New Catwoman cover is a vision of ridiculousness

by Jennie Ramstad on Jun 12, 2012 at 8:56 am

Now, I’m not saying that DC Comics seems to be deliberately driving away female readers, but I can’t think of another way to finish that sentence. In this, its most recent effort to cram as much tits and ass into a cover as possible, the comics company seems intent on providing an extremely uncomfortable position for my favourite feline villain.

I can’t help but wonder if these types of postures would be just as appealing if a man was substituted in for a woman. Fortunately, fantasy author Jim C. Hines beat me to it. The results, while not as spine-warping as the above cover, do reveal that there is a certain bias as to what is considered attractive for the two sexes.

As for the above cover? While I appreciate that sex sells and that people REALLY like tits and asses, I also know that this kind of posture just isn’t practical. After all, it’s no fun trying to fight crime while wearing a back brace.

Follow Jennie Ramstad on Twitter at twitter.com/jennieramstad. She's glad she's not that flexible anymore.

Comments (9) Add New Comment
Sarah-Arboleda
Jun 12, 2012 at 11:41 am
I'm disappointed, but I wish I were surprised. I spent about an hour walking around Target this weekend in the "Avengers" section looking for ANY Black Widow toy and there wasn't a single one. They didn't have any Maria Hill toys either, even though Nick Fury and Agent Coulson were well represented.

Toymakers and cartoonists have got to get out of this mindset that comics and comic book movies only appeal to men and that even comics starring female superheros should be as titillating as humanly possible.

I was especially bummed out when it came to the Avengers because I loved the fact that Johansson's character was made an essential part of the team and was never more sexualized that any of her male counterparts.
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Skizz
Jun 12, 2012 at 12:23 pm
Compared to some MacFarlane or Larsen era Spiderman poses, its fine. That one actually looks catlike, I have never seen an arachnid try any of Spidey's poses.
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ursa minor
Jun 12, 2012 at 12:41 pm
Don't blame Marvel for DC's failures. DC could have gained a generation of readers after the success of their 1990's animated spinoffs (Batman/Superman Adventures, Justice League) by successfully following up those stories and characters in print, but instead they let their titles gravitate between forced 'grittiness' and nonsensical reboots. A horribly drawn cover is the least of their problems.
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Nada
Jun 12, 2012 at 1:19 pm
I am a huge catwoman fan and a woman and I dont take offense to this. Selina is a strong confident woman and she uses her assets to fit her needs. With that being said she NEVER gets taken advantage of. I love that these artists draw her as such a sexy character. Catwoman IS extreme... A caricature is fitting and appreciated. She can be a badass sex bomb and I still love her! Proportions are a bit of I guess but that would be the extent of my complaint...
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R U Kiddingme
Jun 12, 2012 at 1:20 pm
I don't even know what I am looking at in this rendering. Her left arm seems to be attached at mid-chest. What is her torso doing...? It's creepy is what it is.
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Amanda
Jun 12, 2012 at 1:33 pm
I have bought all of Catwoman's relaunched comics as I have always been a fervent fan of hers. I have found it more and more disconcerting how they seem to have morphed her into a sort of drag queen-looking persona. She is a complex character, she is neither good nor bad but rather straddles the line, sometimes just kicking it out of the way. The story line has been interesting and I have no qualms with that. She is a sexual beast and always has been. It's the ridiculous nature of contortions and bigger-than-her-head assets that is putting me off. I don't admire this new Catwoman like I did in the past. This new Catwoman isn't the one that showed a preteen girl it was okay to march to the beat of your own drum, this one would teach that girl the same old thing most female comic book characters have. One dimension personality, stuffed into an impossible porn star body.
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LB
Jun 12, 2012 at 2:20 pm
It looks like a rendering of "Coco", Ice-T's wife....

http://thestatechamp.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/cocot.jpg
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James Smith
Jun 12, 2012 at 9:29 pm
That kind of posture is not practical? True, not for a real woman, but she is CAT woman after all
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Matt Grayson
Jul 11, 2012 at 1:30 am
The proportions are more than just a bit off; they're impossible. To say she's a Cat Woman is bogus, not only because cats don't break their spines on their own free will, and even if they did, she is not super powered. To use that guys in comics are sexualized too is bogus: they are idealized, which is completely different. No one puts Batman on the cover with a zipper down to his navel, hairy chest exposed, while having his muscled bubble butt shown unnaturally as well. Spider-Man doesn't wear a costume where his crotch is emphasized and most of his skin exposed, to distract his heterosexual female villains. It's also disturbing that so many cisgendered heterosexual male comic readers are almost violent in their reaction to any protest of sexism. Despite being made fun of and stereotyped as losers in their parents basement, there are so many who aren't willing to consider another's feelings or opinions. The opinions and concerns are shot down with no thought that they may be valid, or that even if the person was wrong that they even allow the person to *feel* hurt. Perhaps they are also the ones who like to see their heroine "in peril," to help them feel less emasculated or threatened ... Or something. Perhaps they are like so many men in this world who really don't like a woman in power and authority -- they see women more as sex objects despite their cries they can't disrespect a woman because they love their mother or wife. Maybe it's none of these things, but when said cisgendered heterosexual male instantly dismisses the concern vocalized by others, male, female, gay, straight, asexual, or anything or anyone else, without considering their feelings or even to try to understand -- even if they can never fully understand, but just try to -- it's both scary and very sad.
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