Mother Panic volume 1: A Work in Progress by Jody Houser and Tommy Lee Edwards
Reviewed by: Dave Gibbons, Library Volunteer
Genre: Graphic Novel, Super Hero
Suggested Age: Adults
What is the book about?: Gotham City has long been the home to gritty super heroes and psychopathic villains; what happens when the line between the two gets blurred to the point that you can’t see it anymore? Violet Page (alter ego of title character) has all the things you need to become a rampaging super-vigilante: ultra-rich…check, futuristic technology… check, all-consuming dark origin story that makes Batman’s seem idyllic… check. However Violet is not Bruce Wayne. Sporting a bright white techno suit rather than the dark tones you might expect, Mother Panic wants the attention of evil-doers. Perhaps this is a character flaw, but Mother Panic isn’t an ordinary hero. Supporting a mother who is suffering from a particularly psychedelic version of dementia, Violet has to find time to fight outlandish and gore filled crimes that might even be too much for Batman. Through it all she is desperately seeking revenge, but but who does she want revenge on and how far will she go to get it?
My Review: This is a comic that seeks to double down on the concept of “Batman as a psychotic,” with a main character who is unrepentant and seemingly unredeemable and very difficult to sympathize with. Part of the Young Animals imprint for DC comics, Mother Panic is a lone title that is completely original (with cameos from several familiar super heroes). Written as a sort of commentary on the concept of celebrity, this comic asks “what if Paris Hilton became Batman” but without any of the levity that that question implies. While the art is amazingly expressionist the story is dark and gets darker and darker, to a point where is starts to feel very uncomfortable. Leaning on ideas such as “orphanage of evil” that we have seen ad nauseum in the Bat titles, Mother Panic tries to turn it up a notch by adding a layer of filth to everything. But that filth could be just a contrast to the stark white judgement of the protagonist, a character who’s trustworthiness as a narrator is questionable at best.
Three Words That Describe This Book: Dark, Stylistic, Graphic
Give This a Try if You Like… Black Mirror (television), Arkham Asylum by Grant Morrison, Books of Blood by Clive Barker
Rating: 3/5
About FDL Reads
Welcome to FDL Reads, weekly book reviews from Fondulac District Library. Librarians (and possibly some other guest reviewers) review all types of books, from children’s picture books, young adult favorites, to the latest adult thriller, and share their thoughts each week at fondulaclibrary.org. If the book is owned by Fondulac District Library (or another local library), you’ll see a direct link to the catalog entry and whether or not it is available. If it is checked out or at another local library, you will be able to place a hold as long as you have your library card and PIN numbers. As with any book review, these are our opinions…we disagree amongst ourselves about books frequently. We all have different likes and dislikes, which is what makes the world an interesting place. Please enjoy, and keep on reading!