Thursday, July 30, 2009
Saturday, July 25, 2009
spidey + @wildisthewind + carl
@jimmccann + spidey
jim is so nice! <3
@acomicbookgirl + spidey!
@davidgallaher + spidey
david is super nice and funny! just like on twitter :)
spidey + riley brown
@cbcebulski, spidey, maple syrup + my finger
om nom nom.
chirashi from the outdoor mall thingie, gread food and company! (thanks Udon Crew!)
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
wait
and wait
passport time!
coffeeeee
spidey, timmy's and syrup
gift for @acomicbookgirl! she should dm @twyst with her info <3
spidey at the gate
our plane!
on the plane!
always wear your seatbelt.
cabbie!
toronto - chicago
the flight attendant told Spidey we will be catching the San Diego flight from Terminal 1.
good flight to O'Hare
Spidey had a fine time on his way to O'Hare
landing in O'Hare!
Spidey looks on as we land.
dave and spidey at O'Hare
dave is a vendor (I think), he was with a group of people that were also going to SDCC, so I followed them!
gate C27! to San Diego!
licorice!
om nom nom. the man sitting beside us shared some candy!
om nom nom
caaaandy!
Thursday, July 16, 2009
Friday, July 10, 2009
My Review
More! :D
Twyst Toronto, ON, Canada 7/10/2009
Fit: Feels true to size
Length: Feels true to length
Pros: Stylish, Cute, Comfortable, Soft
Best Uses: Casual Wear
Describe Yourself: Casual
I love this shirt! it is so hard to find Marvel heroines on tshirts, and this has a whole bunch of them! <3 it is soft and sooo comfortable! It would be awesome to see more like this!
Thursday, July 09, 2009
Guess who's that girl ;)
From the cover of the french gaming magazine, IG, comes Jade, in Cooking Mama style! Super cute! I like to think she is eating a starkos.
Covers!
I looove a good comic book cover. Over at The Fantastic Fangirls, they are discussing this, so i thought i would crosspost from my comment, my favourites:
Your comment is awaiting moderation.
Secret Invasion #3
Secret Invasion #3
Ms Marvel #37
And...
Astonishing Tales #3
(lots of 3s! (and Spider-Woman))
Wednesday, July 08, 2009
business cards
@fyreball13, spike, me
moo business cards
the cool box, with dividers for yours/theirs
moo box
the moo buisness card box!
Saturday, July 04, 2009
Marvel Divas: Women in Comics Pt 3
I do not mean these posts to be an attack on Marvel Divas in any way. I just want to use this book as an example to express what i think are the issues that are problematic within the comic industry's attempt to market to women.
In the last post i touched on embarrassment. When i read a book, and a woman is depicted in such a way that i just cant get passed it:
I feel embarrassed. i feel like i KNOW Moonstone. I feel like she is a person. Maybe that is my problem, but art like this makes me want to cry for her. i accept that women in comics are ... busty. That is fine, to a point. But this is so far passed busty that is is upsetting.
And it doesnt make women feel welcome.
I in no way mean that this happens in Marvel Divas. It doesnt. From everything i have seen from the interior art, the first issue, Divas does not suffer from that.
Tho the first cover did. And really that was a terrible, terrible foot to lead off on. It's a very confusing message being sent here. No one knows who this book is for, and that is tricky.
Aaaand... i have run out of steam.
Art that makes women so unbelievable it makes the reader uncomfortable isnt welcoming to female readers.
In the last post i touched on embarrassment. When i read a book, and a woman is depicted in such a way that i just cant get passed it:
I feel embarrassed. i feel like i KNOW Moonstone. I feel like she is a person. Maybe that is my problem, but art like this makes me want to cry for her. i accept that women in comics are ... busty. That is fine, to a point. But this is so far passed busty that is is upsetting.
And it doesnt make women feel welcome.
I in no way mean that this happens in Marvel Divas. It doesnt. From everything i have seen from the interior art, the first issue, Divas does not suffer from that.
Tho the first cover did. And really that was a terrible, terrible foot to lead off on. It's a very confusing message being sent here. No one knows who this book is for, and that is tricky.
Aaaand... i have run out of steam.
