TL;DR – Read this if you liked the moral ambiguity of Watchmen but, in all honesty, needed a pick-me-up after finishing Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons’ masterpiece. Don’t read this if you’d prefer not to think too hard about your superheroes. Or, if you don’t like comics. I don’t judge.
Ah, comics. The stereotypical retro boy’s pastime and now super-mega film universe that will still be making movies and shows once we’re all dead. But even if spandex and capes aren’t normally your cup of tea, I’d still suggest you give Strong Female Protagonist a read because of its excellent worldbuilding, charming characters and fascinating (without being depressing) examination of superheroes and social change.
Strong female protagonist is about a young, middle-class college student who also happens to be the world’s strongest former superhero. However, upon growing disillusioned with her role as the harbinger of “truth, justice and the American way,” she’s now trying to figure out what comes next and how to deal with problems that can’t be pummeled into submission.
First, I think it’s worth noting that I’ve read this book three to four times over, and new elements of the world or sneaky, inside jokes still surface with each rereading. The comic’s creators, Brennan Lee Mulligan and Molly Knox Ostertag, clearly put a lot of time into making their world tick like clockwork, including in how the inevitable bureaucracy that comes along with a solid chunk of the world suddenly shooting laser beams from their eyes. I found the minutiae of this world to be interesting and naturally developed, so that the world didn’t feel like a such a far cry from our own, making the story’s stakes all the more impactful for me.
Second, the cast of characters in this story are delightful and fully fleshed, the art style is lovely, and it’s a genuine pleasure to track the relationships that grow and break along with the overarching plot and personal ‘quest’ of the main character. You’ll find delightful people like Allison’s old superhero team, her college roommates, her government-appointed therapist and barber (it makes sense, I promise), and her DOG. YEAH, SHE HAS A DOG; HE’S A GOOD BOY. Part of what makes the cast so delightful is that the world doesn’t reset at the end of each chapter in SFP, and the creators take care to ensure that every action, reaction and consequence pays off down the line. This is true for both the supporting characters and the main one, so no part of the story feels like a waste of your time.
Finally, I always love it when my caped crusaders make me whip out a dictionary occasionally—or, maybe, a moral philosophy book. No, wait, don’t click away just yet! I promise it’s not insufferable. SFP is still funny and full of intrigue and superhuman butt-kicking, but that doesn’t stop it from asking complex questions about what it means to be a hero. I.e., how does someone with superstrength punch concepts such as economic inequality and prejudice into the sun? I felt that made Allison Green, the comic’s titular hero, far more approachable in that she was grappling with the same problems I think a lot of us come up against at one point or another: What do you do once you learn just how many problems the world has and how large the scope of those problems actually are? It makes Alison Green feel approachable, like someone I’d have come across while at college, while Clark Kent feels as distant as a character from mythology (which we could talk about as well, but that’s for another post).
And yet, even though SFP asks the same questions we’ve seen before in Watchmen, Superman and the like, it didn’t leave me feeling the way Watchmen did at the end. Watchmen made me feel like I needed to go on a long walk and then throw myself into the comforting embrace of Mary Poppins or something. Not that I don’t respect the story (it’s great!) or the themes explored (they’re valid and thought-provoking), but right after I finished Watchmen, I returned it to the dormmate I borrowed the book from, and I’ll never forget what she said to me: “It made me think that maybe I don’t want to live in a world like that.” Which is fair, because no one wants to live in the world of Watchmen. There’s rain all the time and they’re still living in the Cold War or something. But it is interesting, given that most might sign up for a superheroic world without a second thought. Strong Female Protagonist, meanwhile, left me with the far-less-bleak vibe that even though the world is large and often cruel, it’s something that can be changed.
But we’re not here to talk about the differing aesthetics and themes of comics, we’re here for a review. Right, yes. I hesitate to say that SFP is beyond reproach with no notes and is perfect forever, because, as the Jedi know, only the Sith deal in absolutes. So, it’s worth noting that this webcomic has been on hiatus for a long time and was last updated at the very beginning of its last chapter, with no news on when it will be finished. So, don’t read it if you’re looking for completion right now. It also focuses heavily on a character-driven plot and less on action-driven storylines where the Big Bad Evil Guy must be stopped, as it’s focusing on a hero in her post-heroing career. I also found a couple chapters could be a bit dense (hello, moral philosophy), which could also appeal to some but not to others.
Overall, I loved Strong Female Protagonist because I felt like the struggles Allison face are some of the most relatable I’ve seen in a comic book. I felt more seen as a woman and a person while reading this book, both in my fears and my desires to improve a world that is more like a ball of gnarled string than a planet.
Plus, it’s free. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again – People who make art for FREE are delights who are too good for this capitalist hellscape we live in. If you’re sold, you can go check out Strong Female Protagonist right here. Happy reading!
