Formal Analysis
The Mire:
Simple, but Complicated
A self-published, standalone comic, The Mire, showcases Cloonan’s artistic as well as literary merit within the medium. Her efforts for this self-published work were recognized in 2013 as Cloonan received an Eisner Award for “Best Single Issue.” This self-contained narrative follows a squire, Aiden, on a mission to deliver a letter amidst the outset of a war campaign. Through Aiden’s travels, he encounters ghostly warnings and uncovers a truth about himself and his past as he reaches his destination, a decomposing castle.
The page selected for analysis is a double page spread which lies on the double truck of the comic itself, signifying it as being the dead center of not only the physical book, but of the
narrative as well. This page is successful for several reasons, not only for its ease of reading, but also as a well-executed panel layout paired with a clean, easy to read illustration style. As the literal centerfold of The Mire, the page takes place as Aiden is running through the swamp to deliver the letter. On the preceding page, Aiden encounters a horsed apparition shouting “TRESSPASSER” at him continuously and begins to chase him out of the woods. The chosen page takes place at the end of the chase scene, where Aiden is pursued by the horseman and reaches a clearing to unveil his destination.
Consisting of two tiers, the upper is composed of six vertical panels, whereas the second tier features a single, horizontally oriented panel. Although not an outwardly dynamic page composition, Cloonan combines a grid page layout in combination with a staggered page layout, which is highly successful in terms of readability. As the viewer will follow the “Z-path,” reading left to right and top to bottom, the combination of these two layouts ensures that there is nowhere for the reader to get lost on the page. A recent study conducted by Dr. Neil Cohn found that these two particular layouts received top marks concerning readability from a pool of readers, where the grid layout scored 94% in ease of comprehension, and staggering at 90% (Cohn 94). The comprehension scores do match with Cloonan’s page layout, as it is easy to navigate; but where her seemingly simple composition is easy to read, she employs subtle layout tricks to enhance the story.
Looking at the page as a whole, the reader’s eye is drawn across the page in two ways, the first being the contrast on the page. The upper tier consists of the six panels upon a white background, visually resting upon the strong blacks of the lower tier. The all-black trees of the lower panel visually hold up the upper tier panels, while also simultaneously funneling downwards to the white spotlight of the lower panel with Aiden gazing upon the castle. This use of contrast creates a balance within the page while also encouraging eye-flow.
The second way in which the reader’s eye moves across the page is through the individual panel composition which creates implied movement panel to panel. In the first panel of the top tier, Aiden is running and angled as if he is leaning forward. Aiden’s right arm is at a 90 degree angle, which when followed leads the reader to the second panel. The second panel consists of the apparition giving chase, horse mid-gallop with the reins flowing in the air and mane in motion. The horse and rider create a visual triangle, where the horse’s nose is the pinnacle of said triangle and directs the reader to the third panel. This panel returns to Aiden, protecting his face from branches as he is being chased. Here, one can follow the panel top to bottom, where his fingers point to the next panel. In the fourth panel, a close up of Aiden’s foot is shown, with his leg creating an obtuse ‘Z’ form. Again, following this implied line top to bottom, the toe of Aiden’s boot leads to the next panel, a terrifying close-up of the apparition’s gnarled face. As the maggots explode from the ghost’s mouth, the trajectory of the insects and align with the small body of Aiden finally reaching some sort of safety. The long shot in the sixth panel is a visual cliffhanger, where Aiden is clearly putting room between the pursuer and himself, but the reader is left to move to the next panel through the dark tree on the reader’s right side of the panel, pointing downwards to the reveal.
The page layout contains what Dr. Neil Cohn deems “convergence construction” (Cohn 60). This particular combination of panels bears similarities to “cross-cutting” in film, but in the comics medium it consists of alternating panels of two characters, generally resulting in a larger panel in which both characters are shown (Bordwell and Thompson 270). In this case, the characters (Aiden and the apparition) do alternate in the panels of the top tier, but whereas in convergence construction both characters would be shown in the final panel, Aiden is instead introduced to the next scene. The lower panel not only serves as a culmination of action, where Aiden finally reaches safety, but also functions as an establishing shot and diegetic image, setting up the environment for the next part of the story.
