Comicscape - November 5, 2003

By: Tony Whitt
Date: Wednesday, November 05, 2003

OPINION:

Yes, you heard me right: "Part One." The response to my question about why there aren't enough female superheroes in their own books and what should be done about that problem was tremendous - and I finally got a goodly number of responses from female readers! Yay! Thing is, there were so many responses that I'm having to break the column into two parts - which is probably for the best, as this is an issue that needs to be addressed. Obviously, you think so, too.

Last week, Kevin Tomaszewski wrote in to explain why he feels more books featuring superheroines aren't yet out there - and why my list from that first column might not work as well as one might hope:

"In response to your question 'Who Deserves Her Own Series?' I'm afraid the answer's more complicated then merely meeting some fans' wish fulfillment. While it's a heartening sentiment to bemoan the current dearth of monthly comics starring females, the simple fact is that patriarchal economics still plays a huge role in the situation. For either DC or Marvel to lend support to any superheroine book, it seems that said book must be tied into a successful franchise. The only exceptions to this rule are WONDER WOMAN and ALIAS, but these are easily explained; DC keeps WONDER WOMAN around for her 'legacy' value, and ALIAS is a Bendis pet project (which will be ending and morphing into a team format soon anyway). (Good grief, why doesn't anyone tell me these things? - TBW) Everything else is tied into currently profitable franchises: DAREDEVIL, BATMAN, SPIDER-MAN, the X-MEN.

"As for those superheroine candidates you've suggested, here are my takes on their present status: She-Hulk might have been a possibility if the HULK movie had been a success. Now she's just excess baggage on a weakened franchise...Starfire has always been a team player. And while Kory does have enough character depth to possibly warrant a solo stint, she's now firmly bonded to the latest TEEN TITANS resurrection attempt, and team players generally make for unwieldy solo efforts.... Warbird presently suffers from the same curse as Starfire. And while Carol's old MS. MARVEL series had its moments, it never really sold all that well....While Zatanna is undeniably appealing, she tends to work best in small doses. The novelty value of her schtick wears out quickly in repetitive monthly installments...Presently, I think the likely reason preventing an ongoing series starring the Black Widow is the [dissolution] of the Marvel Knights imprint....Power Girl's primary function

has always been as a team player, the designated 'stand-in for Supergirl' whenever DC needs a super-strong femme other than Wonder Woman in a team capacity. There's always a small legion of fans who believe that whenever Supergirl goes missing, a prime opportunity arises for Power Girl to take on a more prominent role, such as a solo series. Yet the idea remains erroneous; unfortunately, PG's still too one-dimensional as a character to support it... And as for Supergirl herself, it's an unfortunate muddle. Even though DC would have us believe otherwise, it wasn't a lack of sales which killed the Girl of Steel's latest series. It was her publisher's lack of support in the face of yet another upcoming Superman reboot (but let's not call it a 'reboot' this time, 'cause it might upset the older fans some more). Apparently, DC simply couldn't be bothered to capitalize on the surprise success of the recent 'Many Happy Returns' story arc, even though the rest of its 'Super' line has been routinely plagued with creative bankruptcy and sales inertia. And therein lies the rub: solo superheroine series are still being maintained by the relative health of the franchise they're sprung out of, whether they're being individually successful or not - which may also help to explain why a low-selling series like SPIDER-GIRL keeps getting a reprieve from the axe."

Whew. Thanks for the information and the thoughtful analysis, Kevin - though admittedly I'm still reeling from the ALIAS and SUPERMAN news! Looked at in this light, though, the question of why there aren't more superheroine leads should probably be rephrased as "How could there be more superheroine leads?" It's a grim outlook, but a realistic one. Other readers had different takes on the reasons for the status quo, of course. Taking the ongoing EMMA FROST series as her starting point (and my thanks again to Robert Helmerichs for correcting my very dumb mistake of continuing to call it a mini), Suzi Eberhard had this to say: "On the subject of heroines and their own books, I have to say, while I don't have any suggestions, I have to ask: Who are these books

supposed to be aimed at? Didn't one of the people behind the White Queen mini claim that book was aimed at women and girls? Was he high? One look at those covers and I just sigh 'Not aimed at me.' It's not that far off from when Joe Esterhauz claimed that SHOWGIRLS was supposed to be inspirational to girls pursuing their dreams. (If they made no such claim and are really just hoping to provoke wank fantasies with the covers, carry on as usual. Also, I know, I know, sex is a large part of Emma's character, but come on....) Who would these new books try to appeal to? It's related to a question I've asked myself often of late: who is buying comics these days? I've been buying them for over 20 years myself, but I knew that, being female, I was an exception of sorts back in the day. But now, are comics bought largely by kids? By 20-30 year olds? Men? Women? Other? Do the big companies ever try and track their audiences? I wonder this when I hear someone grouse about kids not buying comics anymore, or when I overhear women talking about BIRDS OF PREY or CATWOMAN. Who is buying comics? Do the companies know their market may have changed? Do they even bother to seek new audiences? And if so, would well written, solo female adventure books - no more exploitative than the average guy book - bring some new blood in? (And if Wolverine's book picked up any new female readers thanks to the films, how quickly are they going to desert it now with that new horrible, down right ugly, artwork?)"

