Women in Comics (Expanded)

Women in comics! Yaaay! For me, I was always reading comics aimed at women and girls from the beginning. I read Archie for a long time, before discovering manga, and the kind I read was almost exclusively written and illustrated by women. Largely because of manga and webcomics, I grew up thinking that women in the comics industry were everywhere.

Eventually I discovered that a lot of mainstream comics (particularly Marvel, DC, and “classic” comics) here in the U.S were male-dominated. Walking through the aisles at the comic/gaming stores, its pretty obvious that these comics aren’t made with me in mind. I see a lot of covers that feature women in skin tight costumes and spine-breaking positions, ensuring that I never pick it up. When I open these kinds of comics, the few female characters that exist are stereotypes with no personalities, and seemingly exist as eye candy for male readers. Of course, not all comics by men are like this, but there is definitely an abundance that seem to try and exclude any other audience except for straight white males.

In my experience, comics made by women are more inclusive and sensitive to fact that many different types of people read comics and need to be represented.

This week I read Skim (for the twentieth time) and it remains one of my absolute favorites. I think it’s a great example of the strength writing in combination with pictures has. It helps that there’s a writer and artist team, and each is very talented in their own right. The story is great, I love the diary aspect of the writing. It explores some problems a lot of teenagers go through, but with some interesting elements. Falling in love with your teacher, fitting in at an all-girls school, getting sick of lame friends, and of course the super cool hobby of practicing Wicca.

Like we talked about in class, the day is fast approaching where “women in comics” won’t be a big deal, because we’ll have been integrated into the community for so long it’ll be like we were always there (and we were!).

EXPANDED:

In addition to Skim, I've also read Anya's Ghost multiple times. This is another comic that any teenager can relate to, but girls especially. Like when she's at the party and suddenly boys talk to her just because they can see her cleavage, and the parts where Emily starts to derive her personality from magazines, and gives Anya advice on changing herself to be whatever boys want her to be. The story is also super creepy and I thought about it all day after I read it. This book it yet another example of the prowess women demonstrate in comics. The art style is fresh and animated, and the story is easily accessible to any audience. 

Every time I see Power Girl I want to punch someone in the face

I've had male friends be surprised at my interest in comics. In reality, I think women read them just as much as men do, but there's still this stigma that its just something girls aren't interested in. Granted, Marvel and DC comics are SO not my cup of tea, but that's because they aren't written with a female audience in mind, and I guess that's what everyone thinks of when they think of comics. I think we teach girls from a young age that comics, video games, and anything involving action or sci fi is for boys only. Nowhere in our DNA does it say that girls will like shopping and boys will like video games. We are not born knowing pink is for girls and blue is for boys. These things are conditioned in us since day 1, and so many girls grow up not being interested in comics because they honestly don't believe they can be. But guess what? Girls are just as visual as boys are. Girls like good stories just like boys do. And girls need to be represented in comics, and represented in non-offensive or degrading  roles that teach readers that women are to be respected and admired in the industry. 

Week 14: The Future of Comics

I have been reading webcomics for a loooong time. I’ve been following some since my high school days. As an artist who makes comics, I was really excited to find a platform to share them. It started with web comic hosting sites- I read all kinds of shitty comics by amateurs and truly talented developed artists alike.  The stories are all over the spectrum, including all sorts of weird characters and situations. I think that’s a huge advantage that webcomics have over published comics. They don’t have to go through the editing process. The creator can do whatever they want and people can like it or hate it but its still out there.

The other great thing about webcomics is that you can read them for free (usually) and also experience a connection to the creator through their comments and blog posts. That’s something I always really enjoyed about reading comics online. They talk about their lives and what’s going on while they’re making their art, and they usually thank their audience for being there and supporting them in doing what they love.

This week I read Erica Moen’s DAR comic. I knew her from her new series, Oh Joy Sex Toy and from Penny Arcade’s Strip Search webisodes, where comics artists competed for a year making comics at PA’s headquarters in Seattle. I personally really like memoirs and journals so it was fun to read about her life. She’s really grown as an illustrator, and just watching her journey is inspiring to me as a creator of comics as well.

