Friday, August 03, 2007

A match made in...

If you were going to create a comic book specifically to put me me off ever reading it, what would it contain? How about attempted rapist Power Boy written by non-misogynist Judd Winick, who we all know is all in favour of feminism and not the rape apologist suggested by Green Arrow #57 (or whatever. I can't be bothered to check again), with art by Ian Churchill, who can only draw one female character, who is blonde, with a big chin and ankles so thin you expect them to snap at any minute.

I begin to wonder if there aren't meetings at DC that start with "What can we do to piss Mari off?"

Similar meetings at Marvel involve Jeph Loeb and Greg Land but are less effective because there are so few of their comics I can be bothered to read anyway. In fact the only Marvel titles I've read in the last six months or so were written by Jeff Parker, who understands the concepts of both fun and telling a story in 20 pages.

8 comments:

Sleestak said...

go get em

Anonymous said...

I was wondering how long it would be before you commented on this one. :)

Still, I don't think this is honestly a calculated attempt to offend you or me. If DC were trying to do that, they would have bought the rights to publish PvP from Image.

Anonymous said...

On the other hand there's no conflict...y'know like what if Alan Moore wrote a story Ian Churchill drew, or Judd Winnick wrote a book Darwyn Cooke drew. If those eggs are working, isn't it best they're in one basket?

Ami Angelwings said...

I swear that DC IS trying to piss of it's readership lately :\

Anonymous said...

Judd Winick:

-De-powered Dr. Light. Called it rape.

-Shoved a sword down Black Canary's throat and showed her cry, choking on it.

-Had Mia slapped around by Dr. Light.

-Had Mary Marvel de-powered and put in a coma.

-Insisted that Speedy, a human, non-powered archer with HIV, have a huge hole in the middle of her armor showing off teh boobies.

-Can kiss *my* ass and shove his "feminist cred" up his *own*.

Marionette said...

I don't mean to suggest that DC are deliberately trying to produce comics to alienate their readership. I'm just saying that as far as I'm concerned they could hardly have done a better job if they had.

Even so, when, for some reason I cannot fathom, DC presumably wants to rehabilitate Power Boy from the creepy stalker/attempted rapist shown in Supergirl, Judd Winnick seems the least appropriate choice for handling the subject. Unless they don't plan on rehabilitating him at all.

It would certainly be an original variation on "realism" in superhero comics to have female members of a team in danger of sexual assault from one of their own teammates, but not one I'd be anymore interested in getting within ten feet of than the graphic violence that has been excused as realism for so long.

Anonymous said...

[sarcasm]
So, you hate Alan Moore, is that what you're saying? Watchmen is The Greatest Superhero Epic Ever Produced, & The Only Honest One, and Finally Comics Are Allowed to Do Things Like That because Comics Have Grown Up.
[/sarcasm]

At least, that's what I hear when I complain about kid's heroic comics characters being turned into cynical graphic horror. I guess I'll just sit in the "crazy, out-of-touch uncles" corner with John Byrne.

Marionette said...

Superheroes did not start out as children's comics. And comics as a medium were doing plenty of cynical graphic horror back in the forties.

I do not object to graphic horror. Just because I don't want to read it doesn't mean I believe anyone else should be prevented from doing so if they choose to. My problem is that so often it seems to be the only flavour available.