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What is your opinion on over sexualizing characters in comics. There was a time when it had a mature warning because of cursing or extreme violence. Now there are some books that is all about the adult content. I think that comics are an escape and sometimes you want to see a knock down brawl with your favorite characters. I don’t like comics that try to be Cinemax after 10pm; there is no need and I find it perverse. What is your opinion on some comics or comics shops trying the sex sells model?
I think they should be title appropriate. I don’t think there’s anything morally wrong with sex, or sex in comics. They have a Black Label that clearly displays its intent as a comic for adult oriented content. Some comics are more adult oriented like Batman - it allows some freedom in that area.
I do have a problem when they cross into territory where it doesn’t belong. Supergirl is 16 years old. Having their fetish icon brainwash her and dress her in fetish wear is not something DC should be doing. If they think that this is a plotline they want to pursue, at least find an adult hero and why not put it in Black Label where it is a better fit.
@Pow-Pow thank you I couldn’t said better myself I think if sex is a important part for the story then no problem but to just put there and as you said to fetish it is just wrong and honestly creepy. The bad thing is you can’t really get mad at publishers because people will buy it. My only concern is the parent that buys a book and doesn’t pay attention to what they buy then get mad because they didn’t read or do any research. It’s not the comic industry responsibility to raise other people’s kids or put dummy proof safeguards in place.
I think it depends on how it’s done. And why. If it’s just for sex purposes make it known that its ’ one of those’ comics. If it’s part of the story, put a proper warning on it. And for a plot have it make sense. So long as it’s done that way, I think go for it. But I also dont want characters that are NOT usually sexual all of a sudden being made that way. Like these are super heroes not porn stand ins. But I understand the importance of adding dimensions to otherwise 2D characters. But again if it’s done right.
But I’m also not really pro censorship so long as there are proper warnings. It’s kind of a gray area, with superheroes because they’re both for kids and adults. Like when I was a kid I would go straight to the comic book section of the library and find superhero books. Of course in public libraries there is clearly labeled sections. If your in a private book store I can see why a parent would be upset at their children’s favorite characters being used as sexual objects, but as an adult fan of the characters I enjoy again if it’s done right, spicing things up with those characters and adding to their personal lives. So in general I think yeah it’s ok, but do it properly, and LABEL, LABEL.
I think much like anything else, it’s how the “maturity” is used. If we’re talking maturity in terms of themes, then a skilled writer can make it compelling without going too far. The same goes for artists. Something can be “adult” without being gratuitous. I always cite Warren Ellis, Greg Rucka and Ed Brubaker as writers who can do these types of stories. They push the envelope just enough but know when to pull back.
Yes like right now no shocker I have always been a Superman fan but with the whole Superman being a Dad and the John Kent story; it to me a story for Dads. I also know a kid would see the heart and relationship in the recent stories and completely understand it. I want the mature content to add to the story and art not just be for shock value. I had to get off a comic book group on Facebook because it was like drawing of Supergirl and other female characters pretty much naked and I even spoke up. I have daughters and if I was a none comic fan I would look at it like some weird creepy porn of some kind.
For full frontal nudity and things like that I agree there should be a age label of some kind, which all comics do have nowadays anyway on the cover. (9+, T, T+, 17+) I have never seen a comic that has that that dosnt. I however dont see the big issue in main streem comics that are targeted for a PG 13 audience having what equates to PG13 level content. I assume you guys are talking about the Superman/Batman run were supergirl is kidnaped by darkseid and taken to apocalypse & shes in some kind of mad max spiked bikini outfit. Its new god hell shes in so of course it could be within reason she would be dressed up in a dominatrix like outfit. It matches her enviorment and signifys a corupting of her inocence by Darkseid. It has story reasons behind it and with a T rating (which the comic does have) I dont see a fully clothed bikini as too sexy for the intended audence.
Allso yes Supergirl is 16 in the comic and a bikini is not unheard of for a 16 year old. Allso supergirl is not a real person and its just a drawing so its hard to convice me that anyone is being exploited when no one is actualy real even if if did cross a line.
@Shark-Seed your right bikinis are not unheard of I’m more or less talking about the people that are trying to make it into a fetish like showing a female character in white pants or doing the crop top under the boob thing. I have girls and it’s hard enough for young girls to have a realistic body views in the real world they definitely don’t need it in comics. I’m all for age limits on things; back in the late 90s I was a teenager and I could remember it starting then. I am just wanting others point of view on the subject. I know this back then I would tell myself now I’m being a prude but now I’m thinking like a Dad.
@jsmsiggy No thats fair and I would agree completely realistic body standards are hard to come by. Im nowear near a point in my life where I will be having kids anytime in the next 5 years so my veiw is obviously comes from a diffrent perspective. I have two sisters, so thats realy only my guage on how media effects womans body image and self confidence. I would only say that digitaly edited magazines, tv and movies are much more to blame for unhealthy body standards in women and men too to some degree than things like comic books and cartoons. This is just in my opinion due to magazines and live action media being presented as realistic despite being digitaly edited while things like comics and cartoons have been presented from the get go as stylistic drawings and representations of reality. Its actualy why I actualy perfer them to live action because of how you can distort the antomy and surrondings to create more interesting visuals.
For me it’s about expectations. If I’m reading/watching something clearly labeled and geared toward adults my tolerance for sexual content, violence, cursing is pretty high. I’m not impressed by it either so any of it for the sake of shock or fake edginess is a turn off. But, I really don’t like it when there’s even a little inappropriate content in material geared toward kids or even when you’re reading something that appears G and some R pops out of nowhere. That feels like you’re taking the choice away from the consumer
If sex is an important part of the story and works well with what is being told, then I don’t mind. But as soon as it’s just thrown in for shock or because they just want to see a 16 year old in a bathing suit with no real reason (I’m looking at you 90’s Wonder Woman and Supergirl) Then I have a issue. It is unessassary and creepy. A great example of it working is Jessica Jones/Alias. It uses the sexual nature of superheroes as a key plot point and does it with grace to create a interesting story, unlike Wonder Woman in the 90’s, where she was basicly wearing a bikini with a leather jacket. Real mature DC
I agree about the Cinemax thing. I think “premium” cable tends too much towards trying to be like immature teen boys in its approach to nudity. I think sometimes nudity can be part of the art, but too often it’s just there for clicks.
That being said, I think it gets a lot trickier when it comes to clothed but sexy characters. Because what is “naughty” to some is simply attractive or fun for others. I also think there’s a couple of movements that have gone really far in trying to classify all expressions of sex in clothing as “sexualization” or “objectification,” and while I think it is certainly someone’s right to feel uncomfortable at the drawing of a character you like, it’s tricky to accuse someone of liking an “objectified” character if they’re not actually nude or explicitly being sexual. The recent Robin 80th Anniversary special comes to my mind, since the Stephanie Brown story was about how her costume didn’t fit because it was originally for a boy, and Steph is a 16-17 year old girl, and so it rips a bit. I don’t think that’s sexualization - but there was a certain group of fans who were incredibly outraged about it, and I think that was unhelpful, even though I also think it’s totally their right to feel uncomfortable about it. I don’t think it’s their right to accuse everyone who didn’t have that reaction of being in favor of “sexualization.”
