into question who the writer is. My apologies for not fact checking.

The writer  forgoes unnamed narrators in favor of having the characters from Rosie on down talk themselves. The story opens with Rosie having a dream in which Donald Trump meets his demise in the streets and starting with her stint on The View and tussles with Elizabeth Hasslebeck and then to a handful of panels of her childhood before hopscotching through a series of public events and incidents starting with her talk show. It’s my opinion that the writer doesn’t help his narrative when he has Madonna, Ellen, Simon Cowell, and Ryan Seacrest appear in an attempt to push forward. Take Ellen for example. The writer has “Rosie” say: “When Ellen came out, people loved her even more. She has that magic touch. It took American Idol to make people dislike Ellen. But only a bit.” Well, true, but then her first sit com tanked because it was gay, gay, gay, she hitched herself to big bag of crazy Anne Heche, became a pariah in Hollywood, and only started back on the Tinsel Town road of redemption through voicing Dory in Finding Nemo. Apologies for the digression. Then again, I may be ignorant of any real incidents involving these people and Rosie which would justify their use.

The interior artist is uncredited. His pr her art style is consistent and I believe an ill suited choice on the publisher’s side for the material. Firstly, this is a comic depicting real people (I hesitate to use “celebrities” as I dislike the word) and prospective readers will (and should) expect easily recognizable likenesses. Achieving likenesses is not the only challenge. A comic artist has to do that consistently for each character throughout a story while making characters believably interact, and creating believable environments or stages if you prefer for these characters. I know from first hand experience drawing a story focusing on two main characters how challenging sequential narrative art can be to convey on paper. The artist’s faces and bodies give me the sense that he may be most comfortable drawing caricatures, which I do not intend as a slam. Caricatures have a purpose and place in art and are quite often beloved. The abstracted anatomical sense displayed is also at odds with the material, as are rather flat perspective points, often out of scale sense of proportion, and fairly non-descriptive backgrounds in which the characters are meant to live and breathe but don’t. I’ve no idea how tight the deadline was for the artist, but I should like to think more time would have been beneficial for his output. It isn’t my intent to be cruel or hurtful, but I think more time learning the craft of sequential art is needed or accept work most suitable to your style.

I don’t know who the editor of this book is, but it seems to me a little more editorial oversight might have helped. At least in the instance of drawing a map of Florida.

Rosie is someone whom I enjoyed spending an hour with back during her talk show. Over the years she simply fell off my radar, not because I dislike her, more because her interests and appearances were no longer engaging me. While I did learn a couple new facts about her, I think I’d have come across the same information on the Internet. From a creative viewpoint the purpose of telling a story in comic format about Rosie or any public figure is to do it in a way that engages a reader that reading Google hits won’t. From a sales viewpoint I should want to pony up $3.99 (or $3 if I pre-order from my shop) for this comic. For me it failed on either front.

Tags: ,
Posted in Reviews | 3 Comments »

Zak Raven – The Straightest Gay Man In Comics?

Friday, February 11th, 2011

Darren Davis, Bluewater Productions comics publisher, sent a blind email on February 10th to prospective reviewers regarding his company’s upcoming release of its Rosie O’Donnell bio comic. There is one point in Davis’ email with which I have an issue.

Davis states that Bluewater is a company that is gay owned. This is true, though this fact may not have always been publicly shared, and I think Davis deserves praise for being open. Bluewater has published the Ellen bio comic (with the Rosie bio to come), one for the show/ cast of Glee, and one (or is two) for Lady Gaga. I’m unaware of others and of the contents of the latter two comics. As much as these people and show are part of our history and culture, one day I’d love to see comics that tells the stories of Rimbaud and Verlaine, Colette, Sappho, Oscar Wilde, Walt Whitman, the Daughters of Bilitis, Mattachine Society, and Harvey Milk.

Bluewater also has published a number of biography comics based on conservative and liberal politicians and pundits from Sarah Palin to Hilary Clinton to Bill O’Reilly I think. Is one of Tea Partier Michele Bachman waiting in the wings.  It makes me wonder if Bluewater’s “cachet” is tailored for various pools of reviewers. I digress.

However, what caught my attention is the following paragraph excerpted from the email:

“We have a gay themed original graphic novel that has won some awards as well.  It features a gay man dealing with HIV.  It is a very positive book about what it is like to be positive in this day and age. The title is called ‘Lost Raven’.”

