I recommend you Dragon´s Crown

[Hammerskjold]

Jessica Rabbit is exactly right. She is a character created to be the ultimate sex object, taken up to 11 with the power of cartoon animation. And she is precisely fit for purpose - in creating a noir/comedy/cartoon movie, she is exactly the right mix of commentary, parody, and epitomization. The trophy wife. The damsel in distress. The femme fatale, but without much fatale.

It's been a while, but didn't she shoot at the weasels to rescue Eddie at one point?

The sorceress in Dragon's Crown is *even more* hypersexualized than Jessica Rabbit. And she's supposed to be starring in an action game, which one might think would call for a different kind of character? But no.

IMO DCrown's character roster is a bit of a pastiche. Increasingly I think the name 'Sorceress' is not a great translation, 'Witch' is probably a lot closer. Looking at the conical hat, staff, and enemy turning into frog. Poe tay toe tomah toe, but maybe it would make it easier for some people to see and accept a halloween style witch. Or not.

The fighter basic design looks like an 'homage' to one of the enemies in Golden Axe. The Dwarf is sorta kinda norse like inspired, his hammer design is antiquity style Mjolnir. The Elf is pretty much a straight up lift and sex swap of a Tolkienesque elf, with some anime\manga style 'I look 16-18 but I'm really 9000 years old demihuman'. The Amazon is ancient greek style axe with Frazetta style bikini.

'Chronicles of Mystara' was a slightly more cohesive pastiche, possibly because it was Capcom licensing D&D.

But overall, DCrown's roster is a pastiche. Don't look too deep for 'world building' anymore than you would ask what actual lineage is the Princess from in Disneyland.

And you know for my coin, that's fine with me. Sometimes I want to go to an obvious 'themepark castle'.

But this is Japanese, so... sexism is not a thing?

That's so not it. Would it be clearer if I say another nation's culture\sensibilities and outlook can be different from another nation?

The entire genre of Japanese comics and animation grew up in an era deeply influenced by, and in dialogue with, the English-speaking world. Feminism is not a new thing to the Japanese.

Yes yes Ozamu Tezuka and Disney influence etc. However there are distinctive elements that shows it's from a sensibility that is not always the same as N. America. (Beat me again on the clock, darn you Lemming!11 But yeah, I pretty much share Lemming's post on the matter.)

Are we living in a pre-Alan Moore world? Has Neil Gaiman gone down the memory hole? Comics and animation left the "pitcher books and cartoons" world over two decades ago.

Here's what's on one of my bookshelf. Gaiman's 'Stardust'. Moore's 'Watchmen'. Chris Ware's 'Jimmy Corrigan'. Millers DKnight, DKnight Year1. Busiek\Alex Ross 'Marvels' Scott McCloud 'Understanding Comics'.
Mignola 'Dr Strange Dr Doom'.

Not on the bookshelf but have read and recommended to others when I try to show people comics are a medium, not a genre. Spiegelman's 'Maus'. Herge' Tintin. Asterix. From Hell. Yotsuba. Sandman (the whole thing).

One of my friends sometimes gives me one of those thick flyer\catalogues aimed for comic stores\ dealers. The majority of what was in the catalogue were the usual Marvel\DC supertights comics. Like, 80-90% majority. A few independents, and some manga, maybe a few dvds, some toys\figures and some cards. Sports and MTG type cards.

This catalog is aiming at comic store owners\dealers. And from the last time I visited the stereotype brought to life Androiddungeoncomicard shop. Aside from the near physically tangible wall of way too much testosterone that first hit me. Was the selections it had pretty much mirrored the catalog.

Which is why I usually go to a big box book store, or a more female friendly comic shop if I wanted to buy a graphic novel. Or the library. My local library has some surprisingly good selections of graphic novels.

Now having said all that. I know that I am still part of a minority group. If you say 'Avengers\Iron Man', most people would say 'R Downey Jr', or maybe Joss Whedon.

I can safely bet that in a random street questions, most people never heard of Spiegelman's Maus. From Hell? Johnny Depp was great in that. Who's Alan Moore? Dark Knight Returns, oh you mean Nolan's The Dark Knight. Yeah Heath Ledger was awesome as the Joker.

The odds can increase if you are asking those question right outside of a comic shop, but in general I know I'm in the same small auditorium (figuratively speaking) as your hypothetical Al Sharpton presidential supporters. You stand by that, I do the same in this case.

If you've got a world where everyone is ridiculously sexualized, then I haven't got any objection to that. He does look pretty awesome, in a hilarious sort of way.

Well, I think that's pretty close to what I'm trying to convey with my impression of DCrown art. Because for me, when I do look at the art I look at everything, and to me I find the Sorc as just another stylized component of this exaggerated theme park.

One can draw two conclusions from that. One is that 2d and 3d are fundamentally different, and that's the source of our problems. The other is that Rob Liefeld is a terrible artist who draws things that are both absurd and deeply sexist (both in his depictions of men and women) and that the problem lies with his character design, and not the idea of moving from 2d to 3d.*

I'm going with the second conclusion, myself.

The two conclusions can be both true you know, they don't always have to be mutually exclusive. Especially when it concerns Liefeld's 2d chars. Or Rob Liefeld. Seriously, don't spend way too much time mysterizing on our differing viewpoints. Ponder the mystery on how this man had a steady job in the artistic field, and retired but not fired. That's a far deeper and more disturbing case.

Are you talking to me with that comment?

-Jester

Well, it's not you. If it was I'd extend the basic courtesy of calling your forum name. I think we earned at least that much mutual courtesy.

Or are "some people" just FIT?

Well sir, that's quite the philosophical pondrance isn't it. I like having an episode of 'Taxi' when I ponder such deep musings. I loved watching Andy Kaufman in that show. Shame Kaufman later fell in with that jerk Tony Clifton.

---

Are you talking to me with that comment? Or are "some people" just FIT?

-Jester

He did quote me directly, so I'm pretty sure it is in reference to me.

Of course as usual he has no clue as to what he is talking about. And Hammer, I was probably having interactions with females before you had peach fuzz on that pea-sized nutsack of yours.

No one here is doing any slut shaming kid, but it is this kind of artwork that PROMOTES "slut shaming", which is part of the basis of my critique - you would see this if you could pull your head out of your ass for just a moment.

The word slut in itself is extremely reactionary, developed historically to discriminate against or describe women who dared have more than one sexual partner: typically "lower class" women, which comes from the antiquity of a male-dominated ruling class that understood women had to be limited to one sexual partner in order for their children and futures descendants to inherit their wealth. These are the historical roots of sexism, and where the context of terms such as "slut", "whore", and the like come from and how and why they are still used today.

If I'm a kid...why are you staring at my pre peach fuzz nutsack? Hey, my eyes are up here you know!

Another pamphlet? I thought you said you are ignoring me? Wait...are you...attracted to me?

HEY! Again, eyes up here! Stop looking at my male marble sack. Jeesus...some people. I know I got some nice trucknutz, but stop eye groping them.