This entry was posted on Wednesday, October 29th, 2008 at 12:00 am by Brandon Hanvey and is filed under Comic.
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i dont get it… is this just a “Death of women in comics” thing? are chicks just not allowed to die in mainstream comics? ‘but it’s just a plot device!’ dude every death is a plot device. Uncle Ben’s death is a plot device, Robin’s death is a plot device. i’ll never understand why superhero readers take this stuff the way they do. i mean, you like the books and the stories being told or you dont, why have this teeth-gritting loyalty to a character? i really think Gail Simone is reading a little too much into the whole violence against women in comics thing… it’s not like Green Lantern is slapping around Wonderwoman with a giant green hand while Superman pinches her ass and whistles.
Superheroes are chiefly men, and if that’s an issue, well, whatever, but the fact is they are, and the deaths of the women in these comics are chiefly due to the fact that the protaganist has a strong emotional attachment to them. so sure, is the whole “girlfriend gets killed by supervillian” deal a little played out? VERY. but calling it sexism is a little overdramatic.
trashmedium, it’s just too much. Women read comics also and get tired of this stuff.
A woman gets raped in a comic, do they show her dealing with it, her emotions, her thoughts? No, it’s all about the man in her life. He gets to be all upset and get all the thought bubbles, while he goes and beats up the guy who raped her.
Women gets killed, not because it’s important to the story, but just to get the man in her life to be all full of angst.
And, yes men can be “friged”. Usually happens less than women though and there are more men characters in comics, so that is wrong.
It’s bad writing.
What about “Identity Crisis”? Someone at DC suggested, “What we need is a rape!” I highly doubt they even thought about having it happen to a male character. Even if it did happen to a male character, I don’t think a rape was needed in the story.
Wow, I never would have thought to do the Girlfriend in the Refrigerator from Green Lantern. Well played… well played. Poor Alex. She appeared in what? 2 issues and was immediately killed in order to… you know, I’m still not sure what that did for Kyle Rayner’s character. I mean, aside from lead to all his other girlfriends into getting killed…
Yes, there are times where a girlfriend or woman can die and it results in a powerful story. I sight Jean Grey’s death on the Moon and Gwen Stacy’s death on the Washington Bridge. Both those stories had a powerful affect on the readers and the characters because we knew how important they were. We understood who they were and why people loved them.
But then you have stuff like Alex’s death in Green Lantern. She appeared in two issues. We barely had any idea about who she was aside from being Kyle’s girlfriend and a photographer. Beyond that, she was a complete enigma. We never got her character developed or anything. She was murdered just to fill Kyle with angst.
Its one thing to kill a character because it will have a powerful affect, like Jean and Gwen. But there are so many times where a character has no development and the hero hasn’t been attached to them enough for the death to mean anything.
Though honestly in this day and age, the whole needless death is for everyone. Its no longer just limited to the men having their girls murdered. Look at the Teen Titans. They’re doing every angsty thing in the book. The characters are never happy, always fighting, full of emo-pains, and when that isn’t enough someone has to get killed. Why? Because… umm…
I mean look at all the Titans who have needlessly died and where their deaths were kinda… well pointless. Terra II, Panthra, Boshido, Wilderbeast, Marvin, Kid Devil, Duela Dent. They were killed purely for shock value.
Oh and trashmedium: Green Lantern doesn’t need to slap Wonder Woman around. That’s what All-Star Batman and Robin will most likely do.
This strip is hilarious! The punchline took me by surprise, but the exchanges between the two guys are also very solid and entertaining to read. Good stuff!
As for the comments… so sad that so many people are still white knighting for the sexism in geek culture. And then they complain that they can’t find any girls who like their geeky pastimes! There’s a link there guys.
October 29th, 2008 at 4:34 am
[…] out today’s Comic Critics strip, in which the superhero fan and the indy comic fan make a deal with each other. I certainly […]
October 29th, 2008 at 4:49 am
Excellent – caught me by suprise as i scrolled down! Made me LOL in the office
October 29th, 2008 at 9:43 am
Alright, I know I’m losing some geek cred for asking this, but who’s Marissa supposed to be? One of the Walking Dead?
