What You Wear: Mystique, Clothing, and Sexuality

Mystique in original costume
- X-Factor #108 (1994)

A short post to keep things going, this time on how the Marvel Comics villain, Mystique has been portrayed sexually through her clothing throughout her thirty year plus career. 

Kaja Silverman in her essay 'Fragments of a Fashionable Discourse' writes that clothing and dress is an important cultural implement for affixing sexual identity (1986:146), and Mystique’s clothes/costumes support this theory. As a representation of her sexuality, Mystique’s clothes change throughout her career identifying to the reader what to expect (or not) from her sexually. Her first costume in which she was seen from approximately 1977 to 1995, covers her breasts and upper torso tightly, while her groin is covered by a long flowing skirt that is side split to the waist that would hardly hide her genitalia in any situation, and emphasises her breasts as fetish objects.

Mystique as coloured nude
- X-Factor #127 (1996)

As a villain she holds the attributes of the phallic woman (not the least because she can transform into a male) represented by the fact that at any moment her skirt may reveal an actual phallus, which is no doubt an entertaining but horrifying possibility for her heroic foes (and fans). The skulls on her belt are also indicative of the possible horror lurking beneath. At this stage of her career we don't know where her sexual preferences lie. She is sexually ambiguous. Hinted at for many years but finally revealed in X-Men Forever #5 (2001, on the inside front cover), is that Mystique's constant companion, the precognitive mutant, Destiny (aka Irene Adler), is her lover. Therefore she threatens patriarchal culture in the X-Men titles not just as a phallic woman but also although not explicitly stated) as a lesbian.

As a member of the X-Factor team (X-Factor, 1995 to 2003), and therefore coded good, her clothes/costume changes from exhibiting threatening polyphallic qualities to a more feminised, appealing figure. Like many other female heroes, and like much superhero comic art, Mystique is drawn as a coloured nude, expressing a closed, smooth body, that is sexually appealing to males. She becomes, as Jean Baudrillard argues, a phallic effigy, a safe reflection of the masculine rather than an opposition. 

Mystique in leather 
costume-
Mystique #4 (2003)

When Mystique gets her own series (2003-05) her costume consists of a cropped black leather top, pants, gloves, and heavy black boots. Leather is associated with toughness and masculinity as well as erotic connotations suggestive of danger, seduction, and sado-masochism. As Sherrie Inness suggests, wearing masculine clothing is indicative of a woman’s ‘capacity for action and leadership’ (1999:25). Thus leather marks Mystique as active rather than the passivity associated with the feminine. Keeping these associations in mind, leather is implicitly linked to lesbianism, and as such indicate Mystique’s alignment with lesbianism. While she isn't associated with any female lovers (or male for that matter) in the Mystique series, Brian Vaughn (writer) makes quite clear her preference for females by a number of intertextual "queer" references. In Mystique #7, a man in an airport walks past an attractive woman, muttering, ‘Have mercy’ (Vaughn and Ryan, 2003:19). The man happens to be Mystique in a male form. In Mystique #19 she is presented with a pen once used by Oscar Wilde.

Mystique in costume 
similar to her original -
 X-Men #189 (2006)

Mystique keeps her leathered-up look throughout X-Men #172-187, her appearance in X-Men (August 2005) coming after the Mystique series was discontinued (April 2005). In this run of issues Mystique's queerness is still evident albeit twisted. I won't go into the logicalities (or illogicalities) of her strategy, but suffice to say that in X-Men #172 Mystique begins a series of episodes where she tries to seduce Rogue’s boyfriend, Gambit, in an effort to help Gambit and Rogue’s relationship. But she is clearly operating at odds with herself as she remarks to Gambit of having sex with him: ‘The idea repels me as much as it does you’ (Milligan et al, 2005:31). Her sexual preference then is still clearly for women.

In X-Men #189 (2006) she returns to a costume very similar to her original and - apart from a short regress to a costume reminiscent of her X-Factor outfit (with skulls removed) - has remained with it up to the present (October 2010). Though operating in the X-Men and Dark X-Men teams, she is once again clearly a villain. This period is characterised for Mystique by a storyline running through the X-Men titles (the 'Messiah Complex' crossover) involving Destiny and her diaries. Thus what is happening is that her sexuality is subsumed, being made covert as represented by choice of costume.

