Graphic Novel Review: Shame written by Lovern Kindzierski and illustrated by John Bolton

Pros: lush artwork, bonus features

Cons: nudity started to feel excessive

When the white witch Virtue makes a selfish wish for a child, the demon Slur grants that wish. He taunts her that their daughter, Shame, will be a tool of evil. To prevent Shame from damaging the world, Virtue contains her in a forest grove. But evil cannot be contained. 

Shame is comprised of three comics: Conception, Pursuit, and Redemption. There’s a forward by Colleen Doran, a preface by Lovern Kindzierski, and a preview of the next comic in the series, Tales of Hope. It also contains a discussion about Shame between Lovern Kindzierski, John Bolton, and Alexander Finbow (publisher and editor in chief of Renegade Arts Entertainment) that includes some concept and finished artwork, the original outline for the Shame graphic novel, and some panel description to finished copy artwork stills. 

Graphic novel artwork can be hit or miss for me. John Bolton’s artwork is lush and descriptive. It is done in photorealistic watercolours and form a mix of gorgeous and grotesque. When the artwork aims for beautiful it’s stunning. When it doesn’t, there are hideous, misshapen creatures. I really liked the artwork around the young Virtue in book 2, and a lot of Shame’s medieval outfits in book 3. Personally I’m not so keen on the grotesque side of art, and so many panels were not to my liking. Virtue’s old form, for example, is the unattractive, warty witch from traditional fairytales.

There’s a fair amount of nudity, as fits the adult nature of this fairytale. Some of it felt warranted, like the nymphs, though at times it started to feel gratuitous, as when nipples were visible through opaque cloth. Having said that, there is no sexual violence or gratuitous sex depicted.

I’d expected the plot to have a more Pandora’s Box feel, showing how the world changed when shame was introduced to it, but that’s not what happened. It’s a clear cut story of evil versus good, where true evil cannot be redeemed, and pure good cannot be corrupted. Only a man of fate, standing between them, has the ability to choose which side to join, and thereby change the outcome. 

Slur and his minions are quite terrifying in execution. Their guiding of Shame down the dark path is chilling.

As someone who doesn’t believe in original sin or that the sins of the parents damn their children, I was surprised that Virtue simply left the child and didn’t even try to prevent her corruption (though the assumption is that Shame is automatically corrupt, I would argue that the fact that she wonders why her mother abandoned her shows she could have turned another way).

It’s an interesting story with a unique art style.

Got to Catch ‘em All

Pokemon Go is becoming quite a phenomenon.  And I’ve jumped on that band wagon.  Not without some misgivings though.

Pokemon came out on TV in Canada when I was in high school.  I’ll admit that I liked the show and watched it everyday, but I might not have admitted it to you back then.  As with a lot of “things below my age” I was somewhat ashamed of my enjoyment in the show.  This was true of other cartoons I watched including Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Sailor Moon.  But I liked the shows.  They gave me half hours of escapism from the lousiness that was high school and daily life.  I NEEDED these shows to keep myself sane, to get through the days, the weeks, the years.

But at the back of my mind - and when anyone else was around - I was ashamed of my love for cartoons.  

It was with extreme reluctance that I set up my Pokemon Go account.  I downloaded it “just to see what it was like”, even though my husband didn’t care one way or another and no one else was around.  I played it “just to see if it’s any fun, you know, not because I’m actually interested.  I just want to see what everyone’s talking about”.  

The first time I went outside to play - I didn’t have a data plan for my iPad (my only tablet device) so I had to play in places that had wifi, which meant my house and the nearby community centre - I imagined people were looking down their noses at me, criticizing my decision to play a ‘child’s’ game.  While one guy with a young kid looked at me funny no one else even noticed I was there, or cared.  Still, I felt like a looser.

When I turn on the app the cartoon theme song plays in my head: “I want to be the very best, like no one ever was…”

I went to another wifi spot with my husband, but the connection was spotty and it drove him nuts that I couldn’t play the game properly, despite obviously wanting to.  So we went to the mall and I got a data plan.  I spent the next few hours running all over the place, getting pokestops and catching a ton of new pokemon.

A few days ago I went back to the community centre because it’s got several nearby pokestops.  I used a lucky egg, which gave me 30 minutes of double the xp.  During that time I hatched 2 eggs (near hatching when I started), evolved and caught several pokemon, and hit those pokestops several times.  I had so much fun.  And I didn’t feel bad for running around like a lunatic.  I didn’t care what others thought.  I HAD FUN.  And isn’t that what life’s about?  Enjoying ourselves?  Doing things that make us happy?

That evening I saw this video by the School of Life on Imposter Syndrome:

And it struck me: the people who point fingers and say I shouldn’t do things ‘because of my age’ do things they’re ashamed of too.  They just make themselves feel better by harassing others so we stop enjoying the things we’re doing.  

You know what?  I’m sick and tired of letting other people - people I don’t care about, people I don’t know, dictate what I can and can’t do, what I can and can’t like, what makes me happy and what makes me ashamed.  I am an adult, whether I like so called childish things or not.

Who are they to tell me I can’t read YA novels if I enjoy them?  Who are they to tell me I’m too old to watch cartoons if they bring me joy?  Who are they to tell me I’m stupid for playing a kids game if that game gets me outside, exercising without thinking of it as exercise and feeling generally ecstatic?  Who are they to tell me I’m not a fan just because my way of enjoying something is different from theirs?  Why should their opinion of me matter?

Oddly, in most things it doesn’t for me.  I’ve reached an age where I generally don’t care what others think of me anymore.  I have my own opinions on things and I don’t need others’.  But this game took me back to my youth, when wanting to fit in was more important than accepting who I was and just being me.

I like myself.  I’m proud of who I’ve become.  And I’m done with feeling ashamed for liking the things I like.

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got to go out and Catch ‘em All!