From David Whalen. Published by Correct Handed Productions. 

Another fine production from David Whalen. For those who have not read the previous reviews of his comics, I was fortunate to meet David at a convention last year and thanks to my scattered brain I have been posting reviews sporadically since. I envy David’s creativity and that grows with each comic I read. He gets these ideas down on paper and whether it’s meant to be a long series or a one shot, these tales are released to the world. Instead of my own which just occupy space in my head for years without an outlet. 

In Shady Lady, the titular character has been beneath the surface of many women over history and within the last few months/weeks is about to break through. This Lady is tired of being an object. She’s sick of hate, of misogyny, of abuse, of assault. All of it. Many women have said, so help me if one more man tells me to smile, but Shady Lady finally reaches that breaking point. 

She takes words, weapons, tools, and the truth into her own hands to turn the tables. She’s done pretending the world isn’t screwed up. She’s not going to suffer silently any longer. 

She’s not a superhero but she is a rarity. We’ve all seen bad situations and walked away or pretended we didn’t hear something awful. Eventually someone has to say enough. Unfortunately in the world we live in, the most fantastical moment of the comic isn’t when Shady Lady jumps into the Hudson and survives unscratched. No, it’s when she uses the power of her words to make someone believe there are consequences for his actions. The longer I live the more I believe the true divide between people is those who are only for themselves vs those that think of others. In this comic Whalen shows the power of one person standing up for others and if this book wasn’t a one shot I think the idea of the Shady Lady would be a mask for others to finally find the strength to hold the line. 

I’m always impressed by David’s creativity and if you happen to see him at a convention or stumble across his website, be sure to pick up a variety of books.