Twin On Conjoined Twin Action! – Will You Read Amanda Palmer’s “Evelyn, Evelyn”?

On September 21st, Evelyn, Evelyn, a joint comic book/dark fantasy/music project conceived of by Amanda Palmer (Dresden Dolls) and Jason Webly (um…him) with art by Cynthia von Buhler (an illustrator for childrens’ books) will drop into comic stores. In an interview with Comics Alliance, the book is described:

Evelyn, Evelyn is a violent fairy-tale of the kind no longer told to modern children. Blame it on a more politically correct culture or just the simple, thankful fact that death is less often a part of everyday life, but the type of grim fables told to kids a hundred-plus years ago just aren’t around anymore.

The story open on the titular twins, who lose both parents only to be raised as caged chickens, until later being housed by child-pornographers at a camping ground and ultimately ending up in a low-rent traveling circus. And in a tongue-in-cheek reference to a modern tragedy, the twins are born on September 11th, 1985.

Ok. Conjoined twins. Traveling circuses. Lack of political correctness. Sounds promising.

However, there’s been some controversy.

Annaham of Feminists With Disabilities For A Way Forward writes:

Ah, yes! It’s the “overcoming disability” trope, with a heaping side of totally unexpected and not-at-all-stereotypical circus-freakdom. Might Evelyn Evelyn be musical Supercrips?…The stereotypes about disability here are pretty well-worn: according to this (fictional) backstory, the twins were “discovered by” and need “help” from two abled individuals, Palmer and Webley, to realize their musical potential. Add to this their “inspiring” origin story — which is fodder for a graphic novel tie-in — and you’ve got yourself one hell of a three-ring circus of disability stereotypes.

Thus far, it looks like Evelyn Evelyn’s primary aim is to be “inspiring” to abled folks (and to be a bit of creative fun for Palmer and Webley). The three songs currently available on MySpace only serve to continue this trope; “A Campaign of Shock and Awe,” in particular, casts the twins as “the 8th wonder of the natural world.” Good to know that even fictional people with disabilities are not exempt from being cast as “wonders” from which non-disabled people can draw inspiration and “marvel” at. Sound familiar? Add in a dash of hipster ableism and you’ve got something that looks positively transgressive, especially in comparison to the rest of the music industry.

Palmer responded to the criticism on her blog:

offending or belittling disabled people or people who have a history of sexual abuse could not be farther from our intention. we generally don’t like to offend and belittle ANYONE, but if there is anybody that we especially don’t want to alienate with this project, it is the people who might already feel marginalized and dismissed in our society. especially when that type of alienation is a major recurring theme throughout the whole Evelyn Evelyn record…speaking as one who had a step-brother (who was a great artist and musician, and who i worshipped (sic) beyond belief) relegated to a wheel-chair with lou gehrig’s disease (he was hilarious and used to call it “the fucking piece of furniture in which i must live”) and as one who has connected with tons of disabled fans all over the globe (many of whom wrote in via twitter and this blog showing their support for the spirit of the Evelyn Evelyn project – thank you guys) i find it really heartbreaking to think that we’d be so misunderstood.

I have to admit, as an able bodied individual, I don’t really have a dog in this fight. I do know that I’ve spent my summer watching the internet blow up because DC wants to make Barbara Gordon walk again and people are pissed off about it. It seems like a writer can’t win, no matter which side they come down on in portraying a differently abled character. I, for one, will wait until the book comes out before I pass judgment.

In the meantime, check out this faux “Behind The Music” video Palmer and Webly ginned up as PR for their project: