Hey folks, Harry here with Lizzybeth's amazing BOOKS FROM THE BACK SHELF column... what a champ she is... Can you imagine the coolness vibes that she radiates? Anyone, male or female that digs on Transmetropolitan is a cool person... Click here to go to Amazing Mutant Fanboy and The Sexiest Man In Comics' Column! Read on....
AICN readers, I m going to start off with a complaint. Being the smaller demographic on this site and in comic book readership in general, I want to take this opportunity to talk a little about Women in Comics. I ll try to keep the soapbox safely stashed away, but there s an observance that I just have to make.
What bothers me about women in comics? Is it the lack of strong female characters? Actually, that s improving. Is it the tight costumes? Well, there s no point in complaining about that, especially when the men are usually dressed just as ridiculously. What s really annoying is the fact that about 90% of comics artists out there can t draw women. At all. When you see a woman in a comic book, they look nothing like a woman in real life. Of course, noone buys comics (or watches TV or movies for that matter) to see regular people, they want to see Beautiful People. I understand that. But if would be nice if the comics artists could draw women with some appreciation for, say, anatomy and gravity. You don t draw a woman by taking a man s body and adding breasts, and in any other industry that would be unacceptable hack work. But in this one, it s the norm! Looking at these images, you d think these guys had never seen a real woman in their entire lives.
Take a look at your average comic book woman. Grab your nearest superhero book, and take a look at your female superhero. Let s call her BOOBGIRL. Check out that waist! What happened to her hip bones? No wonder she has to lean over in that ridiculous pose, she can t stand up properly! Where do her insides go? That s how she stays so thin, she has no lower digestive tract. And yet, her legs are humongous, and so are her shoulders. That chest is broad enough for a man, but obviously equipped for a woman. The musculature is all wrong, even for a female body-builder, and yet she would need much bigger arms to do all the hitting and acrobat stuff that she s doing. How does her costume stay up? Enough picking on the superheros, non-superhero books are just as guilty, particularly some of the fantasy titles. I suppose the women could have magical powers that allow them to swing swords without their huge breasts getting in the way, but it still looks stupid. Even some of the relatio nshippy books or slice-of-life titles fall into the same trap. Books with simpler art signify a woman in the same way - draw a man with boobs and redder lips. The fact is, superheros are the standard and that s what most comic artists have to look to if they want to publish their book. The standard is crap.
Fantasy women on comic book covers don t convince me to buy titles any more than Victoria s Secret commercials convince me to buy underwear. Neither one is really aimed at me. And while you may not care what I think, there is a much larger problem. The worst part is, there are a lot of people out there who will never touch a comic book because this is the image they see. When I walk into certain comic book shops, that have books like Chaos comics and some of the superhero books placed prominently, I feel like I m walking into a porn store. Someone who buys neither comics nor porn, brought into such a store, would turn around and walk right back out. Right now, as the comics industry is shrinking exponentially, we need those people more than ever.
There are ways to draw sexy, attractive women in at least a more plausible style. Take any of the girls from David Mack s Kabuki. Mack uses models for his art, and it shows. He does have elaborate costumes for them to wear, but some actual thought has been put into their making, so that they are efficient for battle along with the aesthetic aspect. The women move in a way that is natural and not contorted, their bodies have real shape and definition as well as room for internal organs. And they re incredibly sexy (or so I am told) while still looking like actual women. There are other attractive female body parts besides the breasts, such as the back, the neck, the hips, the lips.. we have lots of other features, so why don t comic artists draw them? David Mack does, but where are the others? And how about artists who can draw a few good men? I ll admit, the men often are just as bad, with their insane musculature. Where are the artists who know how to more than just killer! robots and big guns? They re out there, but sadly, they are not the industry standard. And as long as this is the image that comics are pushing as representative of what s inside, comics are not going to gain new readers. They may not even maintain the ones they have. The comics studios should be looking for artists who know how to draw people, and convincing their present artists to take a life drawing class for crissakes. They are getting paid for this stuff, they should be learning their craft. We need better standards, not lower ones.
