The problem with Peggy Carter in Marvel’s series is that it never gets to the heart of what it means to be a female in the spy world. It’s as if she’s marginalized from the films to her own television show. The audience does not see the psychological effects or what she has had to give up in order to do her job. Black Widow touches on it in the Avengers’ films, but doesn’t deal with what it means to be a woman in a world full of secrets, lies and spy games. Fortunately Matt Kindt’s “2 Sisters: A Super Spy Graphic Novel†does that and more.
Elle and Anna are sisters. They may remind the reader of Snow White and Rose Red, one dark haired, the other blonde. Snow, like Elle is quiet and keeps to herself, while Anna the blonde is carefree and outspoken. However, unlike Snow and Red, Elle and Anna go through the tragedy of losing their mother and live on a farm. These two sisters, their lives become tragic in and of itself. What Kindt does in a non-linear way is tell the story of the repercussions of an unresolved sisterly relationship and the psychological aspects of what a woman has to sacrifice against the background of and within the heart of WW II.
It is the Second World War and after leaving the orphanage Elle gets a job in London, a place to live and sends money back home. It is England during the blitz and Kindt panels side by side Elle’s current life with the making of a bomb. The creation of it and its failure is somehow intrinsically connected to the path Elle finds herself on. As compelling as these scenes are, what makes them striking is the fitting together of Elle’s life to the future and the past. Speaking of which, Kindt inventively places the story of an urn that bookends and connects female spies of the past with Elle.
What makes this graphic novel one to own is the re-read value. On first read you’re dazzled by the storytelling in real time and the complexity of this iconic war. Our lives, as we live them are not linear, rather our memories are a constant companion to the present. The thing about Elle is that she is human in a world fighting great evil and making compromises that she may not be able to live with. Kindt gives Elle an unexpected life, one that seemed to be much more suited for Anna. Sadness abounds in this book, but you need to read it several times over to get the underlying meanings and subtexts. Yes, being a spy means giving up a part of yourself. It’s not Sean Connery’s James Bond, the suave and debonair super-spy who never has a hair out of place. It goes much deeper than that. It means losing a life of normalcy, whatever that means for you. Potential love is lost and you can’t imagine or remember who you once were.
Still, don’t feel as if there isn’t enough action and intrigue for the reader. After all this is a spy thriller, there is action and danger. However, it’s all appropriate. The dialogue is smart too and there are several points in the novel where the pictures speak for themselves. At times you need to let the visual tell the story. And, that’s the point. Graphic novels should be meaningful. They should, according to Frank Miller be “stories that are beyond the understanding of an 8-year old.†They should reveal the most painful of ourselves, at the very least they should make us think. That’s what Marie Enger with her succinct inking skills and writer Matt Kindt do.
Leave a Reply