LUCIDMEDIA

Toronto a Dolltopia for new Graphic Novel

Written by Andrew Skinner Tuesday, 20 October 2009 13:16

With cupcakes on hand American comics artist Abby Denson was recently in Toronto for a launch of her very pink-and-black graphic novel, Dolltopia (Green Candy Press), a story of rebellious dolls that escape domestic conformity and assigned roles. Whether there are “subversive themes” in her work, the all-ages comic certainly is not causing fuss to parents, probably because it is at the same time a straightforward role-playing confidence book of playful punky fun.

Promoted by The Beguiling comic shop it was held next door at The Central bar. Also on hand was Matt Loux to talk about his graphic novel Salt Water Taffy: The Truth About Dr. True (Oni Press). The Salt Water Taffy books are boldly outlined stories about the seaside adventures of Jack and Benny, two young brothers on vacation who encounter adventures and giant sea monsters in New England’s haunted hamlets.

Denson works on other comics such as the Amazing Spider-Man Family, The Powerpuff Girls, and Sabrina The Teenage Witch, and she’s currently also The City Sweet Tooth dessert blog columnist for New York’s L Magazine. She is probably best known though for doing her own thing as a graphic novelist with titles like Tough Love: High School Confidential, a coming out of the closet story about two gay high school boys.

To an extent Tough Love, she says, was influenced by the Japanese yaoi manga comics which are designed by and for girls that often feature relationships between boys. “I was definitely influenced by subject matter of yaoi manga for my first graphic novel Tough Love. Though I did want it to be more of a realistic story with a message than a direct take-off on yaoi…”

There are real political and cultural issues here and not just romantic fantasies of boys as with yaoi manga: “It’s about not having to live up to other people’s expectations and societal norms, and roles that are cast upon you, and trying to find your own way.” Some of her other recent influences are Edward Scissorhands, Andy Warhol factory, Candy Darling, Blade Runner replicants and Philip K. Dick books, and the Tom Robbins novel Skinny Legs and All.

First appearing as a mini-comic, Dolltopia is the story of ballerina doll named Kitty who rejects her jock husband Soccer Scotty. She meets another renegade doll, an Army Jim, on his way to Dolltopia after rejecting the tough guy doll soldiers as he’d rather wear a kilt. They decide that the first step in being yourself is to look different and then they make their trippy way to doll’s land where they can even get highly desired articulated arms. They meet characters with names such as Candy-O, a reference to The Cars music album and a Candy-X character influenced by Joan Jet.

Dolltopia is done in such a playful way that it is never necessarily for kids but neither is it a wholly adult queer comic either. Only with the strictly kids’ stuff like The Powerpuff Girls do parents sometimes complain says Denson. “With those kids comics the parents will find anything to complain about and it’s always something really strange that you wouldn’t expect.”

She goes on to say that this is hardly a big issue and it’s not a problem for her at all to change from throwing knives to bowling pins. Mixing, breaking, switching things around and imagining other worlds for their characters is what kids do playing with dolls anyway, or very nearly. But there has been perhaps surprisingly little comment at some of the advertised “subversive themes.”

She does try to get some of her own themes into comics, like the petty crime fighting Aunt May in Amazing Spider Man Family stories, but nothing that is strikingly overt. “I feel like there’s an innocent tinge to every thing I do …even if it is dealing with subversive issues I think I can definitely bring that into my kids work or my mainstream work without too much of a problem,” she Denson explains. “I don’t think too many parents would object to their kids reading it though there are definitely subversive themes in it. But it doesn’t really have anything outright…”

Dolltopia’s sugary pop style might appeal to anyone of any age simply to imagine dolls being dolls, losing arms and changing hairstyles, oblivious of the bigger issues. Or it can appeal to someone seeking worlds of their own and different role models, freedom and individuality - that’s here too: “In reality, elective plastic surgery and procedures like Botox are becoming more and more popular,” says Denson, “people who go to extremes with plastic surgery end up looking more like dolls than people! It’s all very interesting to me. One of the lingering questions Dolltopia asks is how many parts can you replace before you are an entirely different doll?”