I m getting harsh again, so I m going to pass this off to Talkback. I ll be interested to read what you have to say. Now, to the books for this week:
STRANGERS IN PARADISE #41. TERRY MOORE, WRITER AND ARTIST. ABSTRACT STUDIOS.
Terry Moore is one of the artists that *can* draw women. He can draw women, and men, of all shapes and sizes, and make them all attractive and appealing. In many comic books you can t tell which character is which without a costume or a ridiculous hairstyle to help you. No such problem here. Moore s characters have specific facial features, postures, even styles of hair and dress, to make each one distinctive. The comic is set in a more realistic world than most, but Moore isn t afraid to use flights of fantasy, caricatures, interesting panel layouts, and other artistic devices to tell his story.
The overall plot of SIP can t really be summed up in a few sentences, but I ll give it a try. The main thrust is a love triangle, that goes something like this: David loves Katchoo. Katchoo may or may not love him back. Katchoo definitely loves Francine. Francine may or may not love Katchoo back, but she thus far considers herself completely straight and therefore unable to romantically be with Katchoo. She may or may not be in love with David. Then all the other characters come in: Freddie, Francine s former boyfriend who still has feelings for her (in his weird way). Casey, Freddie s ex-wife, who probably still loves Freddie and currently has a crush on David. Darcy, ruthless mob boss, who may have had an incestuous relationship with her younger brother David, and seems to also have been in love with Katchoo. And so on. Forgive the third-grade description of who-loves-who, it leaves out all the levels of emotion and conflict that resonate through this book. It s not a "chi! ck book", but it is a relationship book. SIP is about relationships of all kinds, between friends, lovers, and family. All the other storylines, the mob conflicts that come up every so often, Katchoo s continuing personal dramas, the harrowing plane crash, all are icing on the cake. Very good icing, but still, not as important.
Whether we re reading an action sequence or a mere conversation, Terry Moore shows a ear for dialogue and a real gift for facial expressions. The words sound like something real people you know would say, and still presented in a way that s almost poetic. But the characters don t even have to say a word for the reader to know what they re thinking, so vivid are the renderings of their expressions. They re not posing, like a store window dummy or a fashion model. Their positioning is natural and comfortable, and their body language registers surprisingly well. One of my favorite things about Moore s art is how willing he is to make his characters look *bad.* They are allowed to become hysterical, overjoyed, enraged. People don t look pretty when they re angry, the way most artists portray them. There s no nobility in petty jealousy and flares of temper most people look downright ugly when they re ranting and raving, and Moore captures that. Some of Darcy, Veronica, or even ! Katchoo s expressions when they really lose it are frightening. But when they are happy, they look like a whole new person, sometimes within a few panels. It can be chilling, especially with the more unbalanced characters that have been introduced in the SIPverse.
Another of Moore s real gifts is bringing a background character to the forefront, fleshing them out in a way that still fits with what we knew of them before. Every character in the SIPverse has hidden depths to explore. Francine s mother, for example, first appeared as comic relief in one of the funniest installments of the run, dropping in on Katchoo and Francine with her yappy dog and Francie s inebriated uncle. Since then, she s remained the overbearing nag but has proven to also be compassionate and giving. Even Freddie, the male chauvinist punching bag of the series, has been showcased in #39 s surprisingly touching "You re a Loser, Freddie Femurs!" This time around, we get about half the book alone with Casey, who has been slowly developing into one of my favorite characters. Sure, she s a ditz, and incredibly shallow and vain, and way too gullible, and.. what was I saying? Yes. She has one quality that the main characters lack: she s straightforward and honest. Davi! d, Francine, and Katchoo are champions of beating-around-the-bush, and have spent most of the series not saying things that need to be said. Casey, on the other hand, says what she feels, even if it makes her look stupid. She ll pursue David, even though he s obviously devoted to Katchoo, because David is what she wants and she s not afraid to tell him so. In this book, it s refreshing to have someone so willing to put themselves on the line for something other than money or pride. In this issue, she s taking a plane to try to meet up with David but ends up making a date with the guy in the seat next to her. It s all pretty inconsequential flirtage, but it s nice to see Casey find a good guy, as Joe seems to be, and I m interested to see where this goes.
