Angela's Asses (Get it?)

So the cover for the new Marvel series Angela: Asgard's Assassin was revealed along with some teaser pages.

Let me begin by saying there have been some great leaps and bounds made by comics and by Marvel specifically in getting female-led superhero titles out there. The current runs of Ms Marvel, Captain Marvel, She-Hulk, Storm, and Black Widow, just to name a few, are by all accounts strong books with great stories. I haven't read all of them, but the ones I have read have been top-notch.

There are, on the horizon, a whole pile of titles coming next year that feature female leads as well. Spider-Gwen, Silk, and of course ANGELA: ASGARD'S ASSASIN.

I am happy that these books are out there and getting the attention they deserve. I've always had a tendency to like female heroes, and to see the direction that Marvel is going, well, I can't help but smile.

There was, of course the unfortunate alternate cover debacle for this month's Spiderwoman debut, but that doesn't mean the book won't be good. I feel like the fact that so many spoke out against it is a step in the right direction. The fans are not afraid to speak their mind, and it seems like the publishers are willing to take it to heart when they do.

That is why the new Angela title baffles me.

W--  Where are her pants?

Let's back up a bit.

I don't know Angela's origin as a character, except that she is an angel that was a foil for Image Comics's Spawn character. I do know that Image was founded in the 90's by a group of comics creators who thought comics were not EXTREME enough, and wanted to make the OMG MOST AWESUM COMICS EVAR, and that most of the original staple of SUPER EXTREME AWESUM X-men clones at Image are now gone. Image comics is now a place where creator-owned comics rule, and there are some fantastic titles in their current run. Back then, however, it was riddled with musclebound, foul-mouthed heroes and big chested, wasp-waisted spank-bank heroines. That is not to say that it was ALL bad, but there was a lot of bad. Even Marvel and DC were guilty of this at times.

Lobo doesn't count. He was satire.

Fast-forward to today, and the Angela character has somehow migrated over to Marvel. There is something to do with Neil Gaiman, who created Angela, taking his property from Image with him to Marvel, but I don't know, and I'm not going to find out because it's really not important. I guess someone somewhere liked Angela enough to want her integrated into Marvel continuity. I have no problem with that. I admittedly do not know the character at all, aside from her new Marvel persona's involvement with Thor (Spoiler: she's his long-lost sister or something).

The problem that I have is that it seems as though her costume has not changed since the OMG SO EXTREME 90s version.

Ok, she has fewer pouches.

I'm having a real problem with this decision. I mean, she came from another comics publisher altogether. Considering the way hero's costumes change over time within their own universes, I would think they could give Angela a little revamp. Look at what poor Psylocke used to look like:

I hope it's warm there...

And then look at Psylocke now:

How does she even move at all without her butt hanging out!?

Progress has been made, but why not for Angela? She's apparently supposed to be this angelic warrior with ribbon powers, I guess, but she's fighting people up close. With swords. She has this classic fantasy tropey armorkini along with big robust shoulder armor and gauntlets, and thigh-high armor boots. Then she has, like... a huge belt? That's all? Let's forget the possibility of accidentally cutting herself with her own sword, and imagine what area that her opponent would aim for in a fight. Probably the torso or face, right? I hope she doesn't have to fight any archers. At least her boobs will be safe.

It doesn't even bother me that she's as thin as a lingerie model. I prefer a little muscle on my warrior women, but that's not really the issue here. In a time when we're seeing less and less vacuum-sealed boob-women and bathing suit armor, how is Angela NOT getting some kind of revamped design?

They stare because she doesn't have any injuries at all.

Maybe she's nigh-invulnerable, and has no need for armor. I'm not sure. Still, being an angel, you would think she'd have some sense of practicality if not modesty.

She looks like a badass, and could even be a great character, but I can't get past that costume. It's ridiculous and outdated, and is basically the reason that I won't be reading Angela: Asgard's Assassin when it debuts this winter.

Bring on Spider-Gwen!

Kill La Kill: Progressive?

I recently watched the entirety of the Anime show Kill La Kill. I'd seen some brief screenshots and animation on Tumblr, but hadn't checked the show out before. Frankly, some of the character design made me cringe, and I had been avoiding it, but for whatever reason, I gave it a go.

