We Can Do It! Kitty Pryde

“We Can Do It!: Women in Comics, Television and Beyond” is Hush Comics’ answer to what women in comics mean to the world and to us  Visit our page every Monday to learn about a new super lady!

Who:

Kitty Pryde

Nicknames/Aliases:

Shadowcat, Sprite, Ariel

Skills:

She can walk through walls!  Ok, its a bit deeper than that.. she can change her atoms to pass through the atoms of other objects.  This creates the visual of her passing through, as well as levitating in some cases.  She is also amazingly smart in computer science and piloting.  Oh, and she can kick some serious ass because of her knowledge of Karate, Aikido, and Krav Maga.

Origin Story:

Created by comic greats Chris Claremont and John Byrne, Kitty Pryde was born circa 1967 in Illinois.  When she became a teenager, she began getting really bad headaches, which turned out to be the onset of her mutant powers.  She was originally recruited by mutant Emma Frost of the Hellfire Club.  However, after being visited by Professor Charles Xavier, Kitty Pryde joined the X-Men.  Good choice!  The new mutant, with the power to travel through objects, first appeared in comics in 1980 with Uncanny X-Men #129.  She was meant to juxtapose the now adult X-Men who had been well established in their ‘verse.  Kitty came in as a 13 year old who was incredibly smart and ended up saving many of the X-Men right off the bat.  Kitty also became the love interest for Colossus, the Russian mutant who turns into steel.  In addition, Kitty becomes a close friend of Wolverine and a surrogate daughter to Storm.  It is Kitty who sends all the early 1980’s X-Men to the future in the famous arc and next week’s feature film (hence this article!) Days of Future Past. In a pivotal moment for Kitty in the book Kitty Pryde and Wolverine, she becomes possessed by the demon Ogun, former teacher to Wolverine.  Wolverine then helps Kitty beat Ogun.  After beating him, she is changed, not only because of her nifty new martial arts skills, but because she was no longer the innocent, inexperienced girl everyone had once known.  Upon her emergence from the ordeal, she became Shadowcat.  Kitty has continued on in the X-Men series and is considered to be one of the best X-Men according to many a list.

Why is she important?:

Firstly, in my opinion, Kitty Pryde is important because she has a dragon.  Yeah, she has cool powers, and can fight, and can fly a plane, and can speak like a lot of different languages, but really its because she has a dragon.  Yeah.  His name is Lockheed.  He has even risked his life for hers.  And he’s purple.  I’d say all that makes her a lot cooler than Daenerys Targaryen (sorry Game of Throne fans).  

So what else other than the dragons?  Well there is the fact that Kitty Pryde changed the entire X-Men world.  She is highly regarded as being the best “teen” mutant introduced to the X-Men.  Kitty was the person who brought a level of normalcy to the group of misfits.  Kitty was born into a ordinary family and she was a fairly ordinary girl.  Her reactions to going to Professor Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters were apropos to how most people would react to the other mutants and the happenings of her new and strange world.  Kitty is so accessible to her readers, it is hard to deny her importance to the series.

What she means to me:

Kitty Pryde means a lot to me.  I grew up watching the X-Men Animated Series in the early 90’s.  Of course, Kitty wasn’t in that series, but because of my interest in the show, I did my research on all the X-Men, thanks to my good ole dad (thanks Daddy for answering my incessant questions when I was 5).  What struck me about Kitty Pryde at first was “Hey! She has a cool name!”  Then it went to “Why is Jubilee in this show and not Kitty?!”  When I found out how down-to-earth and smart she was, I was a fan.

What really turned me into a Shadowcat fan?  Well, if you keep up with me, and why the heck wouldn’t you, you know I like Buffy.  I love Buffy.  I exalt Buffy.  I live and breathe Buffy.  And you know who was the inspiration for Buffy?  Well reader, in case you have yet to take a wild stab in the dark, Kitty Pryde was the inspiration for Buffy Summers.  Joss, you son-of-a-gun, you.  Not surprising, Joss brought Kitty back to the X-Men after being away with Excalibur and off to university in his series Astonishing X-Men.  He then gave the fans what they wanted and brought Kitty and Colossus together again.  However, (SPOILER FOR YOU WHO HAVEN’T READ ASTONISHING X-MEN or seen BUFFY) much like Whedon did with Buffy, he ended his run on the book by having Kitty sacrifice herself for the good of Earth.  Aw shucks, Joss!  You always get me right in the feels. And a thank you to Kitty Pryde for helping little girls realize that they are smart and cool and special and for all those times you stopped catastrophic things from happening to the non-mutants like myself.