I have to admit that I like a lot of dirty comics like Chester 5000 and Oglaf. They’re aimed at women and men alike, and you can find a lot of (I don’t want to say porn but I guess that’s kind of what it is) porn-type media that’s really pretty good and women-friendly in webcomics.

Anyway, if you want to read it, its probably out there somewhere in the world wide web! 

Week 12: Women in Comics

Women in comics! Yaaay! For me, I was always reading comics aimed at women and girls from the beginning. I read Archie for a long time, before discovering manga, and the kind I read was almost exclusively written and illustrated by women. Largely because of manga and webcomics, I grew up thinking that women in the comics industry were everywhere.

Eventually I discovered that a lot of mainstream comics (particularly Marvel, DC, and “classic” comics) here in the U.S were male-dominated. Walking through the aisles at the comic/gaming stores, its pretty obvious that these comics aren’t made with me in mind. I see a lot of covers that feature women in skin tight costumes and spine-breaking positions, ensuring that I never pick it up. When I open these kinds of comics, the few female characters that exist are stereotypes with no personalities, and seemingly exist as eye candy for male readers. Of course, not all comics by men are like this, but there is definitely an abundance that seem to try and exclude any other audience except for straight white males.

In my experience, comics made by women are more inclusive and sensitive to fact that many different types of people read comics and need to be represented.

This week I read Skim (for the twentieth time) and it remains one of my absolute favorites. I think it’s a great example of the strength writing in combination with pictures has. It helps that there’s a writer and artist team, and each is very talented in their own right. The story is great, I love the diary aspect of the writing. It explores some problems a lot of teenagers go through, but with some interesting elements. Falling in love with your teacher, fitting in at an all-girls school, getting sick of lame friends, and of course the super cool hobby of practicing Wicca.

Like we talked about in class, the day is fast approaching where “women in comics” won’t be a big deal, because we’ll have been integrated into the community for so long it’ll be like we were always there (and we were!).

Week 11: Comics as Contemporary Literature

I consider most comics to be “real” literature. In school though, comics were never part of the conversation. If I brought a comic book for reading sessions I was asked to bring a “real book” instead. True, some comics aren’t exactly masterpieces and are more straightforward entertainment, but there are plenty out that that can taken as serious works of literature.

This week I read Bottomless Bellybutton. I really liked this story. It’s pretty different from a lot of stuff I’ve read. The story is about a children dealing with their parent’s divorce. Except the children aren’t literal children. They’re adults! With kids of their own. Their parents are getting up there in age and the kids (especially the older son, Dennis) can’t understand why after so many years together, they would want to separate. He thinks that there must be some other reason they’re splitting up, something they’re not telling him, and he goes in search of evidence.

It was really cool, because when I got to the part where Dennis discovered his father’s coded letter to his mother, whoever read the book before me had solved the code and left a piece of paper where they wrote out the decoded letter. It was pretty awesome.

I think this story is a good example of why comics can (and should!) be taken seriously as literature. The subject matter is definitely adult, the main characters are adults and they’re dealing with situations and feelings that real adults might find themselves in too. The book is very large and long and is very honest about the things these characters are experiencing. And its got everything you could want in a work of literature- humor, drama, teen angst and even some sex!

People shouldn’t be afraid to consider comics in the same way they do traditional novels. There’s great things to be discovered there, and look! There are pictures too! 

Week 10: Manga and the Japanese Comics Tradition

Most of my friends are “normal” non-artists. They think the fact that I like anime/manga is weird, or any cartoons for that matter. Of course, they like Family Guy and The Simpsons, but God forbid they be caught watching any animation not specifically aimed at adults. In class someone asked why people in America frown upon anime/manga, and I think the basic reason is because its geeky, dorky, whatever. Someone pointed out that the reason could be a little racist, that the public at large isn’t keen on watching something foreign or in another language. I think that’s a good point too. But I think the stigma is generally that anime is watched by overweight, unwashed, socially awkward “fangirls” and “fanboys”.

