Fishes without Bicycles: Thoughts on Gender in Comics

You may not know this, Gentle Reader, but I quibble just a bit with the terminology “heroines.” Not that I believe that we should accept all forms of male-dominated speech—I don’t believe we should go back to “mailman” when “mail carrier” or “postal worker” is much more succinct and, I believe, direct. But I think that Hero is a term that can apply to men or women; the only reason it’s gendered is that we’ve made it gendered. To imply that there are Heroes, and there are Heroines is to say that men and women differ in their heroism, and that they are, for the most part, Separate But Equal.

You see the problem with this, don’t you, Gentle Reader? The terminology separates the male heroes from the female, sets up camps along the gender divide, and in the end, for This Humble Author, anyways, adds to the somewhat staggeringly odd idea that Women In Comics have Nothing To Fear from their male counterparts.

We’ve heard this sort of talk Across The Blogosphere, at Comic Panels, in Our Local Comic Shops, on Streetcorners, in darkened bits of the Pub, and it seems that there are several people In The World who think that women, now that they’ve the vote and a decent enough salary and a few laws protecting their bodies from physical and sexual abuse, should Quit Their Whining. Yes, it’s true, Friends. There are people In The World who think that Star Sapphire’s lack of outfit, the perpetuation of Women In Refrigerators, and the general Bias Towards Heterosexual Male Desires and Needs in Comic Books actually don’t mean anything at all. That since these are “just comic books,” then they don’t actually say anything about society, up to and including gender inequality.

I’m going to share with you a little secret about the way the Amy-Reads-Brain works: no, I don’t think there are men or women sitting in an ivory tower somewhere, cackling to themselves, rubbing their hands together in glee, and declaring that This or That comic book will Subjugate Women Today. That’s not the way inequality works. The reason it’s So Very Scary, for This Humble Author, anyways, is that prejudice is often systematized. That is to say, no one need sit in a tower and cackle, plotting the downfall of Womankind, because frankly, thousands of years of tradition have already done that for them.

To return to the Main Theme of this particular post, for example, we can look at the dichotomy of the Hero and Heroine divide. There is a saying, a rather old, second-wave-feminist saying by Irina Dunn that argues, “A woman needs a man like a fish needs a bicycle.” The irony of this statement should be lost on no one, of course, but let’s take a look at it anyway. Humor a lady, Gentle Reader! I Read Books (and therefore words, words, words) for a living; I certainly can’t stop now!

The first part of the statement, “a woman needs a man,” can be taken in several contexts. Romantically: it argues that a woman must have a heterosexual relationship in order to be fulfilled. Socially: it argues that our society is founded on heterosexual coupling. Professionally—and here’s the kicker, Friends: it argues that a woman needs a man to come first, to pave the way, to “allow” her access to power.

Unfortunately, this final statement rings true not in its sentiment but in its history. A woman does not need a man to come first, pave the way, allow her access to power, but a patriarchal history and a long line of male bias and female subjection has forced men to come first in most—if not all—things. That is to say, if we continue to differentiate between, say, heroes and heroines, we are actually insisting that without the definition of the male part, Hero, we can have no female counterpart, Heroine. A Heroine, therefore, is only definable through the original male definition. It’s the reason why I don’t like the distinction between actors and actresses, waiters and waitresses; there is no job distinction other than gender.

Do you see it, Gentle Reader? The problem is not the *word* but what the word *represents*. That is to say, I have no problem, personally, with the term “heroine.” What I do quibble with, however, is the continued insistence that “separate but equal” is still okay in gendered situations. There is a decided male bias in comic books, whether that be in the authorship, the subject matter, or the readership. The distinction, then, between heroes and heroines, becomes representative of a history of male bias, one that we see, somewhat prominently, in our popular cultures.

There are solutions to this, yes, and I offer you a few possibilities:

1) Call them all heroes, and try to avoid the “male hero” and “female hero” distinction. This one’s rather tricky, I think, for the sheer fact that I don’t actually think anything’s wrong with *different*. Men and women are different, regardless of race, religion, nationality, or sexual orientation, and there is no reason to pretend otherwise. But when we see distinctions made along gender lines—heroines presented as gendered counterparts of male heroes—that we run into the systematized entrenched sexism that has plagued us, as a society, for millennia.

2) Reclaim the term “heroine” so that she is definable by her own merit rather than as a female counterpart to the male part. Let her rediscover herself, and let society rediscover her, as well, and figure out how she differs from her male peers.

