The Great Junk Outcry of 2007 marches on, as bloggers begin to respond to the original wave of comments about Citizen Steel’s package on the Alex Ross-drawn cover for Justice Society of America #7.
At Super Underwear Perverts, Ray Randell, who operates a blog dedicated to the male form, confesses he didn’t notice “anything particularly gratuitous about that image.” “But then I suppose its possible I may very well be a bit desensitized by now (for some reason).”
Dick Hyacinth chimes in with, “I think painting a huge bulge in Commandant Steel’s pants is the coolest thing Alex Ross has ever done.”
Meanwhile, at The Hurting, Tim O’Neil provides a public service with “Wang Watch 2007,” in which he singles out comic covers depicting men with noticeable crotch bulges. If he continues and widens his surveillance, I’d like to nominate Amazing Spider-Man: Swing Shift — FCBD Edition.
But the funniest, and most in-depth, response so far comes from Christopher Butcher, who challenges contentions that Citizen Steel is shown in, um, an aroused state. Bless him, Butcher also provides visual aids in the form of photos from the International Male catalog, and even cites an eye-tracking study.
The comments section is worth reading, too, as Butcher goes back and forth with Don MacPherson, who made the post that helped to kick off this, the Great Junk Outcry of 2007. (Yes, like a local TV weatherman, I’m pushing for an overblown moniker for this thing.)
April 20th, 2007 at 9:13 am
In its insatiable thirst for things to complain about, the comics internutz can be really, really stupid sometimes.
April 20th, 2007 at 9:13 am
“(Yes, like a local TV weatherman, I’m pushing for an overblown moniker for this thing.)”
Ah, but have you composed an accompanying theme song?
April 20th, 2007 at 9:23 am
I would love an accompanying theme. And shiny graphics that woosh in every time I say (or type) “The Great Junk Outcry of 2007″!
April 20th, 2007 at 9:24 am
Yes, and you must have the flashy graphics that scroll across the TV screen too!
April 20th, 2007 at 9:30 am
Mind in the gutter: I mis-read that as “fleshy graphics”.
April 20th, 2007 at 9:43 am
I’m surprised that Don MacPherson hasn’t photoshopped a Comics Code label right on top of the package.
I’m buying Justice Society of America #7 just for the cover, though. Now DC knows exactly how to get me to buy more comics…
April 20th, 2007 at 10:55 am
Ross just wants readers to know the JSA are packing the right tools for the job. Really well prepared, ya know? That’s all.
April 20th, 2007 at 10:56 am
2007 - Year of the Wang
April 20th, 2007 at 12:19 pm
Kevin wrote:
The comments section is worth reading, too, as Butcher goes back and forth with Don MacPherson, who made the post that helped to kick off this, the Great Junk Outcry of 2007.
To be clear, my original column wasn’t about the JSA #7 cover image, but about the sexualization of super-hero characters of both genders. Actually, the column focuses more on two gratuitous statues DC has solicited, but the Citizen Steel image seems to have grabbed more people’s attention, narrowing the discussion too much, IMO.
April 20th, 2007 at 12:30 pm
Right, but your post is what started this round of discussion.
I think the Citizen Steel aspect has “grabbed more people’s attention” primarily because: a.) it’s rare that a male is depicted on the cover of a mainstream comic book with anything more than a Ken doll-style bump; and b.) several of the responses to the depiction are of the “OMFG! Twig and berries! Ewww!” variety. And that part’s funny and kind of sad at the same time.
April 20th, 2007 at 2:21 pm
Kevin wrote:
several of the responses to the depiction are of the “OMFG! Twig and berries! Ewww!” variety. And that part’s funny and kind of sad at the same time.
I just want it to be clear I’m not in the “ewww” camp. I think that’s getting lost given the narrowing focus of the discussion.
April 20th, 2007 at 3:16 pm
The uproar will only get more intense in the coming months when Nate Heywood launches his own cereal.
They kept telling him that he shouldn’t call it “Citizen Steel’s Bananas and Nuts”
:p
April 21st, 2007 at 5:51 pm
Wow, I remember when I was looking at the DC solicitations online the first thing my girlfriend said when she saw the JSA cover was something to the effect of his natural manliness. I was busy nerdgasming over his sweet name though, talk about being desensitized to your own gender, lol.
April 24th, 2007 at 3:00 pm
I addressed this as well in this post:
http://inkdestroyedmybrush.blogspot.com/2007/04/alex-ross-bulge-that-ate-chicago.html
I find this whole thing hysterical after all the discussion of female body image/portrayal that has been going around the itnernet recently….