Vapid, empty, flat ... we could use any of these words to describe the often one-dimensional predecessors to our modern day graphic heroines. The panel above, taken from X-Men #28 originally published in 1967, is in many ways still the norm - over forty years later. Sure, the costumes have gotten a little tighter and the powers have gotten a little cooler, but can we honestly say that the women in comics have transgressed the subservient role of the telekinetic helper? Can we claim that they have set the bar any higher for what qualifies as a credit to the female gender?
How do we and how should we read these female characters? What tropes and traits have changed and what remains the same? The roles that women occupy are still - more often than not - marginalized to the role of virginal sex kitten or promiscuous villain. Both of these roles often fall victim to subjection and the sexual perversions and violence of their male counterparts.
In this blog I would like to explore these issues with you by taking a critical look at what the comic industry and the popular media is producing, what we are buying, and most importantly what we think about it. In her now infamous Women in Refrigerators, Gail Simone asked us to compile a list of the unfair fate of women in comics; however, what this list does not offer is a way to read these women. This is something that we can work towards here.
Please post your questions, responses, and suggestions for graphic readings in the coming weeks. Are there particular characters that work with or against the typical trope of the female comic character? How do you "read" comics and understand the women who are written and drawn for them? What questions do you have?
- Nicole
Up next: Divas, Sirens, and Exiles ... Oh My!
Last night I finally came across some comic books I been looking for fro a while. It's a series of 4 books called Unstable Molecules about the true origins of the Fantastic Four. I don't know if this would have a place in your research, but Sue Sturm was a real woman living in the 50s and (unbeknownst to her was the muse for Vapor Girl, created during that time by her neighbor who was a writer for Marvel). And when she and Reed became involved in the government and Marvel wanted to write about their exploits as the FF, she was the one in charge of approving scripts, copywrites, etc. Very interesting stuff.
ReplyDeleteOne question I have is regarding the differentiation between the drawn characters and the cinematic ones. In the last decade there has been a surge in superhero movies, but are the females treated in similar ways? With Frank Miller's films--yes. (I tried to pull a positive feminist critique out of The Spirit, but who am i kidding. I just like Scarlett Johansson and wanted her to portray a feminist character, which Silken Floss was not.) But what about others? Jean Gray in the X-Men films? The actual actresses and their filmographies bring another layer to the characters they play, right?
ReplyDeleteI am so excited to be able to read and discuss your research with you, Nicole. I think it is genius, and I am particularly excited about- something you have done a great deal with WonderWoman- your exploration of the images of her and other female characters and the dialogue of these comic books. Do they always align or are they sometimes sending contradicting messages to readers? And would a reader miss something by only reading instead of viewing and vice versa? And was does this mean? I am also very excited to hear more of what you had mentioned to me before about perhaps the subtle hints about the sexuality of these characters and maybe their subversiveness. Is this also present in the images?
ReplyDeleteOkay, I hate to evoke Lacan (I really hate it), but Jean Grey is Lacan's fantasy super hero! We can't actually see her powers, which corresponds to his (absurd) idea that the figure of woman lacks access to the visual phallus (like Wolverine's claws, or, even more literally, Cyclops's phallic eye bursts-& isn't it odd that she is this eye-phallus's mate? But he can't look at her unmediated [without his glasses] or his scopophilic gaze will blow her away. Which is really just to say that without his mediation tool, she doesn't exist directly to the male gaze).
ReplyDeleteAnyways, unlike Xavier, whose psychic powers are totally mental (he embodies the Lacanian Real, or the Kristeva chora, which is pre-any type of mediation), Jean Grey's physical manifestation of her powers (passing a tool to Beast) are like symptoms: they are visual products of the unconscious. Or, in terms of Adam Smith's capitalist economic theories her invisible power to move objects is the invisible power of the market and the objects she moves are commodities. Does this mean Jean Grey is capitalism embodied? Maybe we (maybe not we, but Fox News) imagines capitalism as a female magically handing us tools to fix our personal projects, support our wars, etc.
No more Lacan (but plenty more of Lacat)
Funny thing was I was also thinking about bringing up Wonder Woman, but I think I'll try to avoid that discussion for the time being (as I am sure that it will be brought up again later!).
