Wednesday's New Thing: Ms. Marvel and Teen Loki

1. These two books feel like the big ones this week, particularly in the wake of Gillen and McKelvie's Young Avengers. From the preview, writer Tom Ewing and writer Lee Gabett's new Loki series seems like it's trying a little too hard to fill the space left by its progenitor; in particular, the writing seems a little like Gillen-lite. Still, I think Ewing just needs some time to find his own voice with what has essentially been Gillen's character for the past three or four years, and it will be particularly heartening if Gabett's already decent art, think a less stylized Terry Dodson here, makes a leap. The title's resonances with the silver age Nick Fury comics and the immensely popular film version of the character mean that this is a comic that's going to appeal to all kinds of people, to both comics lifers and the new reader into their LCS off of the street. The other big release this week is G. Willow Wilson's new Ms. Marvel, which famously stars a Muslim teenager. That fact alone is going to bring some people to the character, and will also (unfortunately) drive some people away. This is a book, though, that should stand out on its merits; Wilson is a good writer, and Adrian Alphona is trying some fun and unique stuff with the art. The closest analogue I can think of is Andre Lima Araujo, but the similarities there cease with the thin lines and a vaguely cartoony style. If you only buy two comics this week, I would make it these two.

2. Last week, I wrote about the calculus I use to determine whether or not I should trade wait; in terms of both of these series from Matt Fraction, I think I picked wrong. On the one hand, I wanted to make sure that they didn't get canceled, and so buying the single issues felt like it was important. On the other hand, I have a feeling that both (I haven't actually started Sex Criminals yet, but I have all four issues!) will be improved by a condensed reading experience; I've found certain threads in Satellite Sam hard to follow from month to month. And they would both look great on my bookshelves, one of the major criterions here. I'll definitely be buying this issue of Sex Criminals, but I very well may decide to start trade waiting Satellite Sam, deferring the cost for a nicer product rather than letting a whole 'nother volume waste away in my short boxes. Let's call it a game time decision.

3. Two other books of interest this week: First, Tom Ewing's other book, Mighty Avengers is guest starring Iron Fist, which is generally enough of a reason for me to at least take a peek. This may be the first issue of that series not directly or indirectly tied in with a crossover event. The second book worth looking into is Nathan Edmondson's Punisher. In general, I find that character to be uniquely uncompelling at this point, and so the quality of his comics is even that much more dependent on the quality of the creative team than usual. Greg Rucka's recent run on the character was pretty good, but the art on that series was atrocious and too obviously photoshopped. Edmondson's Black Widow series has been excellent, though, and although artist Mitch Gerads isn't Phil Noto, his art does remind me a little of early Chris Samnee. I'm not sure that the character's move to Los Angeles is really a very big deal, but this might be a book to take a flyer on.

The "Women of Marvel" Campaign, A (Hopefully Unbiased) Look Back

The "Women of Marvel" project wasn't exactly welcomed with open arms when it was announced a little over a year ago. More like with disdainfully crossed arms. Most people (including at least part of the writing team here at The Long and Shortbox Of It) saw it as simplistic, limited, and, worst of all, pandering.

The concept was simple, and there lay its success and its downfall: Showcase the women of Marvel Comics, both professional and fictional, over the months of 2o1o.

Do you see the problems here yet? Let's break this down:

To say: 'Look, there IS female point of view in mainstream American comics!! See!?' is great because people should be aware of it and (hopefully) feel positively about it; but equally and obviously awful because if it needs to be pointed out so loudly to see that it's there at all, something's very wrong.

To showcase something is to display something you are proud of. Like on a shelf. Like your collection of action figures. (No disrespect to people with a collection of action figures. Interactive sculpture! I dig it. I have a lot of them.) Showcasing the women of Marvel (@Marvel) sounds like parading something for show.

The fictional female characters of comics are important and great. Our real-world female artists are important and great. But in very different ways. Equating them is a horrendous, horrendous mistake. Let's be honest: The female superheroes of mainstream American comics are presented in a manner that can be easily connoted as sexist. Mind you, male characters are also essentially treated equally badly in most respects. If you have had this argument with someone before then you've heard all this, so I apologize and I will not go into detail, but MANY people have never stopped to consider this. [Note, that the cover of the "Women of Marvel" 2o11 calendar above literally presents the character's bodies as interchangeable... And two of the three figures wear skintight swim-suit-style jumpsuits. Probably nobody's fault. In fact, if I'm not mistaken, two of the figures that have been chopped-up in the image are both Ms. Marvel-- one in her current costume and the other in her previous one. Proof that no one was paying very close attention to anything there.]

