20. Gilda And Meek "Fight Or Flight" (Un-Iverse #32)
Rating: PG-13. Adult themes, language, violence, sexual situations, disturbing images.
Author's Note for Gilda And Meek #20 "Fight Or Flight" (Un-Iverse #32)
There are exactly two things I like about the issue, both involving the Narrator.
1. The last scene of Bernadette in Church, of course, where the Narrator helpfully hints that this moment will be made a thousand times worse in the next issue. And he's not exaggerating, so even if "The Apple" is NOT a life and death drama, I think I fulfilled his promise. Just not in the way you were thinking.
2. During Meek's "ER" scene, I truly love the Narrator stating "And we pause for dramatic effect", just because it lets us know exactly what is going on. My Narrator is probably the most honest storyteller alive, (or at LEAST since the Grandfather in "The Princess Bride"), and he's not going to bullshit you with the idea that Meek is truly going to die in that moment. It's not that the Narrator thinks none of the characters will ever die. He just knows that THAT is not a moment where it would make even REMOTE sense for it to happen, and he's not going to insult your intelligence by pretending otherwise. "Release The Gilda" is a story with believable life or death stakes, where the Narrator refuses to be a skeptic. But this issue totally isn't, and he knows that. If the Narrator isn't actually allowed to subvert the "pausing for a few uncomfortable beats before the character coughs himself alive" moment, he's at least going to be courteous enough to point the trope out and make fun of it.
The character of Brooks is warm, caring, supportive, sympathetic, and 100% useless. He is every white, male liberal I have ever hated. Fuck him.
Postscript
I am not Stephen King and Gilda And Meek "Fight Or Flight" is not Rose Madder.
Rose Madder was a novel Stephen King wrote in the 1990's. I personally like it, but that's neither here nor there. The point is that Stephen King hates it. It was unfulfilling for him as a writer and narratively unsatisfying for him and he believed it "tried too hard". Here's the thing: Even if he thinks that, he cannot dismiss the number of women who have told him that that book was the thing that gave them the courage to leave their abusive husbands. That's WAY more important than whatever dissatisfaction King felt in hindsight. Take the compliment, Uncle Stevie. I don't need to constantly hear you talk smack about the book that probably saved the lives of a great many of its readers.
When I wrote and drew Fight Or Flight, my perspective was that it was the worst Gilda And Meek issue, period. Simply because out of all of the issues, it's the one I felt spun its wheels, and never really went anywhere. And that's despite the fact that I blow up Raggleworth Labs in the middle of it! Literally the middle! It's not even a cliffhanger! And my gripe was always that nothing important happens during it!
Rereading it in 2021 after I have finished the entire Gilda And Meek saga makes me notice something about the issue that I didn't intend at the time, but it gives me pause in talking smack about it now. It is the most overtly feminist issue in the entire Un-Iverse. It was not designed to be, but most of Gilda and Bernadette's later and unending kickassery was never portrayed as gender-based. The trials and humiliations Angela endures due to her gutless white, male, liberal producer are unique in not just casting Vic as a monster for his perviness and lechery. I'm suggesting the well-meaning white dude who refuses to speak up is as equally complicit in the behavior as Vic is. That is a very unique and uniquely feminist message that I did not intend to either be unique or particularly feminist when I was writing it. But it resonates like hell to me in hindsight.
I also always smiled at the idea that Ruth Bader Ginsburg existed in The Un-Iverse, and that Gilda was an admirer of hers. But now it gives me a lump in my throat. That makes the issue far more powerful than I intended after RBG died.
And Gilda and Bernadette throwing shade at Julius' unasked for lustiness is a great moment of solidarity and woman power between the two of them, especially because Gilda manages to do the dap of righteousness without ever once looking up from her book. It's a no-brainer for her and a thing of beauty.
The Puzzle Nurse describing herself as a fearless Amazon Warrior Goddess for doing her puzzles in ink is also cool.
Plus the cover is totally kickass. I shouldn't ever call an issue with a cover that cool the worst issue. It couldn't be by definition.
In hindsight, knowing how little direct feminist messages I gave Gilda and Bernadette (at least so far) I am going to shut the hell up and stop talking smack about the issue. Whether it satisfied me as a writer is actually the least important thing to me in hindsight. Its message is surprisingly poignant and timeless years later. I cannot argue with that.
If you ever need proof that I am not a feminist, it's the fact that I didn't realize how important and unusual the issue is until nearly three years later that proves it. I need to do better. That's on me.
Copyright Matt Zimmer and UnComix 2017-2020. All Rights Reserved.
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