Tuesday, May 22, 2007

?!?!?!?!!!!



So, I guess this is the cover for August's issue of Heroes For Hire, according to Marvel's solicits preview, posted on Newsarama.com last night.

Please note that it is drawn in an anime style by a Japanese person to really bold, underline and highlight the tentacle porn connotations.

Please note also that not only are the four women on the cover exploding out of their costumes, but one of them—the woman in white whose superhero identity I wasn't able to figure out after reading the one issue of the series I've read so far—is actually in a state of undress, and all of them seem to be either unconscious or simply closing their eyes and flinching. Just so you know that it's not simply tentacle porn, but tentacle rape you're seeing here.

And, amusingly, note Shang-Chi, Master of Kung Fu's bicep just behind Black Cat there. I like the fact that the artist included one of the male characters in this scene, just so you know it's not designed solely to titilate the base (and, let's be honest, fucked up) instincts of the male comic book customers. See, we put a half-naked man in the exact same circumstance...just, you know, on the other side of the column.

There's probably a joke to be made about the "For Hire" part of the title, but my mind is too thoroughly boggled by this image to think of it at the moment.

I can't imagine anyone at Marvel actually sat around thinking of what to put on the cover of this issue and were like, "You know, Captain America and Devil Dinosaur didn't do anything to help sales...what we really need is some tentacle rape!" So I've got to assume that Marvel innocently okayed this cover. Which is almost just as scary. Think about it. There are professionals in the comic book industry who are so out of touch with comics, animation and their own fans that they didn't realize the associations this particular style of image brings up and, even more alarmingly, they didn't think that a bunch of helpless women being groped against their will might not be something to put on the cover of a comic book.

For anyone keeping score on their Totally Fucked Up Index at home, Wolverine can't smoke (even though his superpowers prevent him from suffering any personal damage from it) anywhere within a comic book because it sends the wrong message to the kids reading at home (his drinking and killing, however, are cool), but Black Cat and her fellow Heroes For Hire can be raped by slimy tentacles on the cover.

I look forward to the comiquette celebrating this moment in Heroes For Hire history.

6 comments:

Matthew said...

The woman in white is Colleen Wing, by the way.

I was jaded enough for the image not to make much impression on me, really. I kinda raised my eyebrows, shrugged in a 'whatreyagonnado' way and carried on reading.

Ami Angelwings said...

I'm not an expert on tentacle porn, but I think all tentacle porn IS rape :\ Like.. that's just.. how it is? :O

As Ragnell pointed out tho, it's even worse now that it's been retconned that Black Cat was raped in college. >.>;;

Which reminds me of like the Gwen Stacy had twins thing. :o How did all these things with longterm repercussions (or at least 9 months for Gwen, and lasting affects for Felicia) happen without nebody knowing of it? :o

Like... being raped isn't just like.. rape... DONE! It COMPLETELY changes the character and what would be going on with her back then :\ It's not as simple as just retconning 1 day and brushing your hands off and saying everything makes sense now >.>

But if they're gonna do that, to now throw her into tentacle rape... >.>

Classy Marvel >.<;;;

Anonymous said...

Ami,

I haven't read much about Black Cat since that upsetting 'Evil that Men Do' thing by Kevin Smith, but I think all other writers are willfully ignorning it.

If something is never referanced by anyone ever again, how long does it take for it to longer 'count' in continuity?

-Michael

Matthew said...

I don't think they're ACTUALLY going to have her tentacle raped Ami, it's just that the cover gives off that vibe.

Besides, Humbug will break any Brood that try.

Matthew said...

Can I also say that I like the way the faces are drawn, at least?

Ami Angelwings said...

Oh Matthew :D I wasn't saying that they WOULD be raped. But that tentacle porn is rape porn XD I've never seen consensual tentacle porn :\