Pretty, Fizzy Paradise

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Sunday, December 31, 2006

At A Loss...

Okay, so, I was thinking. I'm probably neglecting my duties as a feminist comics blogger. There are two relatively new series out right now, written by women (well, co-written in one case), with female protagonists, specifically intended to draw in female readers. And I haven't really (aside from a rant about language) given my impression on either of them.

For the record, I like White Tiger a lot. The language issues bother me, but in general I think Ms. Pierce and Mr. Liebe have an interesting story and character here. I'm not immediately captured, but I'm interested enough to more likely than not purchase the next issue.

As to the other comic, well, to be honest I hadn't read it. I'm not particularly fond of vampire glam-horror in general or Ms. Hamilton's work in particular, so I had the distinct feeling that the Anita Blake series wouldn't work for me. But the other day at the comic shop, I was starting to feel a little guilty about that. I've liked comic adaptations without being terribly fond of the work they're based off of before. Sometimes the synthesis of good art and judicious pruning by the adaptor can really work. (See: The Babysitters Club, for example)

So I cracked open an issue...

Um...Well...It's not a very good series, is it...

Seriously, I'm at a loss for words. It's just...incredibly...not good.

Perhaps I'll let expressions speak louder than words:



Thank you, Anita.

(Picture swiped from this guy. Thanks.)

14 Comments:

  • At December 31, 2006 11:31 AM, Blogger SallyP said…

    I haven't read this either, and I don't plan to. I get all the horror that I can stand by going over to Chris Sim's blog...which at least makes it funny.

    I guess I was originally revolted when the authoress went on and on about how she was going to revolutionize comics. I hate being told what to think.

     
  • At December 31, 2006 6:39 PM, Blogger Centurion said…

    I don't know...I think that Blake comic looks pretty awesome. They should get Frank Miller to guest write an issue or two. That'd make it a cross-gender platform everyone can enjoy! Turner could do the covers.

     
  • At December 31, 2006 7:11 PM, Blogger LurkerWithout said…

    I used to recomend LKH to people. And now shes entered the Anne Rice land of SuperEgo + Personal Fetish = Crazy Badness. Though I am hoping she changes her name to Dame Mix-a-lot and does a rap song called "I like Big Cocks".

     
  • At December 31, 2006 9:19 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said…

    While not new, lest not forget that Birds of Prey has an all-woman creative team for the first time...well...all woman if you don't include inkers and letterers...as god had intended it (just kidding about the last part!).

     
  • At December 31, 2006 9:31 PM, Blogger Nenena said…

    I "read" Anita Blake vicariously through Chris Sims, and I feel my last remaining brain cells thanking me for doing so.

     
  • At January 01, 2007 7:39 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said…

    The books themselves started out with a nice noir-Buffy flavor, but pretty quickly devolved into - while better than fanfic - still pretty "Mary Sue" in regards to the ridiculous level of power and uniqueness of the main character.
    They also became rather soft core porn-esque with Anita sleeping with every major character in the book (and in some cases at the same time.)

    Not my cup of tea.

     
  • At January 01, 2007 1:57 PM, Blogger Timothy Liebe said…

    Kalinara - Tammy and I are working with our editor on "the language issue" going forward. We both got involved in the comics community online so we wouldn't be writing WHITE TIGER in a vacuum - while praise is of course ALWAYS welcome, so is constructive criticism as it helps make the work better. Fanboyz flames and trolls are, also of course, cheerfully ignored.... ;)

    As for GUILTY PLEASURES.... Um. Well. We have a close friend who's a big Anita Blake fan, and she convinced Tammy to reread the GUILTY PLEASURES novel while on tour this past year. Tammy said that just about everything Chris Sims was mocking (art aside) is in the book - apparently Stacie Ritchie is providing a faithful adaptation. (Insert Sue Storm/Dinah Lance "prOnface" artwork here.) There are a lot of things that are real effective in one medium that just look ridiculous in another - which may be a big part of the problem right there. (I don't think the excessively frou artwork helps, personally - then again, my tastes in comics art are kind of Stone Age to begin with, or so I'm told!) (I happen to think any comic would be improved by a bit of the old Jack Kirby lantern-jawed characters with huge honking rayguns and jetpacks - and why CAN'T Angela have a jetpack, anyway?)

    SallyP - to be fair, Hamilton herself didn't make that comment, her agent did. I could have hoped the agent would've "clarified" that earlier comment, but you can't have everything, I guess.

    Loren - good point! Gail has been providing kickass female superhero writing for years now, and it's great to see she finally has a female penciller. I'm really looking forward to BoP going forward....

    Best,
    Tim Liebe
    Dreaded Spouse-Creature of Tamora Pierce
    - and so on and so forth....

     
  • At January 01, 2007 2:56 PM, Blogger Betty said…

    Ghaki-- "better than fanfiction?" You must be reading her earlier works.

     
  • At January 02, 2007 12:49 AM, Blogger Richard said…

    I happen to think any comic would be improved by a bit of the old Jack Kirby lantern-jawed characters with huge honking rayguns and jetpacks - and why CAN'T Angela have a jetpack, anyway?

    I like the way this guy thinks.

     
  • At January 02, 2007 9:53 AM, Blogger Tamora Pierce said…

    >>I like the way this guy thinks.
    <<

    Oh, God, rab, don't encourage him.

     
  • At January 02, 2007 11:09 AM, Blogger R.Nav said…

    I think the art style chosen for "Guilty Pleasures" fits the genre nicely. While the story isn't my cup of tea in either format, the art style is dead-on for that project.

    That said, if she had a jetpack & raygun I'd give it a second chance.

    Especially if she was fighting space dinosaurs from the 9th dimension on the cover or something.

     
  • At January 02, 2007 5:27 PM, Blogger Timothy Liebe said…

    R. Nav. ::if she had a jetpack & raygun I'd give it a second chance. Especially if she was fighting space dinosaurs from the 9th dimension on the cover or something. ::

    Oh, YES!! Yes, yes, yes!!!

    Sweetie, can we do that? Can we? Can we? Huh? Huh? Huh?

    Best,
    Tim Liebe
    trying to convince my spouse and co-writer Tamora Pierce that any comic would be vastly improved with rayguns, jetpacks and interdimensional dinosaurs....

     
  • At August 22, 2011 1:26 PM, Anonymous Jeffry said…

  • At January 25, 2012 9:28 AM, Anonymous Buddy said…

    The writer is totally fair, and there's no doubt.
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