Does This Costume Make Me Look Fat?

New Website!

2011-02-09T11:02:00.001-05:00

In an effort to streamline my online blogging, I've consolidated both of my websites at http://hgwatson.squarespace.com/. I'll still be talking comics, along with movies, pop culture, and general musing. I'll also be updating way more often. So add it to your links or RSS feeds.

An update

2010-03-24T23:05:00.001-04:00

Hey gang. So, I haven't updated in about a month. I just wanted to let you know that I will be updating within the next week and I have not forgotten about this blog. In lieu of that, please check out some of my writing at Its Just Movies. It isn't all comics related but it is fun and full of 100% pop culture goodness.

Love,

Watson

Superheroine who needs a Re-Boot: Sailor Moon

2010-03-06T11:32:00.000-05:00

Sailor Moon was a big part of my tweenage years. School lunches were spent fighting over who got to play what character (true to my nerdy roots, I always was the brainy Sailor Mercury). After school I would run home at full speed to catch the 4 o’clock episode. And getting Sailor Moon cards or one of the manga books of the series was as good as getting gold. You could trade them for even better cards or, if you were really lucky, a tape of one of the movies or TV shows.

And then, Sailor Moon fell off the map. The TV shows went off the air, and the cards became non-existent. The final print of the original manga series was in 2003. Since then the books are only available for those willing to pay big bucks on eBay. Similarly the DVD’s haven’t been available for at least 5 years, and in English only the first season and the animated films are available.

What I want to know is: WHY?

Sailor Moon was a veritable gold mine when it was on. Girls loved it in the way Twilight is loved now. Yet it was never snapped up for distribution or creative rights by one of the big comics companies. Which, to be crass, blows. Because Sailor Moon was actually really good.

Yes, I did just say that an anime about a meat-ball headed, whiny space cadet who fought enemies dressed like a sixties airline stewardess was good. Doesn’t really figure on a blog that claims to be feminist. But bear with me for a moment.

Sailor Moon was as girly as a manga series can get. The plot centred around a teenage girl named Serena (Usagi in the manga) who in another life was a Princess of the Moon (I said bear with me). The black hats took over the moon and Sailor Moon and the other princesses were sent without their memories to start a new life on Earth. On Earth they fight evil-doers and have to save the Earth from the “Negaverse” every once and a while. There are love interests of course. Sailor Moon has a love/hate relationship with a mysterious stranger named Tuxedo Mask. Edward Cullen’s looking pretty good about now huh?

But here’s the big difference. While in Twilight Bella is completely dependent on the men in her life, the same was never true in Sailor Moon. Tuxedo Mask would show up to help every once and a while, but at the end of the day it was always Sailor Moon and the Sailor Scouts that saved the day. I won’t pretend that the subject matter of the show was totally great; in one episode Serena freaks out over gaining half a pound, and in another she tries (and fails) to go to etiquette school. That said, those anxieties are typical of teenage girls, and Serena or the other Sailor Scouts always decide its better to be themselves at the end of the day.

A great plus of having there be multiple Sailor scouts was that there wasn’t even one person to relate to, there were many. Don’t like the klutzy Serena? How about the hot-tempered Rei? Or tomboy Lita? Girls could find themselves in one of the Sailor Scouts, which made Sailor Moon just about as relatable as manga could get. It helped that both the show and the magna had a great sense of humour about itself, often showing that it was very aware of how camp it really was.

Apparently there are plans to re-distribute the anime series with a new dub. But I think there is more success that could be had here. Starting with re-releasing the original manga and getting one of the big comics companies to do it. Marvel and DC always attempt to promote a female-friendly comic about once a year. Why not promote one that already has a built in fan base and a proven track record? Both those companies have the resources to make Sailor Moon more popular then it even once was. Plus, could you imagine how fun it would be to have some other talent come in on the project?

So here is my plea to the comic book powers that be. Re-boot Sailor Moon. Get the shows back on and start creating new stories. It could be the smartest thing they’ve ever done to get a hold of the female demographic. And readers will definitely respond.

And that means you!

Where's Wonder Woman?

2010-02-26T19:27:00.003-05:00

Today brought some exciting news to little fanboys and girls everywhere; the team behind Batman Begins and The Dark Knight is rumoured to be behind the Superman reboot Man of Steel in addition to Batman 3 and-brace yourselves-a Justice League movie. Since Green Lantern is already in production, and The Flash film is looking all the more likely, it means that DC suddenly has a film series that could rival Marvel’s films leading up to The Avengers.

So, I’m only left with one question; how long before we get a Wonder Woman movie?

There has been chatter about a Wonder Woman film being in the works since 2001. Most famously, Joss Whedon was rumoured to be writing the script but was dropped over creative differences in 2007. A script that had Wonder Woman fighting Nazi’s in the 1940’s was turned in to WB in 2008, but shelved in favour of a script to be set in the modern era. Since then, we haven’t heard much.

Warner Brothers apparent lack of enthusiasm for a Wonder Woman film stems from the fact that Catwoman and Elektra both bombed at the box office and with the critics. It gave the studio cold feet about sinking money into another female led franchise. Which, to be quite frank, is bullshit. Catwoman and Elektra didn’t fail because they had female leads; they failed because they were terrible, terrible movies. The Spirit also bombed, but we would never say it was because it was a man in the lead role.

But now that a Justice League film is on the horizon and four of the other main members of the League are getting their own starring vehicles, WB has to start putting a Wonder Woman film into development. Wonder Woman is part of the Holy Trinity of DC superheroes, the other two being Superman and Batman. She is also absolutely iconic. She is without a doubt the most well known female superhero ever. She is important enough in the DC mythos to deserve a real film that examines her origins prior to the release of a Justice League film.