3) Avoid creating heroines as double-x-chromosomed counterparts of male heroes. Why do we need a Batman and a Batwoman, a Superman and a Supergirl, a Captain Marvel and a Ms. Marvel? Why can’t we have, say, more heroines like Big Barda, Oracle, Gypsy, Storm, and other such superpowered women with non-gendered names? Why can’t we create more female heroes from the ground up, rather than adding breasts and a short skirt and a diminutive alias?

4) Avoid writing or approving sexist words, deeds, and actions from male characters that don’t add to characterization, plot, or setting. That is to say, we expect Hercules to be a sexist pig. That’s kind of his thing, right? Wolverine, even, is somewhat sexist, although that seems to stem more from a general air of misanthropy than anything else. But let me offer you an example from a video game, Marvel Ultimate Alliance. In the opening sequence, Wolverine, Spider-Man, Captain America, and Thor all fight a battle together. In the aftermath, Wolverine turns to his companions and asks, “what are you girls looking at?” Why is it necessary there to be derogatory towards women? Why is calling Spider-Man, Cap, and Thor “girls” an insult? It shouldn’t be, but it’s an insult that has been ingrained in our social mindset. Let’s work to change attitudes like this, not only because they imply that to be female is to be inferior and weak, but also because it’s been so systematized that no one found it offensive enough to change it.

5) Finally, and indeed, most importantly, Scout Out And Hire More Talent. I don’t believe that only women can write strong female characters—Greg Rucka, Brian K. Vaughan, and Brad Meltzer defy that stereotype, for example. But it is true that if we are to change a bias, if the Big Houses are to, say, gain a larger female readership, as they seem to want, then there must be vast changes across the board, from the bottom up. Part of that is, I think, hiring more women writers. And part of that is taking a chance on plucky unknowns, too. Allow for blind or moderately regulated submissions not only for art but for writing, as well. Look for new ideas as well as new talent for older, established books. Add a serialized book to the back of already established books—3 pages of said New Title at the end of, say, Action Comics or Detective Comics or Spider-Man. Let new writers get their feet in the door and get their work out to larger audiences.

Further, when you hire new talent, or established novel writers to guest on a comic book, try to get Comic Book Fans. There are several out there—I point to Brad Meltzer, and the Tamora Pierce/Timothy Liebe creative team as a few examples. Because while a guest writer is all well and good, a guest writer that doesn’t love comic books doesn’t offer much in the way of storyline or add at all to readership.

I’ve heard a lot of great stuff coming out of NY Comic Con about the new Minx line, and I look forward to reading Plain Janes very much. Minx is a great start to gaining a broader female comic-book-reading audience, and I applaud DC for starting this line. Don’t stop there, Friends! We eagerly await your next idea because, well, despite what people think, we are reading because we love comics. I adore Batman and The Flash and Daredevil just as much as I adore Big Barda and Catwoman and Wonder Woman. I like reading superhero books; in fact, most of my comics are cape lines.

Above all else, I like good stories. Keep offering that to me and I’ll keep reading.

Edit: I just found Rachel Edidin's post, "Be Vewwy, Vewwy Quiet--We're Hunting Wimmins!" over at Girl-Wonder.Org that says a million and one smart things about gender issues in the comic book medium and community, a million and one times better than I can. Enjoy!

Selina, In the Sun: A Brief Review of Catwoman #64

I admit it freely, Gentle Reader. I’ve had problems with the One Year Later run of Catwoman. This used to be one of my favorite titles—particularly any Cat/Bat Interaction!—but the “Who Fathered Catbaby?” storyline disappointed me, to say the least. I wasn’t thrilled with the Sam Bradley answer, or his convenient death, or the way Selina seemed to dismiss everyone’s concerns over her recent act of murder. As a Wonder Woman Fan, I felt a bit cheated that Selina murdered someone and was applauded for it, while Diana killed someone in self-defense—of the *world*--and she’s been put on trial.

That is to say, I go a bit sack of hammers when The Amazon Princess is wronged.

But the Catbaby Father storyline has come to an end, both Selina and Holly are Back In Black, and Catwoman #64 gives us one heck of an issue that has the feel of Old Selina with the caution and meticulousness of New Selina. Or, to wit, This Humble Author Eats Crow, and feels that #64 is the best issue of Catwoman we’ve had since we’ve jumped, One Year Later.

Selina is “hired,” so to speak, by Calculator, to perform a little theft. In exchange for stealing Lex Luthor’s snowglobe from an insanely high security vault, Calculator will erase Holly’s name from the Gotham PD computers, and she will no longer be under threat of arrest for the murder Selina committed. Simple, yes? A simple little crime for a simple little cat burglar.

