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You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/may/03/wonder-girl-breasts-sexism-comics
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| Version 0 | Version 1 |
|---|---|
| Wonder Girl's head-sized breasts illustrate the sexism problem in comics | Wonder Girl's head-sized breasts illustrate the sexism problem in comics |
| (3 days later) | |
| It’s Free Comic Book Day today – the North | It’s Free Comic Book Day today – the North |
| American comic book industry’s annual push to bring in more readers by | American comic book industry’s annual push to bring in more readers by |
| distributing popular all-ages comics for free through thousands of retailers. | distributing popular all-ages comics for free through thousands of retailers. |
| Unfortunately, while comics may be for everyone, the culture around them has a | Unfortunately, while comics may be for everyone, the culture around them has a |
| lot of growing up left to do. | lot of growing up left to do. |
| Last month, journalist Janelle Asselin penned | Last month, journalist Janelle Asselin penned |
| a scathing and thorough critique | a scathing and thorough critique |
| of a Teen Titans cover for the | of a Teen Titans cover for the |
| widely-read industry website, Comic Book | widely-read industry website, Comic Book |
| Resources. The resulting backlash escalated quickly from ordinary disagreement | Resources. The resulting backlash escalated quickly from ordinary disagreement |
| to ad feminam attacks on her | |
| professional experience, various sexual epithets and, ultimately, rape threats | professional experience, various sexual epithets and, ultimately, rape threats |
| embedded anonymously into the fields of a survey | embedded anonymously into the fields of a survey |
| she's conducting on sexual harassment in the comics industry. | she's conducting on sexual harassment in the comics industry. |
| Sadly, none of this surprised me. I can't | Sadly, none of this surprised me. I can't |
| say for sure that every woman working in comics has faced some form of sexism | say for sure that every woman working in comics has faced some form of sexism |
| or sexual harassment. But I've certainly had my share, despite being openly gay | or sexual harassment. But I've certainly had my share, despite being openly gay |
| and therefore not suspected of sleeping my way up the ladder – a common | and therefore not suspected of sleeping my way up the ladder – a common |
| assumption and laughably uncommon occurrence. That included textbook incidents | assumption and laughably uncommon occurrence. That included textbook incidents |
| like the drunk superior at an offsite office party who locked his arm around my | like the drunk superior at an offsite office party who locked his arm around my |
| shoulders, trying to pull me towards him for a kiss ("If you don't take that | shoulders, trying to pull me towards him for a kiss ("If you don't take that |
| off me right now," I said, "I'll break it."), and subtler slights, like "girl | off me right now," I said, "I'll break it."), and subtler slights, like "girl |
| ghetto" assignments and all sorts of presumptions that I lacked comics | ghetto" assignments and all sorts of presumptions that I lacked comics |
| knowledge, although I've read, edited, written and drawn them for years. | knowledge, although I've read, edited, written and drawn them for years. |
| It isn't hard to make the connection | It isn't hard to make the connection |
| between Wonder Girl's head-sized breasts on that cover and a publishing sector | between Wonder Girl's head-sized breasts on that cover and a publishing sector |
| that's still got a chronic problem with women. Entire websites have been devoted to comics' lopsided | that's still got a chronic problem with women. Entire websites have been devoted to comics' lopsided |
| use of sex and ultraviolence against female characters; marketing ideas are | use of sex and ultraviolence against female characters; marketing ideas are |
| still more often aimed at humiliating | still more often aimed at humiliating |
| them than, say, marrying them to each other. Two weeks after the Wonder Girl cover release, Dynamite | them than, say, marrying them to each other. Two weeks after the Wonder Girl cover release, Dynamite |
| Entertainment distributed warning-free preview pages of a Game of Thrones comic adaptation featuring a graphic rape scene, | Entertainment distributed warning-free preview pages of a Game of Thrones comic adaptation featuring a graphic rape scene, |
| and all-access comics websites everywhere, including Comic Book Resources, ran them. | and all-access comics websites everywhere, including Comic Book Resources, ran them. |
| First cover for DC's new Teen Titans #1! The new team includes Red Robin, Wonder Girl, Raven, Bunker and Beast Boy. pic.twitter.com/c2baqGexfd | First cover for DC's new Teen Titans #1! The new team includes Red Robin, Wonder Girl, Raven, Bunker and Beast Boy. pic.twitter.com/c2baqGexfd |
| Asselin, a friend and former DC Comics | Asselin, a friend and former DC Comics |
| editorial colleague of mine, has handled the Teen Titans fuss just fine, showing up her | editorial colleague of mine, has handled the Teen Titans fuss just fine, showing up her |
| critics both one-on-one and en masse | critics both one-on-one and en masse |
| via Twitter and Tumblr. Unfortunately, her original point – that the industry is | via Twitter and Tumblr. Unfortunately, her original point – that the industry is |
| squandering its vast potential with these choices – got almost entirely lost in | squandering its vast potential with these choices – got almost entirely lost in |
| the uproar. Too bad, because it's not enough to speak out against bionic boobs and | the uproar. Too bad, because it's not enough to speak out against bionic boobs and |