Given the mostly positive response to the recent Wonder Woman animated film, there is a real possibility that a Wonder Woman film could be very successful. Wonder Woman has a fairly rich, if convoluted, history. Any decent screenwriter should have enough material to put together a script for a watchable film. The fact the Wonder Woman is so well known is also another factor in her favour. Just the name should be enough of a draw to get some people in the theatre. The same can’t be said of Elektra, and while I would love to think the same could be said of Catwoman, the reality is that she is at her most popular when she is in Batman’s world. Wonder Woman is perhaps the sole female superhero that can draw a crowd based on her own merits.

So who should get the reigns on a Wonder Woman film? In a dream world, Joss Whedon would be brought back and we would get to see the vision he had for Wonder Woman. Whedon’s track record of creating fantastic female heroes is rivaled by only a few. But he’s not the only person who could bring Wonder Woman to the big screen. The Green Lantern film has Geoff Johns on as an advisor; why not bring on Greg Rucka or Gail Simone to advise on a Wonder Woman film? They know the character better than most of the DC writers roster. As for directors, Kathryn Bigelow has been directing fantastic action films for the last three decades and is incredibly popular right now thanks to her Best Director Oscar nom for The Hurt Locker. Imagine what she could do when let loose with one of the most kick ass female superheroes of all time.

However, what will really need to happen is a 100% commitment from WB and DC to making a Wonder Woman film. Whedon told the New York Sun that one of the main reasons he walked away from Wonder Woman was a lack of commitment to the project on the part of the studio. Once WB decides that their plan for the DC heroes includes Wonder Woman and they take the steps forward that actually need to happen, the rest will fall in place.

WB needs to include Wonder Woman in their plans for the DC superheroes. And if they can get a film with a solid plot, great characters, and a team that can bring the script to life, they could have a film that will hold its own and be the start of a great franchise.

Superheroine Costume Skeeve Watch: The Huntress

2010-02-21T18:31:00.001-05:00

I hope that the just announced Birds of Prey relaunch forces writer Gail Simone and artist Ed Benes to take a good, long hard look at the costume that Helena Bertinelli, aka the Huntress, has been sporting for the last few years.

The artists on Batman titles are usually fairly good at providing functional costumes for the female members of the Bat family and the rogues gallery. Which is why I think the artist reponsible for Huntress's costume must have LOST THEIR MIND. Forget this offending me as a feminist. This offends me as someone who has even a minor interest in clothing. Why would a tough ass chick like Helena Bertinelli think that the best outfit to fight evildoers in Gotham would include a midriff baring leather shirt, underpants with a utility belt, and thigh high leather boots? Notice that her entire torso is uncovered yet she is wearing knee guards and braces on her legs. Why does she need the knee guards? On second thought, I don't want to know.

This is cheesecake comic art gone horribly, horribly wrong. As I have said before I am not necessarily opposed to pin-upesque female costumes. Would Wonder Woman's costume work in the real world? Absolutely not. But her costume is iconic and clean looking, not to mention slightly more believable for a woman who has actual superpowers. She can live without a little armour. The Huntress cannot. Her costume looks like a Lady Gaga back-up stage outfit, not something that is meant to strike fear into the heart of the underworld. It is not functional, and is clearly meant for one purpose; to titillate excitable male readers.

Benes and Simone should bring the Huntress back to her look in Huntress: Year One (pictured at right). Now here is a costume that makes sense for a crime fighter, and actually looks like it belongs as part of the Bat-family costumes. She's covered up, and the costume is much more streamlined. It has actual visual imagery that stays with you, aside from the obvious "Holy crap the Huntress is practically naked" image that pops in to your mind now.

Now, is it still sexy? Should it even matter? We never have to have conversations about whether Batman still looks sexy when he changes his costume, yet with women it is a constant discussion when their outfits are the topic. Comic publishers think this is important because of who they think their target markets are. So I will only say this; Male heroes look good because they are drawn as ideal humans, not because artists go out of their way to make them look sexy. Ask any female hetero comics fan about which male hero they think is sexy, and they will inevitably have an answer for you. If artists take the same approach to female characters there will still be hot female heroes for guys to fawn over. And if the Huntress is drawn that way with an even better costume, I think it will make her great looking without succumbing to the base instinct to make her a pin-up.

The Girl's (and Guy's) Guide to the Best Women in Comics

2010-02-07T17:31:00.002-05:00

I spend a lot of time on here bitching about some of the shitty things comics do to female characters. With good reason, in many cases. But there are female characters out there who give me no reason to bitch at all. Below are 6 of the females I think are the best in comics, and where you can find them. This list is by no means exhaustive or complete. You'll notice I left out Wonder Woman and current Batwoman Kate Kane, who really deserve blog posts of their own. However I wanted to go outside the box and point the way to some of the characters who fly under the radar.

6. Nico Minoru

Truthfully, I could have put any of the women from Brian K. Vaughn's Runaways on this list. But Nico stands out to me. She has been the Runaways de facto leader since the first arc of the series. She doesn't always make the best choices. She kisses the wrong boys and she makes mistakes. Just like a real teenage girl (who happens to have magical powers). But at the end of the day Nico is willing and able to be the strong and capable for the Runaways, her family. She once told fellow Runaway Chase regarding Victor Mancha "I'll rip his damn heart out if necessary." Not something you would hear from Mary Jane Watson.

Essential Reading: Runaways Volume 1 (collecting issues #1-18)

5. Death of the Endless

Death is the best friend you always wished you had, if you can get by the fact that this friend is also the Grim Reaper. As the personification of Death in Neil Gaiman’s Sandman series, she is the cool balm to the soul of her brother Dream, often serving as a great counter to his brooding character. But Death also stands on her own. In Death: The High Cost of Living Death takes such joy in the 24 hours she gets to live, and shows such sadness when she too has to die that your heart breaks for her. Gaiman could have taken the easy route with the Death character and made her a brooding Grim or a raging bitch. Instead he made a tough, complicated, sad, and incredibly kind person who is one of the best characters in the Sandman universe.

