With all the talk about sexism in comics and the struggle for female characters to exist beyond their triple F cup bras, we’ve decided to highlight some of the more well-rounded (so to speak) comics and graphic novels out there.

These create strong characters of both genders, satirize contemporary stereotypes, and often give heroines a more natural and realistic appearance.

10. BIRDS OF PREY

The Oracle and her group of super-heroines fight crime in Gotham City, Metropolis, and later California. While some of them can’t shake the DC Comics sexpot syndrome, they are nevertheless all individuals with varying interests, strengths and weaknesses. This action-packed, estrogen-charged series ran for 10 years, from 1999 until February of this year. [1]

9. NINA’S ADVENTURES

Poking fun at gender stereotypes, creator Nina Paley describes her weekly strip as “semi-autobiographical” and “often experimental.” [2] She supports creative commons and posts all of her work online for free. (See Official Site Here)

8. NAUGHTY BITS

Forty issues spanning 13 years (1991-2004) follow Bitchy, a wild (though terribly named) anti-hero, neither sweet nor sexy. She is among the few leading women in comics permitted to be crass and rude, not to mention recklessly promiscuous, racist and homophobic – a compelling character you love to hate.[3]

7. LOVE & ROCKETS

Created by brothers Gilbert and Jaime Hernandez, Love and Rockets ran from 1982-1996, and resumed publication in 2001. It addresses cultural and racial tensions through a cast of “ladies with strength, intelligence, independence, bitchiness, frailty, obsessiveness; in short, human qualities.” [4]

6. BATWOMAN

Originally introduced in 1956, Batwoman (a.k.a. Kate “Kathy” Kane) didn’t last long in the pages of DC Comics. She only made a few chance appearances between 1964 and 2006 (left). But now, after many years in the cave, she has finally reappeared (right).

She is described as “a lesbian socialite by night, and a crime-fighter by later in the night.”
Writer Greg Rucka said in a recent interview, “[Her sexual preference] is an element of her character. It is not her character. If people are going to have problems with it, that’s their issue. That’s certainly not mine.” [5]

5. PREACHER

Preacher Jesse Custer is possessed by a supernatural creature, Genesis, both an angel and a demon. On a quest to literally find God, who abandoned Heaven, he is joined by ex-girlfriend Tulip O’Hare. They are solid characters with a propensity for both strength and vulnerability. Tulip is shaped with an extensive backstory – and an equally extensive backbone. She is woman enough to take charge when she needs to, and Custer is man enough to shed tears once in a while. [6] [7]

4. Y: THE LAST MAN

A terrible plague has wiped off all the Y chromosomes in the planet. Ultra-feminist Daughters of the Amazon believe it was an act by Mother Earth to cleanse itself of men. The only problem is, life as they now know it is doomed. Yorick Brown is the sole male survivor, with his pet monkey, Ampersand. [8]

Perhaps this was a response to many feminists’ violent anti-male agendas, typically masquerading as the quest for equality. The women in this comic are strong and opinionated, but flawed – just as the men…were. This well-written, bold commentary on gender issues raises a lot of questions, and hopefully prompts some self reflection in the midst of entertainment.

NOTE: While the comic series ended in 2008, a film version is currently in development. [9]

3. PROMETHEA

Young Sophie is embodied by Promethea, a hybrid Egyptian/Greek spirit, whose intellect and raw power force Sophie to overcome weakness and naivety. With the evil mystic group The Temple on a hunt to exterminate Promethea, Sophie must learn quickly how to fend off her enemies. The action sequences, compounded with philosophical overtones, make for a very exciting and intellectually stimulating story. [10]

2. ALIAS

Former superhero Jewel (a.k.a. Jessica Jones) leaves her life of heroics to become a detective for Alias Private Investigations. Her past is layered, her character complex, and Marvel fans give her high ratings for strength, intelligence, and durability. [11]

1. IT AIN’T ME, BABE

” ‘It Ain’t Me Babe’ was the very very first ever in the world all-women’s comic. … It lasted only one issue, but it united the growing sub-culture of female underground cartoonists.” -Critic Arie Kaplan [12]

CLOSE, BUT NOT QUITE:
WONDER WOMAN

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. Not to mention the fact that she’s become a sexual object just like the rest of them, epitomized with the 2008 Playboy Wonder Woman cover.

