History of the portrayal of women in comic book-based films

Cassandra Lofaro, Verrazano Class of 2019, earned a degree in Communications with an emphasis on media studies.


For my capstone project, I decided to focus on the gender portrayal of superheros. I became interested in superheroes when I was in high school, and noticed that within cinematic universes (Marvel and DC, specifically), that there had been a lack of female-led films. Just a few years later, it was time for me to choose a topic for my capstone, and only two movies had been released by that point that featured females in the titular role; Wonder Woman in 2017 and Ant-Man and the Wasp in 2018. I was interested in both on the historic portrayal of women in comic books and the role of women in comic book-based films, so I decided to focus on gender roles and how superheroes are portrayed within those barriers. While working on my capstone, a third female-led movie was released; Captain Marvel in March 2019.

Women superheroes are few and far between

With the help and support of my faculty mentor, Professor Edward D. Miller, I was able to find a lot more information than I had originally anticipated. Overall, the research that I did for this project met my expectations; while some of the information was disappointing in terms of the portrayal of women vs men in comics, the general outlook for the future is hopeful. I was both able to learn new things, and to confirm some of my predictions upon doing research. From adapting costumes from illustrations to functional, real-life versions for film, and understanding how the hair and makeup of a particular character may be chosen, to understanding how characters have changed and developed over the past several years. Researching this topic has broadened how I view the portrayal of superheroes; while my love of superheroes started as a hobby, I was able to turn something fun into something I could study.

Cassandra investigated gender roles in comic book-based movies

I definitely think that this is a topic that could be further developed, so long as film studios continue to diversify their leading characters, and if more women become involved in the illustration and authorship of comic books. I will continue to pay close attention to how men and women are portrayed in comic book-based films, as I’m anticipating many changes and generally enjoy seeing how studios explore new characters. I’m excited and hopeful for what the future holds, and am thrilled that I was given the choice to perform this research in the first place. 

Binge TV Watching in the Name of Scholarly Research

Elizabeth DeStefano, Verrazano Class of 2018, majored in Communications with a concentration in Journalism.

 

Liz DeStefano before she binge 
watches in the name of research

My name is Elizabeth DeStefano and graduated with a Communications degree at CSI. I worked on my capstone project with Professor Edward Miller. What is great about the capstone project is that you’re able to choose any topic you want to focus on. Going off of that, I chose to focus on reality television. But how could reality television even be worth an academic discussion? That is the beauty of studying the media; you get to analyze everything you love on an academic level, and GET CREDIT for it. Cool right? You can watch Harry Potter get credit for it. You can watch memes and study them and get credit for it. But as fun and easy as this all sounds, it is important

to understand that it is a lot more work than it seems.

 When picking this project, I was originally going to focus on the effects of reality television on an audience. However, Professor Miller steered me in a much cooler direction, in which I analyze the aesthetics of reality television. I was troubled by the topic at first, not really sure what to do with it, until one day I was watching an episode of The Amazing Race and noticed that alliances are taking over the competitions within reality television. I was intrigued by this, considering the very networks that air these shows are involved in their own competition, in which only six major companies are competing (and sometimes they team up with one another). What formed was my comparison of the structure of the media industry to how reality television portrays alliances within the show. The research involved me watching two seasons each of three different competition-based reality shows.

Settling in for some research!

  

I chose to focus on the first four episodes of each season to also focus on the sub-problem, which was the speed at which alliances formed. I have been watching reality television religiously with my family since I was a child so I felt I had a pretty firm grasp on the concept. Boy, was I wrong.

There are so many aspects to take into account when analyzing the aesthetics of a show: the music, the camera movements, the footage they choose to use, the quotes they select from contestants. While I originally thought my research would be a walk in the park, it turned out to be more daunting than I thought. It also didn’t help that I procrastinated quite a bit (pro tip: DO NOT PROCRASTINATE). I found myself urgently watching episodes whenever I could; during breaks between class, breaks at work, while I was showering or brushing my teeth.

The negative effects of binge watching in the name of research!

My hand would be throbbing as I scribbled notes furiously when I could. Deadlines crept nearer as did my anxiety of not being able to graduate. However, I pushed through, having to spend my spring break in CSI’s library furiously typing up the paper. Now that I look back, this experience was stressful, anxiety-inducing, tiring, frustrating, exciting, interesting, and probably one of the most rewarding experiences of my college career. We always have to cite scholarly research articles when were writing papers for class but this time we are writing the scholarly research articles. It is truly amazing to be able to create something as elaborate and informative from essentially nothing. Aside from the free pizza Cheryl likes to get for us, and the priority registration, this in my opinion is one of the most rewarding parts of Verrazano because we get to be apart of the academic community on an entire different level.

Alumni Chronicles: Discovery Through Travel

Matt Young, Verrazano Class of 2012, studied Design and Digital Media (a concentration of the Communications major) at the College of Staten Island.  Matt decided to participate in the Worldwide Opportunities on Organic Farms (WWOOF) program and spent time in Texas this spring on an organic farm outside of Austin.  Read more about his experiences below.

Matt Young, Verrazano '12

At the beginning of February of this year, I decided to go to Austin, Texas to work on an organic farm through the WWOOF program (Worldwide Opportunities on Organic Farms).  This was a very quick decision on my part, but I believe that some of the best decisions in life are made through feelings and instincts.  Sometimes, when there is nothing to lose, it is worth going for the gold.

I guess it’s kind of stereotypical for a post college graduate like myself to pack my bags and take off for parts unknown.   It’s probably even more stereotypical to blog about it.  But the unknown is simply what hasn’t been learned and experienced yet, and provided that it’s positive, I think traveling is one of the most important growing experiences to be had.  

Although I’ve been to many places, I really didn’t know what I would be getting myself into, as I have never traveled completely by myself (I mean heck, I didn’t go to Manhattan alone until 2012!).   But once I arrived and was greeted by the farmers at the airport, all my fears melted away.  I knew that I would be having an amazing time, and this couldn’t have been more true.

What I loved most about the farm I worked at was the peaceful atmosphere and the self sustainable lifestyle.   The weather was beautiful (in the “heat” of February no less!) and there were plenty of animals to keep good company, particularly the 120 or so chickens. 

The duties I had during the winter included getting gardens ready, brush clearance, and the routine poultry duties (feeding, egg collection, moving them around the pasture)  Chicken processing was also optional, certainly not mandatory. I would imagine spring/summer duties are more hands-on involving the crops.  After putting the basic work in, I was provided with delicious food (much of it from the farm directly) and a wonderful room/shower facility, all located in the farm home. There is plenty of downtime provided to enjoy the natural farmlands.

I also had access to the city part of Austin at many moments, which is truly an amazing place and largely the reason I traveled.  Austin is especially known for its music scene, which I experienced firsthand at the South By South West Music Festival, an annual Austin staple.  Other perks of Austin include its quirky nature, hence the slogan “Keep Austin Weird.”  There is a large young community, due to University of Texas being in the downtown area.   Everyone was so welcoming.

So what’s next for me?  Well, I’ve since returned to Staten Island, but I plan to embark on future adventures while developing my graphic design portfolio and doing what I love.