Hope, Love, and Bikinis: Starfire #12

The following is my review of Starfire #12, which was posted on PopMatters.com.

There are some characters who are simply beyond redemption and not all of them are clones, robots, or Nazis. Sometimes, a character goes in a direction that takes them past the point of no return, rendering them a punchline and a cautionary tale. That's not to say Starfire got close to that point, but she came closer than most after DC's New 52 reboot.

It's hard to forget the bland yet buxom persona that Starfire wielded in the early days of Red Hood and the Outlaws. That version of the character had the presence of groupie for an '80s hair metal band and only a fraction of the personality. She carried herself in a way that makes a Kardashian seem reserved. It marked a complete departure of the lovable yet immodest character that is supposed to embody the heart and soul of Teen Titans. That makes the journey that ends in Starfire #12 all the more satisfying.

Amanda Conner and Jimmy Palmiotti take on the daunting challenge of making Starfire lovable and interesting in a way that doesn't involve presenting her as a walking Playboy centerfold. It's challenging because it's easy to make a beautiful woman appealing, even if she's an alien with orange skin and liberal attitudes towards nudity. It's like a cheat code on a difficult video game, tempting writers to enter it every time they get stuck.

Beautiful female characters will always have a certain level. The forces of evolution hardwire male brains into being drawn to them. The real challenge is building on top of that appeal so that it doesn't completely define the character. Conner and Palmiotti succeed in that challenge any number of ways throughout this series, giving Starfire new friends, new roles, and new opportunities to do more than just look good in a bikini. Starfire #12 takes those successes and celebrates them, literally at one point.

This isn't a sad, solemn goodbye. This isn't a tragic, depressing memory in the making that will require therapy at some point. Starfire is leaving the home she built in this series, but she's leaving it with a smile and a sense of hope. At a time when DC Comics can't resist the urge to kill Superman in every possible medium, it's a breath of fresh air that brings out the best of character who badly needs it.

The friends that Starfire made in this series are the main ingredient that make this series work. Stella, Sol, and Terra aren't just supporting characters who manage to move Starfire's story forward without dying. They each have their own story to tell. Those stories make up vital moments throughout this series and Starfire #12 acts as a culmination of those stories.

Stella, a wonderfully balanced female character with a crass sense of humor, acts as an anchor of sorts for Starfire. She helps reveal both the harsh and not-so-harsh truths of living in a world populated by humans who don't share Starfire's strength, powers, or attitudes towards nudity. She's crass at times, but in a loving sort of way. She's a perfect complement for Starfire, being all too human at times and having a good sense of humor about it. When there are so many jokes to be made about Starfire's sexualized persona, this kind of attitude is practically necessary.

In addition to Stella's friendship, Starfire enjoys a more intimate connection with her brother Sol, but not in the typical Baywatch tradition. There is chemistry. There is sincerity. It is not on par with Superman and Lois Lane, but it's more meaningful than 95 percent of the relationships Tony Stark has ever had.

Sol isn't some nerdy, Big Bang Theory stereotype either. He does rescue work for the Coast Guard and recently lost someone dear to him. He's as well-rounded and sympathetic a character as anyone can be without being too much like Batman. The culmination of his story actually helps bring out another important component of Starfire's character that sets her apart and makes her appealing, regardless of whether or not she's wearing a bikini.

As Starfire is making the hard decision to leave Key West, she finds out that Sol is now romantically involved with a co-worker. This isn't a love triangle though. There isn't another Wolverine/Jean Grey/Cyclops scenario where someone gets heartbroken or goes on a cosmic-powered rampage. Starfire, once again showing some very alien attitudes, is genuinely happy for Sol. She loves that someone she loves has found love. It might sound like the kind of hippie philosophy that only works on communes and dirty movies, but it actually highlights an important part of Starfire's character.

Because of how she looks, what she does, and how she does it, it's easy to forget sometimes that Starfire is an alien. She comes from a very alien culture. She's even explored that culture at various points in this series, making it clear that her people are loving and empathic. To them, the idea of being upset that someone else has found love seems irrational and cruel. It creates an important context for Starfire's character that's easy to overlook when she's wearing a bikini, but it gives her a level of depth and sincerity that makes her easy to love.

