Revisiting the Female Form in Comics

I don't know what it is but I find this very interesting.  The female form and it's history of changes throughout comics.  It's reflective of so much more than just the female image in media but also the social/moral aspect of society during those times.

Top: Clockwise from top left: Zatanna, Wonder Woman, Power Girl, Huntress, Harley Quinn, Black Canary, The Women of Birds of Prey (May 2013), Batwoman, Batgirl, Equinox, Starfire, Catwoman, Amanda Waller.
Bottom: Clockwise from top Left: Black Widow, Hawkeye, Storm, America Chavez, Capt. Marvel, Rogue, The Women of X-Men (May 2013), Psylocke, She-Hulk, Ms. Marvel, Elektra, and The Invisible Woman.

Back in early 2012 I wrote a piece that became easily my most talked about and commented on, in both good and bad ways. It was called “No it’s Not Equal” and it was all about breaking down the ways that visually, women are not presented equally to men in comics. The piece was born of getting very tired of hearing people say ridiculous things related to female representation in superhero comics – stuff like “all superheroes wear skintight clothes, not just women!” and “it’s comics! nobody has realistic bodies!” I wanted to break down why those arguments are so flawed and how the representation is/has been unbalanced when it comes to men and women. It’s been about 28 months since I posted that piece and I started wondering if anything significant had changed when it comes to mainstream superhero comics. 

For me the answer is both yes and no, specifically if we look to the big two, who still do lead the pack when it comes to sales and content as well as spreading their IP to larger markets. And as the leaders who SHOULD be leading us, setting a great example and changing the face of comics.

Check out the FULL article CBR: She Has No Head!

Feeling chauvinistic,
~Steve

Game of Thrones Redrawn for the 90's

I love to see artists recreate characters for different time periods or universes and Mike Robel does an awesome job of remaking the cast of Game of Thrones for the 80's and 90's.  Here are my favorites:

These were the best recreations in my opinion.  Bron would totally be a mafia thug only wearing jump suits! Jaime is spot on dirt bag Miami Vice wanna be!

Check out the rest on Buzzfeed

Enjoy,
~Steve

Cool Comic Stuff From The Internet

Everyone remembers those art history classes they make you take in college right?  Well I really enjoyed mine.  No seriously.  As proof, I still have my art history text book while others went in the garage sale box. (Okay I realize that's not real proof because I'm just telling you I still have it but it's all I got, so accept it)

Anyways I stumbled across this and had to share because guess who just got a new desktop background!

Awesome right!?!  What, not convinced of it's awesomeness?  Okay here's the original:

See?  Crap in comparison just like I said!  Move over Michelangelo, Nick Perks in the Sistine Chapel Hizouse!

Perk’s “Creation of The Surfer” is a masterpiece!  The original concept transformed into Galactus and the Surfer is genius.

Check this out and all the other awesome stuff @ CBR Comics Should Be Good - The Line It Is Drawn

As Always Wishing I Could Draw,
~Steve

Carnage USA #1 Looks Awesome

Ok, yes.  I am a sucker for nearly anything Spider-Man and that includes his villains.  In this case, even if I wasn't a huge Spider-Fan this cover would still be awesome:

After being burned out on a lot of crap limited series I don't usually pick them up anymore but I might have to get this one just because.  Check out a sneak preview @CBR.com

Doubting that Cletus Kasaday is a true patriot,
~Steve

Bad Ass Broad - Queen Sonja #19

Admittedly I am not a huge fan of very many heroines.  If I had to guess it would probably stem from my traditional roots.  Women fighting, sweating, bleeding is hard for me to swallow because many times I believe those situations steal away their femininity and it's that femininity, the differences between men and woman, that draw me to female characters.  So, when I find a character that can hold on to their female characteristics while preforming heroics it sparks my interest and can make for some great story telling.

This is the case in the Queen Sonja on going series right now.  Sonja is such a great character and in this book her femininity is showcased in more ways than just ridiculously skimpy battle armor (which she is famous for).  Arvid Nelson is the current writer on the series and he has done an amazing job with Sonja.

In this particular issue of Queen Sonja #19 artist Edgar Salazar does some fantastic work portraying the passion and emotion in the faces and body language of the characters involved.  We'll start with a great two page sequence from Queen Sonja #17.

Sonja, poisoned by a traitor, is forced to flee her capitol after it comes under siege by Thulsa Doom and the children of Set.  She escapes to an ancient fort where a small group of her loyal citizens vow to fight for her.  Unbeknownst to Sonja the fort is surrounded by mercenaries sent by Thulsa Doom to bring him her head.

Her open defiance against an enemy that has her surrounded is epic.  It's classic Sonja she kneels to no man the look on her face says it all.

This panel on page 10 is my absolute favorite!  That wild look in her eyes as she snaps off the end of an arrow in her side damn is near the sexist thing I've ever seen.

The three pages above are perfection.  It can be so hard to convey the emotions of a scene like this but Edgar Salazar does it flawlessly.  These are hardened mercenaries and you can feel the tension in their desperate acts in the face of defeat and in the decisions that must be made in the heat of battle.

This creative team is doing an amazing job and I hope to see them continue together on this book because this is by far one of the best books out right now.

Wishing I had any drawing talent whatsoever,
~Steve

War Bonds - Green Lantern

I've always loved the variety of art and sayings that were used on the war bonds during World War One and Two.  They are just so interesting and great pieces of US history and americana that are reflections of our society at the time.

So I was pleasantly surprised while reading one of my comics today when a War Bond with Green Lantern popped up!  Check it out:

I just love it when two things I enjoy come together!  I never really thought about it before but it makes sense that a world with super heroes would reflect their presence in many ways including war time things like War Bonds.

This page was featured in Young All-Stars #8, published by DC in Jan. of 1988 and drawn my Brian Murray. 


On my way to ebay to check out war bonds for sale,
~Steve