The Hulk tells the Wasp she is giving him a huge boner. What’s the Wasp reaction? She just giggles like an idiot. This isn’t a What The, this is a monthly series reprinting a classic brand that’s the company’s bread and butter. This is the back up story they farted out to add extra depth to Avengers#1.

Then again, what do you expect from 40 year olds who spend their birthday parties at the stripers? You might as well be asking the local seedy XXX cinema for “respect”.

What was the last significant female character in a movie, tv show, video game or comic book that was actually presented in a realistic, interesting and immersive manner? I’m actually having a hard time thinking of one off-hand.

I think Buffy would be the most obvious one (TV & comic). Re-el from Ergo Proxy (anime) would be a personal favorite of mine (actually, some anime do a pretty good job of portraying an interestingfemale character, go figure). And of course the X-Men women are done fairly well, at least in comparison to other lines of comics.

If the Catwoman one had actually been zipped up like it is in the comic, it would have been accurate as well.

But why does that Supergirl statue look like she’s wearing a slice of pizza on her chest? Couldn’t the sculptor even bother to get the “S” symbol right?

Then again, maybe the less this crappy statue is associated with the Superman brand, the better.

That stereotyping is not only a problem in regard to superhero comics’ fans, but with the merchandise itself. I’m not saying that superheroes’ comics don’t have too many sexist images and portrayals, but that doesn’t mean we should lose complete sight of the good ones. (And, if I may be so bold, THAT’S why feminist fans like Ragnell and Kalinara stick around: because of those good ones and the hope for more).

But it seems 1 negative portrayal seems to equal 10 positive ones in a lot of people’s eyes. That’s not only throwing out the baby with the bathwater, it’s throwing out the baby’s brothers and sisters as well.

I’ve never cared for stereotypes too much, which is why I roll my eyes when people trot out the “unwashed fanboy” stock character. ONE guy made an ass out of himself. That doesn’t necessarily make the stores the “Batcaves of Geek Solitude.”

Would we embrace negative stereotypes of female fans in the same manner? I once mentioned the 300 lb women who wear tight bustierres (sp?) at SF conventions, and thought I would receive death threats. But they’re out there.

I think the reason less than 1/3 or 99% of everyone in America looks at comics is because (1) They don’t read to begin with and (2) reading comics isn’t “cool,” or not cool in the same way as playing Ninetendo and Xbox for six hours a day.

Of course, if we’re so quick to denigrate fandom, I could understand why some new people might be hesitant to be seen walking into a comic book store. You don’t want to be seen leaving a comic store, as opposed to someplace respectable like a porno shop.

So do I. I eat, breath and sleep books, but if all author’s were work like LKH’s I’d never read again.

http://doronjosama.livejournal.com/472728.html

Or maybe, just maybe, two major companies who are extremely similar and share writers and artists telling very similar stories, shouldn’t be controlling most of the comic book wealth. Its really up to the audience though, but mainstream comics seem to be becoming more and more art directed anyway, with hiring famed writers to allowing more odd styles such as the afore mentioned Cooke.

Anyway, if fan outrage can retcon a Grant Morrison X-Men story, I’m sure they can do this.

Another school of thought is, why should a 50 year old character made to shut up Frederic Wertham about Batman and Robin’s supposed homosexuality be used as a role model for anyone? There are other forms of entertainment out there which superhero comics should compete with. Marvel competing with DC is like beef vs. chicken, they’re really both just meat, and thier competition was before [maybe now too] in its own universe.

(I should just quickly note both companies have several tasteful and fun titles. This isn’t a hatred against the companies, just against thier often horrible gimmicks.)

Also, Heros for Hire #14 is scary lookin’. Like, really scary lookin. Like… wtf… like… what happened there… >.

Wait, how is Spider-Man NOT a serial? One, two, three, that’s a “series” is it not? And it didn’t just have the biggest opening of all-time, a record another one of the movies in the *series* previously held?

BTW, I have just this morning, coined a new word for the segment of the comics business that gives the market Pearl Necklace MJ statues: Manstream.

I was inspired by the cover to Heroes for Hire #13, and wrote this:

http://divalea.livejournal.com/454772.html