2023 EDIT:
Reread: Still fun and funny. Not as great as on my first read, and it is a short volume of setup, but, ya know, fun.
Final Score: 4.5/5
Original Review:
Yeah, I loved this.
I love any deconstruction and subversion of the classic fairy tale, specifically a breakdown and examination of gender roles. And at first glance, 'Princeless' doesn't seem like anything new among the "strong female-led fairy tales" in the media in recent years: such as 'Enchanted', 'Frozen' and Pixar's 'Brave', or even Disney's other film from the 1990s, 'Mulan'. Fractured fairy tales have been done to death, with the 'Shrek' films having given rise to their popularity.
In a way, the 'Princeless' graphic novel is like this, like a no-brainer edition to the many other fairy tales with a feminist twist. But how often do you see a fractured fairy tale featuring:
• A protagonist of colour?
• A comic relief female blacksmith with strengths of her own?
• A discussion of just how impractical the "warrior woman" outfits are, starting with how they're not even armour, but costumes?
• A prince who doesn't exhibit the traditional masculine qualities, and so can't be heir to the throne? (He can’t be king because he’s considered too girly by his own father, and he respects women as people with their own rights. Though is that only because he grew up with seven sisters, one of them being his twin? I hope this wasn’t an oversight on the author’s part).
• And where the patriarchy is clearly the villain, in the form of an awful, misogynist king? The comic even addresses the way girls are depicted in fantasy stories. Princesses, damsels in distress, mothers, daughters and wives to the men: they are seen and treated as nothing more than property. They are currency; dowries to be owned and used.
• The book also highlights how the patriarchy hurts men as well as women, demonstrated through the experiences of the princes Devin and Wilcome.
• A social commentary on catcalling and street harassment is snuck in here too.
'Princeless Book 1' is funny, cartoony, and charming; a joy to be read in one small, comfy sitting. It's like 'Rat Queens' for children, and while that may sound like a stretch, in a medieval-set graphic novel starring awesome women warrior leads, it isn't really. I think I rate 'Princeless' one-up above 'Rat Queens' in that ‘Princeless’ is accessible to everyone in terms of age (anyone of any gender can read and enjoy it as well), and it has a clearer plot about a princess going on a quest to save her sisters from their own towers. No princes - who are as much tools of the patriarchy as the princesses - are going to come to their rescue!
Princess Adrienne is outspoken, tough, intelligent, cunning, and hilarious and won't let anyone or anything get her down. It's tragic her parents can't love her for who she is - they actually get her drugged in order to imprison her in a tower to be rescued by a random prince. Adrienne can swing a sword and wear good, heavy armour no problem at all - she proves that women are not the weaker sex, and she will personally destroy misconceptions of gender. She's still a teenager, but as we've seen hundreds of times before in other fairy tale deconstructions, this is not a hindrance. Kids and teens are smart, and 'Princeless Book 1' respects as well as entertains its target audience.
Sparks is the cutest dragon ever; a kind and faithful friend to Adrienne, and female to boot. When Adrienne tells her she was bred and trained to guard her tower, only to be slain later - that the life of a dragon is for the profit of breeders and blacksmiths working together - the disillusioned Sparks agrees to help the princess on her quest.
Adrienne finds a sword under her bed, her tower is scorched by Sparks, and they head off in search of her trapped sisters.
On the way - after a meeting with her twin brother Devin, and hearing the news that everyone in her kingdom thinks she was killed by Sparks - Adrienne gains a new companion on her journey. Meet Bedelia, a half-dwarf blacksmith's daughter. Well, she's the actual blacksmith, but she lets people think her father does her work, because no one would want to buy armour or weapons made by a woman (the patriarchy is strong in this). I absolutely adore Bedelia - she's fun, quirky but takes her job deadly seriously. Got a pinch of Pinky from 'Pinky and the Brain' in her as well, and she's smarter than she lets on. She even carries a giant hammer as a weapon.
Bedelia prides in her secret "warrior women" outfits - the Diana (Wonder Woman), the Sonya (Red Sonja) and the Warrior Princess (Xena) are skimpy and show too much skin. Adrienne offers commentary on how impractical and unsafe they’ll be in a real battle. The comic does criticize the portrayal of women in these outfits in popular culture, and it isn't subtle about it, of course. But it's mostly good-natured, not an outright attack.
Anyway, regarding Bedelia, I have a feeling she's part of an LBGTQ inclusion in a kid's comic, and not just because of how she designs women's armour and tells Adrienne to strip at least twice. I'm not normally a shipper in fandom, but I'd ship Adrienne and Bedelia easily. They make a lovely team.
Well that's about all I'll reveal about 'Princeless Book 1: Save Yourself'. It's more of an introduction to a story than anything else, but it's a fantastic introduction nevertheless. Brilliant, fleshed-out characters, with a villain you'll love to hate, and an original quest to embark upon. Like a video game, RPG or a pilot to a Cartoon Network show.
This one little comic book is cute, fun, and for girls and boys it's a clever observation and dissecting of the patriarchal system that's present in the structure of fairy tales. 'Princeless Book 1' doesn't seem to take itself too seriously, but it takes its themes to heart.
The cover art editions at the end are beautiful too (go Adrienne and Bedelia and Sparks!)
Royally recommended.
Final Score: 5/5
P.S: At the beginning, little Adrienne points out the various plot holes in the traditional “princess-locked-in-a-tower” tale, concluding it’s an example of how not to write. Which is awesome. However I’ve noticed a tiny hole in the ‘Princeless Book 1’ story itself: Family pictures exist in a medieval setting where technology such as cameras and photographs don’t fit in. Or are they paintings? It’s hard to tell with the artwork. Though the picture in question is small and accurately shows the characters, and it’s a plot point so can’t necessarily be called unimportant. Yeah it is fantasy, but ‘Princeless’ is supposed to be cleverer than that in its details. Nonetheless, I’m happy to say this doesn’t affect my enjoyment of the comic one bit.
Sunday 31 May 2015
Saturday 30 May 2015
Book Review - 'The Spiderwick Chronicles' by Holly Black and Tony DiTerlizzi
Sum up of 'The Spiderwick Chronicles':
• Great illustrations that fit the genre and tone wonderfully.
• The whole series can be read in one day - it's easily digestible, absorbing and investing for younger readers. Impressive considering that the little books mostly take place in the same location - Aunt Lucinda Spiderwick's old mansion (of little terrors).
• Some parts are genuinely scary and uncomfortable to read, with life-and-death situations taken tremendously seriously.
• We're told that our protagonist Jared Grace is a troublemaker - or at least he was at school - but we never actually see this. Throughout all the five books he's brave, clever and assertive, without his twin brother Simon's unfortunate blandness. Jared is a likeable young hero that any kid would want to root for.
• Speaking of blaming and shaming the problem-child-by-name-only, I can remember hating the mother even as a kid when I read this series in my school library. She's nasty and exerts blatant favouritism towards Jared's older sister, Mallory. I know she's stressed with the divorce and the move into a new life, but come on! (One thing that the film adaptation got right is making the mother more sympathetic; movie mum at least tries to understand her children.)
• I really like that Mallory does fencing - she's a champion, and it becomes useful to the plot when she fights goblins and such. A female character having non-traditional feminine hobbies and attitudes is always a welcome.
• The books have imaginative and quirky parts, especially the "guide" illustrations of the fantasy creatures.
• The adventure parts are dark and inventive...
• Though most of the creatures are indistinguishable and not very memorable in comparison to the trolls, goblins, fairies, brownies, dwarves and griffons of other fantasy books.
• The pacing and tension improves - and the stakes rise - with each subsequent book.
Overall, a decent children's fantasy.
Final Score: 3/5
• Great illustrations that fit the genre and tone wonderfully.
• The whole series can be read in one day - it's easily digestible, absorbing and investing for younger readers. Impressive considering that the little books mostly take place in the same location - Aunt Lucinda Spiderwick's old mansion (of little terrors).