October 29th, 2008 at 2:17 pm
She is a Woman in Refrigerator.
http://www.unheardtaunts.com/wir/
November 10th, 2008 at 10:57 am
i dont get it… is this just a “Death of women in comics” thing? are chicks just not allowed to die in mainstream comics? ‘but it’s just a plot device!’ dude every death is a plot device. Uncle Ben’s death is a plot device, Robin’s death is a plot device. i’ll never understand why superhero readers take this stuff the way they do. i mean, you like the books and the stories being told or you dont, why have this teeth-gritting loyalty to a character? i really think Gail Simone is reading a little too much into the whole violence against women in comics thing… it’s not like Green Lantern is slapping around Wonderwoman with a giant green hand while Superman pinches her ass and whistles.
Superheroes are chiefly men, and if that’s an issue, well, whatever, but the fact is they are, and the deaths of the women in these comics are chiefly due to the fact that the protaganist has a strong emotional attachment to them. so sure, is the whole “girlfriend gets killed by supervillian” deal a little played out? VERY. but calling it sexism is a little overdramatic.
March 3rd, 2009 at 10:18 pm
Actually, I believe she’s meant to be Green Lantern’s girlfriend, whom he found cut up in his fridge…
June 19th, 2009 at 10:27 am
trashmedium – Hear hear!
August 29th, 2009 at 9:07 am
I laughed so hard, I started to cry.
trashmedium, it’s just too much. Women read comics also and get tired of this stuff.
A woman gets raped in a comic, do they show her dealing with it, her emotions, her thoughts? No, it’s all about the man in her life. He gets to be all upset and get all the thought bubbles, while he goes and beats up the guy who raped her.
Women gets killed, not because it’s important to the story, but just to get the man in her life to be all full of angst.
And, yes men can be “friged”. Usually happens less than women though and there are more men characters in comics, so that is wrong.
It’s bad writing.
What about “Identity Crisis”? Someone at DC suggested, “What we need is a rape!” I highly doubt they even thought about having it happen to a male character. Even if it did happen to a male character, I don’t think a rape was needed in the story.
January 10th, 2010 at 10:24 pm
Gcat- hear hear! ^-^ seriously, that was a well written response.
I love this comic!
August 24th, 2010 at 10:21 pm
CAPTAIN SISKO!
awesome.
September 5th, 2010 at 3:09 pm
Wow, I never would have thought to do the Girlfriend in the Refrigerator from Green Lantern. Well played… well played. Poor Alex. She appeared in what? 2 issues and was immediately killed in order to… you know, I’m still not sure what that did for Kyle Rayner’s character. I mean, aside from lead to all his other girlfriends into getting killed…
Yes, there are times where a girlfriend or woman can die and it results in a powerful story. I sight Jean Grey’s death on the Moon and Gwen Stacy’s death on the Washington Bridge. Both those stories had a powerful affect on the readers and the characters because we knew how important they were. We understood who they were and why people loved them.
But then you have stuff like Alex’s death in Green Lantern. She appeared in two issues. We barely had any idea about who she was aside from being Kyle’s girlfriend and a photographer. Beyond that, she was a complete enigma. We never got her character developed or anything. She was murdered just to fill Kyle with angst.
Its one thing to kill a character because it will have a powerful affect, like Jean and Gwen. But there are so many times where a character has no development and the hero hasn’t been attached to them enough for the death to mean anything.
Though honestly in this day and age, the whole needless death is for everyone. Its no longer just limited to the men having their girls murdered. Look at the Teen Titans. They’re doing every angsty thing in the book. The characters are never happy, always fighting, full of emo-pains, and when that isn’t enough someone has to get killed. Why? Because… umm…
I mean look at all the Titans who have needlessly died and where their deaths were kinda… well pointless. Terra II, Panthra, Boshido, Wilderbeast, Marvin, Kid Devil, Duela Dent. They were killed purely for shock value.
Oh and trashmedium: Green Lantern doesn’t need to slap Wonder Woman around. That’s what All-Star Batman and Robin will most likely do.
September 13th, 2010 at 8:30 pm
This strip is hilarious! The punchline took me by surprise, but the exchanges between the two guys are also very solid and entertaining to read. Good stuff!
As for the comments… so sad that so many people are still white knighting for the sexism in geek culture. And then they complain that they can’t find any girls who like their geeky pastimes! There’s a link there guys.
March 23rd, 2011 at 11:40 am
Best costume ever!! Humor is best when it has something to say.
June 20th, 2011 at 11:50 am
Touche!