Geisha

by Andi Watson and Jamie S. [Editor] Watson, Andi; Rich

What do you do if you're an artist who wants to display your soul but no one believes you have one?

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0966712722
• ISBN13: 9780966712728
• Release Date: January 1999
• Publisher: Oni Press
• Length: 1 Pages
• Weight: 0.30 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.3" x 5.7" x 8.2"

Customer Reviews

Geisha Goodness!

Geisha is the story of Jomi Sohodo, an android adopted into a loving family, who lives in a world that looks down on "synths" trying to make it in the art world, but has to take a job in the family business, security, to pay her bills...until she's approached by an art dealer (among other unsavory business dealings), Peck, to fake...ahem, reproduce a painting.Her first security job sees her having to protect one of the highest paid super models, Natasha Hostynek, from ex-manager turned psycho stalker, George Brant who tries to sell candid pictures of them to Peck. But when Peck shows no interest Brant snags an important item from Peck's office who sets his bodyguards, Glock & Spiel, on him. This is an intricately designed, intertwining, action-packed, chase story with absolutely stunning artwork by Andi Watson. You can see how Andi's art has developed and evolved from the mini to the one-shot, but his intelligent storytelling whether writing or illustrating remains.Andi knows what to tell and what to illustrate to move the story along. You have to pay attention when you read an Andi Watson book because he inserts so many subtle clues that if you read it too fast you might not get it; facial features, hand gestures, clues in the background, all move the story along. Slow down and enjoy the show.I forgot how much I liked Geisha and how much was going on in this book until I reread it. The best part about the Complete Geisha is not only do you get the 4-issue mini series, but also the one-shot and short stories in one well designed package.Be sure to read Andi Watson's Dumped, Breakfast After Noon, and Love Fights from Oni Press and Skeleton Key from Slave Labor Graphics!

A charming, farcical take on sci-fi

The premise of Geisha sounds almost Broadway, in spite of the "soft" sci-fi trappings: an android is trying to establish a career as a painter in a world where human art critics blackball her and where she has to live in a dive in a red light district. Forgetting details like why the character (Jomi) has a gender, it's fun to see the characters take precedence over the sci-fi "world". The other key plot is that Jomi is so hard up for cash she joins her family's security business and ends up being bodyguard to an incredily snooty fashion model who's being stalked by her ex-husband. High art and high fashion naturally clash. The happy ending may disappoint some people but it's appropriate. It's a comedy. And there's a lot more food for thought here than the trappings of the story suggest: art forgery, the nexus of criminal and high art cultures, the codependency of art in its avant garde forms with the rich elite, and other things. Thought provoking stories are best when they don't insist and Andi Watson is generally good about not insisting. Warning to comics fans, if you hate the manga style you'll want to steer clear of this book, and if you like hard-core genre fiction Watson's deliberately disappointing. If you want a charming, solid story and likeable characters you'll get what you're looking for.