There are few women I know who haven’t experienced some form of sexual harassment in their lifetime. Fewer have never felt intimidated or threatened by a man, and when it comes to experiencing sexism, that number drops to a big fat zero. These facts are harsh but true. We may be in an era of feminism, body positivity and empowerment, but society still drills into us that, as women, we should minimise our negative experiences with men, whether this be controlling behaviour, harassment or physical abuse. But we’ve had enough of staying quiet. Loud: Stories to Make Your Voice Heard from Dark Horse Comics is a powerful anthology from some of the biggest voices in Italian comic books, who are taking a stand against gender-based violence. With an aim to break the silence and empower women against toxic masculinity, Loud is written by women, for women.
Art by Grazia La Padula
“No one can do it for you, but you don’t have to do it alone.” So begins the eloquent foreword to Loud, written by journalist Jennifer Guerra. Guerra gives us a little more insight into this collection as she goes on; all the writers and illustrators involved in the anthology are part of a group called the Moleste feminist collective, designed to be a listening space for women, and to fight against violence and discrimination in the world of comics. How freaking awesome! Guerra expresses her desire to build up a counter-narrative to that of women as simply passive victims, and to help women reclaim their voices.
Art by Maurizia Rubino
Reading each of these stories was highly emotional, and there were many times in which I teared up. As Guerra so succinctly puts it in her introduction, “When I read these stories, with their splendid graphics, I had the feeling that they were my own stories” – all women can identify with the shame, the fear and the deep sadness that exudes from these pages, as men continually take advantage of and abuse the female protagonists. In ‘Babyface’ by Anna Cercignano, a girl innocently meets her crush for a date at the park, only to be left feeling confused and ashamed as he uses her for his own gratification, then ignores her the next day at school. The girl is slut-shamed as rumours begin to circulate, while the boy is praised for his prowess. In ‘Text Me When You Get Home’ by Maurizia Rubino we watch a woman’s heart rate increase as she walks home alone in the dark, flinching when she sees men coming towards her, and holding on to her keys as a way to defend herself. In ‘The Yellow Hoodie’ by Vega Guerrieri and Caterina Ferrante, a girl falls apart at the seams after being ridiculed and body-shamed. Any of these sounding familiar?
By Francesca Torre, La Tram
As sad as these experiences are to read about, even more so when you consider the real-life ramifications, this is a book all about women reclaiming their power, and they sure do. Thankfully, this isn’t done in unrealistic ‘movie’ fashion, in which everything is suddenly ok and all the men of the world become feminists and realise the error of their ways (as great as that would be if it actually happened!). These resolutions are much quieter and more subtle; whether it be opening up to a friend about abuse, healthily dealing with past trauma and moving on from it or choosing to accept help, these quiet victories have just as much of an impact as big, dramatic resolutions. It is through opening the discourse and revealing the abuse women have suffered that we can make our stand against it.
By Vega Guerrieri, Caterina Ferrante
Both artistically and in its subject matter, Loud reminded me of Maria Stoian’s fantastic graphic novel, Take It as a Compliment, in which she similarly depicts the uncomfortable and shocking exploitation that women suffer daily. Having fourteen contributors meant that each comic in Loud was new, and stylistically and artistically distinct; from the neon line drawings of ‘Sabrina’ by Eleonora Antonioni to the charcoal sketches and multicoloured backgrounds of ‘Two in One’ by Francesca Torre and La Tram, to the Bryan Lee O’Malley-esque cartoon style of ‘The Right Thing’ by Lucia Biagi, each story was raw, real and emotional, and the character expressions, colour palettes and choice of lettering exhibited this excellently.
By Vega Guerrieri, Caterina Ferrante
Upon its publication, Loud was awarded the Boscarato award for best YA graphic novel, and it’s easy to see why. Each of the nine vignettes is carefully crafted – some will be all too familiar stories of daily harassment, whilst another will open readers’ eyes to other forms of gender-based violence, many of which are overlooked. To read Loud was an emotional experience, but also an empowering one. Silence has been the norm in female experience for too long, and now women are reclaiming their voices. In the words of the fantastic Jennifer Guerra, “we aren’t alone; we never will be. Our sisters walk with us, every step of the way.”
Anna Cercignano, Elenora Antonioni, Maurizia Rubino, Francesca Torre, La Tram, Lucia Biagi, Vega Guerrieri, Caterina Ferrante, Laure Guglielmo, Davide Costa, ElisA2B, Carmen Guasco, Marta Macolino, Alessia De Sio (W/A), Anna Barton (T), Grazia La Padula (CA) • Dark Horse Comics, $24.99
Review by Lydia Turner
