Scarlett Takes Manhattan
by Molly Crabapple and John Leavitt
48 pages, trade paperback, $12.95 US
Published by Fugu Press
Due out in July, Pre-Order thru Amazon
Sweet and naughty, Scarlett Takes Manhattan is an assured sexy romp through Victorian New York with the beautiful Scarlett on a journey of self-discovery. Warren Ellis calls it, “disgustingly wonderful.” Coming from the creator of some pretty sexy stuff, like Anna Mercury, you have to wonder what he means. Well, this book is absolutely erotically charged and delightfully so. Molly Crabapple has a deep love for her subject matter, vaudeville, erotica, comics, and it shows. Her evolution as an artist, with her illustration work and with Dr. Sketchy’s Anti-Art School Cabaret, leads her to a successful first graphic novel.
Two glasses of cocktails with cherries looking very much like boobs on page one prepares us for what lies ahead. We next find Scarlett in bed with her lover as she tells the story of her life. It all begins quite innocently enough as a girl from the slums, Shifra Helfgott, eighteen and sexually curious, goes to the city to see a circus parade. She witnesses two elephants copulating which foretells her life’s path mixing sex with show business.
This is the 1880s and so opportunities are slim to none for Shifra, poor, uneducated and orphaned. As a charwoman, she learns that providing sexual favors can help ease her life. It’s then that she crosses paths with theatre impressario, Daniel D’Lovely. She discovers her sexual appeal on stage and Daniel’s secret once they become lovers. In time, she realizes she’ll need to develop a talent in order to remain relevant in vaudeville. This leads to her becoming the star fire-eater, Scarlett O’Herring.
Shifra’s transformation into Scarlett is handled with sensitivity. As the character gains more control over her life, she becomes more complex as well as more conniving. She reahes a point where she must choose between her friends and betraying them for even greater power and wealth. Here is where the story tackles a little politics and gives us a taste of the corruption of the times with a hint at how little has changed. We also further explore the unique relationship between Daniel and Scarlett and whether they can remain loyal to each other no matter how their lives evolve.
In the end, Scarlett Takes Manhattan maintains a nice head of steam. Nothing too heavy here. What is remarkable is Molly Crabapple’s approach. Considering how sex is portrayed in comics, let alone all media, it is refreshing how Crabapple maintains our interest by celebrating sex rather than exploiting it. What else would you expect from a cartoonist who appreciates toasted marshmallow milkshakes?
June 11th, 2009 at 4:41 pm
I’m curious, but I’m not sure if I’m “48 pages for $13″ curious.
June 11th, 2009 at 5:44 pm
For $13, this thing better wax my truck better than a ShamWOW.
June 12th, 2009 at 12:44 pm
Concur. $13 is far too high a price for only 48 pages.
June 12th, 2009 at 3:35 pm
This could be an interesting discussion as to how many pages does it take to be considered a “graphic novel” as well as how much is one willing to pay for a unique comic. So far, we’ve got folks here who wouldn’t shell out $13 for 48 pages. Would you ever consider matching $13 to 48 pages? It’s not that far off the mark from what you’d go ahead and pay for a graphic novel from the big publishers. You have to keep in mind that the price point tends to go up a bit for small and independent publishers. Anyway, besides the price issue, this is a worthwhile comic. Wait around. Books are books and the price will eventually drop to fit your budget if you’re not used to paying a little more for this kind of stuff. But you’ll have to wait and maybe this wouldn’t appeal to you at whatever the price.
June 14th, 2009 at 3:45 pm
Are you guys kidding? $13 for 48 pages could be a steal, depending on how talented or awesome the artist/author is and what the printing is like. You might end up paying 5 times that much for a poster of a single page from a publication like this.
Just wait for a used copy if the current price offends your sensibilities…