"Life is a place of service and in that service one has to suffer a great deal that is hard to bear, but more often to experience a great deal of joy. But that joy can only be real if people look upon their lives as a service and have a definite object in life outside themselves." Count Leo Tolstoi (Nobel Prize winning Russian Novelist).
Civic Virtue and the Femforce
by Jim Johnston
One of the most significant features of the FemForce, a feature that both defines the individual members of the team and separates them from many other comic book characters, can be summed up in the answer to the question, "Why are they heroes?" In the case of the Femforce, the answer can be found by examining the concept of civic virtue. Civic virtue is achieved when a citizen acts responsibly, and, in a larger sense, civic virtue can be seen as a willingness to forsake private interest for the common/public/collective good.
While the Femforce is not the only superhero team that demonstrates these ideals, the ladies have consistently lived up to them. With the FemForce, indeed with all the AC heroes, Bill Black has given life to the kind of characters who would find a way to make a big contribution to society even if they did not have paranormal powers. These characters all realize that America affords its citizens many opportunities. Everyone has a more or less equal opportunity to go as far in life as they want. Not everyone will succeed, and some may have to try harder than others, but generally speaking everyone has an equal chance. Also, these characters appreciate that America provides a tremendous amount of personal freedom for its citizens. Within a mostly sensible/reasonable set of rules and laws, everyone is free to do whatever they want to do.
Significantly, the AC characters understand that the country which provides all these freedoms and opportunities also needs the help and participation of everyone. They realize that they are all implicity called to serve, and they voluntarily answer that call even though the service may be difficult and dangerous. There is no draft for paranormals in the AC Universe nor any legal requirement that they serve their country and community. They serve not out of compulsion but because they realize that it is the right thing to do. The team members understand that with their paranormal powers they have more so it behooves them to give more. Furthermore, they all appreciate that public service, in addition to the benefits it achieves for society as a whole, also bestow a special and personal reward. Virtue is its own reward. In each character, the reader can identify the basic sense of civic virtue that underlies their personalities.
Ms. Victory
Ms. Victory has been described as a grown-up Eagle Scout. The description is particularly apt as the character's actions have consistently reflected the Eagle Scout philosophy. The Eagle Scout oath calls upon its members to live their lives with honour, loyalty, courage, and service. Regarding the Eagle Scout's final responsibility of service it is said that "the daily good deed evolves into a life of service..." Eagle Scout inductees are called upon to "protect and defend the weak and helpless, comfort the oppressed and the unfortunate, and uphold the rights of others while defending your own." In the Eagle Scout charge one can see what could easily be the mission statement of the Femforce, as well as Ms. Victory's personal creed. Furthermore, Eagle Scouts are reminded that their duty extends beyond their comrades to include the entire country and everyone in it. Eagle Scouts are warned that many use their strength and brains to exploit others and gain selfish ends. They are charged with making the future even brighter than America's great past and told, "Be a leader, but lead only toward the best. Lift every task you do to a high level of service." The person who tries to live up to this oath personifies the true nature of civic virtue and Ms. Victory's actions demonstrate a consistent and successful commitment to these ideals.
After all, she didn't need to become a superhero. Joan Wayne could have stayed a government research scientist and still made a significant contribution. Once acquired, she could have used her powers to enrich herself as a villain or a mercenary, or she could have simply gone on with her life, occasionally using her powers to make her life easier. Instead, she chose the harder path. A love of country and a desire to serve motivated her to take the V-45 serum which gave her paranormal abilities and the same sense of duty compelled her to train, study, and work to acquire the skills to make better use of her powers. It is that same sense of civic virtue that still drives her to keep on being a hero even though that role has cost her a lot, both psychologically and physically. No matter what the challenge or how difficult or dangerous the task, she still perseveres.
Stardust
The United States welcomes many immigrants to its' shores. The government places no special requirements on them such as extra taxes or mandatory public service. Provided they qualify to enter the country, they are required only to live within the previously mentioned laws of the land. This makes Dr. Mara's case particularly relevant to a discussion of civic virtue.
