Comics’ Women Problem

Cheesecake, Refrigerators, Victims, and the Man Zone

Important Note• Obviously, exceptions to everything in this presentation do

exist. Thus, the examples within are admittedly “cherry picked.”

• However, the ease with which these were all found, and the sheer abundance of examples to choose from, should be more productive for us than simple arguments of “well, those are cherry picked.”

• Since fan-art can depict anything it wants, I’ve selected examples that are officially published by Marvel and DC.

The Merch

The Merch

Marketing

Sexualization (Depiction)

Sexualization (Depiction)

I challenge you to tell me what the hell is going on in this panel.

They Don’t Make Zippers Like They Use To

Sexualization Supporting Cast (Depiction)

Actual Cover

Fan Made Simple Fixes

More Merch (Mary Jane Can’t Win)

Treating the Boys the Same To Make A Point

Treating the Boys the Same

(De)Evolution of Harley Quinn

(De)Evolution of Starfire

Starfire (fromDepiction to Character)

Sexualization (Character)

Not technically a superhero and a pretty strong character, but is still not immune from having to play off sexual, romantic attraction to improve her odds and fight successfully.

Ms Males

Women in Refrigerators• In 1999, comic writer Gail Simone created a list of

female superheroes and supporting characters permanently maimed or killed in comics.• http://www.lby3.com/wir/

• There are over 200 entries

• The name (WiR) comes from Green Lantern #54 (1994) where the villain Major Force has stuffed the Green Lantern’s dead girlfriend in the hero’s home refrigerator

Betty Ross Banner:Abused, Multiple Miscarriages, Killed, andApparently More Interesting as Yet Another Hulk

Firestar:Using her powers was slowly making her sterile

Original Ms Marvel:Mind Controlled, Impregnated by Rape,Depowered, Alcoholic

Scarlet Witch:Children die/vanish because they were figments of her imagination. Driven insane. Destroys the Avengers

Dead Men DefrostingThe tendency for dead or depowered male character to usually come back either returned to their status quo or even better than they were before.

I mean, dude got to become Captain America.

Sexualized Violence

Damsels in Distress

Supermoms• The female superhero’s body is a place of conflict upon which

both progressive and conservative ideals are written

• On the one hand, the female superhero fights evil with the males and is their equal (or even more powerful). The superhero mom is representative of a 2nd wave feminism mantra of “having it all.”

• At the same time, a superhero mom is still conservatively maternal, nurturing, and conflict resolving in a gender essentialist way (i.e., those roles are not questioned or seen as the social constructions they are)

Sue Storm (The Invisible Woman) :A Study in Conservatism and Progressiveness

• Part of all male team in predominantly male profession

• Her powers (which make her hero identity) threaten her child’s birth. Thus, the conservative role of mother and the nuclear family unit are threatened by her more progressive characteristics• Symbolic threat to traditional gender roles

• Only through her husband’s (Reed Richards) bravery and genius is the baby delivered safely. Sue becomes an active threat and passive solver of the problem.

• Returns to work, balances motherhood and a career, while radically (for the time) getting outside assistance with her child.

• Deals (and often defies) patriarchal husband, often being devalued as worker (crime fighter) in favor of maternal matters• Which are, of course, important, but the choice was

constantly made for her

Marvel Girl. Single female of an all men’s team. Uber powerful. Can more than hold her own against villains. Witty. Clever with her expanding power. Yet unable to overcome the most powerful foe: staunchly conservative gender roles.

A Few Final Points• Comic book artists, writers, creators, and owners are still primarily

male

• Despite the comic book movie boom, few female characters have lead one.• Catwoman and Elektra were awful, awful movies.

• Female fans/cosplayers at major comic book con(vention)s are frequently victims of harassment and stalking

• New female characters are often responded to by male fans as mere gimmicks (highlighting the stereotype that the default for a superhero is male)

The Counterarguments