Another example of the Manga-fication of American comics. The awful 1970's animae-style art that pervades the titles and cartoon shows today is bad enough. Now the familiar inappropriate sexual Student-Teacher pedophile themes are appearing more often than ever.
A much-older and more mature special agent puts a tongue-lock on the not-yet-of-legal-age-of-consent Bat-family member Robin with a promise of more to come. Teachers have gone to jail for behavior like that.
from Robin #142 (November 2005)
The connection between horror and sex, particularly with Robin's thought-boxes over-lapping into the smooching & sexual proposal panels is exactly what Wertham and others later were whining about. Robin is disgusted, horrified and nearly traumatized by the pregnant mother-demon while at the same time some hot danger-loving chick is promising a romp. Robin is under-age, Von Hammer is not.
Imagine if the roles were reversed. An older and adult Robin approaches a 16 year old girl traumatized by her encounter with a demon. To the amusement of on-lookers, Robin grabs the girl and forcibly kisses her while rubbing his muscular body up against hers. Robin then promises the girl a wild sexual romp later after her 18th birthday. Incredibly wrong and creepy, isn't it? But that is what happened, only there is a perceived double-standard in that it was acceptable if a woman was the aggressor. Should a male do that he would be arrested. Had the writer reversed the roles then DC would probably be facing if not just concerned parents groups or disgusted fans, then the possibility exists that some official committee much like comics had to deal with starting in the 1950s would begin to pay some attention.
It just wasn't necessary, I'm saying. There has to be a way to increase sales and appeal to teen readers and those 40 year olds without resorting to the nasty child-porn themes and overtly sexual themes.
Can you really have too many stories involving tentacle rape?
ReplyDeleteIt's a simple rule:
Comic Book Hero + Tentacle Rape = increased sales (in Japan, anyway)
And Underage Comic Book Hero + Adult sucking on his face = Increased sale (DC hopes)
ReplyDeleteThat was pathetic.You mean when you were underage, you never thought about being about women over 18?
ReplyDeleteHow did you bring tentacle rape into this? Man you 40 yr old fans suck.You should have been drafted.
Robin was underage. Von Hammer was an adult. It is illegal.
ReplyDeleteIf the roles were reversed Robin would be considered a predatory pedophile.
Only the most narrow minded and morally blind would ever equate what is legal with what is right and what is illegal with what is wrong. "Underage" means different things in different cultures. Go Robin! Get some!! Maybe you won't turn out as emotionally constipated as your mentor, Batman. Bet no one propositioned him when he was 16! Peace...
ReplyDeletePlease read your comment before posting. it doesn't make sense.
ReplyDeleteThe concept the commenter doesn't seem to grasp, and I sincerely hope he does before he finds himself in a pair of handcuffs, is that sexual advances or sexual activity by a legal adult between someone who is not of the age of consent is wrong.
The story does not take place in India, on Walton Mountain or even back in the year 1625. An adult has a power over a younger person. It is predatory, illegal, immoral and unethical. Period.
Well, I was drafted into the army...
ReplyDeleteRobins feelings aside, it is interesting that if the genders were switched, it would be very offensive to a lot of people.
The interesting thing is that she really is putting "sex" first in a context to a minor in a subordinate position... and a minor in great emotional distress no less. That is very much the tactics of a sexual predator.
.. and what teenage boy would not takes this as a come on.. "If we were alone here I would n't care about your age..."
Strictly speaking, von Hammer is a pedophile... A closet one, prehaps, but still a pedophile. :-)
No Sleestak, you're the one that is failing to grasp something. I'm not the person you are responding to, but I feel that exact same way. "Law" is an arbitrary societal construct that has no necessary connection to morality whatsoever. Sometimes it might, sometimes not, but each one is on an entirely different axis.
ReplyDeleteYou say:
"sexual advances or sexual activity by a legal adult between someone who is not of the age of consent is wrong."
You might thing so, but your statement is totally subjective. It is true that those things might be illegal, but that doesn't make them wrong. Most people don't consider, for example, an 18 year old with a 17 year old to be wrong, and in fact many states have since adopted "age-differential" laws, which makes behavior legal when no more then a given number of years separate the two people and there aren't any allegations of force.
You might want to reexamine your own moral foundations before casting stone. Period.
18 & 17 = still illegal. My moral foundation is fine.
ReplyDeleteRobin got molested. If situation reversed, etc etc.