Markley’s Fevered Brain: Girls, Girls, Girls

Wayne Markley

Wayne Markley


by Wayne Markley

Since the beginning of time (well, since the late 1960s at least) comics have been perceived as a male oriented world. While this is not really true, over the years it did become more and more male focused as the newsstand market slowly died and comics became the domain of comic book stores and they in turn catered to superheroes which were male friendly. At one point the only female friendly books (at least intentionally) were Archie comics (and they have shifted their focus in recent years) and a few small press titles, such as Love and Rockets, which is great by the way, and is soon to become an ongoing comic once again. In the last few decades girls have returned to comics, through the advent of manga in America, which has had and still does have a huge following, and the growth of digital comics. Unfortunately, neither are strong points of the traditional comic book store. But, there are books that you can get in comic books stores that have a strong female readership and anyone can enjoy. While the focus of the books are females they are far from the traditional male power fantasy of women and they are as good as any comic book starring men. I am going to look at just a few of them today. All of these are great titles that do very well sales wise, but not necessarily through traditional comic book stores.

DC SuperHero Girls: Finals Crisis

DC SuperHero Girls: Finals Crisis


DC SuperHero Girls: Finals Crisis is an all new original graphic novel written by Shea Fontana and illustrated by Yancey Labat. It is designed for younger readers but it is great for all ages. If features a wide range of DC superheroes, mostly female with a few male characters thrown in. The premise of the story is all the girls are students in Super Hero High and they are supposed to be studying for the semester finals that is taking place the next day. But alas, all of them are off on adventures and get kidnapped by a mystery villain. Long time DC fans will recognize the villain early on due to the costume they wear and its distinctive colors. The main characters are Wonder Woman, Catwoman, Poison Ivy, Supergirl, Batgirl, Bumblebee, Harley Quinn and Beast Boy. Plus there is Amanda Waller as the principle and Gorilla Grodd as a staff member. The story is broken down to nine chapters with each character featured in a different chapter like the old Justice League of America comics from the 1960s. While this book is designed for younger readers and obviously designed for merchandising, as DC has publically said a number of times, this story in no way feels contrived or gimmicked. As an old cranky male, I found this book was a joy to read. The art is playful and open and fits the story perfectly. I loved how the creators used all sorts of DC history while not being slavish to continuity yet respecting what was done in the past. This book reminded me a lot of Scooby-Doo Team-Up in that it is not a traditional DC book but it is a great outreach title to the non-traditional comic book readers. Then again even if you are a hard core superhero fan you will enjoy this book. Thankfully there is already a second volume on the way.

Spider-Woman #9

Spider-Woman #9


A book I think has really come into its own in the last six months or so is Spider-Woman. The character of Spider-Woman has been around for a number of years but ever since they changed the direction of the book after the whole Spider-Verse storyline, it has become one of my favorite reads. Writer Dennis Hopeless and artist Javier Rodrigez have taken what was at best a mediocre character and made it very entertaining with a mix of action, humor and domestic life. The story opened with Spider-Women being pregnant. From there it follow her troubles with the pregnancy, trying to find work, and who her friends really are. Her two pals, Ben Urich and Porcupine, are like two mother hens to her which make for some very funny moments. As the book has moved along she had the baby, in a Skrull hospital; goes on a road trip; tries for find an afternoon’s peace (with Porcupine becoming the nanny), and so much more. Each issue is a traditional superhero book as there are good guys and bad, but there is so much humor and down to Earth elements (even though much of the early stories take place in space) it is really hard not to smile if not outright laugh when reading this book. As with all of these books in this blog it deserves a much broader audience.

Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur #11

Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur #11


Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur is by Amy Reeder and Brandon Montclare and others. This is once again a title from Marvel that does not do all that well in comic stores, but it sells great through all of Marvel’s other platforms (bookstores, digital, etc.) The story is about Lunella Lafayette, a young genius who is terrified by the idea of becoming an Inhuman from the Terrigen mist that is floating around the Earth. She searches high and low for Kree technology to try and prevent the potential transformation, and she does find some Kree gadgets, but the end result is she brings Devil Dinosaur to the present day. From there the fun never ends. It is a mix of a girl and her dinosaur. Where do you hide a dinosaur? What happens when the mists do arrive? And what about her poor parents that just want her to try and be a normal girl and fit in? Overall this is a fun book with a strong story that brings you back month and month and never gets old. This book is perfect for younger readers or old men as it transcends superhero stereotypes to be a great book, not a superhero book (which could be said of all the titles in this blog).

Ms. Marvel #9

Ms. Marvel #9


In addition to the books I have written about above, I would also like to recommend Ms. Marvel by G. Willow Wilson and Adrian Alphona. While initially I was not taken by this book, over the years I have become one of its biggest fans. Again, a warm, fun book about being a hero that is so much more than the typical superhero comic. A couple of other titles I would also recommend that I have recently reviewed thus I am not going to spend any time redoing here are Batgirl and Girl Over Paris. Both of these are very good books, written by women that are as good as anything else out there right now. Unfortunately neither one of these titles gets the attention it deserves. For more complete reviews of both book please see my last two blogs.

Overall, this column once again proves what I have been saying for quite a while now, how it is one of the most diverse times in comics in years with a little bit of everything for everyone. All of these books are “aimed” towards a female audience but they really are for everyone. It should also be noted that almost all of these books are written by women. These books are great reads and they all bring a smile to your face because of the honesty and charm in the storytelling, even though all of them are very different.

All of the opinions written here are my thoughts and my alone and in no way reflect the thoughts of Westfield Comics or their employees. Have you read any of these books? Do you like them as much as I do? If not, why? What are you reading that I am missing out on? I would like to know and I can be reached at MFBWAY@AOL.COM or on Facebook at Wayne Markley. As always…

Thank you.

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