The 40 Years of Comics Project - Day 2417: Vixen Wars #3, 1993

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I know, I know. But after yesterday's superlative read, I wanted to bounce right over to the other side of the spectrum and read something truly, truly bad. As I noted in my previous review of this series, Vixen Wars is truly, truly bad.

Now, I'm trying to be a more positive person, so let's find some good things about the story. First, and foremost, the narrative features a society that has switched completely to non-lethal weaponry. In this issue, the action of which was pretty nonsensical, it's only the men who wield lethal bullets in their guns.

So that's one thing.

The cover is pretty nice, too. The most notable thing about Vixen Wars is its early feature of the work of Georges Jeanty. I honestly don't know how Mr. Jeanty feels about this early work, but the quality of some (only some) of the draftsmanship on the book points to the more notable, and mature, works that have come from a very talented artist.

I can't quite peg the political stance of the book. While women are in charge, they still all dress like they're on Playboy TV. The women champion non-lethal conflict, while the men are still cast as uncaring killers. Are non-lethal weapons good, or is the comic arguing that only final solution offering weapons can properly assert power?

Honestly, I don't think I care. I've got two more issues of the series, so I think they'll be on the upcoming docket. With comics that are bad, I sometimes just want to read them to get them out of the way. Trouble is I'd have to dedicate a ridiculous amount of time to the bad comics I have from the 90s, and it might just kill my love for the hobby. Variation it is then.

Onward.

The 40 Years of Comics Project - Day 501: Batman: The Return of Bruce Wayne #4, September 2010

Read today - will blog tomorrow - things are a bit busy this Saturday!

(What I should admit is that the busy Saturday was taken up by garage saling and playing Dungeons & Dragons for 8 hours. #geeklife)

A few weeks (months?) ago, I did some themed weeks, on War comics, Romance comics, etc.  I still have a stack sitting, waiting to be read, of Western comics. It's a genre I'm not a huge fan of. Much like my distaste for Mob media, I can't really wrap my head around a genre of entertainment that hinges on the wholesale, unnecessary killing of other human beings. It's one of the reasons I like the superheroes that I do: one of the main credos of all of my favourites is to never take a life. Hence my disappointment with Man of Steel.

So even in this issue, set in old(e) Gotham, a frontier town, somehow, even though I'm pretty sure Gotham's supposed to be on the East coast, while Bruce is playing Wild West detective, he refrains from the use of firearms, relying instead on his customary Batarangs. (Let's not ask where they came from. It's a superhero comic). And, especially in the current cultural climate, it's important to note that non-lethal measures can be effective in subduing an opponent.

The other thing that works out quite nicely for this comic is that I read it on the opening weekend of the Calgary Stampede. It's an odd time in the city, a Wild West bacchanalia of sorts, but if you can turn a blind(ish) eye to the obnoxious drunkenness, it's a cool, and kind of unique (at least in Canada) way of celebrating a part of our heritage. Whether or not it's a part that should be celebrated is a question I'll leave to somewhere other than a comics blog.

Onward!

The 40 Years of Comics Project - Day 341: Vixen Wars #1, 1993

Okay, okay, one more quarter bin comic for now. I had to. I picked this up today, and it is so, so bad. Just truly, awfully stinky. A future ruled by women, and war has been feminized so that soldiers are made comatose for 24 months rather than dying. And apparently every woman wears an outfit that is either completely see-through or is a thong.

The most interesting part of this comic is the art, though. First, it's got to be very early Georges Jeanty, who rocketed to fame drawing the Season 8 continuation of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Second, the comic is illustrated by six different artists, and on the back cover there's a ballot where you can vote for who you want drawing the comic.

But, that aside, it's really, really so bad.

So bad.

Onward.