TG Webcomic Review: From Then On Forth by Elizabeth Troub
From Then On Forth
Mass e-mailing your friends and relatives a missive stating you're a transsexual doesn't seem like the safest way to get the best of them. More like a shot to the head than slicing your veins, (if you'll excuse the morbid comparison) it certainly is the quickest most effective way to get it out and its real value lies in forcing oneself to face the music and work from there. This is the way Seth/Rachel from "From Then on Forth" chooses to come out, and I understand the whole comic is more of a slight reworking of the life experiences of its author than a work of complete fiction. And while all TG comics have some measure of that, Elizabeth even relates some of the panels to actual things in her life in her forum. Whoa Liz, what guts, what craziness! That's not just coming out, that's shooting yourself through the door!
The most interesting issue raised by this comic and which makes it special among TG comics is that there is an interesting Seth/Rachel conflict. Unlike other TG comics where years of education and conditioning by society seem to have had no effect and the character is simply in the wrong place, Rachel/Seth is clearly lost in genderland with a single guiding star (the desire to become her own self) and a great big dark around. And it's not that Rachel wants to remain Seth or that cares much about being a boy, but education and the way one is brought up if you've placed trust in others to tell you what to do are hard to overcome. The "he" inside still fights and will not be put down easily while the "she" is still weak and is very much afraid. Throughout the comic this conflict will play out and Rachel will become more and more herself with the Seth self-doubt embodied by a haunting black figure in her dreams ("Shadoe", kind of a not too inspired name really).
Artistically, the comic has gone from its austere first panels to much more detailed hair, clothes, shadows and backgrounds. One can tell she's been practicing. Seth now even sports a noticeable Adam's apple which is a clever addition since it's a common appearance problem faced by Male to Female transsexuals. We also get every once in a while colored panels which look fine and have improved lots too. Much as I did find the encounter and swordfight with Shadoe sequence a little wordy and drawn, I liked the neon coloring and soft blending. I also got the feeling that if the sun came up over that land, it would resemble the endless empty wastes of DragonBall Z encounters. Buu!
Alas, I have a couple of gripes with "From Then On Forth". Some concepts need reworking, the crafting of new symbols; take for example the black shadow man that haunts Rachel's dreams: it's actually not the same Venom-like being that we saw in Venus Envy: Shadows of Juliet and earlier, but it's too close for comfort and serves the same purpose. Also, It'd help to see some fleshing out of Rachel's feelings, and for things to be presented in more symbolic terms and not only just plainly said: of course we know Shadoe embodies Elizabeth's fears, we don't need to be told that. The comic needs to become more "inspired" by Elizabeth's issues in life than a simple retelling, that will certainly give it the wings it needs to take off on its own.
Lately the comic has been down due to the author's computer going dead. Too bad. It'd be a pity if she dropped it now that she seems to have found a stronger narrative voice and a better grip on panel mechanics. A good example is the whole email aftermath sequence which is the most focused in the comic and includes the "face your parents" part (mom and dad don't live together for a change) which is well scripted if a little plain in its retelling of the well known transgender story.
On a final note, the title is very apt and sounds good. The sonic balance being almost perfect, "fr-mn-fr" with a "th" thrown in to let off the steam. The implied meaning applies well to transgender issues too. As a transgendered person, you begin to live your life for real the moment you make the decision to go forward with being yourself, and though it'll be hard, and your past will always hang around and make faces a couple of times a week, the best portion of life is still ahead. From then on forth, you who were dead shall live.
Mass e-mailing your friends and relatives a missive stating you're a transsexual doesn't seem like the safest way to get the best of them. More like a shot to the head than slicing your veins, (if you'll excuse the morbid comparison) it certainly is the quickest most effective way to get it out and its real value lies in forcing oneself to face the music and work from there. This is the way Seth/Rachel from "From Then on Forth" chooses to come out, and I understand the whole comic is more of a slight reworking of the life experiences of its author than a work of complete fiction. And while all TG comics have some measure of that, Elizabeth even relates some of the panels to actual things in her life in her forum. Whoa Liz, what guts, what craziness! That's not just coming out, that's shooting yourself through the door!
The most interesting issue raised by this comic and which makes it special among TG comics is that there is an interesting Seth/Rachel conflict. Unlike other TG comics where years of education and conditioning by society seem to have had no effect and the character is simply in the wrong place, Rachel/Seth is clearly lost in genderland with a single guiding star (the desire to become her own self) and a great big dark around. And it's not that Rachel wants to remain Seth or that cares much about being a boy, but education and the way one is brought up if you've placed trust in others to tell you what to do are hard to overcome. The "he" inside still fights and will not be put down easily while the "she" is still weak and is very much afraid. Throughout the comic this conflict will play out and Rachel will become more and more herself with the Seth self-doubt embodied by a haunting black figure in her dreams ("Shadoe", kind of a not too inspired name really).
Artistically, the comic has gone from its austere first panels to much more detailed hair, clothes, shadows and backgrounds. One can tell she's been practicing. Seth now even sports a noticeable Adam's apple which is a clever addition since it's a common appearance problem faced by Male to Female transsexuals. We also get every once in a while colored panels which look fine and have improved lots too. Much as I did find the encounter and swordfight with Shadoe sequence a little wordy and drawn, I liked the neon coloring and soft blending. I also got the feeling that if the sun came up over that land, it would resemble the endless empty wastes of DragonBall Z encounters. Buu!
Alas, I have a couple of gripes with "From Then On Forth". Some concepts need reworking, the crafting of new symbols; take for example the black shadow man that haunts Rachel's dreams: it's actually not the same Venom-like being that we saw in Venus Envy: Shadows of Juliet and earlier, but it's too close for comfort and serves the same purpose. Also, It'd help to see some fleshing out of Rachel's feelings, and for things to be presented in more symbolic terms and not only just plainly said: of course we know Shadoe embodies Elizabeth's fears, we don't need to be told that. The comic needs to become more "inspired" by Elizabeth's issues in life than a simple retelling, that will certainly give it the wings it needs to take off on its own.
Lately the comic has been down due to the author's computer going dead. Too bad. It'd be a pity if she dropped it now that she seems to have found a stronger narrative voice and a better grip on panel mechanics. A good example is the whole email aftermath sequence which is the most focused in the comic and includes the "face your parents" part (mom and dad don't live together for a change) which is well scripted if a little plain in its retelling of the well known transgender story.
On a final note, the title is very apt and sounds good. The sonic balance being almost perfect, "fr-mn-fr" with a "th" thrown in to let off the steam. The implied meaning applies well to transgender issues too. As a transgendered person, you begin to live your life for real the moment you make the decision to go forward with being yourself, and though it'll be hard, and your past will always hang around and make faces a couple of times a week, the best portion of life is still ahead. From then on forth, you who were dead shall live.
posted by V. at 8:47 AM
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