Tag: heroine addict

Heroine Addict: Karen Berger Leaves Vertigo

by Molly Mahan

I’m not one to get particularly sentimental when it comes to creators of the media I consume, let alone executives and editors. Of course, like everyone, I have my  pantheon of persons whom I trust and whose content I relish and devour and track the moment it is in announced but they are few and far between, but even of those, I know which projects I might cling to and which I can avoid. That said, there was one imprint I trusted fully when I wanted to try something new, back when my income was more disposable than it is now; before the recession, before I was an ‘adult’. The imprint in question was Vertigo Comics, and the reason I trusted it was by and large because of Executive Editor and Senior Vice President Karen Berger.

An end of an era has come, as DC has officially announced that Berger shall be leaving Vertigo and DC Entertainment this coming March in a statement released Monday:

Karen Berger, Executive Editor & Senior Vice President of DC Entertainment’s Vertigo brand, has announced she is stepping down from her post after nearly 20 years at the helm of the award-winning literary imprint. She will remain on through March 2013 where she will be assisting in the transition to a new leadership team which includes veteran staffers whom she has mentored over the years.

As I am writing this, I am more than a little choked up. Tears are stinging my eyes, as I look at my physical comic book collection (I have gone mostly digital in the past few years) and think back on my development as a comic book reader over the last decade. From the near-universally adored Sandman and Fables, the controversial-but-profitable V for Vendetta, to the practically unknown 12-issue run of the Vinyl Underground. Berger was behind each of these titles and shaped my reading and understanding of comics in ways that the mainstream superhero titles could not. They explored heavier philosophical ideas, endured more mature themes (not just violence and sex, but the many shades of gray that gradient between our concepts of right and wrong), and they kept my interest in the graphic medium when spandexed crime fighters began to feel a little too puerile even for me. Vertigo was like an independent publisher but with the luxury of a corporation behind it. Under Berger, it took chances at every turn and refused to rest on its laurels, even when the money made sense to do so.

As a girl real reading comics, it didn’t hurt that she was a woman. I remember the first time I flipped through a volume of Sandman and saw her name in small print on the inside cover. I must have been fifteen or so  when I ran to my mother enthusiastically and said, “Look! We can work in comics. She did it, so can I!” Even though I am writing this article in a feature called “Heroine Addict,” which is all about women and their place, role, and future in geek culture and genre fiction, I still forget how much it means to see other women succeeding and paving the way for future female creatives and executives. Visibility matters.

It only helped that she managed such a strong and stable history of amazing titles and creators filter through during her tenure. American Virgin, Transmetropolitan, Garth Ennis, Grant Morrison. Household names now, but then? What would life be like if Karen Berger hadn’t been there? Certainly some of the greats would have made it through, but in a world where George R. R. Martin turned down Neil Gaiman to write for an anthology because he was too unknown, one cannot truly surmise how greatly she has impacted us as individuals, let alone as a community. I do not want to spend too much time on hypotheticals, but one thing is certain: for the past decade when I picked up a number one of a new title or bought a trade by an author with whom I was not yet familiar, if it had the Vertigo logo on it, I knew I was in for some solid storytelling, brilliant ideas, and great characters.

We do not know yet where Berger plans to go from Vertigo. She simply said that she was in need of a “career change,” and in light of DC pulling the plug on Hellblazer and other Vertigo staples coming to an end, one can only speculate that even with Fables, its spin-offs continuing their runs, and Sandman returning in March, this very well appears to be Vertigo’s twilight. Lucky, for me, there is still a back catalog of work that was produced under her tenure that I have yet to complete (namely Y: The Last Man and Scalped), and a few I couldn’t quite get behind but may revisit (i.e., Preacher—I loved the ideas, but sometimes the gore was just too gruesome for me to get past). At least for now, there is more to be read and, of course, her legacy will remain in print thanks to trades and digital publishing. But what of the future—for both Vertigo and Berger? We will have to wait and see: one with morbid curiosity, the other with hope.

Heroine Addict: Defending Cosplay and (Variably) the Booth Babe

by Molly Mahan

If you’re a consistent reader of Geekscape, or at least give a click to read my articles, then you are like to know that I partake in the act of cosplay. I enjoyed dressing up as a little girl (even if I didn’t do it all that often), and Halloween has always been my favorite non-religious holiday. Sure, you get to blow shit up on the Fourth of July in America, which is pretty cool, but there is rare a chance you can, quite simply, not be a you for a night. And that kind of freedom is invigorating. Since moving to Los Angeles and joining the Geekscape crew, I have been given the opportunity to attended conventions throughout the year, which has allowed for Halloween to seem like child’s play in the face of the art that is cosplay. I attended my first Comic Con in 2011, and as part of the experience I put together a Black Canary costume.

Since then, I have played that role at four different conventions, two film sets, and an “-ism” themed costume party (some people got “heroism”, other assumed “sado-masochism”–whatever works). In the process, I have nearly shredded the left leg of my fishnets (due to getting caught in the zipper, running into crap ’cause I’m a klutz, etc), nearly passed out due to heat exhaustion, and fallen over multiple times due to my inability to properly run around in heels–even twisting my ankle twice ’cause I was drunk. (Wee!)

Maybe I should work on my balance first …

For my 1st anniversary as a cosplayer, I  decided it was a perfect time to prep a new character. So I settled on a character (Emma Frost), a costume (White Phoenix a la Endsong), and began to do my homework so I could properly represent the part at the convention (reading everything from The New X-Men to her brief solo run) and trying to look awesome in photos (aka spending hours posing in front of the mirror to get her smirk down pat). It was fun, it was exciting, and it gave me pride when I put my costume on for the first time and it not only fit, but I felt confident in it. I admit it is a pretty fleshy costume (not that skin bothers me, I do go to the beach from time to time), but there’s something about dressing up like Emma Frost that made me feel powerful, a subject rather than object, and I think that’s a credit to her character. And her super awesome mutant abilities.

Then the days leading to Comic Con became fewer and fewer, and guides on “How to Survive” became more prevalent. Although, it was my second SDCC, I decided to click on a few, each saying the same thing: shower, chew gum, try to sleep, respect your fellow geek, etc. Helpful stuff. However, almost all of them also made sure to point out cosplayers and while telling Con goers to “look but don’t touch” could be helpful, claiming we all have daddy issues is quite another, and it goes to show just how few people seem to understand what cosplayers do and why we do it. (Spoiler alert: It’s not because our daddies ignored us and/or gave us too much attention as children).

First: Cosplayers are people, too. Second, cosplayers aren’t just female. There is an incredible amount of men who cosplay. From the elite 501st (while not all male, is predominantly so), to the Waldos, and even the dude Slave Leias. These guys are putting themselves out there as much as the women, sometimes showing as much skin (if not more thanks to bare chests on guys not violating some silly decency code), yet they aren’t mocked for having an Oedipus complex of some sort. And why is that? I’m not 100% sure I can even attempt to answer that question, but it is one that needs to be asked and one that needs to be addressed.

