Voices That Count: A Comics Anthology by Women
Publisher: IDW Publishing
Writer(s): Various
Artist(s): Various
Cover: Esther Gili
Comic Attack had the honor of receiving an advanced copy of a new work that is a collaboration between Planeta Cómic and IDW Publishing: Voices That Count: A Comics Anthology by Women. Originally published in Spanish by Planeta Cómic, Diego Jourdan Pereira has translated this anthology into English for IDW Publishing and it will be out July 12. This is a bunch of different stories by various influential Spanish women illustrated by more amazing Spanish women. It covers topics from mental health to politics to careers and all of them display the sexism that women face not only in Spanish society, but around the world. Clearly, given the state of…well…everything, this is a very important work for us to cover. So without further ado, here is a brief review of each of the works within Voices That Count.
The first story is “Julio” by Julia Otero and illustrated by Ada Diez. I love the family aspect of this and seeing how becoming a “girl dad” can really change someone. Otero tells the story of her “chauvinist” father becoming something of a feminist. While I love that her dad is supportive, she also brings to light the insane amount of pressure that parents can sometimes put on their children. While the art is personally not my style, Diez definitely did a good job.
“24 Hours” by Lola García and drawn by Agustina Guerrero was the next story. I loved this because it made some amazing points about how we simply have accepted certain gender roles in our society and that when those roles are reversed, it tends to be surprising. There were a couple too many panels on the main character getting ready though, we all know what it going to the bathroom is like. I absolutely adore the art by Guerrero; it is adorable! This was definitely one of my favorite pieces in the anthology.
The next work, “The Bug” by Diana López Varela and drawn by Akira Pantsu, is one of my favorites simply for the message. As some of you may know, mental health is an issue that is near and dear to my heart so having a piece that highlighted this was wonderful, especially when this work was so moving. This story shows the pressure on girls to be thin and beautiful and how this can lead to the development of eating disorders, like anorexia. I liked that this showed not only how eating disorders can affect an individual, but everyone in their lives. I also think it’s important that it showed that while you can get treatment for eating disorders, it will take a lifetime to deal with the aftermath in terms of the anxiety, depression, “imposter syndrome,” etc. The art was fantastic! It reminded me almost of a manga/anime style which you know I love. I think it was a good choice too as it brought to life both the whimsy of childhood and the absolute terror of eating disorders. The contrast in colors also amped up the feelings Pantsu created with her art. Honestly, I would love if López Varela and Pantsu teamed up for an entire mental health series!
“Empowered” by Estefanía Molina and Ana Oncina was unfortunately one of my least favorites. I think they definitely tell a super important story of how women in politics often are not taken seriously or tend to keep quiet and let the men talk. However, it is very wordy and uses some vocabulary that may be hard for some readers. I think there also needed to be more story and less commentary as this is supposed to be a comic anthology. I liked Oncina’s art as the more muted, limited color palette allows the reader to focus on the writing while still having enough detail to be enjoyable.
I thought the next work, “Loneliness” by Eva Amaral and drawn by María Hesse, was really interesting and different. This is actually based on a song by the band Amaral, which Eva Amaral is a part of. While this was not the standard comic style setup, it still works within this entire collection as all of the styles are different from one another. I do think that this piece actually could benefit from some commentary as, without the artwork, it would seem more about pressure and depression; I love pieces about mental health but this is about feminism and this would not have been fitting that without the artwork. I love the art by Hesse, it is beautiful. Her style reminds me of the cover of books I would read as a teen (and still do) such as Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson. Posters of some of this piece would be amazing!
The next piece, “Sexier,” is by Leticia Dolera with artwork by Raquel Riba Rossy and is a piece of Dolera’s book titled Biting the Apple. I love that this started with two friends dishing over some cheesecake because: 1. Girls love catching up over food and 2. Cheesecake is life! This story made points about how women are seen more for looks than substance, especially in the entertainment field. It also comments on men deciding what women should look like and having control over our bodies… how fitting that this comes out now! The art by Riba Rossy is really fun and adds its own commentary to the story. I would love more to this story so I may need to find a copy of Biting the Apple.
“Turtle Steps” by Sandra Sabatés with art by Sandra Cardona immediately caught my attention. The art by Cardona is absolutely beautiful! In this piece, the words highlight the art instead of the other way around. I did have a little trouble understanding it at first but quickly caught on. I think that perhaps a little more wording sooner in the story would have helped make this easier to follow. This story reminds the reader that even little steps, or “turtle steps,” can make a huge difference. It also reminds us that any freedoms and rights women have today were fought for by the women before us.
The next piece, “Over a Banana Skirt,” is written by Almudena Grandes and drawn by Sara Herranz. Honestly, I was super confused by this story at first; it just didn’t click for me. When it did click, I loved this piece. I found myself comparing the changes between my life today and my grandmothers’ lives when they were my age. This story is really amazing in that aspect as it makes you really connect it to your own life and see the difference in the lives women lead today versus the lives that our grandmothers led versus their grandmothers. The art in this is really minimal which is not the norm for a comic but it fits fine for this anthology. The minimal art lets the words take the focus while the art that is present simply helps connect the story and give a little visual of what is going on.
The last story is one of my favorites for sure. “Mzungu” is by Patricia Campos with art by Sara Soler. This story is actually about Campos herself and she is such an inspiration. Campos has faced so much adversity yet has overcome all of it and gives back to others. Her story comments on how hard it is for pioneers in their time; in her case, being the first and only woman to be a pilot in the Spanish navy, as well as being gay. Another part of the story that I think is important is that it really shows the differences in women’s rights, freedoms, and discrimination in 3 different countries: Spain, the U.S., and Uganda. While women everywhere face discrimination, it is still far worse in some countries, such as Uganda where women’s importance is placed below cattle. Campos shows us the importance of fighting for our own rights as well as those of others. Soler’s art is beautiful and goes along perfectly with the story, making it almost feel like a movie. I would absolutely love for an entire book from Campos and Soler… which may actually happen in the future if we all are lucky!
Impressed and inspired barely begin to cover how I felt after reading this anthology. These women have all faced such adversity and discrimination yet conquered those to become influential not only in Spain, but around the world. Many of these women fight not only for women’s rights, but the rights of other discriminated communities, such as LGBTQ+. The importance of this book and the stories it shows, especially today, is astounding and I cannot recommend it enough. Comic Attack is honored to have covered this and to also have had the opportunity to interview writer Patricia Campos so please stay tuned for that.
-Anna
anna@comicattack.net
