There was an article in the New Yorker recently written by a Harvard professor chiding the new A-Force comic, claiming that A-Force, the new all-female Marvel comic, was an atrocity and that all of the heroes look like “porn stars.” 
One of the writers behind A-Force, G. Willow Wilson (who is responsible for the awesomeness that is the current run of Ms. Marvel) wrote a scathing and articulate response, not only defending her new comic, but picking apart the New Yorker article.
I won’t go into too many details about this, but suffice it to say, this Harvard professor basically saw potential feminism in this comic and, as it seems, wrote this condescending, under-researched, and under-whelming review for the sake of attention. This professor doesn’t know jack about comics, and she feels equipped to write a Feminist Theoretical Critique of the comic’s efficacy toward representing women in a fair way. I felt embarrassed for her while reading it. Wilson put the professor in her place–not rudely, but not nicely either. Wilson’s ‘Defense of Poesy’ was as much snarky as it was intellectual. I can only imagine what a tete-a-tete would have looked like in person. To be a fly on that wall.
So, as you can imagine, after having read this fight on the internet about the comic, I was super-excited to roll up my sleeves and turn on that hyper-critical reading mind that came with my B.A. in English. I devoured the comic as soon as I was able. Spoiler alert: it’s fucking awesome. I was a little worried that it would go the way of a lot of hyped-up comics–that Marvel has been promoting this for a while as a feminist title, written by a feminist writer, containing proven-feminist characters (like She-Hulk and Captain Marvel)–and that it would flop or be totally underwhelming. Or worse, just another comic that has some women in it but doesn’t actually DO anything.
A (female) friend of mine and fellow feminist had an uncannily similar reaction to the comic. There is a panel in which there are several heroes flying across the page, and I felt this rush in my chest, this feeling of warmth. It took until I spoke with this friend of mine to realize what the feeling was: I felt represented.
And the characters were in positions of power that weren’t sexual or manipulative of men (as Catwoman might be and has been used in comics). It was like a comic book full of Captain Marvels. These elite, strong, capable women asserting themselves and taking care of their own business.
I read a comment on Instagram that I imagine is a pretty common reaction from many (maybe more shallow) readers: “if they had an all-male A-Force the feminists would go #insane [sic].” My response to this is: first of all, this person is insinuating by opposition that an all-female A-Force is sexist. No, actually, it’s not. Does it sort of draw attention to the femaleness of the heroes? A little, but the focus should really be more on how the women are portrayed. Look at the new DC Super Hero Girls atrocity that DC started. All of the heroes are girlied up and FUN and LA DI DAH. Furthermore, they are labelling this as “for girls only.” A-Force is not only for girls/women. It’s a comic book about an area of what remains of the Marvel Universe that is populated only by the female characters. There’s actually an element of plot that puts them there. It isn’t just some charade, or, WORSE, as DC has done, a clump of caricatures that have been redone for the sake of being able to say “Oh, see, look, we care about female readers too, even though we don’t care how they’re portrayed or presented.”
Second of all, since when does this kind of salty critic care about sexism in comics? They seem to only care when their privilege is challenged. But that’s maybe another commentary for another time.
Those smarmy (primarily male) readers who are making shitty, thoughtless remarks should note: there was a male hero in the comic. He was in two panels. He had a name, but his name was very similar to the female hero standing next to him. He didn’t do much but make an appearance…much like a female might appear in an Avengers comic. Did you know Captain Marvel is a Guardian of the Galaxy? Have you seen her much in the current run? Why would Carol need to be in it? Gamora in there filling the Token Female Quota. (Yes, I realize Carol was in the Black Vortex, but that was an event. Events crossover titles and any appearance Carol might make in Guardians during a crossover is irrelevant. Any other character might appear in the event because it includes the entire Marvel Universe, if not most of it.)
THIS COMIC is what I have been waiting for. And I think I can safely say that a lot of other progressive, thoughtful readers of comics have been waiting for this as well. We’ve all been hanging out in the independents reading Saga and Rat Queens and wondering when the hell DC and Marvel are going to figure it all out; that what has worked before isn’t working for us anymore. Truth be told, if Batman weren’t being written by such a great author, I would skip over DC all together just on principle. I’m so furious with that publisher for all they have done–and, perhaps more appropriately, how much they haven’t done with female characters.
When I moved over to Marvel when Ms. Marvel and Captain Marvel vol. 2 started, I began to feel the way I did with Image titles. I felt represented. I felt like Marvel cared at least a little bit about female readership. (Is Marvel doing this for sales? You bet they are. But DC is trying to do this too, and failing, in my opinion. You don’t win female readers by remaking your female heroes into pin-ups.) That Marvel finally took a look around and saw what feminists and progressive readers have been seeing: a lot needs to change, and it needs to start now.
In A-Force the women are talking about each other (instead of talking about men). They are talking about friendship (instead of romantic relationships with men). They are talking about the state of the Universe. They are defending each other. They are working together (instead of fighting over men). I read this comic and feel overwhelmed with a sense of belonging. Something that a lot of female readers have been looking for outside of independent titles. It feels good to be on the ground floor of a potentially progressive comic. (We’ll see if it holds up.)
I hope Wilson et al keep up their fiery attitude about women in comics. Wilson is an incredibly astute, intelligent, and–most-importantly to me as a reader–thoughtful author. Anyone who has read the current run of Ms. Marvel I think would agree with me. I sincerely hope A-Force succeeds not only in what the first issue has done in giving women a sense of belonging, but maybe shows those boob-loving nerds we see misrepresented all over Big Bang Theory who really don’t think women belong in the comics community the way comics can be bettered. That we females feel the way male nerds have often felt ostracized by women. We feel like outsiders. And A-Force gives us refuge from the over-done cleavage of Catwoman and the multitude of unremarkable female heroines who have only been put in panels to fill a quota.
Comic Jerks 