Thursday 27 October 2016
Friday 21 October 2016
Graphic Novel Review - 'Princess Princess Ever After' by Kay O'Neill
2023 EDIT:
Reread: This short but sweet, adorable, soft, rosy, precious, emotional and uplifting LBGTQ+ children's comic book has nearly everything I love in fiction in it. Kay O'Neil is the best.
Still love 'Princess Princess Ever After'; still recommend it for everyone, forever.
Final Score: 4.5/5
Original Review:
It's here - we finally have a Western children's fantasy/fairy tale graphic novel with an open LBGQ relationship. It won't be the last.
The queer love in 'Princess Princess Ever After' is the main romance - the only romance - it is the main focus and development, and it is casual. Heartwarmingly so. No one judges or questions anyone in this story, apart from the villain, and a prince lead just learning more about the world and who grows up overtime.
Unlike, say, 'The Sleeper and the Spindle', 'Princess Princess Ever After' is positive in that it actually depicts an LBGQ relationship, with the beginnings of how any romantic relationship goes. It starts out awkward, with the two quipping back-and-forth jibes, and then through various encounters (like with a dancing ogre, as you do) they get to know each other better.
Then, by making the other feel good about themselves, for who they are and who they want to be, the couple's friendship grows into a natural, healthy love.
When reading and rereading 'Princess Princess Ever After', it's clear that the princesses Amira (a POC princely-type out looking for adventures and making a difference) and Sadie (a moody and sensitive crybaby with serious self-esteem and body-positive issues) find true love as a couple of equals by first accepting themselves, despite being so different.
Opposites attract never had such nice chemistry. Comforting, like the book itself.
'Princess Princess Ever After' is like a 21st century junior love letter to 'Xena: Warrior Princess' and 'Revolutionary Girl Utena'. Also reminiscent is the 'Princeless' comics. This former web comic is adorable, action-oriented, very funny, sad, and full of sweet, rosy hope. The soft and cartoony art style suits it, flowing with the narrative like a quilt.
The only real negativity in the story and themes is the villain, a rather one-dimensional jealous and sadistic sorceress queen who seems to only exist to prove a point and elevate Sadie's character development.
But how can I be mad at a princess tale with that ending, and those final pages... my word, I almost cried, it's so touching.
Plus, Sadie has a little dragon named Oliver, and Amira a pink unicorn named Celeste. Celeste is the best, and deserves all the cookies.
People of all ages should check out this short-but-relevant graphic novel. Embrace the rainbow.
Let all live happily, princess ever after.
Final Score: 4.5/5
Reread: This short but sweet, adorable, soft, rosy, precious, emotional and uplifting LBGTQ+ children's comic book has nearly everything I love in fiction in it. Kay O'Neil is the best.
Still love 'Princess Princess Ever After'; still recommend it for everyone, forever.
Final Score: 4.5/5
Original Review:
It's here - we finally have a Western children's fantasy/fairy tale graphic novel with an open LBGQ relationship. It won't be the last.
The queer love in 'Princess Princess Ever After' is the main romance - the only romance - it is the main focus and development, and it is casual. Heartwarmingly so. No one judges or questions anyone in this story, apart from the villain, and a prince lead just learning more about the world and who grows up overtime.
Unlike, say, 'The Sleeper and the Spindle', 'Princess Princess Ever After' is positive in that it actually depicts an LBGQ relationship, with the beginnings of how any romantic relationship goes. It starts out awkward, with the two quipping back-and-forth jibes, and then through various encounters (like with a dancing ogre, as you do) they get to know each other better.
Then, by making the other feel good about themselves, for who they are and who they want to be, the couple's friendship grows into a natural, healthy love.
When reading and rereading 'Princess Princess Ever After', it's clear that the princesses Amira (a POC princely-type out looking for adventures and making a difference) and Sadie (a moody and sensitive crybaby with serious self-esteem and body-positive issues) find true love as a couple of equals by first accepting themselves, despite being so different.
Opposites attract never had such nice chemistry. Comforting, like the book itself.
'Princess Princess Ever After' is like a 21st century junior love letter to 'Xena: Warrior Princess' and 'Revolutionary Girl Utena'. Also reminiscent is the 'Princeless' comics. This former web comic is adorable, action-oriented, very funny, sad, and full of sweet, rosy hope. The soft and cartoony art style suits it, flowing with the narrative like a quilt.
The only real negativity in the story and themes is the villain, a rather one-dimensional jealous and sadistic sorceress queen who seems to only exist to prove a point and elevate Sadie's character development.
But how can I be mad at a princess tale with that ending, and those final pages... my word, I almost cried, it's so touching.
Plus, Sadie has a little dragon named Oliver, and Amira a pink unicorn named Celeste. Celeste is the best, and deserves all the cookies.
People of all ages should check out this short-but-relevant graphic novel. Embrace the rainbow.
Let all live happily, princess ever after.
Final Score: 4.5/5
Wednesday 19 October 2016
Graphic Novel Review - 'DC Super Hero Girls Vol 1: Finals Crisis' by Shea Fontana (Writer), Yancey Labat (Artist)
A fun little comic tie-in to the DC superhero franchise that aims to teach and empower young girls - and makes a real effort of it.
'DC Super Hero Girls' beats the Smurfette Principle to an absolute pulp, several times over; taking the Fridged Woman trope straight to jail along the way. It brings the spotlight on my favourite DC superheroines/anti-heroines - Wonder Woman, Batgirl and Harley Quinn - as well as Supergirl, the lesser-known Bumblebee and Katana, plus the old villainess Poison Ivy. All are re-imagined as teenagers attending Super Hero High in Metropolis, to prepare becoming fully-qualified superheroes who work together as a team, and are the best of friends. Their strengths and weaknesses are highlighted, and overcome through friendship and girl power (hello 'Friendship is Magic'!).
One of the biggest non-superhero badasses in the DCU, Amanda Waller, is the school principle, with Gorilla Grodd as the vice principle, and Commissioner Gordon is a teacher part-time. One of my personal favourite characters, Beast Boy, is given the time and attention he deserves, and so are the other Teen Titans Starfire and Cyborg (but no Raven, sadly). Lois Lane is a renowned, ambitious news reporter and friend of the school - showing how a woman doesn't need superpowers and high-tech gadgets to be awesome. And the cherry on top, Steve Trevor is a barista at the Cape and Cowl cafe.
Feminism for kids - it's as simple as it should be for adults.
It's a nice breath of fresh air to see something from DC that's lighthearted and hopeful; an antithesis to their "dark and edgy" comics and recent line of movies which desperately try to be "adult", and often fail terribly at. 'DC Super Hero Girls' is unapologetically goofy for children, similar to the olden days of the 60s 'Batman' TV show and 'Super Friends'. The comic, like the cartoon web series, is bright, colourful and so full of cheese and bad puns you can't help but smile.