But of course, it *is* simple for Selina Kyle. With #64, we see Selina at the top of her game again. She’s smart, she’s sassy, she’s cunning, and she’s pulling one over on everyone, despite the bright sunlight that seems to creep into every corner of Metropolis. Despite the reflective chrome-and-glass feel of Superman’s City. And most importantly, because of the introspection we, The Readers, see. Sometimes we forget, Gentle Reader, that sunlight can illuminate inside as well as out.

When reflecting on why she chose the rather obvious pseudonym of Irena Dubrovna, Selina remembers a line from Cat People in which Irena admits that she prefers night to day, dark to light. “She’s right,” Selina thinks to herself. “It is friendly. I suppose that’s why I love Gotham so much. It’s dark. It’s cozy. It’s home.”

It would seem that Selina is never farther away than when she is outside of Gotham, and even, sometimes, outside of the East End. The final panel of that page shows Selina, squinting against the sunlight pouring through the train windows. It shows Selina, in the sun, an image we so rarely see of our favorite Feline Heroine. The sun is cleansing, yes, and light is often a symbol of purification and reveal. Think only of Tennessee Williams’ A Streetcar Named Desire and Blanche DuBois’ continuous pulling away from harsh light. She could never abide a naked light bulb or a cruel remark, she says, and we only see Blanche for who she is when her face is turned directly to the light.

Selina, too, favors the dark, as do all denizens of Gotham City. Batman, the Joker, the Penguin, Huntress, all of them prefer the cover of night, to disappear deep into the shadows and pop out when we least expect. Not so Metropolis. The first thing Selina sees upon arriving in the city is a streak of red over the sky. “Look!” the citizens say, pointing upwards. “What are they all…” Selina begins, before she, too, looks up.

“Oh,” she thinks, rather unfazed. “Right.”

And that, ultimately, is the beauty of Selina Kyle. Not only is she unfazed by the sight of the Man of Steel, but she’s unfazed by the sight of, well, herself. In an odd time crunch, Now-Selina runs into Future-Selina. If the costume alterations—tears, scratches, and bloodstains—are any clue, Selina is about to run into some problems. “Wait, I remember this,” Future-Selina says. “Listen… you need to watch out for the loo…” but before she can finish, she fades away. Now-Selina tells herself to calm down because “Could’ve been anything. Illusion generator. Parallel dimension portal. Hypnosis device.”

It’s this Selina that This Humble Author has missed over the past several issues. Smart, rational Selina. Confident, shining Selina, who shows nothing but pure joy for her job. When she prepares to break into the inner depths of Luthor’s building, she gives us a—pardon the pun, Gentle Reader!—cat-with-cream grin. She hopes Lex’s company has his sense of paranoia, because, as she tells us, “I’m here to rob them blind.”

She may have come over to the Bright Side, Friends, but at heart, she is the Selina Kyle that we’ve grown to love: toeing the line of good and not-so-good, of bright and dark, of crime and necessary crime. In short, Selina is damn good at what she does and at being who she is. And the reason we love her so completely? Because she knows it. Selina’s confidence may have been shaken by recent and not-so-recent events—Zatanna’s mindwipe, for starters—but this issue seems to bridge the gap between the former, devil-may-care Selina and the current more-cautious, more-meticulous Selina. It’s an interesting move, and one that I think works Quite Well.

Sometimes, I find that familiar characters are their most interesting, their most intriguing, outside of their comfort zones, not because of their vulnerability or Otherness, but because they truly demonstrate their core strengths. Buffy never had to be as strong as when she thought she was alone. Wonder Woman never held a position of honor so high as when she had to make horrible choices by herself. But Selina is, as This Humble Author is coming to realize, charming in Gotham or in Metropolis, fascinating at home or abroad. Because ultimately, Selina is, like Blanche DuBois, “very adaptable—to circumstances” (Williams 55).

Selina is not, of course, on her way to Elysian Fields like Dame Blanche, dependent on the kindness of strangers—and we can all thank our Lucky Stars for that, Gentle Reader! But she is self-confident, self-dependent, self-assured of her strengths, critical but understanding of her weaknesses; she is the same Selina, in Metropolis, in the sun, as she is in Gotham, in the dark. Her adaptability to circumstances, any circumstances, is a survival mechanism that has served her well, from her earlier, purple-suited days, to her black-suited, more utilitarian present. And the lengths to which she is willing to go to clear Holly-as-Catwoman prove that her obligations and loyalty are the same as they’ve always been. To Friends, to Family, to Those-In-Need.

