Max Riffner
The Parlor
My weblog work journal. »Archives »Links
Writing Women in Comics
I’ve been sick for two damn months. I’m angry. Kind of depressed about it, too. What else to say about lack of posting.
No matter.
So does everyone know about the “Women in Refrigerators” deal? I’ll fill you in quickly for those that don’t read comics and come here for other reasons: women in comics (especially super-hero comics) are treated real bad in order to have the male protagonist develop and/or move the plot along. The term comes from an issue of Green Lantern where his girlfriend is murdered, dismembered and put in a refrigerator for what amounts to “character development.” And strangely it is a disturbing trend (visit the above link for examples).
I thought this weird phenomena was relegated to super-hero comics, but I was really disturbed to read this post from Jennifer de Guzman (of Slave Labor Graphics) about seeing the trend in independent comics as well as she went through the slush pile (and some of the comments in response are even scarier).
Strangely enough, after I got done feeling a little sick, I thought about my own work (sign of an artist: ME ME ME) since I’m an indy, and some of the responses from women (ironically) I got for Quick Step. I don’t think I’ve heard a bad thing about it, but some were upset that Lorenzo left Sandra at the end of the book to essentially chase his dream (his true love) instead of happily-ever-after with her.
Which is kind of crap, because there is no happily-ever-after. In my head, if I was ever going to do a sequel to Quick Step it would focus exclusively on Sandra moving on, which would take all of one page because c’mon – she kissed a guy once at a dance and then he leaves her? She’d be disappointed maybe, but judging from the responses, I think people expected her life to be over.
No, she’d go to college, meet someone else maybe. Perhaps even have a wonderful life alone? Or with someone? Does it matter?
I’ve been asked quite a bit if I was going to do a sequel, and I always said ‘no,’ because I know how Lorenzo’s character ends up in my head (it ain’t pretty). Now I’m actually considering a Sandra follow-up, because I have a good story in my head for her.
Not to mention a couple other stories with female protagonists, and gay protagonists even. It feels like now more than ever I need to tell these stories. And lest someone say to get off the soapbox, or how can a white male creator save women characters in comics, I’m not. I’d like to contribute to a greater diversity of great stories. Besides, there are a whole giant mess of very, very talented female cartoonists coming out right now (I mean goddamn amazing) leading the charge for change themselves.
I just want to tell good stories…
No, not feminist comics. Comics where the female characters aren’t treated like garbage for the sake of “character development” for the male protagonists. How your original comment sounds is that of course, this is the norm in “good” storytelling, that women are incidental and that’s how its always been.
It hasn’t.
Several things in comics have gotten us to this point. One was the ’90s: the desire to make things as dark as possible based on the tone and deconstruction of the super-hero of Watchmen and Dark Knight Returns. What ended up happening is that writers would try to shock the reader, when really they are avoiding what made those two books shocking in the first place (pop culture deconstruction). It all became surface-level “darkness.”
The other factor in this is that comics are by and large written by introverted and shy young white males who are fans. Most of them only read comics and thus repeat what they’ve read thousands of times, never really understanding the basics of storytelling in the first place. Also, they’re scared of women. Plain and simple. I’m sure it isn’t a malicious thing per se, to “punish” women characters, but because they feel like they don’t know how to write a fully fleshed out female character, you end up with a one-dimensional female character whose sole purpose is to be brutalized so the male character can have justification to resolve a conflict, or to shock the reader.
Basically, it boils down to laziness to their chosen craft.
All I’m saying is that in my own work, this isn’t going to happen. I’m not taking this to the extreme of feminist comics (and honestly, that is a little absurd and dishonest for me to consider). I just want fully-formed characters, period. It is a challenge to myself to not be lazy, to really hone my craft.
And if you really think that this is the way comics have been for the last 50 years, well, no. They haven’t been. I can give a stack of great books that prove it otherwise that were commercial and critical successes. And bad things (and good things) happen to some of these female characters in these books, but it was for a purpose.
You can also browse through the Parlor archives.
Recent Articles
- April 27, 2010
- This Saturday is Free Comic Book Day
- January 11, 2010
- #CinematicShowdown
- December 4, 2009
- Guest Strip: The Loneliest Astronauts
- November 12, 2009
- Circling Back
- October 30, 2009
- I'm Still Here
Search
Get the Emails
Keep up to date with my email newsletter. Newsletters are sent at least quarterly.
Grab My Site Feed
Stay up to date with my Feed in your favorite newsreader!
See Who's Linking Here
Check out who is linking to me with my Technorati Profile.
Jul 17, 07:09 PM
You could look at it from a standpoint that women have been the main protagonist and source of pain, ambition, and conflict since story telling began. The angst, pain, and desire around women could arguably be the driving source of civilization thus placed in its lore…
Also you were angry before you got sick, not just during, and predict you will still be angry afterward. Angry and smelling of scotch…