Sounds good.

Davis sent me a PDF copy of Lost Raven on CD several years ago. It was some time before it was to be published. The story runs for 76 pages and takes Zak from shortly after his HIV diagnosis when he decides to resign from his his paying job as a lawyer with a spiffy office and his decision to find himself on a months long solo sailing journey whih goes awry while encountering a giant sea creature in a storm. From there, he awakes shipwrecked on an island and finds himself collared with an electronic device, and a blue anthropomorphic creature who helps me survive on the island. Oh and there’s a monstrously big humanoid ordered to exterminate Zak. By whom, you wonder? A big bad US miliatary general in charge of some secret government research program to modify human beings to survive the long journey in space to colonize other planets.Yes, it’s a very eclectic plot and not one I’d go with if writing a story with an HIV + character, but as far as comics go, not so terribly far-fetched. Davis wrote Raven’s internal monolog as he copes with HIV and many of its complications with an  insight that reflects much of what I and many others I know who are also positive have come to terms with.

My point is that Davis in his email is now presenting the Zak Raven character as a gay man living with HIV. I’d read the story and sections of it a number of times after receiving it, and have read it over twice today. I can find no indication from either visual clues, sub-text, and comments taken from Raven’s extensive internal monologs to indicate Raven is gay. Now I do not mean gay as in bear, cub, otter, twink, muscle daddy, silver fox, boi, nelly queen, potato queen, rice queen, Pinoy boy or any other appellation you can think of. I simply mean gay as in the opposite of straight. Perhaps Davis changed the character’s orientation for the print edition, but the copy he sent to me was marked “Lost Raven Final”. If so then I am unaware of this change. I believe Davis may have intended for Raven to be gay, but intent is different from the result as in my re-readings today I found numerous indications that Raven is straight. You can read the instances I found below.

Zak loves boats! Now is the photo of a boyfriend or himself? I think it’s of Zak taken during a happy vacation.

Hmm. Not the most emotionally available guy. But this describes my father, too.

No Professor, Skipper, Gilligan, Mr. Howell, Mr. Brady, or Sam the Butcher either.

Okay, maybe Zak was like Ryan White and many others who were transfused with infected blood.

Gay men have dated women before coming out of the closet.

Girlfriend or just friend? She’s pretty much unidentified, but my reading of the context leans toward girlfriend.

Okay, maybe Zak had some anonymous man on man sex. Male pronouns and names are never used though.

Hmm. He seems to have women on his mind.

Chris is definitely a woman, but what was her relationship to Zak?

Someone very close and important, judging by what follows in this panel.

And this bit in the next panel makes Chris seem like a girlfriend or fiancee.

Zak’s savior, the lone female scientist of the secret government operation, who also crushes on him.

An HIV positive character’s sexuality is not something with which I have an issue. HIV doesn’t discriminate on any basis, and I very distinctly remember when this realization came to me as I walked from my apartment on West 18th Street in the Pilsen area of Chicago to the bus stop at 18th and State. It was the Reagan years and the widespread notion at the time was that HIV would not spread beyond gay men. Hello! Bisexual men! In the nearly 15 years since my HIV diagnosis I’ve met a number of positive people who aren’t gay, bi, men on the DL, MSM, and are indeed straight men or women, and lesbian.

However, when a publisher declares a story features a gay, main character when a copy (presumably finalized for print) shows evidence to the contrary and hypes this info to prospective reviewers I am compelled to wonder just what is going on. Has AIDS related dementia set in and I need to give up my car and my apartment for life in an assisted living facility? Is the one bit of monolog in which Raven says he doesn’t really know how he contracted HIV so powerful as to negate all the other passages indication an interest in women? Did the print version feature a gay Raven and I’m making a fool of myself in my ignorance? Or has Davis misrepresented or revised, unintentionally or not, the facts for reasons that I won’t presume?

In the event I am wrong then I’ll humbly and publicly apologize here.


Tags: ,
Posted in Articles | 3 Comments »

Steven’s Comics

Wednesday, January 26th, 2011

“WE ARE FAMILY”
David Kelly

Review by Joe Palmer

Please note that this review was written and published on this website sometime during 2002 and the information in the last paragraph is obviously out of date.  I thought it might be nice to reprint it in advance of Northwest Press’ printing of a Steven’s Comics collection.

Steven is a blond, blue eyed kid who’s about eleven years old. You might think he’d have the perfect life. As Steven takes us through his life we find out that it’s really bittersweet. His parents are divorced; Beverley is bitter and his father is resentful; his home life is always changing. What makes Steven an interesting character to read about is that despite all the obstacles that are thrown in his path he never gives up.

Oh, and it hasn’t quite dawned on him yet that he’s gay.

Christopher is his best and possibly only friend. They sneak into Christopher’s sister’s bed room to look at her teen idol posters, watch American Bandstand together, wait in line to get Darth Vader’s autograph, and dance to Sister Sledge’s “We Are Family”. On the other hand, Steven has to live with his bitter mother who finds a redneck loser for a boyfriend whom she allows to move in, and who makes life hellish for Steven. Rusty, the new boyfriend, eventually convinces Beverly to send the youngest kids off to live with their grandmother. Despite the new surroundings and strange new relatives, Steven’s life seems to take a turn for the good after moving to his grandmother’s trailer at the end of the story.

It should be easy for adult LGBT folk to relate to Kelly’s characters and story here. At one time or another we’ve all felt unwelcomed or despised by other kids in school. We’ve probably all had dysfunctional parents. And we’ve all had that first innocent crush on a friend probably without realizing what it was. What makes the story great is that Kelly writes with such charm that you’re compelled to cheer Steven through all the pitfalls in his life.

David Kelly has other comics featuring Steven. Issue #2 has early strips. Issue #4 is titled “New Best Friend”. Then there’s Steven’s Comics – Odds & Ends which is mainly strips and one-offs. Also available is an anthology comic called Boy Trouble . Issues #1 – 3 can be ordered. All About Boys, a new comic, should be out September 2002 after its debut at Small Press Expo.

Tags: ,
Posted in Reviews | No Comments »

Princess Witch Boy

Monday, December 27th, 2010

Storm writer and artist
Joshua Richardson letterer
$5
Self published

“Do as I do and scrap your fey ways”
“Grow up, be a man, and close your mealy-mouth”
Dial-A-Cliché

“How I dearly wish I was not here”
Every Day Is Like Sunday

- Morrissey, from the Viva Hate album

Yes, I have a reason for starting a review with very cherry picked lyrics from Morrissey’s 1988 Viva Hate album. You’ll see  why in a bit.

Princess, witch, boy. Three little words, all names of very different things. Put together they make for an unusual and for me intriguing title, though when J K Parkin mentioned it in a Robot 6 blog post I let it slip by. Somewhere I came across another mention I visited the link and was met with an image of an androgynous boy’s face superimposed over a woman’s head with enigmatic eyes. I thought, perhaps from the juxtaposition of princess, witch, and boy that this was probably a cute and breezy, fairy tale like adventure. Well, breezy hardly, though it is the tale touching on the faerie world and as Storm refers to his work, a fantasy memoir. Yes, that’s another odd mix of words, and apt ones I believe. How much of the two stories is which might be open to interpretation, and I’ve my own idea of one outweighing the other.

Turning the title page of the first issue, “Gateway”, reveals the lone word “sissy” in larger font sitting squarely above a block of text. “Sissy” is the word that I did not have at the age of five when I realized I was somehow different. A year later it was the first word I had to describe what I was, and from the way my dear grandmother spoke it to my mother I knew she didn’t see it as desirable. What follows the pejorative (though it’s being reclaimed) is a dense list of rules to follow in order not to be one. They’re all ones you heard told to you and repeated often as a child. The sayings about rules are true: live by them, break them, throw them out, make your own.  I’m happy that Storm broke them, threw them out, and made his own to live by.

The story that follows reveal the young boy’s, whose first name is never told, growing awareness of a metaphysical world with personal spirit guides as his greatly troubled father’s behavior descends to a terrible act. Told in a combination of images and pared down text in the first comic, the story is plumbed to full extent in the second, titled “Replica”, through a blend of comics format in the first half and prose interspersed with full page illustrations in the second.

