This look familiar...

[turtlefu]

So I was reading Gail Simone's Atom run for the first time, and a specific page reminded me of an incident in a recent Flashpoint miniseries.

Look familiar?

WARNING !!! GORE!! DO NOT CLICK IF BLOOD AND OTHER VIOLENT IMAGERY OFFENDS YOU!!

(From All-New Atom #5, by Gail Simone and Eddy Barrows)


(From Flashpoint: Legion of Doom #1, by Adam Glass and Rodyney Buchemi)


So, the question is: which one of these is acceptable? Are they both wrong? Why is one better than the other? Gail Simone's work is usually praised, especially her dark, violent Secret Six. Flashpoint: Legion of Doom was universally panned.

Thoughts?

Comments

[whitesycamore]

That BoP issue with Huntress and Catman springs to mind as a particularly annoying example - some lady has been taken hostage during a burglary gone wrong. She's also asthmatic, and has dangerous attacks when under stress. Well ok. We have some danger there, obviously. But then Gail decides to introduce the threat of OH NO, ALSO THEY WILL PROBABLY RAPE HER.

I'm just... why? Why does all peril that involves women also have to automatically involve rape-peril? Because she does that all the time in Secret Six as well.

I think she's a brilliant writer, but tbh that aspect of her work really skeeves me out. I read comics for fun escapism, not more of the same old woman = violable vagina that I see everywhere else.

[turtlefu]

That's an excellent point that I never thought of before.

But, also consider the fact that, in the same story, you have Huntress being strong and resourceful and craft and able to go toe-to-toe with Catman. So the rape-threat towards the "weak" woman is contrasted with the empowerment of Huntress.

The contrast is so obvious that it is somewhat jarring. I mean, if you're going to write something about empowering women, why are you also going to write about how women are imminent rape victims?