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A review by haia_929
Chainmail Bikini: The Anthology of Women Gamers by Sarah Winifred Searle, Hazel Newlevant
3.0
This is a trimmed down version of my review, to view the full review visit The Book Ramble.
I received a copy of this book from Alternative Comics on Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.
This collection of short comics reflects on women's experiences with gaming, be it tabletop, LARPing, video games, cards, etc. The comics are mostly around 4 pages, with a few exceptions running long or short in either direction. There's a good mixture of topics and directions that the stories go in represented in the anthology.
For me the anthology was a little inconsistent. This might have a lot to do with the fact that there were just just too many stories in this book. This could have been multi volume instead of one big book, because it was a difficult thing to read all at once. I also found that with so many stories there wasn't room for some of them to breath because there was limited space for each storyteller.
Overall it was a good anthology. It wasn't super strong but it was fun to read. Definitely great for fans of comics like In Real Life. I'd recommend checking it out.
Below I've broken this book down by story, in the order they appear in the book. Here I've included only some of the best and the worst.
"Choose Your Own Adventure" by Rachel Ordway - 5 stars
Ordway tells the story of how she and her siblings made their own version of D&D as kids. I really liked this story, it reminded me a lot of my brother and I playing games in the yard that were essentially LARPing without even knowing what that was. The art was adorable again and really captured the essence of the story and even my own childhood really well.
"Reticulating Splines" by Amanda Scurti - 5 stars
Scurti looks at The Sims in her story. Showing the ways in which the innocent and harmless game can lead on to question their own morality. I totally relate to this as I screwed around with my characters in that game so much. Purposely murdering them and ruining their lives. She looks at the way that playing God in the game is kind of terrifying but ultimately reflects little of our personality. Also, the art in this was amazing and really unique.
"Poppy the Gnome and Friends!" by Katie Longua - 5 stars
Longua presents a game of D&D in a really unique way in this story, showing how the game is imagined to those involved rather than the ultimately mundane presentation that observers would get. I think she presented her story in a way that captures the magic and joy of the game without having to rely on direct address. I absolutely adored this comic, it was a real treat. The art was adorable too and the characters were really cute.
"Tales of the Crystals" by Anna Anthropy and Jeremy Boydell - 1 star
Anthropy tells a story about live action role playing games for girls, and the one she is making, while also discussing the lack of female childhood she experienced as a transwoman. I really didn't enjoy this story, the narrative was a mess, with a really unclear through line. The art was also subpar for this book. Overall it was disappointing.
"Delicious Escapism" by Sarah Winifred Searle - 5 stars
Searle looks at a different form of gaming play by post, it's a form of roleplaying done via chatroom. I thought this was a really interesting take on the gaming theme. I was also really excited to finally see some discussion of the treatment of women in the gaming community. Searle still highlighted the pros of being a female gamer, and gamer in general, but made sure to point out the way women are often abused in these communities. I adored the art as well.
"Three Weekends a Year" by Kate Craig - 5 stars
Another great story about romance and gaming. Craig tells a story about 2 women starting a romantic relationship through their LARPing characters. I thought it was absolutely adorable and well formed in such a short space. I also loved the art, Craig's was another really strong piece with even stronger art.
"Stand-Ins" by Annie Mok - 1 star
This was a series of drawings of Sonic characters. I didn't get it. The art was interesting and unique but it didn't feel like a story or a commentary on anything. Not for me.
I received a copy of this book from Alternative Comics on Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.
This collection of short comics reflects on women's experiences with gaming, be it tabletop, LARPing, video games, cards, etc. The comics are mostly around 4 pages, with a few exceptions running long or short in either direction. There's a good mixture of topics and directions that the stories go in represented in the anthology.
For me the anthology was a little inconsistent. This might have a lot to do with the fact that there were just just too many stories in this book. This could have been multi volume instead of one big book, because it was a difficult thing to read all at once. I also found that with so many stories there wasn't room for some of them to breath because there was limited space for each storyteller.
Overall it was a good anthology. It wasn't super strong but it was fun to read. Definitely great for fans of comics like In Real Life. I'd recommend checking it out.
Below I've broken this book down by story, in the order they appear in the book. Here I've included only some of the best and the worst.
"Choose Your Own Adventure" by Rachel Ordway - 5 stars
Ordway tells the story of how she and her siblings made their own version of D&D as kids. I really liked this story, it reminded me a lot of my brother and I playing games in the yard that were essentially LARPing without even knowing what that was. The art was adorable again and really captured the essence of the story and even my own childhood really well.
"Reticulating Splines" by Amanda Scurti - 5 stars
Scurti looks at The Sims in her story. Showing the ways in which the innocent and harmless game can lead on to question their own morality. I totally relate to this as I screwed around with my characters in that game so much. Purposely murdering them and ruining their lives. She looks at the way that playing God in the game is kind of terrifying but ultimately reflects little of our personality. Also, the art in this was amazing and really unique.
"Poppy the Gnome and Friends!" by Katie Longua - 5 stars
Longua presents a game of D&D in a really unique way in this story, showing how the game is imagined to those involved rather than the ultimately mundane presentation that observers would get. I think she presented her story in a way that captures the magic and joy of the game without having to rely on direct address. I absolutely adored this comic, it was a real treat. The art was adorable too and the characters were really cute.
"Tales of the Crystals" by Anna Anthropy and Jeremy Boydell - 1 star
Anthropy tells a story about live action role playing games for girls, and the one she is making, while also discussing the lack of female childhood she experienced as a transwoman. I really didn't enjoy this story, the narrative was a mess, with a really unclear through line. The art was also subpar for this book. Overall it was disappointing.
"Delicious Escapism" by Sarah Winifred Searle - 5 stars
Searle looks at a different form of gaming play by post, it's a form of roleplaying done via chatroom. I thought this was a really interesting take on the gaming theme. I was also really excited to finally see some discussion of the treatment of women in the gaming community. Searle still highlighted the pros of being a female gamer, and gamer in general, but made sure to point out the way women are often abused in these communities. I adored the art as well.
"Three Weekends a Year" by Kate Craig - 5 stars
Another great story about romance and gaming. Craig tells a story about 2 women starting a romantic relationship through their LARPing characters. I thought it was absolutely adorable and well formed in such a short space. I also loved the art, Craig's was another really strong piece with even stronger art.
"Stand-Ins" by Annie Mok - 1 star
This was a series of drawings of Sonic characters. I didn't get it. The art was interesting and unique but it didn't feel like a story or a commentary on anything. Not for me.