Mothership Connection, by Martha Thomases

Martha Thomases

Martha Thomases brought more comics to the attention of more people than anyone else in the industry. Her work promoting The Death of Superman made an entire nation share in the tragedy of one of our most iconic American heroes. As a freelance journalist, she has been published in the Village Voice, High Times, Spy, the National Lampoon, Metropolitan Home, and more. For Marvel comics she created the series Dakota North. Martha worked as a researcher and assistant for the author Norman Mailer on several of his books, including the Pulitzer-Prize-winning Executioner's Song, On Women and Their Elegance, Ancient Evenings, and Harlot's Ghost.

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11 Responses

  1. Rob says:

    "Black Canary thinks her adopted child is dead because Green Arrow and his colleagues decided it was too dangerous for the child to live with Dinah."

    Actually, Dinah knows Sin is alive… and it wasn’t that it was "dangerous for the child to live w/Dinah" it’s that it was dangerous for the LOA to know Sin was alive, with anybody, and Dinah wasn’t told of the plan till after the fact in order to "sell" it. That’s a bit different than you’re presenting, methinks.

    • Alan Coil says:

      LOA=League of Assassins. The LOA was training Sin to be their next leader and would have never stopped trying to get her back. No problem, now that they think she is dead.

      But the part I really objected to was that they didn’t tell Dinah until DAYS after the fact. That presents to me the attitude: "Silly women wouldn’t be strong enough to fake the emotions."
      —–
      Separately, I must admit to being a might jealous over the years that many of my friends and acquaintances have been Hyphenated-Americans and I haven’t. Now I feel complete. (paragraph 2)

      • Martha Thomases says:

        You’re right — I forgot the details. However, my point stilll stands that the editorial powers-that-be did not want Dinah to be a mother.

  2. Elayne Riggs says:

    Damn, I didn't know about Catwoman, I hadn't read that issue yet.The best mom-superhero characters I can think of are probably Sue Storm over at Marvel and Kate Spencer (Manhunter) at DC. I think a big reason we don't see more is the cultural assumption that (reality to the contrary) the mom is and should be the primary caretaker for the kids, and if she's a superhero they're always in danger unless she can get a sitter or doesn't have custody — because heaven forbid the dad has primary responsibility! Sue works because the FF's extended family affords lots of child care; Kate works because she doesn't have custody of Ramsey.

    • Alex Jay Berman says:

      I still hold up Ma Hunkel, the original Red Tornado, as a great role model. Not only was she a single working mother, she fought crime!(and, let's us point out, as if that wasn't enough of a gender-role-busting activity, did so without trying to look like Betty Grable or some other scantily-dressed pinup queen.)

      • Elayne Riggs says:

        I haven't read any of the original Red Tornado, but wasn't that played primarily for laughs?

        • Mike Gold says:

          No more so than some other golden age features such as Johnny Thunder. There’s a fine line back then between humor and heroic fantasy. Today, Hoppy The Marvel Bunny could become the new Spectre.

        • Alex Jay Berman says:

          I was actually thinking more of how she is viewed with regard to modern sensibility and continuity, but the stuff at the time was either gaily presented, as Mister Editor points out below, or was very dark Crime-Does-Not-Pay stuff, a la early Batman.

          Mind you, I’m still debating whether the whole witness-protection-program, faked-her-death retcon sits well with me, but I’m just happy having her back in the modern comics world.

  3. Nan Lasser says:

    I can’t wait until Martha publishes her book.

  4. Rick Taylor says:

    I was impreseed by Mrs. Incredible's ability to 'hold it all together' in the movie. The scene where she basically tells the kids they are on their own if she's not back with Dad is serious stuff. You also site two of my favories, Nick and Nora Charles as fun and sexy. I think most comics couples can get stale because most writers can't site anything in their relationships that is that fun or challlenging. C'mon folks, those stories are just out there waiting to be written.

  5. John Tebbel says:

    Makes me want to read it again. William Powell and Myrna Loy are so wonderful in most of the pictures, especially in the first two. But all I remember about the book at the moment is the drinking.