Review by Frank Plowright

The name alone tells you that Claire Duplan’s superhero is satirical, and she’s not actually the primary character, as Super Camel Toe is the star of a comic produced by illustrator Charlotte, venting her frustrations at constant harassment from men. As portrayed here, these begin as insulting and rapidly escalate to aggression when men are rebuffed or it’s pointed out that personal comments are unwanted and unacceptable.

Short extract’s from Charlotte’s comics are placed between extended views of her day to day to life. Duplan expands on how dissatisfied Charlotte is with clients who change the specs extensively, but not the deadlines, and how her boyfriend is well meaning, yet not always the most attuned.

Duplan’s illustrations are very rough and scratchy, having an energy and conveying emotion and immediacy, but without any great appeal. This isn’t art most people would want to hang on their wall. Given the over-riding theme, it’s possible Duplan’s making a point about objectification, especially as Charlotte spends much of the story naked, but there’s surely some middle area between being true to the point being made and serving up something more people will want to look at. As things are, it restricts the audience for Super Camel Toe, leaving it preaching to the already converted.

If the art doesn’t hold great appeal, the story is also a let-down due to a lack of focus. Duplan has a very valid and important point, and the frustrations are eminently understandable, but a scattershot approach with little continuity wears thin over a hundred pages. The best moments manage to hit the sweet spot between making a point and being funny, such as the “sit on your dick” sequence, but too much else is rambling and filling pages.