Swanky, Sexy Comic Books

Comic books never looked so good…and French.

The New York Times article “A French Siren Returns,” by Dana Jennings, focuses on the reboot of a lesser-known 1960s comic book called Barbarella, conceived by French writer and visual artist Jean-Claude Forest (1930-1998). Barbarella is a sci-fi superhero that surfs the cosmos in search of adventure. Jennings compares Barbarella to “an outer-space version of Playboy’s Little Annie Fanny,” whose battles and explorations are laced in the hero’s eroticism. This profound sexuality makes Forest’s heroine stand out from the rest of the superhero universe i.e. Stan Lee, Jack Kirby, and Steve Ditko’s Marvel Comics.

It is easy to support Jennings’s admiration of superhero comic books. Superheroes were created to be something for people to aspire to. The characters and stories are beyond absurd, but the morals and spirit behind them are inspiring. During World War II, Jack Kirby and Joe Simon created Captain America to inspire the American people to keep fighting the Axis powers. In the 1960s, Stan Lee and Jack Kirby created The Incredible Hulk to warn the world of the growing nuclear threat. Comic books connect people to current events when newspapers cannot. As cheesy as it is, the artists use superheroes to inspire people with messages of justice and greatness.

Barbarella is a special case of superhero. Jennings claims that Forest’s writing and visual style makes sure the readers stay focused on Barbarella’s eroticism. She continues to say Forest’s heroine “transformed French comics by wearing as little as possible as she embraced her body and sexuality.” The baffling question is: why would someone want to revive such a sexualized character?

I think Barbarella is more than just a objectified cartoon sex symbol. She is described as an empowered woman who is proud of her appearance. She is unwavering to who she is, and I think that is very respectable. If superhero comics have any power in today’s society, Babarella aims to inspire people to steadfast to who they are. No matter what people may say, people should stay true to themselves. Whether it be across the universe or here at home, people should be proud of who they are. Barbarella symbolize the need to be empowering, adventurous, and strong at heart. Maybe don’t be as lewd, but definitely strong.

Well played, Barbarella.

5 Responses to "Swanky, Sexy Comic Books"

ehughes1 says:

October 10, 2014 at 3:56 pm

As a comic book lover, this was such a great article to read as it allowed me to discover foreign comics such as Barbarella as opposed to the traditional American comic book superheroes. The writer and artist of this science fiction comic, Jean-Claude Forest, is someone I’ve never heard of, and yet he is the French equivalent of famed creators such as Stan Lee or Jack Kirby. Unlike classic superpowers like super strength, flying, invisibility and telepathic capabilities, Barbarella’s erotic energy was her defense against evil villains. I like how the article ends with detailing the disparity between American and French comics and how both set off a revolution in comic books in their respective countries. I guess you could make the argument that the Black Widow, Cat Woman, Wonder Woman and other superheroines offered readers that same sexual appeal as Barbarella, but that certainly wasn’t their primary purpose for being in the comics.
Sydney Marino says:

October 10, 2014 at 8:20 pm

I think it is interesting they are rebooting the comic, Barbarella. Especially with the on-going issues in our society today, particularly to the topic of rape victims. There are people in this world who believe that women are raped because they dress too provocatively. That they “had it coming.” There have even been cases where judges would give lighter sentences to rapist because they truly believe the victim “had it coming”. Of course, eventually the rapist had a harder sentence because society complained. Judges like that are messed up. Schools are even implementing dress codes where girls cannot show skin because it “distracts the boys from doing well in school.” I actually just read an article a few weeks ago pertaining to dress codes. This is the link, if anyone wants to check it out. http://billingsgazette.com/news/opinion/guest/why-yoga-pants-are-incredibly-dangerous-to-today-s-youth/article_be9fb59b-9bcd-596e-bbab-5d13d6d3988e.html. That is terrible because they are implying and enforcing embarrassment to the female population and putting it in the heads of teenage boys that its a women’s fault if they are aroused and can act on their impulses. They believe that rape could be justified. That is disgusting.
I think that women shouldn’t be told how to dress because men can’t keep it in their pants. Women shouldn’t be the ones to change. Men should be the ones to learn how to control themselves. That is why I totally agree and admire the fact that Barbarella is embracing her sexuality and is strong/confident. Men find that attractive in a women. However, if she was a girl in the streets she would be called a whore or even raped. What is wrong with this world?
krystalau says:

October 14, 2014 at 10:02 pm

I am not really a comic book person, but I do find some of the characters and story lines very interesting. I never heard of Barbarella before, and from the description of her, I am a littler surprised they would bring this comic back, especially since I feel like this is a very controversial topic currently since people are starting to discuss if a should dress a certain way, if women are being sexualized, too much etc. The fact that this is a French comic book, shows how different American comic books compare to French comic books. I think it’s interesting and kind of funny that Barbarella’s “power” is her sexuality and body to defeat the bad guys.
michalsudo says:

October 15, 2014 at 1:27 pm

The importance of the character of Barbarella in this comic is necessary for the continued advancement of gender equality. There has already been huge progress and of course this comic won’t be the last major contribution to provide equality between genders, but just having women with a character similar to that of Barbarella in media will help further shorten this gap. The point you made about Barbarella being an empowered woman through her sexuality is very accurate. One of the remaining gender gaps that has been cemented in our society is that of sexuality, especially sexual activity. In most cases there is a difference between the severity of a man cheating on a woman and the a woman cheating on a man. This difference holds women back from expressing their sexuality as they see fit, and the promotion of characters like Barbarella in movies and books will help dissolve this perception.
stephenesses says:

October 15, 2014 at 1:57 pm

Although I am not a big fan of comics this article was very interesting. The idea of Barbarella changes the typical ideas of superheroes in comics, and is definitely something that is new and different. Comic books generally bring to light situations that seem impossible and unrealistic as this also does. Though it would be disconcerting if people and children looked up to, and attempted to be like, Barbarella, like they do in America for a character like Superman.

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