The Luna Brothers's Girls

[LostinFandom]

Back on the old forums I briefly posted that I was uncertain about trying Girls as I thought it would all be taking out anger and insecurity about women. After almost a year I finally read it, and it wanted to go in a sweet, "everyone has their reasons, let's move past our differences" direction, but it was still highly problematic.

For starters it kind of hand waves all the ways all possibility of rape. The first girl is introduced in a way that we thinks she's been raped. (She's naked, a father and son pair are running after her and the son has his pants down. We later learn that the son was accused of attempted rape and that he has Down's Syndrome. I pretty much dreaded everything involving this plot.) After Lester has sex with four of the girls he seems traumatized, but no one, including the storytellers seem to consider that he was raped and it gets explained as a reaction to how long he's been celibate. The Girls themselves are un-rape-able, even when we come across Cole strangling one as he has sex with her.

Everything misogynistic thing Ethan says in the first issue is true. Wes is able to come to an understanding how the women are right to fear the men as they do, but the ball busting Nancy still is seen chopping of Lester's balls with an ax and forcing the men to do slave labor. (While Kenny attempts to kill her and the other women by proxy twice, there isn't nearly as much time devoted to his bad behavior and she's the one who dies).

The Girls themselves are of course a misogynistic fantasy. Naked, near mute and always sexually available, they feed the townswomen to the giant sperm monster demonstrating hoe clearly they belong to the patriarchy. It was pretty funny when the men were all aghast that the girls were only interested in them for reproduction. I don't get how any of them were surprised.

I didn't hate it. (I think that would require me going it wanting to love it.) But I'd have a hard time recommending it and I don't know if I want to go back. I'm also still uncertain if I want to read Alex + Ada which was another reason I read it.

[TotalSnorefest]

Yeah it's an odd series, agreed with the super uncomfy rape allusions. Another complaint I have: they try pretty hard to not pick sides, Nancy and her gang are understandable; the men are a direct threat to them, but the series also wants to show them [Nancy & co] as way too extreme. In reverse, the men are dense as all heck, throwing safety of themselves and the town's women into the wind to lead a life filled with sex and being seen as valuable by the Girls.

Neither side comes off well, and while that obviously works for the message, it also doesn't really hammer home one specific point. Plus, not sure if you agree, but Ethan is a terrible protagonist? There's way less to root for with him than with the couple who get the spotlight towards the end. Ethan is a jerk with really distorted views on women, I couldn't identify at all with him. He's entitled and basically suffers from 'nice-guy-syndrome'; the idiotic delusion that being 'a nice guy' will make you a desirable partner. Being nice is the bare minimum, not an achievement. He places the blame for being single on women (they don't see how he's such a great guy - despite evidence to the contrary).

That said I did really like it, it's rare to have such a strong response to a relatively straight-foward 'small town gets invaded by basically zombies.' Imperfect, but at least interesting. I devoured the series in a day I think.

As for Alex+Ada, it's pretty superior in my view. Sarah Vaughn's writing is much more layered, subtle. There's a message underneath this time, not being slapped in your face so overtly. Plus I find the romance aspect paired with the deep complications of consent (can you have an equal relationship when you started out as owner and 'slave' - because that's what robots are) very appealing. Highly recommend you at least try the first trade if possible.