The use of the convergence construction also aids with identifying the timing of the page. The first six panels in the first tier are vertical, close together on the page, and slightly stagger position on the top tier, up and down. For example, panel two featuring the horseman is slightly lower than panels one and three. The up and down layout choice in the top tier creates a staccato feel, a rhythm that mimics Aiden running through the forest, and visually heightens the drama. The use of “subject-to-subject” transitions in panels one through three, and five and six (panels three to four feature an action-to-action transition) rely on a “degree of reader involvement to render these transitions meaningful” (McCloud 71). In this case, alternating between characters heightens the action. Pairing the slightly staggered, vertical panels with subject-to-subject transitions and the implied line that aids moving the eye from one panel to the next creates a feeling as if the reader is running alongside Aiden, experiencing his fear as he is trying to escape this apparition.
As the page layout enhances the drama and fear present at this point in the narrative, the use of medium and close up shots paired with the dialogue and sound effects also amplify the emotional quality of the narrative. Panels one through five progress from a medium shot, showing Aiden running, to an extreme close up of the apparition’s face, inducing fear. The progression of the lens moving closer in from medium to extreme close up acts as a crescendo--for a lack of a better term--and amplifies the action. The action is also intensified by what comics scholars Randy Duncan and Matthew Smith call “affect displays,” where the subject’s internal emotion is displayed through gesture, facial expressions or vocals. Affect displays are specifically found in panels one and two, featuring Aiden showing his emotional state indicated by his facial expression: fear (Duncan and Smith 143). In panel one, Aiden is running from the apparition, turning back slightly to yell “STAY AWAY FROM ME!!” Aiden’s eyes are fully open, and slightly exaggerated by the lower crease of the eye lid, expressing his fright. In panel three, fear as well as pain is indicated through Aiden attempting to shield his face from the branches, with his eyes shut tightly and a grimacing mouth.
The extreme close up in panel five is also extremely effective, as this particular view “is often used to emphasize some detail that is important to the plot” (Duncan and Smith 143). The horseman, generally shown in a long shot view, is now revealed to truly be dead and decomposing, not a human protecting his land, as the narrative does take place in a time of war. The apparition serves as a character as well as an icon symbol, where a skull indicates death and invokes horror. The close up reveals the weathered skin, hollow eye sockets and maggots, which thusly enhances the horror element of the story.
Although little dialogue is present on the page, what is does serve a purpose. As the quality of comics are often judged for their interdependence of text and image, scholar Robert Harvey notes that “neither words nor pictures are quite satisfactory alone without the other” (Harvey 641). The sparsity of dialogue Cloonan employs on the page creates an air of mystery, and again, heightens the drama of the page itself as well as the narrative as a whole. In panel one, the use of a jagged balloon border implies Aiden is yelling “STAY AWAY FROM ME!!” as he beings to run. The only other dialogue is from the apparition in panel two and panel five. Panel two the apparition adds to the mystery and drama by saying, “I KNOW YOU!” At this point in the narrative, Aiden does not know that he is returning to his home (spoiler), which is revealed in the subsequent pages. The caption box in the lower tier panel indicates that there are secrets he’s been trying to uncover, and carries a double meaning as it states “Secrets I ran from until now.” Aiden literally is stopped from running, as seen in the top tier, and also finally reaches the place he will receive his answers, the castle.
The use of “paralanguage,” or how text within a comic can supplement visual emphasis, indicate volume, vocal quality, etc… is used within the sound effects in panels three, four, six and seven (the lower tier) (Duncan and Smith 145). These sound effects represent the qualities and volume of sound, shown through the varying size of the words. Panel three’s “KSH” and four’s “SKASH” are of a large font and take a prominent place within the panel composition. The size of the text indicates that the branches breaking across Aiden’s face and under his foot were loud, and also illustrate how fast he was running—fast enough for the full weight of his body to come down on one foot with enough force to make a loud noise, “SKASH”. As the font size can show volume and emphasize fear, the sound effects are also indicative of Aiden’s level of safety. As panels three and four are mid-chase where fear is at its peak, complimented by a larger font choice, panel six features a sound effect of “pat, pat, pat,” but in a much smaller font as Aiden is reaching safety. Congruent with the seventh panel of the lower tier, Aiden’s “HUFF HUFF”-ing, shows evidence of exertion as well as some befuddlement as he first sees the castle, which he does not know is safe or not yet. But for the moment, he is out of danger, shown by the smaller font used in the “HUFF HUFF” sound effects. The use of paralanguage and sound effects might read as a purely additive comic feature is in all actuality another facet of the heightened drama and fear present on the page, without having the reader work too hard to find the meaning.
Through Cloonen’s subtle layout choices she effectively conveys feelings of action, horror, relief and mystery within seven panels on one page. The expert choice of staggering
panels to create a visual rhythm, use of contrast and implied line to guide the eye and select dialogue show that Cloonan is truly a top-notch cartoonist.
Figure 1The Mire Centerfold by Becky Cloonan
Works Cited
Cohn, Neil. The Visual Language of Comics: Introduction to the Structure and Cognition of Sequential Images. Bloomsbury Advances in Semiotics.2013. Print.
Duncan, Randy, and Smith, Matthew J. The Power of Comics: History, Form and Culture. New York: Continuum, 2009. Print.
Harvey, Robert. "The Aesthetics of the Comic Strip." Journal of Popular Culture 12.4 (1979): 640. Web.
McCloud, Scott. Understanding Comics. New York. William Morrow/HarperCollins; Paw Prints, 2008. Print.
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The Plight of Golden Age Superheroines:
Recognizing the Forgotten Firsts
Superman. Wonder Woman. Batman. The long standing success of these
characters often overshadows their contemporaries from the Golden Age of
comics. Due to their longevity and popularity, Superman and Wonder Woman are
often perceived to be the first superheroes of their respective genders; the
superhero genre being a staple of the comic book medium. Superman’s title as
the first superhero holds strong, but “the common perception is that Wonder
Woman was the only heroine to fight for justice in the 1940s” (Madrid 15). This
misconception warrants investigation, as the Golden Age generated countless
characters of both genders, some of which had strange and wonderful abilities.
Being the first—regardless of medium, genre or field—is an illustrious position
to hold and recognized not only within said field, but as widespread common
knowledge. Scholars and historians have
conflicting statements about who indeed was the first female superhero, some
crowning Sheena, Queen of the Jungle, others give the title of first to The
Woman in Red. Utilizing publication dates and the M.P.I. convention credited to
Peter Coogan, the first female superheroine will be crowned.
In order to establish who indeed was the first female superhero (or
superheroine), a framework must be established. In the Golden Age of comics,
comic strips were often cut and pasted in order to create a comic book—but
there is a difference between the strip and the pamphlet format. Comics
scholars Randy Duncan and Matthew Smith separate the strip from the book by
noting that although both possess sequential art, the strip usually contains
few panels, one page maximum, and maintains a simple yet rigid composition. The
comic book on the other hand is of longer format (longer than the strip,
multiple pages), composed of a creative, complex layout and composition, and
“exist as products in their own right;” whereas the strip exists within the
realm of the newspaper (Duncan & Smith 7). Although similarities are
shared, there is a difference, especially in regards to publication intent. For
the purpose of deducing who the first superheroine is within the history of
comics, the comic book format will be examined, sans strip.