I think I'll leave that last question up to someone else to answer, Suzi, but your other questions are all ones I've been meaning to ask in a column for a very long time. I think your points dovetail quite well with Kevin's, though - his phrase "patriarchal economics" suggest (and probably correctly, too) that the comics market is still predominantly male. I'd like to see some hard numbers for that, of course, but that's the assumption that the entire comic book world seems predicated upon. Certainly they're still being marketed as if teenaged heterosexual men were the only consumers, and you and I both know that's not the case.

So does Ana Gomez, who wrote in to suggest Storm and Rogue would make

great leads in their own series - she was also concerned about what might be done to balance that disparity between male and female characters and to suggest another reason why it might exist in the first place: "First we need to address that there is a larger proportion of male writers and artists in the comic book world and that female characters usually need an writer who can relate to and feel like that character feels and interacts with the world. I don't mean to be sexist at all, but no matter how creative is an writer is, it is indeed easier for a male to write and keep on writing for a male character than for a female one, so this problem can be solved by hiring more female writers and artists that can add [what's] needed to develop the heroine and keep her attractive and fresh for the readers.

"Another point is that, for some reason that I don't fully understand because I'm a girl and I love comics and superheroines, most females don't read comics, maybe due to the [perception] that comics portray females [in a negative sexual manner]...Well, seeing a comic with a cover featuring a bare naked woman with a perfect body, most women wouldn't dare to buy it, and then they lose the opportunity of discovering the depth of the character involved into the story and the struggle she is going through. I'm sure if women knew the quality of female characters in comics, they would be more eager to read them. Also, comics are perceived by the media as violent and superficial and not romantic at all, and most women like romantic stuff; Danielle Steele's novels are a living proof. Also women like to learn things about life and love and friendship, and the comic world appears to lack that deeper side we women are always longing for...I think the male public is interested in superheroines just to watch some hot chicks kicking some asses, but that interest will only last for a short while, making the reader come back to the [heroes they usually read] with whom they can bond and relate to their experiences, something that doesn't happen with a female character."

Although some of what you say might be construed as generalization, Ana, especially the bit about women liking mostly romantic stuff, I have to wonder if the rest holds true for the most part. It may be more a question of what the female reader would most identify with, which is why a series like LOVE AND ROCKETS,

judging solely from the feedback it receives, has more female readers than, say, THE PUNISHER. Carolyn Raines might agree with that, if her comments at the end of the following letter are any indication. She also points out a significant truth about the comic book market - that the disparity we're discussing is mostly a Marvel/DC phenomenon: "The newer comics companies (such as Top Cow) have always been more dependent on/receptive to the female superhero (although their characters are not always defined by typical superhero standards). Titles such as WITCHBLADE and FATHOM have made the company what it is today. I would bet money that Michael Turner will continue this tradition with his Aspen Comics line...Lara Croft is another successfully selling female character, but she doesn't quite fit the superhero standard...CrossGen [has been] a bit better about offering female driven books (SOJOURN, MYSTIC, MERIDIAN), but they are on shaky ground right now so they may not serve as the best example.

"Ultimately, what I think we really need is a new woman, a woman for the 21st century, or at least a re-vamp of an old character with a 21st century attitude. Hell, I think I would be happy if Wildstorm would give us more Jenny Sparks (she was even drawn more proportionally...like a normal woman). So far, my vote goes to Jenny Sparks... She's got it all: she's disgruntled about her job, disgusted with life, and has a general hatred for people (like more of us

on a bad PMS day). The upside to a character like Jenny is that she is multi-faceted and there is plenty of room (from a writer's perspective) for growth personally and as a superhero. She'll make mistakes, but hey, what woman doesn't (if pressured, I'll deny I ever said women make mistakes), and it sure would be funny to see her go on a date, go to job interviews, cook dinner, or cope with being a single mother...So come on....give us a single, working mom superhero role model, one that fights crime, works on a college degree at night school, and raises two kids by herself. So far, Jessica Jones is a close as comics get. I'm going to miss her if she goes away." As will I, Carolyn, as will I. Interestingly, though, you've put forward a model for the 21st century women which some might feel bends to patriarchal imperatives to some degree - the male superhero only needs to keep a day job going in addition to the superhero gig, so why should the female superhero need to do that and work on a degree, or raise a family alone, or even do the housework? It's a sad truth that, for many, the reality of female equality is not that women are able to do the same things that a man can do but that they often have to do more than a man has to do, just to be considered an "equal." Is that also what we want in our female superheroes? Or am I just opening yet another can of worms in that disconcerting way I have?

At any rate, I've got several more of your comments to print, but we can already see that there's an entire creche of reasons why the female superhero is marginalized in today's comics market, and there's just as many ways the situation could be resolved (and just as many that may keep it from ever being satisfactorily resolved. I'd still like to hear your take on the whole thing (especially if you're a female reader of this column), so send your comments to comicscape@cinescape.com. While I may not be able to print them all, I'll certainly try to make sense of them all. Now, here's what you should probably be buying this week:

THIS WEEK:

Who says there are no strong female leads in comics? Just look at BAD GIRLS, which is looking increasingly like a cross between HEATHERS and...well, some book featuring teenaged female superheroes. (Hey, can I be blamed if there just aren't that many out there that come immediately to mind?) The fourth issue in the six-issue miniseries ships this week.

