I will post more reviews when I am not so busy dieing but for right now I just want to make a quick note. I was listening to democracy now and heard this show in which the host interviewed Gore Vidal. I had never heard the man speak before, indeed I knew little about him, but there was such power in what he said, such bitterness, anger, disappointment, but also such passion. I do not know how long each days show is up, but if anyone gets a chance listen to the show if you have never heard him speak. Agree or disagree, the man is worth hearing. I personally am going to look into more of what he has done.
This is last weeks webcomic column.
This week, dear readers, I plan to discuss three comics that are all tangentially linked together in what I like to consider one giant universe of happiness. The first of these comics is Queen of Wands, which is written and illustrated by a woman who goes by the name Aeire. Loosely based on her life, QoW is about a young woman named Kestrel who lives with her best friends, Felix and Shannon. They are a very odd household, but they seem to go well together. Kestrel is kind and loving toward her friends, wrathful toward her enemies, and a magnet for kids. This is unfortunate, for she does not like children. Kestrel's adventures center around her failed romances, her jobs, and occasional involvement in the shenanigans of Felix and Shannon. Her life is also complicated, often pleasantly, by her friend Angela. QoW ended in early '05, and thus is a completely finished storyline. It is about Kestrel's personal growth, the strangeness of relationships, what it means to accept change, and our fears of the future. It is a touching story filled with humor, lovable characters, and touching moments, all culminating in a wonderful ending that will bring a tear to your eye.
Queen of Wands may end there, but the story does not. Aeire started a new comic with Chris Daily of Striptease called Punch an' Pie. Punch an' Pie takes place a few years after QoW and is about Angela, Kestrel's friend from QoW. Angela is small, feisty, full of life, and has a child like sense of life not unlike Kestrel's. While the main characters of QoW are not in Punch an' Pie, the characters from the old toy store (where Kestrel met Angela) are still around. The story follows Angela and her girlfriend Heather as they deal with their jobs and their life together. Punch an' Pie is only a little over a year old, so there is not too much to catch up with. It takes a different attitude towards life than QoW but is definitely enjoyable. Daily's art is very good and compliments Aeire's writing and characterizations. There is much to look forward to from this comic.
Finally, I shall end on something extremely positive. Early in QoW's storyline, there was a crossover with another webcomic called Something Positive (abbr. as S*P). Somehow, the crossover stuck. The events of the crossover continued to come back in QoW's storyline, and culminated in Aeire giving Kestrel to Randy K. Milholland, author of S*P, as a permanent character after her own comic ended.
This is a recent Eros & Aphrodite that appeared in the argosy. E&A is a sort of social gender and sex critique column done by a friend and me. This is only my half, because her half belongs to her.
If there was one sexual norm I could change it would be the utter fear of sex and the body that seems to permeate North American culture. One can see it in so many contexts. Think about the huge debate over breastfeeding in public, the continent wide hysteria that followed the Janet Jackson “event,” the shady way people seem to go about trying to obtain sex, and, worst of all, the existence of the word “vajayjay.”
It is easy to make fun of Ashcroft for his moment with the statue of justice, but how is he different than anyone else? Most people cannot even say, with a straight face, the words penis or vagina. Instead, most people use a slightly more vulgar term of their choosing, often unconsciously adding emphasis to the word or speeding it up a fraction of a beat. This is, I believe, designed to offset the discomfort of referring to the genitals by making a sort of joke out of it. Our discomfort level decreases when what discomfits us becomes something to snicker at.
Finally, there is the insane belief that somehow children are harmed by hearing references to genitals in any way that is not turned into a cute phrase or an inane euphemism. This was used by a friend to justify the word vajayjay, whereby she claimed that it made sense because the show it appeared on was rated G (implication being kids will see it). However, if the kid does not have actual knowledge of what a vagina is, he or she will still be left with questions that parents seem to be trying to avoid (because of their discomfort?). On the other side, if the child already knows what a vagina is, is not the word just teaching them that the body is an object of scorn, ridicule, and discomfort? The same argument goes for any euphemism for the penis, by the way.
I'm tired of our social phobia of sex and sex organs. Through continued discussion and education, maybe some day things will change and the North American psyche will some day grow up. Until then, I shall refer to the female genitals exclusively as the Pseudemys Concinna. And yes, you should look that one up.
My column in the argosy from March 6th. Here is to hoping for and end to the chaos that currently saturates my life.
In a complete reversal from last week's comic, this week I am doing a comic that is silly, light, funny, and even cute. The comic is called Dungeons & Denizens, and it was created by three people who go by the names Graveyard Greg, John Yakimow, and C. Wilson Trull. Most people will immediately get the obvious Dungeons and Dragons reference, and those in the know will immediately see links to World of Warcraft and Everquest, plus perhaps some things I am not personally aware of. Now, I want you to forget all that. This comic has elements that tend to appeal to the “geek culture,” but even if that isn't your thing, do not let it fool you into thinking that this comic is anything but great.
The setting of Dungeons & Denizens is in fact a dungeon and the main characters are the traditional monsters one expects to see in a fantasy setting. The comic is not, however, about telling the story from the monsters' point of view, which has been done by other comics. Rather, the characters are the employees who are charged with maintaining the dungeon for use by parties of adventurers. The main character, for example, is a Minotaur named Min who was recently hired as tech support for the dungeon. The other main characters include an assortment of defective personalities attached to monstrous bodies and often dangerous powers.
Min is a bit of a naïf as the comic begins, enthusiastic to begin his job but not so good at staying out of trouble, usually in the form of his bosses practical jokes. While he usually gets the “fuzzy end of the lollipop,” he begins to wizen up and give as good as he gets. His boss is Gazdar, an archetypical ruff gruff boss with a heart of gold. Sort of. Besides the afore mentioned practical jokes, Gazdar has no problem dumping a burden on others with his somewhat creative problem solving. Amongst the others are the undead dungeon manager with a hight complex, Litchvell, his surly teenage daughter who always miscasts spells, and a jealous gorgon. Also, the landlord is a giant flaming demon. The best of all the characters are Donna and Diana, the two headed fire breathing hellhound. Calling them conjoined twins might me more appropriate, as each head has its own personality, as well as a crush on the same person. Pity the poor man. They alternate between having big cartoon eyes, giant maws filled with enormous teeth, and spitting fire at those who annoy them. They are always cute, and will delight you, I promise.
The comic is recently back after a nine month hiatus. The creators are regularly updating it now on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and there is a decent archive to go through. While the site lacks certain features that webcomic readers might come to expect, such as character bios or even links, the comic more than makes up for it. You really do not have to be a geek to enjoy this one, so go check it out at www.dungeond.com/
Check out this awesome song from Basshunter
