The world has been obsessed with superheroes since at least 1938, when DC Comics launched Superman. Since then, like Spiderman, Captain America, Wonder Woman, and the Fantastic Four, Superman has been— with uncommon strength and virtue—a leading superhero archetype. The popularity of superhero comics is cyclical, often surging during war, perhaps why they are flourishing once again. The Incredible Hulk, Batman, and Iron Man battle evil in Hollywood this year. This month, the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York opens “Superheroes: Fashion and Fantasy,” an exhibit that celebrates their glamorous haute couture.

Western superhero comics, however, don’t yet reflect the diversity of their audience. Overwhelmingly, white males remain both the heroes and targeted readers. Female superheroes—aside from Wonder Woman—are likely just voluptuous bodies. One reason for this may be that women are sparsely employed in the mainstream comics industry. Nonetheless, there is a growing demand for diverse comic characters—be they female or of a multi-cultural background.

Some comic enthusiasts are so tired of the superheroes that are clearly marketed toward a straight, white, male audience that they’re turning toward female-friendly comics from other cultures. The most influential (and one of the oldest and most widely read) of these hails from Japan: manga. Early versions of manga debuted in the late 19th century and its wide-ranging themes are read by women and men of all ages. Action, adventure, comedy, horror, sexuality, politics, science fiction, and romance are just a few of manga’s vast topics.

“American superheroes and villains are either pure good or evil, whereas Japanese manga have complex characters with whom readers can relate,” says Dr. Susan Napier, professor of Japanese Language and Literature at Tufts University. “This may be why manga became popular among Americans after September 11th. Young audiences feel the moral ambiguity of the modern world reflected in manga,” she adds.

For example, Dr. Napier points to “Fruits Basket,” a manga featuring orphan Tohru Honda who strives to break a curse that turns males she hugs into Chinese Zodiac signs. According to Dr. Napier, Honda’s “power” is a universal metaphor for people’s discomfort with the opposite sex that leads some to unwillingly transform into unrecognizable versions of themselves. The relatable themes and realistic, but powerful, heroines of shojo (female) manga explain their popularity among women— even though manga still has plenty sexualized female content, notes Dr. Napier. “Revolutionary Girl Utena” and “Princess Knight” are two popular shojo manga with smart, nuanced heroines. Like many shojo comics, “Revolutionary Girl Utena” is written and illustrated by women.

Indian comics also have psychologically complex female heroines—which may explain their recent popularity. Traditionally, Indian comics depict history, myths, and epics like the “Mahabharata,” that teem with strong women, such as goddesses Kali and Durga. One such series, “Amar Chitra Katha,” has sold 90 million copies (of 400 titles in 20 languages) since 1967. Deepak Chopra, film director Shekhar Kapur, and Sharad Devarajan of Gotham Entertainment Group were all fans of the series. They saw the worldwide popularity of manga as a sign that the West was demanding global content—and realized the time was right to launch a modern Indian comic series.

In 2005, the three founded Virgin Comics, a New York-based branch of media mogul Sir Richard Branson’s Virgin mega brand, to retell Indian epics to a Western market with an updated style. Some titles draw heavily from the goddess tradition, including “Devi” (Hindi for “goddess”) and “India Authentic.” Like Dr. Napier, Chopra believes Indian epics contain an appealing mix of nuanced superheroes. “Eastern traditions tell us there is no separation between sinner and saint, divine and diabolical or sacred and the profane…even gods and goddesses are not immune to jealousy and rage,” Chopra clarifies in a company press release.

Naif Al-Mutawa, the 37-year-old founder of Kuwaiti-based Teshkeel Media, was also inspired to start a comic with an eastern focus. Since childhood, Al-Mutawa had devoured comics but as an adult, he realized that the Arab world’s versions were mere translations of North American series —all based on Judeo-Christian models. Inspired by his four sons and negative press of the Arab world, Al-Mutawa pitched a comic based on positive Islamic imagery. Investors rallied around the idea and the series, called “The 99,” was born.

Even though each character of “The 99” embodies one of the ninety-nine tenets of Islam, religion is never explicitly mentioned. John Wheeler, or “Darr the Afflicter,” is blond, blue-eyed, and in a wheelchair. Hungarian Miklos Szekelyhidi, or “Jami the Assembler,” relies on electrical genius. But Al-Mutawa was also interested in creating a variety of Islamic female characters. Noora is a fierce young woman from the United Arab Emirates who makes holograms and wears her long hair loose. Amira Khan rejects her traditional Pakistani upbringing in London and instead employs her “satellite” mind for the F.B.I.

Positive and diverse images of Muslim women in “The 99” are still unified by a gender-neutral theme, according to Al-Mutawa,whose intention of giving his characters a range of backgrounds was to show the transcendent quality of Islamic values. However, noble intentions have not spared “The 99” from criticism. Some Muslim clerics denounce personification of God, depiction of women sans headscarves, and new myths interpreting Allah’s virtues. Saudi Arabia banned “The 99” for nearly two years until recently. Regardless, it enjoys increasing popularity, especially in the more liberal Middle Eastern countries of Kuwait and Dubai. “The 99” is also widely available throughout the United States, where Al-Mutawa says it has been warmly received by critics.

The success of these global comics, many of which have strong female heroines, has even influenced the once-staid comic industry here in the U.S. In response to the success of female comics overseas, mainstream publishers DC and Marvel Comics have introduced more female-centered series in the past three years, like “Anita Blake,” “Vampire Hunter,” and “Re-Gifters” (with a Korean-American lead). After years in the Western comic industry, American illustrator Nina Paley turned to Sita from the “Ramayana” for her animated film, “Sita Sings the Blues.” The acclaimed film weaves Paley’s personal story—following her husband to Trivandarum, India only to be dumped by him via email—with the humiliating dissolution of fictional Sita’s marriage. Why did Paley, a white American from Illinois turn to an Indian heroine? Paley couldn’t relate to any Western superhero characters. “Western comics are a sexist, brutal field dominated by men that create aggressive male characters,” Paley says. “In India, I could find a patron saint of heartbreak.”

Judd Winick, creator of diverse comic characters for both DC and Marvel, has faced complaints from readers about a perceived overt social agenda in the creation of new multicultural characters, but he believes they will temper with time. “After a while, it doesn’t look like a social agenda. It’s the world we live in,” Winick said in a 2006 interview.

Rachel Edidin assistant editor for the underground comic publishing giant Dark Horse believes good stories, good art, and interesting, well-developed characters win audiences regardless of gender or ethnicity. “Superheroes serve, as a genre, as some of the most vivid heroic narratives of our era, and a realization of a lot of people's fantasies of very literal empowerment and activism,” she says. If an increasingly diverse readership has anything to say about it, it is time for modern-day superheroes to break out of the macho, ethno-centric mold and mirror the multicultural world we live in.


Richa Gulati is a freelance writer and practicing attorney based in New York City. This is her second article for JANERA.com