Red Lands Vol. 1-5 Jordie Bellaire and Vanesa Del Ray

 The art of these comics is beautiful. Although stylized black lines are a typical aspect of comics,  I think the stylized thick black lines with the dark warm color palette, in this setting, really support the theme of how the patriarchy sees female empowerment. The lines are thick and a little unpridictable which matches the personalities of the three witches; also unpredictable like the setting, Florida has always been a little chaotic. In the first volume, the reader is immediately placed in the middle of the action, there is a huge burning tree with nooses dangling from it and the witches are setting up to take out all the police officers. It's obvious that it is a reference to the Salen Witch trials. I think it's cool how the first volume really calls out the hypocrisy and narcissism of the people in the town, in particular the male cops. Right from the start, it's clear that the cops are very set in their corrupt ways. They seem to think that the only people at fault are the female witches and the people they have imprisoned. It seems like they also have a god complex that stems from the official badge they wear,  the weapons, as well as the out of date idealogy that white men are substantially better than all other races and genders. At the end, when the officer kills his own son, he blames the witches and how it was their fault his son was dead. Even though he consciously knows he was the one holding the gun and pulling the trigger, he still blames the women. I think this theme is discussing how it was socially okay to blame everything on women for the longest time. That it was okay not to take responsibility for one's actions because there was always some way to pin in on the closest woman. Like someone justifying copious amounts of drinking or cheating because of a nagging girlfriend. 

Volume Two was a little bit of a surprise like the first volume set the witches up as a way to purge the city and fight the corruption but in the second volume, it doesn't take long for the girls to, in a way, turn into what they were fighting. For example, they saved a 15-year-old from being advanced on by her principal only to sacrifice her about 30 minutes later. Also from the suspicious conversations between the girls and the dude with the roses, who I'm pretty sure goes by Redbrandt (high key just a one letter difference from the painter Rembrandt, pretty sure only art majors or history buffs will pick up on that reference), it's kinda clear that the witches aren't so different from the police. In different ways, both groups have or had control over the town. Instead of metal weapons, the witches still shed blood but through rituals and feast days. 

I'm starting to understand that there's quite a bit of time passing between each volume of the story. There isn't a continuous flow between each volume, and there are a few gaps of time that the reader never gets to see. I feel like each volume could stand alone as a mystery short story that leaves the reader questioning what the heck is going on, but I digress, back to the point. Gator Man the bounty hunter is a pretty cool dude, I've lived in Florida my whole life and I've never heard that legend before. Volume three is more about how the gator dude and one of the witches finds a naked dude in a boat, which just so happens to smell like the blood of all the five victims, just making his way through the swamp. I think this volume really solidifies the idea that the witches are not the savers the reader originally thought they were because the witch immediately opts to blame the feast day (the sacrifice of that 15-year-old) on the dude. All in all, how is that any better than the people they overthrew? They're exhibiting the same destructive behavioral traits that they were fighting against in the first place. And yes they may be strong female main characters but that doesn't justify their actions. 

I feel like this theme is touching on how making female main characters or adding more male victims isn't a reparation for how this genre views women. Yes, the witches are depicted as strong and powerful, with the ability to overthrow the overbearing small town patriarchy, but it's more of an evil kind of energy. They have powers that are just used to cause harm and rituals that require young, innocent people (typically women). The female empowerment of these volumes is how these female characters don't let the misogynistic presence stop them from pursuing their goals.

Volume four kinda made me uncomfortable but it definitely shows another side of female empowerment. It's a statement on how society has limited the female existence to just sex for a very long time, and how that needs to change.  Forcing women into prostitution has been common throughout history. Men have been benefiting from the subjugation of women and they don't seem to care about the ramifications for anyone but themselves. It's common when women try to break away from these systems and are caught, they wind up dead or punished severely because they are seen as expendable. At first, I thought that Nancy was Bridgette, just going by another name, but Nancy is hiding inside of Bridgette. Hiding because she killed men and escaped the forced prostitution her father forced her into to. Just like in the movie Byzantium, when both Nancy and Clara are forced into it without any other option, and in an attempt to make their lives better, they suffer the worst ramifications. 

The cover page for volume five with Bridgette and a beaten woman reflected in the water is powerful imagery. This volume was hard to read. Reading about young girls and women in general being abused like that is awful and I'm truly grateful that I have never been put in a situation like that. There are obivously more volumes that are supposed to come after this so there isn't a clear end to this chapter but this was definitely the back story of Nancy, the girl hiding in Beatrice. I would hide if I was in her siutation too.