Kitty in one of her first appearances in 1980 donning the name Sprite.

Kitty on the cover of “Kitty Pryde and Wolverine” #1

Kitty in the animated series “X-Men Evolution”

Kitty and Colossus

Kitty and her kindred spirit Lockheed the dragon.

Kitty on the cover of “Astonishing X-Men” #26

Kitty Pryde played by Ellen Page in the new film “X-Men: Days of Future Past” out on May 26, 2014

all photos belong to Marvel.

written by Adrian Puryear

We Can Do It! Gwen Stacy

“We Can Do It!: Women in Comics, Television and Beyond” is Hush Comics’ answer to what women in comics mean to the world and to us  Visit our page every week to learn about a new super lady! 

*Note: I wanted to write this piece because of the latest release of The Amazing Spider-Man 2.  There will be spoilers for Gwen Stacy’s story.  However, this piece focuses on the comic book character rather than the movie character.

Who:

Gwendolyne Stacy

Nicknames/Aliases:

Gwen Stacy

Skills:

Advanced knowledge in science, being cute and sassy.

Origin Story:

There are two things to know about Gwen Stacy:  she is the quintessential college girlfriend and (SPOILER!) she dies.  Yup, I broke that news to you quick.  As soon as you fell in love with her, she was gone.  The quick history of Gwen is that she is Peter Parkers girlfriend.  But of course, when you are involved with a man who is also superhero, in this case Spider-Man, things aren’t always that simple. Gwen and Peter met at Empire State University when she was a student of Biology, and their encounter wasn’t on the best of terms.  Over time, they developed a friendship that became a relationship.  They were then on-again and off-again for years.  Contrary to most of the story telling, Gwen Stacy and Mary Jane Watson knew each other, and even ran in the same circles.  Also, she was a model.  Peter Parker is a lucky guy.  But their love wasn’t so lucky for so many reasons.  Because Peter never revealed his alter-ego to Gwen, she often felt abandoned by him when he “disappeared.”  During a battle with Doctor Octopus, Gwen’s dad, Captain George Stacy, is accidentally killed by falling rubble.  Gwen leaves the country only after trying to get Peter to propose marriage.  Peter, of course, is guilt ridden, not only because he felt responsible for George’s death, but because George knew the truth about Peter, so he does not ask Gwen to marry him.  After being gone for some time, Gwen returns to New York.  Only 22 issues later, Gwen’s life ends.  Even worse, it is by Spider-Man’s hands.  After being kidnapped by Norman Osborn as Green Goblin, Gwen is thrown off of a bridge. When Spidey tries to save her by casting a web, he accidentally snaps her neck.

Why is she important?:

The thing about Gwen Stacy is that her life and her death don’t exist without the other.  There are many compelling arguments that Gwen was just a plot point.  Gwen is referenced in Gail Simone’s Women in Refrigerators.  However, a large part of me has to disagree with this.  Gwen and Mary Jane have been compared for decades.  It has been debated in and out who is Peter’s true love.  And in references even up to modern day (Gwen died in 1973), Peter still loves Gwen.  Girl has been dead for 41 years.  He still puts flowers on the bridge she died on every year.  Yes, Gwen’s death was an easy way to give Peter an emotional break-down and to make Mary Jane grow up a bit.  And killing her off prevented a teenaged Peter from getting married.  But Peter’s background as Spider-Man has always been a dark tale.  And I don’t believe Gwen was a one-time boo-hoo for him.  She represents a lot of things for not only Peter, but fans of books.  Gwen is what could have been and what we all believe our lives will be when we are young.  Gwen was more than a looker, too.  She had a strong mental connection with Peter.  Sure, she didn’t know his secret identity, but she had a high level of intelligence, matching Peter’s.  Peter considered her an equal and possibly the only person to understand him.

