Marvel just made one bizarre, unexpected decision in merging with the Walt Disney Company. But the comic book super troop recently made another bizarre, unexpected decision–except this one is actually kind of cool.
In July, Marvel released Divas, a comic featuring some of the hottest females in the Marvel universe: Hellcat, Firestar, Photon, and Black Cat, to be precise. Comics with this many X chromosomes usually become illustrated skin shows, chock full of gratuitous butt/boob shots and pseudo-bondage scenes (tentacles, snaky vines, spider webbing . . . use your imagination). But, according to NPR, Divas reads less like a porno and more like a youthful, superpowered version of Golden Girls (not kidding: Glen Weldon calls Divas ‘Carrie Bradshaw meets Dorothy Zbornak’) . The plotlines focus less on scantily-clad battle scenes and more on life as an off-duty lady-hero. There are clingy boyfriends, embarrassing/awkward courtships, and, I kid you not, a mammogram (one storyline is Firestar’s battle with breast cancer–radioactive powers aren’t all fun and games).
The atypical tone of Divas risks being a hard-sell to the usual comic book audience. Marvel’s website is marketing the book as the ‘sassiest, sexiest’ series, attempting whatever male-readership they can retain (they’re also urging guys to ‘Let your inner divas out with this one, fellas, you won’t regret it!’). The boys should read it: the daring to make something so unconventional is reason alone to pick one up. And, more importantly, Divas is a big step in easing comic arts away from female objectification and towards a more substantial depiction of what makes women so super after all.
Read all about it (in comparison to a typical DC female series) here!
~Anna C
