I employed another lesson from Batman during my young adulthood as I tried to get through college and graduate school while working and paying bills and dealing with what trauma and drama life threw my way: Batman’s ability to endure. Did Batman quit when Bane let all the inmates out of Arkham Asylum? Did he rest or stop, until he’d recaptured them all? Did he quit going after the Joker because he was injured and in physical pain? Did he stop fighting Two-Face because of emotional distress? No. No matter what else was going on, what physical and mental limits he had to surpass, Batman endured. Mind over matter.
Bruce Wayne went after his goals. He worked hard, never gave up, and became Batman. Sure, he had advantages like money and time. But hard work can’t be discounted.
There aren’t any shortcuts in life, but hard work can get you through a lot, including a slightly evil employer, emotional upheaval, and Indexing and Abstracting, as taught by Attila the Hun. I put myself through both undergrad and graduate school. It would have been nice to not have to work and go to school at the same time, but we all can’t have Batman’s budget. But we can have Batman’s persistence. I went through on the Batman Education Plan of not letting life keep me from my goals.
Batman is about planning, preparation, and training. He’s about detective work, about knowing when to go it alone and when to ask for help. I try to use my time wisely and assess when I have the tools to work through a problem, especially at work, and when it would be better to ask for assistance. Batman knows how to utilize the strengths and weaknesses of those around him. Again, this can cause conflicts if you come off as a “user” of people. But sometimes, you need Superman’s heat vision or Zatanna’s magic to get the job done. There is no point in wasting other people’s time if there is a more efficient way to solve a problem, even if it means reaching out to someone else and letting them be the hero of the day. Pride does not always deliver results.
If your family of origin isn’t meeting your needs, make your own. Take in kids and train them to fight crime. Build your own family out of servants, orphaned circus folk, street urchins, the creepy boy next door and his girlfriend, your co-worker’s daughter, and the mute daughter of a world-renowned assassin. You can choose your family. (And turn them into crime fighters. Maybe.)
Okay, maybe not. Kids are really hard to train, and society frowns on allowing the little tykes to get shot at after bedtime. My point is, you don’t have to just accept that your family is dead, or crazy, or criminals. Your family is what you make it to be, or the family you choose it to be.
Batman is always thought of as a lone wolf type character. Even by his allies. They know Batman doesn’t play well with others, perhaps even when he needs to. Yet he’s constantly surrounded by other people he has let into his cause. The list is long: Dick Grayson, Barbara Gordon, Jason Todd, Tim Drake, Stephanie Brown, Cassandra Cain, Helena Bertinelli, Kate Kane... a group of people in part thrown together by circumstance, but kept together because of their loyalty to a cause, and to one person. It’s not bad to have a second family, and it’s okay to have a different kind of family. Especially one who understands you at your core level like that.
Another lesson from Batman would be to hug your kids. If Batman’s piss-poor at apologizing for things, he’s really super-poor at showing his loved ones that he cares about them. Really, Batman, would it kill you to hug Nightwing once in a while and tell him you’re proud of him? Maybe he wouldn’t be that bundle of neuroses he’s grown up to be.
I’m not the greatest with expressing my emotions. I have a long history of playing it close to my chest. I can appreciate that Batman really doesn’t want show all his cards to everyone. There’s a level of vulnerability in even knowing what your own feelings are, that takes a lot of energy to deal with. And sometimes, when you’re dealing with the current world-ending crisis on your plate, you just don’t have the ability to cope with both at once. I understand that tendency – in fact, I live it. The more the heat is turned up, the less I have time for fluffy stuff. That said, in those quiet moments, I try to tell my friends and loved ones that I care about them and that they matter to me. I might not be the most effective, but, in this instance, Batman has shown me what not to do.
Batman’s a lousy human being, a poor friend, and arguably a terrible father, but you can’t really argue with his effectiveness. It’s perfectly legitimate to ask What Would Batman Do? There is another good reason to ask this question: for all of those situations in life where you know, deep down in your heart of hearts, that Batman wouldn’t put up with this shit.