Art that makes women so unbelievable it makes the reader uncomfortable isnt welcoming to female readers.
Marvel Divas: Women in Comics Pt 2
Part 1 looked at the cover and title of this book. Part 2 now examines RELATIONSHIPS.
The reason i am writing this is that i really find a lot of the issues that are present in Divas are symptomatic of the whole industry. Women are treated as "different", and they just happen to like books that are meant for boys/men. This is the same in gaming - games are for men, games for girls are for... girls. This doesn't need to be the case and i am unsure why both these industries are going in this direction. Anyway, more on that later, focusing on relationships + divas.
Apparently any book that wants to entice the female readership has to have lots of relationship stuff. Divas lays this on heavily. Whether is it is Angelica lamenting ex-boyfriends, the women gossiping about the men currently wooing them, or their "how we met" story where they were looking for love (which was funny! more of this!), it is all about the relationships.
I do like relationships, i enjoy knowing how the capes interact. But i like it as a side note. I read comics because i like seeing the baddies get theirs, super-villains plotting, all that stuff.
I don't think that just because the book has four women in it, it needs to be all talk talk talk. I would love to see more than a page of these women doing SUPER things. Otherwise, why am i bothering to read a book written by a dude, about women, when i could read the same premise anywhere else? If i wanted this, why am i not watching "Sex and the City" (snerk)?
And the thing is, this book, it seems to play on the "bitches be crazy" stereotype. Voodoo asks Photon to stay the night, she takes off (literally, flies away in her bra and panties), bitches be crazy, and then she spouts to her friends "I want to move at my own pace, not at the pace of some MAN!". I have to say it, honey, if you like men, they are going to be involved in "the moving at your pace" -- they have to know what the pace is. YOU HAVE TO TELL THEM. (sorry, this isn't the reaction the book wants me to have -- "YOU GO GIRL, DON'T LET A MAN ASK YOU TO STAY AND CUDDLE WITH HIM!".)
Similarly, Mr Moneybags wants to pay for Felicia's office space, she gets mad (and doesn't say "you are taking over interactions that are mine", she just blows her top at him), bitches be crazy. Because honestly, these men are left in the dust, scratching their heads.
Granted, we see it from the point of view of the women, and their friends are supportive "gawd, how could he DO that?" but let's be honest, if we are dudes reading this book, we realize that Voodoo and Moneybags are left totally confused, and these women don't SAY WHY THEY ARE MAD. Because you know, he is a businessman, and would not be open to a business proposal. You let this man sleep with you, but you literally try to scratch out his eyes when he tries to support your business.
You sleep with a man, and then take off when he says "why don't you sleep here". Come on, this is nearing high school drama.
Perhaps we are framing this conversation vs the Firestar announcement. If this is the case, then it doesn't take away from the fact that these women are portrayed as overly emotional.
Tiresome. They say they don't want to be the "damsel in distress"... I would be okay with this if there were the friend who were the voice of reason, who said "what did you expect these men to do? They are people too!".
I feel weird defending the men in this book, but i feel like the depictions of the women are weak and a bit stereotypical. Felicia leaps at the man she is in love with (his words) with claws out, for goodness sakes. I feel like this is heading towards a "and then the characters grew up" subplot, in that they realize they were being a little much... but then that is "women are so emotional" and that is just... *headdesk*... i painfully painfully dread the makeup scene, where these women say "I'm so sorry i freaked out baby". I DO NOT WANT THIS. THESE WOMEN BUNCH BADDIES IN THE FACE AND THEY ARE ALL BASKET CASES THAT I WOULD YELL AT, WERE I FRIENDS WITH THEM, WHICH I AM NOT BECAUSE THEY ARE FAKE AND NOW I AM IN CAPS LOCK AND CANT EXIT GRACEFULLY.
Sorry, was i being too emotional there?
We don't need any more "women are hysterical". No more fake births, no more teams of "crazy" women being called the "hysteries" or whatever it was... no more, please.
