Comicscape - November 12, 2003

By: Tony Whitt
Date: Wednesday, November 12, 2003

OPINION:

Fair warning: to get in all the great responses I got this week and to close this topic, I've had to go the SOUTH PARK route and make it bigger, longer, and uncut. (Probably not the wisest phrase to use in a column primarily about women, but there it is.) Even though I hadn't the space to quote them, I'd like to thank Bryant Williams, Toni Morris, "silverdragon," Tracie Howard, Yon Alberdi, Gregory Stough, Jason Shepherd, P.A. Timm, and Dominic Lim for writing in with their thoughts and suggestions on female comic book leads. (And Jason, I am so with you - Bring Back Jessica Drew!)

As we discussed last time, many factors contribute to the relative dearth of female superhero characters, especially at the Big Two. (I wish I could delve more into Kevin Tomaszewski's thoughts on why those companies may not actually be the Big Two anymore, but you had your say last week, Kevin... I'll address all that in a future column!) One of the two biggest factors may be the real world disparity between the amount of male and female comics

writers. William Loughrige writes, "The vast majority of writers are men. They don't understand women well enough to write much about them. Just look at how they have portrayed women to date. That kind of ties into my other point... If someone were to seriously try a title [featuring a female lead character], look what they would have to work with. She-Hulk may be a fun character and Storm may have a juicy back-story, but neither one is actually a woman. She-Hulk is the best example; what feminine qualities has she ever displayed? Let me just say that this is in no way a sexist evaluation. For years now the only reason I watch TV is to see BUFFY and ALIAS. Both these shows have...clearly strong leads who are actually women. I guess that my point is that the traditional role of a comic's heroine is to be just another 'guy' (but with softer anatomy), and any attempt to change any of them into a real person (ie, increased brain power and decreased bust-size) would be seen very negatively by the fans. We don't tend to handle change well." You ain't whistlin' Dixie, William. You also touch here on the other major reason for the lack of female superheroes, but more about that later on...

On the other hand, Tim Agen takes issue with William's first point about male writers being unable to portray female characters convincingly: "I ask male and female writers alike... Is it more interesting to read a female character written by a woman to accurately capture all that is woman, or is it more interesting to read a female character written by either sex who ignores those subtleties and just writes an interesting human created by environment rather than genetics? ...My problem with the idea that females are best written by females is Jessica Jones... Are [such] characters not well presented females? Are they missing something? Are they just men with svelte bodies and breasts? I can't say that they are."

Mark Sehestedt gives yet another reason why it may not simply be a case of men not understanding women well enough to write them: "Why aren't there more female super heroes? The answer is really easy. It is because no talented writer has had a passion for one yet. Look at Brubaker's CATWOMAN. He is pouring all of his considerable talent

into that book, and it is awesome. Maybe I'm too much of an idealistic romantic, but I don't think good storytelling or compelling characters ever come out of focus groups or company meetings where the consensus is 'Give us a good female character!' Good storytelling and compelling characters come when a storyteller has a passion for his (or her) story. And, quite simply, very few are stepping up to the plate right now with good female super-heroes. I would love to see this change, but I don't think it's something Marvel or DC or anyone else can manufacture. It has to come from the passionate creativity of the artist." I'd agree with Mark, and I'd also emphasize his point that such passion is not something that can be forced. For example, if the "female writers write better female characters" model held true, then we'd expect a talented writer like Devin Grayson to be best suited to writing WONDER WOMAN or suchlike, and yet her passions tend more towards Bat-books like NIGHTWING, but not towards BATGIRL. Wouldn't it be a waste to tell such a writer that she must write about Batgirl simply because she herself is a woman? Of course it would, and thus Grayson's talents would be wasted in such an effort. By contrast, no sane person would say that Brubaker's wasting his time on CATWOMAN (even if that time's about to end) or that Bendis wasted his time on ALIAS.

But as Kevin McAllister points out, even when such passion is directed towards female characters by male writers, the companies themselves might still drop the ball: "I honestly believe that the reason that female superheroes don't have successful solo titles is because comic book companies don't know what to do with them. Look at DC's recent handling of Supergirl.