The titular Replica is one of the three spirits (the other two being a female djinn and a sorceress) the boy draws with colored pencils bought by his mother. Also a woman (his own personal triple goddess?), Replica is a shapeshifter spy on an adventure searching for the fortress tower Library of Knowledge for the mythical Tome of Prognostication. Contrast the boy’s creative imagination with unrealistic duties in the mundane world, a problematic father, a favored sister who takes his Star War figures and makes Darth Vader kiss C3PO (“They love each other”), and a mother confrontational over comics (too gay) and music (fey prophet Morissey and “Viva Hate” favored over former dear shiny Christian Michael W. Smith) because she suspects he’s a sissy. The parallel stories of the boy and his and family and of Replica that the boy creates and how the boy draws upon the latter when all comes crashing down around the family is most imaginative. And strong, now listening to Morrissey’s singing in my apartment, and silently the other times I’ve read the comics, perhaps for reasons confessed in the following paragraph.

In my reading of Princess Witch Boy I came across passages, sometimes just a snippet, that recalled memories of my own familial experiences and a comic derived fantasy I created to cope when my father’s alcohol-fueled loathing and later religious hypocrisy was too much to deal with. Like Princess Witch Boy, drawing inspired by comics was another refuge though my teenaged youth’s queer muse was the glam David Bowie. Perhaps it’s simple projection on my part from these and other experiences not to be shared that the story of Princess Witch Boy seems much more real, more memoir than fantasy. And a barely noticeable nod to Alan Moore’s Promethea, yes. Princess Witch Boy, you may be only ink and words on paper, here then, but I think I know a part of you and that is powerful storytelling.

With a wuvable oaf, a super tranny, a pair of lovers in Victorian England, unintentional civil rights activist Toland Polk, a closeted investigator in 1950s San Francisco, and sundry other comics, and now a Princess Witch Boy, it’s been a very good year!

Visit Stormantic to learn more about Storm and Princess Witch Boy. Check for both editions of PWB at Swankety Swank if you’re in San Francisco and not Isotope Comics which I’m told is currently sold out though worth a visit in itself. If not, you’ll have to purchase the second book through Storm’s Etsy shop.

Tags: ,
Posted in Reviews | 2 Comments »

Glamazonia The Uncanny Super Tranny

Tuesday, December 14th, 2010

Glamazonia The Uncanny Super Tranny

Review by Joe Palmer

Justin Hall, Diego Gomez, Jon Macy and Fred Noland and a whopping bonanza of other artists
Northwest Press
$24.99

Ah, Glamazonia! As glamorous as ever with her bouffant, lush lips, amazing abs, assertive breasts, a devil may care attitude backed up with a her own brand justice. Ignore the bit of self-centeredness and give the lady her due! Glamazonia’s journey from an occasional B & W strip when she first came to my attention to this four color extravaganza has been a long time coming and it’s about damn time!

But you’re finally here so I’ll be good.

In case the cover image doesn’t clue you in enough to get a sense of Glamazonia, let me say that she’s all about taking the conventions of superheroes and turning them on a collective ear or maybe a more appropriate position might be scissored. And pity if I just lost you, dear gay man, with the lesbian sex reference. At least  I wrote scissored instead of sandpapered. Oops. Well, just don’t Google it if you don’t know what it is. Glamazonia is all about queering it up and — oh dear! Did I just lose you now because of the Q word? But she is queer right from the get-go and Justin Hall and a whole bus-load of others have a hell of a lot of fun with her in this book.

It’s like a “buck a bag” sale at the local thrift shop and the big girls section just got stocked with good stuff before you walk in when it comes to the stories! A 120 pages worth comprising seven stories and a bounty of “One To Glam On” public service announcements (AKA one page strips), a pin up, a mock comic cover, and a foreword by Peaches Christ and a couple embellishments to round it off. I did not hear you say “Peaches who?”, did I? If you must, then slyly dash off and look her up on the interwebs. Just don’t look up sandpaper and lesbians and make a face when you learn what it is because it ain’t like you haven’t done something that might gross out others.

Time travel stories usually induce eye rolling or make little sense to me. Time Travel Tranny does neither as Glamazonia comes to the aid of Professor Dikhead who’s being threatened by a future menace. Glams is in for a huge surprise when she travels to the future to deal with the threat! She’s got a short fuse!

J. F. Killer is Hall’s figurative centerpiece and the most ambitious piece both in story length (23 pages) and subject matter. Boy reporter Jimmy Wholesome tracks down Glamazonia in the Castro as he investigates his theory on who shot JFK. He learns how off base the theory as she spills her sob story while ordering Jimmy around. JFK’s womanizing is well documented but our beloved President and Marilyn’s heart might have belonged to daddy, but Glamazonia playing all the sides in the whole Cuba mess. Everyone except that pudgy, ugly Kruschev. You got to have some standards! Hall also introduces an arch rival to Glamazonia and explores his uncanny super tranny’s power set in a super powered cat fight. Quite the entertaining read  though the naughty side of me would like an erotic sneak peek at what happened in the Cuban countryside.