Gwen Stacy sparks a lot of debate.  Did her neck snap or was she dead before the fall?  Is she hotter than Mary Jane?  Is she a better match for Peter than Mary Jane?  Is Gwen’s death the end of the Silver Age?  Is Gwen’s death the epitome of the female trope in a genre that is male-centered?  I think the fact that you can find countless, and I mean countless, articles on all these questions proves why Gwen Stacy is important.  She may not have super powers.  In the comics, she may not have known about Peter’s identity.  She may be just a very smart and pretty girl who had to die.  But that doesn’t make her any less.  Gwen Stacy is what makes comic books dynamic and important not only to the comic culture, but to our society because we can take a girl who seemingly is very normal and create a very large dialogue about what it all means.

What she means to me:

Really and truly what Gwen means to me is the first love we all lost.  Gwen was meant for Peter.  She just was.  She was smart and witty.  And then she was gone.  We have all experienced the loss of our first love.  And many of our favorite characters from other stories have, too.  We all feel a strong connection to them.  FIrst loves stay with us forever.  Gwen was beautiful and it was readily accepted that she was a Science Major.  Of course in the movies, she is a high school student, on her way to Oxford, and very knowledgable in science, even working for OsCorp.  Gwen doesn’t try to be anything she’s not.  Therefore, she accepts Peter for what he is.  Because of that, they connected so well.  But first loves rarely work out.  In this case, their love ended tragically.  However, I believe the Peter Parker and Spider-Man wouldn’t be the well-known creations they are now with out Gwen Stacy’s life or her death.

Gwen Stacy first appearance in 1965 in the Amazing Spider-Man Comics

Gwen and Spidey in the Amazing Spider-Man comics

The Night Gwen Stacy Died in 1973.

Bryce Dallas Howard as Gwen Stacy in 2007’s Spider-Man 3

Gwen Stacy in 2008-2009’s Spectacular Spiderman. She appeared in almost every episode.

Emma Stone as Gwen Stacy in 2012’s Amazing Spider-Man

Stone as Gwen in 2014’s Amazing Spider-Man 2.

photos belong to Marvel Comics

written by Adrian Puryear

We Can Do It! Witchblade

“We Can Do It!: Women in Comics, Television and Beyond” is Hush Comics’ answer to what women in comics mean to the world and to us  Visit our page every week to learn about a new super lady! 

Who:

Sara Pezzini

Nicknames/Aliases:

Witchblade

Skills:

Sara herself is an esteemed homicide detective.  With the Witchblade, she can heal quickly, have armor, and can create any weapon needed to protect herself.

Origin Story:

Debuting in 1995,  Witchblade is a comic book that tells the story of Sara Pezzini, New York City homicide detective.  When Sara and her partner, Michael Yee, are investigating a party thrown by villain Kenneth Irons, they are both mortally shot.  Sara tried to save her partner, and because of her heroic actions, was deemed worthy of the Witchblade, which then saved her from certain death.  What is the Witchblade you ask?  It is a gauntlet, or fancy magical glove, owned by baddy Kenneth Irons.  The Witchblade can only bond with a female host, and for our heroine, it bonds with Sara because she risked her life for her partner.  For the last 19 years, Witchblade has been apart of Sara Pezzini’s life, helping her in her career and her personal life.  She has fought against Irons and his bodyguard Ian Nottingham and many others.  In recent years, the Witchblade has been shared with another woman, Danielle Baptiste.  In 2001, Witchblade was made into an awesome TV series on TNT.  Unfortunately, it was short lived, but did a really great job of breathing life into the story.

Why is she important?:

Witchblade is important because she put a face, ahem, and a body, on the little guys.  No, not actual little people, but the independent comic companies.  Published by Top Cow, Witchblade is one of the most recognizable characters, particularly female characters, of the modern comic book age.  She just happens to be published independently.  Yes, Witchblade is so highly recognized because of her armor, or rather lack there of.  It would be obvious to say that Sara wears next to nothing.  There are plenty of comic covers, figures and statues to prove this.  However, she is much more than her sex appeal.  Sara Pezzini and her relic mean a lot to femininity in general.  The Witchblade only attaches to a woman.  While the Witchblade protects its host by providing unlimited weapons, armor and the ability to control elements, the woman who wears it must keep the balance between good and evil in the world.  How amazing is it that it is a woman who does this?

