Dave Sim is a man as famous for his views on women and feminism as he is for his undeniable talent. Naturally, this tends to make the man a fairly controversial discussion topic.
Laura Hudson looks at recent bulletin board controversies and wonders why people bother:
Gail Simone and Heidi MacDonald, two of the strongest and most well-spoken women in comics, both make appearances, but honestly guys–I know Sim is a brilliant creator, but I have no idea why so many people remain compelled to beat their heads against that particular brick wall, particularly when it only feeds directly into Sim’s sense of self-importance and persecution.
Over at the Beat, Heidi McDonald posts an introspective about her feelings regarding Sim and his work:
Dave Sim is no general in a war against women. He’s not even a foot soldier. He’s a talented man with a dark side. He’s also, as far as I can see, someone whose hypocrisy is a foundation of his philosophy. The ultimate irony is that Sim’s work ends up being the greatest repudiation of the hateful and/or ignorant views he’s expressed. The tenderness and wisdom of Jaka’s Story will last longer than any bullshit philosophy. I hope so, anyway.
Valerie D’Orazio shares her own thoughts:
To be honest, while I have heard of the controversy surrounding Sim, and I am familiar with Cerebus, I have not sat down and read either his philosophy on women or his work. I know, with the stuff I write about on my blog, it’s a little shocking that I never touched on the topic before.
But I will say this:
There has been a great deal of coddling, protecting, and willful blind eyes turned away from rampant misogynists in sectors of this industry. It has disgusted me deeply.
If Gaiman is guilty for supporting Sim, there are a lot of people out there who are just as guilty.
What do you think?
March 2nd, 2008 at 4:29 am
Based on what I’ve read on that forum, Dave Sim is using his theories to fuel his beliefs, which isn’t the wisest thing to do. Theories aren’t facts unless proven, and Sim hardly leaves his argument open with “I may be wrong, but I honestly feel that…”
I wonder how Gail Simone’s feeling, having loved Cerebus years ago only to discover the kind of mind behind it. Must have been really frustrating.
March 2nd, 2008 at 10:07 am
I think this topic has been done to death in the past month.
March 2nd, 2008 at 4:15 pm
There’s a very good reason for discussing this, and to keep discussing it.
Sim’s views on women informs and drives his work, making it fair game to discuss those views and debate those merits. The readership of comic blogs include those who are well-acquainted with Sim, but there are also those who have never heard of Cerebus or his peculiar views. Don’t they deserve a chance to be informed?
But the issue goes way beyond the question “Does Dave Sim wish to beat women to death with his pecker?” (I’m not saying that’s MY question, just that it may be of interest to some). Discussing Dave’s views allows us to discuss all kinds of gender issues and create an opportunity to test our beliefs through direct experience.
Some issues will never be resolved, and the relations between the genders is one of them, and I’d rather live in a world in which they’re discussed endlessly than one in which they’re suppressed because “it’s not nice” or “it’s boring”.
March 2nd, 2008 at 5:21 pm
Take it or leave it.
I second Heidi McDonald’s impressive sense of critical distance.
March 2nd, 2008 at 8:15 pm
I really can’t understand a lot of the contradictory talk about separating the creator from the creation.
On Valerie’s blog, specifically, she talks about her being a blogger necessitating her purchasing work from creators she despises. I find it is impossible to separate completely one’s DESPISING of a creator from reading their work. You’re going to judge at least one facet of the work more harshly than you would if you had no opinion of the creator.
If you have to consciously work to keep yourself unbiased, the battle is already lost.
March 3rd, 2008 at 5:28 am
Rich, I’m not sure you understand the purpose of Melissa’s column.
March 3rd, 2008 at 9:40 am
“I wonder how Gail Simone’s feeling, having loved Cerebus years ago only to discover the kind of mind behind it”
She doesn’t seem to have any problems working for Dan Didio’s DC Comics.
March 3rd, 2008 at 9:48 am
Sim’s work starts a conversation about a lot of things that need to be talked about. Unfortunately his beliefs also start a completely different conversation that just as badly needs to happen and the more interesting of the two stories (His anti-feminist beliefs) is going to take precedence, maybe until after the guy dies.
It also keeps his name out there, which is a fortunate thing for any creator who’s about to drop not one but two new books- his first new titles in over three decades. You know what they say about publicity.