Vaginal Fantasy Book Club discussion
Book Discussion & Recommendation
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Vaginal Fantasy Comics/Graphic Novels?
I don't often read comics that have sex in them and can only really think of 2 off the top of my head that shows it. It just doesn't interest me when it's in comics.
You could probably find lots of manga that would have a plot line that was in the VF label but I wouldn't know where the start. I don't think it's so obvious in Western Comics but since I don't go looking for it I could be wrong.
Indie Comix might have stuff though.
Preacher, maybe? It's very graphically violent, but one of the main storylines is driven by a romance between two of the characters.
I can think of a few really great sci-fi/fantasy type comic books, but none of them have sexy fun times in them. I don't think including sex in comics automatically makes it porn for the same reasons that depicting naked bodies/sex in fine art doesn't necessarily make it porn. It just has to be done with a certain finesse. That said, I haven't seen that done in any comics I have read (I am hardly an expert though).
Not sure how fantasy it it gets for most, but Terry Moore's long running romance "Stranger's in Paradise" is pretty amazing. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stranger...There's also periodically Los Bros Hernandez's "Love and Rockets" (the band took it's name from the comic). I say periodically, because the work weaves in and out, though I understand they have compiled most of the central storylines in two volumes - one for Jaime's "Hoppers" - a sometimes fantastical, sometimes very down to earth portrait of life and on-again off-again romance between Maggie and Hopey, a pair of punk latinas living in Hoppers, a neighborhood in Southern California. The other is Jaime's brother Gilberto's magic-realism tale of "Palomar", a small town in Mexico, and it's complex interwoven multigenerational cast. The stories originally appeared in installments, often both storylines simultaneously in the same issue. On the other hand, some issues were completely off continuity, though might feature some or all of the usual characters, or something completely different. Both brother's have done work outside of their central title, for instance Gilberto did an erotic comic called Birdland, and Jaime did one called "Woah Nellie!" about lady wrestlers (and not the boobs and hot pants sorts - the burly older gals of the good ol days). Both brothers stories craft intricate characters who are not all square jaws and big busts. A wide variety of body types and personalities. A very rich reading experience. Complex and meaty.
There's also Alan Moore's 'Lost Girls', which is pretty sexy.
Rachel wrote: "There's also Alan Moore's 'Lost Girls', which is pretty sexy."I should say! For those not in the know - Lost Girls is about Alice Liddel (I think she goes by Fairchild in the book), Dorothy Gale, and Wendy Darling, and their chance meeting at an Austrian Hotel. Each of their stories deals in some way with their storybook experience translated into the real world, and sex.
And on the fantastical romance/horror front - Saga of the Swamp Thing? The original Alan Moore run where he reinvented him as not a mutated human, but as an avatar of "the Green". His relationship with Abigail Arcane is a pretty epic romance, given he's a plant.
Rachel wrote: "There's also Alan Moore's 'Lost Girls', which is pretty sexy."Whoa that's an expensive book! You can get it used for 72 dollars off amazon! How does anyone manage to afford to read this?
Preacher looks interesting, I'll check out the first few issues on comixology. Although the first preview that came up of was basically an orgy which has me a bit worried about the depiction of women in it. Which can be a major deal breaker for me.
Queen & Country looks like an interesting spy story.
I'll have to pass on Stranger's in Paradise and Love and Rockets doesn't really seem my speed. Out of the two I'm more interested in L&R.
When I read Lost Girls, it was a borrowed copy :)I think I know what orgy scene you're thinking of, and it's a very minor plot arc as part of a larger story. But if you're worried about the depictions of women, don't worry - it's actually one of the most woman-friendly graphic novels I've read in awhile. There are a couple areas I think open to criticism - but by and large, women get to do stuff and be good at it and have awesome sex with hot men. And misogynist behavior is called out as being misogynist.
