(Wonder Woman by Terry Dodson, (c) DC Comics)
I missed this last week, but comedian Jenny Eclair has a programme on BBC Radio 4 looking at “the world of outrageous animated ladies and considers why certain creations have upset censors and infuriated moralists over the years. Popular characters such as Betty Boop, Minnie the Minx and Wonder Woman have frequently challenged stereotypes of how ‘good girls’ should look and behave. Examining today’s female comic book heroes, Jenny discovers how far we have come from being offended by Betty Boop’s garter.” Drawn to be Wild went out at the end of last week but fortunately through the magic of the Listen Again feature you can still catch it for the next three days; Paul Gravett and Doctor Mel Gibson also contribute to the show.
Sticking with the comics on the radio theme for a moment, I was a guest on Radio Scotland’s Book Cafe this afternoon where, inspired by Grant Morrison’s Batman R.I.P. series, we were (briefly) discussing the penchant for killing off characters in comics and science fiction and the equally frequent penchant for resurrecting those deceased characters at a later date; it should be available via listen again for several days.
Mon, Dec 15, 2008
Art and animation, Comics and cartoons, Film, TV and radio