by rory midhani
Mey and Heather accidentally wrote the exact same post at the exact same time about San Diego Comic-Con, so for a quick run-down of the queer/feminist news out of the weekend, go here! And for some more in-depth thoughts about the lady hero movie trailers that came out at SDCC, read on!
Mey: It was San Diego Comic Con this past weekend, and 90% of my LA friends were there. I mean, I guess 90% of the geeks in America were there, so that explains it, but still. The good thing is, I did get to hang out with Strong Female Protagonist writer Brennan Lee Mulligan, and he is an absolute delight. The bad thing is, I didn’t get to get to be a nerd with a bunch of other nerds, I only got to be a nerd with one other nerd. But I do have the internet, so I know a lot of what happened anyway.
So, in maybe the biggest news, at least for this column, Marvel finally announced who is going to star in their upcoming Captain Marvel movie! While it wasn’t Gina Rodriguez like I hoped, their pick did make me excited. It’s Brie Larson! The Oscar-winning star of Room, The United States of Tara, Scott Pilgrim vs. The World and the music video for the hit single “She Said,” will be taking up the mantle of one the Marvel Universe’s most powerful and iconic heroes.
Some have said that it’s a shame Marvel didn’t go with an actor who was in her thirties like Carol Danvers is, and while I agree, I’m not going to hold that against Larson, and I’m going to look very much forward to her performance. Remember, Captain Marvel will be the first Marvel Cinematic Universe movie starring a woman, and Brie Larson is an immensely talented actor who should bring a lot of fun, energy and gravitas to the role. The movie isn’t coming out until March of 2019, which is ridiculous, but I want to see it so freaking bad.
Heather: I honestly haven’t been thinking of anyone as Captain Marvel besides Gina Rodriguez ever since Mey floated the idea, so I also was a little surprised by my disappointment that she didn’t get the role (even though there’s literally no indication that she ever even was considered for it; I was disappointed purely by my own imagination!) HOWEVER, choosing a woman who just won literally every major movie award on earth for the role is a huge dang deal and I am psyched beyond measure for it. I just hope the whole earth doesn’t have full-blown superhero fatigue by the time it gets here!
Mey: A lot of other previews also came out, most notably ones from the three big upcoming DC movies, Suicide Squad, Justice League and Wonder Woman. Yeah, you heard that right, we finally have a Wonder Woman preview! I loved the parts with Wonder Woman, the Amazons and Etta Candy, but I really never cared about Steve Trevor and definitely don’t care about him in this movie.
Heather: I put off watching this trailer all weekend because I have felt nothing but disappointment about this Wonder Woman movie from the moment Zack Snyder’s name got anywhere close to it, but then I did watch it! And it’s great! Mey, you are, as usual, correct: Steve Trevor is the woooorrrsssst. I don’t think most people realize that when this guy came into Wonder Woman’s life he was like the petulant baby man-child of Ezra Fitz and Donnie from Orphan Black. Like Donnie in his doofy incompetence, and like Ezra in the sense that he stalked and tracked Wonder Woman and spent half his life trying to trick her into marrying his boring ass. So right: I don’t care about him either. But I do care about everything else in this movie! (Fun fact: Director Patty Jenkins also directed that episode of Arrested Development when everyone keeps telling Michael to get rid of “the Seaward” and Lucille is like, “I’ll go when I’m good and ready!”)
Mey: The Justice League footage was surprisingly fun? Like, I actually think I’m excited for this movie! Both Flash, played by out actor Ezra Miller, and Aquaman, played by one of the four men on earth I find attractive, Jason Momoa, both look amazing and I can’t wait to see more of them. But why does Jared Leto have to be in Suicide Squad? At Comic Con they debuted a new trailer for it and it was genuinely wonderful. I kind of love Harley, Amanda Waller and Katana especially. I also loved this part of the Suicide Squad panel where Leto tried to get the audience excited and Viola Davis gave him the same look that I make every single time I read anything about Jared Leto.
Heather: Haha! I hadn’t seen that Viola Davis thing! What joy it just brought into my heart.
Mey: The Killing Joke animated movie is unsurprisingly terrible! I mean, not only did they make an animated movie about one of the worst Batgirl stories in comic book history, but they made it even worse by making her motivation for becoming Batgirl wanting to sleep with Batman? Gross! Also, when someone asked why they were treating Babs like that in the movie, Brian Azzarello, one of the writers, called the question-asker a “pussy.” Terrific.
