MILLIMETER BY MILLIMETER

"The other key tenet of this outlook is the perceived simplicity and lack of nuance that traditional good-versus-evil narratives have. The tone of these comments belies a belief that classic fantasy epics are inherently childish, that enjoying tales of light triumphing over darkness are best forgotten in adulthood"

A brand new review is live on my blog! Read all about the differences between a Japanese original and its American remake.

one of the most impactful, emotional, and exciting parts of atsv was Gwen's relationship to her father. and so i was really happy to see that it's an element pulled directly from her comics. a lot of the best parts of Gwen's story in atsv are pulled directly from her debut in Edge of Spider-Verse #2 (2014). stuff like the opening drum playing with The Mary Janes and the "this mask is my badge" scene are all originally from the comics (but done infinitely better in the movie imo). anyways i bring all this up to say that early on there wasn't much trans coding, but by the time Gwen's father quits being a cop it's cropping up more.

ok. where to begin. George Stacy is talking to Gwen about her decision to be Spider-Woman and hide it from him, but on the metaphorical level they're talking about being queer. specifically the choice of using "your world" when describing Gwen's work as Spider-Woman stands out. cause from George's perspective, at this point in the story, he and Spider-Woman kind of share the same world (i.e. fighting crime). but the deliberate positioning of them as being from two different worlds creates a distinction between the two. there is something extra, something ephemeral about being Spider-Woman that George does not have access to. and what this scene is really about is him coming to terms with the fact that he can't ever fully understand what it's like to be Spider-Woman, and by extension, be trans.

and then he relates his own personal experiences to what Gwen is going through. he recognizes that it's difficult to want to talk about it, that it's hard to share all the disturbing and hard stuff. and so he tells his daughter that it's okay because he's gonna support her no matter how much she shares.

and then the last set of panels. this is what really cinches it for me. it is the ultimate recognition that, while it may not be easy for George to wrap his head around, it is easy for him to support his daughter. he recognizes that being trans is an immutable part of her life, and that it's out of his hands. he chooses being a father over hurting his daughter and that rules.

spoilers for Spider-Gwen [II] #3 (2016)

this conversation Gwen has with Jessica Drew fucks me up so bad. like the way Gwen prefaces her question and describes herself as strange and a weirdo is SOOO. and then she asks about the other Gwen Stacy and what she was like, and it reads like she's asking about what her life would be like if she was cis. and it gets couched in the language of "normal" and not, which is absolutely a trap i fall into sometimes. and then Jess says something that made me cry.

"Look, I get it. I understand dreaming of a simpler life... But, trust me. The hard times, the times when you're unsure, those are just how you figure out who you are. What your life means. Focus on today. Be the best Gwen Stacy that you can be. Right here, right now."

the main symbol in the book, the titular orange, is used to represent the neglect Jeanette faces at home. any time Jeanette's Mother is unable or unwilling to meet the emotional needs of her young daughter, she hands her an orange. like, every time. and it's kind of bizarre when and where she'll dole them out. Jeanette gets oranges in the hospital, at church, while walking around town. oranges as a response are so ingrained in Jeanette that when she has gone deaf and can't get her mother's attention, she just takes an orange and tries to sleep it off. like any time she needs a parental figure or someone to help her, she either gets an orange, is given an orange, or goes to someone else because her mother is too engrossed in her evangelism.