Essential Reading: Death: The High Cost of Living, Sandman issue 8

4. Kitty Pryde

I have a very distinct memory of my first introduction to Kitty Pryde. In Uncanny X-Men Issue 129, Kitty first meets the X-Men and has to grapple with the implications of her new mutant powers. She’s not jumping for joy over it at first. She’s worried about loosing her friends and having to move from home. Teenagers never want to be different, and that is what sums up Kitty in those early appearances. Yet, she grew into one of the stalwarts of the X-team. She doesn’t have flashy powers, but she has a wry sense of humour and intense loyalty that set her apart from the rest of the X-Men. It’s no wonder that Joss Whedon lists Kitty Pryde as one of the inspirations for Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

Essential Reading: Uncanny X-Men 129, Astonishing X-Men: Gifted

3. Catwoman

I did say I wanted to avoid some of the names that always come up on these list. But no list of the best women in comics would be complete without Catwoman. Catwoman is the original femme fatale. Whether she’s being played as a seductive socialite by Julie Newmar, or drawn as a tough muscled chick by Tim Sale, you can always count on Catwoman to bring entertainment and fun. But unlike the almost infallible Wonder Woman or the constant damsel Lois Lane, Catwoman is a complex and layered character. While Batman plays a big part of her life, in recent times he is rarely the main motivation for her actions. Even in the much-maligned version of her in Frank Miller’s Batman: Year One Catwoman steals in order to bring herself out of poverty. Catwoman looks out for herself, which is what makes her so engaging.

Essential Reading: Catwoman: When in Rome, Selina’s Big Score

2. The Women of the Gotham City Police Department

I have to break another rule and pick more than one woman for number 2. But really, how could you pick one of the women of the Gotham City Police Department over the other? Captain Maggie Sawyer is one of the scariest officers in the department. Josie Mac is a secret meta-human who decided to be a cop instead of a mask. Romy Chandler did the unthinkable and tried to shoot Batman because of his involvement in her partner’s death. And lest we forget Renee Montoya, the toughest cop on the beat who has to deal with her own struggles with her sexuality. The women who populate the Gotham City Police Department are complicated and layered, but they are never weak or lacking in smarts. They may not have super powers, but they are definitely heroes.

Essential Reading: Gotham Central

1. Agent 355

I debated long and hard about which characters to put on this list. But there was never any doubt in my mind about who should be number one. Agent 355 isn’t a hero, but that is what makes her so great. She kills, she is brusk and rude, and she doesn’t take peoples bullshit. But if you were the last man in the world alive and everyone was after you, she is exactly the person you want on your side. Brian K. Vaughn has a knack for writing fantastic female characters and Agent 355 from Y the Last Man does not disappoint. Charged with ensuring the safety of the last man on earth, Yorick, Agent 355 has to face incredible challenges. She does it as if she were channeling James Bond and John McClane. And in the brief moments that we witness her vulnerability break through her tough exterior, we realize that she is as shell shocked as the rest of the world.

Essential reading: Y the Last Man

How Superwomen Become Movie Damsels

2010-01-11T16:15:00.005-05:00

Unless you camp out under a rock with all your comics, you've probably heard the news that Gossip Girl star Blake Lively will be starring opposite Ryan Reynolds in the upcoming Green Lantern flick as Ferris Aircraft head honcho Carol Ferris. I could go on a page long rant about the issues I have with this casting in particular (too young, to Penny Lane-esque, not enough bitchy), but Lively getting the role got my mind churning about how women appear in comic book films in general.

Despite my many grievances with how comic books treat their female characters, those problems are evened out by the instances where comic book creators get it right. Selina Kyle over the last 10-15 years especially has been a fun character watch, and Batgirl in Detective Comics has definitely come into her own. Y the Last Man and Fables both prominently feature great and very capable female characters. And ignoring the headache that is the Star Sapphire Corps in the current run of Green Lantern, Carol Ferris was a good character. In a DCU where all the corporations are run by either male heroes or villains, Ferris was a good addition and stood on her own.

So, it's here I ask, why haven't the movies been able to follow suite? Why do we time after time get female roles that are either a) damsel b) a moral sounding board for the hero? Sometimes, like Rachel Dawes in both Batman films, they even fill both roles! And, lest we forget the eye candy factor, most of our females are arguably certifiable hotties.

The reasons for all this are clear of course. Who primarily goes to see superhero films, according to the studios? Young men, who want to project themselves on a cool hero, which means getting the babe. That in itself I don't have an issue with. It's the portrayal of said babe that I hate. Studios take wonderfully thought out and written female characters and turn them into sad caricatures who only ever think about the well-being of the hero.

The worst example has of course got to be the on-screen portrayal of Mary-Jane Watson. In the comics MJ was the coolest girl anyone knew. She was a successful actress and a close friend of Peter's before they eventually got together romantically. This was not the MJ I saw on-screen in any of the Spider-Man films. We got a woman who was constantly needing to be saved and who spent all her time moping over Peter. While dating other guys. Because woman always always have to be in a relationship no matter what, apparently. Would have been too much to ask for any other character development?

There are a few exceptions to the rule. Pepper Potts was a welcome change as her character actually got to participate in the saving the world! Perish the thought! I also have always loved the portrayal of Jean Grey in the first two X-Men films. While the love triangle with Logan and Scott was played up, she had an arc that had nothing to do with romance and was central to the plot of X2. So it seems we can have more complex female characters in successful comic book films.

But I remain concerned. Lively, while a decent actress, is a mere 22-years-old playing a character who, aside from being years older in the comics, is supposed to be world hardened and business savvy. Is that the Ferris that we are going to get on screen? Or will it be another cookie cutter damsel for Ryan Reynolds to save at the end of the film?

Until the film comes out, I will reserve my judgment. But until then, colour me skeptical.