Pretty much everything Starfire does in Starfire #12 helps make her a lovable character again. She surrounds herself with her new friends, gives them a sincere goodbye, and then leaves. It might not sound exciting, but it conveys the necessary drama, making the narrative of the overall series feel complete.

For those who didn't follow the series from its inception, it might be difficult to appreciate the story as a whole. It does lack action and excitement compared to previous issues, but Starfire #12 doesn't need a final showdown or an elaborate boss battle. It just needs to complete this portion of Starfire's journey as a character and it's a journey she needed to take, even if she didn't do some parts of it fully clothed.

After Starfire #12, Conner and Palmiotti can now boldly claim that they rebuilt Starfire's character. They made her lovable beyond her innate sex appeal. It's a remarkable accomplishment in the grand scheme of superhero characters. When a female character can be both lovable and sexy, everybody wins.

Final Score: 8 out of 10

Feminine, Sexy, and So Much More: Starfire #4

The following is my review of Starfire #4, which was posted on PopMatters.com.

Comic book fans are known for a lot of things, including elaborately detailed costumes and a love of writers with thick English accents. There are also a number of unspoken commandments such as thoust shalt not retcon needlessly or thoust shalt not tolerate delays of the Mark Millar and Bryan Hitch variety. However, as unreasonable as many fans can be, they can also be pretty forgiving.

It wasn’t that long ago that Starfire became the buxom symbol of everything DC Comics did wrong with the New 52 reboot. She went from this overly immodest yet inherently likable alien girl to a walking sexbot with the personality of Jessica Rabbit. Her role in Red Hood and the Outlaws was so crude that even the most ardent anti-feminist would roll their eyes. More than any other DC character, she needed a fresh start. That’s exactly what Amanda Conner and Jimmy Palmiotti gave her in the new Starfire series.

As a concept, a Starfire series sounds antithetical to the recent surge in female-friendly comics that are trying to do more than just pander to every male fantasy imaginable. However, Starfire at her core still embodies many powerful feminine traits. Those traits have often been lost because of her overt sexuality. And what has made this series work is that it doesn’t try to circumvent that sexuality. It tries to build a personality around it. And in Starfire #4, the formation of that personality feels complete.

A big part of rebuilding Starfire in a more likable, less pornographic context has been dedicated to establishing a new life in Key West. Given Florida’s capacity for tolerating both diverse personalities and the Bush family, it has proven to be a fitting home. She’s teamed up with a local sheriff named Stella to establish herself in this unique environment. It’s not Gotham. It’s not Metropolis. It’s not Disney World either. It’s a sunny, tropical environment for an alien girl with orange skin and few qualms about nudity. It’s perfect for her.

With that life established, completes Starfire #4 the process by getting Starfire back to basics. That includes fighting off killer monsters, which tend to pop up in every part of the DC Universe at some point. It sounds pretty standard. A beautiful alien female beating up a monster is nothing new. Wonder Woman has been doing it since 1941. However, Connor and Palmiotti find an interesting way to make it engaging while keeping Starfire fully clothed.

They do this by getting Terra, another Teen Titans veteran, involved in the story. She’s actually the one the monster is targeting in this conflict. That alone is pretty novel because whenever a superhero sets up shop in a new town, their enemies follow them like vindictive IRS agents. The fact that Starfire didn’t attract this kind of danger is somewhat jarring, but it doesn’t stop her from helping Terra out. Starfire isn’t just overtly sexual. She’s still a superhero every now and then.

Terra even offers Sheriff Stella some background as to why monsters are trying to kill her. It’s a bit disorganized in that it interrupts the flow of action, but it helps build on the context. It’s also a context that evokes Starfire’s excessive compassion. That’s another trait that often got lost in her overt sexualization and it’s a trait that helps set her apart from the Supergirls and Wonder Woman’s of the world. She’ll let herself get emotional. She’ll let herself cry and hug someone whereas Wonder Woman would probably tell someone to suck it up.

It’s this trait that brings out the best in Starfire, both in this issue and throughout the series as a whole. She’s a more open and emotional character. She’ll embrace total strangers, be the Terra or some immature guys trying to buy her a drink at a bar. She doesn’t do it in a way that feels fake or insincere. At no point does she ever come off as ditzy in the Kelly Bundy tradition. She just conveys the personality of someone who is loving and affectionate to everyone around her.