Ash Ketchum and Pikachu … gotta catch ’em all, amiright?

 I’m obviously not saying we should start accusing the men of cosplay of being attention whores or having parental issues or anything else. Rather, I am saying we shouldn’t be attacking the women in such a way either. Cosplay is an art. Sure, it can be fetishized, but so can ponies from Canterlot and Ponyville. Yes, the costumes can be quite sexy, but more often than not it’s because the we are trying to properly replicate the costumes from the comics or movie or tv show as much as possible, and even if we hate how sexualized Star Sapphire is, if she’s our favorite character, and we have the nerve to wear it, we will.

And no, it’s not the admirers or the fetishizers of cosplay that I’m talking to in this article. It’s the slut shamers (who are not defined by gender!) and those who think every girl in a costume is a mindless “booth babe” (i.e., woman who is paid to be attractive and hang around a booth at conventions, selling an item she may or may not be knowledgeable about). Booth babes are people, too, and they’re doing a job they’ve been paid to do. If you hate them, talk to their employer. But in my personal experience, I rarely have ever been asked who I am or why I chose the character. I can only assume it’s the same experience for most cosplayers (male and female), so unless someone out there is always demanding, “Who are you dressed as and why?” then the complaint of oblivious attention whores seems, for the most part, rather unfounded. 

You bet she knows who she is!

That said, speaking as a cosplayer: It’s not all about you, the non-cosplayer. It’s about us. While you may think we dress up for dudes to get attention, we dress up for ourselves above all else, no matter our end game. We are part of the show, part of the greatness of Comic Con.  We work hard on the outfits, the concepts. We don’t just wake up and think, “Oh, I know, I’ll run around half naked in a costume that costs about a month’s rent to get some nerd boys and girls’ blood pumping!” In fact, sometimes it’s hoping we’ll get a job. That the attention will come from someone with a camera, so we can dazzle with our personalities (not just our tits and ass) and hopefully get a job. Be it a booth babe next year (we’re already doing half the job for free), or an announcer gig on some geek-central TV show. While you may look down on that, it is what sells and this economy isn’t all too great (I don’t know if you’ve noticed).

But it’s not just about that. It’s also about the craft and the characters, and trying to be people we love, and show off our creativity and personalities.

Prior to commissioning Emma Frost (I can’t sew, but my good friend Abby can and she runs her own shop called Cape & Cowl Creations), I wanted to do Daenerys from A Song of Ice and Fire. SPOILERS AHEAD! But I didn’t want to do just any Daenerys, I wanted to be Daenerys the moment after giving birth to her dragons. Meaning, I wanted to be naked, covered in soot and dragons. My original plan was to essentially make a bikini made of dragons. END SPOILERS! Obviously, it’d be a sexy costume. I get that. Curiously enough, when I was talking to Abby about it, I didn’t even think of the men when I was telling her about my ideas. Rather, I was thinking of the Slave Leia cosplayers and trying to 1-up them. Mostly because I hate Leia in Return of the Jedi and do not understand why anyone would want to be her. Nevertheless, people do, and that’s fine. In the end, we didn’t make the costume due to cost. It’d be expensive. In the mean time we made Emma Frost, and next on the list is a female Predator costume, hopefully in time for Halloween. In a few years, we may revisit Daenerys the Unburnt, if something else hasn’t come along in the mean time. 

How I really feel about Slave Leia

It’s funny talking to men who are cosplayers vs. men who aren’t about cosplay. Those who aren’t often think it’s all about attention or sex. While those two things may not be out of the equation, they are certainly not the only parts of it. We dress up because it’s part of our identity as geeks. We want to be these characters, we want to show off our craft, we want to play dress up in ways we haven’t since we were kids. We want to show off our creativity and how clever we can be, especially if it’s a group or a specialty cross-over cosplay (like the Playboy Bunny Avengers or Superheroine Disney Princesses, etc.). We don’t just want (if it is what we want) attention. For the most part, we can get that anyway, it really isn’t all that hard. And, ironically enough this year, I received more attention as the Red skirt than I did as Emma Frost and Black Canary combined. Except when, as Emma Frost, I was standing next to a Jean Grey and a Scott Summers. That’s because group cosplay is cruise control for cool, and it’d be hard to find even a cos-hater who thinks group cosplay sucks, especially when done extremely well.

Seriously, how awesome are they? [Photo by Pat Loika]

When talking to men who do cosplay, I invariably express my desire to do something hyper conservative to the point of others not knowing my gender. While my love of Star Wars has waned since high school, I have always wanted to dress up as a Storm Trooper for that very reason. I have since realized that after the third or fourth person informed me that I was “A little short to be a stormtrooper” I’d probably get bored and change. I’ve looked into other avenues and ideas for full body, nonsexy stuff, and each time I talk to my male colleagues they respond the same way. “Why would you ever do that? One of the best parts about being a girl is not having to wear much. You can be the character and let your skin breathe!” Definitely not the argument I was expecting for Babea Fett, but it is one–a legitimate one at that! Considering I did nearly pass out from the Canary costume not breathing in the chest, it is one I need to think about in the future.

So, before you (if you’re the kind to do this) go off saying cosplayers are just doing it for the attention, a lot of strumpets, etc., try thinking about why they do it as an extension of their geekdom. Geeks are so quick to claim that they have been shat upon by society, yet we also are very quick to shit on other groups. Either claiming our superiority because we know more about the topic, because we have the most collected of a product line, or because we don’t dress up in costumes in public. It’s ridiculous. Unless a cosplayer is giving you unwanted attention, there’s really no need to be offended. Look the other way, or stay home and watch the coverage from your computer. It’s a lot less stressful that way.

Heroine Addict: The Importance of Black Widow

by Molly Mahan

I have been meaning to write about Natasha Romanoff aka Black Widow for a while, and with Battleship do to overtake The Avengers in the box office this weekend, I better write it now! So, here we go: why Black Widow is important to the portrayal of women in action films, especially in the superhero subgenre. (That’s what you call a thesis, folks!)

Although I’m not very familiar with the Marvel Universe when it comes to comics, I am fairly versed with action films in general, and superhero films in particular. I have  seen just about every single superhero movie since they became the “thing” again with the release of X-Men in 2000. Batman Begins, Iron Man, Superman Returns, Spider-Man, etc., etc. As you can tell by the titles, they were about men, and if you watched any of them you might have notice a severe lack of women. While each of these films had a leading lady of some degree—Rachel Dawes, Pepper Potts, Lois Lane, and Mary Jane Watson—you might also have noticed that each of these women also happens to be the titular man’s love interest.

