One of the big topics at GeekGirlCon in Seattle this past weekend was the lack of female comic book writers and lead characters. Somebody is listening. This week two creative announcements should geek girls and (any fan of great writing and characters) celebrating.
Marvel Comics revealed Kelly Sue DeConnick will be the new writer on Avengers Assemble. This a newer comic book designed to appeal to fans of the blockbuster movie.
“These are the AC/DC Avengers. When I saw the movie, I managed to keep in together until Iron Man came onscreen and Back in Black blared. I bounced up and down in my chair. That’s the moment I’m writing for,” declares DeConnick.
DeConnick will be the first female writer on an Avengers title.
“I’m very interested in making sure women knowing that wanting to work in this industry is not peculiar. There is not anything in heroism or sci-fi that is exclusively masculine. The hero ideal is as important to my daughter as it is to my son. But I don’t want to represent all women in comics…particularly because I blow things sometimes!” says DeConnick.
For longtime Executive Editor it’s about having the right writer on Marvel’s biggest franchise.
“It’s a nice factoid, but I didn’t hire a woman to write Avengers, I hired Kelly Sue to write Avengers for the same reasons I’ve hired and will continue to hire writers,” said Brevoort
DeConnick will add Spider-Woman and Captain Marvel to the team. Last month Ms. Marvel was promoted to Captain in a brand new book written by DeConnick too. Captain Marvel #1 was a sold out smash.
Journey Into Mystery #646 courtesy Marvel
Marvel made another announcement this week. Kathyrn Immonen will take over writing Journey Into Mysterywith issue #646. Lady Sif will be the new lead character of this book set in the Thor universe. Kid Loki was the previous lead character. Lady Sif is an Asgardian warrior and Thor’s great love.
“We talked at length as far as what her story could be, and it came down to a single question: What does she want? For Sif, what she wants above all is to be a better warrior. How far would she go for that? She makes some terrible decisions and puts a lot of people in peril,” Immonen spoke of her protagonist.
At GeekGirlCon 2012 there were a few geek gals in Thor costumes. Maybe next year we’ll see a Lady Sif or the new Captain Marvel?
Two of the biggest success stories celebrated at the con were Batwoman and Wonder Woman. Along with Batgirl these three DC Comics books starring female leads are solid sellers which could lead to more female driven books. These two iconic heroines are joining forces. Wonder Woman guest stars in this week’s Batwoman #12.
Batwoman #12 courtesy DC Comics
After attending GeekGirlCon I thought this week’s announcements were ironic and inspiring. The big publishers appear to be listening to the fans.
The Joker returns in October’s Batman #13. DC Comics released the Batman family book solicits for November with new images of the Joker and his plans for Batman in the Death of the Family crossover. Batman #14 shows a chilling image of the Joker in his own makeshift Batcave-like control center watching his targets.
Batman and Robin #14 courtesy DC Comics
Batman and Robin #14,Catwoman #14 and Batgirl #14 will tie-in to Death of the Family as the Joker plots against Selena Kyle, Damian Wayne and Barbara Gordon.
Catwoman #14 courtesy DC Comics
The most haunting image is for Batgirl #14. As discussed this past weekend at GeekGirlCon, Gail Simone has made Batgirl a story of overcoming trauma. Barbara has come so far – it will be gripping to see her face the criminal that left her paralyzed in their last encounter and threatens her real family now.
Batgirl #14 courtesy DC Comics
The November issues set the stage for Death of the Family affecting Nightwing and Red Hood and the Outlaws in December. By Editor
Avengers cosplay fans at GeekGirlCon 2012 photo by ComicsBlend.com
GeekGirlCon honored contributions by women to comics, sci-fi, game play, game design, science and tech in Seattle this weekend. This passion filled event was about female creators and fans. Organizers celebrated female geeks by giving them special guests, inspirational and insightful panels and a way to share and express their passion for comics, games and all things geeky.
The GEEK will be celebrated and SHE has earned it! GeekGirlCon will honor contributions of women to geek culture. The first event was a sold out smash and organizers have listened to fan input in planning this year’s event in Seattle this weekend.
Here are there top panels I’m most excited about:
Moffat’s Women: Companions, Travelers, Gender Roles and TARDISES in Doctor Who– River Song, Amy Pond, Donna Noble, Rose Tyler and Martha Jones (my personal favorite) are the women who make Doctor Who’s journeys so compelling. This panel discusses the female characters Executive Producer Steven Moffat created, both now and under Russell T. Davies. The panelist will take on: transgender issues implied by a Time Lord’s regenerative ability, the representation of LGBT characters (omnisexual Captain Jack Harkness!) and lifestyles and The Doctor’s Wife (aka the TARDIS.)
