Ahead Of The Curve

 

If you’ve paid attention to some of the panels mentioned at recent conventions i.e. San Diego Comic Con, New York Comic Con Etc. then you’ve noticed one of the biggest shifts in mainstream comics. The shift being the demand to see more females in the spotlight in comics. Not damsels in distress or accessories for the hero when they’re bored but equal standing characters, with depth and could hold their own as a human being. Various statistics have shown how small of an amount there are for such characters and if you tear away the ones some unfortunately like to call spinoffs of the main character, Batman, Superman and so on and so forth the evidence is pretty clear.  Some have it as one in a group of four.

 

     Personally in my opinion there seems to be a lot more women in Marvel then in DC and that could be for various reasons and many might even argue that’s false.  However I see not just what people label extensions which I do not like to view them as, it’s my belief all characters can and are created for a reason or find it beyond what they had been created for in the first place but instead fascinating characters. Just look at the X-Men they have plenty, many who have had standalone series but of course the point is again raised, how many have had continuing series into the high number or just weren’t outright cancelled. Ongoing the way some of the biggest characters with the biggest numbers have. Both companies are addressing this matter now that voices are being heard and not to the surprise many of those voices are women but not all, why shouldn’t that be as much of a surprise as it is happens to be because women and girls read comics too despite the myths that prove otherwise and it’s grown even more since.  Still dealing with the transition and change has had a few bumps, each company had to deal with a T-Shirt fiasco that had despite their public intentions painted women in a bad light, though many that were outspoken toward these shirts might be from a different group entirely and unfortunately probably don’t read comics at all but instead belong to the group that says there aren’t enough female characters in Game of Thrones. Which means clearly they’re not watching the TV show or have read the books. Another challenge and something that is being addressed by women already in the industry is the lack of women writing the comics, especially writing but also drawing, and editing these comics. So is it changing at all, well She-Hulk was cancelled despite how very cool the comic was yet against all odds the new Ms. Marvel had garnered a lot a devotion (rightly so it’s terrific) and the original Ms. Marvel who had since become Captain Marvel has an equal amount of devotion, both writers of the comics, women have been outspoken on the need of more female characters and more importantly more female creators.  To most it would seem that the Captain Marvel movie recently announced should be a terrific shock and a part of this movement but truthfully it seemed like she would have to be entered in the film universe eventually, showing how important she is to the Marvel Universe as she is in the comics. After all she’s an Avenger among other things.  Of course it isn’t just women that speak about it, Jason Aaron has been vocal about it, the current writer of Thor, who’s centered character is a female lead and no not Thor’s sister or his Ex but she is simply worthy, she is simply Thor.

 

 

      Batgirl has been doing terrific and it has nothing to do with having a Bat before her name and Batwoman has been consistently terrific as well although she has been a perfect example of what people wanted to see go away since her writer change had been caused by DC’s refusal to allow her to marry her longtime girlfriend and the consistent changes they were making to the writer’s stories that had been planned so far ahead. There’s plenty more to that argument that goes beyond the fact that Batwoman is a female character. Like how it wasn’t possible for Batwoman to be married but on Earth 2 the original Green Lantern can be gay.  Is it because two characters in the Astonishing X-Men line tied the knot or something far more confusing. Impossible to tell but maybe problems like that are just fleeting issues that will slowly go away. In Marvel itself there are plenty of earth shattering powerful characters that are women, besides Captain Marvel you have Jean Grey and Scarlet Witch for one thing, Storm and Invisible Woman have often played the leadership role. Mystique has always been a serious threat or a powerful ally, with her she always walked that line going from villain to anti-hero. Angela has come into the fold and hey even death is a woman, managing to have the heart of someone you’d think heartless, the mad titan Thanos.  Some of these characters are on my list of favorite heroes and it isn’t because they are women, it never really crossed my mind that I should separate them and make them different because of that.  Now that it’s there to talk about perhaps things will continue down this road and simply be a fixed thing that no one really has to complain about.  That’s something to look forward to and yet this concern over the female lead almost proves a theory for me, that anime is ahead of the curb.

 

 

 

Women are constantly in the spotlight in anime, so much so it’s hard to even stop and think about it and the important truth of this is that lead doesn’t always have to mean warrior which there is no shortage of. Think Claymore to Sailor Moon and you find you have leads of all types. Some of the biggest shows can prove that. Yes another well-known fact, women read manga and anime, it’s just as popular for them as it is for the guys.  They can read a slice of life or romance anime but so can a guy which is often the case and the girl can be reading a shonen title, there are less barriers and less constriction. The freedom presents itself in the array of leads you can see and read.  You have the sympathetic types like Tohru from Fruits Basket. The eager like Sana from Kodocha. Mentors like Genkai in Yu Yu Hakusho. Some made decisions in their life, to feel more comfortable with themselves like in Wandering Son. Some come to terms with things so much bigger in scale, things like time and consquences as in The Girl who leapt Through Time. Some are mother’s that are the only their children have in this world like in Wolf Children. The question of their own existence and the question of love like in Chobits is there plenty too. They don’t even have to be the main character but one of them instead and still maintain massive popularity and be just as interesting just like Rei from Neon Genesis Evangelion. Truly the list and types of female leads in anime could go on forever, anyone that’s read a handful of manga or at least some a few anime shows are movies could agree with that, mainstream comics, here’s where you want to take note.

 

 

Here’s a list of a couple of shows to explore if you’re looking for proof.  Naturally there’s way more to check out then on the list.

 

Claymore

K ON

Chrono Crusade

Madoka Magica

Black Lagoon

Ghost in the Shell

Neon Genesis Evangelion

Elfen Lied

Chobits

Millennium Actress

Whispers of the Heart

Toradora

Nausicaa Valley of the Wind

Mardock Scramble

Hanasaku Iroha

Moribito Guardian of the Spirit

Psycho Pass

Kill La Kill

Wolf Children

Gosick

 

Just to name a couple in a single breath but there are so many more check them out!