What she means to me:

I found out about Witchblade by watching the TV series with Yancy Butler back in the early 2000’s.  It was a pretty darn cool show.  It probably helped me wish that in my alternate life, I was a detective (this is in fact what my other job would be if I wasn’t such a wuss).  Sara is a tough cop.  She is good at her job, yet has a big heart.  In the series, she can still see the ghost of her deceased partner who helps guide her through her missions.  I also love that she doesn’t take any crap from anybody.  She was strong way before the Witchblade chose her, but it only enhanced her hard-hitting demeanor.  Any woman who is strong with or without her “power” is a woman worth looking up to.

Witchblade #1

Witchblade in her armor…. oh. my

Yancy Butler as Witchblade

Sara Pezzini.. in her street clothes.

photos belong to TopCow Comics

written by Adrian Puryear

We Can Do It! Harley Quinn

“We Can Do It!: Women in Comics, Television and Beyond” is Hush Comics’ answer to what women in comics mean to the world and to us  Visit our page every week to learn about a new super lady! 

Who:

Harley Quinn

Nicknames/Aliases:

Dr. Harleen Quinzel (Technically her alias is Harley Quinn)

Skills:

Immunity to toxins, advanced agility, pretty good at kicking butt.

Origin Story:

Harley Quinn’s history is pretty interesting.  Unlike her other Batman counterparts, she was created specifically for the 90’s Batman: The Animated Series cartoon by the legendary Bruce Timm and Paul Dini.  She first appeared in the episode “Joker’s Favor” as The Joker’s female counterpart and sidekick, complete with a black and red jester outfit.  She went on to appear and star in a handful of episodes after her 1992 premiere.  Oh, and something kinda cool for the Hush Comics family, her original air date was September 11th, 1992; so Sherif is officially 5 years older than Harley!  Anyway, when Harley was just a wee little Harleen, her father went to jail for fraud, her brother was a low-life and her mother was a typical mom in Brooklyn—worrying about her kids.  Harleen grew up and went to work at the Arkham Asylum.  Chronicled in the book and episode of the same name, “Mad Love”, Harleen becomes the psychiatrist to The Joker himself.  She winds up doing the same thing all mad girls do and falls in love with the cook.  She then becomes Harley Quinn, murderess and adorable villain of Gotham.  Harley has since spent the last 21 years being in the most abusive relationship in DC with the jester.  She loves him very much and is by his side always, as long as he lets her.  The Joker doesn’t like it if she steals his thunder, though.  Currently, in Harley’s comic series, they a broken up.  She battles between loving Mr. J and hating Mr. J., and probably always will.

Why is she important?:

Why is Harley Quinn important?  It may sound really odd, considering she is known for being The Joker’s girlfriend, Poison Ivy’s tease, and let’s face it, she’s a villain.  BUT, she is important.   For starters, she was introduced in a 90’s Saturday morning cartoon and now she is one of the most recognizable women in the DC Universe.  She has her very own comic series now.  A comic series!  From a cartoon!  She is cosplayed by women at, like, every convention and it now almost seems odd if she isn’t featured in anything Batman related.  Since her creation she has also grown a lot.  Sure she still likes to murder.  Who doesn’t?  Ok, that part may not be true, but in recent years, Harley has gained a sense of justice.  She certainly can go off the handle, but she believes in the helpless getting their way.  She loves animals and the elderly and will literally kill for them.  I can’t talk about her without talking about her relationship.  Is it healthy?  No!  Do we all recognize that?  Uh, yes?  Here’s the thing, we all would like to think that we will always see straight when it comes to love. Harley proves that we all wear love goggles when we fall for someone, especially if they are the wrong person.  Even Harley knows The Joker is wrong for her.  Sometimes, she can’t help herself when it come to him, and sometimes, she takes care of herself.  Harley Quinn is relatable because most of us know what its like to love the wrong person.  Now, she is in recovery from that relationship.  She is living in Coney Island and trying to make her life work, without the attachment of her ex-flame.  It will really be the day when readers can think of Harley as a strong, independent, and slightly crazy murderess than just “The Joker’s girlfriend.”

