Together, They Fight Crime! (And buy shoes)
So I'm taking a break from the studython and I end up clicking through this brief article at io9 about a new Marvel series called "Marvel Divas."
Okay, okay, the word 'divas' should have been a tip off.
Both the concept and the cover art have been stirring up noise on the Internetz, which recently provoked a response from Marvel brass.
My nerd clearance only gets me so far in the comic book world, but I couldn't resist the urge to spill. Picture and thoughts beneath the jump.
According to co-creator Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa, as quoted here:
“The idea behind the series was to have some sudsy fun and lift the curtain a bit and take a peep at some of our most fabulous super heroines. In the series, they're an unlikely foursome of friends--Black Cat, Hell Cat, Firestar, and Photon--with TWO things in common: They're all leading double-lives and they're all having romantic trouble. The pitch started as "Sex and the City" in the Marvel Universe, and there's definitely that "naughty" element to it, but I also think the series is doing to a deeper place, asking question about what it means...truly means...to be a woman in an industry dominated by testosterone and guns. (And I mean both the super hero industry and the comic book industry.) But mostly it's just a lot of hot fun.”
How cool is that? I'm so psyched that we've got these comic book dudes to tell us what it's like for women trying to be both strong and sexy in a male-dominated world. And they use...ellipses...so it must be...insightful.
Now, let me be clear: I am pro-hot fun. I am definitely pro-sexy lady, with serious bonus points when said sexy ladies wear masks and kick ass.
I'm also in favor of more genre mainstream emphasis on gender dynamics, meaningful female friendship, the real impact of living a double life, and hell, women having fun, women driven to don the Spandex out of moral conviction and old fashioned do-gooder meddling.
And you're gonna pitch it to me as "hot sudsy fun" with "fabulous superheroines"?
As Sex in the City for nerds?
Dude. Dial down the condescending, or Lily Evans is never gonna go out with you.
On the other hand, not that many people turn to superhero comics for their meditations on the soul. Stuff like this is fluff. It's camp. As camp, it often comes with large-breasted women in tight fitting clothes. It's a genre expectation, and I can live with that.
Which brings us back to the cover.
Yeah, it's obnoxious. It's not even good art, and it's way too cartoonish and anatomically off to be sexy. It's hyper-sexualized in such a way that brings fourteen year old boys to mind, which is an odd choice in a series that's being hyped as accessible and fun for girls. It's not the end of the world, but the Internet, in it's infinite wisdom, still brought its complaints about the cover and the prospective series to Marvel's attention.
And here's where things get interesting. Marvel editor-in-chief Joe Quesada responded. And Marvel editor-in-chief Joe Quesada is apparently an Internet blogstalker. Seriously, how many times have you seen this argument on fansites?
If you're [a] Marvel reader and truly feel we're sexist, then why are you reading our books? Now, perhaps you're not a Marvel reader, then if that's the case, I'm not quite sure what you're criticizing if you don't read our books?
And here you have it, ladies and gents. This is why the comic book (and gaming) world has a hard time drawing and keeping a female audience. It's not the sexualization of women--'cause let's face it, if that's all it took to scare us off, two thirds of the entertainment industry would crumble--it's the attitude of This is boy territory. You can come in if you want, but you'd better not critique my ideas or challenge my perspective, because this is the way it is.
That's why they won't go to the movies with you read your books.
Quesada doesn't seem to address the sexism inherent in the concept itself, but he justifies the cover art with a lecture on sales numbers that would be refreshingly candid if it weren't for the defensive tone and occasional meanderings into incoherency. He says something about Pink and sexy album covers, and uses the term "strong woman" a lot, in that vaguely embarrassing way that guys sometimes do when they're either trying too hard to score points or hoping you don't notice their boners.
That's generally the impression I get from the admittedly very small portions of Quesada's blogging and other writing I've skimmed. He sincerely likes the idea of (stereotypically sexy) women kicking ass, but he thinks that exempts him from any charges of privilege or sexism. He's trying hard on the whole 'girls don't have cooties' thing, but he has no idea what he's doing.
