The Forbidden Planet International Blog

Potentially opening (or re-opening) a big can of gendered worms here, Hi-Ex comic con co-founder and FutureQuake editor Richmond Clements decides to have his tuppence worth on the ongoing discussion about women creators in the comics biz; this guest post is being specially cross-posted with Down The Tubes:

Yet again at this year’s Thought Bubble comic festival, we had other Women in Comics panel. I don’t know how to feel about this, to tell the truth. And as a man who would describe himself as a feminist, I may well upset some of my female friends with this. But… come on! And I hope Lisa and the amazing people behind Thought Bubble will not take this as a personal slight – because I’ll happily go on record and say they run the best convention in the UK – but how many times do we need to have this same panel? Here’s a better idea, and one that was enacted in the last Hi-Ex! Convention. This was how we did it: We didn’t have a woman’s panel, we have a woman on every panel (on a related not this is something Paul Cornell and others have actively campaigned for in science fiction convention panels this last year – Joe).

(Richmond at Hi-Ex with artist – and one of his collaborators – Alex Moore, pic from Joe’s Flickr)

And this does not take too much imagination. We had a variety of panels on many different subjects, but, even in the relatively small convention we organise, we managed to find a female guest who could speak on whatever subject.  Imagine that! It’s almost like women are, oh I dunno, people. Revolutionary, I know, but bear with me if you can. I know it’s an amazing concept to the comic writer – and when I say that I of course mean Tony Harris  – that women can be more than a pair of ridiculously tight pants who know next to nothing about the X-Men.

And if I may digress for a second..? I’m constantly amazed that Princess Leia is always cited as a ‘strong’ female character. I presume this is by people who have never seen the movies. Look at the evidence: Episode 4: only function is to be rescued. Episode 5: Rescued twice and falls in love. Episode 6: Yes, almost rescues man, while disguised as man, captured, then rescued by man, later gets lost in forest and is rescued twice by her future husband. Leah is not a strong female character. Any supposed strength comes from the massive charisma of Carrie Fisher (have to disagree, even in first movie, captured with little hope of rescue she stands up to Vader and Tarkin, doesn’t break under interrogation and does her fair share of action in her own rescue – Joe).

And you’re back in the room…

My main problem with the women in comics argument is this: the people who say that there are no women in comics have obviously never took a walk around an exhibitors hall in a comic convention. In the two dealers’ rooms in Thought Bubble; there were literally hundreds of amazing women creating some of the best, funniest, scariest and most moving comics around. They are producing Art that is important, vital and exciting. It would be tempting here to list a number of them, but that’s silly. I will say though, that the last time I came close to becoming star-struck was when I met Sugar Glider artist Sara Dunkerton at a convention. Not some ‘big name’ American artist, but someone who draws a very good comic and draws it very well. I would even go as far as to say it is incidental to me that Sarah happens to be a woman when it comes to admiring her work.

(Sugar Glider’s Susie strikes a Batgirl pose in this pic by and (c) Sara Dunkerton)

No, to me the real problem is this: when we say that there are not enough women working in comics, what we’re really saying is that there are not enough women working for Marvel or DC. And my point is, if I ever manage to get t it, is this: we have many brilliant women working in comics. How about we celebrate the brilliant things they are producing at the minute, and not worry about how they’re not writing and drawing Spider-man, Ghost Rider or some other silly superhero nonsense?

Discussion and comments are invited – but, please, do keep it civil, folks! I know Richmond and he’s a big support of good creators of any gender, he’s just trying to prod some slightly different perspectives on an issue that we will be likely to be discussing for some time yet, so have a think then post your comments and suggestions on other ways we can focus on some of the great work being created by women in comics instead of discussing why we think there aren’t enough ladies working for the Big Two (and yes, we are well aware there are some cracking talents there too – Gail Simone’s Batgirl is a monthly must-read for me!).