Depending on how we count the more batshit parts of her… ahem, armor, Jaïna from La Geste des Chevaliers Dragons scores up to three bingos! And judging even just by covers, other dragon knights would get similar results:
I was looking for an opportunity to bring this comic up again, and eventually bingo seemed to be the most appropriate way.
The reason to remind you of this title is that it’s getting its non-awaited official English translation as Chronicles of the Dragon Knights. And English readers deserve a warning.
This comic holds a special (non positive) place in my heart, as it is a softcore porn pulp thinly veiled as a “feminist” deconstruction of fantasy tropes. And one of original inspirations for this blog.
Going through the first issue alone made me cringe at least every other page. The problem with Dragon Knights include, but are not limited to:
- the core idea hinges on demonizing female sexuality (if all women lose virginity, there’s no-one to save the world from dragons)
- writing makes no sense (men constantly insult their saviors for being women, main character’s mission is jeopardized for an easy to avoid reason)
- art is rife with tropes that are heart and soul of sites like @eschergirls or @comicartcorrections, like Sameface Syndrome, crotchleg, Subway sandwich thigh and long pelvises
- the dragon knight costumes (obviously) qualify for BABD material
Nothing about it makes sense other than “let’s have an excuse to draw hot chicks with swords in ridiculous skimpy armor posing weirdly against elaborate, yet mediocre dragons and mutants”.
But what else shall be expected from something that keeps the same-faced heroines with the constant dull pout expression have their boobs or butts put front and center of every panel possible?
~Ozzie
Incidentally I have an issue of ‘La geste des chevaliers dragons’ in my reference pile, because the cityscapes and castles are fantastic, I just thought I should point out that the characters wearing very little armour tend to be savagely eviscerated for their stupidity, not that it isn’t incredibly fan servicy and ridiculous despite that, but at least there are no inexplicably impervious navels.
As Ami of eschergirls and lady-knight- (in her comment) noted, it seems like Ange intended their comic to be subversive of fantasy clichés (so female virgins slay dragons instead of being kidnapped by them), but the execution indulges in harmful narratives (like demonizing women’s sexuality).
I don’t really think that letting scantily-clad warriors die for drama justifies making them scantily-clad in the first place.
It may work in comedy, but La geste des chevaliers dragons (or at least the first issue, the only one I managed to read) never makes fun of those costumes, just assumes we’re supposed to accept them as a sign of female empowerment or some other misogynistic bullshit.
The only character that commented on Jaïna’s non-armor was framed as a sexist dude who’s jealous of dragon slayer’s status, so… yeah, the readers probably weren’t supposed to agree with him.
Seeing what an interesting discussion sparked in our Spin Angels/Cross Fire post’s comment section, I figured it’s a good opportunity to remind what a failure of “female empowerment” was La geste des chevaliers dragons, another French comic from the same publisher.
While Franco-Belgian comics (bande desineé) have the advantage of more liberal views on depicting sexuality and nudity than American mainstream comics do, it doesn’t mean they never indulge in pointless and gratuitous sexualization. As my Female Armor Rhetoric Bingo points out, cultural differences don’t justify double standard.
Oh yeah, I also wanted to reiterate that bikini-clad warrior deaths played for drama fail to be dramatic, considering battle damage is a natural consequence of fighting in a skimpy armor.
~Ozzie
Incidentally I have an issue of ‘La geste des chevaliers dragons’ in my reference pile, because the cityscapes and castles are fantastic, I just thought I should point out that the characters wearing very little armour tend to be savagely eviscerated for their stupidity, not that it isn’t incredibly fan servicy and ridiculous despite that, but at least there are no inexplicably impervious navels.
As Ami of eschergirls and lady-knight- (in her comment) noted, it seems like Ange intended their comic to be subversive of fantasy clichés (so female virgins slay dragons instead of being kidnapped by them), but the execution indulges in harmful narratives (like demonizing women’s sexuality).
I don’t really think that letting scantily-clad warriors die for drama justifies making them scantily-clad in the first place.
It may work in comedy, but La geste des chevaliers dragons (or at least the first issue, the only one I managed to read) never makes fun of those costumes, just assumes we’re supposed to accept them as a sign of female empowerment or some other misogynistic bullshit.
The only character that commented on Jaïna’s non-armor was framed as a sexist dude who’s jealous of dragon slayer’s status, so… yeah, the readers probably weren’t supposed to agree with him.
Seeing what an interesting discussion sparked in our Spin Angels/Cross Fire post’s comment section, I figured it’s a good opportunity to remind what a failure of “female empowerment” was La geste des chevaliers dragons, another French comic from the same publisher.
While Franco-Belgian comics (bande desineé) have the advantage of more liberal views on depicting sexuality and nudity than American mainstream comics do, it doesn’t mean they never indulge in pointless and gratuitous sexualization. As my Female Armor Rhetoric Bingo points out, cultural differences don’t justify double standard.
Oh yeah, I also wanted to reiterate that bikini-clad warrior deaths played for drama fail to be dramatic, considering battle damage is a natural consequence of fighting in a skimpy armor.
~Ozzie
Incidentally I have an issue of ‘La geste des chevaliers dragons’ in my reference pile, because the cityscapes and castles are fantastic, I just thought I should point out that the characters wearing very little armour tend to be savagely eviscerated for their stupidity, not that it isn’t incredibly fan servicy and ridiculous despite that, but at least there are no inexplicably impervious navels.
As Ami of eschergirls and lady-knight- (in her comment) noted, it seems like Ange intended their comic to be subversive of fantasy clichés (so female virgins slay dragons instead of being kidnapped by them), but the execution indulges in harmful narratives (like demonizing women’s sexuality).
I don’t really think that letting scantily-clad warriors die for drama justifies making them scantily-clad in the first place.
It may work in comedy, but La geste des chevaliers dragons (or at least the first issue, the only one I managed to read) never makes fun of those costumes, just assumes we’re supposed to accept them as a sign of female empowerment or some other misogynistic bullshit.
The only character that commented on Jaïna’s non-armor was framed as a sexist dude who’s jealous of dragon slayer’s status, so… yeah, the readers probably weren’t supposed to agree with him.
