Why I’m Done with Marvel and DC
Posted by: Guy LeCharles Gonzalez on May 28, 2007 at 4:19 pm
In his weekly “Joe Fridays” column over at Newsarama, Marvel Editor-in-Chief comments on the controversial Heroes for Hentai Hire cover that sparked the latest in a seemingly increasing number of controversies related to Marvel and DC representations of women and minorities in their superhero comics:
How about the Heroes for Hire #13? This has caused some controversy of its own, with some people likening it to a very unsavory recurring element in some more adult-themed manga?
JQ: This one I can answer to. First, I think people are reading way too much into that cover than was ever intended. I heard terms such as “tentacle rape” being thrown around when that in no way is what’s happening, nor does it happen in the book. Those tentacles are the arms of the Brood who appears in the issue and is a major story point, the Brood have tentacles, sorry about that.
Secondly, the concept for that cover, soup to nuts came from a female artist. Thirdly, not being a deep follower of manga, I have no idea what recurring theme people are referring to or concerned with. While I appreciate the sentiment and the feelings that some may have about this, I honestly feel that there is way too much being read into this cover.
Also, HFH is a book that features two strong, lead female protagonist who kick major ass; somehow folks have forgotten to focus on that.
Quesada’s evasive and purposefully ignorant response was the last bit of convincing I needed that it’s not simply that I’m no longer Marvel’s (or DC’s) target demographic, but like Timberland and Cristal with the hip-hop community, I am actively Not Wanted. I thought that was something worth fighting against at first, and then I kept seeing the increasingly overblown analogies to Civil Rights being made by some, and equally petty responses to opposing viewpoints coming from the presumed “good” side of the debate, and realized how overblown this whole thing has become.
I’m not saying other people shouldn’t fight this fight — I was particularly delighted to see Tamora Pierce stand up and add her voice to the dissenters, and would love to see other notable creators take a similar public stance, for or against — but I now realize that my limited energies, and dollars, are better spent elsewhere. Marvel and DC won’t be the first publishers I’ve removed from my personal radar, but they’ll certainly be the most significant. While I’ll surely miss some of the steadily diminishing handful of their titles I was still pulling every month, I’ll get over it pretty quickly.
There’s plenty of pre-Quesada and pre-Didio Essential and Showcase TPBs for me to get an unsullied fix of my favorite characters while not completely forfeiting my “right to vote”, as it were. And, of course, there’s a slew of comics being published by other companies that are a better fit for my tastes and more deserving of my attention, superhero and otherwise, delivering the same if not superior level of production values and creative content. Some may see this as throwing out the baby with the bathwater, but I’m at the point now where I can see the appeal of simply burning down the house and rebuilding from scratch.
My house, that is; what the rest of the neighborhood chooses to do is their business.
For those who continue the fight, more power to you and best of luck to your cause, just don’t get so caught up in it that you lose sight of what’s really important. It’s not simply about Mary Jane, Misty Knight, Bill Foster or John Stewart being written or drawn out of character, if represented at all. They are mere saplings in a forest full of long-standing but rotten-to-the-core redwoods.
PS: As for Newsarama, I pretty much only follow the blog these days, but the sheer lameness of Brady’s unabashed shillery in that Joe Friday “interview” killed the last shred of credibility the site had in my mind. While infinitely less important in the big picture, I’m done with them, too.
Erech Overaker May 29th, 2007
Those Joe Friday things are always about dodging, evading, and the inevitable “wait for the announcement” comment vs real news given, ALMOST always. I really honestly don’t understand the point of them at all, it’s just all spin – and not even good spin either – some of the replies he gives to serious questions people ask are dumb on levels that make me ashamed I’ve read comics with his name on them, seriously.