The other good thing about issue #41 is Francine s conversation with the local preacher, who her mother has cajoled into coming over and talking Francine into marrying her fiance instead of running away to find Katchoo. This conversation is long overdue. In a book portraying both gay and Christian characters, the whole "abomination against the lord" issue has really been danced around. Finally someone is coming out (sorry) and saying something about it. What s more, the preacher talking to Francine isn t portrayed as a total jerk, just genuinely uncomfortable with the whole idea. Francine gets to respond to him and have a real conversation about homosexuality, which is quite possibly a first of some sort in comic-dom. While Francine talks a good talk here, Reverend Biddle actually makes a good point. Francine s making a lot of assumptions about marriage. She is angry, really angry at her fiance for something that he hasn t even done yet. We already know that her marriage to Brad is doomed, but now we are finding out why. A lot of it has to do with Francine s screwed up ideas about men and relationships, which are more obvious than ever in this issue. Since we know more about Francine s background than reverend guy does, we know where this is coming from. Why she thinks she would be better off with Katchoo is beyond me, since the girl is even more self-centered and petty than the men in Francie s life, and has a terrible temper to boot. Meanwhile, Katchoo and David are offscreen, so presumably Katchoo is still being a bitch and David is still being a martyr.
I have a couple quibbles with this issue (what s up with Francine s appearing/disappearing hair streak?) but it s not important. Even when I m not too happy with what the characters are doing, I m still satisfied, overall, with the book. The art quality is almost always golden, and there s enough of both humor and drama to keep you hooked on the title. This is one of the best books on the market, for anyone interested in reading about complicated real world people in complicated situations.
Issue #40 of SIP is meant to be a reintroduction to the characters, and both that issue and the current one are easy to follow as a new reader. But FYI: SIP has gone through three separate series, at three different studios. The initial 3-part miniseries came out through Antarctic Press, and is collected in the Strangers In Paradise TPB. The series then restarted at Abstract Studios, and ran for 13 issues which are collected in the I Dream Of You and It s a Good Life TPBs. The series restarted once again at Image, and ran there for a few color (!) issues before returning to Abstract Studios. Love Me Tender covers the Image period, and all the other TPBs cover the issues following in the third series. If you re looking to start reading SIP, I do advocate starting at the beginning. If you just want to try out a TPB to see if you want to start collecting the book, my two picks are I Dream of You (my personal favorite) and the High School TPB. I Dream of You covers the death of !
a prominent character, the first mob storyline, and my favorite cliffhanger (the one that ends with "RUN FRANCINE, RUN!!"). High School collects issues 30-33 of the third series, but chronologically it comes first and is a good introduction to Katchoo and Francine. You can get any of the titles at your local store, or order them through the SIPstore at
StrangersInParadise
TRANSMETROPOLITAN #46. WARREN ELLIS, WRITER. DARICK ROBERTSON, ARTIST. VERTIGO (DC COMICS).
And now for something completely different.
TRANSMETROPOLITAN follows a wacked out writer/journalist named Spider Jerusalem, who is indeed very Hunter S. Thomspon-esque, as he returns to The City (a gigantic metropolis in an undisclosed American location) to fulfill his contract three books, then he can go back to the Mountain where people can t piss him off. He takes up a column called "I Hate it Here" (now defunct) for the City paper The Word, which makes him immensely and uncomfortably popular. The book takes place in a future that s near enough to the present to be recognizable but far enough away to be completely insane. The future depicted by Transmet isn t necessarily a distopia, but not a utopia either. In fact, the Transmet world is fucked up in the same way that our world is fucked up, meaning that it s full of idiots, charlatans, corrupt cops, rich demagogues, and desperate subcultures. Cancer is now not only cureable but preventable with one easy pill (allowing Spider to chain-smoke constantly) and death! is almost completely avoidable if one can afford it. And yet, with enough technology to occupy Mars and perfect robotics, the oldest profession is still in full force and illegal enough to be dangerously unsanitary, and the homeless still occupy the streets and abandoned buildings. Transmet is in a constant state of future-shock, since technology is advancing at such a rate that the future is constantly replacing the present and rapidly becoming past. But still, it seems that the more things change, the more they stay just as crazy and stupid as the 21st century has been so far. The politicians are still talking about nothing. Cultures are still clashing. There s still nothing on TV.
