Female superheroes conjure a picture in our minds of beautiful, busty women. Skin-tight suits; sultry eyes; wild luscious hair; and a body that could make any man go weak in the knees - this is the stuff of comic books. Her superpowers draw awe and envy from those around her, where she's a force to reckon with. Female superheroes aren't a thing of yesteryear; they're very much a part of today, tomorrow, and an eternity to come. The Four Ages of Comic Book History This age marked the beginning of comic books like Archie Comics, as it made its way into the hearts of young children and teenagers worldwide. Comic books of the Golden Age had nothing of what fans are accustomed to today, where women were portrayed as either career-driven or lovestruck youngsters / adults who sometimes played the 'bad girl' (stuck-up heartbreakers) role. Costumes were later introduced by characters like Miss Fury who fought against national injustice. We then lay eyes on the famous Sheena who was a provocative yet ruthless character dubbed as Queen of the Jungle. The Golden Age is known fondly for the evolution of comic books with the introduction of the fearless, striking, and confident female superhero - Wonder Woman. She brings to the pages of comic books a woman who knows what she wants, and how to get it. It was All-American Publications who brought life to Wonder Woman; another company called National Periodicals was part of the merger with All-American Publications that led to the birth of powerhouse, DC Comics. While male dominance was prevalent in DC Comics' issues, Wonder Woman was developed and soon included to break the convention of using all-male characters. This was the advent of headstrong, independent female superheroes where the ideals of 'prim and proper' were a thing of the past. DC Comics became stringent about using women that were given superficial physical traits (after the implementation of its own Editorial Policy Code), where representing them as main characters wasn't encouraged. It's a tad mind-boggling since Wonder Woman was created by DC Comics. Surprisingly, their editorial policy wanted to downplay the very idea of such a character (seeing that their readership consisted mainly of children). Maybe this was the age to experiment with 'real women'. They didn't place females in the limelight; men were given more focus while women played the role of supporting character. A prime example would be journalist Lois Lane, who plays a primary yet non-superpower role alongside Superman aka Clark Kent. Marvel Comics (formerly known as Atlas Comics) then introduced their first superhero, Invisible Girl aka Susan Storm. Marvel Comics was poles apart from what DC Comics considered as appropriate and reader-friendly. While the former sunk its teeth into a storyboard that strictly dealt with a world crippled by societal prejudice, the latter was filled with crime-fighting old-fashioned superheroes that encapsulated the best of the 1940s. Comic books in later years were labeled appropriately whether they were graphically adult-oriented or not. Major publications like Marvel, Archies, and DC found the Comics Code Authority a defunct system to adhere to. They parted ways with the CCA and individually came up with their own set of policies. This was an age where feminism was at its highest, what with the women's liberation movement at the peak of its existence. Comic books introduced feminist characters that were strongly portrayed as man haters. Ms. Marvel for example, was thrust into a storyboard that highlighted just how much of a feminist she was, using the cover line "This Female Fights Back!" in a self-titled issue by Marvel Comics. From heated sentiments around the nation to a whole new outlook on women by comic book publishers, Marvel Comics was the first to take an initiative to change things (and in a dramatic way, no less). They transformed their female characters into strong-willed, spirited, and dogmatic super-heroines. The 1970s saw a mercurial change in comic book history where female characters like Polaris, Storm, and Oracle to name a few, paved a way for other new radical super-heroines. It is no secret that women have been used as sex symbols to lure audiences into a web of predetermined wants. Comic books used subjects that were either debatable or controversial, using women as bait to gain popularity in an already thriving comic book market. Matters like lesbianism, women occupying a higher rank in workplaces, and single motherhood, were just some of the things that took hold of comic book themes in the early 21st century. Today, even as we flip through comic books printed for modern-day readers, it is no surprise to come across bold, outright representations of violence and sex. In the 1990s, women were often depicted as helpless victims or killed off from the pages of comic books. Such a brash portrayal was brought to light in a website called Women in Refrigerators. Today these depictions have simmered down drastically, giving women their much-needed importance in comic books that was once ruled by testosterone. Image 1: Credit: Wikimedia Commons (PD) Image 2: Credit: Wikimedia Commons (PD) Image 1: Credit: Crimsoncrusader (Public Domain Super Heroes)/from Wikimedia Commons (PD) Image 2: Credit: Alhasagianttongue at en.wikipedia/from Wikimedia Commons (PD) Image 1: Credit: Wikimedia Commons (PD) Image 2: Credit: Wikimedia Commons (PD) Image 1: Credit: Chordboard (from material in my possession)/ via Wikimedia Commons (PD) Image 2: Credit: Wikimedia Commons (PD) Image 1: Credit: Fawcett Comics/uploaded by Chordboard (art by Jack Binder)/via Wikimedia Commons (PD) Image 2: Credit: Crimsoncrusader (Public Domain Super Heroes)/from Wikimedia Commons (PD) Image 1: Credit: Bob Powell, Chordboard (Digital Comic Museum)/from Wikimedia Commons (PD) Image 2: Credit: Wikimedia Commons (PD) From comic books to full-fledged movies, we've seen a remarkable shift in the industry that only has the best in store for fans worldwide. These female comic book characters stand for everything that symbolize the power of the fairer sex, where they were once underestimated but ultimately given their due worth.