Wonder Wednesday 04-21-10 The Women of Marvel

In Mobile, desperate for something to read, I stopped by a bookstore and picked up... no, not one of the fifty-seven billion books about college football, although I can see where you'd jump to that conclusion. No, instead I bought a magazine called The Women of Marvel: Celebrating Seven Decades. This is a bit ironic, since I have mentioned a few times how Marvel to this day, doesn't really have its own "Wonder Woman" and that the long-time heroines they do have have started out pretty weak and fragile... also, nearly all of them have gone insane at some point... Jean Grey destroyed an entire populated planet! And you thought you had bad periods. (Or that women you knew had bad periods, as the case may be.) Why is it in comics, people go completely insane... and then just get better? And it's usually just through their loved one imploring, "This isn't you! You can fight this! Where's the (insert name here) that I know and fell in love with?!" That argument wouldn't stop me from doing a shot, much less climb down from the Crazy Tree.
And while I dig this illustration by the legendary Alan Davis, you'd NEVER see Captain America thrusting his star-spangled ass at the "camera" the way Black Widow is above! I would also say that you'd never see a male character in as skimpy a costume as The She-Hulk's or Ms. Marvel's, but then there's Prince Namor, The Sub-Mariner...

and Colossus...

...and there goes that argument.

Also, I realized, at least Marvel has tried creating female heroes. They just haven't managed to catch on with readers. As far back as the late 1940s, they launched a handful of books starring female heroes, such as The Blonde Phantom...

...fighting crime in an evening gown? Fancy!

Sun Girl, The Mysterious Beauty...
...the real mystery is what self respecting hero races to the rescue on The Subway?!

The Sub-Mariner's cousin, Namora, The Sea Beauty... Geez, Marvel, like blondes much? Or the word "Beauty?!"

Venus, the Goddess of Love and... you guessed it, Beauty! At least she isn't blonde. She's PLATINUM Blonde, thank you very much!

And then there's Miss America...
What a hag! Not only is she a grotesque brunette... she's wearing GLASSES! What kind of hero wears glasses in her super identity? Makeover time, girlfriend!Thaaaat's better! Still not loving that poofy blouse, but at least I can stand to look at her now without fear of gagging on my own tongue. Lovely that The Allies beat Hitler... and then turned right around and perpetuated his "ideal" standard of beauty at every turn.

Unfortunately, super hero comics in general were on their way out and these ladies vanished alongside their male counterparts. Marvel tried again in the early seventies, by launching a trio of titles starring female heroes, The Cat...

Night Nurse...

I know nothing about Night Nurse, but I can easily bet you my spleen that it's the most boring comic book ever... and I think there were even comics based on The Waltons.

The final star was Shanna, The She-Devil...Shanna, arguably was the most successful of the three and has continued to appear periodically, although I'm not sure what the appeal is.
Maybe it's that she lives in a jungle and fights dinosaurs. There's just something magical and timeless in the appeal of dinosaurs. I mean, just look at the Jurassic Park movies! I suppose the same is true of Shanna.WHA--?!?! WHA--?!?! A--!!! Y--!!! YOU CAN'T SHOW THAT IN A COMIC BOOK!!!
Well, there went my dinosaur theory.

Ahem, so these books didn't do that well either, not even Shanna's, because you weren't allowed to draw naked tittays in a comic book in the 70s. So the next time Marvel tried launching a trio of super heroines, they based them on existing male characters.

There was Ms. Marvel, the former lovah of Captain Marvel (a male Captain Marvel, not the black female I blogged about before... which would have been a lot sexier). But getting super powers from your boyfriend? So... basically her powers are like Space Herpes?
Then, there was the She-Hulk......who was The Incredible Hulk, Bruce Banner's cousin, who gained her powers... no not the same way as Ms. Marvel, they weren't from Arkansas! He had to give her a blood transfusion after mobsters shot her. (Hate when that happens!) Unlike The Hulk, She-Hulk could control her transformations and retained her intellect in monster form.

And then there was Spider-Woman...
...who had Jack Shit to do with flagship hero Spider-Man. Hell, she wasn't even an original idea! Filmation was going to create a Saturday morning cartoon called Spider-Woman, so to protect their "Spider Brand," Marvel shat this character out in a rush to secure the copyright. (More on this tomorrow!) In her first appearance, it was revealed that she was really an actual spider that a mad scientist morphed into a human! NO REALLY! In her second appearance, it was revealed that that was a fucking terrible origin story, so let's just forget all that nonsense. Instead, let's say she was always human, but when she was young, she'd been bitten by a spider, which was then morphed into a human... no, kidding... she was bitten by a spider and her father, a scientist, injected her with spider serum to save her, granting her super powers.She didn't even have the same powers as Spider-Man. Well, she could cling to walls, but she could also fly and shoot "Venom Blasts." She was actually a villain in her first several appearances, until she learned that she was being duped by Hydra, a terrorist army. She turned over a new leaf and became a super hero.