Now, before someone gets offended or pissed off at me for denigrating the clever Pepper Potts or the brilliant reporter Lois Lane to “love interest”, I must say that, with the exception of Rachel Dawes, I am quite fond of all of these women, especially in their comic book form. That said, in the comics they have lives of their own and arcs that consist of more than “I will not date you, but I think you’re adorable” to “you have won me over with your heroism, let’s get to it!” As far as the movies are concerned, there isn’t much else to them, no matter how snappy their dialogue may be.

Enter Black Widow.

There she is!

Just like the rest of these women, she’s attractive, sophisticated, and damn good at her job.  Unlike the rest, she exists without the need of a romantic story line. She is a supporting character who helps the hero meet his goals and doesn’t feel the need to bang him for doing a good job. She is a breath of fresh air, not only in action movies, but movies in general. It is rare to find a female character who wants things, not just in addition to, but completely outside of a husband or boyfriend. What’s more, is she has survived two films without falling into that trope. It was easy for her not to do so in Iron Man, as Pepper Potts is the leading lady in that franchise, but to hop ship to The Avengers and not be paired with any of the men (two of whom lacking girlfriends going in), is pretty spectacular.

Yes, there were a few hints by others that she and Hawkeye may have more than just a working relationship, but each time it was dismissed by the present party. Additionally, in their shared scenes it was standard banter between co-workers. It’s so good to see a male and female character work together without emphasizing the sexual tension. It’s good to see they can be friends and not be destined to the When Harry Met Sally endgame of holy matrimony. It’s good to have movies where the main female character is too busy kicking ass and saving the universe to even think about her libido or if she’ll find true love and all that jazz.

Black Widows kill their mates, anyway. Life is sometimes better than sex. Sometimes.

Now, I’m not saying love is a bad thing. Seriously, it’s one of my favorite things in the universe (you may read my Valentine’s Day article about it), but romantic love isn’t for everyone. Not everyone wants it (believe it or not!), and very few people want it all the time. We go through ebbs and flows regarding the relationships we want and need in our lives (at least I know I do), and it’s nice to finally be able to go to my kind of movie and see the character I self-identify myself with due to the vagina thing (if nothing more) and not have to watch her fall madly in love with the hero. It’s liberating.

What I also like about Black Widow is that she can, for the most part, take care of herself. Aside from the weird horror film sequence in The Avengers where The Hulk–I mean, “the  Other Guy”–chases after her and she runs around, trying to hide like a terrified little girl, she’s a fairly competent hero. A competent hero sans-powers, at that! She kicks ass, takes names, and helps her team save the day with her interrogation skills and ability to coax the villain into monologuing his schemes away (no matter how obvious it may have been to the audience). Additionally, Black Widow’s introductory scene was awesome. Even with the god-awful hair whipping that was supposed to be a headbutt. The way she worked around the chair was pretty spectacular, and not something I had seen before.

Which is more beneficial: A woman with a gun or a bowman?

An interesting, independent female character who is trying to seek redemption on her own terms, and not in the arms of a lover? Yeah, she gets my vote for Best On Screen Female Comic Book Character. Definitely. Even with the over-sexualized portrayal of her in the advertising of the movie (but that’s been talked about to death, and I want to stay mostly positive in at least once when talking about The Avengers).

That said, as much as I like Black Widow, I’m not sure if a solo film starring her is where it should go. Perhaps a S.H.I.E.L.D. film is a good idea; but a solo film, I’d imagine, would basically just be a female James Bond movie, and would negate all the pros I was pitching, as Bond is nothing if not hyper sexed and romanticized, even if he refuses to fall in love. And yes, I recognize that seduction may very well be one of her tools for gaining information, but so far it hasn’t been used and I’d like it to stay that way.

Nevertheless, I see this as a major step forward (be it conscious or not by the filmmakers), and I hope that we can see more women like this in action films, and maybe it will coax DC into finally bringing a decent Wonder Woman project forward, and not just some half-assed attempt like last year’s pilot (which I watched and it was just dreadful).

In the mean time, we’ll see two women in The Dark Knight Rises. One being Selina Kyle aka Catwoman, the other is Miranda Tate who may potentially be Talia Al Ghul. If so, then both women are known for their romantic ties to the Batman just as much as, if not more so, they are known for anything else. Considering Catwoman is advertised as a major villain in the film, I doubt it will be all that defines her (and if Miranda is Talia then of course there will be a bigger arc, due to her Ra’s role in Batman Begins). Nevertheless, it seems doubtful that a romantic story arc–no matter how doomed to fail or tragic–will be missed in the case of either of these women. Not to mention, since the death of Rachel in Dark Knight, there will surely be a hole to fill in the Caped Crusader’s heart.

This feels somewhat reminiscent of 1992 … did you used to be a blonde?

We’ll see. I won’t necessarily be disappointed either way, I just hope it doesn’t take another decade or so before a female hero can exist without her presence being justified or dependent upon her male counterpart.

Heroine Addict: Lauren Faust and the Fluttershy Effect

by Molly Mahan

Recently, I was granted the opportunity to ask My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic creator Lauren Faust a couple questions. Regrettably, she was running from her signing to her next appointment, so only two questions were actually able to be answered. But during my brief appointment with her, I was able to understand her fanbase and get a glimpse at what kinds of stories Faust enjoys and wants to continue telling.

Now, I am no stranger to her work. I used to watch the Power Puff Girls when I was younger, and I may very well have the potential to become a brony myself (there are still a few more pastures I must graze before I am truly ready to rock out with my hoofs out). Nevertheless, I didn’t know what to expect. I hadn’t read much about her in the press or any potential blogs, and I’m not entirely familiar with those who solely create stories geared to tweens and younger. So, it was an awesome experience to see such a creator, surrounded by her creations and her beloved fans.

Waiting at the end of the line for her autograph signing, I saw an array of Faust fans. Although there was a spattering of young girls, for the most part they were somewhere between 15-35 year olds, many of whom are men. A fanbase Faust could never have expected “in a million years”. The best part about it, is that none of them love the show ironically. They are all fierce supporters and proud to hear the term “brony” dropped sans snark. It goes to show what I have been saying: solid storytelling with relevant characters and archetypes can and will bring in the desired and even unexpected audiences. Nevertheless, it’s awesome to see how little we think we know about institutionalizing gender roles, or the claim that they are natural in society. It is to a point that even I am surprised.

Of the two questions I had time to ask Faust, the first was how she feels about her unexpected brony fanbase. “They’re awesome,” she says. “I’m inspired by them and their ability to look past preconceived notions of what’s society says is acceptable for them and judge the show by its own merit […]. They’re all so open-minded and cool. Their ability to endure how other people treat them is inspiring.”

If you ever take the time to watch an episode of My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic (do it. Do it NOW), you’ll see that the message of the show is one its fans–8 year old girls or 30-something year old men–really take to heart. And no, it’s not just the same morality plays that storytellers have been telling kids for years  being resold under a different label–although such messages of “treat others as you want to be treated” and “think before you speak” are present in the show–there is much more to it than that, and not just because the heroines have hoofs instead of feet. The show really is about the importance of friendship and that there is a kind of magic to it. The show effectively portrays mixed personalities, real-to-life conflicts and struggles, and how to essentially enjoy the company of those who don’t think the same way you do.