CLOSE, BUT NOT QUITE:
HOTHEAD PAISAN

Armed and angry, Hothead Paisan is known as the “homicidal lesbian terrorist” with an “absurdist take on the sexist consumer culture which surrounds her. She sees the world through a misfit’s eyes and is simultaneously damaged and enraged by it.” [13] This comic might have made the list if it wasn’t so rigorously anti-male. While we support creating strong and witty female characters, it shouldn’t be at the expense of men. You can’t fight sexism with sexism.

Sources:

[1] “Birds of Prey” Birdwatching, CanaryNoir.com

[2] Nina’s Adventures – Nina Paley Biography 2005

[3] “Naughty Bits” Review (Anne Thalheimer) PopMatters.com

[4] “Love & Rockets / Artist Bio: The Hernandez Brothers”. Fantagraphic Books Online

[5] “Batwoman, The Red-Headed Lesbian, is Unleashed At Last” (Guy Adams) The Independent Online, Los Angeles. February 11, 2009

[6] Tulip O’Hare: Character Profile, ComixFan.com

[7] Preacher: Comic Profile, ComicVine.com

[8] “Y: The Last Man” (John Hogan) Graphic Novel Reporter Online. January, 2009

[9] “Y: The Last Man Draft Screenplay – The Script That Got Brian K Vaughan the Gig on ‘Lost’” (Rich Johnston) BleedingCool.com. June 30,2009

[10] “Promethea: Book One” (Andrew Gilstrap) PopMatters.com

[11] “Jessica Jones.” Marvel Universe: The Official Marvel Wiki

[12] Kaplan, Arie. Masters of the Comic Book Universe Revealed! Chicago Review Press, 2006 (p.85)

[13] “Hothead Paisan: Homicidal Lesbian Terrorist” (Todd Morman) StayFreeMagazine.org

Massive crowds flocked to San Diego this week for the 40th Annual Comic-Con Convention. This multi-genre convention caters to fans of comics, video games, sci-fi/fantasy films, anime and more. The convention has grown every year, and for the first time ever in 2008, sold out entirely in advance.

So with over 9,000 vendors vying for attention from over 123,000 attendees (numbers from 2006 statistics) [1],  what can a company do to stand out? Well this year, EA Games has come up with a new way to beat the competition – pimp out their booth babes.

EA’s contest, a promotion for the game Dante’s Inferno, encourages fans to hunt down EA Booth Babes at the convention and “commit acts of lust” with them. One fan “wins” two girls for a night, including dinner, a limo ride, and “booty,” apparently. [2]

For an industry that is trying to include more women [3] and accommodate the thousands of fangirls in attendance at Comic-Con this year, it’s surprising EA didn’t recognize how alienating and misogynistic this crude promotion could be.

ADDITIONAL NOTE: John from the blog “Comics Oughta Be Fun!” describes instances of sexual harassment at Comic-Con last year, and how he saw it go generally unnoticed and unacknowledged by CC staff. (Read John’s post here)

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Sources:

Thanks to StilettoREVOLT Reader Kai Porter for this story!

[1] “Comic-Con International ‘07 to Draw Big Crowd to Convention Center” (Preston Turegano) San Diego Business Journal. July 23, 2007

[2] “EA Puts Sexual Bounty on the Heads of Its Own Booth Babes” (Ben Kuchera) Ars Technica Online News. July 24, 2009

[3] “Game Industry Finally Notices Girls” (Jason Ashley Wright) CommercialExploitation.org. January 13, 2009