Women in Comics

Yes indeed. The topic of this post might be what you think it is. But then again, it might not. I was more than a little fearful of delving into anything that related to this topic in any way. But someone told me to do it and I have to do what she tells me. So.

Lots of talk about the portrayal of women in comics recently (full disclosure: I am not a woman). Probably the most straightforward thing I can say about women in comics is that I freakin' love them. Of course, I love some more than others, and that's what I'm going to talk about here. The women in the DCU that I love and why I love them. Below are my two favorite characters in the entire DCU.

Supergirl: Stop. Before you read any further you must know that I am not referring to the most recent Loeb creation. I am also not referring to the Pre-Crisis Supergirl. I am of course referring to Linda Danvers, the black sheep of the "Supergirl Family."

Why do I like Linda? Sometimes I don't even know. She's perfect in a lot of ways, but in a lot of other ways she's not. There are a lot of women in comics that seem so damn perfect. Powers, looks, the whole lot. Handed to them on a silver platter (some of you know who I'm referencing here). Linda ended up with her powers after she tried to kill herself. She wasn't a good person, but she took the powers that she'd been given and worked to make herself into a good person. And watching someone build themself up from the bottom is inspiring.

That's really a big part of it, I think. Linda seems so much more like a real girl than most of DC's heroines. Wonder Woman is fantastic and all, but she's got this regalness that's kind of scary. And I know Donna Troy is supposed to be this nurturing figure and all, but she seems so cold to me. I wouldn't want to be around her.

But Linda Danvers -- despite her superpowers -- seems real. She bungles things and cracks silly jokes. She smiles, laughs, and sometimes makes a fool out of herself. And that's real. Because I do those sorts of things all the time. Everyone does. For some reason, that makes me love her. I really can't say why.

Batgirl: Yes, yes. We all loves Barbara Gordon. But that's not who I'm talking about here. As before, my deep and abiding love is for the lesser liked of the various iterations of Batgirl. Cassandra Cain is another character that I absolutely love. She's tiny and cute and could drop me like a bad habit before I even blinked. And how can you not love a girl who can kick your ass?

Cassandra Cain is like Linda Danvers in a lot of ways. She's got these abilities that she didn't ask for. Her father is a monster and her life is a tragedy. But she takes all that -- all the pain and anguish -- and turns it around and fights on the side of right.

Cassandra's a lot stronger than she lets on, too -- and I don't mean physically. It's shocking that she possess such a strong moral compass -- especially when you consider her shattered upbringing. But she seems to have an innate sense of right and wrong. I think that was what caught Batman's eye when he recruited her. And it's one of the things that caught my eye, too. She doesn't fight because she likes to. She fights because she feels she has to. Because it's the right thing to do.

Yeah, I know. My long meandering post hasn't made very clear the reasons why I love these characters. Maybe it's because I was made to right post. Or maybe it's because it's just not easy to explain. It's like someone wise once said: "Everything that exists has a specific nature. Each entity exists as something in particular and has characteristics that are a part of what it is." I love Linda because she's Linda. And I love Cassandra for the same reason. Nobody ever said love was rational.