How to Embrace Fangirling

2009-07-16T01:34:00.002-04:00

There's been a lot of chatter amongst female comics fans over this LA times article in the last few weeks. "The Girls Guide to Comic Con" was obviously meant to be a cute little fluff piece but it's raised the ire of more than one reader, and deservedly so. I guess the LA times thinks women would only want to go to San Diego Comic Con to look at ~teh sexy menz~.

I bring up "The Girls Guide to Comic Con" not because I want to bitch about it (you can find plenty of that if you mosey over to When Fangirls Attack), but because I think the article and the reaction to it helps to illustrate one of the reasons women are often hesitant to join the world of comics. There is a perception throughout fandom circles that women are only into whatever fandom they have chosen because they are into a certain ship (that's fandom speak for liking the romantic pairing of two characters), or because they have the hots for one of the men. And while that may be true to some degree (the prepubescent squealing fangirls of Edward Cullen/Jacob Werewolfwhat'shisname are a prime example) hot guys are rarely the reason a woman will keep following a fandom. Do guys only like the Transformers films and comics because Megan Fox is in them? Of course not, though for some guys it sure is a nice bonus.

In real terms, what does this perception of fangirls result in? In my experience, it means that every woman who walks into a comic book store, joins an online message board, or just shows up at a con feels some sort of pressure to prove themselves as "true fans". Not just fans who think the Green Lantern is hot and write the occasional fanfic. Real fans who can whip out esoteric facts about comics off the top of their head. Basically, people who think fandom is SRS BIZNESS.

Here's a good example. Star Trek has long been the domain of some of the most hardcore fans in fandom. They know the layouts of every Starfleet ship, they speak Klingon, and if the movie "Trekkies" is to be believed, they even make alien specific condoms. Very intense, but if they have fun doing that then whose to judge? Apparently they are. The new Star Trek film created a whole new fanbase, made up of largely female fans. These fans (I count myself as one of them) responded with the plot, and yes, the many good looking men cast in the film. A few new online communities sprang up dedicated to Star Trek, and while there was a fair amount of traditional fangirling going on, there were also a lot of new interested fans engaging with older fans, learning about all Star Trek had to offer.

That's when the complaining started.

Many of the hardcore (mostly male) Trek fans began voicing their complaints about Trek fangirling across the net (I won't say on which sites here, but I'm sure the nerdy amongst you will be able to guess). This bitching consisted of some mostly harmless insults towards fans sporting icons with their favourite Trek cast member, though some of the more derogatory stuff was directed towards various fanfics. But you can definitely see how the gender lines fall here, and why it might seem daunting for a woman to step into a fandom like this. By virtue of only her gender she would have to prove she wasn't there just to fawn over some actor.

Don't think for a second the same doesn't happen in the world of comics either. I once had another poster on a board I post on completely disregard a point I was trying to make because I was a chick. In fact I'm pretty sure he told me to leave and "go take myspace photos of myself". Because that's what fangirls do when their not fangirling, right?

He may be the most trollish example, but there are plenty more out there. The traditional theory for why this happens is that male nerds are obviously scared of women, and thus react badly to women entering a traditionally male arena. That may be true in a few individual cases, but I really want to believe that there is a better explanation than that. I have a little more faith in my peers.

What I think it comes down to is that a majority of men and women approach fandoms from totally different angles, and those angles don't always mesh well. In my experience guys are really in to the nitty gritty of comics. They enjoy the technical aspects and the little minutia of plots in a way I never personally could understand. Women, on the other hand, seem to like more of the relationships between characters. I don't just mean romantic relationships either. I've always liked to observe how family and friendship dynamics play out and evolve in comics and in some of my all time favourites (Y: The Last Man, Runaways), those dynamics are very strong. Now by no means do I mean to say these are hard and fast rules. Certainly people cross these lines all the time. But I think it helps explain why you'll find female fans writing slash or Mary Sue fics, and the guys are debating tech specs.

What to do then? As always, a more open mindset is the answer. Is it ok to find certain types of fanwank annoying? Hell yeah it is. After all, we're only human. I've witnessed some debates online that had me rolling my eyes so much it just got redundant. But me bitching and whining and telling those fans that they aren't "true fans" isn't going to make it go away. So boys, if you see some comics fangirls squeeing about how adorable Ryan Reynolds is going to be as Green Lantern, please suppress the laughter. Just go about your day. Or even better, hell, strike up a conversation with them. They may actually want to pick up a Green Lantern comic and need advice on a good place to start. Fandoms would be a whole lot friendlier if more people were willing to happily answer questions for all newbies. We need any fans we can get, comic sales being what they are.

Tim Gunn Makes Model's Inc. Work

2009-05-27T23:48:00.001-04:00

On my daily jaunt through out the internet I ended up on one of my favourite fashion related blogs, Fashionista, a rather tounge in cheek little site that reports on fashion news. I like following fashion (almost) as much as I enjoy following comics, and when the two worlds collide it puts a big grin on my face. So imagine how happy I was when I saw this gem posted there.

Tim Gunn, The New Iron Man?
May 21, 2009 @ 10:31am
Marvel Comics is releasing a new series of comic books on August 26th that revolve not around the worlds of Spidey and Clark Kent, but models and fashion.
What we know so far, according the NY Times, is that “Models Inc.” will feature a trio of ladies - Spiderman’s love Mary Jane, Millicent Collins or Millie the Model, and Patsy Walker who is also a superhero named Hellcat - working to clear Millie of a crime she didn’t commit, the murder of a set designer.
And their wise leader? None other than Tim Gunn - who gets to wear Iron Man’s suit!
We couldn’t think of a better choice. His calming tones and rational thinking are just what your average model turned world-saving superheroine needs, right?
What other real-life fash characters would you have make an appearance? And what would their powers be?

