Daily Beast Article: "The New Wonder Women of Comics"

[Gail Simone]

Pretty good Women In Comics article at the Daily Beast: http://tinyurl.com/ygoyjsu

[wonderfan68]

Interesting article. Not sure I agree with this though:

The move to make female comic book characters more vivid extends to the artwork, as well. Rebekah Issacs, the artist for DC’s DV8, says that the industry shift toward photorealism in general has led to “a move away from that tiny little waist you can put one hand around and the gigantic, double G breasts, that almost sickening ideal. You don’t really see that as much anymore.”

It still seems like the body types of female superheros or villians are very cookie cutter. You would think being a female superhero requires that you have the body of a super model or playmate. It would be nice to see the same diversity of body type in comics that you see in real life.

[AaronJ]

Real life, where? In Paris? OK. A huge percentage of the people I came across daily were in wonderful shape.

In the US? NO way. The last thing I want is a significant portion of the super-hero world being morbidly obese.

[Donna M.]

I never really know what to make of articles like this. I know they're well intentioned, but I always feel like they're talking down to the generations of female comic fans that have existed long before any manga was ever sent to the U.S.
A good friend of mine has been reading comics since she was a little girl, she's currently in her mid 50s. She told me she always liked DC's women better than Marvel's because they got out there and fought right alongside the guys with no problems, whereas Marvel's women tended to faint when the going got tough. Another good friend of mine's mother read Plastic Man when she was a kid, and she's in her early 70s!
I didn't get into comics because of manga(which aren't "Japanese styled", they ARE Japanese, there's a difference!), I got into comics because the characters looked cool. I also had the fortune of starting out with X-Men comics which are packed with strong women. But in addition to loving the awesome kick-ass women, I loved the awesome kick-ass men! And so do other girls who read comics! We don't all need sappy soap operas to appeal to us, women are more complex than that!
Actually I think I need a whole other thread to explain my views on comics in relation to age and gender.
And as for the body type issue, of course super heroines aren't going to be built like regular women, they're super heroes! If you want comics with regular women, read Love and Rockets or Dykes to Watch Out For.

[wonderfan68]

And as for the body type issue, of course super heroines aren't going to be built like regular women, they're super heroes! If you want comics with regular women, read Love and Rockets or Dykes to Watch Out For.

What does being a hero have to do with conforming to some shallow cultural concept of beauty? My problem isn't with the way current female heros look, but with the lack of diversity of those looks. Having double d's shouldn't be a requirement for being a hero. I tend to think there are a lot of women out there that don't look like supermodels or playmates that are still quite capable of acts of heroism. Let the superhero community reflect that.

[AaronJ]

What does being a hero have to do with conforming to some shallow cultural concept of beauty? My problem isn't with the way current female heros look, but with the lack of diversity of those looks. Having double d's shouldn't be a requirement for being a hero. I tend to think there are a lot of women out there that don't look like supermodels or playmates that are still quite capable of acts of heroism. Let the superhero community reflect that.

It's like sports: Watch women's college volleyball sometime. Sure, one player will be 6'4" and another will be 5'7". But pretty much every one is in amazing condition, no fat, and have somewhat typical body types.



In super-hero comics, we're talking about extreme versions of athletes, in a way. Both men and women are near-perfection, physically. And really, for obvious reasons.

Also, from an aesthetic point-of-view, who wants unattractive people in art?

[Kevenn]

Interesting article. Not sure I agree with this though:



It still seems like the body types of female superheros or villians are very cookie cutter. You would think being a female superhero requires that you have the body of a super model or playmate. It would be nice to see the same diversity of body type in comics that you see in real life.

I kinda' agree. Have you seen Ed Benes' art? Sure, Birds of Prey is coming back, but everyone has the same body and the same face. The only differentiations in the costumes, colors, and hairstyles. Yes, Birds of PRey is coming back, but are all the Huntress butt-cheek shots coming back along with it?

That's my only concern: All the gratuitous cheesecake.

[Daybreak_st]

Interesting article. Not sure I agree with this though:



It still seems like the body types of female superheros or villians are very cookie cutter. You would think being a female superhero requires that you have the body of a super model or playmate. It would be nice to see the same diversity of body type in comics that you see in real life.

The bold part is really really inaccurate. If the character's powers are in no way linked to their physical build then their body type could be anything, they could look like a model or an average girl. On the other hand really physical characters would look more like female athletes, MMA fighters or crossfit girls. Someone like Batgirl who engages in martial arts, and gynmastics would look like an adult gymnast with a clear indication of muscles and powerful legs.



Most models don't fit that. Some actors like Jessica Biel do. Overall I wish the industry would realize that you can still portray a female hero as strong and beautiful without exaggerating their bodies. Look at Gina Carano and Ronda Rousey.

Two very active woman who sport some muscle you can believe they can both dish out and take some hits. Some female heroes like Batgirl and Black Canary for example, should be more based on that model than on actresses, models, or etc.

[Mark_S]

I thought it was an interesting article but I think that it was too short for the subject.

[ben c]

i have to say

The move to make female comic book characters more vivid extends to the artwork, as well. Rebekah Issacs, the artist for DC’s DV8, says that the industry shift toward photorealism in general has led to “a move away from that tiny little waist you can put one hand around and the gigantic, double G breasts, that almost sickening ideal. You don’t really see that as much anymore.”

made me laugh pretty hard. i don't know, maybe she's talking about estonian comics or something.