Remember that time I mentioned where Batman totally punched Guy Gardner in the mouth? And Black Canary was sad she wasn’t there to see it? It’s because, sometimes, even though you can endure a great many things (because you’re Batman), maybe you shouldn’t have to. If your teammate is acting like a big jerkface, and needs to be punched in the mouth – punch him in the mouth.
Sometimes it’s OK to just not put up with other people’s shit. Batman said so.
Be who you are, especially if it is Batman. It might not be popular, the other superheroes might hate and fear you a little, but be who you are, deep down inside. Be the best you can be at what you do. It’s how you maximize your potential. Take it from me, I know. I’m Batman.
An Interview with Alisa Bendis
Alisa Bendis is the president of Jinxworld Inc., and in this role manages the business aspect of the creative efforts of her husband, Brian Michael Bendis. She is a first generation American child of immigrants, has degrees in political science and education, and has sailed around the world. She lives with her husband and three children in Oregon. Some call her the Marvel CFO of Portland.
Q. Can you introduce yourself for our readers? How do you describe or define yourself to others?
A. First and foremost, I am a mother, wife, and friend. However, I think your readers would be more interested in my job as president of Jinxworld Inc., the company my husband [Brian Michael Bendis] and I founded. Jinxworld Inc. is the business side of Brian’s career at Marvel Comics, as well as the financial and production side of his co-creations – works such as Powers, Scarlet, Takio, and now Brilliant.
Q. It’s interesting that you frame it that way, balancing your personal identity with your business role. Do you find that identity is less a matter of rigid definitions, and more a – shall we say – mental lane-changing, often in heavy metaphorical traffic?
A. Yes... I’m a wife, a mother, the daughter of a Rabbi, a sister, a Canadian, a Portlander, a teacher, and a student. Honestly, I enjoy all of the roles equally. They seem to melt together and give me a solid core reason for being, enjoyment, and the satisfaction of a job well done. Feel free to let your imagination run wild figuring out which word matches each role! At the end of the day, I have the pleasure and honor of being able to live a wonderful life.
Q. What sorts of things fall under your purview at Jinxworld?
A. It includes all aspects of the business that are not creative. I deal with contracts, agents, managers, lawyers, subcontractors, accountants, payroll, invoices – everything that one would expect goes into running a small business is a part of my everyday life.
Q. Do you have a favorite of the comics you help to produce?
A. My favorite creator-owned book is Takio, and my favorite work-for-hire book is Ultimate Spider-Man.
Q. What top three Jinxworld projects are you most proud of, and why?
A. Fortune and Glory, because I am in it and think it is hilarious. Jinx, because I met Brian while he was working on it, and our relationship influenced Brian’s creation of certain aspects of the main character – especially her relationship with her family. Takio, because it’s a collaboration between Mike Oeming, Brian, and our daughter Olivia.
Q. In what directions do you hope to expand Jinxworld?
A. Honestly, I think we’d just like to continue in the same direction. I am so proud of the work that Brian has done, and I like that he writes what he wants to w
rite. Even with work-for-hire, we’ve always held the policy that he would never take on a project just for a paycheck. He does work that he cares about. I think that’s had a lot to do with his success.
Q. What advice do you have for women interested in starting their own comics companies?
A. First and foremost, treat it like a business. Know how to analyze the market, and know what the market saturation is. Establish a corporation or a Doing Business As [21], and take advantage of all legitimate business write-offs and expenses.
Educating yourself is also very important. I spent a year working toward my MBA, and have worked in both business and nonprofit areas, but many people thinking about running their own business will need to learn the skills of the trade. I am a huge fan of the financial advisor Suze Orman, and would recommend her books and TV show as a way to learn about managing one’s personal and business finances. Rich Dad, Poor Dad is another amazing book about molding your financial future.
