[Closed] PC or Commercialism gone mad?

Nope, nope, and yes.

In as much as I don't think they are trying to PC, and the commercialism angle doesn't really fit as they run the risk of losing as much business as gaining.

Personally, I think it's just ill-managed, as they would be better off giving exposure to existing heroes/heroines, rather than gender bending/altering race of others. Or even, and this is out there thinking, create new characters. Anyway, **** 'em. They ain't DC, so I don't really care 😀

In other news, Captain America is now black.

It should be noted, this is just the comics, not the film franchise.

Neither.

Yes.

Good. I'm happy Marvel want their line up of heroes to be more representative. We have more than enough gruff white guy protagonists to identify with thanks. If anyone wants to claim this is PC gone mad or a shallow attempt at marketing, then I'll happily laugh hysterically at them.

A friend of mine runs a comic shop with a roughly 50/50 gender split in audience and a very large age range. They did this over the past few decades by (among other things) making it look less like a stereotypical comic shop, putting all the stuff about men in spandex at the back, and filling the front 2/3 of the shop with art books, interesting contemporary fiction, etc. They call their audience "the real mainstream".

It reminds me of [url= http://www.edge-online.com/features/when-will-the-game-industrys-representation-of-women-change/ ]this piece[/url] on representation in video games:

The piece was conceived around the different lives that games imagine for my son and daughter. Specifically, it was conceived at the moment I heard my daughter, who’s eight, explaining that she had just “earned” a footballer as a boyfriend in the salon styling, make-up and accessorising game she was playing on her tablet. Normally my reaction to this kind of gendered cultural ick is to explain to my daughter why the thing she’s just encountered is limiting or offensive, without destroying her enjoyment of the thing itself. But this time, in the same room in which my patient bit of super-liberal parenting was to go down, my 12-year-old son was playing FIFA.

Those of you with 12-year-old sons will realise this isn’t a huge contrivance of fate, as playing FIFA is often what 12-year-old sons will be found to be doing at all times and locations. What struck me, though, was the aggregate potential being revealed by games to my children in this moment. My son was being told, is told every day, that he can join the ranks of the elite athlete superstars we have elevated to the highest strata of the cultural firmament; that he can earn the instant adoration of thousands with a sharp turn and a kick of the ball. That he can win the World Cup. My daughter was being told that, if she got her eyeliner just so, and matched her clutch bag flawlessly with her earrings, she could fulfill her own potential by becoming an accessory in turn for the protagonist of a different story.

And, well, **** that idea.

Hermione Teaches you that it's cool to be Clever Sassy and Smart and true to your friends, Bella teaches you that you need to have boys and a wedding to be cool.

There need to be more Hermiones in the world.

If anyone wants to claim this is PC gone mad or a shallow attempt at marketing, then I'll happily laugh hysterically at them.

Probably not the best way to argue your point.

Then I'll follow it up by awaiting absolutely any argument in favour of film, comics and games protagonists ridiculous weighting in favour of straight white guys. Then laugh hysterically some more.

It's been quite funny watching comic fanboys explode with rage over this. Especially since, you know, it's comics- so you can do just about anything, there's tons of different incarnations of many characters. If Iron Man can be a zombie, Thor can be a woman ffs.

No, no, yes.

*yawn*

It's a comic book who gives a **** except nerds.

Thor is a religious icon, countless vikings have gone to valhalla clutching their swords in the hope of meeting with [i] him[/i] they are going to be very disappointed .

I'm not sure there's any Vikings believe in him these days. Next time you see one then best ask them?

Loki: "Are you Thor?"
"No, big boy, but I hope to be..." 😉

Personally, I think it's just ill-managed, as they would be better off giving exposure to existing heroes/heroines, rather than gender bending/altering race of others. Or even, and this is out there thinking, create new characters. Anyway, * 'em. They ain't DC, so I don't really care

What's wrobg with 'rebranding' fictional characters? why do they need to fit into your (or anyne's) preconcieved ideas of what they should be? Are you writing/illustrating the comics? What's it got to do with you? You can choose ot to buy/read them.