The post-CRISIS mess that was Linda Danvers/Matrix/Earth Angel etc. had a decent start as a solo title and did fairly well until the title hovered over cancellation. In an attention-getting attempt, DC reintroduces Kara Zor-El, the pre-CRISIS Supergirl that fans have clamored for since her CRISIS death. Sales shoot up, back issue bins go crazy, interest is [generated], but not before DC still drops the axe on the title. Now they don't have the pre or post-CRISIS Supergirl [and] they've gone and introduced yet another character claiming the moniker, watering down the concept and causing indifference and resentment in fans. Marvel did a similar thing when they launched a new SPIDER-WOMAN series without Jessica Drew. Betraying the original character and/or core concept of the character male or female isn't always the best foot to start off on...

"The reader who suggested a SEX IN THE CITY approach [ to a new WASP series shows] exactly what's wrong in how female heroes are viewed. A new or specific approach doesn't have to be taken - just let the writer craft a solid, engaging story complimented by quality artwork...The reason why She-Hulk was given the comedic treatment, IMHO, is because the didn't have confidence in the character as she was before. When male characters have been relaunched,

they don't use the same approach. For female characters to get a fair shot they need a revolutionary [like Brian Michael Bendis] to bring them to life...Thus, it's my opinion that the reason that female heroes aren't finding success is because comics is just a microcosm of how some people view women and how they should function and be treated in the real world and in general. Not equal but different. Until someone in charge can make the change, the same pattern will be followed that we've seen in the past." I wish I knew who that "someone in charge" actually is, Kevin, but you're right - once again, it all goes back to the writer, and the companies need to change their pattern of weak marketing and poor handling of female-led titles.

Of course, the other pattern that would have to change is female readership, as the other major factor in this equation is the relative disparity in the numbers of male and female comics readers, as well. To prove this point, Tim Agen pointed me to The New York City Comic Book Museum site, which gives the readership demographics of comics as of 2000 - in that year, according to American Demographics Magazine, the average age of comics readers was 24, and the percent of comics readers who were male was 95%! If these numbers still hold true three years later, then the question from last time arises again: why aren't more women reading comics? Amy in Las Vegas gives a possible reason,

echoing some of the sentiments of Ana Gomez from last week: "[The reason that most women aren't interested in reading comics is] there are so few titles that portray women respectfully...I think the comic book industry is seriously ignoring a vital resource (women buyers) because they don't portray women in the right manner (it seems like women in comics are always portrayed like sex objects). Granted, most of the women characters are put in high positions, given strong personalities, and are very independent (which is good), but most of what [they're made to] look and dress like makes you feel like you're reading pornography (they're always dressed in the skimpy outfits, have 3 ounces of fat on them, and wear a D cup). Also, I think that the titles that do portray women in the right ways get absolutely no respect. An example that I can think of is SPIDER-GIRL. It's a very good seller (it's been saved from the fire numerous times by its fans), and it always portrays the lead character in the right way (a way that its female readers feel comfortable with reading), but the company that makes it is constantly threatening to cancel it... As a woman myself, it drives me crazy!"

Coz Brooks agrees, but she thinks the problem goes far deeper and is related to the real world environment of the comics store itself: "It's one thing for a girl to go to the comic store on a regular basis to pick up her supplies - however, spend any time socializing with people in the shop, or with comic collectors on a more communal basis, and, in my experience, most women will find that your average male comic fan can be a little daunting and even hostile...Comic collecting is considered [by many] the

domain of the geeky adolescents who can't get any action. Now before you get cranky with me, 90% of the males I know who buy comics would argue strongly that they don't fit into that stereotype (about 75% percent would have a valid argument - *wink*). Yet these same males, on introduction to a female comic fan, would consider said girl to be an oddity, even unwomanly. I have had comments on occasion from my fellow fans along the lines of 'You should be a guy.' Yeah, I burp like a champ, collect comics, and am a gamer, but I know I've got the necessary body parts to be a girl - they get talked to more than my face does. There is also the common [misconception] that any female comics fan is instantly the female counterpart of the stereotypical male comics fan: not so attractive, uncool, and awkward. Just as this is not true for males, it is not true for females. I like to consider myself not unattractive and definitely feminine, and I have found it hard, at times, to deal with the attitude male comic fans have towards me and their initial reactions to my presence. This attitude is not at all encouraging for a female fan and would deter a less determined fledgling collector.