Now, in case you’ve never watched the show, let me catch you up on the basic premise: a young unicorn named Twilight Sparkle, who knows  everything and anything so long as it can be found in a book, is sent–much to her dismay–by her mentor Princess Celestia, supreme ruler of Equestria, to Ponyville to experience friendship first hand. There, she meets and (begrudgingly, at first) befriends a group of ponies, each of whom represent an important ‘element of friendship’.: Apple Jack (honesty), Fluttershy (kindness), Rainbow Dash (loyalty), Rarity (generosity) and Pinkie Pie (laughter).

The great thing about this show is the layers. You can tell each character apart not just by her coat and mane, but by her actions. Just like, you know, real people. And there’s more to these ponies than just being “the fighter”, “the pacifist” or “the leader”, which is the typical three-part discord you find in storytelling to distinguish your characters. Neigh! These ponies have legitimate fears, needs, and desires, and their personalities are ones you can actually use as a template to help handle real people, which I believe is what draws in the unexpected fanbase.

Twilight Sparkle, like many of us who were born in or adapted to the internet age, is a pony who would much rather be left alone. She doesn’t believe she need friends or external action to have adventure or learn about the world around her: she has her books. She is an armchair anthropologist, sociologist, psychologist and any other -ologist you can think of. She knows more than any pony around. If she needs social interaction, she has her dragon assistant Spike and weekly correspondence to Princess Celestia for that. She has bigger fish to fry than to learn about her pony brethren.


“The fate of Equestria does not rest on me making friends!” but the fate of humanity, might, Twilight!

After all, learning how to interact with people can be hard. If you get a couple of math problems wrong, you can erase the answers and try again. But muck up an introduction or say the wrong thing in a conversation and you can easily be labeled an asshole for the rest of your life in that town. Who wants that? So, sometimes it seems as if you are better off alone (that’s right, Alice Deejay, I said it).

Yet, social interaction is a key part of the human experience. When Aristotle said, “Man is a political animal”, he wasn’t talking about a person’s need to vote in elections, sign petitions or picket grocery stories. He meant a human is an animal of the polis, the city. In essence, humanity has a need to work together–not alone–to build our species up. The blending of cultures and ideas is, supposedly, what postbellum America was founded upon. But, not everyone is able to socialize efficiently or effectively, and so many of us–like Twilight Sparkle–build our walls and towers to keep people out and ourselves in.

Having a studious and shut in character isn’t exactly rare in children’s cartoons, especially those which include an element of socialization in their aim, however they are scarcely the prominent characteristics of the main protagonist. They typically pertain to one of the sidekicks or someone the lead has to “fix”, and who ever wants to be associated with being the sidekick or broken? (The only other book-smart main protagonist I can think of is Dexter, of Dexter’s Laboratory, but he was hardly socialized. Aside from a few people he played the show’s equivalent of DnD with, I can’t recall him working well with others who acted or thought differently than him.)

Not once, do you think while watching the show, “What is wrong with Twilight Sparkle, who doesn’t want friends?!” You understand her dilemma and agree at once that the ponies of Ponyville might be a little backwards from the cultured thoroughbreds of Canterlot, but you also know she’s not there just to observe others friendships, but to make and experience them on her own. Which is something we should all do.

When I was younger I had a hard time making friends. Either I moved or my best-friend moved, throughout elementary school, that by middle school and high school I had given up. I went to school to learn, not to make friends. Then I moved to Texas for college and quickly learned the importance of a familiar face when adapting to new surroundings.

I do not mean to imply that every brony out there is a Twilight Sparkle, or only has her characteristics. I personally see myself as more of an Apple Jack or Rainbow Dash, but I was a Philosophy student in college and can admit that I know more about Aristotle’s theories of friendship than about the actual experience, and I’d wager the same is true for most of colleagues. MLP:FiM is an excellent exercise in philosophy of mind, especially when delving into the theories of other’s minds, because you can witness the interactions rather than just read about them.

Of course, as the pilot episode suggests, your own experiences will be infinitely superior qualitatively, but this is a great stepping stone in understanding others. Once you are able to understand that people think differently, and that in doing so they are actually a benefit rather than a deterrent in your understanding of the world, then you can realize the importance of friendship and that friendship truly is magic.

See what I mean?

When I stood in line for my interview, I could tell that all the bronies had taken the message to heart. Half a dozen fans tried to file in line behind me before being turned away because Faust was leaving the booth to her next appointment. Rather than pout and complain, they all nodded, smiled and said with a glimmer of hope, “Maybe next time” or “I knew I should have been here earlier!” None complained or tried to get special treatment. It was really a breath of fresh air. It’s cool to see fans actually receive a message and understand that the world doesn’t revolve around them.

Although Lauren Faust is no longer the show runner of MLP:FiM, she is still involved as a consultant and has laid out some excellent ground work for future seasons and episodes. Currently, she’s branching off to new shows and projects, such as Milky Way and the Galaxy Girls and Super Best Friends Forever, each geared at young girls, though with potential to bring in the male demographic.

As a DC fangirl, I am personally excited about Super Best Friends Forever, which by now many of you have probably seen. They’re 75 (or so) second shorts, starring Wonder Girl, Supergirl, and Batgirl that are intermingled in the DC Nation block on Cartoon Network. The controlling idea behind these shorts are to show superheroes in teenage situations rather than the other way around. Instead of saving the planet before bedtime, “they’re trying to hijack Wonder Woman’s invisible jet and take it for a joyride,” Faust explains, “or get out of being grounded.” Real to life situations that extraordinary people are put in rather than the other way around. After all, they’re teenagers first, superheroes second.

Heroine Addict: In Defense of Fishnets

by Molly Mahan

Women’s costuming is a topic often put on the block for debate, especially in comic books. Do the costumes make sense or are they simply exploitative? Fashion guru Tim Gunn even threw his hat into the ring a few years ago, critiquing an array of female superheroes and villains’ wardrobes. Among those he critiqued were Power Girl and Black Canary. Interestingly, Gunn said he believes that Power Girl owns her boob window costume and that it is less objectionable than many of the other costumes (such as Star Sapphire and even the current Catwoman costume, which is typically lauded for its utility). Conversely, upon seeing Black Canary’s costume his immediate response was, “Well, she’s a tramp.” I’m not going to accuse Mr. Gunn of slut shaming a fictional character, but as Geekscape.net’s number one Black Canary fan and doppelgänger, I feel it is my duty to defend her and the fishnets.

First of all, the costume has history. It is as old as the character, dating back to 1947 when the original Black Canary, Dinah Drake, first appeared on the scene. At first, she looked to be a villain, before she was revealed was the newest costumed hero, infiltrating a criminal gang. She was a competent hero who joined the Justice Society of America and, later, helped found the original Justice League of America. Her daughter, Dinah Laurel Lance, would follow in her footsteps and put on the fishnets herself to become the new Black Canary of the modern age.

