#253 Marvel 1602 (2003)

Authors: Neil Gaiman (writer) & Andy Kubert (artist)
Title: Marvel 1602
Genre: Graphic Novel
Year: 2003
Pages: 250
Origin: read on the iPad
Nod Rating: 3 nods out of 5

 

As most of you review reading fans will know (the whole two of you, I believe) the Worm has a fondness for Tudor history as well as comic books. What better way to spend a weekend in reading Marvel’s own Marvel 1602. Yes, the title is rather bland and uninspiring, however the idea and overall execution was an interesting one to follow.

Marvel 1602 is an eight-issue comic book series released throughout 2003. Written by Neil Gaiman (a further enticement) it promised some intriguing and engaging ideas. Characters from the Marvel universe are transplanted to the end of the Tudor period. Queen Elizabeth is an aging and dying woman, assisted by Sir Nicholas Fury (who in turn is assisted by Spiderman’s Peter Parker as Peter Parquagh). The Fantastic Four are present, known as a sailors who went missing at sea, only to be discovered as the prisoners of – who else – the evil Doom. England is home to those who dare to dabble in magic, including Stephen Strange and many of the X-Men (led by Carlos Xavier). However, England is set against the Catholic reactionaries from across Europe, in particular the Inquisition years of Spain. The villains of the Marvel comic books fill the roles, notably that of Magneto as the Grand Inquisitor. This battle is played against the running out of a clock, as the world is speculated to soon self-destruct.

But rather than simple “good” versus “evil” (the life and blood battle for Marvel for six decades) the writers attempt to build a bridge between this alternative universe and the one played out week after week on comic book stands. As states the writer ‘We are the Marvel Universe. It’s 400 years ago. For reasons we do not yet understand, people and events are coming into existence at the wrong time.’ This is a theme returned to as the climax rises throughout the pages, with Dr Reed postulates:

‘We are a boatful of monsters and miracles, hoping that somehow, we can survive a world in which all hands are against us. A world which, by all evidence, will end extremely soon…. [We are] a universe in which no story can ever truly end; in which there can be only continuances.’

Unfortunately, not all of this is fully pulled off. Yes, the action is present, but the volume of characters overpowers any momentum. It is likely that when given the keys to the embarrassment of riches that are all Marvel characters Gaiman became greedy. The central idea of the universes colliding is never fully convincing, nor – it must be said – fully understood. Too much paint is thrown at the canvas, resulting in an admirable but wasted attempt.

Such a problem is seemingly corrected in later titles set within this universe, with concentration provided on particular characters (such as Marvel 1602: Fantastick Four). But the Worm will not be tempted to return for a second bite.

Buy it here

#252 Herland (1915)

Author: Charlotte Perkins Gilman
Title: Herland
Genre: Science Fiction
Year: 1915
Pages: 150
Origin: read on the Kindle
Nod Rating: 5 nods out of 5

 

Some of the greatest reads are those stumbled upon by wonderful accident. Many moons ago the Worm had the pleasure of taking a university module on dystopian fiction; it involved the novels of George Orwell, Margaret Atwood and Angela Carter, whilst also including movies including the big hit The Matrix. In particular, the book of Atwood and Carter, dealing with issues of feminism, led the Worm to come across a tatty copy of Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s Herland in the library. It was consumed in a flash, and – in the spirit of all great reads – changed the philosophy of its reader.

Years later the Worm decided to return to Charlotte Perkins Gilman. In the past year her rousing short story – The Yellow Wallpaper – was read and enjoyed, but it failed to hit the highs of this earlier novel. Allow the Worm to outline the plot: three male adventurers come across a lost and forgotten land populated only by women. They first travel to the land firmly believing that they will conquer the females, and each of them – according to their profession – has a particular idea of femininity. Terry is the macho one of the trio and the man who has the luck with the ladies back home in America; his stance is shown in his words: ‘You’ll see… I’ll get solid with them all – and play one bunch against another. I’ll get myself elected king in no time – whew!’ Jeff, meanwhile, upholds female virtue, idolising their innocence. Vandyck, the novel’s narrator and affirmed “sociologist” is the middle-ground between these values and notions, leading the way for the demolition of these ideas as the novel progresses. The gender attributes they believed definite and carved in stone are revealed to be interchangeable. Rather than pathetic whelps the women of Herland hold an array of “masculine” qualities (such as intelligence and strength) whilst also being loving mothers.

Perkins Gilman has great fun in putting the male characters into the submissive position (being held prisoner after entering Herland). All of this leads Vandyck to reflect: ‘This led my very promptly to the conviction that those “feminine charms” we are so fond of are not feminine at all, but merely reflected masculinity – developed to please us because they had to please us.’

All of this is shown to illustrate the waging battle of the contemporary period in which the novel was written. 1915 saw the suffragette movement in the western world in full flow; Perkins Gilman was a vocal campaigner of this cause, putting the Sci-Fi genre to great effect. Although with heavy strands of socialism – then untainted by the later Soviet experiment- Herland is a novel that fights for what has been labelled “first wave feminism”: the recognition that females are equal with males and should be treated so in society.

Herland is an important novel: a great read that truly does change perceptions. The mystery is how it was forgotten for so long. The Worm utterly endorses it to the full maximum of 5 nods in order to correct – in a very small way – the mistreatment of Perkins Gilman’s interesting and intriguing legacy.

Buy it here