Comic books have a woman problem. That's just undeniable. Ever since their inception mainstream superhero books have been aimed primarily at males, and that's become ingrained in the industry to the point that the obviously sexist character designs, plot lines and poses female characters are subjected to are just taken as a given. At least, until recently, as the industry has started to get a little more diverse, and representations of women in comic books have become more positive. In light of that, stuff like Milo Manara's recent variant cover for Spider-Woman #1 don't just seem idiotic, they're straight-up scandalous. A feted European artist known for his erotic works, Manara isn't exactly a fan favourite or anything, but his stuff is pretty well-known and regarded. It's also exactly the wrong style for superhero comics, especially when the book in question was supposedly designed to further entice this newly identified female readership into comics. Sure, they'd just love to pick up a book that's being sold on the butt of its lead character! Besides the obvious anatomical issues, the cover was just incredibly tone-deaf on many levels, and the subsequent outcry couldn't have been a surprise to Marvel (Manara remains steadfast in his defence of it, for what that's worth). Following the scandal, the publisher promised they'd look into changing the cover. And, well, it still leaves a little to be desired...
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/
