Comics4Girls

We would like to share a little about ourselves and introduce you to our own personal heroes.

 

Andrea Diaz

I grew up reading comic books and watching superhero cartoons. My favorites were Wonder Woman, Catwoman, and Batman. I was inspired by how they were dedicated in helping people and fighting for justice. I grew up in hostile home environment and superheroes helped me imagine that one day I can become one and defend myself or defend others that need help. When I was ten I did notice there wasn't any Latina superheroes and that inspired me to create my own stories based of Wonder Woman. I don't quite remember the first hero I created, I think it was a fairy that controlled water. I want girls of color to see themselves as strong, beautiful, and powerful because we live in a society that values women based how beautiful they looks and beauty standard is white. Girls of color are strong and needs to be demonstrated on media. I have seen my mother work hard all her life even though she can't read and write, but she managed to raise 8 children by herself. There are many women like my mom who go unnoticed I dedicate my character Citlali to Mexican mothers and girls who came to the U.S fighting for a better life. Not only Citlali represents them but also represents the Mexican indigenous culture. I grew up in a home that was proud to be Mexican and I carried that in my heart to this day. My character Citlali is the representation of the love that I have for the women in my culture also the love that I have for my culture. 

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Personal Hero: Citlali (Say S EE T - l aa - l ee )

Code-name Ms. Luminary 

 

Citlali was a normal 18 year old college student she grew up in a sheltered home with her mom who raised her on her own. She suddenly became an Aztec goddess warrior when she was attacked by three naguals, she fended them off with the piercing light that was radiating from her heart.

How come to possess these powers? It all began when her mom, Maria Luz was crossing the border while she was pregnant with Citlali, she had to go out of fear of the violence that was plaguing her hometown by drug lords and government corruption.  While Maria Luz was crossing the border she had labor pains even though it was two months early. Maria Luz was rescued by a mysterious women with long black hair and a strange necklace with four hands, two hearts, and a skull. The mysterious woman took her to her home and helped her give birth. The baby was born with a weak heart, but the mysterious woman knew what to do. She took the heart from her necklace and placed it on the baby’s chest. The heart glowed and transferred in her chest. The mysterious woman finally reveals herself to be Coatlicue she is the Aztec earth goddess and mother of all the gods and goddesses. The heart contained the powers and strength of the sun and war god Huitzilopochtli. Coatlicue named the baby Citlali and cautions Maria Luz to protect Citlali from going outside after sunset or the moon goddess Coyolxauhqui will kill her. Coatlicue also explained that she will use her powers to fight against Coyolxahqui and her army from bringing destruction on humanity.

Years later Citlali not only uses her powers fight in a cosmic war but also for good in her community. Being an undocumented immigrant woman she knows the struggles and oppression people like her face. She stands up for the rights of immigrants and people of color, making her a target for an increasing hostile government. She nevertheless persists.  

 

Betsy Stacey

I am highly interested in spreading the diversity among female heroes. It is important for young girls to have hero on Television that they can relate to. I never really had that my mother has always been my hero and I always find myself questioning if I could ever be like her. This why I believe in this project. Now I would like to share my personal heroine whose personality embodies my own. However, she is not your traditional white hero. She is Irish and her story has been greatly influenced by Irish Mythology.

 

Personal Hero: Bronagh (Say brone-ah)

Code-name: Masquerade Phantom 

 

There are only a few things Bronagh remembers from her life, her birthday, arrest, execution, and subsequent revival. She was born, December 8, 1542, and was executed on her Eighteenth birthday, for a murder she did not commit. Sometime later she awoke beneath a Willow Tree and subsequently started panicking about being headless, for she saw her body slumped against the tree with a shadow like smoke seeping from her neck. After regaining her composure and realizing she could not remember certain events in her life, she willed her body to move, with her newfound power to control shadows, and attached her head. Bronagh knew she could not return to her old life. Instead, she decided to use the memories she did have and track down those who had her executed. However, who she found was immortal and no matter what she tried she could do nothing to defeat this person. But during the battle, she find out what she has became, a Dullahan or a headless fairy. But unlike the stories of old she can speak more than once and does not ride around on a black horse telling people when they are going to die. Even though she can, she will not. Her mission is the same jut with one addition, find the person who got her executed and find out why she has become a Dullahan.

 

Several decades passed, the Sixteenth Century ended long ago. She found herself constantly trying to blend in, but never having a place to belong can make one lonely, and that is what she is lonely. She had traveled to many places around Europe but never strayed to far from her homeland, Ireland. She had learned new abilities, such as Shape Shifting, Ghost-walking (the ability to move through solid objects), and Supernatural Sight, which she has finally mastered. Eventually, Bronagh found herself traveling to America, albeit on a ship, claimed to be unsinkable, but sank anyway. She continued to travel and after learning that the person who had her executed was in America as well she decided to test out her new powers on them, she failed to kill them of course, but she was determined. 

 

Bronagh found herself staring down at, what one calls a cellphone, it was free and Citlali said it would come in handy. Ah. The joys of the modern era or was it considered the contemporary era? The world has changed but she is still the same as ever, only her mind has matured. Although, Bronagh has found it hard to make friends because she's had to keep moving from place to place. She would comment that it was her appearance, as Bronagh does not fit the societal norms of beauty. So, although, the modern era is different, through all her troubles Bronagh has found a team to call family. 

