Category Archives: Comics

Princess Leia (Marvel)
Written by Mark Waid
Art by Terry Dodson

In the last year there has been a focused push from Marvel to put out more superhero comics that would appeal more to women. Titles like Ms. Marvel and Unbeatable Squirrel Girl have been pretty successful (though not perfect) at hitting their intended mark. Now that Marvel has reacquired the Star Wars license, they have added Princess Leia to their female focused lineup.

When I say female focused, I don’t mean that these books are designed to only appeal to women. In fact, I have enjoyed all three of them, as have many other people of varying genders and backgrounds that I know.  At no point did I feel like Mark Waid was attempting to pander to women. This was a generally strong story about a pretty kick ass character. The story starts off immediately after the end of A New Hope, literally right after Han and Luke turn around and everybody cheers. After delivering some less than stirring remarks at the award ceremony, Leia finds herself a figurehead of the Rebellion with nothing to do. While everyone else scrambles around, working to pack up the base before the Empire shows up, Leia is basically told that she should be a symbol, keep her head down and grieve. Again, this is not done in a patronizing manner, but out of a well-meaning (though wrong) sense that she is in need of protection. After a little soul searching and prodding from another Alderaan survivor, Leia decides that she just can’t sit idly by and instead embarks on a mission of her own choosing. Continue reading →