Why do they have to act this way? Why?? Why do we have to have the "sorry i was so emotional" scene later? Because you KNOW it is coming. This book isn't showing the lives of women, this book is showing the lives of men, putting up with women. Everyone has gone through an irrational moment, but these are grown women, not high-school teens. By virtue of being comic heroes, and ageless they have dated more men than anyone living. Come oooooooooooooon.
I think this concept could be a goldmine. This is a GOOD premise. These women could ask, and explain all the funny things that female fans joke about! Do they wear bras? How does Firestar's clothing not burn off her? Where do you even get these costumes? Do the guys like the women because of their super identities or for themselves (haha, Felicia, who only likes Spider-Man and not Peter Parker). The list is endless. Ask any female comic fan.
Further, with the everyday lives of heroes, there is also some... well... hero-ing! I thought that the Ms Marvel book balanced this well, she went on a date, worried that he wouldn't call, fought some crime... all in a day's work. Maybe the purpose of this book is all the talking, and they think that the readership will be turned off by fighting? If so... where are they trying to lead these new readers? And current readers are waiting for fights that never happen? I enjoyed the 1 page of Photon/Cpt. Marvel/Monica fighting the vampire. Honestly, i liked the hookup with Brother Voodoo (tho, he is big time now, i don't know how that will go), but the flying off is ... sigh.
What i am trying to say here is - the thing that makes superheroes different from the women in Sex and the City is that they are SUPER. There are other mediums that do the "4 gal-pals" better, and you have to play to your strengths. Your strength is what makes these women different from the rest of the world, not what makes them the same. yes, some funny relationship stuff is good, especially when the dude is also super. THAT is different. I want to read about that. Giving one of the characters cancer to create melodrama -- i do not want that. (Because Firestar is too stupid to think about preventing her own cancer, when she has had warning signs before. Makes me want to punch things. Also, she has endless eye makeup that makes her tears black, and is unable to wipe her face)
Yes, some women enjoy hearing about the relationships of the characters in the books that they read. But that doesn't mean it has to be the only thing.
These women seem to have lost their, well, FIRE in this book. They mope and complain, when they could be SO MUCH MORE. They are becoming caricatures of themselves. I mean, really, CANCER? REALLY? That was done in Sex and the City. Just in case anyone was keeping track. So in this book we have gossip, men, Cancer.
Next issue, shoe shopping? Oh wait... Cancer. Shoe shopping to cheer her up?
Get her some Wolvie blood, she will be good as new. Then the shoe shopping.
I want this book to be good. I love Hellcat, I love Firestar. Really, what women want out of a book is just not to be patronized. I don't need a hammer that is coloured pink to know that i am allowed to use it. I just don't want to feel embarrassed for a character when i read about them. I don't want to feel that i am not welcome... I want to feel that the characters are treated like people, written like people, react like people... and don't look like this:
We don't need to have relationship-heavy, melodramatic, all-female cast books. They can be fun, they can be funny, but they don't need to try so damn hard. Someone get Kathryn Immonen, stat. Cuz man, the Hellcat trade was amazing, and funny, and kooky, and wonderful. Everything i want this book to be. Still 75% of the book left. So you know, anything could happen.
This entry was a bit more rambly than i meant it to be, but it says what i want it to say.
Next, Marvel Divas: Women in Comics - Please take your boobs out of my face.
The reason i am writing this is that i really find a lot of the issues that are present in Divas are symptomatic of the whole industry. Women are treated as "different", and they just happen to like books that are meant for boys/men. This is the same in gaming - games are for men, games for girls are for... girls. This doesn't need to be the case and i am unsure why both these industries are going in this direction. Anyway, more on that later, focusing on relationships + divas.
Apparently any book that wants to entice the female readership has to have lots of relationship stuff. Divas lays this on heavily. Whether is it is Angelica lamenting ex-boyfriends, the women gossiping about the men currently wooing them, or their "how we met" story where they were looking for love (which was funny! more of this!), it is all about the relationships.
I do like relationships, i enjoy knowing how the capes interact. But i like it as a side note. I read comics because i like seeing the baddies get theirs, super-villains plotting, all that stuff.
I don't think that just because the book has four women in it, it needs to be all talk talk talk. I would love to see more than a page of these women doing SUPER things. Otherwise, why am i bothering to read a book written by a dude, about women, when i could read the same premise anywhere else? If i wanted this, why am i not watching "Sex and the City" (snerk)?
