 |
Title: Emma Frost
|
| CONSUMER ADVICE |
Parents have quite a bit to worry about with this series. While the violence is very light in this series, the intensity of the story, the theametic elements, the amount of tragedy, and the emotional luggage this series carries will most definetly prove to be a bit too much for for most kids under er the age 10. Fans of "X-Men" are sure to love this series, as it takes one of the most loved X-Men characters of all time and gives her a story that is gripping, emotional, and interesting to read...even if you've never read a single X-Men comic before. Women will love this series. Most women won't give it a chance because it's a Marvel comic book, but I think I can confidentially say that most women will find this series very interesting (in a way they don't expect American comic books to be). |
Ah, what have we here? Another attempt by Marvel Comics to lure women from reading manga to reading American comics again? Not only that, but it's a SPIN-OFF series as well! Geez, haven't we been through all this already? Why can't Marvel seem to get it through their thick skulls that women don't want to read comic books that feature characters from other superhero comics? They want original works of art that they can sink their teeth into and enjoy without feeling like their in "boys land." Why can't Marvel realize that they need a new strategy all together if they are to continue courting female readers? Why do I have to ask so many questions at the beginning of reviews like these? I sure as heck don't know, but these are points well worth going over since I desperately want women to start reading American comics, its just that I feel the way the American comic book companies are going about this goal is completely wrong. Which brings us to "Emma Frost," which would (surprisingly) suggest that Marvel may be getting better at writing stories women would love to read.
"Emma Frost" revolves around, well, a girl named Emma Frost. For those of you who read any one of the twenty or so X-Men series that are on the market, you'll know that Emma Frost is a girl who can read the minds of other people as well as force visions in other people's heads. This information doesn't matter too much at the moment though, because at the moment Emma is a normal girl who happens to be living a miserable life...a REAL miserable life! Emma doesn't get the best grades in school, her sister scheme's behind her back all the time, she's in love with her English teacher, her dad's a jerk, and the only person who seems to understand her is her gay brother Christian (who hides his sexuality from the rest of the family). Then one day, Emma starts to hear voices in her head. And not just any voices mind you, she's hearing the thoughts of other people. This opens up a whole new can of worms, as Emma discovers dark secrets, hidden demons, and deceptions that will bring her horrible life down just a couple notches more. I don't need to dwell too much on the story of "Emma Frost," because if you're familiar with her character in the X-Men series at all, then you know which direction the story is going to be going in. And yet, despite the fact that I know where Emma Frost will eventually wind up in her life, this series has been a constant page turner for me. While I was reading this book, I actually started to realize that spinning off the X-Men characters was an idea that, in more ways then one, makes perfect sense.
X-Men can be a frustrating series for people who are new to the series, or for those people who read it on and off without any serious commitment. The series has tons of characters, multiple storylines, and the series can only focus on one or two characters to develop at a time, and even then the series can only focus on those couple of characters for a few issues before the writers have to give other cast members some screen time. It's frustrating at best, and it's one of the main reasons why Marvel has to keep re-telling the origins of the X-Men story. By spinning off the characters with their own series, the stories become about said character and no one else. You won't be seeing Wolverine taking up much screen time in this book. This book is about Emma Frost and Emma Frost ONLY! What's even better is that Marvel has been picking their styles of writing very carefully when spinning off their X-Men characters. "Wolverine" is hard-core action, "Jubilee" is light hearted adventure, and "Rouge" plays out more like a horror series then anything (a fitting style if you ask me). "Emma Frost" is a tragedy. A real tragedy. Emma may be the daughter of a wealthy family, and she may have grown up in luxury, but she is the victim of a tyrant of a father, and her new "gift" causes more problems then it solves. She is forced to leave her family only to roam the streets and even wind up on the brink of death. This is not a tale for the weak of heart. Some people may actually be put off by some of the themes in this book.
While "Emma Frost" may not be as graphic as some of Marvel's MAX titles like "The Punisher" or "Elektra," it does have some very human moments that ring very true to real life...in fact, "Emma Frost" contains some of the most human and realistic themes we've seen in a Marvel series in YEARS, and it's all very brutal and very honest! What's most amazing about "Emma Frost" though is that it actually accomplishes what it sets out to do: It creates a story and situations that women and identify with and relate to (well, all the situations except the whole "mind reading" situation that is). In fact, of all the current "mainstream" American comic books on the market today, "Emma Frost" is the one series that many women could actually read and really get to like. The problem is that women won't read "Emma Frost." Should they read it? Yes, they should. Would women like it? Yes, they would. Will they read it? No, they won't. The problem here is not the series itself, but the reputation surrounding the series. Marvel is advertising this as another X-Men release. I can't say that they are wrong in saying this, as Emma Frost IS a character from the X-Men, but the very idea that this is a spin off of a comic book geared torwards college students and teenage boys is enough to drive women away from reading this. Marvel releases some of the most hard-core comic books, and the way they've portrayed women in other series is shaky (sometimes good, sometimes bad, sometimes women don't really play a big role in the comic, sometimes they do, etc, etc...)
Then there's the fact that shoujo has practically monopolized women readers, and practically all women wouldn't be caught dead associating themselves with American comics in the first place. While I do very well believe that "Emma Frost" could bring women in as its main reading audience, I just don't see it happening with all the circumstances surrounding it. But this IS a step in the right direction! All Marvel needs to do is create more series like "Emma Frost" and less series like "Mary Jane." Not all female comics have to have tragedy, but they do need to have characters that women can relate to and situations women can see themselves in too. Oh yeah, Emma does the whole mind reading thing, but the situations she gets caught in are what will grab women's attention, and the fact that they will find themselves really rooting for Emma to come out on top as a winner. In fact, ignoring who this series is geared for all together, "Emma Frost" is an excellent series in its own right. In fact, this may be the best comic book Marvel has released in YEARS! I don't think this review will change anyone's mind about "Emma Frost." Either you have interest in this title or you don't, and I don't think anyone (even women) are going to give this series a chance just because I recommend it. It's a shame, but it's just the state the market is in. However for those of you who do go on a lim and decide to buy an American comic book for the first time in years, make sure you make that book "Emma Frost."
- -Review By Kevin T. Rodriguez- -