These last three have been the most enduring solo heroes in Marvel's roster. Others like Invisible Woman and the X-Women......have been written excellently in their careers, but they remain stars in a team setting, whereas, Ms. Marvel, She-Hulk and Spider-Woman are all long-running members of The Avengers and have also headlined their own titles in recent years. Sadly, Ms. Marvel's just got canceled. She-Hulk's has been canceled and relaunched. (She also plays a large role in The Hulk's book.) Spider-Woman's has just begun, so hopefully it'll last a while longer.
And while selling a book starring a female hero may be a challenge, we fans of the female heroes are slavishly devoted to them, whether they have their own titles or not. It may be the underdog factor, since I think nearly every female hero fits that description. I mean Iron Man 2 is opening soon and Marvel is in production on live action movies starring Thor, Captain America, possibly Ant Man and a new Spider-Man. But there isn't a chance in hell of there ever being a Ms. Marvel movie or Spider-Woman or She-Hulk for that matter. BUT, you'll find that the fans of these female characters are more steadfast and passionate about them than those of their male counterparts. I'd bet that if you examined the audience at a screening of IM2, you'd find at least one or two people there just because of Scarlett Johannson as The Black Widow and that their love for that character eclipses the casual interest of the rest of the audience for Iron Man himself. Just a theory.

So, like I said, true, Marvel doesn't have a real flagship heroine, but it isn't necessarily due to lack of trying, so I just thought I'd give credit for their attempts.

Women's History Month Part 2: The Ladies of the Teen Titans

I'm a big Bonus Feature guy. I buy a lot of DVDs knowing I don't really want to watch the main feature, but I do want to hear the commentary or watch the making-of docs. They're usually more interesting that the actual movie/show. It's the same with comics. If I really like a series, I love knowing what goes into making it. I read a book dedicated to the history of the Teen Titans and was fascinated by one bit of behind the scenes trivia that seems so obvious now, but that I never noticed upon first reading those tales. Well... I mean, I was six, so you'll have to forgive me. Allow me to explain...
My first exposure to Wonder Girl was the Wonder Woman sleeping bag that my friend had, the same friend that had all the Strawberry Shortcake dolls that her mom wouldn't let me play with. It featured a large illustration of Wonder Woman, surrounded by smaller images of Catwoman, Supergirl, Batgirl and... Wonder Girl?! Who the heck was that?!
Wonder Girl was a member of the Teen Titans and was actually included by mistake. The creators of the Teen Titans saw a Wonder Girl in the pages of Wonder Woman and included her in the all-sidekicks group, not realizing that Wonder Girl was actually Wonder Woman as a teenager and that those stories were flashbacks, a la Superboy's adventures.
They then cobbled together an explanation: Wonder Girl was a baby that Wonder Woman had rescued from a burning building and took to Paradise Island. There, the Amazons used their magic/science to siphon off a tiny portion of each Amazon's power and immortality and give it to this new baby, whom they named Donna Troy and whom Queen Hippolyta (Wonder Woman's mother) adopted and raised as her own. Then, upon reaching adolescence, she, like her big sis, flew off to Man's World to combat evil, joining forces with other younger heroes in the Teen Titans.I fell in love with her instantly. Like Wonder Woman, she was raised an Amazon warrior, capable of kicking anyone's ass, but always seeking a peaceful solution. Having grown up as the token "girl" in the Titans, she naturally assumed the "Mom" role, ironing out the problems of the more volatile members and keeping peace among her team. She was even more rational and patient than Robin, the team's leader who was going through his rebellious phase, struggling to come out from underneath Batman's imposing shadow. Plus, she wore that ferosh red jumpsuit. LOVE!

