RECLAIMING SPACE: HOW WOMEN ARE USING AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL COMICS TO RESIST MICROAGGRESSIONS WITHIN THE COMIC BOOK FAN COMMUNITY _______________ A Thesis Presented to the Faculty of San Diego State University _______________ In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Master of Arts in Women's Studies _______________ by Lorena Gonzalez Summer 2015 iii Copyright © 2015 by Lorena Gonzalez All Rights Reserved iv DEDICATION I dedicate this thesis to all of those who supported me through this process. Additionally, I dedicate this thesis to Noelle Stevenson, Paige Hall, and Meghan Lovell for inspiring me and for sharing their experiences and art with the world. v ABSTRACT OF THE THESIS Reclaiming Space: How Women are Using Autobiogrpahical Comics to Resist Microaggressions Within the Comic Book Fan Community by Lorena Gonzalez Master of Arts in Women's Studies San Diego State University, 2015 This thesis is an examination of the spaces available to comic book fans, the sexist experiences women face in these spaces, and the use of autobiographical webcomics as a way to share these stories online. I examine these spaces and webcomics with an intersectional approach, focusing on gender specifically, but also class and size. The primary objective is to show how these webcomics are one method of storytelling being utilized to bring attention to and resist the gender microaggressions women face within the comic book fan community. My research is significant because it contributes to the scholarship on fan cultures built around comic books by focusing on the experiences of women. It also contributes to the literature on the history of feminist art by analyzing contemporary autobiographical webcomics. The use of the Internet also adds to the research about girl and women focused spaces, since these webcomics were published online due to the fact that many female comic book fans are denied a space in comic book stores and comic book conventions. Reclaiming Space is organized into five distinct chapters. Chapter one is an introductory chapter that provides an overview of my own reasons for conducting this research. It also outlines the purpose of my research and my main research questions: Why do women turn to the Internet versus other spaces available for comic book fans? How do women share their experiences with others and what are the benefits of doing so? Chapter two provides a history of the current literature relevant to this research. It will focus on the work done about fan cultures, the history of feminist art, and the importance of girl and women focused spaces. Chapter three provides an overview of comic book stores and comic book conventions, with a focus on the sexist treatment women face in these spaces. Chapter four is an examination of the webcomics created by Noelle Stevenson, Paige Hall, and Meghan Lovell and an examination of the gender microaggressions women experience as fans. My final chapter summarizes my findings and presents possible directions this research can be taken in the future. vi TABLE OF CONTENTS PAGE ABSTRACT ...............................................................................................................................v LIST OF FIGURES ............................................................................................................... viii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ..................................................................................................... ix CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION .........................................................................................................1 Research Questions And Theoretical Foundations ..................................................2 Identity And Self-Reflexivity ..................................................................................6 Historical Background .............................................................................................9 Chapter Organization .............................................................................................10 2 LITERATURE REVIEW ............................................................................................12 Fan Culture.............................................................................................................13 Sexist Treatment of Female Fans ...........................................................................15 Feminist Artists and Their Art ...............................................................................17 A Brief History of Women’s Autobiographical Comics .......................................21 Girl Focused and Women Focused Spaces ............................................................23 Girl Focused And Woman Focused Spaces on the Internet ..................................26 Conclusion .............................................................................................................28 3 COMIC BOOK FAN SPACES ...................................................................................29 Comic Book Stores ................................................................................................30 Comic Book Conventions ......................................................................................35 The Internet ............................................................................................................39 Sharing Stories Through Art ..................................................................................42 4 AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL WEBCOMICS ...................................................................45 Background on Autobiographical Comics .............................................................45 Noelle Stevenson ...................................................................................................48 vii Paige Hall ...............................................................................................................54 Meghan Lovell .......................................................................................................58 Community Reaction .............................................................................................61 Conclusion .............................................................................................................62 5 CONCLUSION ............................................................................................................64 BIBLIOGRAPHY ....................................................................................................................67 APPENDIX COLLECTION OF FIGURES ...........................................................................................72 viii LIST OF FIGURES PAGE Figure 1. "Fake Geek," by AfterDaylightComic, posted September 1, 2014. .........................73 Figure 2. "Fake Geek Girl," by Rangely García Colón, posted December 6, 2012. ...............74 Figure 3. "Comic Book Store," by Noelle Stevenson, posted February 10, 2014 ...................75 Figure 4. "Is This What Respect Feels Like?," by Paige Hall, posted May 1, 2013 ...............76 Figure 5. "Am I Right Ladies," by Meghan Lovell, posted November 13, 2012 ....................77 ix ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to thank my family for their unconditional love and support as this project comes to an end. I am eternally grateful for your faith in my abilities and for always encouraging me to push myself. I am grateful to my incredible thesis committee. I wish to thank Irena Lara for her support and mentorship these last few years. Thank you for the talks and calming encouragement through this process. I did not imagine I would be in this place when I first took a class with you as an undergrad. I wish to thank Anh Hua and Yetta Howard as additional readers of my thesis. Thank you for your critical judgment, suggestions, and flexibility. You have all guided me to push myself and this thesis would not be what it is without your encouragement. I want to acknowledge my graduate cohort. Thank you for your constant love and support these past two years. You have all brightened my life with your energy. Thank you for the laughs, rants, and constant check-in. You all helped me grow in a number of ways and I feel lucky that I was able to go on this exciting journey with all of you. 1 CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION For many people, comic books, like other forms of entertainment, can provide an escape from everyday life. Comic books are able to transport readers to new worlds and different times, bringing the extraordinary to our own ordinary world. Indeed, as documented by several scholars, like Roger Sabin and Trina Robbins, comic books have played a significant role within U.S. society since they were first mass marketed in the 1940s. While comic books have always played a role in popular culture since then, the release of Iron Man in 2008 and the creation of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, along with other comic book movies, helped solidify their spot in mainstream popular culture. With the continued expansion of these films, as well as recent television shows, like Flash, the fan culture surrounding the original material has also been pushed to the forefront. For example, San Diego Comic-Con and other similar comic book conventions have become exclusive events that sell out within an hour, with people around the world attempting to purchase tickets to attend (Weisberg). It is safe to say that we have entered a time when popular culture is being dominated by comic books and their various franchises. With the eruption of this material into mainstream