DC Comics: Bombshells, Vol. 1: Enlisted by Marguerite Bennett

DC Comics: Bombshells, Vol. 1: Enlisted by Marguerite Bennett

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


I had originally attempted to read this story through the individual comic issues, but gave up after the first or second issue. Reading the collection of 6 issues reminds me that I cannot judge anything off of one issue.

In theory there’s an interesting possible story here – looking at Superheroes (mainly female) back during WWII, many of whom (all?) are modeled on superheroines and supervillains operating in modern times. In practice? Eh. It isn’t really what the people behind this comic did. They just took modern heroes/villains, and shoved them back in time. Including side characters like that Amanda Weller (whatever her name is). Some of whom actually existed back then, some didn’t – some could have based on what they are and how long they might live, some couldn’t have and still be here in their modern form.

I mean, like, for example, Wonder Woman was around in WWII – both literally in real world terms (first appearance of Wonder Woman in the comics: 1941), and in story terms (depending on the origin story, Wonder Woman has been around since WWI, WWII, or relatively modern times. So having Wonder Woman, the actual one not someone modeled on the concept, operating in World War II is doable. And reading the comics that feature Wonder Woman, read like the Wonder Woman movie – except instead of WWI, stuff is happening in WWII. Oh, and, apparently, Wonder Woman is quite friendly with Mera (who later gets called Aquawoman in the comic issues).

And . . . I’ve lost the plot already. Mmphs. The idea I wanted to note was that some of these people could have been operating back in WWII, but that isn’t the point of the series, apparently. The point is to take people from ‘our’ time, and shove them back in WWII time. Like Zatanna, Harley Quinn, Supergirl, Batwoman, Maggie Sawyer, Wonder Woman, Catwoman, Poison Ivy. And have them be basically themselves. Instead of having them be similar and/or parents of them. Well, there’s the ‘Joker’s Daughter’ one, but . . . I’m not really sure who she’s supposed to be.

Just like my review, actually more so than my review, the story line is confusing and disjointed. On the one hand, the story keeps being interrupted so other characters could suddenly have the focus; on the other hand when the story shifts back to a specific character, the story seems determined to be as weird as possible. Like, Batwoman is introduced as being a baseball player playing in the female league while ‘the men’ are off at war; and a vigilante . . . who wears the same costume as the baseball player; the police act as if they wish to ‘question’ Batwoman but do not know who she is as both wear masks. Except . . . . you’d think it wouldn’t be that hard for police to know where and how to contact a baseball player/team/team manager/etc. Then again, it is play acting since Batwoman actually is dating the police in the form of Maggie Sawyer (see, lesbian action! See implied lesbian sex! Etc etc). Except, that baseball story line was there and gone again in like three seconds. Then a weird spaceship like thing (okay, some kind of early helicopter, but still) lands on Batwoman’s roof. And . . . Batwoman is recruited to join the Bombshells, being led by the same woman who formed Suicide Squad in a different universe. Then . . . several other people are visited . . . and when we return, Batwoman is in Berlin, being a spy. As herself. That story line is relatively straight forward, albeit disjointed. Other story lines? Super disjointed and confusing.

Like the one where Supergirl and her twin sister (seriously, I can’t tell Kara and Kostanri (however her name is spelled) apart) join the Soviet air force. I know the Soviets are supposed to be seen as evil and stuff, but there were some good people here and there. And turning the Night Witches, the female piloted air force, into evil harlots is just wrong. Just . . . mmphs.

I’ve read stories wherein Superman landed on Soviet controlled land. This one just happens to have that, but it being Supergirl land there. But . . . the Soviets decide to see Supergirl as a traitor and evil and must die . . . instead of using her for their own objectives? I . . what?

Bah, my brain is kind of messed up, this review is messed up.

All the story-lines are super weird and confusing. Like when Harley Quinn finally turns up. She appears to be sane and working in a hospital. She talks to a patient who used to be her colleague. Then Quinn’s eyeball grows to three times normal, and she rips her clothing off, dances around singing and beating up people and flying randomly to France. WTF? Quinn’s a chaotic character, but there’s usually something more to her actions than random insanity. Though it might sometimes look like random insanity.