There is also a need to differentiate the hero versus superhero
within comic books. The hero is adventurous, just and fights evil for the
greater good but lacks the extraordinary abilities of the superhero. In 2002, comics scholar Peter Coogan established a basis
for superhero conventions in his doctorate dissertation entitled, “The Secret
Origin of the Superhero: The Origin and Evolution of the Superhero Genre in America.”
Since then it has been peer-reviewed, included in several journals, cited countless
times in scholarly work henceforth and is now widely recognized as a formula to
determine a superhero versus a hero,
vigilante or anti-hero.
The established convention is broken down to an acronym M.P.I.,
mission, powers and identity. The mission can be boiled down to a commitment to
help those in need in opposition to evil forces. Powers are pretty self-explanatory, as
superheroes “possess fantastic abilities or skills far superior to those of
ordinary humans” (Duncan & Smith 227). This includes not only heroic feats
enhanced by supernatural abilities (flight, bullet-proof, etc...), but there is
also exceptions such as tremendous wealth to fund high tech gadgets, such as
Batman or Iron Man. Coogan explains the identity
convention as “the codename and the costume, with the secret identity being a
customary counterpart” (Coogan 32). The conventional standards established by
Coogan serve as a framework for the archetypal superhero, although the rules
are not hard and fast, as with the exception of Batman. The use of the M.P.I.
conventions will aid in determining the first female superheroine.
Numerous sources attribute the title of the first superheroine to a
variety of characters. Some give the title to Olga Mesmer of Spicy Mystery Stories. Cartoonist and comics historian Trina Robbins
suggests in her book The Great Women
Superheroes that costumed crime fighter Peggy Allen, aka The Woman in
Red, is “the first costumed superheroine
… appear[ing] in 1940” (Robbins 3). In The Supergirls: Fashion, Feminism, Fantasy and the History of Comic Book
Heroines, Mike Madrid agrees with Robbins suggestion that The Woman in Red
is “thought to be the first superheroine,” but later counters his own statement in his latest comics history, Divas, Dames & Daredevils (Madrid
4). In his current work, Madrid contends that Fantomah, created in 1940, was
“the Eve to Superman’s Adam,” and credits her as being “the first female with
extraordinary powers to appear in comics” (Madrid 142). In considering the two
contenders for the title of the first female superhero within comics history,
the M.P.I. convention will be utilized to assess aforementioned characters.
According to comics historian Will Murphy, Olga Mesmer of Spicy Mystery Stories and Spicy Detective Stories is “definitely
the first super-heroine in comics history” (Daniels 18). Further, based off the publication date of
“The Outstanding Adventures of Olga Mesmer, the Girl with X-Ray Eyes,” Olga
Mesmer is arguably the first super of either gender to reach print, with
its initial publication date being August 1937—months before Superman’s April
1938 debut. Problems arise with her intended publication being only a single
page comic, more akin to a strip than an actual comic book or pamphlet, and
only in circulation less than a year. But,
Superman also originated within the strip format. Due to this similarity, Olga Mesmer
will continue to be contender as for the title of first superheroine.
There’s also a question of authorship concerning the character of
Olga Mesmer, as mystery surrounds who was the original writer and artist due to
the use of pseudonyms, making it difficult to trace her publication origins or
give appropriate credit. Mystery ensues as no surviving originals of the comic
survive, or have yet to be uncovered, which makes assessing her character and
abilities difficult. What is known is that due to an experiment gone awry Olga
Mesmer gained powers, but by the end of her brief publication run, lost them
after a blood transfusion. Although Olga Mesmer demonstrates powers—x-ray vision—she
lacks the mission and the identity aspects of Coogan’s superhero conventions.
Coogan states that concerning Olga Mesmer, “the only clear superhero convention
present is superpowers,” her “mission is rather limited,” and “Mesmer lacks the
codename and costume aspects of the identity convention” (Coogan in Hatfield,
et. al. 13). Given Olga Mesmer only obtains one of the three conventions, she
sits as a precursor to the superhero instead of the first female superhero.
