Marada the She-Wolf
So after seeing an ad for it in a comic from 1986, I found a copy of Marada the She-Wolf by Chris Claremont and John Bolton. (Epic Comics marketing really earned their money thirty-three years ago.) I was drawn in by the slick Bolton art, and that certainly didn’t disappoint. The guy knows how to draw a pretty picture.
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| The ad art that got me to read this. |
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| Love the colors. |
This was originally meant to be a Red Sonja comic, but problems related to the movie necessitated the change to an original IP. Either way, this has some questionable portrayal of women that wouldn’t go over so well today. Sure, Marada’s written as a strong warrior who kicks major ass, but it’d be more convincing if every scenario didn’t involve placing her in revealing poses. It’s like Danger Girl, but worse. J. Scott Campbell is unapologetic about what his comic is doing - It’s fun, playful, and self-aware. Marada plays it straight, and I’m worried that Claremont thinks this is the strongest female character he can put out there.
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| She's in agony here. Really. |
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| Odd how male warriors are never subdued this way... |
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| ...but hey, at least she's strong enough to resist. Right? That makes it okay? |
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| Tentacles? Really? |
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| Just as gratuitous, sure... |
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| But somehow a lot less insidious. |
Anyway, tons of gorgeous art with troubling characterization.
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