It’s a trait that’s distinct to her character and distinct to feminine themes. She doesn’t try to be tough enough to fight alongside the Supermans and Batmans of the world. She doesn’t try to be too much like Supergirl or Wonder Woman either. Starfire is her own person and even when she keeps her clothes on, she’s lovable and friendly in a way that Jessica Rabbit will never match.

While Starfire #4 does a good job of conveying Starfire’s toughness and compassion, there are times the narrative gets a bit chaotic. Terra’s inclusion in the story overshadows Starfire at some point, but it’s only temporary. In addition, there are hints about other conflicts emerging that don’t involve monsters that look like they were ripped from a Resident Evil game. However, these hints are overly vague and don’t offer much insight into the complications that Starfire faces.

It still doesn’t take away from what this story has accomplished. Connor and Palmiotti have done something truly remarkable here. They took a character that once embodied everything that was wrong with female characters in comic books and turned her into someone that appeals to curious women as much as it does horny men.

Starfire is still a sexual person by nature, as shown in her love of bikinis and casual nudity. But now those sexual traits are in the context of a character who is open, emotional, and affectionate to everyone around her. She’s like a movie that is only bad if the wrong scenes are emphasized. But when the right scenes are given proper focus, it makes for an entertaining and compelling narrative. Starfire #4 is proof that a female character can be sexual, feminine, and likable while still beating up monsters on the side. She’s not going to become a feminist icon anytime soon, but she’s already proven that she doesn’t need to be in order to be special.

Final Score: 7 out of 10

Objectifying Women in Comics - The Other Debate

I try not to get too political on this blog. I look at politics the same way drag racers look at speed limits. They're best ignored until the law comes back to bite you. But every now and then, I feel the inescapable urge to comment on a major controversy that won't go the fuck away. And since this controversy happens to involve women and how their boobs are portrayed in comics, I just have to say something.

It started when I read a recent article on CBR about the portrayal of female characters in comics. It's one of many articles that have emerged over the past few months where men and women alike complain about how women are being portrayed in modern comics. It was sparked largely by this.

That's Starfire, the bonerific heroine from Red Hood and the Outlaws, one of the new 52 that DC relaunched last year. She went from the happy-go-lucky alien babe to the mindless sexbot and for some very understandable reasons, people had a problem with that. Now it could have been contained to just this one issue and the result of some overly shitty writing on DC's part. But no. Like Ozzy Osborne taking a piss on the Alamo, it had to become something much bigger than it was. Now it's become a feminist boondoggle that has scrotums shriveling, ovaries kicking into overdrive, and drunks like me banging their heads against the wall for reasons that don't involve running out of blow.

I'm already a frustrated drunk to begin with and I was content to just let other people fight this out, but it's gotten to a point where there is no debate anymore. People are starting to miss the fucking point and I feel compelled to bring it up since nobody else will or at least won't without a few shots of tequila in their system. So for all you men and women, get ready because I'm going to go on a rant about gender issues. I'm probably going to offend some women and some men. There's absolutely no way around it in this politically correct world so please bear with me because I'm not just ranting this time. I'm actually going to try and make a valid point in this debate that I hope will set it to rest in some ways.

First off, I get it. I understand why women are upset with how they're portrayed in comics. That's not sarcasm or cynicism either. That's the honest truth. Women do have a reason to be upset with a lead female character like Starfire is turned into a glorified blow-up doll. They have a right to be upset when characters like Rogue, Power Girl, Catwoman, and Huntress are posed in ways that encourage masturbation. They're right when they say there's a double standard when it comes to men and women. Now does that mean I agree with the article on CBR and all others like it? Well it's not that simple. See, the debate for me goes like this.

Outraged Woman and/or Man: "Women in comics are being portrayed in an overly sexualized, objectified way that's insulting and demeaning!"

Me: "And?"

