Superhero Comics and Skeevy Fetishes
In something that's kind of related to my previous post, Amy Angelwings wrote a thoughtful essay on the common depictions of female superheroes and how they relate to a whole host of very disturbing fetishes that all have something to do with capturing, humiliating and abusing powerful women.
I've been a comic book fan for several years, and, unfortunately, I ran in more than my share of websites like the ones Amy described. I didn't examine any of them too closely, because they disturb the hell out of me. And I do think that she is onto something when she posits that lots of those fetishes make their way into comic books. And I do think that lots of comic book creators tend to cater to fans like themselves, because it's the easiest course of action that does not require a lot of effort on their part.
Thing is, they should make the effort. Because superhero comics are read by a wide variety of people including, yes, women. If the internet and comic conventions are any indications, women read them in far greater quantities than many male fans (especially old-school fans) would care to admit. I don't want to say that comic book creators shouldn't write or draw what they want, but, at the same time, they should try to appreciate the fact that their readers may be approaching their work from a different perspective. They should, at the very least, take into account. If somebody says that your work disturbs them, you should, at the very least, consider why it's disturbing. And I do think that trying to look at your work from a different perspective helps. When writing stories involving superheroes, I often find myself asking - what would the members scans_daily think? Or what would Randi think? Or what would Lore think? And while I don't presume to always get that right, I think my writing is better off for it.
And no, dear male comic book writers, pandering won't work. Because pandering almost always means not getting it right.
I've been a comic book fan for several years, and, unfortunately, I ran in more than my share of websites like the ones Amy described. I didn't examine any of them too closely, because they disturb the hell out of me. And I do think that she is onto something when she posits that lots of those fetishes make their way into comic books. And I do think that lots of comic book creators tend to cater to fans like themselves, because it's the easiest course of action that does not require a lot of effort on their part.
Thing is, they should make the effort. Because superhero comics are read by a wide variety of people including, yes, women. If the internet and comic conventions are any indications, women read them in far greater quantities than many male fans (especially old-school fans) would care to admit. I don't want to say that comic book creators shouldn't write or draw what they want, but, at the same time, they should try to appreciate the fact that their readers may be approaching their work from a different perspective. They should, at the very least, take into account. If somebody says that your work disturbs them, you should, at the very least, consider why it's disturbing. And I do think that trying to look at your work from a different perspective helps. When writing stories involving superheroes, I often find myself asking - what would the members scans_daily think? Or what would Randi think? Or what would Lore think? And while I don't presume to always get that right, I think my writing is better off for it.
And no, dear male comic book writers, pandering won't work. Because pandering almost always means not getting it right.