And speaking of bad girls, HARLEY QUINN #38 concludes the series about the psycho gal who just wants to have fun. Sigh. Guess DC's slight lead over Marvel in the number of female leads is over and done...

Image

doesn't need no stinking girls, no sir! This week they're sending out G.I. JOE #22 (in a second printing), as well as G.I. JOE: FRONTLINE #16 with two - count 'em, soldier! - two freakin' covers! But the biggest news for all you cadets is that POWERS #35, written by the great god Bendis himself, is shipping this week as well. Only problem: no Deena yet.

On the plus side, we're also getting ALIAS #28, and it still features arguably the best female character ever written for comics, Jessica Jones - so naturally they're going to f**k it up. Sigh. In the meantime, enjoy the conclusion of the much-talked-about "Purple" storyline!

She may not be Jennifer Garner, but she's still ELEKTRA, and she's still got her own series, issue #29 of which ships this week. Somehow I don't think either Elektra or Sydney (from TV's ALIAS would quietly accept that house note...

The Spider-Man franchise is still going strong, allowing SPIDER-GIRL, against all odds, to continue with issue #66. We also get DOCTOR OCTOPUS: NEGATIVE EXPOSURE #2 and yet another shot of Bendis-flavored goodness in ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN #49.

Take a well-deserved rest, Superman fans: you've only got ACTION COMICS #809 and Mark Waid's SUPERMAN: BIRTHRIGHT #5 (Of 12) to buy this week. Personally, I'd skip them both, but I know better than to mess with fans of the S. (I cannot believe I just said that...)

But it's second mortgage time for you Bat-Fans. Sure, you'll got the

relatively inexpensive BATMAN: CITY OF LIGHT #2 (Of 8) and DETECTIVE COMICS #788 coming your way, but I'm sure you're also going to want BATMAN: HUSH VOL 1 in hard cover for $19.95 (even though you already have the original run in mint condition - oh, yeah, you'll need a reading copy, won't you...); BATMAN: THE ARROW, THE RING, AND THE BAT, a softcover featuring Green Arrow and Green Lantern (as if you hadn't guessed already) for $19.95; and BATMAN YEAR TWO: FEAR THE REAPER, a trade paperback for$17.95. Don't worry, the second mortgage will be worth it.

Among other things this week, Wildstorm brings us the conclusion of EXTINCTION EVENT; Alan Moore's TOM STRONG #23; and the ROBOTECH: FROM THE STARS trade paperback for $9.95. According to Diamond, they're also supposedly shipping ROBOTECH: LOVE AND WAR #6 (Of 6), but the DC site says that's next week. And can you really trust anything you read on the Internet these days, anyway?

Looking at their website, you could hardly say CrossGen was on any shaky ground (what was that about, anyway, Carolyn?) - it's far and away the best one out there, even if you can't always find what's being sold this week all that easily. So, here's what you need to know about: CRUX #31; THE FIRST #36; MERIDIAN #40; and ROUTE 666 #17. Got it? Get 'em. Good.

Vertigo fans have only two things to buy this week, but oh, man... There's the SANDMAN PRESENTS: THE FURIES softcover for $17.95; and there's Y: THE LAST MAN #16. It won't take long to read these two babies, but talk about short but sweet...

Am

I the only comics fans who has yet to see an issue of J. Michael Straczynski's SUPREME POWER series because a) it's always sold out at the comics store, and b) my temporary Alzheimers kicks in every single time I remember to put it on my folder list? Issue #4 ships this week, so write in and tell your poor deprived columnist what's going on, won't you?

While Ed Brubaker's scripting of the Hawks' guest appearance in CATWOMAN last week convinced me that he should be writing all of DC's output, Geoff Johns is still doing excellent work on their main series, as HAWKMAN #21 should more than prove.

Speaking of Golden Age characters living it up in the modern age, JSA: ALL STARS #7 (Of 8), also written by Geoff Johns with David S. Goyer and featuring a special back-up story by Michael Chabon, also ships this week. But be warned - it's a bit bigger this week, so you'll need some extra change!

The

X-Fans are getting both a break and a treat this week. The good news is they only have three books to buy. The better news is that, in addition to WEAPON X #15 (which I'm sure someone out there will buy) and Greg Rucka's excellent WOLVERINE #7, there's WOLVERINE: THE END, a six-part miniseries detailing the last mission of everyone's favorite Logan, written by Paul Jenkins. Never has there been so much excitement over someone's funeral.

And finally, speaking of things that should have a funeral...will someone please put the Marvel website out of its misery? Once again, X-STATIX is reported on the company's site as continuing the "Di Another Day" storyline with #15 this week, and there's even a shot of the cover featuring Di. Again. Even though we all know it's not "Di Another Day." Good Lord. What is web reporting coming to these days?

Just remember: never stick anything in your ear. Except your elbow. See you next week!

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

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