Heather: Yeah, if you’re looking for a Batman animated movie, Batman: Bad Blood is for you. Kate Kane and Renee Montoya, y’all.
New Releases (July 27)
All-New All-Different Avengers #12
Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur #9
Star Wars: The Force Awakens #2
X-23 Complete Collection Vol 1 TP
Chilling Adventures of Sabrina Vol 1 TP
Welcome to Drawn to Comics! From diary comics to superheroes, from webcomics to graphic novels – this is where we’ll be taking a look at comics by, featuring and for queer ladies. So whether you love to look at detailed personal accounts of other people’s lives, explore new and creative worlds, or you just love to see hot ladies in spandex, we’ve got something for you.
If you have a comic that you’d like to see me review, you can email me at mey [at] autostraddle [dot] com.
I really hope that JL is good. I still think that Ezra Miller is a little too pretty to play Flash, but his exchanges with Affleck had me giggling. Though Flash’s armour doesn’t look very aerodynamic. I saw people commenting on how they hate the idea of Batman attempting to be funny, which I think is stupid. The JL cartoon had its funny bits for one thing. Plus, Batman’s on a TEAM, now. He can’t be serious all the time around others, especially given that he’s interacting with someone like Flash. It would be weird if other characters were playing off of each other, and he were the one who was totally sullen all the time.
From what little we saw of Cyborg, I thought he looked pretty spiffy.
Is Green Lantern set to appear in this, or will he join the team after the solo reboot that’s scheduled?
I thought it was funny how hard the trailer was pushing “cool Aquaman”.
The Aquaman of my childhood was cool.
He was a taciturn, take no shit from anybody badass with a fierce mane of hair.
and Jason Momoa totally embodies that version of Aquaman
And even if we’re talking lame looking short haired Aquaman with the silly yellow-gold scale shirt, the planet Earth is two thirds water.
That’s 71% of this rock.
Think about that.
And try not think about the silliness of somebody standing up for a fictional male character :P
Oh, don’t get me wrong, I’ve never gotten the condescension towards Aquaman, myself. The ocean is damn heavy, and a character who can withstand the ocean pressing down on his body is a badass. Plus, it’s full of some of the world’s scariest creatures. I’ve always been down with Aquaman, I just thought that the trailer playing so much on the “we know you think Aquaman is lame” mentality was rich.
That trailer for Wonder Woman kind of let me super underwhelmed a day after I just watched Ghostbusters, because i’ve been wrapped in a wonderful supportive blanket of awesome badass women not for the male gaze and now i’m pushed back into a world where there is this trailer filled with slow-mo shots of her naked thighs.
Sigh.
I squealed like small child at the Etta Candy bit on the end.
Other than that I’m with Chole so male gaaaze after watching non-male gazey stuff.
Episodes of GoT with Brienne of Tarth and Furiosa’s fights in my case, haven’t watched Ghostbuster’s yet.
But all can agree on and enjoy DCEU Wonder Woman having the best musical theme.
It’s my ray of sunshine in Snyder’s grimdark Murderverse edition of my childhood supers.
I actually didn’t think the trailer had the male gaze at all. Despite the armor being skimpy, Wonder Woman was oddly not sexualized at all? Unlike narrowing in on Harley’s butt while she sexually leans over in the Suicide Squad trailer, the Wonder Woman trailer did none of that. Her thighs were on camera because the camera was zooming in, for us, on her lasso. That was when we were getting a full shot of what her outfit it. They zoomed in on the lasso, like they did with the shield and boots, but the lasso happens to be by a thigh, hence why the thigh was in the view. Any other thigh moments were to specifically highlight her speed and strength, like in the slo mo shot.
All shots of Wonder Woman’s skin had “purpose”, as much purpose as they can be. And none of the purposes were for the male audiences specifically.
This was very non male gaze, and I credit Patty Jenkins for that. I’m annoyed at how much Steve Trevor is in the trailer – but delighted at the casting of Chris Pine, his comments on this film have been A+ – but I was happy with everything else.
The skimp of the Amazon’s costuming is part of the male gaze-ness.
