On the other hand is the way that the Big Two publishers (Flash Fact: that means Marvel and DC) pitches their merchandise. Specifically the shaky gender lines they draw for everything from board games to clothing, from ages toddler and up. It's an issue that's prevalent across all forms of toys and other such products aimed at kids, which have long bought into the traditional read: boring gender binary. That doesn't make it any less glaring that, in this day and age, there are still ridiculous examples of sexist merchandise as has been drawn attention to throughout 2014. Gamora was missing from the majority of Guardians Of The Galaxy merchandise available at the Disney store, and female superheroes are absent from the majority of stuff pitched at kids because presumably boys find girls icky, and girls are busy with Barbie. Then there was the Justice League: Axis of Villains board game that didn't feature a single female character to play as, much to one eight-year-old-girl's disappointment. DC also sold t-shirts and even toddler pyjamas with sexist connotations, and a particularly troubling books for kids just hit the stands. Not a good year for progressive ideas of gender, in many ways.
Tom Baker is the Comics Editor at WhatCulture! He's heard all the Doctor Who jokes, but not many about Randall and Hopkirk. He also blogs at http://communibearsilostate.wordpress.com/
