artsymusings's review
1.0
Ever since I watched Mad Max: Fury Road in May, I've been obsessed with it. It's a fact that if I think about the movie for longer than 30 seconds, I'll find myself on a Furiosa high. So when I got to know about there being a prequel comic exploring the events right before the beginning of Mad Max: Fury Road, my excitement was off the charts. I mean, so off the charts that I didn't even think about the possibility that it might just suck, let alone be anything other than extraordinary.
Imagine the extent of my disappointment at my discovery that a 40-page long issue of a comic managed to undo everything that made Mad Max: Fury Road so fucking awesome. I will admit that I was a bit confused about all the rape panels when I was reading it, but I chose to give the comic a chance and only focused on the good parts. However, it's been a week since I read it and I only find myself getting enraged at the direction the team took this issue in. In other words, I simply cannot ignore the colossal clusterfuck that is this comic.
If you've watched the movie, you already know about the plight of the wives and how it was done spectacularly well without any need of any sexually explicative scenes whatsoever. The comic is a whole another thing entirely and I'm ashamed that it's even a part of Mad Max: Fury Road because it's a poorly represented prelude to the actual movie.
First off, showing rapes on panel. While the movie trusted its audience to understand the kind of dire situation the wives were in, the comic blatantly shows said dire situations; not once, not twice, but a few times. What even is that? I tried to get past it but damn it, those panels really cheapened the rapes in a way that's just gross and highly uncalled for. It's also very deeply unsettling.
Second, the extremely gendered portrayal of the relationships among the wives. It's one thing for the wives to be treated like they are, but pitting them against each other with quotes like 'What would you know?! You're his favorite.' is just. Not. Done. I'm so tired of the male gender putting female characters against each other and getting away with it. Of them having one of the wives say 'you've got no balls' to Furiosa and get away with it.
This comic not only puts focus on what was done to the wives, it also takes focus away from what they managed to do. This kind of double negative really pisses me off. Where is the friendship, where is their unconditional love and care for each other that made the wives so substantial? Why was it reduced to this sham of them being damsels in collective distress who desperately needed saving and regularly turned on each other?
Third, altering the entire character dynamic of Furiosa. Not much is known about Furiosa's backstory and this comic being about Furiosa totally missed its chance to expand on her in a positive light. Instead of countless other back stories the team could have chosen to go with, they chose to give her a past of sexual assault. Because yes, even the badassest of the badass female characters cannot be empowered unless they have rape for their backstory. Not only that, the wives are shown as being untrustworthy and doubtful of Furiosa because of her gender. Also, Furiosa backhands the brides for not being grateful to all the luxuries that being wives of Immortan Joe grants them. What the fuck? That's extremely gendered and insulting of the character Furiosa. It's a disservice that I absolutely do not stand for.
The amount of rape in this comic is so ridiculous that it's pro-rape culture. The vulgar language (the term 'rawdog' has been used), the bizarre supposition that it's better to live in luxury as a victim of sexual abuse than in adversity and free because one doesn't want to be a victim sexual abuse, the assumption that women are incapable of respecting each other and working together as equals. That it just takes a single panel for the wives to suddenly see Furiosa as strong, that one of the wives stating that being raped is the same as being 'infected by poison' and that virginity is to be seen as something pure and to be highly prized. There are just so many things wrong with this issue, I give up. 10/10 would not recommend.
Imagine the extent of my disappointment at my discovery that a 40-page long issue of a comic managed to undo everything that made Mad Max: Fury Road so fucking awesome. I will admit that I was a bit confused about all the rape panels when I was reading it, but I chose to give the comic a chance and only focused on the good parts. However, it's been a week since I read it and I only find myself getting enraged at the direction the team took this issue in. In other words, I simply cannot ignore the colossal clusterfuck that is this comic.
If you've watched the movie, you already know about the plight of the wives and how it was done spectacularly well without any need of any sexually explicative scenes whatsoever. The comic is a whole another thing entirely and I'm ashamed that it's even a part of Mad Max: Fury Road because it's a poorly represented prelude to the actual movie.
First off, showing rapes on panel. While the movie trusted its audience to understand the kind of dire situation the wives were in, the comic blatantly shows said dire situations; not once, not twice, but a few times. What even is that? I tried to get past it but damn it, those panels really cheapened the rapes in a way that's just gross and highly uncalled for. It's also very deeply unsettling.
Second, the extremely gendered portrayal of the relationships among the wives. It's one thing for the wives to be treated like they are, but pitting them against each other with quotes like 'What would you know?! You're his favorite.' is just. Not. Done. I'm so tired of the male gender putting female characters against each other and getting away with it. Of them having one of the wives say 'you've got no balls' to Furiosa and get away with it.
