This Is How Female SuperHeroes Are Treated

Marvel might have to back their asses up and think about their actions. Comic Book Resources recently released November solicits from Marvel, which included the Spider-Woman #1 comic cover — which shows the heroine with her spandex-clad bottom pointed upward to the sky in a majorly sexual manner. It's not artfully sexy or elegantly sensual — it's just plain lewd and irresponsible on the part of the minds at Marvel. You can check out the whole thing here.

Now, comic books are generally sexual. You have men in skin-tight costumes with rippling muscles and women with large assets but hardly anything on. The art is often sexualized, and that feels OK when both genders' bodies are presented in a similar way. But using Spider-Woman in such a sexual pose for the cover creates a first impression that worries me. Is this how she's going to be depicted throughout the whole series and on every cover? Will her shapely buttocks be remembered instead of her crime-fighting and good-doing?

Marvel is definitely trying to get more female representation in their work, especially with the recent announcement that they'll be turning Thor into a woman. But they've still been evasive about whether or not a Black Widow movie is going to happen when pretty much all her male co-Avengers have already had their stand alone moments on the big screen (some even with several — I'm looking at you Captain) and excluded Guardian of the Galaxy's Gamora from merchandise. And while I think the brand should be encouraged in adding to and supporting its female roster, if this is the kind of visibility those female characters are going to get, maybe they are better off not being featured at all.

Jill Pantozzi over at The Mary Sue also pointed out that Milo Manara, the man behind the Spider-Woman illustration, is known for erotic art. Funny enough, the pose is almost identical to one that Manara used in Click!, his Italian carnal comic.

In the comic book world, timelines and characters are always being rewritten. Now, if only Marvel could go back in time and alter the fact that this cover was chosen. It'd be one change in the fabric of time that fans would be more than OK with.

Images: The Mary Sue