From Wonder Woman to Buffy Summers, Emma Peel to Sydney Bristow, Charlie’s Angels to the Powerpuff Girls, superwomen are more than just love interests or sidekicks who stand by their men.

In this lively multimedia presentation at 7 p.m. Tuesday, May 21 at Edmonds Community College’s Black Box Theatre, pop-culture historian Jennifer K. Stuller will explore how the female hero in modern mythology has broken through the boys’ club barrier of tradition.

Using comics, television and film, she will discuss female action and super heroines from the 1930s to the present day. Do social and political forces affect pop culture – and vice versa? This conversation will examine women’s representations in media and women’s roles as media makers, inspiring us to think deeper about popular culture, media, gender images and storytelling.

Stuller is a professional writer, critic, scholar, pop-culture historian, public speaker and the author of Ink-Stained Amazons and Cinematic Warriors: Superwomen in Modern Mythology. Stuller’s particular interests focus on what popular culture reveals about social mores, especially regarding gender, race, sexuality, ability, religion and class in a given time or place. She is co-founder of and the programming director for Seattle’s GeekGirlCon. Stuller received her Bachelor of Arts from the University of Washington in the Comparative History of Ideas with a minor in women studies.

Humanities Washington presents Hazel Miller Conversations in the Humanities, a lecture series designed to invite participation from new audiences and encourage exploration of new topics, throughout 2013 at the Edmonds Community College.