The Goddess of War

by Lauren R. Weinstein (Artist)

This follow-up to Lauren Weinstein's critically acclaimed and best-selling graphic novel, "Girl Stories," traces the life of a celebrated Valkyrie, great-granddaughter of Thor, from her earliest days to her present position as Goddess of War--bored, finally, of determining the outcome of all the Earth's conflicts. Produced in a deluxe, oversized format and featuring both pen-and-ink drawings and etchings, this story is actually Volume One of the continuing adventures of Valkyrie, and it follows the Goddess, who is based on the character that Weinstein plays in her rock band, Flaming Fire, from her isolated planet of vampires, wolves and volcanoes, all the way to our Earth, where she abandons her post and takes up with her lover, the Apache Chief. Vengeance ensues. A favorite with librarians and graphic novel buyers, Weinstein has been included in a variety of important collections, including "The Anthology of Graphic Fiction" and "The Best American Comics,"

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels Comics

32 pages, Paperback

First published July 1, 2004

About the author

Lauren R Weinstein is a cartoonist who is still recovering from having a baby and moving to the suburbs of New Jersey (it’s been two years). Her comics books include, Girl Stories and The Goddess of War, and her work has been published in Kramer’s Ergot, The Ganzfeld, An Anthology of Graphic Fiction, and The Best American Comics of 2007 and 2010. Her work has also appeared in the New York Times, Glamour, and Heeb magazines. She is currently working on a sequel to Girl Stories.

Reviews

[P. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Super funny. Huge format. Can't wait for more. But must.

[StrictlySequential · Rating 3 out of 5]

10"×15"!

Abandoned.

[Rick Ray · Rating 4 out of 5]

Valerie serves as the Goddess of War, an Earth-bound Valkyrie who serves at her post dutifully over the centuries. Now bored with the way humans engage in conflict (the time period of the story easily discernable thanks to a well placed reference to former Secretary of Defense, Donald Rumsfeld), Valerie waits listlessly for the end of humanity while she converses with her pal, Nebulon, the Universe Eater. Part of her wistful musings involves returning to the time she had a romantic entanglement with an Apache warrior named Cochise, which serves as the bulk of the narrative in The Goddess of War.

This comic is genuinely funny, with Weinstein's script balancing the epic scope of Valerie's life as a Valkyrie-turned-goddess of war with comedic observations on the nature of humanity. It's a little slapstick at times, but most of it lands really well. The visual language is top notch as well, with numerous gags creatively laid into Weinstein's crude yet simple lines. Layout and composition wise, Weinstein does seem to take notes from Kevin Huizenga with the use of packed panels and light greenish shaded duotones, but her lines are a bit more harsh and frenetic in comparison to Huizenga's more controlled style. Still, the result is great. This is also a surprisingly large sized comic but the extra size does allow for some of the artwork in the smaller panels to be more decipherable.

An enjoyable time, with a great balance of sci-fi, fantasy and humor throughout.

[Seth · Rating 4 out of 5]

huge! beautiful 2 color printing! Fafnir as a pet! Cochise!

[Stacey · Rating 4 out of 5]

a masterpiece & a classic

[Sara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful, hilarious, badass. Imagine Powr Mastrs written by a history/mythology nerd.