There is so much that makes me go "whoa!" with this news. First off I'm glad that Model's Inc. is getting off the ground. Which may seem like a weird statement coming from someone who claims to be a feminist. But bear with me. I like the whole Model's Inc. concept because it is making heroes out of some of the women who historically have been reduced to damsels (MJ) or love interest (Hellcat, sometimes). I think it will be very nice to see MJ taking crime fighting into her own hands for once. Of course, whether the characters get to be bad ass all depends on how competently the comic is executed.

But what makes me really happy is that a mainstream comic producer is finally capitalizing on the popularity of the fashion industry in order to (one can assume) attract female readership. When you look at what many 16-25 year old women are watching on TV these days, it's shows like America's Next Top Model, Project Runway, and Gossip Girl. All those shows rely totally or partially on thier insight into the fashion world. Looking back to Sex and the City, half the fun of the show was gawking at whatever fashionable/insanely cracked out outfit Carrie decided to wear. By no means are these shows beacons of feminist thought. However, the viewers of many of these shows are very intelligent women who come for the clothes and stay for the drama. If Model's Inc. can tap into that same market I think the comic would stand a very good chance of bringing some new female readers into the fold.

Bringing Tim Gunn in is a good start. He already has a big fan base, and is a recognizable name thanks to his mentor role on Project Runway. I hope that his role in this comic stays more as mentor and is not the "leader", nor the fabulous gay friend all sassy NY models in the media need to have. Tim Gunn is great the way he is, and Marvel should write him that way. What I would like to see with Model's Inc. is if they are able to take the fashion angle a step further. A lot of comic book artists have no clue how to dress thier female characters (an early childhood pet peeve of mine was that Mary Jane would wear the same drabby outfit every episode of Spider-Man the animated series). So why not take a cue from Gossip Girl and actually draw the characters in real life current fashion? Just last year Vogue had an entire issue devoted to comics that featured Dolce and Gabbana waxing poetic about thier love for Catwoman. I'm sure you could get designers to send samples that could then be drawn into the comic itself. It would be a great way of keeping the comic current and would be a great hook for readers who really are into fashion.

That said, this comic has a delicate line to toe. I could see this easily becoming too camp, filled with fashion cliches and girly fun. I don't want it to become another Marvel Divas debacle. The comic could also just focus on the heroics, in which case it looses it's hook as a fashion comic. I just hope the Marvel talent it up to it. If they are, maybe next season we'll see Blair Waldorf flipping through a comic book on Gossip Girl. God, I love when fandoms come together.

Suprisingly, Power Girl is Cool. In Other News, Marvel Divas is Still Lame

2009-05-18T00:54:00.007-04:00

It's been a while hasn't it? Damn, I hate when real life gets in the way of my time spent geeking out on the internet. Thankfully it's a long weekend up here in Canada and I just polished off a box of chocolate cookies, so I have time to write and I'm in a good mood!

The first thing I've been wanting to write about is the premier issue of Power Girl. I came very close to making this a "Skeeve Watch" post because my inner Edna Mode HATES the cut out boob panel Power Girl sports on her costume. Apparently, at some point in Power Girl's history DC writers jokingly tried to pass it off as her logo, similiar to Batman's bat or Superman's S. But neither of those logo's are highlighted in a manner meant to titilate the reader in the way that Power Girl's...assets...are. I think the costume would look just as great if it were a white body suit minus the cut out. But I digress. I chose not to focus on the skeevy aspects of the costume because the subject has been discussed to death all over the internets, and I really don't have much to add to the discussion.

The other honest reason was because I didn't want my distaste for the costume to take away from the fact that I really enjoyed Power Girl's inagural issue. Power Girl picks up with Kara Zor-L (yes, she is a relative of the boy scout) as she tries to make a new life for herself on Earth. This includes the obligatory need to create a non-super persona for herself, Karen Starr, the owner of the R&D firm Starrware. She also has to save New York from a giant ape who flies a spaceship. Yeah, I thought that was a bit weird to (Sidenote: As I recall Wonder Woman hung out with some giant super intelligent apes in The Circle. Is there some sort of heroine/ape connection I'm missing here?).

The heroics Power Girl gets up to are pretty standard DC fare. What I really enjoyed was the subplot of Kara getting her life up and running. I like the idea of her using Starrware as a front for her superhero antics (same as Batman and Wayne Enterprises), and that her potential "Moriarty" actually shows up on the business end rather then while she's Power Girl. The art itself was generally good. The reviewer at CBR made a good point that the art wasn't too cheesecake and I have to agree. There were also lots of little touches that I appreciated. For instance Kara sports Vans Off the Wall's while at work. Pretty styling if I don't say so myself.

Power Girl has lots of potential, to be sure. I'm going to keep on following it for a few issues before I give more detailed thoughts. Though Power Girl looks promising, plots involving monkey's of any kind can veer into silliness very quickly. Have we learned nothing from Space Chimps? I hope Power Girl can avoid the trap of becoming to campy and silly.

Good news and bad news on the Marvel Divas front. As you may remember my first real post on here was about Marvel Divas and the brouhaha surronding it's rather sexist premise. The good news: Marvel released some concept art for the series and it's not bad. In fact it's quite cute. You can view it here, as long as Marvel keeps it up. Also, judging by the post the title may be called Marvel Vixens. That isn't really good news, I guess, but I do wonder if Marvel really thinks that is any better then Divas. The bad news: Joe Quesada demolished any of the goodwill towards the title by releasing this statement, in which he basically states that if you think Marvel is in any way sexist in its actions, TOO FRICKING BAD. Don't buy the comic. He also provides a really helpful analogy about Pink selling records to help us understand how the comics industry works. Gee thanks Mr. Quesada, I never would have figured out that you stuck sexy women on a cover to sell titles on my own! The blog I linked to has a really excellent response that sums up everything I would say about it, except that I now know that while I will read this title just to see how awful it is, I won't pay a cent for it (that's my code for I'm obtaining it illegally, in case you were wondering).

