Phoenix and Pandora: The Comic Book Goddesses Of 2012

Editor's Note: this article was originally published in February of this year, before the resolution of "Avengers Vs. X-Men," the announcement of the Marvel NOW! sort-of "rebooting," or much of the DC Comics possibly "universe-changing" "Trinity War" event news. To make a long story short -- I was right on the money here.

While mainstream comic books are still largely perceived as being mostly about -- and for -- males, the irony is that the focal characters for two of the "events" hitting Big Comics in 2012 are both female (or, at least, representing the Feminine). I am talking about Phoenix, who will somehow impact the "Avengers Vs. X-Men: miniseries in a big way, and the mysterious hooded Pandora, who has been making her way through a bunch of cameos in all of DC's "New 52" titles and has been inferred to be of some major importance to the DCU this year. 

Phoenix

Pandora

The namesakes of both entities -- which are both seven letters long and start with a "P" -- can be traced back to Ancient Greece (and, if you are feeling particularly inspired, even further in time than that). Phoenix is the firebird who represents resurrection and renewal, and Pandora is the "first woman" who accidentally opened up a jar or "box" that released all manner of evils upon mankind.

The paths of the two comic book characters -- and their mythological counterparts -- intersect in another interesting way. According to one account, the only thing left in Pandora's box after she opened it was Hope -- and it is rumored that the "host" Phoenix is looking for in "Avengers Vs. X-Men" is the messianic character Hope.

Scarlet Witch and Hope, two potential "hosts" for the Phoenix Force, within a yonic symbol

We can even stretch this connection further (and believe me, I realize it's a bit of a stretch) by noting that both DC's Pandora and another version of Phoenix (Rachel Summers) both have similar lined patterns on their faces. Both these characters are heavily involved with the concept of alternate universes or "Earths" -- as indeed Hope from the X-Men is as well. The convoluted history of Phoenix's most famous host, Jean Grey, is often cited as a criticism of Marvel's continuity, and Pandora seems to be sent down from a cadre of omnipotent cosmic comic book editors in order to "fix" the pseudo-rebooted continuity of the "New 52" line of DC comics.

Pandora has even infiltrated DC's children's comic "Tiny Titans"

Here's where things get even more potentially interesting. If Pandora fixes and reconciles the DC continuity, will Phoenix (whoever she turns out to be) do the same by giving a "New 52" type "rebooting" of the Marvel universe? Pure speculation -- but the point is, these two major events at both DC and Marvel cannot but help to in some ways mirror each other. Their respective universes are but two in an infinite multiverse whose main qualities are ironically both uniqueness and interdependence. They can no more be truly separate from each other as comic books can be truly without a feminine influence. Pandora -- "the first woman," the primal Feminine -- literally stalks the entire DC Universe, while Phoenix's formidable fiery bird-shape casts her ominous light upon Marvel's greatest superheroes.

And I can't think of a better year for all this to go down than 2012 -- the so-called "year of change."

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Our Lady Of Themyscira

I've just seen a whole lot of Wonder Woman-themed "syncs" this morning, and I wanted to collect them here:

First, a WW-themed cigarette ad from the 1970s, found on the Kleefeld on Comics blog:

Then, a Virgin Mary/Superman mashup -- that, revealingly, rather resembles Wonder Woman -- by artist Soasig Chamaillard (via io9):

And Jay Bone just tweeted a drawing of Michelle Obama as WW just before I sat down to write this:

I then began to think of alll the symbolic similarities between the Virgin Mary and Wonder Woman:

1. Red-and-white color scheme
2. Sometimes uses a cape
3. Field of stars on blue background on costume
4. Golden "crown"/halo/tiara
5. Dark hair (sometimes painters will go blond on VM...though WW has been depicted this way as well
6. Bird imagery (on WW's top and the Holy Ghost painted near Mary)
7. Lasso/Snake imagery
8. Special powers
9. Both derived from Greco/Egyptian goddess imagery (Isis/Athena)
10. "Virginal" qualities: while WW has been often paired with Steve Trevor, there nevertheless remains a strangly "virginal" aspect about her...living on an island devoid of men.