Given that she is from another planet, Stardust could be seen as the ultimate immigrant. Like all newcomers, she has left behind everyone she loves and everything that is comforting and familiar to start all over again on our world. She is quite literally a stranger in a strange land. She didn't need to become a protector of Earth. There were easier opportunities open to her. On Rur, her homeworld, she was a prominent scientist. She could easily have found a similar role here and done very well for herself, or she could have cashed in on her exotic background and alien beauty and become a media celebrity. As an actress or model, she would have made lots of money with little risk.
However, she realized that she had an important contribution to make to her new country, a country that had freely welcomed her. Even though she is not a fighter by training or temperament she joined the FemForce. As a team member, she fights to defent her new home against all enemies both foreign and domestic. A single specific example - During the DarkGods Rampage story arc (Femforce 107-109), Stardust unhesitatingly put her life on the line to purge the well of souls in an act instrumental to the defeat of the invading evil forces.
Colt
In the AC Universe it is strength of character as much as superpowers that make a hero. It was strength of character that allowed Valencia Kirk to recognize the value of civic virtue and the necessity of service when she became an intelligence agent and the same strength of character that motivated her to make the tough choice to carry on the work of her deceased husband and become a true hero.
Even though she has no powers, she is still an integral part of the Femforce world. Far from being a "fifth wheel," "professional friend," or hanger on, she has always played an important role. It is useful to remember that back when Ms. Victory was in her "Rad" persona and the Femforce was at a low point, it was Colt who stepped in to lead the team and it was Colt who was responsible for holding things together and getting the team through difficult times in Femforce Issues 9 - 25. Colt demonstrates that civic virtue taken seriously can make anyone a hero.
She-Cat
Jessica Hunt is spiritually bonded with Sekhmet, a vengeful Egyptian cat goddess. She lives with the constant threat of Sekhmet's blood lust gaining control and turning her into an indiscriminate killer. Given that situation it would be easy for her to fall prey to the evil within her. If not an outright villain, she could easily have become one of those Bad Girl superheroines, an amoral, blood-soaked, violence-prone, killer with a bad attitude and a high body count. As such, she might call herself an "avenger," a "vigilante," or even a "guardian." However, in the final analysis she would not be that different from the villains she fights and murders. Instead, by joining the Femforce, She-Cat follows the much more difficult path of working with others for the common good that leads her to true heroism.
Synn
Silva Synn is a gentle soul with a truly wonderous power. She can literally remake reality to suit her heart's desire. So it would be simple for her to retreat into a fantasy world of her own creation in which everyone is happy and everything is nice. This would almost certainly be her first impulse since she really dislikes any kind of unpleasantness or discord. Nevertheless, she remains in the "real" world and acts as a catalyst, using her powers to save the day for all instead of only for herself. Synn illustrates what can be achieved when an individual puts public good ahead of private gain, or, in Synn's case, public good before private bliss.
Tara
The wealthy daughter of a powerful man, Tara could have opted for a life of leisure. Instead, she devoted herself to her commendable ecological concerns. Significantly, she became a full-fledged and equal member of the FemForce long before she gained any super power. Moreover, her power does not afford the level of invulnerability that most of her teammates enjoy. Tara is very mortal, but joins in the same struggles with her more powerful teammates even with the knowledge that her life is on the line.
Nightveil
Like Tara, Laura Wright is wealthy and could have opted for a life of luxury. She was also a heroine long before she acquired her paranormal abilities. Like Synn, she has a truly awesome power. Her long education in the arcane arts, resulting in her becoming the Sorceress Supreme, and her many experiences with the super-natural have given her an almost omnipotent perspective that sometimes seems to put her beyond the interests and concerns of mere mortals. Yet, like all of her teammates, she can always be relied on when her talents and abilities are most needed. Laura Wright, even as Nightveil, remembers the obligation, the necessity, and the value of public service. In fact, her adherence to these principles helps to keep her grounded to the "real" world.
Clearly, AC's heroines have strength of character and their actions demonstrate an adherence to the principle of civic virtue, but isn't a comic book's primary function to provide entertainment? Of course, and characters that exhibit civic virtue provide for better entertainment. Because their actions demonstrate a commitment to ideals beyond their own self-interest, AC's heroines have more humanity, more personality, and are more interesting. Where a hero has a clearly defined set of values and beliefs that are reflected in his or her actions then their conflicts with opponents are more clearly defined. The challenge of strong opponents yields the opportunity for better stories. Cinematic, epic stories with a broad scope and wide focus touching on themes of right vs. might, democracy vs. totalitarianism, and the rule of law vs. the rule of the jungle can be told from amidst the perspective of more personal tales.
