¿Marvel esta usando el sexo y el alcohol para vender comics?

[DRA]

IS MARVEL USING SEX AND BOOZE TO SELL COMICS?

Commentary By
Jennifer M. Contino

Recently, Marvel Comics released their June Solicitations. Although The House is getting better at providing a little bit more solicits information, there were a few pieces that just didn't seem to be "rated" right.

THUNDERBOLTS #80
Cover by Francisco Ruiz Velasco
John Arcudi (w)/ Francisco Ruiz Velasco (p)
Part 1 of a 2-part story guest-starring SPIDER-MAN!
Learn more about Axumís past and the underground fighting league in this story featuring more girls, more booze, and more sorry losers on their last legs doing more bad things for the wrong reasons! Spider-sense is tingling ... or wait, is that just the booze talking?
PG




X-MEN: PHOENIX #2 (of 3)
Cover by Ryan Kinnaird
Ryan Kinnaird (w & a)
Sisters Jena and Madalyne continue their quest to retrieve the Sword of Limbo! It is a struggle to keep their wits about them and their clothes on as they make their way across the demon plains of Hell.
PG




Both of these books are rated PG - but doesn't the suggestive text and pictures make it seem like "Parental Guidance" might not be all that is required? PG is a term that, as most of us know, means "Parental Guidance is suggested." It's also a rating that allows children can get into movies without the accompaniment of an adult. Parents don't even blink at a PG rating, figuring if the movie were really that bad, the Motion Picture Association would put a PG-13 or higher rating on it. If you don't see that, common practice is to assume it's not going to have that "bad" of material inside.

When I read the above solicitations and then see the PG rating, two thoughts come to mind. I have to think the books and those of their ilk with the PG rating are either: kind of a big tease with the cover being the only payoff or that the standards for rating anything PG have fallen a lot since I was a young whippersnapper. What shocks me more about this is Marvel's taking their iconic figures - Spider-Man and the X-Men - and putting them in very questionable and suggestive situations. They appear to be using text to suggest "sexual" or other "low moral" occurrences are contained within the confines of the covers, but then rate the materials "PG."


THUNDERBOLTS
Learn more about Axumís past and the underground fighting league in this story featuring more girls, more booze, and more sorry losers on their last legs doing more bad things for the wrong reasons! Spider-sense is tingling ... or wait, is that just the booze talking?


It's rated PG. Yes, I know I'm repeating myself, but it is taking me a while to truly try to grasp and understand why a comic guest-staring a kid-friendly character like Spider-Man, is also boasting of booze, girls, and bad things for the wrong reasons. Why use an iconic character like that in this fashion? Why rate this PG and assume it is safe for all ages?

For goodness sakes, Wolverine isn't even allowed to drink beer anymore in his comic appearances, yet here is a solicitation for a more "wholesome" character than Wolverine, and it includes "booze" and the insinuation that Spider-Man's Spider-sense is tingling because he's got alcohol in his system.

I just don't understand it. Of course, I'm also not too sure why Spider-Man is making an appearance in the Thunderbolts series, is Doc Ock joining the Fight Club and Spidey has to go make sure he plays nice with the other "gladiators?" In my opinion, it seems Spider-Man is being used to maybe attract some of his readers to that title, however soliciting it in that manner appears to be in horribly bad taste. And if this is the types of stories contained therein, I sincerely doubt the "key" Spider fans are going to be attracted to Thunderbolts. Maybe The House should have had a "cross-universe" adventure and guest-starred him in the Spider-Girl title to introduce readers to characters more akin to Peter Parker.



And just look at that cover? Woo hoo, ride 'er cowboy, climb that gal! Go! Go! GO! But, I guess that cover's ok, because this isn't one of the titles in the new Tsunami line that Marvel hopes to attract that elusive female audience with. Still, Spider-Man binding and then another guy climbing, with his hand almost pulling down her bottoms, is a little bit of a questionable image to use. Especially with Spidey drawn all "kidlike" and "campy" looking. Hey, we're seeing almost all of her ass, Marvel should have just went the extra mile ... I guess half an ass and almost all the breasts hanging out equals a PG rating.

Wonder what cover materials would be PG-13 worthy or R worthy ...



Speaking of covers ... after seeing this cover is anyone else stuck having the lyrics to the old Nair commercial going through your head?

"GO as bare as you dare, with bikini Nair!"

This girl probably had to use a ton.

I'm sorry ... this is PG? Where? In the Twilight Zone? Or maybe, this is PG in the mythical realm of Limbo where the story takes place!

Five will get you ten if you show this cover to any parent and ask if they thought - based on judging a book by its cover which is what most people have to do - that this was suitable for a PG audience, I'd bet the majority would say "no." In fact, I showed this cover to several "parents" over the past few days and have had all say it was, "Ridiculous! Pornographic! Inappropriate!" and just use other words of shock a bout seeing that on a comic book. Granted most parents aren't going into comic book stores, but, then, that's a problem, too, isn't it?

As if the cover wasn't suggestive enough, we are treated to these explicit solicits:


Sisters Jena and Madalyne continue their quest to retrieve the Sword of Limbo! It is a struggle to keep their wits about them and their clothes on as they make their way across the demon plains of Hell.