A small aside: I've been obsesively following The Hooded Utilitarian, a great blog that deconstructs gender and sexuality in fandom. Read the Bound to Blog series. It will seriously blow. your. mind. Wonder Woman will never look the same again.

Michelle Obama: Super First Lady!

2009-05-02T16:22:00.002-04:00

As a feminist and a casual observer of politics, it is a great pleasure of mine to see that women are taking more prominent roles in the political sphere, even if they sometimes get villified because of it (*cough*Hilary*cough*). But as a comics fan, I am even happier that someone saw fit to give these women thier due. Female Force is a monthly autobiographical series published by Bluewater comics focusing on female political and cultural icons. Past issues have featured Hilary Clinton and Sarah Palin. The one I got my hands on this week covered Michelle Obama.

Over the course of the presidential campaign, I got a lot of information about what Michelle wears, what she feeds her kids, and where she likes to shop (Target, JUST LIKE US!). Aside from those pressing concerns, much was made of her final thesis at Princeton, "Princeton educated blacks and the black community", as some news agencies saw it as evidence of Michelle's "segragationist" views without giving any context about the paper. Female Force: Michelle Obama does exactly that; gives us context. The comic does a great job at giving us a portrait of an extremely smart and capable woman who willing choose to give up her own career in order to ensure her husband could have a sucessful political one. The author, Neal Bailey, clearly admires Michelle and it shows. He refutes many media claims against her, for example showing that she is not the upper middle class princess that was sometimes shown in the media, but had to work to get into both Princeton and Havard Law.

He also goes into great detail of the sucess of Michelle's own legal career (which included representing the folks behind Barney the Purple Dinosaur). As a future lawyer, I'm pretty envious of Michelle's career path. Screw that. I WANT her career path. Did you know that she spent much of her down time at Havard Law advocating for the rights of the working class and acting as thier lawyer on pro bono basis? Because I sure as hell didn't. She also worked as a public service lawyer up until Barack's intial senate run. I really have to applaud this comic for telling the story that so often isn't told.

The nuts and bolts of this comics are fairly strong as well. Bailey keeps the story moving along well, with just the right amounts of humour and indignation respectively. His research is broad though are definitely not of the academic variety. Thanks to 4 years of university I can't fathom using Wikipedia as a reference. The art is pretty decent, though sometimes the faces veer into caricature territory. What I most liked was the idea that Michelle Obama, along with the other ladies featured in these comics, are modern day heroes worthy of having their story told. That is a concept that we all need to get behind.

Next up for this series are features on Condi Rice, Caroline Kennedy, J. K. Rowling, and Princess Diana. I'll be interested to see if they can be enlightening and entertaining as this read was.

Someone Wondrous

2009-04-22T00:25:00.005-04:00

I have to admit something before I get into my review of Wonder Woman. There is something I have always found lacking about Wonder Woman. I know I should really like her. She's awesome! She kicks ass! She can beat up Superman (maybe)! As Carrie Bradshaw once pointed out, she has great accesories!

Yet, of the female characters I follow in the comics world, she is the one I have never been able to connect to. I think a large part of it is that Wonder Woman sits on the other end of the spectrum of the damsels of comic books. Unlike the helpless waifs that Spider-Man and Superman have had occasion to save, Wonder Woman is almost infalliable. Which, for me as a female reader, is a problem. I may not be able to say, kick the living crap out of Ares the god of war, but I know I'm a pretty tough cookie. That said I also know I'm not perfect. I make mistakes, I say stupid things, Just like any human being, I have good and bad points about me. Wonder Woman, in many of incarnations, seems to lack this essential humanity. Yes I know she isn't technically human, but even writers on Superman have done a great job at showing how an alien can so desperately want to fit into the human world. Wonder Woman is limited to grunting about how evil men are, etc etc.

Suffice to say I started watching this film with low expectations, but I was happily suprised on some counts. In this origin story, which takes elements from the original from creator William Moulton Masters as well as other more recent Wonder Woman stories, the Amazons retreat to a secluded island after a brutal war with Ares. There Hippolyta, Queen of the Amazons, is given permission to make herself a daughter without having to spoil herself with a man. She creates the child out of clay and thus the Diana of the Amazons is born.

Fast forward a few hundred years later, Diana and the rest of the Amazons are getting a little angsty on thier island, hoping to leave and explore and get some more books (could you imagine having to read Plato over and over again? Yikes). There is also the tedious business of having to guard Ares day and night.

I liked that the writers made Diana a restless young soul. It's an oft repeated motif in literature. Young heroine or hero seeks to get the hell out of thier home and see the wide world, have a ton of adventures, and maybe fall in love. It works really well here. You can believe that Diana wants to get off the island. This feeling is exacerbated when handsome and cocky USAF pilot Steve Rogers crash lands on the island. While the other Amazons react with hostility, Diana is mostly interested in the newcomer and encourages her to compete for the honour to escort the pilot back to the United States.

It's when Diana gets to the US that the film lost some of it's lustre for me. There are some funny bits (I got a good giggle out of Diana teaching a young girl how to "disembowel" the little boys the girl is playing pirates with), but the film again falls back on Wonder Woman thinking that men are stupid and weak and wondering why women in our world are so useless, and its up to Steve Rogers to show her the error of her ways. I would have much preferred to see Wonder Woman get to the realization on her own terms. All in all, I found the character development a little...err...wooden. I may be asking a lot of an animated film, but having seen solid character development in many other comic book films I think it is possible to provide more sides to Wonder Woman.

That quibble aside, I'm happy to see that DC has invested so much here into thier only true marquee female hero. They need to continue this investment into all thier female characters, ensuring that some of the best talent DC has got is working on them. At the very least, this film has shown me that there is a lot more potential for Wonder Woman then I have ever thought possible.

