Mom: “Do you think this Starfire is a good hero?”
7 Year Old Girl: “Not really.”
“Do you think the Starfire from the Teen Titans cartoon is a good role model?”
*immediately* “Oh yes. She’s a great role model. She tells people they can be good friends and super powerful and fight for good.”
“Do you think the Starfire in the Teen Titans comic book is a good role model?”
“Yes, too. She’s still a good guy. Pretty, but she’s helping others all the time and saving people.”
“What about this new Starfire?”
“No, I don’t think so.”
“Why not?”
“Because she’s not doing anything.”
It’s like they took this comic by David Willis and made it real, and somehow sadder.
Look, since everyone is weighing in on this thing: Not every comic needs to be for every audience. Not every depiction of someone being slutty is a problem–even in superhero comics. I think it’d be lovely if the[second] biggest company in comics gave a damn about creating a diverse line of books that appealed to people other than straight white dudes, 24-40, which would make the occasional sexual inference and cheesecakiness less de rigeur. I would absolutely adore that–I’d sell more comics! There is an inherent weariness to this argument, to reaction to these books, and it creeps me out a little bit that a mom is putting a picture of her sleeping preteen daughter on the internet to make a larger social point about appropriateness of content. We’d all do better to engage the material we enjoy and discuss and promote it, or better still, create our own material to enjoy and ignore the rest of the shit entirely.
BUT ALL OF THAT SAID: DC Comics, Scott Lobdell, Cheesecake Artist #827, You Screwed The Pooch on this one. For all of our sakes own up to radically sexualizing a children’s character that is still in reruns for children today, admit it was a mistake, fix it. That’s it. “People did not like this new direction, we’re going a different way, we appreciate your passion.” Fix it.
Fix it.
– Christopher
Yes indeed, “fix it”. Please.
‘Fixing it’ would mean admitting that they had made a mistake. They may discuss the situation behind closed doors, but they won’t air their dirty laundry in public. And if it sells, it sells. I’m not sure if they will show any shame if the book has high sales. Very sad.
Good points! I’d love to see them admit they’d messed up and change it for the future. Sadly, I doubt that would actually happen.
Very, very well said, sir. I’m not sure there’s much more to add to your summary here. “Screwed the pooch” indeed.
I don’t think the mom was making a “larger social point about appropriateness of content.” At least, that’s not how I read it. I mean, certainly taking something previously geared toward children and giving it adult themes does raise those questions, but that’s not how I read Lee’s post. Instead, I think she was making a point about how, in place of quality, DC chose to try to make an edgy, sexy character unnecessarily, and that even her 7-year-old daughter could tell what a stupid decision it was.