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A review by aveincobalt
Disenchanted by Matt Wagner
2.0
The more I think about this book, the less I like it. It has gorgeous art, an interesting premise, and that can't put it down quality. It's problems only surface once you have put it down.
It 's billed as the story of an empowered woman. Madame Xanadu may be incredibly powerful, but in this story she is belittled not empowered. It is shown time and time again, that despite all of her powers and efforts she is helpless against destiny. That she is little more than a puppet, or an amusement, to the Phantom Stranger. The Phantom Stranger causes her to feel shame and guilt for actions that were not truly hers, all while further manipulating her actions.
Trigger Warning:
Multiple characters are raped in this story. While the others are mostly implied, the first rape is shown over several pages. The women who are raped are removed from the story immediately afterwards by banishment or death. Rape in this story is just something that happens. It attempts to shrug it off, and in one instance make you laugh at it. You can't have an empowering story about a woman, when a good portion of the book is disempowering to all women.
It isn't just the women who are raped who are disempowered by sex though. Madame Xanadu is usually shown as having a lover. In the few segments where she is single, she make some rather embarrassing and pathetic attempts to seduce the Phantom Stranger. In the end she is badly manipulated by almost all of her love interests.
So here is the story of an amazingly powerful woman. Who ends up in abusive relationships, because there's no way a woman could be happy by herself. Who can never change anything in a way that truly matters. It might be her story, but she has no control over the narrative. She has no power.
It 's billed as the story of an empowered woman. Madame Xanadu may be incredibly powerful, but in this story she is belittled not empowered. It is shown time and time again, that despite all of her powers and efforts she is helpless against destiny. That she is little more than a puppet, or an amusement, to the Phantom Stranger. The Phantom Stranger causes her to feel shame and guilt for actions that were not truly hers, all while further manipulating her actions.
Trigger Warning:
Multiple characters are raped in this story. While the others are mostly implied, the first rape is shown over several pages. The women who are raped are removed from the story immediately afterwards by banishment or death. Rape in this story is just something that happens. It attempts to shrug it off, and in one instance make you laugh at it. You can't have an empowering story about a woman, when a good portion of the book is disempowering to all women.
It isn't just the women who are raped who are disempowered by sex though. Madame Xanadu is usually shown as having a lover. In the few segments where she is single, she make some rather embarrassing and pathetic attempts to seduce the Phantom Stranger. In the end she is badly manipulated by almost all of her love interests.
So here is the story of an amazingly powerful woman. Who ends up in abusive relationships, because there's no way a woman could be happy by herself. Who can never change anything in a way that truly matters. It might be her story, but she has no control over the narrative. She has no power.