Back After These Messages

2009-04-21T23:46:00.003-04:00

I'm a terrible liar. I promised a enlightening blog post on how to get women reading comics and instead I post nothing for a whole week. Sorry gang, some personal stuff came up and it's taken up a great deal of my time. I'll be back with a new post by the end of the week. I also got my hands on the Wonder Woman animated movie, so you'll be getting my thoughts on that soon enough. As a teaser, I did discover that it is possible to love Nathan Fillion more than I already do.

Superheroine Costume Skeeve Watch: Star Sapphire

2009-04-16T23:42:00.009-04:00

Full Disclosure: I am an addicted follower of the blog Go Fug Yourself, where two of the funniest ladies to ever hit the internet "fug" celebrities for thier insane wadrobe choices (view all thier posts on the fashion choices of Bai Ling and try not to laugh. C'mon, I dare you.). If I can ever achieve half thier level of wit on this blog, I'll consider it a day well done.

Failing that, I've instead decided to "borrow" the fugging concept from them*. Except that I'm going to use it to keep an eye on what the superheroines of comics are wearing. God knows there are some bad costumes out there, both for the men and the women. But somehow it's the ladies costumes that tend to veer into extremely skeevy examples of women's wear. With that in mind "Skeeve Watch" has been born to call out the worst of the worst. Someone's got to make sure the superheroines are well dressed, and I think I'm just the blogger to do it.

So, without further ado, I present our first superheroine (and sometime supervillian) costume for discussion: Star Sapphire's!

For the unintiated, Star Sapphire is the super alter ego of one Carol Ferris, head of Ferris Aircraft and sometime paramour of Green Lantern Hal Jordan. She started out as...err...well, to be totally honest the character and motivations of Star Sapphire have been retconned to shit. I'm not even totally clear on her origins. But I do know she had a pretty spiffy little outfit, even if it wasn't technically Ferris (like I said, little fuzzy on the origins).

Cute right? Very iconic looking, good colour coordination. It's sexy but it's not totally unbelievable that she could kick some ass in it. At the very least she could probably wear a pretty comfy bra.

Things changed in the aughts. Geoff Johns came and brought Hal Jordan back from the dead and revealed there were a whole spectrum of lanterns that people could fight with. One of these was the Violet Lantern, which harnesses the power of love. Those that wield the violet rings became the Star Sapphire Corps (Interestingly, it appears in the comics that only women can wield the power of loooooove. Another blog post for another day, me thinks). And guess who joined? That's right, Ms. Star Sapphire herself, Carol Ferris.

One would think that a corps comprised of all women would pick a costume that was suitable for demonstrating the strength of love.

Hmmmm. Well I guess this could represent love becuase it sho...sorry, I keep getting distracted by something. Maybe they define love as sexual in this co...sorry, it keeps happening. What I'm really trying to sa...HOLY HELL, HER BOOBS ARE BARELY IN THE COSTUME! How could anyone fight any other person this way? She looks like she and the other Star Sapphires are about to suprise Hal and the boys with the bachelor party of thier dreams, not take out another corps. Is the great secret of the Star Sapphire Corps that they use thier power to keep thier boobs in place while wearing the costumes? And the colour is absolutely blinding. Bai Ling would take one look at this and deem it too tacky for her taste.

I hope a time comes when some artist will be brave enough to make Star Sapphire more then Green Lantern eye candy. Until then, Star Sapphire is officially on my skeeve watch.

*after writing this I realized the fug girls actually have a feature called celebrity skeeve watch. I wanted to change the name, but damn if I can't think of a better one. So the name stays for now, but all the credit goes to GFY.

You Naughty Naughty Marvel Writers

2009-04-14T23:03:00.008-04:00

Rather then trying to explain what Marvel Divas is, I'll let the braintrust at Marvel explain for me.

This also seems like the perfect time to announce our Marvel Divas limited series, beginning in July, from Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa and Tonci Zonjic, featuring some of the Marvel Universe’s greatest female heroes in a way you haven’t seem them before. I’ll let Roberto explain:

“The idea behind the series was to have some sudsy fun and lift the curtain a bit and take a peep at some of our most fabulous super heroines. In the series, they're an unlikely foursome of friends--Black Cat, Hell Cat, Firestar, and Photon--with TWO things in common: They're all leading double-lives and they're all having romantic trouble. The pitch started as "Sex and the City" in the Marvel Universe, and there's definitely that "naughty" element to it, but I also think the series is doing to a deeper place, asking question about what it means...truly means...to be a woman in an industry dominated by testosterone and guns. (And I mean both the super hero industry and the comic book industry.) But mostly it's just a lot of hot fun

Oh boy! Finally a comic that understands my need to live vicariously through a bunch of sassy, sexy, naughty superheroines. Me and my gal pals will all get together to read it and then gab about it over martini's. I bet I'll be the "Black Cat" of my friends.

What Marvel Divas reeks of is an attempt by Marvel to a) draw in a female audience that is a part of the "Sex and the City" generation b) still keep thier predominately male audience interested by showcasing some quality Marvel T&A. I feel Marvel is failing badly at both attempts with this pitch.

On the first count, Marvel seems to be working under the assumption that the only way to get women who aren't already reading comics interested is to slap together something that revolves around some silly pre-concieved notion of what women like-in this case boys and girly fun like shopping. It's not that some women don't enjoy these things (God knows I enjoy them too much) but Marvel is making the mistake of talking down to it's audience. The pitch seems to revolve around the fact that it will be "fun" and "super awesome for girls", thusly assuming that's all girls would be interested in. I find the tone a bit paternal really, which is a problem. If Marvel is indeed trying to capitalize the sucess of the Sex and the City, the publisher is missing the fact that Sex and the City, in it's first seasons before it became a parody of itself, never talked down to the viewer. The show was frank in it's portrayal of women's sexuality in a way that allowed the subject to be broached more easily in the public sphere. Marvel has the oppurtunity to do something similiar with Marvel Divas, but if the pitch is any indication they aren't looking to break new ground. It reminds me, as many things in life do, of a Simpsons episode. In the one I'm thinking of Lisa, terribly dissapointed by the sexist dribble coming out of her Talking Malibu Stacey Doll, designs a new feminist doll called Lisa Lionheart. Fearing lost sales the (all male) heads of Malibu Stacey stay up all night trying to find a way to update Malibu Stacey for the nineties. In the end they come up with a great new addition for her-a new hat. In essence, that is what I feel Marvel has done here. They have given us the proverbial new hat of comic books-A flashy new all female line-up that may be lacking in any substance.

