Golden Rage Volume 1

February 1, 2023
Where do you put those who, in the most dystopian way, can no longer supply the population? An island outside society, of course. And when young Jay arrives, she is immediately tossed into battle with knitting-needle-wielding grannies. Rosie, a stoic, buff, estranged Italian mother, swoops in to the rescue, and they join a ragtag group of outliers. Rosie and her quirky companions look to help Jay, a thirtysomething with early menopause and a mysterious past, survive on the island and potentially take down the authoritarian regime of the Red Hats, women who have flocked to another early-menopausal young woman who goes by Red. Lush color schemes reflect the gore and backdrops of each scene, with dialogue supplemented by first-person narrative and reflection from a starring character each issue. The work is as heartbreaking as it is entertaining in its commentary on feminist rage and getting older, and ideal for those who understand that cattiness isn't far from sincerity, and sometimes people just need to be stabbed.

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January 13, 2023

Thirty-something Jay finds herself ashore on an island inhabited by older women--apparently banished from the mainland for lacking fertility. But it's not all grandma-style tea and kitty-cats. The Red Hat gang makes living dangerous for the others, as feuds erupt in hand-to-hand combat and people die. Jay must navigate whom to trust while wondering about the island witch and her thankless daughter and worrying that the mainland authorities will wipe them all out. Williams (editor, The Wicked + the Divine) mines themes met before in Bitch Planet, The Handmaid's Tale, and Battle Royale, adding a sassy vibe associated with The Golden Girls television sitcom. Maps, recipes, and other accessory matter lend texture. The suitably ominous art from Knight (Buffy the Vampire Slayer) and Dodgson (Bitter Root) conveys the increasingly darker direction of the plot. Indeed, this first volume leaves big questions unanswered. Who engineered the exile of these women, and why? And what does sex and reproduction have to do with it? Throughout, Williams plays cunningly with female stereotypes, dashing them to pieces when the going gets rough. VERDICT This clever, sometimes tongue-in-cheek adventure will draw in fans of dystopian mysteries and tough heroines.--Martha Cornog

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