Wednesday 12 May 2010

Ishtar's Breath, a female Frazetta fan!

There are a lot of Frazetta tributes still cascading the Great Cyber-River, but this one caught my eye.

Now, as a geek, unto geeks, I may be preaching to the choir about this.
Any geek that read a Heavy Metal, or a reprint of a Robert E Howard novel or any other number of nerdy emphera is familiar with his work. In truth it is nearly unavoidable, in of itself or through what it has influenced and inpired.
But I feel the need to eulogize Frezetta because as a Lady Geek - his work stood out like a beacon of reassurence and hope that you didn't need to look like a super model to look like a goddess.
As a tween in a comic shop in the 90's, I vividly remember seeing a stack of giant size comic books from the 70's with Franks art adorning the covers.
It made a notable impression on me.

Silly mental echoes of "a g-g-g-g-girl!" aside, it cheers me immensely to see that there are women celebrating Frazetta's work too. I know that they exist - I know a couple personally - but I'm glad to see more on the internet. In the great debate that is "naked idealised men are empowering, naked idealised women are demeaning," it bothers me to see Frazetta put there too. Have these people not seen Luana, Cat Girl, or any of Frazetta's "chicks with attitude?"

As I've been working on my Cimmerian tribute, it occurred to me that there's just so much to talk about with Fritz' work: his women could occupy an article in themselves. Hmm...

2 comments:

  1. Ah, I'm all a blush, LOL!

    I know a LOT of girls that HUGE Frazetta fans.
    And Read Heavy Metal.
    In fact my best friend is getting the Taarakian crest tattooed on her neck with her sister as a chicky bonding thing.
    Unlike our mothers generation - WE grew up with icons like Red Sonja, He-Man and SheRa, and the Heavy Metal movie.

    What I always thought funny about the old feminist argument about Franks work - is that REALLY - the guys have it MUCH worse.
    I mean - as a woman, you just take care of your self, let nature take its hormonal corse and stay active - you can easily end up looking like a women in Franks painting. But the men in those paintings? Can you say hours and hours in the gym?
    OUCH!
    LOL...

    ReplyDelete
  2. Welcome to my humble abode, Erin!

    Very glad to see that the female Frazetta (and Metal) fan is in fine fighting form. Interesting argument regarding the idealised human figures, never thought of it that way before.

    ReplyDelete