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A Bronze Age Review: Lois Lane 106 "I Am Curious (Black)!"

Started by Joanna,

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Joanna

Joanna

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I wish I could give you 5 stars again!

 

Canteen girl, you make me laugh..."Superman is so upset that one of the parts of his S emblem is not inked. Now that's upset!"

 

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Thanks, Shield! I always love it when people quote lines because then I know what worked. I can't hear any laughter, so it's the next best thing.

 

-- Joanna

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Darthdiesel

Darthdiesel

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893applaud-thumb.gif

That makes me want to collect all those Lois Lane's! Thanks for putting a new spin on reading old comics!

 

Uh -oh...I started out picking these up because of the posts on here about bondage covers and this title had plenty of them...then I actually started reading one and was hooked for goofy light hearted fun. Not all the issues were winners like this story but it was refreshing as a change from my modern superhero laden material. Joanna's reviews of the material help me enjoy the subtelties I missed the first time around and fill me in on background material that I was not up on.

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dadaist

dadaist

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Hey Joanna

 

I just had a chance at reading your review, and although I liked it for its subtle attack at the perpetuation of a white male patriarchal order on a whole, I may have appreciated it more if it involved more of a social commentary (ie. your opinions on the marginilazation of Afro-American men and women). Were the parts included in this thread excerpts from review, and if so, can I read the review in its entirety?

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Joanna

Joanna

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Hey Joanna

 

I just had a chance at reading your review, and although I liked it for its subtle attack at the perpetuation of a white male patriarchal order on a whole, I may have appreciated it more if it involved more of a social commentary (ie. your opinions on the marginilazation of Afro-American men and women). Were the parts included in this thread excerpts from review, and if so, can I read the review in its entirety?

 

That's the whole thing.

 

And here I was worried that I'd included too much social commentary!

 

-- Joanna

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dadaist

dadaist

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And here I was worried that I'd included too much social commentary!

 

I'm not suggesting that the commentary need be a militant one, however, if the writer felt compelled enough to tackle issues of race and representation, gender and cultural politics, and failed horribly, then it may well be worthwhile endeavour to challenge the writers views, and use this review as a space for reconciliation and forgiveness, and where past hurt, fear and shame are held to a close.

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Joanna

Joanna

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And here I was worried that I'd included too much social commentary!

 

I'm not suggesting that the commentary need be a militant one, however, if the writer felt compelled enough to tackle issues of race and representation, gender and cultural politics, and failed horribly, then it may well be worthwhile endeavour to challenge the writers views, and use this review as a space for reconciliation and forgiveness, and where past hurt, fear and shame are held to a close.

 

I'm not really understanding what you would've wanted. It sounds like you would've prefered a serious exploration of the messages and themes of the comic. That is sort of the opposite of what I was going for (I was shooting for light and entertaining). If it offended you, I'm very sorry. It was unintentional. I've written these sorts of 'reviews' about several comics from different eras, all of which were just meant to be fun, silly entertainment, not deep analysis.

 

-- Joanna

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dadaist

dadaist

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I'm not really understanding what you would've wanted. It sounds like you would've prefered a serious exploration of the messages and themes of the comic. That is sort of the opposite of what I was going for (I was shooting for light and entertaining). If it offended you, I'm very sorry. It was unintentional.

 

On the contrary, I found it enlightening, and at the same time humurous. I take no offence to what you did, and I epescially liked your idea about using the published review to raise money for charitable cause.

 

I just felt that you touched on some important themes and issues, and had you challenged them using your own commentary on race, representation, gender in relation to the marginilized Afro-American, the review might still be in keeping with the theme of "entertaining", while at the same time, employing a more educational and enlightening method of review and constructive criticism. As it stands, you kept with the theme of the original writer, as many before have, delving into the "spice" of race and representation to arouse interest in the issue, while not adequately dealing with the issues in an appropriate manner. And on the issue of in-depth analysis, I'm of the point of view that topics of race and representation, whether that be on a gender or cultural level, are issues which ought not be raised or addressed by anyone who is squeamish about dealing with some opposing views and opinions on the matter.

