Comics by Women

            For this week I read the Classics Illustrated Arabian Nights by Lillian Chestney. I’m already fond of classic fairy tales so this work was particularly enjoyable for me. The art gave it the feeling like it was coming directly out of a storybook. It was fun, imaginative and beautiful.

            It’s interesting to note that this comic was made by a woman and The Arabian Nights story also has strong female characters in lead roles. One could make the argument that Sharazade the main character of the story, as she is the one telling all the tales. She is praised for her cleverness in coming up with a plan to save her life. In the story of Ali Babba and the Forty Thieves, it is Morgianna that continuously saves Ali Babba’s life through her bravery and cleverness. It isn’t often in classic tales where women play more of a role than just a pretty face to be rescued.

            It is also something to be noted that none of the female characters are overly sexualized as I feel they probably would have been if a man had been making this comic. They are beautiful, yes, but in a respectful manner. In the story of the flying horse when the prince comes across the princess bathing, it isn’t sexualized at all. I have a feeling that if a man had been drawing that scene he would have taken full advantage of the “fanservice” of drawing the princess naked. But Chestney keeps it respectful. The princess remains fully clothed and the girl in the bath is only visible from the neck up. From someone who has had to put up with scantily clad female characters in superhero comics for years, this is something that I appreciate.