Woman of the Month: Elisa Maza

I'm transporting this mini-project over from my Tumblr, in which every month I picked six fictional female characters as my chosen "calendar girls" (not as dodgy as it sounds). It was basically just an excuse to showcase some of my favourite characters, but thanks to time restraints I haven't been able to post any since May.

But I enjoyed doing it, and I'd like to carry on the tradition here. So even though I'm going to cut down on the numbers involved, limiting myself to only one woman per month, I'll continue to celebrate my favs right here. The only rule I've set is that I can feature only one female character per show.

And first up is:

Elisa Maza from Gargoyles

Disney has FINALLY seen fit to release the second half of the show’s second season, something that’s been at least three years in the waiting. On watching the final twenty-one episodes, I was struck all over again by just how well this show has held up. In terms of its scope, continuity, foreshadowing, character development and plotting, it’s one of the best shows I’ve ever seen. Not just one of the best cartoons, but the best shows, period.

And one of the best things about it was its female characters. So many complex, interesting, fascinating women – and it’s telling that the one who is generally considered the weakest of the female cast is still a mutated cat-girl who can shoot lightning out of her hands. Yeah.

And heading this collection of amazing women is one Elisa Maza: a kind-hearted, open-minded, mixed-race NYPD detective who befriends a temporally-displaced clan of living gargoyles and helps them adjust to 20^th century life. There really are no words to describe how fantastic this character is.

It’s worth saying that as a kid growing up in the nineties, I assumed (as many might have done at the time) that she was a white woman with an olive complexion. It wasn’t until her father and mother (who are undeniably depicted as Native American and black, respectively) were introduced that I realized she was a WOC.

Sadly I have no recollection of what my reaction to this was, but I bring it up to point out that Elisa’s existence really was extraordinary – all the more so for being treated as no big deal. Modelled after her voice actress Salli Richardson, who is also the child of mixed-race parents, Elisa’s background is never explicitly discussed at any point during the show’s run – it’s simply there, treated as an intrinsic part of who she is. It’s melded elegantly into her storylines, particularly with later episodes in which her heritage and her relationships with her parents/siblings is focused on.

She was awesome, and the most flattering thing I could say about her is that as a kid, I totally took her for granted. And that’s a good thing, because one day depictions of women like this should be the norm, not something to be grateful for.