A Breif Review: Mayhem! #1-3, by Cait Zellers and Andrew Bateman
Mayhem is a book I want to like more. I do like it and definitely recommend it, but it has some things which stand out to me as undermining its own narrative or otherwise working against it. Still, I feel the need to tag @thefingerfuckingfemalefury because this story is so gloriously sapphic that it would be a shame not to!
Mayhem tells the story of a group of underground lady wrestlers who enter a tower of death style course of fights modeled after The Inferno in order to rescue their accountant.
First, on the positives. The art in overall style and pallet reminds me of Noelle Stevenson’s Nimona. Always a positive. The characters are all well designed and engaging. The entire thing frames itself as various women fighting stereotypes forced on them by patriarchal culture as they work to resuce their accountant (who is also the girlfriend of the newest fighter in their club).
The cast are united in that they (so far at least) were kept down by preconcieved notions, stereotypes, and other evils, and now found strength wiorking together. Now they must face those evils again, each level bring out their past hindrences, and overcome them in order to rescue their accountant.
Overall, I recommend it, but I have to voice my few complaints about it.
My first one is a simple and superficial one. It an’t quite decide what kind of fighting goes on in their organization. When first set up, it seemed like an Indy wrestling federation similar to SHIMMER, bthen we get our first (and only) in story bout.
Like I said, great character designs, but ... yeah. What’s this? Thankfully, the action gets better as the story goes on, but this was not a strong opening and brings up a lot of questions to someone at least marginally familiar with pro-wrestling and other combat sports. Especially when the third issue rolls around when it gets to Battle Axe’s backstory, who was recruited from a low end MMA club who wanted her to wear a Qipao much to her objection (”I’m from Laos!”). Especially when manager Miss Mayhem promises her “no gimmicks” when most of the others have gimmicks.
Thankfully, this is a minor quibble overall.
Another problem is the villain, Ambrosious. While it’s fairly certain this is a deeply feminist work, the villain is...honestly flamboyantly gay in all outward appearances, despite being otherwise extremely heteronormative/embodiment of the patriarchy. to the point where even his “Sparkle Ninja” henchmen wear, well, something Psylocke of the X-Men might have worn in the 90s. Thong included. and, yes, I said henchmen.
It’s a mixed message that hurts the overall work.
Also, he has a hooked nose. That has implications.
#3 is probbaly the strongest issue yet, but has a unique thing for me in it as well.
First off, the floor villain is ...
His schict is collecting things “From the Orient” including women, so of course he is the foil of Battleaxe.
And their fight is just great.
And her backstory is brought in and beyond what I mentioned, the promoter she is working with disamisses women’s MMA as “cable-access fetish porn.”
Which I both love and get a little red in the face at, since I like both legiitmate and...less legitimate stuff like this.
Though I hait being baited with legit comptetion and getting the other instead. So, while I blush, I am also totally behind her outrage and annoyance.
Also: Battle Axe is bascially wearing Cassandra Cain’s current outfit as a singlet. That amuses me.
So, while I like what it strives for and will follow this series as it (very slowly, seriously, 3 issues over about a year and a half), it has some things holding it back.
So, yeah, recomended with an asterix.
