Dear DC (and artist J.G. Jones),
Recently, when the cover artist was asked about this cover painting for Final Crisis no. 3 in an interview, he stated:
NRAMA: We’ve seen the Supergirl cover now. How did you approach that character?JGJ: I love that painting, and I generally don’t like my covers or my art that much. But that one, I thought, turned out really well. I really wanted to portray Supergirl as what she is—a 17-year-old girl. Not, you know, some sex bomb with boobs popping out all over the place. I worked really hard on the pose and that sense of wonder on her face. That’s actually why I turned her head away from the viewer. The first two characters are looking straight out at the viewer, more or less, addressing their body language to the viewer. And she’s more turned in space, looking up and away at the light source so we don’t really know if something’s approaching or what’s going on.
NRAMA: Is that also kind of a lack of confidence? That she’s not looking the reader right in the eye like that?
JGJ: Yeah. That’s exactly how I was reading it. She’s new here, she has a lot of power, but she’s also trying to figure stuff out.
Yeah, the problem is, she doesn’t look like a person trying to figure it out, she looks like a terrified moron, an out-of-her-depth female, cowering in fear.
Listen, sure, she’s young; but she can fly, she’s invulnerable to harm, and she can melt things when she looks at them. “Oh golly gee, I am so worried” is not a response you would see on a person who can do that. You’re not going to see it on the face of Superman, and he has the same powers.
“Wait,” you say, “he is trying to focus on her being young and not knowing what is really going on; that’s a legitimate argument.” Well, I submit to you that young does not equal dumb—especially not in the fantasy world of comics—and again, playing along with the character, she has near-omnipotent powers and is an alien from a world hundreds of years more advanced than ours.
This is not a standard pose for any young superhero—and there are dozens. The fan repulsion if Robin or Superboy would be standing there, cowering in fear, would be vitriolic and immediate and valid.
J.G. Jones and DC published the picture of a terrified, simpering girl—who doesn’t even have a relationship to the all-powerful alien that the character “is” and should be portrayed as. This person is worried about whether she’s going to make the cut for the varsity cheer squad, because OMG that text everybody has seen. This cover is of Lauren Conrad, not Kathleen Hanna, and the fact that you get them confused means that you don’t understand your own characters, let alone what they could be.
Is it as bad as if she were stuffed into a refrigerator? No, but in this pose, she is depowered and paralyzed as much as women inevitably are in mainstream superhero comic books (and, all symbolism aside, the variant cover features Wonder Woman in a face-distorting mind control helmet).
Guess what, DC? Not only has it been a mind-thuddingly boring, ineptly plotted (if decently drawn) series, you just got X-FORCED!!
That is, to say, dropped for sheer lameness.
P.s. also that costume is completely repulsive and becoming more dated by the moment. DC, get thee to Project Rooftop and grab some of those ideas. They’re for women and girls, not simpering morons.
Tags: feminism, Final Crisis, Grant Morrison, J.G. Jones, misogyny, Supergirl, Women in Refrigerators
Gorjus, I must agree with you on this one. This cover is grotesque.
When I was 17 I couldn’t FLY or MELT THINGS with my powers, but even I didn’t look as bewildered as Super Girl here. I think it is sad how J.G. Jones seems to place women in one of two boxes—lost, scared little girl or “sex bomb with boobs popping out all over the place.” Refrigerator boxes, indeed.
She doesn’t look scared to me. At all.
What do you mean bewildered? I think she’s taking a call. The balloon is, “Yes, I do think we are out of cilantro. Plus could you pick up the Pinot Noir?”
I think she’s having a conversation with a police officer: “This is where he told me to put it. I feel so ashamed!! I, mean, I know I have super powers, but I’m just so young and vulnerable.” (insert crying jag here)
I think she looks like a MAD Magazine parody of Supergirl. While certainly artists and writers should have the latitude to depict characters experiencing any sort of mental state, including terror or confusion, the key thing here is context: This cover comes after two issues of traditional, iconic, heroic cover poses for Green Lantern and The Flash. I’ll be curious to see what the next few look like.
Thank you! Blog on the reader clearly
“Yeah, the problem is, she doesn’t look like a person trying to figure it out, she looks like a terrified moron, an out-of-her-depth female, cowering in fear.” ???
You obviously have an axe to grind. This is an awesome picture that captured a young girl who could be in a Starbucks with her friends trying to figure out which of the 352 different types of espresso to pick, while she fidgets with her earring.
Yes, she is trying to figure it out. Trying to decide, “um… maybe a vente mocha.. or a ‘nilla cappuccino… no, I know… I’ll get a …um… an Orange Mocha Frapacino
”
She doesn’t look terrified nor does she look anymore like a moron than any 17 year old, self-centered, narcissistic, belly showing, hip hugging pants (skirt) wearing blonde, little princess who is out with mommy’s Mercedes using daddy-ums Visa shopping with her other gal pals.
She also doesn’t appear to be “cowering in fear,” as you stated in your little rant. And where do you get “dumb” out of the image? Are all teenage girls dumb? … well.. don’t answer that. self-centered, yes, a sense of self-entitlement? Yes. All about them and their ridiculous little text-text-text-text universe? Yes. When I first saw the image I thought she was on her cell phone and thought the artist captured a PERFECT teen/hero moment. “Yes, even a superhero teen is addicted to cellphones, myspace and texting.” As I write my 16 year old daughter is sick in bed with food poisoning, asleep … with her cell phone clutched in her sick little hands.
I love this pic and will use it as our pic of the day on our website at Superherostuff.com. It’s unfortunate that you find pleasure in bashing a work of art as well. (yes, a work of art, notice the flesh tones, the yellow in the skirt and the belt. It’s straight out of Norman Rockwell if you look at the technical aspect of the art. Very well done.)
Also, she is not Robin or Superboy. Get a clue. You think just because you’re a woman that you have the self-entitled (there’s that word again) authority to write bile and hate while passing it off as trying to be funny? Boys and girls can BOTH look young, confused, and “in a moment of thought” yet look completely different of each other. No boy is going to be caught adjusting his bra strap or fidgeting with his earring. .. I know I never was… my bra straps were always strapless. HA!
I thought female rants went out in the 90s. Sheesh!
[...] people (chicks with an attitude) pan this image and whine about how “terrified moron, an out-of-her-depth female, cowering in [...]
I just think it’s funny that Ronando assumes that anyone who is a feminist must be a woman.
This is one of the best paintings I’ve seen that was made in the last 10 years, and somehow it’s been taken way out of context. I’m with Ronando on this one, you obviously have an axe to grind.
She’s every school-boy’s dream. I’d totally have this taped in my locker when I was in high school. Quit taking things out of context! IT’S JUST A PICTURE! LIGHTEN UP AND GET A LIFE!
I think it’s funny that Tommy has to hammer down on his hetero-powers—BRO I WOULDA HAD THIS TAPED UP IN MY LOCKER. Really? It’s terrible cheesecake, actually—it’s a boring pose.
And what context did it have? It’s a cover. It IS context.