Synopses & Reviews
and#8220;Mike Madrid is doing Godand#8217;s work. . . . mak[ing] accessible a lost, heady land of female adventure.and#8221; and#8212;
ComicsAllianceBetween the covers of Vixens, Vamps and Vipers, fans will rediscover the original bad girls of comicsand#8212;as fierce and full of surprises as they were when the comic book industry was born. From murderous Madame Doom to He-She, dubbed by io9 as and#8220;the most unsung comic book villain ever,and#8221; Mike Madrid resurrects twenty-two glorious evildoers in fully reproduced comics and explores the ways they both transcend and become ensnared in a web of cultural stereotypes.
Among the deadly femme fatales, ruthless jungle queens, devious secret agents, double-dealing criminal masterminds, and gender-bending con artists are some of the very first women of color in comics. These women may have been overlooked in the annals of history, butand#8212;like their superheroine counterparts in Divas, Dames and Daredevilsand#8212;their influence, on popular culture and the archenemies that thrill us today, is unmistakable.
Mike Madrid is the author of Divas, Dames and Daredevils, a ComicsAlliance and ComicsBlend Best Book of the Year, and The Supergirls, an NPR and#8220;Best Book To Share With Your Friendsand#8221; and American Library Association Amelia Bloomer Project Notable Book. A San Francisco native and lifelong fan of comic books and popular culture, Madrid also appears in the documentary Wonder Women! The Untold Story of American Superheroines.
Review
Advance Praise for Vixens, Vamps and Vipersand#147;Madrid continues a mission celebrating strong women of comics and rediscovering lost adventures. You can sense his love and knowledge of the genre in every chapter. He is the Professor of Comics Cool.and#8221; and#151;ComicsBlend
and#147;Portray[s] women who were wickedly smart, independent, diverse, outspoken, and had consciously chosen a life of evil. . . . Accompanied by Madridand#8217;s well-researched commentary, this fascinating collection provides much food for thought.and#8221; and#151;ForeWord Reviews
"The heroines in Divas, Dames and Daredevils were exciting and intriguing, itand#8217;s true, but my heart is still pounding over some of these very bad Vixens, Vamps and Vipers. Sometimes it just feels good to be bad." and#151;GeekGirlCon
"This is mandatory reading for any fan of comics. It expertly explains the roles of women villains and how they lead the way for the femme fatales that fans love to cheer and boo today. I canand#8217;t imagine any scholarly collection of comics being complete without this book. Overall grade: A"and#151;SciFiPulse.Net
"Mike Madrid may know more about women in comics than anyone else alive."and#151;Sects and Violence in the Ancient World
Select Praise for Mike Madrid
and#147;These and#145;lostand#8217; [characters] are now foundand#151;to the delight of comic book lovers everywhere.and#8221; and#151;STAN LEE
and#147;Lovers of comics and strong women everywhere thank you, Mike Madrid!and#8221; and#151;TRINA ROBBINS, author of Pretty in Ink: North American Women Cartoonists 1896and#150;2013
and#147;Madridand#8217;s meticulous and passionate research provides a window into a seemingly lost herstory of patriotism, bravery, and progressive ways of thinking about female agency and adventure.and#8221; and#151;JENNIFER K. STULLER, author of Ink-Stained Amazons and Cinematic Warriors: Superwomen in Modern Mythology
and#147;Mike Madrid is doing Godand#8217;s work. . . . mak[ing] accessible a lost, heady land of female adventure.and#8221; and#151;ComicsAlliance
and#147;[Madridand#8217;s] engaging, conversational language is as readable as the truly dazzling comics. He has endeavored to unearth the forgotten, and what he found is ultimately unforgettable.and#8221; and#151;BUST Magazine
and#147;Sharp and lively . . . [Madrid] clearly loves this stuff. And heand#8217;s enough of a historian to be able to trace the ways in which the portrayal of sirens and supergirls has echoed societyand#8217;s ever-changing feelings about women and sex.and#8221; and#151;Entertainment Weekly
and#147;Exciting and fraught with danger . . . Madrid presents the cream of a very ripe crop of empowered comic book [characters] and introduces them quite eloquently.and#8221; and#151;Library Journal
and#147;Provide[s] fantastic documentation of how many female characters were created during this eraand#151;some with surprisingly progressive personalities and stories to boot . . . Wholly enjoyable.and#8221; and#151;Publishers Weekly
and#147;We canand#8217;t talk about feminism in comics without talking about Mike Madrid.and#8221;
and#151;ForeWord Reviews
and#147;Serious and astute . . . elaborating on history and establishing the zeitgeist perfectly . . . Highly recommended for comics fans and historians alike, these and#145;rarely anthologizedand#8217; stories are excellent for giving girls of any age positive comic book role models to look up to.and#8221; and#151;PopMatters
and#147;As the mother of several daughters, Iand#8217;m always on the lookout for books with strong female characters. . . . Madridand#8217;s historical commentary [is] the most fascinating part. These forgotten pieces of our past hold valuable insights into what is possible, and desirable, for our future.and#8221; and#151;San Francisco and Sacramento Book Reviews
and#147;Entertaining, insightful and lovingly crafted . . . Madrid has an encyclopedic knowledge of his subjects but he make it feel fun.and#8221; and#151;ComicsBlend
and#147;Invaluable . . . During a period when female-led books are under increased pressure and scrutiny . . . itand#8217;s the perfect time to look back at some of the daring dames from the dawn of the artform.and#8221; and#151;ScienceFiction.com
and#147;[Madrid] shows that in the Golden Age of comics there were more of these characters and a wider diversity than you could imagine . . . Thorough and enjoyable.and#8221; and#151;DC Women Kicking Ass
and#147;Not only do we get to learn more about some really incredible female characters, we get to experience the thrill of reading their comics! . . . Madrid pick[s] stories that . . . make these women worth talking about.and#8221; and#151;Sequential Tart
and#147;What Madrid has accomplished is the rescuing of women who have otherwise been forgotten in the world of comics [and] gives you something that no other [books] have . . . the opportunity to read the actual stories in which these women appeared.and#8221; and#151;DestroyTheCyborg!