Batgirl #12 courtesy DC Comics
Gail Simone and the Batgirl of San Diego: Batgirls, One Year Later –Gail Simone blazed a trail with dynamic writing and powerful characters in Birds of Prey and Secret Six plus she wrote Deadpool and The Simpsons. Last year Simone took Barbara Gordon out of her wheelchair and put her back on the streets of Gotham City in a reboot of Batgirl. At least year’s SDCC Simone donned a cape and cowl while asking pointed questions about the lack of female representation in comics. Gail Simone and “The Batgirl of San Diego” discuss the state of comics today and the future. Spotlight on Gail Simone is on Sunday in a discussion of her career, her views on social issues and women in comics.
Jane Espenson and Husbands—A Comedy for the Marriage Equality Age Espenson has written for Buffy The Vampire Slayer, Battlestar Galactica and Warehouse 13. Husbands is her web show in the tradition of classic comedies. Producers and cast will discuss making the show and its future.
From Jedi Princess to Sith Witch: An Exploration of Female Characters in Star Wars – From Leia to Padme and all the witches, bounty hunters, smugglers and women who light up both sides of The Force in the sci-fi universe.
Becky Cloonan is the guest artist on this week’s Batman#12. This post-Court of Owls issue focuses on Harper Rowe, the girl who saved Batman in issue #7.
“If I could go back in time and tell myself ten years ago that I would be drawing Batman … well I don’t know if I would because I might mess up continuity, so here I am,” Cloonan told THE SOURCE. “I admit that I had some stage fright going in to this book, but Scott Snyder wrote an awesome script about a character that I could instantly identify with, and was on top of that, fun to draw. Harper is my kind of girl- I even had a similar haircut when I was 20, although I was admittedly not as cool.”
“Scott had me drawing her in such cool environments too, from living in her crappy slum apartment to working on The Grid – even stealing cupcakes at Wayne Manor (what did I tell you? She’s my kind of girl!). Every scene had me thinking of how Harper would react in each new environment.”
“A lot of time was spent thinking about her facial expressions and hand gestures, how she does her hair and what her posture is like, building on what Scott had told me about her and using Greg Capullo’s amazing designs to help inform my sense of who this character is. I had a great time drawing this book, and I can’t say how happy I am to have the opportunity to help bring Harper to life. Also, BATMAN!!”
Batman #0 is in September the Greg Capullo returns for Batman #13 – the return of the Joker.
If you’re a fan of Becky Cloonan then support and celebrate other creative women in comics – here’s a preview of GeekGirlCon.
The GEEK will be celebrated and SHE has earned it! GeekGirlCon will recognize the contributions of women to geek culture. What would our culture be without Wonder Woman, Lt. Uhura or Batgirl? But what about the women behind the scenes creating the comics, books, movies, television and games? What about the women at the comic book shops and behind the consoles?
The first celebration of female geek in Seattle was a smash. The women behind GeekGirlCon are dreaming bigger with this year’s event. I asked Susie Rantz about what’s new for their second con.
“We sold out so quickly last year, so we moved into a bigger space that will allow more people can take part in the fun. The reaction to the convention last year was fantastic. People not only had a great time and got to meet their favorite writers and actors, but they made connections that bettered them as people. Companies and websites even launched as a result of GeekGirlCon.
“We want this year’s convention to build from those successes. For the second year, we have expanded our gaming and exhibitor hall. We now have a whole floor for tabletop and console gaming, as well as some really fun workshops. We also heard from convention-goers last year that they wanted more opportunities to network and connect with one another, so we added GeekGirlConnections, a room where people can plan their careers, network with women who work in their desired career fields, and learn about job opportunities that exist.
Finally, one of the things I find most exciting about GeekGirlCon is the fact that our convention truly reflects what our fans want. In the spring, we put out the call for panel submissions. Virtually every panel being offered at GeekGirlCon ’12 is a result of the amazing ideas submitted by fans — ideas like talking about how we discuss disabilities in pop culture and comics. That means every year, our convention could focus on different topics and fandoms.”
Whether on our second or 20th convention, we will remain true to our mission of supporting and celebrating women who love science, comics, technology, video games, and any other geeky topic.”
Batgirl #4 courtesy DC Comics
Returning guest Gail Simone blazed the trail with her runs on Birds of Prey, Secret Six and now Batgirl at DC Comics. 2012 has seen a number of comic book success stories championed by women. Ms. Marvel just got promoted to Captain Marvel with Kelly Sue DeConnick writing and the first issue sold out! Marjorie Liu’s Astonishing X-Men is a critical and commercial success and gained mainstream headlines for the gay wedding of Northstar. Womanthology demonstrated the true meaning of geek girl power. With these recent successes I asked this Susie is she felt this is a “breakthrough year” for women in comics?
