Sexism In Comics

This. Having now actually read the issue in question, I can honestly say that this is the real problem.

The first introduction we get of Kori is that Jason slept with her (this is in the middle of a firefight, btw...just in case you were wondering if that was relevant information). The entire explanation he gives as to her character is that she's promiscuous. The next scene she's in is just posing and the infamous "do you want to have sex" line.

It's the context surrounding all of this (or, perhaps more accurately, the lack thereof) that makes this horrible.

And even all that aside, it's pretty damn clear that the writer had no fucking clue what he was doing. The rest of the story was weak and the dialogue was some of the worst I've ever read in a comic.

So yeah. No doubt about this one being sexist as all get-out.

edited 3rd Oct '11 1:25:29 PM by KingZeal

If the good comics are making you uncomfortable you shouldn't be buying them. Pandering to the base, demographic shift, cock parties, 13-20 something escapism? If you're not fitting into any of that don't buy, let them have their comics, let Marvel shrink and die.

If you must read Marvel or DC you could try their imprints. One of Marvel's imprints had a comic about female assassins. Now I could be confusing it with another comic, my memory is fuzzy but I don't recall any rape, Lefieldian contortions, painted on pants or anything of the sort. I can't remember which comic it was and you may not know what I'm talking about because Marvel has actively tried to bury its own imprints. If they aren't pushing the same tired characters that show up in 616.

The fact is the staff is as full of as many bloated sausages as their demographic. They want to write a certain way or at least have people write a certain way so they do everything they can behind the scenes to kill a product while publicly sighing about how it's not working.

Again, look at a similar industry, that's what corporate tards do. They'll put Zack Ryder on TV because you demanded it, bury him until he's no longer over and then use that as justification for him not being on TV. If his merchandise sells they will move it out of the Z or R section to the Gs then say no one is purchasing so that product is a failure. People don't understand that corporate tards don't care about maximized profit, only maximized profit on what they like. Such as drawing Emma Frost's dominatrices and pasting them all over the Marvel Universe.

The tards don't care about long term profit so long as they live fine, who cares about when my company is shambles a few decades down the line? I'll be retired and then I can complain about what the people still working are doing wrong. Your best option is to remove yourself and watch the company stagnate and die or see if some executives with vision and long term business sense get hired and manage to turn something around. Sturgeon's Law means there is a small chance something good can emerge from wastes, that's what you should be throwing money at.

For example, I may still watch WWE if I'm upset with them just because they are fairly high quality even at their worst and I can watch them for free. But if I am upset with them I won't buy any shirts, video games, live tickets or pay per views, if I need my wrestling fix I can send money many other places. And sometimes it works. It took three years for THU and Yukes to get it.

Yukes didn't stop making Smackdown Vs Raw and give us that Day Of Reckoning or No Mercy sequel but they did at least make Smackdown Vs Raw suck less when TNA came and gave us an alternative game to buy. They still aren't making those requested but they have finally gave the Smackdown series a break for at least a few years, that's progress. WWE has a history of mistreating employees but everyone once and while fan outcry forces them to correct it. Matt Hardy and Daniel Bryan are only back because fans sent a message. The wellness program resembles respectability nowadays too.

Marvel isn't giving you anything free, there is no reason to stick with anything they make if it makes you uncomfortable.

I somewhat disagree. I thought everything before Starfire showed up was pretty good, but after she showed up the whole book seemed to go downhill.

You know, I swear I recall a rumour at some point that Starfire wasn't part of the original pitch for the series - it was first intended to be basically a highly morally dubious antiheroic Buddy Cop story. But Starfire got editorially mandated.

Which would explain a lot of the problems, really.

^That would, and also rather telling about how DC views the character writ large.

edited 3rd Oct '11 7:42:12 PM by Malkavian

That's definitely the impression the comic gives.

Oh yes, when editors tell people what to write instead of simply editing their writing. This industry has problems.

Relevant.◊

MY EYES!

What's up with that diamond shaped thing on his chest?

It's his decal. Like in My Little Pony!

It's still not any less practical that going into battle in a strapless top.

Hey, if female readers actually thought it was sexy, I'd design a superhero with that sort of outfit in a second.

Hey, if Dick Grayson◊ can pull it off...

Interestingly enough, Dick Grayson is one of the few superheroes I know who seems to be used for semi-frequent Female Gaze stuff.

Namor and Hercules, too.

But yeah, there's definitely not enough of them.

I think this is on topic http://introducingemy.tumblr.com/post/11099313107/chris-hart-has-taught-me-that-women-in-comics-just (click the pic for a bigger one)

Wow, that's just fucking heinous.

Amanda Waller◊ says everything.

You know, it's funny you mention Amanda Waller. For those of you who are not familiar with the character, please take a look at her former appearance and her new appearance. Sexism or They Changed Her Now It Sucks? You decide!

Oh, it can definitely be both.

If you want an example of what some better costumes for female characters would look like, look here (the redesigns for male characters are pretty good too): http://dresdencodak.tumblr.com/post/10979241054/rebooting-the-justice-league http://dresdencodak.tumblr.com/post/10830387057/5-essential-superhero-redesigns

They're pretty extreme re-imaginings of the characters, so there's zero chance of them actually being done, but they look very cool, and they're good in giving a sense of how things could be improved. I especially like the Wonder Woman one.

edited 7th Oct '11 8:25:32 AM by WarriorEowyn

I hate those designs. Just saying.

@Tiggers: I don't know if it's so much sexism behind the design as other issues. If this◊ actually is Amanda Waller, then there's a couple problems: the assumption that someone can't be attractive if they're overweight; the idea that model-level attractiveness adds anything to Waller's character...Then again, it's not as though you'd redesign Nick Fury to be younger and more Bishōnen.

And as to costumes, there's also Project Rooftop.

edited 7th Oct '11 10:54:04 AM by Maridee

I like how he gets rid of a lot of the Grandfather Clause aspects of the characters, although from what I've heard about Dresden Codak, his version of the Green Lantern strikes me as Author Appeal.