Shoes to Fill, Mantles to Wear: Brief Reviews of White Tiger #2-4

It was an exciting weekend in the Reads Household, Gentle Reader, as Mr. Reads has acquired the mythical and much-coveted Nintendo Wii, after standing in line, in the cold, for *only* 3.5 hours. He spent the majority of Sunday and Monday (and Tuesday, and Wednesday) playing Ultimate Alliance, the fancy new Marvel game that will, he assures me, allow me to create a team of Ms. Marvel, the Invisible Woman, Elektra, and Spiderwoman, four of the few reasons I ever venture over Marvel Way. Not that I dislike Marvel Comics, not even. If you look at my sidebar, you'll see that I enjoy many Marvel books. I just happen to be, down to the core, A DC Fan.

I say a team of four of the few reasons I venture over to Marvel. There has been a recent addition to that foray, and I've expressed my admiration for the new White Tiger miniseries before. Not only is the character one-of-a-kind—-we see the greatness in Angela in Daredevil, and even more so when she gets her own book—-but the writing we get from Mr. Liebe and Ms. Pierce is really extraordinary. Issue one reintroduced us to the character we saw briefly in Daredevil, gave us glimpses of some of This Humble Author's Personal Favorites (can I ever love Black Widow more than I already do?), and showed us how small and tight-knit the Marvel Superhero Community really is.

DC's is, too, I know. But Teams sometimes get in the way of simple superheroing. Or perhaps it's that Gotham, Metropolis, Keystone City, Star City, Opal City, St. Roch, etc. are all too far apart. In New York, in Marvel's New York, there are several powers either vying for said power, or lending a hand when needed.

This close proximity to All Things Mutant And Meta can backfire, of course. The recent events in Civil War speak to that perfectly. But when Marvel's team-ups are good, they're very, very good: the Young Avengers, the Runaways, the X-Men, all of these seem to work well in group as well as out of group, and the team-ups of these diverse personalities send sparks throughout the Marvel Universe.


***Spoilers for White Tiger, as well as recent events in Marvel Civil War***


In Liebe and Pierce's run on White Tiger, we seem a team-up of a different nature. We see the newest incarnations of the Mantles help each other not only for professional reasons, but for some rather intriguing personal reasons, as well. Daredevil 2.0, otherwise affectionately known as Iron Fist, or Tio, to Ms. Angela Del Toro, perhaps helps the newest incarnation of The White Tiger out of familial obligation, or perhaps out of professional courtesy. Or perhaps—-just perhaps, Gentle Reader!-—because he, too, knows the difficulty of filling someone else's larger-than-life shoes. The mantle is heavy, Friends, not only for its elasticity, good stitching, and quality fabric, but for the weight of its purpose, its symbolism, the constant concern over Letting People Down.

The pairing of Daredevil 2.0 and The White Tiger is nothing short of genius on the parts of Mr. Liebe and Ms. Pierce. Both characters are trying to fill a void left by their predecessors: Danny by Matt Murdock's imprisonment, and Angela by her uncle's murder. But where the genius comes in is in this simple fact: neither Danny nor Angela attempt to ape their predecessors. Rather, both heroes grasp their heroing on a purely personal level.

When White Tiger and 2.0 fight back to back at the end of issue #2, Angela remarks, "As if I needed more proof Daredevil 2.0 was family, he doesn't fight like Murdock. He fights like I'd been taught." Rather than try to be something he isn't-—say, a blind extra-sensory lawyer cum vigilante from Hell's Kitchen—-even though his presence is meant to divert suspicion away from said blind extra-sensory lawyer, Daredevil 2.0 works to his strengths, and with his strengths, as does White Tiger. As do they both, as they both were taught. From the same roots, the same place, the same urge for survival. Fight as if your life is on the line, because in Marvel's New York, it almost always is.

But further, Mr. Liebe and Ms. Pierce do not allow anyone to make allowances for Angela; she is a woman, and she does not shy away from her gender, or the so-called stereotypes of her gender. Throughout the series, we see Angela exploiting gender stereotypes to gain advantage over the Bad Guys. She dresses up while on bodyguard duty, or dresses down, if the occasion calls for it. One of the most fascinating scenes comes on Angela's first job protecting clubbing socialites. They spray her, playfully, with the new Tigress Blanca scent; this scent later disguises Angela's real scent from Cobra, who says, "I smell something… familiar. Almost like pretty white kitty. But there's too much perfume in the air."

