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Underground > Comic Books >

Comics aren't just for mouth-breathing fatbeards... eh? (Ellis shitstorm part 436)

Regrettable Juvenilia

10:21 / 22.05.02

Is it me, or does W***** E****' latest publicity stunt to publicise the (rather good) ArtBomb site actually produce exactly the opposite effect to the one that is presumably desired?

Hurr, hurr, hot chicks in ArtBomb t-shirts. Kewl.

So, cheap lowest common denominator attempt to titillate the New Fanboys, or a valid method of promoting a good comics website that will in fact encourage women and men to visit?

(I'm leaning towards 75% former, 25% latter, in case you care...)

10:32 / 22.05.02

About as valid as the pit girls on the FHM.com site.

Which I saw on an advert by the way.

10:54 / 22.05.02

Well its a move that brings comics advertising in line with the advertising of everything else
ie it aims itself at the straight white male 18-25...

ONLY NICE THINGS

11:43 / 22.05.02

This is hilarious on so many different levels it is almost untrue. Who are the original models? I think that would add another layer of hilarity...

Matthew Fluxington

11:51 / 22.05.02

This is a more accurate link.

See, this is part of why I can't stand Ellis and his minions.

Question: Did Warren meet these girls down at the disco?

12:55 / 22.05.02

As an advertising graduate (ducks the hail of stones, molotov cocktails and plucked chickens) I put forward that the girls are actually very carefully chosen:

These girls are (fairly) attractive, but not overly so, simply because these are the kind of females that the target audience (the stereotypical bespectacled, 18-25, male comic book fan) has a very good chance of meeting on the street, in classes, in the disco, wherever. As a result, they can readily picture meeting the girls in the picture, and can picture the shirt on the girls they do actually meet. It's a brand-building thing, and in my opinion it does reinforce stereotypes, as advertising builds on unfortunate stereotypes.

...of course, I could be reading too much into this.

And is it just me, or is there a strange link between the grenade logo of ArtBomb and the grenade logo of The Bomb?

13:16 / 22.05.02

Actually I think the t-shirted girl is question is actually another member of the WEF who is quite content to harvest the cult-like adoration foisted upon her by her fellow members... not unlike Ellis' own relationship with his own forum...

of course is there an internet forum in existance that doesn't resemble a cult?

Regrettable Juvenilia

14:19 / 22.05.02

I should have made something clear, even though it is pretty clear if you follow the link, I think (pay attention, kids). As sleaze says, these are members of Ellis' forum who've volunteered the pics of themselves in the t-shirts. I believe it started with one person putting photos of themself in the t-shirt on their own site - fair enough, obviously - then a couple of people followed suit, and now - and here's where I get the icky feelings of badness - "the Warren" is asking for more.

(There was a similar thing on the WEF a while back, where Ellis solicited photos of girls from the forum flipping the bird to the camera - these images can now be found on the front page of the forum, rotating day to day - and I actually have far less of a problem with that, for reasons that I'm not sure I have time to go into now, but can unpack if asked - basically because there's a level of confrontation going on which undermines the voyeurism, and because it's less about selling something so overtly.)

Interesting how the subsequent thread pans out (no, I'm not telling you - go read it y'self, you lazy fuck).

Oh, okay then - a choice quote:

"Actually, no. It's not what I want. I want boys showing off their bits for a change. I'm tired of this being voyeur central for the lads. It's time the girls got a chance to do some ogling "

The rapid creation of 'ArtBomb Boys' does make it all slightly less dodgy ideologically, even if aesthetically I suspect it may only add to, say, Haus' amusement.

yawn - thing's buddy

19:39 / 22.05.02

is one of them birds not betty woo?

(smiley fer crise sakes)

11:39 / 23.05.02

as sleaze says, the first girl, lauren, is a regular WEF nerdbaiter. she has her own forum for doing just that. as does lexie (whose own forum focuses (a lot) on ... her breasts) (she's the one that got confused with betty woo, btw). both of these girls, along with a bunch of others, actually set up "the wefgirls forum". it started out as the "warren ellis harem forum" (yeah, i know, makes me queasy too, even if it was supposed to be a joke), but they've recently changed the name to "nerdbait and tackle" so it's not like they don't know what they're doing.

still, and all, if you have issues with this, fly, you should raise them over there, instead of/as well as whinging about it here. what's the worst that can happen? you get gagged/banned -- well, it's not like you post that much there anyway, is it? not that i know, since i only ever visit the place when someone sends me a link to laugh at, but you told me you lurked there. if all you do is lurk, then it makes no difference if you're gagged since you never say anything anyway, and you can always read it as a guest... but you should have the courage of your convictions if it's that bothersome to you.

as for whether this breaks or reinforces stereotypes, it's nothing new. though it does apparently give validation to some girls who seek it out all the time. if they didn't like/want it, then they'd ignore warren and/or take the piss. it's only the ones who actively seek the attention that are playing, so far. but any women who play along later might have different reasons for doing so (eg marcia and lorna who would change the 'sexpot lolita' angle currently going on if they joined in).

personally, speaking as a woman, i've had moments when i've tried to have a conversation with a guy who spends his entire time staring at my breasts instead of looking me in the face, and that bothers me far more than the notion of photos of cute girls in tight t-shirts advertising a comics site.

and i love how you've made the assumption that it's all aimed at men only...

yawn - thing's buddy

12:08 / 23.05.02

Ah ken its no the woo

ah wis been cheeky

Regrettable Juvenilia

15:35 / 23.05.02

still, and all, if you have issues with this, fly, you should raise them over there, instead of/as well as whinging about it here... you should have the courage of your convictions if it's that bothersome to you.

I think you're misunderstanding my intentions, kooky - I'm not really interested in this thread becoming just another excuse for people here to slag the WEF (as the joke in the title points out, I think that's run its course). Nor does it bother me in the sense that I think it's evil and should be banned. I'm more interested in the catch-22 nature of the idea - that on the one hand, the aim is to destroy the assumption that cool, attractive women don't read comics, and that if they do, they're probably not proud of it. Yet on the other hand, by saying "look at all the cute girls who read comics, yum yum", there is clearly an element of appealing to, well, the fatbeard contingent. Is this a valid reason not to do it?

I want to have that discussion here, because I think it's the best place to have such discussions. I suppose I could also voice my opinion on the WEF, but since someone else has got their first, I ahrdly see the need anymore. If an intelligent discussion on the subject develops there and I feel I have something to add, maybe I'll do so...