Wonder Woman, Batgirl, Supergirl, Poison Ivy, Bumblebee, Katana, and Harley Quinn each receive good character development (especially Supergirl), and multiple chances to shine and kick butt like superheroes do:
I adore Batgirl as much as I always have: She is smart, kind and fully prepared for anything. A prodigy who is a true equal to Batman, Babs has more than one Bat Cave, and a Nightwing plushie, how cute!
Harley doesn't get her due until near the end of the comic, but once the focus is on her she is irresistible - a hyperactive party girl with never-ending jokes up her sleeves (including but not limited to a hammer), and a giant friendly heart of gold who ends up saving the other girls. The completely free and independent Harley Quinn is not someone to be overlooked.
Poison Ivy may not be a baddie here, but she still loves mother nature, and occasionally terrorizes people with her plant pranks. One running gag is Ivy being constantly sent to detention by Gorilla Grodd.
(Ivy and Harley don't really interact in the volume, however. Too bad.)
Bumblebee is a lot of fun, and so is the best samurai ever, Katana, in her own way (she has a great platonic friendship with Beast Boy, too). Both of these girls are excellent role models in POC representation in an animated series.
Wonder Woman probably leaves the least impression when compared to everyone else in the group - sounds like a crime in of itself. But it's not really that bad, for she's still a strong, loyal and fierce leader, if a little like the awkward teenage girl lead stereotype common in cartoons for a younger audience.
Also students at Super Hero High are Hawkgirl, Lady Shiva, Cheetah, Catwoman (bizarrely), Star Sapphire, and Miss Martian; though I was more looking forward to seeing Big Barda, who doesn't appear at all in the first volume.
Loads and loads of women with different personalities are represented in a positive light in 'DC Super Hero Girls', a franchise aimed at little girls. It reminds me of cartoons in the 90s and early-2000s I watched as a little girl myself, such as 'Sailor Moon', 'The Powerpuff Girls', 'Kim Possible', and 'Winx Club'.
'DC Super Hero Girls Vol. 1: Finals Crisis' - Superhero girls can achieve anything they put their minds to, and so can ordinary girls. What a confidence booster!
Final Score: 4/5
'DC Super Hero Girls' beats the Smurfette Principle to an absolute pulp, several times over; taking the Fridged Woman trope straight to jail along the way. It brings the spotlight on my favourite DC superheroines/anti-heroines - Wonder Woman, Batgirl and Harley Quinn - as well as Supergirl, the lesser-known Bumblebee and Katana, plus the old villainess Poison Ivy. All are re-imagined as teenagers attending Super Hero High in Metropolis, to prepare becoming fully-qualified superheroes who work together as a team, and are the best of friends. Their strengths and weaknesses are highlighted, and overcome through friendship and girl power (hello 'Friendship is Magic'!).
One of the biggest non-superhero badasses in the DCU, Amanda Waller, is the school principle, with Gorilla Grodd as the vice principle, and Commissioner Gordon is a teacher part-time. One of my personal favourite characters, Beast Boy, is given the time and attention he deserves, and so are the other Teen Titans Starfire and Cyborg (but no Raven, sadly). Lois Lane is a renowned, ambitious news reporter and friend of the school - showing how a woman doesn't need superpowers and high-tech gadgets to be awesome. And the cherry on top, Steve Trevor is a barista at the Cape and Cowl cafe.
Feminism for kids - it's as simple as it should be for adults.
It's a nice breath of fresh air to see something from DC that's lighthearted and hopeful; an antithesis to their "dark and edgy" comics and recent line of movies which desperately try to be "adult", and often fail terribly at. 'DC Super Hero Girls' is unapologetically goofy for children, similar to the olden days of the 60s 'Batman' TV show and 'Super Friends'. The comic, like the cartoon web series, is bright, colourful and so full of cheese and bad puns you can't help but smile.
Wonder Woman, Batgirl, Supergirl, Poison Ivy, Bumblebee, Katana, and Harley Quinn each receive good character development (especially Supergirl), and multiple chances to shine and kick butt like superheroes do:
I adore Batgirl as much as I always have: She is smart, kind and fully prepared for anything. A prodigy who is a true equal to Batman, Babs has more than one Bat Cave, and a Nightwing plushie, how cute!
Harley doesn't get her due until near the end of the comic, but once the focus is on her she is irresistible - a hyperactive party girl with never-ending jokes up her sleeves (including but not limited to a hammer), and a giant friendly heart of gold who ends up saving the other girls. The completely free and independent Harley Quinn is not someone to be overlooked.
Poison Ivy may not be a baddie here, but she still loves mother nature, and occasionally terrorizes people with her plant pranks. One running gag is Ivy being constantly sent to detention by Gorilla Grodd.
(Ivy and Harley don't really interact in the volume, however. Too bad.)
Bumblebee is a lot of fun, and so is the best samurai ever, Katana, in her own way (she has a great platonic friendship with Beast Boy, too). Both of these girls are excellent role models in POC representation in an animated series.
Wonder Woman probably leaves the least impression when compared to everyone else in the group - sounds like a crime in of itself. But it's not really that bad, for she's still a strong, loyal and fierce leader, if a little like the awkward teenage girl lead stereotype common in cartoons for a younger audience.
Also students at Super Hero High are Hawkgirl, Lady Shiva, Cheetah, Catwoman (bizarrely), Star Sapphire, and Miss Martian; though I was more looking forward to seeing Big Barda, who doesn't appear at all in the first volume.
Loads and loads of women with different personalities are represented in a positive light in 'DC Super Hero Girls', a franchise aimed at little girls. It reminds me of cartoons in the 90s and early-2000s I watched as a little girl myself, such as 'Sailor Moon', 'The Powerpuff Girls', 'Kim Possible', and 'Winx Club'.
'DC Super Hero Girls Vol. 1: Finals Crisis' - Superhero girls can achieve anything they put their minds to, and so can ordinary girls. What a confidence booster!
Final Score: 4/5
Saturday 15 October 2016
Book Review - 'The Fairiest Fairy' by Anne Booth (Writer), Rosalind Beardshaw (Illustrator)
2023 EDIT: Part of my 2023 clear-up, of books I no longer like, or am no longer interested in, or remember well as standing out, or find as special anymore, or I otherwise will not miss.
Final Score: 3.5/5
Original Review:
Dew drops on roses,
Laces on butterflies,
Thorns on a rabbit's foot
and new friends and happy royals' sighs,
Rainbows painted in the sky messily;
These are only a few things I adore about 'The Fairiest Fairy'!
Poppy love! This is a cute picture book about friendship and aid in unexpected places. We each have our own strengths in certain fields, while others can help us with our weaknesses. Everything happens for a reason, even when you are sad and feeling useless and different.
The future's bright. The future's Fairies!
Final Score: 4/5
Final Score: 3.5/5
Original Review:
Dew drops on roses,
Laces on butterflies,
Thorns on a rabbit's foot
and new friends and happy royals' sighs,
Rainbows painted in the sky messily;
These are only a few things I adore about 'The Fairiest Fairy'!