While there is a storyline where Mystique has a love/hate relationship with Iceman (X-Men and X-Men: Manifest Destiny, 2008-09)  Mystique's actions with Iceman are characterised by the following exchange - 

Iceman:'I let you get close to me once. Touch me. I wish to God I hadn't!' 

Mystique: 'So do I. It's hard to pretend that touch didn't happen. But I'm working on it.' (Carey and Ryan 2009a:5).

Dark X-Men #4 
(2010)

However Mystique's words are ambiguous. They can be attributed either to her not liking Iceman, or her not liking men in general. Of course, it could be both.

In X-Men: Manifest Destiny #5, after a terse exchange where Iceman rejects Mystique's misguided overtures (if they are that), Mystique says, 'You'll love me. I promise you that.' (Carey and Ryan 2009b:7). Again, what it actually means is anybody's guess. To the present there has been no indication of further interest in Iceman by Mystique.

In Dark X-Men #4 (2010) Mystique mentions Irene (Destiny) in trying to make sense of her situation involving Norman Osborn. These references and her costume signal a return to her ambiguous sexual nature - neither explicitly straight or gay. Mystique's relationship with Destiny has always been subtle and unlike characters such as Northstar who famously came out of the closet to reveal his gay sexuality, the same 'coming out' hasn't been afforded Mystique. Neither has she been explicitly positioned as bisexual. Is this a problem? Not necessarily. In fact Mystique's constant changes make her one of the most interesting comic characters in any comic universe. Whether she's gay, bisexual, or straight, doesn't particularly matter unless there's a problem with Mystique being portrayed as such. The question then is - why would that be? If she's bisexual or lesbian, why not make it clear?

For now it seems Mystique is once again an unknown sexual quantity.

Dark X-Men #3 
Cover (2010)

Reference


Carey, M. (w), Ryan, M. (p), and Olazaba, V. (i) (2009a) 'Kill or Cure, Part 4', in X-Men: Manifest Destiny #4 ( Lowe, N. Ed.)(Feb. 2009), New York: Marvel Publishing Inc.


Carey, M. (w), Ryan, M. (p), and Olazaba, V. (i) (2009b) 'Kill or Cure, Part 5',in X-Men: Manifest Destiny #5 ( Lowe, N. Ed.)(March. 2009), New York: Marvel Publishing Inc.


Inness, Sherrie. (1999) Tough Girls: Women Warriors and Wonder Women in Popular Culture, Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press.


Milligan, P. (w), Larroca, S. (p), and Miki, D. & Martinez, A. (i) (2005a) ‘Bizarre Love Triangle: Temptation: Part 2 of 4',  X-Men v1 #172 (Aug. 2005), New York: Marvel Comics.

Silverman, Kaja. (1986) ‘Fragments of a Fashionable Discourse’, in Modleski, T. (ed.) Studies in Entertainment: Critical Approaches to Mass Culture, Bloomington: Indiana University Press.


Vaughn, B. (w), and Ryan, M. (p)(2003)‘Tinker, Tailor, Mutant, Spy, Chapter One of Four’, Mystique v1 #7(Dec. 2003),New York: Marvel Comics.

Review: Fist Full of Comics #1, 2 and 3 - Various artists and writers, (FFO Comics)

This latest incarnation (Volume 3) of the Australian comic anthology Fist Full of Comics promises a 'long run of issues devoted to the tireless efforts of comic creators'. It's always encouraging, and surprising (considering the work involved), but plain pleasing to see someone devoted to Australian comics enough to want to publish other people's work. So first off it's a big hurrah! and kudos sent out to FFoC editor HEADFIST  for being committed to such a commendable task.

The great thing about Oz Comics is the diversity and breadth of ideas. No two stories in these three issues are the same.

The standout story in Issue #1 (June 2010) is David Follet's 'Dream #1'. Packed with movement and an ecelctic bunch of characters this silent comic (with a coathanger as a transport device!) is simply charming and very accomplished in execution. Brendan Boyd's 'God Bless America' is also a well-executed and distinctively styled tale of a traveller returning to a war-ravaged earth.

