What is Gilda And Meek about?
It's about several things at once. It's a story of a Lucky Universe in a Multiverse teeming with Unlucky Ones and how our hero navigates that to her own advantage. It's a funny animal book that bit by bit reveals a huge fantasy and science fiction underpinning, much like Bone. It starts off as an erstwhile comedy until you realize it's actually been a drama the entire time. It's a story that after you read all 90 issues, you'll want to reread them again, as the best reading of The Un-Iverse isn't the first, it's the second. It's a bunch of random and seemingly unrelated characters and stories building and crossing over until they collide in an epic 19-part finale. It's about the antagonistic and loving relationship between the hero Gilda and the kid who looks up to her, Bernadette, and how their feelings for each other prove there is no wrong way to love a person. It's a political satire parodying the ridiculousness of the age we live in made more ridiculous by the fact that real life is crazier than my story's outlandish examples. It's about the fact that evil is uncool and mundane, and it's neat to have heroes to like and root for, and where the heroes are more interesting than the villains. It's about a strong female hero whose gender is irrelevant to the story at hand and is merely a strong hero who happens to be a female. It's about all of these things and none of them at the same time. Mostly, it's a way for me to work through my psychological crap. Which is what I think most writing boils down to for people.
Check it out.
Why is Meek's name first on the cover? Because for THIS adventure only, MEEK is in charge of the group and GILDA is his sidekick! Uh oh.
And yeah, the Otterman done Cometh Back. As a straight-up villain for the first and only time. Mwa ha ha!
Warlocks' Council and Whahuma Bears foreshadowing, as well as Twin Peaks references abound as well.
There are two back-up stories in the issue. The Humans story is also ripe with Warlocks foreshadowing and Twin Peaks references. But as of 2023, the Unkie Matty's Wacky Funhouse story is my pick for the worst story in the entire franchise, or at least so far. It wasn't intended to be, but I'm wondering if I'm alone in thinking it is. You tell me.