Poppy love! This is a cute picture book about friendship and aid in unexpected places. We each have our own strengths in certain fields, while others can help us with our weaknesses. Everything happens for a reason, even when you are sad and feeling useless and different.
The future's bright. The future's Fairies!
Final Score: 4/5
Wednesday 12 October 2016
Book Review - 'The Female of the Species' by Mindy McGinnis
2021 EDIT: Sadly, this is yet another quite disappointing reread for me, years later. It's so different from what I remember. 'The Female of the Species' gets some things right, about rape culture and such, but it's mostly awkwardly and unevenly written, meandering, and inconsistent in the characterisations. Nobody learns anything half the time. A lot of the dialogue exchanges come across as unnatural, contrived and staged. The characters go through the motions; which describes this particular reading experience for me as a whole. Other moments are like ,"WTF, that's horrible and perpetuates sexism and misogyny, book!" (like that assembly scene near the beginning and its red flags... I don't even).
It looks like 'The Female of the Species' has lost its spark, and while it has its moments and I don't regret reading it, there are other, better YA feminist books that deal with "dark" subject matters out there ('Speak', 'All the Rage', 'All the Bad Apples', 'Sawkill Girls', 'The Nowhere Girls', 'The Burning', and 'Sadie', for example). I still like a few of the characters - especially Alex - as flip-floppy as they are.
Additionally, the novel could have benefitted from having the only gay character (Sara) not be the only queer character, and not be the token lesbian best friend; and from having someone who's not white. Not all American small towns are white suburban, conservative bubbles, right? They can't be.
Final Score: 3/5
Original Review:
Ow. That hurt. A lot.
I love it.
'The Female of the Species' by Mindy McGinnis is wonderful, almost heavenly; very strange words to put to a novel about a teenage killer, that dives into rape culture and the vulnerable stages in the life of a high schooler. But I already consider this contemporary an instant classic.
It's like a YA equivalent of Stieg Larsson's 'Millennium' books (not that it's "lite" - far from it), and it's structured and themed in the same way as a Shakespearean tragedy. An addictive crime Shakespearean tragedy Fyodor Dostoyevsky would be proud of, and can be read in a day or two. J.K. Rowling might appreciate it, too.
In 'The Female of the Species', we follow the American small town high school drama of:
Alex Craft, who has killed the man acquitted of raping and murdering her sister. She got away with it, and might kill again.
Jack Fisher, the popular jock whom the boys want to be and the girls love. This pro-athlete at sports and sex seriously wishes for two things - to leave his hometown after graduation, and to become a better person and redeem himself due to a morality check. And due to the mysterious, antisocial Alex; the girl whose older sister was cut to pieces and buried all around the woods three years previously.
Peekay, or P.K. - short for the nickname, "preacher's kid" - another rebellious teen who is into alcohol and is trying to get over her cheating ex-boyfriend. She's a party girl with a questionable sense of humour, but she's insecure, and has a deep caring soul. She may or may not let her primal, angry instincts take over one day. Peekay and Alex both volunteer at an animal shelter, and through picking up a bag of dead puppies off a road, pacifying abused and abandoned dogs, and cleaning cats' ears together, they slowly become odd but warm friends, teaching the other to come out of her shell. What Peekay doesn't realise is how far-gone her strange, intelligent and surprisingly-compassionate new friend already is.
Other characters/players include:
Branley Jacobs, Jack's childhood best friend and fuck buddy. She's a beautiful, blonde, conceited cheerleader and prom queen, who despite "stealing" Peekay's boyfriend reveals that she has more heart than she lets on.
Park, Jack's silly, funny, sex-obsessed friend (one of the hilarious highlights of the book is Alex punching Park in the balls for trying to grab her without her consent).
Sara, Peekay's loyal basketball-playing friend who is also a lesbian, feeling quite alone in a small conservative town.
And the parents of these teens who are just trying their best for the future of their kids, and their kids' kids - they're forever in the life cycle of a tiny secluded county that's stuck in the past (most extremely in the case of Alex's mother, for understandable reasons). The only newsworthy thing to happen there was Alex's sister Anna's murder...
I want to talk about Alex. Really talk about her.
What I had hoped for before reading 'The Female of the Species' was a female main character who would be like the spiritual successor to Lisbeth Salander. Alex Craft didn't disappoint me.
She is captivating. A fantastically well-written and developed young killer lost in an unfair, unjust world that punishes her sex for existing, and this is considered normal. She would rather be dead to it all, but not literally, for she won't take things lying six-feet under. Alex is a traumatised, introverted, seemingly cold and lonely teen with anger issues possibly inherited from her estranged father. This girl is smart, cunning, fearless, quick to act, and takes no bullshit and says no bullshit. Struggling to remove herself from her father's rage-filled shadow, whilst being unable to resist embracing it, upon her sister's death she resolves to try to make the world a safer place for women to live in.
Alex is an avenging angel and justice warrior against rape and rape culture. Socially-ingrained phrases such as "boys will be boys" are the most insidious excuses for evil acts, and she knows this all too well. Admirable and sympathetic, in spite of her murdering the absolutely horrendous people facing her wrath - she is so badass while doing it! But the novel doesn't really justify the actions of this antiheroine with an abnormal mental health issue. While at first she's remorseless, through unintended social interactions with Peekay and Jack she does come to fear hurting others. It's not that the withdrawn and alluring Alex is a psychopath or a sociopath - not feeling enough isn't her problem. Feeling too much is.
I can see her as a 'Batman' villain, or a noir superhero. I just love her. Peekay too, for her own multiple complexities and flaws, but Alex is a new breed of female characters who are allowed to be as human and unforgettable as male ones. Not like a breed of dog or any other animal, although the female of the species is indeed always the most dangerous, and Alex Craft sets out to prove that of humans, as well (as a side note, she cares more for animals for their simplicity, than for people).
The big question is, who is truly insane: Alex, or the rest of the world for letting rape culture continue? She is icon-worthy, I mean it.
In 'The Female of the Species', the writing is clever, to the point and devilishly quotable. The character development is stellar. The placing of themes and symbols, in addition to the plotting, are superb. Female friendships are central to the story (Peekay and Alex, and eventually Peekay and Branley). Even the romance between Jack and Alex - as a teenage boy making a real effort to be kind and decent, and a girl keeping her distance from everyone for their sake, respectively - comes across as bizarrely, genuinely lovely, if highly unlikely and nonsensical (that's young love though, right?). And Sara, the only queer character, has a solid personality and her own awesome moments to shine (almost making up for the fact that everyone in the book is white, however that could be because of the setting).
'The Female of the Species' is a new YA novel that's shocking, bloody, important and impossible to put down. The ending, up to the last gut-wrenching page, doesn't exactly offer closure on everything, but that's how life is.
Hello and goodbye, Alex, Peekay and Jack.