In January of last year, I attended a panel at the Brooklyn Public Library titled "Brooklyn Women in Comics: 3 local comics artists" the three female comicsmiths speaking were: Jessica Abel (@jccabel), Gabrielle Bell (@luckygab) and Jillian Tamaki (@dirtbagg). It was moderated by PW The Beat's Calvin Reid (@calreid). After the panel, I put my foot in my mouth pretty bad. I asked the two remaining panelists: "Wouldn't you agree, as successful women, happily making your own comics, that the perception that the comics world is sexist is a construct of people's perceptions?" I was rightly shut down.

The gist of what Jessica Abel and Gabrielle Bell said to me was:
'Indie comics have accepted women creators, but pigeon-holed them into autobiographical work. Marvel and DC are like a mens' club with impenetrable walls.'

"Oh" was probably all I could say. Although, I then expressed gratitude for their honesty.

Comics, as a medium, is not sexist. No one's saying it is. I still do not believe the comics industry itself is sexist. But I have come to realize my naiveté in thinking there wasn't a large majority of sexist-minded people in comics. I am not sexist. I actually consider myself a feminist. I am however, and unfortunately, capable of sexist-minded perceptions as a result of ignorance. And you know what? I am a bit more educated about the professional ladies at Marvel Entertainment and the barriers some faced than I was a year ago. And there's two very clear reasons for that: The "Brooklyn Women in Comics" panel I attended and the "Women of Marvel" promotional campaign.

Three mini-series were launched as part of the campaign: "Heralds", "Girl Comics" and "Her-oes" (about which we had commentary right here on the Long and Shortbox Of It). Each to differing, but none to a wild, success. "Girl Comics" was 100% written, drawn, edited, lettered, and colored by women creators, a first in mainstream American comics to my knowledge. Almost certainly in superhero comics. Interviews with female creators who often work on Marvel's books were printed on a roughly month-to-month basis on single (or double) pages printed in many issues of that month's comics. Almost every single time the interviewer ended with the question: 'What would you recommend to young women interested in the American comics industry?' And almost every single interviewee ended with the answer: 'The same thing I'd recommend to anyone...' followed by a personal and useful piece of advice from the interviewee's point-of-view.

Writer Kelly Sue DeConnick's (@kellysue) interview was particularly interesting, important, and poignant [I, in fact, already quoted from it in our recent Quote of the Week post]. If we can get USA TODAY to take a look at women in comics, we're making progress in educating the larger public. And we got a handful of interviews with women creators and even if just the one was excellent, we're making progress in educating poor slobs like me. Here's her answer to the same question they all received:

"I'm afraid I'm of the mind that there is still a glass ceiling; but there is also an open door. At this point in my career that ceiling is not something I find myself bumping up against--no matter what your gender, you've got to earn your shot at the top floor and it's way too early for me. But I'd be lying if I said, you know, 'Chin up, gals! Those days are behind us!'

That said, my great-grandmother was a girl when women got the vote in this country. My great-grandmother passed away when I was in college. Look at the strides that were made just in her life-time! I think of my daughter and what's possible in her lifetime and I tear up a little. I would give those female fans and creators the same advice I hope to give my daughter: embrace your passions. Be authentically yourself. It's okay to be daunted; it's okay to be afraid--move forward anyway. If this is what excites you, if what you want to do is make comics, then make comics. If you want to make super hero comics, I think that's great. There is nothing inherently masculine about heroism. Let me be the one to give you permission to scratch that itch.

And when someone tells you that science fiction and action stories aren't for girls, or women aren't good comic creators because they're not as visually oriented as men, or you're, you know, pretty good for a girl--don't let it wound you. Let it be fuel for your fire."

Good advice for all of us.

~@JonGorga

Jon's Looking Forward to... Wednesday 9/23/2oo9

(The standard Spideys:)

"the Amazing Spider-Man" #606

"New Avengers" #57
Bendis has, as usual, left us with quite a cliffhanger from last issue. Spidey, the new Cap, Luke Cage and pals are temporarily without their powers and staring down an army of supervillains while Norman Osborn is dealing with a power-play from the relative unknown Dr. Jonas Harrow. Where in the hell is this going and is it going to be wrapped up in this issue like I think it is?

(In the take-a-peeks:)

"Dark X-Men: The Confession"
It looks emotionally brutal. I read Clare's copy of "Exodus" and I was impressed. Made me wish I had read the entire crossover.

