Let’s do a little observation. In Black Canary, after Dinah Lance knocks Ollie down, she asks if Arrowette GreenSpoiler Mia wants to try stopping her. Note Mia’s chest logo. It’s yellow, arrowish, and arrowishly yellow and not a boob window. Later, when shown as part of the rescue of Sin during Operation:Let’s Create an unconvincing marriage proposal acceptance Confused Writers, the colourist appears to prioritise boobs over costume continuity.
Sure, it’s an easy mistake to forget to put in the costume’s alternate colours. It happens to male characters all the time. See below.
Why, it even happens to Kyle
Not to mention that one time where Alex Ross totally forgot that Superman wears a yellow shirt under that costume, and Flash and Hal have white singlets.
Okay, so I had to run through Photoshop to make the point.
Basically, the colourist on Black Canary fucked up Mia’s costume, and because the sexy is apparently all encompassing and all forgiving, it’s okay that someone didn’t get the art right, and the editorial didn’t pick up the breast display was out of costume, and… just how old is Mia anyway?
In short, I don’t give a damn whether you think Mia’s boob window is sexy or in character or what - the art team couldn’t get the costume right through out a miniseries.
Four episodes, and that can’t be done well?
That’s crap performance from people paid to be professional and get it right.
Pick up your game DC.
Five real ways blogging about comics has changed things in my life
1. I am a marketing lecturer. I teach marketing. I now think about the issues of race, gender, portrayals of gender, passive and active gender roles, stereotyping and the rest of the issues I’ve come to see in comics, over in my day job of teaching marketing to students who probably have never thought to question why all the examples in the text are white, middle class scenarios, and why everyone else is invisible.
2. Recognising I have white privilege (The Invisible Knapsack) and working towards doing something about it, and, in the industry I work in, doing something with it. Being a white male middle class intellectual with academic cred and long track record of speaking my mind freely because I’m a privileged white boy who sees no reason my voice shouldn’t be heard is a platform. Marketing could use a good dose of the stuff we’re dealing with in comics, and it may as well be me making the crossover, since if they’ll listen, we can start broadening the mindsets of marketers.
3. Parking the guilt, the anger and the rest of the crap, and just getting on with it. Somedays, being white and male isn’t all that’s grand. But for those hours, minutes or few fleeting seconds, they’re nothing to complain about, no reason to say “But white kids have it bad too” or generally be a defensive asshat when called on an issue. It also means that 24-7, I need to be aware. I don’t get days off to be privileged if I want to change. I don’t get time out if I’m serious about shifting me from what I was, to where I hope one day to be. And y’know what? It’s life. Cutting back on the privilege, taking steps back, having spaces you can’t access, having place your voice ain’t gonna be heard when you’re used to the opposite is a good start. I’ll never get it right, because if I want it to stop, it could.
4. Getting it wrong. When Alfred says the lines, “Why do we fall Master Bruce?”, I cry. Because it’s a moment cinema that speaks volumes to me, and those volumes are summed up poorly as “It’s okay if I get it wrong when I try, so long as I’m willing to actually be wrong, be corrected, and try again to do it right the next time”. I screw up. Until blogging for DS, working in a field where I am pretty bloody good at my job, I rarely screw up. I’ve had 50 conference papers accepted from 54 submissions over 10 years (and 20 from 23 in the last two years). The books and chapters I cowrite are accepted as “first draft, final draft”. Over here, at DS, I’m in new territory, and in territory where I am far from an expert, and just a guy finding his way in new terrain. (Okay, just a guy with a PhD and a willingness to learn)
5. It’s brought me back to comics. To be honest, before I started at DS, I was over comics. Now, I’m back into comics, reading far and wide, looking, learning, seeking out where people are doing it right, and learning how people are doing it wrong, why it’s happening, and how to change. It’s rekindled the love of the medium, and the burning desire for this medium that I love to be strong, to be successful and to be able to be shared with so many others.
Finally, the best part of this blogging run has been the day in, day out reminders that I don’t get a cookie for doing the right thing. Checking privilege, being less blind to rest of the world around me, and trying to do something about it has made a difference.
I am eternally grateful to the girl-wonder team from bringing me on squad, letting me have a slice of the G-W space, and not drowning me in Marvel crossovers.
I’m also grateful to the audience I have here at DS, particularly to people who debate, argue, and generally keep the comments thread alive during my routine absences (oh hai day job. IN UR STUDENT CONSULTATION, BLOGGING UR DS).
No, this ain’t a retirement or resignation letter. It’s a realisation as I started tackling teaching introduction to marketing to first years that the world of marketing they get to see is shaped in part by the world I’ve been lucky enough to be shown by Girl-Wonder and the bloggers, commentators and forum posters.
Now, I have to go corrupt the minds of youth. By semester’s end, they will be able to sing along to late 80s one hit wonders. I’m not all about the side of good you know.
Comic books would like to remind you that they target specific markets.
Citizen Steel is demonstrating which part of the young male market that certain publishers think is the most valuable to target.
Thank you for your continued cooperation in this matter.
I have been told that cheesecake sells, and the promotion of sexualised women is a financially viable commodity. I usually disagree with this point, but, assuming that this is correct, and cheesecake is a financial viable medium, why don’t more men produce their own comics? The word is that there’s a market for it. I’ve heard comic book bloggers and forum members say there’s a need for it. It’s been said to be profitable. Why don’t more men show the Tony Stark sort of entrepreneurial get go to get their own slice of the (American) pie?
