Guardians 3000 (click for source)
By Sam Hurcom
Last week, I suggested Marvel had taken something of an easy option in their new found cause of diversifying their character roster. In my mind, whilst having more women in the mainstream Marvel universe is nothing but a good idea, simply introducing female versions of well-established characters was something of a cheap trick. The all new Thor run is no exception. For me, a fairly weak narrative (based on a gender war held between Thor’s Mum and Dad) coupled with the extreme likelihood that the original, male Thor would return on the scene (reducing the new female Thor to little more than a tacky tag-along like She-Hulk or Spider-Woman), makes the series a little gimmicky. In the end, I argued that Marvel would be better advised to invest money and intellect into creating brand new female characters who could fully reflect the struggles and ideals of modern women.
Last week, I suggested Marvel had taken something of an easy option in their new found cause of diversifying their character roster. In my mind, whilst having more women in the mainstream Marvel universe is nothing but a good idea, simply introducing female versions of well-established characters was something of a cheap trick. The all new Thor run is no exception. For me, a fairly weak narrative (based on a gender war held between Thor’s Mum and Dad) coupled with the extreme likelihood that the original, male Thor would return on the scene (reducing the new female Thor to little more than a tacky tag-along like She-Hulk or Spider-Woman), makes the series a little gimmicky. In the end, I argued that Marvel would be better advised to invest money and intellect into creating brand new female characters who could fully reflect the struggles and ideals of modern women.
Geena (click for source)
About an hour after the article was posted online, I picked up Dan Abnett’s Guardians 3000 #2. Anyone who knows me will be sick of hearing how awesome this comic is – in my mind its only close rival is Skottie Young’s Rocket Racoon (but I’ll laud over how wondrous that series is another day!). For those of you who haven’t read issue two, I apologise in advance as I may spoil a big chunk of what happens.
The series follows the original crop of the Guardians of the Galaxy – Captain Vane Astro, Charlie 27, Starhawk, Martinex and Yondu Udonta. The team rescue and recruit a young human woman Geena Drake who is gifted with a unique power regarding space and time. Geena can recognise shifts in the flow of reality, meaning if time skips forwards or backwards and reality is subsequently altered in some way, Geena (as a ‘temporal singularity’) can recognise the big or small differences.
Time is a massive part of this comic as Dan explained at the recent MCM Comic Con in London. When I asked him whether the story would see the original team return to the 21st Century and meet up with the current Guardians crew (Rocket, Groot et. al) he explained that the narrative itself would literally be premised on the fabric of time ripping apart. Subsequently, time hopping and the breakdown of coherent causality would become ever more prominent, giving rise to plenty of bizarre and exciting consequences.
In issue one, the entire Guardians team including Geena (from whom the narrative is told) are killed. Time shifts backwards and Geena (being aware that she and her companions are reliving their lives only minutes before) acts to prevent their impending deaths. The ramifications of this are made clearer in issue two however, as it turns out the supposed shift in time is actually more like a jump to a parallel universe. Whilst it appears that Geena is reliving her life exactly as it was, she becomes aware of one quite big difference: her once male companion, Starhawk, is now a woman.
So I’m going to be quite hypocritical here. I stand by my underlying argument that I’d much prefer to see a whole new bunch of diverse female Marvel characters with their own original stories, powers, villains etc. But, if you are going to take the easy option of simply switching a characters gender from male to female, this is probably the best way to go about it. Let me explain.
The series follows the original crop of the Guardians of the Galaxy – Captain Vane Astro, Charlie 27, Starhawk, Martinex and Yondu Udonta. The team rescue and recruit a young human woman Geena Drake who is gifted with a unique power regarding space and time. Geena can recognise shifts in the flow of reality, meaning if time skips forwards or backwards and reality is subsequently altered in some way, Geena (as a ‘temporal singularity’) can recognise the big or small differences.
Time is a massive part of this comic as Dan explained at the recent MCM Comic Con in London. When I asked him whether the story would see the original team return to the 21st Century and meet up with the current Guardians crew (Rocket, Groot et. al) he explained that the narrative itself would literally be premised on the fabric of time ripping apart. Subsequently, time hopping and the breakdown of coherent causality would become ever more prominent, giving rise to plenty of bizarre and exciting consequences.
