Comics (as opposed to yuri)
Just a quick thought while I distract myself from physics. Over at daily_yuri there was a post featuring the comic American Virgin that includes two girls kissing in a nightclub and so on and so forth, but a comment (it's f-locked) was posted in which the user said she didn't like the representation of lesbianism in comics vs. that in yuri (generally manga and doujinshi, I assume) because in comics lesbians seem to be "punks, bitches (sic), and slaves of the counterculture" and that this was a very negative representation and detrimental to the outlook on lesbians, while "In yuri, the lesbainism is just something that is attached to otherwise ordinary people."
My immediate response was: No. But why? I had to think about it. In a reply to the comment, someone cited some works and characters like Karolina (Runaways), Dr. Mann and Rose (Y), who are all canonical lesbians. I would've cited them, too, as being examples of those who defy the "bitch" and "punk" labels--even though, as I thought about it, Dr. Mann was a (poser) punk and can in fact be a bitch--but the more I thought about it, the more I realized that what I liked about them is that their sexuality doesn't define them. Their stories aren't all about their sexuality, but their sexuality is just another facet of who they are. Dr. Mann is a very driven scientist who just happens to like women, which also just happens to possibly piss off her father (a plus for her!). Rose, admittedly, used sex as a tool, but being a lesbian does not preclude the fact that she's a part of the Australian... navy? (I'm not sure what to call it at the moment)... and has proven herself to be quite the soldier (sailor?).
Karolina is your everyday, possibly with lower self-esteem than is healthy teenager. Her struggle with her sexuality wasn't sickeningly sweet or even cutesy, but agonizing in that self-doubting, questioning way that one can relate to. In fact, her sexuality and who she is still plague her and her self-doubt continues to shine through in some moments, but even so, her sexuality is not in my face either. She's a part of the Runaways team and her romance(s?) are balanced by the way she interacts with her fellow Runaways. She's a sweet, regular girl that I find myself rooting for. Not only that, but the reactions of the others finding out she was gay? Varied and interesting. (Chase's reaction might have been the best.)
But back to the "bitches" accusation. Dr. Mann is a bitch. She can be cold, off-putting, and defensive--but not just about her sexuality. She just is. She has Daddy issues. She has dimensions. And Renee Montoya? Ah, Renee. Renee's sexuality has actually been used against her, has been harmful to her, ostracizing her a bit at work (she was a cop and very publicly and humiliatingly outed) and cutting her off from her parents. What she deals with is still a very real possibility for anyone closeted today. But again, her sexuality doesn't define her entirely. She was a cop who could run, think, and fight with the big boys. She's also self-destructive and her sexual life actually falls into this, especially in 52 wherein she sleeps with women to soothe her pains, I suppose you could say, along with a drinking problem. She's a person I can believe being real. The way she talks, the way she acts, the way she tries to deal with a life that's kind of spiraling out of her control.
But then you've got her ex-lover Kathy Kane, the current Batwoman, who was hyped to high hell for being a lipstick lesbian. A publicity stunt, certainly, and with all the hype, Kane's actual appearance was sort of disappointing. But, honestly, in both yuri and comics, can we say that the characters' sexual orientation isn't exploited in some way to reach a certain market?
I've been thinking a lot recently about why comics have been pulling me in and a part of it is the fact that they are American. It feels American: the snark, the sarcasm, the commentary, the willingness to use the medium to make social statements or to sneak in popular culture references that I don't need a footnote to understand. It's been a welcome relief in some way, I suppose, from all the anime and the manga I had been watching and reading. There's also a level of... maturity... in the case of certain comics that appeal to me. Characters deal with a wide range of issues on levels that are personal, national, and international or moral and ethical. Birds of Prey may be an action comic, but I find myself wanting to read more just to see the ways that the members interact, impact, and influence each other. I love seeing Kate Spenser in Manhunter try to figure out the superhero business and discover that on the spot banter is hard (and that she should just learn to shut up) or try to put her costume on in the backseat of a car and think to herself, "This is ridiculous." I like watching the world either fall apart or come together in Y.
But perhaps most relevant is that comics have a worldview that I'm familiar with. It's the worldview I've grown up with and have learned to judge things. Comics are just about as cynical as I think I can be at times. And sometimes it clashes with my worldview or I don't agree with what I see and it makes me question it and how I think. Manga and anime love flaunting taboo subject matter and going places that make you just want to say, "Oh, it's from Japan" or "Oh, those crazy Japanese" but sometimes it's the level that such topics are explored that get to me, or the level that they inspire me to explore such topics. Ghost in the Shell (both the movie and TV series) is one of my favorite all-time anything series because the world in which technology has come so far.