You should also understand your own limits, and recognize when it’s necessary to hire experts. I have a business background, for instance, but I don’t think I know more than my accountant and lawyer. If you can’t – or don’t want to – read and understand every word in a contract, get a lawyer. I cannot tell you how many people have signed contracts they haven’t read, or been shocked that what they were told was in the contract by those sending it wasn’t actually in the written document they signed. I am not talking about people trying to be dishonest, by the way. Sometimes, there is a huge difference between what the legal department is told to do and the creative department’s understanding of a project.
I would also encourage anyone considering this to be their own advocate – you are your only and best advocate in most cases! Invest in yourself and your future. Being creative is fantastic, but if you can’t monetize that creativity, what you have is a hobby. And if you can’t hold on to what you make, what you have is a lovely memory.
Q. What is the best part of your job?
A. That I get to take part in serious business meetings while wearing my pajamas.
Q. What is the best part of an average day?
A. My day is a routine. I get up and handle business calls and mail, and the accounting for the day. Maybe I make dinner, but most likely we order out. I spend some quality time with my six-month-old baby before the kids come home – Brian picks up our two older kids at school. Dinner and evening time is filled with kids’ stuff. At the end of the night, I get to tuck my kids into bed, and I tell them how lucky I am to be their mom. That is the best part of my day.
Q. What did we forget to ask you, that you want to share with the readers of Chicks Dig Comics?
A. I am very lucky that my husband and I have so much mutual admiration. We respect the strengths and weaknesses that we both have – he does something I could never do, i.e., writing comics, and I do things he could never do, i.e., handling the business end of his career. We complement each other – support and love each other. It may sound corny, but it is my life. I am very lucky to be able to have found the partner that completes me.
[21] An assumed business name or trade name.
My Secret Identity
When called upon to produce a biographical fact about herself, Caroline Pruett will often mention that she once held cards from six different library systems at the same time, or that she spent an entire year listening to nothing but Bruce Springsteen’s album Nebraska. Besides borrowed books and depressing songs, she likes comics and writes about them at Fantastic Fangirls (fantasticfangirls.org). She holds a Master of Fine Arts degree in fiction writing from George Mason University. During the day, she works at a desk; by night, she doesn’t fight crime, but she wouldn’t mind if you thought so.
Some mornings, dragging my tired ass in to work and waiting for the first cup of coffee to kick in, I like to pretend that I’m Batwoman. Or, rather, I pretend that I’m Batwoman’s civilian alter ego, Kate Kane. Specifically, I think about a scene in Detective Comics #854, written by Greg Rucka and drawn by J.H. Williams III, where a haggard, sleep-deprived Kate gets dumped by her girlfriend. The girlfriend, a no-nonsense professional who wears beige, collared shirts and carries a briefcase, looks at the dark circles under Kate’s eyes, surmises that she’s been fooling around with other women, and storms off with the parting admonition: “Call me when you’ve decided to grow up.”
It’s not that I have very much in common with Kate. I don’t share any of the major traits that comic book creators have used to define her. I’m not a lesbian. I’m not Jewish. I’m not a socialite or an Army veteran, or a pale-skinned redhead, and I certainly couldn’t rock a sleeveless, backless tuxedo shirt and a nautical star tattoo with the kind of aplomb that Kate manages to pull off. What she and I have in common is that we are exhausted, and we dearly hope that someone takes a look at us and thinks, “Oh, I bet she was having fun last night.”
Here, again, the similarities end. If I show up at the office stumbling around from too little sleep, the most likely reason is that I was playing around on the Internet, or marathoning DVRed episodes of Masterpiece Theatre or (all right, honestly, more likely) The Vampire Diaries. Possibly, I was doing both at the same time, so that at the end, I had not only killed my chance at a good night’s sleep, but had no clear memory of what I just read or what I just watched. Just maybe, before getting online, I was out doing something social, like bar trivia night. In the case of a really wild and crazy evening, I might have driven to another city for a Shakespeare play or an Emmylou Harris concert, crashed on someone’s couch, and driven straight to work wearing slightly wrinkled clothes.
