Graphically Designed
The 11th Hour salutes comic heroines to cheer for.
      by Alicia Thompson

I've been on a quest. But instead of a sword or magic helmet, this quest has been for something even more elusive -- I've been looking for realistic women in comics. It's been a rough journey, involving extreme hardship and desperation. After all, the comics shop is clear across town.

Now, before anyone writes to remind me that superheroes aren't realistic because they have superpowers, let me tell you what I was looking for exactly. Lead characters only, secondary characters used only to propel the guys' story line forward need not apply.

Naturally, the clothing issue came into play. Basically, no naked chicks. If they wear skimpy clothes, there should be a reason, and fanboy drool doesn't count. This threw out more books than I can remember, including one where a girl in her underwear was wielding a giant broadsword. You would think a chick with a giant broadsword could at least get some pants. Apparently, it's not easy being in a comic. I also tossed any comic with a girl in bondage on the cover, for obvious reasons.

Hand in hand with the spandex problem comes the whole body thing. Most chicks in comic book seem to have double E breasts, but miraculously need no bras, thus proving gravity works differently in comics as well. I don't care what kind of universe you're from, girls with boobs up to their ears and teeny little waists do not qualify as realistic in any sense of the word. This proved to eliminate even more.

So, here is what remained. If I've missed your favorite kick ass chick, please understand that I only have so much money to buy comics with. And if you're really hacked off, feel free to e-mail me with your choices and your credit card number to finance further research.

Meridian

Meridian's Sephie.

Sephie was a carefree girl from Meridian, a town on the planet of Demetria. But the gods decided to mix things up a bit, as they often do. Two brothers were chosen to be sigil bearers, but Sephie's father, the minister of Meridian, suffered a heart attack from the shock. (Thanks a lot, gods.) The mark was transferred to Sephie when he died. And to make things even harder for her, she has an evil uncle, a la The Lion King who takes her away from her home to the infinitely dreary Cadador while he invades Meridian.

Why I love her: Even though her father died, she's away from home, and there's a yin-yang on her forehead, Sephie never breaks into hysterics. Sure, she hasn't figured out that her uncle is evil with the big "E" yet, but it's only the third issue. These things take time. She's resourceful. When Uncle Ilahn tries to confine her to her room, she tears her dress, makes a rope, and out she goes. With her new sigil bearer powers, there's no telling what she'll be able to do. Mostly because the sigil powers haven't exactly been pinned down yet. And finally, Sephie looks like a girl in her early teens. That's not an easy age to capture, but the artist here does an excellent job. As far as a realistic female body goes, this is about the only book that really qualifies.

Meridian #3 goes on sale September 27th.

Death from The Sandman

This is Death. She has goldfish and says "peachy keen".

A run down of The Sandman. Geez, tall order much? OK, here it goes. Sandman focuses on Dream, one of the seven Endless. The others are Death, Destiny, Destruction, Despair, Desire, and Delirium. The Endless are older than the gods and they each have embody certain aspects of life. The series is finished, and it's huge, spanning ten collected editions. Gaiman uses Dream's narrative as a frame to tell all sorts of different stories. (Sorry to go all English Lit on you there.) Sandman is serious without being literature with a capital "L" in that painful way Faulkner or Chaucer can be. In author Neil Gaiman's world, Death is the older sister of Dream. She doesn't take center stage until Death, the High Cost of Living and Death, the Time of Your Life.

Why I love her: She's human for one day every hundred years, but Death isn't very angsty. She takes her job seriously, and never lets it get her down, even bitching Dream out at one point for being all mopey. Plus, she likes hot-dogs and has gold fish. She looks like your average teen goth chick, if there is such a thing. She's someone you'd like to go to a party with, except you're not likely to see her until your untimely demise. Basically, she's a person, who looks and dresses like a real girl and feels like a fully developed female character, a rarity in the T and A comics world. If you aren't reading Sandman, get yourself a massive wad of cash together and wander on down to the comics shop. You'll thank me.

The Sandman collected editions and the Death miniseries are available now.

Buffy

Buffy slays vampires in all mediums. It's a calling, you know.

What, you expected me to leave Buffy out? You know the drill, people, one girl in all the world, the chosen one, etc. If you're a newbie to the wonderful world of Buffy, Lisa's put together a guide to bring you up to speed. The comic is set in the third season, which means lots of yummy Oz action and the slightly confusing presence of Angel and Cordelia, since they have their own season one Angel title. My only problem with the comic is, if you're going to play third season, why can't we get a little Faith? Why Buffy and not Angel? Well, Buff's the title character, the place where it all began, and Angel's a guy. Plus they killed off Doyle in the comic too which pissed me off. So no soup for Angel.

Why I love her: Buffy, quite simply, is the epitome of all things that are ass kicking and holy. She shows us that we can kick undead booty and still look fabulous. Plus, she has the witty quips to throw the vamps off their game. The comic Buffy doesn't look exactly like Geller, which has caused some irritated letters in the column in the back. (It's a comic, people, not a postcard.) The photo covers do add to this problem. I prefer the art ones, myself, but I can't get my hands on them. (Do you hear me, Waldenbooks? I want art covers!) Buffy has curves, without being a freak about it. Think season one Sarah Michelle and you'll be on the right track. She wears cute clothes without looking like a hooker. All in all, she's the perfect balance of sexy without sacrificing effectiveness. And The Origin miniseries integrates the movie and the show, while being infinitely more watchable. Or readable. Whatever. It's great for the nitpickers.

Buffy and Angel are available now.

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