Doing Better with Women in Comics
Oct. 14th, 2011 09:33 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ysabetwordsmithRecently we've talked about portrayals of female characters in "Two Plots," "What makes women sexy," "Why the Starfire Reboot Is a Fizzle," and "The Comics Women Don't Buy."
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ankewehner tipped me to this terrific article, "Female Super-Hero Characters and Sex: Creators Explain How Comics Can Do Better." Several artists, writers, and editors in the comics field describe in detail what makes a good character and good action, and how to distinguish different female characters from each other. There's some great advice on art and storytelling in there.
Also, check out one of the references, "Men-Ups." See men in pin-up poses. They look ridiculous. Those poses aren't any more sensible on women.
One thing I really like about this article is its focus on characterization, particularly the relationships between characters -- how the female characters relate to each other and how the men and women develop friendships. Teamwork is a big deal in many superhero comics because the superhero team is such a popular trope. Every person in a team has a relationship with every other person in a team. The more diverse the members are, the more interesting the team and the more different plots will happen.
This got me thinking about my poetic series. A series begins with one or more viewpoint characters, but over time, it tends to develop a wider cast of regulars. The relationships we create as a series progresses then become an important part of it. The female characters show pretty wide diversity. Let's take a look ...
The Adventures of Aldornia and Zenobia -- Two lesbians go sane, run away from home, become good, fall in love, and do heroic stuff. Only after I finished the first poem did I realize that this was a total reversal of the Dead Lesbian cliche. This series is high fantasy with a sweet, slightly wacky tone contrasted with the dark family background.
Fiorenza the Wisewoman -- A young woman with smarts and expertise holds a position of authority in her village, which creates some complications. Fiorenza and the priest Don Candido (who is not altogether secure himself) sometimes rub each other the wrong way. Because she has to take care of their foolishness, Fiorenza is not very impressed with the young men in her village and balks at the idea of marrying any of them -- although she is intrigued by an outsider, Giacinto the witch-son. Later poems explore her interactions with other women in the village and the ways that people depend on each other.
The Inkseer -- A poor girl learns how to use powerful magic, which enriches her family but drives her from her home. She works with the forces of fate and ecology in a way that tends to isolate her from humanity. The husband and children who come to her may be seen as a kind of recompense for the sacrifices she makes: a reversal of the usual motif in which a man is given a woman as a prize for his heroic efforts.
Monster House -- This series has a large cast with female characters including a grandmother, mother, daughter, and the little old lady ghost. The grandmother seems to have extensive weird science skills, but almost no recognition. The mother balances geek skills, handywoman skills, general comfort with preternatural stuff, and family life. The daughter is blind but has assorted mystical compensations for her handicap, and she is fascinated by the ways that other people behave. The little old lady ghost, while quiet and reserved much of the time, can be formidable if riled. They all interact with each other in different ways, within the wider context of extended family and life in a shared household not all of whose members are human.
The Odd Trio -- One dwarven woman, one elven male, and one human male (asexual) form an adventuring group and later a family. Ironically the woman, Druga, is the least traditionally feminine of all three characters; and she's the only significant female in the series thus far. The real focus here is the nontraditional triad they form.
The Origami Mage -- This is essentially a "best enemy" story about two women rather than two men, the Origami Mage and the Kirigami Mage. It has the spiralling plot structure, nonviolence, and spiritual wisdom typical of many Asian stories with a magical system also drawn from Asian folklore. That exerts a primary influence on how the relationship between these women develops. Most other characters are fleeting appearances, and neither of the women seems particularly interested in romance.
Path of the Paladins -- The main characters are Shahana the Paladin and Ari, with a strong mentor/novice relationship. Also prominent is the goddess Gailah and the relationship she has with each of her followers, plus the mess with her brother Gorrein. Then there is the connection between Ari and her brother Larn, which holds firm despite the distance between them. Johan, formerly a paladin of Gailah, embodies some of the tension following Gailah's fall, just as Shahana and Ari embody loyalty and hope. Love is a central aspect of this series, but it's a spiritual love rather than a romantic love. The series also deals with rape and other forms of trauma, and how it is that one goes about reassembling a wrecked world into something worth inhabiting.
Sort Of Heroes -- The two lead characters here are both male, Nib (a human) and Brod (a troll), plus of course the supporting character of Brod's giant magic sword. This is basically a buddy story as two rather clueless fellows try to figure out how to be heroes. So far there haven't been many female characters mentioned, but Nib's mother is behind much of "Following Along" and the herbalist is introduced in "If It Weren't For Her." You can compare and contrast this herbalist with Fiorenza.
So there's a range of female characters. They have skills including technological, martial, social, and beyond. Some have a family life while others focus on different things, and the families have different configurations. Some of them are gentle while others are aggressive; some are pretty, others plain. They live in quite distinct settings, which also influences who they are. All of them are doing things, whether they go out adventuring or tend to stay in one place where interesting things just happen. None of these characters are interchangeable; even the ones with similar professions are unique individuals.
