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Book Review: Betty Bites Back edited by Mindy McGinnis, Demitria Lunetta, and Kate Karyus Quinn

Betty Bites Back: Stories to Scare the Patriarchy edited by Mindy McGinnis, Demitria Lunetta, and Kate Karyus Quinn

Demitria Lunetta, 2019

ISBN-13: 9781733666749

Available: Paperback, Kindle edition

 

Betty Bites Back contains sixteen short stories and poems about girls and women who are done being held down, stepped on, and demeaned by a world that favours misogyny and the patriarchy. Stories include dark fantasy, body horror, murder mystery, and more. I found each of the stories in this anthology to be unique and well written. A few of my favourites are the following.

In “Vagina Dentata” by Mindy McGinnis, a woman talks with a plastic surgeon’s physician’s assistant about a unique opportunity.In  E.R. Griffin’s “What She Left Behind” a teenage girl discovers that the house she and her mother moved into is haunted by a girl whose trauma bridges the gap between them and pushes an act of violent revenge. In Jenna Lehne’s “@Theguardians1792”, a teenage girl is tired of being harassed by boys about her changing body and standing up for herself, leading to her getting punished for their actions. She discovers a group calling themselves @Theguardians1792 on social media, and boys in the area are found beaten, bloodied, or worse. In “The Whispers” by Lindsey Klingele, set during the time of the suffragettes fighting for the woman’s right to vote, a small community faces a boisterous, loud, and assertive group of young women, quite the scandal of the time. After they are silenced by a mysterious and ill-meaning doctor, murders of prominent community members occur, and women in white are seen around the edges of town.

There is a short author biography at the end of each of the stories, as well as a brief statement by the authors about their inspiration and influence for writing their particular tale. Though short, they provide a great insight into the authors’ processes, and other works that they have written for further reading. I highly recommend Betty Bites Back readers of feminist horror, especially indie horror.

 

Contains: blood, gore, misogyny, murder, racism, rape, sexual assault, sexual content, suicide

 

Highly recommended

 

Reviewed by Lizzy Walker

Posted on May 3, 2020 by , Reply

Graphic Novel Review: Abbott by Saladin Ahmed, art by Sami Kivela

Abbott by Saladin Ahmed, art by Sami Kivelä

BOOM! Studios, 2018

ISBN-13: 978-1684152452

Available:  Paperback, Kindle, comiXology

Hugo Award-nominated novelist Saladin Ahmed gives us the story of journalist Elena Abbott, who is investigating police brutality and corruption in 1972 Detroit. There are crimes being committed by the very people sworn to protect and serve. Elena doesn’t shy away from controversy, and isn’t afraid to ruffle a few feathers. One of her recent reports, however, has received the attention of some racist white men who own the paper, and she’s been ordered to work on other, less interesting, cases. Instead, she discovers supernatural forces controlled by a secret society made up of the city’s elite. However, these forces are not unknown to her. After all, her husband was taken by the shadowy Umbra. When she’s chased down by masked men and creatures that are stitched together from remains of animals and Black citizens, things get messier for our intrepid reporter.

Abbott doesn’t just face the Umbra (the raised and stitched creatures), and the dark society that cultivates them, but also racism, sexism, and, to some degree, homophobia, in this dark tale. Looking at other reviewers’ words to describe Abbott, one rings out clear: badass. She really is. She is the only Black reporter on staff at her paper, she loves her brandy, and smokes incessantly. While she exhibits a healthy fear of the shadows closing in on her, she never backs down in moments of stress, especially when it comes to her convictions. The social and historical commentary is important for us to read today. For the other strong readers out there, do yourself a favour and pick up Abbott. Ahmed pens an excellent story, and artist Sami Kivelä provides incredible illustrations. They make an excellent team for this book. I need to search out other work both of them have created. Highly recommended.

Contains: blood, gore, misogyny, police brutality, racism

 

Reviewed by Lizzy Walker

 

Editor’s note: Abbott is a nominee on the final ballot for the 2018 Bram Stoker Awards in the category of Superior Achievement in a Graphic Novel. 

Posted on May 2, 2019 by , Reply

Graphic Novel Review: Victor Lavalle’s Destroyer by Victor Lavalle, illustrated by Dietrich Smith

Victor Lavalle’s Destroyer by Victor LaValle, illustrated by Dietrich Smith

BOOM! Studios, 2018

ISBN-13: 9781684150557

Available: Paperback, Kindle edition, comiXology

Victor LaValle’s Destroyer is set in a world where Victor Frankenstein is real, and so is his Creature. Having survived by living under the frigid environment of Antarctica, he becomes angered when a whaling vessel invades the waters and sheds blood of the ocean creatures he is seen swimming with in the first pages. Here begins the journey of the Destroyer, his only goal to eliminate humanity from the planet.

But Destroyer isn’t simply the story of Frankenstein’s Creature and his revenge. At the center is Dr. Josephine Baker, who herself is a descendant of the Frankenstein family, and her resurrected son, Akai. He had been gunned down by the Chicago police after a paranoid woman called them insisting a Black man was brandishing a firearm in her neighborhood. Dr. Baker brought him back using nanotechnology, plus a little of her ancestor’s methods. Two scientists, Percy and Byron, believe they’re searching for Dr. Baker to protect her from the Destroyer, but they discover their mission may be greater than they thought. Add to the mix Akai’s estranged father, the Bride, and a ruthless agent who will stop at nothing to get her hands on Dr. Baker’s creation, and you have yourself one amazing story.

LaValle does not shy away from sociopolitical commentary in Destroyer. Strong themes in this graphic novel include misogyny, racism, and police brutality, all of which are timely and necessary topics. LaValle expertly weaves a tale of modern-day United States fear and hatred with the original Frankenstein story using elements and names familiar to readers of Shelley’s original work. The artwork supplied by Smith creates the perfect accompaniment to a gripping story.

I watched a keynote given by LaValle during the Library Journal Library Con Live! 2018 where he discussed the graphic novel. I highly recommend seeing him speak if you have the chance.

Contains: blood, gore, misogyny, police brutality, racism, violence

Highly recommended

Reviewed by Lizzy Walker

Editor’s note: Victor Lavalle’s Destroyer is on the final ballot for the 2018 Bram Stoker Award in the Graphic Novel category. 

Posted on February 25, 2019 by , Reply
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