< comics/x >
GREAT VAGUENESS #1
by Paul Fryer
(
www.kindamanga.com)
Review by Monsu Pok
It is not uncommon to find female action characters in popular culture these days. Such recent films and shows as
Resident Evil,
Elektra and
Alias show women kicking as much butt as their male counterparts. Women with big guns have of course been
de rigueur of comic book geekdom for a while. On one level, it’s probably a positive reflection of the changing attitudes toward female equality in society; that women can give as good as they get. Let’s make no mistake, however, that there is a level of fetishism about many of these female protagonists. For all their womanly brawn, none are butch dykes or even tomboys. Rather the contrary, all the female action heroines resemble the idealized female bodies of their damsels in distress counterparts.
Enter
Great Vagueness, a new comic series by Paul Fryer that has the beautiful Kylen as a space bounty hunter. The first issue has Kylen with her comrade L’Or Joh attempting to dock a planet with their bounty. After a scan of the spaceship, the planet’s security finds that Kylen and L’Or Joh’s ship is armed to the teeth, which prevents them from passing through. Kylen is initially disgusted at a security guard’s lust of her body, but it turns out he is just lusting after her weapons. There are also subplots being seeded about the planet’s officials and an imprisoned mutant girl. The issue ends with a cliffhanger, as we know that Kylen will have to kick tail later on.
Great Vagueness is not looking to break new ground with female action characters or the science fiction genre; however, its tone is light and whimsical, and the story moves along with a smooth pace. The artwork is somewhat of a hybrid between the manga and graffiti art styles. The computer shading is at times detailed while other times sparse which can accentuate the occasional shortcomings in the drawings. For those looking for another sexy action heroine in space, one could do much worse than
Great Vagueness; just don’t have great expectations.
[ Link to this review ]
