Why are all comic book characters so good looking?

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masterbruce
Virtually every comic book character has the looks of a supermodel. The guys are all tall, muscular, have chiseled faces. The women are all skinny with curves and are gorgeous.

I mean I can understand Superman being diesel, but shouldn't Prof X be kind chubby from sitting in a wheelchair all day?

Also, I understand people want to see goodlooking people. But doesn't that make it boring as well, in comics everyone pretty much looks the same except for costumes or hair color.

Would a comic book with superheroes that looked more like average joes be successful? or do you have to have only superheroes that look like models in order to sell?

Dinalfos
Because fat people aren't super.

End of thread.

Endless Mike
What about the Blob?

grey fox
Originally posted by Endless Mike
What about the Blob?

Meh , he's fat..and possibly dead...

Most mainstream hero's do look like supermodels though.

Xavier apparently has some kind of weird fitness regime which allows him to kick peoples asses in his chair.

H. S. 6
Kingpin?

And let's not forget someone like Peter Parker isn't a super model. He was the class nerd in high school.

Neither is Wolverine. Last time I checked, the ladies weren't after men 5'2" and under.

Obviously, the female counterparts of the male characters are going to be... well, hot. Let's not forget a vast majority of comic-book readers are us guys, and who the hell wants to look at ugly girls in magazines? stick out tongue

Of course many superheroes are going to be well-built--fighting supervillains for a living does that to you.

EDIT: And about Xavier: I'm pretty sure he follows some kind of workout routine, although I could be wrong.

inamilist
Comics are fantasy...

Why not criticize yourself for only wanting attractive mates?

What you are talking about may be relevant in terms of artistic and demographic merit, but not for what people want their fantasy world to be. It works sometimes for a villain to be ugly or misshapen, but even Spawn had to have a cool ass mask to hide his scars. Economics will and unfortunately should win out all the time over these types of considerations.

Symmetric Chaos
So that geeks can get off . . .

willRules
Originally posted by inamilist
Comics are fantasy...

Why not criticize yourself for only wanting attractive mates?

What you are talking about may be relevant in terms of artistic and demographic merit, but not for what people want their fantasy world to be. It works sometimes for a villain to be ugly or misshapen, but even Spawn had to have a cool ass mask to hide his scars. Economics will and unfortunately should win out all the time over these types of considerations.

yes

Originally posted by Symmetric Chaos
So that geeks can get off . . .

laughing I love your comparative contribution big grin

Alfheim
The Maxx wasn't.

inamilist
Originally posted by Alfheim
The Maxx wasn't.

Indeed

and he rocked like no other

Symmetric Chaos
Originally posted by willRules
laughing I love your comparative contribution big grin

I prefer succience to precision.

Alfheim
Originally posted by inamilist
Indeed

and he rocked like no other

Yup I didnt finish collecting the series. I had a lmited editon issue 1 as well. The Maxx was a real cool character, the writing in general was really cool....I think im going to cry. sad

Juntai
Amanda Waller?

Mindship
You mean, like Pitt, Hulk, Thing, Sasquatch, Stardust, Beta Ray Bill... (I won't even start on the villian characters).

NoFate007
Several different reasons:

1. In order to be able to do the physical feats we see, they have to be in shape, so they work out and that gives them their bodies.

2. Sex sells. Look at Powergirl. She's famous for her twins. If someone like Mary Jane had acne, coke-bottle glasses, greasy looking frizzy hair and a beer belly, she'd never hook up with anyone in the comics and there wouldn't be that "you've got to save the good looking girl" kind of tension. Plus, as someone mentioned above, there are some people that sadly get off on how say, Rogue, has a rack to Tuesday, so we've got to please those sad little people lol.

3. Its a fantasy. Fantasies have ALWAYS been like this. The wicked witch is always ugly, the princess is always beautiful, the prince is always handsome and cunning, etc. Cinderella isn't obese and Sir Lancelot doesn't have goiters lol. A lot of people try to live out their own lives through fantasies, whether it be films or novels or comics, and attractiveness is one of the major categories of perfection.

4. Character development. If Bruce Wayne was rich and hideous, he wouldn't be the playboy we know him as. Someone like Bruce Banner is generally portrayed as not being a particularly attractive guy, and that easily can contribute to his anger issues.

Yadda yadda yadda. It isn't just a lack of creativity (although some characters definitely could fit into that category).

Big Sexy
Originally posted by Juntai
Amanda Waller? Shes such a foxnaughty

Symmetric Chaos
Originally posted by Mindship
You mean, like Pitt, Hulk, Thing, Sasquatch, Stardust, Beta Ray Bill... (I won't even start on the villian characters).

droolio

Mindship
Originally posted by Symmetric Chaos
droolio
Sweet.

Martian_mind
Yeah.Doop is so hot......

Validus
Because nobody wants to look at ugly people.

Mindship
Validus, your latest avatar is indeed the scariest I've ever seen.

Good job.

Validus
Then it has done its job.

Tha C-Master
Originally posted by Mindship
You mean, like Pitt, Hulk, Thing, Sasquatch, Stardust, Beta Ray Bill... (I won't even start on the villian characters). Well you kinda said it, (kinda), we want villians to have a negative feel, therefore we make them ugly to give negative reaction adjustments to them. Opposite in most cases for protagonists.

Bruce Banner isn't really ugly, Thing isn't a 100% protagonist either.

Martian_mind
What about Nightcrawler?

Validus
Originally posted by Martian_mind
What about Nightcrawler?
Kurt is dreamy.

Redatom65
man, you hurt Kurt's feelings. sad

Martian_mind
He's a Nazi,who cares.

SpunkySmurph
Originally posted by Martian_mind
Yeah.Doop is so hot......

Well duh. But I think we're talking about super-heroes, not super-gods.

Grimm22
Doom: Bah, Doom is a sexy beast

In fact Doom just had a sexy party...many sexy women... Doom is so lonely


stick out tongue

Martian_mind
Poor Doom,he can build a time machine,but not a functioning penis pump.

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