From the Vault: "Zot! and the Cozy Science Fiction Future"

Welcome to the next installment of From the Vault!  I spent quite a bit of time writing articles related to fiction, especially genre fiction.  Many of these are no longer available on their original websites, and exist only on my hard drive.  "From the Vault" is a place to share some of these older articles that have had their rights revert back to me since publication.  Please note, many of these are 5-10 years old, and have not been edited since their original publication; I apologize for any spelling and grammar errors!

Today, we will examine Scott McCloud's Zot!

Zot! and the Cozy Science Fiction Future

By Luke Forney

What with the recent focus at Digital Science Fiction on far-future science fiction, and the cutting edge of science, it seemed time for a return to some of science fiction’s less “technical” roots.  At least for this writer, science fiction meant space ships, jet packs, and flying cars when I was a kid a just getting into the genre.  The key image was the futuristic city, again with flying cars, but also with towering buildings, sharp spires shooting out of sight, long clean, gently curing lines and curves creating a serene image of futuristic pacificity.

Welcome to Zot!

Scott McCloud (famous for his trio of books on the literary theory of comics: Understanding Comics, Reinventing Comics, and Making Comics) began his career as a writer of graphic fiction, rather than graphic non-fiction.  The biggest chunk of his fiction work fell into his series Zot!  The stories in Zot! follow the super hero teenager Zot as he saves the day in his far flung future, where every day is some time in 1965.  However, Zot’s scientist genius Uncle Max creates a portal between universe, and Zot is thrust directly into our universe, full of crime, pollution, unhappiness, and a distinct lack of futurity.

McCloud uses a large swath of this series to explore the differences between the future we imagined one hundred years ago, and the future we wound up with.  Zot interacts with our world, from his girlfriend Jenny (who Zot can’t believe grew up in a world she didn’t even like) to what being a super hero in the real world would actually be like.  Stories of evil robots who can take over your minds, assassins who travel by electricity, “de-evolutionaries,” steampunk-infused evil contraption builders, and psycopaths who see the world as through the eyes of art deco speak to the bizarre, innocent imaginings of the beginnings of a genre, as well as the first entries of burgeoning fans into the world of science fiction.  However, this is all juxtaposed with less “fantastic” villainy, such as bullying, prejudice, and unrequited love.

Not that the entire series is somber and serious.  Tales of people turning into monkeys, and parties with the set intention of someone getting a pie to the face are also standard fare for Zot!  McCloud brilliantly balances out the stories to keep it all in check, and to remind the reader of another key tenant of this style of science fiction: eternal optimism.

Zot! was originally published as a 36 issue comic series from Eclipse Comics.  The first ten issues were full color extravaganzas that McCloud has referred to as his “trial period” for Zot!  Starting with issue eleven, Zot! became a black and white series.  Issue eleven was also a sort of new start for the series, allowing new readers to jump on, and old readers to shed some of the early missteps McCloud felt were apparent in the original run.  While certain characters and references do carry over from the color run to the black and white one, the later black and white series does stand on its own.

In 2008, after the publication of Making Comics, HarperCollins put out the brick-sized tome Zot!: The Complete Black and White Collection.  As the subtitle states, the book collects Zot! from 1987 to 1991, from the beginning of the black and white run all the way to the series conclusion.  Clocking in at nearly 600 pages, this is a lot of content, and the price is very reasonable.

While many seem to denigrate Zot! as McCloud’s early, non-serious, non-literary work, that misses the entire point of the series.  It is embracing the fun side of old-school futuristic stylings, while telling complex stories about ourselves in the process.  And if that’s not great science fiction, I don’t know what is.

This article was originally published on August 22, 2011 at Digital Science Fiction's website.  Text copyright Luke Forney.

