Barbie saves a planet in new comic series, may save ours
Free Comic Book Day may be a couple months out, but Mashable has an exclusive preview of one book that is bound to shake things up – Papercutz's Barbie.
Yes, Barbie has her own comic book, and it's more empowering for women than you might think.
This new issue will actually contain two all-new stories about this beloved toy icon. In the first, Barbie is working as an assistant for fashion icon, Whitney Yang, and trying to make her mark in the fashion industry.
In the second, Barbie becomes a space savior, visiting a far-off planet to help save their ecosystem.
It's clear that the Barbie franchise is making strides to be more inclusive. As you can see in the panels at the bottom of this page and in the cover art above, Barbie's friend is a woman of color who is working to become a photographer.
In entertainment directed towards children and younger people, that matters. Notably, it portrays a different kind of woman than we usually see in comics.
Women have generally been pigeonholed into one of two categories in comics: the fierce and badass warrior chick, or the girlfriend/damsel in distress, helpless and in the background.
There are obviously exceptions, but the general theme is this: a woman has to have a certain kind of physical toughness to have value.
In this book, Barbie shows us something different. Yes, she is traditionally feminine and loves fashion. But she also uses her brain and talents to advance in her industry.
Barbie boasts of being a "knowledge sponge," and her goal is to find her personal vision. She has passion and drive, and she doesn't have to be anything other than who she is to be the hero of her story.
Check out the below pages shared with us by Papercutz to see for yourself, and then pick up the full issue on Free Comic Book Day – Saturday, May 6th, 2017.
Topics Comics
