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A review by wyrmdog
Girls, The Complete Collection by Joshua Luna, Jonathan Luna
4.0
**very minor spoilers a bit down**
Girls is easily the most inventive zombie story I have ever read, and it works better as a talky horror story (not at all unlike a Kirkman property) than an exploration of gender issues. Still, that motif as a driver for the story was a brilliant decision, and a brave one given America's love/hate relationship with sex.
The Lunas have done a good job of realizing even minor characters, though quite a few are just negative gender stereotypes with a brushing of nuance. But that infinitesimal glaze of realism - superficial though it may be in some cases - makes all the difference. However, not all of them are very likable and most channel some of the uglier aspects of humanity, even when they seem to be doing what's practical or sensible. Like any good survival horror story, the nominal victims (re: humans or the townspeople here) are often just as dangerous to each other as the things trying to kill them.
At the risk of spoiling a few things, I do have to point out that most of the male characters are almost forcibly stupid. Certainly there could be an in-fiction explanation for some of it, but given that the Lunas illuminate lots of minor things, I am doubting they intended for any external influence to be a factor, so we're left with the stupid.
But there is pathos that runs through much of the behavior, and you can kind of understand even the stupid decisions, and you can watch the stress chipping away at the characters as they try harder and harder to understand what they're really facing and what it costs them with each mounting hour and each additional loss.
When characters die in this book, it makes sense and it's ugly. There is little indulgence in maudlin weepiness. Even the Girls, whose deaths could have been one long drawn out exercise in sexualization, were never treated gratuitously. Just as there are few death speeches, the gore isn't overdone and is often off-panel.
The Lunas seem to know when to show you something and when to imply it.
The worst misstep for me was the way one character was able to stop her PTSD cold and start whining about whether she was pretty, then return to full functionality shortly thereafter. Bear in mind this entire story takes place over the course of a week.
The art is like everything else Luna, and is a bit of an acquired taste. Too many characters look too much alike (except the Girls who are, y'know, supposed to look alike). There is a sharpness to it that seems a little...sharp. Lots of thin lines. There is an odd inconsistency to when subtle behavior is depicted well or not at all. But it's offset with some neat effects and an eye toward making sure you know exactly what's happening. There are some chaotic scenes in this book but they're mostly handled well. I never felt lost like I can with some artists.
You have to be okay with a LOT of naked women who have sex, murder people, and are themselves often killed horribly to enjoy this book. I know a lot of people that won't be. You should also understand that it isn't porn or soft-core gored up for shock value. It's an allegorical horror story and everything in it serves to further that. How well it succeeds? Well, that's up to you.
Speaking of which, Girls is an interesting exercise and I wonder if the way we view this book could be the literary equivalent of a Rorschach blot. Like Slither, the whole premise is infused with sexual commentary (obviously). But while Slither kept to sexual violence for its theme, Girls takes on sexual issues in a broader sense, exploring how we view each other's dark leeward side, the place where we conceal our shame, our regret, our fear, and our nasty impulses. But at its heart it is also a genuine love letter to survival horror, science fiction, and perhaps even rural America.
Girls is easily the most inventive zombie story I have ever read, and it works better as a talky horror story (not at all unlike a Kirkman property) than an exploration of gender issues. Still, that motif as a driver for the story was a brilliant decision, and a brave one given America's love/hate relationship with sex.
The Lunas have done a good job of realizing even minor characters, though quite a few are just negative gender stereotypes with a brushing of nuance. But that infinitesimal glaze of realism - superficial though it may be in some cases - makes all the difference. However, not all of them are very likable and most channel some of the uglier aspects of humanity, even when they seem to be doing what's practical or sensible. Like any good survival horror story, the nominal victims (re: humans or the townspeople here) are often just as dangerous to each other as the things trying to kill them.
At the risk of spoiling a few things, I do have to point out that most of the male characters are almost forcibly stupid. Certainly there could be an in-fiction explanation for some of it, but given that the Lunas illuminate lots of minor things, I am doubting they intended for any external influence to be a factor, so we're left with the stupid.
But there is pathos that runs through much of the behavior, and you can kind of understand even the stupid decisions, and you can watch the stress chipping away at the characters as they try harder and harder to understand what they're really facing and what it costs them with each mounting hour and each additional loss.
When characters die in this book, it makes sense and it's ugly. There is little indulgence in maudlin weepiness. Even the Girls, whose deaths could have been one long drawn out exercise in sexualization, were never treated gratuitously. Just as there are few death speeches, the gore isn't overdone and is often off-panel.
The Lunas seem to know when to show you something and when to imply it.
The worst misstep for me was the way one character was able to stop her PTSD cold and start whining about whether she was pretty, then return to full functionality shortly thereafter. Bear in mind this entire story takes place over the course of a week.
The art is like everything else Luna, and is a bit of an acquired taste. Too many characters look too much alike (except the Girls who are, y'know, supposed to look alike). There is a sharpness to it that seems a little...sharp. Lots of thin lines. There is an odd inconsistency to when subtle behavior is depicted well or not at all. But it's offset with some neat effects and an eye toward making sure you know exactly what's happening. There are some chaotic scenes in this book but they're mostly handled well. I never felt lost like I can with some artists.
You have to be okay with a LOT of naked women who have sex, murder people, and are themselves often killed horribly to enjoy this book. I know a lot of people that won't be. You should also understand that it isn't porn or soft-core gored up for shock value. It's an allegorical horror story and everything in it serves to further that. How well it succeeds? Well, that's up to you.
Speaking of which, Girls is an interesting exercise and I wonder if the way we view this book could be the literary equivalent of a Rorschach blot. Like Slither, the whole premise is infused with sexual commentary (obviously). But while Slither kept to sexual violence for its theme, Girls takes on sexual issues in a broader sense, exploring how we view each other's dark leeward side, the place where we conceal our shame, our regret, our fear, and our nasty impulses. But at its heart it is also a genuine love letter to survival horror, science fiction, and perhaps even rural America.