For several generations, comics were regarded as a boy's
club-created by, for, and about men and boys. In the twenty-first
century, however, comics have seen a rise of female creators,
characters, and readers. While this sudden presence of women and
girls in comics is being regarded as new and noteworthy, the
observation is not true for the genre's entire history. Throughout
the first half of the twentieth century, the medium was enjoyed
equally by both sexes, and girls were the protagonists of some of
the earliest, most successful, and most influential comics. In
Funny Girls: Guffaws, Guts, and Gender in Classic American Comics,
Michelle Ann Abate examines the important but long-overlooked cadre
of young female protagonists in US comics during the first half of
the twentieth century. She treats characters ranging from Little
Orphan Annie and Nancy to Little Lulu, Little Audrey of the Harvey
Girls, and Li'l Tomboy-a group that collectively forms a tradition
of funny girls in American comics. Abate demonstrates the massive
popularity these funny girls enjoyed, revealing their unexplored
narrative richness, aesthetic complexity, and critical possibility.
Much of the humor in these comics arose from questioning gender
roles, challenging social manners, and defying the status quo.
Further, they embodied powerful points of collection about both the
construction and intersection of race, class, gender, and age, as
well as popular perceptions about children, representations of
girlhood, and changing attitudes regarding youth. Finally, but just
as importantly, these strips shed light on another major phenomenon
within comics: branding, licensing, and merchandising.
Collectively, these comics did far more than provide amusement-they
were serious agents for cultural commentary and sociopolitical
change.
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