"Ms. Marvel" #45
My curiosity will get the better of me it will. If you've read my review of issue #43, you know I'm not crazy about this book. Maybe the final part of "War of the Marvels" will convince me otherwise... Maybe Spidey will appear.

"Superman: Secret Origin" #1
Oo! Oo! Hunh! Geoff Johns! Gary Frank! The Origin of Superman! Cool!

(A cautionary tale:)

DC Comics Classics Library: "Batman: A Death in the Family" hardcover
This was one of the stories that made me a comic-book reader. If this collected edition is nice enough... I don't know. Might be tempting. But in light of my recent editorial about comics collections, well, I think you know how I feel about hardcover comics collections. So to that point: What the deuce is "A Lonely Place of Dying" and what is it doing in a collection titled "A Death in the Family"? I've got a bad feeling they're attempting to squeeze-in the creation of the third Robin to give a more up-beat ending to the death of the second Robin. That's TWO incomplete stories instead of ONE complete one. Nobody listens to me.

UPDATE
Yeah, quick Amazon.com research corroborates my theory. Sheesh!

Well, other than that hardcover, check back in a few days to see what I review!

Already Tired of Tuesday

This is going to be another really big week for me. Not only are the $2.99 Batman and Robin #4, Fables #88 and Agents of Atlas #11 coming out, but also the $3.99 Captain America Reborn #3, Dark Reign: The List- Daredevil, Thor Annual #1, and Wednesday Comics #11.

If I drop one, it will probably be the Daredevil list issue but- and this is a huge but- Gorga convinced me to buy the Avengers List issue that I railed against in this space last week and it was an excellent purchase (there is a review forthcoming). I was hoping to pick up DMZ #45 this week, after not having picked it up last week, but it doesn't look like that's going to happen. Same thing with the first issue of that Nomad mini.

Despite its expense, however, it will (with essential Batman, Captain America and Thor purchases) be an excellent week.

A Case of Mistaken Energy Signatures

"Ms. Marvel" #43 from Marvel Comics

(I haven't read "Ms. Marvel" #35-42 and I think that should be made clear first.)

Okay. So. At the current moment in Carol Danvers' life, she's just come back from the dead... I think. She died in battle with the person pretending to be her: Moonstone. But she didn't really die (of course) she was transformed into two (or three?) distinct energy signatures: one is in her old body, one is in the body of a Los Angeles screenwriter... hmhmm, and a third I suspect has fallen into the body of her impersonator although this is yet to be stated.

This issue of "Ms. Marvel" opens with former Thunderbolt team-member Moonstone. She has, as part of the "Dark Reign" crossover assumed Ms. Marvel's identity by donning her Eighties outfit and running around with the new 'Avengers', all essentially Norman Osborn's supervillain cronies currently posing as superheroes. She's telling all of this to some guy she abducted right out of his own apartment and flew off with. Then to give herself some 'therapy' she drops the guy right into Manhattan.

Honestly, for an issue opener that's pretty strong.

She claims that she likes being a superhero now, but I have a bad feeling that this desire to be heroic is actually just a shard of the real Ms. Marvel's being trapped inside 'Ms. Moonstone'.

BAH!

The only good moments in this issue are those between Wolverine and Spider-Man and between Lily Hollister and Norman Osborn, four characters NOT in the title of this comic.

1. Spider-Man says: Shouldn't we make sure Ms. Marvel is okay? She just died and came back? Wolverine basically says: Yeah sure. You go do that. I'm going to leave now.
Classic.

2. Lily Hollister (a woman in her twenties) offers to give some pleasurable distraction to Norman Osborn (a man in his forties). Skeezy, skeezy, skeey. Also I believe this marks the first time a Brand New Day Spider-Man character has appeared outside of the Spider-Man books, proving once and for all that it's supposed to be the same fictional universe. They're just doing a craptastic job of making that clear.

The rest of this issue was one very overdone fight and pages and pages of this faux-Carol Danvers screenwriter woman, which would be fine and dandy in an autobiographical comic, but seem pretty silly and boring between pages of action.

Honestly THE LONG AND SHORTBOX OF IT?, all this boils down to the fact that this is confusing and mediocre stuff. In issue #34, it looked like Carol Danvers was going to make a crusade out of taking down Norman Osborn and I was looking forward to reading it whenever Spider-Man dropped in. Spider-Man dropped in and if it weren't for his appearance I would have dropped out.

Considering that Brian Reed is supposed to be one of Marvel's best writers, (or at least this was what I understood) I expected better.