and#147;[Madrid] clearly shows how womenand#151;even ordinary womenand#151;were once deemed incredible and awe-inspiring.and#8221; and#151;Sects and Violence in the Ancient World
and#147;Essential reading for anyone interested in the history of how women have been portrayed in comics.and#8221; and#151;Comics Worth Reading
and#147;I have encountered few people who write with the passion and enthusiasm for these characters as Mike Madrid does. His notes and commentary on the characters . . . the history, and the artists are pure gold.and#8221; and#151;Plastic Heroines
Synopsis
A rogueand#8217;s gallery of the most glamorous and dastardly villainesses in Golden Age comics.
Synopsis
"Mike Madrid is doing God's work. . . . mak ing] accessible a lost, heady land of female adventure." --
ComicsAlliance Between the covers of Vixens, Vamps & Vipers, fans will rediscover the original bad girls of comics--as fierce and full of surprises as they were when the comic book industry was born. From murderous Madame Doom to He-She, dubbed by io9 as "the most unsung comic book villain ever," Mike Madrid resurrects twenty-two glorious evildoers in fully reproduced comics and explores the ways they both transcend and become ensnared in a web of cultural stereotypes.
Among the deadly femme fatales, ruthless jungle queens, devious secret agents, double-dealing criminal masterminds, and gender-bending con artists are some of the very first women of color in comics. These women may have been overlooked in the annals of history, but--like their superheroine counterparts in Divas, Dames & Daredevils--their influence, on popular culture and the archenemies that thrill us today, is unmistakable.
Mike Madrid is the author of Divas, Dames & Daredevils, a ComicsAlliance and ComicsBlend Best Book of the Year, and The Supergirls, an NPR "Best Book To Share With Your Friends" and American Library Association Amelia Bloomer Project Notable Book. A San Francisco native and lifelong fan of comic books and popular culture, Madrid also appears in the documentary Wonder Women The Untold Story of American Superheroines.
Synopsis
Between the covers of Vixens, Vamps & Vipers, fans will rediscover the original bad girls of comics-as fierce and full of surprises as they were when the comic book industry was born. From murderous Madame Doom to He-She, dubbed by io9 as "the most unsung comic book villain ever," Mike Madrid resurrects twenty-two glorious evildoers in fully reproduced comics and explores the ways they both transcend and become ensnared in a web of cultural stereotypes.
Among the deadly femme fatales, ruthless jungle queens, devious secret agents, and double-dealing criminal masterminds, are some of the very first women of color in comics. These women may have been overlooked in the annals of history, but-like their superheroine counterparts in Divas, Dames & Daredevils-their influence, on popular culture and the archenemies that thrill us today, is unmistakable.
About the Author
Mike Madrid is the author of
Divas, Dames and Daredevils: Lost Heroines of Golden Age Comics, Vixens, Vamps and Vipers: Lost Villianesses of Golden Age Comics, and
The Supergirls: Fashion, Feminism, Fantasy, and the History of Comic Book Heroines, an NPR and#147;Best Book To Share With Your Friendsand#8221; and American Library Association Amelia Bloomer Project Notable Book. A San Francisco native and lifelong fan of comic books and popular culture, Madrid also appears in the documentary
Wonder Women! The Untold Story of American Superheroines and is the illustrator of
Lily the Silent: The History of Arcadia.Foreword contributor William Kuskin , Ph.D., who has been described by Denverand#8217;s Westword as and#147;kind of like Professor X of the X-Men, teaching his young mutants how to wield their superpowers,and#8221; is Professor, Faculty Associate, and Chair of English at the University of Colorado Boulder.