Review: Maneaters #3

Chelsea Cain“s Maneaters (Image Comics) is a delectable revelation about how gender works in our society. It is a carefully crafted caricature of the world in which we live ”“ replete with pink pussy hats, overfunded law enforcement, and an abiding hegemony baked into the social system. This hegemony is aimed and directed squarely at women with a particular focus on adolescent girls. In the world of Maneaters, menstruation might trigger a reaction to a mutated parasite found in cat poop. Through the reaction the young girl transforms into a large predatory panther. These panthers prey on people without mercy or discrimination. In the main timeline of Maneaters the government has gotten this “problem”“ under control through a series of totalitarian moves including dosing the public water system and creating an elaborate scheme of social propaganda.

In Maneaters #3 we get our first legit flashback to Maude“s sex ed. class. Here we get a good glimpse into the ways in which the girls of the Maneaters“ world are indoctrinated about gender, their bodies, and the lethal potential that resides within them. As heavy as all of the cat-eating-man stuff seems in review, the overall tone of Maneaters is actually light-hearted and funny ”“ between the scenes of blood, gore and dispersed body parts. The girl problems might be under government control, but there is currently a killer cat on the loose in S.E. Portland. Both of Maude“s parents are in law enforcement. Her Mom is part of the task force empowered to track and kill the killer cats and her dad is a homicide detective. Together, they are on the case.

The visual style of Maneaters is stunning. Kate Niemczyk and Rachelle Rosenberg make the art deceptively appealing. The artistry suggests a soft colorful world, almost like a Saturday morning cartoon from the 70s. But beneath the surface of the visual palate is a bloodier world through which they regularly remind readers of the world“s inherent darkness. The design of the book is similarly striking, with key instances of photorealism and deliberately intricate renderings of propaganda that are both informative and frightening. Ads for estrogen-free sparkling water, instructions for how to use a tampon, or government notices for gendered screenings make the world of Maneaters seem both horrifying and in many disturbing ways ”“ just like ours.

Maneaters is as serious as “Bitch Planet”“ but as much fun as “Riverdale.”“ In so many ways, it is the perfect comic for our gender regressive times. 4.25/5

[yasr_overall_rating size=”large”]

(W) Chelsea Cain (A) Kate Niemczyk (CA) Lia Miternique