What she means to me:

Harley Quinn has been one of those characters I have been always oddly attracted to.  Was I supposed to like Batgirl?  Well, yeah.  And I did.  But for some strange reason I really liked Harley.  She was cute.  And even though she was psychotic, I liked it when she was on the screen.  She may have been always trying to ruin Batman’s day, but there is something still in her that is good.  She tries.  She tries to please the ones she cares about.  In her weird little way she cares about both The Joker and The Batman.  I really liked seeing this bubbly and adorable little woman try to make her life work the best way she knew how.  As an adult, I see all the deep aspects to her.  Now, every month, I enjoy reading her story as a woman who is trying yet again, but this time trying for herself, and proving that Harley Quinn is just as important as any man she was trying to please in the past.

 

Harley Quinn by Bruce Timm

Yup, she’s sane…

Harley and her puddin’ by Alex Ross

Harley in Gotham City Sirens

Harley in the video game Arkham Asylum

Harley and her gal pals in Li’l Gotham

Harley in her new 2014 comic series by Amanda Conner

photos belong to DC Comics

written by Adrian Puryear

We Can Do It! Black Widow

“We Can Do It!: Women in Comics, Television and Beyond” is Hush Comics’ answer to what women in comics mean to the world and to us  Visit our page every Monday to learn about a new super lady!

*Note: Yes this article is late.  Yay for jet lag from ECCC and hey, I thought it would be cool to publish when Winter Soldier actually came out.  Oopsies.  

Who:

Natasha Romanoff AKA Black Widow

Nicknames/Aliases:

Black Widow, Natalia Romanova (ok that’s her given name for you aficionados), Czarina

Skills:

Advanced combat skills and training, acrobat, ballerina, slowed aging due to Soviet experimentation, and a great knowledge of how to use a gun.

Origin Story:

Like most Marvel heroes, Black Widow has been retconned.  Either way, her history is way sketchy.  I guess that is what happens when a girl is trained by Russia to be a spy and is genetically mutated.  Yup, so that is basically her history.  Her real name can either be Natasha Romanoff or Natalia Romanova.  This just adds to her mystery.  She was trained by Ivan Petrovich, and in her retcon, by the KGB.  She has been experimented on to make her age slower and make her more agile.  She has also had her memory altered so she doesn’t remember significant chunks of her life and is given the memory of being an esteemed ballerina.  Originally, Natasha was sent to kill Iron Man.  She wore an evening gown with a sweet cat-eye mask with a veil over her face.  She was also raven haired before she had her fiery red mane.  She met Hawkeye and convinced him to help her.  After a failed mission, she was kidnapped by the KGB and brainwashed to kill the Avengers, of which Hawkeye was a member.  Because she had fallen in love with him, she eventually found the light side and became good ole American.  She also became the 16th Avenger.  She has found herself in a romantic relationship with many Marvel characters, mainly being the main squeeze of Matt Murdock aka Daredevil, but she also has been with Iron Man, Captain America, and Bucky Barnes.  In her current issues, she is an independent spy who sometimes takes jobs with Nick Fury’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.  Notably, Black Widow saved Wolverine from the HYDRA and was a leader of The Champions which included Hercules and Ghost Rider.  She led them to battle with many baddies including The Stranger and The Crimson Dynamo.  Yeah, she pretty much has done everything.

Why is she important?:

Let me count the ways as to why Natasha Romanoff is important.  Ok, first, she currently is the female face of The Avengers.  I mean she is carrying the entire female population in all the current movies.  That’s a lot to handle.  And all this is just my opinion of course, but I really think she is the inspiration for two of my other favorite women: La Femme Nikita and Echo from Dollhouse.  As far as La Femme Nikita goes, she was also a Russian spy who was used as a tool for the government.  And Echo?  Well, Natasha was also brainwashed and supplied with false memories.  She was made to be super strong and acrobatic.  So were the Dolls.  Pretty cool, I think.  Not only that, but Natasha has kinda saved a lot of our favorite superheroes.  Like, their lives.  Oh, and she’s smart, witty and can kick a lot of ass.  I’d say she is really important not only for the Marvel Universe, but to women ad little girls who go to the movies and read comics.  Thank you, Miss Romanoff.

