Comics by Women

I absolutely loved the Safari Honeymoon comic that was recommended for this week. The graphic nature of the artwork in Jesse Jacob's comic already appealed to me, but the writing was especially fun for me to read. It had a sophisticated grit to it which I admire. Aesthetically clean, but disgusting in content.

For this week's reading I read a Marjane Satrapi novel, Embroideries. I enjoyed Persepolis primarily for it's graphic black and white designs and illustrations, and of course for the content which usually emphasizes/touches on women in the middle east; a subject I can strongly relate to. Growing up, I would be forced to go to dinner parties and adult gatherings, and most times, men and women were divided in separate rooms. It is common for women to gather and discuss feminine things, while the men would leave and discuss 'manly things'. The Iranian women converse frequently about sex, marriage, virginity and other intimate matters. The form of conversation and the humor these women share is so familiar for me. One portrayal of women in the Middle East, and also a misconception, is that they are impressionable and weak not by choice but by obligation or circumstance. This is not entirely true all the time, many women take pride in their wit and knowledge, and capability, however feel almost expected to conceal it especially in the presence of men. Some of the topics addressed in this story may seem unrealistic to some readers, but in such a culture are very common and real. I especially like that even though the matters which are brought up between the women are upsetting or disheartening, they discuss it lightly and almost humorously, giving the reader a sense of normalcy in a context they may not be able to comprehend fully depending on where they come from or the kind of lifestyles and surroundings they may have. It reveals a not-so oppressed image of women, but more of a realistic, 'it is what it is' sort of approach? If that makes any sense. In Lebanon, it is expected that a woman is a virgin till marriage, married at age 22-24, beautiful from the moment she wakes till the moment she sleeps (often times done up with surgeries and makeup), and conservative with her language and opinions. Anyway, the point is, those things seem outlandish and crazy to perhaps a person in the US just based on modern social standards, but in the Middle East, there are very old fashioned, traditional values which have not and may never change. This is no big deal to us, it's just the way it is. That is how I feel many things are presented in Embroideries. 

 

As much as I enjoyed this story by Satrapi and the little stories within it, I loved being able to laugh to myself because of how strongly I could relate, however, can't help but feel weird that the subject matter and values reflected and conveyed in most of Satrapi's novels (along with many other women's), is best recognized for the familiar feminine qualities presented to/for women. I love having the option to feel feminine and unique from men or male readers? to some degree? (in the sense that I have my own sexual ideas and values), but wish that sometimes female writers wouldn't stand out as much for that particular reason or quality. I love when female creators (in general) are able to take that approach sometimes, but also have the ability to be chameleons in the world of comics. Point being, I love a woman who not only writes about female oppression, sex/virginity, and childbirth, but also a woman who writes/draws gritty disgusting things , science fiction stories, or action thrillers. Whatever it may be, I hope that the line between female or male creators/writers/comic book artists disintegrates.

Comics as Contemporary Literature

I think to my understanding, what defines a successful 'graphic novel' is : The collection of beautifully composed and executed sequential artworks, paired with a very well developed and written narrative + intelligent dialogue. The pairing of the two, pictures and words, should form an intriguing and compelling story, one that would be equally compelling if not paired with the other. If the images are as powerful standing alone, as they are with the writing, and the writing is as strong without the visual guides, you have a successful piece of literature; A successful graphic novel. 

There has been an evolution to comics, from their point of entry to now. From newspaper strips to graphic novels, this medium of story telling has been ever-changing and continues to expand and grow. There is a quality in graphic novels that breaks the barrier between 'comic strips' and 'literature'. What used to be humorous entertainment for kids, or light reading for adults, has developed and has become sometimes very serious, influential, and sophisticated reading for mature audiences. One piece of contemporary literature that I read and believe was extremely successful, in this regard, was Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi. I also bought the book Habibi, by Craig Thompson, which I had a more negative response toward. 

Illustrated so simply, using only black and white high contrast inking, with flat two dimensional shapes, Marjane Satrapi tells an extremely complex story about her own childhood in Iran. Persepolis was a fantastic read. It was so visually sophisticated and astounding to me, and as far as the quality of the storytelling goes, It is an illustrated autobiography about a woman's life in the Middle East, making it feel very personal and important to read all throughout. I felt that the writer was coming from a real place, that the story and the details came from a real woman, with a real story coming from the country of Iran.  

Habibi on the other hand, wasn't  awful. I guess it was so beautifully packaged and printed I could not resist buying it solely for its good shiny looks. I had no expectations for this book, didn't know what it was about, actually didn't even look at the name of the writer/artist, opened and started reading it. I guess I wasn't totally disappointed with the story or the writing, but something simply felt 'off' all throughout my reading it. I simply couldn't break through a wall of detachment. I felt a total disconnect from this particular story and though it revolved around a woman and her struggles on a long painful journey (Which i can usually relate to and follow intently), I just couldn't bring myself to enjoy this book. It was evocative and made me feel emotions. I was enraged in the rape scenes that Dodola had to experience, and was heart warmed by her love connection with Zam. 

I think I was most disappointed because I come from that world, and even though there were a lot of real issues addressed in this book, it felt like a total dramatization/exaggeration of whatever the writer/artist was attempting to convey. Like... I was annoyed with the amount of rape scenes scattered around throughout the book. I know the 'therapist response' to that would be, "Maybe they just upset you because they struck a nerve", which in a lot of cases could be true, and I will commend him on his attempt to emulate and communicate the felling of being raped from a woman's point of view, 



... But i just really just didn't think that that many rape scenes were necessary. TRUE, rape happens in the Middle East. It also happens a lot in New York city. I think it's okay to be forward about such a strong subject, and if it is a reoccurring repetitive thing Dodola had to endure, FINE. But maybe the book would have benefitted from reminding the reader of that theme in more subtle ways. I kept reading bits and pieces of it, giving it chance here and there. I finally did a little bit of research and saw that the writer's name was 'Craig - Thompson'... I ignored the totally American looking name because that would be ignorant of me to decide, and also dismissed the fact that it was a man because that would also be stupid and ignorant for me to focus my negative attention on. But when I researched a little bit more about the production of this book and the background of Craig Thompson, I learned that it was written by someone who had little to no credibility in terms of culture and experience. He grew up in a Christian family, in Michigan. -__- ... I didn't see anything about his connection to Islamic culture or the Middle East. For me, that was easy to see in the book, even before researching this. I kept reading on Thompson's idea for this book, "While it is located in an Islamic country and features such elements as Arabic writing, Thompson is reluctant to say that it takes place in the Middle East, preferring to emphasize that it is a mythical landscape, and that the characters are vaguely Muslim as a result of the context in which they grew up. Thompson explains that he borrowed elements from different geographies, and infused them with the elements that he wanted". How pretentious. Ew. 

 ... I just didn't like the basis and 'support' on which this story was told. 

The artwork was beautiful, the compositions were nice, I like the fact that it was black and white and that there was so much beauty in the exterior covers, and I appreciate a person's attempt to explore and depict a foreign culture and journey to readers, but this book was NOT at all for me.