Wonder women: A history of female characters in comic books

Every week, The Thread checks in with booksellers around the country about their favorite books of the moment. This week, we spoke with Aja Martin, a bookseller at Indigo Bridge in Lincoln, Neb.Aja Martin is a self-proclaimed geek. She loves graphic novels and comics, and she's excited about a new collection that documents the whole history of female comic book characters. It's "The Spectacular Sisterhood of Superwoman," by Hope Nicholson.The book gives an encyclopedic overview of strong, powerful and occasionally extremely obscure characters, from the 1930s to present. It includes not just details about their origins, but the historical context around their creation. Martin loved the opportunity to learn more about a favorite hero of hers."I have a huge, huge love of Wonder Woman," she said. "I think that her creation was kind of an interesting look into how people were processing sexuality at the time, which a lot of people don't realize."The book also gives a glimpse at characters you've never heard of — like Olga Mesmer, from 1934, or Friday Foster, from 1970. There's also the Man-Huntin' Minnie of Delta Pu, from 1952.It's a must-read for any comics fans, Martin says, and good background to how the powerful characters we see in modern culture evolved.