I feel that the most critical step to really re-inventing those characters would be to get them away from Dynamite Entertainment.
I enjoy Gail Simone’s re-invention of Red Sonja and understand there’s a balancing act with the branding and appearance. But an ongoing thing with Dynamite Entertainment is that they stockpile old characters to use them in spinoffs, mash-ups, etc.
What would really be bold – is actually re-inventing these characters without anchoring them to bad branding and design decision made in 70s (or earlier). Red Sonja has changed far more than her costume has, and not updating her appearance to reflect that hampers the comic.
At the end of the day – the reason these properties got sold to Dynamite Entertainment and the reason this is the second time Red Sonja’s been re-invented since then is because the old branding isn’t speaking to audiences today.
– wincenworks
So, a year ago I expressed that I was less than excited about Dynamite’s “commitment” to reinventing a bunch of heroines including Red Sonja as less they hyper-sexualized. Now to be fair, they release the new Volume 3 run… a whole six issues of it! (FYI, Volume 2 got 21 issues and Volume 1 got 81 issues before getting rebooted)
However starting next year they’re going to be starting a Volume 4 run! Want to see the amazingly creative ideas they’ve got to take the title in a whole new direction unlike anything else in comics?
Not only does this article have a brilliant title, it also explains very well the false dychotomy of feminist media criticism.
Notable quotes:
We’ve fallen into an all-or-nothing rut with feminist criticism lately. Battle lines are immediately drawn between movies that are “feminist” (i.e. “good”) and “sexist” (i.e. “bad”). And that simplistic breakdown is hurting our ability to actually talk about this stuff.
Feminist criticism isn’t about ripping something to shreds or making others feel guilty for liking it. It’s simply about pointing out a specific creative weakness and then taking that a step further to explain the real-world social ramifications of that weakness, all in the hopes of dissuading future filmmakers from making the same mistake.
I dedicate this article to every single person who ever implied that by criticizing female character designs, we’re apparently disapproving of the whole product those characters are featured in*.
Cause, again:
~Ozzie
*Sometimes we do, but it takes some special levels of terribad to make us write off the whole product, not only its treatment of female characters.
On a related note, it’s also crucial to remember that being critical of things like video games or comics does not mean someone’s not invested in “real world issues” and should discuss them instead.
Not only does this article have a brilliant title, it also explains very well the false dychotomy of feminist media criticism.
Notable quotes:
We’ve fallen into an all-or-nothing rut with feminist criticism lately. Battle lines are immediately drawn between movies that are “feminist” (i.e. “good”) and “sexist” (i.e. “bad”). And that simplistic breakdown is hurting our ability to actually talk about this stuff.
Feminist criticism isn’t about ripping something to shreds or making others feel guilty for liking it. It’s simply about pointing out a specific creative weakness and then taking that a step further to explain the real-world social ramifications of that weakness, all in the hopes of dissuading future filmmakers from making the same mistake.
I dedicate this article to every single person who ever implied that by criticizing female character designs, we’re apparently disapproving of the whole product those characters are featured in*.
Cause, again:
~Ozzie
*Sometimes we do, but it takes some special levels of terribad to make us write off the whole product, not only its treatment of female characters.
On a related note, it’s also crucial to remember that being critical of things like video games or comics does not mean someone’s not invested in “real world issues” and should discuss them instead.
Haydee is a legit actual game, you can buy for real money ($14.99 USD) on Steam. The dev team for this game was made up entirely of Creepy Marketing Guys. The main character is literally just a pair of (constantly jiggling) boobs, on top of an ass in a thong that screams chafing, and bare legs with pumps. In a sci-fi action game. The worst part is, the character doesn’t even get a face! Literally her head is a blank white surface, robbing her of any humanity or agency beyond pure sexual characteristics.
Here’s a game TONS of readers asked us to talk about. @languray’s summary seems pretty spot-on.
A faceless pair of cyborg boobs and prominent butt (carefully shoved in the third person camera at every angle) running around environments that can be summed up as Poor Man’s Portal.
It’s also quite impressive how uninspired the official Steam description is:
“Haydee” is a hardcore old-style metroidvania mixed with modern-day third person shooter and platformer mechanics. As well as a sexy character.
“[Insert title] is [insert adjectives that pander to stereotypical gamer] [insert buzzword game genres]. As well as a sexy character.”
Funnily, despite not sharing the same aesthetic or mechanics, Hydee’s “more like this” recommendations on Steam are for Sakura games and similar titles including nudity and/or sexual content (also, for reasons unclear, one casual platformer about Jesus). No other “metroidvanias mixed with modern third person shooter and platformer mechanics”, though.
Guess it’s official that having gratuitous female sexualization front and center means otherwise completely different games are basically the same genre.
~Ozzie
This game is a worrying example of how much the myth that sex sells can distort design priorities. It seems clear that the main character model was basically the main focus of the developers, and the fanbase.
This model is not only used for the Player Character, it’s used for:
decorating walls (starting in the very first room)
signaling danger with pre-populated corpses in pits and traps
providing loot off pre-populated corpses in other places
So basically they’ve used it to tell players to go over to an area for a reward, to avoid an area due to danger and to tell the player this room was boring so they added boobs. Another “sexy corpses” game. Just what the world needed.
@warrenellis is taking the distilled essence of 90s comics (aka Wildstorm) and transform it into something I’m actually really eager to read. (article here)
@warrenellis is taking the distilled essence of 90s comics (aka Wildstorm) and transform it into something I’m actually really eager to read. (article here)
After seeing the promotional picture for the Legends of Tomorrow version of the Justice Society of America, and specifically their version of Stargirl, I opted to do a five second redesign to make the look feel… well, more like something a superpowered woman in the 1940s would wear.
My Redesign
The source
It should be noted that Stargirl in the comics looks almost identical to the source photo, but she is also set in modern day, not 1941.
Look, I get that superhero costumes were based on the super tight outfits strongmen wore in order to show off their physique. That does not mean when transplanting a female character to WWII you can bring her costume without baggage.
I have to say, I really like the redesign – it’s nice and conveys the spirit of the era without fussing about too much with the specifics or worrying about trying to pin down a particular moment in fashion.
As for the official image.. there’s something about the super heroine costumes I just can’t put my finger on… something to do with history. Something the show probably should have come across while doing some research on World War Two era fashions, life and technology…
After seeing the promotional picture for the Legends of Tomorrow version of the Justice Society of America, and specifically their version of Stargirl, I opted to do a five second redesign to make the look feel… well, more like something a superpowered woman in the 1940s would wear.
My Redesign
The source
It should be noted that Stargirl in the comics looks almost identical to the source photo, but she is also set in modern day, not 1941.
Look, I get that superhero costumes were based on the super tight outfits strongmen wore in order to show off their physique. That does not mean when transplanting a female character to WWII you can bring her costume without baggage.
I have to say, I really like the redesign – it’s nice and conveys the spirit of the era without fussing about too much with the specifics or worrying about trying to pin down a particular moment in fashion.
As for the official image.. there’s something about the super heroine costumes I just can’t put my finger on… something to do with history. Something the show probably should have come across while doing some research on World War Two era fashions, life and technology…