The other part doesn’t seem sexualised because you’re used to it as standard and only sticks out to you in more egregious cases like Harley’s barely clad butt doing the bend and snap.
http://bonehandledknife.tumblr.com/post/120671243530/doctorscienceknowsfandom-teapotsahoy
Above is a better break down than I could give off the top my head, but TL;DR would be in film the composition in shooting follows the rule of thirds and when it comes to women the focus is not on their faces.
Tits:
Face:
Tits and Hips:
If I had photoshop in this poor sinking vessel that is my life and this laptop I’d whip up some examples using screen shots of the Wonder Woman trailer, but alas only Microsoft paint that I do not know how to make straight lines with.
According to Marvel, Carol Danvers is 5’11 and 165lbs in the comics. Brie Larson is a great actress, but casting her means we’ve missed out on seeing a tall, muscled woman in the role.
Women who are tall and broad are criticised for taking up too much space, and with a few exceptions (like Brienne of Tarth) we almost never get to see them as heroes on film. Studios almost always give us skinny superheroines; either they have skills other than physical strength, like Black Widow, or they are superhuman and so are inhumanly skinny for their strength, like Wonder Woman or Buffy.
When are we going to get to see actors like Gwendoline Christie playing physically intimidating female superheroes?
Yeah. Christie would’ve been perfect.
She, Gwenoline Christie, reminds me of what a relation of mine might have looked like when she was a youngin.
This relation that happened to have gotten kicked out of the Air Force pre-DADT for lesbaining with daughter of THE commanding officer head honcho person at the base she was stationed at.
…what I meant to says was “Yes, so perfect with her ability to play an honorable soldier and her humour.” but the above is acceptable and I’m not deleting it.
I’d give her a high-five and buy her a drink. Giggity. The CO’s daughter. :D
When indie filmmakers start making superhero films.
Literally the first words in the Wonder Woman trailer: You’re a man.
If you wondered whether DC were paranoid about alienating their male audience, the answer is a resounding yes.
comment award
Don’t feel underwhelmed. Everybody knows guys and girls all like badass chicks who can kick a man’s ass.
Plus, wonderwoman’s only getting her chance because Batman finally succeeded in being a good series of movies. If the original Batman movie had succeeded in 1990 with better movies she would have had a chance. But let’s face it Joel Schumaker ruined it for all dc superheroes.
Mey, I think you and I feel the same way about Jason Momoa. He is literally the only guy that does anything for me. Been a fan since Baywatch Hawaii. Don’t judge me.
Now, I like Chris Pine but Steve Trevor is one of my most hated comic book characters. He is a bland man-child that doesn’t deserve Diana. I didn’t think Superman was good enough for her either and he’s SUPERMAN. I knew when Wonder Woman was announced that Steve was likely to feature heavily in it because the studios need to overly stress her heterosexuality the comics have been trying to do for years now. They even did in the crossover issues she did with Batwoman where there was a line that come off like she had some sort of gay panic about Batwoman being lesbian. Diana just had to let her know she’s totally not like that. I wish they could make a female superhero movie where a romance wasn’t a part of it at all but I know that’s just not how the film industry sees things. And nobody is going to convince me that these casting choices when it comes to female superheros aren’t predicated on how feminine and conventionally attractive these young actresses are regardless of how muscular the comic book characters are. Wouldn’t want them looking too butch now would we? Fanboys would throw the biggest fit if Thor wasn’t huge or Peter Parker wasn’t a geeky white kid but bend over backwards to justify why their female counterparts don’t need to be bulky or the same age as the character.
All I’ve seen is misogynist raging that Gal Gadot is too tiny and how someone like Gina Carano should get the part (despite not being able to act). The hate Gal Gadot has gotten has been extreme ever since she was announced. I’m just not seeing this male acceptance of her that you’re discussing.
I’ve seen fanboys rage about anything and everything along with excusing the way these roles are cast. It just depends on where you go I guess. I’ve seen women make similar comments. I personally would like to see more muscular women cast for roles that they are actually qualified for simply because it rarely happens for them. I’m pleasantly surprised and happy for Gwen Christie’s success at the moment. Wonder Woman is my favorite comic book character so I admit to being extremely picky and biased when it comes to her but I just feel it’s one of those roles where a bigger woman should be cast. I’m no Gina Carano fan so she wouldn’t even be an option for me. She is also on the shorter side to play her anyway.
