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NotM: Lost Girls-Initial Narrative Impressions
By Corvus | October 16, 2007
As I mentioned in the inaugural Narrative of the Moment introductory post, the first narrative I’m exploring is Alan Moore and Melinda Gebbie’s Lost Girls. Again, I will stress that if you are offended or uncomfortable with material of a sexual nature, you should probably skip these posts.
If I’m going to stick to my definition of narrative, then I must start with the Presentational Components of the narrative. In other words, I must begin by assessing, not judging, the books by their covers… so to speak.
But even before I can talk about the actual narrative, I should share what I brought to the experience before setting eyes on the books. That means that I must begin with my impressions of Alan Moore himself.
As the author of some of my favorite comics, from The Watchmen and V for Vendetta to The Killing Joke, Moore has set himself apart from the pack. His characters are strongly rendered, his treatment of them poignant and believable without losing their larger than life qualities. His refusal to compromise his vision is highlighted by the fact that he has refused to have his name associated with any of the movies based upon his work. In short, he is brilliant, flamboyant and iconoclastic–seemingly beholden to his muse over any person or institution. He also has impeccable fashion sense, as evidenced by Neil Gaiman’s snapshot of he and Melinda at their wedding.
So, when approaching a series of graphic novels that deal with the burgeoning sexuality of three classic heroines of children’s literature, I already had certain expectations about the quality and tone of the narrative. The physical reality of the books reinforced those expectations.
The books themselves are substantial–9×12 inches, hardcover. The slip case they are bundled in is substantial and will hold up quite nicely to normal wear and tear. The soft pastels of the slip case and dust jackets suggests a faded elegance–muted and soft. The cover of the slip case bears a portrait of the three girls-Alice, Wendy and Dorothy in a pastoral setting-is surrounded by a gilt design containing the title, Lost Girls, Alan Moore and Melinda Gebbie’s names. Brighter colors would have run the risk of seeming gaudy or brash. It would also have contrasted too strongly with Gebbie’s artwork.
Our first strong impression of Gebbie’s art comes as we slide the first book out of the case. This is out first real taste of the narrative’s visual components. The front of the dust jacket depicts the three young girls sitting before a gold framed mirror whose frame is adorned with nude female forms. Light appears to be bouncing off the mirror, lighting the girls in golden hues. Below the mirror is a collection of dolls from the three girl’s fantasy worlds. Various toys and an open, face down, copy of Lewis Carroll’s Sylvie & Bruno lie on the floor. The mirror itself does not reflect the image of the three girls, but an image of their adult faces. Turning the book over we see the full image the reflection hints at. On the back, the three women are nude, their clothes indistinct blurs on the floor. A pipe and medicine bottle, also on the floor, hint at recreational drug use. An open book, also face down, is on the floor. It bears the title The White Book.
The women’s pose seems a bit awkward, a bit… well, posed. They are touching each other, clearly giving and receiving pleasure. Dorothy is in the center, spread eagle on a rather… well endowed stool. Her expression is lost, distant, as she stares into space. Dorothy is on the right, looking somewhat apprehensively at us, her mouth drawn and her eyes narrowed as if calculating our reaction, anticipating our judgment. Alice is on the left. She is older than the other two women and smirking slightly, her eyelids heavy, her hand on Dorothy’s breast. Dorothy’s hand is between Alice’s legs. It is not difficult to imagine from this image that Alice is more in the moment, more comfortable and probably more in control than the other two women. Best of all, their bodies are normal bodies. They are beautiful, yes, but beautiful in the way real women are.
Opening the book, we find high quality textured paper, a nice binding and a variety of artistic styles gracing the pages. The muted colors from the covers are carried through the book. This is a palette that Maxfield Parish would be comfortable with, or Monet for that matter. The overall feel is that these books take place in a dream.
I notice that this post is growing a bit long, so I’m going to leave off here. You’ll note that my intention of discussing each book as a whole has dissipated in favor of discussing the narrative components… at least for now. As much as I love structure, I’m loath to dictate terms to such a new process for me. Instead, I will continue to allow the process to dictate structure to me. At the moment, it’s telling me that my next post will focus on the visual components of the books in their entirety. We’ll see what actually happens next I sit down to write next week’s post!
Tagged:alan-moore, Books, graphic-novels, lost-girls, melinda-gebbie, NotM. | No Comments »
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