Manara Responds to Criticism of His "Spider-Woman" #1 Cover

[Synthozoid]

I don't think the pose is a problem, it's that the spandex disobeys the law of physics and goes right to her b-hole.

[Pako]

Its funny because Marvel did the same thing before, advertise a book to female readers, then have Marana draw it.

[ExcelsiorPrime]

[The_Greatest_Username]

I'm not sure what that Spider-Man image is trying to prove, but you're getting closer with Namor. However, he's posed in a powerful position and is not being treated like an object.
This is what an objectified Namor would look like:

[ExcelsiorPrime]

[Pako]

I'm not sure what that Spider-Man image is trying to prove, but you're getting closer with Namor. However, he's posed in a powerful position and is not being treated like an object.
This is what an objectified Namor would look like:

But he still has his dignity.

[Ravyn]

At the end of the day, it's a drawing of a woman's ass, as the main focus of the cover. It looks like something you'd see on Penthouse, not a Marvel comic book. It's certainly not something I'd ever want to share with my 10 year old niece who is looking for comics that feature strong female characters she can identify with.

Marvel comics and this porn-producing artist person are completely ridiculous and have no credibility on this topic whatsoever.

[AJBopp]

This is the extension of a trend seen throughout the mainstream comics industry. It's a ridiculous cover not because it's sexualized, but because it's so over-sexualized. We saw this on the Catwoman cover, the Teen Titans cover, and now this. There are undoubtedly many examples I'm not aware of, because I don't prefer to see women treated this way, and Marvel and DC have made it clear that I need to avoid most of what they do.

Reading through this and the other thread on this subject, I am dismayed yet again by the argument so may put forward that "there's nothing new here, it's been done for years, what's the big deal?" As if because something was done poorly or objectiontionably in the past makes it OK to keep doing it ad infinitum.

That so many do not or will not see the problem with images like this on mainstream comic covers tells me we are a long way off from seeing an improvement in the content, and that things are likely to get worse before they get better. My apologies to all self-respecting women who would otherwise like to read comics. May I suggest Bandette?

[ExcelsiorPrime]

Im not arguing that the pose is NOT suggestive..I am arguing that men poses are suggestive as well.

Why cant comic book companies just make the male poses just as suggestive? Why not just have all things being equal and draw men in a fashion that women find pleasing.

Comic companies should poll women and ask what do women like to look at on a man? then showcase. Romance covers and vampire books come to mind.

[The_Greatest_Username]

LOL I can only imagine the heads that would turn if Marvel did a "Beefcake" month.

[Ceebiro]

At the end of the day, it's a drawing of a woman's ass, as the main focus of the cover. It looks like something you'd see on Penthouse, not a Marvel comic book. It's certainly not something I'd ever want to share with my 10 year old niece who is looking for comics that feature strong female characters she can identify with.

Marvel comics and this porn-producing artist person are completely ridiculous and have no credibility on this topic whatsoever.

So that Ultimate Spider-man cover two posts up isn't focusing on Spidey's ass? I don't recall anyone complaining about the absurd angle his neck is bent at.

Seriously, this is much ado about nothing

The pose isn't the problem as much as superhero costumes not being drawn as actual fabric, which is the case across a broad swath of mainstream superhero comics. The character's whose costumes aren't absurdly skin tight are few and far between.

[Kid Omega]

Read the criticism earlier. Guy's got a point. He's known for erotically-charged art, it's not his fault for drawing what he knows. I blame marvel for hiring him (and Greg Land) on a comic with a female lead. Jessica Drew deserves way better.

[just another user]

At the end of the day, it's a drawing of a woman's ass, as the main focus of the cover. It looks like something you'd see on Penthouse, not a Marvel comic book. It's certainly not something I'd ever want to share with my 10 year old niece who is looking for comics that feature strong female characters she can identify with.

Marvel comics and this porn-producing artist person are completely ridiculous and have no credibility on this topic whatsoever.

Why would your 10 year old niece be reading an expensive collectors variant rather than the regular cover?

[leo619]

This isn't a simple issue of European vs American values. Her butt was so prominent because of the angle Manera chose, and because he didn't draw her clothing correctly. I'm gonna post picture of a redraw that someone did of the Manera cover.




As far as a crouching pose is concerned head down, ass up works for porn for obvious reasons. And I'm sure that its just that Manera is so used to drawing women in a crouched position like that, that he did so with Spiderwoman without thinking. But it just doesn't work for a superhero comic book cover.

Disagree, because European values doesn't have the same conservative nature towards sexuality as American values has. As stated before, yes he choose the angle that he wants, but he lives in a country which probably has nude models on billboards, so for him this doesn't make sense. This is a clear nature of cultural differences.

Now true, Marvel should understand that this is America, a place that has more conservative viewpoints towards sexuality, so an outrage over something that's clearly european center would be expected. At the same time, I'm not a fan of America's conservative viewpoint towards sexuality to begin with.

[jen]

Disagree, because European values doesn't have the same conservative nature towards sexuality as American values has. As stated before, yes he choose the angle that he wants, but he lives in a country which probably has nude models on billboards, so for him this doesn't make sense. This is a clear nature of cultural differences.

Now true, Marvel should understand that this is America, a place that has more conservative viewpoints towards sexuality, so an outrage over something that's clearly european center would be expected. At the same time, I'm not a fan of America's conservative viewpoint towards sexuality to begin with.

LOL, all of Europe is not the same. It ranges from the almost gender equal society of Norway to Italy which has been going backwards in female rights the last few years. Further, I am pretty sure European women do not like to be sexually objectified and may find the objectification of women problematic.

The issue is the fact that Marvel wants female readers but then made a cover that actually turns those readers away. It is not prudishness that women was heroes they relate to who are strong and empowered. Marvel missed the boat here and it could turn off a broader female audience because of bad judgement.