Carrie Fisher — actress, feminist, author and truth-teller about living with mental illness — was not the “Star Wars” character she played. But to a girl growing up in the ‘70s and ‘80s, her portrayal of a brave, take-charge leader with a biting wit was unforgettable. I can’t imagine anyone else ripping Grand Moff Tarkin (“I recognized your foul stench when I was brought on board.”), matching fast-talking Han Solo line for line (“Captain, being held by you isn’t quite enough to get me excited.”), and choking Jabba the Hut dead with the very chain he used to keep Leia captive.
Falling in love with the many gorgeous statues that are made of our cherished comic book characters can be an expensive endeavor. I was personally obsessed with the second Ame-Comi Wonder Woman designed by artist Dustin Nguyen. You know, the one that is an homage to Greg Rucka’s Wondy that decapitated Medusa blind? Yeah. I eventually got my hands on one, but at great cost to a former paramour as in he paid a pretty penny for it.
Where V. talks to Kelly Sue DeConnick about Barbarella.
If you appreciate the cultural significance of comics, then Barbarella should be a part of your repertoire. Mind you, I didn’t know this until about two months ago. I hope to save ya’ll from such ignorance.
If you don’t know, Barbarella is a French comic from the early sixties by Jean-Claude Forest. Apparently, France was (and possibly still is) where it’s at for progressive themes in comics, particularly for women and the expression of their sexuality.
While Barbarella was busy being a women’s sexual liberation icon in France, Grove Press published an English version of the comic on this side of the pond in the mid-60s. But that translation is dated.
Where V. drops some knowledge and asks for some in return.
This one time when I was at the bar (and by one time, I mean Tuesday night), I got into one of those taboo conversations about feminism and the treatment of female characters in fiction. The conversation inevitably made its way to comics; I mean this is me after all. Then my nemesis, we’ll call him Baby Bird, made the obvious and seemingly inevitable hasty generalization that men are just as objectified as women in comics. And well, that kicked me into high gear with points about inequity, marginalization and visual representation (see Kelly Thompson’s articulate essay that inspired my vein-popping rant).
Baby Bird may not have been up-to-speed on the gender bias prevalent in comics and fiction in general, but the discussion on the topic has grown exponentially over the past several years. Much of that conversation is spent calling out the bullshit. Rightfully so. While I live for a good row just like the next girl, I think it is pretty clear what the problems are. So how do we fix them? Continue reading “How Do You Build a Great Girl Character?”
It’s Throwback Thursday here at Girls Gone Geek, and I wanted to share a few new quotes from the panel that made the trip to SENYC worth it.
Enjoy!
By Alison Bechdel
On the Bechdel Test:
“I think there’s a lot of dismissal of things that do pass [The Bechdel Test]. If you have a buddy cop movie about men, then it’s a buddy cop movie. If you have a buddy cop movie about women, it’s a chick flick. If you have a coming of age story about a boy, then it’s a coming of age story, if it’s about a girl it’s a chick flick. If it’s about a father and son relationship, it’s a father and son movie, if it’s a mother and daughter, it’s a chick flick. And I’m tired of it!” – Marguerite Bennett
On creating accurate representations of women:
“You can get a female character up on a pedestal so high, that they’re actually boring to read about. Once in a while a female character is going to want to go on a date – it doesn’t make them less strong. They’re gonna cry – it doesn’t make them less strong. There are lots of kinds of strength, let’s explore them.” – Gail Simone
On representation and diversity in comics:
“I think it’s a little strange that there are so many new stories coming out… but so few people of color in them. Because you can do that, you know.” – Amy Reeder
On how poorly women have been written in the past:
“[Jack Kirby and Stan Lee] found it easier to identify with Skrulls than with women.” – Ben Saunders
On Wonder Woman:
“I think Wonder Woman is the strongest warrior on the planet, and maybe the universe.
She’s not gonna pull punches. And if you want to defeat her, you better not pull yours.” – Gail Simone
L. had the distinct pleasure of attending a panel with some of the top female comic creators at Special Edition NYC.
Saturday I attended a panel at Special Edition: NYC, and from what I gathered it was one of the only panels that day that was even nearing maximum capacity. The Carol Corps, various members of the Young Avengers team, and plenty more in addition to myself waited patiently in the ever-growing line for this event. It was pretty much the only reason I went to the convention that day. It seems that many others had the same idea. Continue reading “Reimagining the Female Superhero”
