This has to be phrased very gently, and I'm not confident I'm going to succeed.
The most important aspect of RGU, to me, as a story that centers on grooming specifically, is that it does not shy away from the fact that its victims can "enjoy" many individual moments of the process. The entire point of grooming is to make the victim okay with what is happening, to convince them that this is what they want too. When grooming is successful, they do, even if their feelings change later with more awareness. It's normal to be curious about and enjoy eroticism as a young person, but abusers will take advantage of that. They will try to convince you that your desires are the same as their desires.
Its so important because this aspect is weaponized against victims by those who should be helping them as well as the groomer themself. It's why Anthy is a "witch" according to the world. Utena tells Anthy that for a moment she felt betrayed by her, as if they were rival women competing for the same man. Akio tells Utena she's just as bad as him because she didn't reject his advances. Akio tells Utena that this is what Anthy *wants.*
Countless young people have been successfuly labeled as "obsessive" or "sex-crazed" and forced to take the blame while their abusers live freely. Countless young people have been convinced that is who they are because they didn't hate every single moment spent with their abuser.
It means a lot to me that RGU acknowledges this aspect. How the narrative doesnt hold victims to some absurd standard of spiritual purity for them to be deserving of sympathy.
Susan joining Namor to destroy an entire ciry just because of her situation with Reed was so not what I was expecting would happen before she returns to the group... She's been done extremely dirty the past few issues, but this one just decided to decimate her character.
This next batch of issues covers the departure of both Stan Lee and Jack Kirby from the project and the Roy Thomas and John Buscema run. I initially wanted to cover the majority of the 70s before making another post (before John Byrne's run), but I thought it'd be easier for me to gather my thoughts in smaller chunks.
The last couple of issues from Lee were a bit rough to read through, if I'm being honest, and I feel like many people share that sentiment from what I've seen online. I don't want to speculate about a possible reason for this, but I wouldn't be surprised if it was just a case of burnout. I mean, the man had been at it for quite a while! So, to keep things on a more positive note, I'll focus on Thomas and Buscema's run.
I was pleasantly surprised by those last 10-ish issues! Reminiscing on the beginnings of the four through Ben's own perspective (and thanks to Reed's invention) was quite a nice way to signal a change of pace or direction, even. From the get-go, I could notice a different approach towards the characters, and not only the FF, but also some of the villains and the supporting cast. The attempt at humanizing Mole Man, Johnny and Crystal's unexpected break-up, the introduction of Thundra, Medusa joining the gang, etc. They may not be perfect, and I have some grievances, but I appreciate that they weren't scared to move plots forward and allow the characters to grow.
Speaking of, my biggest surprise was definitely Sue! She has been much more active in both action scenes AND personal initiative. Ever since she got married and had Franklin, she became this minor character who sometimes would not even be in some chapters. I'm happy she's back in a more protagonistic role. She even confronts Reed about his awful attitude towards her and his negligence as a husband and father, which was shocking! I did not expect her to have this sort of development this early on. I'm interested to see when and how she decides to come back to the family; I hope it marks a before-and-after moment for her and Reed. Come on dude, get your shit together!
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stormborns
areudirty
origamiaround
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