TRANSMETROPOLITAN was created by Warren Ellis (of PLANETARY and THE AUTHORITY, two excellent superhero interpretations) and Darick Robertson (briefly of JLA and his own book SPACE BEAVER), who have written and illustrated the title throughout the run. This must be a very theraputic, exorcising of demons kind of project, since Transmet is just dripping with hate. Through Spider Jerusalem, their tattoed, swearing, drug using, monkey-brain eating, antisocial semi-psychopath, these guys can take out their agressions on everything in sight. Take one of my favorite quotes thus far: "Right now, there is a new religion invested in the City every thirty-five minutes. And yet, strangely, flame throwers are still illegal. There is no balance in this place." The accompanying image is of Spider dressed in semi-viking garb, with a "give Jesus back to the martians" sign taped to his stomach, preparing to literally get midevil on a crowd of nuts inflicting religion on passers by. The book a! n equal opportunity offender, attacking pretty much everything in sight, so you re bound to be offended at some point. If you re the type that can t laugh that sort of thing off, Transmet is definitely not for you. If you are the type that can handle the level of offensiveness in this title, you ll find it brutally funny and sort of vindicating. I never miss an issue.
I wish there really was a Spider Jerusalem. I want there to be journalist heroes who fight for the little guy, or at least against the pricks in charge. A guy who pisses off everybody in sight and gets them all riled up, actually coercing people into doing something for once. A writer wading out in the shit and actually making a difference of some sort, now there s a superhero, to me. Hey, Spider may be a vulgar child-kicking bastard, and as he s proud to point out he s not a very nice guy. But he cares. He cares whether the transients get beaten to death by the riot squad, not because he likes them since he actually thinks they re idiots, but because it s not right. He ll fight to get the right guy in office, and if it turns out he s not the right guy, he ll fight to get him out. He ll as soon shoot you with a bowel disrupter as look at you, but if you ve been screwed over he s the one to tell about it. That s what makes him a great character, that mix of bile, disgusting h! abits, general distaste for humanity, and sense of justice.
TRANSMETROPOLITAN #46 involves a revelation that has been hinted at for quite awhile, explaining the reason for Spider Jerusalem s recent blackouts. It picks up immediately after #45, with Spider unconscious and pissed-off about it. As usual, Warren Ellis and Darick Robertson handle this turn of events with humor and style, and remain true to the characters in a story that could have been a clichi. After we get a look at Spider s version of hell ("I get to just sit here for all eternity. With no cigarettes. With nothing happening and no one to talk to and nothing to write about, or on.") he wakes up in Yelena s house, yelling "Drugs are good for me!" and not looking too well. The issue is a stunner but not entirely surprising. Anyone who lives the way Spider does is not bound for a healthy life.
Notice, on the last page, that our smiley face logo now has a clock-face.
TRANSMETROPOLITAN is one book that I absolutely think reads better in TPB form. The easiest way to get started is to pick up "Back on the Street" and keep reading trades until you re caught up. Another way to get a taste of the book is to try one of the Transmet specials, of which there are two: "I Hate it Here" and "Filth of the City". They contain a series of short excerpts from Spider Jerusalem s column in The Word, each piece illustrated by a different artist. It s very well done and a good way to get a look at the general attitude of the book.
Click Here for Part 2 of Lizzybeth's Column!!!