In other news, Captain America is now black.

And why would that be an issue at all?

It's been quite funny watching comic fanboys explode with rage over this. Especially since, you know, it's comics- so you can do just about anything, there's tons of different incarnations of many characters. If Iron Man can be a zombie, Thor can be a woman ffs.

+1

It's a comic book who gives a * except nerds.

😆

I rember a lot of excitment when Tank Girl first came out, and 'how great it was to have a strong femal character'. I also noticed that TG was still a character that fitted well into teenage boys' fantasies, rather than say being fat, who didn't fit into the accepted norms of 'attractiveness', and one which seemed to posess a number of typically masculine attributes rather than simply being a 'woman'.

Although...

[img] [/img]

There have been lots of female comic icons,(Viz's Fat Slags for starters) and if they needed another there are enough female Goddesses they could have launched for wimmen I just think it sacrilege gender switching Thor not to mention blasphemy if you happen to believe in the 'old Gods'.

Then again all these wimmen now taking up the cloth, there's a Generation not going to be happy about that either.

So it's clearly a provocative action taken precisely because it will cause controversy, I hope it back fires, sorry Thor can't be a woman, it's just not right.

I know I'm gonna regret this but what will she do with the hammer? Will Marvel replace it with the Steam Iron of Destiny or the Dish Mop of Doom? #Justaskin'

Uncanny how much the Tank Girl in stoffel's post looks like Cameron Diaz.

But anyway, I'm struggling to see the problem with Thor being female...

[img] [/img]

Except she should just be Thor's hand maiden who he occasionally lets touch his hammer.

Love this comment on the Telegraph page.

Janet Wilkinson • 2 days ago
Retarded idea, for several reasons. 1.Its less believable. 2. It's just an attempt to jump on the feminist bandwagon which is already showing serious signs of going too far. 3.The main demographic of comic readers are male and therefore are not likely to relate to female characters.

Janet doesn't understand men does she?

[img] [/img]

Sif's not happy.

rossatease - Member

I just think it sacrilege gender switching Thor not to mention blasphemy if you happen to believe in the 'old Gods'.

I've seen a few folks make that argument with apparently straight faces... The entire thing's "blasphemy" if you want to look at it like that, it's loosely inspired by the original but that's all. So anyone complaining that this is too different from the norse legends is just ridiculous.

Despite how Marvel may want to spin mythology, Thor was the SON of Odin and Jord.

Well if you don't thinks it's blasphemy imagine if that were a certain other religions deity transgendered.. There would be fatwahs!. 😉

It's not just Marvel, have you seen the CoE?

teamhurtmore - Member
It's not just Marvel, have you seen the CoE?

Exactly, not that the CofE has the remotest relevance these days, they're done, long since.

rossatease - Member

Well if you don't thinks it's blasphemy imagine if that were a certain other religions deity transgendered..

Or, you know, ripped off to make ridiculous comic books that bear very little resemblance to the original. Kung Fu Jesus. The Crime-Solving Buddha.

In other news, Captain America is now black.

And why would that be an issue at all?

"Some of my best friends are super heroes!" 😀

Did someone say [url= http://harkavagrant.com/index.php?id=311 ]Strong Female Characters[/url]?

Drac said: Love this comment on the Telegraph page.

Oh, thanks Drac 🙂 That's lovely Speak You're Branes fodder. Less believable! Priceless. "That thing about the Norse god hanging out on Earth and carrying an otherwise immovable object around is fine, but if that god also [i]doesn't have a willy[/i] that's just pushing it over the line into the incredible and I shan't stand for it".

The rage at this is better than a decade of continuous disappointment in George Lucas.

And why would that be an issue at all?

Well, Fred, it's not. I was just pointing out Marvel were retooling/changing other characters at the moment as well.

What's wrobg with 'rebranding' fictional characters?

It can appear lazy.

why do they need to fit into your (or anyne's) preconcieved ideas of what they should be? Are you writing/illustrating the comics? What's it got to do with you? You can choose ot to buy/read them.

Ok. Thanks for that.