Final Score: 5/5
It looks like 'The Female of the Species' has lost its spark, and while it has its moments and I don't regret reading it, there are other, better YA feminist books that deal with "dark" subject matters out there ('Speak', 'All the Rage', 'All the Bad Apples', 'Sawkill Girls', 'The Nowhere Girls', 'The Burning', and 'Sadie', for example). I still like a few of the characters - especially Alex - as flip-floppy as they are.
Additionally, the novel could have benefitted from having the only gay character (Sara) not be the only queer character, and not be the token lesbian best friend; and from having someone who's not white. Not all American small towns are white suburban, conservative bubbles, right? They can't be.
Final Score: 3/5
Original Review:
Ow. That hurt. A lot.
I love it.
'The Female of the Species' by Mindy McGinnis is wonderful, almost heavenly; very strange words to put to a novel about a teenage killer, that dives into rape culture and the vulnerable stages in the life of a high schooler. But I already consider this contemporary an instant classic.
It's like a YA equivalent of Stieg Larsson's 'Millennium' books (not that it's "lite" - far from it), and it's structured and themed in the same way as a Shakespearean tragedy. An addictive crime Shakespearean tragedy Fyodor Dostoyevsky would be proud of, and can be read in a day or two. J.K. Rowling might appreciate it, too.
In 'The Female of the Species', we follow the American small town high school drama of:
Alex Craft, who has killed the man acquitted of raping and murdering her sister. She got away with it, and might kill again.
Jack Fisher, the popular jock whom the boys want to be and the girls love. This pro-athlete at sports and sex seriously wishes for two things - to leave his hometown after graduation, and to become a better person and redeem himself due to a morality check. And due to the mysterious, antisocial Alex; the girl whose older sister was cut to pieces and buried all around the woods three years previously.
Peekay, or P.K. - short for the nickname, "preacher's kid" - another rebellious teen who is into alcohol and is trying to get over her cheating ex-boyfriend. She's a party girl with a questionable sense of humour, but she's insecure, and has a deep caring soul. She may or may not let her primal, angry instincts take over one day. Peekay and Alex both volunteer at an animal shelter, and through picking up a bag of dead puppies off a road, pacifying abused and abandoned dogs, and cleaning cats' ears together, they slowly become odd but warm friends, teaching the other to come out of her shell. What Peekay doesn't realise is how far-gone her strange, intelligent and surprisingly-compassionate new friend already is.
Other characters/players include:
Branley Jacobs, Jack's childhood best friend and fuck buddy. She's a beautiful, blonde, conceited cheerleader and prom queen, who despite "stealing" Peekay's boyfriend reveals that she has more heart than she lets on.
Park, Jack's silly, funny, sex-obsessed friend (one of the hilarious highlights of the book is Alex punching Park in the balls for trying to grab her without her consent).
Sara, Peekay's loyal basketball-playing friend who is also a lesbian, feeling quite alone in a small conservative town.
And the parents of these teens who are just trying their best for the future of their kids, and their kids' kids - they're forever in the life cycle of a tiny secluded county that's stuck in the past (most extremely in the case of Alex's mother, for understandable reasons). The only newsworthy thing to happen there was Alex's sister Anna's murder...
I want to talk about Alex. Really talk about her.
What I had hoped for before reading 'The Female of the Species' was a female main character who would be like the spiritual successor to Lisbeth Salander. Alex Craft didn't disappoint me.
She is captivating. A fantastically well-written and developed young killer lost in an unfair, unjust world that punishes her sex for existing, and this is considered normal. She would rather be dead to it all, but not literally, for she won't take things lying six-feet under. Alex is a traumatised, introverted, seemingly cold and lonely teen with anger issues possibly inherited from her estranged father. This girl is smart, cunning, fearless, quick to act, and takes no bullshit and says no bullshit. Struggling to remove herself from her father's rage-filled shadow, whilst being unable to resist embracing it, upon her sister's death she resolves to try to make the world a safer place for women to live in.
Alex is an avenging angel and justice warrior against rape and rape culture. Socially-ingrained phrases such as "boys will be boys" are the most insidious excuses for evil acts, and she knows this all too well. Admirable and sympathetic, in spite of her murdering the absolutely horrendous people facing her wrath - she is so badass while doing it! But the novel doesn't really justify the actions of this antiheroine with an abnormal mental health issue. While at first she's remorseless, through unintended social interactions with Peekay and Jack she does come to fear hurting others. It's not that the withdrawn and alluring Alex is a psychopath or a sociopath - not feeling enough isn't her problem. Feeling too much is.
I can see her as a 'Batman' villain, or a noir superhero. I just love her. Peekay too, for her own multiple complexities and flaws, but Alex is a new breed of female characters who are allowed to be as human and unforgettable as male ones. Not like a breed of dog or any other animal, although the female of the species is indeed always the most dangerous, and Alex Craft sets out to prove that of humans, as well (as a side note, she cares more for animals for their simplicity, than for people).
The big question is, who is truly insane: Alex, or the rest of the world for letting rape culture continue? She is icon-worthy, I mean it.
In 'The Female of the Species', the writing is clever, to the point and devilishly quotable. The character development is stellar. The placing of themes and symbols, in addition to the plotting, are superb. Female friendships are central to the story (Peekay and Alex, and eventually Peekay and Branley). Even the romance between Jack and Alex - as a teenage boy making a real effort to be kind and decent, and a girl keeping her distance from everyone for their sake, respectively - comes across as bizarrely, genuinely lovely, if highly unlikely and nonsensical (that's young love though, right?). And Sara, the only queer character, has a solid personality and her own awesome moments to shine (almost making up for the fact that everyone in the book is white, however that could be because of the setting).
'The Female of the Species' is a new YA novel that's shocking, bloody, important and impossible to put down. The ending, up to the last gut-wrenching page, doesn't exactly offer closure on everything, but that's how life is.
Hello and goodbye, Alex, Peekay and Jack.
Final Score: 5/5
Non-Fiction Book Review - 'Adulthood Is a Myth (A "Sarah's Scribbles" Collection)' by Sarah Andersen
2020 EDIT: Reread - over and over again. Still hilarious AF. So cuddly, adorable and freaking funny.
Final Score: 5/5 (as always)
Original Review:
Never have I come across something maybe-autobiographical that's so adorable and relatable. Adorably relatable describes 'Adulthood Is a Myth (A "Sarah's Scribbles" Collection)' perfectly, all wrapped up in a nice cosy jumper in winter (tea and hot chocolate with marshmallows included).
The goofy, slice-of-life, everyday aspects and musings of Sarah Andersen in her modern life - that're sweetly, cartoonishly-drawn in every panel - are, and I know this is a cliché but I'm saying it anyway, they are totally me. I feel 'Adulthood Is a Myth' was made for me; each page like a dream turned into reality. Taking selfies of yourself only for them to reveal all the flaws on your face, being a solitary bookworm, and a naturally fast walker impatient of slow people - oh my goodness, who is this woman stalking me!?!!!!haha!!!!!
