I’m a feminist who’s suspicious of feminist comics. Too often feminist artists feel they must focus on topics I don’t want to see in comics. I can only deal with seeing my heroine on the toilet for so long. Ditto witnessing the performance of some arcane hygienic ritual not discussed in public for obvious reasons. I shouldn’t have worried about Estrus Comics. This issue chronicles a girl’s sexual history in a way uncomfortably familiar, yet sympathetically told. Whether we lost our virginity at fourteen or… later, there’s a painful truth to the stories. It’s a definite must-read, as MariNaomi manages to escort the reader through truly traumatizing experiences with wit and patience. Only two things lift the reader out of the experience. First, the main character does-n’t seem to age which, considering the story spans 20 years, is disturbing. The second is an ending that feels rushed and offers no resolution. (J. Blackmore)
Comic, MariNaomi, issue 5, $7, MariNaomi, P.O. Box 640811, San Francisco, CA 94164-0811