You'll remember I said that I thought that Marvel was failing on getting the males all hot and bothered to. "But why?" you must be thinking "Check out the racks on those ladies!" While this new comics team is certainly well endowed, even the most casual male or female comic fan couldn't help but notice that the art that has been relased thus far is not good. The proportions on all the female characters would make even Liefeld proud. The other problem is that a lot of guys are going to catch on to the obvious allusions to Sex and the City and be instantly turned off. The show is like straight male Kryptonite (except for a few stong brave souls).

I'm hoping that the general distaste that has already been directed towards Marvel Divas, and the rumoured anger it's caused amongst some of the female Marvel creators will help Aguirre-Sacasa make this comic more then just a generic Sex and the City rip-off. It has the potential to be more. But mostly I hope that Marvel takes a look at what thier rival DC is putting out and hangs their head in shame a little bit.

Why you ask? Because of Gotham Sirens.

Written by Paul Dini; Art and Cover by Guillem March; Variant Cover by JG Jones
This all-new series features the bad girls of Gotham City! Catwoman, Poison Ivy and Harley Quinn are tired of playing by other people's rules regardless of which side of the law they're on. These tough ladies have a new agenda that's all their own, and they'll use any means necessary to pursue it. But can they get along and work as a team? And who will get hurt along the way? DETECTIVE COMICS and STREETS OF GOTHAM writer Paul Dini kicks off this brand-new ongoing series with amazing artwork by Guillem March (JOKER'S ASYLUM: POISON IVY, GOTHAM GAZETTE).

At first glance, I'm sure you're wondering what the hell the difference is. A team of sexy superhero ladies right? But when we look closer...

Characters: DC has chosen to choose three of thier marquee female rogues who have three very different personalities and a history of working against or with each other. Marvel scrapped 4 heroes out of the bottom of their character barrel and threw them together.
Plot: Marvel has given us very little indication of the plot of Marvel Divas except that they will fight crime and get up to some sort of naughty fun that will likely include a sleepover and down filled pillow fight. Gotham Sirens gives us the indication that we will see this team stir things up in Gotham, and that the interactions between the three main characters will be explored.
Talent: Aguirre-Sacasa has written a few lines for Marvel and his work is debatable in terms of quality. I've already gotten into my distaste for the art. Meanwhile Gotham Sirens is being written by PAUL FUCKING DINI, the guy that wrote Batman the Animated Series not to mention a whole host of other awesome comics. That alone will get many comics fans reading. The art isn't half bad either. I don't mind the pin-up quality of comic book covers so much as long as it's done well. At the very least, I don't feel the inclanation to run out and buy any of the characters a decent bra like I did when I saw the Marvel Divas cover.
Title: Both their titles kind of suck. Why do the mostly male groups get to be "leagues" and "corps" and we get stuck with titles that sound like they could double as the title for a cabaret act at a drag club? DC, Marvel, you can do better.

Marvel, I hope you're taking notes. Readers-male, female, and in between-are attracted to good story lines, great talent, and decent art. Pandering to outdated conceptions of what women want will get you no where.

Next up, I plan to talk about what could increase female readership of comicbooks. If you think one of the solutions is more covers where Batman appears topless, you wouldn't be wrong.

Doc

Year One

2009-04-14T22:03:00.004-04:00

Hi, my name is Dr. Watson, and I'm a female comics fan.

Let me tell you, it ain't easy. You get gawked at when you walk into a comic book store. Then comes the inevitable shock when the comic book proprietors learn you are not there for magna. Then comes the inevitable akward glances thrown your way, the feel of the cold sweat on the 16 year old geek's hand as you exchange money for your latest issue of Green Lantern. Finally as you exit it's as if you can hear a sigh of relief as the enemy-teh girl!-leaves the store.

Heh, I'm kidding. Sort of.

I love comics. I've been collecting comics on and off since I was 14 years old. I also love talking about them. I post at the Hype a lot, where I debate everything from who is the best Batman (Bale damnit!) to the intersection of comics and the fashion industry.

Having been a comic book fan for almost 10 years now, I have begun to really understand how male dominated the comics world is. It isn't news to anyone that the general perception of comics is that they are a "boy thing". But I don't just mean that men account for a majority of the producers of comics (artists, writers, inkers, etc) though that is something that I hope to explore on this blog. Even those who religously follow comics seem to fall in the XY chromosone group. The content of the comics does have many women, but how many women heroes? My own comics shelf boasts only two trade paperbacks about a female hero, and both of those are Wonder Woman comics. There are no female heroes in current circulation that I would count amongst my favourites (which are Batman and Green Lantern in case you were wondering).

What I want to know is, why? Why aren't more women reading comics? Why aren't more women on the message boards? Why aren't there more women creating comics?

That brings me to this blog. I want to use Does This Costume Make Me Look Fat? to explore these questions, among many others. I won't pretend to have any great answers (though in my head, I DO have all the answers, and DC will be calling me up shortly to lead thier creative department). But I do want to add my voice to the comics discourse that is out there. Hopefully I can get some debate and interest going.

Excelsior, comics fans

Doc

PS Please feel free to post or email me with ideas for blog articles or new comics if you think I would be interested. I plan on doing reviews whenever possible.