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A review by trike
Astro City, Vol. 10: Victory by Kurt Busiek
4.0
Astro City is Kurt Busiek's love letter to comics from the Golden and Silver Ages, and this one features the Wonder Woman of this universe, Winged Victory. The supporting cast is the Superman simulacrum, Samaritan, and the Batman body-double, The Confessor. Neither Samaritan nor Confessor map exactly on to their iconic inspirations, but Winged Victory is very close to Wonder Woman.
What we have here, though, is Busiek using WV to tell a story about female empowerment, while undercutting the radical notion summed up by the phrase, "A woman needs a man like a fish needs a bicycle." The extremist man-hating side of feminism has always been troubling to me, because it's hard to be a feminist and an ally when you are demonized as the personification of everything that's wrong with the world.
In this tale WV is being set up by persons unknown to undercut her image and erode her support. In the fictional universe of Astro City, Winged Victory's power is derived from the belief women have in her as their champion. Staged fights and a whisper campaign damage public opinion of her, thus decreasing her power.
For me, this is how these iconic superheroes work best: as metaphor.
Samaritan and Confessor try to help, but that merely erodes her support further because some perceive this as her needing to "turn to a man." So they step back and let her handle it, assisting from the shadows. (In the Confessor's case, literally. Like I said, metaphor.)
Meanwhile, there's a teenage boy in need of treatment for injuries he's sustained at the hands of bullies, and he turns up at Winged Victory's compound begging for sanctuary. The women there grudgingly aid him only because WV specifically ordered it. No spoilers, but the kid is the key to their realization that their position has been too extreme.
This is a message everyone needs to hear, I think, and to the credit of Busiek et al it isn't a cudgel they bludgeon you with. The issue is stated and you're left to connect the dots yourself.
The second part of this collection is the Astro City Visitor's Guide.
I don't really like playing PnP RPGs, but I thoroughly enjoy reading through the guides that give the world's backstories. Mutants & Masterminds, Savage Worlds, Shadowrun, I dig that stuff. I'm also a big fan of the Marvel Universe collections, so this guide with character bios, map, neighborhood guide, etc., is right up my alley. I actually wish it were more comprehensive.
What we have here, though, is Busiek using WV to tell a story about female empowerment, while undercutting the radical notion summed up by the phrase, "A woman needs a man like a fish needs a bicycle." The extremist man-hating side of feminism has always been troubling to me, because it's hard to be a feminist and an ally when you are demonized as the personification of everything that's wrong with the world.
In this tale WV is being set up by persons unknown to undercut her image and erode her support. In the fictional universe of Astro City, Winged Victory's power is derived from the belief women have in her as their champion. Staged fights and a whisper campaign damage public opinion of her, thus decreasing her power.
For me, this is how these iconic superheroes work best: as metaphor.
Samaritan and Confessor try to help, but that merely erodes her support further because some perceive this as her needing to "turn to a man." So they step back and let her handle it, assisting from the shadows. (In the Confessor's case, literally. Like I said, metaphor.)
Meanwhile, there's a teenage boy in need of treatment for injuries he's sustained at the hands of bullies, and he turns up at Winged Victory's compound begging for sanctuary. The women there grudgingly aid him only because WV specifically ordered it. No spoilers, but the kid is the key to their realization that their position has been too extreme.
This is a message everyone needs to hear, I think, and to the credit of Busiek et al it isn't a cudgel they bludgeon you with. The issue is stated and you're left to connect the dots yourself.
The second part of this collection is the Astro City Visitor's Guide.
I don't really like playing PnP RPGs, but I thoroughly enjoy reading through the guides that give the world's backstories. Mutants & Masterminds, Savage Worlds, Shadowrun, I dig that stuff. I'm also a big fan of the Marvel Universe collections, so this guide with character bios, map, neighborhood guide, etc., is right up my alley. I actually wish it were more comprehensive.