 

Sister Ann

I am interested in the media’s effect one’s identity. In my opinion, the majority audience of comics is teens. If people make an effort to empower female and male how to embrace their genders with full potent strength, the world will be a better place. Moreover, we can see there's a gap between men and women in the heroic narratives in comics. It is essential to encourage people to fill this gap so both boys and girls can find their “idols” through reading comic books.   

Growing up in Vietnam, a country has suffered from many wars and ideologies. I want to learn how Vietnam and Asian countries portray women in Comic books. Through the lens of feminism in a concrete culture such as Asian cultural tradition, people see the inequality in gender role obviously. In Asia, people share the culture in which they have a similar opinion such as ethnicity, religion, and culture. Asian culture has instinctive elements about gender roles. Besides many values such as filial piety, honor, and collectivism, one of the negative aspects is that the woman has to deal with gender inequality in a patriarchal culture. In this world, “The inherent patriarchal Oriental culture considers men to be authoritative, domineering and repressive figurine whilst the women are expected to be docile, submissive and subservient to nature. Perhaps it was derived from its traditional cultural norms where the men were sole breadwinners of the family whilst women stayed at home” (“Feminism in the Asian Culture”). Indeed, because of the Asian social expectation for each gender, the female has less respect as well as power than the male. Gender roles are also unequal within traditional Asia. In a world when everyone agrees with patriarchy's perspective, naturally, it is difficult for women to express their opinions. I want to support women in Asia to have equality gender in education, career, and marriage. The first step of this is how to help women be aware of their situation and desire to move up their lives at least by seeing “superwoman heroes” throughout the world.  

As in many young nations, the myth, "One Hundred Eggs," occupies a huge place in thinking about Vietnamese nationhood. The main character is Au Co that I will mention later as my personal hero. The myth encompasses a crucial vision of the links between geography, culture, ethnicity, and the birth of the nation to reinforce Vietnamese identity and its significant origin at a turning point to separate from China, a big northern country. I want to take advantage of this myth to convey my message that although we are a small country in Asia, we have many great things to proud of my country. I think when a person appreciates her original nationality, she might have more self-acceptance to her ethnicity and how her appearance looks like. We cannot change our outlook but our perspective. The more we are pleased with our natural being with skin, gender, shape..., the more confidence we have. The notion of beauty should not stop at the outside appearance. I think it is perfect when we are beautiful in and out.

 

Personal Hero: ME (Translation: Mom)

Code-name: Au Co

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Now I will tell you about my hero, Au Co who is honored as the mother of Vietnamese people and the goddess of the nation. Au Co means a royal mother or a mother goddess in Vietnamese myth. She was an immortal mountain Thần [Thần means a divine figure]. Au Co and Lac Long Quan fell in love and got married. This magical union laid a sack of one hundred egg from which hatched one hundred sons. With Au Co, Lac Long Quan created a human language and used it to name all things on earth. When their children matured, they taught them how to gather fruits, make tools for hunting and fishing, and how to build huts. Later on, Au Co showed them how to plant sweet rice as a main food for the Vietnamese. In all ways, they had a wondrous life. After some time living with Au Co, Lac Long Quan told his wife one day: “I am by nature like a dragon in the water, while you are like a goddess “Thần” in the mountain. Our habits and customs are different. We must live apart from each other. Now of all our children, half will go with me to the underwater palace, and the other half will stay on land with you. If either group encounters misfortune, then the other group must help them”. The hundred children of Lac Long Quan and Au Co understood their father’s wish and divided themselves into two groups. Fifty followed their mother to the mountains, and fifty followed their father into the ocean. They became the ancestors of the Vietnamese people. Because of this legend, the Vietnamese people referred to themselves as the Dragon and Au Co descendants who came from the same family a long time ago. Au Co and her fifty sons went to the highlands. She crowned the eldest son, Hung Vuong. Hung Vuong named the country Van Lang [It means the land of learned people] and made Phong Chau its capital. So, began the dynasty of Hong Bang, and with it the foundation of the Vietnamese nation. (Nghia M. Vo, Legends of Viet Nam, pp 57-61).

Because Au Co had her symbol as a Chim Hoang Hac [This is a kind of bird, you can see this bird on the picture of AU Co that created by Betsy. ], Vietnamese people believed that by putting a bird’s image in their boats or houses, they would be protected by Au Co, their goddess. Moreover, with her medicine’s skill and a compassionate heart, Au Co traveled to heal those who suffered both emotional and physical diseases.

As a result, I want to share with you my personal hero in order inspire us to live a better life by reaching out to those who are in need.  I think by imitating great heroines’ lives, this will enrich our understanding of how a meaningful life is. For Vietnamese people, it has been 40 years since the Vietnam's war, I hope I can do something contributing to building up Vietnamese identity in overseas communities, particularly for those who are born outside the motherland.  Au Co becomes an invisible bond connecting all people who bring the Viet blood and flesh in a spiritual relationship to strengthen their identity.