The Power of Her Nonconformity: Defying Conventional Female Roles in the Comix World

"Love and Rockets," the acclaimed indie comix series (comics meant for adults) is written and illustrated by Mexican-American brothers, Jaime and Gilbert Hernandez, who create the imaginative and strikingly real worlds of... [ view full abstract ]

"Love and Rockets," the acclaimed indie comix series (comics meant for adults) is written and illustrated by Mexican-American brothers, Jaime and Gilbert Hernandez, who create the imaginative and strikingly real worlds of Hoppers and Palomar. Both creators inhabit these spaces with interesting, powerful, and unconventional women, specifically Maggie and Luba. This study is a comparative analysis of Maggie and Luba, who defy the normative roles of sexuality, family, and age, both within the "Love and Rockets" universe and in the wider world. By exercising nonconformity, the women gain power in their sexual liberation and fluidity, uncommon familial constructs, and by aging in a way that breaks down conceptions of female adulthood while visually utilizing the serial nature of comics. This work will also explore the state of comic books in the early 1980s and the restrictions and stereotypes associated with the medium to further discuss how the Hernandez Brothers break down assumptions regarding the female's role in comics.