Moreover, stories in which the protagonists do not differ significantly from each other in attitude, philosophy, or methods offer less interesting themes. There is little real difference between the hero and the villain in themes such as vigilantes vs. violence, facism vs. communism, or cynical amoral violence vs. brutal venal criminality, and dark characters live in a morally dead universe in which the ends justify the means and nothing else really matters. In stories set in such a universe, the hero and villain are just opposite sides of the same devalued coin. While affording plenty of opportunities for violence and extended fight scenes, there is little else that can be offered and, no matter how good the art may be in such a comic book, pretty soon the tales become dully predictable, repetitive, and boring.
In contrast, the "civic virtue aware" heroine provides opportunities for interesting stories beyond conflicts with villains. Themes touching on the consequences of civic virtue and the effect of civic virtue on interactions with teammates, superiors, the government, or the public may be explored. The FemForce has touched on such themes on an ongoing basis. In Good Girl Art Quarterly Issue 16, the heroine is faced with a situation where the public does not truly value or appreciate her efforts on their behalf. In almost every issue, AC's heroines demonstrate how to deal with physical pain or injury to overcome a tough opponent, and, make no mistake, AC villains are tough, they fight dirty, and, it doesn't matter if you're invulnerable, getting gut-punched by Iron Jaw or Valkyra is going to hurt. As an example, just check out page 12 of Femforce Issue 112 (Number 3 of 3 in the Femforce special "Rayda: The Cyberian Connection).
The missed opportunities resulting from their civic virtue have often been touched upon in the series as the heroine off saving the world, defeating the bad guys, or helping out with a civil disaster such as a forest fire or a hurricane, finds that the life she has chosen doesn't leave much free time to work on relationships or to spend quality time with her family. The resulting marital difficulties, such as Joan Wayne's divorce detailed in "Femforce: Origins" or the break-up of Jennifer Burke's (Ms. Victory/Rad) marriage between Femforce Issues 53 and 92; and, family alienation, such as the hostility in Femforce Issues 50-94 between Jennifer Burke and Joan Wayne, have been examined and add depth, texture, and humanity to the stories. So too, the death of a loved one due to the heroine's choice to become a heroine, and the emergence of the truth behind the death, can lead to a heart-rending tale such as the death of Jason Burke (Jennifer's son and Joan's grandson) in Femforce Issues 50 and 51.
The Femforce has also been able to touch on themes surrounding the manipulation of team members by unscrupulous government supervisors to further cynical agendas. In Femforce Issues 62 and 68, General Gordon manipulates Colt into stealing classified government files and then sets her up to take the fall. At what point does the good soldier question or go against her orders? Does she follow the letter of the spirit of the law? In Femforce Issues 92 and 93, General Strock, the military officer in charge of the team disobeys orders and risks her career and her life to discover the truth behind an event. In the course of her actions, she also rescues Rad and her companion, the Terrorist.
Of course, such themes don't have to make up the entire story. After all, comics with a lot of action are a good thing. However, these subjects can provide excellent background details, character insights, and secondary storylines that enrich the main story and flesh out the characters giving them more depth, making them more compelling, and, ultimately, creating characters the reader cares about.
Finally, motivation is important in making stories come alive for the reader. A character who has free will and can make moral choices is intrinsically more interesting than one who is driven by guilt or revenge, or a character who seemingly has no motivation at all except possibly to fight, because the comic book reader struggles with moral choices every day and cannot rely on the cop-out of senseless violence. A character who understands an obligation to serve, who realizes that service is a choice, and who makes that choice freely, is by nature a better character because such a character reminds the reader that we have obligations and the free will to decide if we will meet those obligations. Who we are, who we want to be, and who we are working at becoming are reflected in the choices we make, and are reflected in the choices of characters such as AC's heroines who put the needs of others above their own and adhere to the ideal of civic virtue, setting an example for us all.