Thursday, January 27, 2005

Jeannine, you put the HER in HERO!

Kudos to Jeannine Hall Gailey, whose new chapbook is Female Comic Book Superheroes (Pudding House Publications). I read it cover to cover the other day, and it is just a hoot. Humor balanced by pathos, pop culture references balanced by classic references. And her pantheon of Superheroes! I admire how she has brought them all in: from Greek and Celtic mythology; to comic book and video game warriors; to Catholic school girls and Eve; Shakespeare’s Ophelia; even a giant Lichtenstein painting's pixilated character. Well done! My favorite: "Persephone and the Prince Meet Over Drinks." The power in the lines "so what if . . . my prince/is prince of nothing but darkness?/I knew what I was doing." These women can all seen as facets of an archetype, different aspects of the eternal Feminine, and this holds the chapbook together quite nicely. Jeannine, you put the HER in HERO. Brava!

4 comments:

Radish King said...

She also kicked butt at the Cranky reading with her Female Comic Book Superheros poem~

Suzanne said...

Peter,
I loved Jeannine's chapbook, too. Grrrlll Power! (whoohoo!)

Kelli Russell Agodon - Book of Kells said...

I love it too! And I love your line about putting the "her" in "hero." !

Jeannine said...

Thanks Peter. Your kind words that have cheered up my whole week!