In keeping with the atmosphere of progress following Kathryn Bigelow’s two big wins at the Academy Awards and the spotlight of  International Women’s Day, let’s take a look at two prescient Marvel comic books that came out last week: the first issue of the 3-part anthology series, Girl Comics and Valerie D’Orazio’s one-shot Punisher MAX: Butterfly, both of which show the scope of what can be achieved when we have more female voices in the creative industry.

Girl Comics collects a bunch of short stories by female writers and artists that range in tone and style. The intro pages by Colleen Coover are incredibly charming (no really, that’s the word to use, I’m not just trying to sound cultured!), featuring a bunch of different heroines in different poses with different facial expressions. It does a good job showing that although they are all collected here under a title that some might see as reductive, Marvel’s female characters exist across a wide spectrum — or at least they should. “It’s not because we are different…Yet we are all unique,” goes the dialogue.

This line of thinking follows throughout the anthology, where stories range from cutesy to gritty, whimsical to sad.

Not all of them work as well as others, but I’m a big fan of D’Orazio’s Punisher short, as well as Devin Grayson’s take on the Cyclops/Jean Grey/Wolverine love triangle, which usually concentrates on Wolverine’s tragic longing but here offers up something more nuanced from Jean’s perspective. The story will ring true with anyone who has battled stray thoughts or felt the sting of jealousy while in a committed relationship.

In all, Girl Comics is a good read and I’m looking forward to the next two installments. The question remains though whether Marvel treats it as a quirky side-project, or if the series signals a genuine movement towards more female representation both behind the scenes and on the page. We’re seeing strides here and there. Grayson can now count herself as the first woman ever to hold down a regular writing duties on a monthly Batman book, but considering Ms. Marvel just got her series axed, I’m a little skeptical overall. Dollars do the talking, of course, so go out and buy the book.

Girl Comics for me just drives home the importance of diversity of voices. More voices = more and different stories and that’s something that’s always good for us as culture consumers, no matter what medium we’re talking about. To go back to the movie analogy, some have already started to backlash against Bigelow and The Hurt Locker saying that she won by directing a “guy’s” movie. I think the stupidity of that speaks for itself, but even if that statement is correct, the solution is STILL to start giving more opportunities to more women directors.

I mention Bigelow because of the next book, Punisher MAX: Butterfly, which in some ways is very much a “guy’s” comic book. The art is dark and moody, and the story centers around a woman who was sexually abused — something which a lot of people are tired of seeing in comic books. The difference is that while abused females are all too often used as narrative devices by male writers to make the lives of male characters seem more interesting, D’Orazio makes Butterfly strictly about the woman in question. This isn’t a story that abuses its female character. It’s a story about a female character that has been abused. The difference might be splitting hairs to some, but all I have to say is to read the book.

‘Nuff said.

In a Batman's world, these two never had a chance

Hey again, it’s me! (*Shakes a cane at you*) Some people say I’m a Scrooge. I’d have a better idea what that meant if I didn’t avoid watching holiday specials every year. Instead, every weekday up to the 23rd, I’ll be running down a list of Christmas alternatives to enjoy. What do you think about that? Nobody asked you, that’s what.

The second day of Christmas: “Batman Returns”

In truth, director Tim Burton could hold a lot of these slots — he’s responsible for The Nightmare Before Christmas, Edward Scissorhands, and a lot of weird films that take place in snowy set pieces. I’m going with his often neglected Batman Returns, however, which for my money is not the best Batman flick out there but certainly is the most fun. It must have been difficult to devise a follow-up to Jack Nicholson’s fantastic Joker performance in Burton’s previous Batman, so the oddball director did what anyone would do in his position — he jacked up the stakes.

For a lot of critics at the time, having Danny DeVito as Penguin and Michelle Pfeiffer as Catwoman in the same movie was overkill, drowning out Michael Keaton as Batman. But Burton juggles his bat-bits and baubles admirably and the result is a world gone delightfully mad as Keaton’s Bruce Wayne sits dumbly in the center, unable to keep up. Wayne just wants a slice of domesticity for a change, a nice Christmas spent at home watching television with his new ice blonde, Selina Kyle. And Kyle is a perfect match for Wayne, kooky and frayed around the edges where he’s all straight-laced and humourless. Unfortunately, Kyle is also Catwoman, wrapped in fetish bait, and her alter-ego’s kinky flirtation with the Batman sets a parallel dalliance that the two nutcases can’t handle once the truth comes out. “Do we have to start fighting now?” she pouts while they dance at a decadent ball, stroking the wound she inflicted by penetrating him with her claws. Meow.

While Batman tries to save a good girl gone bat — it’s that same old male ‘Do as I say not as I do’ bull, isn’t it? — deformed orphan Oswald Cobblepot (oh a fantastic name) runs for mayor on a wave of sympathy. DeVito plays Cobblepot/Penguin as both comedy and tragedy, ugly and fat to Pfeiffer’s sexy sleekness, and it’s his inversion of the Batman origin that gives the film its heart. His parents weren’t tragically ripped from his life like Wayne’s were; no, his parents threw him away. He doesn’t have the luxury of mourning, only the burden of a life built on self-loathing. Batman Returns, you see, is about privilege — it’s about male power, it’s about access and rich people and father-to-son nepotism. Bruce Wayne here is the good guy, yes, but only because he’s been afforded the circumstances to be so.

The film’s Christmas setting conspires with Penguin — the bourgie parties where Gotham’s upper class gathers to drink  in their mistletoe pleasures become his perfect target, functional and symbolic all at the same time. But it can never work. Even in Burton’s twisted worlds, Christmas is a time for giving, not for taking away. Penguin’s efforts to be more than he is by bringing others down to his pitiful level are ill-fated, and only his pets are there to mourn his downfall. On her end, Catwoman’s struggle against her internalized patriarchy leaves her wounded and worn. While at the beginning she’s tossed by powerful men from a Gotham tower, she now conquers the city’s phallic skyline, transformed — but she’s forever alone. Be careful what you wish for this Christmas, says Batman Returns; unless you carry the appropriate genes, the world has a way of putting you in your place.

Others in the series:
Black Christmas

Merry & Messed Up: Because Christmas is a time for Seasonal Affective Disorder