Comments on: Top 10 Best Female Driven Comics

By: J-son

J-son — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 20:07:50 +0000

not a fan of Naughty Bits, but the other ones are interesting. and Y The Last Man is probably the best comic of the decade. IT SHOULD BE HIGHER ON THE LIST. just my opinion

By: The Light

The Light — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 07:42:49 +0000

To quote this site: “On the surface, Wonder Woman seems like the embodiment of feminine strength and sex appeal. But if you delve into the history of this comic’s snide and sexist remarks against women, it all starts to feel like one giant back-handed compliment.”

Actually as far as Wonder Woman goes, she was created by William Moulton Marston, the actual inventor of the lie detector (part of the golden lasso bit.) Marston believed that women were superior to men and should rule over them (as was the case in his own marriage). Marston wrote, “Wonder Woman is psychological propaganda for the new type of woman who should, I believe, rule the world.” The other part of the bit with the lasso is that she gets to tie up men and force them to obey her commands. It was Marston’s whole S&M thing. The same is true on the flip side. When Wonder Woman is chloroformed and tied up (as she was every issue in Marston’s original comics) she looses her powers and becomes helpless. Dude had issues. Amazing stuff for the 1940’s.

By: Helena

Helena — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 12:40:41 +0000

I’m actually a fan of Hothead Paisan, even if she is cray-cray and sexist. It’s still a fun read.

By: Amelie

Amelie — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 19:44:13 +0000

No no, I wasn’t saying that at all. I was complaining more about the description than about the actual comic. I haven’t read this comic yet. If it just referred to a Matriarchal dystopia, then I wouldn’t have paused at that point while reading. (I’m a big fan of gender role discussions via sci fi.) But instead it refers to the Amazons as feminists who really do hate men, and violently so.

Over all, I’m saying the description matches an unfortunate stereotype that exists in reality. You’re saying you think it just refers to the alt universe, so I shouldn’t care. That’s fine, I hope I clarified enough. No where did I make an argument that the characters have to be perfect… if I did make that argument, I would have had a fit over Naughty Bits, wouldn’t I?

By: Alex

Alex — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 21:43:18 +0000

Tank Girl isn’t on here? I can honestly say that Tank Girl uncovered the feminist in my then 16-year-old self.

By: Morgan Elizabeth

Morgan Elizabeth — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 19:56:20 +0000

Y: The Last Man is definitely set in a dystopia, but then again, do all great female-driven comics have to portray women as sweet and wonderful? It’s well written, controversial, and initiates debate on gender issues more than anything else, which is why it’s surely worth mentioning.

By: Amelie

Amelie — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 19:49:06 +0000

On an unrelated note, Ampersand is a badass name for a monkey.

By: Amelie

Amelie — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 19:21:10 +0000

“Perhaps this was a response to many feminists’ violent anti-male agendas, typically masquerading as the quest for equality. ”

Maybe in that alternative universe, the Amazons kill a bunch of men. If it’s meant to reflect reality, however… then it’s just perpetuating the biggest and most persistent stereotype (other than the whole but feminists are gay! and hairy! oh my!) to discredit feminism.

Also, a fun study: ARE FEMINISTS MAN HATERS? FEMINISTS’ AND NONFEMINISTS’ ATTITUDES TOWARD MEN, which actually say on average that feminist women have a more positive attitude about men.
http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/journal/122352953/abstract?CRETRY=1&SRETRY=0

By: Morgan Elizabeth

Morgan Elizabeth — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 23:46:36 +0000

While the description may be hyperbolic, and doesn’t apply to most feminists, there are certainly plenty of women who have a rigorous hatred and prejudice toward men. It’s frustrating watching so many people recoil from the word “feminist,” just because some extremists have given it a bad name. The creator of “Hothead Paisan” writes with a violent mindset, even if she isn’t literally shooting men on her way to work. She has a vast following of people who celebrate the comic, which is even more unsettling.

Anyway, thanks for reading and contributing to the discussion, and for your suggestion of comic strip!

By: Amelie

Amelie — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 23:07:49 +0000

Inspired by some “Feminists’ violent anti-male agendas?” Hmmm, has a feminist walked into an LA fitness and shot a bunch of men lately?

I don’t doubt there are a small minority of feminists who dislike men… but I haven’t really seen them do anything violent. Would be interested if they actually existed… research required.

Something about that description raises a red flag for me.

I also wanted to recommend a comic to you, Morgan!

DAR:A Super Girly Top Secret Comic Diary (NSFW)
http://www.darcomic.org/2004/01/01/whatthefuck/

This diary follows Erika Moen as she tries to make sense of her sexual identity, find love, and much more. Also has a lot of fart jokes.