5 February 08 | tags: comics | add a comment
Batman's Stephanie Brown Gets Her (Imaginary) Due
There's been a few Robins during Batman's time. There was the original, Dick Grayson, the successor, Tim Drake, and a couple of others who met unfortunate ends before they could register much on the comic world's radar. They've been immortalized in the Batcave with a series of costume displays. But there's one that never had a display - Stephanie Brown, the only female Robin.
Female comic fans, the zealots we are, have been somewhat upset over Steph's omission for years. It even inspired a long-standing campaign, Project Girl Wonder, to get her recognized.
I have to admit that even I wasn't entirely behind this movement. Sure, the comic world has a long way to go when it comes to better representations of women, but I never was quite sure if Stephanie was left out of the memorial lineup because she was female. I just didn't think her character was as important. Which, I suppose, you could argue might have sprung from being female in the first place. But I never really knew.
What I do know is that they've finally gotten what they wanted, at least partially. Batman writer Grant Morrison wrote into the latest issue a dream sequence that give Stephanie her memorial.
A victory for geek girls? Well, I'm a feminist who can claim an entire adolescence reading Batman titles, especially Robin, and I'm underwhelmed. I think the Beat's closing paragraph sums it up:
Seems like a good first step to us, but don’t give up the fight just yet, ladies. We say don’t rest until you get a female superhero book that’s actually suitable for young women to read. Now that would be a real accomplishment.
