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Tuesday, September 25, 2007

Real Superheroines

Johanna at Comics Worth Reading pointed out this awesome Funky Winkerbean Sunday strip:

The context is three women supporting their friend as she's dying of cancer.
And is that John Byrne helping Tom Batiuk out on art?
More possible Byrne on "Funky Winkerbean": here and here

Batiuk's use of superheroes to illustrate the heroisms people perform every day -- whether it's facing a disease, supporting a friend, or overcoming a fear -- is a wonderful & positive use of the genre.

6 comments:

  1. It isn't like Byrne hasn't been aped before, and it's not like the man is disinclined to demand a credit.

    Man though, could the guy have skirted the line of copyright infringement anymore? Huntress, Wonder Woman, and a specifically undeniable She-Hulk. Afraid the banner of satire wouldn't be protection enough?

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  2. Oh, and shout out to H-Town! Wah-whut! :)

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  3. See, I thought "Raven/Big Barda" for the first one; but the other two, damn, that is awful infringy, at least to my completely unlawyerly eyes. As for the She-Hulk, can you own "green chicks"? I think the Wonder Woman is the most identifiable. Anyhow, I was just ruminating on it.

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  4. I don't think Marvel or DC will sue, because otherwise it would come off as "We do not support helping your cancer-ridden friends!!!"

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  5. >It isn't like Byrne hasn't been aped before, and it's not like the man is disinclined to demand a credit.<

    But Byrne drew Funky Winkerbean for a couple of months when Batuik was off sick, so if it looks like Byrne art in Winkerbean, there's a really good chance that it is.

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  6. It is Byrne. He did four strips for, all dealing with super-heroes.

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