And there is, of course, the denial of gender stereotypes, seen best in the sharing of chocolate-glazed donuts on the roof with Spider-Man and Daredevil 2.0, despite the potential that "chocolate and white outfits don't mix" on two levels, the possibility of stain and the possibility of gaining weight, which, in the realm of stereotype, would be "apparent" in a white outfit. That gender stereotype--that all woman are, and should be, concerned with their weight to the point of obsession--doesn't even make Angela's radar, as she proves working late at night, in her quite-normal pajamas eating her quite-normal donut with her quite-healthy understanding and image of her and her body. It seems that White Tiger allows the reader a glimpse into the less "glamorous" side of superheroing. That is to say, the part in which the superheroes are real heroes, and real people, wearing real clothes and eating real food.

White Tiger #4 shows us further encounters, with Emma Frost, with Luke Cage—-Tio Luke, to Angela-—further and further spirals into the small confines of the Marvel NYC Hero Community. But more so, we see further and further spirals into the small tight-knit circle of friends and family Angela has to call on. In short, White Tiger is as much a comic book about a superhero as it is about legacy.

Angela is a legacy; like a long line of superheroes before and after her, she has large shoes to fill and a mighty mantle to wear. She is the newbie on the scene, not only as the new White Tiger, but as the new superhero, as well. But rather than receiving the stereotypical "Go Home, Kiddo, for your own good!" line from those around her, she is offered help, again and again, if she should need it. And while she rarely does, Angela is not above calling for help. That's what families do for each other, after all. What this title gives us is a strong woman, a strong superhero, and a strong sense of the superhero community, outside of teams, outside of Civil Wars, outside of masks. Angela is offered help almost always outside the mask, and she recognizes help not in costume but in familiar, familial settings.

The White Tiger is a legacy, certainly, but more importantly, she is the embodiment of the importance of continuation in the superhero world. Even further, she is the embodiment of the importance of change. Her powers shift, her understanding of her strengths changes, as she—-dare I say it, Gentle Reader?—-as she mutates, just a bit, with the aid of the White Tiger Amulet.

As Angela is wounded by Cobra's lethal venom at the end of book #4, she applies the amulet directly to the wound in the hopes that it will heal. In the hopes that she won't die. "Home is where..." Angela begins, in a long, pain-induced quote of what it means to belong. "Home is where... you hang'a your hat… Character is... what you are... inna the dark..." And what Angela is in the dark is revealed in the final panel, with the white tiger roaring above her, along with an image of Hector dying in Daredevil's arms, along with an image of Angela, kicked off the roof by Daredevil. She is a product of her past, and the expectations of her future. She is What Came Before, and she is always What Comes After. She is not the house in which the White Tiger resides; rather, she is the embodiment of the White Tiger, proven, again and again, by her powers, sans amulet. Proven, again and again, by her determination and will.

Or perhaps What Angela Is is revealed before the final panel, in the first panel of #4, when she bemoans her Cheesecake status in the Daily Bugle, and thus defies Cheesecake status in the Comic Book Universe. Or in a further panel in #4, when she protects visiting superheroes from ignorance, hate, and xenophobia. Or when she is the role model for a young woman who is thrilled to see a woman fighting crime. That is, who is thrilled to see a Latina *just like her* fighting crime. "Daddy, I want to be White Tiger someday," the young woman says while watching surveillance footage of Angela at the airport. "She looks Latin, I'm half Latin. I have martial arts—"

Or perhaps—-just perhaps, Gentle Reader!—-Who Angela Is is revealed when she spars with Luke Cage in #4, and proves that she's not "just a girl," as in, the girl they all knew, Hector's niece, the one that still calls them Tio. She has a large, extended family that loves her, as she loves them. Because in the end, Angela's strength comes from her home, her True Home: her neighborhood, New York, the interconnections of her family and friends that support her and admire her not because she is the new White Tiger, but because she is Angela Del Toro, fighting for right, first as an FBI agent, but then as a bodyguard. She is, and always has been, a Protector, and whether it is saving a mother and child from The Lizard, or saving America from itself, a small piece at a time, it's What Angela Does, and Who Angela Is. Because in the end, Angela doesn't just fill the mantle.

She surpasses it.

Who Will Script the Fight for My Rights Now?

I had suspicions, Gentle Reader, due to delays, and vast rumors, but never once did I believe that my suspicions could come true.

But they have. Joss Whedon is no longer writing the Wonder Woman movie.

You are well aware by now my love for All Things Whedon, and I feel that he is one of the few writers in production today who writes a great strong, supernatural woman. It's a hard character to write, certainly, and Mr. Whedon always has been, for This Humble Author, at least, quite Up To The Task.

