Holding Out for a (Super)Hero: My So-Called Secret Identity

As a professor of Film and Cultural Studies and the editor of Cinema Journal, Dr. Will Brooker is acknowledged as one of the foremost authorities on popular narratives, with particular regard to comics. Well-versed in the entire Batman universe, the inspiration for Brooker’s newest creative project came as he turned his attention to Barbara Gordon, a.k.a. Batgirl. Despairing over the dearth of high- (or even middling-) quality stories, and frustrated by the editorial direction taken by DC with regards to her character, Brooker began an experimental project to reinvent Batgirl. This proposal—a collaborative effort with a number of artists and critics—aimed to finally give Barbara her due as a superheroine in her own right and a story worthy of her talents and capabilities. As a lecturer at Kingston University in London, Brooker was keenly aware of the divide between the intelligent, committed and ambitious women he taught and whose PhD studies he supervised, and the female characters he was reading in mainstream comics; overly-sexualized women who appeared in mainly decorative or powerless roles. Soon, the informal pitch for Batgirl transformed into a more involved undertaking. Rather than simply criticizing the approach taken by most mainstream comics toward their female characters, Brooker realized that they could put their ideas into practice and, by showing how things could be done differently with this creation, perhaps lead by example.

And so, My So-Called Secret Identity was born.

My So-Called Secret Identity (MSCSI) is the brainchild of a large, mostly female collaboration, helmed by Brooker and artists Suze Shore and Dr Sarah Zaidan. The ambitious and entertaining webcomic is updated every Sunday and with the completion of issue 2 scheduled for this coming weekend, there has never been a better time to get acquainted with the host of MSCSI’s intriguing characters. The creative team is passionate and enthusiastic about the project, and in preparing to write this post, the team generously offered their insight into what makes MSCSI such a hit.

Set in the vibrant and complex world of Gloria City, MSCSI is centred around the character of Catherine Abigail Daniels, a smart and funny graduate student. In contrast with the majority of female characters in mainstream superhero comics, Cat’s  image—from her physical proportions to her clothing—is realistic and believable. This realism was an idea that the team wanted to highlight, according to artist Suze Shore: “Cat needed to be a person you could picture running into. She’s average height, average weight, on the pretty side but not glamorous (unless the occasion calls for it), and the everyday-ness of her look helps, in my opinion, to emphasize that her power lies in her capabilities rather than who she is on the outside.”

My So Called Secret Identity, Issue 1 Page 2; Art by Suze Shore

The feminist origins of the comic are seen most clearly at the outset of issue 1, wherein we glimpse some of the everyday challenges which Cat faces. From observing just a few of these micro-aggressions, we can sense the societal pressure to hide her intelligence and confidence; reinforcing the idea that without any special talent, she is one of Gloria City’s “little people”. Despite this pressure, however, Cat’s determination is undiminished. This strength should not be such an unusual trait, and yet after years of reading mainstream comics, it is refreshing. It comes as no surprise to discover that Cat’s character was inspired by such smart and fierce forerunners as Dana Scully and Clarice Starling. “Inevitably, as writer,” Brooker told me, “I have based Cat on myself, and the interesting result of this is that she is pretty assertive and socially forward; I didn’t realise at the time that I was writing her, in a way, as behaving like a young man might in terms of things like dating and approaching people in bars. But that makes her an interesting mixture in my opinion.”

Cat is not alone in being developed as a well-rounded character; she is surrounded by people who, although they may play a supporting role, clearly have interesting lives and histories of their own. With such a positive approach taken to the balanced portrayal of women, it is not surprising that MSCSI is sensitive to other issues, with characters of different ethnicity and orientation depicted with similar fairness. For example, even though mainstream comics are catching up with social advances in the real world, in the pages of MSCSI, it is still nice to see someone being called out directly for using a homophobic slur.

Inspiration for Cat came from Dana Scully and Clarice Starling
(© Fox Broadcasting Company and Orion Pictures Corporation)

Despite the social commentary, at heart MSCSI is a superhero comic. While the pace of the story is perhaps slower than we are used to in the superhero genre, MSCSI gradually introduces us to a world where the impossible is a daily occurrence. Costumed vigilantes and super-powered heroes are commonplace; and still, Gloria city is under attack. Yet despite the overt threat of terrorism, a murkier undercurrent can be felt, hinting that there is more to Gloria’s heroes than meets the eye. While laying out a gripping plot, the team also grasps the opportunity to parody some of the established tropes of modern comic-book superheroes—the best example of which is the brilliantly sinister Urbanite (who even has his own twitter account and blog) and his “Man-Cave”.