So – Supergirl’s story line is fucked up; Quinn’s is random insanity; Zatanna is super powerful but . . . ‘trapped’ by circumstances – her story line is fucked up more by the circumstances than anything else; haven’t mentioned it, but Wonder Woman’s story line is also fucked up (seriously, at some point she ends up in prison because the allies wanted to kill some prisoners and WW wouldn’t let them). Individually fucked up story lines, and together a disjointed mess.

On the positive side, there are both lesbian superheroes and Jewish superheroes in attendance – sometimes at the same time. Talking about Batwoman and Zatanna here.

I read this collected volume in one sitting while ‘wasting time’ before a movie. For what it is, and what I used it for, it entertained me. Story line was too annoying, though, for me to continue the series. If series continued, no clue if it did.

Oh, one last thought – getting back to my inability to tell Supergirl apart from her sister – that happens a lot in this collection. Too many of the characters look the same/similar to other characters. Like I could have sworn Harley Quinn was one of the other baseball players since one of them looked like her, but that doesn’t correspond to her storyline. Then Batwoman runs into another Harley Quinn like person but . . . again not her. And there were times I found it hard to tell Supergirl/supergirl sister and Maggie Sawyer apart. Other times I had trouble telling Zatanna and Catwoman apart. Bah, my poor eyesight? The art itself? Pfft, don’t know, probably my eyesight.

Rating: 3

April 27 2018




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The Sniper's Kiss by Justine Saracen

The Sniper's Kiss
by Justine Saracen
Pages: 288
Date: March 14 2017
Publisher: Bold Strokes Books
Series: None

Review
Rating: 4.25
Read: February 2 to 3 2017

*I received this book from NetGalley, and Bold Strokes Books in return for a fair review.*

Genre/tags: Historical Fiction, military fiction, politics, war, WWII
Location: New York, Washington DC, Tehran Iran, Moscow Russia, Other parts of Soviet Union, Eastern Front (including Belarus)
Characters: Main - Mia Kramer and Alexia Vassilievna Mazarova (both have Point of views);
famous side characters: Harry Hopkins (boss of Mia), Franklin Delano Roosevelt (USA President), Eleanor Roosevelt, Lorena Hickok (Eleanor's 'close' friend), Joseph Stalin (Soviet Premier), Vyacheslav Molotov (Minister of Foreign Affairs - Soviet Union), Lyudmila Pavlichenko (Soviet sniper with 309 kills), Fyodor Dostoyevsky ('obviously enough' Dostoyevsky does not make a physical appearance in the story - but he is brought up so often, his writings and the like, that he feels like another character in the story).

The book was not exactly what I thought it would be about - it opens with a prologue - a discussion with a Russian/Soviet sniper with someone named 'Mia'. Then moves to Mia's Point of View doing stuff . . . in the USA. As a citizen of the US. That's part of the - 'not exactly what I thought' comment.

Another part of that 'not exactly what expected' leads directly from the synopsis of the book 'It is 1944 . . . in the midst of it, two . . . women meet . . .murder in her heart . . . killed a hundred of them . . .' are all misleading. It's not 1944 when the book opens in chapter one in 1942, and for a good portion of the book, it is 1943. And the two women do not meet in the midst of the war in Europe, they meet in Iran, I'm not sure what 'murder in her heart' refers to, and that last one is . . . well, wrong. Though the sniper in the prologue had killed 309 men for Stalin. Not a main character, though.

Mia Kramer, otherwise known as Demetria Fyodorovna Kaminskaya ('They made us change our name when we arrived in the country'), starts the novel answering questions from the police. Who suspect her of having murdered her father. They can't pin it on her, though, so she moves on with her live - to a certain extent, finally starts it (since she had been under the very controlling thumb of her father before hand). She moves to Washington DC to work for the Government, and eventually, about a year later, moves to a job with the Lend-Lease program and living & working in the White House directly for the man running Lend-Lease, Harry Hopkins.

Mia is 29, though I wasn't certain of that until I looked over the book again just now - and saw her application where it listed her age. So, Mia is 29 in 1943 when she begins work as Harry Hopkins assistant at the White House. Before she can even learn what her actual duties entail, a man in a wheelchair enters the room - the president. So - it's that kind of book. The kind where a lower ranking individual is close to several people of power, including the president, his wife, and others. And even has drinks with Stalin (I might mention why later).

