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Recently, I've had an increased interest in dream-related things, due to one of my favorite roleplaying characters gaining access to the world of dreams. As such, I was somewhat eager to read Forty Winks, to see their take on dreams. Sure, it looked a little cutesy, but I wasn't going to let that discourage me.
Forty Winks is the story of a girl named Pandora Spocks (comic characters have the most interesting names...), who has very vivid dreams and likes to draw pictures of what she dreams. Pandora's mother died three years ago, so all of the parenting falls on her father - a rather two-dimensional character, since very little of the comic focuses on him. All of this could have made for a decent comic, if not for one thing.
Pandora discovers that her late mother was also an artist, but she stopped drawing after Pandora was born. This leads Pandora to ask "Daddy, will I ever have to stop drawing?" to which her father responds "Someday, when you have to raise a family of your own, then you won't have time for it."
Excuse me?
This is where I stop reviewing, and start ranting.
What sort of parent would tell their ten year old child that they'd have to give up their hobby, perhaps even their dream, to raise a family? In this day and age, no woman HAS to raise a family of her own! And even if a woman does choose to raise a family, that doesn't mean she has to give up the things she loves and dedicate 100% of her time to her children. Modern conveniences ensure that household chores are done much more quickly than they were in bygone days. Daycare, telecommuting, and work-from-home opportunities allow women to have a family and a career. Forward thinking allows husbands to stay home and raise the children while the wife works.
There is no reason why ANY woman should feel that she can't have any time for herself, for her art. A father who would try to convince his daughter of that would be doing her a great disservice, and possibly denying the world of an artist. Furthermore, a run-in with bullies shows that Pandora is already a downtrodden young woman - her father should be building her up, not crushing her dreams.
Because this comic was published back in 1997, I imagine that the entire series has already run its course. I can only hope that by the end of the fourth issue, Pandora discovers how wrong her father is, and that it's possible to dream and draw no matter where your life takes you, and that a woman has more choices in her life than motherhood.
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