Thursday, May 17, 2012

Women of Comic Books

Storm (Ororo Munroe of the X-Men)
                                                      





                       Discussion Post:  OBJECTIFICATION of WOMEN in COMIC BOOKS

         My one and all-time favorite comic book character is the one and only lady of the elements Ororo Munroe, best known as “Storm”, one of the great comic book author “Stan Lee” crowning creation. From the first time I came across Storm in one of the many X-Men comic books, when I was much younger, I was truly amazed with her. In fact, Storm was the first black female character with mutant                   

power that I have ever come across, so to see her was indeed a treat. Through the years, Storm has been drawn with different outfits and different hair styles, but she will always remain within as the first Storm that I came to know.

Ororo Munroe, daughter to an American Journalist and an African Tribal Princess, did not receive her code name “Storm” until her later run in with Xavier, Charles, the head leader and founder of the X-Men. Storm’s ability to control the air around her and by changing the weather with a raise of her hands to the sky could have made her a formidable foe for the X-Men. However, Storm also possessed a strength that was even more powerful than her mutant powers those are the powers of compassion and restraint. Even when faced with mortal danger to herself, she sought out to restrain rather than total annihilation.

 Storm’s hair, a pure snowflake white, matched her eyes brilliantly as they would change from dark to snowflake white whenever she gathered her elemental powers. She then would take to the air. Even though Storm possessed no powers of flight, in other words, she could not fly but what she could do was glide. By using the very air around her she would move through the air with ease as if she was no heavier than a feather which made her unusual outfit appear to be wings of sort.

Storm’s body shape have always been drawn with the fitness of an amazon which made her outfit into a bodysuit that clung like second skin to a well per portioned and well- endowed frame.

 In this pose, Storm’s outfit is full length dark blue and gold trim with a gold belt, which make a statement of the mutant power she possess, power over the elements which she calls upon. Around her head she wears a Tribal band in the form of a crown to hold back her hair from her face which also shows her noble status of being the daughter of a princess.

Storm will always be my favorite comic book character, not just because of her powers but most of all her back ground which came to be a real break-through for black American females all over the world  not only have a hero but a heroine.

5 comments:

  1. Storm is one of the true “female heroes”. What I mean when I say that is she is a female who is a hero and doesn’t need to be rescued or act as eye candy. She functions as part of one of the most prolific super hero teams in the Marvel Universe. In the picture you provided it shows her in her uniform at a not-so provocative angle, which harkens back to the “not eye candy” point. She is smiling and it also appears as if she if about to take flight. She looks like a super hero, as she should.

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  2. Storm is one of the best, if not the best woman superhero out there. Maybe second to Wonder Woman, if that. She was worshipped as a goddess in Africa but stayed so humble. And when she joined the X-Men, she had no ego and was 100% a team player. Though I did always find it odd that she, being so powerful, was always playing second fiddle to Cyclops, who, while powerful, had nowhere near her skill or power.

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  3. Out of all of the female hero's Storm happens to be my favorite. She is truly an amazing character. I think that she was brilliantly designed. She is very feminine yet not overly sexual. I like the fact that when she is using her powers her eyes change to the same exotic color of her hair. Storm is one of the few female super heroes that is not portrayed as an eye candy figure. She was a very influential team member of the X-men family. She is the best female super hero in my opinion. I do not know if anybody else agrees with me but this is simply my opinion.

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  4. I love the detail that you added about her history instead of just talking about her body. It gave me a sense of getting to know her personality and compairing it to what they have put her out to be. I loved how they portrayed her in X-Men. They covered her up more and made her out to be serious rather than trying to make her look like a stripper. Not that I have anything against them, its just strippers and superheros dont go good together unless its in role play or in a porn.

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  5. Although I don't agree with the outfit itself, I am not a superhero so I don't know what would be the best to take on conflicts. Storm is a powerful women in many ways and I don't think she should be judged solely on her outfit. Storm is a physically fit person who happens to be blessed in her assets. The outfit is snugly formed to her every curve, which may or may not help defend the world but does look nice.
    I didn't realize she was the first african female comic herione. Knowing that now, make me like her even more. We need more diversified characters modeled after her.

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