| office harassment. Comics is at risk of becoming irrelevant in today's diverse | office harassment. Comics is at risk of becoming irrelevant in today's diverse |
| and fast-changing publishing landscape. | and fast-changing publishing landscape. |
| Asselin's conclusion was that publishers | Asselin's conclusion was that publishers |
| need to sell comics by and to new demographics, especially girls and women. | need to sell comics by and to new demographics, especially girls and women. |
| Like many of the industry's best advocates, she backs up her beliefs | Like many of the industry's best advocates, she backs up her beliefs |
| proactively, by writing a monthly column called Hire This Woman. The title is self-explanatory. But why is the | proactively, by writing a monthly column called Hire This Woman. The title is self-explanatory. But why is the |
| onus on individual commentators like us to keep pointing this out? | onus on individual commentators like us to keep pointing this out? |
| For a very long time I've said that if you | For a very long time I've said that if you |
| want to broaden the horizons of comics, there is no substitute for getting more | want to broaden the horizons of comics, there is no substitute for getting more |
| women (and a broader range of ethnic, racial and cultural experience) into the | women (and a broader range of ethnic, racial and cultural experience) into the |
| business of making and publishing them. It's time I got more specific. | business of making and publishing them. It's time I got more specific. |
| Women do now fill far more of the editorial and creative ranks in the comics industry, but there are still very few | Women do now fill far more of the editorial and creative ranks in the comics industry, but there are still very few |
| women in senior editorial management. Women are getting the bestselling books | women in senior editorial management. Women are getting the bestselling books |
| into stores and greenlighting the million-dollar | into stores and greenlighting the million-dollar |
| movie franchises, but they're barely represented among the creative | movie franchises, but they're barely represented among the creative |
| executives who map out the universes and storytelling strategies. That's where | executives who map out the universes and storytelling strategies. That's where |
| you cement broad-based, long-term loyalty to authors and characters, tap new | you cement broad-based, long-term loyalty to authors and characters, tap new |
| audiences and trends, and grow readership, without which none of those books or | audiences and trends, and grow readership, without which none of those books or |
| movies would exist. | movies would exist. |
| Take, for example, how Time Warner scaled | Take, for example, how Time Warner scaled |
| back DC's influential Vertigo imprint, which broadened comics immeasurably with | back DC's influential Vertigo imprint, which broadened comics immeasurably with |
| Neil Gaiman's Sandman and many more | Neil Gaiman's Sandman and many more |
| groundbreaking creations of non-superhero genre fiction. Smaller, nimbler publishers are jumping | groundbreaking creations of non-superhero genre fiction. Smaller, nimbler publishers are jumping |
| into the vacuum, snapping up female talent and building new franchises, | into the vacuum, snapping up female talent and building new franchises, |
| most famously with a little something called The Walking Dead. But they are, by definition, smaller. | most famously with a little something called The Walking Dead. But they are, by definition, smaller. |
| It's great to see smaller publisher filling the void – but it means that the industry leaders aren't actually leading. They definitely aren't plowing | It's great to see smaller publisher filling the void – but it means that the industry leaders aren't actually leading. They definitely aren't plowing |
| even a fraction of their movie millions into original content. They should be | even a fraction of their movie millions into original content. They should be |
| laboratories for great comics, but they're becoming cages. | laboratories for great comics, but they're becoming cages. |
| Some new, female-friendly takes on superheroes are getting through the big publishers, from Young Avengers to Detective Comics. But the commercial and literary power of comics as a whole is so much greater than superhero comics. There are fiction (like The Walking Dead and Saga) and nonfiction (like Art Spiegelman's Maus, Marjane Satrapi's Persepolis, Alison Bechdel's Fun Home and Rep. John Lewis's March) comics that illustrate the medium's potential to reflect a truly diverse world and become a real marketplace of ideas. | Some new, female-friendly takes on superheroes are getting through the big publishers, from Young Avengers to Detective Comics. But the commercial and literary power of comics as a whole is so much greater than superhero comics. There are fiction (like The Walking Dead and Saga) and nonfiction (like Art Spiegelman's Maus, Marjane Satrapi's Persepolis, Alison Bechdel's Fun Home and Rep. John Lewis's March) comics that illustrate the medium's potential to reflect a truly diverse world and become a real marketplace of ideas. |
| In the era of transmedia, comics in the US | In the era of transmedia, comics in the US |
| is still an absurdly cultish medium, and most of its resources are directed at a male | is still an absurdly cultish medium, and most of its resources are directed at a male |
| audience and a single genre. The | audience and a single genre. The |
| day when comics' potential to show the greatest range of people, worlds and ideas to the most people is achieved – that is the day that comics will truly be free. | day when comics' potential to show the greatest range of people, worlds and ideas to the most people is achieved – that is the day that comics will truly be free. |
| • This article was amended on 6 May 2014 to correct the phrase ad feminam, from ad feminem as the original said. |