Trina Robbins argues in The Great Women Superheroes that The
Woman in Red’s 1940 appearance in Thrilling Comics makes her “the first
costumed superheroine” (Robbins 3). The Woman in Red was policewoman Peggy
Allen’s alter ego who believed she could better serve justice as a vigilante
than what she was accomplishing at her daytime job. Peggy Allen certainly has a
mission, to protect the public and take down crime, a noble cause. She also has
the dual identify and costume, a long read hooded cloak and matching mask
turned Peggy Allen into The Woman in Red. Robbins states that due to her
position and training as a policewoman, paired with her secret identity, makes
her the first superheroine.
Mike Madrid contests the claim that The Woman in Red is the first
superheroine, but that she is rather “the first female costumed crime fighter”
(Madrid 67). Indeed, The Woman in Red has a noble cause, apt training as a
policewoman to fight villains, and a secret identity; but she is missing one
crucial element for her to transcend from masked vigilante to that of
superhero, powers. One could argue if Batman can fit the mold of superhero,
then so can The Woman in Red. But, Batman has something that allows him to
transcend to that level, unlimited income. It’s due to his ability to take a
beating, elite training, tech gadgets and money that elevate him higher than
that of a normal man or woman. In the case of Peggy Allen, The Woman in Red,
she has to supernatural abilities, excessive income or gadgets that enhance her
crime-fighting abilities. Due to the lack of powers, Peggy Allen is out of the
running for the title of first superheroine.
Making her 1940 debut in Jungle Comics, Fantomah, Mystery
Woman of the Jungle is indeed a challenger for the title of the first female
superheroine. Created by artist and writer Fletcher Hanks, Fantomah “reflects
how experimental early comics were” (Madrid 144). With her seemingly limitless
powers, Greg Sadowski claims that “it’s still enough to qualify Fantomah as the
medium’s first female superhero” (Sadowski 189). Unlike the aforementioned
heroines, Fantomah lived in a secret observatory in the jungle—not the
city—where she had the ability to see everything that was happening. In the
comics, her main goal is to protect the jungle in which she lives and the
creatures that inhabit it. As “the most remarkable woman that ever lived,” she
is devoted to protecting the “jungle-born,” although the full extent of her
powers are not detailed (Hanks 7). Throughout her four year print run, Fantomah
displays powers of flight, telekinesis, telepathy, ability to control the
weather, communicate with animals and not to mention her transformation to a
skull deity.
With reference to the M.P.I. conventions that determine a
superhero, Fantomah appears to satisfy the three categories. As defender of the
jungle, Fantomah has a clear mission. She defends the jungles from invaders,
protects the animals, and is thanked and appreciated by the jungle natives. Powers
are not a question, as they seem to have no limits. Now the question of
identity: does Fantomah fulfill the requirements? Little is known of Fantomah’s
origins, possibly due to her brief publication history. Is Fantomah her real
name, or her identity? It is revealed in the later comics that she is the
descendant of Egyptian deities, aligning her with other goddess heroines such
as the infamous Wonder Woman. What can be confirmed is that she undeniably
transforms from one identity to another—from blonde bombshell to a skull
visage—arguably her powerful alter ego. Her ability to change forms is
comparable to characters with secret or dual identities. Fantomah is mysterious, as secret identities
are known to be. Her transformation into a skull figure serves as the costumed
identity portion of the M.P.I., as it disguises her normal appearance and seems
to amplify her powers, as costumed crime-fighters gain confidence once they
dawn the mask. Although ostensibly ambiguous, Fantomah indeed conforms to the
identity requisites.