"Next is the intensity factor. Sorry, this is playing hugely on the stereotype I objected to above, but boys tend to be a little more intense about their comics than most of the women I know. Yeah, we can talk about comics for hours on end, too, but then we like to talk about other stuff too (there is only so much flirting you can slip into the conversation when it's just about comics, boys). I have seen a couple of rabid comics fans lose out on the chance of a hot date [because] they were too worked up about the latest exploits of Superman to notice a girl was trying to chat them up. Males can also be terribly condescending when it comes to female collectors. Again, a generalization, but a lot of guys presume that because women aren't always as intense in their discussion of comics that they don't know their stuff and can get a bit preachy. So then you're stuck with either letting these guys think they are so much smarter and dealing with their

condescension, or fighting an uphill battle to earn their respect by forcing them to acknowledge that you do know something about the comics you buy and read every month, often resulting in bruised egos if [the discussion is] not handled well...Basically, I think if the comic world was a little more girl-friendly socially, maybe you'd get more female fans coming out of the closet as collectors or coming to collecting for the first time. It is a consumer-driven world, so the more chick-friendly comics they sell, the more they should make, [and] hopefully, the more women we should see taking the reigns in their own series. Theoretically, anyway." I've included so much of Coz's response because she makes such excellent points, and as someone who has talked with (and taught in class) both male and female comics readers, I've seen exactly this sort of behavior on the part of the guys, especially the condescension. (One of my students told me he'd met his girlfriend in a comics store when they got into an argument over the last copy of a comic they both wanted. Before she convinced him that she was an actual fan and was as passionate about them as he was, he'd actually told her to "go back home and play with your Barbie dolls." I don't know which I find more incredible: that she actively had to convince him that she was a comics fans just because she was a girl, or that she agreed to go out with him after that.)

Not so easy a problem to fix, then, is it? In order for more female superheroes to get their own series, there would have to be more male writers passionate about writing them; there would have to be more female writers, period; there would have to be more female readers, period; there would have to be a major change in the way the companies market their books; and there would have to be a major change in the way male comics fans treat female comics fans. In short, in order to see more equality between men and women in the comics, we'd have to see more equality between men and women in real life - and unfortunately, that's still a long ways ahead of us. Fortunately, it's getting shorter all the time. Slowly, granted, but it's getting shorter. Thanks again for all your comments on this issue! Next week, I'm going to turn away from the whole "cut-and-paste" style for a while and talk about the new Bittorrent craze, its effect on the trading of comics on-line, and whether this is piracy or simply another way of trading comic books. In the meantime, send your comments to comicscape@cinescape.com, since you know how much I love to read your mail! And speaking of things you should be reading...

THIS WEEK:

At least one reader has told me that one of the best series to feature a female character, Peter David's FALLEN ANGEL, is a limited series, but it's actually an ongoing series. I hope we don't have such low expectations of series with female lead characters that we expect they won't be ongoing series, especially when they're as good as this one... Issue #5 ships this

week.

It's also a week for teams, as AVENGERS #73 continues the "Search for She-Hulk" storyline. Now that they've found her, what the heck are they going to do with her? Give her back her own series, of course!

Ever notice how few teams the Marvel Universe has compared to the DCU, even in its Ultimate form? Perhaps it's because those few teams are just so damned good - for example, look at ULTIMATE SIX #4 (Of 6) to see what I mean. Isn't it time for an Ultimate superheroine, though?

Meanwhile, over at DC, that "other" superhero team the JSA gets together with their JLA counterparts for Thanksgiving in issue #54 of the Justice Society's own series. Good to see these guys getting together like this, but I still miss those summertime crossovers between the parallel Earths... Still, now that Kurt Busiek has made alternate universes fashionable again, might it be possible to do a JSA/INVADERS crossover someday?

Marvel's First Family continues to have difficulties in FANTASTIC FOUR #506 (or #77 to those wanting to cling to the "old" numbering system, but why would you bother?). Reed's gone a little bonkers, and the bombs are about to fall on Latveria. Can the team save the day? Do you really need me to answer that?

LEGION #26 continues a celebration that's been 45 years in the making by going bi (weekly, that is), as Superboy (not that Superboy) ends up in the future, a formerly dead Legionnaire returns (no points for guessing whom), and time goes screwy. Yup, this is a Legion book, all right!

It's team-time over at Wildstorm, too, as both STORMWATCH: TEAM ACHILLES #17 and THUNDERCATS: HAMMERHAND'S REVENGE #2 (Of 5) both ship out this

week.

Sufferin' shad! Oops, wrong superhero...AQUAMAN's first year in his new series ends with issue #12. And the best news is, it hasn't been cancelled yet! Go, Arthur!