Nevertheless, since taking over her mother’s role, Dinah has gone through several costume changes. Some more practical than others, but she eventually always reverts back to the fishnets. Although the look of the bodysuit has changed over time (from breast baring to a turtleneck on top and with varying cuts over, under and on the hips), the wide weave fishnets have been a consistent staple to the costume. In her rebooted costume, there are even references to the fishnets in the design on her pants. Although I think this particular costume is ridiculous, the fact the wide weave made it into the character design proves how important the fishnets are to the character.

In Gail Simone’s first run on Birds of Prey, Huntress dresses up and pretends to be Black Canary, while Dinah is rehabilitating from a previous mission. Helena could not handle the fishnets at all; she felt gross and exposed. A later Helena asks Dinah how she could possibly bear to wear that kind of thing on a nightly basis and not feel trashy, and Dinah quips, “At least when I go after Two-Face he can’t tell if I have an innie or an outie,” and Helena rescinds her comment.*

When it comes to costuming in comic books, it is pretty easy to look at a character and be disgusted by the way he or she looks (there are some seriously bad male costumes out there, too), but to take one look at Black Canary and call her a “tramp” is grating. It shows he doesn’t know anything about the character and her history. Which may be the point: he’s assessing based on visual alone, yet he still says Power Girl owns her costume and is fine with it. In which case, it’s possible that the pictures used for reference were poorly chosen. The things to pay attention to are the history of the costume, the personality of the character, in addition to the potential beef and cheesecake factors. I agree with Tim Gunn when he says that Power Girl’s costume works for her, in the same way I believe Emma Frost costume works for her. I can’t imagine just anyone running around in a corset, which is why Harley Quinn’s costume design upsets just about everyone who looks at it.

Of course, this is the problem we run into when a universe is rebooted and so none of the character have a history that we are familiar with. Black Canary’s mother likely no longer exists, and so her fishnet costume no longer makes sense and the traditionally conservative Harley Quinn may fit the new Quinn who we only know so much about.

In another video by Crazy Sexy Geeks, they poll convention participants on whether or not Wonder Woman should wear pants. The women asked, mostly cosplayers and artists, almost unanimously say “No.” One Supergirl cosplayer even points out that “when you’re invincible, you don’t really need to cover up.” Tim Gunn, of course, won’t say she has to wear pants, but if she wanted to work a skinny jean, she totally could. Yet every time artists change Wonder Woman’s costume, the horde comes after them and the editors, even those who hate her patriotic color scheme have taken ill with some of her changes. Perhaps because while it may get more practical in some areas (i.e., pants), impractical parts still exist (like the corset). My personal favorite version of her costume will always be the Grecian armor in her standard color scheme. It represents all aspects of her history and origin, and keeps most of her thighs covered. Everyone wins here, in my opinion. But alas, we have that “no skirts” rule, which is ridiculous.

From my understanding, the reason the “no skirts” rule came about was because there was one too many panty shots of our dear Supergirl. This should really just have been a ban on the artist exploiting female characters, as there is nothing inherently sexist or offensive about fighting crime in a skirt. The Greeks and Romans did this for years, even after the invention of pants. And this is the true problem when it comes to costumes: the artist needs to respect the characters he or she is drawing. While fanservice and pinups have their place, it is rarely within the pages of a comic.

Back when Ed Benes was the main artist for Birds of Prey, I used to count how many panels it would take before I got to one where I didn’t see any of the character’s butts. Even with Huntress’s cape, he managed to make it so her derrière was still prominent in most of the panels. Now, I’m a fan of Ed Benes’s work. His women are beautiful, I have a copy of his first art booklet and I not-so-secretly want to commission him to draw me as Black Canary someday. Nevertheless, there is a time and place. So, unless Helena’s butt is aiding in the storytelling, there’s no need for it, and I doubt Gail Simone requested that Mr. Benes put her bottom out there so often in the panels of their book.

Ed Benes just can’t help himself.

Though some writers do detail it into their scripts, though it does not always add to the story. Jim Lee was requested by Frank Miller to draw Vicki Vale in her panties and heels, waltzing around her curtains-less apartment, as she works on her next news piece. She also appears to have been knocked down from an investigative reporter to a Carrie Bradshaw-esque sex columnist. Neither of these things particularly aids her in being a realistic and respected character. Not to say that real women don’t walk around their apartment in their underwear and five inch heels, but few do it to excite an audience like Miller. Here’s an actual line from his script to Jim Lee:

“Okay Jim, I’m shameless. Let’s go with an ASS shot. Panties detailed. Balloons from above. She’s walking, restless as always. We can’t take our eyes off her. Especially since she’s got one fine ass.”

A Frank Miller “Character Moment”

What does this add to the story? Not a thing. But that’s what happens when your creators don’t respect their characters, and Miller calls himself on it with the “I’m shameless” bit. It’s heartbreaking to see that kind of behavior, but I digress.

The trick to having empowered female characters is to make sure all the creators involved respect the work they have created and view each of the characters as his or her own person and not just as plot devices or eye candy. If you’re going to write or draw a character then at least have the decency to know and understand her. Read the Wiki article and a couple of back issues. The more realistic the character, the better the story will be. It doesn’t matter if she wears pants, a skirt or fishnets, so long as it’s the kind of clothing that character could pull off.

When I dressed up as Black Canary for Comic Con this last year, I was a little nervous about the endeavor. It was less clothing than I have ever really worn out in public (during daylight hours, no less!), it was my first day at Comic Con, ever, and I just wasn’t sure if I could pull it off. But believe me, once I put it on and got myself into the character of Dinah Lance, I loved it. I didn’t feel like a tramp, I didn’t feel objectified by the people around me. I felt confident and proud of my costume. If it weren’t for the fact I got run over by a rickshaw that night, I probably would have worn it again later in the Con. And I think all of this stems from my original argument for why Dinah Lance wears the fishnets in the first place: she wears them to emulate a person she loves and respects. She wears them because they remind her of who she is and where she comes from. They help her to become the Black Canary, which is why I think her other costumes didn’t last very long, even if they were more practical.

The fishnets don’t work for everyone and each character has his or her own style. For an artist to redesign a character (be it Black Canary or anyone else), he needs to first understand who that character is, where he or she comes from and where he or she plans to go and do, before he can decide what look works for her.

* Huntress’s costume has come under its own share of fire. The costume she wore for most of the 90s was based on Roman Catholic robes and had full bodied protection. When the change came during the first Hush storyline in Batman, fans were aggravated because it no longer expressed anything about her and showed off her stomach, where she had not too long ago taken a bullet. Her current costume (a full body variation of the new Jim Lee design), is once again practical and references her Catholic roots again with the white cross.