• Some parts are genuinely scary and uncomfortable to read, with life-and-death situations taken tremendously seriously.
• We're told that our protagonist Jared Grace is a troublemaker - or at least he was at school - but we never actually see this. Throughout all the five books he's brave, clever and assertive, without his twin brother Simon's unfortunate blandness. Jared is a likeable young hero that any kid would want to root for.
• Speaking of blaming and shaming the problem-child-by-name-only, I can remember hating the mother even as a kid when I read this series in my school library. She's nasty and exerts blatant favouritism towards Jared's older sister, Mallory. I know she's stressed with the divorce and the move into a new life, but come on! (One thing that the film adaptation got right is making the mother more sympathetic; movie mum at least tries to understand her children.)
• I really like that Mallory does fencing - she's a champion, and it becomes useful to the plot when she fights goblins and such. A female character having non-traditional feminine hobbies and attitudes is always a welcome.
• The books have imaginative and quirky parts, especially the "guide" illustrations of the fantasy creatures.
• The adventure parts are dark and inventive...
• Though most of the creatures are indistinguishable and not very memorable in comparison to the trolls, goblins, fairies, brownies, dwarves and griffons of other fantasy books.
• The pacing and tension improves - and the stakes rise - with each subsequent book.
Overall, a decent children's fantasy.
Final Score: 3/5
Book Review - 'I Want a Cat' by Tony Ross
What a cute children's book on how to be a spoiled brat. Have fun!
(Illustrations are lovely, too.)
Final Score: 3/5
(Illustrations are lovely, too.)
Final Score: 3/5
Book Review - 'Mog the Forgetful Cat' by Judith Kerr
Stupid cat.
That's what my family and I call our cat. We absolutely adore her, and Mog the forgetful cat reminds me of her almost exactly.
This is a nicely-drawn picture book from my childhood, and if anything it's one of the reasons why I love cats. They are the best, most misunderstood creatures in all the vastness of the animal kingdom.
Domesticated delight.
Final Score: 3/5
That's what my family and I call our cat. We absolutely adore her, and Mog the forgetful cat reminds me of her almost exactly.
This is a nicely-drawn picture book from my childhood, and if anything it's one of the reasons why I love cats. They are the best, most misunderstood creatures in all the vastness of the animal kingdom.
Domesticated delight.
Final Score: 3/5
Thursday 28 May 2015
Book Review - 'Dreams of Gods and Monsters (Daughter of Smoke and Bone, 3)' by Laini Taylor
No proper review can do justice how utterly fantastic this book is. No coherent thought or written word can convey so plainly the magical talent and epic scale put into this ending to a phenomenal, criminally-underrated YA fantasy trilogy; with its grand world building, wonderful and complex characters, and its twisty, topsy-turvy and spectacular storytelling structure.
'Dreams of Gods and Monsters' - What can I say except I love it so? I was so nervous before reading it because I've been bitterly disappointed by endings to trilogies in the past. Even the best ones couldn't seem to live up to expectation when the very last page is turned and the saga is closed for good.
But I finished the 613-page tome in four days. It is that great. It might even be as good as ‘Daughter of Smoke and Bone’, and it’s certainly a huge improvement from 'Days of Blood and Starlight'.
Nothing is wasted on 'Dreams of Gods and Monsters'. No subplot or character left forgotten. Everything comes together and is put into place like a chessboard in an unravelling game that's chaotic, long-winded but exceptional in its suspense and agonising battle of wits. It is surprisingly never boring despite a lot of descriptions of stained-filled, blotchy skies and of different places in different worlds with their histories and many characters.
'Dreams of Gods and Monsters' is the stuff of dreams and the colours one envisions in one's mind. Even the clichéd-sounded title makes perfect sense - Laini Taylor really put effort into making it as big and striking as possible, similar to a church mural in written word.
The imagination is strong with this book. It is compulsively-readable poetry. It might have everything – every ingredient and charm – needed to fall in love with the fantasy genre. It’s got serious soul!
I loved the new characters, such as Eliza (praise be for diverse casting!); they are equal to the old ones. Like Zuzana and Mik - this human power couple are a joy to read as always, even in a war with monsters and other giants. Their dialogue and selflessness could create the path to some of the best webpages ever.
I loved how the themes are handled - of ancient prejudice, and enemies coming to a truce in order to stop bigger threats. I loved how, in the end, the good guys really proved to be better than the bad guys, and no violence and death sentencing is executed. Some fates are worse than death, though. There are other humiliations...
As is the case in 'Days of Blood and Starlight', the word "hope" is used constantly in 'Dreams of Gods and Monsters'. However its very meaning is carried out within the framework of the story, like a magic quilt or a sorceress's scroll. There’s so much darkness and despair and hatred, but love and light and goodwill exist around the corner; in the fire-lit chambers of old caves. It can be very funny and clever too, bringing to mind J. K. Rowling’s work.
I think, after three books, Liraz the seraph is my favourite character. Akiva or Zuzana come close, but Liraz's development is gradual and the most naturally-written, especially for a killer angel woman who was conceived and trained for bloody battle all her life. Initially cold, heartless and emotionless, she now suffers guilt for the dozens of murders she committed against the chimera, and she is willing to receive punishment. Having always been connected to her more relaxed brothers, Liraz herself finally experiences feelings like self-pity and empathy. A softer side emerges from her, and it's lovely. She can sing beautifully as well, ha ha!
SPOILER:
Liraz also falls in love for the first time. Her relationship with Ziri is just so... squeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!!!!! Who knew a romance in a YA book could excite me anymore? Liraz and Ziri are opposites, but they’re a match made in monster heaven, and it's a feat of genius for there to be a love between a chimera and seraph - besides the main couple, Karou and Akiva - because it is one of the beginning signs of peace for the two warring species. New stories born.
SPOILER END.
The ending, like a prophet, speaks of further things to come - universal evil and danger in fact, bigger than ever before. Yet at the same time it is a perfect close to the series and to what it has stood for all this time. It's ambiguous, and up for interpretation. Really, I can't say anymore.
Only read this trilogy; now one of my absolute favourites.
And I wish Karou and Akiva all the best for the future. Their story of hope, beauty, fear, death, rebirth, and triumph has come to an end after an eternity. It's very rare that a love story leaves me wanting more.
And 'Dreams of Gods and Monsters' will leave you wanting more. I don't want to part with these characters, and I don't want this to just be fiction. It can't be that simple!
It must be a blast to live in Laini Taylor's brain - she's a marvel, an enchantress of a writer. She made me love fantasy again.
Thanks again for the ‘Daughter of Smoke and Bone’ books, Ms Taylor. I will not forget the far reaches of their power, their gorgeous magic.
Applause to the stars for you, dear author.
Final Score: 5/5
'Dreams of Gods and Monsters' - What can I say except I love it so? I was so nervous before reading it because I've been bitterly disappointed by endings to trilogies in the past. Even the best ones couldn't seem to live up to expectation when the very last page is turned and the saga is closed for good.
But I finished the 613-page tome in four days. It is that great. It might even be as good as ‘Daughter of Smoke and Bone’, and it’s certainly a huge improvement from 'Days of Blood and Starlight'.
Nothing is wasted on 'Dreams of Gods and Monsters'. No subplot or character left forgotten. Everything comes together and is put into place like a chessboard in an unravelling game that's chaotic, long-winded but exceptional in its suspense and agonising battle of wits. It is surprisingly never boring despite a lot of descriptions of stained-filled, blotchy skies and of different places in different worlds with their histories and many characters.
'Dreams of Gods and Monsters' is the stuff of dreams and the colours one envisions in one's mind. Even the clichéd-sounded title makes perfect sense - Laini Taylor really put effort into making it as big and striking as possible, similar to a church mural in written word.