Competition, reduction of competition, and a market opening
If you’re into comic books for the breasts and dollars, would it not become in your interest for Marvel and DC to be moved out this arena? You could motivate yourself with a burning dissatisfaction about the smallness of PowerGirl’s breasts by creating your own comics where you would be able to provide a commercially viable product for the market that seeks hand drawn women, drawn by men (and women), for other men (and women), in male pleasing sexualised poses.
You’d be able to make your Powergirl’s breasts as big as you pleased. Plus! With an upsurge in non sexualised comics, Marvel and DC would have taken those annoying comic book fans who want art and story and characterisation and all of those other problematic elements that relegate breasts to second place out of your way, and left you with a massively profitable market of men and women who just want sexualised content.
So, for the male gaze crew who promote the incorporation of sexualised women in mainstream comics, why not go make your own comics?
I’m told it’s profitable, right?
Discuss this on the G-W Forums
I am a male. I read comics. If this cover of powerful female comic book figures tied up, helpless, suits zipped down to expose the maximum flesh without revealing a nipple is designed for the arousal of the male reader, then I’m going to be blunt
You fail. It is not arousing. I do not want. I am not excited or titillated by the prospect of this cover. Further, I’d be embarassed to walk out of a comic store with this in my hand. One glance from the average punter, and I’m some freakshow. Ordinary punters thought the Mary Jane statue was bad. What the hell are they going to make of this? It’s reinforcing the stereotype of comic book readers as strange individuals who lack social skills, haven’t met a real female in their lives, and have immense forearm stamina.
Thanks Marvel. Way to help show comic books aren’t just for kids, they’re for perverts.
Thank god this is a Max title, and won’t make it to a really broad audience.
HEROES FOR HIRE #13
The Story: The Heroes for Hire find themselves in the middle of World War Hulk when their mission to Hulk’s stoneship leaves them on the Warbound’s death list! It’s divide-and-conquer as each hero is hunted by a member of the Jade Giant’s band of alien soldiers.
32 PGS./Rated T+ …$2.99
MARVEL RATING SYSTEM
- ALL AGES
Appropriate for readers of all ages.
- T+
9+ years old Appropriate for most readers, parents are advised they may want to read before or with younger children.
OH SHIT. What where you thinking? Wait. I remember, Marvel isn’t misogynistic! The chief editor of Marvel has a daughter. I bet he’ll sit there and read this comic with his daughter. That’ll make it all fine.
Breaking out the details
This is my personal shortlist of issues I have with the cover.
- The cover is sexualised violence. The women have bared breasts without the shot of an unclothed nipple. Shaded nipples are acceptable. So are erect nipples through the cloth of their costumes. Sure, defeated, semi conscious, captured by aliens, but sexually aroused by the moment. They may be about to suffer painful torture, but they’ve got hard nipples about it. (No, I ain’t screen capping that. It’s creepy, and it’s a demonstration that the artist painted the costumes over a naked female form. I suspect porn tracing) Could you imagine a cover with Spiderman and Wolverine and Cyclops strung up, each sporting obvious erections about what will happen next? (Yo! Alex Ross! Buddy, do it. It’ll be worth the lolz)
- The hands are also important here - the female characters are in signs of defeat and submission, and the one set of male hands are in active resisting poses (I’m assuming that’s Shang-Chi from what I’ve read around the place)
 
Hai! A GUY! GUYS ARE LEIK ACTIVE AND STUFF!
- It’s freaking Bratz Porn. The eyes that set it off.
- Finally, remember, even if you’ve been fighting your way through an alien strong hold, lip gloss is important.
-
So, I want to make this clear. This is a cover that has women portrayed at passive sexualised objects in the name of selling comics.
It is sexist.
It is reinforcing the misogynist view point that women are to portrayed as passive sexual objects to be acted upon by men, in this case, the male viewer of the comic.
It is offensive to consider this cover art for a series that is considered suitable to be read with children as young as nine, or read by children as young as nine.
OPEN CHALLENGE
If you want to persuade me that this cover isn’t sexist, because men are drawn in similar poses, then I’m up for the challenge. If you can find me a cover with up to three men, all drawn in passive poses, with demonstrable hardness of the nipples or penis, sad faces, and the female hero (for what little of her is seen) being active, you can tell me that this cover isn’t sexist because stuff happens to guys as well. Especially on the cover of T+ rate comics.
Checklist for you
- Up to three males. I’m not even looking for parity of numbers (there are four women on the cover of Heroes for Hire).
- Some obvious arousal at their situation (erection of nipples or penis is fine). If this is missing, then no dice. Harden those man parts up or go home.
- Some costume change/ removal of costume. Preference is for removed pants/trousers, will settle for opened shirts (even though that’s not the same level of sexualised posing. Pecs != Breasts for sexual connotation otherwise men would own bikini tops). There has to be some evidence of interference with the uniforms of the men. I’ll accept torn (bonus for tears with bleeding cuts under them), cut, removed or opened (Nightwing’s chest to ceiling mid 80s open V won’t count unless it’s been obvious interfered with by a third party. I’m looking for parity with the white jump suit, not Black Cat’s costume)
- Passive/defeated demeanor. No struggling resistance against the bonds. They need to be defeated AND enjoying it.
- BONUS POINTS: An active female hero presence, doing something active about the dramatic situation that the men have accepted.
Prove me wrong with evidence. I’m not even asking for a one to one swap on most points.
Show me that the Heroes for Hire #13 cover is simply a gender reversal of existing cover art. Show me that there’s no sexism, because this has happened to men before.
|
|
