TONY ISABELLA responds

Tony is one of the nicest guys in comics, and isn't really that bloodthirsty, according to my sources. He created and wrote the fondly-remembered "Black Lightning" series, and wrote "Shadow War of Hawkman," and popular runs on several Marvel titles. Currently, and for the last 4,000 years, he's been writing a column for the Comics Buyer's Guide, as well as an online version here. (GS)

TONY: Violence towards women has been used in comics much as it has in movies and on television ... for shock value. I suppose I'm somewhat guilty myself, having killed off Betty Dean at  Marvel and Marvis Trent at DC. In both cases, the deaths were setting up  stuff for future stories, but I still did them in. I'm going to have to look over your list when I have more time. My memory fails me when it comes to some of these characters. I might even use it as a basis for a column.

gail: Evidently, a few of the names on the list are inaccurate to one degree or another, but on the other hand, since I posted the list, it's grown considerably. Women die. They get raped. They get murdered. I'm hoping my letter  wasn't accusatory -- that wasn't my intent. But, if it's happening to a different female character every time a creative team takes over a book, you HAVE to ask why. It's the TREND I'm asking about rather than individual stories that may or may not have good motivations.

TONY: I think there's till too many comic-book writers who have never had a good relationship or known a competent/self-assured woman. I think a lot of anger is coming out in these stories. I still wince over a scene in some X-Men comic in which the White Queen is being sliced apart, restored, and sliced apart over and over again.

Maybe it's because the readers are mostly male and the creators are afraid of doing anything drastic to the male heroes. My pal Tom Batiuk will be dealing with teen date violence in an upcoming run of his Funky Winkerbean strip. I'm urging him to have Lisa press charges against the guy who got her pregnant back in high school.

Well, when you've corrected [the list], let me know and I'll do something with it.