'Adulthood Is a Myth' is outstanding in depicting the contemporary world through the eyes of young people - millennials like me - from an artist who completely understands. Quarter-life crises shouldn't be so OTT funny! Someone should make a sitcom out of this.
Love with bunnies, cats, art, the internet, notebooks, introverts forced to talk to people, procrastinating, getting up in the morning, spending too much money, reading too much, and inconvenient lady things, like periods. I'm happy I finally got round to reading 'Adulthood Is a Myth' - it is so true!
Final Score: 5/5
Final Score: 5/5 (as always)
Original Review:
Never have I come across something maybe-autobiographical that's so adorable and relatable. Adorably relatable describes 'Adulthood Is a Myth (A "Sarah's Scribbles" Collection)' perfectly, all wrapped up in a nice cosy jumper in winter (tea and hot chocolate with marshmallows included).
The goofy, slice-of-life, everyday aspects and musings of Sarah Andersen in her modern life - that're sweetly, cartoonishly-drawn in every panel - are, and I know this is a cliché but I'm saying it anyway, they are totally me. I feel 'Adulthood Is a Myth' was made for me; each page like a dream turned into reality. Taking selfies of yourself only for them to reveal all the flaws on your face, being a solitary bookworm, and a naturally fast walker impatient of slow people - oh my goodness, who is this woman stalking me!?!!!!haha!!!!!
'Adulthood Is a Myth' is outstanding in depicting the contemporary world through the eyes of young people - millennials like me - from an artist who completely understands. Quarter-life crises shouldn't be so OTT funny! Someone should make a sitcom out of this.
Love with bunnies, cats, art, the internet, notebooks, introverts forced to talk to people, procrastinating, getting up in the morning, spending too much money, reading too much, and inconvenient lady things, like periods. I'm happy I finally got round to reading 'Adulthood Is a Myth' - it is so true!
Final Score: 5/5
Friday 7 October 2016
Book Review - 'Isadora Moon Goes to School' by Harriet Muncaster
So cute! The cutest thing! What a cutie little book for kids of all backgrounds!
I could relate to a lot about 'Isadora Moon', starring a half-vampire/half-fairy little girl. I love vampires and fairies and both the darkness and pink sweetness of them respectively. A sweet tooth and a twisted mind, that's me! I've always considered myself as both a Goth-type loner and a friendly girly-girl. Why can't I like any "non-fitting" things, and just like whatever I want? An identity is your own; it is YOU who is unique. Appearances are deceiving.
Isadora's middle school experiences also made me reflect on mine, so long ago. What dreadful times.
Isadora Moon is optimistic yet nervous, and wild, determined, adorable, and sad. She's trying to find out who she is and where she belongs in the world, as a mixed-race child of night and day. Her trials and trains of thought reminded me much of my own when I was a schoolgirl.
The book teaches the vital, timeless moral that it is okay - no, that it is amazing and awesome! - to be different. Fun fact: EVERYBODY'S DIFFERENT! IT'S NOT A BAD THING AT ALL! WE ARE EACH AND EVERY ONE OF US LIKE THE STARS! Be happy as an individual. Give people a chance and get to know them before passing judgement. This makes 'Isadora Moon' comforting and life-affirming for children who are lonely and bullied, as well as nostalgic.
More cute: Isadora's baby sister is named Honeyblossom. Not cute: Pink Rabbit is kind of a pest.
Expect no violence or blood (there are plenty of tomatoes though) in this children's 4-chapter book featuring vampires.
'Isadora Moon Goes to School' - a twinkling, candyfloss charm.
Final Score: 4/5
I could relate to a lot about 'Isadora Moon', starring a half-vampire/half-fairy little girl. I love vampires and fairies and both the darkness and pink sweetness of them respectively. A sweet tooth and a twisted mind, that's me! I've always considered myself as both a Goth-type loner and a friendly girly-girl. Why can't I like any "non-fitting" things, and just like whatever I want? An identity is your own; it is YOU who is unique. Appearances are deceiving.
Isadora's middle school experiences also made me reflect on mine, so long ago. What dreadful times.
Isadora Moon is optimistic yet nervous, and wild, determined, adorable, and sad. She's trying to find out who she is and where she belongs in the world, as a mixed-race child of night and day. Her trials and trains of thought reminded me much of my own when I was a schoolgirl.
The book teaches the vital, timeless moral that it is okay - no, that it is amazing and awesome! - to be different. Fun fact: EVERYBODY'S DIFFERENT! IT'S NOT A BAD THING AT ALL! WE ARE EACH AND EVERY ONE OF US LIKE THE STARS! Be happy as an individual. Give people a chance and get to know them before passing judgement. This makes 'Isadora Moon' comforting and life-affirming for children who are lonely and bullied, as well as nostalgic.
More cute: Isadora's baby sister is named Honeyblossom. Not cute: Pink Rabbit is kind of a pest.
Expect no violence or blood (there are plenty of tomatoes though) in this children's 4-chapter book featuring vampires.
'Isadora Moon Goes to School' - a twinkling, candyfloss charm.
Final Score: 4/5
Book Review - 'How The Grinch Stole Christmas' by Dr. Seuss
2022 EDIT: Remains a Christmas classic. Goodness, Cindy Lou Who is so cute!
Final Score: 4/5
Original Review:
"His heart grew three sizes that day!"
A favourite Christmas story - 'How The Grinch Stole Christmas' is a classic, possibly my favourite Dr. Seuss book next to 'The Lorax'.
A childlike, mischievous 'A Christmas Carol', that's what 'How The Grinch Stole Christmas' is. There's so much creativity and spirit to it (could have been more colourful, though), and some of the best rhyming verses I've ever read. Adorableness - like with the tiny Cindy Lou Who - plays right alongside the cynicism and meanness; which are played for comedy, to be proven as misguided in the end.
“Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn't before! What if Christmas, he thought, doesn't come from a store. What if Christmas...perhaps...means a little bit more!”
An important message for all the family.
Final Score: 4/5
Final Score: 4/5
Original Review:
"His heart grew three sizes that day!"
A favourite Christmas story - 'How The Grinch Stole Christmas' is a classic, possibly my favourite Dr. Seuss book next to 'The Lorax'.
A childlike, mischievous 'A Christmas Carol', that's what 'How The Grinch Stole Christmas' is. There's so much creativity and spirit to it (could have been more colourful, though), and some of the best rhyming verses I've ever read. Adorableness - like with the tiny Cindy Lou Who - plays right alongside the cynicism and meanness; which are played for comedy, to be proven as misguided in the end.
“Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn't before! What if Christmas, he thought, doesn't come from a store. What if Christmas...perhaps...means a little bit more!”
An important message for all the family.