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Joanna

Joanna

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Thanks for making it clearer. I think, had I done as you suggested, it would've been a very different review. And I'm not sure I'm the right person to have written that different piece. I try to stick close to the comic, while writing whatever falls out of my head (and attempt to keep a modicum of control over ranging too far away from what's in the panel).

 

Perhaps if I gave you the origin of why I write these. Several years ago, I bought my first golden age comic book. I was so excited to finally own a genuine GA Wonder Woman comic that I told my fellow WW fans on a message board that I frequented. At that time, there were no WW archive books, and no way to know what the GA stories were like, other than rare reprints in the backs of some 80 page giants.

 

The book cost a lot more than I was used to paying (I was very cheap) and I got the idea that if I "shared" my comic with my online friends, it would serve two purposes: 1) they could experience the GA story with me and 2) it would somehow justify the expense to me.

 

So I wrote a GA review of the book, including everything -- ads, text pieces, cartoons, and all the stories. People seemed to like it, so I wrote several more. Several years passed, and then I joined this forum. I dug up some old GA reviews, then wrote a couple more. I even wrote a couple of silver age reviews. The LL 106 was the first bronze age. But my original concept didn't change. To me, it's about sharing a comic, and having others read it through my eyes.

 

So it's not about social commentary to me. I'm a storyteller, not an essayist.

 

-- Joanna

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Joanna

Joanna

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Well, thank goodness I read it tonight!! Absolutely fantastic. Made my evening, that someone would put so much time and energy into such a well-written diversion. Stupendous job. I hope your book is going well...

 

Thank you so much! It is a lot of work just to retell a comic, I know, but I have a blast doing these. I adore comics and like to share the ones I favor. Not all that many people read old Lois Lanes or Wonder Womans anymore, so I'm just doing my part to keep them alive.

 

And I'm happy to announce that I finished both books today. Over the next couple of days I'm going to re-read them, doing any edits I can find, and then on thursday, they go off to the publisher.

 

I have decided to give myself Friday, Saturday and Sunday off (I've been working nonstop since before Thanksgiving, with the exception of a quick trip home for Christmas). During these luxurious 3 days, I'm going to write a little Crisis for all the patient readers out there. I know -- a busman's holiday, writing on my days off from writing, but Crisis is playtime for me.

 

Then next week, I'm going to hustle my little heart out, trying to get a new writing assignment. I'm also going to write a quick novel, and try to sell that. Might as well put the time to good use, right?

 

So hang on just a few more days, lads, and then Crisis is back!

 

-- Joanna

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Joanna

Joanna

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And these books are about? and will they be available on Amazon?

 

They are gift books -- the sort of books you find at the checkout counter of Barnes & Noble (and they should be available at B&N for sure, as the publisher has a distribution deal with them). The publisher is a "venerable" English publisher, called Hamlyn. The imprint is Godsfield.

 

They are in the genre of BMS - body, mind, spirit. For those unfamiliar with that, it's a self-help genre. Used to be called New Age.

 

Now, to be honest, I knew very little about that genre before starting these, but I had a contact, so that's how I ended up getting the books. The titles were assigned to me (i.e. I was given the titles and told to write up a pitch, and then a proposal, which I did. Out of around 70+ new titles to choose from, the publisher chose 12, 2 of which were mine. Yay!

 

The books are: "Purrfecting Your Life: 10 Spiritual Lessons You Can Learn From Your Cat" and "A Dog's Life: 10 Spiritual Lessons You Can Learn From Your Dog" (titles could change, but the subtitle is set). They're designed to be impulse buys at the checkout for the cat- or dog-lover in your friends or family.

 

They're small books, fully illustrated with lots of beautiful photos (I won't know what those are for awhile). They will be coming out in October of this year.

 

Can you buy them at Amazon? I don't know. Probably. I hope so. You should be able to find them at B&N.com if not.

 

So there you have it. The Den Mother imparts her wisdom, such as it is.

 

-- Joanna

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