Fred Noland’s Rent Boy story in which a trailer trash kid named Billy aspires to audition to become Glamazonia’s sidekick and leave his sordid life behind is two hoots worth of fun! His style is loose and animated and he does a great job of capturing the ambience of sad trailer park inhabitants. Dubbed Rent Boy, Billy is dedicated and a touch desperate in my opinion when he demonstrates to Glamazonia how resourceful he is with nunchakus. Glamazonia is shocked and it was a surprise for me too. Let’s say Rent Boy probably wouldn’t have a problem with the new body scanners at airports!

Rent Boy is featured in the following story by Diego Gomez in which Glamazonia is transported to an other wordly place to compete against other heroes in a contest for the “greatest prize”. Sure, she’s motivated and not happy at all that  “sidekick” Rent Boy is forced to compete with her after he helps her win a round. Gomez’s story is told in segments as a framing device around three secret origins for Glamazonia. Being so fabulous just one will not do! Actually, in the Gomez segments she recounts different stories hoping to seduce a trio of contestants. The framing idea works though they could stand on their own as well. The final segment with Glamazonia and Rent Boy facing Dungeon Master one is most successful while and the two with FLag Danzer and Granola Girl are the weakest for me. Gomez has done a lot of illustration work before and this is his first sequential story. His style easily stands out in the book as the most colorful and psychedelic and he doesn’t want to be constrained by panels, all of which can be good qualities. Here though, at least in a PDF file, I find it at times to be a little confusing and taking precedence over the characters. My opinion may change when I look at his art again after looking at the print copy when I pick it up from my store. Okay, I’ve looked at these segments on another computer and the colors are more harmonious than I first thought. Proof is in the print copy and appreciation of art always rests with the individual.

Added note: I’ve picked up my print copy with the rest of my comics  this afternoon, and apparently Glams’s appearance caused a bit of a commotion, as I heard one counter guy exclaim “Peaches Christ?!” in a whispered exclamation to the other.  I simply said “Yes, ‘Peaches Christ’ ” and smiled though I thought about adding “she’s Jesus time-lost tranny sister”. Anyway.  I’ve looked at the coloring throughout the whole book and every bit of coloring, including Gomez’s whose palette I wondered about.  Yes, he has a different color aesthetic (a quality I think for which Hall chose him), but here in the print copy it doesn’t overwhelm. So, here you go – proof a reviewer can change his or her mind.

All of Glamazonia’s origin stories are riffs on much beloved ones from comics: Superman, Batman, and Spider-Man. Hall’s version of Krypton populated solely with party girls is a fun twist, as is Clarkina’s relationship with strapping, bald Flex. A bat never inspires an orphan Bruce. Instead someone crashes through the window at the opulent manor. Young Peter Pumper being bitten by a radioactive tranny is the most hilarious for me. Another one is a take on the beloved Bionic Man and Woman shows. Her final origin using elements from Iron Man’s comic and movie beginnings is my second favorite with her Iron Tranny gear and her rigging the phallic ray gun to backfire, defeating her terrorists in a most fabulous fashion. All very good and your favorites may vary.

Jon Macy (Teleny and Camille, Fearful Hunter) turns in Rent Boy: Year One in a stylishly moody and pared down setting with a subdued color palette. Pity poor Rent Boy he discovers that the allure of sugar daddies often masks an evil heart.

Hall’s final story puts Glam as Brenda Starlet, the new reporter for a newspaper that’s a mashup between the Daily Planet and the Bugle. Here’s your chance to see how Lois, JJJ, Parker, and a sweaty, alien pervert together. Love the way Glams keeps her bouffant big and high, too!

I love little touches here and there. For example, the Glamazonia signal resembles a huge fleshlight. Here and there Hall incorporates vaginas. Oh, now don’t you get worked up over that! They’re not like the fanged vagina (I forget the high falutin’ Latin phrase) Howard Chaykin drew on a Hawkgirl cover several years ago. There are a few other flourishes scattered throughout, but finding them again is a bit of a challenge. The little lips symbol used to decorate the page numbers is a nice touch, as is the decision itself to use page numbers. It’s one of those little things that seems forgotten a lot these days.

