Women's Issues, Recommendations, and Me

As a female comic reader, I'm often asked what comic books I'd recommend to other women.

And honestly, that's not a question I'm particularly comfortable answering. Because, to be perfectly honest, I don't tend to think of myself as a female comic reader. I think of myself as a comic reader who happens to be female.

I wish I could claim I read specific series because of the way that they tackle female issues or because there's a decided lack of gratuitous female exploitation, or because I really like the way they handle female characters.

But honestly, I don't think about those things when I'm looking for comics to enjoy. For example, I'm much more textually oriented than visually, so while I read every caption and dialogue box, sometimes I miss specific visual details. Also I'm decidedly oblivious. It took me 'til Recharge to notice Kyle's lantern emblem glows. I have no excuse for that. I read GL religiously. I just, seriously, never noticed. I also never noticed until Supergirl (which is a series I would NOT recommend, I admit) that Dick Grayson was hot. Seriously. I think I just never got over the liberace collar or the mullet.

As for female issues and female characters, honestly, I only tend to register the "female" when I think they're done really badly. Otherwise, I admit, I don't immediately consider them.

I just read things because I like them. I tend to be drawn to male characters more than female so I focus more on male characters I like. And thus unless a female is particularly hateful in my opinion (*cough*Jade*cough*Raven*cough*) I might not notice them but for the fond attention I give all characters who aren't my favorites.

Here are some books I personally read religiously, the ones on my pull list that I grab first:

Green Lantern: I like Kyle. I like Hal. I like John. I like Guy. I like the Corps. I love the power and the emphasis on creativity and imagination. I like almost all of the characters and I like their interactions. This goes for Recharge, and likely will go for Ion as well.

JSA: I like the Golden Age heroes. Alan, Jay, Ted. I like Sand. I like Stargirl. I like Terrific, Mid-Nite and Jakeem Thunder. I like Power Girl when she's there. I love the mix of old and new, Golden Age and modern day. And I really enjoy the elements of sweet nostalgia that never feel overpowering.

Robin: Okay, it's in a slump. Mr. Willingham has good ideas deep down but I think is a very bad fit for this series and character. But Tim is a very powerful character personality. I find him fascinating, and I love watching him grow and act, almost completely independent of Batman. And I catch glimpses of this boy even under Mr. Willingham's pen. So I'll still buy it.

Teen Titans: I like these characters. I like the emphasis on growing up and dealing with adolescence, which is already a tumultuous time, paired with a career that's both mind-boggling and life-threatening. I like the individual characters.

Fables: I like the way every character, even the ones so easily dismissed at first, show themselves to be cool and kickass. And Bigby and Snow are my favorite couple ever. And I've always dug fractured fairytales. And it had an interlude of Frankenstein vs. the Wolfman.

Okay, I could go on, list more. But what's the point really? I really doubt anyone looking for a "female perspective" on comics would be happy with those reasons. And why should they? Many people out there focus more on those things when they read and I'm glad. I usually enjoy what they recommend, because in general, these people have very good taste, (and bad portrayals ARE irritating) but I pick what I read because I like it. (Or the cover looks pretty, or I've heard good things about it, or I want to see how a particular story ends...but I keep buying because I like it)

That's all. Sorry to disappoint anyone.