Okay ladies, time to put your money where your mouth is. I picked up the latest issue of Powers, a book that I love. I was thumbing through the letters column when I came across the following jewel:
And now after months of stalling and padding my letter columnn with entries; after months of holding back every snotty remark I have building inside me; after, literally thousands of entries (which was cool. it was cool to hear from so many of you long time readers, you should write more often!)
The winner is...
MARYPANTS
25 word essay
I love all of your stuff. That is all.
Oh, and by the way I am a girl, hot and I’ll have sex with you and your wife. Shit, I’ll move into your basement and be your au pair to boot.
And thanks for Powers and Spidey. I fucking love you. Cry myself to sleep. Think of Bendis fucking me.
Now that is how you win a contest!!! Thanks for playing. I will sic Mary on all of you in a couple of issues. And yes, I have seen the pics, and yes, she is hot.
So, in the scope of things, this is okay with you guys... how? You’re giving a pass on this one? What amazes me is for all the talk about Power Girl and female heroes and costumes, this slips by unnoticed? Does Bendis walk on water? Is it the fact a woman writes a note offering up herself (even if it is in jest) that makes it okay? Just trying to figure out where the line gets drawn.
14 comments:
Eww, creepy.
It slipped me by unnoticed because I don't read this Powers book.
I just want to see if this gets the kind of attention some other things have. I like Bendis and I like his work but, even so I have to wonder how there can be a discussion about the boys club mentality of mainstream comics and this slides without comment.
Actually, as femininsts, we're all mouth.
I don't know, it didn't go to creepy for me until I read the editor's line about pictures. It doesn't exactly come across as a genuine offer, so much as a ludicrously outrageous statement along the lines of "marry me!" I myself have offered internet-sexual favours to people who understood those favours to be strictly metaphorical, or at least, who made no attempt to take me up on them, or see a picture of me to determine if they wanted to.
What, that there are patriarchy-loving fawning fangirls out there is supposed to be some kind of shocking thing, and one of them being published on a par with the institutionalized machismo of the industry?
Though if that letter really was written by a woman...let's just say that all the letters in Playboy are probably just as true!
I'm willing to bet that the only time "she" is a women is when she is playing World of Warcraft or when she is writing to the Bendis letters column. the rest of the time, "she" is a 33 year old fat guy that lives with his mother.
Probably because people didn't see it? Elayne didn't. I haven't read this Powers issue yet.
Obviously, you did, and you're pointing it out. Good for you! Clearly, it hasn't slid by without comment.
That letter is creepy and stalker-ish. You expect them to come home to the bunny on the stove. All I can say is ewwwwwww.
Well, maybe I’m being naive by taking the thing at face value but when I read the stuff about the pictures I have to wonder… Yes, it is creepy and stalkerish but, the question is more about whether or not it is over the line and if it promotes the kind of stereotype so many rail against.
If it does promote a kind of stereotype, why has it gone unnoticed or uncommented on for the most part?
Basement dwelling sycophants aside and the veracity of Playboy letters withstanding - can this be summed up by the headline: ‘Hot fangirl offers to have f**k creator and wins contest.’
Is Bendis playing into this stereotype and if so why isn’t he being called to task?
I admittedly am playing a bit of the Devil’s Advocate here. I do like Bendis’ work and particularly like Powers overall. I was just amazed by what appeared in that column. I can have a sense of humor about it but, what I am curious about even if it is meant in fun is, why the free pass?
Yeesh ... this makes me feel bad because I sort of won a Kevin Smith contest this way. I wrote something along the lines of how I owned all his stuff but I should get a ticket to the event because "I give head! Okay, not really ..."
At the time, I thought it fit in with the humor of the movies but ... sorry. At least I didn't give pictures.
Rule #1 of discussing feminism, anti-racism, LGBT rights, etc.:
"But where's the outrage over [blah blah blah blah]!?!" gets really old really fast.
Especially since the answer is often either "Um, RIGHT HERE" or "well, gee, sorry, I actually do have a life and don't notice every little thing. Thanks for pointing it out. Unfortunately, your finger wagging at me means that I am now torn over who is annoying me more, you or the person that prompted the discussion."
Next time, if you think it's worth commenting on, comment on it. Period. Don't use it to imply that you will no longer take [insert advocacy/poltical group here] seriously unless they comment on it as well.
I asked a serious question in where is the line drawn and whether or not a creator gets a pass on something because he’s the darling of the moment.
I’ve got to believe if it was coming from the mouth of John Byrne (just as an example) the reaction would be markedly different.
If I am to take your comment to heart, there are hard and fast rules about these subjects (Rule #1?), double standards don’t work under those circumstances.
Nevermind that there was a glaring spelling error in the header for the post that I didn’t catch until this moment. Teach me not to spellcheck everything!
i often find brian michael bendis' work very problematic, feminist-wise. how about the collection of "powers forever"? hi, giant, gruesome, rape-murder, two-page spread?! opening with female pre-human being raped? hi, yikes. not surprising "marypants" is the kind of female voice bendis responds to.
WOW! If that doesn't exemplify the "fanboy" mentality, I don't know what does. YIKES!
Personally I don't read Powers in pamphlet form, only in trades, and I'm behind at that. But WOW! They really printed this.
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