Featured Read of the Month: The Button by Wednesday Martin

The Button by Wednesday Martin

I had a bit of an internal struggle about putting some sort of heads up at the start of this review regarding the content about to be discussed regarding Wednesday Martin's wonderful piece, The Button.  Should I say something about how we're about to talk about the sexual anatomy of women?  Or should I go for some eye-grabbing headline, something like "CLITORIS!" or "Yes, the Title IS a Euphemism"?  And then it hit me.  This string of thoughts on how to "appropriately" introduce a discussion of women's bodies is a product to the same social and cultural norms and mores that have caused so much violence against women.  I'm a self-professed feminist, and yet I still find myself considering if I should tiptoe around a critical element of the fight against sexual oppression.  When the very culture you live within is structured around oppression, those beliefs seep into everyone.  Martin takes one small facet of this struggle - the cultural history of the clitoris - and then explains, in a fascinatingly insightful manner, why this is not a small facet.

Most people are pretty cognizant of the fact that western culture has spent an inordinate amount of time trying to solve the "problem" of women's bodies, or the "problems" that are caused because of women's bodies.  Vibrators were brought into prominence because they were used by doctors in the hopes that they could cure female hysteria through orgasm.  Beyond the problematic notion that women are obviously prone to hysteria, anyone who has ever stepped foot into a hospital has to be able to imagine exactly how conducive that setting would be to having an orgasm, especially when it is your doctor holding the - pardon the joke - medical tool.  And this whole "strangers in a position of power telling women that they need to give them an orgasm in their office to save them from insanity" is not even remotely the most disturbing medical attempt to navigate women's health.

It was only in the last half of the 20th century that female castration became rare in the United States.  That's worth re-reading a couple times so it can sink in.  If that seems disturbing, consider this: female genital mutilation on a minor for non-medical reasons only became a felony in 1996, and it wasn't until 2013 (FIVE YEARS AGO) that it became illegal in the United States to transport a female minor to another country for castration.  For those of you not familiar with female castration or female genital mutilation, it is a grim procedure: in most cases, the clitoris is removed in an attempt to stymie female sex drive.  In many cases, only the external part of the clitoris was removed, resulting in life-long nerve damage and excruciating pain.  Doctors in the United States are reported to have regularly practiced this procedure into the 1950s.

This is a horrifying picture, and it only speaks to a small element of the dark history of western society's interactions with the clitoris.  From removing the clitoris from textbooks and manuals such as Grey's Anatomy to Sigmund Freud's condemnation of pleasure from clitoral orgasm as being immature and childish, there is a never-ending narrative of the evils and harms of the female body and female sexuality.

Martin advocates "cliteracy."  She stresses the importance of learning more about the clitoris and the female sexual experience.  Providing information to remove the negative fog surrounding women's bodies can also help to create a shift in the unconscious messages being spread on a societal level.  And for those hoping to increase their cliteracy, The Button is a great place to start.  Martin has a very smooth and readable style that shares a narrative that is horrifying in a palatable way.  She leaves you shocked, and also ready to go out and make change.  This short piece feels like an important stepping stone in helping to make the world we live in one that is a little more equitable for all of its citizens.

If you are interested in reading The Button, you can pick up a copy here.  It is part of a series released by Amazon called Missing, which focuses on different permutations of what is "missing" in the eyes of the authors.  It is currently only available digitally through Amazon, and can be read on any kindle device, table, smart phone, or computer.

From the Vault: "Haikasoru: SF from Japan"

Welcome to the next installment of From the Vault!  I spent quite a bit of time writing articles related to fiction, especially genre fiction.  Many of these are no longer available on their original websites, and exist only on my hard drive.  "From the Vault" is a place to share some of these older articles that have had their rights revert back to me since publication.  Please note, many of these are 5-10 years old, and have not been edited since their original publication; I apologize for any spelling and grammar errors!

Today, we will explore the then-burgeoning market for prose genre fiction from Japan.

Haikasoru: SF From Japan

By Luke Forney

Fans of science fiction here in North America are frequently presented with only originally English language fiction, particularly from America, Canada, and Britain.  However, there is far, far more out there than just that, obviously.  Some of it is starting to appear, such as Stanisaw Lem’s Solaris, or, on the fantasy side, Alexey Pehov’s Shadow Prowler or Andrzej Sapkowski’s The Last Wish.  However, even with all of that, much of the science fiction appearing stateside is from very Western, European cultures.  So what is going on with the rest of the world?

