Lost Girls, Black Cat

Lost Girls

Alan Moore and Melinda Gebbie’s foray into erotica.  Or pornography, depending on how you differentiate the two.

On the writing side, Moore does a pretty good job here.  His interpretation of the experiences of Dorothy (Wizard of Oz), Wendy (Peter Pan), and Alice (Through the Looking Glass) through a sexual lens feels…I don’t know if valid is the proper word, but there’s something legitimate about it that I liked.  Tying it into the backdrop of the start of World War I adds a somber, morbid, “last desperate gasp of pleasure before the dark times” vibe to the experience.  (The proprietor leaving his beloved hotel for the last time had an honest poignancy to it.)

On the art side, I’m of two minds.  Gebbie does some truly inspired work here from the craft side.  The images she creates are truly beautiful.  But there’s an ugliness to her faces (it’s the blank stares) that keeps things from being truly hot, and if the goal is to create porn, I have to mark that as an epic fail.

Definitely the eyes.

As a comic work, Moore’s definitely done far worse.  I was engaged the whole time, but I honestly don’t know if I’d find it all that interesting if it weren’t for the erotic element of the story.  But the novelty of it (in comics) is enough to give it that extra kick. 

Regret buying: No

Would buy again: Yes

Would read again: Yes

Rating: Good

Black Cat v1 1-12

Black Cat Annual 1

Jed MacKay and a number of artists do a really nice job with this series.  This Felicia Hardy is fun and exciting, and the heists are entertaining as well.  There isn’t a lot of depth beyond that, but sometimes that’s all you need out of a comic book.

MJ definitely lives rent-free in Felicia's head.

Heh.

Regret buying: No

Would buy again: Yes

Would read again: Yes

Rating: Pretty good