Comic Book Resources

Girls #15 Review

I don’t mind cynicism. I think it can be creatively healthy and interesting. But man, Girls just can’t get enough of it! It is just ridiculous!

We get it, Jonathan and Joshua Luna, you think that if a bunch of people were trapped together, everyone would be despicable assholes. But to read that for fifteen issues? Just watching people be assholes is not, in and of itself, all that interesting. This lesson was taught when the great Larry David, co-creator of one of the best shows in TV history, Seinfeld, a show that was basically about a group of fairly dispicable friends and co-creator and star of ANOTHER one of TV’s best shows, Curb Your Enthusiasm, where he stars as a despicable person, did the film Sour Grapes.

In Sour Grapes, we followed a bunch of assholes. And that’s about it. And it just wasn’t interesting.

The same goes for Girls. There is no real mystery for each issue, it is only, “What jerkish thing will a character do THIS issue?” I have no interest in following, for years, a group of people where everyone is an asshole - and not even INTERESTING assholes. Just plain, ordinary, run-of-the-mill assholes.

I admire the Luna Brothers devotion to the concept. They are quite willing to spend a long time seeing exactly what type of crazy mystery surrounds the townspeople of Pennystown where these “girls” have sex with men, then lay a dozen eggs which hatch into NEW “girls” who all try to kill any woman they see. I just do not like how they have committed themselves to THIS particular concept. Ultra, by the Luna Brothers, was an interesting comic book series. I would have liked to have seen them commit themselves to THAT! However, I certainly respect their wishes. I just wish the ensuing comic wasn’t so poor.

One thing I do like is seeing some of the actual logical progression, like their treatment of the eggs.

But that is countered by horribly illogical (except, I suppose, to the Lunas, who I presume must think all of these decisions by the characters are just what people would actually do if they were locked up) progression of characters, like the lady who decides to take control with a gun. Or the husband who seemed so normal, but, because it is Girls, he has to turn out to be an asshole, too.

The basic mystery of what is up with the Girls is interesting enough, but that is dealt with as often as Lost progresses the overall mystery plots along - which is not much at all. However, while Lost also highlights characters, it highlights INTERESTING characters, not just a bunch of boring assholes.

I know I’ve used the term assholes too much in this bit, but that’s what these characters are. And I just don’t know why the Luna Brothers want to keep writing about these characters. Perhaps because it is uncoventional? It certainly IS uncoventional to not have any protagonists. But that’s one convention that I think is smart to follow.

All in all, as a surprise to no one, I do not recommend this comic.