Look Outside the Industry for Guidance

When a superpower flick underperforms, there is much Monday morning quarterbacking in the entertainment industry--be it from the comic book press or the typical Variety/Entertainment Weekly level analysis. Everyone seems to know why it went wrong and when.

I like to get my sampling of opinion from off the wall sources, however, so I was pleased when Washington Monthly (a left-leaning political magazine with a self-described "independent voice, listened to by insiders and willing to take on sacred cows--liberal and conservative") weighed in recently with an essay Seven Mistakes Superheroines Make. Written by the magazine's managing editor, Christina Larson, the essay offers the following advice:

"...Superheroines since the 1970s—from Wonder Woman to Princess Leia, Charlie's Angels to Lara Croft, "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" to "Alias's" Sydney Bristow—have all followed a few simple rules to find success on the big and little screen. And every would-be action babe who has flopped has broken at least one of them. So what's the secret?
1. Do fight demons. Don't fight only inner demons.
2. Do play well with others. Don't shun human society.
3. Do exhibit self-control. Don't exhibit mental disorders.
4. Do wear trendy clothes. Don't wear fetish clothes.
5. Do embrace girl power. Don't cling to man hatred.
6. Do help hapless men. Don't try to kill your boyfriend.
7. Do toss off witty remarks. Don't look perpetually sullen."

I think it best to look outside the industry as often as possible, because not surprisingly, as with this fun-to-read essay, an outsider's view is potentially the most effective perspective.