Starting in this issue are the ongoing stories 'Penny Lane: Anti-hero' (Bridget Hodder), 'If Ya Need!' (Kurt Murray), and 'The Adventures of White Wolf' (Frank Candiloro). All three offer wildly different art styles.

Candiloro's cartoon-like tale of a werewolf who has devoted his life to fighting crime, suffers from the single page devoted in each of the three issues making the story slow and difficult to get into.

'If Ya Need! sees a mixed gender netball team of misfits trying to get it together to compete in the amateur leagues. Initially I found Murray's cartoony, almost juvenile, styled art a little simple for my liking but on reviewing I was struck by the clean lines and how well-proportioned the characters are. Similarly each character is individually recognisable. 'If Ya Need''s art is deceptively good.

'Penny Lane', a story of a girl trying to catch a killer of her friends, I'm sorry to say, hasn't grabbed me. I've found the art a bit too scratchy and (perhaps) rushed. The bodies of characters appear 'static' and stiff, and the absence of pupils in characters' eyes leaves them staring blankly into space.  The story's 'cut up' style merging art and text in #3 is interesting though in design. Hodder certainly has talent but perhaps a bit more time in production may be in order.

While each of these has some derivative elements they're at least engaging and I'm keen to see where they go.

Issue #2 (July 2010) introduces another ongoing story, 'Simian Soldiers' by Kurt Murray (writer) and Mathew Ryan Sweet (art) It's a tale of escaped homicidal Nazi-trained shock troop apes on the loose after the end of World War 2.  Murray's writing is a step up from his work on 'If Ya Need!' but it's Ryan's impressionistic artwork that steals the show, evoking the chaos of combat and primal, violent ape behavior.

On par with 'Simian Soldiers' for best in #2 is Peter Moerenhout (writer) and Pieter Rosseel's 'Cleansing by Fire'. This story of a man's life haunted by the threat of nuclear fire is sombre and filled with regret. Rosseel's  pencil art complements the 'widescreen' panels beautifully.

Kirk Kenny's two comic strip 'Shorts' provide some good giggles too. Kenny returns in #3 (August 2010) with a completely different art style for his 'Dethrok: Selling Out', which investigates the dilemma of the musicians going for cash or artistic integrity. Mawarini's 'Sushi Language' is a bizarre, but happy little story about speaking with your mouth full, while Chris McMurray's 'I am a Nightmare Walking' addresses being singled out in a crowd, although I would've liked a bit more to this to flesh it out.

On the down side the issues so far have needed closer editing for grammar and spelling. It's a shame that the quality of production is let down by these oversights which can be easily fixed by a solid proofread.

At AUS $5 a pop Fist Fill of Comics is cheaper than most US comics, is good value and a heap of fun. Plus each issue has a fantastic and striking cover from oneyeelephant (#1),  Sophie Louis-Ford (#2), and Mathew Ryan Sweet (#3).

At time of writing this latest this Volume of FFoC doesn't have a dedicated website. For contribution guidelines, subscription, and advertising information contact Fist Full of Comics via fistfullofcomics@gmail.com (or get yourself a copy).

These: Cool and very needed.        Forthcoming: Ready and waiting.

Review: Nemesis #3 by Mark Millar (writer) and Steve McNiven (artist)

Carnage. Nemesis #3 is pure carnage.

Millar and McNiven have produced a love letter to violence and shock tactics with Nemesis #3 going into gross-out territory in both physical and moral violence.

Having been captured by supercop Blake Morrow, Nemesis (aka Matthew Anderson) isn't too worried as it appears being incarcerated in a maximum security prison is all part of his master plan. Sure enough, with some help from his henchmen Nemesis escapes, in the process killing not one, not two, but ninety-seven fully-armed riot-cops! This takes up approximately five pages.

Nemesis though has much in store for Morrow and his family. Nemesis' actions against them are genuinely sickening.