Heroine Addict: Let’s Talk About Rape

by Molly Mahan

This past weekend, I was having a lunch date with a fine gent who happens to be a fan of A Song of Ice and Fire by George R. R. Martin. While emphatically discussing the books and the show, I made a comment on how great the women are depicted in the story and how it really could be examined as feminist literature, if you were so inclined. My date looked at me, shocked and perturbed. “Are you serious? Unless you’re [a short list of female characters which has been redacted for potential spoilers], you’re going to be raped. At least once.”

I tried to make an argument for how that was realistic, given the time period, and that the fact that GRRM even allows for women to play in his Game of Thrones was pretty awesome (Yeah, Tolkien. I’m looking at you. Eowyn aside.), but the conversation pretty much ended on that note. Which got me thinking the rest of the weekend about rape in fiction. The main question that came to my mind was, since these characters are controlled by an author (or some other conglomerate), is it okay for a character to be raped or is it fridging as usual? As with all things, it depends on its purpose and how it affects the character after the fact.

Retroactive rape is still rape.

For many a costumed heroine, rape is part of her origin story, either originally (Starfire and, depending on canon, Helena Bertinelli), or retroactively tacked on (Felicia Hardy). Even male superheroes are often subjected to rape. Though, in those cases it is less often about power and usually due to a female villain trying to breed some kind of super heir. In the Batfamily, there are only two characters that I can think of who have not yet been raped, nearly raped or a product of rape and they are Kate Kane and Cassandra Cain. Don’t worry, though, they’re pretty new to the game, so they have time. Same goes with Team Arrow, although Mia (who may be retconned?) did have some serious trauma with her history in the skin trade, but she was still able to fight crime, despite having AIDS. Even Kyle Rayner of the Green Lanterns was drugged and raped and the whole island of Themyscira is made of the souls of women who were mistreated by men in their past lives. A lot of DC references, but Marvel’s not innocent here. Ms. Marvel, the lady Hawkeye and Mockingbird have also been raped.

Kyle Rayner feels used… We’re guessing he saw the Green Lantern film too.

As you can see, rape is a prevalent trope in comics, and it affects both male and female characters with almost equal frequency (which is odd, but nice to see something is at least equal among men and women, right?). The problem with these instances is that the rapes scarcely affect the character in the long run, or at all. None of these characters dwell or angst about what happened to them. This sometimes stems from the fact that comics are serials with multiple authors over time, and depending on who is currently penning the book, he or she will concentrate on certain aspects of the character’s persona. But more often than not, it’s because these characters are viewed as weak, and not in the “I can’t carry a box that weighs more than 40lbs” weak. But in the sense that they don’t carry their own title and their existence is in virtue of the fact that they support the main hero, They are not seen as characters in their own right, so they can go through the wringer, the grinder and be served as Sunday dinner, just so the villain can “get at” the lead. None of the victims need to overcome the pain or trauma they just went through, because the pain and trauma that occurred on the previous pages wasn’t about them, but their (frequently male) cohorts and how he has been able to overcome the horrible things that just occurred to his beloved.

This is why it gets put down as “Women in Refrigerators” or “Stuffed in the Fridge” (as it may happen to men). The raping, murdering, etc. happens, but it has little to do with the character it happened to and everything to do with those who care about said character. Or it’s just to have something controversial happen to keep the books selling, but after the conclusion of the arc, it is never addressed again and no real healing occurs, either for the victim or the reader. And that is why there is a problem with rape as it is often depicted.

Though, those characters that are “strong”–Kyle Rayner, Bruce Wayne, Dick Grayson–either don’t remember the event or just never bring it up again. Either way, weird. You’d think a man like Bruce Wayne, with so many emotional issues, would have a serious problem with Talia Al Ghul taking advantage of him, but apparently not! Although, I have a serious qualm with that whole scenario in and of itself, as it stems from a pretty good story (Son of the Demon), where Bruce may actually have found his one true love. And while I’m no fan of Talia (and a Cat x Bat ‘shipper to the end!), it was nice to see The Detective happy with a woman. For once. As for Dick Grayson, maybe he is so jaded by all his romantic trysts that he finds it all old hat and doesn’t care that he’s been raped–twice. I don’t know the reasons why these issues are never addressed, but I definitely find it curious. Why have a rape scenario if you’re not going to address it?

Batman: A Victim of Rape. Yes. BATMAN.

Before writing this article, I looked up the statistics for rape. According to the US Department of Justice, by way of Wikipedia, 1 in 6 women are either victims of rape or have been nearly/partially raped. In the US. That’s just under 17%, and I’m not certain if that is adjusted to include the number of rapes that go unreported. Either way, it’s a more frequent occurrence than how many women develop breast cancer in their lifetime (1 in 8), and that has a whole month dedicated to it, and it means we all know someone who is dealing with that trauma, whether we are aware of it or not. Which means, every writer of comic books knows–or, possibly, is–someone who has been raped or nearly raped, which gets me to thinking, as statistics are wont to do: if you know someone who is suffering, be it deeply or something that only crosses her mind when there is a trigger present, wouldn’t you want to create characters that actually deal with their pain rather than ignore it or pretend it didn’t happen?

Which brings me back to A Song of Ice and Fire. By virtue of the fact that it has one author, George R. R. Martin, and, potentially, a definitive beginning and end, all of the events that happen in the novels occur with purpose. Additionally, is written from 3rd person multi-perspective, meaning the reader gets to view the events from a variety of different view points. Some of these characters are women, and some of those women go through the wringer, grinder and are (nearly) served up as Sunday dinner and some of them do the wringing, grinding and serving. It’s a wild world in Westeros, but the pain is palatable. They aren’t just victims, even if we sometimes think of them that way. Despite all her faults, Sansa is aiming to survive and live through her experiences just as much as the beguiling Cersei, come hell or high water. If you can give even your most loathsome character that trait, then even if everyone around her views her as pathetic, she still has a lot of grit to her. That’s right, I said it: Sansa has grit. It doesn’t matter how much she internalizes all her fears and emotional trauma, she’s still managing through those books better than her brother Bran made it through the pilot episode of Game of Thrones. (But I don’t want to give too much away about just yet, as I still want to do an article on the awesome women of Westeros.)

Basically, what I’m saying is not to not write rape scenarios, but if you’re going to do something like that, at least understand the repercussions and ramifications such and action will cause. Not just to those who love the victim, but to the victim, too. Let them deal with the pain, on the page. Research your characters thoroughly and show us how they deal with it on the page so that those who have been hurt might be able to learn how to do deal with it, too. It’s a serious issue and one that affects more people than I’d like to think possible, and therefore should be addressed with delicacy and care. It’s not something that should be used just to sell books.

This would be a hard one to forget for numerous reasons.

As a reader and fan of fiction, I like to imagine that writers have a great duty in being stewards to the collective consciousness, by bringing humanity to a fuller understanding of each other, rather than just being purveyors of all that is wrong with the world and insight further fear or misunderstanding. So, if you’re going to abuse your characters, at least know how it will affect the character going through the experience, and not just those around her.