The imagination is strong with this book. It is compulsively-readable poetry. It might have everything – every ingredient and charm – needed to fall in love with the fantasy genre. It’s got serious soul!
I loved the new characters, such as Eliza (praise be for diverse casting!); they are equal to the old ones. Like Zuzana and Mik - this human power couple are a joy to read as always, even in a war with monsters and other giants. Their dialogue and selflessness could create the path to some of the best webpages ever.
I loved how the themes are handled - of ancient prejudice, and enemies coming to a truce in order to stop bigger threats. I loved how, in the end, the good guys really proved to be better than the bad guys, and no violence and death sentencing is executed. Some fates are worse than death, though. There are other humiliations...
As is the case in 'Days of Blood and Starlight', the word "hope" is used constantly in 'Dreams of Gods and Monsters'. However its very meaning is carried out within the framework of the story, like a magic quilt or a sorceress's scroll. There’s so much darkness and despair and hatred, but love and light and goodwill exist around the corner; in the fire-lit chambers of old caves. It can be very funny and clever too, bringing to mind J. K. Rowling’s work.
I think, after three books, Liraz the seraph is my favourite character. Akiva or Zuzana come close, but Liraz's development is gradual and the most naturally-written, especially for a killer angel woman who was conceived and trained for bloody battle all her life. Initially cold, heartless and emotionless, she now suffers guilt for the dozens of murders she committed against the chimera, and she is willing to receive punishment. Having always been connected to her more relaxed brothers, Liraz herself finally experiences feelings like self-pity and empathy. A softer side emerges from her, and it's lovely. She can sing beautifully as well, ha ha!
SPOILER:
Liraz also falls in love for the first time. Her relationship with Ziri is just so... squeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!!!!! Who knew a romance in a YA book could excite me anymore? Liraz and Ziri are opposites, but they’re a match made in monster heaven, and it's a feat of genius for there to be a love between a chimera and seraph - besides the main couple, Karou and Akiva - because it is one of the beginning signs of peace for the two warring species. New stories born.
SPOILER END.
The ending, like a prophet, speaks of further things to come - universal evil and danger in fact, bigger than ever before. Yet at the same time it is a perfect close to the series and to what it has stood for all this time. It's ambiguous, and up for interpretation. Really, I can't say anymore.
Only read this trilogy; now one of my absolute favourites.
And I wish Karou and Akiva all the best for the future. Their story of hope, beauty, fear, death, rebirth, and triumph has come to an end after an eternity. It's very rare that a love story leaves me wanting more.
And 'Dreams of Gods and Monsters' will leave you wanting more. I don't want to part with these characters, and I don't want this to just be fiction. It can't be that simple!
It must be a blast to live in Laini Taylor's brain - she's a marvel, an enchantress of a writer. She made me love fantasy again.
Thanks again for the ‘Daughter of Smoke and Bone’ books, Ms Taylor. I will not forget the far reaches of their power, their gorgeous magic.
Applause to the stars for you, dear author.
Final Score: 5/5
Wednesday 27 May 2015
Graphic Novel Review - 'Batgirl: Year One' by Scott Beatty (Writer), Chuck Dixon (Writer), Marcos Martin (Artist), Álvaro López (Artist)
Where it all began, as told by Scott Beatty and Chuck Dixon.
Barbara Gordon, daughter of then-Captain James Gordon (absence of a mother and younger brother here), was a student wanting to go into the police force and set up her own detective agency. But no one, not even her dad, will take her seriously because she's "too short" (right). She takes people underestimating her to her own advantage, and is secretly more capable of espionage and butt-kicking than most full-grown adults. A couple of men even try hitting on her creepily, but she will have none of that either.
Barbara is her father's daughter, but isn't given a chance to express her views and skills. She even tries getting into an apprenticeship under Black Canary and a couple of superhero teams, but to seemingly no avail. They don't want to risk wasting their time on some redheaded young girl with no superpowers. She feels like the doomed prophet Cassandra, and worries about what will become of her future if she doesn’t get anything done right.
In an effort to show up her father, Babs designs, makes and dresses as a female version of Captain Gordon's ever-so-elusive "partner-in-crime", Batman, at a charity costume ball. But when a real criminal named Killer Moth crashes the party, she ends up fighting him; disrupting the plans of the Bat family and managing to one-up Batman and Robin. Killer Moth even calls the accidental vigilante Batgirl, much to Babs's shock and annoyance. And the rest, as they say, is history...
I loved reading Batgirl's origins in 'Batgirl: Year One'. I was surprised by how unpredictable it is. How Barbara came to be Batgirl was not necessarily by choice, but it was just something that happened on her course to prove to everyone around her how smart and badass she was for such an "ordinary girl". Actually, throughout the whole book she does have a choice - a choice not to wear the Batgirl costume anymore and leave crime fighting to the professionals, since she constantly puts herself and her loved ones in danger by going out and pretending to be another Batman. But Babs is an assertive heroine. She never gives up her cynical-yet-hopeful outlook on life - nor her dreams - because she continuously wants to be better and to keep on achieving more. And because she simply can, and will.
One thing I cannot abide in any hero is a stubborn refusal to learn from mistakes. Batgirl does learn, and she grows more aware of her boundaries; never losing her focus and drive along the way. Above all, to varying degrees, she never stops believing in herself when others do not.
Throughout her life, Barbara Gordon has never let her skills and determination falter and go to waste, no matter the circumstances. She is the epitome of inner strength and resolve. That, to me, is what makes her an equal to Batman; what makes her so admirable as a hero and role model for girls. This is why, currently, she is my favourite superheroine.
The artwork for 'Batgirl: Year One' is charming and colourful, reminiscent of 'Batman: The Animated Series', only slightly less dark and shadowy.
Batman is Batman here - broody, harsh, and unwilling to tolerate the existence of Batgirl. However, it doesn't seem like this is because the girl is cramping his style or making him look bad. Unlike a lot of the other men who underestimate Barbara in this comic, he eventually gives her a chance - several in fact - to prove herself fit to fight crime in the corrupt city of Gotham (the more I read about it in DC comics, the more it convinces me that it is the worst cesspool in the world to live in, and I wonder why anyone who's retained their sanity and loved ones still lives there). Batgirl takes incredibly dangerous risks on her night escapades against psychotic and deadly villains, but she succeeds and survives on her own, even without the help of Batman and Robin. In the end, she is finally accepted into the Bat family, with knowledge of the Dark Knight's true identity and his motivation. There's even foreshadowing in the form of a cut-out target of the Joker pointing his gun at Batgirl in the Bat Cave, which she takes out readily...
Dick Grayson as Robin (whom Babs calls Pixie Boots) comes across as a cocky, patronising little twerp most of the time, and I smiled whenever Batgirl easily kicks his butt. Yet he has his endearing moments, and seems to genuinely care for Babs, even if it is only because he has a crush on her (which is unrequited at this point). Robin starts believing in her long before anyone else does. Despite myself, I find I’m rooting for the two sidekicks as a couple; at least the Boy Wonder seems closer to Barbara's age than the other men who have the hots for her (Speaking of, there is Firefly... =shudders=).
Black Canary makes a proper appearance as well, with her lover Green Arrow left at the JLA space headquarters. Like everything else in Batgirl's life so far, Canary only partners up with her by chance and fate. They make a good duo similar to Batman and Robin, complete with banter and demonstrations of girl power. It's always great to see superheroines team up and fight crime together, and any comic where Black Canary isn't moping or is otherwise rendered ineffectual is a huge positive on my Action Girl Estimation scale.
Really, there are only two reasons why I don't rate 'Batgirl: Year one' five stars or 100%, even though I adore Batgirl:
It's 224 pages, but by the end I felt that more could have been done. There was a sense of "it could have been much more" in terms of action and character development, though it executes both competently. Maybe my expectations and standards are too high; that I've read many great stories in comics by writers like Gail Simone and I've become spoiled. I'm not saying 'Batgirl: Year One' should have been darker or edgier - it is already, with a balance of light humour complimenting the cartoony artwork perfectly. Maybe I was expecting a stronger story. Which brings me to...
