Countdown Boycott

[Ion Kenshin]

I love that store man ....i just went there today actually

 

[Joker]

Is there any way this can be organized and have an effect? This book sucks. It just does. I reached the last straw when I went back and realized that there are 5 gay jokes about the Pied Piper in his 4 pages of screentime. Or pagetime. Whatever. 5 in 4 pages!!!!

The capper is when Double Down calls him a "twink" . Now, I'm not familiar with this stuff (I swear) but for those of you who may not know, a "twink" is a slang term in gay porn for guys who are of age, but look under 18 so as to fulfill sick bastard fantasies about teenage boys.

Is this really appropriate for what is supposed to be DC's flagship book right now? I'm no prude, but this isn't Vertigo. So I went back and counted, and found about 72 pages involving Piper and Trickster together (give or take a couple). Care to guess how many gay jokes or references to Piper being gay there are? FOURTEEN.

Fourteen gay jokes/references in 18 issues in which Piper appears. We get it. The Pied Piper is gay. How many "hilarious" comments about prom dresses and male strippers do we really need? I'm sorry, but Countdown has officially turned the corner for me from being just a crappy comic book to downright offensive.

The only way to make an impact is to let DC know how terrible this is. I'm personally writing DC an email and a letter every week until I get a response, and I encourage others to do likewise. I am also going to go on the IGN and Newsarama boards and post a similar rant telling people to stop buying Countdown, even if it is just for one week.

That is the only way really, for the sales to be hit. So I'm not buying Countdown anymore, and hopefully others will too.

He's a supervillain. He hangs out with other supervillains. Supervillains, are by nature, a very macho and a**hole-ish lot. Therefore the jokes about his sexuality are accurate. Why do you think there are no openly gay mobsters or gangstas? Because it would ruin there street cred, just like Piper has no street cred. And making most of these jokes is the damn Trickster, who makes jokes about EVERYTHING.

 

[Doc Destruction]

Yeah, I'm not seeing the big deal here either.

Hell, every gay friend I've ever had has riffed a plethora of great gay jokes on a continous basis.

 

[juarez]

He's a supervillain. He hangs out with other supervillains. Supervillains, are by nature, a very macho and a**hole-ish lot. Therefore the jokes about his sexuality are accurate. Why do you think there are no openly gay mobsters or gangstas? Because it would ruin there street cred, just like Piper has no street cred. And making most of these jokes is the damn Trickster, who makes jokes about EVERYTHING.

Never heard of Ronnie Kray then obviously. Bi-sexual and greatly feared and respected by London underworld types.

 

[Harlekin]

American gangsters are a little more close-minded. As I recall anyway, Kray and his brother were also bat**** insane, so it was more fear than respect.

 

[juarez]

He's a supervillain. He hangs out with other supervillains. Supervillains, are by nature, a very macho and a**hole-ish lot. Therefore the jokes about his sexuality are accurate. Why do you think there are no openly gay mobsters or gangstas? Because it would ruin there street cred, just like Piper has no street cred. And making most of these jokes is the damn Trickster, who makes jokes about EVERYTHING.

I guess if supervillains are supposed to macho, bigoted people you wouldn't object to them tossing around some racist remarks considering real villains would. I doubt we'll be seeing Trickster making any "black" jokes anytime soon, seeing as how homophobia is the last acceptable form of bigotry.

 

[TheCorpulent1]

Maybe the Trickster doesn't have a problem with black people. Plenty of other villains do, though. The Red Skull once got really upset because Black Panther pulled off his gloves to fight him. He was all, "Those filthy hands... you won't touch me with those hands!" So some villains do still hate the blacks, and it's perfectly logical and acceptable for them to do so because, y'know, they're villains. They're supposed to be a**holes.

 

[juarez]

Maybe the Trickster doesn't have a problem with black people. Plenty of other villains do, though. The Red Skull once got really upset because Black Panther pulled off his gloves to fight him. He was all, "Those filthy hands... you won't touch me with those hands!" So some villains do still hate the blacks, and it's perfectly logical and acceptable for them to do so because, y'know, they're villains. They're supposed to be a**holes.

Yes but Red Skull is an evil nazi ********, it'd be suspicious if he WASN'T racist. He's not supposed to be sympathetic or relatable in any way, unlike The Trickster, who is more of a sympathetic anti-hero in the pages of Countdown. People are enjoying the character in Countdown, and the gay jokes at Piper's expense. What I'm saying is I doubt people would be liking the character so much if he was an anti-semite and Piper was a jew.

I don't get how chaining a homophobe and a gay man together can be a "funny" situation as Didio stated was his intention. It's almost as if readers can get their gay joke yucks at a character's expense in a passive aggressive way, like "oh, it's ok, he's a villain, of course he's homophobic! but those gay jokes sure are hilarious!".

I wouldn't mind so much if The Trickster's arc involves him getting over his bigotry, and it may yet do, but so far it just seems an excuse for cheap shots, as if the writers are thinking that the only way to write a gay character in a mainstream title is to alleviate straight male fears with the inclusion of a homophobic character the readers can identify with.

 

[TheCorpulent1]

Well, on your last point, it's pretty clearly not the only way to write a gay character in a mainstream title. Wiccan, Hulkling, Lucy in the Sky, and Xavin (sometimes) all stand as a testament to that. Northstar kind of could too, except his sexuality is usually downplayed.