Final Score: 4/5
Wednesday 5 October 2016
Book Review - 'The Other Alice' by Michelle Harrison
2021 EDIT: 'The Other Alice' remains an explosively creative and gorgeously written fantasy book. The last few pages are rather rushed and abrupt, and there is some exoticism surrounding Romany people; in that they are depicted as being all about magical powers and curses. But I was enjoying myself too much whilst reading, and I couldn't bring myself to be largely bothered by it. It's a small issue in an otherwise completely enchanting, contemporary fairy tale.
It is more violent and grisly than I remember it, too. What a villain - a smart, self-aware, deliciously evil female teen serial killer! She's like the Joker of fantasy! How daring for children's lit! Each character is complex and sympathetic, or if not, then they are entertaining and memorable enough as is.
'The Other Alice' is a must for fantasy readers.
I'll never forget how the author praised my original review in a Goodreads comment, saying how much my words mean to her. What joy there is for writers and readers to have a positive and healthy relationship.
(Also, I could've easily finished the book in two days instead of three, but I was busy the other day with moving my bookshelves and other furniture in my room. I possess too much stuff!)
Final Score: 4/5
Original Review:
I was hooked from the first page, and 'The Other Alice' never let me go.
Oh how long has it been since a fantasy novel enchanted me? Made me want to start writing fantasy myself again?
'The Other Alice' has the "characters from fiction books come to life in the real world" premise that's rarely been done well, in my experience. Oh my goddesses, Michelle Harrison's expertly planned-out and wonderful children's book did it justice so, so well. I didn't like '13 Treasures', but 'The Other Alice' drove the sceptic out of me; Harrison can execute her ideas in a way that's not just clever in writing, but which succeeds in making me care about the characters and the perils they are in.
Here, the idea is about the unfinished stories of the world, and what happens if the characters of those stories want their ending, and demand it of their writer who's abandoned them or is suffering from writer's block. Or if the characters want to write their own destinies, uncontrolled by an author, who is like their god, planning their whole existence...
'The Neverending Story' is one of my favourites, and 'The Other Alice' reminded me of it, in that it really pulled me into the fantastical, atmospheric, storytelling-meta-based world the author created; exploring narratives, themes, character archetypes and plot devices typical of the fantasy genre. Dolls, talking cat familiars, fairy tale imagery, libraries, and the power of imagination, reading and writing - 'The Other Alice' is abundant with these magical gifts and more.
The 'Inkworld' books really set the stage for the concept of bringing fictional characters to life and seeing how they live in reality - pretty exciting stuff, and full of story and character potential. I mean, who wouldn't want to actually meet their favourite characters, or the characters they created themselves? But on the other hand, what happens when the villains of a story come to life as well? In fact, how would any character react and feel when they realise they are not real, just figments of someone else's imagination put on paper in ink? A fun wish-fulfilment premise can easily turn dangerous. This plot can be deconstructed in so many different ways, and explored so thoroughly; there are no limitations.
In my opinion, 'The Other Alice' achieves all of this beautifully, making up for the setbacks of the 'Inkworld' series, where a great idea cannot hide other flaws such as dry and unlikeable characters.
Another, more recent novel with a similar concept is 'The Untold Tale' by J. M. Frey. But this time it's in reverse: Where a contemporary reader and fan of a fantasy book series is transported into that same world. The book intends to bring light to and deconstruct the problematic tropes of the fantasy genre, by contrasting them with real life subjects and issues. I was loving and praising it - at first. However, the ending of 'The Untold Tale' - the last 90 pages - completely botches everything it had been trying to do, and is an utter insult which makes me angrier the more I think about it. All that hype, all that promise; needless to say, I was heartbroken.
Thankfully, 'The Other Alice' didn't disappoint me, even as I was expecting it to towards its end. I grew more fascinated as I read it, but I kept my guard up, staying cautious, and was careful not to pass judgement until I had finished it. And while the ending is rather rushed - burnt out by its substantial build-up to great potential - the charm is never lost.
I could go on until twilight talking about the characters; such as the ardent, brilliant teenage writer Alice Silver who possesses unlimited bouts of imagination; her eleven-year-old brother Midge who is the narrator of the book and with whom Alice shares her stories; Tabitha the sarcastic, lazy, tea-loving talking black cat; and the deliciously evil serial killer Dorothy Grimes, created from Alice's worst fears (obsessively writing and no longer being able to differentiate fiction and reality anymore).
Another thing to adore about 'The Other Alice' is it doesn't talk down to its readers. Aside from the darker elements, the narrative structure is complex and multi-layered, like when it's telling stories within a story, containing a variety of themes concerning free will, wish-fulfilment, how much we can really know a person and their mentality, one's place in existence, and family.
I can picture 'The Other Alice' being adapted for the big screen: A children's fantasy film layering in psychological components, set pieces and subtexts, with thrilling action sequences and emotional, human touches throughout.
I only wish it could have been longer so that it goes further with its ideas (it could in a movie), instead we get a slow build-up and an abrupt ending. But that isn't necessarily a bad thing, for it demonstrates how no story truly ends, as long as we keep reading them and connecting to the characters in their external and internal journeys, spiritually.
'The Other Alice', if nothing else, taught me to keep on reading and writing. The imagination is a powerful tool, exciting and important and inspirational, or dangerous, depending on how it is used. Right up there on the bookshelf with 'Harry Potter', 'The Neverending Story' and 'Daughter of Smoke and Bone', this other story about an Alice character is what I read fantasy for. It is what I read books for.
Enchanting.
Final Score: 4/5
It is more violent and grisly than I remember it, too. What a villain - a smart, self-aware, deliciously evil female teen serial killer! She's like the Joker of fantasy! How daring for children's lit! Each character is complex and sympathetic, or if not, then they are entertaining and memorable enough as is.
'The Other Alice' is a must for fantasy readers.
I'll never forget how the author praised my original review in a Goodreads comment, saying how much my words mean to her. What joy there is for writers and readers to have a positive and healthy relationship.
(Also, I could've easily finished the book in two days instead of three, but I was busy the other day with moving my bookshelves and other furniture in my room. I possess too much stuff!)
Final Score: 4/5
Original Review:
I was hooked from the first page, and 'The Other Alice' never let me go.
Oh how long has it been since a fantasy novel enchanted me? Made me want to start writing fantasy myself again?
'The Other Alice' has the "characters from fiction books come to life in the real world" premise that's rarely been done well, in my experience. Oh my goddesses, Michelle Harrison's expertly planned-out and wonderful children's book did it justice so, so well. I didn't like '13 Treasures', but 'The Other Alice' drove the sceptic out of me; Harrison can execute her ideas in a way that's not just clever in writing, but which succeeds in making me care about the characters and the perils they are in.
Here, the idea is about the unfinished stories of the world, and what happens if the characters of those stories want their ending, and demand it of their writer who's abandoned them or is suffering from writer's block. Or if the characters want to write their own destinies, uncontrolled by an author, who is like their god, planning their whole existence...