Some great science fiction, that’s what’s going on!  Luckily, some of it is finally beginning to appear translated into English for readers not able to read it in its original language.  Much of this began with comics, especially the massive influx of manga, but now even prose fiction is on the rise.  One publisher in particular is focusing on this trend, as it regards Japan.  Haikasoru, owned by famous manga publisher Viz Media, is bringing out Japanese science fiction and fantasy in new English translations.

Some of their highlights include:

Koushun Takami’s cult favorite, Battle Royale: A modern Lord of the Flies set in a future Japan, Takami explores the violence and emotion of growing up as a teenager in modern society.  Many people compare this one to the excellent The Hunger Games, although this one is, in this writer’s opinion, better.

Two of Miyuki Miyabe’s classic novels for young adult readers, Brave Story and The Book of Heroes:  Originally published as “light novels,” novels sold alongside manga and featuring a large number of manga drawings as illustrations, these two books made their way stateside without the art, but still with great stories.  Both feature younger characters in search of an escape from the hardships of cruel lives, and the success of discovering yourself.

Sayuri Ueda’s The Cage of Zeus:  An intricate look at gender in a spacefaring future, one that likely would have won a James Tiptree, Jr. Award if it had originally appeared in English.  Ueda focuses on a group of people created artificially to tests the limits of people in space, and who, because of their altered gender identities, no longer are viewed as “normal,” and are ostracized because of it.

Chōhei Kambayashi’s Yukikaze and Good Luck, Yukikaze:  Kambayashi’s books are both brilliant military science fiction and extraordinary explorations of what it means to be human in a technological society.  Fighting the evil alien JAM, Yukikaze’s pilot Rei struggles with why human’s fight wars, while his superior’s begin to question whether they are simply tools of their computers.  Highly recommended.

ICO: Castle in the Mist, a novelization of the popular Playstation 2 video game, by the aforementioned Miyuki Miyabe:  An interesting look at tie-in fiction from other countries, and another chance to experience a great author’s work.

Issui Ogawa’s The Lord of the Sands of Time:  My first novel read from Haikasoru, I thoroughly enjoyed this take on alternate universes, time travel, and the cost of beings created and uncared for.  An exciting, fast paced, and engaging novel.  Those not convinced can find a longer review over at Luke Reviews here.

Do yourself a favor and check out some of the excellent offerings from Haikasoru, along with some other non-Western science fiction.  An alternative take on the science fiction you are used to, you will find a thrilling, fresh new experience.

This article was originally published late 2011 or early 2012 at Digital Science Fiction's website.  Text copyright Luke Forney.

What Luke's Reading: August 2018

Another month has passed already!  I read some great books this month, works that really energized my creative flow.  What are you reading and loving?  Share below!

August 2018

Prose

• Return to Ravnica by Doug Beyer (available here)
• Dawn by Octavia E. Butler (available here, and as part of Lilith's Brood: The Complete Xenogenesis Trilogy here)
• Dead Air - Season 1, Episode 1: The Night of the Screaming Horses by Gwenda Bond (available FREE here)
• Hockey Strong: Stories of Sacrifice from Inside the NHL by Todd Smith (available here)
• Reality Check by David Brin (available here)
• Ninety-Three by Victor Hugo, unattributed translation (available FREE here)
• The Button by Wednesday Martin (available here)

Poetry

• Astropoetry: Poems Celebrating the Wonders and Mysteries of Space by Christina Sng (available here)
• A Collection of Nightmares: Even the Most Exquisite Dreams Turn Dark by Christina Sng (available here)

Drama

• A Doll's House by Henrik Ibsen, translated by Robert Sharp (available here)

Graphic Novels/Comics

• IF, Volume 2 edited by Peter Simeti (available here)
• Moteki: Love Strikes!, Volume 1 by Mitsurou Kubo (available as part of Moteki, Volume 1 here)

Magazines

• Horror Sleaze Trash Quarterly, Spring 2018 (ADULT CONTENT; available FREE here)
• Flash Fiction Online, August 2018 (available here)
• Game Informer, September 2018 (available via subscription here)
• EconoClash Review, Spring 2018 (available here)
• Xbox: The Official Magazine, October 2018 (available via subscription here)

Did Not Finish (Stuff I just couldn't get through, for one reason or another)

• Diary of a Sorceress by Ashley Dioses (available here)