Talking Comics Podcast 04/23/14

Ladies and gentlemen, 

Let me begin by stating that anything said here-in is solely my opinion, and is not intended to represent the views of my colleagues, co-hosts, or fellow contributors, nor the Talking Comics podcast or website in general. That said, I am certain beyond any doubt that all of us in this community decry, in this particular case, the vile actions of those (I hesitate to use the term) "men" who would use the veil of the internet to spew hate-filled venom at a woman simply over her judgment regarding a comic book, or in fact, any such actions of prejudice or power assertion regarding gender, race, or sexual identity.

I think it important that I use this arena to post images of those covers from this week that nettled me and which became the lead-in to our "internet bullying" discussion on this week's show, as well as the Teen Titans cover that was the flash point for those ugly comments directed at CBR columnist Janelle Asselin. I am certainly not going to attempt to show causality, nor to presume to link the images on comic book covers to the reprehensible behavior of certain individuals, but I do want to call attention to troubling images so that we don't become so enured to their appearance that we don't see them as disrespectful, and allow them to again become commonplace as they were 20 years ago, when so much progress has been made of late.

As someone whose history with comics dates back more than half-a-century, I've been thrilled to watch as the industry has begun to once again be a diverse landscape of genres, titles, and creators, which has started to re-attract the female readers who once made up 50% of comics buyers, sadly lost to the "Boys Only" mentality and the "Bad Girl" era of objectifying imagery. Keeping that change happening is vital to the health of the industry, but far-too-many have reacted to this new paradigm by embracing behaviors that allow them to think of half the world's population as objects of either desire or derision. We as the male members of a saner, more genteel community need to stay ahead of the curve on this, calling out the mis-steps we and others make, as these women are our sisters, beyond any undoing.

Now, to comics...and just to say again, this is completely my opinion, folks! (...and not my intention to single out DC as the lone offender, as I'm sure you'll see in future weeks, or in the Zenescope thread!)

By now, most of you know that I’ve had a beef with the artwork that DC has used to present some of their female characters. (Yes, I’m looking at you Worlds’ Finest–well…maybe not?) I also realize that the the book I’m about to mention is rated “T for teen”, and perhaps it’s just me and I'm "over-seeing" (I don’t think so, however!), but this cover from Batman & Wonder Woman (which is much more respectful inside, not-so-oddly) seems aimed at “teen fantasies” with an image of Diana that to me resembles nothing more than a wasp-waisted, hydraulically-enhanced, vacant-faced “love doll”!





And then there’s this abomination from Justice League #29 that wipes away any good feelings I had gleaned from the previous issue and the respectful appearance of my childhood favorites, the Metal Men. Honestly now, could there be any “dramatic reasoning” behind the pose that poor “Wonder” Platinum is forced to endure on this wretched cover? Tina is certainly not part of the action, facing in the opposite direction, and in a position where attacking anyone over three-and-a-half feet tall would be impossible.





Here is the Teen Titans #1 cover that was critiqued by Ms. Asselin :

:


As nearly as I can recall, Cassie Sandsmark, as created by John Byrne in the "Old 52" was a high school student, and for comparison, she looked like this:




ps) For some more on this topic, check out an interesting conversation that happened on the Zenescope Thread rrr

Logan,

Thanks for the thanks, and even more your heart-felt open letter!

As always, you make so many fine points, particularly here about young girls and body-image issues.

Mo,

The unspoken acceptance of malicious behavior, while not the equal of the behavior itself, is something that can't continue either. Perhaps in the comics world, enough right-thinking people can begin to turn the tide, and we can be the standard-bearer for a more civil internet community.

Bob, check out Edison Rex if you're now into digital comics. It's a great book by Chris Roberson and Dennis Culver. It's also available in trade format if you need it that way.

J Scott Campbell on Uncanny #19:



 smh

From my perspective, even though you are all posting these images with the best of intentions, you're starting to play the negative game in this thread. We can focus on the good stuff in the community without pointing fingers at people whose art doesn't necessarily meet your standards.

To the best of my knowledge, J Scott Campbell didn't create that costume for Magik and he is not to blame for the cover if Marvel hired him knowing that's what his style is. Cover artists submit numerous sketches and the comic company (usually the editor) chooses it. Ditto for the DC covers and other covers. We're pointing the finger at people who don't deserve it.

It's great to rally to the cause of women being portrayed in better ways in comics but make sure that you know who to wag the finger at.

That being said, you are all wonderful <3

Hey, what happened to Windblade???
Not had chance to listen to the podcast yet bit looks like it didn't make book of the week status.
Still, great to hear it mentioned on the previous show at least. It's a fantastic first issue with some stunning artwork. Would be a great starting place to check out the Transformers universe.