Ink-stained Amazons and Cinematic Warriors

Book excerpt: "Women have been led to believe that superheroes and heroism are not for them, and that they are little more than love interests, or sidekicks who stand by their supermen. This is a false proposition argues Jennifer K. Stuller, as she uncovers the true history of how superwomen are represented in popular culture. She reveals how, from Wonder Woman to Buffy Summers, Emma Peel to Sydney Brislow, Charlie's Angels to The Powerpuff Girls, the female hero in modern mythology has broken through the boys' club barrier of tradition for shining, if all too brief, moments. The book details the notable differences in how women and men are represented as heroic in modern myth. Love and compassion, spies and sexuality, daddy's girls, and the complicated roles of superwomen who are also mothers are all explored. The spotlight is also turned onto men and women who have created modern myths with a strong female presence and Stuller concludes by speculating on the future of gender representation in superheroic myth. A useful appendix offers resources for further information about feminist fangirl blogging, activism, and fiction, and the book features a glossary of modern mythic women."--P. [4] of cover.