Stuller - Ink-stained amazons and cinematic warriors : superwomen in modern mythology

Female heroes abound in literature, film and all walks of life, although most people don't know that they do. Not surprising given how much they challenge the gender roles in which women and girls have historically been confined. This wonderful book shows female heroes breaking out of gender boxes left and right and illuminates new possibilities for the indomitable hero in all of us.

Kathleen Noble, Ph.D., author of The Sound of the Silver Horn: Reclaiming the heroism in contemporary women's lives

Once upon a timeonly a few years ago, actuallywomen could turn on their TV sets and glory in the adventures of Buffy, Xena, Sydney Bristow, Dana Scully, and many more strong, ass-kicking women. Today there is not one show on the small screen that stars a female action hero. What happened? Comics are not much better. Aside from the occasional exception (for which we are grateful) like Birds of Prey, and women writers like Ivory Madison (The Huntress) and Gail Simone's newly feminist interpretation of Wonder Woman, most comic book action heroines continue to be male-written and drawn creations whose breasts are bigger than their personalities.

Now along comes Jennifer Stuller, with her very entertaining book, Ink-stained Amazons and Cinematic Warriors, to explore the whys and wherefores of pop culture super women, and perhaps jolt us all into demanding more and stronger women characters. Thank you, Jennifer. We need those role models!

Trina Robbins, author of The Great American Superheroines

Acknowledgments

When I first started this book, my friend Holly reminded me that it wasn't something I'd go through alone. Haven't you ever seen the Acknowledgments page of a book? she asked, adding, A published book is ultimately the accomplishment of many people.

How true.

So many thanks are in order to the people who believed in me, encouraged me, took a chance on me, and have helped make this very personal project a reality. Thanks initially to Amy Peloff and Dr. Katherine Noble who almost simultaneously encouraged me to write a proposal for a book on female heroes. And thanks again to Amy for being my co-Slayer-in-Training and for bringing me Sophia and hugsyou make sure I never have to fight the forces of darkness alone.

Thanks to my Daddy, who also wrote a book over the past two years, for his support both commiserative and pragmatic.

Thanks to Roz Kaveney and Philippa Brewster for taking a chance on me. I'm grateful for Roz's input and Foreword, but most of all for her friendship. My gratitude also extends to Philippa's editorial advice and for her help in pushing me to shape this book into a thoughtful piece of work.

Thanks to Trina Robbins, who has taught me the meaning of sister-hood, and to Anne Timmons and Margot Kidder for their generous time (also to Orion for his generous offer).

My gratitude extends again to Kate Noble, as well as to Phillip Thurtle and Ruby Blondell, for encouraging and supporting my research interests and for their mentorship on projects that led to various chapters within this book.

Thanks to Angela Ndalianis, Peter Coogan, Randy Duncan, David Lavery, and Rhonda Wilcox for inviting me to participate in conferences, allowing me to further my studies and make valuable connections.

A quick shout-out to Lorna Jowett is in order for convincing me Dark Angel was worthy of another look and that it spoke to the very themes I was interested in and concerned about.

To my writergrrrls, Lisa Farino and Rachel Bravmann, for their practical and emotional supporta special thanks to Rache for her thoughtful editorial advice and kind check-ins.

Thanks to the 84th Street crew for periodically stopping by to check on my progress and my spirits. I feel blessed to be part of such a warm community.

As I am certainly not the first woman to be curious about female representation in modern myth, I must sincerely stress my indebtedness to the works of herstorian Trina Robbins; scholars Kate Noble, Ruby Blondell, and Rhonda Wilcox; and cultural critic Roz Kaveney. Like the mythic characters that will be addressed in these chapters, I too am standing on the shoulders of Amazons before me.

And finally, to my husband Ryanit's true what Virginia Woolf said about how in order to write, one needs money and a room of one's own. You have provided me with these two essential things, but also so much more. I love you more than I can ever say.

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