Women in Comics

So this originated from an inebriated conversation from my girlfriend and her room mate and her boyfriend. What is the role of women in comics? Or to be specific, what is the role of feminism in comics?

I'm going to admit right away that this is a topic that could have a dissertation written about it. The role of women in comics is debated often and the topic can take many different routes dependent on what your views on the role of women are. I'm hoping if your reading this your sounding off in my comments section below this column as it is a topic that needs input.

Whats the main demographic of comic books? That's right, men are the main demographic. So naturally, all women should be big breasted and have huge asses. Well, as much as I love that, it's not true. I'm going to use Ms. Marvel as the main example of my argument, as I personally think she is the best example of feminism in comics in today's market.

Looking in past arcs, Ms. Marvel has been a strong character. She is one that many of the male characters look up to and hope they can be a hero like. Even when showing her feminine side, like when dating Spider-Man, she showed that she is comfortable in her own skin while showing she is a woman. While weird to the normal comic buying public, it was amazing to read the man be the weaker person. While many people are use to seeing Peter Parker like this in general, it was refreshing to see the man be uncomfortable while the woman plays the cooler head. The only way this could get better is if the person writing the scripts was a woman (Gail Simone anyone?). Men (besides Joss Whedon and occasionally Brian Reed) have a problem writing strong women. Even if Brian Michael Bendis tries to focus an issue on a woman, there is still some occasional stereotypical woman dialogue that undermines what is going on. Now don't get me wrong, Bendis is one of my favorite current writers and helps the feminist movement in comics, just not as much as he could. I sight the Spider-Woman ongoing as my example. Although he has shown growth in his "Scarlet" creator owned ongoing.

If I'm trying to give advice to comic book writers, make sure to acknowledge women as just as important as men while showcasing their differences. That's feminism as it's best.