Review by New York Times Review
WONDER WOMAN'S debut this month as an action-movie headliner is a long time coming, taking about 76 years from her first printed appearance in 1941's All Star Comics, No. 8, to the thundering surround-sound cinemas of 2017. Superman only took a mere 10 years to leap from the pages of the legendary 1938 Action Comics, No. 1, to his first live-action film in 1948. This sort of lackluster support from the male-dominated popular culture business often reinforces the notion that women in comics have not always had the easiest time of it - on either side of the page. In "The Spectacular Sisterhood of Superwomen," however, the archivist and author Hope Nicholson provides a muchneeded overview of the nearly nine decades in which women have steadily been a part of comics history as characters, writers, artists and critics, as well as their impact on the medium. The book is illustrated with images from the original source material and propelled by a casual, opinionated writing style. Serious sequential-art aficionados may find "Spectacular Sisterhood" a compulsive page-turner that keeps one going to see what overlooked creations Nicholson has freed from the phantom zone of forgotten culture. By design, the book is not meant to be a comprehensive survey of every heroic woman ever to bust through a few hand-drawn panels but, as Nicholson writes in the introduction, "the weirdest, coolest, most of-their-time female characters in comics - for better or for worse." The "better" and "worse" parts quickly become apparent, as plucky heroines, sleuths and career girls looking for romance are mixed in with those familiar cantilever-bosomed gals fighting on, impractically clad in their battle thongs and stiletto heels. Between the extremes, though, Nicholson has unearthed some gems like "Torchy Brown: From Dixie to Harlem," a 1930s newspaper strip by Jackie Ormes, a black female cartoonist. "Survivalwoman," a 1975 feminist comic tweaking Canadian identity issues, created under a pseudonym by the ever-active author Margaret Atwood, and Leia Weathington's 2012 "The Legend of Bold Riley" (about an empathetic young Indian-inspired princess's adventures in both swordwork and seduction) get the spotlight as well. Full satisfaction with these types of subjective history books hinges on the author's judgment about who makes the cut. While Wonder Woman, Supergirl and Batgirl get major ink, Nicholson skips long looks at many of the well-documented female heroes who get enough attention on their own, like fan-favorite Storm of "XMen" fame and the goth-girl rendition of Death from Neil Gaiman's "Sandman" series. Still, some indie notables definitely feel missing in action, like Noelle Stevenson's sassy shape-shifter, Nimona, from the award-winning 2012 eponymous web comic and Katina (Kachoo) Choovanski, Terry Moore's emotionally volatile artist chronicled in his 1990s opus "Strangers in Paradise." These absences are more deeply felt when some of the characters Nicholson focuses on are pure sexploitation creations, making it hard to contemplate the unique impact that "Superbitch" and "American Woman" had at the time after vamping through one or two issues at most. The inclusion of such titillating characters gives Nicholson the opportunity in several places to explore the effects of the misogyny, homophobia and racism that have been an ongoing struggle in the industry, and to point out how authentic representation has improved. Case in point, she holds up the current iteration of Ms. Marvel as a teenage Muslim Pakistani- American fangirl adjusting to life with superpowers - and scripted by G. Willow Wilson, herself a Muslim. Even with its frequent dips into thorny social issues, "The Spectacular Sisterhood of Superwomen" remains an upbeat celebration of women in comics. Browsing the book sparks a bit of the same flat-out escapist glee that led many of us to the medium in the first place. After all, as Nicholson observes, "Sometimes we all just need to read the adventures of a girl in a cape saving orphans with her flying horse." J. D. BIERSDORFER is the production editor for the Book Review and writes the daily Tech Tip column for The Times.
