Truth. Cancel away guys.
Red Sonja PF!!
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Mose Harper
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Just to be clear- my criticisms of the piece are not because it's too sexy or sexualized. It's that the choices that were made (by the artist and/or director) seem to have been made with the intention of making her look sexy first, and then trying to fit the 'story' aspects around that.
That to me is poor craftsmanship. If you have a story to tell, tell that as well as you can first- the sexy will be a natural by-product and only enhance the appeal of it. As people have already pointed out, the costume is ridiculous as it is, you can't help but have an element of fanciful sex appeal with the property just about no matter what you do. So why not try to nail the mechanics first as best you can, and let the sexy arrive on it's own?
To relate it to comics, it would be the equivalent of how the medium regressed in the late 80's early 90's. You would see this especially in Image titles and work by McFarlane and Liefield and others. Storytelling (panel to panel progression) took a back seat to loading books up with more frequent pin-up/splash pages.
Artists got hip to the fact that when they went to cons and had their original art out for sale on the table, those splash pages would command a much higher dollar than a page full of (boring) multi sequential panels where something cool might only be happening in one or two of them.
This style was also a big hook for the tween and adolescent readers who weren't likely to appreciate the nuance involved in building up drama methodically and slowly through the studied use of angles, composition, lighting and pacing, etc. It was all about coming up with a few cool action pin-ups every few pages for each issue, and then trying to thread the rest of the story between them. In other words, story took a back seat to a few pretty pictures each issue.
A few people have made the comment that this is intended to be a museum pose. I would disagree. A museum pose to me is the character simply posing in their costume in a uniform or semi-generic way. This definitely hews more to a diorama with the fact that she is engaging in an action, and is shown on an environmental base- all to the purpose of telling a story. You may not know exactly what the story is behind it, but there is clearly a narrative being illustrated.
She is most definitely supposed to be doing something specific here in a specific context, not simply being posed for a model sheet.
That to me is poor craftsmanship. If you have a story to tell, tell that as well as you can first- the sexy will be a natural by-product and only enhance the appeal of it. As people have already pointed out, the costume is ridiculous as it is, you can't help but have an element of fanciful sex appeal with the property just about no matter what you do. So why not try to nail the mechanics first as best you can, and let the sexy arrive on it's own?
To relate it to comics, it would be the equivalent of how the medium regressed in the late 80's early 90's. You would see this especially in Image titles and work by McFarlane and Liefield and others. Storytelling (panel to panel progression) took a back seat to loading books up with more frequent pin-up/splash pages.
Artists got hip to the fact that when they went to cons and had their original art out for sale on the table, those splash pages would command a much higher dollar than a page full of (boring) multi sequential panels where something cool might only be happening in one or two of them.
This style was also a big hook for the tween and adolescent readers who weren't likely to appreciate the nuance involved in building up drama methodically and slowly through the studied use of angles, composition, lighting and pacing, etc. It was all about coming up with a few cool action pin-ups every few pages for each issue, and then trying to thread the rest of the story between them. In other words, story took a back seat to a few pretty pictures each issue.
A few people have made the comment that this is intended to be a museum pose. I would disagree. A museum pose to me is the character simply posing in their costume in a uniform or semi-generic way. This definitely hews more to a diorama with the fact that she is engaging in an action, and is shown on an environmental base- all to the purpose of telling a story. You may not know exactly what the story is behind it, but there is clearly a narrative being illustrated.
She is most definitely supposed to be doing something specific here in a specific context, not simply being posed for a model sheet.
Something Sexy
Super Freak
You are clearly new to this hobby then.
Collectorcol
Super Freak
Who cares? She looks awesome.
THIS !
Splitting hairs over the way an inanimate, consumer product is posed, based upon a make believe piece of art, is a strange. I bought the statue because I like it, and I'm not a statue-humper. I feel like Roger Ebert's ghost has come here and is critiquing this statue, like it was some kind of high-art statement. It makes about as much sense to me as, what's the frequency, Kenneth.
garygerani
Freaked Out
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It's interesting how this majestic sword-and-sorcery stance has persisted over the years. As mentioned, the full-standing figure raising a weapon or battle offering skyward nails the relationship between the harsh physical world and the magical or spiritual realm the hero is a part of. Since it's clearly the same stance with the same message in all three cases here, it should be equally obvious that there is nothing unduly sexist about Character Number Three; she just happens to be female, which means nature created her with more curves, something most heterosexual men respond to (just as heterosexual women and gay guys can revel in Arnie's natural attributes). All of these characters are overly flamboyant and sexy, because they are part of 'guilty pleasure' classical romantic adventure fantasy; we're not looking at real-world statesmen or military heroes, for crying out loud! But this stance is perfect for a sword-and-sorcery warrior hero, regardless of gender... which is why it has stood the test of time, and why it works so wonderfully for Red Sonja.
Btw, if you don't agree, I'll sic the Demon of Revenge on ya!
Mose Harper
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garygerani- point taken.
Let me further clarify that nearly all my criticisms of the piece were pertaining directly to the frost giant head option. Much of what I wrote concerning aspects of the stance, the inclination of her arm, etc really doesn't apply as much (or at all) to the display when she is holding the axe. I should have been clearer in using a pic of the giants head option when making the case, as not doing so may have muddied the water.
I see similar responses a lot whenever anyone offers substantive, critical comments on something like this.
Usually it is supported with "Why are you criticizing it when...
1) "That's just his individual style, bro"
or
2) "It's a fictional , comic book character...not a real person."
neither of which, of course, makes the critique invalid.
Let me further clarify that nearly all my criticisms of the piece were pertaining directly to the frost giant head option. Much of what I wrote concerning aspects of the stance, the inclination of her arm, etc really doesn't apply as much (or at all) to the display when she is holding the axe. I should have been clearer in using a pic of the giants head option when making the case, as not doing so may have muddied the water.
I see similar responses a lot whenever anyone offers substantive, critical comments on something like this.
Usually it is supported with "Why are you criticizing it when...
1) "That's just his individual style, bro"
or
2) "It's a fictional , comic book character...not a real person."
neither of which, of course, makes the critique invalid.
RJMacReady16
Super Freak
Somebody accidentally popped wood over a statue and had to vent about it. It's pin-up art. If it's too much for you, move to Utah.
God help us if they find the ARH threads
Mose Harper
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Not saying you actually need to read or follow the discussion to have an opinion about it, but the point was never that "it's pin-up art".
It's that it could be superior pin-up art- in a few easily understandable, objective, and correctable ways.
That's it... in a nutshell.
RJMacReady16
Super Freak
No yeah I'm American. We read what we type then fall asleep.
we made Facebook huge.
we made Facebook huge.
Mose Harper
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Tavegg
Super Freak
Can we stop typing novels in this thread about crap that nobody cares about. How about you like it or you dont. If you don't like the statue then GTFO so I don't have to read pages of psycho babbling
Collectorcol
Super Freak
↑ 
Apart from me saying 'who cares?' This is the best recent post.
Apart from me saying 'who cares?' This is the best recent post.
CallMeTheDoctor
Super Freak
Only thing stopping me from getting this is my funds
She would look sick next to WW.
She would look sick next to WW.
Collectorcol
Super Freak
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