who gets to be a superhero & why it matters: diversity in comics

WHO GETS TO BE A SUPERHERO &

WHY IT MATTERS: DIVERSITY IN COMICS

Lisa HagerUW-Waukesha

http://bit.ly/divcomicslisa.hager@uwc.edu || @lmhager

Pronouns: she, her, hers or they, them, theirs

INTRODUCTION

lisa.hager@uwc.edu || she, her, hers or they, them, theirs || @lmhager

WHAT MAKES SUPERHEROES SUPER?

lisa.hager@uwc.edu || she, her, hers or they, them, theirs || @lmhager

WHO IS YOUR FAVORITE SUPERHERO?

WHY DO YOU LIKE THEM?

lisa.hager@uwc.edu || she, her, hers or they, them, theirs || @lmhager

WHAT MAKES SUPERHEROES SUPER?

lisa.hager@uwc.edu || she, her, hers or they, them, theirs || @lmhager

WHAT MAKES SUPERHEROES SUPER?

lisa.hager@uwc.edu || she, her, hers or they, them, theirs || @lmhager

WHAT MAKES SUPERHEROES SUPER?

lisa.hager@uwc.edu || she, her, hers or they, them, theirs || @lmhager

WHAT DO OUR SUPERHEROES LOOK LIKE?

lisa.hager@uwc.edu || she, her, hers or they, them, theirs || @lmhager

WHAT DO OUR SUPERHEROES LOOK LIKE?

lisa.hager@uwc.edu || she, her, hers or they, them, theirs || @lmhager

MINORITY CHARACTER TROPESWOMEN IN REFRIGERATORS

lisa.hager@uwc.edu || she, her, hers or they, them, theirs || @lmhager

•Gail Simone (1999) – Green Lantern (Kyle Rayner) discovers his girlfriend, Andrea DeWitt, has been killed by Major Force

MINORITY CHARACTER TROPES MAGICAL _________ FRIEND

lisa.hager@uwc.edu || she, her, hers or they, them, theirs || @lmhager

MINORITY CHARACTER TROPES

lisa.hager@uwc.edu || she, her, hers or they, them, theirs || @lmhager

• Little to no character development

• Only point of these characters is to advance the main character’s development or the plot

• Often entirely defined by their minority identity

HOW DO WE AVOID THESE TROPES?

lisa.hager@uwc.edu || she, her, hers or they, them, theirs || @lmhager

Chuck Wendig: I do like to think that it’s important to write books that feature people who aren’t me because I really, really hope that my readership is not just a room full of beardo white dudes with grumpy sourpuss faces staring at each other. Diversity matters to my readership, and I don’t mean that in a salacious “equates-to-sales” way, but rather in a, “equates-to-acknowledging-the-vast-complexity-of-the-humans-who-exist-around-us” kinda way.”

WHAT CAN WE DO?

lisa.hager@uwc.edu || she, her, hers or they, them, theirs || @lmhager

• Critique problematic representations in comics and support others who are doing so

• Create comic book characters of diverse backgrounds and support comics that are doing so

A FEW NOTABLE CRITIQUESHAWKEYE INITIATIVE

lisa.hager@uwc.edu || she, her, hers or they, them, theirs || @lmhager

A FEW NOTABLE CRITIQUESHAWKEYE INITIATIVE

lisa.hager@uwc.edu || she, her, hers or they, them, theirs || @lmhager

A FEW NOTABLE CRITIQUESTEXTS FROM SUPERHEROES

lisa.hager@uwc.edu || she, her, hers or they, them, theirs || @lmhager

lisa.hager@uwc.edu || she, her, hers or they, them, theirs || @lmhager

A FEW NOTABLE CRITIQUESBLOGS

lisa.hager@uwc.edu || she, her, hers or they, them, theirs || @lmhager

•The Mary Sue

•DC Women Kicking Ass

•Black Nerd Girls

•Polygon

A FEW NOTABLE CHARACTERSKATE KANE ~ BATWOMAN

BATWOMAN VOL. 3: WORLD'S FINEST

lisa.hager@uwc.edu || she, her, hers or they, them, theirs || @lmhager

lisa.hager@uwc.edu || she, her, hers or they, them, theirs || @lmhager

lisa.hager@uwc.edu || she, her, hers or they, them, theirs || @lmhager

A FEW NOTABLE CHARACTERSORACLE ~ ORACLE & BIRDS OF PREY

lisa.hager@uwc.edu || she, her, hers or they, them, theirs || @lmhager

A FEW NOTABLE CHARACTERSALYSIA YEOH ~ BATGIRL

BATGIRL VOL. 3: DEATH OF THE FAMILY

lisa.hager@uwc.edu || she, her, hers or they, them, theirs || @lmhager

lisa.hager@uwc.edu || she, her, hers or they, them, theirs || @lmhager

lisa.hager@uwc.edu || she, her, hers or they, them, theirs || @lmhager

lisa.hager@uwc.edu || she, her, hers or they, them, theirs || @lmhager

A FEW NOTABLE CHARACTERSKAMALA KAHN ~ MS. MARVEL

MS. MARVEL VOL. 1: NO NORMAL

lisa.hager@uwc.edu || she, her, hers or they, them, theirs || @lmhager

lisa.hager@uwc.edu || she, her, hers or they, them, theirs || @lmhager

lisa.hager@uwc.edu || she, her, hers or they, them, theirs || @lmhager

lisa.hager@uwc.edu || she, her, hers or they, them, theirs || @lmhager

lisa.hager@uwc.edu || she, her, hers or they, them, theirs || @lmhager

lisa.hager@uwc.edu || she, her, hers or they, them, theirs || @lmhager

lisa.hager@uwc.edu || she, her, hers or they, them, theirs || @lmhager

lisa.hager@uwc.edu || she, her, hers or they, them, theirs || @lmhager

lisa.hager@uwc.edu || she, her, hers or they, them, theirs || @lmhager

Questions?http://bit.ly/divcomics

lisa.hager@uwc.edu || @lmhagershe, her, hers or they, them, theirs