My favouite fanzine (though it was professionally published) in the 80s was Amazing Heroes; and my favourite articles were the ' Hero Histories'. Didn't matter who they were, or where they were from, they were always a source of interest.
My recent
Frankie Raye post was very much influenced by those articles, and it's something I would like to do more of - the only problem is who to do?
With that in mind, I've set up a little poll in the right-hand column. Vote for your top Bronze Age Heroine, and I'll write about her. I should say, I took a few liberties: The Cat and Tigra are essentially the same person, but very different heroines, and though Jean Grey was a heroine during the Silver Age, Phoenix was very much a Bronze Age creation,
So vote!
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| There's no rum in this punch! Nuff said! |
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| This one says vote for me! |
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| I was bald before it was beautiful, baby! |
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| Yeah, blue-eyed Ben Grimm is the one for me! |
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| This female fights back! OK? |
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| Spider-Man? Spider-Man who? |
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| Crotch shots weren't in that Marvel Monster makeover contract! |
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| I am fire! I am life incarnate! I am so dead! |
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| What's that you say? We're going down to the cellar? |
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| I was teenage jailbait, but I've got a dragon! |
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| Yeah, I can chew gum and walk at the same time. So what? |
I fell in love with many of these fabulous female characters in the late 1970s. Alas, most of them were treated terribly after their initial introduction. By the late 1980s, it almost felt like there was a backlash against them -- with many of them ending up dead, depowered, or erased from existence. The treatment of Spider-Woman and Ms. Marvel was especially awful.
ReplyDeleteDavid, I feel the pain. I alluded to how Ms Marvel and Spider-Woman ended up in my Jungle Queens to Spider-Woman post. Ms. Marvel's treatment was particularly harsh.
ReplyDeleteI agree about Ms. Marvel. If only Starlin had done his graphic novel two or so years earlier, before Avengers 200: once Mar-Vell died, Carol Danvers could have been promoted to captain, and maybe then nobody would have come up with that 'brilliant' Marcus/limbo story...
ReplyDeleteAnyway, looking at that list, there's some great heroines there, but David makes a good point about them not being used well. Personally, I always had a fondness for Greer Nelson, whether as the Cat or Tigra. In fact, I also liked Hellcat as well, now that I think of it...
Edo,
ReplyDeleteHow could I forget the cheese and crackers heroine? I also forgot Valkyrie (Oops!).
I think the problem with the heroines was Marvel never entirely committed to them (until much later in some cases), but I also think that polymorphously perverse Chris Claremont (to borrow his own descriptive phrase when asked why he killed off Vanessa van Helsing in the X-Men) got his claws into too many of them.
Hmmm...that's given me an idea for an angle to take.
Darn, I missed the poll! Well, I'd probably have voted for Kitty Pride and that wouldn't have changed the results a bit.
ReplyDeleteHowever, I did like Hellcat, and when I think "Bronze Age heroine" she is one of the very first that pops into my head.
Red Sonja is probably the likeliest contender as the Top Marvel heroine of the Bronze Age, with the movie and tie-in books but for my money, Moondragon is the most original. All the others, including Ms. Marvel, are derivative of male heroes or other females ( The Cat/Hellcat and of course those bad girls, Satana and Lilith); or of pop culture trends ( Mantis, Dazzler.) Moony just seems cut from whole cloth.
ReplyDeleteOf course, The Superhero Women is the primer for Marvel's Liberated Ladies. You might be interested in my blog post- http://somefantasticplace-dougie.blogspot.co.uk/2012/08/to-all-girls-ive-loved-before.html
With the exceptions of Shadowcat and Dazzler, I think that every one of these fighting females were very worthy additions to the Marvel roster. Sorry I missed out on voting, but I would have been hard-pressed to single out a favorite.
ReplyDeleteMantis will always be my favorite.. The Avengers having their very own stuck-up whore.
ReplyDelete(Who can knock down Thor..., in ish 114..)
Second fav is Black Widow.. Her covers with DD made me very.. eager to collect DD&BW.
Lastly, Medusa in the FF.. Awesome idea, great replacement for Sue who was pretty humdrum by this time. Great look, awesome hair, very sexy outfit.
I so agree with you david_b about Medusa. Some fans think that Medusa should have replaced Sue Storm permanently!
ReplyDeleteMantis!
ReplyDeleteStorm. Groundbreaking.
ReplyDeleteVampires is not at all like in the movies or books. Sure, I understand. You are young you have the whole world open to you. You can be anything that you choose if you apply yourself and try hard to work toward that goal. But being a Vampire is not what it seems like. It’s a life full of good, and amazing things. We are as human as you are.. It’s not what you are that counts, But how you choose to be. Do you want a life full of interesting things? Do you want to have power and influence over others? To be charming and desirable? To have wealth, health, and longevity, I can help you solve any problem you are having
ReplyDelete(1) If you want your ex back.
(2) If you want to stop having bad dreams.
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(4) You want women/men to run after you.
(5) If you want a child.
(6) You want to be rich.
(7) You want to tie your husband/wife to be yours forever.
(8) If you need financial assistance.
(9) If you want to stop your divorce.
(10 If you want to divorce your husband.
(11) If you want your wishes to be granted.
contact the Vampires Lord on his Email: Richvampirekindom@gmail.com
Vampires is not at all like in the movies or books. Sure, I understand. You are young you have the whole world open to you. You can be anything that you choose if you apply yourself and try hard to work toward that goal. But being a Vampire is not what it seems like. It’s a life full of good, and amazing things. We are as human as you are.. It’s not what you are that counts, But how you choose to be. Do you want a life full of interesting things? Do you want to have power and influence over others? To be charming and desirable? To have wealth, health, and longevity, I can help you solve any problem you are having
ReplyDelete(1) If you want your ex back.
(2) If you want to stop having bad dreams.
(3) You want to be promoted in your office.
(4) You want women/men to run after you.
(5) If you want a child.
(6) You want to be rich.
(7) You want to tie your husband/wife to be yours forever.
(8) If you need financial assistance.
(9) If you want to stop your divorce.
(10 If you want to divorce your husband.
(11) If you want your wishes to be granted.
contact the Vampires Lord on his Email: Richvampirekindom@gmail.com
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