Everything in Gloria City, from its newspapers and advertisements to the music scene, hints at a world where superheroes are an established part of society. The influence of Alan Moore‘s work can be seen in the depth and complexity of the world of MSCSI. Along with the early 1990’s work of writers such as Grant Morrison, Peter Milligan and Neil Gaiman for Vertigo comics, Brooker was influenced strongly by Moore and his collaborators: “More than anything, I was probably thinking of Watchmen in terms of creating an alternate world with its own adverts, brands, bands, shops and fashions.”

With this in mind, and taking inspiration from Brooker’s script, Suze Shore created a vibrant and detailed environment for Cat and her friends. She said: “I wanted the world of MSCSI to be, like Cat, believable; the more real-life detail I can put into a scene, the more readily people will be—or so I’m hoping—immersed in it and more greatly invested in the story. Gloria and her inhabitants are vastly complex with a multitude of overlapping dialogues, and I felt that art has to match that complexity if it ever hopes to properly convey all the interesting levels in Will’s writing.”

Augmenting the complexity created by Brooker’s script and Shore’s art are the mind-maps crafted by Sarah Zaidan, who also paints the cover images and colours the interior art. These are probably my favourite aspect of MSCSI—multi-layered, tactile spreads which really bring to life the arena in which Cat is the star: research. An incredible amount of work goes into the creation of these layouts; Zaidan usually begins the process a month in advance in order to collect and combine the textures, ephemera and drawings that make up the mind-map.

“For the mind-maps,” Zaidan told me, “my main influences are real-world objects and textures, as well as Suze’s artwork on the other pages of the comic, since they are the lens through which the reader views Cat and her world. The collaborative aspect of the project is particularly compelling to me; the reader is provided with different representations of the same world.”

Mind-map by Sarah Zaidan

The mind-maps are a great example of the advantages of MSCSI’s webcomic format. Reading on a computer screen, it is possible to zoom in and explore the detail of the art in a way which would be difficult in print. Producing the comic on the internet has other benefits, not least the ability to expand its readership beyond the comic community. Brooker highlighted this advantage: “[The web format] has been a great way of reaching people who don’t read comics. Many of our fans are not conventional comic readers at all, which was absolutely the point of MSCSI.” The team’s decision to target a broader audience can also be seen in the design layout of the website and even in the colour palette used, which distance MSCSI from the appearance of traditional comics. In this regard, the comic has been a great success: the early issues of MSCSI have generated positive responses and garnered rave reviews from mainstream media and comic aficionados alike.

MSCSI is a work of passion for Team Cat; in fact, Brooker writes the script free-of-charge. The comic is funded through donations which go toward covering the artists’ minimal costs, with the excess donated to a woman’s charity. Currently, the charity benefiting from MSCSI donations is A Way Out—an outreach and prevention charity which seeks to educate, support and empower vulnerable women and young people. If you enjoy reading MSCSI, donate; not only will you be supporting a great comic, but you’ll also be supporting a brilliant cause and getting rewarded for it! Every donation is rewarded with sketches, deleted scenes, videos, or even with the incorporation of your name or image in a future comic. I can testify after having the awesome Easter Eggs mailed to my inbox—it was money well spent.

So what does the future hold for Cat?  The current story arc will play out over issues 1–5, with a further two story arcs planned in volumes of five issues each—and eventually, the team hopes to arrange a print collection of MSCSI. Following the completion of Cat’s three story arcs, Brooker suggested the exciting prospect of exploring some of MSCSI’s other characters through miniseries and one shots. “Personally,” he said, “I see MSCSI as a world, a kind of franchise, with the potential for us to follow other people and other periods, as well as Cat. I would like to rejoin Cat in 2013 at some point, when she would be in her forties, as I think that would be a pretty unusual type of superheroine.”

Well, I don’t know about you, but I’m sold.

Queen and Country Volume 1

“There’s a trick, they teach it to you at the School. When someone pulls a gun on you, they say, charge at him like a bloody lunatic. It’s the last thing they expect and most of them can’t hit water from a submarine anyway…and repeat to yourself over and over that you’re doing this for Queen and country.”