Conforming to the mission, powers and identity conventions
established by Peter Coogan, Fantomah, Mystery Woman of the Jungle claims the
title of first female superhero. Heroines of the Golden Age fought against
stereotypical norms and gender conventions, as they were undoubtedly fearless,
unapologetic about their strength, smart, competent and caring. Mike Madrid
states that “in the very early days of comic books,
there weren’t as many established rules about how women characters should
or shouldn’t act. As a result, many of these Golden Age heroines feel
bold and modern as we read them today” (Madrid 15). Correlating with WWII, and
women entering the workplace, strong female characters were welcomed and
inspirational. After the war ended and women returned to the home, the call for
heroines also declined. Action heroines transitioned into romances, and it was
commonly believed by publishes that “girls would find stories about dating and
marriage more appealing than tales of adventurous women” (Madrid 18). Along
with the re-domestication of the female gender, women began to be perceived as
less powerful and less capable, and fighting crime was too dangerous for a
woman. Thus began the downfall of the heroine that wouldn’t be resurrected
until the 1970s liberation movement, when the female gender reclaimed their
agency and allowing the fallacy that Wonder Woman was the first superheroine to
sustain.
Unfortunately, strong female characters “drew the wrath of the
censors” in the formative days of comic books, even if only a handful headlined
their own book or were short-lived (Gabilliet 35). In combination with the end
of WWII and the formation of the Comics Code Authority in the early 1950s, heroines
did not stand a chance. Publishers came and went, especially after the comics
medium was deemed “a national disgrace” (Nyberg 3). Olga Mesmer only lasted
less than a year, The Woman in Red was published off and on for nearly 6 years,
and Fantomah, Mystery Woman of the Jungle was in and out of publication for 4
years; albeit recently collected and republished by Fantagraphics. Even though
they were few and far between, and had brief publication runs, heroines—even superheroines—were
present and grievously forgotten over the course of the decades.
Despite the years since their publication and the up-rise of comics
scholarship, the once discarded female heroes are coming out of the woodwork. Long
dominated by Wonder Woman, the title of the first female superheroine is
transferred to Fantomah, who indeed is a remarkable character possessing
extraordinary abilities and a mission to keep the peace. As “firsts” are always
included in histories, it is high time Fantomah claims her place as the first
female superhero.
Works Cited
Coogan, Peter. The Secret Origin of the Superhero: The Origin and Evolution of the Superhero
Genre in America. Austin, TX: MonkeyBrain Books, 2006.
Daniels, Les, and Kidd, Chip. Wonder Woman: The Life and times of the Amazon Princess: The
Complete Story. San Francisco: Chronicle, 2000. Print.
Duncan, Randy, and Smith, Matthew J. The Power of Comics: History, Form and Culture. New
York: Continuum, 2009. Print.
Gabilliet, Jean-Paul, Beaty, Bart, and Nguyen, Nick. Of Comics and Men: A Cultural History of
American Comic Books. Jackson, Miss.: University Press of Mississippi, 2010. Print.
Hanks, Fletcher, and Karasik, Paul. I Shall Destroy All the Civilized Planets! Seattle, Wash.:
London: Fantagraphics, 2007. Print.
Hatfield, Charles, Heer, Jeet, and Worcester, Kent. The Superhero Reader. Jackson: University
Press of Mississippi, 2013. Print.
Madrid, Mike. Divas, Dames & Daredevils: Lost Heroines of Golden Age Comics. Ashland, OR:
Exterminating Angel Press, 2013. Print.
Madrid, Mike. The Supergirls: Fashion, Feminism, Fantasy, and the History of Comic Book
Heroines. Ashland, OR: Exterminating Angel, 2009. Print.
Nyberg, Amy Kiste. Seal of Approval: The History of the Comics Code. Jackson: University
Press of Mississippi, 1998. Print.
Robbins, Trina. The Great Women Superheroes. Northampton, Mass.: Kitchen Sink, 1996. Print.
Sadowski, Greg. Supermen!: The First Wave of Comic-book Heroes 1936-1941. 1st ed. Seattle,
Washington: Fantagraphics Books. 2009. Print.
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