This article was originally written for Modern Myths, INC. and was posted on February 22, 2014. This is a reproduction for portfolio purposes.
It seems like we’re upon a renaissance era for women in comics. There’s a massive number of ongoing female led titles for every genre and taste: Gail Simone’s Red Sonja for fantasy lovers, Coffin Hill for magic enthusiasts, Rachel Rising for horror fanatics, superhero teams like Birds of Prey and X-Men to stand up to the Avengers and Justice League, and, of course, a bevy of superhero solo titles, like Wonder Woman, Ms. Marvel, and She-Hulk.
While 2014 is a slowly becoming glorious time for women in comics, and current titles feature strong, determined, smart, diverse, and feminist female characters, it’s important not to forget the characters, and the comic books, who helped pave the way for the success of modern, female-led comics.
Wonder Woman is the perennial winner of longest-running female solo title, with both her first and second series, and is one of the most iconic figures in the feminist movement, but it’s teen queen characters like Betty, Veronica, and Millie the Model who sell just as well and subtly spread feminist concepts. Even one of Marvel’s oldest characters, Patsy Walker (aka Hellcat) found her roots, surprisingly, in teen romance comics, where she eventually became a “career-gal” and then a superhero. Romance stories were some of the best selling comic books in the 1940s and 50s, with a primary audience of young women.
It was Superman’s Girlfriend Lois Lane, with a whopping 137 consecutive issues, that really seemed to turn the tide for feminist characters in comics. Spanning almost 2 decades, many stories resorted to characterizing Lois as an annoying busybody who just wanted to be Mrs. Superman, but, in the early 70s, the character evolved. After becoming involved in the civil rights movement and women’s lib, Lois’ comic, under the hands of editor Dorothy Woolfolk, took an entirely new direction in 1972: Lois was done with Superman. Instead of Superman being irritated by Lois’ knack for getting into trouble, Lois was irritated with Supes’ penchant for being overprotective and patronizing. But Lois’s new leaf was dampened by a column in the back of the issues, by a mysterious columnist, dubbed “Alexander the Great,” that was full of “satiric” anti-feminist rhetoric like:
She’s always been such an obnoxious dame – is it possible for anyone – superhuman or not – to deal with such a personality? I don’t think so.
And:
If I were you, I’d get together with Superman and form Men’s Liberation… to free us from those nutty Women’s libbers.
Only 2 short years later, the comic ended and was rolled into the new Superman Family title, where Lois returned to being Superman’s girlfriend, but there was a sense that feminism in comics was feasible.
Because of this, some female characters created during the 70s faced an odd duplicity. As I’ve mentioned in past posts, Power Girl was presented as a first wave feminist character in her initial appearances, struggling to be regarded as “just as good as the men, if not better,” rather than just some “dame.” Her costume embraced her femininity, but was also created specifically by and for the male gaze. Many feminist female characters faced, and still face, this disconnect between their back-breaking poses and their written attitudes.
Later, in the 80s, John Byrne took over the character of She-Hulk, and instead of a savage woman-of-rage or a sheepish mouse, Jennifer Walters transformed into a sassy, take-charge lawyer who was not only in control of her super powers, but also her super-sexuality. Sensation She-Hulk represented a small shift in how the feminism was perceived, much in line with the second wave of feminism. Though still subject to, and created by, the male gaze, there was no sense of implied shame (like the Star-Spangled Kid telling Peej to cover up her hole with a logo). She-Hulk was big, green, and sometimes naked, and embraced it with pride.
Characters like Shulky and PG have evolved throughout the years, and have been lucky to have great creative teams supporting their feminist images. Dan Slott’s complete collection of She-Hulk Volume 1 was just released, and while She-Hulk is just as strong as sassy as in the Byrne run, she also has to learn humility, which helps the character, in a way, progress towards the third wave of feminism. Somewhat conversely, the Conner/Palmiotti/Grey complete collection of Power Girl, which was also just released, harkens back to Byrne era Shulky, with Power Girl embracing who she is without shame. Both titles represent the feminist progression of two, bringing them into the modern era, while embracing what it means to be a super-woman.
Ellie Hillis 