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A review by saidtheraina
Unterzakhn by Leela Corman
4.0
This is a story about twin sisters. They live in New York's lower east side in the 1910s. As we follow their lives, one goes to work for a brothel and ends up having an illustrious career as an entertainment object. The other goes to work for a doctor, who provides illegal birth control to women. This is basically a feminist compare & contrast.
It could be dry, but it isn't. I'd seen Corman's work before (in [b:Sexy Chix|1065127|Sexy Chix Anthology of Women Cartoonists|Joyce Carol Oates|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1347720559s/1065127.jpg|1051770]), and she has a unique quality. Her drawings are old-fashioned, in a way; stark, and whimsical. The story of the two women is complex, with a fair amount of supporting characters and a plot with its fair share of tragedy and misfortune. While I didn't find it as engaging as some other historical graphic novels about brothels I've read, giving the sexual politics context is really good.
Yay feminist comic books!
It could be dry, but it isn't. I'd seen Corman's work before (in [b:Sexy Chix|1065127|Sexy Chix Anthology of Women Cartoonists|Joyce Carol Oates|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1347720559s/1065127.jpg|1051770]), and she has a unique quality. Her drawings are old-fashioned, in a way; stark, and whimsical. The story of the two women is complex, with a fair amount of supporting characters and a plot with its fair share of tragedy and misfortune. While I didn't find it as engaging as some other historical graphic novels about brothels I've read, giving the sexual politics context is really good.
Yay feminist comic books!