Heroes for Hire: Marvel's new hentai title!

[TwistedBishop]

Honestly, I wish people would save the indignation for something that was worth all of the energy to get that riled up over.

Seconded.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

You think women doing laundry is kinky? -

Well, it depends on whose laundry it is.

 

[WayneLigon]

In the scene where Mystique is being transported in the trailer and mouthing off to the guards, in the deleted scene the guard snarles back "Shut the f#@* up, b$#@&!"

I'm sure someone at Marvel went through the DVD before it was released, but WOW, whoever approved that deleted scene on the DVD should be fired.

Nope, they shouldn't be and would not be. X3 is a PG 13 film so that scene could have been in the movie itself. The rating system is very fluid (we could even use the word 'arbitrary' here with no problem), but in general you're allowed 1-3 F-words in a PG-13 film, depending on context and what sense the word is used. (Usually if the F-word is used in a sexual sense rather than as an explitive, that'll push the film to R, even if it's used once), and what the rest of the content of the film is like.

 

[bento]

WL,

Despite what the film industry rules are, the Marvel (TM) brand is and should be something that the company goes to lengths to protect. And I mean this from not just an IP standpoint but also as a brand that has something for "all ages." As with Disney and Winnie the Pooh, Marvel is a brand that parents should feel safe with buying products for their tots/children/pre-teens/teens/young adults, depending on which part of the product line. My parents gave me money when I was eleven to purchase Mad magazine, because they knew that while the magazine "tweaked the nose of society," the publisher had guidelines the product didn't cross. It was SNL for pre-teens in comic form.

As an adult, I've purchased several titles from the MAX line - Fury, Squadron Supreme, etc., where I knew the language was rough and the situations very adult. I read those, and my kids read Marvel Adventures, and everyone's happy. But releasing this DVD with the F-bomb dropped very prominantly, is very disappointing. Same can be said for some of the scenes from the movie itself, such as Kitty Pryde's banter with Juggernaut.

Marvel went through several decades (1970s-80s) of being helmed by post-adolescent fanboys, and I could almost expect some of this more boorish behavior during that period. But as finally reaching the stage as a "public corporation" that courts both Wall Street investors and the public to their movies/toys/theme parks/ etc., I think they need to wake up and realize they can't have their hentai covers along with "Spidey and Friends" sing-along CDs without feeling some heat from the public. Crafting multi-million dollar movies with ads on Nickelodeon and toy give-aways at Burger King, while selling "T" rated cover magazine with tentacle rape and F-bombs on blockbuster DVDs smacks of hypocracy.

Before I had kids, I wouldn't have given it a second thought. Now that I'm a guardian of the next generation, when my kids ask for money to purchase a Colossus action figure, I'll probably tell them "no" but give them money for the Ben 10 figure instead.

 

[Klaus]

Honestly?

I am far more offended with Mary Jane in a thong doing laundry.

Yes. Seriously.

One says something about gender roles and society; the other says something about kinky fantasies.

Meh.

Find something else, then.

Adam Hughes, the artist who designed the statue, explained that Mary Jane *isn't* doing laundry in a thong. For one, the laundry basket is on a table, not a sink. And that image represents the very moment (according to Marvel continuity) when MJ discovered Peter's secret identity, because he accidently dropped his uniform into the laundry basket and MJ casually lifts it up with a "honey, what is this?" look on her face. The pose is classic cheesecake imagery, not unlike what Bette Page used to do.

 

[Volaran]

But releasing this DVD with the F-bomb dropped very prominantly, is very disappointing. Same can be said for some of the scenes from the movie itself, such as Kitty Pryde's banter with Juggernaut.

I understand about any scenes within the movie itself, but when talking about DVD extra features, I suppose I'd question where precisely that line is drawn. I enjoy watching the commentary tracks to movies, where the language can get a little blue. Would that cross your line as well?

 

[Felon]

Mate, I've seen covers of hentai doujinshi that are tamer than that.

Meh. You're sensationalizing. This illustration is quite understated when compared with what genuine hentai depicts. It's PC-13 at best, while hentai goes into quadruple X's.

True, the heroines are being menaced by tentacles. But you're conflating "menace" with "rape" simply because the objects of said menacing are women, and that's a poorly-reasoned inferrence. Of the two tentacles we can clearly see, they're not fondling the heroines (contrary to assertion of that bogus checklist you posted from another forum) or otherwise doing anything sexually-explicit. Indeed, the ladies' crotches aren't even in the picture.

Why the hell are they shooting themselves in the foot by running a cover that's sure to generate a lot of controversy?! And it doesn't just affect them, mind you. This will generate some negative press for the whole comic industry itself (in fact, it already is. If you frequent the various comics news blogs decrying that cover). So say goodbye to the notion that comics are an accepted literary medium in the public's eye.

*sighs* It's times like this that make me ashamed to be a comic fan. Stupid Quesada and his lack of editorial responsibility.

As with the Mary Jane laundry "controversey", my advice is to stop whipping yourself up into a frenzy. Calm down. This is much ado about nothing. Whether or not comics will ever become an "accepted literary medium" (whatever the heck that means), it better not hinge on the entire medium adopting a masterpiece-theatre level of sobriety and sophistication. TV, movies, novels--these all employ tintalization to makes sales, I don't know why some folks get all excited when comics do the same.

 

[horacethegrey]

Meh. You're sensationalizing. This illustration is quite understated when compared with what genuine hentai depicts. It's PC-13 at best, while hentai goes into quadruple X's.

I did say that the subject I was referring to was the covers of most h-doujin I've seen rather than their interior content. Believe me, this cover is hardly understated, and bound to give any parent who buys their kids comics the wrong idea.

As with the Mary Jane laundry "controversey", my advice is to stop whipping yourself up into a frenzy. Calm down. This is much ado about nothing. Whether or not comics will ever become an "accepted literary medium" (whatever the heck that means), it better not hinge on the entire medium adopting a masterpiece-theatre level of sobriety and sophistication. TV, movies, novels--these all employ tintalization to makes sales, I don't know why some folks get all excited when comics do the same.

The Mary Jane statue I agree was something completely blown out of proportion (come on, it was a fully clothed woman doing the wash! Jeez :\ ). But this is different. It's irresponsible marketing on the part of Marvel. They've stamped a cover that is best suited for a mature title on a teen rated book. It's a sleazy ploy designed to jack up sales on a title that I've learned is suffering from low sales. And I have big problem with that.

And no, I never said I had a problem with tintalization being used to market sales. Sexy women in comics are something I enjoy (and why shouldn't I? I am a guy after all ). But there's a fine line in what sexual imagery is appropriate for a specific title. If Heroes for Hire were under the MAX line, then that's okay. Because I know for a fact that comics under the MAX line are designed to be sold to an adult audience. But Heroes is a mainstream book with a TEEN rating, so I think it's a gross mistake on their part to solicit it's 13th issue with that cover. Like bento said before, Marvel(TM) is a brand that the company should do their best to protect. Sensationalism such as this is harming the brand rather than protecting it.

Anyway, I hope my explained my position on this as clearly as possible.

 

[warlord]

Dude, Marvel knows Heroes for Hire could pass for softcore Hentai. They made it that way. The fact that most of the Heroes for Hire are kung-fu sexpots has become a running gag.

 

[Ranger REG]

I'm sure someone at Marvel went through the DVD before it was released, but WOW, whoever approved that deleted scene on the DVD should be fired.

Nah. Give that guy or girl a raise.