Lois Lane #12 Discussion

[HsssH]

But let's focus on this final issue and what is probably the worst sequence of the whole maxi-series: Montoya and her new/old girlfriend in Chechnya. THAT is what I hoped American comic writers would have had the decency to stop including in their books after 2006, at the latest: two Americans going in guns a-blazing in a foreign country mowing down masses of people minding their own business we don't know anything about but who are the bad guys for sure since they were born in a nation with a cacophonic, very much not Anglo-Saxon name. The fact that in this case the two "liberators" are a lesbian couple doesn't make it better, quite the contrary. It's a minor thing, but I was literally appalled by this throwback to that mercifully short era when Yankee comic writers welcomed international terrorism as the second coming of the WW2 Nazis (you know, the kind of villains you don't need to give any complexity, making your job considerably easier).

It is rather hard to articulate, but I often find lesbian usage in comics weird (in other media as well, but lets talk comics) and I guess this is good example to try explain it and see if anyone else feels the same. Basically, my problem is that many "left-wing" and "progressive" writers simply take stereotypical "white straight male does a thing" plot and just replace that male with a female who does same exact thing. And they make her a lesbian so that just like with straight man they can do "gets the girl" plot element. Can you get any shallower than that?

[maninthemacintosh1606]

Would you ever believe that I originally picked up this title because I thought there was a chance it could have helped me get a different perspective on the world of journalism?[*] Needless to say, nothing in this unfocused mess / ego trip by a Greg Rucka who, after his imho horrifying return on the pages of Wonder Woman, has by now clearly shown that he has completely lost his mind or at least every ounce of the talent he possessed, has ever come close to make me reassess my position on journalism. How could it, when the titular character's "moment of glory" in the very first issues of the maxi-series (the one with the press secretary of the White House) fell completely flat because Rucka has un-learnt how to write confrontations where victory doesn't fall in the lap of the protagonists only because the script says so? And that's only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the reasons why Lois Lane doesn't work as a comic on nearly every level.

But let's focus on this final issue and what is probably the worst sequence of the whole maxi-series: Montoya and her new/old girlfriend in Chechnya. THAT is what I hoped American comic writers would have had the decency to stop including in their books after 2006, at the latest: two Americans going in guns a-blazing in a foreign country mowing down masses of people minding their own business we don't know anything about but who are the bad guys for sure since they were born in a nation with a cacophonic, very much not Anglo-Saxon name. The fact that in this case the two "liberators" are a lesbian couple doesn't make it better, quite the contrary. It's a minor thing, but I was literally appalled by this throwback to that mercifully short era when Yankee comic writers welcomed international terrorism as the second coming of the WW2 Nazis (you know, the kind of villains you don't need to give any complexity, making your job considerably easier).


[*] I mean, it's not that I think that being a journalist automatically qualifies you as the scum of the Earth, just that in the real world that 99% of damnable parasites ruins the reputation of the 1% of journalists who actually try doing their job.

Totally agree with you. I thought something interesting was happening with this title mid-way through but by the time I was finished I was just... on the one hand appalled and on the other just totally confused.

[maninthemacintosh1606]

It is rather hard to articulate, but I often find lesbian usage in comics weird (in other media as well, but lets talk comics) and I guess this is good example to try explain it and see if anyone else feels the same. Basically, my problem is that many "left-wing" and "progressive" writers simply take stereotypical "white straight male does a thing" plot and just replace that male with a female who does same exact thing. And they make her a lesbian so that just like with straight man they can do "gets the girl" plot element. Can you get any shallower than that?

It is kind of like how there is a liberal progressive idea of representation in media, which is just 'replace male protagonist with female protagonist' and everyone applauds - it is missing the wood for the trees. Like, as an analogy, imagine if someone thought being a feminist was all about being a women imitating the behaviour and desires of men and getting a really good CEO position at a bank or becoming the President. Ignore all the structural issues plaguing our society and its institutions, just replace the man with a woman (who does exactly the same thing as the man did) and everything looks a whole lot prettier.

[Powertool]

Well, I'm glad to see that somebody else shares my issues with that particular scene in Lois Lane #12!

And yes, I also feel that there's a big underlying problem with female empowerment the way it's treated as a theme in contemporart media: the incredibly shallow way it's presented.

Virtues associated with women for centuries like patience and diplomacy are treated as signs of weakness. A woman can only be a warrior and a fighter to show that she has strength or just that she's worth anything.

Male power fantasies still inform mainstream entertainment but we're supposed to be in a "progressive age" because more and more women play the role of the strong, self-reliant protagonist. What is considered toxic if performed by a male is considered empowering if performed by a female.

Perhaps the real problem is that the old tropes proved to be successful and marketable for so many decades (centuries, even) that many authors have issues re-thinking from the ground up how to write their stories. It's so much easier to recycle what has always been done but with considerably fewer Y chromosomes around.

[HsssH]

It is kind of like how there is a liberal progressive idea of representation in media, which is just 'replace male protagonist with female protagonist' and everyone applauds - it is missing the wood for the trees. Like, as an analogy, imagine if someone thought being a feminist was all about being a women imitating the behaviour and desires of men and getting a really good CEO position at a bank or becoming the President. Ignore all the structural issues plaguing our society and its institutions, just replace the man with a woman (who does exactly the same thing as the man did) and everything looks a whole lot prettier.

Haha, this reminds me of this article: https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/top-...ry?id=56564622

Imagine thinking that women bombing other countries is somehow better than men doing the same. And yet I have seen people praising such things because now more women are in positions of power. Yeah, those poor people in Muslim countries are thrilled with that development.

[maninthemacintosh1606]

Haha, this reminds me of this article: https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/top-...ry?id=56564622

Imagine thinking that women bombing other countries is somehow better than men doing the same. And yet I have seen people praising such things because now more women are in positions of power. Yeah, those poor people in Muslim countries are thrilled with that development.

I feel like you really need to be in love with US imperialism and American exceptionalism to tow this liberal line of 'representation'. I mean, there is no real political left in the US, the most you can hope for is this kind of liberal propping up of the ruling class and political power via cultural sloganeering and shifting facades of 'kinder, gentler' power that maintains the same institutions of power. (Kinda like that old George Bush line, 'kinder, gentler nation' line ... or was that 'kinder, gentler machine gun hand'?)