Jezebel: wonder women

"Female Force" Comics Will Feature Baba, Oprah

Margaret — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 09:20:00 EDT

The "Female Force" comic book series mentioned earlier is still going strong. The Caroline Kennedy issue comes out this week and the publisher has announced comics about Barbara Walters and Oprah Winfrey will come out in the fall. [N.Y. Post]

Sarah Palin And Hillary Clinton Are Comic Book Heroes

Margaret — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 17:20:00 EDT

The American people can't get enough Sarah Palin, in comic book form at least. Bluewater Productions is releasing comics about women in politics and the Sarah Palin issue has already gone into a second printing.

The 32-page comic about Sarah Palin's rise from PTA president to vice presidential nominee, which sells for $3.99, is part of the company's "Female Force" series. A comic about Hillary Clinton was released yesterday and issues dedicated to Michelle Obama and Caroline Kennedy will be released later this year. Writer Neal Bailey said that while he wasn't originally a Clinton supporter, while researching and writing the book he came "to admire and be utterly fascinated by what is obviously the most underrated figure in modern history". As for Palin, two versions of the comic were written, but the ending in which she triumphantly assumes the vice presidency was tossed. [The Guardian, Media Bistro]

It's Time For A Female Superhero Flick

Dodai — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 14:40:00 EST

Batman and Spider-Man? Box-office gold. But where's the great female superhero movie? "There has never been a better time to include strong females into the equation," writes Thera Pitts.

Movies based on comic book heroes are more popular than ever, and Heath Ledger's performance in The Dark Knight earning him a Golden Globe nod. But before Thor — starring Daniel Craig — gets the green light, shouldn't we have one kick-ass superheroine?

You may have hated Halle Berry as Catwoman (and Storm), or Kirsten Dunst as Mary-Jane, but, writes Pitts, "The actress is only as good as her material, and the material is seriously lacking." Pitts outlines the problems the major directors — Bryan Singer, Sam Raimi, Christopher Nolan — have with including women in superhero/comic book flicks. She says of Singer: "He gave the ladies powers in the X-Men series, he just forgot the personalities. He turned the sexy, sassy southern belle Rogue into a mopey teenager, the diabolical Mystique into a naked mute, and the strong, regal storm into Halle Berry. If you’re going to take liberties with classic characters, why would you choose to make them less interesting?" As for Raimi, Pitts claims he "desexifed" Mary-Jane Watson.

So basically, right now, it's all up to Nolan, who should seriously think about reimagining Catwoman. Writes Pitts:

If God is listening and Christopher Nolan does make a third movie within the next few years, then our friend Batman’s gonna need a new love interest, it would be great to have one that doesn’t need to be rescued all of the time (although once is fine). And for all of you who think that miss Selina Kyle is too obvious a character to include, well, so was The Joker and look how that turned out.

Why the Comic-Book Movie Industry Needs a Female Superhero [Rope Of Silicon]

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Hello, Kitty

Heroines Multitask; Heroes Show Off

dodai — Tue, 08 Jan 2008 18:20:00 EST

An article in Psychology Today urges us to think about heroism. "One of the major requirements for heroism seems to be a willingness to face physical danger," writes Kathleen McGowan. Studies show that women find risky acts of daring very appealing in a man, which might be one reason why dudes do stuff like that. But studies also show that men also find "valiant behavior" attractive in females. The difference? While men tend to commit to in-your-face, overt acts of heroics, women lean toward "private" and empathy-fueled (though no less death-defying) risks. McGowan notes that mostly females harbored Jews during the Nazi occupation, for instance, and women like Harriet Tubman and Mother Theresa prove that female heroics may not be flamboyant, but they are still risky — and no less inspiring.

In fact, to be quite honest, I had a moment recently when I was walking the dog, picking up the mail, talking on the phone and balancing a large beverage and toting a shopping bag when suddenly it hit me: My mom was a superhero. She did everything I was doing, with three kids, no cell phone and brownies in the oven. To paraphrase Joseph Campbell, a hero has a thousand faces.

It's a Bird... It's a Plane... It's a Girl? [Psychology Today]

A Blast From The Past Brings A Glimmer Of Hope For The Future

Dodai — Mon, 30 Jul 2007 15:50:27 EDT

Hey, remember Danica McKellar? She was Winnie Cooper on The Wonder Years. She graduated summa cum laude from UCLA and coauthored a scientific paper about a theorem in mathematical physics. And now she's written a book, called Math Doesn't Suck. The 32-year-old hopes to show that "being good at math is cool." "When girls see the antics of Paris Hilton and Lindsay Lohan, they think that being fun and glamorous also means being dumb and irresponsible," the 32-year-old says. Uh, we couldn't agree more. To put things in a little more perspective, she and Tara Reid are the same age.
'Wonder Years' Actress: 'Smart Is Cool' [CNN]