We’re utilizing the Lightning Reviews a little differently this week and introducing the Smart Bitch Pull List, which consists of nothing but comic reviews. Typically, these are single issues and would be incredibly difficult to write a lengthy, standard review for. We hope you enjoy these three and we hope to have some more in the future!
Heathen #1
author: Natasha Alterici
I only have one bad thing to say about the new comic Heathen and that is that there are only four issues out as of this writing (August 2016) so I can’t go on a massive binge. I heart this comic with every cell of my heart. Crazed raving ahead.
Heathen is about a Viking woman named Aydis who is exiled after she is caught kissing another woman. Aydis is fearless, determined, and deeply sympathetic to Brynhild, who, like Aydis, is being controlled by the laws of men. Aydis heads into the wilderness with her horse, Saga, to free Brynhild:
My mother was alone when she gave birth to me. She refused to die until my father found us.
My father raised me alone, teaching me everything that his father had taught him.
Saga was alone, his leg snared in a bear trap, when my father and I found him during a hunting trip.
And on some mountaintop, a Valkyrie waits alone.
And I intend to free her.
Of course, Aydis discovers that freeing Brynhild is only the beginning of her story. The series is fun and full of magic and adventure, but also full of feminism and respect for different expressions of love and sexuality. The first issue establishes the world, Aydis’ predicament, and the story of Brynhild. The first four issues are available digitally and there’s also a trade paperback collection of those same issues. The art is gorgeous, the characters fantastic, and the comic is truly unlike any other comic on the stands right now in terms of art, storytelling, and setting. Above all, it leaves the reader asking that most important question, “What happens next?”
– Carrie S
Comic
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Mind the Gap #1
author: Jim McCann
Mind the Gap is a comic whose first issue I’ve had for awhile, but just never got around to reading it for whatever reason. The series was on hiatus for about a year, but according the the creator’s Twitter, he’s back in action! Which means readers have plenty of time to catch up.
Ellis, the heroine, was brutally attacked for reasons that are a mystery. The attack lands her in a coma, but her spirit still exists in an in-between world called The Garden – so named because a majority of souls stuck there are in vegetative states. While there, Ellis can see and observe things around her, like her family and friends visiting her in the hospital. She also has a charming guide named Bobby, who flirts with her pretty heavily and she’s not having it.
Music seems to play a big role in the comic, or at least in the first issue. I picked up that Ellis and her friends work in theater in some way. There are references to Shakespeare and Cats. And I loved these little references because they lightened Ellis’ awful circumstances. My favorite panel is Ellis dressed up like the bee girl from Blind Melon’s “No Rain” music video.
However, the first issue has a lot of action packed into fifty pages and it felt like getting whiplash. There’s this overlying mystery of Ellis’ attack, but other questions come up, too. Like why is her doctor hiding things in her report? What does Ellis’ brother hate her? A lot happens and at the end, I was left feeling a bit disoriented as I tried to make sense of what the hell was going on.
A lot of the transitions, I felt, were very abrupt and jarring, which often took me out of the story briefly while my brain tried to catch up. It’s an intense start to Mind the Gap and it was as if the comic wanted to get all of the mystery setup out of the way in the first issue. But I really loved the art (the colors!) and musical/literary references.
– Amanda
Comic, Science Fiction/Fantasy
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Princess Princess Ever After
author: Katie O'Neill
Princess Princess is an adorable graphic novel for children and adults. You can read the whole thing in about ten minutes so it’s like a little chocolate truffle.
This is the story of two princesses, Sadie and Amira. Amira travels the land performing heroic deeds with the help of her unicorn, Cookie. She rescues Sadie from a tower with help from Cookie and Sadie’s very small dragon, Oliver. In the course of the story, the princesses make friends, solve problems creatively, and celebrate a wedding.
This comic includes two lesbian protagonists, one of whom is dark skinned. It deals with bullying and body-shaming and personal freedom versus responsibility. It does all this without being preachy. The bold drawings, large panels, and bright colors impart a fun, light-hearted feel to the story. It will only take a few minutes to read, but what a lovely few minutes! You can find the book in hardback or for free online at strangelykatie.com.
– Carrie S
Comic, Graphic Novel, LGBTQIA
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The big image for that Heathen comic page can’t be accessed. I wanted to see what was the deal with her outfit.
Princess Princess is absolutely wonderful! I so would read more!
Thanks so much for the recommendation!
Yay, I’m so glad I’ve got a reliable source for comics now. I feel like trying new series is such a gamble and I trust the Smart Bitches opinions!
Well, my TBR pile was totally lacking in comics.
And Princess Princess is so pretty and lovely. Will look forward for more from this author.
Why is the title “pull list”?
@LML: A pull list refers to a list of comics you give to your local shop to “pull” for you when they come out. Essentially, it’s the comic equivalent of putting books on hold at a bookstore to pick up.
I’m excited to see more comics reviews here. I always love the comics review you have here!
@Amanda: Ahh. So I’ve given away my secret that I don’t read comics.
All the saga graphic novels are $3.99 each and even the deluxe books 1 and 2 (which are three graphic novels combined) are on sale for $12.99 for the kindle versions (50% off so practically everything published for only $28) I read them when Carrie recommended a few years ago and they are amazing! Now I own all of them!!
I have been trying comics on Hoopla and very much enjoying Lumberjanes, Giant Days, and Love and Capes – most if not all recommended here – among others. Thanks for adding to the list of comics to explore.
I hope I can say/ask this here.
Comic books feel expensive. I can get a 300+ page paperback for 5.99 (1.99 on sale) that will take me several hours to read. For a similar price, I can get a single issue of a comic book that I will get through in about 20 minutes. I know that there are artists to pay – but it just feels so much more costly that it gets in the way of my buying comics.
Comic book readers, is this just the price of the thing you love? Or do you do something to mitigate these costs (are there huge sales for people in the know? do you make use of your local libraries? something else) so that it becomes easier to afford this hobby?
@MsCellanie: You are completely right in that they are very expensive, and I typically don’t go out of my way to buy a single issue unless it’s something I’m truly excited about. However, if you’re looking to dip you toe in, there are some cheaper options.
Kris Bock mentioned Hoopla, which I use for a lot of my digital library reading. You get access through your local library and can read on your browser. I usually use this for comics because it’s probably more time for me to put a comic on hold and go to the library when I can read it in less than an hour. Hoopla also has a great selection of audiobooks and movies.
Comixology, which is partnered through Amazon, has tons of digital comics. I like that you can make a wishlist and (like Amazon) they frequently have sales and free comic issues. This option requires some patience, haha.
Lastly, Humble Bundle! If you’re unfamiliar, HB has a “pay what you want” model and features bundles of books, video games, etc. They’ve featured some great comic bundles in the past and I tend to take advantage of that when I can.
cool post, I look forward to more of them. Can you tag these under other reviews so they are easier to find?
@Robin: You can always track them through the Smart Bitch Pull List tag or through the Lightning Reviews tag!