In issue one, the entire Guardians team including Geena (from whom the narrative is told) are killed. Time shifts backwards and Geena (being aware that she and her companions are reliving their lives only minutes before) acts to prevent their impending deaths. The ramifications of this are made clearer in issue two however, as it turns out the supposed shift in time is actually more like a jump to a parallel universe. Whilst it appears that Geena is reliving her life exactly as it was, she becomes aware of one quite big difference: her once male companion, Starhawk, is now a woman.
So I’m going to be quite hypocritical here. I stand by my underlying argument that I’d much prefer to see a whole new bunch of diverse female Marvel characters with their own original stories, powers, villains etc. But, if you are going to take the easy option of simply switching a characters gender from male to female, this is probably the best way to go about it. Let me explain.
Starhawk and Geena (click for source)
Abnett is clearly in the process of revamping and revitalising a group of Marvel characters fairly unknown to younger readers. His premise that time itself is breaking apart is means to making one or two changes within a team comprised solely of male characters. The lack of female representation in comics (or the knowledge that Marvel need to reach out to young female readers) is clearly at the forefront of Abnett’s mind. First off, the comic is told from the perspective of Genna. We as the reader are privy to all her thoughts – her fears of death, her desire for inclusion, her awe of the Guardians who save her and even her infatuation with Martinex. But secondly, Abnett has approached this series with the intention of presenting old (fairly unknown) characters in a new guise. Using the disruption in time and reality as the basis for switching Starhawk’s gender is something of a brilliant idea.
Starhawk isn’t enough of a well-established character for people to be attached to a male version. But Abnett didn’t simply set off from issue one with a female Starhawk and no explanation as to why the character’s gender had changed since the 1960s incarnation. The character is introduced in the series as male, but not given enough focus or attention to be fixed as a new fan favourite. Subsequently, the shift in the character’s gender is the first prolonged moment readers focus any actual attention on the character. And it seems this was an intentional move to present a new, confident and self-assured female into the Guardian’s ranks. The dialogue seems proof enough of Abnett’s plan to keep the character female:
Genna – “Starhawk, you were a man last time”.
Starhawk – “So you say. I’ve checked my genitalia… I am a woman”.
As I said, I may seem hypocritical in suggesting this quick switch in this character’s gender is brilliant when I deemed it cheap with regards to Thor last week. But this isn’t simply a quick fix to grab attention and headlines (well headlines on geek forums at least!). Guardians 3000 is a comic devoted to a universal readership: it’s something that both men and women alike can enjoy reading and feel included in. This is clear from the narratives perspective being a woman’s. Abnett’s aim is to present a comic that women can feel fully included in and a part of. Starhawk’s gender switch is simply an act of reinforcing this ideal. As the character isn’t a major Marvel figure, the gender switch doesn’t appear to be cynical or tacky (motivated by the desire to create online headlines or increase comic sales) – not enough people know who Starhawk is to know that she is now a woman! But the switch is also likely going to be permanent (at least I hope so, for my own credibility!), rather than the somewhat (likely) temporary arrangement Thor is currently experiencing.
Starhawk isn’t enough of a well-established character for people to be attached to a male version. But Abnett didn’t simply set off from issue one with a female Starhawk and no explanation as to why the character’s gender had changed since the 1960s incarnation. The character is introduced in the series as male, but not given enough focus or attention to be fixed as a new fan favourite. Subsequently, the shift in the character’s gender is the first prolonged moment readers focus any actual attention on the character. And it seems this was an intentional move to present a new, confident and self-assured female into the Guardian’s ranks. The dialogue seems proof enough of Abnett’s plan to keep the character female:
Genna – “Starhawk, you were a man last time”.
Starhawk – “So you say. I’ve checked my genitalia… I am a woman”.
As I said, I may seem hypocritical in suggesting this quick switch in this character’s gender is brilliant when I deemed it cheap with regards to Thor last week. But this isn’t simply a quick fix to grab attention and headlines (well headlines on geek forums at least!). Guardians 3000 is a comic devoted to a universal readership: it’s something that both men and women alike can enjoy reading and feel included in. This is clear from the narratives perspective being a woman’s. Abnett’s aim is to present a comic that women can feel fully included in and a part of. Starhawk’s gender switch is simply an act of reinforcing this ideal. As the character isn’t a major Marvel figure, the gender switch doesn’t appear to be cynical or tacky (motivated by the desire to create online headlines or increase comic sales) – not enough people know who Starhawk is to know that she is now a woman! But the switch is also likely going to be permanent (at least I hope so, for my own credibility!), rather than the somewhat (likely) temporary arrangement Thor is currently experiencing.
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