Now, to preface this, I want to point out that having been on Tumblr has exposed me to no small amount of feminism as it relates to female characters in fiction, and the male gaze, specifically in comics and animation. So, when I started watching Kill La Kill, I was already prepared to look down on it. I mean, look at the main protagonist, Ryuko Matoi.

Underboob Ahoy!

Yikes. Now, without having seen much of the show, I find myself down on it already. Shame on you Kill La Kill, for pandering to fanboys that want to see all the T&A. For Shame. Tsk Tsk. Now compound that with the main antagonist through the first part of the show, Satsuki Kiryuin.

How does it stay on?

GAH... even worse. So already, I have my doubts. But the show's animation style is hyperkinetic and fun, and the female characters, while scantily clad, are well written and numerous. They all seem to have their own agency. Additionally, they all seem to know and actively acknowledge that their outfits are ridiculous.

SPOILERS AHEAD!  Get it?

OK, So the main thrust of the show is that there are these things called life fibers. Some kind of parasitic alien life form that, when woven into clothing, grants the wearer superhuman fighting prowess. The thing is, that people exposed to too much of this life fiber get overwhelmed by it. So, the amount of skin showing on our two main characters is justified. OK... I'll buy it.

I keep watching, and the show is good. It's from some of the minds behind shows like FLCL and Gurren Lagann, two shows that are as silly and fun as they are weird and inscrutable. Kill La Kill is a little more straightforward storywise with the same strange animation style and off-kilter sense of humor. So I'm enjoying it despite the uncomfortable amount of female nudity, particularly when the characters are supposed to be 17 years old.

Now, a couple episodes in, we are introduced to another character. This character is an undercover teacher at their school. He is an agent for an anti-life fiber group codenamed NUDIST BEACH. They wear little if any clothing because, well, we find out later that the evil corporation REVOCS (anagram for COVERS) is secretly putting life fibers into clothing all over the world. So Nudist Beach does not wear clothing in order to better combat their evil scheme. We get to meet Aikuro Mikisugi.

Nice gun.

Wait a minute. Wait. A. Minute. Now I'm not so sure. So many shows, games, comics, treat the female form as a thing to be seen. Form-fitting, skin-showing, male gazeworthy things are they. I mean, boob windows in everything. Now, here is a show... here is a show that says, here is the reason that our characters are basically fighting in lingerie, and then is not afraid for those rules to apply to its male characters as well. Mikisugi is forever letting whatever clothes he has slip off, even mid conversation. And he keeps his gun right out front.

OK. So I'm starting to understand that this show isn't about T&A. This show is saying something.

Let's not forget Nui Harime, one of our villains.

How cute.

Yeah, she's horrible. She's the one who started this whole thing by killing Ryuko's father. And she did it with a smile on her face. She's obsessed with femininity and cuteness, and also happens to be about as evil as you can be. By the end she's a snarling ball of rage, but still rocking that pink bow like a boss. I. Love. This. Character.

By the time of the show's finale, virtually everyone's naked, or in barely-there battle gear.

Good thing it's warm out.

Male and female alike, it doesn't matter. And it's not overly sexualized nudity. It just is. I think (and this is my interpretation) that the show is shining a spotlight on all those tropes, particularly in anime, of the strong female character who is also a sex object. I think that this show first shows us how ridiculous it is, and then takes it further and further until it just doesn't matter anymore. Man, woman, and child are all in next-to-nothing to combat the life fiber threat. In the last beat of the show, EVERYONE's clothes are obliterated, leaving everyone exposed, hangin' all their stuff out in all its floppy glory. But it doesn't feel weird or unnecessary. It makes sense.

So, in conclusion, between the Nudist Beach operatives and the ultra feminine, yet ultra evil and powerful Nui Harime, I feel like Kill La Kill says some interesting things about objectification both in anime and in general. So I was wrong to snap to judgement about it. It's not perfect. There are some uncomfortable moments with Ryuko and her surrogate family ogling her, but other than that, I think this show is a step forward. This is a definite recommend.