Why “Sex and the City” should never be a template
I don’t hate Sex and the City so much as squirm uncomfortably when it comes on. Although, I don’t exactly change the channel. Because some things are funny and because I feel the need to figure out just what the hell people mean when they declare themselves “a Carrie” – as if it’s a badge of honor. There’s no denying the show made some kind of cultural impact but my god, enough already!
Then you get this:
We fight crime and have bad taste in men - tee hee!
There’s a lively discussion going on over at Comic Book Resources about the new Marvel Divas that promises to be:
“Sex and the City” in the Marvel Universe, and there’s definitely that “naughty” element to it, but I also think the series is doing to a deeper place, asking question about what it means…truly means…to be a woman in an industry dominated by testosterone and guns. (And I mean both the super hero industry and the comic book industry.) But mostly it’s just a lot of hot fun.”
Wow. Really? A lot of hot fun? Cause last I checked working in a male dominated field wasn’t so much “hot fun” as “cold shoulder” but whatever. It may actually be an interesting endeavor with a terrible pitch. After all, one of the reason I really like X-Men is because the interpersonal relationships are more fleshed out than, say, Batman.
But here’s why they shouldn’t use “Sex and the City” as a template or model.
1. The endearing quality of Sex and the City was NEVER about the characters as they appeared on paper. If you were to describe each of these characters most women would cringe. An aging sex kitten who uses her sexuality to get ahead in her career to little or no success? But the actresses who played these characters gave them heart, a silliness or awareness that I think translated to the screen. It wasn’t the characters themselves women related to but the what the actresses made them.
2. Fashion is central and spandex is soooo not there. Spandex has never been there.
3. Sex and the City is inherently irritating to most people. The grating whininess of selfish women will get on even the most “a Charolette”’s nerves. So this series can’t last very long.
4. Sex and the City wasn’t hot fun. If they really want to use the Sex and the City model then the sex needs to be awkward, drunken and hidden by strategically placed bed posts. Lame.
So I’m not against giving the Marvel superheroines romantic lives or exploring the concept of “what being a woman means” (barf, ok I am against that because it’s somewhat insulting to suggest that being a woman means constantly surrounded by this weird mystique that separates you from the “norm” despite being half of all populations in the world) – sorry, ok back on track – I’m not against Marvel Divas (oh god the title is just terrible, worse than Minx) -
One more time here, I really and truly am not against this idea. But please please Marvel do NOT use the Sex and the City template. If you are going to go that route, take note that all of the City ladies were a B cup or smaller.
Though a really interesting side story might be the decision to get surgically altered to better fit into the superhero world…
#amazonfail
Ah, the power of the internet. Or rather, the people behind the internet. I’m in love with how information, rumors, photos, speculations, data and fears move so quickly through so many anonymous lives. Then, when something like this happens how people band together to use the internet not only to react but to change minds.
It all started when author Mark Probst wrote on his blog about a curious incident in which all of his novels (which contain homosexual characters and themes) began disappearing from the sales rank numbers. That’s a problem because those numbers are used to generate lists and in turn those lists are used by consumers to purchase books. So…what’s up?
Here’s the answer he received when inquiring about his numbers:
Uh, no, you don't. -picture from Rocko's Modern Life, Nickelodeon
“In consideration of our entire customer base, we exclude “adult” material from appearing in some searches and best seller lists. Since these lists are generated using sales ranks, adult materials must also be excluded from that feature.
Hence, if you have further questions, kindly write back to us.
Best regards,
Ashlyn D
Member Services
Amazon.com Advantage”
Uh huh. Let’s be clear. Mark Probst novels are not ’steamy’ enough to be considered erotic and even if they were… In fact, as he points out, his novel The Filly is meant for young adult readers. But this post isn’t about how ridiculous or unfair the whole ordeal is – this is about what people did about it. What you can do about it.
