Jun 27, 2019
I first heard of Chelsea Cain's Maneaters via comicsgate. Around the time of the release, there were videos floating around reviewing the book and ripping it to shreds for being awful, gross and pushing feminist propaganda. I even considered joining in on the act and picking the book up for some of that easy, sweet, sweet clickbait.
I decided against it mainly because I just didn't have the interest in investing time into a series. The preview images and covers gave me an Ewww vibe I couldn't get past.
The videos came and went and for whatever reason, the book and creator kept coming under fire, specifically from the trans community.
This got pretty ugly and eventually, after months of back and forth, Chelsea said screw it and
decided to leave Twitter.
At this point, I was intrigued. I'd never heard of a project that was scorned by mainstream audiences and comicsgate. I decided to check out the series and had my Local Comic Shop add Maneaters to my pull list.
I had to know if it was bad as everyone was making it out to be. The story focuses on an awkward young girl on the verge of adolescence. Unfortunately, in this setting young girls have a host of problems more serious than acne or getting attention from pimply faced boys.
In this particular setting Toxoplasmosis X exists. Toxoplasmosis exists in the real world but in the setting of Maneaters, it interacts with the XY chromosome specifically and causes some girls to transform into panther-like creatures and eat people, hence the title.
One of the tell-tale signs of danger is menstruation. In fact, the fear is so real that at the first sign of menstrual blood kids are sent to be treated and possibly quarantined.
On top of this, chemicals are pumped into the water supply to prevent menstruation altogether, further demonizing the natural progression of childhood to adulthood in young girls.
The setting is horrifying and would be even darker if Chelsea had had not chosen a cheeky tone for the characters.
I'm not gonna come in and shill and say that the story of Maneaters is a masterpiece. What I will say is that the comic at least the first Volume is one of the most unique Ideas I've ever seen in comics and should be applauded for swinging for the fences.
Once you get past the initial shock and unapologetic feminist perspective the story is pretty good.
The jabs at the patriarchy seem out of place considering most of the of them come from a 12-year-old. Do 12-year-olds feel oppressed by anyone outside of their parents?
The characters are all likable and relatable. Maude's parents are divorced. They both work in law enforcement and are investigating Cat Attacks, not knowing that a potentially dangerous situation is developing right underneath their noses.
Dad was called out as being a stereotypical soyboy by some critics but I disagree. My marriage is often shaky, I still collect comics, action figures and Drive a Yellow Fiat SUV. Objectively I'm in pretty much the same situation as Maudes father. I even have a 13 year old daughter that recently started having regular periods.
Please Pray for Me.
The art is also cool throughout the series and perfectly captures the tone Chelsea was going for. As mentioned earlier if you change a few lines here and there and bring in Greg Capullo this is a full-on horror story but it works nevertheless.
There isn't a lot of action in this volume but Chelsea substitutes action with a focus on developing interpersonal relationships between characters and setting up a constant air of danger in the background.
What elevates the book for me is the auxiliary material. Throughout the book, there are a collection of poems written by young girls. These poems are cute, funny and often inspiring.
I also loved that the story isn't caping in hoping to appeal to a male audience. This comes across very quickly. At one point there is an entire page that painstakingly details how to use a tampon. Initially, I have completely grossed the hell out but I thought of what my daughter goes through monthly and stuck with it. The story just grew on me as it went on.
There are also a series of parody ads throughout the Volume. Issue #4 is full of them and they are all disturbingly hilarious. The advertisements reminded me of the parody ads in classic films such as Robocop and Starship Troopers. They also belie an undercurrent that strong women are to be feared.
The elephant in the room is the outrage surrounding this project. The trans community came out in full force to demonize Maneaters and Chelsea Cain over her lack of inclusiveness within this series.
On a purely biological level, they simply don't fit into the story. This a young woman's coming of age story. Forcing the issue or playing identity politics here would only diminish the story being told.
The Trans experience is not the same as a young girls experience and we need to stop ignoring the obvious. There are elements here that we can all relate to. The feeling of alienation. The feeling of awkwardness during puberty and the finding of one's voice in dealing with overbearing parents.
That's what's important here. I hope to one day read a story that captures the transgendered coming of age experience. This story simply isn't it.
Overall there is a lot to unpack in the setting and I enjoyed Maneaters vol: 1. I'll be picking up Vol: 2 in a few weeks and seeing how the series develops.
If the blatant digs at the patriarchy weren't in the book I would have given the book a perfect score. The setting itself makes the point clear so the obvious jabs are unnecessary.
On that note, the story has some minor issues but the concept is unique and its heart is in the right place. The art is solid and the presentation is excellent.
I recommend Maneaters despite initially being grossed out. I read the book and immediately gave it to my daughter who loved it. It's a good comic, saying anything else is being disingenuous.
I've read bad books, terrible books (Heroes in Crisis), this ain't it chief.
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