Do The Super-Chicks Represent?

Running short on Interrogators, huh?

Okay, I've got a question for the CNGs:

I hear a lot of talk about strong women in comics, and certainly the Luna Brothers and Dan Clowes and guys like that who do very realistic stuff write very well-rounded female characters...

But what about in the more mainstream books? I personally think that Brian Reed (and Bendis) write Ms. Marvel as a complex, flawed, and ultimately heroic character...but she's still built on the Frank Cho Male Ideal, physically. I also thought Dan Slott did a great job with She-Hulk, particularly in really exploring the dichotomy between the Champion and the Girl...and at least Jen Walters is sort of "average-looking" when she's in her human form....

Or does the "male-centric" physical depiction bother you at all?

(I can't speak to DC characters cuz I don't read that crap.)

Deena Pilgrim, yes. I think we can all agree that she's one of the most interesting and real-world-seeming female characters in graphic adventure fiction...and we can add in Jessica Jones/Alias as well...but aside from the mighty Bendis's ladies, what do you guys really think about how most women are portrayed in mainstream (superhero?) comics?

And if you're largely dissatisfied, what do you think could be done to improve the situation?

Yr Pal,
(who is currently writing a central female character in a comic and who might be asking this for completely selfish reasons)
JB Love

CUTE NERD GIRL SPECIAL COLUMNIST ASHLEY!

This is something that I don't really think about all that much, and after giving it some consideration, I realized why: When I look for characterization, I'm mainly looking for whether the writer can pull off human or not. To look for whether a character is appropriately male or female almost seems sexist to me (though your question seems very considerate); it assumes that all males or all females would think and say and do the same things. But if you can get human down, then everything else should just fall into place. Ideally. Although speaking from experience, I know how difficult it can be to write for a male. Good writers can pull it off, though.

As for Deena, God I love her. Mainly because her spontaneous and quirky personality kind of reminds me of me. I remember a line of hers once--something like, "I always wear these little belly shirts. That's gotta do something for you." Sounded so like something I would say.

Also, I don't read an awful lot of mainstream stuff. But another great female character I enjoy is Tulip from Garth Ennis' Preacher.

LAUREN

Couple of my most recent favorites are Ed Brubaker's Catwoman and Brian K. Vaughn's Agent 355 from Y: The Last Man. Well, any woman from Y is fairly realistic and written brilliantly. I don't think Mr. Vaughn can do any wrong. Although Supergirl from the late 80s always kind of bugged the shit of out me because of her devotion to Lex, and the complete lack of brains that they gave her...I know he made her from protoplasm post-crisis, but still...I will say the Kara Zor-El that Jeph Loeb wrote in the Superman/Batman series is stupendous.

As for Marvel, I have way too much catching up to do, so I can't really say.

MARY

I totally agree with Lauren about 355 & Y. Poor 355! I actually cried out "Fuck no!" when she got shot while sitting by myself in my apartment. I had tears in my eyes at the end of Y #58. 355 bit the dust already. Now Deena from Powers is going to die next....it's a bad time to be one of my favorite kick ass comic chicks.

Also, Ashley? Deena reminds me of me. That Bendis bastard is some kind of writer.

I like pretty much all of the female X-Men (of course the Ultimate X-Men Bendis touched.) I have moved away from X-Men these days though. I will love Phoenix/Jean Grey until the day I die as well as Rogue.

Bendis and B.K.V. are my bests for female portrayals. I love every woman Bendis has ever written, of course. B.K.V.'s Runaways was awesome. That being said, Joss Whedon can write the fuck out of some ladies in everything he does. I like all the female characters in Warren Ellis's Nextwave too.

In the end, the "male-centric" physical depiction doesn't bother me at all. Have you checked out the male superheroes in mainstream books? Do any of you look like them?

Huge C.N.G. thanks to Ashley. She will be chiming in on the site when she has time



I think I am going to cry.