Comic Con 2014: Change for Women in Comics

There's a transformation going on in the world of comics--and at Comic Con. In past years, most of the panels shown at the massive convention for all things geek didn't touch on women's issues. Now, that's changing. This year, Comic Con is offering panels that range from diversity in comics to changing female stereotypes. Women are pushing into the comic industry-and the world of comics is shifting because of it.

Already, you can see the changes that are occurring. The newly revised Batgirl costume from DC Comics doesn't feature a tight, latex-looking suit. Instead, it's a purple leather jacket paired with pants, yellow boots and a utility belt. MARVEL is even rolling out a new Thor who's a woman instead of a man. And the new offerings at Comic Con reflect that the industry is slowly realizing that men aren't the only ones who read comic books.

Despite these changes, though, women in comics continue to be drawn with large assets and in skimpy costumes. And although there are many explanations as to why this is, the panel at ComicCon, "What Will it Take to Shatter Female Stereotypes in Comics?," sought to address some of the reasons why this is-and what can be done to change it.

"I don't think any physical type should be an aspiration," said Dennis Calero, a comic book writer and illustrator, best known for his work on X Factor, and one of the speakers on the panel. "I'm a father of a daughter, and I think our society values physical beauty far more than it should." In fact, he believes that this is the main reason why women are drawn the way they are in comics.

Drawing and writing female characters in comics is a complicated issue. Some criticize that these characters are one-dimensional and shallow, while others don't see a problem. Still others point out the depth of some female characters; the fact of the matter is, though, you can't please everyone.

As an illustrator, Calero joined the X Factor, a Marvel comic that's a spin-off from the regular X-Men comics. As he worked on the comic, one of his aspirations was to make each character physically different from the other, so that you could tell them apart even when they were in civilian clothes. In one panel, he drew a waitress that he viewed as an average-looking woman. Calero recalled that one reader asked him, "Why did you draw that troll in that scene?"

"My takeaway was that you can't please anybody," said Calero.

Yet it's not just body types that need changing. Calero also pointed out that giving personality to female characters is an important part of bringing that character to life.

"One of the things that I note in comic book art that I find disappointing is that often the female characters-their faces are drawn lacking detail," said Calero. "They have no character, and that's just something that I noticed."

And while the issue of drawing and writing female characters may be a controversial one, the panelists agreed that there really is no right answer. What really matters is that both the art and the writing are good.

"I think it comes down to exactly what we were talking about in the art. There is no one right answer; just as everyone looks different, everyone's personalities are different," said Ellie Pyle, an editor at Marvel and one of the panelists. "There is no specific ideal of 'This is a strong female character, and if you do it this way then you've done it right.'"

Changes are definitely coming to the comic book industry and more and more diversity creeps in, especially with indie comics. Now, it's just a matter of recognizing that diversity and encouraging it.