There are many actresses that I would have liked see play Wonder Woman. Gal Gadot was not my preferred choice and I didn’t like what I saw in Batman V Superman. Then again I didn’t like much about that movie at all. I’m still going to see Wonder Woman anyway because it’s Wonder Woman and I want a female-driven superhero movie to do well simply to prove these people wrong that say nobody wants to see them as much as the male ones so they won’t make as much money.
Understandable. Carol Danvers is my favorite and I had about a million opinions about who I wanted to play her. None of them involved a 20s something skinny girl. I’m trying to get pumped though and I’m just glad they didn’t choose the transphobic MMA fighter that was lobbying for the role.
Ultimately, Diana is under the control of DC and they’ve been pretty ragingly sexist. I was excited with the trailer though. While Gal wouldn’t have been my first choice, I’ve been very happy with what I’ve seen so far. I don’t hold BvS against her as much as I do its director and writer.
I read a review of the Killing Joke movie and it literally made me feel ill. And then I got that terrible pent-up energy feeling you get when you’re angry and have absolutely no idea what to do with that anger. How on earth did they take what’s possibly my least favorite comic book story of all time and make it about 100 times worse?!
Like, this story has made me feel uncomfortable even long before I had my feminist/queer awakening. I remember finishing it for the first time and just feeling bad. Like, just confused and gross and bad. And then wondering why so many people still talked about it like it was one of the greatest comics stories ever told.
And now, I am so upset thinking about young people watching this movie. I mean, I know it’s rated R, but you know lots of them are going to see it anyway. I fear for what seeing Batgirl portrayed like this will do to the psyches of young men and I am sad for young women possibly having this movie be their introduction to the character.
In short, fuck Brian Azzarello.
The Killing Joke is made ten times worse by all the press the writers have done to promote the movie. What they’ve done to Batgirl in the film version is worse than even the comic and betrays the Batman/Batgirl relationship. There is absolutely no reason Batman and Batgirl should have a sexual relationship AT ALL. It’s like Batman fucking Robin. They just would not.
In the Timmverse, Barbara and Bruce had a brief… fling? Moment? Relationship? It was well-done. It also destroyed the entire Bat Family. All trust and respect was lost. Barbara and Dick never carried on their romance. Batman ended up alone and even more bitter, isolated, and insular than ever. He never learned how to care for his family and they all left him. Ultimately, he had to give up being Batman and became a frail old man with nothing to surround himself but monuments of his personal failure.
It’s my personally favorite continuity. Of course “The Killing Joke” doesn’t exist in that continuity either.
At the point Barbara and Bruce slept together, she was not a “girl” and she was not a sidekick (Robin was) and Bruce and Barbara were partners more than anything else.
As for the new animated movie… it’s just another slap in the face by DC. Most of the awful has been contained to the comics, while the live-action and animated films have been amazing. I’m scared this is just the start of a disturbing new trend where DC takes their misogynistic house of horrors and puts it on film.
Oh, and I agree. Steve Trevor is the worst. He contributes to 99% of my mixed feelings about the Wonder Woman movie. I don’t know if I can stomach seeing Wonder Woman falling in love with him again when she has absolutely no reason to.
The only relationship I ever liked Diana having was with Batman… and it was only hinted at, never coming to pass. I’d completely geek out if Wonder Woman had a relationship with someone like Big Barda instead. :D
I liked Wonder Woman and Batman together in the Justice League animated series, but I don’t think I would be into it with the version of Batman that’s in most comics. In Justice League, he was a dark, serious guy and Wonder Woman chipped away at that to reveal he had a bit of a soft side. But in most of the Batman comics I’ve read, he’s mostly just a sociopath.
Wonder Woman is my favorite character, but really it’s the version of her that exists in my head that I love the most. She’s a badass feminist and tough as nails warrior, but she’s also lighthearted and fun-loving like she was in the early 40s and prefers a peaceful solution over fighting. And she has no time for Steve Trevor’s whiny, manipulative nonsense. And she’s queer. Because it hardly makes any sense for her not to be. She grew up in a society where homonormativity would have been an actual thing. The idea of a woman growing up on an island full of women and then falling in love with the first man she sees is such male fantasy bullshit. DC should have had the guts to make her queer when they rebooted their universe several years ago.
