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Baker cover pencils and inks = ***
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Romantic Marriage #24 - non-attributed Matt Baker cover
Reviewed by Ted F
on
2:30 PM
Rating:
Reviewed by Ted F
on
2:30 PM
Rating:
3 comments:
"..could be an artistic omission or a metaphor for the emptiness of the relationship..."
***GROAN***
Another thin-skinned academic on the attack, retrojecting contemporary anxieties onto a bygone age !
These two are going upstairs to get their *freak* on, *not* have an earnest exegesis on justice, fair play and the "human condition".
To view the 1950s and its cultural artifacts, like Romance Comics, as panoramas of deceit, betrayal and exploitation, is a contemporary affliction, striking *academic bloggers* who have a driving emotional need to believe such rubbish. The *origins* of such neurosis is another matter entirely.
With this Manichean view [there: I can do the Academic Two-Step, too !], you *miss* the richly salacious deliciousness inherent in Romance Comics.
Attempting to view these comic books---and they ARE ***Comic Books*** fer chrissakes, fellers !---in terms of contemporary Gender & Power Analysis is to really take the *fun* out of it.
But that's the academic enterprise, isn't it ?
Cheers !
Comic books, as you yourself admit, are cultural artifacts. They (intentionally or not) are reflections of their times and on occasion reveal certain insights. For myself, knowing the broader contexts and examining the artwork enriches my reading enjoyment and appreciation. Should the fact that Matt Baker was a black man who drew the most beautiful white women in 1950s comics be considered irrelevant or uninteresting? How about the Comics Code Authority's impact on language and visual representation in comics? Is Frank Miller's deft symbolism in his 1980s Daredevil run purely coincidental? Perhaps you've mistaken my "neurosis" for natural curiosity. I share my humble opinions, not edicts. Are my views infallible? Of course not, but if it gets people thinking and increases their appreciation of certain comics, then I've accomplished my goal for this blog. Still, thanks for contributing.
My first thought was that they're in for a helluva shock when they reach the top of the stairs and meet Mrs Bates!
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