He Said/She Said

Thanks to the rise of cable television companies now had 24 hours of viewing hours to fill on hundreds of channels. It didn't need to come to this, but it did. One of the casualties of this was the news. Since news channels had 24 hours to fill, suddenly everything became news. I mean, did we really need to know every little intricacy about Michael Fay being caned while in Singapore? Anyway, television wasn't the only culprit of this. Comic books attempted to get into the "headline news" game, as it were.

First Amendment Comics was clearly an independent publisher who was attempting to profit off of real-life, true crime, political scandal celebrity stories. First Amendment published Grunge Comix which went into the music scene. It's first issue went over Kurt Cobain's life and death. I see no evidence of any other comics they published but they did publish trading cards: two sets of something called Sex Maniacs which celebrated various perverts throughout history and Skinnies, a series of sports cards. The only other comic book series they published was He Said/She Said Comics which was a flip comic that detailed the story of the men in one half and the story of the woman in the other. I'm sure that both sides were handled with respect and great aplomb. Let's get into the six (6!?!) issues of He Said/She Said Comics.

#1: The Joey Buttafuoco/Amy Fisher Story

Nicknamed "The Long Island Lolita", 17-year-old Amy Fisher began an affair with married, 35-year-old Joey Buttafuoco. Fisher went to confront Joey's wife, Mary Jo, about the affair. Fisher ended up shooting Mary Jo in the face--either on purpose or accidentally depending on who's telling the story. Mary Jo was left partially deaf and her face half-paralyzed. Fisher accepted a plea bargain for first degree assault and served 7 years in prison. Joey, who pled guilty to statutory rape, served four months in jail, and Mary Jo remained married until divorcing in 2003.

The comic does a weird job of portraying the he said/she said stuff. Joey (in Joey's story) is treated as a victim, a man seduced by this teenager--which doesn't make what he did right. Amy is treated all at once like a psycho, a little girl, and a reluctant tramp in both stories. Mary Jo is handled a little bit better and you could say was the only person treated with sympathy which the comic even admits when it gives details in the "cast list". For some reason, all these comics come with a full color, painted pin-up. This one is Amy Fisher, dressed in short shorts and tight clothes that show off her nipples. I'd post it, but it's of a 17-year-old girl.

#2: The Woody Allen/Mia Farrow Story

From this cover, this won't be biased at all.

Famed director Woody Allen found himself in a scandal back in 1992-1993. He had been discovered to be having an affair with his partner, Mia Farrow's, adopted daughter, Soon-Yi Previn. Allen was 56 and Previn was 21. Depending on the timeline you believe, the relationship started either when she was 18 or 20. Either way, it's not great. Neither was what we learned about Allen or Farrow. Allegations then came out that Allen had molested his daughter and was abusive toward his other children.

This issue doesn't portray either Allen or Farrow in a good light, but skews more toward Allen. Farrow is cast, in both stories, as someone who is jealous of Allen's love of Previn and out to exact revenge. Did Farrow turn their children against Allen? Are the allegations true? That's not for this comic book to decide.

The pin-up in this issue features Soon-Yi Previn in a nice conservative pantsuit, but clearly wearing sexy lingerie underneath. Like the Amy Fisher one, it's problematic and offensive. As a bonus, you do get a sexy Woody Allen pin-up, but that one is disturbing as well, just in a different way.

#3: The Bill Clinton/Gennifer Flowers Story

I do not have the third issue of this illustrious series. It featured the Bill Clinton and Gennifer Flowers scandal which I do not remember because I was only 10 and politics did not interest me like Superman did at the time. Flowers claimed that she had a twelve-year extra-marital affair with Bill Clinton, and apparently had tapes to prove it. Clinton admits that he had an affair with her, but that it was only once. Since I don't have this issue, I don't know how nuanced it is or which side it leans into.

The pin-up in this issue is, for some reason, of Hillary Clinton. I looked it up. She's scantily dressed holding a battle-ax and they call her Hill the Hun so...

#4: The Tonya Harding/Jeff Gillooly Story

Back in 1994, Shane Stant clubbed U.S. figure skater Nancy Kerrigan in the leg, bruising her knee and quadriceps tendon. She was practicing for the U.S. Championships, which would lead to the Olympics. Turns out it was all part of some conspiracy between competitor Tonya Harding's "husband" and a group of his friends. The attack didn't keep Kerrigan from the Olympics, where she placed silver. Harding placed eighth and was banned from competition for life.

The comic does a decent job of showing Harding as someone who had a lot of pressure placed on her. Which is true. She was someone who shouldn't have made it to the Olympics. We like to think as the Olympics as a place where anyone can showcase their talent but there's a whole system (money) in place designed to keep people like Tonya Harding out. The Gillooly side of the comic shows Gillooly as the brains and Harding a willing participant.

The pin-up is of Nancy Kerrigan. It's not a sexualized one but comments on how Kerrigan will just become a corporate tool used to promote and sell things on television. While Kerrigan has kept busy in the 30 years since, she didn't become the corporate tool this comic prophesizes.

#5: The O.J. Simpson/Nicole Brown Simpson Story

On the night of June 12, 1994, the bodies of Nicole Simpson and Ron Goldman were found stabbed to death in the yard of her house. Her head nearly decapitated. The most likely suspect, and really the only one, was her ex-husband, former pro football player O.J. Simpson. Simpson would be put on trial for the double murder but acquitted. However, he would be found liable for the deaths during a civil trial.

I love how on the covers it proclaims that these stories are the cases for the prosecution and the defense. I'm sure both sides definitely looked at these comics before giving their closing statements. This comic does not cover the trial. It details things that the police and the public already know. The O.J. side details his career and him packing and getting ready to fly to Chicago on the night of the murders. It talks about him being questioned, ultimately arrested, and the Bronco chase. It ends with him sitting in a jail cell awaiting trial. The Nicole side details her marriage to O.J. and the abuse she suffered--the O.J. side does not mention that except in passing--and details the night of June 12. It then switches to "police say" mode to describe the murders and O.J. fleeing the scene. Again, this is not mentioned in the O.J. side. The Nicole side ends with O.J. being arrested after the Bronco chase and "as the media mourns a fallen hero, the victims await justice."

There is no pin-up, but there is a reproduction of O.J.'s infamous mugshot.

#6: The Robert Shapiro/Marcia Clark Story

The Marcia Clark cover is very sexist.

Robert Shapiro was O.J. Simpson's original lead attorney for his murder trial, a role he later ceded to Johnnie Cochran. Marcia Clark was the lead prosecutor during the O.J. trial but, despite having a fairly strong case, could not overcome the defense's claim of police corruption and racism. The Shapiro side just details his life growing up, becoming a lawyer, starting his own practice, and ultimately becoming a popular celebrity attorney. It ends with Shapiro ready to take on the State of California to defend O.J. Simpson with everything they can. Like the previous issue, this doesn't go into the actual trial.

The Marcia Clark side also details her life and career to become a prosecutor for the Los Angeles County District Attorney Office. Most of what they talk about in relation to O.J. is how Clark has to overcome all the media scrutiny and the constant bumbling of the LAPD. It's strange seeing the comic writer lean more into the "prosecution's got this" and "the defense is clearly looking to line their pockets" camp. Despite the sexist cover on Marcia Clark's side and the pin-up being sexy Marcia Clark, they treat her with more respect than they do Shapiro or Judge Ito.

And that's it for He Said/She Said Comics. It was certainly a real thing that existed and that at least a handful of people actually had and read. If you are offended by anything said by or alluded to in these comics, you should be.

This is great. No notes.