Copyright (c) The New York Times Company [June 11, 2017]
Review by Booklist Review
Although women have lately gained increased prominence in comics, both as characters and creators, they've been represented in the medium since its early years, as documented in Nicholson's illustrated guide to a myriad of female characters. Some 100 entries, arranged by decade from the 1930s through the present day, range from the renowned (Wonder Woman, Supergirl) to the arcane (dashing Latina spy Señorita Rio, shape-changing bobby-soxer UltraViolet, and half-Venusian space adventuress Olga Mesmer). Nicholson's definition of superwomen is broad enough to encompass tiny tomboy Little Lulu, fashion model Katy Keene, and alt-comics icon Maggie Chascarillo of Love & Rockets. Her breezy write-ups are informative and mildly snarky when appropriate (as when describing the stereotype-filled romance comics of the 1950s or sexploitative characters like Barbarella and Vampirella). The quality and diversity reflected in such recent creations as costumed Parisian burglar Bandette and Muslim Pakistani American crime fighter Ms. Marvel augurs well for the future of women in comics, on both sides of the drawing board.--Flagg, Gordon Copyright 2017 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Comic book heroines have come a long way and not always by the expected routes, as Nicholson, founder of Bedside Press, traces in this informative and entertaining encyclopedia of female characters in comics. Moving decade by decade, Nicholson-who admits in the introduction that her survey is far from definitive, and reminds readers that one of the reasons to follow the progress of female characters is that they're often more interesting than their male counterparts-acquaints readers with names both new and commonplace. Only diehard comics fans will likely know the exploits of, say, Ultra Violet, a "bobby-soxer with the ability to shape-change into her wildest fantasies," first seen in 1947, or 1985's Sindi Shade, who "is trying to commit the greatest crime of all: checking out a library book." But Nicholson makes even the relative unknowns sound as fascinating as that familiar Amazonian warrior, Wonder Woman (who, for trivia nerds, first appeared in DC's All Star Comics #8 in 1941, in a decade Nicholson calls the Golden Age of comics). Since superheroes, female and otherwise, permeate so much of our current culture, it's a real treat to get such rich history of how characters such as Carol "Ms. Marvel" Danvers emerged and evolved, and Nicholson is a trustworthy, knowledgeable guide. (May) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by Library Journal Review
The Spectacular Sisterhood of Superwomen has a slick exterior-pretty ladies in primary colors, pop-art paneled, under a clear plastic dustcover. The interior is a visual reward, too-every female character featured gets a few color panels to showcase their style and skill. Formatted as an encyclopedia, this volume is organized by decade, from the 1930s to the 2010s, with an introductory historical summary, about a dozen brief character essays, and a look into one "Icon" for every ten years. Though the compilation is skewed toward comic book heroines, be they superdetectives, virtuous nurses, or babes from space (such as Barbarella and Vampirella), Bedside Press founder Nicholson does her best to highlight a diversity of characters and genres. Casper's friend Wendy the Good Little Witch, the erotic elf Leetah of Wendy and Richard Pini's Elfquest, and Kate Beaton's Saucy Mermaid all get their moment here. The entries are a bit repetitive but show Nicholson's devotion to research-as she suggests ways to access comics with brief or obscure runs. With all the threads of cultural and artistic trends strewn through each entry, it left this reviewer yearning for a bit more comprehensive sociological scrutiny. Verdict More encyclopedia than analysis, this is a great place to whet one's appetite for further exploration rather than a definitive guide.-Emilia Packard, Austin, TX © Copyright 2017. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by School Library Journal Review
Comic books have historically emphasized male characters, but this compendium offers detailed backgrounds on more than 180 female detectives, nurses, and college students; there's even a single mom and a homeless girl or two. Nicholson sizes them up and pares them down; as a female comic book fan, she's sensitive to how misleading stereotypes can be. She enthuses about old-school heroines such as the protagonists of Sally the Sleuth and Moronica; she knows their stories, and she has their backs-even if their creators saw them as exploitable, all curves and no brains. Nicholson sees a link between these pioneering characters and today's tougher Gen X-types, such as the heroines of Street Angel and Bandette. Acknowledging historian Trina Robbins and the many women professionals in today's comics field, she notes there's still much inequality. Drawing on everything from zines to popular collections, Nicholson has done extensive research, thanks to what must be an impressive personal archive; she's also a publisher. This one-of-a-kind volume informs readers what's available and where. It's an invitation to celebrate the long-lived and the forgotten, the popular and the unknown. VERDICT Fans of comics and graphic novels will love this passionate endorsement of female characters through comic history; it's an effective guide for those seeking to find their favorites, in print and online.-Georgia Christgau, Middle College High School, Long Island City, NY © Copyright 2017. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