What she means to me:

Honestly, before The Avengers came out, I had limited knowledge of who Black Widow was.  But considering my celebrity doppelgänger, Scarlett Johansson, played her, I needed to find out as much as I could.   As a little girl, I used to play spy.  Didn’t every little girl?  Ok maybe about half of us.  Anyway, Black Widow is the woman I think of when I wish I had a different life, except in my head, it is a more glamourous world without all that experimentation.   Now that I know tons more about her, I think every girl should idolize her.  She is a woman who has been through hell and back, is smart as a whip and can kick some serious ass.  Yup, pretty much one tough as nails chick.  And that’s why I love her.

Natasha Romanoff in the 1960’s

Scarlett Johansson as Black Widow

Me as Black widow a few Halloween’s ago!

The current Natasha in 2014’s Black Widow by Marvel

photos belong to Marvel

 

written by Adrian Puryear

We Can Do It! Michonne

“We Can Do It!: Women in Comics, Television and Beyond” is Hush Comics’ answer to what women in comics mean to the world and to us  Visit our page every Monday to learn about a new super lady!

Who:

Michonne

Nicknames/Aliases:

None

Skills:

Mad Katana swinging, fencing in her younger days, combat, a vast knowledge of law, an art aficionado, and the ability to leave her emotions at the door.

Origin Story:

Oddly enough, Michonne’s history is a bit of a mystery.  In addition, Michonne’s history in the comic books is much different than it is in the TV Series of The Walking Dead.  In the comics, Michonne pre-zombie outbreak was a lawyer.  She had two daughters and a husband.  At some point she left her husband and got with Mike.  When the outbreak happened, she was not home.  She ran to the home she shared with Mike.  Mike’s friend Terry was there for protection.  Later, she goes out to scavenge for supplies and in her neighbors home finds the Katana.  The Katana.  What a lucky find!  Anyway, when she goes back home, she finds Mike and Terry have turned and she is forced to use them as a barrier between her and the other zombies.  She cuts off their arms and jaws and uses them for protection.  During the outbreak, her daughters were with a nanny and she has never seen them again.  Since finding Rick Grimes and his group, Michonne has become Rick’s number 2.  And I don’t mean girlfriend, I mean she is his warrior.  Michonne the Warrior… I like the ring of that.

Why is she important?:

Not only is Michonne the strongest female in both versions of The Walking Dead, she is also just the strongest character.  And that is straight from the source.  Creator Robert Kirkman has been quoted as such in his Letter Hacks.  For Michonne, her “stats” are kinda irrelevant, and this could be because The Walking Dead takes place in a time where gender and race don’t matter anymore.  But it does seem that whether Michonne was a man or a woman, black or white, is really a mute point.  What matters is that she is the baddest, ahem, man in the whole damn town.

In addition, she is important because of her relationship to The Governor.   TV viewers may be asking… what??? Well let me tell you, but not in great detail because this website is still rated PG-13.  Yes in the TV show, Michonne and The Governor  do have a connection, and not the good kind.  Fans cheered when she poked out his eye, murdered his daughter and then skewered him outside the prison.  Oh have you not seen TWD through the end of season 4A?  Spoiler alert…. Anyhow, in the comics, it is beyond all those things.  Like, Be. Yond.  The Governor is much worse.  And for Michonne, her hatred of him is deeply rooted.  At one point in the books, she is kidnapped by him, kept in Woodbury and kept as his rape slave.  It’s true.  Does this make her important?  Very much so.  Because when she is rescued by Rick and Glenn, she could have just left.  Instead, she fulfills everyone’s revenge fantasy and she doesn’t even blink.  Not only does she scoop out The Governor’s eye with a spoon, she chops off a few of his appendages.  I’ll let you imagine what those may be.