And the thing is, this book, it seems to play on the "bitches be crazy" stereotype. Voodoo asks Photon to stay the night, she takes off (literally, flies away in her bra and panties), bitches be crazy, and then she spouts to her friends "I want to move at my own pace, not at the pace of some MAN!". I have to say it, honey, if you like men, they are going to be involved in "the moving at your pace" -- they have to know what the pace is. YOU HAVE TO TELL THEM. (sorry, this isn't the reaction the book wants me to have -- "YOU GO GIRL, DON'T LET A MAN ASK YOU TO STAY AND CUDDLE WITH HIM!".)
Similarly, Mr Moneybags wants to pay for Felicia's office space, she gets mad (and doesn't say "you are taking over interactions that are mine", she just blows her top at him), bitches be crazy. Because honestly, these men are left in the dust, scratching their heads.
Granted, we see it from the point of view of the women, and their friends are supportive "gawd, how could he DO that?" but let's be honest, if we are dudes reading this book, we realize that Voodoo and Moneybags are left totally confused, and these women don't SAY WHY THEY ARE MAD. Because you know, he is a businessman, and would not be open to a business proposal. You let this man sleep with you, but you literally try to scratch out his eyes when he tries to support your business.
You sleep with a man, and then take off when he says "why don't you sleep here". Come on, this is nearing high school drama.
Perhaps we are framing this conversation vs the Firestar announcement. If this is the case, then it doesn't take away from the fact that these women are portrayed as overly emotional.
Tiresome. They say they don't want to be the "damsel in distress"... I would be okay with this if there were the friend who were the voice of reason, who said "what did you expect these men to do? They are people too!".
I feel weird defending the men in this book, but i feel like the depictions of the women are weak and a bit stereotypical. Felicia leaps at the man she is in love with (his words) with claws out, for goodness sakes. I feel like this is heading towards a "and then the characters grew up" subplot, in that they realize they were being a little much... but then that is "women are so emotional" and that is just... *headdesk*... i painfully painfully dread the makeup scene, where these women say "I'm so sorry i freaked out baby". I DO NOT WANT THIS. THESE WOMEN BUNCH BADDIES IN THE FACE AND THEY ARE ALL BASKET CASES THAT I WOULD YELL AT, WERE I FRIENDS WITH THEM, WHICH I AM NOT BECAUSE THEY ARE FAKE AND NOW I AM IN CAPS LOCK AND CANT EXIT GRACEFULLY.
Sorry, was i being too emotional there?
We don't need any more "women are hysterical". No more fake births, no more teams of "crazy" women being called the "hysteries" or whatever it was... no more, please.
Why do they have to act this way? Why?? Why do we have to have the "sorry i was so emotional" scene later? Because you KNOW it is coming. This book isn't showing the lives of women, this book is showing the lives of men, putting up with women. Everyone has gone through an irrational moment, but these are grown women, not high-school teens. By virtue of being comic heroes, and ageless they have dated more men than anyone living. Come oooooooooooooon.
I think this concept could be a goldmine. This is a GOOD premise. These women could ask, and explain all the funny things that female fans joke about! Do they wear bras? How does Firestar's clothing not burn off her? Where do you even get these costumes? Do the guys like the women because of their super identities or for themselves (haha, Felicia, who only likes Spider-Man and not Peter Parker). The list is endless. Ask any female comic fan.
Further, with the everyday lives of heroes, there is also some... well... hero-ing! I thought that the Ms Marvel book balanced this well, she went on a date, worried that he wouldn't call, fought some crime... all in a day's work. Maybe the purpose of this book is all the talking, and they think that the readership will be turned off by fighting? If so... where are they trying to lead these new readers? And current readers are waiting for fights that never happen? I enjoyed the 1 page of Photon/Cpt. Marvel/Monica fighting the vampire. Honestly, i liked the hookup with Brother Voodoo (tho, he is big time now, i don't know how that will go), but the flying off is ... sigh.
