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icon_uk ([personal profile] icon_uk) wrote in [community profile] scans_daily2020-06-21 12:15 pm

A comic I nearly missed

And only found out about by accident, but thanks to ebay, now have a copy of!

(And please bear with me, I'm experimenting with Abload as an image host and hope I haven't messed anything up in the process.



This was a collection of short stories from IDW about female characters, and by female creators. There are a couple of stories I'd like to post from, but I'll start with the shortest

IDW's Jem series from a couple of years ago featured some stellar work in terms of art and story, updating the 80's cartoon series for the 21st century, with strong writing from Kelley Thompson and positively phenomenal art from Sophie Campbell.

One of it's most prominent changes was making Kimber, one of the Holograms, and Stormer, one of rival band The Misfits, into a couple pretty much from the outset, and not just a couple, a downright freaking adorable couple.

And, another nice change from the TV version (Which i absolutely adore, don't get me wrong) is that Stormer was very definitely a plus size, and how that informed how she interacted with the world. There's an entire issue of the spin-off Misfits series, about her and her life and I still hold it as one of the best comics I read in 2016. (warning for bodyshaming in that link)

In the comics, unlike the cartoon, Pizzazz is very, VERY protective of her band, they're the oddball, not-entirely-functional family she built up based on their shared talent and drive and they mean a LOT to her. She projects a very tough front and has some... anger management issues, but she genuinely cares about The Misfits and will defend them to the hilt, especially Stormer, who is perhaps the only one she also genuinely considers a friend.

Which is a lot of intro for two pages from the three page story, so sorry about that.

This has story and art by Sarah Winifred Searle, and though a very different style to Sophie Campbell, I do like it in a story like this.

The story starts with yet more unpleasant online trolling of Stormer about her appearance. She points out that she doesn't really mind being compared to a manatee as she thinks they're rather majestic creatures, but she has to actively stop Pizzazz from unleashing the bands fandom on the trolls. She's grateful for the support, but she just needs to get away for a little bit.



That's one supportive girlfriend she has there, also one who knows better than to try and change Stormer's mind about things once she's decided



I find myself really resonating with that last image, I love the rain, and a storm is a wonderful thing to watch (though I don't think I'd do it from outside, whilst seated next to a metal railing).