There arn't alot but I do know of the Anita Blake, richelle meads dark Swan and patricia briggs Mercy Thompson were made into graphic comics and also Karen Moning has one coming out called the Fear Dorcha a new story of Jericho and Mac
Mod
Felicia wrote: "This is such a good point, there are not really any prominent VF comics. Hmm, now I'm inspired as a writer...haha."Might I suggest: Girlgenius.com by Phil and Kaja Foglio. It's steampunky, mostly humorous, but it does have it's serious moments as well as romance, as Agatha, the aforementioned Girl Genius, must balance her confusion between two suitors, and reclaiming her family title (and thus, a pretty serious amount of power over Europe). it is available in a series of collections, as well as in comic strip form (the digital strips are more advanced that the comic collections, because the strip in ongoing). I refuse to call them graphic novels because well..dammit..."graphic novel" actually has a meaning rather than just "comic books pulled together in a fancier package". It's an indication of content.
I don't know if any in my collection would count as VF, but I do have several with strong female leads (okay, most of mine have strong female protagonists... ). They include:Fables
Lady Mechanika
House of Night
Alabaster Wolves
Wonder Woman
Batwoman
Batgirl
Voodoo Child
Epic Kill
Buffy
Heather wrote: "I don't know if any in my collection would count as VF, but I do have several with strong female leads (okay, most of mine have strong female protagonists... ). They include:Fables
Lady Mechanika..."
I have most of those in my collection.. I might add in Zatanna and the Brubaker run on "Catwoman" (post-water-balloons-with-purple-latex body, and pre-ultra-violent-sex-kitten-current-version).
Zatanna was a fairly short run, which might make it easier I suppose.
Catwoman was all over the map during her run, but there was plenty of romance (drawing Slam Bradley as Robert Mitchum really helped set the mood - it's pure 50's film noir).
For self contained stories from the era:
Selina's Big Score: http://www.amazon.com/Catwoman-Selina...
When in Rome: http://www.amazon.com/Catwoman-When-B...
And then the series: nice collection
http://www.amazon.com/Catwoman-Vol-1-...
Personally, one of the things I liked most about it was that she was a person in it. Conflicted, layered. She has a baby! (not HIS). And the art doesn't spend all it's time trying to fit her butt or boobs into every panel. And her suit fit like clothes, rather than just drawing her naked, erasing the naughty bits, and painting her suit on.
http://media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m0viyf...
http://hoodedutilitarian.com/wp-conte...
Oh, I love Alabaster Wolves. :)It's right on the edge of VF, I suppose, because there are no sexy times (just a sweet kiss right at the end) but I've really enjoyed reading Rapunzel's Revenge with my little girl - it has a great female lead. I'd love to see Disney do this princess, lol.
Terry Moore's Echo is also a great series with a strong, believable female lead and an awesome sci-fi/conspiracy type plot. As far as I've read there hasn't been any legitimate sexy time (only a budding romance), but I think it qualifies as vaginal sci-fi if only because the main protagonists are women. More importantly, they're real women, unlike the majority of female characters in most comics I've read. http://eschergirls.tumblr.com/
(It will make you laugh and cry)
I've been on a comics kick lately and have been buying graphic novels left and right. What a minefield! Even comics with great writing can have horribly exploitive art (I'm looking at the Simone/Bendes Birds of Prey series as I say that.) Books I have not thrown across the room recently include:
- Rucka's STUMPTOWN -- It's Rockford Files with a woman!
- Marjorie Liu's BLACK WIDOW: Name of the Rose
- Runaways (I've only read the first volume, but really enjoyed it)
I'm not a Planet of the Apes fan, but I've been reading Daryl Gregory's new books, and they're fabulous. Strong women everywhere! (Note: Daryl's a friend, which is why I tried them.)
Mostly, though, my recent frustration makes me want to start a comic book line.
Taking notes on this thread -- thanks for all the great suggestions!
Jenn
I really want a good ereader solution for comics and graphic novels. Does anyone have any ideas?
Many manga could be seen as vaginal fantasy. Maybe Vampire Knight, Neon Genesis Evangelion, or Elfen Lied?
Rachel wrote: "There's also Alan Moore's 'Lost Girls', which is pretty sexy."Love this one. Speaking of Alan Moore, there was also his "Neonomicon", but that one was a little squicky, unless you are really into tentacle sex.