Heroine Addict: The Skinny on Heroines in Film and Television

by Molly Mahan

I have always been a fan of the action genre. When I was 6, I made my first attempt at script writing and wrote a five page Xena/Hercules skit for my friends and I to perform; later I dreamed someday I’d be Sarah Connor and would lead the fight when machines inevitably turned on us (Y2K was obviously a very exciting time for me, as I hoped I would finally fulfill my destiny). I am still aiming to do both of those things, in some capacity, but when I look around at Hollywood today I become forlorn and moderately depressed. Where are our Lucy Lawlesses and Linda Hamiltons of this generation? Nowhere, as far as I can see.

That’s not to say that female action films are dead. With box office successes like Salt and franchises such as Resident Evil, we are bound to see one female-led action-adventure movie every year or two. But are Angelina Jolie and Milla Jovovich really believable in their roles? With Linda Hamilton we had muscles. Legitimate muscles. That’s her doing the one-armed pull ups in Terminator 2. According to this article, Linda Hamilton could pump load a shot gun with one arm from her training and preparation before filming. That’s badass. Seeing Angelina Jolie do it in Wanted, left me expecting her arm to break off from the stress. Watching action movies where I’m afraid that the heroine is going to die of exhaustion (rather than enemy fire) isn’t exciting. It also makes it impossible to see past the actor to the character.

Even her arm needs to eat a sandwich…

Gerard Butler and company completed a ridiculous exercise routine to get their 8-pack abs for 300. Lena Headey, who played Queen Gorgo in the film, may not have been expected to be so fit as her male co-stars (though Spartan women were athletes themselves), but when she took on the shotgun to play Sarah Connor in The Sarah Connor Chronicles, why wasn’t she expected to also take on the muscles? At least Summer Glau could at least say she was a cyborg who just appeared frail to seem less intimidating to her foes (though why a Terminator would want to look nonthreatening is beyond me). Lena Headey playing the human Sarah Connor doesn’t have that luxory. Yes, there was dissonance from fans and critics regarding this contrast in physique that made national news. Yet, this incident is unique: the physique of the action heroine is scarcely ever mentioned, this incident aside. In all likelihood the uproar occurred simply because of her predecessor’s hardcore dedication to the role, and that’s a shame. All female action stars should be put under such scrutiny.  If you’re hired on as an actor to play a character, then it is your job to accurately portray that character on screen and it should be a priority of the director and producers to make sure you’re doing your job. If you’re an action heroine and you’re not pumping iron before principle filming begins, then you’re not doing your job and you shouldn’t get paid millions.

We don’t let men get away with this behavior. It’s a double standard and I find it most disturbing: why do men, when given roles as action heroes, must they hit the gym, devour protein and bulk up to look the part, but women are allowed to look like twigs? Seeing old-man Stallone packing an absurd amount of heat in The Expendables looked just as a genre acceptable and realistic as when he did it 40 years ago for Rambo. Yet, I found it more realistic watching 65 year old Helen Mirren work a Gatling gun in RED than 20-something Zoe Saldana holding a high powered rifle with both hands in Columbiana.

Could beat you in arm-wrestling… easily.

Why are we as audiences allowing this to happen? We won’t watch movies where Russell Crowe is old and fat trying to play a typically young and lithe hero (Robin Hood), yet we’ll watch Milla Jovovich slay zombies for years to come, not at all phased by the fact that her muscle tone has yet to increase.

Of course, to me, this is all a double-edged sword, because American film studios already seem to be against female leads in general, let alone in action in particular. If I stop paying to watch thin, un-toned women fight, will they view it as “oh, we need to beef these women up!” or see it as, “Clearly audiences hate female action stars!” Being the pessimist that I am, it’s probably the latter, and that’s heart shattering to a girl who grew up wanting to fight the good fight and kill half a dozen aliens and terminators while she was at it.

So, I’m writing this. Not just to vent or see if other people see the same way I do or to start a flame war or whatever it is that might happen with an opinion piece that gets posted on a website these days. It’s, in the off chance that this gets out there, that the studios know I exist and there’s something that I want.

Xena: The Female Action Gold Standard… who also wears gold.

I am your audience when it comes to action flicks and I am a woman who actively goes and see action movies. On opening night. I am that demographic, which you say doesn’t exist, but I exist and I am not alone. So if you’re trying to “tap into me”, and if you’re wondering why you don’t always get me into those seats on opening weekends, or why I’m waiting until the Blu-Ray release or for Netflix to stream it, it’s because you’re giving me a product I don’t want. You’re giving me women who are impossible for me to find cool or badass. If I can’t believe your star can throw a punch that will bruise a peach, do you think I’ll believe her when she’s holding two 20lb guns in each hand and firing willy-nilly without feeling any kind of kickback? Not a chance. You have to get me to see the reality first, then you can try to give me the fantasy.

Heroine Addict: Women of the DCnU

by Molly Mahan

Back in June, I wrote a little article on DC’s reboot, and the decision made to cut the female creative force by half (from 4 to 2). At the time, I didn’t give any predictions on how that might affect the female characters or readership. I didn’t speculate because I try to be optimistic about my fandom, despite evidence to the contrary. The only negative comments I made were about the art, because–at the time–that was all I could comment on. I know Amanda Connor and Nicola Scott are talented artists and we all know Rob Liefeld is not. Art is consistent. Stories, on the other hand, can be hit or miss, be it because the creative well has run dry or the characters don’t speak to the writer anymore. For example, I hate Judd Winick’s Green Arrow, I could take or leave his Outsiders run, but I will defend his arcs on Batman to the death. I loved Devin Grayson’s Arsenal miniseries, but after the twentieth tragic event in her Nightwing run, I got bored and moved on.

Additionally, I didn’t want to wage some gender war by saying that men cannot write women (or vice versa). Obviously, that’s just not true as most of these characters were created by men. Bob Kane created Catwoman, Paul Dini and Bruce Timm created Harley Quinn, Marv Wolfman and George Perez created Starfire, John Ostrander, Len Wein and John Byrne created Amanda Waller. I am grateful for these characters and creators because I know many of them are apart of me and helped make me into the woman I am today. My beef, regarding the state of women in the DCnU, is not with men. It is with creators who write without knowing their characters, who write without thinking how it will affect their readership, let alone the world they have created. My beef is with people who just don’t think.

From Catwoman T&A to free love aliens, a lot of the damage has been discussed here and elsewhere, but there is still much to explore (not all of it bad). Really, I’m not the kind of person that looks to hate something. I genuinely want to like and enjoy things. But there are times where I just have to look at something and ask, “Why?” Are the creators purposefully trying to perpetuate the misogynistic and anti-feminist dialogue in comics, or do some of the creators just not see? It’s hard to guess and I’ve never been fond of assuming. So let’s talk about the DC relaunch and what it did and didn’t do for me, as a comic book fan and as a woman.

