I just read your sig as Zombie in Panic Sauce. Carry on.

Aunt May has improved over the years. Compare the silver age self to her modern self - she's no longer so delicate that a stiff breeze would knock her down; she dispenses advice and absorbs Peter Parker's pain. She even hit Doctor Octopus in the head with an umbrella in the second movie. She's more than a prop now. Her best moment in recent memory was when she defeated Chameleon with drugged cookies. I wish I could remember which Spider-Man book had that (I'm so glad there's only one to worry about right now). Sensational Spider-Man 31.

Aunt May has improved over the years. Compare the silver age self to her modern self - she's no longer so delicate that a stiff breeze would knock her down; she dispenses advice and absorbs Peter Parker's pain. She even hit Doctor Octopus in the head with an umbrella in the second movie. She's more than a prop now. Her best moment in recent memory was when she defeated Chameleon with drugged cookies. I wish I could remember which Spider-Man book had that (I'm so glad there's only one to worry about right now). Sensational Spider-Man 31. From that same page... Spoiler: show spoiler hide spoiler

That's great, as were the linked scans of the Chameleon getting thrashed.

It seems a lot of comic book women are getting out of the fridge and into a CEO's chair. Pepper Pots is running Stark Industries, Lana Lang took over Lexcorp's big desk, and Maria Hill is second banana at SHIELD. For every five bikini-clad superheroines punching thugs on the streets, there's a professional businesswoman running things.

Not having read those comics, these are genuine questions: do you feel like those characters are being masculinized at all? How much agency do they have as CEOs? Are they actually making things happen or are they simply running affairs because someone else ran off and may come back later to take over again? OR are they ostensibly in charge but taking orders from men, absent or otherwise?

Every one of their predecessors was male, of course. A woman leading a company would have confused young readers in the Silver Age, I guess. As for the women taking orders from men while running things, kind of, no, and yes. Pepper is similar to Money Penny from the James Bond movies. She flirts with Tony Stark and she's quick-witted and she has the balls to stand up to her boss but I think she's supposed to be in love with Tony, too. If Tony cracks the whip, Pepper hops to. Lana Lang is her own boss, trying to rebuild Lex Luthor's broken company. She has home issues but she's doing her job. Maria Hill took over for Nick Fury and she sits in the control room watching screens and looking over disaster reports - all the superheroes ignore her. She's a token female - the writers at Marvel might have decided there were too many Y-chromosomes amongst the higher-ups and decided to whip up a token skirt (though she always wears pants ) who is led around by the nose by more popular characters like Fury and Stark.

Would you say that, for example, the Oracle is depicted as more independent and effective?

It seems a lot of comic book women are getting out of the fridge and into a CEO's chair. Pepper Pots is running Stark Industries, Lana Lang took over Lexcorp's big desk, and Maria Hill is second banana at SHIELD. For every five bikini-clad superheroines punching thugs on the streets, there's a professional businesswoman running things. Pepper's character has been regressed about 15 years, Lana got fired and Maria got fired and mind raped for incompetence. At least they arent in bikinis.

Would you say that, for example, the Oracle is depicted as more independent and effective? More independent than what? Oracle is an island - she's insecure. She's so determined to not rely on others and be ever-vigilant, it comes across as creepy. She knows kung-fu, she magically hacks into everything electronic, she's a leader, little fish hackers are in awe of her reputation - the plot armor surrounding her means she could probably arm wrestle Superman and win through sheer willpower. She has no flaws except a fear of failure. I wouldn't be surprised if there was an issue where she left the wheel chair behind and crawled up a flight of stairs with her teeth. She is fiercely independent. She is weird.

Lana Lang was fired? Who replaced her?

I thought Lexcorp was dissolved with all its assets being sold off to various companies including Wayne Enterprises. Also, she was fired when she violated her contract by using Lexcorp resources to help Superman.

Would you say that, for example, the Oracle is depicted as more independent and effective? More independent than what? Oracle is an island - she's insecure. She's so determined to not rely on others and be ever-vigilant, it comes across as creepy. She knows kung-fu, she magically hacks into everything electronic, she's a leader, little fish hackers are in awe of her reputation - the plot armor surrounding her means she could probably arm wrestle Superman and win through sheer willpower. She has no flaws except a fear of failure. I wouldn't be surprised if there was an issue where she left the wheel chair behind and crawled up a flight of stairs with her teeth. She is fiercely independent. She is weird. She was cowed by Superman ONCE. She snapped out of it. I agree though, her biggest foe is her self esteem. People dieing when she is paying attention visibly drills holes in her. I think that she has issues with others being Batgirl too. To her plus she came clean to Commissioner Gordon about her lifestyle and history, so she doesn't have the 'keeping secrets from family' thing hanging off of her. As for her climbing up a flight of stairs with her teeth, she did take on a team of hitters employed by Blockbuster not too far in the run of Birds of Prey. For the most part kicked their asses, but took another bullet for her troubles.

Heh, I remember a weird one from the 90s. Val Cooper was pals with X-Factor. She was flexible enough to let the team do what it needed to but she was usually portrayed as tough as nails when she spoke with government types. She was quick-witted enough that no one could talk down to her, she had a doctorate, had confidence and was competent. For no particular reason I can think of, Marvel put her in a two-piece swimsuit and a trenchcoat for one of their trading card series. Maybe she's a flasher in her spare time? http://www.giantsizemarvel.com/marve...vel-swimsuits/

Women heroes in swimsuits is annoying, but somehow seeing the entire team that way makes it okay. Spoiler: show spoiler hide spoiler

Too often Val turned into simple plot created antagonist (she appeared in Brubaker's Uncanny where she was aged into her 40's I think too). And wow, they had Cyclops with an earring in that swimsuit link you provided. I hated the 90's.

Haha, that page has the Wasp picture with nothing but Wonder Man and Captain America's bulges in the background, Marvel Swimsuits issues were just ridiculous sometimes

"She can push my pencil anytime!" Really? I also love that Tigra is wearing more than her usual garb for the swimsuit spread.

I'm actually surprised Marvel hasn't done a swimsuit issue recently. If the Clone Saga can come back, holofoil covers, big events, go for it. Frank Cho would probably draw half the issue for free.

"She can push my pencil anytime!" Really? I also love that Tigra is wearing more than her usual garb for the swimsuit spread. I noticed the same thing about Vixen. When she's going out on a date or to the beach, shes dresses up nicer/less slutty than her skintight work clothes --- you know, the orange jumpsuit that shows of her jugs.

and iron man with the trunks over his armor

and iron man with the trunks over his armor I think a bigger problem might be that Iron Man is wearing his armor during a tug of war. Granted, Thor is on the other side, but still.

and iron man with the trunks over his armor I think a bigger problem might be that Iron Man is wearing his armor during a tug of war. Granted, Thor is on the other side, but still. Thor and She-Hulk and Hercules.

and iron man with the trunks over his armor I think a bigger problem might be that Iron Man is wearing his armor during a tug of war. Granted, Thor is on the other side, but still. Thor and She-Hulk and Hercules. That's okay. It looks like Cirsi, flying around in her unbuttoned green vest, is a second away from distracting Thor and Hercules with a well-timed wardrobe malfunction. Loose boobs for the fellas!

Where's the Black Knight? Cirsi was all up in him during that time.