As far as story goes, there's actually not a lot here. Nemesis escapes, makes Morrow reveal some secrets, and Morrow's resolve to capture Nemesis is reinforced - 'let's nail this bitch.'  Morrow's family secrets aren't really that shocking but they're supposed to show us that attaining 'supercop' status has had disadvantages and consequences which affect Morrow's family. It's supposed to make us sympathise (and empathise) with Morrow (i.e.: he's flawed) and show that Nemesis has no scruples (as if we didn't know that already) in trying to tear Morrow down.

Okay, so let's make it clear. Millar isn't drawing on subtlety, or indeed reality, with Nemesis. It's major over the top stuff in virtually every sense. He's going for big and extravagant and succeeding brilliantly. Nemesis is pure spectacle. Don't believe me? A supervillain walking around in a completely white suit and cape for starters...

The issue really belongs to Steve McNiven. His artwork, especially the violent and bloody sequences, is top quality. As shown by the sample script pages at the rear of the comic, Millar's directions are minimal allowing McNiven's talents to shine. If asked for one word to describe his art, I'd volunteer- precise. There's nothing extraneous or superfluous here. Everything is exact.

My only gripe is that it ripped along so fast. Pages where there's all action and little or no dialogue makes a very quick read. Considering I'm in Australia and it cost me $6, I was hoping for a longer experience. Again produced in the widescreen format with a maximum of five panels to a page (with the exception of one page with six) and four full page spreads I couldn't help but feel this was really only half a comic.

I'm hoping for a truly memorable ending next issue.

This: Worthwhile, but a little disappointing in content. Forthcoming: Bring it on!

Review: Scarlet #2 by Brian Michael Bendis (writer) and Alex Maleev (artist)

  
Bendis reveals more about his red-headed vigilante and her mission to purge Portland of crime in Scarlet #2.  

Physically, but not emotionally, recovered from her shooting in issue one, Scarlet determines to find out the circumstances which led to her boyfriend Gabriel's death and thus try and make some sense of what happened. Over ten weeks she follows Officer Dunes, the cop who was responsible, and finds out he's subsequently been promoted.

Scarlet then confronts Guzman, Dunes' former partner, questioning him about his involvement in the shooting. The answers aren't what she expected, finding that apart from saving his own skin, there was little he could've done. Corruption in the Portland police force is extensive.

Far from being intimidated by the magnitude of her task, Scarlet's decision to fight back is reinforced. And the first person on her list to feel her wrath is the smug and reprehensible Officer Dunes.

Bendis and Maleev are really pulling the emotional strings on this one, asking a fundamental question - how can justice be done when the good guys are all bad? Scarlet's answer is to administer justice herself. Brutal justice. Her question is - are we with her or against her?

Again Bendis makes us involved in the story by having Scarlett address us directly as readers, making us complicit in her actions. By simply being readers we push the story along.

Maleev's artwork is as good as ever and the fact that he's using a model for the Scarlet character makes her depiction very realistic. Indeed Maleev captures Scarlet's expressions and depth of emotion in each illustration brilliantly.

This comic is characterised by Scarlet looking at us. On almost every page Scarlet checks if we're still with her, making sure that were coming along, and virtually asking for our approval and consent. When she says 'See? I'm trying desperately to find someone who would miss him enough to make it worth me not killing him', she's really asking us if we're that someone. The only way to avert his death is to stop reading. But are we going to do that?

Bendis goes to great lengths in both issues to show that Scarlet is just an ordinary girl. In issue one Scarlet says 'I'm not Miss America super hottie' and all her actions before her vigilantism are characterised by normality - normal upbringing and life experiences. Does Bendis have a twist in store for us about Scarlet? She seems to handle weapons quite well... Or are we set to see a tragedy? The degeneration of a typical, ordinary, girl into the corruption of the soul that ultra-violence brings.

Everyone wants to see corruption and purveyors of injustice punished. Vigilantism is appealing because it asks few questions and offers quick results. Bad guys are immediately erased. But what punishment fits the crime? The broad strokes with which villains and heroes are painted in pop culture are rarely mirrored in reality. That's why we have a justice system. 

Scarlet's story is intriguing and the artwork lush. I flew through this really quickly. There's many a page with no writing at all leaving me thinking - where's the rest? But no matter. It's good enough for multiple readings.

This: More brilliance.  Forthcoming: Yes, please! We want more brilliance.