This is it! My last review of 2016. I wanted to at least get a triple Cannonball, if I couldn’t repeat my quadruple from 2015, and I wanted to end on a strong note. Thankfully, this review achieves both of these goals.
I don’t mind when graphic novels about superheroes are dark and serious. But sometimes, you just want to have a little fun. You want to smile and laugh and enjoy some goofy hijinks. When I had heard raves for Noelle Stevenson’s Lumberjanes, I was drawn by the quirky, colorful art and the premise, but was disappointed by the juxtaposition of the childish art and the Gen-X 90s jokes. So, when my husband recommended Patsy Walker, AKA Hellcat! I had no idea that this was the comic I had been looking for the whole time.
In Volume 1, Hooked on a Feline, we meet Patsy as she’s getting laid off by her best friend, Jen Walters, aka She-Hulk. She’s come back from Hell (hence, Hellcat), and she’s seeking out meaningful employment that allows her to use her super powers. She meets another special individual, Ian Soo, and they decide to become roommates. Interspersed is Patsy’s quest to find a job, find others like her, and stop the evil Casiolena from swaying other potential super heroes into using their powers for her evil purposes. The comic is lighthearted and funny, with plenty of action sequences sprinkled in.
I enjoyed the female-centered narrative that didn’t focus On A Man or Drama About A Man. The women supported each other and their capabilities without being Obvious and After-School Special about it (cough, cough Lumberjanes). Plus, there are so many fun Marvel crossovers or cameos that you keep a close watch just to make sure you don’t miss anything. I am really glad that comics are being written by and for women, and that the male-centered narratives are giving way to more inclusive branches of narrative. I have already placed a hold for Volume 2, which comes out in January of 2017. I look forward to reading more of this series as it is released. [This review is cross-posted on my blog.]
All right, Cannonballers! I’ll see you all in 2017.
Congratulations on reaching your triple Cannonball! I’m going to end on 134 reviews this year, my work load has just been too crushing for anything else, but I have enjoyed informally competing against you throughout the year (Badkittyuno and Narfna have just been in a different league).
Thank you! It’s been an honor to keep pace with you this CBR–but you also read The Count of Monte Cristo, which I did not have the energy to attempt. So that’s like 5 books in one!
badkittyuno deserves her own league, honestly.
Congrats on your triple! I met Kate Leth at a book signing, but hadn’t read any of her work yet. I’ve added this to my tbr for CBR9. :)
Adding to my mountain: Congrats on your triple!
Fun fact: Kate Leth does weekly Buffy Fashionwatch Updates on the new Buffy podcast, Buffering the Vampire Slayer. She’s not in it very much, but the podcast is really great, if you’re into Buffy, that is. And if you haven’t ever watched, might be a good way to start! The hosts are very charming. They are a married lesbian couple, and at the end of every episode, one of them plays and sings a song they wrote about that episode, and the songs are actually great!
Anyway, tangent. Happy triple cannonball!
Happy Triple! I’ve had this on my list to read for quite a while.
Happy Triple!!!
https://giphy.com/gifs/dancing-alan-rickman-scrubs-JCa1L2hrOqIFO