The DC Women Kicking Ass blog began in 2010 as a place to showcase some of the most impressive moments for women in comics. Ironically, a blog that began with a mission of pure positivity has grown to become one of the most inspiring voices of criticism in the North American comics industry. Focusing on issues of gender equality and gender representation in the male dominated world of comic books, DC Women Kicking Ass has amassed an enormous following of readers (and trolls) and is forcing genuine change upon an industry that -to quote comics godfather Stan Lee- only wants “the illusion of change.” The blog has become so successful and prominent in its cause that Sue, the founder and main contributor of DCWKA, has asked us to withhold her last name due to disturbing and uncomfortable instances of online stalking and, yes, it is utterly ridiculous that anyone could love superheroes so much that they would stalk somebody for criticizing them and somehow be completely unaware of the tragic irony held within that choice. Recently, Sue agreed to answer a few questions in the present tense.
- The DC Women Kicking Ass blog is…
Sue: …a place that praises what’s great about comic women and calls out what isn’t great.
- Women characters in comics are…
Sue: …just as compelling as male characters.
- Women characters in comics have been…
Sue: …around for longer than people think and given erratic -at times horrid- treatment.
- Women characters in comics should be…
Sue: …written as characters that just happen to be women
- Marvel Comics and DC Comics – publishers of every superhero from Superman to The Avengers and the dominant forces in the comics industry – are different in that…
Sue: …DC’s characters tend to be better than us; Marvel’s tend to be like us if we were superheroes.
- Female comics creators face challenges like…
Sue: …pigeonholing, harassment and an old boys’ network which sees that the same folks get hired again and again to draw the same things again and again.
- Female comics readers face challenges like…
Sue: …suggestions that they are “fake geek girls,” varying degrees of respectful treatment at places like shops and conventions and publishers who ignore them.
- The comics industry has changed for the better by…
Sue: …growing open to discussions about gender issues and the arrival of a digital marketplace that makes it easy for women to get comics no matter where they are.
- The greatest problem the comics industry still needs to address is…
Sue: …expanding its audience beyond the male base in order to ensure that the business grows and stays healthy. It also needs to tone down artwork and stories that treat women as sexual objects rather than characters. The latter would probably help with the former.
- The male comics reading community needs to understand that…
Sue: …female readers are good for the industry because more readers = more revenue = more comics.
- The comics reading community is succeeding in creating positive change by…
Sue: …discussing the issues of gender, race and sexual orientation in comics and putting pressure on publishers to change.
- The greatest female character in comics is…
Sue: …Wonder Woman, although my favourite is Barbara Gordon, the original Batgirl and later Oracle.
- My favourite moment for women in comics is…
Sue: …There are too many to mention. Recently I’d say the Batwoman run by Greg Rucka on Detective Comics. The art, the story and the smashing of a wall around LGBT characters in comics was thrilling.
- The most insensitive moment for women in comics is…
Sue: …Batman: The Killing Joke by Alan Moore and Brian Bolland. Not only did DC offer Barbara Gordon/Batgirl up for collateral damage to Alan Moore by literally saying “cripple the bitch,” to allow him to shoot her and take away her mobility, they also let him show her naked and gave the character absolutely no agency in the story. They then ignored her until a writer by the name of Kim Yale came along and gave her a new persona – Oracle. Oracle was a brilliant character who also was one of the few physically challenged women in comics. The character was universally hailed as one of the best in comics. In fact, Entertainment Weekly recently named her as one of the 25 Greatest Superheroes Ever in movie, comics or TV. Yet despite the years of acclaim, when DC rebooted its universe two years ago they removed the character by reverting Barbra Gordon to her Batgirl persona.
- The most excited that comics have ever made me was…
Sue: …recently, it was when Wonder Woman debuted in DC’s massive 2011 reboot The New 52. There was an amazing writer and artist and it was coming off of a mostly train wreck of a run. I was nervous and excited and the first issue just blew me away. I almost cried after I read it.
- The comic that I most look forward to reading every month is…
Sue: …Saga by Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples. Absolutely perfect in every way. I would like to give it to everyone!
- If I could make a single change to the comics industry, it would be…
Sue: …to take advantage of the growing demographics of female readers in the digital marketplace and to start earnestly marketing to build and grow the readership. More than anything that will drive new creators, new characters and a new view of the female readership.
- I still love comics because…
Sue: …of that little jolt of energy and anticipation you get just before you open it to the first page. Will it be good? Will it move me? When your anticipation matches the execution, it’s thrilling.
Sue writes new posts almost daily on DCwomenkickingass.tumblr.com. You can also listen to her weekly podcast 3 Chicks Review Comics on Podomatic.
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Theodore Wiebe is a writer living in Calgary. You can follow more of his important nonsense on Twitter (@TheodoreWiebe) or Tumblr (writingafterdark.tumblr.com).
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