What i am trying to say here is - the thing that makes superheroes different from the women in Sex and the City is that they are SUPER. There are other mediums that do the "4 gal-pals" better, and you have to play to your strengths. Your strength is what makes these women different from the rest of the world, not what makes them the same. yes, some funny relationship stuff is good, especially when the dude is also super. THAT is different. I want to read about that. Giving one of the characters cancer to create melodrama -- i do not want that. (Because Firestar is too stupid to think about preventing her own cancer, when she has had warning signs before. Makes me want to punch things. Also, she has endless eye makeup that makes her tears black, and is unable to wipe her face)
Yes, some women enjoy hearing about the relationships of the characters in the books that they read. But that doesn't mean it has to be the only thing.
These women seem to have lost their, well, FIRE in this book. They mope and complain, when they could be SO MUCH MORE. They are becoming caricatures of themselves. I mean, really, CANCER? REALLY? That was done in Sex and the City. Just in case anyone was keeping track. So in this book we have gossip, men, Cancer.
Next issue, shoe shopping? Oh wait... Cancer. Shoe shopping to cheer her up?
Get her some Wolvie blood, she will be good as new. Then the shoe shopping.
I want this book to be good. I love Hellcat, I love Firestar. Really, what women want out of a book is just not to be patronized. I don't need a hammer that is coloured pink to know that i am allowed to use it. I just don't want to feel embarrassed for a character when i read about them. I don't want to feel that i am not welcome... I want to feel that the characters are treated like people, written like people, react like people... and don't look like this:
We don't need to have relationship-heavy, melodramatic, all-female cast books. They can be fun, they can be funny, but they don't need to try so damn hard. Someone get Kathryn Immonen, stat. Cuz man, the Hellcat trade was amazing, and funny, and kooky, and wonderful. Everything i want this book to be. Still 75% of the book left. So you know, anything could happen.
This entry was a bit more rambly than i meant it to be, but it says what i want it to say.
Next, Marvel Divas: Women in Comics - Please take your boobs out of my face.
Women in Comics: Marvel Divas Pt 1
As you can tell from the title, this is not my usual shtick. I have been thinking a lot about how women are represented in comics, how they are marketed, why they are not flagship/focal characters.
Now, i will be upfront. I am not in the comic industry. I work in games, I haven't written anything groundbreaking, i have not really gotten to handle any female characters (except Jill Valentine in the mobile version of Resident Evil, and there, i was only adapting the GameCube version of the script).
But i am a fan. I have been a fan since i was very small. i watched the 70s Spider-Woman, in the 80s when i was little. I also watched She-Ra, He-Man, GI Joe, Transformers, 90s X-Men, X-Men: Evolution all that good stuff. And Voltron. I loved Voltron.
I have been reading comics for the past 3-4 years, mainly focusing on New/Mighty Avengers, Ms Marvel, Thunderbolts, the Inhumans, whatever, you can read it on my sidebar.
My degree is in Communication and Psychology, anyway, that is me.
So here we go.
Women in Comics: Marvel Divas. Have I bitten off more than i can chew? Maybe.
I get what Marvel is trying to do with Marvel Divas. I read it, it was alright. It wasn't as bad as i thought it was going to be. I think there are better ways to handle the "problem of the female audience", however. First, i am going to look at the cover and title.
The Title. Looking specifically at the title of the book, the title does not express what the book IS.
"Diva" is not a complementary term. When one thinks of a diva, they think of the Mariah Carey and Beyonces of the world, who have lavish demands, an entourage of people telling them how great they are, who have the potential to make oodles of money just on their appearance. If someone were to call me a "diva" i would be upset.
The term isn't even accurate for the book itself. The women freely admit that they are not A-List heroes. They are not of the caliber of Sue Storm, for example. Hell, Angelica Jones' publicist had to essentially hire A-Listers for her book release party.
Were i looking at just the title of this book, combined with the first issue's cover:
I would think this book was about a bunch of bitchy, whiny, trolling-for-sex c-list superheroes. And that is not what the book is about - let's be clear.