But what now? IMDB has had a 2007 release date for the Wonder Woman movie up for years, and we're all Pretty Sure that's never going to happen. Probably not next year, either.

I can't help but feel that this is just yet another brick in the long, delayed wall of Wonder Woman Pop Culture. The movie unscripted and delayed, the comic book constantly pushed back and shuffled from writer to writer since Crisis, what next for the Amazon Princess? Why can't she have the consistency she deserves?

Why can't we see the Wonder we've waited so long to see?

The Most Dangerous Women in the World(s): Brief Reviews of Birds of Prey #101 and #102

When the Crisis was over, Gentle Reader, and the dust had settled, we didn't know What Would Happen in the One Year Later jumps. Where would Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman go? Would we be able to revive our fallen brethren? And, one of the questions most important to This Humble Author was, of course, Who is the Father of a Certain Feline-hero's baby? It was a time of change, of excitement, of The Unknown. And those Who Like Plots, and those Who Enjoy Change, were quite thrilled to be presented with the opportunity to wait, 52 entire weeks, for the interim to unfold.

Meanwhile, we were given One Year Later stories to help us Wait, and make us Wonder, over the changes wrought in our absence. As Mr. Rucka, Mr. Johns, Mr. Morrison, et al reminded us With All Certainty that we were *not* to forget The 52, we jumped into the future, an entire year forward, to see the aftermath of those dozens of weeks.

I've read My Fellow Bloggers grumble a bit over some of the OYL jumps; Teen Titans, for example, seems to receive some flack, as well as Supergirl—-both of which are two runs I find handling the OYL jump The Best. The third run in that grouping?

The Birds of Prey.

Gentle Reader, I believe I've mentioned before that I have The Big Five of comic book writers. These are Five Authors whose works I would read even—-truly, even, Friends!—-if those works were about watching paint peel or detailing how grass should grow. Those Big Five-—Mr. Meltzer, Mr. Rucka, Ms. Simone, Mr. Whedon, and Mr. Vaughan—-are supplemented, of course, by some treasured favorites, Ms. Pierce and Mr. Liebe, Mr. Bendis, Mr. Morrison, and Mr. Johns, among others. But The Big Five have consistently produced some of The Best comics have to offer, and if ever in their presence, whether in Reality or in Cyberspace, I find myself reduced to the Gushing Fangirl version of the Articulate and Well-Mannered Ms. Reads you've come to know over the past several months. It's Quite True, Friends, and believe me, Gushing Fangirl Reads is a bit too crazed and hysterical, even for me.

That being said, I want to remind you that I don't believe in sycophantism. While I adore The Big Five, as well as my dozens and dozens of favorite writers, artists, performers, and actors, I don't believe that my adoration should exist separately from my criticism. I've said before that criticism is not hatred, or disrespect, or, goodness forbid, dislike. In fact, I don't think you can have good and honest criticism without respecting and liking something.

That being said, I want to assure you that you are reading Articulate and Well-Mannered Ms. Reads at the moment, and not Gushing Fangirl Reads. That is to say, despite all previous positive reviews, and the following review you are about to read, I am in no way a sycophant of Gail Simone and her work.

I just really, really like it.

Birds of Prey #101 and #102 by Gail Simone

I'd not read Manhunter before, Gentle Reader, but Ms. Simone's inclusion of her in the Birds of Prey, as well as the recent issues of Manhunter with The Amazon Princess have intrigued me greatly. I have her run ready and waiting to be read; now all I need is another ten-hour plane ride, and I should Be Fine.

I've not read Manhunter, and to be fair, I really didn't know who she was. But Barda, ever gorgeous Barda, has been A Recent Favorite in my DC Lineup. Not only is she big and beautiful and oh-so-strong, she has a sense of humor as well. As the Birds are trying to escape, rescued American on board Zinda's plane, they are, as these things happen, being chased. "Tell Oracle I'll give her a few minutes," Barda says. "I'm going to 'futz' with our pursuers." Then the next shot, an entire page of Barda halo-jumping sans parachute but certainly with halo, has the Apokolips Warrior saying, quite simply, "That's my gift."

Indeed, it is her gift, not merely "futzing" but sheer fearlessness. She is not the suicidal fighter we occasionally see in Batman, or the justice-blind warrior we see with The Amazon Princess. Instead, she is a woman who rescued herself, and knows the expansive capacities of her strong body. "What a splendid afternoon for peeling fruit, eh?" she asks the pilot of the plane she has just landed on, a very large smile gracing her face. Barda enjoys what she does, very, very much.

