Pen-Elayne on the Web

Girls in Comic Books (pt 2)

I avoided superhero books like the plague in the first part, but now I'd like to bring up a couple.

First up would be Oracle from Birds of Prey. She once was Batgirl, but was paralyzed by a gunshot from the Joker. Leaving aside the obvious silliness of someone staying paralyzed in a universe where people can fly, the whole idea of Oracle is just neat. She's not some crippled girl, she's a strong active woman who happens to have her hand on the pulse of every superhero activity in the world. As Oracle, she was even a member of the Justice League. In Birds of Prey, she sends agents to hotspots to fix problems before they become too massive. She's efficient, intelligent, and the fact that she happens to be stuck in a wheelchair is secondary to the strength of the character.

Next up would be Aunt May. Not any old version, no, I'm thinking of the Aunt May from the current run on Amazing Spider-Man. The one who somehow manages to deal with the child she raised being the costumed vigilante she hates. She's a fiesty one, as is made clear in the latest issue (just see her actions while waiting in line behind a foul-mouthed jerk). She's the kind of person you wish everyone had in their lives, a strong anchor to keep you steady through all of life's misfortunes.

No, I'm not much into Manga, but I read a little. One book I got addicted to the wrong way 'round was Cardcaptor Sakura, and it is Sakura herself that gets the next entry on this list. Sakura's family is a mystery in so many ways... she knows nothing about her father's family. Her mother is dead. A magical power is released by Sakura accidently, and she has to pick up after herself. This is a great romance comic, a great magical fantasy comic, and a fun trip through a very different culture. Sakura herself is kind and open-minded. She's a teenage girl, but she isn't on a popularity power-trip. I would love to see Sakura, Akiko, Chance, Amelia, and Amy together at the mall. They'd be unstoppable.

For my next favorite fictional females, I'd have to talk about Age of Bronze by the amazing Eric Shanower. The thing I love about this book is that he draws such beautiful people. They aren't dolls or models or strangely distorted things, they are people. And the women in Shanower's book are the best. The history of the Trojan war seems to be so much about women. Helen running away with Paris, Agamemnon trying to sacrifice his daughter Iphigenia. They may not be ones I'd be comfortable hanging out with, but they are well worth reading about.

Continuing in the vein of folks I wouldn't really want to hang out with, but love to read, would be Deena Pilgrim from Powers. A tough, no-nonsense cop who's in way over her head but keeps up anyway. Foul-mouthed and angry, she's the right person to handle the giant Christian Walker. Petite and powerful, Deena proves that big things do come in small packages... even confronting a being with the power of a god in her last (as of this writing) appearance in the book.

I'll finish up this eternal post with a couple of characters who might be just a passing fad. Cinnamon and Mace from Cinnamon: El Ciclo are two women dealing with horrible things in their pasts, but trying to make the world a better place in their own way. I'm betting neither one would give a person like me the time of day, they live in a different world, but they are fascinating people anyway. They aren't playing the game set up for them by the rest of the world, they are making their own way. And that makes me admire them both, despite what they are.

And so that's it. All I can think of today. Who'd I miss?