Given the last attribute, it is strange that DC Comics would recently choose to so publicly pair Wonder Woman up with Superman...unless you consider another Mary:

Tons have been written on the Jesus symbolism with Superman...

The union of Jesus and Mary Magdalene has deep deep esoteric meaning, which of course keys into the collective unconscious of the public and immediately draws them to the story. As does the general iconography of WW and VM, both deriving from the same ancient, primal, archetypal "well."

The image of WW/VM/MM is generally quite positive (you know, except when they tempt newly-liberated Seventies women to start smoking), and I do like seeing them scattered about the Internets --

--they are a good corrective to the unimaginable hatred towards women I've seen over the last month or so, evidenced in the psychopath who was stalking females in the comics industry and the "burn the witch" imagery stemming from the Pussy Riot trials.

Speaking of the latter post, this picture of DC Comics character Pandora is a Mary Magdalene stand-in if I've ever seen one:

Given the apparent "Judas" symbolism of the Phantom Stranger in the story, this connection would bear further research in another post.

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Of Witch-Hunts, Trinities Of Sin, And Triple Goddesses

The "Trinity Of Sin" from DC Comics...

...and members from activist/punk band Pussy Riot on trial

Today exiled and "housebound" Julian Assange* gave an impassioned speech from the balcony of the Ecuadorian Embassy in London, urging President Obama and the United States to "stop the witch hunt against WikiLeaks."

I found his use of words quite interesting, considering that only a couple of days ago three members of the the punk rock band/social activism group Pussy Riot were convicted of "hooliganism" in a public circus of a court case that uncannily resembled the witch trials of old:

Part of the "evidence" against the three consisted of testimony on how their blend of "blasphemy" and feminism "infected" impressionable souls -- testimony that repeatedly referred to the young women as "demonic." Here is how one witness to Pussy Riot's brief performance inside a church described the event:

"I can’t describe it. In essence, it was some sort of demonic seizing."

To add some extra atmosphere, some anti-Pussy Riot protesters were actually heard to chant "burn the witches" outside the courthouse.

Apparently also missing the "good old days," members of Russian Orthodox groups have also taken to setting images of Pussy Riot on fire.** The New York Times quotes the leader of one religious sect as saying the following:

"We’re going to rip them up and burn them. Like in the Middle Ages."

You can't make this stuff up folks. We're in the middle of a goddamned Witch Craze. In 2012.

In the "triple goddess" aspect of the three women on trial -- their decision to evoke the Virgin Mary's more "pagan" (read: feminist, woman-positive) roots in an Orthodox church -- the "witch" connection couldn't be more explicit. This is why the focus of the world is so laser-like focused on this trinity of females -- because symbolically they are the embodiment of the global Divine Feminine energy taking on traditional "patriarchal" religions everywhere (reference also the Catholic nuns currently challenging the Vatican):

They've tapped into the zeitgeist.

Writing this, and being somewhat nerdy, I cannot help but think of another trinity -- the one in DC's New 52 comic book line. While the "offenders" on trial in that recent storyline -- leading up to the big "Trinity" event next year -- are not all female, the echoes are there:

Like Pandora in this story, Assange and the members of Pussy Riot have been accused of "opening a box," forcing uncomfortable dialogues on topics like politics and religion into the public spotlight.

In the DC Universe, the character of Pandora is supposed to "rearrange" and alter the world -- of the "nothing will ever be the same" variety. Will the international attention -- and protests -- sparked by the verdict in the Pussy Riot trial do the same to our world?

*Oh, I am well aware of the crimes Assange is accused of in Sweden -- and if he really let ego and personal frailty put into jeopardy all he did with WikiLeaks, he is a fucking idiot of the highest order and deserves to go to jail. But I highly doubt the U.S. seeks to throw him into the oubliette along with Bradley Manning just because they feel oh-so-strongly about rape charges, not when there's an epidemic of sexual assault going on (and swept under the rug) within their very own military. 

**Not like the civilized, post-religious, non-superstitious and sophisticated people in the West who restrain themselves and only send death and rape threats to outspoken females through the Internet. Oh, and make Flash games simulating beating women in the face. And that damned Bradley Manning thing again. Let's not sprain our hands giving ourselves too big a pat on the back.

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