The villains aren’t very interesting. Killer Moth and Firefly, as well as the mob bosses and monsters, seem to me like any other mooks or crazies inhabiting Gotham. The more I learned about them - and a lot of panel time is spent on them - the less invested I became. There isn't anything about them which stands out in comparison to the iconic Batman baddies such as Penguin and Poison Ivy. Except for Firefly, who is creepy as hell with his obsession with burning women to a crisp. It's proof that stronger villains make a stronger plot, in my opinion. Good heroes, but weak villains.
But 'Batgirl: Year One' is as good an introduction to one of my fave fictional females (the majority of which have red hair, I'm finding, but redheads are awesome aren't they?) as I could’ve asked for. It is funny, insightful, and both bright and dark in the right places.
Best of all, it never forgets who the star is. Batgirl narrates her story throughout, and while on the path to becoming one of Gotham's guardians, she achieves sound confidence, strength and self-control in her own destiny.
Final Score: 4/5
EDIT: Upon further observation, it's interesting that many of Gotham's non-powered female vigilantes started out independently without the direct influence or help from Batman or Robin (the male versions anyway): Batgirl in her various incarnations, Catwoman, Batwoman, Huntress. They've made their own choices and work under their own regime, not caring what anyone thinks. Batman doesn't make these ladies look good - they can do that themselves. Just a thought.
I would like to take this opportunity to be brave and confident myself. What I am about to write is personal and important to me, and it relates to Batgirl:
Do you know why I love superheroes? It's not just for escapist fantasy or the flashy superpowers, though those are cool too. I was a painfully shy and insecure kid growing up. Reality was scary, depressing and hopeless to my young eyes and ears, in a world where no one cared to listen to or understand me. So I mostly kept to myself, as I thought I was better off alone. Any ambitions were a pipe dream.
However, whenever I saw superheroes in films - but mostly in 90s and 2000s cartoons - fighting against adversity and proving that anyone can be as strong as they believe themselves to be, I found myself thinking, "Yeah, I can be like that. I can challenge the status quo and get people to take me seriously too." I especially loved seeing the women and girls kick arse, and in my little girl mind, I identified with them the most. They were some of my inspirations for opening up and expressing myself more.
Batgirl was one of the first superheroines I ever saw on TV, and I thought, "If a girl - with no powers at all - can be as smart, brave and amazing as Batman, then any girl can."
But apparently no one else thought so. No other girls I knew liked superheroes. And in recent years I've seen less and less female characters in the media who are in all honesty "strong" and "independent". If anything, the Smurfette Principle is stronger than it ever was, with a few exceptions including ‘The Legend of Korra’ and ‘Steven Universe’. Despite what we've achieved in diversity over the years, in the 21st century the dominant demographic in any popular media remains overwhelmingly and persistently the straight white male. Comic books in the past had been off-putting to me in how often the heroines are depicted in ridiculous sexualised poses and fanservice anatomy and clothing designed to titillate the male gaze. Anytime I so much as glanced at them on covers (and they were hard to miss), I'd think, "Oh those poor spines" - and I don't mean the book binding. The women are also usually portrayed as victims rather than heroes who actually do anything. The superhero comic books always seemed to be about men's stories, so I just didn't bother with them as they were clearly not for me.
Even worse, I'd bought into the sadly-not-yet-dying belief held in the lands of geekdom and the old white male executive that girls don't read comic books. I stuck to kid's cartoons for my superhero entertainment.
Now, in my twenties, I see that this women-are-lesser-in-comics viewpoint is false. I've begun to read graphic novels that are mostly female-positive and female-lead. While more comic books are now working harder to be more diverse and inclusive - as are a few revivals of good cartoons in the 2010s - I think we still have a long way to go. But we shouldn't give up hope. After all, Batgirl and many of our favourite heroes of justice wouldn't give up so easily.
To those people - specifically those working in toy companies - who say that girls shouldn't be superheroes, that they shouldn't want to be heroes, that little girls shouldn't bother being self-confident and just learn to be mothers and good clean wives while the boys get to be whoever they want: Fuck you. Excuse my coarse language, but I'm sick of this. It is 2015 gone on 2016. This medieval thought process - double standards, discrimination and human rights violations - it needs to be addressed. It needs to fade away and die. (Plus I loved playing with male and female action figures as a kid, so what the hell!) No one ever got broke from trying to appeal to a wider audience, such as, say, half the human population.
I talk about this because I now realise something: I was once one of those girls whom society had drilled the message that I shouldn't try hard and be the best that I could be. That I try not to be equal or beneficial to the boys for fear of being called a bitch for doing what the dudes are allowed to do no problem. Simply being someone who does what she wants, surviving in the big wide and ever-progressing world, does not make her a bitch. Fiction is a reflection of our reality and how society perceives things, and so stories are powerful tools of influence.
It is long overdue for a woman to be seen as an ambitious, independent and intelligent person - capable of making her own decisions - first before her gender is even taken into account in how we view her very identity as a human being. And treat her as such; for she is not just a body to be scrutinised every day of her life.
It is thanks to these discoveries - and rediscovering Batgirl and other heroines in mediums I love - that I can finally fight back. Change as a goal is possible if we work hard towards it. I am proud to be a geek and a feminist, and I know there is no shame in that. I can challenge the patriarchy whenever it shows its ugly, toxic, regressive head. That's what Batgirl and any other woman in fiction and in real life would want, and would do accordingly. Because they can.
Because we can.
That's my two cents. Thank you for reading, and have a good day.
Barbara Gordon, daughter of then-Captain James Gordon (absence of a mother and younger brother here), was a student wanting to go into the police force and set up her own detective agency. But no one, not even her dad, will take her seriously because she's "too short" (right). She takes people underestimating her to her own advantage, and is secretly more capable of espionage and butt-kicking than most full-grown adults. A couple of men even try hitting on her creepily, but she will have none of that either.
Barbara is her father's daughter, but isn't given a chance to express her views and skills. She even tries getting into an apprenticeship under Black Canary and a couple of superhero teams, but to seemingly no avail. They don't want to risk wasting their time on some redheaded young girl with no superpowers. She feels like the doomed prophet Cassandra, and worries about what will become of her future if she doesn’t get anything done right.
In an effort to show up her father, Babs designs, makes and dresses as a female version of Captain Gordon's ever-so-elusive "partner-in-crime", Batman, at a charity costume ball. But when a real criminal named Killer Moth crashes the party, she ends up fighting him; disrupting the plans of the Bat family and managing to one-up Batman and Robin. Killer Moth even calls the accidental vigilante Batgirl, much to Babs's shock and annoyance. And the rest, as they say, is history...
I loved reading Batgirl's origins in 'Batgirl: Year One'. I was surprised by how unpredictable it is. How Barbara came to be Batgirl was not necessarily by choice, but it was just something that happened on her course to prove to everyone around her how smart and badass she was for such an "ordinary girl". Actually, throughout the whole book she does have a choice - a choice not to wear the Batgirl costume anymore and leave crime fighting to the professionals, since she constantly puts herself and her loved ones in danger by going out and pretending to be another Batman. But Babs is an assertive heroine. She never gives up her cynical-yet-hopeful outlook on life - nor her dreams - because she continuously wants to be better and to keep on achieving more. And because she simply can, and will.
One thing I cannot abide in any hero is a stubborn refusal to learn from mistakes. Batgirl does learn, and she grows more aware of her boundaries; never losing her focus and drive along the way. Above all, to varying degrees, she never stops believing in herself when others do not.
Throughout her life, Barbara Gordon has never let her skills and determination falter and go to waste, no matter the circumstances. She is the epitome of inner strength and resolve. That, to me, is what makes her an equal to Batman; what makes her so admirable as a hero and role model for girls. This is why, currently, she is my favourite superheroine.
