So... DC Comics has apparently lost its goddamn mind
Sept 9, 2013 7:21:23 GMT -5
BK From WV and FinalGwen like this
Post by SsnakeBite, the No1 Frenchman on Sept 9, 2013 7:21:23 GMT -5
TL;DR VERSION:
DC Comics has recently launched a contest to recruit new artists, because apparently there just aren't enough aspiring comic book artists knocking at their doors and sending them portfolios. The contest requires participants to draw 4 panels involving Harley Quinn:
www.dccomics.com/node/305151
Now the idea is that Harley is in various perilous situations. Fair enough, Quinn does tend to get herself in trouble, either by her own fault or because the Joker is being a dick. But here's the thing: all those panels actually have to do with Harley trying to kill herself. Played for comedy.
Now here's the thing: I like dark comedy, but the reason dark comedy is funny (and really, the same applies to all styles of comedy) is because of context. When you remove that context, you no longer have the comedy, you just have something kind of gross. This is literally just a young woman killing herself, and for some reason it's supposed to be hilarious, oh and the hilarity comes from the fact that her suicide attempts fail, I guess, except for the last one, in which she is naked in a bath while about to drop a bunch of electric appliances into it. Yup, that's how you want to draw in new artists: by encouraging them to kill off your most popular characters in the nude, that just gives such a good impression of your company, and the people who actually participate are likely to treat your franchises with the respect and dignity they deserve.
And you want? It wouldn't be so bad if it weren't for a few other details, which once again show the importance of context. First, many people are understandably taking offence to DC launching such a contest as Suicide Prevention Week is starting (BTW, while Harley is definitely crazy, she's not suicidal so it's not even like it could be argued that it's in-character for her to do). Now perhaps DC just didn't know about it, but the fact is, launching a contest about how hilarious suicide is while people are actively trying to stop people from harming themselves, not a fantastic PR move here.
Second, this comes right after DC already caused controversy by vetoing the marriage between Batwoman and Maggie Sawyer. Apparently DC claims that they did not do that out of homophobic sentiments but because they felt the marriage would interfere with the stories and the heroines' ability to fight crime (funny, that does not appear to be an issue when heterosexual couples are involved). So basically, DC is telling us that they want to make sure their characters are depicted as heroes and villains and their private lives should not disrupt their crime-fighting (or crime-comitting for the villains), and marriage would damage their characters' image... and yet eroticizing their suicide does not?!
You'd think by now DC would have taken the hint that comic book fans do NOT like to see their heroes and heroines die and that if one of the really needs to be sacrificed, it should be done because it matters and has weight behind it, not because suicide is oh-so hilarious and kinda hot.
{Spoiler}
Credit goes to RobertMacQuarrie1 from DeviantArt
Credit goes to RobertMacQuarrie1 from DeviantArt
DC Comics has recently launched a contest to recruit new artists, because apparently there just aren't enough aspiring comic book artists knocking at their doors and sending them portfolios. The contest requires participants to draw 4 panels involving Harley Quinn:
www.dccomics.com/node/305151
Now the idea is that Harley is in various perilous situations. Fair enough, Quinn does tend to get herself in trouble, either by her own fault or because the Joker is being a dick. But here's the thing: all those panels actually have to do with Harley trying to kill herself. Played for comedy.
Now here's the thing: I like dark comedy, but the reason dark comedy is funny (and really, the same applies to all styles of comedy) is because of context. When you remove that context, you no longer have the comedy, you just have something kind of gross. This is literally just a young woman killing herself, and for some reason it's supposed to be hilarious, oh and the hilarity comes from the fact that her suicide attempts fail, I guess, except for the last one, in which she is naked in a bath while about to drop a bunch of electric appliances into it. Yup, that's how you want to draw in new artists: by encouraging them to kill off your most popular characters in the nude, that just gives such a good impression of your company, and the people who actually participate are likely to treat your franchises with the respect and dignity they deserve.
And you want? It wouldn't be so bad if it weren't for a few other details, which once again show the importance of context. First, many people are understandably taking offence to DC launching such a contest as Suicide Prevention Week is starting (BTW, while Harley is definitely crazy, she's not suicidal so it's not even like it could be argued that it's in-character for her to do). Now perhaps DC just didn't know about it, but the fact is, launching a contest about how hilarious suicide is while people are actively trying to stop people from harming themselves, not a fantastic PR move here.
Second, this comes right after DC already caused controversy by vetoing the marriage between Batwoman and Maggie Sawyer. Apparently DC claims that they did not do that out of homophobic sentiments but because they felt the marriage would interfere with the stories and the heroines' ability to fight crime (funny, that does not appear to be an issue when heterosexual couples are involved). So basically, DC is telling us that they want to make sure their characters are depicted as heroes and villains and their private lives should not disrupt their crime-fighting (or crime-comitting for the villains), and marriage would damage their characters' image... and yet eroticizing their suicide does not?!
You'd think by now DC would have taken the hint that comic book fans do NOT like to see their heroes and heroines die and that if one of the really needs to be sacrificed, it should be done because it matters and has weight behind it, not because suicide is oh-so hilarious and kinda hot.