I Need a Heroine

An auction house worker wears the original costume from the 1984 film ‘Supergirl,’ before the costume became a “midriff-revealing, panty-flashing mess.” (AP Photo/Lefteris Pitarakis)

The new Spider-Woman is a secret agent, alien hunter, member of the New Avengers, and is the title character of Marvel’s first foray into Motion Comics. Today’s Batwoman, a lesbian of Jewish descent, has taken over for the now-deceased Bruce Wayne and is leading a 12-issue run in DC’s longest running title, Detective Comics. Unfortunately, this lineup of female main characters has been unusual in the history of comics.

These characters are part of a new wave of complex, gritty and diverse heroines that are dramatically shifting comics industry dynamics, which has long been represented by superheroes that end in "-man."

"Female characters reflect the times in a different way" than canonical heroes, according to Mike Madrid, author of The Supergirls: Fashion, Feminism, Fantasy and the History of Comic Book Heroines. From decade to decade, female characters behaved and dressed according to social and moral trends. But the male characters have more or less stayed the same. Compare Superman’s steadfast "S"-shaped spitcurl and union suit to Supergirl’s ever-evolving costume. Fans revolted when Superman’s costume was updated in 1997 to reflect a more modern aesthetic, complete with electricity-based superpowers. But there was little protest as Supergirl’s hemlines consistently migrated upward. Her knee-length, long-sleeved dress gradually morphed into a midriff-revealing, panty-flashing mess.

In many ways, heroines have mirrored the feminist movement and are excellent artifacts of popular opinion. Recent industry developments are encouraging because they mirror a new wave of women—and also tell a powerful story about the impact that online activism and community-building can have upon entrenched industries.

THE ORIGIN STORY

Prior to the 1950s, heroines were actually fairly independent. They reflected World War II’s Rosie-the-Riveter spirit and her can-do attitude. Wonder Woman led the lineup of intrepid debutantes, investigators and vigilantes. But, according to Madrid, "After the war ended, superhero comics hit a slump and horror, crime, and romance comics replaced them. [The new comics] were racy and sensational."

And when Psychiatrist Frederic Wertham released his book Seduction of the Innocent in 1954, everything changed. Wertham alleged that comic books were corrupting American youth through immoral imagery, and he was the first person to comment on the potentially homoerotic relationship between Batman and Robin. Publishers fell under intense public scrutiny over scantily clad heroines and lurid plots. The Senate held hearings focused on how comics were corrupting American children, and the industry quickly adopted its own code of conduct, known as the Comics Code Authority (CCA) in order to survive. Books bearing the CCA seal were deemed palatable and appropriate for American youth.

But the CCA had tricky-to-interpret specifications for how female characters should dress and behave, and heroines were sidelined as a result. "One rule was that women had to be portrayed realistically," Madrid says. "So to be safe, they were downplayed. Comics began to paint a very traditional image of women as wife and mother. There wasn’t much of a place for a strong, crime-fighting heroine."

But as time went on, stronger female characters were re-introduced. There were milestones for heroines in the 1970s, perhaps inspired by feminism’s second-wave and the Civil Rights movement. Storm joined Marvel’s X-Men in 1975 and was the industry’s first mainstream black super heroine. Many changes in character development and plot were spurred by the sexual revolution and a new generation of writers that wanted to make their work relevant to the times they lived in. But as time went on and the code became irrelevant, creators swung backwards and embraced violence and sexist stereotyping all over again.

"In the ’90s, we had this explosion of female characters who had their own titles," Madrid says, "But they were incredibly sexualized. ... Characters like Lady Death had huge breasts and were shown bathing in pools of blood." Madrid contends that there were some strong female characters, but "at the time, male characters were very violent antiheros and women sunk to the same levels—they just did it with a lot less costume."

While the Comics Code still exists, few publications sport its seal of approval these days. Marvel dumped the seal in favor of a tiered rating system that denotes age-appropriateness. DC still uses the code, but has greatly reduced its prominence on covers. On Detective Comics #857, the fourth installment in the current Batwoman run, the seal is about half the size of a dime.

INTRODUCING FANGIRLS

The violent mistreatment and absurd sexualization of heroines continued until Stephanie Brown, the first female Robin, was brutally murdered in 2006. Communities of feminist comics fans had been discussing the terrible treatment of female characters in their own circles, but Brown’s death was something concrete for fans to rally around. It was enough to get Mary Borsellino, a freelance writer and comics fan in Brisbane, Australia, to take action. "She’s a young, bright, driven young woman constantly battered down by the world around her, constantly told she’s worthless," Borsellino said in an email interview. "I’ve felt like that a lot myself, and I felt like her death was a blow to the character and to readers alike in that respect."

