Comic Book Outrage of the Week
Three heroines, chained to a post, boobs – some goo stained – everywhere. Without getting into Marvel’s disregard for their own rating system and the mighty internet cry of “tentacle porn”, there’s is just one thing I’d like to point out.
Sana Takeda, the cover artist on Heroes for Hire #13, is not only a talented artist, Takeda is also. . . a chick. That creates an interesting dilemma: rage over sexism or be vocal to support women working in comics? Is it possible, or even legitimate, to do both?
It probably doesn’t matter anyway. The Wheel of Outrage will stop on something new next week.
Previous Weekly Outrage:
Mary Jane Statue
Michael Turner’s Power Girl
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I don’t really think that it being done by a woman really diminishes the fact that it’s a horrid cover. I understand that women working in a male dominated and male driven industry don’t really have they luxury of saying “I think it’s tasteless and I don’t want to draw that”. At least, not if they want to continue to find work. But at the same time saying it’s okay just because a woman drew it doesn’t make much sense to me. I’m more than happy to support any woman creator that wants to make comics that show women as strong and confident, but I personally, am not going to excuse tasteless and crude depictions of women just because they happen to be drawn by one.
But what if what the woman wants to draw is what you, in your judgement, call “tasteless and crude?” And how can you presume to know what Takeda’s working conditions in doing this cover were, unless you were there? You can’t.
You are right, I can’t, and I apologize for making assumptions. But whatever her reasoning doesn’t change what I feel is tasteless and crude or the fact that I’m just tired of seeing women demeaned and treated like they’re nothing but sex toys, be it man or woman doing the demeaning.
I can’t, however, bring myself to feel passionate about this argument. It’s pretty obvious that I’m not the audience they’re after and (judging only from the cover) this is nowhere near the worse thing they’ve ever done.
I know nothing about this title but, judging this on the strength of the cover alone (and particularly by the female faces either side of the central figure), this appears to be a Manga title (or at least a US-Manga fusion). If that’s the case then, in a bizarre way, I think that makes a difference.
Manga has a long track record of using exploitative images of both female and (albeit androgenous) male characters. In that context, it somehow isn’t right to criticise this image simply on the grounds that it degrades women because, for that argument to hold water, it would have to be the case that three male captives would not have been shown in the same way and I simply don’t believe that’s the case.
Criticise it by all means for being tasteless if that’s how it seems to you, but not for being sexist.
It’s interesting that you bring that up because this guy has issued an open challenge to find a cover with three men in a similar position.
I’m also of the mind that people will read what they want to in this image. Some will read passivity, submission, defeat and arousal in the image. Whereas someone else, such as myself, reads exhaustion in the face Colleen Wing, revulsion in Black Cat and and disgusted challenge in the face of Misty Knight.
Well, I don’t know that I could necessarily find a cover (just don’t read enough of that Manga stuff that the kids all love!) but, from the limited amount I have read, I’ve certainly seen images of male characters tied and submissive and even being quite explicitly subjected to unwanted sexual attentions. (Whoever said equality would be a good thing!?)
And, yes, people will read into it what they want to. I can certainly see defiance in the face of the central character (sorry, don’t know the names) and exhaustion in the one on the right.
Not quite sure what’s going on with those breasts but then, that’s nothing new in Manga and certainly no reason to single out this image more than any other. You could (just about!) argue that they’re more realistic than some since they do seem to be a little squashed rather than being perfectly spherical.
The words “storm in a tea-cup” come to mind (and I hope you appreciate how hard it was to resist throwing in a bra-releated pun there!)
The bra related pun is noted, and filed away for future use.
I read this about the artist this morning:
Takeda knows exactly what is expected of her in the Manga field. And she delivers. Ms. Takeda is a Victim for Hire.
Talk about presumptuous.