Women in Comics: Regressive Storytelling and Iconic Characters
I've been devoting more time recently to trying to break into journalism - difficult! - and realised it had been ages since I'd last written an opinion piece rather than reviews or interviews. I'd been meaning to write about regressive storytelling with respect to the reboot at DC but between my first draft and today's finished piece, my opinion has shifted a lot.
I think this article is a lot more balanced than it would have been originally (when it was pretty much just SMASH!RAGE!) but I hope it's still good :)
"Superheroes are an iconic bunch. Most of them are older than the majority of their readers, and all of them have experienced numerous deaths, rebirths and reboots within their lifetime. As our pop culture immortals, it matters little what happens to each character within a span of a decade: to the greater public, Bruce Wayne will always be Batman, Peter Parker will always be Spider-Man, and Barbara Gordon will always be Batgirl.
To the fans, it's a different story entirely. These are characters that we follow, that we love, and they have a continuity that is as real as the story of any other hero. We often equally love their replacements: the newer generations of heroes. The difficulty in reconciling the story of the superhero who grows and matures, and the fact that a superhero is immortal and can never die, has led to rejuvenation and regression, disappointment and outrage.
With DC storming the headlines with the announcement of their planned relaunch across the board this autumn, and the subsequent reinstatement of Barbara Gordon as Batgirl - as well as the apparent cull in female creators - I have been asked my opinion on the matter with increasing frequency. Rebooting is often an enemy of the women in comics, but it doesn't have to be that way, and rebooting in itself need not be a terrible thing; in fact it may be just what comics need right now."
Continue reading at: Women in Comics: Regressive Storytelling and Iconic Characters
As always feel free to share and comment. It's a bit more... optimistic than my usual, I've been reading a lot of Grant Morrison stuff, hah!
ETA: re-tweeted by Greg Rucka and Gail Simone. Blimey O_O
I think this article is a lot more balanced than it would have been originally (when it was pretty much just SMASH!RAGE!) but I hope it's still good :)
"Superheroes are an iconic bunch. Most of them are older than the majority of their readers, and all of them have experienced numerous deaths, rebirths and reboots within their lifetime. As our pop culture immortals, it matters little what happens to each character within a span of a decade: to the greater public, Bruce Wayne will always be Batman, Peter Parker will always be Spider-Man, and Barbara Gordon will always be Batgirl.
To the fans, it's a different story entirely. These are characters that we follow, that we love, and they have a continuity that is as real as the story of any other hero. We often equally love their replacements: the newer generations of heroes. The difficulty in reconciling the story of the superhero who grows and matures, and the fact that a superhero is immortal and can never die, has led to rejuvenation and regression, disappointment and outrage.
With DC storming the headlines with the announcement of their planned relaunch across the board this autumn, and the subsequent reinstatement of Barbara Gordon as Batgirl - as well as the apparent cull in female creators - I have been asked my opinion on the matter with increasing frequency. Rebooting is often an enemy of the women in comics, but it doesn't have to be that way, and rebooting in itself need not be a terrible thing; in fact it may be just what comics need right now."
Continue reading at: Women in Comics: Regressive Storytelling and Iconic Characters
As always feel free to share and comment. It's a bit more... optimistic than my usual, I've been reading a lot of Grant Morrison stuff, hah!
ETA: re-tweeted by Greg Rucka and Gail Simone. Blimey O_O