Elayne Riggs' Journal (for Leah)

Tuesday, June 06, 2006

Cheap and Easy "Drama"

Ragnell has her work cut out for her. She's decided to compile a thorough listing, with references, of all of the female superhero characters from DC and Marvel whose writers have given them either explicit or implied instances of sexual assault. When it's completed, this "Depressing List" may render Gail Simone's noted Women in Refrigerators site almost lighthearted in tone. While the subject of sexual assault certainly deserves serious consideration, when just about every single superheroine is retconned so that it's part of her past, it ceases to lose its dramatic punch or point; it's just lazy, exploitive, bad writing. Not to mention it doesn't speak well of a character when being assaulted is her motivation for becoming heroic - can't any heroes be written any more as wanting to pass along the benefits of their happy childhoods by helping others? I refuse to believe that comic book writers are so unimaginative as to assume altruism only ever comes out of personal tragedy, especially for female characters.

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