ReplyDeleteInterestingly though, and not a "historical" type of evolution but more of a comment on the current way women are being portrayed in comics/comic-esque tv, have you recently caught any episodes of the tv show Heroes?
What I think is funny/weird/interesting is that some of the comments being made about female characters sexuality in the male-dominate character schema and about their powers being more invisible - all of these things are kind of *still* true! If you look at Kirsten Bell's character (she generates electricity) her powers are not equivalent at ALL to the character of Sylar (played by the same guy who is Spock in the new Star Trek movie). Sylar can take other people's powers, and that is a REALLY awesome power, whereas Elle (Kirsten Bell's character) has kind of a not-so-useful power.
Just some interesting thoughts. Not really deep. Give me a few more days and maybe I can come up with more solid stuff.
Oh and on another note, Jean Gray was said to be one of the most powerful X-"Men" in like movie 3 (I think it was X-Men: The Last Stand). Since they are doing a lot of flashback type of movies now we'll see if they do an X-Men Origins: Jean Gray (aka the Phoenix) and I really do think they've got to play out more of the Phoenix storyline but that's for another day... anyways, it's interesting how although she's not physically strong (a) her power is the same power as Xavier who IS the leader of the X-men and (b) she actually (sort of but not really) destroys Xavier in the X-Men: The Last Stand movie. Now, anyone who has seen the movie will argue that Xavier wasn't really destroyed and I do think they will have another movie and he will come back BUT the fact of the matter is that Jean Gray is THAT powerful.
Powerful, but they still portray her as kind of a psycho (dual personality with the Phoenix and still being kind of an angry little girl trapped in an adult's body). She has her issues, but I wouldn't say she is considered a weak female. Not one bit.
Ok, going to stop "commenting" for now. More as more people respond.
This was the only place I could find to provide a generic comment, which has escaped my mind. Just a second while I reboot and hit the mental search... Oh, the female in the Fantastic $. She has a mindful power. The rock guy i brute strenght. the flame guy is immature and dangerous (little bous like playing with fire, older boys like playing with fire with a bucket of ewater just in case) and the older science nut is stretchey, he can stretch his mind to addapt and squeeze out of the box. The girl (pretty good looking in the relatively recent movies) has mental powers. She can think about it and become invisible, and she can use her mind to create barriors. this can be read as aving mass mental advancement in comparison to the men, or be read as a feminin deffense, as if she is not strong enough to protect herself with her body so she has to fend off with a mental shield. the guys have strength and manuverability in a physical sense, she hasit in a mental and defensive strength. So either the woman is mentally stronger or in need of a protection her female body (traditionally "weaker" than man's) can not provide.
ReplyDeleteThat offer any thing to your black hole of a brain? ( I call it a black hole because it is an all powerful abosber of knowledge, and to keep others who may read this from thinking that i am anti-feminist)
-Partially_brainless
PS- I couldn't figure out how to post this thing using the "Comment as:" options, so its marked anonymous.
Sadly to say comics did use to be degrading to women. Sometimes comics still are degrading. Yet many changes have been made to try to change that. Superheroes such as, Electra have come about to show that women can kick butt and look good doing it. Some of the female superheroes even have enough tech savy skills to fly their own jet. I remember being little watching superfriends and seeing wonder woman flying around in her invisible jet. Although some advances have been made there is still a long way to go. Many women superheroes still have that damsel in distress mentality when it comes to their male counterparts.
ReplyDelete-Jacob
OK Peaches, what about Witch Blade and Lady Death? They are both rocking the Jock and no way any "male counterpart" is going to degrade them. You can look at any way you want and you'll always find something.
ReplyDeleteI like what was said about the invisible woman, I totally forgot about her. But the phrase "putting up an invisible wall/barrier" comes to mind when I think about her. Isn't that exactly what guys say about girls (or really people say about people) who are cold, are afraid to let people in to see their emotional side, unable to let people see them as vulnerable?
ReplyDeleteI think Invisible Girl (her name in the Fantastic Four cartoons and movies) is much alike Jean Gray/The Phoenix in the case of being mentally strong, but physically weak. You never see the Professor in X-Men pass out because he was too drained from using his powers (although you rarely get to see him use them to move big things or really do anything super cool like Jean Gray does).