Lately there has been a lot of talk in the media about the under representation of strong, realistically drawn female protagonists in the comic industry. While this does ring true in many cases, its not the norm everywhere. Here are some of my favorite comics that have been overlooked or underrated.
In the past, let’s just say that female (and male, as seen in the picture below) comic characters have not been drawn in a way that any normal or healthy person could or should try to emulate, but all of these comics have healthy depictions. I also would note that I recommend any of these comics as they are well-written and have strong characters on their own, unlike other comics I have read and reviewed in the past (for more on this see my review of Bat-girl).
(maybe girls really are into torsos seven times the size of your head?)
Princess UGG
First off, this has one of the coolest names I have ever heard for a comic, so it’s off to a strong start already. Written, drawn, colored, etc. by Ted Naifeh, this story tells the tale of the heir to the Barbarian throne trying to fit into a society that is different than her own. She struggles to learn how to make peace going against both her people’s customs and learning the backwards customs of so-called “princess” at a boarding school she chooses to attend. What I love is that it shows her finding her way in the world going against her family’s wishes, and trying to find what is real and true. The art is amazing and most importantly it shows a different perspective on the whole princess paradigm, think “Conan the Barbarian” meets “Pride and Prejudice.” It is available for purchase at http://goo.gl/ZMb8xb.
Lumber Janes
I can recommend this comic based off the art alone. It is young, whimsical and a breath of fresh air. The premise of the comic is a group of young campers arrive at Miss Quinzella Thiskwin Penniquiqul Thistle Crumpet’s Camp for Hardcore Lady Types (I know, it’s a long name) to have fun, only to find lots of mysteries both about the camp and each other. The characters are fun–my favorite being the head of the camp, Rosie, a tough mountain woman complete with awesome tattoos and wood-carving skills to prove it–and you’ll grow to love all the girls in the Roanoke cabin. A notable thing about this comic is it comes from the creative team Stevenson, Ellis, Allen & Watters, an all-female creation team which, even for today, is rare and I applaud Boom Box Imprint for picking these fine individuals for their talent. If you yearn to be whisked off to summer camp and have adventures you can buy this comic at http://goo.gl/AO3BFr.
Strong female protagonist
Besides having a simple (lazy?) and some would say obvious name, I have learned to love this comic. Unlike all the others on this list, this is a web comic not published through one of the major distributors. The downside to this is the release schedule, which is small, slow and steady. The premise of this comic is 12 years back, many teens developed super powers and were collected and trained or hunted by the government. Some became heroes, some became villains and some said no to either lifestyle. Now years later, our protagonist has left that behind and is dealing with real life, sick family members, roommates, gossip, dating–basically everything we do as college students. Another thing I love about this comic is that it doesn’t shy away from controversial topics such as sexual assault on campus, government control or the role of insurance companies. You can read this wonderful comic or buy the artist’s merchandise at http://goo.gl/IlEHD1.
Squirrel Girl
In the past, Squirrel girl was a part of the Great Lakes Avengers, a campy and jokey spin on the regular Avengers. Later on she moved to the big city and became a nanny to Luke Cage and Jessica Jones and interacted with many of the Avengers, even revealing to, at one point, having dated Wolverine. Now after being a hero fighting big names such as Dr. Doom, Red Skull, and others, she is moving on to her biggest challenge yet: college. That’s where the story starts and we see her balance college life and her squirrel powers (including squirrel side kick, Tippy Toe) with hero responsibility. This is a fairly new comic so I don’t have much to say other than it’s a fun read with a positive character and I have liked it so far. Also it’s nicely drawn and is very funny. You can check it out at http://goo.gl/5pKGSS.
Miss Marvel
This is probably the most famous of all these comics and is receiving of the most attention in the media. This comic follows the new Miss Marvel, Kamala Khan, as she struggles to learn how to be a superhero and how to use her newly acquired shape-changing powers. The comic is about a year old and the art is phenomenal, bordering on both campy and serious. She is truly a crusader for young people everywhere or anyone that feels different. She can show you that even though you may lurk on Reddit, that doesn’t mean you can’t be a hero as well. Another aspect of this comic that has made news is Kamala is one of the first Muslim American Marvel super heroes, bringing more diversity to the homogeneous cast of Marvel’s heroes. You can find where to buy it at http://goo.gl/dpy1kE.
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