And before Mia can settle into her new job, she's off to Tehran with Hopkins for a meeting between Stalin, Roosevelt, and Churchill. This is where Mia first spots the other lead character of this book, as a very sharply dressed guard. Though the reader encountered Alexia earlier in the book. They don’t actually meet at this time Tehran, though, just see each other.

Alexia Vassilievna Mazarova started the book as a teacher – specifically one attempting to fight fires at her school in Arkhangelsk caused by German planes. When the school explodes, Alexia sees it as a sign to join the fight. And so she does, she enlists in the Red Army. After training she ends up in an elite guard unit that guards such things as the Kremlin and Stalin. Whether or not it is accurate, it is speculated that she got the job because of her looks. (Though she did get high marks in marksmanship in training.).

Story:
The book follows both Mia and Alexia as they attempt to live their lives against the backdrop of WWII (at least during the years of 1942-1945) - their lives mostly out of their own control because of WWII. Through various means, Mia ends up working directly for the man who runs the Lend-Lease program for Roosevelt. Which means that she rubs shoulders with several historically significant individuals, some clearly remembered in our time (the Roosevelt's and Stalins of the story), some more hidden (the famous, at the time, snipers and government officials).

Similarly Alexia ends up being a low-level individual who through various means, apparently mostly because of her looks, ends up rubbing shoulders - or at least is in the same room as some famous individuals. Mostly through her first assignment after training - working as an elite honor guard in Moscow.

"A name, for a kill? What's that?"
"The sniper's kiss."

Those following along, and/or seeing the title, seeing the book description, might be confused. Up to this point the only sniper I've mentioned is a side character, a famous one, but still - a barely seen side character. So . . . what gives? Well, somewhere along the line Alexia feels that it is somewhat 'cowardly' to be in the honor guard while a war is on. She feels like she needs to be at the front. And, somewhere along the line, she transfers from this elite honor guard to the sniper school - and from there moves to a unit to be a sniper.

The book, to a large extent, is quite interesting - though more as a look into an area of history largely outside most fictional accounts of the war, and less as something else, like, say, a romance (though there is something of that going on). Specifically the parts seen from the eyes of Soviet troops (Alexia . . . and later Mia); and specifically the parts seen by government types making sure the lend-lease program is operating correctly (Mia).

The book is more satisfying as a work of historical fiction, than as a romance. Largely because the people involved were reacting to events and unable to control them, shape them, mold them.

Rating: 4.25

February 4 2017

Waiting for the Violins by Justine Saracen

Waiting for the Violins
by Justine Saracen
Pages: 284
Date: March 16 2014
Publisher: Bold Strokes Books
Series: None

Review
Rating: 4.5 out of 5.0
Read: June 14 to 16 2016

This is my first book by Justine Saracen.

My first historical fiction in . . . um, six days. Heh. Figured it’d be longer. Then I saw that graphic novel set in Germany, and Shaken to the Core, then Trigger Mortis all the way back from the end of April. So this is actually my third Historical fiction novel this month. 13th this year. Let me see. My third war novel of the year. 8th book that involved military or ex-military. Third spy book of the year.

Right, got distracted there. Long ago I used to devour books like this – spy books in general, war books, military books, and specifically spy books set during WWII (roughly 77 set during WWII, not all of which were spy books (26 spy books set during WWII); roughly 49 historical fiction spy books). Somewhere along the way I kind of moved past these specific types of books, to a certain extent, but it’s still of interest.

This is the first book I’ve read set in Belgium during WWII; at least I believe it is, though I know I’ve read war books set in Belgium before. Or, at least, in land that would become Belgium, since Waterloo occurred on land that was, at the time, part of the United Kingdom of the Netherlands.

