I think one of the reasons female bloggers find this old cannard so tiresome is that it’s seldom proffered in the spirit of, “Hey, let’s not lose sight of women’s issues in developing nations,” but to discourage discussion about the way women are represented in our popular culture. I don’t agree with all of Calamity_M’s points, but I doubt she’s voicing her concerns about H4H in lieu of taking a stand on reproductive rights or fair labor practices.

Yes, I could do without the unzipped outfits, the slobber, and the tentacles, but I think the thing I find so disappointing about this cover is that a series that had been light-hearted, fun, and yes–a little cheesecake–has taken such a hardcore detour into icks-ville.

Should the imagery presented in the cover be made available to a teen audience, I don’t know, because on a surface level, it’s nothing but suggestion. No nipples are exposed, the tentacles aren’t actual penises, and the slime is not semen. Maybe we as adults can immediately register these images as suggesting something else entirely, but I don’t know for show how many teenagers are pre-teen kids will beyond the large breasts. And as far as making the leap to implying that this cover could be a contributing factor in teenage boys being conditioned into rapists, I’m sorry, but I gotta call bullshit on that. There are far greater factors that a teenager will encounter that will warp their sense of what a healthy-sexual relationship should be. I’m more worried about teenage girls who watch soap operas.

Hell, scratch that, they seem to be a lot from column A and a lot from column B.

And as for all those social-retards who think all the “so-called” feminists should put-up, shut-up and “focus on real life problems”, let me ask you this: who reads comics, for the majority? Young teenaged-boys, right? So if one were to tolerate a media focused on these young minds, which depicts women in such demeaning poses, and emphasies sex in relation to violence, how would that be a good thing?

It’s like saying:
‘Rape? Why certainly, Johnney, you can read about as much rape as you like! But only in comics, mind! Wouldn’t want to go putting ideas into your head, now would we? And it’s not like a visual picture of subdued and about-to-be-violated women (and oh-so sexy! Look! Boobies!), is going to warp your sense of what a healthy sexual-relationship should be! Oh no indeedy!’

So to all those fellows, I’d like to send out a big: get fucked. No seriously: get fucked. Preferably by a tentacle.

Irregardless of a language barrier, I’ve seen everyone comment on this image now BUT Sana Takeda.

But tell me, when exactly are we supposed to start caring about something like this? It’s not like comics exist in some isolated vacuum and aren’t reflective of society in some form or another.

And yeah, Sana Takeda is the artist from Drain.

As for your shoulder reading, just checked the site and it was up. MY LUCK. Ahem.

Ugh.

PS: How do you get to my posts so fast?! It’s like you’re looking over my shoulder!

AND that’s a black one too, 2 birds, 1 stone. Natch.

;) (don’t ban me please)