The artwork for 'Batgirl: Year One' is charming and colourful, reminiscent of 'Batman: The Animated Series', only slightly less dark and shadowy.
Batman is Batman here - broody, harsh, and unwilling to tolerate the existence of Batgirl. However, it doesn't seem like this is because the girl is cramping his style or making him look bad. Unlike a lot of the other men who underestimate Barbara in this comic, he eventually gives her a chance - several in fact - to prove herself fit to fight crime in the corrupt city of Gotham (the more I read about it in DC comics, the more it convinces me that it is the worst cesspool in the world to live in, and I wonder why anyone who's retained their sanity and loved ones still lives there). Batgirl takes incredibly dangerous risks on her night escapades against psychotic and deadly villains, but she succeeds and survives on her own, even without the help of Batman and Robin. In the end, she is finally accepted into the Bat family, with knowledge of the Dark Knight's true identity and his motivation. There's even foreshadowing in the form of a cut-out target of the Joker pointing his gun at Batgirl in the Bat Cave, which she takes out readily...
Dick Grayson as Robin (whom Babs calls Pixie Boots) comes across as a cocky, patronising little twerp most of the time, and I smiled whenever Batgirl easily kicks his butt. Yet he has his endearing moments, and seems to genuinely care for Babs, even if it is only because he has a crush on her (which is unrequited at this point). Robin starts believing in her long before anyone else does. Despite myself, I find I’m rooting for the two sidekicks as a couple; at least the Boy Wonder seems closer to Barbara's age than the other men who have the hots for her (Speaking of, there is Firefly... =shudders=).
Black Canary makes a proper appearance as well, with her lover Green Arrow left at the JLA space headquarters. Like everything else in Batgirl's life so far, Canary only partners up with her by chance and fate. They make a good duo similar to Batman and Robin, complete with banter and demonstrations of girl power. It's always great to see superheroines team up and fight crime together, and any comic where Black Canary isn't moping or is otherwise rendered ineffectual is a huge positive on my Action Girl Estimation scale.
Really, there are only two reasons why I don't rate 'Batgirl: Year one' five stars or 100%, even though I adore Batgirl:
It's 224 pages, but by the end I felt that more could have been done. There was a sense of "it could have been much more" in terms of action and character development, though it executes both competently. Maybe my expectations and standards are too high; that I've read many great stories in comics by writers like Gail Simone and I've become spoiled. I'm not saying 'Batgirl: Year One' should have been darker or edgier - it is already, with a balance of light humour complimenting the cartoony artwork perfectly. Maybe I was expecting a stronger story. Which brings me to...
The villains aren’t very interesting. Killer Moth and Firefly, as well as the mob bosses and monsters, seem to me like any other mooks or crazies inhabiting Gotham. The more I learned about them - and a lot of panel time is spent on them - the less invested I became. There isn't anything about them which stands out in comparison to the iconic Batman baddies such as Penguin and Poison Ivy. Except for Firefly, who is creepy as hell with his obsession with burning women to a crisp. It's proof that stronger villains make a stronger plot, in my opinion. Good heroes, but weak villains.
But 'Batgirl: Year One' is as good an introduction to one of my fave fictional females (the majority of which have red hair, I'm finding, but redheads are awesome aren't they?) as I could’ve asked for. It is funny, insightful, and both bright and dark in the right places.
Best of all, it never forgets who the star is. Batgirl narrates her story throughout, and while on the path to becoming one of Gotham's guardians, she achieves sound confidence, strength and self-control in her own destiny.
Final Score: 4/5
EDIT: Upon further observation, it's interesting that many of Gotham's non-powered female vigilantes started out independently without the direct influence or help from Batman or Robin (the male versions anyway): Batgirl in her various incarnations, Catwoman, Batwoman, Huntress. They've made their own choices and work under their own regime, not caring what anyone thinks. Batman doesn't make these ladies look good - they can do that themselves. Just a thought.
I would like to take this opportunity to be brave and confident myself. What I am about to write is personal and important to me, and it relates to Batgirl:
Do you know why I love superheroes? It's not just for escapist fantasy or the flashy superpowers, though those are cool too. I was a painfully shy and insecure kid growing up. Reality was scary, depressing and hopeless to my young eyes and ears, in a world where no one cared to listen to or understand me. So I mostly kept to myself, as I thought I was better off alone. Any ambitions were a pipe dream.
However, whenever I saw superheroes in films - but mostly in 90s and 2000s cartoons - fighting against adversity and proving that anyone can be as strong as they believe themselves to be, I found myself thinking, "Yeah, I can be like that. I can challenge the status quo and get people to take me seriously too." I especially loved seeing the women and girls kick arse, and in my little girl mind, I identified with them the most. They were some of my inspirations for opening up and expressing myself more.
Batgirl was one of the first superheroines I ever saw on TV, and I thought, "If a girl - with no powers at all - can be as smart, brave and amazing as Batman, then any girl can."
But apparently no one else thought so. No other girls I knew liked superheroes. And in recent years I've seen less and less female characters in the media who are in all honesty "strong" and "independent". If anything, the Smurfette Principle is stronger than it ever was, with a few exceptions including ‘The Legend of Korra’ and ‘Steven Universe’. Despite what we've achieved in diversity over the years, in the 21st century the dominant demographic in any popular media remains overwhelmingly and persistently the straight white male. Comic books in the past had been off-putting to me in how often the heroines are depicted in ridiculous sexualised poses and fanservice anatomy and clothing designed to titillate the male gaze. Anytime I so much as glanced at them on covers (and they were hard to miss), I'd think, "Oh those poor spines" - and I don't mean the book binding. The women are also usually portrayed as victims rather than heroes who actually do anything. The superhero comic books always seemed to be about men's stories, so I just didn't bother with them as they were clearly not for me.
Even worse, I'd bought into the sadly-not-yet-dying belief held in the lands of geekdom and the old white male executive that girls don't read comic books. I stuck to kid's cartoons for my superhero entertainment.
Now, in my twenties, I see that this women-are-lesser-in-comics viewpoint is false. I've begun to read graphic novels that are mostly female-positive and female-lead. While more comic books are now working harder to be more diverse and inclusive - as are a few revivals of good cartoons in the 2010s - I think we still have a long way to go. But we shouldn't give up hope. After all, Batgirl and many of our favourite heroes of justice wouldn't give up so easily.
To those people - specifically those working in toy companies - who say that girls shouldn't be superheroes, that they shouldn't want to be heroes, that little girls shouldn't bother being self-confident and just learn to be mothers and good clean wives while the boys get to be whoever they want: Fuck you. Excuse my coarse language, but I'm sick of this. It is 2015 gone on 2016. This medieval thought process - double standards, discrimination and human rights violations - it needs to be addressed. It needs to fade away and die. (Plus I loved playing with male and female action figures as a kid, so what the hell!) No one ever got broke from trying to appeal to a wider audience, such as, say, half the human population.
I talk about this because I now realise something: I was once one of those girls whom society had drilled the message that I shouldn't try hard and be the best that I could be. That I try not to be equal or beneficial to the boys for fear of being called a bitch for doing what the dudes are allowed to do no problem. Simply being someone who does what she wants, surviving in the big wide and ever-progressing world, does not make her a bitch. Fiction is a reflection of our reality and how society perceives things, and so stories are powerful tools of influence.
It is long overdue for a woman to be seen as an ambitious, independent and intelligent person - capable of making her own decisions - first before her gender is even taken into account in how we view her very identity as a human being. And treat her as such; for she is not just a body to be scrutinised every day of her life.
It is thanks to these discoveries - and rediscovering Batgirl and other heroines in mediums I love - that I can finally fight back. Change as a goal is possible if we work hard towards it. I am proud to be a geek and a feminist, and I know there is no shame in that. I can challenge the patriarchy whenever it shows its ugly, toxic, regressive head. That's what Batgirl and any other woman in fiction and in real life would want, and would do accordingly. Because they can.
