John Scalzi on Manboy Audiences and Women Protagonists
Just recently I read the news about Alters, a new comic book with a transgender superhero. It seems that media creators are starting to feel more and more comfortable with diverse characters. I think many authors have finally lost their fear to cast outcasts in their stories. It’s also a good idea to realize that (1) audiences are becoming more comfortable with minority roles 1 and (2) audiences are largely composed of minorities 2.
It is about time that we move past the default straight-white-male hero.
But this is just the latest chapter of man-boys whining about women in science fiction culture: Oh noes! Mad Max has womens in it! Yes, and Fury Road was stunning, arguably the best film of its franchise and of 2015, and was improbably but fittingly nominated for Best Picture at the Academy Awards. Oh noes! Star Wars has womens in it! Yes, and The Force Awakens was pretty damn good, the best Star Wars film since Empire, was the highest grossing film of 2015 and of all time in the domestic box office (not accounting for inflation. Accounting for inflation, it’s #11. #1 counting inflation? That super-manly epic, Gone With the Wind).
And now, Oh noes! Ghostbusters has womens in it!
A Short Review of Ghostbusters and A Longer Pummel of Manboys