The first anime I ever watched was Sailor Moon. My best friend in 2^nd grade had a bunch of the movies on VHS, and we would watch them basically every time I was over. I had never seen cartoons like that. Everyone was so pretty and I wanted to wear their outfits, the cats were cute and Tuxedo Mask was a total hottie. Plus they had superpowers based on the planets. And they kicked ass. It wasn’t until 8^th grade or so that I discovered manga. I had only read Archie comics up until then. 

This week I read Black Jack, and I loved it! It was so awesome. The stories were slightly creepy but you just had to find out what happens. I noticed that the stories were pretty universal, they could have been taking place anywhere, not just Japan. It was cool to see that style of art with dark stories, as well to just witness where the style originated in the first place.

I think manga is a gateway to comics for a lot of people. There are stories for everyone, no matter how strange or niche they are, and they are told in a huge variety of styles. I think that’s what makes Japanese comics so alluring.

Week 9: A Wide World of Comics

I have owned the Persepolis book and the film for a couple years, and have read it many times. It is one of my favorite stories for its artistic and historical value. When I first read the book I was probably 16 or 17, and I remember not really understanding the political situation that was taking place. I wasn’t super interested in politics or even what had begun all the trouble in the Middle East (except 911 of course), or maybe I just didn’t know because I don’t think its really talked about here. I know that Iranians, Iraqis, and Afghans aren’t well understood by the general public in America. I think that’s what really gives Persepolis an edge. I knew nothing of their revolution or the struggle the people there face everyday. I can’t imagine being in such an unstable environment and watching everything good about my country and religion become a tool used to oppress people.

The other draw to Persepolis for me is Marjane’s journey to discover who she is and where she belongs. Its cool to see a kid be so passionate about politics, but its sad to see a kid who is sent away because their own country isn’t safe. Marjane is very funny and clever, and I loved reading about her little rebellions after she returned to the country. You always think that these people are devout and unwavering (or scared into being so) and I was surprised to see that they still had parties and dancing and had fun.

I’m really grateful that this book exists, and I think its important for people to read it.  It helps to educate people about a country that they may think very negatively of, but probably know nothing about. And what they will find is that they are just like us.

Week 8: Stereotypes and the Ethics of Representation

This week I read American Born Chinese, and I own Persepolis and have read it many times. I really enjoyed American Born Chinese. The illustration is clean and simple, and the stories intertwine in a really interesting way. I liked going back and forth between segments and getting a little closer to the climax of the story each time.

In the book, Jin feels that he is an outsider and is terrified that people will detect his Chineseness. It is a source of shame for him. In “Danny’s” portion of the story, his cousin Chin Kee is supposed to represent everything Danny fears people see when they look at him, which is an extremely negative stereotypical image.

It was kind of hard to read the sections with Chin Kee, because he was a really embarrassing, racist representation of what people actually say and think about Chinese people. But we got the picture that this is what Danny is trying so hard to not become. As if what people think and say about you makes you who you are.

Are stereotypes a necessary tool to use as a kind of shorthand for characters? Yes and no. When you write a character, you need to use certain clues to let the audience know who they’re looking at. If you were writing about a businessman, you’ll probably give him a suit, briefcase, glasses, and a short tidy haircut. Unless you plan on making him a main character, that’s all people need to know about him. The problem comes in when characters are stereotyped because of their race, gender, sexuality, etc. You can’t (usually) change these things about yourself, and you shouldn’t be lumped in with every bad joke ever told about it. Artists, writers, and other contributors to media should know the difference between stereotyping a football player and a gay man. Have I ever personally felt hurt over stereotypes? Yes. In countless movies, comics, books, songs, conversations in real life, etc., I have been offended by stereotypes of women. That we’re not rational, that we don’t like sex, that all we care about is our hair and shopping, that we’re gold diggers, that we’re just sex props, the list goes on and on. This is easily fixable. Creators need to ask themselves if a stereotype is harmful or not, and be careful about how they represent them.

Okay, rant is over.