“They trap you with the Batman name, and I don’t know what their underlying mission is…I was outraged”: That’s Charlotte, North Carolina mother Yvette Spivock in an article in yesterday’s Charlotte Observer. She had purchased last summer’s Batman Confidential #18, the Batgirl-chases-Catwoman-into-a-nudist-club issue by Fabian Nicieza and Kevin Maguire, at a library for her 12-year-old son, and was less than happy with the content, in which the two female characters are both TV naked (you know they’re not wearing any clothing, but the body parts you can’t show on TV are covered at all times). The reporter apparently spoke to an unnamed representative for the company, who told her Batman Confidential is intended for readers age 16 and up, and that “ the company often places a star on the cover of kid-friendly comics.” That’s news to me, and I read a lot of Johnny DC books, so I wonder if there was some miscommunication there. Looking at the cover for that particular issue, I don’t see a Comics Code Authority seal anywhere, but then, DC applies those seals in a mysterious way I’ve never quite understood (It was on a recent issue of Green Lantern in which some characters were brutally, graphically killed, but was absent from the next issue, in which a character has his hand chopped off). The Spivok parents stressed they weren’t angry with the library, and don’t seem too outraged in general, given the goofy picture they posed for to run with the story.
As it turns out, DC’s “Blackest Night”/rainbow of Lanterns Corps comics make them perfect for Pride events: Boston comics shop Comicopia had a float in this year’s Boston Pride Parade, to both show their support and promote their store. The Bostonist conducted a short interview with Comicopia manager Shannon Outlaw to find out what was up with that group of superheroes marching. Batman, Robin, Batgirl, Wonder Woman and Rainbow-Brite were among those passing out leftover FCBD comics and other goodies along the route.
Oh no, now your copies of Shadowman and Guy Gardner: Warrior or worthless!: Photographer and blogger “Color Me Katie” finds some old comics at a thrift store, and finds the pages make for fun, cheap, colorful wallpaper.
It always freaks me out a little when I see what autobiographical cartoonists look like outside their comics: The San Francisco Examiner profiles Julia Wertz, who has a new collection of her comic strips out. I like the part where she talks about how some people resisted her strip because they don’t like that one word in its title. Me neither! It’s one of the three words I can never bring myself to type or say out loud, under any circumstances. Good comic, though.
Speaking of SF media…: The San Francisco Chronicle has a short piece on Adrian Tomine and Seth, in advance of their speaking engagement at a library there last night.
Wow, I haven’t heard the words “Death Row” in a while…: Billboard reports that the music publisher EverGreen signed a deal with WIDEawake, the company that owns the assets of of the legendary/infamous Death Row record label. Among their plans are “a new brand extension called Hustle City, which will debut first as a graphic novel including a CD insert of music related to the story line.”
June 20th, 2009 at 8:35 am
I love how Dad Spivok wants to keep the nudist comic–y’know, as a collectible!
June 20th, 2009 at 9:06 am
I owned early Spawn, Savage Dragon, and Shadowhawk comics by the time I was twelve and I wouldn’t say I’m any more or less messed up than your average fella on the street because of it. But how the parents want to raise their kids and what they decide is appropriate for them is their own business, but personally I don’t see what the big deal is.
But I guess the comic could have gotten into the hands of a kid whose age I may have found to be too young to view that material. It’s all subjective. You can’t keep an eye on everything your kids see and I guess the best you can hope for is that you’ve raised your kids well enough so the material doesn’t have any major negative affects.
June 20th, 2009 at 10:14 am
From the article: “After all, comics are for kids, she reasoned”
BZZZZZZZZZT! Wrong answer, dumbass!
Why is this news anyways? Carefully-covered nude characters have been around probably as long as comics. I’ve been re-reading a lot of X-titles from the 80′s and 90′s lately, and this kind of stuff was practically in every issue. It didn’t warp my then-12 year old ‘fragile mind’ when I originally read them years ago.
June 20th, 2009 at 10:21 am
I always find it odd that people have a problem with nudity in comic books. With the costumes they wear, the difference is only in coloring.
June 20th, 2009 at 10:34 am
@silvanthalas: “I’ve been re-reading a lot of X-titles from the 80’s and 90’s lately, and this kind of stuff was practically in every issue.”
Claremont never missed an opportunity to shred Rogue’s costume around that era. To emphasize how she couldn’t touch anyone, of course…
Wow, thinking about it today, that does send a weird message.
-J
June 20th, 2009 at 2:06 pm
Well, the kid shouldn’t have told his mom about the comic. Otherwise, she would never have known. Idiot! He’ll learn though.
Anyhoo, it’s a perfect example of what freaks people out: Show a boob, it’s the most awful thing ever. Cut off a boob, it’s fine.
June 20th, 2009 at 3:21 pm
Wait- purchased, from a library?
June 20th, 2009 at 5:43 pm
@Evan Not all that unusual–a number of libraries sell donated books that for whatever reason aren’t destined for the collection. Donated comics especially–expensive to bind & often donated as incomplete series.
June 20th, 2009 at 6:17 pm
Dude, you can’t bring yourself to say “fart”? Wuss!
June 20th, 2009 at 8:57 pm
Ack! Matthew! You just used the F-word!
June 20th, 2009 at 9:44 pm
“Cut off a boob, it’s fine.”
Careful, we don’t want Geoff Johns to get any new ideas about how to mutilate characters…
June 20th, 2009 at 10:01 pm
“But it doesn’t look like a struggle, and contains none of those exclamations from the TV show: POW! BOOM! WHAM!”
God, I am so sick of this popping up in every. damn. article.
June 20th, 2009 at 11:31 pm
@RavenProject: “Claremont never missed an opportunity to shred Rogue’s costume around that era.”
Imagine if this were an 80′s New Mutants comic in question. The same ‘nudity’ was often in those issues as well… but the characters were only teenagers! Oh the humanity!