Twitter exploded. Adding the hashtag #amazonfail to the end of their tweets, the public expressed their anger, shared updated news and blogs. The result, Amazon answered with this:
I’ll pause while you laugh. If you really want to continue the Amazon onslaught add #glitchmyass to the end of your tweets.
How does this effect the graphic world? So far, it hasn’t appeared to, which isn’t surprising. The amount of young children carried into Watchmen proves that the general public still thinks books with pictures are for kids. Yaoi and explicit graphic novels still have their sales rank as do Alex Sanchez and Nancy Garden -two young adult writers who focus on gay themes. Though a quick last check reveals that Alex Sanchez’s brilliant Rainbow Boys lost its ranking.
And it looks like it probably won’t ever spread. This censorship was cut off in a matter of hours!
Will there be another movement? One that pushes for Amazon to reinstate the “glitch”? Probably but I don’t see it being that strong. Usually the first outcry is the loudest, the strongest. Having something taken away from you is a powerful motivator and this weekend, we took it back.
On that note, get pumped about the power of the people with The Getbackers! Then read some yaoi – I’ve heard Red Blinds the Foolish is really good. Also, if you want a great overview of the situation plus updates plus blacklisted titles and shocking titles that still stand – check out this Jezebel post. – link via Precocious Curmudgeon.
Live Action Ninja Scroll
So in addition to the rumored Akira live-action film, it looks like actor/producer/whatever Leonardo DiCaprio is doing Ninja Scroll.
DiCaprio Considers SMAP for Ninja Scroll Film Updated – Anime News Network
I’m not all that surprised. I don’t believe I’ll see either film though. I’ve seen the anime movies and they warped my sensibilities so I really don’t need to see all that acted out “live”.
The comments afterward are insteresting and suprisingly positive. I guess anime fanboys are a little more forgiving and optimistic than comic fanboys. Oh, the article also broadened my anime horizons; I had no idea there was a Diary of Anne Frank anime. How weird is that? Does anyone else think that’s a strange subject for an anime movie?
Ban Erotic Comics?
Sometime around fourth grade, tucked in the school library, someone discovered the holy grail of titillating children’s literature. Judy Blume’s Forever made the rounds. My girl friends and I half giggled-half marveled at the “naughty” parts. Finally, an adult caught on and I believe the book was moved to the highschool library. But I never forgot it and when I entered highschool, I reread the book. It was still just as steamy as I remembered but this time I had a deeper understanding of a teenager’s sexual awakening and I appreciated the story. It never crossed my mind that the images I imagined might be considered child pornography had I drawn them on a page.
The U.K. is trying to pass a bill banning all “erotic” comics featuring “children”. (link via Journalista)
What’s the difference I wonder? Why are we so afraid of visual images? Is it because the privacy is gone? That we can sit on a subway and read Judy Blume without any glancing over our shoulder and being able to see into our mind’s eye?
Look, I’m not defending child pornography. I’m just seriously questioning if an artist’s expression can be considered as such. Who is harmed in Alan Moore’s Lost Girls? Can we track down Wendy Darling and ask her to testify against the evil man who gave her a sex drive?
The article states that “The Ministry of Justice claims that the Bill is needed to clamp down on the growing quantity of hardcore paedophilic cartoon porn available on the internet, particularly from Japan.”
Ok…so this is about the internet? Good luck clamping down on that.
I’m not a big fan of sexual explicit comics. However, I believe that free speech allows creators to draw what they want and readers to read what they want. I’ve personally never seen a “hardcore paedophilic cartoon” but I’m sure they exist. I will never buy one. I would never purchase on for the library and yes, I might think differently of you if I caught you reading one.
If fact, I might worry that reading those sorts of comics might lead to actual criminal acts. But this isn’t 1984 and we can’t prosecute artists for the effect they may or may not have on someone.
Am I missing the point? Should the bill pass? Maybe not in it’s current state but should the country of England find a way to ban hardcore erotic images featuring children?
