The Art Was Great...
I've always jokingly referred to Kory as "Slutfire" simply because I dislike the fact (and admit to needlessly hating on her) because of her relationship with Dick (insert penis jokes here).
The fact that the nickname now actually applies doesn't really give me any joy. I was giddy for about fifteen minutes before it really sunk in what a low blow this was to the portrayal of women in comics. There's nothing wrong with a woman who's comfortable with her sexuality. There's nothing wrong with a woman who knows what she wants and who isn't afraid to go after it. Just the reverse in fact, women like that are to be applauded.
But Starfire has always had amounts of both that strong woman (she's willfull and she's from a warrior race, this is a woman who's stood up to Lobo before) and one of the industries favorite selling points: fanservice. Her outfit (or lack there of), the enormous boobs (really, her entire body), the gratuitous poses etc. And that's a part of the character that I have always hated. Because this industry needs less fan service and pandering to hormonal teenage boys (and even grown men), not more of it.
This issue took any redeeming factors that Starfire once had and completely erased them. It basically turned her into a blow up sex doll. Gratuitous poses? Check. Wet bathing suit shots? Check. Clothes practically (if not completely) falling off her body? Check (and congrats on that one, because I seriously didn't think that it was possible to make her costume any smaller without getting rid of it completely, which would be the next logical step). Sleeping with both male leads? Check. The fact that she doesn't even know who Dick is (when it's been stated and brought into proof that their former relationship remains canon)? Check. She has essentially become a brainless blow up doll.
I'm severely disappointed with this issue and Scott Lobdell to say the least. I'll read the next two issues and finish up the arc, but if there isn't a damn good explanation as to why this has occurred and not only that, but a rectification of her personality, then this is getting dumped like yesterday's garbage.
DC has said that they're trying to encourage diversity. And this relaunch was a great chance for them to draw in new female readership with good titles exemplifying badass women. This was a chance that was not only missed, but taken in the complete opposite direction. My younger sister (she's seventeen), who has never read a comic before in her life, picked up this issue off of our coffee table. She flips open to a random page and somewhat jokingly asks "why are you reading porn?" When that is the first thought that comes to somebody's mind when they pick up a comic...immediate turn off, DC.
There were two comics that came out this week that got a lot of flack for being over-sexualized and gratuitous. Catwoman and Red Hood and the Outlaws. The difference between these comics is that Catwoman, although it goes pretty heavy into fan service territory art-wise, has a strong female lead who knows exactly what she wants and isn't afraid to get it, but is also in full possession of her mental faculties and doesn't come across as a slut. Simply as a sexy woman, who likes and enjoys sex (and there's nothing wrong with that. It will never stop baffling me as to why men are so afraid of dominant women personalities) and isn't afraid to experience it in the completely consensual relationship that she has.
If that's a tl;dr issue for you, the bottom line is this. The art is fantastic.
