the refrigerator monologues by catherynne m valente

The frame story that pulls all of Valente’s beautiful pieces together is set in the afterlife-here called “Deadtown”-and centers on the aptly named “Hell Hath Club,” a group of women who have been ravaged, savaged, and damaged in service of the development of the male supers in their lives. It’s fun, exhilarating, shocking, and brutal all at the same time. And what a punch she packs! If you like superheroes, chances are that you love a good scuffle with some solid quips to cackle at, and this book reads like Valente’s turn in one of those epic action sequences-her words against decades of stifled stories and painful writing decisions.

Valente does clarify in the acknowledgments at the end of the book that she has great respect for the artists that came before her, but that doesn’t mean she’s pulling her punches now. She has been informed by feminist comic critics and creators alike, and now she has something to say. This is the context from which Valente is coming. With the added boon of gorgeous comic-styled illustrations by the incomparable Annie Wu and a nice blurb from superstar comic creator Kelly Sue Deconnick to round it all out, The Refrigerator Monologues is a masterpiece from start to finish.Įven before the stories get going, Valente decisively establishes her credibility and awareness as a participant in the culture of cape comics with a dedication to Gail Simone, initiator of the years-running discussion surrounding the issue of “ Women in Refrigerators” and amazing writer-matriarch of all the best things about comics ( Birds of Prey, anyone?). Unlike her peers listed above, Valente isn’t looking to shake up comics on the Big Two’s terms she’s sticking with the medium she knows, and boy, does she know it. Valente and her novella-cum-short story collection The Refrigerator Monologues.

These queens of sci-fi, fantasy, action, and young adult fiction are here now, and they’re doing their part to change comics for the better, but let’s face it, there’s still a lot of work to be done. In recent years, there’s been an increase in drift between notable writers of genre fiction and the mainstream comics industry, which has brought us such exciting books as Genevieve Valentine’s Catwoman, Chelsea Cain’s Mockingbird, and Nnedi Okorafor’s new work in the sandbox of Wakanda. The Refrigerator Monologues Catherynne M.

The refrigerator monologues by catherynne m valente