One of the things that I really appreciate about what Marvel is doing right now that I think contributes to the women-friendliness, if only indirectly, is how they're diversifying the 'look' of their books. The sheer variety of types of artwork across the Marvel NOW and All-New Marvel NOW books is really impressive, IMO. I note that the most traditional comics-type art happens on the central books, like Avengers, but then on the sidelines you have Hawkeye and Ms. Marvel and She-Hulk and Journey into Mystery (RIP) and Young Avengers and Mike Allred's projects. (Linked art chosen more or less at random.)
Not only is the art for those books NOT prone to sexual objectification and male power fantasy depictions like a lot of the mainline books, but they don't have the general 'look' of books that do. I don't know if that makes sense. I, at least, tend to be put off at first by superhero comics that have that shiny spandex gradient coloring thing that's been so common, because even if the women aren't being objectified, that's still the association I have with that kind of artwork. It has a sign over it that says, "Not for you." Whereas something with art like Alphona's in Ms Marvel has a "For you" sign on it, quite aside from its actual content.
And obviously Alphona and Allred and some of the others have been around for a while now, but it seems to me that they weren't all getting brand new books in these numbers before. So. Yay.
(It's possible I'm just talking out my hat, since I have much less sense of the overall landscape of Marvel back in, say, 2008. But that's how it seems to me now.)
Crossposted from Dreamwidth. Comment here or there. (
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Not only is the art for those books NOT prone to sexual objectification and male power fantasy depictions like a lot of the mainline books, but they don't have the general 'look' of books that do. I don't know if that makes sense. I, at least, tend to be put off at first by superhero comics that have that shiny spandex gradient coloring thing that's been so common, because even if the women aren't being objectified, that's still the association I have with that kind of artwork. It has a sign over it that says, "Not for you." Whereas something with art like Alphona's in Ms Marvel has a "For you" sign on it, quite aside from its actual content.
And obviously Alphona and Allred and some of the others have been around for a while now, but it seems to me that they weren't all getting brand new books in these numbers before. So. Yay.
(It's possible I'm just talking out my hat, since I have much less sense of the overall landscape of Marvel back in, say, 2008. But that's how it seems to me now.)
Crossposted from Dreamwidth. Comment here or there. (
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Also I'm learning that I'm super picky about coloring, and I will prefer the flatter coloring styles (like Hollingsworth for Aja in Hawkeye) over the more 3D ones every time. Also I value unity and mood in the art over 'realistic' coloring.
INDEED. They're just grotesque to me, most of the time, so I have to deal with grotesque female bodies and grotesque male bodies at the same time. No wonder I spend so much time appreciating how hot Marko is in Saga. But yes also to personalities; one of the reasons I am so unenthused about most of the main male characters is how they all bleed together, all the same stoic flavorless hero man. The male fantasy thing ruins both the female characters and the male characters. :\
The thing I like about the art on Hawkeye or stuff by the Allreds is how it sort of evokes a very retro comics look in a way that makes the books feel timeless.
I do really like the retro thing. I don't think all books need to look that way, but I sure am a sucker for the ones that do. I've realized that at this point I'll read pretty much anything Allred draws.
The team books are so... shiny and homogenous. All-New Invaders looks particularly bad.
Yes, exactly. And :PPP to shiny homogeneity. I don't think all the team books are like that - the new Secret Avengers seems to be deliberately riffing off of what Aja's doing on Hawkeye - but certainly a lot of them are. :P