Week 9: World Comics

We have finally moved on to comics from all over the world! I read Asterix, Persepolis, and The Bellybuttons. In addition, I watched the French animated film called "The Illusionist." There is something very different about European comics/ animation as compared to American comics. They dare to poke fun at controversial topics and some of them can be very bizarre. Many of them are also very blunt when stating ugly facts and truths!

Speaking of blunt and controversial, The Bellybuttons knows how to hit where it hurts. The story centers around three high-school girls: Kind and naive Karine, glamorous and dumb Jenny, and affluent and devious Vicky. Jenny and Vicky are the hottest girls in school, while Karine is considered by many to be too tall and unattractive. Jenny and Vicky backstab each other, attempt to steal Karine' boyfriend, and insult Karine. Despite that, three of them somehow continue to stay together in this abusive relationship. They are frenemies!

Despite the seemingly shallow story at first, the comic explores some dark topics. For example, despite Jenny's dumbness and carefree personality, she came from an impoverished family whose father was absent, and her mother an alcoholic. In order to fuel Jenny's taste for luxury, Jenny would steal from shops as if it's nothing, something that even Vicky didn't agree to. Not to mention how Jenny treated animals as mere accessories, stealing a puppy simply because its fur color matches her shoes' color, and stupidly drag it to its death by tying its leash to a speeding motorcycle. Vicky on the other hand, suffered from an inferiority complex despite her beauty, wealth, and intelligence. Her older sister insulted Vicky on a daily basis, and her controlling parents always saw her as less than perfect. Once, Vicky fell from the third story and was hospitalized. Nobody cared enough to visit her, except Karine. Vicky realized that all the manipulating, back-stabbing, and selfishness left her all alone. Even the nicer character, Karine, was not without fault. There were moments when I honestly thought that her extreme naivety and unawareness caused her to be such an easy bullying target.

Really, even the side characters went through very dark moments, such as the most popular guy in school, John John. All the girls assumed that he was hot, but he always wore a helmet to hide his face. So far, I don't know how his face looks like, but according to Karine, it was very very disturbing. Also, when he got into a traffic accident and lost his awesome motorcycle as a result, the girls stopped liking him. Apparently, the reason why the girls loved him was because of his bike. Lastly, an ugly outcast named Murphy would manipulate Karine to love him, otherwise he would hang himself in the loo, or jump down a cliff. Eventually, he found a girlfriend whom he thought was even uglier than him, but used her as his sexual release. Just a reminder, they are only high-school kids.

From what I have read so far, I get the message that life is not fair and your looks can either help you are destroy you. Despite that, people do get what they deserve, as we all know that karma is a bi**h. Essentially, it also explains why some people like Jenny and Vicky felt the need to be so mean. It doesn't justify their actions, but merely states why. It is interesting and refreshing to see those characters and their thoughts being portrayed so clearly and bluntly! Also, the art is very appealing. It is fluid and the use of curves add vitality and sensuality to the characters. A very fun and engrossing read!