Wizard Magazine: Pay No Attention To The Industry Behind The Curtain

[odditycollector]

 
I mostly avoid Wizard Comics Magazine, that classy publication known for such hard hitting journalism as "Match the Butt to the Bitch!" and "A tribute to Frank Cho's neighbour, now dead:
He died with The Mighty Avengers still unread.
He'll never now get to see Cho's latest tits,
and we hope that we'll never smell *his* rotted bits!"

However, I was told that there was a mention of DC's new Big Barda Bust in the latest issue of Wizard. Since I posted a while ago about how utterly disgusting that statue is, I felt I should see what they said. Out of duty. And, okay, a fair chunk of train wreck syndrome. I could just *imagine* what they'd think of it.

As it turns out, no. I couldn't.

One thing I will say about Wizard - they never, ever fail to surprise me at just how low they'll go.

I've included the page below the cut. The whole thing is appalling, although Barda, I think, gets the worst of it. The other women are drooled over as "static" and "sexy". As well as that, Barda is directly insulted.



 
If you'd rather not look at the image, I can't say I blame you. Here's what you're missing:

They introduce the character as a "buxom broad." But it's okay! BIG Barda is "way hotter than her name makes her sound." She's no *fat* broad, fanboy! HO HO HO!

 
I suppose I should here include a rant on how the world would be improved if Wizard Entertainment was struck from it by rogue meteorite. But I think we can just take that for granted. Frankly, the staff at Wizard aren't the only examples of human slime with access to printing presses, and I'd have little trouble simply ignoring the whole production as akin to a group of thirteen year old boys circle jerking around an older brother's Wonder Woman figure and posting the pictures online.

Except for one question.

 
Why are you okay with this, DC Comics? And Marvel. And Dark Horse. And every other comics publisher who actively cooperates with Wizard.

Why do you continue to associate with this publication? Why do you still grant them interviews and exclusive news?

They obviously have no respect for your characters, no respect for your audience, no respect for women, and no sense of basic human propriety. They are vulgar and offensive, and in playing along, you are equally vulgar and offensive.

When Wizard poked crass fun at a dead man in Marvel's name, why the hell didn't Marvel respond with: "Apologize, in print, and grow the fuck up. And maybe, MAYBE, we'll start returning your calls again." Instead, I'm left with the impression that the folks in the comics industry are laughing right along. AHAHA! If the book stinks, it's 'cause we accidentally got DEAD GUY IN! Brilliant!

If the female audience is important to you, DC, as you claim, why do you filter your news through a magazine with such vile, misogynic attitudes? If the male audience is important to you, why aren't you bothered that Wizard treats them as socially inept, barely literate pedophiles?

 
Wizard is far more puerile than most porn magazines, and Wizard is the public face of the comics industry. And the reason it is the public face of the comic industry is that the publishers of comics encourage and support it.

And as long as that's the case, I call bullshit on anyone claiming that it's the stories, or the characters, or the readers that matter.

Comments

[morchades.livejournal.com]

Right now, the only proper alternative to Wizard is e-zines and news-sites the internet.

Wish we could get a full feminist comics magazine. Or at least a Feminist pop culture magazine that dedicates a section to comics and specfic.

[odditycollector.livejournal.com]

That would be great. I'd certainly sign up for a subscription!

But whether or not there's a proper alternative to Wizard, DC and Marvel should not simply laugh along with its behaviour. If they do, they forfeit any right to claim no, they do care really, the industry is getting better.