Getting to the "behind-the-scenes" goodies. Joining the Titans around the time I started reading were two new female heroes, Starfire and Raven.
Starfire, Princess Koriand'r from the planet Tamaran, a planet of passionate warriors (think space vikings). They did everything to excess, be it fighting or loving. Her people kept nothing below the surface, which led to bewilderment when Starfire arrived on Earth and found that people did not just lustily go after everything they wanted. Pure and uninhibited, she fought as passionately as she loved, cutting loose with her energy powers to the point where the other Titans had to reign her in to keep her from killing her opponents.The other new Titan, Raven was the exact opposite. Born from the union of a human woman and a demon known as Trigon, Raven was raised by the priests of Azarath, an other dimensional haven, who bore responsibility for keeping demon overlords from attempting to conquer Earth.Raven possessed healing abilities and teleportation, making her useless in a fight. She constantly struggled to stifle any emotion, because if she submitted, her father Trigon would be able to use her as a conduit to invade Earth. He constantly tormented his daughter in his power lust.
What I didn't put together, was that the three women represented a triangle of sorts. Smack dab in the middle was Wonder Girl, an Amazon warrior raised to exude compassion and care. Unlike the more perfect Wonder Woman, Wonder Girl was more of a girl-next-door type, down-to-earth and approachable. Physically, she, like most super heroines, was a paragon of womanhood, but still more or less realistic.Starfire was like Wonder Girl's warrior nature to the extreme. She oozed ferocity and emotion. She lacked Donna's cool, level-headedness and rationality. This was exemplified by her outward appearance, scantily clad and uninhibited, plus her... ahem, assets were much more extreme and overt.And on the exact opposite end of the spectrum, Raven was (mostly) completely covered and demure. When not in costume, she dressed similarly to an Indian woman in lots of draped fabric, like a sari. In one story, when the Titans go undercover, she must wear pants and she remarks that it is the first time she's ever worn them and that she feels uncomfortable. Whereas Starfire was pure emotion personified, Raven couldn't exhibit ANY emotion, lest Trigon use that to his advantage. Co-creator of the New Teen Titans, George Perez went so far as the render her almost flat-chested... a first for a super heroine! Whereas Starfire's face and body were rounded all over (think Beyonce), Raven's face and body were skinny and gaunt with sharp cheekbones (think Courtney Cox). And once more, Wonder Girl was right in the middle, average... neither overly voluptuous nor gaunt.
I found this explanation fascinating! It's really amazing to hear how much thought went into creating these balanced personae that would compliment one another. Often creators simply use costumes and hair to differentiate one character from another, and they all have the same bodies and even faces. George Perez really tried to contrast one from the others, making each a "real" unique person. It's really no surprise that even to this day, this run on Teen Titans (which was from 1980 to about 85 or so) is still considered the best. This series, along with Crisis on Infinite Earths (by the same team of George Perez and writer Marv Wolfman) are the two most important comics in my development as a comic nerd. So, y'know, now you know who to blame.

National Women's History Month Edition Part 1

Right on the heels of Black History Month in February, comes National Women's History Month in March. Is it me, or are February and March the two WORST months of the year? They're like the Antarctica of months! Also, will we eventually get months dedicated to every minority? I'm declaring May national Mixed Race Gay History Month. Along those lines, I got my first "What do you want for your birthday?" inquiry last night from David, but when I replied, "An iPad," that didn't seem to be the answer he was hoping for. He was probably assuming I'd ask for like a pot set or something HORRIBLE. Boo practical gifts! BOOOOOO!

OH! But quick aside: I've decided that I will no longer be listing myself as "Mixed Race" or "Biracial" or my favorite, "Other." I have decided that from now on, I will be known as a "Cocktail."

Cheers!

So anyway, in honor of Women's History Month, as with MLK's birthday, I will be writing some blogs to honor some of my favorite females. Unlike the MLK blogs, though, I won't be setting a specific number or doing any sort of countdown. And, as is usually the case, on April 1st, I will think, "Aw dammit! I forgot all about ______!" 'Tis always the case. I also thought this would be a good time to pay tribute to some of the characters that I personally love but maybe don't get the love from others, as I would see fit. And there is no one better to salute first than...Black Canary, a.k.a. Dinah Lance, is significant to me because I feel she has always been this close to being a big name like The Flash, Green Lantern and Green Arrow, but she always seems to just miss the boat. Next to Wonder Woman, she is the longest running solo female super hero, and yet she so rarely gets the glory. But as you will see, she has grazed greatness on numerous occasions.Debuting in 1947's Flash Comics#86, in the Johnny Thunder strip, Black Canary is initially thought to be a villain, only to later reveal that she was a hero working undercover. Very soon after, Johnny Thunder and his strip vanished from the pages of Flash Comics to be replaced by Black Canary!
Her early adventures are the very definition of formulaic. In every adventure, she winds up getting bonked on the head, to awaken, tied up or similarly imperiled. Whereas, Batman had a fully stocked utility belt from which to pull gizmos and gadgets, as you can see, Black Canary wore no belt, so instead, she concealed some sort of gimmick in the clasp of her choker. And wouldn't you know it?! She always managed to pack EXACTLY what she needed, be it a gas pellet or a small razor, in order to escape JUST THAT predicament! So maybe she was also psychic to some degree. In one early adventure, she is also shown to be able to communicate with birds, but she's never done it since, so let's just pretend that didn't happen. Otherwise, she didn't really possess any super powers, other than her quick wit and hand-to-hand fighting ability.
To pour salt on poor Johnny Thunder's wound, not only did she usurp his strip, she also replaced him as a member of comics' first super team, The Justice Society of America!When super heroes went out of vogue, Black Canary "retired" along with her cohorts, only to resurface alongside them when they were revived years later in the pages of the Justice League of America.She continued to make guest-appearances in JLA until 1969, when the creators of the Wonder Woman comic decided to revamp WW, removing her powers and star-spangled costume, making her a plain-clothes, kung-fu kicking spy, a la Emma Peel from the TV show The Avengers. Needing a token female in the Justice League, Black Canary came out of retirement and returned to crime fighting full time.She also suddenly developed an actual super power, her sonic Canary Cry, strong enough to smash through a brick wall! Soon after joining, she began dating Green Arrow, a liberal crusading hero. Embracing modern times, Black Canary became the epitome of a modern, liberated woman. She remained a steadfast part of the team, even after Wonder Woman returned to her super powered state and rejoined.