If you’re a diehard Glamazonia fanatic you may notice that some of these stories have previously appeared in a small B & W mini comic made by Hall in the past year ortwo. Generally I question when this happens though the reasons can be very different when done by an indy creator compared to a big publisher. It isn’t an issue for me because these few stories are both expanded on and the fun quotient is higher, plus they’re printed in color now.

The “public service announcements” with Glamazonia dispensing her sex tips and tidbits of worldly wisdom are written by Hall and drawn by the remaining multitude of guest artists as listed below, with some of whom I’m not familiar with, so this is a good opportunity for a little taste of their various styles. Every PSA is amusing and kudos to Hall for sharing Glamazonia with so many artists in both these PSA’s and stories.

The following should be the full list of creators :

Anthony Gonzalez, zan Christensen, Sarah Oleksyk, MariNaomi, Craig Bostick, Jennifer Camper, Steve MacIsaac, Chuck McKinney, Sina Grace, Ed Luce, Shaenon K. Garrity, Paige Braddock, Christine Smith, Jason Thompson, Chino, Theo Bain, Eric Orner, Robert Kirby, Gina Kamentsky, Dave Davenport, Lark Pien.

I’m sorry if I missed any, but it’s almost like trying to pick out all the different bodies in an orgy scene.

You don’t have to be a diva devotee of Wonder Woman or Emma Frost to appreciate Glamazonia. Just love for wicked humor! Look for Glamazonia at your comic shop or go to Northwest Press for more info and also download a 30 page preview or to Glamazonia’s official site which has it, too!

This review was based on a complimentary PDF copy though I had already ordered the book in October (and cleared a spot in my cramped bookcases) through G-Mart, my local comic shop.

Addendum:

Cisgender. Trans ally. Entitled. Privileged. Ableist. CAFAB. CAMAB. FAAB. MAAB. These and other words and phrases were brought to the forefront for me recently when a person contacted me to express their dismay and anger regarding Glamazonia, the use of the word “tranny” in the title, and the positive review I gave the work. From this person’s point of view there was a choice of one of three options for me to do. One was to remove the review. Another was for me to give it a negative rating, and the last was to include a trigger warning.

Neither of these options were ones that I could act on. The first was censorship, which I don’t believe in. The second required that I lie about my opinion of Hall’s work. And I don’t believe in the use of trigger warnings. As an alternative, I offered the idea of this person writing an opinion piece in response to the character and Hall’s use of the word in question to which the review would link. I also offered, which I did, to make Hall aware of this person’s thoughts and comments. As best I can tell, my suggestion was ignored in the subsequent reply which also contained a link for Hall to a blog post in which the author discussed the hurt and damage of “cisgender intent”. As I passed that along to him I began to wonder if this was a situation in which I’d be stuck in the middle, which reminded me of the dysfunctional way my parents and family members have long communicated. In turn I informed this person that I couldn’t comply with any of their suggestions and their reply was to inform all the people they know of this.

Should I have engaged in emails more with this person? Perhaps. Should I have been less terse? Yes, though I believe no amount of word dress up would alter their opinion, which wasn’t a goal on my part. Do I believe for this person that the word in question creates or reminds of some traumatic experience? I do and I also know that to say hurting anyone was and is not my intent will be considered by this person and possibly you reading this now as an example of cisgender intent and privilege. I am sorry they were hurt, hurt by the word, by the meaning and ugliness and violence attached to it by meanspirited people in the cis world aimed at them and others.  And to clarify, my references to this person in gender/ name unspecific terms is not an attempt to dehumanize them. I simply do not know how they identify and present themselves.

Words and symbols which have horrible, painful meanings can be reclaimed, though the effort is not always successful. The pink triangle, part of a whole coding system for undesirables, was a symbol to mark homosexuals in Nazi Germany and occupied countries. It was taken back. There was a time when the word fag was used by some gay men to describe themselves. Howard Cruse put the word in his characters’ mouths in his Wendel comic strip in the 1980s. The word is widely considered to be a slur now and is off limits. Is a cisgendered person allowed to help reclaim this word from being a slur? The answer will depend on your point of view and perhaps the person, and in this instance, the work in question.

