[It's pretty obvious that the average CollegeCandy reader has some very strong opinions. Opinions that she likes to share with everyone on the site.  We love a strong woman, so we thought we'd give her a real forum to discuss her thoughts, feelings, and perspectives. Every Friday I'll be featuring a hot topic (like the romper!) and leaving it up to you, the readers, to duke it out. So, read it and get your debate on in the comments section below!]

We all grew up wanting to be supergirls – maybe not with all of the superpowers – but to be strong, smart, independent chicks who could handle themselves and still wear rockin’ heels. But the world of the superhero has always been a boys club (Wonder Woman famously started out as the Justice League’s secretary). Next week one of the most famous comics in history will have a female hero for the first time; and not just your run-of-the-mill, butt-kicking woman; but a hot, rich, Jewish, lesbian, butt-kicking woman.

But is this kind of character a blow for women’s rights, or are comics really just holding back the female image?

One of the concerns over women in comics has always been that they are hyper-sexualized, which some say gives many of the people (especially men) who read them, the wrong idea about women’s bodies and their functions in the world. And it’s definitely true that the world of superheros seems to be populated by a race of  supermodels with Barbie-doll proportions and a propensity for leather. Catwoman is practically the poster girl for fetish garb, and even the great Wonder Woman can’t get rid of the freaking bustier (no matter how hard her writers try)! I mean, have you ever seen Powergirl? Apparently her “powers” are housed in her cleavage. Read More »

The first time I’d ever heard of Watchmen was when I went to see The Dark Knight. There was a trailer with an amazing Smashing Pumpkins song, and it looked pretty cool. The trailer mentioned something about being based off of a graphic novel, so when I got home I called the bf since he worked at a comic book store in high school. (Nerdcore, I love it.) He told me that it was really good, and since I’d never read a graphic novel before, it’d be a good one to start off with. So I went and bought a copy.

I FRIGGIN LOVED IT. Here’s why I’m stoked about anything Watchmen; book or movie:

1) Incredibly well written: The entire time, I couldn’t put it down. Without giving anything away, it’s about a group of masked vigilantes who are considered superheroes, but only one of them has an actual power. The world is going down the crapper and they have to save it. But there’s just so much more to it than that. It’s written amazingly and you get everyone’s background history. You really get involved. Plus it’s won a Hugo award and is the only graphic novel on Time magazine’s “Best 100 English Language Novels,” which means it’s not just me who’s thinks it’s amazing. Read More »