Because we can.
That's my two cents. Thank you for reading, and have a good day.
Tuesday 26 May 2015
Graphic Novel Review - 'Birds of Prey, Vol. 2: The Death of Oracle' by Gail Simone (Writer), Adrian Syaf (Artist), Mark Andreyko (Writer)
It's official: I've come to love Barbara Gordon as both Oracle and Batgirl. Maybe not as much as Batgirl since I still know less about Oracle, but I'll accept what I can get. Whoever she is - whether or not she shows her face or walks - Barbara is amazing. Calm, intelligent, resourceful, and more than capable, she is a high pedestal for other female superheroes to look up to and achieve in greatness. Even when she falls victim to the terror trope which all fictional females dread - the Woman in the Refrigerator - she rises above it and comes back on top thanks to good writing.
And in this volume, 'The Death of Oracle', she plans to fake the death of her alter ego - the online, green-masked Oracle: computer genius and go-to info girl for all DC superheroes. This is because Oracle has become too well known among supervillains as well, and she wants to protect as many people as possible with the power she still possesses. She faces up against her match in the form of a man called Calculator, whom she had manipulated in the past. Despite my being relatively new to comics in general, I can confidently call Barbara Gordon one of - no, THE smartest woman in the DC universe.
I love the artwork. It is an improvement on the previous 'Birds of Prey' volume in that there is little to no fanservice whatsoever, and Oracle's facial expressions are a delight as they truly show her inquisitive and compassionate sides. She cares about all heroes and citizens, but it is her Birds who she holds near and dear to her, and who she shares a greater connection to. Except for Batman, of course.
Speaking of, Batman is very compassionate himself in Oracle's last appearance. In the beginning he even offers her a hug, right there in one of the alleyways of Gotham. Their long history together is given away beautifully in those little touches.
Other characters have a marked improvement on their portrayal as well, such as Dove and Lady Blackhawke, in that they are given more to do. More of their history is revealed, and I now understand why they are considered worthy members of the Birds of Prey; they are admirably strong-willed and brave. Black Canary and Huntress don't have as strong a presence as in the last volume, but they are still written as three-dimensional ladies exceeding normal physical, emotional and mental abilities while managing to be empathetic.
Huntress is given her own little story in the middle of 'The Death of Oracle' volume. I've yet to find a bad representation of her in all the comics I’ve read with her in them. Here I have found out about one of her canon love interests, and I am still gobsmacked that there actually exists a superhero named Catman. I haven't read any 'Secret Six' comics, I admit. But personally, if I were Huntress, I wouldn't associate myself with someone who calls himself Catman with a straight face. Even his costume looks dumb.
But anyway, 'The Death of Oracle' isn't just about the last the Oracle appears publicly. Her "death" gets resolved rather quickly and easily in the first few issues. Apparently this was forced on writer Gail Simone in order for DC to launch their New 52 titles. But with what time she had, she did a decent job of ending Oracle's run, even if it is rushed. The subsequent issues are about the Birds of Prey still doing crime fighting work, with the help of Barbara at the computers in secret. The ending issues are filler stories with a different writer and artwork, but they're really entertaining nevertheless. It's always a positive to learn more about the Birds than I did beforehand.
This volume is also where Stephanie Brown gets a cameo as Batgirl, and so do a lot of DC superheroes in showing how they fare with Oracle being "dead". I'd never even heard of Misfit until now. Catwoman only appears for two pages but she is feisty, fun and full of abandon and mystery, like in 'Huntress: Year One'. Junior does seem as terrifying a supervillainess as her reputation among DC heroes says. Additionally, ‘The Death of Oracle’ is the first I’ve seen of the female Question, aka Renee Montoya, and my word she is badass. Her banter with Huntress is a joy to behold. Manhunter is... okay. Not really memorable, but... she’s okay.
Like its predecessor, 'The Death of Oracle', with all its high points, still has its share of unmistakable flaws. As mentioned already, it is a little rushed and uneven. After the first few issues, the end of Oracle doesn't seem as big a deal as the volume's title foretells. Barbara Gordon still does what she does best as a human search engine, computer hacker and network infiltrator, and as the leader of the Birds of Prey. Mortis, a Gothic woman with the ability to make people relive their dark past and face inner demons with a touch, appears menacing and in control on the cover, but she is wasted by the end of the actual 'Death of Oracle' story arc. She can make anyone commit suicide just by touching their skin, yet she is weakened and quite literally pushed aside in favour of the downfall of the male supervillains. All done by the awesome Birds of Prey, yes, but it is an anticlimax all the same. Character arcs, such as for Black Canary, are also left unresolved.
But the dramatic and emotional moments in 'Birds of Prey, Vol. 2: The Death of Oracle' make up for this. It is darker and scarier than 'End Run', though it gets just as cheesy and silly. Barbara is the best-written character in Gail Simone's stories. The rest of the cast in their multitude range from playing their roles decently to very well.
Yeah, upon further reflection, despite it suddenly ending like it did, 'The Death of Oracle' rocks.
Final Score: 3.5/5
And in this volume, 'The Death of Oracle', she plans to fake the death of her alter ego - the online, green-masked Oracle: computer genius and go-to info girl for all DC superheroes. This is because Oracle has become too well known among supervillains as well, and she wants to protect as many people as possible with the power she still possesses. She faces up against her match in the form of a man called Calculator, whom she had manipulated in the past. Despite my being relatively new to comics in general, I can confidently call Barbara Gordon one of - no, THE smartest woman in the DC universe.
I love the artwork. It is an improvement on the previous 'Birds of Prey' volume in that there is little to no fanservice whatsoever, and Oracle's facial expressions are a delight as they truly show her inquisitive and compassionate sides. She cares about all heroes and citizens, but it is her Birds who she holds near and dear to her, and who she shares a greater connection to. Except for Batman, of course.
Speaking of, Batman is very compassionate himself in Oracle's last appearance. In the beginning he even offers her a hug, right there in one of the alleyways of Gotham. Their long history together is given away beautifully in those little touches.
Other characters have a marked improvement on their portrayal as well, such as Dove and Lady Blackhawke, in that they are given more to do. More of their history is revealed, and I now understand why they are considered worthy members of the Birds of Prey; they are admirably strong-willed and brave. Black Canary and Huntress don't have as strong a presence as in the last volume, but they are still written as three-dimensional ladies exceeding normal physical, emotional and mental abilities while managing to be empathetic.
Huntress is given her own little story in the middle of 'The Death of Oracle' volume. I've yet to find a bad representation of her in all the comics I’ve read with her in them. Here I have found out about one of her canon love interests, and I am still gobsmacked that there actually exists a superhero named Catman. I haven't read any 'Secret Six' comics, I admit. But personally, if I were Huntress, I wouldn't associate myself with someone who calls himself Catman with a straight face. Even his costume looks dumb.
But anyway, 'The Death of Oracle' isn't just about the last the Oracle appears publicly. Her "death" gets resolved rather quickly and easily in the first few issues. Apparently this was forced on writer Gail Simone in order for DC to launch their New 52 titles. But with what time she had, she did a decent job of ending Oracle's run, even if it is rushed. The subsequent issues are about the Birds of Prey still doing crime fighting work, with the help of Barbara at the computers in secret. The ending issues are filler stories with a different writer and artwork, but they're really entertaining nevertheless. It's always a positive to learn more about the Birds than I did beforehand.
This volume is also where Stephanie Brown gets a cameo as Batgirl, and so do a lot of DC superheroes in showing how they fare with Oracle being "dead". I'd never even heard of Misfit until now. Catwoman only appears for two pages but she is feisty, fun and full of abandon and mystery, like in 'Huntress: Year One'. Junior does seem as terrifying a supervillainess as her reputation among DC heroes says. Additionally, ‘The Death of Oracle’ is the first I’ve seen of the female Question, aka Renee Montoya, and my word she is badass. Her banter with Huntress is a joy to behold. Manhunter is... okay. Not really memorable, but... she’s okay.