However, by the early 80s, people started wondering how it was that a heroine who'd debuted in 1947 still seemed so young and vivacious. In Justice League #219, it was revealed that the original Black Canary had retired and later died and that the heroine in the Justice League was actually her daughter.She continued appearing as a member of the Justice League and even starred in her own features from time to time. Her biggest break,came when she appeared as one half of the crime-fighting team the Birds of Prey, working with former Batgirl Barbara Gordon, as the computer ace Oracle.
The Birds of Prey series ran for years and is due to return in the coming months, following a break, during which time Black Canary co-headlined a book with her new husband, Green Arrow and served as the leader of the Justice League.Many "household names" in the world of comics, are such because they managed to appear outside of comic books in other media. Sadly, writer Darrell McNeil stated in one article, that he'd actually prepared a script for the second season of Super Friends which would have teamed Black Canary with Wonder Woman to rescue Lois Lane from a Ghost Ship, but the day before he submitted the script Hanna Barbera cut off submissions! So while Green Arrow and others made the ranks of that animated series, she did not.
However, all was not lost in the late 70s, as Hanna Barbera filmed a two-part live-action version of the Super Friends to air in prime time. Since Wonder Woman was already starring in her own hit TV series, her character was not available for these two shows. As she'd done almost a decade earlier in the comics, Black Canary once again replaced Wonder Woman in the JLA's ranks.Portrayed by an actress listed only as Danuta, this was my first ever exposure to Black Canary and I was captivated by the idea of a new hero I'd never heard of!
Her depiction was very close to the comics, she drove a motorcycle and possessed sonic powers. (She is shown smashing a wall with them in the opening credits.) However, they are altered on the show, as she simply yells really loudly. In one scene, she yells to inform the rest of the heroes of where to rendezvous to catch the super villains. The two-part series, entitled Legends of the Superheroes aired in January of 1979, and is vividly remembered by many adult fans today, despite never again airing. (Ahem, bootlegs, ahem.) In Florida, Sea World featured a water skiing Super Friends-inspired show, which featured not only Black Canary, but Aquaman's wife Mera! I never got to experience this... hell, I'd never even HEARD of it, until Plaid Stallions started amassing a gallery of pics from it!Sadly, that was it for Black Canary in other media for over a decade. The next live action depiction was... kinda on a live-action TV series loosely based on the Birds of Prey comic in 2002. Rachel Skarston played "Dinah." In a later episode, Dinah revealed that her mother had been the super heroine Black Canary, played by Aunt Becky, Lori Laughlin.However, this Black Canary's true name is Carolyn Lance. (In the comics, both mother and daughter are named Dinah.) On this series, the original Black Canary had sonic powers and the younger Dinah possessed some strange psychic ability and never went by a code name. The show only lasted one season.Roughly around the same time, the producers of the Justice League animated series crafted an episode entitled "Legends" which was supposed to guest-star the original Justice Society of America. Unfortunately, due to events in the script, DC Comics would not let the Society appear, so the producers altered the original heroes into alternate versions.
The original Black Canary became Black Siren instead, a very un-liberated heroine, which rankled the feathers of modern heroine Hawkgirl in the episode.Finally, Black Canary proper made her animated debut on Justice League Unlimited in 2004, voiced by Marina Baccarin.More recently, she appeared in the fan-favorite "Mayhem of the Music Meister" episode of Batman: The Brave & The Bold and recently returned in the episode "The Golden Age of Justice" where once again it is explained that she is the daughter of the original Black Canary. (Once again, in a flashback scene, the original BC is shown to have the second's sonic powers.) Grey DeLisle voices Black Canary on this series.
And finally, a new live-action Black Canary appeared in a semi-regular role on Smallville, portrayed by Alaina Huffman.
Perhaps most significantly, Black Canary was immortalized in Mattel's recent line of Barbies dressed as the heroines of the DC Universe. This doll made headlines when ignorant parents protested this high-end collectible doll, thinking it was a child-aimed dominatrix doll. Parents who join parents' groups are stupid! Who buys a kid a $50 doll? If you do, you deserve it if she winds up working on a pole.
So, while she may not be a household name yet, she's come a long way... and it's long overdue, in my opinion!