Most importantly, she gets out alive.  Is her psyche totally damaged?  It seems as though hers is an ebb and flow of really crazy and not so crazy.  When we meet her, she talks to her boyfriend.  Keep in mind her boyfriend is one of her zombie pets that she ended up killing when she met Rick and gang.  After her ordeal with The Governor, she is broken.  But she has always found a way to deal with her trauma.  And she can still kick some serious ass.

What she means to me:

To me, Michonne means we can all survive.  We make the choice of how we live in this world, no matter if it is with other people, or zombies, or both.  She has made some tough choices.  She lives with them and then she just keeps going.  She is strong physically and emotionally, but can show her vulnerability, too.  One of my favorite Michonne moments in the TV Series was in “Claimed” when she found the bloody pink room.  It would have pushed anyone to break down.  She shed a tear for the family in the room and the family she once had (a son in the show), but was still able to protect Carl, Rick’s son, from seeing the horrific scene.  Michonne says to world, men and women, that it is OK to be strong, logical and a woman.  Thank you, Michonne!

Michonne Head Shot

Danai Gurira as Michonne

Michonne’s saves Andrea and shows the world that zombie pets are a thing.

Michonne’s Variant Cover Issue 101

Michonne did THAT to The Governor?!

Michonne’s Katana Skills

Michonne and Her Pets in the TV Series

Michonne and Her Pets Action Figures

photos belong to Image Comics and AMC

written by Adrian Puryear

We Can Do It! Jean Grey

“We Can Do It!: Women in Comics, Television and Beyond” is Hush Comics’ answer to what women in comics mean to the world and to us  Visit our page every Monday to learn about a new super lady!

Who:

Jean Grey

Nicknames/Aliases:

Marvel Girl, Phoenix, Dark Phoenix

Skills:

Telepathy, telekinesis, total recall, and being the most powerful woman in the X-Men.

Origin Story:

Jean Grey debuted in September of 1963 in X-Men #1.  That’s right, she was there from the beginning!  But… there is a catch.  Jean Grey was originally known as Marvel Girl, and she was only telekinetic.  In one of her many retcons (Bizarre Adventurers #27, “Secret Lives of the X-Men”), it is revealed that telepathy was a suppressed power of hers.  When Jean was a child, she witnessed a friend of hers killed by being run over by a car.  She was sent to Professor Xavier and became one of the first X-Men, and the only original female.  Jean loves Scott Summers, but also finds herself in lust with Wolverine, two other members of the X-Men.  In 1976, and many times over, Jean becomes the legendary Phoenix during an attempt to save her fellow X-Men during a plane crash.  From then on, Jean’s story is in flux between herself, Phoenix, and the Dark Phoenix.  And because of that, they both deserve articles in their own right.

Why is she important?:

Jean Grey is the ultimate ethereal mutant.  Her mind can live in your mind.  Her mind lives in other times.  Her mind is on other planes!  Her mind could be invading my mind right now!  But seriously, Jean is important because she was the first female member of the X-Men.  She goes on to become the Head Mistress in charge at the Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters.  She is a woman in charge!  When Marvel Girl was introduced and for many years later, she was considered the weakest member of the group.  In the late 70’s with Phoenix Unleashed (X-Men #105), Chris Claremont changed all that.  In a drastic move, he took Jean from the weak link to the brightest star in the sky.  Today, Jean Grey is considered one the most important and mighty heroes, gender aside.  To emphasize how important Jean is, she has died over a dozen times in the comics, but she is timeless.  No matter how many times she dies, Jean will always come back because she means so much to the story of the mutants.

What she means to me:

Growing up watching X-Men: The Animated Series, Jean Grey was an inspiration because she was so strong.  And not in the physical sense of the word, but she made it O.K. for women to be mentally powerful.  Jean is on the same mental level as the all-knowing Charles Xavier.  Because of her commanding mind, she is a main force to be reckoned with for enemies.  It is hard to be a young girl and not be influenced by a woman who can read and control minds.  How cool is that?

Jean Grey as Marvel Girl in the 1960’s

Jean Grey becomes The Phoenix in 1976.

Jean Grey in X-Men: The Animated Series in 1992.

Famke Janssen as Jean Grey in X-Men the Movie in 2000.

