Romancing The Stone: Guilding the Lily?

The Guild # 1
Written by Felicia Day
Art by Jim Rugg
Published by Dark Horse Comics

I am anxiously awaiting for the next issue of The Sword. It's not out yet. Oh, what to do? What to do? I happened by the comic shop and was perusing a couple of titles. But as soon as I picked up The Guild....well, I was hooked. Nose in the book, I became oblivious to anything going on around me. The art on the first page was enough to drag me in - female doing a video blog and a picture of the orchestra she plays in. I have never read a comic book like this, and yet everything felt so easy to read and familiar. So I bought it.

The "familiar" parts are familiar much to my dismay. I don't currently identify with this comic book "heroine", but between the renderings of her hanging out as the token girl with her jackass boyfriend's band, or sitting in front of her computer screen playing Tetris - those scenarios are very familiar to me, even though they no longer exist in my life. 

This comic may have intrigued me in a newer way than it would have have in the past. I'm currently immersed in new ideas, thoughts, all via the books and writings of Dr. Christiane Northrup, Sue Monk Kidd, Regena Thomashaer and many other women. Many ideas and insights about womanhood, female energy, pleasure, The Goddess, etc. One idea that I'm sure I'll barely be able to articulate here, is that for just the last 5,000 years are so, we've become patriarchal in a cultural sense, despite all the previous years and years and years, when woman (and the creative power of the feminine) was revered and celebrated.

Oh, I know what you're thinking. You're thinking I'm about to turn into some angry, man-bashing, resentful chick using her blog to get back at everyone. No. No no no no no no no. This is just what's on my mind as I delve into a comic book, this particular comic book. I love men, they're okay with me. There will be no generalized male-bashing here. The only time you'll find me male-bashing is when it's about a character who's asking for it, a specific one. I'll make sure I've got their names right, you know what I"m sayin'? And yeah, all this stuff that's on my mind might be why, at one point during my reading, I had to flip back to the cover to check whether a female or male wrote it. "Felicia Day". Phew. Why that reaction, you ask? 

I was wondering who would write a girl like this main character, and to what end. It's a classic example of a fictional girl/woman/female who has no idea that she has the power to make herself happy. She thinks that must exist only in other people, places and things. She has this dickwad of a boyfriend, of course. He is self-obsessed, selfish and, well, just plain mean some times. And she sticks with him. He has no regard for her, so any nugget of attention is immediately lapped up. It's upsetting, but I figured it was the set-up for something.

And yes it is, because she finds a fantasy video where she can create a new persona. She starts playing there, and it's when one of he two dweebs that she meets online says "let's ditch the NewB. I got a stupid paper to write on stupid Wuthering Heights or some vagina lameness," that I turned to the cover to see who authored this. I just wanted to know what I was in for.

When I realized it was a female author, I decided to believe that she was doing this on purpose. She's illustrating a girl who needs to wake up. And hopefully, fingers crossed, that is what's about to happen.

But I'm a little worried. She gets into this new game, one where gets to be a hot, beautiful woman who has power. And just as we're rolling along she meets what appears to be a nice guy online. It's a cute interchange. And I found myself cheering "yes", to the idea of a better, nicer guy for Cyd, although I'm still not sure I need to remember her name.

Why though? Felicia Day has written a girl who is clearly in need of some empowerment. But rather than have her take charge of herself and change her life, it seems like "Mister Right" is gonna save her. And just then, in real life, her idiotic boyfriend shows up with more bad behavior. HOWEVER, this time he wants her involved in the bad behavior, so she accepts any behavior (it's a form of attention, after all) and she leaves her new Prince Charming alone in the video game.

So, is that what this is gonna be all about? Getting the boyfriend back? Finding a new boy? Please tell me now. Please tell me that this is a series where the main character, a female, is going to wake up an suddenly kick some ass. THAT I'll show up for month after month or week after week. But not this......not another long drama about a sad girl who can't break up with a guy who's bad for her. I lived that one, a long time ago.

So please, Felicia Day. Do something new and outrageous. Do something that will make Dr. Northrup, Sue Monk Kidd, Regena Thomashauer and me proud. Give us a girl who learns to own herself and, maybe, if they deserve her, be in partnership with a guy - not another desperate, needy chick who kills all her alone time waiting for somebody to tell her what to do.

I'd watch that first girl kick ass all over the place. The second one?

Not so much.

-Nina Stone, 2010

Comments

[Matthew J. Brady]

Huh, I thought this was a one-shot (that is, a standalone single issue, rather than the first of a series). I know it's tied into the online video series; maybe it's meant to be a prequel or something. I did think about getting it, or at least looking at it, since it's illustrated by Jim Rugg, who I really like, but I must have missed it, or it was sold out at my shop or something. Eh, I doubt I've passed up a valuable opportunity or anything.

[Bill Reed]

I believe it is the "origin story" of the web series upon which it is based, and I imagine it will end with some kind of empowering character development. I will certainly be buying the trade, because I can't resist the names "Felicia Day" or "Jim Rugg."