You may wonder, Gentle Reader, why I keep comparing Barda to Wonder Woman. The reason is quite simple: they are vastly different characters cut from the same archetype of the strong warrior woman. But more importantly, the Amazon Princess is a more familiar face than the Apokoliptik Warrior. Occasionally, we must compare to define.

But more importantly, we must *remember*. This is not merely a conglomeration of women with varying but complementary strengths. Rather, they are, as issue #102 reminds us, The Most Dangerous Women in the World. Not because one has a substantial Mega-Rod (a definite phallic symbol that even Zinda understands: "You know it's bad when even I know y'all are talkin' dirty," she tells Huntress and Judomaster, as they continue to marvel-—and recount—-Barda's Instrument of Power) or a preternatural understanding of computers (traditionally-—and still-—a knowledge stereotypically associated with men) or even strength, skill, or dexterity. No, rather, these women are dangerous because they are not mere female versions of male superheroes.

Huntress, Gypsy, Oracle, and Big Barda are all superheroes In Their Own Rights. Even Judomaster and Manhunter, whose mantles have more male-friendly pasts, seem to fit—-and fit Quite Well—-into their new, female-centered presents. They are dangerous because *they* are dangerous; despite a long history of intangible powers in the female superhero community, these superheroes are, for the most part, body-oriented.

But the one heroine who arrives on the scene, the one that Oracle claims is "the most dangerous woman in Metropolis," has neither super-strength, nor weaponry. Spy Smasher sends A Very Dangerous Woman Indeed to "futz" with Oracle. And Barbara admits that she'd rather go up against the Joker because "He's been known to give up on occasion." Not so this woman.

Not so Lois Lane, with a Mega-Rod Of Her Own. The pen, they say, is Mightier than the Sword.

We've come a long way, baby, since the days of Anne Bradstreet, whose manuscript was taken from her, and published without her consent. When asked to write a Prologue for her collection, Mrs. Bradstreet added the following:

"I am obnoxious to each carping tongue
Who says my hand a needle better fits.
A Poet's Pen all scorn I should thus wrong,
For such despite they cast on female wits.
If what I do prove well, it won't advance,
They'll say it's stol'n, or else it was by chance."

Lois Lane advances, on her own merits, and certainly not by chance. And she has Gotten The Better of Oracle, an action of which many have dreamed, but few find a reality. Lois Lane, with the power of the press and Pulitzer behind her, is an unstoppable force. And she, like her Quite Famous Husband, Fights the Good Fight, too. In short Gentle Reader, she, too, is a hero.

As Barbara is about to play A Card Of Her Own, as she is about to reveal that Superman is Lois Lane's Weakness, Lois has the final word. She admits that she has dirt on half the world, but that doesn't always matter. She says, "I choose a side. I do it all the time. We all do. But Lois Lane is no one's pawn." And in these few short sentences, Lois speaks to the Hero In Us All. Why do the Birds of Prey fight for good instead of evil? Because they made a choice to do so. Ms. Lane reminds Barbara—-as she reminds us all-—that we all make choices.

Lois Lane, the most dangerous woman in Metropolis?

Ms. Simone, DC, I ask you: how about the newest member of The Birds of Prey, as well?

Summarize, Explode, Rinse, Repeat: A Brief Review of Catwoman #62

You are well aware by now, Gentle Reader, my rabid fangirl-ness for the Amazon Princess. You've seen my modest but ever expanding Wonder Woman Action Figure Collection, heard my sighs of joy and cries of relief over Mr. Heinberg's run, my admiration and heartfelt gratitude for Mr. Rucka's run, and my longing-—ever, ever my longing!-—to one day get my hands on An Amazon Story Of My Own. I adore the Wonder Woman because she is, in fact, truly wonderful: she's strong, proud, beautiful, alien, familiar, complicated, everything that an aspiring writer (that would be This Humble Author) could want to write, an impressionable young woman (that would be This Humble Author, circa 1982) could want to be, and an adoring fan (see above re: This Humble Author) could want to see. She is, quite simply, The Perfect Character.

Therefore I feel it quite safe to say that the Wonder Woman is secure on her pedestal of my esteem, even though she's beginning to have some competition.

