ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the changes that are happening in female representation and the female demographic in the superhero genre over the last decade. An overview will be provided of: changes in audience demographics, which now comprise of a readership/viewership that is almost half female; changes in the entertainment industry, which has had to address both fan demand for more women creatives and the changing demographic; the introduction of more female writers, artists, and directors; changes since the early 2000s, which include the rise of digital comics and online arenas of debate that include social media. The chapter finally turns to the writings of Juri Lotman, the Russian semiotician, and his semiotic model of the semiosphere. Applying his concept of the semiosphere to the female superhero provides a method for mapping out cultural shifts and offers a way for critically thinking about how genres intersect with culture to effect change.