Now you know how I have felt since right around the end of Identity Crisis though. I really hated to take like, a moral stand – even though I was getting more and more offended by the stuff I was seeing, but when I finally had enough of Marvel and DC it was pretty much the same realization – they do not want me to read their comics anymore – simple as that.
sleeper May 29th, 2007
Hey, Guy -
Good for you. I’ve seen an incredible backlash against Marvel regarding this cover, but surprisingly few bloggers are willing to put their money where their mouth is.
You, on the other hand, are actually willing to hit them where it hurts and vote with your wallet. Although one man’s purchasing preferences may not seem like much when there are still 50,000 potential customers still out there, you’re taking a principled stance AND backing it up, to boot (many are committing to the former, few to the latter).
Take a look around and see how many calls for boycott there are among the outraged screeds. Surprisingly few. There are even some who claim they would still buy the issue if Marvel changed the cover between now and the release date.
If you do decide to add an escape clause to your boycott, might I suggest still allowing yourself to purchase Vertigo titles? Although they’re technically owned by DC, they do some of the best work being published today.
Again, kudos for backing up your words with action. Here’s hoping the idea catches on.
Guy LeCharles Gonzalez May 29th, 2007
@Erech: Yeah, the past few weeks have been the proverbial last straw in a process that, for me, started with House of M and Countdown to Infinite Crisis. In my case, it’s not so much a moral stand as a practical one. It took me two years to fully wean myself off of the slam poetry scene, kicking and screaming every step of the way, and as a result of not making a clean break, I can’t listen to more than 10 minutes of the stuff before I involuntarily tune out. Not even of the poets I still like. It took a toll on my own writing, too. I don’t want that to happen with, or because of, comics.
@sleeper: I cut all 14 Marvel and DC titles from my Midtown pull list after writing that post, and had mixed emotions about doing it, especially the couple of Vertigo titles I had on there and Blue Beetle. It’s not so much a boycott as a break-up, as the former implies I’m holding out for some kind of change. I’m not; I’m simply done. I still have the movies and the videogames and the Vs. TCG to get my fix of old favorite characters, and I’m leaving myself the “out” of picking up the Essential and Showcase TPBs I’m interested in. But when it comes to the new stuff, superheroes or imprints, I’m done.
Takes a clean break to heal right, and all that jazz.
Adan Jimenez May 29th, 2007
Newsarama has always been the Wizard of the internet world (take that Wizard.com!) and I’ve never really paid much attention to it. I go to Newsarama every once in a while for the same reason I crack open my (free) copy of Wizard once in a while: to look at some advertisements of the next “Big Thing.”
But as for your break-up with Marvel and DC: dude, not even a booty call? C’mon, you’re telling me if Criminal or DMZ calls you up tomorrow and says, “We can be friends with benefits,” you’re not gonna consider it?
Kayode Kendall May 29th, 2007
Like I’ve said, I can understand people’s outrage over the cover. But to quit Marvel and DC cold turkey, even if this is just another in a list of things you’ve been displeased with, I don’t know. Believe me, I was as ticked off by House of M and Civil War as most people. And lord knows seeing Blade get cancelled AGAIN, is starting to work my last “black man” nerve, but there are still a lot of good books I can’t just turn my back on. Runaways and New X-Men, in particular. Especially in terms of its female characters.
Guy LeCharles Gonzalez May 29th, 2007
@Adan & Howard: LOL! Y’all are stupid and fired!
Seriously, though, while I’m not one to say “never”, it’ll take something completely different from what I already have on my bookshelves for me to make an exception, and Criminal, solid as the first arc was, definitely ain’t it. I dropped DMZ three issues in, and had left behind Runaways and New X-Men long ago. For the latter two, Dynamo 5 fills the bill.
As a matter of fact, I just realized I already have an exception: Fables! Grrr… I follow that (and Jack) in TPB, though, so it’s a small, inoffensive exception.
Adan Jimenez May 30th, 2007
“As a matter of fact, I just realized I already have an exception: Fables! Grrr… I follow that (and Jack) in TPB, though, so it’s a small, inoffensive exception.”
Booty Call!!!!
