Re: Johanna's DC Reviews: Catwoman, Teen Titans Go!

Jim Cannon <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
: Johanna Draper Carlson <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> didst
: say unto the masses...
:> Catwoman #25
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:> Catwoman #25
:> Writer: Ed Brubaker
:> Artists: Paul Gulacy & Jimmy Palmiotti
:> DC Comics, 40 color pages, $2.50
:> 
:> If you thought Benes' BIRDS were bad, then stay far away from the new 
:> artistic direction on this title. The only thing that stands out from 
:> the murky pages is the artists' fascination with Catwoman's boobs and 
:> butt. Of particular distastefulness is the quarter-page sequence staring 
:> at her naked silhouetted crotch. Even beyond the sexism, no one looks 
:> like they should any more, and the story gets lost in the poor panel 
:> choices. 
:> 
:> It's a tried-and-true desperate approach for a female-led superhero 
:> comic: when sales aren't what the company wants, goose the 
:> objectification level. However, this isn't even attractive, it's just 
:> sleazy. It's also not likely to work, since the existing audience is 
:> smart enough to be turned off by the tactic, and it's not salacious 
:> enough to attract new readers to make up for them. It's a shame the book 
:> has to be sacrificed to teaching the publisher the lesson that times 
:> have changed and strategies need to change with them. Adult readers 
:> looking for stylish noir expect female leads to be more than blow-up 
:> dolls.

: OTOH, Robert Mitchum as Slam Bradley is bloody inspired.

I really don't see any way that Gulacy can be lumped into the same camp as 
Balent.

Shawn