I’ve been following The Wotch for several years now, ever since a guest review managed to educe my curiosity enough to overcome my aversion concerning early idiotic moments in the comic. During this time, I’ve watched several relationships evolve, including a lackluster romantic triangle between Anne, Robin, and Cassie (lackluster only in that Anne is somewhat oblivious over Robin’s attraction to her and in some ways to romance in general) that seems to have stabilized once Robin and Cassie started dating. While this has disappointed hordes of fans who were ‘shipping Robin and Anne, the relationship between Robin and Cassie (and Robin’s fading interest in Anne) actually makes sense when you look at Robin’s relationship with Anne.

One of my more vocal complaints about The Wotch in the past is the relative lack of consequences in the comic. Anne has gotten a pass on a number of issues related with magical misuse, with several characters permanently altered as a result of Anne’s mishaps and growing to accept (and enjoy) these changes. Thus I was slow to catch the more subtle consequence of one of Anne’s favorite pranks; turning Robin into a girl at any provocation (no matter how slight or innocent). Robin has protested this pretty much every time it occurs, but to no avail. This isn’t helped by his best friend Jason, who has grown to enjoy the escapism that comes when he is transformed into a girl, to the point that he’s bought outfits to wear when a girl and will ask Anne to change him. (I’m unsure as to how Jason would react if something were to happen to keep him a girl for an extended period of time; that might actually make for an interesting storyline in the future.)

Robin’s protests over being transformed into a girl is matched by another conflict between Robin and Anne; her refusal to let him help her. It’s an interesting role-reversal from the traditional fantasy fare; often the “plucky heroine” will struggle with the hero on letting her help with the quest or fight the antagonist. Indeed, the respect that forms between hero and heroine as she takes a role as an equal often is key in the deeper relationships that inevitably form in this genre. Unfortunately, despite having proven himself several times, Anne continues to mother-hen Robin and refuse to let him get into harms way. She was offended initially when she learned he had taken up martial arts training. She has repeatedly dismissed his own interests in magical training and on his own possible power. In short, she treats Robin like he’s some pretty little princess to be placed on a pedestal and protected from harm, no matter on protests against such treatment.

This emasculation of Robin exists on multiple levels. First, there is the obvious transformation of Robin against his will into a girl. Second, there is her denial of his having any power, be it magical or physical. Third, there is an obvious lack of respect; Anne doesn’t often listen to Robin (that I recall at least), and treats his obvious dislike of being turned into a girl as a joke and something to be evoked whenever possible. And the truly sad thing is, Anne’s not a bad person. She’s not some jerk who is trying to hurt him; instead, she’s mindlessly and casually stripping away everything that makes Robin who and what he is. And while admittedly the latest incident of emasculation was inflicted by a third party, Anne’s blanket acceptance of this stranger’s assertion that Robin was useless in this fight was as much a blow to Robin’s self-esteem as if Anne herself had said “run along and play while us grown-ups take care of things.”

Don’t forget either that we’re talking about a young man who’s not yet 16. Robin has grown up with a mindset drilled into him for his entire life through television, literature, and cultural beliefs on what it means to be a “man.” Yet time and time again he’s had that ripped away from him. Sure, the culture of machismo has caused more than its share of mischief over the centuries, but replacing it with the cult of feminine superiority is no better, especially when it has been shown several times that when Robin and Anne work together as equals, they can overcome almost any foe. For that matter, for all of Robin’s faults (and he has been shown to be quite human, including his blaming Cassie for his own screw up a while ago and his stalking Anne when she went out on a date with another guy), he’s not exactly shown a tendency toward blind machismo. Yet Anne has revealed a blindness toward Robin’s use that is as great (if not greater) than that of most literary heroes toward their feminine counterparts.

Cassie plays a parallel role in this. Her own initial evocations in magic were less-than-spectacular, and resulted in Anne having to play hero (which undoubtedly did much for her ego even as she outwardly played “reluctant heroine”). Since that time, Anne has refused to notice the growing power within Cassie, and she has dismissed any potential benefits that Cassie can bring. Anne is so busy being the “hero” of The Wotch that she ignores a potential ally and rival in her midst. Interestingly, this dynamic is similar to that existing between Robin and Anne, except that the friendship between Cassie and Anne is cursory at best. While Anne has noticed the growing relationship between Cassie and Robin, it appears more likely she feels more the lack of Robin’s constant presence (as he shifts his interest from Anne, who is oblivious to his affection, to Cassie, who had pursued Robin since before the comic began and who has grown to respect Robin rather than just see him as a prize to be won over) than realizing she’s losing a possible boyfriend to a rival.

The kinship between Cassie and Robin has even grown to the point that Robin’s keeping Cassie’s secret (of the growth of her own magical powers) from Anne. When you consider the foes arranged against Anne and the plots that she has already faced with Robin and Jason by her side, this is a disturbing facet of the Anne/Robin dynamic. Of course, I suspect that Anne would dismiss anything Robin said about Cassie seeing that she usually ignores anything Robin says about magic, along with her dismissal of Cassie as possessing any real magical talent. But the keeping of secrets of this magnitude concerning magical happenings is itself worrisome, and something Anne will likely not notice until it’s too late. This is also endemic of Anne’s lack of respect for Robin, and another reason I have seen these two drifting apart.

Considering the blatancy of the latest snub against Robin, I have to suspect that he’ll end up being a key player in helping Anne overcome her latest pair of antagonists. It will be interesting to see what her response is; if Anne will nonchalantly diminish his role (or even scold him for “putting himself in harm’s way”) or if she’ll finally wake up and realize that she’s pushing away her best friend by diminishing him, both as a young man and as a potential comrade-in-arms. It will also be interesting to see if Anne takes greater responsibility with her “pranks” against Robin; if it weren’t for her transforming him into a girl, Robin wouldn’t have been dragged along in this latest madcap adventure (for all the harm and good that resulted). At this juncture, I’m not sure if she can; Anne has become more of an archetype than a true character, and while her friends (and Cassie) have shown remarkable character growth, she has stagnated. And while it may be a babystep, perhaps by growing to respect her friends, Anne may start to grow into her role as the heroine of The Wotch.