Marvel, This Is When You Send An Artist Back To The Drawing Board

How many days did we go without an incident like this?

Is it safe to say things have been OK recently as far as art is concerned in the comic book industry? At the very least, I had to think pretty hard to come up with the last incident of misogynistic art. So that’s… something. I mean, there’s art you personally might consider too sexualized in general, but there’s that other level of comic book hell reserved for The Hawkeye Initiative-type stuff or otherwise absurd art.

Yesterday, Comic Book Resources posted exclusive November solicits from Marvel Comics, which included the anticipated Spider-Woman #1. The piece included this variant cover by Milo Manara.

I honestly don’t know what anyone involved was thinking. The series is being written by Dennis Hopeless with art by Greg Land, and although it appears Marvel is attempting to draw in women with a slew of new female-led titles, this does not instill confidence. Nor does it tell women this is a comic they should consider spending money on. In fact, what the variant cover actually says is “Run away. Run far, far away and don’t ever come back.”

That may sound like an exaggeration but it’s really not. This is what we talk about when we ask comic publishers not to actively offend their paying (or potentially paying) customers. It’s important to note, Manara is known for erotic art, and there’s absolutely a place for that. But was he the best choice to promote this particular comic? I would say unequivocally no.

Anyone familiar with pornography knows this pose Spider-Woman Jessica Drew is positioned in is ripped straight from the fantasy medium. In fact, it’s almost identical to one Manara already drew in his Italian erotic comic book, Click!

Yes, this is what our “hero” is showing the city.

We’ve reached out to Marvel for comment, but until then, there was really only one thing we could do to not pull our hair out. That’s right. We’ve taken it to photoshop!

[UPDATE] Marvel has declined comment at this time.

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Previously in Women in Comics

• Comic Book Fans, Assemble! The “We Are Comics” Campaign Needs You!
• Unrealistic Female Anatomy Tumblr “Escher Girls” Currently Facing Harrassment From DMCA-Abusing Comic Artist
• Young Women Are The Fastest Growing Demographic According To New Comics Retailer Survey

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Jill Pantozzi

Jill Pantozzi is a pop-culture journalist and host who writes about all things nerdy and beyond! She’s Editor in Chief of the geek girl culture site The Mary Sue (Abrams Media Network), and hosts her own blog “Has Boobs, Reads Comics” (TheNerdyBird.com). She co-hosts the Crazy Sexy Geeks podcast along with superhero historian Alan Kistler, contributed to a book of essays titled “Chicks Read Comics,” (Mad Norwegian Press) and had her first comic book story in the IDW anthology, “Womanthology.” In 2012, she was featured on National Geographic’s "Comic Store Heroes," a documentary on the lives of comic book fans and the following year she was one of many Batman fans profiled in the documentary, "Legends of the Knight."

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