Borsellino banded together with a network of feminist comic critics and producers to found Project Girl Wonder. The goal was simple: Other Robins had passed on and had memorials in the Batcave. Stephanie died in the line of duty, but had no memorial. "Comics got away with a lot of shit because they were seen as a place where nobody grown-up or smart or female would bother to go anyway," Borsellino wrote. "It was a self-perpetuating lie. And then, with online activism, women stopped putting up with the lie in a big, vocal, visible way."

Project Girl Wonder blew up. "All the comics blogs and boards were buzzing about what we were doing, often negatively, but it was being talked about," Borsellino wrote. "Fans started standing up at [comic] conventions and asking hard questions of panelists, often with entertaining results."

The organizing paid off. In 2009, DC launched a new series, with a resurrected Stephanie Brown at the helm. Stephanie is the new Batgirl, and DC Comics Executive Editor Dan Didio gave a nod to the activists at Girl Wonder when he announced her return. "From the time of her death, to the outcry for a memorial, and ultimately, to her return, there is no denying that her character had connected with a portion of our fanbase," Didio wrote in an editorial for the DC website.

Supergirl had her own bout of online activism as well. In response to her steadily shrinking costume and a lack of enlightened editorial directions, cartoonist Dean Trippe started Draw Supergirl meme in February 2007. He asked fans to do one thing: draw Supergirl the way they wanted her to be seen. The project amassed over 150 responses and was reported on in many industry blogs.

In June 2009, Supergirl finally got herself some official supershorts.

BEHIND THE FRAME

The new female fanbase has changed the industry. "Fans have an opportunity to be much more vocal," Madrid says. "Companies can see which characters have strong fan followings and they are making the effort to give some of these characters … a real chance."

Barsellino is a little more blunt. "Any change that’s come is, I think, related to the fact that female readers of superhero comics are … taking comics to task for their sexist crap. For a long time, Sci-Fi/Fantasy fandom in general and comics specifically has been stereotyped as the domain of mouthbreathing manchildren. [But] superheroes should be for everyone."

And the new, female hero-inspired titles are rolling off the presses. Not only is DC leading at least three new initiatives with female characters at the helm in 2009, but Marvel has stepped in to claim its share of the female fan base. The company recently made the move into "Motion Comics," which are flash-animated illustrations accompanied by mood music and voiceovers. They are leading the foray with the noir-influenced and grittily illustrated Spider-Woman.

Marvel also put out a four issue, Sex and the City-influenced miniseries called Marvel Divas last summer. Divas recounts the misadventures, love lives, and friendship between four B-list heroines in New York City. While much of the dialogue is torturously cheesey, the series is well intentioned and treats its characters with respect: there are no gratuitous boob shots.

"People ask me why women don’t read comics," Madrid says. "I think they would, but superhero comics are all about fighting and women are looking for more than that. … Marvel Divas ... focuses less on crimefighting and more on relationships."

The growing voices of female fans are also making the industry more welcoming to female creators. In September, penciller Amanda Conner, who works primarily on DC’s Powergirl title, was the first woman artist to make Wizard magazine’s Top Ten Hot Artists list. Wizard is often considered the leading publication for the superhero genre, and was founded in 1991. Until now, they had gone 18 years without a single female artist cracking the list.

While the details are still a little hush-hush, Marvel is also preparing to launch a year-long series of one-shots featuring lesser-known female heroines in March. While Marvel staff declined to comment on the series for this article, saying that it was too early to do press, it is supposed to feature up-and-coming female artists and writers from its Young Guns and Write Stuff talent promotions.

Barsellino thinks that female characters in comics are in a good starting place, but that more can be done. "Comics companies are starting to get a clue, so that just needs to be nurtured and encouraged. ... If comics can go a year without depowering, raping, or killing any female superheroes, that would be a nice start. And then maybe a few less ass and boob shots in each story. And maybe some plain old good STORIES about HEROES, no matter what their gender."

Erin Polgreen is senior program associate at The Media Consortium. Follow her on Twitter.

Related Stories

• Women and Obamacare
• HBO’s ‘Girls’—More Progressive Than Carrie Bradshaw, But Still White-Only
• Restaurant Workers Demand Equal Pay, Appealing to Restaurant Lobbyists and Congress
• The Top 10 Facts About the Wage Gap
• Infographic: The Gender Pay Gap