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11:38 PM
Marvel's bunch of mutants from the Xavier school had recently enthralled me. I loved the smooth talking Cajun Gambit. The punchy, take-no-prisoners attitude of Wolverine appealed to me even then. I loved the near naked, strangely sexualized Jean Grey and Rogue.
And I think that's where the problem starts for most young comic book fans.
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| Seriously, how do those proportions even work? Source: http://bit.ly/1en5ESX |
I took a 12 year break from comic books. I just didn't have the money when I was fourteen, and my dad had grown out of the hobby; no more freebies. In August 2013, I made my way back to the books that had defined my conceptions of heroes as a child. Spider-man, the X-men, Batman, and more began filling up boxes that had only been collecting dust for a decade.
Yet, as I spent and read, I found that things haven't changed all that much. Female characters, for the most part, are still relegated to the role of love interests, catalysts through death, and eye-candy. Progressive, popular females like Batwoman and Captain Marvel have their books rebooted and their creative teams gouged. In the case of Batwoman, her being a strong, lesbian female who wanted to get married was too much for the comic world, inciting her AAA writer to leave the book when DC refused to let her commit to the woman she loved.
I admit, there was a time when I let myself shrug these problems off with a "that's just comics" attitude. Then I started doing some research.
It only makes sense in any business to play to what your customers want. With comic books, it seems only natural to assume, then, that big businesses DC and Marvel should be writing stories about buxom bimbos without brains; right? As it turns out, the majority of comic book readers are not teenage boys. In fact, most comic book readers are mid-twenties to their mid-to-late 40's. Yes, we are still mostly male, but recent statistics show that women represent as much as 25% of comic book readership.
With that being the case, why is it so damn hard to get an interesting female character? Why is it so tricky to write a woman that can be pretty or not, can be smart or not, yet compelling enough to get people to pick up her book week after week? Ostensibly, it's all about the cycle.
As I was told recently at my local comic shop, women simply don't make for interesting storytelling. As if looking into a darkened reflection, someone my age, someone who grew up reading comics for the same reason I did was telling me that women do not make interesting, compelling characters, and that, my friends, points to the issue.
The big two, Marvel and DC, continue to push out AAA titles that feature lame-brained, eye-candy that gives rise to this backward idea. A lot of men grow up and realize that poorly written female characters are simply that; a product of poor writing. However, too many more think it is symptomatic of the gender. The big two, just like any other form of role model--make no mistake; their characters are role models--has a responsibility to craft an open worldview for young men, old men, and women to draw from. We rag on Miley Cyrus for acting like trash yet its okay for one of the most popular mediums in modern entertainment to train readers to think that's how women act, should act-as a rule?
It's especially frustrating to me in the case of Marvel. The X-men were originally conceived as social commentary against bigotry and oppression. That team, black, white, blue, male, female, were all in it together. Spider-man was written to be this every-man; anyone who ever felt the sting of poverty and the pain of lost love, male or female, could connect with the Web-slinger. Unfortunately, Marvel has since betrayed the essence of those characters, both in their writing and in the company's inability or lack of interest in encompassing real characters of both genders.
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| Image's Rocket Girl features a female lead that A)looks like a real person and B)is a bad ass time-cop Source:http://bit.ly/1ebv3yW |
Are you a comics fan? What do you think about the state of female characters in the big two's books?
Interesting. I too had craved for the dichonomy of sex and battle when I was a young comic book reader, and I am proud to say.....I still crave it. Why? I believe that the female body being shown in a skin-tight way can be offensive to some, but I heartily believe that the female body is also very empowering. The male body is also subject to skin tightness, but it is more accepted since it is backed up through feats of skin-O-the-teeth daring. The women in skin-tights are more than merely male-gaze tools of satisfaction. I have seen them fill more roles than mere love interests, yet there are times when they are just that. Is the woman's role to be the love interest? Examining the woman's world, I have notices that most of the literature beyond academia is centered around relationships and yes, these stories are rife with sexuality. At the same time, beyond the sexuality, the women are also heroes. They overcome gender roles and expectations while staying true to what they desire out of situations. Comic books also portray this only in a stronger light, if one is willing to look more than skin-tight-deep. What bugs me is when women were only counterparts or afterthoughts to original heroes, like Supergirl. I would love to see an original name for this super-alien and have her tell a story from a woman's point of view. How does a woman feel about the possibilities tied to her relationships, romantic, material and platonic in a world that needs a heroine? I feel that these characters have existed, like Rogue, who was young, and so was very affected by her need to be with people yet could not touch them. Her story, though relationship based has a certain depth to it. I say, keep the skin-tights and keep the stories running, but don't stop at that, cover all the bases where women are concerned, then maybe men, like in real life, will have to redefine what being a male hero is about.
ReplyDeleteIt's not sexuality as a rule that I'm arguing against. After all, I like the look of women myself. It's the lack of central roles for women in comics.
DeleteEven Rogue, an interesting character, tends to be side-lined. Her story, while interesting, never lives up to its potential because her story takes a back seat to her punching things and being great to look at. Even if women manage to escape the role of nerdporn, they are still killed off to provide motivation for the male protagonists who are still the central focus of books.
As you've pointed out, it's not enough for women to merely be female versions of established male characters. The recent run of Batwoman proved that a similar name does not have to provide a shadow, yet by and large poor writing makes sure it does.
Here's a really interesting piece that talks about the issue much better than I've been able to : http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=48368
What if comics shot for a Samus Aran approach: Create a mysterious character totally bundled and androgynous. This character could exhibit masculine and feminine qualities and then maybe after a period of time some information as to alter ego and identity starts slipping out? This could save this female character from being bottlenecked into the eye candy and would keep readers from exerting strong biases of preconceived female superhero stereotypes. It would be hard to pull off but the delivery could be made to shock nd aw readers at her eventual unveiling.
ReplyDeleteI like the idea of a Samus character in theory. The thing is since her reveal as a female character she's had to deal with the same kind of shoehorning.
DeleteFemale presence in entertainment is moving forward in a good direction I think, although comics may be a bit behind. I know in the cartoon series Avatar: The Legend of Korra - the main character is a strong female lead, and the show is great (which isn't surprising). This kind of character I hope to see in future comics. Korra's one of the few major female roles drawn with real proportions that I've seen, rather than excessive proportions like Wonderwoman, Elektra, etc. Korra looks like a real female, and not eye-candy.
ReplyDeleteThat's pretty spot on, I think. Korra is one of the few women in popular fiction who can be exceptional without having to look like a pin-up. Now that you mention it, I have a hard time remembering any other female character who can be tough and smart, without having to have back problems as a result of an absurd bust.
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