Archive for the Western Comic/Comix Category


Live-Action: Blue is the Warmest Color (La Vie Adèle)

August 5th, 2018

In 2013, the Palme d’Or, the highest award at Cannes, went to a movie adaptation of Julie Maroh’s comic, Le Bleu est une couleur chaude. That year I was able to review the English-language edition of the graphic novel, Blue is the Warmest Color. It was an uncomfortable read, but for all the right reasons.

This summer, as part of my unusually high consumption of LGBTQ non-print media, I’ve watched several gay movies, including Call Me By Your Name and Love, Simon and the live-action television adaptation of Tagame-sensei’s Otouto no Otto (My Brother’s Husband) , I thought it only fair that I finally make some time to watch the movie Blue is the Warmest Color.

I rented this movie on Amazon Prime Video, but it is also available on DVD, if you prefer a hard copy.

The movie is just under three hours long. The best thing about it is the acting. Both Adèle Exarchopoulos (Adèle) and Léa Seydoux (Emma) do a fine job of making stone soup out of a mostly empty plot. 

Where the comic was nuanced look at Clementine’s spiral into drugs and death, the movie is a very conventional “girl realizes she’s gay” story. Adèle is a typical high school student. Her friends are obsessed with boys and sex and she isn’t. She tries to care about the attractive classmate who wants her, but realizes she’s faking it. When she sees Emma, she finds herself interested and when she meets her, even more so. Emma and Adèle become involved, they move in together and, ultimately after some years, they break up.  As the movie ends, Adèle has become a school teacher and she seeks Emma out once more to talk, hoping, somewhat pointlessly, to get back together. 

All of this would be satisfactory to me but for the director’s specific foibles.  Abdellatif Kechiche, the director, has some serious issues about mouths. Clearly this director wants to be *in* the mucus cavities as things go on. There are many extended, close-up eating scenes, including 3 scenes of eating spaghetti in red sauce. The first one was weird, the second one was gross, by the third one, I just felt like I was being forced to deal with the director’s fetish. All kissing and sex scenes were likewise extended and focused on oral activity.  

What was a fraught tale of dysfunction and emotional pain becomes a nice, slightly bourgeois, weepy romance, with some lesbian pulp moments.

IF you are looking for a lesbian romance with explicit sex, with good acting filling in the many spaces between the dialogue, this is a good movie. If you were looking for an adaptation with any reference to the source comic, this is not it. Adèle is not the comic’s Clem, this Emma is not Maroh’s manipulative Emma.

Ratings:

Acting – 10
Characters – 8 They were all too likable
Story – 7
Cinematography – 1 This movie is a brutal waste of the medium of film. It could have been filmed on a cell phone for all these closeups. No need to take up a movie screen.
Lesbian – 10

Overall – 7 I was hoping for more drug despair, not breakup despair.

Where the comic is about two people who were extremely bad together, this movie is about a woman who met the love of her life and lost her for no particular reason, just because that’s how it goes sometimes. 





Western Comix: HOW THE BEST HUNTER IN THE VILLAGE MET HER DEATH

May 23rd, 2018

If you’re a regular reader here on Okazu, you are familiar with the name Molly Ostertag. I’ve been a fan of her work since 2013, when I encountered her and her work at MoCCA. Since then, I’ve had the pleasure of backing and reading her masterwork Strong Female Protagonist, Volume 1 and Volume 2.

HOW THE BEST HUNTER IN THE VILLAGE MET HER DEATH is a little allegorical tale about facing one’s darkest fears in secret and accepting the truth of one’s self in the light. It’s also a modern fantasy in the style of Ovid’s Metamorphosis, in which need for/desire to change is expressed as physical transformation.

It’s a tale about obsession and how that can lead to negative consequences…or positive, if the truth is faced. And, it’s a tale about love.

This comic is simply told in first-person narrative and simply drawn, in black, grey and white with splashes of red for emphasis. It’s a tale that will resonate with most folks who have come through their own dark forests and transformed into their true selves. 

The link above leads to the ebook, but I think the physical book would make a great gift for a young queer friend who wasn’t yet sure of themselves or was unsure if there’d be a place at all for them in the world. It’s s lovely little book that will also make great stocking stuffers and secret santa presents. ^_^

Ratings:

Overall – 8

For your own piece of Molly Ostertag‘s journey (and possibly your own,) HOW THE BEST HUNTER IN THE VILLAGE MET HER DEATH, is a worthy investment.





Western Comic: Mean Girls Club Pink Dawn

April 22nd, 2018

Sometimes, for no reason, the universe conspires to make a really amazing comic book show up on my front step.  One day, recently, I came home to a package that contained Mean Girls Club: Pink Dawn by Ryan Heshka. It is a really amazing comic book.

You may recall that in 2016, I had the pleasure of reviewing the original Mean Girls Club comic and I absolutely loved it. Blackie and Pinkie and Wendy and Wanda, Sweets and McQuaalude vandalized and fought and partied their way into my heart. 

But now, the coppers are on to them and Mayor Schlomo want those bitches out of his town. Assisted by the creepy priest and corrupt sister that are preaching away the play for the girls of the town, the Mean Girls Club is facing their greatest challenge. The Mayor extorts mechanic Roxy to spy on them until she realizes that she’s being double-crossed and joins the Mean Girls Club for real. This synopsis doesn’t do justice to the gonzo antics, the violence, the drugs, drinking, death destruction and monster mutation of the story. 

This is my kinda comic.

