There has been a huge flurry of media interest around the world in the last few days of DC’s re-introduction into the ongoing weekly series 52 (which we mentioned here recently) of Kathy Kane as Batwoman. Why the media interest? Well, because KK is a lesbian character – and a ‘lipstick’ lesbian at that, which usually makes what Robin Williams called ‘women in comfortable shoes’ more acceptable to male heterosexual readers. Indeed she has a past romantic history with another Gotham resident and Batman associate, Renee Montoya, a former detective in Gotham long-time Batman fans will be familiar with.
Today the media interest in the UK is picking up – the NY Times carried a big piece at the weekend in the US – with both the BBC carrying the story and the Independent newspaper (thanks to Ariel for that tip) today. Interestingly the Independent spoke to Stonewall, a well-known organisation which campaigns for the rights of gay, lesbian and trans-gendered folks:
“A lot of lesbians and gay men are fans of these comics and it is good that the publishers are beginning to recognise that, and feature people who reflect the society we live in. Lesbians and gay men may also identify with the genre because comic book characters are often misfits who are left on the margins of society and have to fight to be accepted.”
It is good to see mainstream publishers and mainstream press showing an interest in, what for want of a better word we call ‘minorities’. There has been a growth in the visibility of gay characters and character from a variety of ethnic backgrounds into the traditionally white, middle-class world of superheroes recently; we’ve had women super characters for decades (doesn’t Wonder Woman look great for her age? The secret is to moisturise regularly, folks!) and while some do obviously have great sexual fantasy appeal to young male readers (and the older ones if we are honest! Adn to some women as well) they also stand as characters in their own right, with female readers identifying with them as powerful, independent characters – this was one of the aspects of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Xena which made them so popular with female audiences as well as male after all. Lesbian fans also picked up on these shows and characters, so the fantastic genres aren’t as rigid on sexual identity as some folks might think, even in the mainstream world. On the other cultures front Black Panther has moved back to the fore for Marvel recently (and is set to marry X-men’s Storm in a ceremony in africa this summer) and Virgin has a new range of Indian superhero comics about to hit the shelves.
Of course in the more independent comics challenging the norms of society is a long-held and cherished past-time and even duty for some. Comics exploring ethnic, political and sexual identities and notions have been around for decades, with the Comix underground books of the 60s and 70s especially confronting these areas of life head on, including comix by and for women which dealt with race, sex, liberation and abortion (for more try reading Dez Skinn’s excellent Comix: the Underground Revolution). The legacy of those creators still rolls on – witness for example the two excellent comics creators who wrote for What The Author Says here just the other day, Tim Fish and Abby Denson. Their indy comics may not generate a column in mainstream broadsheets in the way a lesbian Batwoman does, but they are there and folks are reading them and, as Abby pointed out, identifying with the characters. Strangers in Paradise and Love & Rockets have also explored all sorts of boundaries, sexual and ethnic, in their long runs (and they are damned good series to boot) and impressing the critics as they do so. In Manga, one of the biggest growing areas in publishing, even in mainstream bookstores, Yaoi or “boy’s love” stories are huge, selling largely to a young female audience.
And before anyone thinks, sure, we expect different material on the indy comics side of the genre or form the different culture of Manga, just remember that the independent comics influence the more mainstream ones further down the line as does Manga (check the Marvel Mangaverse books), just as indy and B movies often influence later big budget Hollywood trends (just look at how a revival in low budget horror influenced a new slew of big budget horror flicks, or how Hong Kong B movie actioners influenced the look and feel of big-buget action blockbusters). No work exists apart; it is influenced by personal tastes, experiences, society and other art and in turn influences those too. The legacy of free speech, women’s lib and gay rights from the 60s and 70s still influences modern culture.
Perhaps the fact that the mainstream press can discuss the introduction of a lesbian character without the use of innuendoes and nudge-nudge, wink-wink jokes can be seen as a more positive aspect of the way society views different folks (especially inspiring in a divided world). But in a way the fact that this has made such a big news story is also a little depressing – if society was really inclusive and tolerant of difference then this wouldn’t even be a news story. Still, if it gets more folks reading comics and raises the acceptance of folks who live a different lifestyle from the perceived norm (and hey, if we are all honest, we all deviate from the norms in some way, it’s what makes us individuals) then it is a good thing. Most of our comics characters have always been ‘different’ in some way (the X-Men being the most obvious), with many comics and SF fans also feeling different (and hey, we are different, but that’s a good thing) and not only enjoying the stories they read but identifying with them (which is good – that emotional empathy is what makes stories truly work for us).
And as Abby noted in her piece for Tough Love, she realised her comics weren’t just stories – they touched gay kids who had experienced some of the events she was writing about; if some kid somewhere gets a feeling of connection and belonging from these comics, brilliant. And if we get a good comic tale from it, brilliant. And if it makes society a bit more accepting of difference, fantastic. But I still think how nice it will be when a comic in the future introduces a single parent, coloured, lesbian superhero and most folks just say, oh, OK and it isn’t a big deal.
January 13th, 2008 at 5:47 am
Shame DC has backed out of doing anything else with this character. At least they did not kill her off like most mainstream venues do.