ewee (3-and-4/26): Rose and Isabel (parts 1 and 2) by Ted Mathot

[more from my happy zine-feast this weekend...again from super7 in jtown]
...

well, lessee, i'm a big supporter (in my way) of local artsy stuff. and that especially goes for local folks who've pulled it together to publish indie comics/zines. this set (two books, really, so i'm counting it as two...), gets an ok from me. not mad that i spent the twenty-odd bucks on the two books, but i'm not protective over these (i.e. feel free to borrow them. even outside of my apartment.), they're just ok.

overall, this is an ambitious tale, with the tease of more stories to be woven into the mythology of these women. and Mathot does his best to imbue his characters with complexity and richness. there's a real sensitivity that can be glimpsed from time to time. the story is mostly very compelling, the artwork mostly well-done and at moments beautiful.

but (isn't there always a "but"...?) the story's frenetically violent pace eventually unravels the depth Mathot has begun to build in his characters. it is meant to be part of a global mythology of amazons and female power, but the action-packed american boy-wonder comic book sensibility wins out in the end. but, all-in-all, worth the read. and if i could craft a book that was half as well-drawn and well-written, i'd consider myself lucky.

[for a much better review, check out kqed]