Like its predecessor, 'The Death of Oracle', with all its high points, still has its share of unmistakable flaws. As mentioned already, it is a little rushed and uneven. After the first few issues, the end of Oracle doesn't seem as big a deal as the volume's title foretells. Barbara Gordon still does what she does best as a human search engine, computer hacker and network infiltrator, and as the leader of the Birds of Prey. Mortis, a Gothic woman with the ability to make people relive their dark past and face inner demons with a touch, appears menacing and in control on the cover, but she is wasted by the end of the actual 'Death of Oracle' story arc. She can make anyone commit suicide just by touching their skin, yet she is weakened and quite literally pushed aside in favour of the downfall of the male supervillains. All done by the awesome Birds of Prey, yes, but it is an anticlimax all the same. Character arcs, such as for Black Canary, are also left unresolved.
But the dramatic and emotional moments in 'Birds of Prey, Vol. 2: The Death of Oracle' make up for this. It is darker and scarier than 'End Run', though it gets just as cheesy and silly. Barbara is the best-written character in Gail Simone's stories. The rest of the cast in their multitude range from playing their roles decently to very well.
Yeah, upon further reflection, despite it suddenly ending like it did, 'The Death of Oracle' rocks.
Final Score: 3.5/5
Monday 25 May 2015
Graphic Novel Review - 'Huntress: Year One' by Ivory Madison (Writer), Cliff Richards (Artist), Art Thibert (Artist), Norm Rapmund (Artist)
One of the darker but still entertaining and intelligently-written superhero comics I've read with a woman in the starring role, and one of the first that's an origin story. It's also my first mafia book.
'Huntress: Year One' is short but satisfying, even in a story involving the mafia where criminal organisations are cross-linked and spread throughout the world. And in a superhero origin book, there will be a few loose ends.
Huntress is a magnificently gritty, hard-as-nails heroine (though she prefers to be called hero) who takes shit from no one. She is as violent as I've seen her in Gail Simone's 'Birds of Prey' storylines, although there is less of her devil-may-care attitude in her 'Year One' introduction. Here, she takes things in her tragic life much more seriously.
Helena Bertinelli - mafia princess and lone survivor of a family assassination as a little girl - takes everything into consideration. She seeks revenge and retribution in a man's mob-infested world. Even when she falls in love with a man against her better judgement, she is still willing to kill him because he is as flawed as the rest in their connections to a mafia crime syndicate. Yes, Helena is a heroine who will torture and kill her enemies; though she uses fitting punishments more effectively than anything else at her disposal. All the while she carries a cross and a belief in God with her. This makes her ever the more complex and badass, and it's something rarely ever seen in a female lead in anything, much less a superhero comic book. Even at the age of eight, just before her family were massacred right in front of her, she prayed at the dinner table for her abusive father to be dead - outloud in his presence. Huntress's killing policy is one of the things that sets her miles apart from Gotham's more prestigious protector, Batman.
Misogyny is ripe in the story of Huntress. Men beware her crossbow. She will not let herself or other women suffer in the patriarchy like she always had.
Not all men are evil in 'Huntress: Year One', however, and Huntress isn't a heartless, stoic killer. Her relationship with her adoptive brother is wonderfully done; that along with her feelings over a doomed romance show her softer, more vulnerable side. Underneath the violence, Helena is a ball of pain and suffering. She is human.
Looking at some DC background information, I find it interesting that Huntress was once the daughter of Batman and Catwoman, named Helena Wayne, in Earth-2: until that universe was wiped out from continuity. DC - and Marvel as well - appear to be stubbornly against the idea of superheroes getting married and having children; as it shows their age, I presume. I would argue that any icon can be made timeless depending on good writing, which heroes with families have shown us in the past. Families offer a myriad of opportunities for limitless story and character possibilities - the opposite is not true at all! Still, Huntress must have been popular enough to be granted a revamped version in the Earth-1 continuity. Indeed she is one of the genuinely dynamic DC heroines out there worthy of her own title.
'Huntress: Year One' loses a point for its portrayal of Batgirl. I love Barbara Gordon, so to see her in this comic, where she fails in simple tasks and is scolded by Bruce Wayne like a child, really shook me the wrong way. She's a foil for Huntress, but she also seems to exist to make Huntress look more competent in comparison. I know Barbara is supposed to have only gotten started on her vigilante crusade here. However I was thrown from this perspective by how mature she looks in her civilian form, even being directly involved in police work. Batman being a big, brooding ass refusing to share crime fighting in Gotham doesn't help matters, even though it is for understandable reasons. 'Huntress: Year One' is about a woman's crusade to save other women from a corrupt man's world, and yet little love and respect is given to the women victims themselves; and nowhere is this more apparent than with Batgirl, and Batman's undermining of her. This is swept under the rug, obliterating any possibility for Huntress to perhaps talk to Batgirl about becoming her own individual and not letting a man from higher-ups get her down like dirt on his shoe. Feels like a missed opportunity to me.
So yeah, 'Huntress: Year One' does not do my Batgirl justice. However...
Catwoman, aka Selina Kyle, is great. I never cared much for her character before, but she is a hoot whenever she shows up in this. A self-confident thief, Catwoman gives Huntress advice and lets her in on Batman's weaknesses. Plus she smokes in her costume while up on roofs like no one's business. What a cool cat.
In a way, both Catwoman and Batman serve as parental figures for the orphan Huntress in her origin tale - perhaps a nod to them actually being her parents in her earlier incarnation.
In terms of how women other than Huntress herself are portrayed, Catwoman makes up for Batgirl's poor, wasted appearance.
To conclude, 'Huntress: Year One' is a fine stand-alone title comic, with sombre and meticulous artwork to accompany the mafia revenge plot. It does get confusing in places, as there is the skipping and jumping about in time and trying to keep up with the many bad guys' plans. But I rolled with it all and it turned out to be fairly simple to follow in retrospect.
Dark, sophisticated and horrific, starring an anti-heroine who doesn’t need superpowers to be awesome. She gets stuff done, and in a bloody and bizarrely biblical style.
Final Score: 4/5
'Huntress: Year One' is short but satisfying, even in a story involving the mafia where criminal organisations are cross-linked and spread throughout the world. And in a superhero origin book, there will be a few loose ends.
Huntress is a magnificently gritty, hard-as-nails heroine (though she prefers to be called hero) who takes shit from no one. She is as violent as I've seen her in Gail Simone's 'Birds of Prey' storylines, although there is less of her devil-may-care attitude in her 'Year One' introduction. Here, she takes things in her tragic life much more seriously.
Helena Bertinelli - mafia princess and lone survivor of a family assassination as a little girl - takes everything into consideration. She seeks revenge and retribution in a man's mob-infested world. Even when she falls in love with a man against her better judgement, she is still willing to kill him because he is as flawed as the rest in their connections to a mafia crime syndicate. Yes, Helena is a heroine who will torture and kill her enemies; though she uses fitting punishments more effectively than anything else at her disposal. All the while she carries a cross and a belief in God with her. This makes her ever the more complex and badass, and it's something rarely ever seen in a female lead in anything, much less a superhero comic book. Even at the age of eight, just before her family were massacred right in front of her, she prayed at the dinner table for her abusive father to be dead - outloud in his presence. Huntress's killing policy is one of the things that sets her miles apart from Gotham's more prestigious protector, Batman.
Misogyny is ripe in the story of Huntress. Men beware her crossbow. She will not let herself or other women suffer in the patriarchy like she always had.
Not all men are evil in 'Huntress: Year One', however, and Huntress isn't a heartless, stoic killer. Her relationship with her adoptive brother is wonderfully done; that along with her feelings over a doomed romance show her softer, more vulnerable side. Underneath the violence, Helena is a ball of pain and suffering. She is human.
