3 Reasons Why DC Comics Isn’t For Girls

Harley Quinn

We’ve always been sort of suspicious that DC comics has a dislike for women, but lately, it’s becoming a little more obvious. Here are three signs that DC Comics really doesn’t like us.

1.  The DC Comics Naked Suicide Contest

A recent DC contest  designed to help new talent “break into comics” requests that you enter by submitting an artistic interpretation of the character Harley Quinn engaging in some form of suicidal activity. The script choices include: Harley holding a cellphone tower while being struck by lightning, Harley wearing a raw chicken suit in an alligator pond, Harley sitting inside a whale’s mouth, and naked Harley sitting in a bathtub with toasters, and other electrical appliances dangling over her. “We are watching the moment before the inevitable death…” Maybe this is supposed to be entertaining in a naked suicide funny kind of way?

2. DC Comics Deny Batwoman Love and Happiness

Not too long ago, members of the editorial team left DC Comics because of a no-marriage policy that would not allow Batwoman and her partner, Maggie Sawyer, to be married. While initially perceived as an anti-gay marriage rule, it was later explained by co-publisher Dan DiDio, that the decision is based on the idea that superheroes are not supposed to be happy and that “heroes shouldn’t have happy personal lives.” Not only is this a crappy rule for superheroes, but it kind of doesn’t make sense considering all of the male/female romances that take place in comics, all of the time. And anyway, who said everyone who is married is happy?

3. Oversexualized Female Characters

Not that there are many female comic book heroes that I can name besides, Wonder Woman, Batwoman, and Catwoman (who all may or may not be DC Comics characters) there does seem to be an issue with oversexualizing women in comic books. Besides promoting contests where the woman character kills herself, or denying Batwoman the “happiness of marriage,” all of the female superheroes seem to share the same superpowers – one of which is a ginormous bosom.

I know, they’re basically cartoon characters and are not real. I don’t expect DC Comics to provide life-changing material. However, is it possible that comic book creators are going out of their way to repel women, rather than include?

Image Credit: Jay Malone

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