Black-and-white and two-color illustrations chronicle the zany exploits of She--a gorgeous woman with a certain knowledge of who she is and what she wants--from birth through the defiance of her school years, escape from the world of corporate cubicles, and love life. 75,000 first printing.
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com Review
From the pages of Mirabella magazine comes this smart, sassy comics. It's not an easy answer to the question of who the hell is "she"? This book claims to be the autobiography of a leggy, two-dimensional character that has risen from a talented artist's sketchpad to conquer the hearts and minds of women and men alike with her wit and candor. What strikes me most about this comics is its not too overbearing feminism. I laughed out loud when I read about how Barbie introduced the concept of men as accessory.
From Publishers Weekly
The original She was launched as a regular comics feature of Mirabella in 1993 and quickly became a reader favorite. Here, Acocella continues her efforts to create a character that embodies the cultural history of a generation of upper-middle class white women. A post-feminist everywoman, She is impatient with the status quo even in the womb. A child of suburbia stuck with gender-based expectations, She manages to both laugh at and deconstruct these conventions, wryly acknowledging the role they play in shaping her life ("Barbie did introduce the concept of 'man as accessory'"). She wants to play with the boys in every sense of the word, and, after leaving home (and her "(s)mother"), she gets her chance by joining the corporate media world. But for all her revolutionary rants, Acocella's heroine is just a neo-material girl with a rebel attitude cum pose. Which shallow trend shall I choose to be now, she seems to say-the sad result of viewing life as a succession of pop phenomena. She's pissed (like other "power babes" in her circle) that boys have all the fun but that's about it. She is fun, but ultimately is more about social climbing than social change. Acocella's drawing is barely adequate, but her page layouts are lively and carry the story well.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
'SHE' is a Femme Superheroine for the 1990s,
By bonnie@grrl.com (San Francisco, Calif.) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Just Who the Hell Is She, Anyway? (Paperback)
Catwoman makes Batman beg for her attention. Wonder Woman lassos any criminal who smirks at her powers. And who can forget Supergirl, She-Ra or the Wonder Twins' better half? But with their X-ray vision, bullet-proof accessories and extra-fast cars, relating to female comic superheroes is rather difficult. That's where SHE comes in. The heroine of "Just Who The Hell Is SHE, Anyway?" is a suburban refugee fighting against things superheroes never have to deal with -- bad boyfriends, office boredom and frantic despair about the future. In January 1993, SHE became the first comic strip featured in the fashion magazine Mirabella. With a style that's a cross between the Hernandez brothers (Love and Rockets) and pop artist Roy Lichtenstein, the comic shows off a modern edge. SHE was created by Marisa Acocella, a senior vice president at Young and Rubicam, a prominent New York City advertising agency. Ironically enough, Acocella and SHE look a lot alike. Both women are blondes who wear black because it's chic, not goth. Both women slave away at New York ad agencies. And both women don't take "I guess so" for an answer. The comic begins from the heroine's conception, courtesy of her zoned-out father and her possessive (s)mother. Then readers zip through her hazardous home life, where SHE's family put the "fun" back in dysfunctional. We witness first-hand why SHE rejects Farrah Fawcett-style feathered hair in 1977. Later, SHE weaves in and out of faulty relationships, all the while attempting to remain creative in the masochistic career hell of advertising. And finally we're left with SHE hanging frantically from the ledge of despair -- or was it the verge of greatness? One of the best parts of this comic is the SHE role-model paper doll cut-out section. Anyone who doesn't mind destroying their book can dress SHE up as secret agent Emma Peel, glamorous Audrey Hepburn or "nothing's more important than your health" Hillary Rodham Clinton. "Just Who the Hell is SHE, Anyway?" should be the next guide for the single girl who wants more out of life than a Colgate smile and a dead-end career.
3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
not great,
By A Customer
This review is from: Who the Hell is She, Anyway?: The Autobiography of She (Hardcover)
i am a big fan of many graphic artists and comic books, but i was disappointed by this one, and not surprised that it started in a no-longer-with-us fashion magazine. the work is very dated...focused on that corny 1980's to mid 1990's non-idea that "feminists can be sexy and feminine!" (duh - of course they can. they can be whatever they want to be!) the whole thing really just seems to moan about men and obsess about fashion...snarky, unpleasant, self obsessed, and very middle class, somewhat reminiscent of pulpy writers like tama janowitz. the drawings are perfunctory, not inspiring like "love and rockets" or julie doucet. but i suppose if you own all of "sex and the city" on dvd you might find it amusing.
5.0 out of 5 stars
Best of the Grrrls,
By polly (L.A., Cal.) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Just Who the Hell Is She, Anyway? (Paperback)
Always thought Marisa was way beyond the sex and the city types...more personal honest funny spiritual and artistic...long may she rock
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