Whats good people! Just wanted to ask people who have purchased Kacela and liked it to help a brother out and tell a friend. Even if its one person and they don't buy it the positive word of mouth is important and the difference between more things like kacela and less things of a far less positive nature. Also to pose a question for anyone who wants to answer:
Is Captain Kacela too provocatively dressed for girls aged 7-12 and why or why not?
I think a better question would be is she drawn too provocatively. I'm going to try to keep my comments general and then you can see if they fit what you're doing or not. I will also be brutally honest.
ReplyDeleteFirst of all - I don't do work for that age group - so if I was asked if WitchDoctor is for young readers I would immediately say no. It's not that I think something about it is too adult for them but my writing intentions are to dark and too explicit - and I don't think children would find it entertaining. As for the pictures - I'm sure kids like looking at drawings whatever they are.
This brings me to Cody - the female character in my book, she wears shorts and a t-shirt. I could see someone saying she is dressed provocatively - but I would also say - this story takes place in Haiti - what she is wearing is appropriate for her environment. Is what Captain Kacela wearing appropriate for her environment.
Typically superhero types wear skin tight costumes which are visually intended to show off their physique. In reality when people wear spandex it doesn't necessarily cling to every inch of skin. It is certainly easier to draw that super skin-tight clothing; its just a matter of drawing the anatomy and adding a simple line for a sleeve. Does a 7-12 year old need to see the creases in the buttocks? The cleavage over,around, and between the breasts? I would say no. I wouldn't offer that to my daughter but if she reached out for it I wouldn't stop her.
Finally is it appropriate to the circumstance? Alot of times you can CYA with armor plating. If you make her battle appropriate certain body parts shouldn't be all out and about. In many cases her poses will provide defense against leering eyes and critical parents. If her shoulder pads are bigger than her breasts it draws away unwanted attention - if she doesn't have shoulder pads - well what do you expect the reader to see.
Hope all that helps. Keep in mind - parents will be offended no matter what. Parent will also let their kids listen to Lil Wayne and Nicki Minaj. Do you, the fact that you posed the question means that your heart is in the right place. You will be commended for that.
As a reader, I would like to see Kacela in other outfits just for some flavor in future stories, but as she appears now I don’t think she’s any more provocatively dressed than a real-life 200 mm runner, Olympic swimmer, or one or two of our favorite tennis players.
ReplyDeleteI have to echo Kenjji’s sentiment on the likelihood of parents being offended no matter what is presented to their children. It seems like the visual arts catch the brunt of that before other mediums, because it’s so obviously immediate. But some people are simply looking to be offended, so be wary of attempting to please everyone.
I think as long as you don’t put the character in provocative poses that objectify her figure (or, less politically-speaking, imply sensuality) and just show her matter-of-factly doing her adventuress thing, you could market CKUR to younger audiences—if that’s your intention. As it stands, I think her callipygian figure would appeal more to teenage girls (who might be able to relate to it) and adult male readers (who might be able to appreciate it) before pre-teens (“tweens”?) of either sex. Page 19 of Issue 1 (the full-page that got Crazy Al Cayne’s attention in his ECBACC interview with you) is a point you might not want to go beyond with a younger audience. (No worms-eye views of the Captain’s buttocks, for example.)
I appreciate your character for its authenticity—visually and within your narrative. She rings true and similar to young women I know (despite her futuristic, fantastic setting), which is commendable.
If anything, I would urge you to continue to challenge perceptions by showing a range of body types among your female comics characters (as represented within our Diaspora) to deflect any “booty-centric” criticism or perception. You might find your message shifting from “Our Beauty Standards v. Theirs” to See All of Us.
Keep Kacela flyin’! (I’ll get on that tell-a-friend mission, too.)
Thanks for those comments. All of which were taken to heart, and some of which are already in the works. Hopefully I can find slightly better direction for the audience. And as always I appreciate your support folks.
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