Captain Marvel #1 courtesy Marvel.com
“It certain feels like women are making some significant breakthroughs in the comic book industry. Gail Simone is a fantastic leader in this field. Not only is she a great writer, but she stands up for and handles herself with so much grace. I think women are seeing what she’s been able to accomplish and realizing they can make that same future for themselves.
The success of Womanthology certainly shouldn’t go unnoticed, either. For those who don’t know a lot of about the project, Womanthology is a 350-page comic anthology created entirely by women, with all proceeds going to charity. The project was originally posted on Kickstarter, where the creators raised $109,000, making Womanthology the most successful comics project and 25th most successful Kickstarter of all time,” she continues.
Special Guest Renae De Liz is behind woman behind Womanthology. De Liz will be at the Seattle con to share how she did it on her own terms. I asked Rantz if the special guests and programming could inspire the next geek girl success story?
Womanthology courtesy IDW Publishing
“I sure hope so. We are not simply dedicated to celebrating geeky women and girls — but that is certainly one important piece of this convention. Of course, we want people to have fun! However, we also know there are a lot of people out there looking for ways to further dive into what they love and apply it to their careers, or simply explore hobbies in new ways.
The great podcast website Geekquality actually formed as a result of our convention last year. This year, instead of simply coming as attendees, they are presenting during a panel (“Geekquality Presents: Navigating Geekdom as an Outsider,” Saturday from 3:30 – 4:20 p.m.). This is just one example of the fire we hope to ignite among attendees. For others, it might be as simply as taking a class on programming, or volunteering as a mentor at your child’s school.
As I mentioned above, we did hear from a lot of attendees last year that they wanted more ways to learn how to break into various businesses or succeed in their desired career fields. And that is why we are so excited to have panels featuring women from EA and PopCap and BioWare, or others that talk about how to land technology jobs, like “Tech Jobs You Never Knew You Wanted” and A Career as a Lady Coder II: Getting the Job.” That’s also why we added the GeekGirlConnections room, which will be filled with people from NASA, SEOMoz, Dark Horse Comics, and other great companies.”
Power Girl before The New 52 makeover courtesy DC Comics
There have been costume changes to female comic book characters that still make them sexy but not blatant cheesecake. Ms. Marvel is now Captain Marvel and wears a flight suit instead of a one piece bathing suite, Power Girl’s hole in her chest is covered, Psylocke is no longer wearing a thong and heels. What do girl geeks think of these changes? Does how a heroine look matter?
“That’s funny you bring up Power Girl, as someone I follow on Twitter recently shared the cover of DC Comics’ Ame-Comi Power Girl book, where the hole returned! But I do think there are enough people speaking up for a more realistic version of “sexy” when it comes to female comic book characters. These voices have really made a dent and have forced the comic book industry make some corrections.
In fact, Kelly Thompson, a comic book fan and journalist, wrote a great article titled, “She Has No Head! – No, It’s Not Equal.” The article demonstrated how women were put in untenable poses and clothes. The article certainly could have made people defensive, but it was presented with clear examples — and the comments from all genders were positive.
You hear over and over from comic book publishers that they are marketing to men and boys because that is who buys their products. Yet, I read an article that quoted the owners of comic book store Comicopia, who said around “thirty-five to forty percent” of their customers were female. That is probably a shocking stat to a lot of people, because most assumed the figure might be more like 5 percent. I think women and girls are sometimes afraid to speak up and say, “We like these things too.” But they are finding their voices now, and are seeing there actually IS a community behind them, supporting them.”
Along with Gail Simone and Renae De Liz, a powerhouse group of writers, artists and entrepreneurs will meet that community:
Writer/producer Jane Espenson (Battlestar Galactica, Caprica, Warehouse 13, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Once Upon a Time.)
Ashley Eckstein, voice of Ahsoka Tano on Star Wars: The Clone Wars and owner of fangirl gear site Her Universe.
Comic book writer Jen Van Meter (Hopeless Savages, Black Lightning: Year One, Black Cat.)
Comic book writer and novelist Greg Rucka (Gotham Central, Wonder Woman, Queen & Country, Whiteout, Stumptown, Elektra) is acclaimed for his portrayal of female heroes and will be featured in the panel Why Men Write Women Poorly and How to Get a Clue.
Geek culture is not just about iconic female characters. Celebrate the women who create and love it. Guys are welcome. I wouldn’t miss it. GeekGirlCon 2012 August 11 and 12 at the Conference Center in Seattle. Click here to buy passes.
