Leave it to good old Comics Alliance to give us what essentially boils down to a cat fight over a comic book.
It seems that a columnist for The New Yorker, Dr. Jill Lepore decided to watch the new Avengers movie with a pair of ten year olds, read the new issue of A-Force (The new Marvel comic that has nothing but female super heroes in it).
CLICK HERE TO READ THE ARTICLE
Well, the writer of that issue, Ms. G. Willow Wilson decided to be offended. Since it smacks of feminism, Comics Alliance gave her some web space to post her retort. Why shouldn't they? Everyone deserves to respond to the slings and arrows of their opponents.
Right?
CLICK HERE TO READ HER RESPONSE
Here's the problem;
Dr. Lepore is only criticizing what the heroines look like. She never once mentions the story. G. Willow Wilson is never criticized in this entire article. The characters she writes for A-Force are not her own. She is a writer for hire. She did not create any of these female superheroes. Well, unless the new Ms. Marvel is in there. She did create her after all.
Here's the other problem;
Dr. Lepore's piece is an op-ed piece. Ms. Wilson admits to this in her lengthy response. Here's the definition for all involved;
an essay in a newspaper or magazine that gives the opinion of the writer
and that is written by someone who is not employed by the newspaper or
magazine.
Didja see the word opinion? Didja catch the part where we live in America and everyone is entitled to their opinion? Sure, Ms. Wilson has hers, but she does her snarky best to try and make Dr. Lepore's opinion invalid.
Bad form, Ms. Wilson.
Let me make this incredibly easy for all involved. Comic books have been around for a very long time. They are, in my opinion, an art form. The art comes from the perfect blend of story and art. Sometimes the story is so good you don't need great art. Neil Gaiman's stuff could be done with stick figures and it would work. Sometimes, the art is so good we forgive the story, but not nearly as often as when the tables are turned.
Everyone just needs to write good stories, entertain people and it will make everyone happy. The agenda needs to stop whether it's feminist, anti feminist, whatever I don't feel like googling a bunch of agendas to list here.
I have been reading comic books for fifty years and do you want to know what it's all about? What makes comics books my preferred form of entertainment?
It's that they are comic books.
Stop trying to bend them to your will. Leave them alone. If you're trying to do something different, then by all means do it! Call it something else!
Stop calling it comic books then.
And, in case it needed saying, keep off of my damned lawn.
