Game journalism backlash - the microcosm theory

[Quaro]

The Joker should be disturbing IMO.

I think this is for the new Batgirl which has been rebranded into a lighter comic for a younger audience and one including more girls. It’s for this comic, right?

So apart from anything else, many just thought the style clashed with the lighter tone of the comic. The artist apparently agreed.

[inactive_user]

Aszurom, dude, think of the cows. We’re not going to have enough straw to feed them, you keep on building these massive multi-level strawmen to fight with.

[playingwithknives]

I had no idea about the PoochieGirl rebrand facepalm, it certainly wasn’t clear from the jargon loaded tumblr post the hashtag originated from.

[Telefrog]

Taken on it’s own, there’s nothing wrong with the cover. Joker is evil crazy, Batgirl isn’t in some sexually suggestive pose, and it’s a fan callback to what happened in The Killing Joke - one of the most important bits of Bat-lore ever written.

The very thing that makes it neat to fans of The Joker is exactly what makes it disappointing to fans of Batgirl/Oracle. DC spent a lot of time post-Killing Joke turning Barbara Gordon into a really strong role-model character for women and disabled people. The fact that Barbara didn’t become an emotional wreck after she was paralyzed, and instead became one of the most influential members of the Bat-mythology was inspirational to a lot of people. While her later 52 “recovery” and rebirth into Batgirl was controversial, fans grew to like it because they took Oracle and turned her into a cool crime-fighter grrrl-power empowerment character. The cover pictures Batgirl in a way that’s incongruous with her current and past incarnation. Crying, subdued, and helpless because The Joker is holding her hostage in a callback to the moment that defined her life is not the way her fans want her to be.

It’s a moment that she took strength from, not made her helpless.

[playingwithknives]

That does kinda fall in with Azuroms argument back on the previous page, and of course, now Batgirl is a strong, empowered character she mustn’t have any weakness the villain can exploit. Kryptonite only works on cisgendered white male superheroes.

Im happy with the cover not being suitable for a kids comic though, it’s a bit much for that.

[Timex]

Is the “current” batgirl barbara gordon still? I had assumed the mantel had been passed to some other person by now.

Also, I didn’t realize that the pic in question was supposed to be the current batgirl, but I guess it is? I thought it was supposed to be barbara gordon. And I would expect that despite her strength of character, the Joker would still have the power to turn her into an emotional wreck as seen in the picture, since he tortured her so baddly.

But honestly, I don’t really follow comics since I was a kid (and even then wasn’t really into the DC/Marvel comics), so I don’t really know what the whole current context is.

Finally, the killing joke story, and what happened to Batgirl and afterwards seems like a profoundly more powerful and “real” character depiction than the one shown in those other images, where batgirl is a girly-girl taking selfies in the ladies’ room. But maybe that’s just me.

[Telefrog]

That does kinda fall in with Azuroms argument back on the previous page, and of course, now Batgirl is a strong, empowered character she mustn’t have any weakness the villain can exploit. Kryptonite only works on cisgendered white male superheroes.

That’s not true. Kryptonite doesn’t turn Superman into a crying emotional wreck. It may rob him of his superpowers, but it doesn’t change his fundamentally heroic nature. (Except the red Kryptonite, which the less said about, the better.) In fact, in comics, a well-established trope is that the superheroes can be de-powered, but their resolve for good can’t be shaken. Even the supers with emotional weaknesses, like Martian Manhunter’s aversion to fire, can be conquered through steadfast courage. Finding a weakness of Batgirl’s doesn’t mean she needs to be reduced to a quivering mess. Perhaps invoking her past disability can enrage her to the point of foolhardiness? Or, The Joker can just flat-out trick her? No, she apparently becomes helpless when The Joker threatens her with a gun.

[playingwithknives]

I don’t know, if they want to write in SJW friendly storylines, her triggering PTSD at an event is something the Tumblrinas will all relate to. She should head back to her Batroom and ask for donations to Patreon on her Batblog so she can get a new Batbike.

[CLWheeljack]

It’s awesome when I think an actual conversation is going to happen and then it devolves immediately back into points-winning snark fests.

No, wait, it’s the opposite of awesome.