If Kate Kane rolls in late? She was up all night kicking bad guys in the face.
It shouldn’t be surprising that Batwoman is one of “my” superheroes. I’m female, in my thirties, and I’ve only been reading comics regularly for about five years. The current incarnation of the character has been around for roughly the same amount of time that I’ve been a reader, and she’s implicitly designed for a certain (grown-up, female) demographic that isn’t notably catered to by traditional superhero comics. Her story takes the Batman myth of self-created power, channeled through brains and gadgets and steely discipline, and applies it to the life of a mature female character.
She’s called Batwoman after all, avoiding the problematic “girl” label. Her costume shows no skin, and if it’s tight-fitting in a way that would be unforgiving to anything less than a certain conventionally attractive body type, the same could be said of any of her brothers in spandex. The image of other female superheroes has inspired wardrobe controversies involving bare midriffs (Huntress), visible panties (Supergirl), or design features that necessitate the widespread use of the term “boob window” (Power Girl, Invisible Woman, et cetera, et cetera). Batwoman’s first appearance in the 2006-2007 DC Comics event 52 inspired a minor controversy about whether her shoes were sensible enough. Once her costume’s high-heeled boots were deemed too inconvenient for rooftop vigilante hijinks, the heels were switched out for heavily-tread military grade boots, the better to stomp bad guys with.
Batwoman is, in other words, a comic book character that I, as a progressive feminist woman in my thirties, am supposed to feel comfortable liking. Superheroes (or their unpowered masked-vigilante cousins, the subspecies to which the various Bats of Gotham City technically belong) are widely supposed to represent fantasies of power. The modifiers “adolescent” and “male” are often tacked on to this description, sometimes with the explicit purpose of saying, “What can you, grown-up women, expect from stories that were never meant for you in the first place? Steer clear of that playground and/or go off and find your own, because this place isn’t for you.” Batwoman exists, it would seem, as an entry point to the power fantasy for people who are a lot like me.
I’m the kind of cultural consumer who can find myself worried about not liking the right things, or liking the right things for the wrong reasons. In theory, I believe that a person should
love what they love, and discover that love for themselves. In practice, I spend a lot of time paying attention to the tastes of The New Yorker, NPR, my many smart friends, my favorite feminist bloggers, et cetera. I might end up marathoning The Vampire Diaries, but something in my head is nagging me about that adaptation of Little Dorrit that I really should get around to. If I were looking for a comic to fit that bill, well, the introduction to the Batwoman: Elegy hardcover collection was written by talk show host and certified erudite liberal person Rachel Maddow. Funny books don’t get much more “supposed to” than that.
I don’t want to give the impression that my love for Kate Kane-as-Batwoman comics is anything other than sincere. It’s true that if a female peer – an old classmate, say, from my law school days – asked me to show her one of the superhero comics I’d been reading, I might have an ulterior motive for picking the Rucka/Williams Batwoman collection. Grown-up women, fully clothed! Beautiful, innovative art! Rachel Maddow likes it! Comics aren’t just for kids! At the same time, I’m not faking my love for the book, any more than I’m pretending to like Shakespeare, or Emmylou Harris, or reading long articles in The New Yorker. This self-empowered, non-exploitative, adult female character has a strong appeal for me that taps right into a vein of stories that I love.
Here’s where it gets complicated. I think it’s true that superhero stories have a strong capacity to tap into the fantasy lives of the audience. In the comic book form, particularly, the combination of words, iconic images, and potentially endless iteration on a core of stories that have been kicking around for (at least) 70 years can provide a powerful sense of wish fulfillment. It’s not a fantasy that clicks with everyone. There are people who read these comics for other reasons, just as there are people to whom the medium and genre are never going to appeal. Still, I think you could get most superhero junkies (my people!) to admit that on a good day, when it’s really working, there is someone on that comic book page with whom they would really like to switch places for a day or two.
Chicks Dig Comics: A Celebration of Comic Books by the Women Who Love Them Page 8