Vampire Knight would fall into the category of vaginal fantasy, or probably any of the work by Yuu Watase (Fushigi Yuugi, Ceres, etc...). I don't want to generalize and say that shojo could be the equivalent in the comic/manga world, but i think a lot of them can come pretty close. Also a number of the works by CLAMP (like tsubasa) could be classified in this genre, though I may be a little biased because I am a fan of CLAMP in general and their artwork is amazing!
Emily wrote: "Vampire Knight would fall into the category of vaginal fantasy, or probably any of the work by Yuu Watase (Fushigi Yuugi, Ceres, etc...). I don't want to generalize and say that shojo could be the ..."There are a few CLAMP works that I would include, but Tsubasa wouldn't be one of them. I love CLAMP too, but that was the most f'ed up thing I've ever read/seen. My brain kept trying to run away every time a new chapter came out.
Souless is being (has been turned) into a graphic novel as well.I love Lost Girls, though I'd definitely consider it more on the erotica spectrum than just VF. I got it as a birthday present from my mom years ago (my mom is totally awesome).
If you want to go into seriously naughty comics check out Phil Foglio's Xxxenophile (only really available in digital format these days). These are solidly in the erotica spectrum, and are also absolutely hilarious.
Sarge wrote:Might I suggest: Girlgenius.com by Phil and Kaja Foglio. It's s..."Yes! This is my absolute favorite webcomic/graphic novel. It's steampunky goodness with occasional terrible German accents, and lots of humor. And though there haven't been any sexy bits as of yet, there is a prominent romance story line and women in Victorian era underwear. What's not to like?
"Alias" by Brian Michael Bendis is my favorite comic book series of all time and it definitely falls under "vaginal fantasy." The heroine, Jessica Jones, is a private investigator who ends up dealing with fringe issues in the Marvel comics universe. She's also a C-list former superhero whose super powers mostly involve having a sarcastic attitude and the ability to punch people really hard.She's a badass with issues. Issues that often involve self destructive behavior like getting drunk and sleeping with really hot men. She's got two main romantic interests and they're both great.
I don't really think of Shojo as "Vagina Fantasy" because most of the time the characters never get it on. They are more young adult books. That and after having read atleast 1000 manga books I'm not too quick to dive back into them. They all tend to follow the same formula, and I'm just tired of it. Which is why I'm searching for vaginal fantasy in the not-manga market. Thanks for all the great suggestions! And Felica mentioned The Dreamer (http://thedreamercomic.com/) on the Flog today, which falls into vaginal fantasy as well!
I agree that the comic genre seems to be dominated by men, however, there are some female artists that were working on - The Authority, which has some sex going on, and amazingly two gay super hero protagonists :)
- Also, I found Grant Morrison's Invisibles very feminist liberated in parts, not sure it classifies as romantic though, though Ragged Robbin is, I think. Romantic, that is...
- And then there is, of course Sergio Macedo, but that crosses into 70s hippie porn, loads of drugs, transcendetal meditation, and then the good god-like aliens turn up and all turns into a rainbow...
- And, there is Milo Manara, more on the art-deco / bohemian / maybe slightly gothic side, but sometimes plain rude, dirty and pornographic.
A beautiful book of erotic drawings and short stories of Manara is Foemina: (Please be careful, the links are to pictures which are not necessarily child/work safe - though I wouldnt say they are pornographic):
Milo Manara drawing 1
Milo Manara drawing 2
There is Preacher as already recommended. Then there is a great series of graphic novels which goes by the name Artesia, written and illustrated by Mark Smylie. The series is not yet finished. These are fantasy graphic novels with a very strong woman protagonist who is queen and also a priestess. The world developed by Smylie is pretty detailed, I'd rather say the, one of the most detailed world out there in any fantasy or sci-fi work. These books aren't romance (I hate romances) and the sex in the books has some religious connotation also they are downright pornographic.Another series which I particularly liked was Y: The Last Man by Brian K. Vaughan. The main character is a male but he is the only male on the planet earth.
