Dangerous Ideas

Yesterday, I ran across an article saying that DC Comics is reinventing Batwoman as a lesbian. (I didn’t even know there was a Batwoman … Is this Batgirl grown-up? Or was Batgirl a TV invention like Saturday morning cartoon’s Batmite? It’s so bat confusing …).

Apparently, Batwoman isn’t the only comic book character who’s undergone some dramatic change. Today, I read Jeff Chang’s column on about Asian super-heroes – apparently, a bunch of old characters are being reinvented as Asians. In one case, a white male villain has now become a female Japanese hero.

I think the diversity is great for a lot of reasons (even if I don’t read the comics). I wonder if this will help them diversify their audience, too? I think the Asian characters will be good for Asians, as evidenced by Chang’s column. But will Batwoman attract more lesbian readers? Given the illustration they showed of her in the article, I don’t know if she’s being marketed to women. It looks like she’s wearing high heels and a push-up bra. I wouldn’t have thought that either would be a big help in crime fighting, but at least the men don’t have much more practical outfits. If they were really daring, they would have made her a butch.

By the way, here’s an interesting take on what would comic book covers would look like if they objectified the men as much as they do the women.