Comics So, I just finished reading Evil That Men Do

[bulok]

Jade i think was either molested or almost molested in her orphanage by a janitor

 

[kainedamo]

I'm pretty sure Wonder Woman's never been raped. I read an interview with someone from DC once (can't remember who...possibly Didio, but I don't know,) and the interviewee said something along the lines of "A lot of writers come in with a pitch like, 'Okay, so Wonder Woman gets raped...'" and if I remember correctly, this is an idea that usually gets vetoed pretty quickly...as that's not a direction DC wants to take the character.

Didn't she murder some guy 'cause she was pissed that he raped her??

 

[CConn]

Didn't she murder some guy 'cause she was pissed that he raped her??

She killed Maxwell Lord because he had gained control of Superman's consciousness through telepathy.

So I guess you could say she killed a guy because he mind-raped Superman.

 

[WOLVERINE25TH]

What issue did Joker do that stuff to Batgirl?

 

[Mister J]

The Killing Joke, a one-shot.

 

[Kool-Aid]

I liked this book. I bought the hardcover a month or so ago. More girls should be raped in comics or by comics.

 

[CConn]

I liked this book. I bought the hardcover a month or so ago. More girls should be raped in comics or by comics.

Imagine the papercuts.

 

[DACrowe]

Well I just finally picked up the last three issues the other day wans very impressed. I thought Smith andelled the rape issue very well. The hiatus pissed me off but in the long run if you read it form beginning to tend the first three issues bring Black Cat back in true for mand have some fun interaction between her and Spidey....

but the second three are just damn good characterization. It is a really good character arc done very well. Proving if Smith wasn't such a lazy bastard he could be as good a comic book writer as he is a filmmaker. But I doubt he cares what I say, so I'll just stick with it was very well written and I was impressed.

The art is exceptional (all though I felt there was a slight drop from the first 3 issues) and the use of Daredevil was really fun, especially for Smith. The issue was uncomfortable but handelled well and walked the line betwen dramatic and cliche real well and worked in the end (kind of how the drug issues in Stan Lee's day on Spider-Man worked, for that era of comic books anyway.

Also the set up for a new better Mysterio was great however I was disappointed by how Friendly just kind of chucked that.

I think it was a fun good little arc with a strong ending and a good build up of the Cat and Spidey relationship and the Cat character herself.

I'm glad I finally finished reading it so many years later then.

 

[The Last Meatbag]

I need to find this and buy it

 

[Mister J]

http://www.amazon.com/Spider-Man-Black-Cat-Marvel-Premiere/dp/078511095X

The latest review looks strangely familiar.

 

[CConn]

I'm economical in my writing.

 

[MaskedManJRK]

I highly doubt that. I can think of nearly two dozen gay/bi characters in comics. So far, everyone in this thread has been able to come up with barely four raped characters.

Yeah, I think this idea of how masonginistic comics are with "every female character gets raped" is kinda exacturated. The only ones I can think of from the top of my head are:

Black Cat (Evil that Men Do)
Black Canary (Longbow Hunters series)
Elongated Man's wife (Idenity Crisis)
Raven's mother (The New Teen Titans)
Nightwing (Devin Grayson's run...DAMN YOU GRAYSON!!!)

That's pretty much it. Odd that it is mostly DC characters I think of--then again, I'm more of a DC fanatic anyway, so it might just be lack of information in my case--and it's also good to note that with the exception of Canary and Raven's mother, all of these took place just barely last year.

 

[Mister J]

Pretty sure I remember reading something where Mike Grell confirmed Canary wasn't raped during her capture. There was also something later on in that arc (or the one following it) where Dinah's shrink mentioned rape and her response was something along the lines of "Like that's the worst that could have happened". I just took it as her spirit had been broken, on top of the physical effects of the torture. Of course the passage of time and a dip in the Lazarus Pit fixed all that up.

 

[SpideyInATree]

There was also rape in the Watchmen series as well. I can't recall the woman's name but Comedian laid the wood to her without her consent.

 

[ragingdemon155]

...and I actually really liked it.

With all the complaints that have been given about Kevin Smith's three year delay in finishing the series, the quality of the whole thing seems to get drowned out.

I was really struck by just how wonderful a spotlight it was for Black Cat. As the title suggests, this is Spider-Man AND the Black Cat. And it's all done very well. The characterization and banter between the characters is excellent. It plainly reminded me why I've quickly become a bit of a fan of Black Cat, and what a solid supporting character she can be to Spider-Man.