I think it's pretty cool that my audience has inspired and picked out poems with those features to continue as series.
ankewehner tipped me to this terrific article, "Female Super-Hero Characters and Sex: Creators Explain How Comics Can Do Better." Several artists, writers, and editors in the comics field describe in detail what makes a good character and good action, and how to distinguish different female characters from each other. There's some great advice on art and storytelling in there.Also, check out one of the references, "Men-Ups." See men in pin-up poses. They look ridiculous. Those poses aren't any more sensible on women.
One thing I really like about this article is its focus on characterization, particularly the relationships between characters -- how the female characters relate to each other and how the men and women develop friendships. Teamwork is a big deal in many superhero comics because the superhero team is such a popular trope. Every person in a team has a relationship with every other person in a team. The more diverse the members are, the more interesting the team and the more different plots will happen.
This got me thinking about my poetic series. A series begins with one or more viewpoint characters, but over time, it tends to develop a wider cast of regulars. The relationships we create as a series progresses then become an important part of it. The female characters show pretty wide diversity. Let's take a look ...
The Adventures of Aldornia and Zenobia -- Two lesbians go sane, run away from home, become good, fall in love, and do heroic stuff. Only after I finished the first poem did I realize that this was a total reversal of the Dead Lesbian cliche. This series is high fantasy with a sweet, slightly wacky tone contrasted with the dark family background.
Fiorenza the Wisewoman -- A young woman with smarts and expertise holds a position of authority in her village, which creates some complications. Fiorenza and the priest Don Candido (who is not altogether secure himself) sometimes rub each other the wrong way. Because she has to take care of their foolishness, Fiorenza is not very impressed with the young men in her village and balks at the idea of marrying any of them -- although she is intrigued by an outsider, Giacinto the witch-son. Later poems explore her interactions with other women in the village and the ways that people depend on each other.
The Inkseer -- A poor girl learns how to use powerful magic, which enriches her family but drives her from her home. She works with the forces of fate and ecology in a way that tends to isolate her from humanity. The husband and children who come to her may be seen as a kind of recompense for the sacrifices she makes: a reversal of the usual motif in which a man is given a woman as a prize for his heroic efforts.
Monster House -- This series has a large cast with female characters including a grandmother, mother, daughter, and the little old lady ghost. The grandmother seems to have extensive weird science skills, but almost no recognition. The mother balances geek skills, handywoman skills, general comfort with preternatural stuff, and family life. The daughter is blind but has assorted mystical compensations for her handicap, and she is fascinated by the ways that other people behave. The little old lady ghost, while quiet and reserved much of the time, can be formidable if riled. They all interact with each other in different ways, within the wider context of extended family and life in a shared household not all of whose members are human.
The Odd Trio -- One dwarven woman, one elven male, and one human male (asexual) form an adventuring group and later a family. Ironically the woman, Druga, is the least traditionally feminine of all three characters; and she's the only significant female in the series thus far. The real focus here is the nontraditional triad they form.
The Origami Mage -- This is essentially a "best enemy" story about two women rather than two men, the Origami Mage and the Kirigami Mage. It has the spiralling plot structure, nonviolence, and spiritual wisdom typical of many Asian stories with a magical system also drawn from Asian folklore. That exerts a primary influence on how the relationship between these women develops. Most other characters are fleeting appearances, and neither of the women seems particularly interested in romance.
Path of the Paladins -- The main characters are Shahana the Paladin and Ari, with a strong mentor/novice relationship. Also prominent is the goddess Gailah and the relationship she has with each of her followers, plus the mess with her brother Gorrein. Then there is the connection between Ari and her brother Larn, which holds firm despite the distance between them. Johan, formerly a paladin of Gailah, embodies some of the tension following Gailah's fall, just as Shahana and Ari embody loyalty and hope. Love is a central aspect of this series, but it's a spiritual love rather than a romantic love. The series also deals with rape and other forms of trauma, and how it is that one goes about reassembling a wrecked world into something worth inhabiting.
Sort Of Heroes -- The two lead characters here are both male, Nib (a human) and Brod (a troll), plus of course the supporting character of Brod's giant magic sword. This is basically a buddy story as two rather clueless fellows try to figure out how to be heroes. So far there haven't been many female characters mentioned, but Nib's mother is behind much of "Following Along" and the herbalist is introduced in "If It Weren't For Her." You can compare and contrast this herbalist with Fiorenza.
So there's a range of female characters. They have skills including technological, martial, social, and beyond. Some have a family life while others focus on different things, and the families have different configurations. Some of them are gentle while others are aggressive; some are pretty, others plain. They live in quite distinct settings, which also influences who they are. All of them are doing things, whether they go out adventuring or tend to stay in one place where interesting things just happen. None of these characters are interchangeable; even the ones with similar professions are unique individuals.
I think it's pretty cool that my audience has inspired and picked out poems with those features to continue as series.
