As someone who has read comics and has lived a life relatively dedicated to all things comic based, the degradation of women has been apparent. I’m a proud feminist and believe in the power of equality for all, that includes people of all genders, sexualities, religions and races. The comic book world has been for the most part, trying to reach out of its comfortable white, heterosexual, male fanbase.
I’ve been a DC fan for as long as I can remember, what with the absolute charm that is a moody, angst filled Batman and a powerful, driven Wonder Woman. I first felt empowered by a woman in comics, because of Wonder Woman. She has the strength of Superman and the tenacity of Batman. She is one of the founding members of a super hero league predominantly filled with men and she can more than carry her own weight. She is beautiful, strong, persistent and she’s angry and she sure as hell won’t take sh*t from anyone.
But I’ve recently found myself more impressed by Marvel in their reach for expansion. If you haven’t already heard of the new show Agent Carter it’s a huge hit amongst female comic fans. And let me tell you why:
What we know about this Peggy Carter is that she was working as a government agent in the military when a scrawny Steve Rogers waltzed his way into her life and if you watched the two Captain America movies you know that. Carter is usually portrayed as a supporting character, even though she had attained a government military position before Captain America came along to sweep her off her feet in the recent Marvel Cinematic Universe. She in now given a leading, protagonist role in Agent Carter where she tells the story of how she moves on from the death of her one true love, Mr. Big Shouldered, Blonde Haired, Dream of a Super Enhanced Human, Captain America and she kicks all the ass she is given the opportunity of kicking. But the one thing about her that screams EQUALITY is the fact that she stands up for herself, whether it’s vocally expressing her disdain or physically fighting at a level compared to none other on the show. Was it common for women in this time period to stray from societal expectancies and speak their minds? No, Peggy Carter is a woman ahead of her time and she’s as intelligent as she is powerful.
Aside from the story, the show itself starts off fast. It gets confusing, but the more you watch, things start to fall into a rhythm and characters who are seemingly unimportant get exposed for being nothing short of completely deceiving. Peggy Carter not only kicks major ass, she looks sharp while doing it.
Tuesdays 9/8 c