Alright, so that ended up not being a quick thought. I still can't quite put my finger on what has attracted me so strongly and enthusiastically to comics (a different art form, outrageous and skimpy costumes sh!, narrative form, content, or a certain... "voice"), but it's something I've been wanting to post about. Oh, and I tend to like the lesbians in my comics, thank you.
My immediate response was: No. But why? I had to think about it. In a reply to the comment, someone cited some works and characters like Karolina (Runaways), Dr. Mann and Rose (Y), who are all canonical lesbians. I would've cited them, too, as being examples of those who defy the "bitch" and "punk" labels--even though, as I thought about it, Dr. Mann was a (poser) punk and can in fact be a bitch--but the more I thought about it, the more I realized that what I liked about them is that their sexuality doesn't define them. Their stories aren't all about their sexuality, but their sexuality is just another facet of who they are. Dr. Mann is a very driven scientist who just happens to like women, which also just happens to possibly piss off her father (a plus for her!). Rose, admittedly, used sex as a tool, but being a lesbian does not preclude the fact that she's a part of the Australian... navy? (I'm not sure what to call it at the moment)... and has proven herself to be quite the soldier (sailor?).
Karolina is your everyday, possibly with lower self-esteem than is healthy teenager. Her struggle with her sexuality wasn't sickeningly sweet or even cutesy, but agonizing in that self-doubting, questioning way that one can relate to. In fact, her sexuality and who she is still plague her and her self-doubt continues to shine through in some moments, but even so, her sexuality is not in my face either. She's a part of the Runaways team and her romance(s?) are balanced by the way she interacts with her fellow Runaways. She's a sweet, regular girl that I find myself rooting for. Not only that, but the reactions of the others finding out she was gay? Varied and interesting. (Chase's reaction might have been the best.)
But back to the "bitches" accusation. Dr. Mann is a bitch. She can be cold, off-putting, and defensive--but not just about her sexuality. She just is. She has Daddy issues. She has dimensions. And Renee Montoya? Ah, Renee. Renee's sexuality has actually been used against her, has been harmful to her, ostracizing her a bit at work (she was a cop and very publicly and humiliatingly outed) and cutting her off from her parents. What she deals with is still a very real possibility for anyone closeted today. But again, her sexuality doesn't define her entirely. She was a cop who could run, think, and fight with the big boys. She's also self-destructive and her sexual life actually falls into this, especially in 52 wherein she sleeps with women to soothe her pains, I suppose you could say, along with a drinking problem. She's a person I can believe being real. The way she talks, the way she acts, the way she tries to deal with a life that's kind of spiraling out of her control.
But then you've got her ex-lover Kathy Kane, the current Batwoman, who was hyped to high hell for being a lipstick lesbian. A publicity stunt, certainly, and with all the hype, Kane's actual appearance was sort of disappointing. But, honestly, in both yuri and comics, can we say that the characters' sexual orientation isn't exploited in some way to reach a certain market?
I've been thinking a lot recently about why comics have been pulling me in and a part of it is the fact that they are American. It feels American: the snark, the sarcasm, the commentary, the willingness to use the medium to make social statements or to sneak in popular culture references that I don't need a footnote to understand. It's been a welcome relief in some way, I suppose, from all the anime and the manga I had been watching and reading. There's also a level of... maturity... in the case of certain comics that appeal to me. Characters deal with a wide range of issues on levels that are personal, national, and international or moral and ethical. Birds of Prey may be an action comic, but I find myself wanting to read more just to see the ways that the members interact, impact, and influence each other. I love seeing Kate Spenser in Manhunter try to figure out the superhero business and discover that on the spot banter is hard (and that she should just learn to shut up) or try to put her costume on in the backseat of a car and think to herself, "This is ridiculous." I like watching the world either fall apart or come together in Y.
But perhaps most relevant is that comics have a worldview that I'm familiar with. It's the worldview I've grown up with and have learned to judge things. Comics are just about as cynical as I think I can be at times. And sometimes it clashes with my worldview or I don't agree with what I see and it makes me question it and how I think. Manga and anime love flaunting taboo subject matter and going places that make you just want to say, "Oh, it's from Japan" or "Oh, those crazy Japanese" but sometimes it's the level that such topics are explored that get to me, or the level that they inspire me to explore such topics. Ghost in the Shell (both the movie and TV series) is one of my favorite all-time anything series because the world in which technology has come so far.
Alright, so that ended up not being a quick thought. I still can't quite put my finger on what has attracted me so strongly and enthusiastically to comics (a different art form, outrageous and skimpy costumes sh!, narrative form, content, or a certain... "voice"), but it's something I've been wanting to post about. Oh, and I tend to like the lesbians in my comics, thank you.