Katina wrote: "Terry Moore's Echo is also a great series with a strong, believable female lead and an awesome sci-fi/conspiracy type plot. As far as I've read there hasn't been any legitimate sexy time (only a bu..."Also by Terry Moore is "Strangers In Paradise" which is a awesome series that focuses mostly on relationships and is more romance than sex. I've never been much for soap opera type "romancy" stuff, but Terry Moore really brings the characters to life and makes you care about what is happening with them. I bought the first issue of SIP because I enjoyed Echo so much and ended up reading the entire series.
I'm pretty sure "Cyber Six" would count, but since i haven't read it AND it's in spanish (originally), i'm not even sure it would be "suitable" for VF, could be a little too graphic. Yet there is TONS of romance in there, even in the sooOOOOOOOO dilluted tv series adaptation.
Majorie Liu, who has written several Romance novels (the Dirk & Steele series) is a comic book author. Whether or not you like the Dirke and Steele stuff I think her writing is wonderful. She also has written the Hunter's Kiss books which are more Urban Fantasy.
She has written stuff for Marvel about a number of characters including Black Widow and X-23. I don't know how much of it would be considered VF but it's an interesting crossover from a Romance author.
Mod
She a..."
I really like her Dirk and Steele stuff, working my way through the series, it's a little bit deeper on the character building than the usual paranormal, although I think her worldbuilding gets a bit muddy sometimes, i really like it.
didn't see this pointed out but I read the literary novels and picked up this one
- I really liked it!
Jenn wrote: "I've been on a comics kick lately and have been buying graphic novels left and right. What a minefield! Even comics with great writing can have horribly exploitive art (I'm looking at the Simone/Be..."Stumptown - based in Portland! I have to read this...
Maybe not exactly vaginal fantasy, but Fumi Yoshinaga's Ooku: the Inner Chambers is an interesting female-dominated manga. It's set in the Edo period of Japan, and it's an alternate history version where women run society, as most of the men have been killed off by a mysterious plague. Women rise in rank to take over the shogunate, and the shogun keeps a secret harem (or ooku) full of now rare, and incredibly handsome men. I really like the artwork in this series, and the story is unique. But as a warning it is pretty graphic, with some notable scenes of rape and suicide by seppuku.I agree most shojo doesn't involve much in the way of adult relationships. Josei manga would probably be better, but sadly not much of it seems to exist in English translation.
I second the suggestion of Fables. Its a wonderful series. There are tons of them out in trade paperback, and there is also a spin off series called Jack of Fables. They are about the traditional fairytale characters having been driven out of their homelands by something/someone called the adversary and having to live in modern day New York, in a place they refer to as Fabletown. There is romance and sex throughout it, one romance grows from the beginning is very enjoyable.-Pammie
Hello everyone. Here's my recommendation: http://www.oglaf.com/It's a webcomic by Trudy Cooper and Doug Bayne, and as the intro says "started out as an attempt to make pornography. It degenerated into sex comedy pretty much immediately."
It's hilarious. And genius. And sexy hot! Headlines and mouse hovers are a must!
cheers--lin
http://www.oglaf.com/It's a webcomic by Trudy Cooper ...
and it's also a book! http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13...
There's Smut Peddler, a recent porn anthology written for and by women. Highly recommended! A really good mix of fantasy and realistic short stories that ended up being very inclusive and diverse. From a Comics Alliance review:"Trotman and her fellow editors, Trisha L. Sebastian and Johanna Draper Carlson, have made an effort to select stories from a variety of genres, putting a fair amount of science fiction and fantasy into the mix. Similarly there is a buffet of genders and sexualities on display that go beyond gay and straight. We get genderqueer characters, group sex acts, solo masturbation, humanoid robots with attachable genitalia and a tentaclebot that does precisely what you think it does. And, while the sex acts prove ultimately consensual, it isn't all hand-holding and happy couples. Some of the Smut Peddler stories play with power dynamics, including older and younger partners, a mistress and her servant, and, in one memorable case, a young girl and her god."