Let’s begin with Starfire. She’s the one we were all up in arms about, after all. Allow me to start by saying that I have never been a fan of Starfire. Be it because she amplified some insecurity I had about myself (I got deep into comics at age eleven. Who has a strong sense of self at eleven?), hit a mark on my extra-terretial xenophobia (she’s an alien! Aliens were always bad growing up, except for E.T.) or because I was a Babs/Dick shipper to the core (thank you, Batman: The New Animated Series!). The thing was, even if I didn’t like her, she was still a hero with the best intentions. She loved life, she loved earth, she loved being a hero, she loved. To be capable of such love in general, and in spite of her abusive past in particular, was amazing. Her love for humanity is what made her such a great hero, in addition to her power. It’s what made her so special, so singular, so interesting. A character who represented all the positive sides of emotion. Often in comics we focus on the negative aspects of emotion: the angst, the hate, the vengeance (yes, I’m looking at you, Bruce!). It was refreshing to have a character who reminded us that it’s good to feel. Emotions can be positive.

The new Starfire does not love. She is incapable of it, in fact. She has no interest in earth or earthlings and our silly lives. She has no memory of her friendships and previous relationship with Dick Grayson. Why, then, is she here? Why and how is she a hero? How can anyone who loved Starfire before, be bothered to care now? This is not Starfire. This is a doll, a void, a husk. Aside from some early deus ex machina (that almost any super powered hero could have pulled off), the pages that Starfire graces are a waste of ink. She brings nothing to the team, fan-service and cheesecake aside.

In my previous review of Suicide Squad, I mentioned my dissatisfaction with the new Harley Quinn. Harley was one of my favorite characters as a kid, rivaling my Catwoman as my favorite 90s/early millennia comic character (she lost out because her obsession with the Joker didn’t seem healthy, even to my pre-teen self). But she’s not the only problem I have in Squad. My other issue is Amanda Waller, The Wall: Where is she?

I want to know how DC is going to explain away two-thirds of her. Did she have a heart attack? Did her doctor warn her about something? Seriously, how can a historically large character suddenly become 120lbs? Who’s decision was that and why? There aren’t a lot of hefty characters in comics, let alone large women, so if comics are supposed to have “relatable” characters, why do that? Amanda is a widowed mother (two of her children having been murdered, with her husband) who works a sedentary, time consuming, stressful, government job. When did she find time to hit the gym?  Does DC think her deflation in size is going to suddenly urge some readers to go to the gym, or is it more likely to make someone feel ostracized? There are enough thin, stacked female leads that I find it interesting (if not offensive) that the relaunch gave someone the agency to replace The Wall with Zoe Saldana (no offense to Zoe Saldana, she’s lovely. She’s just no Amanda Waller). Next to Starfire’s heroic nonchalance, this is something I must have explained to me.

The Birds of Prey return, with only one original bird and minimal fun. The new Starling is essentially Huntress-light (hard hitter with a case of Catholic guilt) and Black Canary is all business with no time for fun. Part of the greatness of Birds was that the women were like a family. To be in the Birds of Prey was to be a part of one of the coolest, most close-knit bowling leagues ever. Now, it looks to be just another day at the office, with strained friendships and forced partnerships. It’s hard to say how the relationships with the women will change over the course of the book, but if the female characters can’t even be friends and like and/or respect each other, how can I, as a reader, be expected to be a fan?

But not all DC women were thrown under the bus in the relaunch! While I agree fully with Eric Diaz’s article regarding the unoriginal announcement that Zeus is now Wonder Woman’s father, the first issue was great. The gods are once again relevant in our world, making her relevant. Her personality has not been this solid and clear since … never. Wonder Woman was a character whose book I bought because I wanted to like it, but always failed to fully enjoy it. As the Holy Spirit in DC’s Trinity, I was ever confused and lost in the mucky muck that was her story. Her history and personality always came off as convoluted. A shame, since I studied classics in college and am all about empowered, interesting women (obviously). But now, it looks like it’s a new dawn, it’s a new day, it’s a new life for Diana and (wait for it) it feels good. She’s a warrior, in the truest sense. Dutiful, but kind. Stoic, yet compassionate. She cares for those she has sworn to protect in exactly the way the new Starfire does not.

Also, take note regarding Wonder Woman: she, like Starfire, is naked in a couple of panels of her comic. However, it doesn’t make you, as the reader, feel awkward, because it’s realistic. She’s not flaunting her nakedness around so young children can send picture texts to their buddies or post it on some celebrity blog out there. She’s naked, because it made sense for her to be so. Diana is a true Wonder Woman, both strength and beauty incarnate. She stands on her own without the baggage of fanservice and cheesecake. It’s amazing.

Batwoman continues to be brave, bold and beautiful (I seriously cannot get enough of J. H. Williams III’s art) and Batgirl as a hero dealing with post-traumatic stress disorder is inspired. Not to suggest I don’t love Oracle and was against Babs’ return to the cape when it was announced, it is still a topic that is scarcely discusses in comics and one some readers need. I’d prefer if it was another character–male or female–because the chair and Oracle are important, but I don’t know who else could address it like Gail Simone. This seems typical of Barbara Gordon. I love her previous incarnation, but am just as grateful–if not more so–for her latest version. It’s impressive.

My favorite character, The Huntress, also made her debut last week in a shiny new miniseries, and I must say, I approve. She’s a little softer (that is, she didn’t maim any thugs out right) than the pre-boot Bertinelli, but she’s still kicking ass, sporting the crossbow and donning purple. I’ll have a more comprehensive review of THE HUNTRESS #1 up soon, so look out!

I’m still on the fence about Supergirl, and fan-service and some fan-fiction-esque elements aside, I really didn’t have much of a problem with Catwoman. Also, it’s hard to talk about any character in particular in the larger (> 5 hero) team books, so I’m holding my tongue until the first arcs pan out, making this not as extensive as it could be. Obviously there are some wonderful female characters who are still rock solid. Nevertheless, there are some definite changes that I am curious about and request an explanation for the changes.

Comics have a reputation for being sexist, anti-feminist and sometimes even misogynist, but that doesn’t have to be the case.I have read several articles over the month regarding these issues, and even most–if not all–of the creators agree that these exist. So what’s it going to take before they (and we as fans) start developing a solution? Perhaps some who recognize its existence don’t view it as a problem (which is an issue I’d like to address in a different article). But what about those who do see the error in their ways, but do nothing to fix it? Here, I am pin pointing a few of the core issues in the reboot and asking the simple question, “Why?” Once we can understand each other, we can get the dialogue started.

(**I also want to note that female characters weren’t the only ones affected by the reboot. The way the Savant character in the Suicide Squad acted was a big punch in my Birds of Prey loving gut. His presence–if that is my beloved Brian Durlin–was just pointless and unnecessary. A ‘fridging if I ever saw one.)