The June Preview cover for "Red Hood and the Outlaws" and a riposte

[icon_uk]

Yesterday, DC released their solicitations and covers for June and one of them, well, it's caused a bit of a stir...






And this isn't even the "Bombshell" variant cover theme that DC are doing that month (So far all the examples we've seen of that are based on the 1940's "Good girl"-style Bombshell statues that DC Direct sell... and I, for one, want to see a few male beefcake variations thrown in... though of course, it's a wretched shame that the Nightwing title has been cancelled by the time this theme rolls around)

As dcwomenkickass put it

• Ed Benes on cover art? CHECK!
• Starfire with her teeniest top? CHECK!
• Starfire front and center leaning on a car in a “sexy” pose? CHECK!
• Starfire appearing to “hot” in the tropic sun while her male partners are fully clothed? CHECK!

Have to say that the guys being fully dressed did strike me as a trifle incongruous.

Seraphtonin asked and answered the standard defence that "um starfire’s powers are fueled by the sun that’s why she has to wear skimpy clothes"

with

"hey u know who else’s powers are fueled by the sun? superman. come on clark time for that toothfloss speedo chop chop"

Someone else suggested that

"His nipples are covered by tiny capes"

and in a remarkably short period of time, even by internet standards came this delight from sheva-ku! :)




I don't care how they have to do it, I want to see this used in a comic!!
 

Comments

[nate_abril96]

Everything wrong with Red Hood and the Outlaws, and current DC Comics in one cover. I mean no offense, but doesn't DC wonder if people will be embarrassed to buy or read this in public.

[gamerguy]

Nope, in fact, they are positive that the majority of the people who buy their books not only will not be embarrassed to buy it, but will probably buy that issue because of the cover. Communities like this one represent the tiniest fraction of the overall comics audience, most of which will never even conceive there is anything off-putting about the cover at all.

[halloweenjack]

I think that that's a bit of a self-fulfilling prophecy, though. If that's what you publish--if the majority of what you publish is exploitation work of one sort of another--then your audience will limit itself to people who are more than OK with it.

[gamerguy]

That being a significant problem with comics these days; they've become too insular, and I think the entire New 52 thing only proves that they will continue to sell mainly to this segment of the overall comics audience.

[joetuss]

As a heterosexual male i can fully appreciate the image of the female body fictional or not but that wont sell me this book....or any book for that matter...I must represent a minority myself

[joetuss]

And to be fair ive seen many post on this site attributed to Robin/nightwing's ass or him being tied up...no complaints there....from anyone...Everybody is getting their fair share of cheesecake and beefcake so i dont really see what the problem is...This book sucks anyway

[icon_uk]

Yes, but the fact we have to go to Nightwing so often as being one of the very, very few male characters who is consistently drawn with an eye towards what is known as "the female gaze" should tell you something.

It's far from a "fair share" too, sexualisation of female characters is vastly more common than it is for male characters, and that's part of the problem.

[joetuss]

You gotta look at who's running the business and who the demographic is that the business is trying to appease....Not saying its right but until Women become the majority readers this won't change

[joetuss]

And last i checked most superheroes wear skin tight outfits that show off every aspect of the male/female form

[icon_uk]

Not an equivlance though. Yes it's true, but most male superheroes are depicted as male POWER fantasies (Taller, stronger, broader, etc)*, whilst females are drawn as male SEXUAL fantasies (Improbably large boobs, narrow waist etc).

* and that CAN be sexy, but isn't the reason they are drawn that way.

[joetuss]

That male power fantasy you just described is a female sexual fantasy you know?

[icon_uk]

To some, yes, which is why I specifically mentioned it in my post, in the footnote. The point still stands is that that seems to be more happy coincidence rather than the reason for drawing them that way.

[whitesycamore]

As a straight woman, I think that male power fantasies rarely coincide with female sexual fantasies.

Much of the time it seems like comic book artists go out of their way to make male characters look *unnattractive.* All veiny bulging muscles and heads too small for their bodies and faces so square-jawed and brick-like that they look like they have acromegaly.

There are some comics in which men are drawn attractive and seem to be designed to appeal to women - Red Hood: Lost Days was a great example - but they are comparatively rare.

[halloweenjack]

That's one of the reasons why I don't go to my LCS any more (aside from it not being very convenient). It's just too embarrassing; not only do I not want that sort of thing (note: I don't have a problem with straight-up erotica comics; my LCS won't stock that, however), but I really don't want to associate with the sort of person who does. It's like a magazine rack that has at least a dozen variations on the Sports Illustrated swimsuit edition every month.

[dictionary00.livejournal.com]

That's what I always wonder about comics like this, or Grimm's fairy tales, or even some of the more suggestive Nightwing covers. I can't imagine pulling one of these out to read on the subway, for example, or waiting at the DMV. And it just promotes the stereotype of comic fans being jobless antisocial creepy guys who can't get laid.