Superman fans have some decision-making to do this week. Buying ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN #622 is a foregone conclusion, of course; buying SUPERMAN & BATMAN: GENERATIONS III #11 (Of 12) makes sense only if a) you're a John Byrne fan and b) you can stand the possibility that buying it may lead to a GENERATIONS IV; buying the third printing of SUPERMAN/BATMAN #1 makes sense only if you don't already have the first two printings; and buying the trade paperback of the second volume of SUPERMAN: OUR WORLDS AT WAR for $19.95 only makes sense if you want to spend that much money on a storyline you probably didn't like all that much in the first place. Hmm. Guess Superman fans don't have that much decision-making to do this week...

For you Bat-fans, though, it's another story: there's the BATGIRL: YEAR ONE trade paperback for $17.95, which makes us ask yet again what the point of buying individual issues is if they're

just going to be collected a few months later, anyway; there's the BATMAN: CHILD OF DREAMS softcover for $19.95, which you'll want if you always wondered what Bats would look like in manga form; there's BATMAN: CITY OF LIGHT #2 (Of 8), which asks how effectively a Dark Knight can work in a Bright Lights Big City ; there's BATMAN: DEATH AND THE MAIDENS #4 (Of 9), which you'll want because it has both Greg Rucka and final R'as al Ghul; there's BATMAN: LEGENDS OF THE DARK KNIGHT #173, which you'll want because...oh, hell, I don't know...; there's GOTHAM CENTRAL #13, which you'll want because Ed Brubaker writes it; and then there's NIGHTWING #87, which you'll want because Devin Grayson is writing it. Decisions, decisions...

By the way, was anyone else as pleased as punch that Kurt Busiek teamed Batman and Captain America together in the latest AVENGERS/JLA? (Or is that JLA/AVENGERS? Which month is it?) I am, especially since the "Captain America Lives Again!" story concluding in CAPTAIN AMERICA #20, a "What If?" in which the Nazis have taken over the world, is leaving me a bit cold. Luckily this title has become a lot like the weather: if you don't like it right now, just wait - it'll change.

Speaking of series leaving one cold, the curiously unaffecting MARVEL 1602 #4 (Of 8) ships this week, just going to show that Neil Gaiman is not completely infallible. Won't keep it from selling out again, of

course.

If that doesn't satisfy your taste for minis, there's also DEMON: DRIVEN OUT #3 (Of 6) and DOCTOR FATE #4 (Of 5), which just goes to show that good things come in small packages. (That thought's the only thing that allows me to sleep at night.)

There's a small package coming from Vertigo this week, but damn it's good: FABLES #19 is here!

As Tim Agen pointed out to me in an e-mail, how can people say that the Hulk franchise is weakened when the movie made a total of $132 million in the US and another $106 million in international markets, and when 3.5 million Hulk DVDs sold in the first week of release? (Thanks for those numbers, Tim, though I envy you your sources!) Bear this in mind when you buy INCREDIBLE HULK #63 this week, and start that letter-writing campaign demanding that Bruce Jones be tapped to write the script for HULK 2, due out in 2006!

You CrossGen fans know more about what's going on over there than I do, no doubt, but here's what's out this week, anyway: FIRST #37; MYSTIC #42; NEGATION #24; PATH #20; RUSE #25; and SIGIL #42. Enjoy!

In

IRON MAN #74, Tony Stark's been nominated as Secretary of Defense for the US. I'm sure he'd rather face the Mandarin again than have to go through a Senate confirmation hearing.

Do you love Bruce Jones? I love Bruce Jones, too. Therefore, we should both read KINGPIN #6, which Bruce Jones has written. Mainly because it's Bruce Jones. Same reason to read INCREDIBLE HULK, don'tcha know.

Wolverine, Spider-Man, and Daredevil are all after the PUNISHER in issue #35 of Garth Ennis' series. (Again? Geez, this guy's harder to catch than Saddam Hussein...)

Strippers? In a story by Judd Winick? Say it ain't so! OK, it is so in GREEN ARROW #32, in which Harper takes Connor out for a night on the town.

Another day, another redesign of Doctor Octopus, this time by Humberto Ramos for SPECTACULAR SPIDER-MAN #7. Honestly - how can you redesign something that doesn't come off?

And finally, there's a load of X-citement this week as X-fans get their fiX with ULTIMATE X-MEN #39, WOLVERINE #5, X-TREME X-MEN #34, NEW MUTANTS #7, and NYX #2. Oh, X-stacy!

OK, all this punning has left me X-hausted (and unable to spell, it seems). Later, y'all!

Questions? Comments? Let us know what you think at comicscape@cinescape.com.

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