DC Women Kicking Ass: Women in Refrigerators 13 years later: time for additional way to examine women in comics →
A topic worth discussing, though I personally disagree with the examples used. Bette Kane was a sidekick in over her head and Barbara Gordon’s shooting was, well, pretty well in character for what someone like the Joker would do in order to break her father (never mind that she flourished as a character afterwards and Alan Moore never intended for her to stay in that wheelchair). I think an argument could be made, too, that Sue Dibny wasn’t fridged, either, that her rape highlighted the danger that is inherent in the superhero community; that it doesn’t matter that you’re not an A-list hero or a high-profile significant other, the bad guys will come and they will hurt you. I’m surprised Stephanie Brown’s torture/murder didn’t make the list of examples though I’m unsure if that constitutes an actual fridging or was just tasteless on DC’s part.
Anyway, it’s an article worth checking out and the comments are worth reading, too. It’s a complex issue that’s not easily defined even if we do have a catchy name for it. (And, as you might have caught, my own feelings on the subject are horribly mixed though I do agree that female characters do get the short end of the stick in their treatment in cape comics.)
The article goes on to note a Tumblr site where you think women excelled in the superhero genre: This is What Women in Superhero Comics Should Be.A few weeks ago on the 3 Chicks Review Comics Podcast I do on CBR, myself and the other two chicks, Kelly Thompson and Maddy got in a heated discussion regarding Women in Refrigerators. The issue was whether the treatment of Bette Kane, the former Titan now turned Batwoman sidekick wannabe,…
