Ichabod: the glory is departed

[shewhomust]

Buying the Top Shelf edition of The Bojeffries Saga makes the third time I have bought some of these stories: I already own many of them in Warrior, and the 1992 collection from Tundra. And I don't care - they still make me laugh. Words by Alan Moore, from those golden days when he still thought writing comics was worth doing, pitch-perfect art by Steve Parkhouse - and since there is no separate lettering credit, presumably Steve Parkhouse did that, too, and it's worth saying so, because it is wonderful.

I've always had a soft spot for Ginda Bojeffries, the daughter of the family. How could you not love someone who yells at the unwary stranger who has addressed her as 'young lady': "I am NOT a 'young lady'! I am a PERSON! - I have thoughts and feelings TOO, you know! - You find the idea of a female who can cause nuclear explosions by squinting up one eye threatening to your manhood, DON'T you?" and ends up slamming the door in his face with a cry of "And don't come back until you're PROPERLY EVOLVED!"

As you see, this isn't a review. I know my limitations, and the nearest I could come to a review would be quoting all my favourite bits - and that's not fair to anyone.

Yesterday I read a friend's copy of Nemo: The Roses of Berlin, the latest bulletin from the world of the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen. Kevin O'Neill's artwork is gorgeous (if you can look at the scarlet pages and see the glorious colours rather than the blood and flames) and the book itself is a handsome object. But the story is a grotesque parody of a Boys Own yarn, a prop for all the clever allusions, not so much a story as a crossword puzzle. It's a challenge to the reader: can you stomach the violence? well, then, can you recognise all these cultural allusions? Think you're so clever, do you? All right, then, can you read German? Yes, I can, up to a point, and I did, but I didn't get much out of it.

The one new story in the Bojeffries collection, After They Were Famous, also requires the reader to decipher some of the speech, as accents are rendered phonetically (hyper-phonetically? and how would Moore's own voice look, given this treatment?). I didn't like it very much. It has some funny moments, but not enough of them or funny enough. Its depiction of the modern day reminded me of the end of LOEG: Century, which I didn't like either, finding it petty and mean-spirited. Or perhaps I just don't like who Ginda Bojeffries has turned into.

But that's not what I set out to say. The good stuff is still good, that's the main thing. In fact, I had forgotten just how good it is.

Comments

[sovay]

You find the idea of a female who can cause nuclear explosions by squinting up one eye threatening to your manhood, DON'T you?

I'm glad someone wrote that line. I'm sorry they couldn't live up to it.

Seconded

[karinmollberg.livejournal.com]

Was just going to say, "I think, I just fell in love with Ginda" (whom I had never heard of before now) but then I read how her character deteriorated, as some, even the strongest, do. I also very much wonder, what my own speak might look like if depicted that way but am unsure, whether I want to know. Think,
I must get to know young Ms Ginda, though even if she ends up embittered!

(sorry about the accidental anyonymous posting there, LJ had apparently thrown me out over night, like an unwelcome guest)

Re: Seconded

[shewhomust.livejournal.com]

No problem, I've deleted the rogue comment!

And yes, well worth getting to know the original strips. You may not share my view of the more recent stuff, not everyone does.

[shewhomust.livejournal.com]

Alan Moore has written so many very fine lines that it seems greedy to complain - but it's always sad when you contemplate an artist you have greatly enjoyed and realise how very long it is since you've enjoyed anything new from them.

[http://users.livejournal.com/la_marquise_de_/]

Moore simply isn't very good at showing women as adults, I think. He writes excellent girls, but once they're grown up, they tend to default to stereotype, which is a huge shame.

[shewhomust.livejournal.com]

That's an interesting thought, which I will take away and ponder.

The problem with Ginda Bojeffries is rather different, it's that she is portrayed as a parody of one particular person, and I am trying not to spoiler by saying who...