Luckily for him, the ladies of the Marvel reading world seem pretty intent on speaking up.
Now if he'll just shut up and listen.
Okay, okay, the word 'divas' should have been a tip off.
Both the concept and the cover art have been stirring up noise on the Internetz, which recently provoked a response from Marvel brass.
My nerd clearance only gets me so far in the comic book world, but I couldn't resist the urge to spill. Picture and thoughts beneath the jump.
According to co-creator Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa, as quoted here:
“The idea behind the series was to have some sudsy fun and lift the curtain a bit and take a peep at some of our most fabulous super heroines. In the series, they're an unlikely foursome of friends--Black Cat, Hell Cat, Firestar, and Photon--with TWO things in common: They're all leading double-lives and they're all having romantic trouble. The pitch started as "Sex and the City" in the Marvel Universe, and there's definitely that "naughty" element to it, but I also think the series is doing to a deeper place, asking question about what it means...truly means...to be a woman in an industry dominated by testosterone and guns. (And I mean both the super hero industry and the comic book industry.) But mostly it's just a lot of hot fun.”
How cool is that? I'm so psyched that we've got these comic book dudes to tell us what it's like for women trying to be both strong and sexy in a male-dominated world. And they use...ellipses...so it must be...insightful.
Now, let me be clear: I am pro-hot fun. I am definitely pro-sexy lady, with serious bonus points when said sexy ladies wear masks and kick ass.
I'm also in favor of more genre mainstream emphasis on gender dynamics, meaningful female friendship, the real impact of living a double life, and hell, women having fun, women driven to don the Spandex out of moral conviction and old fashioned do-gooder meddling.
And you're gonna pitch it to me as "hot sudsy fun" with "fabulous superheroines"?
As Sex in the City for nerds?
Dude. Dial down the condescending, or Lily Evans is never gonna go out with you.
On the other hand, not that many people turn to superhero comics for their meditations on the soul. Stuff like this is fluff. It's camp. As camp, it often comes with large-breasted women in tight fitting clothes. It's a genre expectation, and I can live with that.
Which brings us back to the cover.
Yeah, it's obnoxious. It's not even good art, and it's way too cartoonish and anatomically off to be sexy. It's hyper-sexualized in such a way that brings fourteen year old boys to mind, which is an odd choice in a series that's being hyped as accessible and fun for girls. It's not the end of the world, but the Internet, in it's infinite wisdom, still brought its complaints about the cover and the prospective series to Marvel's attention.
And here's where things get interesting. Marvel editor-in-chief Joe Quesada responded. And Marvel editor-in-chief Joe Quesada is apparently an Internet blogstalker. Seriously, how many times have you seen this argument on fansites?
If you're [a] Marvel reader and truly feel we're sexist, then why are you reading our books? Now, perhaps you're not a Marvel reader, then if that's the case, I'm not quite sure what you're criticizing if you don't read our books?
And here you have it, ladies and gents. This is why the comic book (and gaming) world has a hard time drawing and keeping a female audience. It's not the sexualization of women--'cause let's face it, if that's all it took to scare us off, two thirds of the entertainment industry would crumble--it's the attitude of This is boy territory. You can come in if you want, but you'd better not critique my ideas or challenge my perspective, because this is the way it is.
That's why they won't go to the movies with you read your books.
Quesada doesn't seem to address the sexism inherent in the concept itself, but he justifies the cover art with a lecture on sales numbers that would be refreshingly candid if it weren't for the defensive tone and occasional meanderings into incoherency. He says something about Pink and sexy album covers, and uses the term "strong woman" a lot, in that vaguely embarrassing way that guys sometimes do when they're either trying too hard to score points or hoping you don't notice their boners.
That's generally the impression I get from the admittedly very small portions of Quesada's blogging and other writing I've skimmed. He sincerely likes the idea of (stereotypically sexy) women kicking ass, but he thinks that exempts him from any charges of privilege or sexism. He's trying hard on the whole 'girls don't have cooties' thing, but he has no idea what he's doing.
Luckily for him, the ladies of the Marvel reading world seem pretty intent on speaking up.
Now if he'll just shut up and listen.