Why DC lost me as a potential comic reading customer

I don't like comics. I never have. I don't like the business of the panels and the bubble chat in them. However, I do *love* comic characters. I am a huge nerd-girl. I love the stories of comics, the cartoons, the movies, the characters, the video games, the costumes. And as much as I think Batman is just the sexiest man alive, I don't like the world of geek for the men - it's the women. Women like Storm, Catwoman, and Lois Lane are all the strongest, most beautiful women ever invented. They, of course, are not realistic. Their boobs are too big and their waists are too small. But Barbie is built the same way, and I love her too. And so do most little girls. The people who complain about Barbie being a poor role-model for young girls because of her unrealistic body only surface every few years and are largely ignored. This is because we all play with Barbies and few of us end up with a traumatized view of our own bodies because of it (there are plenty of other things that surround us to cause that, but not our toys). But comic have been waging an eternal battle with the anti-nerd community to defend the art of the comic. Not only do Catwoman, Storm, and Lois Lane have huge boobs, they also have huge attitude. And huge strength. And huge brains. Comics take average women, a librarian or a news reporter, and make her something amazing, and all on her own merit. She isn't defined by the world around her or the men in her life. She is her own person, making her own decisions, and we love her for it. We want to be her.

When DC announced the "New 52" relaunch of the entire DC universe, I was interested. I am the perfect person that DC would be trying to court with this new project. Comic readership is down. Comic readers are growing up or going broke. I have read many other blogs by comic reads who sometimes made the choice to buy comics or buy food. But the average reader isn't going to make that sacrifice. DC needs not only to keep the reads they have, but they need new ones as well. And where they should be focusing - is women. Over the last decade the number of females geeks and gamers coming out of the closet has skyrocketed. There is a whole new push in the gaming community to cater more to female fans. Some women reject this notion because there shouldn't be a difference between male fans and female fans - just fans. But I think that is kind of like saying there is no difference between males and females at all. If there was no distinction between fans, then why bother making a lesbian Batwoman or a Latio Spiderman? Isn't that making a distinction between sexual orientation or race? But the fact that comics have been traditionally written for men is what also has given them their bad repuyation. Face it, if comics were not written for a male readership then the women wouldn't have such huge boobs or wear such revealing outfits. If women had designed them or if they had been designed with women in mind, most female comic characters would look very, very different.

So since DC (and Marvel for that matter) need more readers and the number of female reads are increasing, it would make sense that with the relaunch, they would make the new characters and new storylines more appealing to both genders. But, no. That is not what has happened. In fact, DC has completely stepped back to the dark ages and has further created scorn and ridicule for the comic community and has alienated the possible female readers it should have been trying to entice. Is it really that bad? There are two particular cases that have the community of female readers up-in-arms. Catwoman of her own Catwoman series and Starfire, a character formerly of Tean Titans and now in the Red Hood and the Outlaws series. So what is the problem?

There are two great article already out there by female comic aficionados that you can read to get more background on this growing issue. The first is a great article by a female comic reviewer, you can read it here. In it she breaks down why the new Catwoman and Red Hood and the Outlaws have so many readers upset. This article is written by another woman who has made comics her life, but is now about to pack her bags. Both of these articles, and this one I am writing, are basically all saying the same thing - having lots of sex doesn't equal sexual liberation and empowerment.

I have no problem with sex. In fact, I like it. And I like the idea of Catwoman and Batman having sex. It's awesome! They should be having sex. So don't think for one second that I have a problem with Catwoman or Starfire or anyone (male or female) having sex. But there is a huge problem with the sex (or false promise of it) being used to objectify women, any woman. When it comes to Catwoman, every blogger is pretty much harping on the same problem - she doesn't have a face. But it is more than that. For the first three pages of Catwoman, Selena Kyle is not only faceless, she isn't even a whole person. She has boobs, hands, a butt, a chin, feet, boobs, ass, legs, boobs, ....oh and 3 pages later, a face. She is a series of pieces, but not a complete human being. *Edit* When we do see Catwoman's face for the first time, this is how she looks:

I call her "Derpy-Catface." *End Edit*

This classic objectification for every fetish out there. And, of course, I don't have a problem with red lingerie. I have some myself. But when I wear it for my husband, I don't keep my face covered. I'm a whole package, not just a series of body parts strung together. I want to see what the new version of Catwoman looks like, her hair, her eyes, how tall is she, how muscular, the sly smile when she is about to do something naughty, the glint in her eye when she attains her ill-gotten prize for the night. I want to know her. And when she does have sex with Batman, it should be enjoyable for male and female readers to read/look at. Is this sexy? 

How are they even having sex? Her skin-tight latex pants are still on! I think one of the reasons why reading the new Catwoman has me so angry is that I already have an emotional connection to her. She has always been my favorite. She is the one that I have always wanted to be. To see her treated like just a set of T&A and not the strong, powerful, beautiful woman she is just pisses me off. Shame on you, DC!

An objectification that evokes a completely different response from me, is Starfire. I never cared for Teen Titans (it's for kids). So I didn't know who Starfire was before the release of Red Hood and the Outlaws. In the community, she is invoking a lot of the same outrage people have over Catowman. But I think because I don't know her, it just makes me sad. When reading "The Big Sexy Problem.." I seriously wanted to cry when she was writing about Starfire. It hurts me to see any woman, even one I don't know, treated like a piece of meat. I don't find anything sexy about it. I find it pathetic and pitiful because it isn't about the female characters wanting sex. It is about male readers wanting the female characters to want to have sex. It is like Playboy Bunnies. They aren't dressed as bunnies because they want to be dressed as bunnies. They are dressed as bunnies because men want them to be dressed as bunnies. There isn't anything sexually liberating or empowering about being dressed as a bunny. Sure, she is sexy, but being empowered isn't about being sexy. You can be completely plain, overweight, have a flat chest, or a big nose and still find sexual and personal power and liberation. Being sexy is just a bonus! If you are strong, powerful, and liberated, and have a nice set of T&A, then you are an ideal woman, for both men and women who might look your way. But if all you have are boobs and butt, but you don't have self-worth, respect, or control of your own destiny, then what are you? Simply an object to be either pitied by women or used by men.

This is what DC has chosen to do with female characters and female readers. They have only reinforced the negative stereotypes that comics objectify women and have further alienated male readers who don't see women that way and potential female readers who don't want to be seen that way.