Originally part of Nobrow’s 17 x 23 project, which was designed to springboard new artists into print, Mean Girls Club is both entirely derivative of the mid-centry pul novels I love so much and wonderfully unique, with an overly modern political take. Mean Girls Club: Pink Dawn is a gorgeous hardcover volume with 100 black, white and pink pages of mayhem and hope for the future as the Mean Girls Club spreads globally. The Mean Girls give a “swift stiletto-stab to the crotch of the patriarchy” and if pisses you off, good. ^_^

Ratings:

Art – 7 Who knew pink could look “bloody”
Story – 9 Drinking, drugs, beating the innocent, torture, Pinky 
Characters – 9 Roxy’s got moxie
Service – 1 Slinky dresses and kicking the patriarchy and Pinky
Yuri – 0 Pinky is group leader and harem queen, though. And Wendy is still hanging on her leg. So, 1

Overall – 9

Drinking, drugs, violence, creative cursing and destroying civil order. The Mean Girls Club is the villainous organization we need right now.

I will now write a a little Pinky x Roxy fanfic in my head.

Thanks so much Nobrow for this review copy, I will treasure it always. ^_^





LGBTQ Comic: Legend of Korra: Turf Wars, Part Two (English)

February 4th, 2018

Legend of Korra: Turf Wars, Part Two has all the strengths and weaknesses of part of 2 of a 3-part anime OVA in a 78 page comic.

This part of the story is what I call “the storm before the calm.” The team is broken up and become physically and emotionally distant from each other. They will have to pull together for them to win, but they are being assailed on too many fronts to do that right now. As if this isn’t enough, an extra piece is on the board now, making a whole ‘nother set of complications.

Korra is facing opposition from the Triads, the government and the spirits..and now another organized crime leader. As usual, she’s trying to do it all herself and her relationship with Asami is suffering because of it. Everyone is doing their best to help, but they are all isolated in their own verticals. They need coordination. And in this, this issue does two things that made it absolutely worth reading. Asami identifies the perfect coordinator, Zhu Li (although she is thinking on a larger scale than just their immediate needs, which is also a great piece of writing). Placing Zhu Li’s competence at the forefront of the story made me quite happy, and Varrick’s reaction of pure joy at the idea of Zhu Li as President put a period on it. This was a scene I would have loved to see and hear animated.

The color work in this issue is notably excellent. One of the defining characteristics of the Avatar world are the color palettes and art styles of the various kingdoms. This series has had to balance that with a palette of its own in which to tell this particular story. I really like the choices made here. Irene Koh’s work is getting better and better.

Also notable was a narrative buried in the story of President Raiko’s handling of the refugees which leads to Zhu Li considering a political campaign. There was no doubt in my mind at all  that this section contained a clear rebuke on current politics, especially in reference to Puerto Rico’s sabotaged recovery after Hurricane Maria. Over 400,000 Puerto Ricans are still without power and the emergency management there under our current administration has been openly corrupt and incompetent.

The fast pacing is not helping this comic. This arc needs time to develop and time for us to have some relief from the multiple tensions of the emotional and physical conflicts. It’s almost a shame that it’ll have to wrap up next issue and so we’ll get the cathartic ending we’ll need, without the appropriate pacing for any of it. It’s all too rushed. Every four pages is another episode of this super-dense narrative. Yes, Korra and Asami will b reunited but, will they be given time to talk about what’s happening with them? Asami is so much emotionally mature than Korra. The Avatar’s going to have to be given the chance to do the work to get to Asami’s level. I hope so, at any rate.

Ratings:

Art – 8
Story – 8
Characters – 9
Service – 0
Yuri – 10

Overall – A very solid 9

Michael Dante DiMartino, Bryan Konietzko and Irene Koh have a lot on their plate to make the third volume of this comic work. I have to believe they are up to the challenge. ^_^

Today’s review was once again sponsored by the kindness and generosity of Okazu Superhero Eric P.! Thank you very much for the chance to read and review this series!





LGBTQ Comic: Bingo Love

December 13th, 2017

Sometimes, all you really want to read is an adorable story about a timeless love winning over intolerance and other people’s opinions. On days like that, I heartily recommend Bingo Love, the triumphant graphic novel by Tee Franklin with art by‎ Jenn St. Onge ,‎ Joy San and‎ Genevieve FT. 

Hazel and Mari met at a bingo night back when they were young. Although they fell in love, they were separated by family and society not ready to accept them for who they were. Decades passed and they each went on to marry, have children and support their families, but when they are reunited, their love rekindles. Whether society – and more importantly – their families, can accept them as they are, is the body of this story.

There are many things to like about Bingo Love. Available in print and as a digital comic, this story about two black American women, living lives with roots in church and family, finding true love despite everything, is something that the world of graphic novels was ready and waiting for. That Bingo Love is also a real-life success story of a team of women of color, who built the book through crowdfunding, eventually licensing it to a large national publisher, is worth celebrating. This is the money that mainstream comics companies are passing over in favor of retread Batman and Avengers narratives. It’s worth saying this and, if we care about comics, it’s worth listening to. These stories, these creators, deserve the limelight and deserve our support.

Even more importantly for us here at Okazu, Bingo Love gives us something we rarely get a chance to enjoy – the after “happily ever after.” It’s a rare look at adult women in love, dealing with real-world issues that queer women actually have to deal with. For that, this would be a must-read, but Bingo Love is so much more.

Ratings:

Art – 7 Utterly squee
Story – 9
Characters – 8 Even the ones that make you angry, you can’t really hate.
Service – Not really
LGBTQ – 10

Overall – 9

In this holiday season, there’s no better idea for us to highlight and support women of color creators telling the stories they want to tell. And in return you’ll get a sweet love story that spans American history and looks forward to a better future for all the Hazels and Maris out there.