DC Women Kicking Ass: DC Comics makes statement on female characters, creators
Reblogged from moxycrimefighter July 30, 2011
This was just posted to the DC website:
Over the past week we’ve heard from fans about a need for more women writers, artists and characters. We want you to know, first and foremost, that we hear you and take your concerns very seriously.
We’ve been very fortunate in recent years to have…
I’m actually tearing up a little. They listened to us. This is a great day for comic book feminism.
Ha! Forgive me being cynical, but I’m feeling this all like ‘cover our lady-hatin’ butts with slick and appeasing press release so them uppity womens shuts the fuck up’.
I’m pretty sure neither Didio or Lee wrote this, I’m bettin’ their publicity department did. I doubt they even signed off on it. Pretty typical for large corporations that have garnered controversy.
I was talking to a DC staff member the other day about this situation and she was telling me how Didio just can’t do slick PR stuff, that he’s abrasive by nature. I was arguing that, at his level, he had to learn and to be aware of the greater context of what he says. When placed in the context of a sexist society, his abrasiveness on the issue of female equality doesn’t come off as a personality quirk. It comes off as plain old misogyny.
It is his job, as THE Boss of DC Comics to know how to conduct himself at a professional level, because he IS the image of DC Comics. His behaviour and demeanour sends a message - whether he likes it or not. He can’t just get away with that ‘upfront man-child’ crap.
I will believe DC Comics takes female equality in their halls and their books seriously when I see some action taken - real action. How can I believe this shit when we see the redesigns done to some of the female characters’ costumes, done by Jim Lee himself - supposedly the co-signer to this placatory statement - ?? Getting more female creators onboard is a start, but it’s a false start if they are limited on what they can do with their books, particularly the female characters - what kind of respect DC treats those characters with as well, what kind of stories are allowed to be told.
DC, put your fucking politics where your mouths are.