This book is a lot more a historical fiction spy thriller set during World War II than it is a lesbian book. As the afterward noted, ‘The story of the French and Belgian Resistance during World War II is inspiring and tragic, and the sexual preferences of its heroes would have been irrelevant.’ That’s not to say that this is a book that overlooks sexual preferences, but that it does not tremendously matter what someone’s preferences were. Like how Sandrine Toussaint, regardless of her likes/dislikes/wants/desires, was forced to ‘lay with’ a man for the benefits that doing so would help keep up spy operations; and how Antonia Forrester ‘lay with’ a woman on the last night of training because . . . I believe the reason given was ‘for comfort’ or something like that. Dora, the woman Antonia slept with, certainly wasn’t a lesbian – even if she initiated the contact; she just wanted ‘comfort’. It’s actually unclear if anyone in this book is a lesbian, or, for that matter, heterosexual. From the hints dropped, Sandrine might be bisexual (not because she slept with a German; but because of some of the comments regarding her husband); Dora would have been whatever term is used for someone who will sleep with anyone breathing; and Antonia . . . just might be a lesbian. Potentially. At least she turned down advances from men, but not from women.

Right. So. As the book description notes, Antonia Forrester was a nurse at Dunkirk during the evacuation. She’s injured but survived, unlike all of the other nurses, I believe, she was with. After a period of recovery from massive injuries, Antonia joins the OSS and is trained. She’s shipped off to Brussels, since she had spent some time there as a kid. She’s to contact the resistance there, and try to help as best she can. Unexpectedly, to me, she wasn’t actually going alone nor the leader of her 2 person force – she is, though, the only one to make it to Brussels.

Because of circumstances beyond her control, Antonia is cut off from command, and from her ‘target’ resistance fighters, though she is able to hook up with some Jewish fighters (and, eventually, with the group she was originally supposed to hook up with).

Sandrine Toussaint is a high class woman living in a chateau near Brussels. After faking out the Germans when they came to inspect the place as a possible headquarters, thereby keeping it in her own hands, Sandrine worked on delivering people (downed pilots, Jewish people, etc.) out of occupied lands. The leader of her line was captured shortly before Antonia arrived, and so she suggested that if anyone came by asking about that individual, they would likely be Gestapo, and so should be ignored/diverted (which is how Antonia ended up being unable to hook up with the 'correct' resistance group for months).

Time flies quickly in this book. One moment it’s June 1940, the next it’s some time in 1941. There are some rather riveting scenes, though there is a certain distancing that comes from passing through so much time in a short work. None-the-less, this was an enjoyable book, and a nice return to a genre I used to devour.

June 16 2016

Women's Barracks by Tereska Torrès

Women's Barracks
by Tereska Torrès
Pages: 256
Date: May 1 2005 (originally published 1950)
Publisher: The Feminist Press at CUNY (originally published by Fawcett Gold Medal)

Review:
3.0 out of 5.0
Read: March 3 to March 6 2014

This was a difficult book to read.  And not because of writing style or writing ability. Nor because it was among the first lesbian books put out.  A "based on true events" one at that.

No, the problem was both the distanced nature of the narration, and the subject matter.  As in, the book was narrated from the point of view of the writer.  Who was both a character in the book, and someone who knew what ultimately happened to everyone.  As a character, she was off to the edge, mostly, reporting on the actions of the others.  And the subject matter problem?  Well . . . one of the early attacks on homosexual activity involves trying to link it to pedophiles.  And that, pedophiles, plays a rather large role in the book. Much more so than lesbianism.

War erupts.  Many French women escape to England, but wish to help, so they join the army, or whatever the military organization was called.   A woman of 34, one of the French woman exiles, uses her advanced experience and alluring nature to attract a 16 old girl into her bed.  And molests her.  The girl doesn't particularly like it but kept repeating to herself "I adore her."  Two other bits of evidence later emerges.  Claude, the woman of 34, in the past, had also done the same thing with a young boy.  And Claude's attraction to Ursula (the 16 year old)  abruptly ends when she realizes that Ursula is no longer a little girl but is now a woman.

Hmm. I was writing this off of notes I had made. Later I call Claude the 40 year old pedophile.  Ok, so the older woman is somewhere between 34 and 40.

As I said at the beginning, a difficult book for me to read, mostly read because of its place in the history of lesbian books.  I should probably note, I suppose, that the author/narrator was not a lesbian herself.  Which may have clouded her judgement of the activities she was witnessing.   There were lesbians in the book, and the narrator had a more narrow-minded view of them, despite those lesbians actually involving adult women in adult relationships.