Since everybody and their mother is talking about this — and a couple people have asked for my opinion — I figure I’ll throw in my two cents.
The controversy is this:
Apparently, people are surprised Batman and Catwoman have sex with each other.
Because, you know. It’s not like it hasn’t been well-established that Batman, under his Bruce Wayne disguise, sleeps around with more women than James Bond. And it’s not like Catwoman wears a skin-tight fetishwear outfit ALL THE FREAKING TIME. And it’s not like Batsy and Catwoman have had an ongoing attraction to each other since the Adam West TV series.
Oh, wait. All of that exists. I must’ve temporarily forgotten.
Yet, a lot of people are crying foul.
So, okay. Let me take a step back, and try to figure this one out.
Maybe they’re afraid that comic readers are still children. Well, that’s naïve. I ran a comic store for 3 years, and 99% of our customers were males between 18 and 35. So those people have an argument based in myth.
Maybe the people complaining are of a more wholesome variety, and they don’t want to see that in their fiction. I can respect that, but then why would you read Catwoman, a series ABOUT a cat burglar? The premise of the series is that she’s a criminal, so I’m debasing that argument, too.
Maybe some of these people are new readers who are not familiar with the established concepts of both heroes. Those people, sure. I can understand their being surprised.
Except when the cover looks like this:
If you bought Catwoman #1, with THAT cover, and you’re SURPRISED that there’s sexual content? Then I’m sorry, you’re not paying attention.
The cheesecake cleavage, the seductive eyes, and the dribbling, shiny… jewels… over her chest all suggest that this is going to be a more mature title. And look at the bottom. See that “Rated T+”? That means there’s going to be questionable content in the book.
To me, that cover says, “This book is for people who want to look at drawings of sexy girls in suggestive poses,” the same way that a Barbie doll’s box says “This toy is for little girls.”
Do *I* like the content? Not particularly. But I’ve also seen a lot more offensive material, in comics with far less warning on the cover.
The issue at hand is that people have deluded themselves into thinking that just because they like comics in general, that they are the target market for all comics, and that’s plainly not true.
Just because I liked the late 80s/early 90s Ninja Turtle action figures doesn’t mean I was going to enjoy late 80s/early 90s Barbie dolls. They’re both toys, but even before I turned 8, I was discerning enough to realize that I wasn’t the target market for Barbies. Comic readers need to be equally as discerning.
I don’t read a lot of Frank Miller comics, because I find them dark and depressing, and too rough for my tastes. Despite being a male between 18-35, I am not the target market for Frank Miller’s work. But I don’t think comic stores should stop carrying SIN CITY, or that Dark Horse should stop keeping it in print. Other people like it, and that’s okay.
The moral of the story is to get over yourself, and realize that just because you like a particular kind of product doesn’t mean you’re going to like all of them. And you can vote with your dollars. If you didn’t like the overabundance of sexual content in Catwoman #1, then don’t buy Catwoman #2.
I’m not going to.