Wonder Woman. What a gal.

The graphic novel and comics are and always have been an intriguing form of literature. Comics have only recently become an area of interest to me. This form of art is part-textual and part-visual. It presents a story—usually an action story—that allows its characters to solve a problem or fight a villain. Something often overlooked in this genre is how male-dominated it has been. Most comic books and stories have been written by men and for young men; written about male superheroes. It has been so common for this genre to be summarized as a man’s literature. But alas, one female figure has remained prominent in this genre and is gaining popularity. That crazy, wonderful, powerful Wonder Woman has been seen as the quintessential female superhero; she has been the most well-known female figure within this genre. Jennie Yabroff wrote an article for Newsweek that highlighted the importance and ripple effect Wonder Woman has had on American comic culture. The article is entitled “Holy Hot Flash, Batman!; Make room in the boys' club, Caped Crusader. After 66 years, a woman takes over 'Wonder Woman'” It covers the subject of Wonder Woman’s breaking of stereotypical roles. This topic of breaking gender roles wasn't the main purpose of the article, but it helped support the argument. The main purpose of the article was to highlight how a female writer has taken over the writings of Wonder Woman. This article was written in 2008; so, this change has been in progress for the past two years.
Jodi Picoult, a fiction writer, was asked in 2006 to write some pieces for the Wonder Woman comic. She agreed but also made a request. She requested that Wonder Woman wear shoulder straps on her (power) suit while fighting crime. This suggestion proves the point of male writers dominating this genre. Honestly, males do not know much about female anatomy because it is not their own. Wonder Woman has obviously needed a female writer; a writer that understands the realities of being a woman. Male writers often only accept the ideals they have of women in their minds, but those ideals are not necessarily the reality.
The article is an accurate retelling of the history and fan-base of comics. I remain mostly a novice on this whole pop culture area. But, For any newcomer to comics, this article is able to quickly and promptly tell its reader about the history of comics. Also, Yabroff suggests that women heroines are making their way into this area. But again, she still concedes that it remains male-dominated. The article states that a source--probably unofficial--suggests that over 90 percent of readership is male. Yabroff is honest to her reader and notes that DC Comics company will not provide demographic numbers.Maybe they don't want to admit the truth...that their fan-base isn't diversified...yet.
Yabroff communicates so well the facets of female writers and heroines in the comic book genres, even in its subgenres. She tells her reader that this genre is changing into a more gender equal art form: one Wonder Woman issue at a time.
Go read that article, if you get the chance!