{"id":38654,"date":"2013-09-05T23:50:58","date_gmt":"2013-09-06T05:50:58","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/2013\/09\/05\/mawwiage-and-comic-books.html"},"modified":"2013-09-05T23:50:58","modified_gmt":"2013-09-06T05:50:58","slug":"mawwiage-and-comic-books","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/2013\/09\/05\/mawwiage-and-comic-books.html","title":{"rendered":""Mawwiage" \u00a0(and Comic Books)"},"content":{"rendered":"
Industry gadfly DCWomenKickingAss tweeted (https:\/\/twitter.com\/dcwomenkicknass\/statuses\/375723082339454976<\/a>): 'So "industry sources" have told the Daily News that teen\/20 somethingcomic readers aren't interested in their heroes becoming domesticated.'<\/i><\/p>\n

Wherein lies the problem of the comic book industry — DC Comics in particular — today: the conflation of 60s sitcom stereotypes with 20-something-at-heart fanboyz who are running the show these days, leading to a view of reality that is … problematic.<\/p>\n

DC is, itself, notorious in the past few years for very obviously and intentionally shedding itself of any married heroes, either through Major Dramatic Events (Hawkman and Hawkgirl; Ralph & Sue Dibney) or the DC "New 52" universal reboot (Superman and Lois; Wally West and Linda Park; Barry and Iris Allen; Jay and Joan Garrick; Adam and Alan Strange). \u00a0Marriage is, apparently, "icky" — or perceived to be so for the putative purchasers of comics.<\/p>\n

Marvel, itself, is something of a mixed bag. \u00a0Reed and Sue Richards have been happily married since the 60s. Hank Pym and Janet Van Dyne's marriage broke up due to spousal abuse. Scott Summers and Madelyne Prior's marriage was destroyed about five or six different directions. \u00a0Hawkeye and Mockingbird broke up under a succession of writers. Peter Parker and Mary Jane Watson's marriage was destroyed at Marvel editorial's diktat<\/i> as part of a deal with the Devil. \u00a0All that said, it still seems more like a variety of approaches rather than DC's virtual phobia about marriage under the current management regime.<\/p>\n

A fundamental problem seems to be the idea that marriage = "domesticated" — that the only way that readers (or writers) will be interested in a male\/female relationship (to take an example) is if actual oaths of loyalty and love don't exist. \u00a0<\/p>\n

Frankly, that strikes me more as an issue with the writers (and editorial) than with the actual state of marriage. \u00a0I mean, the idea that marriage = domesticity = boringness is straight out of a 1960s sitcom (and, hell, there were still plenty of those that managed to find such marraiges entertaining).\u00a0<\/p>\n

Granted, a marriage makes it less likely that a hero will, James Kirk-like, boff anything of the opposite (or, today, same) gender that crosses his or her path. \u00a0I'm not sure that's a bad thing, and certainly there is room for a marriage relationship — whether between a hero and a "normal" or two heroes — that presents an interesting array of relationship and interaction stories. \u00a0<\/p>\n

I mean, is the only wish fulfillment that comic book readership (or, more accurately, comic book management\/editorial) has focused on romancing anything in a skirt \/ tight pants? If marriage is not on the table, do the relationships that do occur simply serve as commitment-less titillation? \u00a0Without asserting that marriage is the norm, is instead lack of marriage the heroic fantasy aspiration?<\/p>\n

Let me offer my own writerly assessment: if the only stories you can write about people who are married are dull, boring, and "domesticated," I suggest that is not a commentary on marriage (or contemporary audiences) so much as a commentary upon your own writing abilities and your hang-ups about relationships.<\/p><\/div>\n

\n

Embedded Link<\/strong><\/p>\n

Twitter \/ dcwomenkicknass: So “industry sources” have …<\/a>
\n Instantly connect to what’s most important to you. Follow your friends, experts, favorite celebrities, and breaking news.\n <\/p>\n