Tara Chase is good at what she does. She is Minder Two—an operative of Her Majesty’s Secret Intelligence Service and the central character in Greg Rucka‘s Queen and Country. I recently received Q+C Volume 1 as a present from my other half, who is well aware of my soft spot for strong female characters. I’m delighted to report, in that regard, Queen and Country doesn’t disappoint!

Volume 1 collects the first three story arcs of Q+C; Operations ‘Broken Ground’, ‘Morningstar’ and ‘Crystal Ball’. The story is immediately engaging and Rucka manages to depict the lives of these SIS agents with a real sense of authenticity—laying out every scene with an incredible eye for detail, from the tension and drama in the field to the banality of the office environment and its murky politics. Throughout it all, the character of Tara Chase draws us into the story. In the incredible opening scene of Q+C, our first view of Chase is as she prepares to assassinate a Russian mob general. Setting her character up in this way, Rucka effectively removes her from the curse of the “typical” nurturing feminine stereotype. She excels in a stressful and dangerous job but is by no means idolized; Chase is shown with her fair share of issues. She is a functioning alcoholic whose personal life appears to be a mess, but she is never depicted as weaker or more emotional than her colleagues. When she struggles in the aftermath of a difficult operation, the problem is not caused by her gender—every operative is affected by the harsh reality of the job.

Based on the gripping stories and engaging characters, Queen and Country is an unqualified success; stylishly reclaiming the spy genre from the blokey, sexist and misogynistic Bond franchise. But. (Why must there always be a ‘but’?!) My one criticism of Q+C Volume 1 is the inconsistency of the art, particularly in the third story arc, Operation Crystal Ball.

Steve Rolston illustrated the first arc, Operation Broken Ground, and although some critics complained about the “cartoony” quality of his work, I liked the simple, pared-down look. More importantly, I loved Chase’s lean, almost androgynous appearance. Rolston’s styling not only added to the credibility of the characters, but also reinforced the gender-equal tone of the story. Even when Chase is shown in her underwear, it is not sexualized, and when the character is later shown in a hopeless position, although she is vulnerable and scared, she is still depicted with strength, courage and professionalism. No damsel in distress is she (for more on that old chestnut, check out the marvelous Feminist Frequency). Incidentally, I was pleased to see this story arc breaking another exhausted trope; a female character wearing an evening gown says she is cold…and her male companion doesn’t offer his coat!

Operation Broken Ground, Art by Steve Rolston

The second story arc, Operation Morningstar, was pencilled by Brian Hurtt, and inked by Bryan Lee O’Malley and Christine Norrie. ‘Morningstar’ is introduced with another incredibly gripping opening, focused on the execution of a journalist in Taleban-controlled Afghanistan. The first thing that struck me was the complexity of the art; compared with Rolston’s run, the illustration in ‘Morningstar’ explodes with detail. Surprisingly, the page layout also appealed to me; I loved the panel structure and how the negative space was used. The characters are drawn with greater realism than previously, while retaining the credible body shapes and practical style. Fittingly, as ‘Morningstar’ sees Chase attempt to renew her faith in herself and her job, its confident storytelling and impressive artwork succeeds in reaffirming Q+C’s potential.

Operation Morningstar, Art by Brian Hurtt, Bryan Lee O’Malley and Christine Norrie

And so, to the bad news. Operation Crystal Ball, the final story of Volume 1, was illustrated by Leandro Fernandez. The style is vastly different to that of the previous two interpretations, ditching realism for grotesque caricature. Not since Astonishing X-Men: Xenogenesis have I been put off so much by a comic’s artwork. Although not helped by what I judge to be the weakest story-line in the volume—a ridiculous terror plot exacerbated by post-9/11 paranoia—I found myself constantly distracted by the artwork. Where Chase was previously depicted with a realistic body shape and style, Fernandez transformed this well-developed character into a size-zero parody of heaving bosoms and collagenated lips. It’s a shame: the combined effect of weak plot and frankly awful art is that although I continue to recommend Q+C Volume 1 to friends, I instruct them simply to skip ‘Crystal Ball’.

Operation Crystal Ball, Art by Leandro Fernandez

Overall, Queen and Country Volume 1 is one of the best comics I’ve read recently and a brilliant addition to the spy genre. Although the standard was let down by the third story arc, it didn’t stop me from buying Volume 2…but, admittedly, not before a sneaky flick through in the shop to reassure myself that the Tara Chase I know and love returns.