Scipio's announced The Absorbascon Balloon Awards contest, and I couldn't pass up the opportunity to enter some Silver Age Legion panels with a recurring theme.
The first entry is by Ed Hamilton; the 2nd two, Jim Shooter. In addition to the text entries as submitted, I'm posting the source panels as well.
Adventure Comics #319, "The Legion’s Suicide Squad", 1964
Spoken By: Brainiac 5
Spoken To: Saturn Girl
Situation: Using The Planetary Chance Machine, the Legion has just chosen members for a dangerous mission on the planet Throon. Brainiac 5 announces the selections.
Word Balloon: “Saturn Girl, Bouncing Boy Superboy, Lightning Lad, Chameleon Boy and Invisible Kid! But... It’s too dangerous for a girl! I must eliminate you, Saturn Girl!”
Virtues: Silver Age sexism means never having to say you’re sorry. (Plus the preceding panel has The Planetary Chance Machine. And not just any panel, but the very panel featured in the TPCM logo!)
Action Comics #378, "The Forbidden Fruit", 1969
Spoken By: Light Lass
Spoken To: Timber Wolf
Situation: Timber Wolf has become addicted to the Lotus Fruit, needs more and has met his dealer in an alley. After Light Lass floats away the basket of Forbidden Fruit, Timber Wolf asks, “What are you doing?”
Word Balloon: “Trying to help you, love!... Watch me! I’m wiring this basket... If one fruit so much as wiggles, the blast grenade strapped to my belt explodes! Touch that fruit and I die!”
Virtues: It provides an important lesson to all girlfriends in every time period: if you really loved your drug-crazed boyfriend, you’d be willing to let him kill you for a fix. F*ck rehab! (And Light Lass used that same tactic and those EXACT words AGAIN, after catching T-Wolf and Queer Legion in the boys dorm. I told T-Wolf he should lock the door. And let me tell you, you don't ever want Light Lass to wire your basket!)
Adventure Comics #368, The Mutiny of the Super-Heroines", 1968
Spoken By: Supergirl
Spoken To: Light Lass (on panel), Saturn Girl and Princess Projectra (off panel)
Situation: While the female Legion members “add feminine touches to their new dorm section” (Shooter’s exact words), they discuss the ambassador of Taltar, a planer ruled by women, where they, not men, are the dominant sex. Light Lass comments that Supergirl’s just as strong as Mon-El or Superboy.
Word Balloon: “Not really! Though our strength has never been accurately measured, theoretically, Superboy is stronger than I, just as a normal boy is stronger than a normal girl!”
Virtues: The only thing better than Silver Age sexism from the guys, is having the girls put themselves in their place!
Wednesday, October 25, 2006
Silver Sexist Gold
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8 Comments:
Sheesh, is Light Lass full of herself or what? Yes, the rampant sexism of the Silver Age is always mind-boggling. Heck those girls are lucky that the boy Legionaires are even letting them in the clubhouse, with their girl-cooties!
SallyP: That particular story is a hoot; it purports both sexes are equal in the 30th century, then proceeds to make the women in the story look bad!!
Poor little Jim Shooter, he tried!! Definitely an "A" for effort and probably an "E" for execution.
>>probably an "E" for execution.<<
Well execution sounds a little harsh, but permanent exile would be okay. As long as the "E" is, like, branded into his forehead.
AI: Nah, not even exile for our young James. He was still technically a kid at the time (17 or 18), so I'm willing to give him a pass. Plus, I think his heart was in the right place.
I'm not sure if you were riffing on my use of "execution" or my meaning was ambiguous.
I meant "the manner in which he did it", not to declare "off with his head"! The panels were pretty sexist, but don't quite rise to a level that warrants killing him!!
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