It Will Never Change
(the cover of Justice League #10 brought to my attention by Sammy)
Look, recent strides in the emancipation of Supergirl aside, there are two things that will never change about DC superheroines:
(the cover of Justice League #10 brought to my attention by Sammy)1) Power Girl's breasts
2) Wonder Woman in bondage
They will never ever ever ever ever change. Power Girl will always have huge mammaries, and Wonder Woman w
ill always find her way into the chains of Mars, dig it?I'm not saying it's right or wrong --
I'm not saying people shouldn't complain --
I'm just saying this is what it is -- just things that a number of readers out there cherish, that they're nostalgic about from when they were young. It's like Al Bundy keeping his tattered but well-loved stack of "Big 'Uns" magazine, it's like Homer Simpson keeping that mouldering old left-over hero sandwich after the party, it's like Ralph Kramden keeping his old college outfit with the straw hat, it's like Ross convincing Rachel to dress up like Slave Leia -- it's Theirs. It makes those readers happy. They don't want it taken away from them. They see efforts to take it away from them as part of a PC-driven conspiracy to ruin this tiny bit of four-color joy that such images provide.
And I'm not saying it is right or wrong -- I'm just saying I recognize what the motivation is, and, frankly, I'm choosing to not go on the stomping ground to eradicate these particular quirky bits of (lets face it) erotica that finds their way into mainstream superhero comics. Which doesn't mean I won't poke fun when it's especially stupid.
Supergirl I got down on because it featured a teenager, and that, to me, is a whole different story.
Also, I think the stubborness on DC's part to not give Stephanie a trophy box (or whatever the hell you call it) is something that should be rectified, because 1) teenage girl (and ostensible role-model), 2) it seems like such a minor thing to ask for, why the hell not just do it already? --->though the unwillingness to give her official recognition as a Robin might also have to do with "keeping the integrity of the licensable property" (i.e., Robin is always a boy), in other words a business issue.
Lastly, I read on Loren's blog that Brad Meltzer had requested a boob reduction on Power Girl on this cover -- and that what we see here is the result. I highly doubt her chest was reduced that much -- it's really hard to f**k with covers by big-name artists like Turner, to either ask the artist for an edit or go in there yourself with Photoshop. It's really an awkward thing to ask for. But besides that -- Meltzer is a New York Times bestselling author. His love for comics aside -- why the hell would he want his name on something this silly? Point is -- I met the guy, I worked with him, I highly doubt the air-bags on Kara was part of his artistic vision.
But in the end, they're just mammaries. Really big, puffy, pale mammaries. And I'll tell you, when I was 60 pounds heavier, those damn things hurt my back. But I am not nor have I ever been a pseudo-Kryptonian. So maybe PG can hack it. I don't know.
Back to my chicken salad.
Actually, my problem has never been Power Girl's large breasts and the majority of us don't have a big problem with it. Our problem is with the Turner cover itself. The anatomy on her is just WRONG. Her breasts are far lower than they've ever been portrayed before, they're perkier than they've been in the past, and the proportions on her arm closest to the camera are just off. Not to mention that Turner can only draw two faces: male and female. Black Canary and Power Girl have the same face in this picture and furthermore they're just standing there when these are characters who should be in kick-ass poses.
ReplyDeleteAlso, the eyes on these Turner women tend to be really vacant. That bothers me the most, actually.
ReplyDeleteEver see the Wizard tutorial he wrote for drawing women? It's sickening. The eye thing is illustrated on there, too. >_<
ReplyDeleteActually, I have no problem with Power Girl having a large chest :O Every woman is different and it's only fair that some superheroines would have big breasts o_o However, I would like to see some consistancy. :O In that, Supergirl should at least be drawn consistantly regardless of the artist, she shouldn't look 14 with A cups in one depiction and then 28 with DDs in another :\ It'd be just the same if she had red hair suddenly o_o
ReplyDeleteSecondly, if PG has big breasts, they could at least be some set size, and secondly, the rest of her body should fit them as well? :O There's not a lot of women who have super skinny bodies yet naturally large firm bowling ball breasts on their chest >.<;;;
Not without "work" having been done on them, no.
ReplyDeletei'm glad someone else feels the same about Turner's inability to make anyone look different face wise. I think he does terrible noses. He does attempt (from what I can tell) to chnage the shape of eyes, which I think is the main way he tries to tell characters apart.
ReplyDeleteLike I said, I am the FIRST to take up for Michael Turner, I love his art, but this is seriously ridiculous.
ReplyDeleteMaybe he is making fun of the fact that Power Girl's breasts are always HUGEEE!!! but either way it just doesn't look right and will most likely irritate everyone.
Brad said himself on his blog that this was AFTER he requested a reduction.
I don't have a problem with the breast size. But like Lewis, I do have a problem with really bad art. Michael Turner seems like a nice guy and all... but he's a lousy artist.
ReplyDeletePeople become inured to this to the exclusion of good art. It's ludicrous that only 4,000 or so buy "Love & Rockets" when Michael Turner is touted as this big genius god of comic book art.
It's not the size or exaggeration... it's the slapdash, tossed-off hackery of it. The lack of proportion... the fact that they behave visually like a couple of 10 lb. bowling balls she's had surgically implanted under there through some extreme body modification cult. The poor attachment to the chest... the incorrect angle to the chest itself.
The dead center composition, killing all visual interest. Turner's almost pathological avoidance of drawing hands and feet.
It's amateur level junk being passed off as something laudable by a top pro. There must be thousands of kids out there hungry for the chance to show what they can do.
Adam Hughes draws some enormous breasts on Power Girl... arguably larger than Turner's versions... but the difference is, he treats them as actual anatomical objects. They fit onto the body correctly. The move and have real consistency.
ReplyDeleteThere. I'm done.
Power girl is treated okay. It's Supergirl who is given the raw deal. Her stories and her character are never developed sufficiently. I would love to see the writers and the artists develop her as a real super heroine. who ia maturing and someone we can love and rspect. Too often she is portrayed with so much immaturity and self doubt. Come on, she is SUPER GIRL.
ReplyDeleteLike most of the readers here, I think that cover is gross, but I am not just okay with Power Girl's big boobs- I'm in favor of them. Characters should have iconography, like Impulse with his big feet, Steph with her big hair. Anyhow.
ReplyDeleteAs for the Wonder Woman bondage, I'm torn, given her character creation history. I can't forsee a future in which sexual bondage is an acceptable addition to comics, though, I can see arguments as to her having evolved from her roots to be the most visible female hero.