View this post on Google+<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Industry gadfly DCWomenKickingAss tweeted (https:\/\/twitter.com\/dcwomenkicknass\/statuses\/375723082339454976): 'So "industry sources" have told the Daily News that teen\/20 somethingcomic readers aren't interested in their heroes becoming domesticated.' Wherein lies the problem of the comic book industry — DC Comics in particular — today: the conflation of 60s sitcom stereotypes with 20-something-at-heart fanboyz who are running the show these … Continue reading “"Mawwiage" \u00a0(and Comic Books)”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","_seopress_robots_follow":"","_seopress_robots_imageindex":"","_seopress_robots_snippet":"","_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_robots_breadcrumbs":"","_seopress_robots_freeze_modified_date":"","_seopress_robots_custom_modified_date":"","_seopress_robots_canonical":"","_seopress_social_fb_title":"","_seopress_social_fb_desc":"","_seopress_social_fb_img":"","_seopress_social_fb_img_attachment_id":0,"_seopress_social_fb_img_width":0,"_seopress_social_fb_img_height":0,"_seopress_social_twitter_title":"","_seopress_social_twitter_desc":"","_seopress_social_twitter_img":"","_seopress_social_twitter_img_attachment_id":0,"_seopress_social_twitter_img_width":0,"_seopress_social_twitter_img_height":0,"_seopress_redirections_value":"","_seopress_redirections_enabled":"","_seopress_redirections_enabled_regex":"","_seopress_redirections_logged_status":"","_seopress_redirections_param":"","_seopress_redirections_type":0,"_seopress_analysis_target_kw":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[106],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-38654","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-plusposts"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":9536,"url":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/2006\/06\/12\/the_comic_book.html","url_meta":{"origin":38654,"position":0},"title":"The Comic Book Agenda!","author":"***Dave","date":"Mon 12-Jun-06 12:02pm","format":false,"excerpt":"How many places can I point out where this Brent Bozell essay on \"Are comic books no longer for kids?\" goes wrong? Let's find out. Title: Are comic books no...","rel":"","context":"In "Comics & Comic Books"","block_context":{"text":"Comics & Comic Books","link":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/category\/media\/media-comics"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":26329,"url":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/2012\/02\/11\/feeling-blue-over-the-new-52.html","url_meta":{"origin":38654,"position":1},"title":"Feeling Blue over the New 52","author":"***Dave","date":"Sat 11-Feb-12 12:40am","format":false,"excerpt":"DC commissioned Nielsen to survey comics readers to see how the DC New Universe \/ New 52 thang was working out. The goal had been, of course, to bring in lots of new readers by tossing out stodgy continuity, and reinventing the DC heroes in new, fresh, Jim-Lee-costume-bedecked versions.Results? Very\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "~PlusPosts"","block_context":{"text":"~PlusPosts","link":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/category\/blogging\/plusposts"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":51131,"url":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/2015\/05\/15\/the-convergence-bump-for-dc-comics.html","url_meta":{"origin":38654,"position":2},"title":"The Convergence bump for DC Comics","author":"***Dave","date":"Fri 15-May-15 3:59pm","format":false,"excerpt":"I've read more DC Comics issues the past few months than I have the previous year. The Convergence event is ... well, damned goofy in its premise, but getting the opportunity to revisit some classic DC heroes and teams has been priceless. Most (though not all) of the titles I\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "~PlusPosts"","block_context":{"text":"~PlusPosts","link":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/category\/blogging\/plusposts"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":127820,"url":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/2015\/08\/27\/dc-heroes-with-style.html","url_meta":{"origin":38654,"position":3},"title":"DC Heroes with Style","author":"***Dave","date":"Thu 27-Aug-15 7:42am","format":false,"excerpt":"Here's a lovely collection of house style sheets from DC in the early 80s, drawn by the inestimable Jos\u00e9 Luis Garc\u00eda-L\u00f3pez. These served as reference samples for other DC artists, and they are all gorgeous.(With the notable exception of Supergirl's horrific headband outfit, for which sin she eventually died in\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "~PlusPosts"","block_context":{"text":"~PlusPosts","link":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/category\/blogging\/plusposts"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":8903,"url":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/2006\/03\/27\/super.html","url_meta":{"origin":38654,"position":4},"title":"Super!","author":"***Dave","date":"Mon 27-Mar-06 1:30pm","format":false,"excerpt":"The LA Times is (rightly) annoyed by continuing efforts by Marvel and DC to lock down the term \"super hero\" with a trademark. Tickets to the California Science Center's latest...","rel":"","context":"In "Comics & Comic Books"","block_context":{"text":"Comics & Comic Books","link":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/category\/media\/media-comics"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":30613,"url":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/2012\/10\/16\/we-can-be-heroes.html","url_meta":{"origin":38654,"position":5},"title":"We Can Be Heroes","author":"***Dave","date":"Tue 16-Oct-12 10:05am","format":false,"excerpt":"A good way, today, to leverage a donation to a larger amount for a worthy cause.Reshared post from +DC ComicsToday only: Donate $1 to the We Can Be Heroes campaign and DC Entertainment will donate an additional $2. So for every $1 dollar you give $3 will go to help\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "~PlusPosts"","block_context":{"text":"~PlusPosts","link":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/category\/blogging\/plusposts"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38654","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=38654"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38654\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=38654"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=38654"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=38654"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}