For the first time since we opened I had to apologize to a customer because of a comic book cover. The cover of Green Lantern #27, to be exact (pictured).
The guy picked it up and said, "Do her breasts REALLY have to be that large? I mean seriously. I'm starting to wonder if I'm in the wrong kind of store here."
I said "Sorry. I don't know why they do that. The story is good though."
And he said, "I'm not sure I can get past the cover. How can I take this home? I have a wife and a couple of kids."
I said, "I know what you mean. I wish they didn't feel the need to do that kind of art on the cover because it can put off people with families. I am sorry."
He did pick up a few other DC comics, but skipped the Green Lantern #27. See DC - I have an actual loss of a sale because you had an artist get a little to over enthusiastic about female breasts when drawing the cover of one of your comics. I'm sure he's not the first, but he IS the first who I've heard verbally express it to me out loud.
11 comments:
Breasts large enough to display fully the hero's logo without being distorted or hidden in cleavage are a time-honored tradition of comics.
What? They are smaller than her head. And completely covered. Okay, still not ideal, but far from the worst example I've ever seen.
It's not even the worst example I've seen this week.
And it's only Monday.
It's funny, I actually like the cover because it takes John and Hal struggling pretty hard to hold her back. It doesn't happen that often for women.
Huh. I think we can pretty much count this guy out as a Dolly Parton or Power Girl fan, huh?
My husband didn't mind the cover at all. ;-)
-- Sea
It can be embarassing to read in public, though. I've wondered in the past why we don't see more people reading comics on the bus/train during their morning commute, at the beach, on lunch breaks, etc. Well, if I had this Green Lantern comic in hand, I'd feel more than a little self-conscious about the cover if I were to read this in public, and probably feel that I'd have to defend myself to nearby ogglers ("It's a good story, really").
Comics overall have become more respected and folks don't immediately turn up their noses and think "kids stuff" when they see a comic book, but images like this keep perceptions of the comics industry frozen as adolescent sex and power fantasies. The actual contents don't matter if people can't get past the cover.
-r-
Actually, if anyone should be saying "sorry" to someone, it was that guy to you. Firstly, because his attitude was aimed at you, who is not responsible for the content of the product you sell.
Secondly, because there is nothing wrong with this cover. There is nothing overtly sexual about it. There's nothing that even relates to any kind of pornography, or sexually suggestive imagery, at all.
Anyone who'd "feel self-conscience" about reading that comic in public, probably has much more deeply involved personal/emotional/mental issues of some kind, that far exceed the image on a superhero comic cover.
Guess you better keep him away from the Lady Death comics. His head might explode. ;)
I think everyone is mostly right here. Yeah, there are definately worse comics and this cover was not overly sexualized. However, her breasts are a bit, how shall I put it, unnecessarily oversized. (unless you go with Sleestack's theory that they have to be large for the logo to be properly displayed) I could see a wife make a face at her husband if she wasn't a comic book reader and he brought this home. Still, it wasn't all that bad, so he probably did get overly worked up. But I'm in the suburbs and this guy was a middle age, middle to upper middle class guy, fairly well dressed, with a wife and kids - that kind of person does tend to be a bit more conservative. Frankly I'm glad he came in the store at all - he's not our usual customer.
I hope that customer never finds himself at a newsstand in Europe. They put naked boobs on the covers of their magazines there. Real ones, not just Mike McKone-idealized purple alien lady ones.
I could see a wife make a face at her husband if she wasn't a comic book reader and he brought this home.
Lisa:
After having read Heidi's own "locker room" experience, how could you have any kind of sympathy for the women who would make that "scrunchy-face" at their husband reading a comic (super-hero or otherwise), or a guy who would be with a woman who would do that to him?
This guys complain about what his wife would think of that GL cover, really is HIS problem. Not your's and not DC's. DC did nothing wrong here, nor did you. He made the MISTAKE of marrying a woman who has such a horrible prejudice against something he enjoys. That's HIS fault. He needs to stop blaming others for HIS obvious poor choices.
You know, that's a part of why I married Heidi. With her having her own interest in comics, I knew I'd never deal with the "scrunchy face." I'd never have to explain, defend or apologize for my love of comics. Just because this dunderhead wasn't as smart in picking his own lifemate, is no reason to see this GL cover as a problem. because it isn't, except in the minds of those already prejudice against comics and those who were stupid enough to marry those people.
In short, fuck him, her and the horse they rode in on. If he is embaressed to let her see his comics, that's his fault for staying with her. And it's her fault for being a overly judgmental bitch. Neither you, the creators, or the publisher are to blmae for any of that. And a pox on anyone who'd try to say otherwise.
Well James, you are one of the lucky few! Not every fanboy was as smart as you - finding and marrying a fangirl.
James, a wife forcing her husband to give up a hobby is a terrible thing. But clearly, this man's wife didn't make him do so. All this man is concerned about is his wife's reaction to what he perceives to be sexist imagery. That's not her being an "overly judgmental bitch", that him being a respectful husband.
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