Paul Gadzikowski

I've been reading the blog Girls Read Comics (And They're Pissed) after encountering a link on a flist of my flist (hi, athelind). That introductory link was specifically to Healey's Not Feminism 101 essay which, if I may oversimplify, says, "We get that you don't mean to be sexist. Now shut up and listen if you want to stop." I became a regular reader of the column and of its message board and of some of the other message boards at Girl-Wonder.org so, basically, I can read the criticisms and ask myself, "Do I do that?", and keep myself honest with my own female characters.

One of the yardsticks which I didn't live up to appears to have originated with Alice Bechdel in this Dykes To Watch Out For strip: Are there two or more female characters? Do they talk to each other? About something else than a man?

In just over 800 AKOTAS there are maybe a dozen strips with a panel or more of two female major characters talking. Most are Morgan and Morgause talking about the man they want to overthrow. A few are Guenevere and Morgan, when they both served on the Excalibur, talking about the man they both had their eye on. One is Guenevere and Morgan, after Morgan left the Excalibur, trying to kill each other. I flunked that one.

On the other hand, I grok the principle, at least when I see others in violation. I remember seeing Episode I action figures at Wal-Mart before the film had actually premiered. I saw action figures for Princess Amidala and for Padme, and I thought to myself, "Wow, a Star Wars film with more'n one female speaking part." Then, of course, I saw the film.
Once I repeated this story in some internet forum and some fanboy replied, "There's Aunt Beru in Episode IV." If you were thinking that, please don't embarrass yourself here.