Jean Grey is amazing!

all photos belong to Marvel.

written by Adrian Puryear

We Can Do It! Lois Lane

“We Can Do It!: Women in Comics, Television and Beyond” is Hush Comics’ answer to what women in comics mean to the world and to us  Visit our page every Monday to learn about a new super lady!

Who:

Lois Lane

Nicknames/Aliases:

Lola Lane (to her sister, Lucy)

Skills:

Depends on the timeline… she is an amazing investigative reporter.  She is also pretty witty.  In other timelines and books, she has been known to be trained in martial arts, and it the current “background” to her story, her military father trained her how to fight and use guns.

Origin Story:

Wow.  Where to start?  Lois Lane has been a staple in comic books (and plenty of other media) since Action Comics #1, released 76 years ago.  In the 30’s and 40’s she was a witty reporter for The Daily Planet (which used to be The Daily Star).  Around the early 1950’s, the Comics Code Authority started censoring many comic books.  Among them was the Superman series.  Lois went from being strong-willed to a damsel-in-distress, depending on The Metropolis Marvel.

In 1958, Lois got her own series, Superman’s Girl Friend: Lois Lane.  In its run until 1974, Lois had her own wild adventures, many of which made her out to be unsympathetic.  She tried unsuccessfully to marry Superman many times and found herself in incredibly unrealistic situations.  In today’s world, they all seem incredibly sexist, and sometimes even racist.  You can read more about it with BuzzFeed’s article chronicling some of the strangest covers the series had.

Lois has been given a few reboots in the comics since the 1980’s, including her Earth 2 version. However, most of time, Lois has been depicted as she originally was: a tough as nails reporter.  In the 90’s, she and Superman were finally married.

Lois has taken many different roles in the comics history, from Superwoman to Red Tornado. But for 76 years, she has remained linked to Superman and Clark Kent and has long been thought of as the ultimate comic book woman.

Why is she important?:

In the modern sense of the term “comic book” Lois Lane is the First Lady.  Everyone knows who Lois Lane is, just as much as they know who Superman is.  Lois debuted alongside with Superman back in 1938 and she is still in comics.  She even had a one-shot come out just 2 weeks ago.

For the first decade she existed, she was the star reporter in an industry that was male dominated.  And she was portrayed this way in a time when women were usually married by their early 20s, and if they did have a job, it was as a teacher (nothing wrong with a teachers).  She cared more about the story, and nabbing it away from her rival Clark, than marrying anybody.

During the silver age, Lois’ personality changed from wit and reduced to trit.  Unfortunately, Lois became an annoying woman who begged for Superman to marry her.  In the ‘80s to present, she has regained her status as a tough woman; thus proving that Lois Lane is the fictional archetype for the public view of women.

Her importance to today’s society is due to her portrayal for the last 76 years.  The time that really changed how the public viewed Lois came in the 90’s.  She was drawn in comics, acted by Teri Hatcher in the TV series Lois and Clark, and was taking the lead in the newsroom in Superman: The Animated Series.  She was no longer the damsel in distress.  She was no longer the bothersome journalist trying to beat out Clark at every chance she got.  Instead, Lois became a powerful woman in her own right, even without super powers.

What she means to me:

Lois Lane is universal comic book woman.  As a little girl growing up in the 90s, and watching all her incarnations on the screen, she proved to me that a woman doesn’t have to be all-powerful to still be strong and influential.  Lois says what’s on her mind.  Yet at the same time, she is capable of being sensitive, falling in love with Clark Kent.  She is an inspiration for all girls in the modern age who wonder what they could do without powers or a revealing outfit.

Lois Lane in Action Comics #27 Volume 1. 1944.

Actress Noel Neill as Lois Lane in Superman. 1948.

Phyllis Coates as Lois Lane in The Adventures of Superman. 1952.

Margot Kidder as Lois Lane in Superman: The Movie. 1978.

Teri Hatcher in Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman. 1994.

Lois Lane in Superman: The Animated Series. 1996.

Lois Lane drawn by Stuart Immomen in Action Comics #751. 1999.

Amy Adams in Man of Steel. 2013.

Lois in her own one-shot Superman: Lois Lane. 2014.

written by Adrian Puryear