As i mentioned before, i watched a lot of 80s cartoons, and OF COURSE i watched Spider-Man and his Amazing Friends. And OF COURSE i LOVED Firestar. All that "let's throw a female character in to this story"-stuff totally worked on me. I loved She-Ra, i loved Arcee, i bought in to it all. Not that Firestar was tacked on, but she hadn't existed in the comics, and was there to pull in female viewers, and let's face it, it worked. Taking that in to account, I would not want to read a book in which my beloved Firestar is a DIVA.
I am not sure what the target audience is for this book. If the point was to draw in new, female readers, the title and the cover have missed the boat.
If the point was to get males who thought that the cover was "hot" to buy the book, they may be disappointed with the interior NOT being all pillow fights and sleepovers. This ends up being confusing.
If the point was to sell to current-comic-reading women, then again, the combo of the title, plus cover is a miss. Although, let's be honest, as female comic readers, we put up with a lot, a LOT of crap. I mean, Joe Q even told us not to read this book if we thought that Marvel was in any way sexist. Did i mention we put up with a lot of crap?
So after the kerfluffle with the first cover, the second cover was released:
Basically, this looks like someone saying "the J. Scott Campbell version of the first cover was not the way to go. Let's do it again, and un-J.Scott-ify it". Note: And get a woman to do it. The cover artist is Jelena Kevic-Djurdjevic, perhaps someone was listening to the criticism, "make them look tough, make them look serious, make them look like they can kick-ass" -- all those things are a check with this cover... but it would have been alright for a first issue, to show who was in the book (and that they are awesome).
But for a second cover... it is kind of... boring? Isnt it? Why are the women looking at me? If this was a reveal, i would get why they are in their costumes - in case you werent positive who they were. But... we KNOW who they are from the first issue... and in the first issue they spend what... a page in their costumes? Confusing. I would have hoped for something more dynamic, something to show more what the book is about, because the previews sure dont help:
For 1: “…have some sudsy fun and lift the curtain a bit and take a peep at some of our most fabulous super heroines…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.”
Again... who is this book for??
For 2: After last issue's shocking revelation, Angelica "Firestar" Jones seeks out medical advice...from none other than Dr. Stephen Strange. (Paving the way for yet another diva to enter the fray: The nocturnal Night Nurse!) Meanwhile, Monica "Photon" Rambeau and Patsy "Hellcat" Walker are drawn back into the lives of their ex-boyfriends of the damned: Brother Voodoo and Daimon Hellstrom, respectively. And Felicia "Black Cat" Hardy contemplates a return to her life of crime...the claws are out as this mini-series continues!
ANOTHER DIVA?? Again, failure with the term, Marvel. I actually have been really interested in knowing more about the Night Nurse. I would love to read about her. Again with the calling her a diva? I DO NOT WANT TO READ ABOUT DIVAS. Please, please. let's stop using this term.
PS - i forgot to add before, the solicit for #1 included "let your inner divas out, fellas".
I am going to let you connect the dots on that one, while looking at the cover art for #1 and asking yourself "who is this book REALLY for?"
I have decided to call this PART 1 - Title, and come back to the rest, to give my brain some time to digest, and continue later. My intent for this section was to look only at the cover / solicit / name. More in depth next time :)
Next up: Part 2 - Relationships: Srsly, women love them, apparently.
Now, i will be upfront. I am not in the comic industry. I work in games, I haven't written anything groundbreaking, i have not really gotten to handle any female characters (except Jill Valentine in the mobile version of Resident Evil, and there, i was only adapting the GameCube version of the script).
But i am a fan. I have been a fan since i was very small. i watched the 70s Spider-Woman, in the 80s when i was little. I also watched She-Ra, He-Man, GI Joe, Transformers, 90s X-Men, X-Men: Evolution all that good stuff. And Voltron. I loved Voltron.
I have been reading comics for the past 3-4 years, mainly focusing on New/Mighty Avengers, Ms Marvel, Thunderbolts, the Inhumans, whatever, you can read it on my sidebar.
My degree is in Communication and Psychology, anyway, that is me.
So here we go.
Women in Comics: Marvel Divas. Have I bitten off more than i can chew? Maybe.
I get what Marvel is trying to do with Marvel Divas. I read it, it was alright. It wasn't as bad as i thought it was going to be. I think there are better ways to handle the "problem of the female audience", however. First, i am going to look at the cover and title.