'The Neverending Story' is one of my favourites, and 'The Other Alice' reminded me of it, in that it really pulled me into the fantastical, atmospheric, storytelling-meta-based world the author created; exploring narratives, themes, character archetypes and plot devices typical of the fantasy genre. Dolls, talking cat familiars, fairy tale imagery, libraries, and the power of imagination, reading and writing - 'The Other Alice' is abundant with these magical gifts and more.
The 'Inkworld' books really set the stage for the concept of bringing fictional characters to life and seeing how they live in reality - pretty exciting stuff, and full of story and character potential. I mean, who wouldn't want to actually meet their favourite characters, or the characters they created themselves? But on the other hand, what happens when the villains of a story come to life as well? In fact, how would any character react and feel when they realise they are not real, just figments of someone else's imagination put on paper in ink? A fun wish-fulfilment premise can easily turn dangerous. This plot can be deconstructed in so many different ways, and explored so thoroughly; there are no limitations.
In my opinion, 'The Other Alice' achieves all of this beautifully, making up for the setbacks of the 'Inkworld' series, where a great idea cannot hide other flaws such as dry and unlikeable characters.
Another, more recent novel with a similar concept is 'The Untold Tale' by J. M. Frey. But this time it's in reverse: Where a contemporary reader and fan of a fantasy book series is transported into that same world. The book intends to bring light to and deconstruct the problematic tropes of the fantasy genre, by contrasting them with real life subjects and issues. I was loving and praising it - at first. However, the ending of 'The Untold Tale' - the last 90 pages - completely botches everything it had been trying to do, and is an utter insult which makes me angrier the more I think about it. All that hype, all that promise; needless to say, I was heartbroken.
Thankfully, 'The Other Alice' didn't disappoint me, even as I was expecting it to towards its end. I grew more fascinated as I read it, but I kept my guard up, staying cautious, and was careful not to pass judgement until I had finished it. And while the ending is rather rushed - burnt out by its substantial build-up to great potential - the charm is never lost.
I could go on until twilight talking about the characters; such as the ardent, brilliant teenage writer Alice Silver who possesses unlimited bouts of imagination; her eleven-year-old brother Midge who is the narrator of the book and with whom Alice shares her stories; Tabitha the sarcastic, lazy, tea-loving talking black cat; and the deliciously evil serial killer Dorothy Grimes, created from Alice's worst fears (obsessively writing and no longer being able to differentiate fiction and reality anymore).
Another thing to adore about 'The Other Alice' is it doesn't talk down to its readers. Aside from the darker elements, the narrative structure is complex and multi-layered, like when it's telling stories within a story, containing a variety of themes concerning free will, wish-fulfilment, how much we can really know a person and their mentality, one's place in existence, and family.
I can picture 'The Other Alice' being adapted for the big screen: A children's fantasy film layering in psychological components, set pieces and subtexts, with thrilling action sequences and emotional, human touches throughout.
I only wish it could have been longer so that it goes further with its ideas (it could in a movie), instead we get a slow build-up and an abrupt ending. But that isn't necessarily a bad thing, for it demonstrates how no story truly ends, as long as we keep reading them and connecting to the characters in their external and internal journeys, spiritually.
'The Other Alice', if nothing else, taught me to keep on reading and writing. The imagination is a powerful tool, exciting and important and inspirational, or dangerous, depending on how it is used. Right up there on the bookshelf with 'Harry Potter', 'The Neverending Story' and 'Daughter of Smoke and Bone', this other story about an Alice character is what I read fantasy for. It is what I read books for.
Enchanting.
Final Score: 4/5
Graphic Novel Review - 'Wonder Woman: The True Amazon' by Jill Thompson
At last, a 'Wonder Woman' graphic novel rated five stars by me, happy and utterly satisfied.
Even with my still-partial reading experience of the seventy-five years of 'Wonder Woman' comics, I can say, in my humble opinion, that 'Wonder Woman: The True Amazon' is the best re-imagining of the character and her origin.
I can finally get the taste of Brian Azzarello's trite, regressive, misogynistic New 52 retcon of the famous superheroine's unique origin (where she's just another of Zeus's bastard children, and the Amazons are man-hating rapists) out of my mouth for good. J. Michael Straczynski's alternate universe take on her - 'Odyssey' - isn't bad, just confusing and unable to stand as its own thing. I don't need to read Grant Morrison's 'Earth One' origin of Wonder Woman; the negative reviews and the pages I've seen are enough to make me avoid it like the plague. And I've yet to read Greg Rucka's run in her 'Rebirth' title, and Renae De Liz's 'The Legend of Wonder Woman', so no comment there.
Jill Thompson's 'The True Amazon' is exactly what I've been looking for in terms of a truly unique, modern twist on Wonder Woman's origin, whilst staying respectful to her history and what she stands for: As an icon, a princess, an Amazon warrior, a sister to her fellow Amazons. Mostly, it's about Diana as a hero, and how she got there.
In 'The True Amazon', we see young Diana, princess of the Amazons, as we're not used to seeing her. As Queen Hippolyta's gift from the gods (their tears, specifically, brought on by the queen singing a lullaby to her sand baby by the sea), Diana has been spoilt by everyone on Themyscira her whole life. With no one to challenge her and tell her no, she grows up to be vain, selfish, cruel, and more than a little aggressive, impulsive and violent.
This origin is about how Diana made a terrible mistake - dooming her illustrious homeland and possibly the entire world, due to her own selfishness and competitiveness. Her path to becoming Wonder Woman is one of redemption. She will prove that she cares for her Amazonian sisters more than anything, by setting out to be truly worthy of them, and she will spread their message of kindness and compassion, and also her love - born from a dark place - throughout man's world.
That is her motive. There is no Steve Trevor here. For that matter there are zero men present (except in the prologue explaining how the Amazons came to live on Themyscira, and built their culture of peace). Only how Princess Diana came to honour and respect the values she is famously known for in the first place. She once took everything for granted; thought she could get away with whatever she wanted. Wonder Woman was FLAWED, deeply so, in understandable circumstances; and she rises from the bottom - from her self-made suffering - towards the top. In the meantime she can never return to her beloved Paradise Island until she has made up for all the tragedy she has caused in her recklessness.
She will learn and grow, like a true hero. A true Amazon.
In this graphic novel, this tale, this labour of love and work of art, there is a great focus on Diana and her relationships with the other Amazons; not just with her mother Hippolyta, which is incredibly touching and wrought with symbolism, but also Alethea, the only Amazonian who isn't besotted with Diana. She ignores her, which confuses and frustrates the ever-so "charming" and adventurous Diana (she found her bracelets and lasso of truth in the island's depths, guarded by monsters, adding to her arrogance), but also intrigues her. Alethea the seemingly-simple stable hand values compassion and honesty, and believes that respect and trust - vital for a mutual friendship - must be earned, not bought, or come from a place of privilege.
Diana becomes obsessed with wanting Alethea's favour, and makes it her goal to be the stable woman's champion, no matter the cost...