So this feels like a rock and a hard place situation in which, on one hand, I think Hall’s work is good and understand that he’s had interactions and relationships with variously self-identifying people in the San Francisco Trans community — two out trans creators contributed their work to this book — and alienating and hurting one person in particular and likely others. And even this smacks of ableism, entitlement, and cisgender intent.

Below is a verbatim copy of an afterward by Hall from his book. Would this have made any differnce to have originally included it my review?

“About the word ‘tranny…’

The word is a tricky one.

From the mouths of bigots and assholes, it’s undeniably a hate word. Even coming from well-meanin folk, it can be clumsy and insensitiv. And yet, as with the word ‘queer’,it’s been reclaimed by many as a term of empowerment and humor.

Where I come from, the queer underground of San Francisco, ‘tranny’ is used by everyone from trans women and trans men to third genders, cross-dressers, drag queens, drag kings, faux queens, and other gender queers and gender radicals. The Uncanny Super-Tranny is meant to stand alongside such creations as the Tranny Film Fest, Tranny Road Show, Tranny Fag Health Project and Trannyshack.

Glamazonia the Uncanny Super-Tranny is intended as a work of (at times sarcastic) humor, and ultimately a celebration of the compokex, wondeful, and fascinating mosiac of queer identities and expressions.”

Tags: , , ,
Posted in Reviews | 1 Comment »

Beasts of Burden

Wednesday, December 8th, 2010

Beasts Of Burden – Animal Rites
Evan Dorkin
Jill Thompson
Jason Arthur and Jill Thompson lettering
Dark Horse
$19.99 HC

On one of my recent trips to my library I was looking through the new books section — creature of habit and all that — when I turned around from browsing cookbooks to find a copy of Beasts Of Burden practically in front of me. I’m familiar to a degree with Dorkin’s and Thompson’s work separatetly, and had seen the mini series solicited in Previews. Despite my love for dogs and cats I don’t have any furry companions, and in my mind I’d reduced the Beasts story to a comic filled with cutesy animals without having taken a look. My presumption was wrong as looking at Thompson’s art while leafing through it in the library drew me in with its lush colors. The only thing I’d lose was a little time reading it if I didn’t like the story.

My pre-conceptions quickly proved unfounded once I started reading “Stray”, the first story in which the gang of regulars (Pugsley, Whitey, Ace, Rex, Jack) conduct a ritual to summon a wise dog to help them rid Jack’s doghouse of a canine ghost. That’s the other thing about Beasts. There’s a supernatural grounding to the stories which would’ve been another obstacle had I known about it beforehand. Dorkin and Thompson give it all a fresh slant because everything is from the animals’ points of view. On the writer side, Dorkin makes the animals’ world interesting by creating phrases (You’re both eating out of the same bowl) and cultural rites (burying a stray dog killed on the road complete with a prayer of sorts). Thompson’s consummate at making all the individual personalities shine through and both creators skillfully balance the different emotions at play throughout the stories. The coloring, as I said, is lush. Thompson having fully painted it with watercolors, giving it a lively sense and a very different feel from Photoshop coloring. Not to disparage work done that way, but something different and “old Fashioned” can be really beautiful.

And about “Burden” in the title…. Burden is the name of the fictional town where the animals live, not a reference to them being used for labor. I wondered about it myself.

Of particular note is the binding itself. Here, as with other Dark Horse hardcovers I own, the pages are sewn together before being attached to the covers. This may seem an irrelevant point, but it isn’t. Books with sewn bindings will stand up better to wear and tear to last longer and pages lay flat on a surface so you won’t have to hold the book open. Less tangibly, it also means the publisher cares about the product.

Instead of feeling like I’d wasted time reading Beasts, I found myself really engaged in the stories and felt a little let down once the book was finished. Space in my book cases is very limited right now (nothing new comes in without something going out to make room) but I’ll put this one on my wish list while keeping an eye out for future mini series.

Amazon sells this book for $13.59 though it seems to be on back order or check out some preview pages first. Please also consider supporting your local comics shop or independent bookstore. If money and space are tight, see if your library has it or can get it for you through inter-library loan.

