Fourthman Reviews: Glamourpuss #1

On SCHWAPP, I'm endeavoring to open things up to allow others to be part of the blog. Someone I've always respected the reviews of would be Lee Newman aka FourthMan at Newsarama. He's, also, part of the team over at Ultimate Comics.

Glamourpuss #1
Published by Aardvark-Vanaheim
Written and Illustrated by Dave Sim

Dave Sim is an enigma. He is a controversial figure known to stand his ground. He is best known as the creator of Cerebus, one of the longest narratives in comics history and one of the most lauded works of serial fiction. That seminal work began as a parody of Conan and eventually became a meditation on Politics and Religion.

When asked what he would do after Cerebus; he replied, “...All that comes to mind: Cute teenaged girls in my best Al Williamson photo-realism style.” It’s been four years since Cerebus was completed and Dave Sim brings us this comic about girls drawn in photo-realism. When he makes a promise, he keeps it.

Glamourpuss is the strangest comic I have ever read. No, this isn’t Ubu Bubu or Girls strange. This is just plain unlike anything you have ever read. Much has been said about Morrison’s run on Batman being self-indulgent. Those people have never really seen self indulgent. Glamourpuss is the very definition of self-indulgent. However, it is a fascinating read.

If you go to www.glamourpusscomic.com, the official website, you will be told that it is three books in one. It is “the haute couture magazine that’s so ‘six months ago’; it’s an homage to the classic photorealism of black & white ‘beyond noir’ style of the 1940s and 50s; and it’s the strangest super-heroine comic book of all time.” It is all of these things.

The cover, especially the “Fashion Edition” and the layout of the book recall those women’s magazines. If you go to Wikipedia, you will see an entire article on Dave Sim that is dedicated to feminism and a controversy surrounding his previous work. Evidently, feminists are not too found of Mr. Sim. Undoubtedly, this will not impress them either, especially the article by Glamourpuss’ twin sister, Skanko. There are several delightful mock articles in the back of the book. However, it is quite clever and very funny. Especially given that he wanted to draw cute girls that are photo referenced. He literally is using fashion magazine ads as reference and the story of Glamourpuss, our “heroine”, will be told in these pages of his original work.

Surrounding these original pieces are a meditation on the photo-realistic style employed by Alex Raymond in a strip entitled Rip Kirby. It is a fascinating discussion of the history of the style and the actual implementation of it by an artist, as Sim is recreating panels from the strip to learn the technique. Along the way he references Al Williamson and interviews Neal Adams. Clearly he has done his homework. It is a fascinating and intimate portrait of the artist’s mind and craft.

I have never read anything like Glamourpuss. I can only hope that the rest is half as brilliant and as original as this first issue. Having never read Cerebus, I see the purchase of a "phone book" on Wednesday, if I can make it that long.