[Aszurom]

Truth: The new batgirl has a selfie-stick in her utility belt, so she can take some good instagrams while fighting crime. They’ve updated her for the 2010’s.

[Aszurom]

It’s awesome when I think an actual conversation is going to happen and then it devolves immediately back into points-winning snark fests.

No, wait, it’s the opposite of awesome.

No you just ignore the snarkers like they’re invisible. It’s called “Virgil Hilting”.

[Telefrog]

The new Barbara Gordon Batgirl does have PTSD. She’s hesitated in the face of gunfire. But again, she only hesitated. She overcame her momentary lapse and fought through it, although she acknowledges that it’s an issue. She did not, however, cry and stand helpless which is what the cover depicts.

I don’t have a big emotional investment in comics, but I get the complaints here. The cover flies in the face of what the fans really want from the character. Sure, you can say that DC/Albuquerque shouldn’t have caved, but they really didn’t have much choice considering how low in general the readership is on comics nowadays. They don’t really have the numbers to ignore their audience. It’s not like they don’t have plenty of male power fantasies to sell in the meanwhile.

[Dave_Markell]

This is where you fall down as usual. A call to change something is not in any way a ban. A ban is handed down by authority. A campaign to change the cover of a comic book is consumers in action.

I am always amazed at the level of cognitive dissonance of which some people are capable. Supposed free market conservatives constantly twist consumer action (which is how the free market is supposed to work) into the thing they hate, authority handing down mandates from above. They should be cheering these sorts of movements, not condemning them.

[LMN8R]

Let’s talk a moment about why there are so many white male characters in video games.

They’re safe.

They’re generic.

Nobody gets upset when they’re evil, dumb, abused, goofy, tortured, or blown into gibs.

Case in point - Guybrush Threepwood. Guy made his living being a bumbling shortsighted simpleton. It’s safe farcical comedy with some slapstick violence.

Now, let’s make Guybrush a woman. Even better, a black muslim woman pirate. Now what? Now, every line of dialogue, every joke, every shaming for being an idiot or verbal abuse is under a social microscope. This is a risk you cannot take in 21st century media, you’ll get destroyed.

Women and minorities in games are treated as representative of the entire population, and therefore have to be nothing but strong, competent leaders who only display positive character development and cannot have weakness or incompetence in their core characterization. So you can’t cast anybody but derpy honky as the lovable bumbling hero.

Also, you can shoot the shit out of white guys and nobody flinches. Germans especially. What happens if you set your game in africa, and all the zombies are black because the zombie outbreak is in that part of the continent? Well, you get your shit pushed in like Resident Evil 5 did about being racist.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Resident_Evil_5#Allegations_of_racism

Only Mel Brooks can get away with Jew jokes in hollywood, you see.

Fuck identity politics. It’s utterly limiting to telling a creative and interesting story that involves anything other than token representatives of ethnicity or gender that aren’t cast in minor “safe” roles. Show me examples where this is untrue, and I’ll be glad you did.

This problem is largely solved by actually putting more women in games. Of all types. Protagonists and antagonists. Puerile and sexy. Sociopathic and sane. Stupid and smart.

With so few interesting female characters out there, the only logical thing to do is complain when they’re just adhering to utterly boring, overused tropes.

[Mike_O_Malley]

What did you guys do to drive off Virgil?

[Dan_Theman]

I believe that was administrative.

[Starlight]

What did you guys do to drive off Virgil?

Breathe

[carltonbauheimer]

What did you guys do to drive off Virgil?

Shh! Saying his name three times summons him!

[Alstein]

I do remember my reason for quitting comics several years ago was their cancellation of titles I liked, most of which were titles that were liked by the SJW crowd (ironically, it was extremely liberal military women who got me into comics right before I got out)

I thought the new Batgirl was supposed to be Misfit or something and Barbara Gordon was still Oracle. (to me that would have made sense)

[rhinohelix]

This problem is largely solved by actually putting more women in games. Of all types. Protagonists and antagonists. Puerile and sexy. Sociopathic and sane. Stupid and smart.

With so few interesting female characters out there, the only logical thing to do is complain when they’re just adhering to utterly boring, overused tropes.

I know this has been posted already but your comments brings it to mind again:
I Wish There Were More Strong Female Characters In Video Games
http://imgur.com/aGVaza7