Tags: ,
Posted in Reviews | 1 Comment »

Elemental Micah

Sunday, December 5th, 2010

Elemental Micah

Michael Georgiou

The titular character of Elemental Micah is Micah Sampson, a mostly self-effacing, young guy all of 17. Aside from the self-doubting nature, Georgiou should be noted for making Micah unlike other gay leads of late. He’s not a heroic nelly a la Brian Andersen’s Psyche in So Super Duper, nor is he of the uber masculine or prepossessing bear tropes. He’s a bit of a socially inept geek minus any of the usual geek interestests, a little overweight (which for some gay men might as well be morbidly obese) with average looks, a broken nose (and a story to go along with it), and an unruly mop of hair with no discernible trace of a fabulous fashion sense. In other words, Micah’s pretty much your average Joe, well, bloke, as the story setting is London.

The story begins the morning of Micah’s last day working in a store grocery department (or the tin department if you’re British). He’s trying to come up with excuses not to go in when his best (girl) friend Dana catches him in a bit of an embarrassing situation. Ever supportive, if not a bit clingy – and Georgiou gives a reason for this in the second issue – Dana reminds Micah it’d be his last chance to ask the sexy Simon for a date – something he’s wanted to do but not had the nerve. Alas, it seems fated not to happen as Simon (nicknamed Captain Birdseye, an advertising figure associated with Birdseye frozen fish the way Aunt Jemima is with pancakes here) has taken his younger brother to the airport. Much to Micah’s chagrin, Simon does arrive at work and we can see he’s everything Micah isn’t:  lean, lanky, long haired, self-confident, and a huge flirt. So much so that he hardly bats an eye when maneuvering an invitation for dinner chez Micah.

Strange incidents involving wind throughout the day serve to foreshadow bizarre and powerful events stemming from Micah as Simon teases and rocks Micah’s world, after Dana’s been shuffled off stage so she can prepare for her own sordid adventure mixing up flowers, hairspray, and a fork. If puberty is the catalyst for an otherwise normal appearing kid to develop mutant powers, but what if the catalyst is sex, or even the anticipation of sex with someone you desire? Georgiou answers that question, and it has both unforeseen consequences on personal and epic scales. Those personal outcomes explored in issue #3 were rather unexpected, especially what a traumatized person with fledgling powers might turn to when tragedy happens. It certainly wasn’t the “buck up” speech often recited by Superman or Captain America.

Georgiou’s strongest points here are his characters and ideas. Micah with his physical imperfections and insecurities are traits with which many of us can relate. Certainly at least I did at the age of 17, being thin, with big ears, and thick, horn rimmed glasses, and truth be told, sometimes still do, but let me not digress more. His naivete and dreams are sweet and refreshing. Simon has another layer behind the charm he so easily knocked over Micah with, and it isn’t so honorable. Despite this selfishness and a somewhat related act with tragic consequences that’s revealed in issue #3 I like him. There ought to be plenty of ideas to explore in the tension between Micah’s and Simon’s personalities and attitudes to make for interesting reading. How does Simon learn from Micah that a little humility can be good and Micah more self-confidence without becoming “Dark Micah”? Then there’s quintessential best pal Dana who encourages and consoles poor Micah. She’s also had a troubled relationship, as revealed in a subplot in the middle issue. And she’s quick to improvise tableware for alternate uses. She may be a good cheerleader, but I also get the feeling she’s a bit clingy and dependant on the boy. I wonder if some of the bits of these characters are based on real events.

The first issue is told in a very linear fashion with some experimentation taking place in the two following issues. The story of Micah is very much told in the story’s here and now, with the exception of a couple brief mentions about Nathan O’Collory whom Micah knew when he was 11. The incident was a formative one for Micah and I think not expanding on it if only for a few panels is a missed opportunity.

As noted by François Peneaud in his Elemental Micah review, Georgio’s art is less accomplished than the writing here. I tend to agree but hardly think this is an issue to prevent enjoyment. Unless the reader is a die-hard mainstream superhero fan who insists on George Perez style realism. This type of reader, or at least some of the ones with whom I’m familiar are upset when a comic is done in B & W. The sensibilities here in art and writing seem to me a hybrid of superheroes and slice of life and as such are going to appeal more to indy comics an zine readers. Strangely though, there was a noticeable difference in looking at the review PDF copies on two different monitor displays, much nicer when viewed on a borrowed new laptop compared to my newish flat screen monitor. As commercial printers typically have the best of all things, print copies should have the nicer quality I saw using the laptop.

Explore Elemental Micah more at the Elemental Micah site or purchase the comics from Indy Planet.

Tags: ,
Posted in Reviews | No Comments »

« Older Entries
Newer Entries »