DC is having a bad time lately. Yesterday Batwoman's authors quit because they couldn't show her lesbian marriage. [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/127492-Lesbian-Marriage-Too-Tough-For-Batwoman-Authors-Leave] Apparently, DC decided to distract us from that shitstorm with another: They want naked pictures of Harley Quinn killing herself.
Seriously, that's a contest they're running. [http://www.dailydot.com/fandom/dc-comics-kill-naked-harley-quinn-contest/] The winner gets an opportunity to contribute to an upcoming comic. You need to submit 4 pictures [http://www.dccomics.com/node/305151], including "trying to get hit by lightning by waving a giant metal rod" and "wearing clothes made of chicken to get alligators to eat her". It's the last one that's got people really upset:
Harley sitting naked in a bathtub with toasters, blow dryers, blenders, appliances all dangling above the bathtub and she has a cord that will release them all. We are watching the moment before the inevitable death. Her expression is one of ?oh well, guess that?s it for me? and she has resigned herself to the moment that is going to happen.
Naturally, people are pissed [http://jezebel.com/dc-comics-contest-draw-a-naked-woman-committing-suicid-1265537616]. There are all sorts of protests about how this is sexualizing suicide and making it seem attractive, about how it would never be done with a male character, etc.
I'm just here to report the news; I have no words that can describe what I feel at hearing this. How about you, Escapists?
EDIT: By the way, (United States) National Suicide Prevention Week starts tomorrow.
EDIT 2: Might as well mention some common things being brought up in the thread.
1) "What's the big deal? Of course she's naked, she's in the bath, it's more realistic!"
A lot of people are mentioning how it's obvious that she would be undressed, as she's in the bath. First off, she's not actually taking a bath. Secondly, if it's obvious, why mention it? It deliberately takes the imagination to a place with a naked woman in it, which has sexual connotations. If they had left out "naked" it's possible that people would have drawn her naked; they also might have left her in her costume, as that's the most obvious identifier of who she is, and could lend a bit of lightheartedness to the scene. (This also ties in with point 3 about comedy)
2) "She's crazy, of course she's the one committing suicide!"
The fact that she is mentally ill is actually a bit worrisome. There are plenty of people in this thread asking if this might be some way to kill off the character. Showcasing a mentally ill character trying to kill themselves in a plausible way, with the darkest possible tone, seems like a little much to ask from a character celebrated for her lighter approach to horrible things.
3) "It's just black humour/ a realistic piece on suicide. It's art!"
These two seem opposed, but address the same problem: Tone. The first three entries are all mad black humour: wearing a clothes made of chicken to tempt alligators is straightforward comedy. The last entry is drastically different. Read the blurb above I copied from the official contest rules again, or better yet read all 4 in succession: Doesn't really match up, does it? It's entirely possible to do good black jokes about suicide, just as it's possible to do a moving, realistic artistic piece on suicide. When you mix the two, you seem to be trivializing the idea of suicide as a whole.
Seriously, that's a contest they're running. [http://www.dailydot.com/fandom/dc-comics-kill-naked-harley-quinn-contest/] The winner gets an opportunity to contribute to an upcoming comic. You need to submit 4 pictures [http://www.dccomics.com/node/305151], including "trying to get hit by lightning by waving a giant metal rod" and "wearing clothes made of chicken to get alligators to eat her". It's the last one that's got people really upset:
Harley sitting naked in a bathtub with toasters, blow dryers, blenders, appliances all dangling above the bathtub and she has a cord that will release them all. We are watching the moment before the inevitable death. Her expression is one of ?oh well, guess that?s it for me? and she has resigned herself to the moment that is going to happen.
Naturally, people are pissed [http://jezebel.com/dc-comics-contest-draw-a-naked-woman-committing-suicid-1265537616]. There are all sorts of protests about how this is sexualizing suicide and making it seem attractive, about how it would never be done with a male character, etc.
I'm just here to report the news; I have no words that can describe what I feel at hearing this. How about you, Escapists?
EDIT: By the way, (United States) National Suicide Prevention Week starts tomorrow.
EDIT 2: Might as well mention some common things being brought up in the thread.
1) "What's the big deal? Of course she's naked, she's in the bath, it's more realistic!"
A lot of people are mentioning how it's obvious that she would be undressed, as she's in the bath. First off, she's not actually taking a bath. Secondly, if it's obvious, why mention it? It deliberately takes the imagination to a place with a naked woman in it, which has sexual connotations. If they had left out "naked" it's possible that people would have drawn her naked; they also might have left her in her costume, as that's the most obvious identifier of who she is, and could lend a bit of lightheartedness to the scene. (This also ties in with point 3 about comedy)
2) "She's crazy, of course she's the one committing suicide!"
The fact that she is mentally ill is actually a bit worrisome. There are plenty of people in this thread asking if this might be some way to kill off the character. Showcasing a mentally ill character trying to kill themselves in a plausible way, with the darkest possible tone, seems like a little much to ask from a character celebrated for her lighter approach to horrible things.
3) "It's just black humour/ a realistic piece on suicide. It's art!"
These two seem opposed, but address the same problem: Tone. The first three entries are all mad black humour: wearing a clothes made of chicken to tempt alligators is straightforward comedy. The last entry is drastically different. Read the blurb above I copied from the official contest rules again, or better yet read all 4 in succession: Doesn't really match up, does it? It's entirely possible to do good black jokes about suicide, just as it's possible to do a moving, realistic artistic piece on suicide. When you mix the two, you seem to be trivializing the idea of suicide as a whole.