This comic not only puts focus on what was done to the wives, it also takes focus away from what they managed to do. This kind of double negative really pisses me off. Where is the friendship, where is their unconditional love and care for each other that made the wives so substantial? Why was it reduced to this sham of them being damsels in collective distress who desperately needed saving and regularly turned on each other?
Third, altering the entire character dynamic of Furiosa. Not much is known about Furiosa's backstory and this comic being about Furiosa totally missed its chance to expand on her in a positive light. Instead of countless other back stories the team could have chosen to go with, they chose to give her a past of sexual assault. Because yes, even the badassest of the badass female characters cannot be empowered unless they have rape for their backstory. Not only that, the wives are shown as being untrustworthy and doubtful of Furiosa because of her gender. Also, Furiosa backhands the brides for not being grateful to all the luxuries that being wives of Immortan Joe grants them. What the fuck? That's extremely gendered and insulting of the character Furiosa. It's a disservice that I absolutely do not stand for.
The amount of rape in this comic is so ridiculous that it's pro-rape culture. The vulgar language (the term 'rawdog' has been used), the bizarre supposition that it's better to live in luxury as a victim of sexual abuse than in adversity and free because one doesn't want to be a victim sexual abuse, the assumption that women are incapable of respecting each other and working together as equals. That it just takes a single panel for the wives to suddenly see Furiosa as strong, that one of the wives stating that being raped is the same as being 'infected by poison' and that virginity is to be seen as something pure and to be highly prized. There are just so many things wrong with this issue, I give up. 10/10 would not recommend.
nurly_whirly's review
2.0
The fucking big rig had a better, more expanded backstory than Furiosa. Ugh.
thingslucyreads's review
3.0
So as a prequel to the film, it was fine. But it was much more about the wives than Furiosa.
csnow33's review
2.0
Artwork was phenomenal, but the direction they took this story completely strips the female characters of everything that made them interesting and unique.
Disappointment
Disappointment
bumblebeefarts's review
1.0
The characters felt flat and not at all like they did in the film. It way trying too hard to be tie-in without giving us any more actual story or character development. Basically told a story that didn't need to be told.
Update: 4/1/16 almost a year later and I still lose sleep thinking about how awful this was.
Update: 4/1/16 almost a year later and I still lose sleep thinking about how awful this was.
ipacho's review
2.0
For me, the weakest entry of the run. Although it makes some sense with the movie, the allusions to Joe's homosexuality, the bickering between the girls, the allusion to Furiosa being an ex-wife and then turned nanny... They fell out of place, considering the movie.
gossamerchild's review
3.0
Not fantastic, but not bad. Not sure I understand the issues some readers have had with the shortness or the lack of follow through-this is just a first issue, right? Anyway, not the best or worst I've read.
messyshelves's review
1.0
Okay, I get it. I do. I get why some of these things happen, and it might not just be for reasons. But this isn't the Furiosa I built up in my head. I know, I know - shouldn't do that headcanons are only headcanons and can be problematic blah, blah. Except this was really just disappointing...
One thing that the film did so well was not show any sexual violence but make it clear what the wives had gone through. And yet... this comic is kind of full of this. It doesn't feel like Mad Max. It feels like another one of those generic action films which is painfully full of testosterone (and this is coming from someone who loves all those dudebro films and doesn't always mind when a woman is just there to be hot... this though, is just gross).
It also pits the wives against each other. Which does make some sense, I guess but what made them so powerful was their bond shown in the film. The world keeps crying out for positive portrayals of females, and wants positive female relationships in the media and this comic rips all of that away. All that the film achieved is gone.
At one point Furiosa actually hit's one of the wives and tells them they should be grateful because they live in luxury. And of course what is Furiosa's actual backstory - RAPE. It's even implied she's a failed wife at some point (...which if so makes no sense, wouldn't Joe just kill her then? Or give her to the War Boys?).
I could go on and on about how freaking awful this comic is. How it seems to be almost pro rape culture. But I'll just link to the Mary Sue article instead. Because if I keep thinking about this I'll just want to smack things myself.
I'm not a raging feminist or anything. I don't believe women need to blow things up to be strong (as shown by the movie), I don't want women to be better than men or anything and I get that in this world women would be seen as lesser so bad things happen to them.
But this... this...
I can't even put into words how messed up and awful this comic is!
As another reviewer has already said if you want more Furiosa go watch the movie again, and forget this comic exists. This isn't our Furiosa, this isn't the hero of the movie - this is just... no.
I'm too disappointed by this to even be angry. I feel betrayed.
(And wow, I think this is the first time I've ever given anything a 1)
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