Looking at some DC background information, I find it interesting that Huntress was once the daughter of Batman and Catwoman, named Helena Wayne, in Earth-2: until that universe was wiped out from continuity. DC - and Marvel as well - appear to be stubbornly against the idea of superheroes getting married and having children; as it shows their age, I presume. I would argue that any icon can be made timeless depending on good writing, which heroes with families have shown us in the past. Families offer a myriad of opportunities for limitless story and character possibilities - the opposite is not true at all! Still, Huntress must have been popular enough to be granted a revamped version in the Earth-1 continuity. Indeed she is one of the genuinely dynamic DC heroines out there worthy of her own title.
'Huntress: Year One' loses a point for its portrayal of Batgirl. I love Barbara Gordon, so to see her in this comic, where she fails in simple tasks and is scolded by Bruce Wayne like a child, really shook me the wrong way. She's a foil for Huntress, but she also seems to exist to make Huntress look more competent in comparison. I know Barbara is supposed to have only gotten started on her vigilante crusade here. However I was thrown from this perspective by how mature she looks in her civilian form, even being directly involved in police work. Batman being a big, brooding ass refusing to share crime fighting in Gotham doesn't help matters, even though it is for understandable reasons. 'Huntress: Year One' is about a woman's crusade to save other women from a corrupt man's world, and yet little love and respect is given to the women victims themselves; and nowhere is this more apparent than with Batgirl, and Batman's undermining of her. This is swept under the rug, obliterating any possibility for Huntress to perhaps talk to Batgirl about becoming her own individual and not letting a man from higher-ups get her down like dirt on his shoe. Feels like a missed opportunity to me.
So yeah, 'Huntress: Year One' does not do my Batgirl justice. However...
Catwoman, aka Selina Kyle, is great. I never cared much for her character before, but she is a hoot whenever she shows up in this. A self-confident thief, Catwoman gives Huntress advice and lets her in on Batman's weaknesses. Plus she smokes in her costume while up on roofs like no one's business. What a cool cat.
In a way, both Catwoman and Batman serve as parental figures for the orphan Huntress in her origin tale - perhaps a nod to them actually being her parents in her earlier incarnation.
In terms of how women other than Huntress herself are portrayed, Catwoman makes up for Batgirl's poor, wasted appearance.
To conclude, 'Huntress: Year One' is a fine stand-alone title comic, with sombre and meticulous artwork to accompany the mafia revenge plot. It does get confusing in places, as there is the skipping and jumping about in time and trying to keep up with the many bad guys' plans. But I rolled with it all and it turned out to be fairly simple to follow in retrospect.
Dark, sophisticated and horrific, starring an anti-heroine who doesn’t need superpowers to be awesome. She gets stuff done, and in a bloody and bizarrely biblical style.
Final Score: 4/5
Non-Fiction Book Review - 'Warriors of Legend: Reflections of Japan in Sailor Moon' by Jay Navok and Sushil K. Rudranath
Such an enjoyable educational little read for any 'Sailor Moon' fan, and for people in the Western hemisphere interested in Japanese culture.
In 'Warriors of Legend', you learn how almost everything in the 'Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon' manga and anime reflects Japan in terms of its social, class, and education systems, as well as its historical and mythological references. 'Sailor Moon' mirrors the country in the 1990s when the franchise was being made and was at the peak of its phenomenal popularity; existing worldwide as well as in its remarkable place of origin. Information is given to the reader on just how hard life is for the average working-class Japanese person.
'Warriors of Legend' also provides details on how the anime differs from the manga and why, and shows examples of when 'Sailor Moon' criticises and satirises the “old” Japanese culture. (Its foibles in how it educates young students are worth discussing).
As a bonus the book presents character profiles and insights on why the Sailor Guardians' personalities befit their lifestyles and Sailor identities. Naoko Takeuchi is a hell of a lot cleverer than the surfaces of her work might suggest. She certainly did her homework, especially when referencing mythology from all over the world in ‘Sailor Moon’, from Greek to Roman to Babylonian.
It turns out that Sailor Venus and Sailor Moon are more closely linked than I ever realised before, and not just in looks. I like Sailor Venus a great deal more now.
I've learnt so much from reading 'Warriors of Legend', and it has achieved the impossible and made me love and appreciate 'Sailor Moon' more than I did before. Subtle is not a word most people would use to describe this Magical Girl series, but there you go. Takeuchi-sensei is a genius, no doubt about it.
‘Sailor Moon’ – just a silly Magical Girl show only worthy of looking back on through nostalgia glasses? I beg to differ, and beg anyone who thinks that to read this book.
At 144 pages, ‘Warriors of Legend’ is a little too short, and more could have been expounded upon. But that's a minor flaw in the long run. However, I wonder if an updated version will ever be in the works, in light of ‘Sailor Moon’ receiving renewed English-translated manga editions and an anime reboot.
The people of Japan are just as passionate and influenced by 'Sailor Moon' as Western audiences are. (Lots of children were actually traumatised by the season 1 finale when their favourite characters died onscreen; proving how great and powerful these fictional Sailor Senshi are individually written). So maybe anime and manga - and any form of entertainment - do have the power to bring people together; to make us kindred. There exists life and beauty in the creation of ‘Sailor Moon’.
In the name of the moon, read ‘Warriors of Legend’!
Final Score: 5/5
In 'Warriors of Legend', you learn how almost everything in the 'Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon' manga and anime reflects Japan in terms of its social, class, and education systems, as well as its historical and mythological references. 'Sailor Moon' mirrors the country in the 1990s when the franchise was being made and was at the peak of its phenomenal popularity; existing worldwide as well as in its remarkable place of origin. Information is given to the reader on just how hard life is for the average working-class Japanese person.
'Warriors of Legend' also provides details on how the anime differs from the manga and why, and shows examples of when 'Sailor Moon' criticises and satirises the “old” Japanese culture. (Its foibles in how it educates young students are worth discussing).
As a bonus the book presents character profiles and insights on why the Sailor Guardians' personalities befit their lifestyles and Sailor identities. Naoko Takeuchi is a hell of a lot cleverer than the surfaces of her work might suggest. She certainly did her homework, especially when referencing mythology from all over the world in ‘Sailor Moon’, from Greek to Roman to Babylonian.
It turns out that Sailor Venus and Sailor Moon are more closely linked than I ever realised before, and not just in looks. I like Sailor Venus a great deal more now.
I've learnt so much from reading 'Warriors of Legend', and it has achieved the impossible and made me love and appreciate 'Sailor Moon' more than I did before. Subtle is not a word most people would use to describe this Magical Girl series, but there you go. Takeuchi-sensei is a genius, no doubt about it.
‘Sailor Moon’ – just a silly Magical Girl show only worthy of looking back on through nostalgia glasses? I beg to differ, and beg anyone who thinks that to read this book.
At 144 pages, ‘Warriors of Legend’ is a little too short, and more could have been expounded upon. But that's a minor flaw in the long run. However, I wonder if an updated version will ever be in the works, in light of ‘Sailor Moon’ receiving renewed English-translated manga editions and an anime reboot.
The people of Japan are just as passionate and influenced by 'Sailor Moon' as Western audiences are. (Lots of children were actually traumatised by the season 1 finale when their favourite characters died onscreen; proving how great and powerful these fictional Sailor Senshi are individually written). So maybe anime and manga - and any form of entertainment - do have the power to bring people together; to make us kindred. There exists life and beauty in the creation of ‘Sailor Moon’.
In the name of the moon, read ‘Warriors of Legend’!
Final Score: 5/5
Friday 22 May 2015
Ever get the feeling you might be clairvoyant, simply because you know something shocking is going to happen the split second before it does happen? Like someone coming up from behind or in front of you just around the corner, or a blip on your computer? Is it intuition? Or is it common sense jumping in a little too late? I'm curious about how our brains work in that regard.
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