Alethea ends up being the true Amazon whom the future Wonder Woman will model herself after. Their relationship is important and complex, heavily implying that Diana's feelings for her indifferent Amazonian sister go beyond merely platonic. Thus supporting Wonder Woman's long-debated queerness, with, again, no man in sight!
Female bonds are spotlighted in this comic, with nearly every single page passing the Bechdel test. And I cheered at the end when, out of all the other bereaved Amazons, who want revenge on Diana for all the damage she's caused, the "simple-minded" Lucia, also an oracle, shouts for mercy on the princess's part, arguing that even more violence will solve nothing. Wonder Woman's messages, coming from her status as a feminist icon and hero, are sprinkled throughout 'The True Amazon', and I love it.
Penned, drawn and painted by Jill Thompson herself, the hard work gone into creating every aspect of this comic - this story - shows on all its panels. The humans and their facial expressions - all their muscles - come to life. I don't think it looks ugly, for these are meant to be real women.
While the book isn't perfect - the slightly-garish stylistic choice of artwork probably isn't what a lot of comic readers are used to from DC, and Diana knew she could fly since childhood but this god-given gift is not brought up again in adulthood when it could have been useful, plus what's a crystal dagger doing here? - 'The True Amazon' is a treat I would recommend to any Wonder Woman fan.
A "re-imagining" done right, and I didn't think that was possible before.
Final Score: 5/5
EDIT: I finally read Renae De Liz's 'The Legend of Wonder Woman Vol. 1: Origins', and it is great. Review here: http://artemiscrescent-fantasyfeminist.blogspot.co.uk/2017/01/graphic-novel-review-legend-of-wonder.html
EDIT 2: Also read Greg Rucka's 'Wonder Woman: Rebirth' title, the first volume. It's also good. Review here: http://artemiscrescent-fantasyfeminist.blogspot.co.uk/2017/02/graphic-novel-review-wonder-woman.html
Even with my still-partial reading experience of the seventy-five years of 'Wonder Woman' comics, I can say, in my humble opinion, that 'Wonder Woman: The True Amazon' is the best re-imagining of the character and her origin.
I can finally get the taste of Brian Azzarello's trite, regressive, misogynistic New 52 retcon of the famous superheroine's unique origin (where she's just another of Zeus's bastard children, and the Amazons are man-hating rapists) out of my mouth for good. J. Michael Straczynski's alternate universe take on her - 'Odyssey' - isn't bad, just confusing and unable to stand as its own thing. I don't need to read Grant Morrison's 'Earth One' origin of Wonder Woman; the negative reviews and the pages I've seen are enough to make me avoid it like the plague. And I've yet to read Greg Rucka's run in her 'Rebirth' title, and Renae De Liz's 'The Legend of Wonder Woman', so no comment there.
Jill Thompson's 'The True Amazon' is exactly what I've been looking for in terms of a truly unique, modern twist on Wonder Woman's origin, whilst staying respectful to her history and what she stands for: As an icon, a princess, an Amazon warrior, a sister to her fellow Amazons. Mostly, it's about Diana as a hero, and how she got there.
In 'The True Amazon', we see young Diana, princess of the Amazons, as we're not used to seeing her. As Queen Hippolyta's gift from the gods (their tears, specifically, brought on by the queen singing a lullaby to her sand baby by the sea), Diana has been spoilt by everyone on Themyscira her whole life. With no one to challenge her and tell her no, she grows up to be vain, selfish, cruel, and more than a little aggressive, impulsive and violent.
This origin is about how Diana made a terrible mistake - dooming her illustrious homeland and possibly the entire world, due to her own selfishness and competitiveness. Her path to becoming Wonder Woman is one of redemption. She will prove that she cares for her Amazonian sisters more than anything, by setting out to be truly worthy of them, and she will spread their message of kindness and compassion, and also her love - born from a dark place - throughout man's world.
That is her motive. There is no Steve Trevor here. For that matter there are zero men present (except in the prologue explaining how the Amazons came to live on Themyscira, and built their culture of peace). Only how Princess Diana came to honour and respect the values she is famously known for in the first place. She once took everything for granted; thought she could get away with whatever she wanted. Wonder Woman was FLAWED, deeply so, in understandable circumstances; and she rises from the bottom - from her self-made suffering - towards the top. In the meantime she can never return to her beloved Paradise Island until she has made up for all the tragedy she has caused in her recklessness.
She will learn and grow, like a true hero. A true Amazon.
In this graphic novel, this tale, this labour of love and work of art, there is a great focus on Diana and her relationships with the other Amazons; not just with her mother Hippolyta, which is incredibly touching and wrought with symbolism, but also Alethea, the only Amazonian who isn't besotted with Diana. She ignores her, which confuses and frustrates the ever-so "charming" and adventurous Diana (she found her bracelets and lasso of truth in the island's depths, guarded by monsters, adding to her arrogance), but also intrigues her. Alethea the seemingly-simple stable hand values compassion and honesty, and believes that respect and trust - vital for a mutual friendship - must be earned, not bought, or come from a place of privilege.
Diana becomes obsessed with wanting Alethea's favour, and makes it her goal to be the stable woman's champion, no matter the cost...
Alethea ends up being the true Amazon whom the future Wonder Woman will model herself after. Their relationship is important and complex, heavily implying that Diana's feelings for her indifferent Amazonian sister go beyond merely platonic. Thus supporting Wonder Woman's long-debated queerness, with, again, no man in sight!
Female bonds are spotlighted in this comic, with nearly every single page passing the Bechdel test. And I cheered at the end when, out of all the other bereaved Amazons, who want revenge on Diana for all the damage she's caused, the "simple-minded" Lucia, also an oracle, shouts for mercy on the princess's part, arguing that even more violence will solve nothing. Wonder Woman's messages, coming from her status as a feminist icon and hero, are sprinkled throughout 'The True Amazon', and I love it.
Penned, drawn and painted by Jill Thompson herself, the hard work gone into creating every aspect of this comic - this story - shows on all its panels. The humans and their facial expressions - all their muscles - come to life. I don't think it looks ugly, for these are meant to be real women.
While the book isn't perfect - the slightly-garish stylistic choice of artwork probably isn't what a lot of comic readers are used to from DC, and Diana knew she could fly since childhood but this god-given gift is not brought up again in adulthood when it could have been useful, plus what's a crystal dagger doing here? - 'The True Amazon' is a treat I would recommend to any Wonder Woman fan.
A "re-imagining" done right, and I didn't think that was possible before.
Final Score: 5/5
EDIT: I finally read Renae De Liz's 'The Legend of Wonder Woman Vol. 1: Origins', and it is great. Review here: http://artemiscrescent-fantasyfeminist.blogspot.co.uk/2017/01/graphic-novel-review-legend-of-wonder.html
EDIT 2: Also read Greg Rucka's 'Wonder Woman: Rebirth' title, the first volume. It's also good. Review here: http://artemiscrescent-fantasyfeminist.blogspot.co.uk/2017/02/graphic-novel-review-wonder-woman.html
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