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I want some Valkyries
[I hesitate to tag this 'meta' because it's more of a rambly rant than anything else... maybe I should create a 'rant' tag? Anyway. I know it's all been said before, but I guess I woke up annoyed. *g*]
I get excited by projects like Models INC and Marvel Divas because I like girly confections like Janes In Love and Spider-Man Loves Mary-Jane, just as much as I love a good punch-up. Both of those projects suffered horribly from bad marketing, and a strange lack of spark. They weren't the best vanguards for Marvel's push into 'girl' territory - really, Westernized shoujo stories - but hopefully there are more and better projects coming down the pike, because 'girl comics' is still an area that Western comics publishers have neglected. I think there's room in the market for romance comics, female friendship comics, and adventure and superhero comics with female protagonists. I want all of this stuff, and lots of it.
However, when it comes to superhero comics, what I want are some more Valkyries. I appreciate all sorts of female characters. I like smart girls, crafty girls, hopeless romantics, emotional wrecks, political dynamos, femme fatales, and ass kickers. I love them all - provided they're well written. But when it comes to superheros - to superheroines - I like my girls fierce. Righteous (or self-righteous), powerful and determined - I want me some heroes who are on fire.
I'm tired of heroines who have a tortured relationship to their sexuality, or the endless parade of heroines who are motivated by their having survived a sexual assault. I'm tired of damn near every female villain ~using their sexuality as a weapon~. I'm tired of the Madonna/whore complex, and I'm tired of female sexuality being a space of exploitation and fear.
I'm tired of heroines being unable to find a work/life balance. Sue Storm is a mother, a sister, a philanthropist and a superhero, and she is awesome. Power Girl is an entrepreneur and a heroine, and she too is awesome. Why do Barbara Gordon's girls keep disappearing? Why can't Catwoman and Black Canary be mothers and heroes?
I'm tired of female characters being driven mad by their powers. Wanda Maximoff and Jean Grey have gone nuts plenty of times - can we get back to the days where super powerful women were competent heroes and well rounded characters? I'm tired of female characters being raped, mind raped, and fridged. I'm tired of them going darkside and putting on leather chaps and a g-string. I don't want to read about a teenage Mary Marvel going sexydark. I don't want to read about Tigra being brutalized. I don't want to read about Madame Masque going nuts again, because she's not pretty and Tony Stark doesn't love her enough.
I want some freaking Valkyries. I want heroines, anti-heroines and villains who are unstoppable engines of justice, retribution, and destruction. I want The Bride. I want Sarah Connor. I want BoP Oracle back. I want complex female characters who aren't defined by their sex, gender and sexuality. I want my ass kicking heroes without a side of ~dangerous sensuality~. I want soldiers, activists, and goddesses who are unapologetically on fire about what they do.
I think Rucka's Batwoman is a great example of Doing It Right. Not so much in the early days, when she swanned around in heels, but this character and her story are getting better and better. She's a determined and competent new hero, who has an awesome relationship with her dad, and a not so awesome relationship with her ex girlfriends. Her nemesis is crazy twin sister, not a bad girl with whom she has sexual tension. She's sexy and sexual, without being dirtywrong, or T&A-thrustingly porntastic. She's first and foremost a hero.
I'm also growing increasingly fond of the new Batgirl, Stephanie Brown. She's a younger hero, and meant to be an eternal new girl on the block. She's not as polished or as skilled as Batwoman, but she's determined and heroic, even when she screws up. She's in it to help people. Hers is a coming of age/hero's journey - it's the freaking Karate Kid of superhero comics, but starring a girl. (Wax on, wax off, Steph!)
Both of these characters have some questionable stories in their past. Batwoman had a crap introduction. Stephanie was screwed over by Batman and murdered by a villain (with a drill!) to give the boys some angst (she got better!). But with good writing, and good stories, they've recovered. One day Wanda will be a hero again, instead of a crazy chick ex machina. One day Mary Marvel will get over her bad girl phase, and put all those up skirt shots behind her.
But I'm over it. I'm tired of going there in the first place.