The Title. Looking specifically at the title of the book, the title does not express what the book IS.
"Diva" is not a complementary term. When one thinks of a diva, they think of the Mariah Carey and Beyonces of the world, who have lavish demands, an entourage of people telling them how great they are, who have the potential to make oodles of money just on their appearance. If someone were to call me a "diva" i would be upset.
The term isn't even accurate for the book itself. The women freely admit that they are not A-List heroes. They are not of the caliber of Sue Storm, for example. Hell, Angelica Jones' publicist had to essentially hire A-Listers for her book release party.
Were i looking at just the title of this book, combined with the first issue's cover:
I would think this book was about a bunch of bitchy, whiny, trolling-for-sex c-list superheroes. And that is not what the book is about - let's be clear.
As i mentioned before, i watched a lot of 80s cartoons, and OF COURSE i watched Spider-Man and his Amazing Friends. And OF COURSE i LOVED Firestar. All that "let's throw a female character in to this story"-stuff totally worked on me. I loved She-Ra, i loved Arcee, i bought in to it all. Not that Firestar was tacked on, but she hadn't existed in the comics, and was there to pull in female viewers, and let's face it, it worked. Taking that in to account, I would not want to read a book in which my beloved Firestar is a DIVA.
I am not sure what the target audience is for this book. If the point was to draw in new, female readers, the title and the cover have missed the boat.
If the point was to get males who thought that the cover was "hot" to buy the book, they may be disappointed with the interior NOT being all pillow fights and sleepovers. This ends up being confusing.
If the point was to sell to current-comic-reading women, then again, the combo of the title, plus cover is a miss. Although, let's be honest, as female comic readers, we put up with a lot, a LOT of crap. I mean, Joe Q even told us not to read this book if we thought that Marvel was in any way sexist. Did i mention we put up with a lot of crap?
So after the kerfluffle with the first cover, the second cover was released:
Basically, this looks like someone saying "the J. Scott Campbell version of the first cover was not the way to go. Let's do it again, and un-J.Scott-ify it". Note: And get a woman to do it. The cover artist is Jelena Kevic-Djurdjevic, perhaps someone was listening to the criticism, "make them look tough, make them look serious, make them look like they can kick-ass" -- all those things are a check with this cover... but it would have been alright for a first issue, to show who was in the book (and that they are awesome).
But for a second cover... it is kind of... boring? Isnt it? Why are the women looking at me? If this was a reveal, i would get why they are in their costumes - in case you werent positive who they were. But... we KNOW who they are from the first issue... and in the first issue they spend what... a page in their costumes? Confusing. I would have hoped for something more dynamic, something to show more what the book is about, because the previews sure dont help:
For 1: “…have some sudsy fun and lift the curtain a bit and take a peep at some of our most fabulous super heroines…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.”
Again... who is this book for??
For 2: After last issue's shocking revelation, Angelica "Firestar" Jones seeks out medical advice...from none other than Dr. Stephen Strange. (Paving the way for yet another diva to enter the fray: The nocturnal Night Nurse!) Meanwhile, Monica "Photon" Rambeau and Patsy "Hellcat" Walker are drawn back into the lives of their ex-boyfriends of the damned: Brother Voodoo and Daimon Hellstrom, respectively. And Felicia "Black Cat" Hardy contemplates a return to her life of crime...the claws are out as this mini-series continues!
ANOTHER DIVA?? Again, failure with the term, Marvel. I actually have been really interested in knowing more about the Night Nurse. I would love to read about her. Again with the calling her a diva? I DO NOT WANT TO READ ABOUT DIVAS. Please, please. let's stop using this term.
PS - i forgot to add before, the solicit for #1 included "let your inner divas out, fellas".
I am going to let you connect the dots on that one, while looking at the cover art for #1 and asking yourself "who is this book REALLY for?"
I have decided to call this PART 1 - Title, and come back to the rest, to give my brain some time to digest, and continue later. My intent for this section was to look only at the cover / solicit / name. More in depth next time :)
Next up: Part 2 - Relationships: Srsly, women love them, apparently.
Thursday, July 02, 2009
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
