Miscellaneous

Rob Reger, “creator” (if it were ever appropriate to put extra scare quotes around a word, this would be the time) of Emily the Strange, is another of the big success stories. He’s built a multi-million-dollar empire, including a series of comic books (that’s right, I’m keeping this on topic) on a single illustration lifted directly from the awesome Nate the Great children’s books–and when the real creators started asking stores not to carry Emily the Strange merchandise, Reger sued them. Balls. That’s how you get ahead in this business.

- Shaenon Garrity

The weird thing is that Sim has spent the past ten years or so, ever since the drugs ate his brain for good, going on and on about how much he abhors all things feminine. Yet his first project, post-misogynistic-heel-turn, is an effortful, not especially vicious pastiche of the most stereotypically feminine pop-cult extrusion he can find. More than anything, Sim’s work on Glamourpuss reminds me of those evangelical Christian guys who go “undercover” at gay pride events across the country so they can take photos and report breathlessly on all the terrible, terrible sodomy on display... Everybody knows these guys are gay. Even their congregations know. What I’m saying, I guess, is that Glamourpuss would be more fun if Sim would just admit that he’s honestly fascinated by the stuff he claims to be satirizing or exposing or whatever. If he’d come clean about loving shoes, makeup and blowjob tips as much as he loves Alex Raymond illustrations, we could have an awesome comic, or whatever it is, here.

- Shaenon Garrity