13 Comics That Smash The Patriarchy

For summer reading that breaks glass ceilings.

1. Captain Marvel (Kelly Sue Deconnick, 2014)

Marvel Comics

What It's About: Carol Danvers, former fighter pilot, current part-alien superhero, and all around badass proves why she's Earth's Mightiest Avenger as she battles time travel hijinxes, dinosaurs in Central Park, and her own deteriorating mind.

Number Of Male Tears Shed: The number of times you've wished you could rock Cap's excellent fauxhawk.

Where To Start: Here, and the current 2014 run continues here.

2. Ms. Marvel (G. Willow Wilson, 2014)

Marvel Comics

What It's About: Kamala Khan is just an average Muslim teenager in Jersey City until an * incident * that leaves her with shapeshifting abilities, trippy visions of the Avengers, and the mantle of Ms. Marvel. Bonus points for including a very practical fanny pack in the homemade costume.

Number of Male Tears Shed: The number of times #MURICA scrolls across your Twitter feed.

Where To Start: Here.

3. Pretty Deadly (Kelly Sue Deconnick and Emma Rios, 2013)

Image Comics

What It's About: Death's daughter Ginny rides the through the land of living in search of retribution, not only for those women who call for her help, but also for herself. Death himself will fall, and Ginny will be there to watch it happen.

Number Of Male Tears Shed: The number of times Clint Eastwood has squinted into the sunset.

Where To Start: Here.

4. Sex Criminals (Matt Fraction and Chip Zdarsky, 2013)

Image Comics / Via starlorrd.tumblr.com

What It's About: Suzie and Jon are a sex-having, time-stopping couple who are using their powers to fund their Robin Hood-esque life of crime.

Number Of Male Tears Shed: The number of vibrators sold in 2014.

Where To Start: Here.

5. Hawkeye (Matt Fraction, 2012)

Marvel Comics

What It's About: The story of Hawkeye (Clint Barton) and Hawkeye (Kate Bishop) when they're not busy avenging shit. Actually they avenge a lot of shit. There's also a cute dog that loves pizza.

Number Of Male Tears Shed: The number of times you've heard someone say "bro" today.

Where To Start: Here.

6. Young Avengers (Kieron Gillen and Jaime McKelvie, 2013, Volume 2)

Marvel Comics

What It's About: The Young Avengers have a big legacy, and even bigger problems to face. This unlikely team (including Hawkeye, America Chavez, Hulking, Wiccan, Loki, Prodigy, and Noh-Varr) dimension hops through the multiverse to fight an evil that the adults can't even begin to see, let alone understand.

Number of Male Tears Shed: Enough to fill the multiverse.

Where To Start: Here.

7. She-Hulk (Charles Soule, 2014)

Marvel Comics

What It's About: Jennifer Walters juggles the pressures of being an attorney and being an Avenger, but the two sometimes blur together when She-Hulk does whatever's necessary to defend her clients.

Number Of Male Tears Shed: The number of suits on Wall St.

Where To Start: Here.

8. Rat Queens (Kurtis J Wiebe and Roc Upchurch, 2013)

Image Shadowline

What It's About: A pack of booze-guzzling, death-dealing battle maidens-for-hire who are in the thrilling business of killing all god's creatures for profit.

Number Of Male Tears Shed: The number of orcs that Sauron bred.

Where To Start: Here.

9. Saga (Brian K Vaughan and Fiona Staples, 2012)

Image Comics

What It's About: A little girl tells the story of her star-crossed, fugitive parents raising her as they run from bounty hunters with cats who sense lies, robot princes, scorned exes, and an intergalactic war with deep racial tensions.

Number Of Male Tears Shed: The number of actual tears you'll shed reading this amazing comic.

Where To Start: Here.

10. X-Men (Brian Wood, 2013)

Marvel Comics

What It's About: An all-female X-Men team led by Storm (featuring Rouge, Kitty Pryde, Jubliee, and Rachel Grey) battle ancient alien invaders while saving lives and educating the next generation of mutants.

Number of Male Tears Shed: The number of Storm side-eyes per issue.

Where To Start: Here.

11. Adventure Time: Fionna and Cake (Natasha Allegri, 2013)

BOOM! Studios

What It's About: The popular Rule 63 (gender-swapped) version of all your favorite Adventure Time characters go on an epic quest around the land of Ooo. Lumpy Space Prince is exactly as lumpy as Lumpy Space Princess.

Number Of Male Tears Shed: The number of sales executives that think girls only play with dolls.

Where To Start: Here.

12. Lumberjanes (Grace Ellis, Noelle Stevenson, and Brooke A. Allen, 2014)

BOOM! Studios

What It's About: Five best friends are determined to have a great summer together despite all the supernatural creatures that try to ruin their questing.

Number Of Male Tears Shed: The number of times you've reblogged gingerhaze (Noelle Stevenson).

Where To Start: Here.

13. Black Widow (Nathan Edmundson and Phil Noto, 2014)

Marvel Comics

What It's About: Natasha Romanoff atones for her days as a KGB assassin.

Number Of Male Tears Shed: The number of times Scarlett Johannson's been asked about her diet by a reporter.

Where To Start: Here.