Red Hood and the Outlaws - Volume 1: REDemption (New 52)

Red Hood and the Outlaws - Volume 1 : REDemption
Lobdell, Scott(Author) and Rocafort, Kenneth(Illustrator)
Paperback , 160 pages, ISBN13: 9781401237127
Published November 2012 by DC Comics

Perhaps not the first graphic novel that would come to mind when thinking of strong female characters and not the most well known in pop culture is the Red Hood. Red Hood is the superhero persona chosen by Batman's former sidekick, Jason Todd and in this new adventure and new 52 reboot he is joined by failed hero Arsenal and the alien Starfire, who was a princess of Tamaraneans a prisoner of intergalactic war and is now on earth as her space ship has crashed here. Now these three ‘outlaws’ have decided to team up to save the world. The heroes are battling aliens, genetically modified monster, assassins and magic to try to stop an intergalactic war all while dealing with their own baggage and dealing with the of meshing these three strong personalities together.

Emotionally charged moments between Arsenal and Starfire, touching flashbacks between Jason Todd and Bruce Wayne, the way these are written and illustrated brings a new angle to these stories and fresh impact that connects these characters with the reader.

Kenneth Rocaforts art is colourful and dynamic, the story is moved along at a fast past with his sharp geometric patterning and flowing paneling. Even his use of colour and form in borders helps to give this compelling narrative momentum and depth.

Starfire is strong (powerful beyond belief alien princess!!) self confidant and seemingly 100% ok with herself emotionally, morally and physically. At times she seems cold and apathetic not associating emotional attachment with sexual activity (which results in her sleeping with some of the other characters) this puts her character firmly out of the field of ‘love struck team mate’ that so often occurs in comic books. 

A fast paced read with pulling the emotional punches without sacrificing the dynamic and extravagant fight scenes, crazy super powers included!

A NOTE ON STARFIRE

 In the new 52 reboot Starfire is drawn extremely sexy and with very liberal costumes. This has caused some controversy with readers saying that she is over sexualised and as far as calling her a ‘love bot’ or ‘real doll’ damaging female pride. I do not think this is the case and see the Starfire character as complex, powerful and compelling. One reviewer on Goodreads.com wrote -“..if you can't reconcile how it’s possible for a woman to be gorgeous, flaunt it, AND be a strongly compelling character with complexity then maybe the problem doesn't lie with how she's drawn...” 

Saga - Volume 1

 

Saga, Volume one

Vaughan, Brian K. (Author)and Staples, Fiona (Illustrator) 
Paperback, 160 pages, ISBN: 9781607066019    
Published in 2012 by Image (Berkeley, Calif.)

From New York Times bestselling writer Brian K Vaughan, (author of the hugely successful Y: The Last Man) comes this intensely personal story based in a sprawling stage of an inter-galactic war. This Sci-fi space opera come high fantasy epic follows the story of moth-winged Alana and ram-horned Marko; soldiers from opposite sides of a massive intergalactic war who simply want peace and anonymity to raise their daughter.

Lushly detailed illustrations deeply thought through character designs and immersive world building from veteran illustrator Fiona Staples will wow you while spacious layouts and accurate framing keep the focus on the personal element of the story despite the massive chaotic cosmos they exist within.

Together Vaughan and Staples have created a far-fetched fantasy world with a layer of gritty that makes this story entirely human and relatable yet, still highly alien and exciting.  The compelling and sometimes commonplace dialogue (including burping techniques) show Alana as a realistic new mother, juxtaposed with her wings and initial role as a solider come prison guard give you an impression of strength. Her witty dialogue paired with the image of Alana, baby on hip, revolver in hand cast her in a duplicitous light, of caring mother and wife but also as someone who is going to do what it take to survive.

 This duplicity of real life commonalities and far future marvels as well as the witty well timed dialogue efficiently mixed with some dramatic underlying themes  make Saga a must read.

Serenity - Volume 1: Those Left Behind

Serenity - Volume 1 : Those Left Behind 
Whedon, Joss(Author, Creator), Matthews, Brett(Author)and Conrad, Will(Illustrator)
Paperback, 96 pages, ISBN13: 9781593074494
Published January 24th 2006 by Dark Horse Books

The comic Serenity is based on the live action movie serenity which is based on the Tv show Firefly, sounds complicated I know but what it actually is..... is awesome. The show, move and the comic are written by Joss Whedon who is the creator of such cult classics as the Buffy the Vampire slayer and Angel TV series.  Serenity: Those Left Behind missing story that bridge the gap between the TV series “Firefly” and the movie “Serenity” however being familiar with the move/show is not a necessity to enjoy this comic romp into this western tinged, space pioneer type universe . 

This story follows the small freighter starship named “Serenity” and its crew always on the hunt for a mission that will earn them enough money to go off and live their life in peace. Serenity is crewed by a mish-mash of drifters and outsiders that come to form their own kind of family, from working class mercenaries to high class fugitives, the bonds that are formed by suffering , adventures and the clash of very different personalities is entertaining, realistic and emotionally involving. The crew and the interesting characters they get involved with are full of super strong women characters, from Zoe the solider and second in command on Serenity to River, the psychic teenager pilot of serenity the female characters are flawed, authentic and never in your face with the girl power.  

While this comic is full of humorous chemistry and witty dialogue, it also comments on the possible future of the world, making you think deeply about where we are headed as a species. The art is super realistic and captures the likeness of the movie actors and conveys their emotions nearly as accurately as the live action show its self.


Here is the trailer for the movie (the prequel to this comic but sequel to the TV show) Not confusing at all.....