Where Are the Alpha Females?
It occurred to the Mister Fanboy Staff, while at an office retreat, that there are few alpha females in mainstream comics. There are lots of alpha males, but not that many females. To be sure, the terms alpha female or alpha males are very subjective. Perhaps these are not the best analogies, but in the DC world we have Superman and over at Marvel we have Captain America (hmmm, both created at about the same time).
Anyway, we were wondering why so many women with superpowers were relegated to the background, or at least seem to repeatedly play the damsel in distress when in battle? Why don't they just kick ass like the men? Well, they do of course, but they tend to be "helped" in a time of need by men. Wonder Woman, as powerful as she is, has repeatedly been "saved" by men in her life (yes, we know you can find just as many examples as to where this is not the case). Jean Grey was nearly a god at one point, yet could be disabled so quickly. Power Girl - she of the large bosom - often needs just that little extra bit of strenght from others when fighting the insurmountable baddie. Even the character of Storm seems to be being relegated to helpless status with her current turn as dutiful crown princess.
Of course, there are a few exceptions, but even then there are exceptions to the exceptions. Black Canary kicks some serious ass, particularly in Birds of Prey, but how many times has powerless Green Arrow come to her rescue? But over in Supreme Power we have Power Princess. In the that title, we haven't been exposed to her that much, but we do know that she's an evil psycho bitch. However, in the original series, not so much. Plus, for the purposes of this argument, she would rely on her team mates.
Teammates. Perhaps that's the reason. Do team comic conventions necessitate most of the team coming close to beating a villain, but needing that extra oomph from their missing team member? Perhaps team dynamics has nothing to do with it.
Perhaps it's another idea altogether. There are tons of other examples of needy female characters out there (as well as men too). Perhaps you have an insight on this topic. Perhaps you will leave a comment ...
posted by Fanboy at 6:51 PM
2 Comments:
Hi Mr. Fanboy,
Perhaps you have an insight on this topic. Perhaps you will leave a comment ...
Perhaps I Shall!
Why don't they just kick ass like the men? Well, they do of course, but they tend to be "helped" in a time of need by men.
But I don't think the men kick ass the way we think they do. How many times has Superman needed Batman's help? In Kingdom Come, they had to talk Diana down from the heavens; she was ready to tear it all down. She kicks Batman's butt in Hiketeia, too. Supergirl is stronger than Superman, but she doesn't have the experience. Batgirl (Cassandra Cain) kicked Shiva's butt, and Shiva's kicked several butts before that.
But over in Supreme Power we have Power Princess. In the that title, we haven't been exposed to her that much, but we do know that she's an evil psycho bitch.
*shudder* Everyone in Supreme Power is crazy and insane. Power Princess is really no more frightening than Emil Burbank. In fact, she may be less frightening because she's so inhuman.
Do team comic conventions necessitate most of the team coming close to beating a villain, but needing that extra oomph from their missing team member?
I don't think there is such a thing as alpha males or female. I think that the convention of comic books calls for a weakness--the hero's fatal flaw, the hubris, the Achilles heel, the something--for which he or she must get help. That's where, I think your team question comes in. Are there any superheroes not part of a team of some kind? The team demands a support structure, and even Superman can be defeated.
Remember, Superman has four weaknesses (kryptonite, telepathy, magic, and red suns); Wonder Woman has none.
But still, despite all of this, superpowered women are relegated to the background again and again. Not because they aren't as strong (but really, they aren't) but because there are fewer books with women as main characters.
I have more to say about this, I'm sure, but we've had a city-wide power outage for the past several hours, and I'm just again adjusting to light ;)
Ciao,
Amy
The fact that most of the strong women that you contemplate (good selection, BTW) are primarily seen in team situations certainly has something to do with whether they are seen to be "Alpha" or not. I would argue that Wonder Woman and Storm (both strong, independent and capable of good leadership) are great examples of Alpha females.
No, their characterisation is not always good, but when Storm or Diana are seen as weak, the fans get upset and reject this characterisation. If, say, the Wasp needs to be rescued or behaves girlishly (as opposed to like an adult woman), no-one is immediately bothered.
An Alpha female, in animals, is not a solitary creature: she runs the pack. I enjoy seeing comics with strong supporting casts, whether all female (Birds of Prey) or mixed (Rucka's Wonder Woman): maybe that leadership role, rather than the Lone Vigilante, is part of being an Alpha Female?
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