I know what you may be thinking. I'm implying that I don't care about their argument, but that's not what I'm saying. If I didn't care I would say "So what? Now where's the nearest bar?" But I didn't say that. I said "And?" because that argument isn't a complete thought. It's only half the debate. The other half is supposed to be the solution or at least what you think is a viable solution. At no point do I ever hear anybody propose such a solution. It's just "This is a moral outrage!" and that's it.

Well there's a word for that kind of talk. It's called whining. It's what little kids do when their parents tell them they can't get a candy bar at the check-out line in a grocery store. In the adult world when you point out a problem or criticism, you at least try to advocate a solution. Bringing awareness isn't a solution in and of itself. It can be part of the process, but at some point you need to put something down on paper or you're just wasting time and breath.

The writer of the article was Kelly Thompson on CBR. She's a good writer and she makes plenty of valid points. But I ask both her and every other man and woman who has made the same argument. What's the alternative? What's the solution? Hell, what's the compromise? What is it? What would you do to make things different? Those are not rhetorical questions. Those are real questions that need to be answered if your argument is to have merit. Don't play a game of hypothetical and paint a picture of an ideal world in your head where this issue didn't exist and everything was all peaches, cream, and imported vodka. Give the rest of us, the readers and the male audience that are the targets, a viable solution with the keyword being viable.

Let's start simple. How would you want them posed? You want them all to pose like the men? You want every female character to do absolutely nothing to distinguish themselves from the other gender? That almost implies that they're ashamed to be women and want to be men. Same goes for clothes. You want Rogue, Catwoman, and Huntress to dress like men? Wearing baggy blue jeans and a shirt that says "Ask Me About My Prostate?"  More importantly, how would that be just as memorable or viable in the comic market? Would men still buy it? Would more women buy it? How do you know this? Flip these images of Hulk and She-Hulk and tell me they work just as well.

Let's look at it form another angle here. How much objectification is really at work here? Thompson claims that women are built like porn stars while the men are built like athletes. Are they? NFL linemen are considered athletes. Sumo wrestlers are considered athletes. Fuck, golfers are considered athletes. The men in comics are NOT fucking athletes. They're male models. Pretty boys. Jocks. The kind that make up over 99 percent of all the douche-bag antagonist in every 80s teen movie ever made.

Moreover, do comics do this because of or in spite of reader tastes? Comics don't exist in a vacuum. They're part of a market that relies both on sex selling and selling quite well. That market uses evolutionary biology to full effect. Men are visual creatures. That's not an opinion or a criticism. That's a scientific fucking fact. Here's a study that proves it in a way no whining can resist. Like it or not, men are going to respond more strongly to the presence of sexual imagery than women and comics are a visual medium. To be against using sexual connotations in comics is akin to being against birds for using wings. Now is the current situation excessive and egregious? I would argue yes. It is. But again, what the fuck are we supposed to do about it?

Finally, there's a reason why men aren't dressed up in the ridiculous outfits that female comic characters wear. It's the same reason why men don't pose like women in comics. It's because, and I know this is a politically incorrect thing to say, men and women are different. Men have a penis, balls, and hair on their ass. Women have boobs, a vagina, and ovaries. There are a long list of other differences and like every other animal in nature, those differences result in different manifestations of behavior. This isn't even about comics anymore. This is about fucking evolutionary biology. It doesn't justify the current situation, but it does imply a different perspective.

I know we live in a multicultural society that values equality and shit, but men and women are still fundamentally different at the end of the day. Whining about them not being completely equal is like whining about the sky being blue. It's just plain whining and it's no better than that little kid making a scene in the grocery store I mentioned earlier. It's not going to make the imagery of Emma Frost flaunting her sexuality or Namor flaunting his male bravado any less potent.

So I'm all ears. What do we do about the current situation? What do we, the consumers, propose to Marvel and DC and every other publisher out there as a reasonable solution that will ensure they're just as viable if not more so as an industry? I don't know what it is and I've yet to hear anything from anybody that offers something tangible. Maybe someone on this blog can offer something. I know I come off as a raving nut job here, but I'm not being disingenuous when I say I respect women. But I respect men as well. I'll comment on boobs as much as I'll comment on dicks. At the end of the day, it doesn't change anything. So for this debate about women and comics and all debates like it, I implore the morally outraged parties to quit with the fucking whining and start proposing viable solutions. Nuff said.