Let's talk about boobs.

Ah yes: boobs. Been discussing them quite a bit lately with various people. Can't ignore them being a comic book fan. Especially since the vast majority of the female characters are wearing spandex and the vast majority of the artists don't bother to draw what they would really look like in spandex. Most artists just draw them as they would be naked, skip drawing the nipple and that somehow has ended up being the accepted interpretation. There they are. Boobs. Out there for all to see. Well sort of.

It does seem a bit much sometimes. Especially with certain artists getting praised for drawing women in spine wrenching contortions just so the drooling fan boys can get a good view of the thinly covered chest and rear in the same shot. (As a side note: can Ed Benes please not draw Justice League anymore? Pretty please?) Let's face it, a little cheesecake is fine every so often, but sometimes it's just downright exploitive.

Now at this point some of you are thinking, "Marty you hypocritical load, the main character in your comic Mere Mortal works in a strip club! Are you the pot or the freaking kettle?"

I'm the wok. And don't you forget it.

Yes indeed, Joe from Mere Mortal does indeed work in a strip club as a cook. He's chef in a world where everyone as some sort of super power except him. People's powers, referred to in the story as 'gifts', often play a major part in determining social standing and occupation. So I had to ask myself, "Where's a place that serves food, but people don't go to for the food?" So, combined with my desire to work in some of my experiences working the door at a bar I set Joe's occupation at a strip club.

So, how is what we're doing different from what I've complained about? Size matters, that's why. All to often I end up laughing at the ridiculous proportions attributed to the women in comics. A woman does not require a D cup to be attractive. Chris and I both try to at the very least have a somewhat sensible approach to it. Real women don't look like comic book characters. If they did, I'd feel the need to make them eat something.

So, will my little rant change the way women in comics are drawn? Pfft! Not a chance. But hopefully the next time you pick up a comic and see a character that isn't built like a Playboy Playmate post airbrushing some fan boy will see the same girl and realize, "Hey, that's a really amazing picture of a beautiful woman."

It's not a revolution, it's evolution.