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Oh, dear. OK, the long version.
I think it's pretty clear that Dave Sim holds a number of loathsome beliefs (a) and that he has demonstrated again and again that he is unable to keep those loathsome beliefs out of his work (b) - either by working them into the comic or just by writing lengthy letters to himself at the end of the issue. Charitably, Dave Sim is essentially Molatar - a man whose disgust at his own sexual desires and, indeed, sexual organs has driven him into the arms of (a) God, (b) social conservatism and (c) barking unpleasantness.
Now, this is tricky, because despite his misogyny, his fantasies about chastising women, his description of homosexuality being as repellent to him as a "puddle of vomit" und so weiter (a) some comic book fans are desperate for anything they can think of as giving their medium credibility, and hilariously believe that a story about an aardvark who hates women will do that, (b) some comic book fans very much want to be close personal friends with creators, and "Dave" will reply to letters at length with a personalised mad ramble and (c) ultimately, misogyny is perhaps not such a big deal to some people as maybe it might be.
To get around this, we have seen a number of strategies advanced on Barbelith. Some favourites are "well, Cerebus is very big indeed, and that's amazing", "why can't we talk about his work and not his beliefs" (answer: because he does not keep the two separate)", and, of course "the art is great". Which in this case, actually, it isn't. As Jack says, much of this is not drawing so much as tracing, and the Jewish Comic Book Writers Hall of Fame page is pretty dodgy as portraiture. The content is already looking dubious as well - well-meaning, perhaps, although ziparrow's comments are of interest, but sentimental (a picture of the gates at Auschwitz with the single caption "inevitable") and oddly ill-informed (does he really think that he is the first gentile to address the Holocaust and its location in the context of European anti-Semitism? I mean, really? This is a bit like Cerebus the Aardvark being the greatest single continuous narrative in Western civilisation, isn't it?). I'm not sure why Stoatie finds it surprising that this would appeal to Neil Gaiman, TBH, who is nothing if not profoundly sentimental as a writer. However, I'm not wild about the Holocaust getting the Dave Sim treatment, especially since there is a degree of similarity between his views on women - that they are naturally wives and mothers and it is against nature for them to work or leave the home, as they are oppressed into thinking they must by unnatural women - and those of you guessed it.
So, if people start puffing a comic about glamorous ladies by a man who said "women don't think", or indeed a comic about the Holocaust which I suspect is not going to touch on e.g the gay men and lesbians who also perished - and I could, of course, be wrong - I think it's reasonable to express deep discomfort with the attempts to avoid or conceal the most salient point about Dave Sim - that he is at best Molatar, and regardless of causation adumbrates loathsome views to a sadly often too ignorant and gullible constituency. Others on this thread, whom you have so far ignored, appear to have similar reservations about the uncritical repetition of media releases about these projects.
Sleazenation, in particular, has become upset about Sim's personal pronouncements always cropping up in discussions of his work. I respectfully disagree with his aims. I think that some things are absolutely worth challenging. I don't think, Stoatie, that redemption is being sought. If you mean "it might be good", it might indeed be good. Stranger things have happened. However, focusing on the pretty art to the detriment of what Sim (a) actually says in and out of his work and (b) the effect that has on the behaviour of and perception of the comic book medium and community is not IMHO responsible behaviour.
Hope that helps - I tried to bullet for clarity throughout. |
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