This week, I have another bonus read in honor of Pride Month. BACKGROUND:
I saw this was free and decided to download it. Look, these sections can't all be interesting backstories. SUMMARY: A drag queen by the name of Bi Phallicia (fantastic name) is hanging out with her queer friends one night when they're suddenly targeted by bigots in a vicious assault. One of the people in the group is left severely injured, and the experience was so traumatic that they are driven to suicide months later. Angered by this loss, the never-ending bigotry, and the inaction of authorities, the remaining friends decide to take matters into their own hands and form the Glitter Vipers, a vigilante group who intervenes to defend those targeted by the recent wave of hate crimes. Their exploits (which also includes biting back against hateful protests led by conservatives) have a bit of an impact as the streets of Manchester are now relatively safer than they were for queer folk, but the group remains unsatisfied as they have yet to find the people who attacked them at the beginning of the story. The book ends with them investigating the situation, discovering the culprits (who end up only being part of a larger scheme that is as hateful as it is contrived), and finding some measure of justice with the power of social media. The story is pretty short, so not much time is wasted, and you see everything play out with no filler. The Glitter Vipers being spurred into action and deciding that they've had enough of taking the hate is completely understandable, and I could feel their frustration as they try to endure an environment where they're seen as others and have to fear for their lives and safety. All the feelings and issues they bring up are pretty on the nose, but sometimes, on the nose is what you need to get a message across. You don't really get to spend much time getting to know the characters with how short the comic is, but the moments when they vent their frustrations and share their harrowing experiences do well enough to contextualize their choice to become vigilantes. I did feel the most for the boyfriend of the man who took his own life at the beginning of the story, and Bi Phallicia's sass is amusing for the most part. The villains of this story are played straight with no nuance, which I'd say is a correct approach with the cut-and-dry themes this book is tackling. I feel like the big reveal of what was really going on in Manchester was over the top, but I think that works fine to illustrate the lengths bigots are willing to go to just to deny people they think are "others" a peaceful life like the ones they have. Some people have foolishly assumed I'm a stereotypical straight just because I keep where I lie on the spectrum to myself, and I can totally see the assholes I know personally reading this right now thinking that I couldn't possibly understand what the characters here are going through. Believe me, I do. I'm openly atheist; I don't even have to reveal the rest of myself to put a target on my back (to which they will reply, "that's not the same," but I digress). I know that feeling of thinking the high road is a waste of fucking time, and that I'm better served taking matters into my own hands, so I can connect with the Glitter Vipers in that sense. That being said, I have spent an embarrassing amount of my life angry and resentful, and unlike most idiots on the Internet who would be first in line to chastise me for "not being angry enough," I have taken extreme action fueled by rage before. People think they're prepared to fight and hurt somebody (and live with that fact) until they actually do it (and most people don't, because they just want to vent), and they also think they can do so unscathed. Take it from me: you won't feel so righteous if you're actually pushed to that point, and it will never undo the hurt you feel. For what it's worth, the Glitter Vipers have good heads on their shoulders and do what they do for others and not for their own satisfaction, but one of their members does wrestle with those emotions briefly, and I understand that, too. Honestly, I think a lot of what the Glitter Vipers accomplish in this book feels like wishful thinking. The world is unfortunately a lot messier than this work of fiction, and stuff like what the Glitter Vipers do don't always play out the ideal way in reality. Now, there's absolutely nothing wrong with hoping for the ideal, but having seen enough morons on the Internet who think they know the answer to every problem (and that anyone who tries to come at things with a level head is an irredeemable asshole), I can't help but feel like some readers (especially those my age and younger who think they know everything after reading one Tumblr post) will take a look at this and quickly forget that every situation is different and that there is no universal solution that fixes them all. I thought the art was fine. It features a wide variety of bright colors and has a fun, cartoony style, but that's about as much as I can say about it. I felt like there were some rough edges here and there, but that didn't affect my experience negatively. VERDICT: Glitter Vipers both tackles the harsh realities of being queer in a world that is still too slow to accept those who are different and showcases a comforting "what if" where bold action equates to almost immediate and tangible change. I have my personal feelings about the latter, but overall, what matters to me more is that the former is tackled with no punches pulled, and I think this comic achieves that. There are probably other stories out there that tackle similar themes in a more in-depth manner, but I think with this book being as short as this is, it's able to get to the heart of the matter very quickly. I think getting the point across as succinctly as you can is a good first step before diving into the nuances, and while the rest of the story may not be for everybody, I think everyone should at least read the comic and internalize its commentary. - end -
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June 2024
Derryck
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