Originally posted by krisblazeI'm going to talk specifically about stuff relating to the comic, because as soon as anything gets gamergatey, people lose their shit. I think it would be really cool if we could have a rational talk about any significant similarities or differences between this comic situation and gamergate, but that's clearly not happening here, and I don't want to get pulled into some flame war.
Smurph, I'm amazed you consider Q99's stuff quality when it's basically the most inflammatory tumblr shit I've seen in the comic section of KMC.
So, the comic:
I think Q99 was right to point out that the reason that the cover was pulled was, per the artist and DC, because people were threatened with harassment after vocalizing their complaints and negative feelings re: Batgirl's portrayal.
Further, I basically agree that the way that Batgirl is drawn on this cover is:
a) Not in line with the 'feel' of her current character or comic (which may or may not be a problem; your mileage may vary)
b) Obviously gendered. Maybe the cover doesn't spell out sexual assault, but I do think it shows that she is completely at the mercy of Joker, and reduced to terror and tears. I think the raw vulnerability that she's displaying is much starker than we usually/ever see in the way male heroes are drawn, and we're able to fit this within a context of previous sexual assault, whether that means nude photographs or rape.
It feels, as a fan, like Batgirl's not able to overcome and move through her previous trauma in a way that I would expect of any other superhero.
I'm not saying that I think that's necessarily a problem, but it's obvious some people do, including Q99, and I think the discussion on the first page was effective in that it was shedding light on two different perspectives.
Obviously just my take on things though, it looks like Pr and yourself felt differently about it. /shrug.