I don’t think it’s an issue of guts. I don’t think DC Comics has enough sense or maturity or intelligence to pursue something so obvious to the rest of us.
I think some of you are looking at the wrong way when it comes to wonder woman. Think about this, Gal Gadot is a Middle Eastern Jewish woman. It’s not like young Jewish girls have many options when it comes to strong, powerful, independent women. Sure we got a few comedians, like Julia Louis-Dreyfus, but she’s a comedian not a super hero. Let’s not forget Superman’s Jewish heritage has all been erased(he was created at a time to give hope to stopping the Nazis). Gal Gadot does look very Semitic and is not being portrayed as they typical Jewish woman stereotype of neurotic Princess looking for her Jewish Prince(guy good with finances). That’s a positive in my book.
Sorry hit the wrong reply button. Mods you can delete the top one plz?
Oh, God no kidding. If I have to hear one more comparison of Superman to Jesus, I’ll probably scream. He’s so clearly, vividly Jewish and not Christian.
I think some of you are looking at the wrong way when it comes to wonder woman. Think about this, Gal Gadot is a Middle Eastern Jewish woman. It’s not like young Jewish girls have many options when it comes to strong, powerful, independent women. Sure we got a few comedians, like Julia Louis-Dreyfus, but she’s a comedian not a super hero. Let’s not forget Superman’s Jewish heritage has all been erased(he was created at a time to give hope to stopping the Nazis). Gal Gadot does look very Semitic and is not being portrayed as they typical Jewish woman stereotype of neurotic Princess looking for her Jewish Prince(guy good with finances). That’s a positive in my book.
I like this point!
I love that Wonder Woman trailer. And I have generally accepted that I hate superhero films, so it’s big deal that I’m making an exception for this one.
Justice League, however–well, I like the humor in it but there just aren’t enough women in the plural to lure me in.
And I like my men the way I like my women–on the femmy side–but Jason Momoa is one pretty, pretty man, and does it for me despite basically radiating masculinity. So I’m with Mey!
I am just going to pretend that Steve Trevor is James T. Kirk, having fallen through a dimensional rift. And you can’t stop me!
This Wonder Woman trailer made me cranky, because I just read the reboot of the comic (_Wonder Woman: Earth One_) last month, which is SO awesomely gay and sidelines the male character to a romantically inconsequential role, and I had hoped the upcoming movie would follow suit. Since that doesn’t look to be the case…I’m gonna lower my expectations for the movie and go buy the hardback of Earth One instead. Let’s put our dollars where our sentiments are and support creators making content we love and want to see more of!
I saw “Batman: The Killing Joke” at a Fathom Event screening thing on Monday. It was…okay? Lol.
I’m mixed about it. On the one hand, it is awesome that Mark Hamill, Kevin Conroy, and Tara Strong are all back for their respective roles. On the other, the movie is just sort of okay?
Yes, I agree that Batgirl’s treatment in the original story and the adapted film are pretty much there for an examination of Batman. And that does carry over into the film.
But as far as the relationship between Batgirl and Batman, (spoiler alert) it does get adult. I am actually fine with them having a relationship. The thing is there are not any real consequences from it though. It really felt like a story beat put in there for a bit of padding to expand the run time.
And I can’t remember correctly, but I think the television series “Batman Beyond” alluded to Batgirl and Batman having an adult (as much as you can get away with on a children’s television program). But that relationship also informed how these two characters saw each other.
I thoughts on “Wonder Woman” too, but I am waaaay too excited to make any sense right now.
Yep. That’s the Timmverse continuity Sarah. There were serious consequences and character progression over the years. They continued that in its own comics line.
I thought so! Thanks!!
Okay, semi composed thoughts on “Wonder Woman”!!
Love love love the trailer. Watched 3 times. Love the action, very clear what is happening, not too choppy or slowed down.
Issues with male gaze like shots on Diana. Also not
made from clay anymore? That stinks. I always liked that origin for her.
Chris Pine is just too bland for me. Acting and looks wise. He just doesn’t do anything.
But of course marvel would annonce a female superheroe movie when DC comes out with wonder woman…when dc annonced suicide squad everyone said ohhh no its a ripoff of guardians, they’re trying to copy marvel! But when marvel does the same no one bats en eye! And there’s no bias of course! Of course not