By: Sam Kieth Publisher: Wildstorm Average Rating: Binding: Paperback Label: Wildstorm Number of Items: 1 Number of Pages: 128 Publication Date: September 01, 2002 Release Date: September 01, 2002
Something to read more than once In fact, you'll have to read it more than once. Somehow, every time you turn a page, it seems as if that new part of the story changes the meaning of everything that went before.
The story starts simply enough, as a kind of road trip with four women of different ages and stages of life. The car breaks down on a lonely back road, at night. Two men in a monster pickup stop when they see the broken-down car, and --
-- and for one thing, any more would be a spoiler. For another, I'm not sure I know what happened. I'm not sure the protagonists even know. There's a rubbery, shifting quality to the narrative that owes nothing to the fictional elements of the story. Sam Keith's artwork carries the narrative well, putting a little fear into even the comical moments, and black comedy into the genuinely fearful ones. As much as I like this story, I come away unsure what to make of it. In his introduction, Keith says, "If [Four Women] fails, it's because I'm not a woman ..." I don't know whether this actually succeeds, since ambiguity and uncertainty are so deeply a part of the story. I assure you, though, that it doesn't fail.
//wiredweird
must own graphic novel; psychological & characterization pc "Four Women" by Sam Kieth, is one of the best psychological graphic novels in the market. It is also supremely enjoyable & moreso, an indelible book to one's memory for the everlasting time. And to mention further, it is extremely cunning & creative in regards to the book plotting & execution. Four Women,the book per se, is radically brimming with suspense, slight violence, extreme tension, poignancy & a hardcore matured-theme story all fluidly interwoven nicely.
"Four Women",on its naked genre, was about heavy, psychological-laden story unveiled. The theme of the story was pertinent to rape. This critical story presented how a person would had acted and reacted to a chance coincidence in juxtaposition to the relevant subject of rape and violence. The realism & the execution of the subject portrayed here more than anything was accurate. It was as well very profound, with breadth & depth in relative to how the book successfully plumbed substantially the subject as it was evidently manifested by the author sweeping, masterful & informative penstroke.
The aftermath of this unfortunate incident,being raped, also utterly dwelled on its repercussions. Since this graphic novel originally was a comic compilations of 5(or 6) issues, the last issue of this book was completely dedicated to the ramification & the reactions of the rape victims concerned. Proficient Sam Kieth,the author,educated on the subject, precisely showed us how each of the rape victims survived this horrendous & repulsive experience. His characterizations to each four were never been more truer.The author is one of the forefronts in telling a psychological tale, whom he is widely reknown for. The other one in parallel to him, whom Im very fond of, is J.M De Matteis. Sam Kieth efforts for this project was at his very peak. Four Women is the culmination & the benchmark of his career.
The short summary of this yarn commences when the four lead/protagonist women-- they are the elderly, 40's-like Marion, manly Bev, middle-aged & married Donna & the youngest, a college student Cindy were travelling by car. And suddenly, on the middle of the road, there car broke down. It was this moment when the two would-be-rapists approach their car pretending to have good faith by helping.
On the characterization front, the author's four leads were varied & each had their own disparate personalities. However, from my observation, two leads stood out. They were Bev & Donna. It is quite evident to a wary eyes to discern that Bev & Donna are having some sort of unspoken grudges toward each other. The object of their difference seemingly is "inner-strenght or character strenght".
Characterization is this book secondary objective towards consummating a superlative story & profundity overall. The primary objectives are-- rape, which is the book theme, & psychological, which is the book genre. Throughout the story, one of the lens focus, was the implied actions between Bev & Donna. The manly looking Bev, assumed for herself, thru her actions, as more than capable & the navigator of the ship. She is the supposed in-charge person, decision-maker & arbitrator. But Donna, also by her explicit actions, saw otherwise. She deemed she was the sheperd of the herd & had the strongest will & character including Bev, especially moreso, in moments of crisis arisen.
Up to the last page, their bickerings & dislikes to one another stemmed from that singular, relevant yet worst experience.Indeed, who among the two of them should actually presided the situation. Lying in the couch before the psychiatrist in a counselling session by Donna, she did her best to distorts the facts, to be in defensive posture, & made-up stories, just to assert her presumed superiority for the group, which she earnestly believed herself. Not much positive can be said to Bev as well. She is also one of the fires that started the whole incendiary.
"Four Women" by Sam Kieth, is a satisfying hardcore reading & one of the best graphic novels today. If you are looking to read other "literary" GN, I have a few I like. "The Maxx" by Sam Kieth; "Age of Bronze" by Eric Shanower; "Maus" vol. 1 & 2 by. Art Spiegelman; "the Picture Bible" by Iva Hoth; "A Jew in Communist Prague" vol. 1-3 TP by. Vittorio Giardino.
"Four Women", the graphic novel, is a "must own" & great to add to your collections.
Most highly recommended !
Gave me massive chills This is why I read comics. For the thrill of a story told in a way only this medium can do it. Kieth is a master at pacing and composition, and with an appealing style that avoids the unpleasant unnatural realism that has wandered into much mainstream work (his anatomy, while cartoony, is at least much more realistic, as women are allowed to have normal bodies with hips and flab and all).
This is not an easy read: Dealing with the violence and rape in the story is difficult. You have to pay careful attention to both what is being said and what is being shown, because they don't always even up, and for good reason. Kieth manages not to be exploitative in some very difficult situations, and builds the complete horror of the story.
It could be a bit better. Just a bit more characterization up front, and the ending seems a bit rushed. This may be down to the fact that it was published originally as comics, which creates a problem when each "chapter" has to be of equal lenght.
Highly recommended, though. Much better than Zero Girl, which sort of fizzled at the end. If you want to see how comics can approach serious and realistic themes without any of the trappings people usually associate with comics (superheroes, magic, science fiction), get this one immediately.
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