Here’s a ferocious rebuttal from fantasy author Tamora Pierce. I’m not approving it…exactly…just putting it out there.

So is she going to cut all ties with Marvel then?

Because if she at least threatened to, you can bet they would turn around fast, because she is a big name, and mainstream press would cover if 'high profile childrens writer refuses to work for marvel'.

The artist was confused by the initials used and thought the work was for FHM magazine!

Y'know, I can just about buy Quesada's notion that people might be giving this cover more thought than was intended. What drives me absolutely nuts is that it never occurred to him *at the time this cover was being approved*. Which of course renders his whole entire defense completely null and void.

lso, HFH is a book that features two strong, lead female protagonist who kick major ass; somehow folks have forgotten to focus on that.

Yeah, because that's what the cover shows - strong females who kick arse.

How could we not focus on that aspect of the book, when the cover shows it so strongly.

Is it just me, or is it too much like common sense to think you'd read up on the problem at hand a lot more before wading into the fray and just pissing people off even more than you have done?

He can dress it up however he wants, he can go into the "interesting" twist of it being a woman that drew the cover (thank you, Captain Obvious!), he can talk about the socio political ramifications of - oh wait, Black Cat has jizz on her boobs!

/ rolls eyes

It's like every week the blogs blow up with another one of these stories and peoples trip over themselves trying to prove they aren't misogynists. Then again I would love these companies to get the message because apparently they haven't yet.

its making us all come across as sexists and misogynists. I am pretty sure most of us aren’t but when its all we look at and discuss it shows up that way.

I'm pretty sure most of us are, actually. At least, what sells in terms of books, maquettes, posters, and t-shirts says so.

Think about how many superheroines have costumes with HIGH HEELS.

And having gone to a few SDCC's and seen the packs of guys who follow girls around the convention center and stand in front of booth models and ogle them, it's no surprise to me.

JQ: This one I can answer to. First, I think people are reading way too much into that cover than was ever intended. I heard terms such as “tentacle rape” being thrown around when that in no way is what’s happening, nor does it happen in the book. Those tentacles are the arms of the Brood who appears in the issue and is a major story point, the Brood have tentacles, sorry about that.

Secondly, the concept for that cover, soup to nuts came from a female artist. Thirdly, not being a deep follower of manga, I have no idea what recurring theme people are referring to or concerned with. While I appreciate the sentiment and the feelings that some may have about this, I honestly feel that there is way too much being read into this cover.

Also, HFH is a book that features two strong, lead female protagonist who kick major ass; somehow folks have forgotten to focus on that.

So to sum up:

1. According to Joe, it's not a "tentacle rape" homage because there are tentacled monsters inside the book, not just on the cover. Did anyone think Marvel would be so mindless as to put this cover on a book that *didn't* have a tentacled monster inside?

2. A woman drew it, so apparently it's OK.

3. Joe doesn't really have a third point; he simply admits that he's ignorant of the genre that this cover is supposedly homaging. But he's confident it's not an homage. And he doesn't seem concerned with it being pretty creepy even if you aren't familiar with the genre.

4. Um, isn't that part of the problem here? That two strong, lead female protagonists are bound, lacerated, bleeding and scared? Alongside their strong female friend who is apparently unconscious, with Brood goo on her? (And does the one on the right always wear her top that unzipped, or did a tentacle do that too?) If this is how Marvel likes to portray its strong women, I'd rather not see how they depict their less-strong characters.

I think the cover is crap without the tentacles, but thus far I've managed to avoid recognizing the existence of the book at all. Blame Brian for bringing this to everyone's attention.

P.S. I have felt the pain/pleasure of a good tentacle rape so don't just disregard my sweeping statements.

The only people that should be offended by this are the non-raping tentacles. There are plenty of nice tentacles just trying to make it in society.

That's like saying that white people shouldn't be offended by racism towards black people!

Personally I'm deeply offended on behalf of all non-raping tentacles.

I suppose those tentacles on the Planet Hulk cover a few months back were also planning on raping the Hulk.

This cover, and all the others like it, just make me think of one thing: some parent somewhere who takes his/her kid into a comic shop for the first time, sees some garbage like this, and leaves, never to return.

Good Lord, I would, were I not a big fat comic nerd who knows there's god stuff out there as well.

If Marvel is really worried about bringing in that next generation of readers, how about more POWER PACK and MARVEL ADVENTURES and less of this kind of nonsense.

And she may be a fine artist, DubipR, but that doesn't change the fact that she's drawing absolute crap in this case. And as for having nothing else to do with my miserable life ... well, I've got a couple of little girls to raise, one of which is absolutely nuts about comics. We'll be sticking to the fun stuff and leaving HFH to the pervs (who ELSE is reading it?).