When asked my ranking for Favorite DC Superheroes of the Double-X Chromosome Persuasion, I would offer you the following list:
1) Wonder Woman
2) Black Canary
3) Catwoman
4) Big Barda
5) Huntress

A simple list, an obvious one, and certainly it comes as no surprise that the woman who loves Wonder Woman would certainly love Big Barda, and that the woman who loves Catwoman would certainly love Huntress. Loving Black Canary requires no thought, I believe; it just comes naturally to us all. But thankfully, all of these characters have had or currently have great writers on board: Gail Simone (Huntress, Big Barda, and Black Canary), Greg Rucka and Allen Heinberg (Wonder Woman), Brad Meltzer (Black Canary), Ed Brubaker and Will Pfeifer (Catwoman). There have been leaks and trickles throughout the lines, a Wonder Woman here, a Black Canary there, but overall, these writers have had extensive time to develop these characters from What Came Before to What Comes Now, and overall, have done a hell of a job.

That being said, I must confess the following four things: 1) I think I love Birds of Prey more now that Dinah's left and Barda's joined, 2) I will always miss Greg Rucka's run of Wonder Woman, regardless of who's writing it, 3) I adore Catwoman, and found it to be one of the best comics on the market, but 4) I no longer look forward to it as eagerly as I once did.

Catwoman #62

Gentle Reader, the reason for my less-than-enthusiastic response to the Post-Crisis Catwoman is really quite simple: I'm beginning not to care as much about Selina as I used to.

That's hard for me to admit, and I want you to understand that as much as you can. I *adore* Selina. I *adore* Catwoman. I adore Holly and Slam and Ted and brief glimpses of The Bat and everyone else who's popped by for a spell on this very interesting comic book. But I find the One Year Later issues of Catwoman to be rather uninspired, when compared to their Pre-Crisis run.

And it's not just the Sam/Selina storyline, Gentle Reader, although I know several of you have called me to task, again and again, for my fangirl 'shipperness over a more Bat-Cat-Friendly romantic pairing. It's true, Friends, and I admit it gladly. I think the whole Parental Issue would have been Much More Interesting had a certain Batastic character played a larger, more substantial role.

That being said, let me offer an alternative to my narrow-mindedness: I understand why. A Bat-Cat child would complicate things Across The (DC) Universe, and I do think that Catwoman needs to live in her own book, and escape the sometimes overwhelming Batshadow. So, I could have accepted Slam, and I could have accepted Ted. Goodness, I could have accepted Black Mask or Film Freak, or artificial insemination or, what I really thought was going to happen Post-Crisis, a melding of all the worlds' Selinas into Our World Selina, with a slight side effect of pregnancy from a random pregnant Selina Out In The Ether. But with Sam Bradley, particularly because he is now deceased, we need not worry about a Sam-Selina entanglement complicating the framework. And that seems almost too easy.

But in the end, it's even more simple than this: I am *upset* with Selina. The moment when Selina tells Holly and crew about murdering Black Mask, for example, made me Grit My Teeth. Selina says, "I did what I had to do, Holly. I'm not proud... but I'm not ashamed, either." And, kudos for Selina, everyone nods and pats her on the back. Holly flashes back to a similar decision she had to make, way back when, and, just in case she wasn't completely in the mood to forgive Selina, Slam adds his two cents: "She's right, kid. We all have our reasons."

Yes, we do. Selina made a difficult choice, and saved many lives because of it. Do you know who else did that recently, Gentle Reader?

Wonder Woman.

But while Selina gets pats on the back and "aw shucks" congratulations, Wonder Woman gets scorn, derision, abandonment, and loneliness. While Selina gets a happy family scene at the end of the book, Holly, Karon, Slam, and Helena all snuggled up to the Cat Woman, Wonder Woman gets secret identities and juries and distrust from those that are supposed to trust her the most.

And I know the reasons: superpowered vs. human, publicly vs. quietly, ambassador for peace vs. criminal. They're all there for me, laid out in beautiful color glossy. But I think what I'm missing here is a more in-depth Selina. A more introspective Selina. The Selina who questioned herself, over and over again, after discovering The Hell That Had Been Wrought On Her by one mind-altering Zatanna. I want her to be less blasé, about her life, about the murder of Black Mask, about Helena's safety. I want to see how truly complicated having a child has made her life, because as of now, despite all that's happened, it doesn't feel like all that much has changed.

But hope not only springs Ever Eternal, it also draws Endlessly Near. Catwoman #63 comes out This Very Week, Gentle Reader, and according to DC's website, we are moving Out Of Gotham and Into Metropolis. Perhaps this move is exactly what Selina needs. And frankly, I am Quite Intrigued at the thought of the Cat-Woman tangling up again with the Super-Man.

Perhaps a certain Dark Knight might even reappear? This Humble Author can only dream....