I have to Read Comics for Homework!

And men in comics have it so much better, how many times has batman died? Also to be far comic book continuity is so convoluted, that half that list is void due recon.

I didn't notice any Watchmen characters on that list? So why read the book? I mean, it's a good book and worth reading but I don't see why it fits for the class.

As for women in comics, anymore the characters themselves are just female equivalents of male characters. Even all the crap they get about being nothing more than over-exaggerated boobs and whatnot; Pretty much all male characters are exaggerated in the same way. And that goes both ways too, the 98-lb weakling, like Peter Parker, or the bookish little schoolgirl; they're always exaggerated to the point of absurdity, but that's what makes them comic books.

Something that might be interesting is, as you're going through that list, see which of those terrible things happening to women actually had some import to the storyline and characters involved. Off the top of my head, Gwen Stacy leaps right out. There's an argument there, that her death had more bearing on the character of Spider-Man than even his Uncle Ben's did.

Likewise, you could also divide things by age. Women in the Golden and Silver age comics were particularly vulnerable to being nothing but "victims." Jesus, there's a whole section on that SuperDickery site that has nothing but old Wonder Woman covers that, month after month, are nothing but her tied and trussed up by her own lasso. Sort of a pre-pubescent Bettie Page. But I think starting with the Bronze Age, you'll start seeing them gain more ground. Conan #1 is generally considered the start of the Bronze Age and you could probably see this beginning with his contemporary Red Sonja.

Look forward to seeing what all you come up with.

Thanks for that Parker. I don't regularly read comic books and I have some knowledge of the characters but no real insight. With my minimal knowledge I could still come to the conclusion that the list is bogus. Male characters have to endure some shit as well as the females. Sure they don't get raped, stuffed into fridges, or forced to marry some evil bitch tyrant but they still suffer.

Our extra credit question for this search assignment was to find out what graphic novel Dave Gibbons uses as a counterexample to the list and I'm guessing this is an actual quote of his:

Martha Washington lives to fight another day and is off to explore the galaxy "To boldly go where no girl has set foot..." as you might say.
-Dave

I really want to read the Give Me Liberty series now.

Martha Washington was a pretty badass comic.

And don't forget Tank Girl:

Most comics, like it or not, are trapped in adolescent fantasy. Everything is designed to show off perfection/ultra-humanity (huge muscles, oddly flowing hair, impossible physics, etc). Hyper-reality. Since most writers are men, and they're catering to younger men, well...there's the reason for your list.

However, there are plenty of writers out there like Neil Gaiman (Sandman, Death) and Sam Keith (The Maxx) that get a lot more nuanced with gender roles, physical appearance, etc.

Also, if you want to melt your instructor's mind, find a copy of Tarot: Witch of the Black Rose #53

The review is hilarious!
http://www.the-isb.com/?p=980

haha that's fucking great. I'm not sure what my teacher would have to say about that and I'd be too afraid to bring something like that to class for fear of my vagina being haunted.

When your vagina is haunted, can you really somehow run away from it?

When you have a haunted vagina, who ya gonna call?

The STD clinic?

That's what I was thinking but that was the only thing I could find. I think the teacher worded the question wrong. I don't know I'm hoping it's right though.

I imagine if the wind blew the right way, a haunted vagina would sound like a didgeridoo.

That or a vuvuzela!

a Vulvazula!

This entire premise is ridiculous. Male characters have it just as bad as female characters in terms of being on the receiving end of violence. It has nothing to do with he gender of the characters.

Hell, look into DC's mega-event from last year "Blackest Night". The entire premise is that all of the heroes and villains that have ever died in the DC universe are reanimated by Black Lanterns. It is literally a cast of hundreds of cameos.

If you want to read any stuff that deals with "women's issues" in an interesting way, I would start with Sam Kieth's work. The Maxx, though it did deal with rape and abuse, is ultimately a series about women coming to grips with their past and their fears. He goes even farther with the idea in Zero Girl and Four Women.

Four Women is an American five-part limited series published by Homage Comics. Written and drawn by Sam Kieth, it deals with four female friends of varying ages—Donna, Bev, Marion and Cindy—and a road trip during which they are attacked and sexually assaulted by two men. The story mostly takes place in a flashback as Donna recounts the story to her psychiatrist.

The comic touches on several of Kieth's trademark themes: rape, feminism, and survivor guilt.

The comic deals mostly with the characters and how they deal with the stress of the encounter and the guilt that might be associated with it. As usual Sam Keith's enigmatic writing and strange drawing style work towards an understanding of such complex concepts as perspective, rape, emotion, crimes against women, and guilt.

I'm looking forward to the in class discussion on the topic of Women in Refrigerators because I agree with you guys, it's really a dumb list. Most of the superheroes/comic book characters deal with some sort of traumatic experience and that is the whole reason they are fighting back or in the state they are in.

Thanks for the suggestions.

You know what is an interesting addition to this conversation? In recent years, it has become more and more common for characters that were traditionally male to get killed off, then replaced with a female. It makes sense that they can't replace Superman with a female, but it isn't uncommon for them to do this with characters who's names don't particularly denote their sexuality.

There was that whole bit in Earth X where Thor was changed into a woman, but that was done to humiliate him, which might not be a good example.

Anyways, rather than Watchmen, I wonder if Lost Girls might not be a better book by Alan Moore for a topic like this. It's Alice, Dorothy and Wendy all growed up. But it is basically pornography so it might not be a good example either.

edit: the thread for posts in the wrong thread...

Back to the Women in Refrigerators list thing. You should check out the responses from different graphic novel artists and writers.

This so far from a woman's point of view:

http://www.unheardtaunts.com/wir/c-lhern.html