Looking at the outfit and the tiny teeny itsy-bitsy strings holding it up, I can see why the bottoms would be a struggle to keep on. But that top appears to be like the old Knight armor where it's pounded onto the owner. Just look at the bulging points of articulation, I'm sure it's not falling off anytime soon.
Yah, I can see that struggle all right - it must have hurt passing that kidney stone or laying that egg. I mean, if these girls are mutants like their mainstream counterparts, maybe they have mutant powers to lay big shiny eggs. Or maybe she's like Horton the Elephant who promised the bird he'd sit on the egg until it hatched. "She does what she says and she says what she meant." Why, maybe that isn't supposed to be a provocative cover at all! I mean, after all, it's rated PG.

Anyway, PG in my mind is an "almost" all-ages group. Disney movies are PG. All those quirky Nickelodeon movies are PG. They are things that might have a few ideas going over the youngest of people's heads, but that the adults get. This version of PG doesn't seem to be about that. I'm pretty sure most of the kids are going to get the gist of it just like the adults are.

Why this must be an example of the date books that Bill Jemas pointed out to Sequential Tart a while ago and said they were for those lonely basement dwelling readers. Jemas told Tart then when asked about a mature line that, "this is the House of Ideas, and some ideas don't fit anybody's "code" comic or otherwise." If this cover and the supposed subject matter is an example of fitting with the "code," I'm a little worried about what we'll see from MAX or the new Epic line that goes outside those confines.



Finally, the last cover that caused me to raise an eyebrow and might cause others to raise something ... else is this from New Mutants # 2. Dani must also be keeping the nice folks at Nair very happy! I'm guessing she and all the women of Marvel must go through this stuff by the caseload. What's sad about this cover is that this is one of the Tsunami titles, and one of the ones that actually might attract a female audience, but they might be offset by the cover. After all, how is a new reader supposed to have clue one what the comic is about when you see a naked Native American on the cover? This is a comic that I am actually looking forward to, but, just can't understand the use of exploitation depicted on the cover.

And I'm not trying to be "prudish" ... I'm just saying, in my opinion, it's in poor taste to use "sex" or "booze" to sell comics. Would it be something I am interested in as a reader? Probably not. But I am saying it's Marvel's responsibility if they are tagging something as, "The sexiest Mangaverse adventure yet," [MAR PREVIEWS pg. 169], then put a MAX label on it ... put a PG-13 label on it, but don't think it's ok to call it PG. Don't have solicitations like "struggle to ... clothes on" or "Spider-sense tingling ... or maybe just the booze." and say this material is acceptable PG offerings.

It's wrong and in poor tastes.

And if sales of Marville are any indication, it really doesn't work.

Que piensan ? Marvel nos trata de pajeros ?

[Azraelito]

es re groso onda lo q ta pasando con lo de thunderbolts onda tan haciendo la gran the fight club ehehhe es una masa.

the new mutants de grant no se q onda se q en la pagina el chabon hace unos dibujos re sarpados pero ni idea.

y ese q dibuja re adam warren no se lo unico q me queda por decir es HEREJE.

[Abaddon]

sep estan insinuando que son todos unos pajeros.
Algun dia tenia que pasar.
Quieren que compres el comic por la tapa nomas.

[[][CAIN][]4736]

a lo mejor lo que quieren hacer es apuntar a un target un poco mas adulto, introduciendo tematicas mas fuertes como el sexo y el alcohol. obvio que tambien aprovechan a los pendejos pajeros que van a comprar el comic por la portada.

[Obsidian]

Publicado por DRA
Que piensan ? Marvel nos trata de pajeros ?

No nos trata de... Sabe la verdad Ademas ese Velasco Hmmm, de donde me suena ese apellido? A es el mio, sera pariente? No tengo ni la mas puta idea.
Pero con respecto a la pregunta, recien ahora se dan cuenta? Cuantos años hace que existen productos como Witchblade, Fathom y Lady Death, que estan exclusivamente dedicados para el onanismo. Mierda que son lentos para caer estos yankis.

Live Long and Prosper

[[][CAIN][]4736]

onanismo...que fino lo suyo jojojo

[zebazPXS]

me suena a k Jenny es una de esas tipicas pelotudas k no tienen nada mas k hacer k tratar de k los chicos no lean tal cosa o k marilyn manson no toque en su ciudad. FUCK OFF!!!

:heyman:

si no le gusta, k no lo compre.

[DRA]

Publicado por Obsidian
Pero con respecto a la pregunta, recien ahora se dan cuenta? Cuantos años hace que existen productos como Witchblade, Fathom y Lady Death, que estan exclusivamente dedicados para el onanismo. Mierda que son lentos para caer estos yankis.

Si, pero eso es de Image o independientes, que tienen (supuestamente) los mejores dibujantes y los explotan de esa manera.
Que Marvel haga eso, ya es algo muy diferente.

[Azraelito]

yo la verdad que los dibujantes de top cow me parecen casi todos un asco onda con los colores q tienen,casi todos dibujan igual onda los unicos maso menos grosos fueron turner y benitez despues ohhhhhhh shit unos pts atroces.

[cassidy]

Yo me doy con los comics de patoruzu! Como la partiria a Patora, como un queso gruyere con un cuchillo caliente!!!