Category: comics

+

Surveillance in “Bitch Planet”

Last post, I examined a couple of issues that I kept thinking about while reading Bitch Planet‘s “The Secret Origin of Penny Rolle.” Today, I want to expand upon some of those ideas and look at the ways that the comic addresses the increased nature of surveillance in our world. This occurs throughout almost every issue of Bitch Planet; however, I just want to … Read More Surveillance in “Bitch Planet”

+

“Why folks gotta say what I am?” Identity in ‘Bitch Planet’

A few weeks ago, Qiana Whitted led a three part round table on Kelly Sue DeConnick and Valentine De Landro’s Bitch Planet at The Middle Spaces. I read volume one of the series about a year ago, and after reading the round table, I went back and reread those first few issues. (Unfortunately, I still have not read the subsequent volumes.)  As I read back through … Read More “Why folks gotta say what I am?” Identity in ‘Bitch Planet’

+

Black Labor in Waid and Jones’ “Strange Fruit”

My expectations going into Mark Waid and J.G. Jones’ Strange Fruit were high. I expected to encounter, between the covers, a work that would explore “themes of racism, cultural legacy, and human nature.” Overall, I was a little underwhelmed, and I even questioned the purpose of the comic itself. If, as Waid and Jones argued, they wanted to present a text that examined issues … Read More Black Labor in Waid and Jones’ “Strange Fruit”

+

Literature and Political Commentary in Brian Vaughan and Fiona Staples’ “Saga”

Crazy and unexpected! That is the only way I can truly describe what I experienced when I first started reading Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples’ Saga (2012). On almost every trip to the library to find new books, I would pick up Saga and flip the pages. Time and time again I would put it back on the shelf because it looked, in … Read More Literature and Political Commentary in Brian Vaughan and Fiona Staples’ “Saga”

The Master Narrative in Alan Moore’s “Swamp Thing”

Last post, I wrote about some of the Gothic elements in issues #41 and #42 of Alan Moore’s Swamp Thing and the repetition of the “unsuccessfully repressed.” Today, I want to continue that discussion some by looking at the conclusion of issue #42, “Strange Fruit.” Rather than breaking with the past by burning the roots of hate and prejudice, the space shifts from Robertaland … Read More The Master Narrative in Alan Moore’s “Swamp Thing”