The comic book industry has been around for over 70 years, and it has come a long way from the simple funny pages where it began. Comics themselves have grown from single-issue, serialized short stories to multi-issued trade paperback epics and beyond. Characters have emerged that have shaped generations of fans, creating a legacy that will never be forgotten. Out of this world of heroes and villains, some of the most memorable female characters in history were born. Although groundbreaking in and of themselves, these characters were products of their age, and in an industry dominated by men, they often failed to live up to modern standards of feminism. However, time passes, industries change, and so too did these characters. Nowadays 46% of comic book readers are female (Schenker) and the industry is changing to reflect that. There are more female-led comics than ever before and many more creators who are women as well. But does that mean that modern comics reflect the words and actions of modern women or are these characters still tied to the same tropes as their predecessors?
This study hopes to investigate how female characters are portrayed in comic books from the last four years by analyzing their appearance, actions and dialogue. The study will consider the amount of sexual images/actions/poses included in the comic, studying the reliance of the female character on male characters, how realistically the character is portrayed, judging whether or not there is a good cast of female supporting characters, and whether or not the plot is contingent on traditionally “female” elements.
