Wonder women

by Lillian Robinson

Drawing upon her long career as a formidable feminist critic yet wearing her knowledge lightly, Lillian Robinson finds the essence of wonder women in our non-animated three-dimensional world. This book will delight and provoke anyone interested in the history of feminism or the importance of comics in contemporary life.

Genres: Feminism, Nonfiction, Graphic Novels Comics, Pop Culture, Superheroes

168 pages, Paperback

First published March 3, 2004

Reviews

[Jackie · Rating 3 out of 5]

As an overview of the history of Wonder Woman and the feminist implications of her various comics, appearances and incarnations, this book was well-done. I'm a huge fan of WW and what she means for feminism, so this was a book I was keen on reading for a long time, until I could finally get my hands on it. While it's not exactly revolutionary (although Robinson's book turns 10 years old this year, so it very well could have been revolutionary at the time) the book does offer some insightful critique and observations about comics and the women therein, not just Wonder Woman. What I found interesting was the afterword, where Robinson articulates the kinds of social issues and stories that women in comics could be telling, and I hope that in the future, comics do tell these stories; they've started, but all in all, comics still has a long way to go.

As an aside, Robinson's repeated use of the term 'postfeminism' really rubbed me the wrong way. As a society, we still have a great need for feminism, and equality is a long way off for women, even in 2014. I'm not sure what term Robinson should have used instead, but as postfeminism implies that feminism is no longer needed or relevant in society, I have to say that it was misplaced.

[Angel · Rating 2 out of 5]

Nice observations here and there, but overall not all that insightful. Lots of summarizing of character story lines, not enough analysis of characters and said story lines. Also, if you insist on identifying characters of color as such whenever they show up, there should be a reason for it beyond 'this character was a black guy/girl.' And?!!!

Ugh, I wish this book was better.

[Lyddie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ho-hum. A few kernels of insight and analysis, but mostly tedious.

[Margaret Robbins · Rating 4 out of 5]

I very much enjoyed this book because it touched on several of my interests: female representation in comics, feminism, postmodernism in comics, and the history of comics. I learned a lot about Wonder Woman that will be helpful to me in my research, and her history in particular is fascinating. I enjoyed her analysis of other female characters in comics, such as the Incredible She-Hulk, Supergirl, and Storm, although I think some of it could have gone more in depth. In particular, I think she could have talked more about intersectionality and how it applies to the characters she discussed. Her application of Judith Butler's gender theories was very beneficial to me, though. The book was accessible and interesting to read, and although it was short, it packed a lot of good information into less than 140 pages. I would recommend it to people who are interested in feminist theory and comics.

[Whitney Borup · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the kind of criticism I would like to write, the kind of criticism that people read, and the kind of criticism that we're not really allowed to write until we get tenure. That's not to say that this is particularly effective criticism, but I did like the style. To an extent. Robinson seriously hates Geoff Klock...and while I don't know if that's justified (I haven't read "How to Read Superhero Comics and Why" but the passages she quotes are pretty bad) it does seem a bit too mean to make fun of his split infinitives. As for the actual content, I felt like her thesis wasn't quite focused enough to be totally cohesive.

[Emily Ann Meyer · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a fascinating overview of female characters in comics, and their evolution as mirrored in general social perceptions of women. I would've found it richer with a bit of a nod toward other media heroines and the comparison, but there was enough there without it to make this well worth reading.

[miaaa · Rating 2 out of 5]

Women can be powerful. And fight for any cause they believe.

[Flossie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I have sooo many opinions on this topic.

The downfall of this book was the focus on wonder woman- one of the more uninteresting female superheros. But it deserves a nod, just for existing.

[Devoney Looser · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've had the pleasure of reviewing this book: Looser, Devoney. Rev. of Wonder Women: Feminism and Superheroes, by Lillian S. Robinson. the minnesota review 63–64 (2005): 239–43. Print.