I recently came across the "Druuna" series of graphic novels, written by Paolo Serpieri for "Heavy Metal" magazine ('Morbus Gravis', 'Morbus Gravis 2', 'Creatura', 'Carnivora'). They're interesting pieces of work: the artwork is high-quality, the visual imagination often stunning. The plots tend to be rather sketchier, serving largely as a pretext for the hapless heroine to stumble from one graphically-depicted (and usually violently-abusive) sexual encounter to the next. It's difficult to decide whether the themes and dialogue constitute meaningful reflections on the nature of existence, or sophomoric maunderings.
And yet there's something fascinating about the character of Druuna. She may be an adolescent male's wish-fulfilment, all curves and sex-drive, but at the same time, she's a practically Campbellian hero figure: reluctant but pivotal, courageous, and essentially, fundamentally 'good'. She shows compassion and generosity to other victims of the nightmarish worlds she inhabits, endangers herself for those she cares for, and never quite gives up her faith in the redeeming power of love.
This image was an attempt to make a scene something like those depicted by Serpieri. The Druuna figure is Stephanie from Daz3D, slightly rounded-out and (un)dressed in the standard Victoria bikini bottoms, plus a small fragment of the Victoria dress.
The image was rendered in Bryce 5, with soft shadows turned on.
Comments
I recently came across the "Druuna" series of graphic novels, written by Paolo Serpieri for "Heavy Metal" magazine ('Morbus Gravis', 'Morbus Gravis 2', 'Creatura', 'Carnivora'). They're interesting pieces of work: the artwork is high-quality, the visual imagination often stunning. The plots tend to be rather sketchier, serving largely as a pretext for the hapless heroine to stumble from one graphically-depicted (and usually violently-abusive) sexual encounter to the next. It's difficult to decide whether the themes and dialogue constitute meaningful reflections on the nature of existence, or sophomoric maunderings.
And yet there's something fascinating about the character of Druuna. She may be an adolescent male's wish-fulfilment, all curves and sex-drive, but at the same time, she's a practically Campbellian hero figure: reluctant but pivotal, courageous, and essentially, fundamentally 'good'. She shows compassion and generosity to other victims of the nightmarish worlds she inhabits, endangers herself for those she cares for, and never quite gives up her faith in the redeeming power of love.
This image was an attempt to make a scene something like those depicted by Serpieri. The Druuna figure is Stephanie from Daz3D, slightly rounded-out and (un)dressed in the standard Victoria bikini bottoms, plus a small fragment of the Victoria dress.
The image was rendered in Bryce 5, with soft shadows turned on.