Review – Dawn/Vampirella #1 (of 6) (Dynamite)

1–2 minutes

DawnVampi01-Cov-Linsner - CopyPublisher: Dynamite Comics
Writer/Artist: Joseph Michael Linsner
Release Date: 10th September 2014

Wow. I don’t really know what to say about this comic – well, I do, but it’s not nice. The cover page should give ample clues as to what you are about to read, but it gets worse.

Vampirella is the Queen of Vampires and when she breaks into an institution to get some revenge on a child-killer-vampire, she gets transported to another world where she meets Dawn. Both women are summoned to meet the Master – a stereotypical depiction of Lucifer himself, where they find out he wants them to fight until the death for the right to bear his heterochromial child. They ask that he let them fight with their minds, not their bodies. I am rolling my eyes as I type this. He consents and asks them to tell him a story each. We get a poor limerick and Guy de Maupassant’s The Necklace, for all intents and purposes, verbatim. Honestly. Then they make a run for it.

Now, as a female comic reader and I am almost duty-bound to burn my bra, get my knickers in a twist, fire up the washing machine about the depiction of females in comic book world, but this is really taking the urine. Both girls have their tits out always – Dawn doesn’t even bother with a strip of support. Vampirella has the audacity to try and cover hers when she wakes up in bed naked – how dare she! If that wasn’t enough to rile every female ever, then the girls are variously referred to a “skanks…bitches…” and I really, really love this one “chippies”.

I’d mention the artwork but what’s the point? This comic is clearly a joke and I’ll treat it as such.

Rating: 0/5

PREVIEW ARTWORK.

[Click thumbnail for full size image]

HAZHAVThe Writer of this piece was: Hazel Hay

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4 responses to “Review – Dawn/Vampirella #1 (of 6) (Dynamite)”

  1. dmodeviolator Avatar
    dmodeviolator

    Where did you find this man hating jugglette of a reviewer Hazel Hay?! Vampirella was always a T & A show in the beginning and to set her aside with a new classic; Dawn was ingenious but to slam this comic because let’s face it Hazel’s favorite band must be Bikini Kill meets ICP is idiotic. This comic is fantastic in all ways, the art is amazing and so is the storyline! Pick up a copy.

    Reply
    1. Ben Lundy Avatar
      Ben Lundy

      In the Women’s Studies class I’m taking right now, I’m learning how many different interpretations there are of feminism. Sex-positive feminism encourages women to take ownership of their sexuality and not be afraid to be sexy the way they want to do it. The point is to be sexy with your own self-confidence and style rather than for the sake of pleasing a man.

      Fictional characters like Dawn and Vampirella do not have their own agency. The writers and illustrators that depict them are custodians of their agency and should take care to represent them in a sex-positive manner. I don’t think anyone can argue that these two fictional women are in complete control of their own bodies and sexuality in the fictional world in which they exist. They are not geishas or prostitutes. They dress and behave in a manner that pleases them. If you have any doubts about that, imagine your average Jersey Shore stereotype guy trying to put the moves on Vampirella or Dawn. I doubt they’d survive the encounter.

      The proof is in the pudding. Lots of women like these characters. Gail Simone is about to start writing some Vampirella stories, in fact. Linsner has closely guarded his own creation, Dawn, making sure that all of her depictions are faithful to her character and never pandering. But this “review” doesn’t acknowledge any of that. It only makes surface-level assumptions and broad generalizations.

      I agree, this book was great! Can’t wait for the rest!

      Reply
  2. Ben Lundy Avatar
    Ben Lundy

    I have to apologize for my gender for the previous comment, but I do think you are not treating the book fairly. I have to wonder (since you don’t mention it in your review) how familiar you are with either character, Dawn or Vampirella. I have to think you would have taken the book a little more seriously, or at least reviewed it more objectively, if you were a fan of either character. Vampirella has been around for decades and was an icon of horror comics before she received her “bad girl” revamp in the 1990s. She’s had stories written and drawn by highly regarded authors like Mark Millar and Amanda Conner.

    Dawn is a creation of the 1990s but the depth of her character and world, along with Linsner’s singular religious interpretations and artistic style, elevated her far beyond the typical T&A bad girl comic of the time. Both characters have large female followings, as does Linsner himself. It’s disingenuous to act like your reaction to this book should be the standard for all women who read comics.

    No one denies that Dawn and Vampirella are cheesecake, but I argue that neither is inappropriately sexualized. There’s an inherent eroticism in both characters that many women find empowering just as men are titillated by it. Compare this to a truly reprehensible sexualization of a female character, such as Catwoman’s treatment in the New 52, and you should be able to see that there is no affront to women or feminism in Linsner’s work.

    Reply
  3. Farruke King Avatar
    Farruke King

    why you bother to review it…??? feminist crap.boo whoooo their tits show …..ohhhhh 0 out of five ..ohhhhhh please go back to reviewing one erection cds or do some lame twilight review
    leave the comic reviews for the MEN…….

    Reply

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