Still, I don't really have a problem with jokes at anybody's expense if they're in-character for the person saying them. If the Red Skull were chained to Sabra (since she's probably the only Jew whom he couldn't just strangle and drag around as dead weight) and hilarity ensued, so be it. I'd laugh if the jokes were funny. They've established the Trickster as a guy who's uncomfortable around gay people, so it makes sense in the context for him to make the jokes. Whether you want to take issue with the fact that they apparently established the Trickster as a homophobe specifically for this Countdown arc is another issue.

The fact that the Trickster is meant to be relatable is a non-issue to me. So what if he's supposed to be a somewhat heroic, relatable character? Every good protagonist is flawed somehow. Besides, I do think the arc will ultimately make the Trickster get over his homophobia, if only because hanging around with Piper for so long will make him use up all his gay jokes.

 

[Varient]

Is there any way this can be organized and have an effect? This book sucks. It just does. I reached the last straw when I went back and realized that there are 5 gay jokes about the Pied Piper in his 4 pages of screentime. Or pagetime. Whatever. 5 in 4 pages!!!!

The capper is when Double Down calls him a "twink" . Now, I'm not familiar with this stuff (I swear) but for those of you who may not know, a "twink" is a slang term in gay porn for guys who are of age, but look under 18 so as to fulfill sick bastard fantasies about teenage boys.

Is this really appropriate for what is supposed to be DC's flagship book right now? I'm no prude, but this isn't Vertigo. So I went back and counted, and found about 72 pages involving Piper and Trickster together (give or take a couple). Care to guess how many gay jokes or references to Piper being gay there are? FOURTEEN.

Fourteen gay jokes/references in 18 issues in which Piper appears. We get it. The Pied Piper is gay. How many "hilarious" comments about prom dresses and male strippers do we really need? I'm sorry, but Countdown has officially turned the corner for me from being just a crappy comic book to downright offensive.

The only way to make an impact is to let DC know how terrible this is. I'm personally writing DC an email and a letter every week until I get a response, and I encourage others to do likewise. I am also going to go on the IGN and Newsarama boards and post a similar rant telling people to stop buying Countdown, even if it is just for one week.

That is the only way really, for the sales to be hit. So I'm not buying Countdown anymore, and hopefully others will too.

I have no trouble with homosexuality as a choice.
I have no problem with ONE CHARACTER in the story going non-stop on the gay oneliners.

Trickster as a character can't get past the point that the piper is a sausage fan.

To me this is exactly the same as any one character who can't get past color, age or sex.

With respect,... I feel you are over reacting.

 

[Kitsune]

W
Still, I don't really have a problem with jokes at anybody's expense if they're in-character for the person saying them. If the Red Skull were chained to Sabra (since she's probably the only Jew whom he couldn't just strangle and drag around as dead weight)

I don't think the Skull could Strangle Benjamin Jacob Grimm

 

[TheCorpulent1]

Oh yeah, he's Jewish too. But he'd probably make fun of the Skull, not the other way around.

 

[Kitsune]

Oh yeah, he's Jewish too. But he'd probably make fun of the Skull, not the other way around.

I want to see that. You think we could convince Dan_Slott to write it

 

[Varient]

Oh yeah, he's Jewish too. But he'd probably make fun of the Skull, not the other way around.

I wouldn't mind the red skull being in a room with Kurt Wagner, Kitty Pryde, Sam Wilson, Luke Cage, Ben Grimm, and The Scorpion,...

 

[TheCorpulent1]

What's the Scorpion? Jewish?

I want to see that. You think we could convince Dan_Slott to write it

Heh, maybe if What The--?! ever comes back.

 

[Varient]

What's the Scorpion? Jewish?

Heh, maybe if What The--?! ever comes back.

No,.. she's not "human".

Her dad may be the Hulk and she was genetically crafted.

Red Skull would consider her a monster to be used then destroyed.

 

[TheCorpulent1]

Oh, that Scorpion. I thought you meant Mac Gargan.

 

[Doc Destruction]

Oh, that Scorpion. I thought you meant Mac Gargan.

Yes, THE Scorpion.

 

[TheCorpulent1]

I call him Venorpion now.

 

[Varient]

Yes, THE Scorpion.

Don't you realize that Marvel has this idea that replacing known characters with hardbody teenaged females will cause more people to buy their stuff?

have you not drooled over female teenage sexpot wolverine clone or female teenaged sexpot Spiderman or the newest - female teenaged sexpot Scorpion?

I expect soon:

Female teenaged sex**** Iron Girl,...
Female teenaged sexpot Vulturess,...
Female teenaged sexpot Juggernaut,...
Female teenaged sexpot Captain America,...

 

[TheCorpulent1]

I really can't imagine a woman pulling off the Juggernaut's look and remaining a "sexpot."

 

[Varient]

I really can't imagine a woman pulling off the Juggernaut's look and remaining a "sexpot."

"SexBucket?"

 

[TheCorpulent1]

Sextub.

 

[Doc Destruction]

Don't you realize that Marvel has this idea that replacing known characters with hardbody teenaged females will cause more people to buy their stuff?

have you not drooled over female teenage sexpot wolverine clone or female teenaged sexpot Spiderman or the newest - female teenaged sexpot Scorpion?

They don't call X-23 "Wolverine", or Spider-Girl "Man", so I'm good with those two. One is an alternate future character, anyway.

 

[TheCorpulent1]

I think he meant Arana, actually. She's more in the vein of the others than Spider-Girl, since Spider-Girl's actually Peter's kid. The others are almost completely unrelated to their namesakes/older male counterparts.