I read superhero comics because I like heroes. I don't need or want my heroes to be infallible or untouchable, but I do want them to be super - incredible, powerful (physically, mentally, or some other fashion), courageous. I want me some more Valkyries.
I get excited by projects like Models INC and Marvel Divas because I like girly confections like Janes In Love and Spider-Man Loves Mary-Jane, just as much as I love a good punch-up. Both of those projects suffered horribly from bad marketing, and a strange lack of spark. They weren't the best vanguards for Marvel's push into 'girl' territory - really, Westernized shoujo stories - but hopefully there are more and better projects coming down the pike, because 'girl comics' is still an area that Western comics publishers have neglected. I think there's room in the market for romance comics, female friendship comics, and adventure and superhero comics with female protagonists. I want all of this stuff, and lots of it.
However, when it comes to superhero comics, what I want are some more Valkyries. I appreciate all sorts of female characters. I like smart girls, crafty girls, hopeless romantics, emotional wrecks, political dynamos, femme fatales, and ass kickers. I love them all - provided they're well written. But when it comes to superheros - to superheroines - I like my girls fierce. Righteous (or self-righteous), powerful and determined - I want me some heroes who are on fire.
I'm tired of heroines who have a tortured relationship to their sexuality, or the endless parade of heroines who are motivated by their having survived a sexual assault. I'm tired of damn near every female villain ~using their sexuality as a weapon~. I'm tired of the Madonna/whore complex, and I'm tired of female sexuality being a space of exploitation and fear.
I'm tired of heroines being unable to find a work/life balance. Sue Storm is a mother, a sister, a philanthropist and a superhero, and she is awesome. Power Girl is an entrepreneur and a heroine, and she too is awesome. Why do Barbara Gordon's girls keep disappearing? Why can't Catwoman and Black Canary be mothers and heroes?
I'm tired of female characters being driven mad by their powers. Wanda Maximoff and Jean Grey have gone nuts plenty of times - can we get back to the days where super powerful women were competent heroes and well rounded characters? I'm tired of female characters being raped, mind raped, and fridged. I'm tired of them going darkside and putting on leather chaps and a g-string. I don't want to read about a teenage Mary Marvel going sexydark. I don't want to read about Tigra being brutalized. I don't want to read about Madame Masque going nuts again, because she's not pretty and Tony Stark doesn't love her enough.
I want some freaking Valkyries. I want heroines, anti-heroines and villains who are unstoppable engines of justice, retribution, and destruction. I want The Bride. I want Sarah Connor. I want BoP Oracle back. I want complex female characters who aren't defined by their sex, gender and sexuality. I want my ass kicking heroes without a side of ~dangerous sensuality~. I want soldiers, activists, and goddesses who are unapologetically on fire about what they do.
I think Rucka's Batwoman is a great example of Doing It Right. Not so much in the early days, when she swanned around in heels, but this character and her story are getting better and better. She's a determined and competent new hero, who has an awesome relationship with her dad, and a not so awesome relationship with her ex girlfriends. Her nemesis is crazy twin sister, not a bad girl with whom she has sexual tension. She's sexy and sexual, without being dirtywrong, or T&A-thrustingly porntastic. She's first and foremost a hero.
I'm also growing increasingly fond of the new Batgirl, Stephanie Brown. She's a younger hero, and meant to be an eternal new girl on the block. She's not as polished or as skilled as Batwoman, but she's determined and heroic, even when she screws up. She's in it to help people. Hers is a coming of age/hero's journey - it's the freaking Karate Kid of superhero comics, but starring a girl. (Wax on, wax off, Steph!)
Both of these characters have some questionable stories in their past. Batwoman had a crap introduction. Stephanie was screwed over by Batman and murdered by a villain (with a drill!) to give the boys some angst (she got better!). But with good writing, and good stories, they've recovered. One day Wanda will be a hero again, instead of a crazy chick ex machina. One day Mary Marvel will get over her bad girl phase, and put all those up skirt shots behind her.
But I'm over it. I'm tired of going there in the first place.
I read superhero comics because I like heroes. I don't need or want my heroes to be infallible or untouchable, but I do want them to be super - incredible, powerful (physically, mentally, or some other fashion), courageous. I want me some more Valkyries.