Suspended Animation Review

Femforce #139 & Gargantarama: The Comic Book #3 [flip book]/40 pages and $6.95 from AC Comics/various artists and writers/available at comics shops and www.accomics.com.

Femforce and Gargantarama are fun, adventure comics about beautiful, sexy women. That they wear costumes, possess super-powers, and fight evil is almost an afterthought.

If you are offended by a single-minded focus on women’s bodies, this magazine is not for you. You are correct that such an obsession is wrong and presents a two-dimensional, distorted view of women.

But if you are offended that men love to look at beautiful women, get a life. Because plot and characterization are secondary, art reigns in Femforce and Gargantarama. It is reality-based, although the anatomy of women is exaggerated. Each of the eight artists represented have distinctive and entertaining styles, visually tell their tales well, and skirt the thin line that separates pornography and good girl art with precision. There is no more nudity here than can be found on any beach, and nothing more suggestive than women bending over to pick up non-existent paperclips. MV

Please Release/40 pages and $5 from Top Shelf/sold in comics shops and at www.topshelfcomix.com.

Don’t expect sex and violence in this adult comic book. A powerful autobiographical slice from the life of social worker and cartoonist Nate Powell, Please Release is recommended for adults because of the insightful and difficult subjects it explores, and because of Powell’s use of profanity. It is also worth the investment of your time and dollars because it is tersely written and well drawn.

Powell effectively uses a scratchy and distinctive style of art to capture the real world on paper, and his struggle to find normalcy in a profession that deals with abnormality on a daily basis is poignant and thoughtful. His dialog is realistic, and his pacing is flawless. MV

Check out Dreams and Visions #35 for a new Vance short story: www.bconnex.net/~skysong/dream.htm

Interested in the exciting Oklahoma Cartoonists Collection and Toy and Action Figure Museum? Go to fourcolorcommentary.blogspot.com & www.youtube.com/watch?v=eCARtM5BvvU.

Order Michael Vance's history of the American Comics Group in Alter Ego #s 61 and 62 at www.twomorrows.com.