Also, some of Carla Speed McNeil's Finder series has some interesting sexytimes in her future alt-universe, but I'm not sure it would be categorized as vaginal fantasy.
tinylin wrote: "Hello everyone. Here's my recommendation: http://www.oglaf.com/It's a webcomic by Trudy Cooper and Doug Bayne, and as the intro says "started out as an attempt to make pornography. It degenerated ..."
I had forgotten about this. It is pretty hilarious. Definitely NSFW, if you couldn't guess.
Sarge wrote: "Felicia wrote: "This is such a good point, there are not really any prominent VF comics. Hmm, now I'm inspired as a writer...haha."Might I suggest: Girlgenius.com by Phil and Kaja Foglio. It's s..."
Or Phil Foglio's previous comic XXXenophile which is all about fantasy/sci-fi sex.
Has anyone read Saga by Brian K. Vaughan yet?I picked it up last week and couldn't put it down.Its Romeo and Juliet in space with a baby.Extremely good and funny.
I'm a female writer in comics. It definitely is a male dominate world still but I'm finding more and more girls getting into it. I write for Zombies vs Cheerleaders and I'd say some of our stories fall under the VF realm. My girls kicked ass in one stories. Another writer did one about roleplaying in bedroom that involved Zombies and Cheerleaders. There's tons of great comics with strong females out these days. Aspen and Zenescope especially are comic book companies that focus on female leads. Fathom and Grimm Fairy Tales in particular are the ones that got me into wanting to write comics.
And in response to the last comment, I've heard Saga is amazing. Y The Last Man, also by Brian K. Vaughan, is another of my very favorite series that I highly recommend to everyone. Yorick is one of my fantasy crushes for sure.
Christina wrote: "There's Smut Peddler, a recent porn anthology written for and by women. Highly recommended! A really good mix of fantasy and realistic short stories that ended up being very inclusive and diverse. ..."I have a digital copy of Smut Peddler from the Kickstater. The book is LGBT-friendly which is refreshing considering a lot of the romance novels are mostly straight. I dig it, since it's all short stories and heavy on the sexy times.
It's available for purchase in pdf and print.
Digital PDF: https://gumroad.com/l/ScKK
Physical: http://www.ironcircus.com/store/index...
Smut Peddler
Heather wrote: "Y The Last Man, also by Brian K. Vaughan, is another of my very favorite series that I highly recommend to everyone. Yorick is one of my fantasy crushes for sure... "This makes me pretty sure you have fantastic taste, and makes me curious to read your work. :)
Some authors of VF are having their books or companion novels done as Manga or Graphic novels. Christine Feehan has had several of her Dark series done into Manga.
Diana Galbaldon has a companion graphic novel entitled The Exile which is Jamie's take on some of the events of Outlander
Actual monthly comics though I don't know of any that are mainstream. There's always the back room titles like Bondage Fairies or Xxxenophile.
Hope this helps.
Terry Moore has already been mentioned several times regarding Strangers in Paradise and Echo. He also has a newer comic series called Rachel Rising that's been going for about a year now. The second graphic novel was just released in November. It's more of a horror story featuring the main female character (Rachel) who is undead and trying to find her murderer. Great series with awesome female characters, but not for the faint at heart.
The Fever series by Karen Marie Moning, has a substory, which was made into a graphic novel, if you want to start with that whole series. It's amazing! The lead character Mac, is just all sorts of awesome. It's Paranormal Romance, and well...naughty...you just have to see for yourself. The Graphic Novel is called Fever Moon. (The graphic novel is indeed, VF related)
Seems like allot of the CHAOS! comics would have fit into the VF realm. There were sexy times, strong female leads, zombies, vampires....
Vaginal Fantasy Book Club
Books mentioned in this topic
The Handmaid’s Tale (other topics)Sex Criminals #1: Suzie Down in the Quiet (other topics)
Smut Peddler (other topics)
Patricia Briggs' Mercy Thompson: Moon Called (other topics)
I'm curious what you guys think. Know any comics or graphic novels that could fall into the "Vaginal Fantasy" label? Do comics and graphic novels with sex in them just cross the line into porn?