I think it is telling that I loaded my friendspage here at work and when these pictures started loading, was like "oh great. Now my boss is gonna think I was looking at porno." Thanks, comics!

She's wearing fishnets under those casts?
What, she just happened to bring an extra pair to the ER with her?
"Oh hawt, femmy doctor, would you please slip these on me first. *pout*"

To quote John Rogers, I'm calling shenanigans.

"DC Comics says the character, who was brought in originally in 1956 as Batman's love interest, will be reintroduced as a lesbian as part of an effort to diversify its superhero roster."

What? Hot sexy scantily clad lesbians under-represented in comics? O_O Honestly it sounds like fanservice disguised as diversity to me.

That's a great issue of Justice League Unlimited... and not just because the first few pages feature the Super Buddies. Paul Storrie did a nice job developing the character of Mary Marvel and giving Supergirl more depth than she's usually given credit for having.

Wow, even the deacon who ain't gay about gay characters can see what's wrong with Batman. Respec'. I had a token exchange of views with someone on my friends page about this Erik Larsen article they linked to the other day so I'd be curious to hear what you thought. And, you know, shit-stirring is always good.

"...these are comics for all ages, and that's not really something we do."

Hot lesbian sex may be a no-no, but a graphic depiction of Black Adam poking someone's eyeballs though the back of their head is acceptable, though.

And the American comics companies wonder why they can't seem to get part of that big manga audience. I dunno, guys...maybe it's because of the narrowly-targeted superhero crap you produce?
Produce a line that ranges from Keroro Gunso to Paradise Kiss and I'll take you seriously when you say "for all ages."

Uh...I don't read comics nearly as often as I should, so I'm confused.

The first image is Black Canary, Huntress and...who? Barbara Gordon? I thought she was a paraplegic. And why is she resting her foot on Huntress' left breast?

This lesbian Batwoman stuff kinda trips me out since I didn't even know she still exists. It's made for some amusing reading over at the TCJ board.

See, I always thought Benes was more crotch-tacular...

That wheelchair picture is so funny. Beside the fishnets and gloves under the casts, something about somebody dressing in their superhero clobber when they can neither walk nor clap just makes me laugh. Unless it's actually a bondage outfit, that would make even less sense. And what is she doing with her good hand? Holding an invisible grapefruit? And is she slipping out of her wheelchair? I suppose her vinyl undies on the vinyl wheelchair cushion explains that last one.

Is it bad of me that the first thing that caught me about Picture #2 wasn't the crotch shot, but the boots?

a) "Ooooh. I want those boots."
b) "Ooooh! They've got her in grippy, well-treaded flats! About time!"
c) "...aw, crap, quim."

It's fine they want to include lesbians in comics. I don't think anyone really cares about that, other than the fact that it's an obvious ploy to draw more adolescent male readers into their tiny clique.

But claiming that these particular comics with this oh-so revealing artstyle is "for all ages" is like saying that alcohol is "for all ages." It just doesn't work. I'm all for different types of comics with varying stories and artstyles, but not every comic out there is "for all ages."

I've always had a problem with the way people draw others when doing mid-air kicks. I'm a martial artist and your legs do NOT bend that way when doing sidekicks and flying kicks. Not to mention it's better, I believe, to focus on the center around the belly or chest of the person when drawing them and instead alot of times using the crotch as the focus point.

I want to have my undies clingy to my rump like that, and not what it would actually do which is ride up the middle. I bet she uses that bikini glue or double stick tape to keep her undies in that just right spot while she sucks on her finger.

Ugh, yes! This is why I had such trouble reading the *Birds of Prey* trades I picked up recently. The text would run along the lines of "Technology intrigue fighting character development wit", which was great, but the accompanying visuals would be "Short-shorts thighs jutted hip inappropriately long hair butts torsos".

It's not like this was *Danger Girl* or some other series that's meant to be deliberately cheesecake and silly. These were fairly serious stories and intelligently written, but I just couldn't get past how many panels had the main focus of "Huntress's boy-shorts."

You know, we had a small chat about that at the store. Well, the subject of subjective decency that is. One store in DFW was shut down after a cop bought a comic with a badly drawn penis. Now days, I don't think its such a big issue (pardon the pun).

But parents do get upset over the stupidest stuff. Young Avengers upset parents and they wrote in letters to Marvel. People are dumb. Really dumb.

Our priorities are amazing. The news reports about mine safety accidents and the lack of regulations for mine workers and nothing in the House has been done about it. But one freaking boob from a wordrobe malfunction appears on national television and we've all sorts of committee hearings and new regulations got passed in record time.

Batwoman's other secret identity turns heads... still no cure for HIV.

Pat and I laughed and laughed at the Black Cananry in casts picture, because:

1) with a cast over that leather glove for a few weeks that hand is going to be RANK. STINKY HAND CANARY! It'll be her new super power.

and

2) the obvious casts over fishnets thing. Pat decided that those are not actual fishnet tights, but a fishnet pattern that Canary has gotten tattooed on her legs, so she never has to worry about runs or holes. Or, you know, that pattern that fishnet tights impress into your flesh after you wear them for more than an hour.

The only good thing I can say about the Benes art is that at least he is drawing women with actual hips and ass, as opposed to the scary post-op transexuals with giant silicone boobies and man-ass that most superhero artists seem to draw. But still, why does a comic about cool, smart heroines have to be all about the booty? Puh-leeze.

I have no response except this:

I don't necessarily mind female characters and their often scantily-cladness, perhaps it's just something with me that it doesn't really occur to me too much, all the characters, regardless of gender or race seem to be the penultimate "beauty", usually if a character is not so the "disfigurement" is part of their character.

Though perhaps my viewpoint is from afar, being male, I certainly think being black has greatly to do with how awful I think many black characters are written/utilized in mainstream (or well, most all streams) of comics.

However, mainstream comics have long made the leap from stories for kids, to moving more towards later adolscents. Be it by trying to be "gritty" and "real" (to concepts I always figured I was trying to escape by use of a comic), or generally by having sexual under/over/aroundtones that range from subtle to rather overt. (I mean they did manage to let Superboy "get some" before he died, which really isn't something for the Spongebob crowd. I wasn't as offended as some, or really not so much, but I really don't think comics impact the way people behave all that much with their rediculousness, but perhaps I give people too much credit.)

So is this a new comic feature:

Super Friends, now with Benefits

Let's not forget the all-ages friendly scene from one of the first couple issues of 52, which showed Montoya in bed with a girlfriend.