Now that's the first half of the book. The second half - while still focusing very much on Black Cat - takes a very different angle. Namely rape and sexual abuse. This is dark stuff. This is disturbing stuff. The kind of subject matter that is almost always uncomfortable to read. At the same time, it's a subject matter that should be read. People should understand what it's like to be raped. Both as an act of prevention against committing it, and as a compassion for the people who have suffered it. Smith details that perfectly. He shows exactly what it does to people. Shows just how truly horrible it is. And that, while uncomfortable, is ultimately powerful. Very powerful.

With that said, I would be remiss to mention the art. It's fantastic. I've always been a fan of the Dodson's, and this - next to their current Wonder Woman run - may be the best art they've ever turned out. While I generally consider their style to be a rather light one, it actually ends up fitting the darkness of the story very well, making the whole book all the more captivating to read.

While it may very well be too uncomfortable for me to read again, I must say, the book certainly left a great impact on me, and I'm certainly glad I spent my $15 bucks, and 2 hours to read it.
​

Same here. I liked it too. Maybe I'm a bit bias because Black Cat is one of my favorite characters in the Spider-verse and I feel she is a perfect supporting character...but I still enjoyed it. The art was fantastic and I though Keven Smith really handled the last couple of issues extremely well. He took a risk and wrote some contraversial stuff and the dialogue was spot on.

When a writer comes along and writes the "unique" relationship that Spidey and Black Cat have spot on...its a real joy to read.

 

[CConn]

There was also rape in the Watchmen series as well. I can't recall the woman's name but Comedian laid the wood to her without her consent.

That was 20 years ago, SIAT.

 

[MaskedManJRK]

There was also rape in the Watchmen series as well. I can't recall the woman's name but Comedian laid the wood to her without her consent.

Actually, I don't think he actually finished the act. He only knocked her down and was about to do the deed with another character walked in and stopped it.

 

[aptget]

Wasnt Daredevil raped by the avengers?
I remember they chose him because he couldnt see them and was an easy target

 

[roni14]

Aren't we REALLY off topic now? I thought this was about the book evil that men do, and innocent little me decides to read up on it, because I don't have it, and want to know if it's any good. And all I hear about are DC character getting raped. WTF?

 

[Mister J]

Aren't we REALLY off topic now? I thought this was about the book evil that men do, and innocent little me decides to read up on it, because I don't have it, and want to know if it's any good. And all I hear about are DC character getting raped. WTF?

Kinda. There was a general review in the first post, then a few follow-ups and then it moved on to a discussion of the presence of rape in comics because that's one of the themes in the book. IMO, it was a pretty good read, it's just the inclusion of the rape subject matter that stems debate (as to whether or not it was necessary or added anything to the story).

Btw, Welcome to the Hype!

 

[CConn]

IMO, it was a pretty good read, it's just the inclusion of the rape subject matter that stems debate (as to whether or not it was necessary or added anything to the story).

I wouldn't quite say that's what stems the debate. I mean, the point of the book becomes the rape(s) after the last few issues. The debate's more should it have been about rape to begin with.

 

[Mister J]

I wouldn't quite say that's what stems the debate. I mean, the point of the book becomes the rape(s) after the last few issues. The debate's more should it have been about rape to begin with.

In my defense, I was blindingly drunk when I wrote that , but your take is more accurate as to what's transpired.

 

[roni14]

Thanks for the welcome!

 

[UltimateWebhead]

As a fan of Black Cat, it is somewhat embarrassing to me that I have never read nor even heard of the title "Evil That Men Do" written by Kevin Smith. Not really sure how I missed this one but it also has a benefit too. This is a 6-issue series that debuted the 1st three issues in 2002 and with a 3-year gap between the remaining issues, the final three came out in 2005. That unplanned hiatus is/was a definite sore spot for many fans and many of the criticisms that surround this title come from that aspect. But now, the advantage of reading it later is that the entire series is collected in TPB form. I can empathize with those that were reading this as it first was released and then having to wait so long for a closure--that's rough, but obviously this won't be a criticism from me.

I really, really enjoyed this book. Black Cat has always intrigued me as one of the better supporting characters in the Spidey mythos. Probably not the girl that Peter should end up with but I've always enjoyed their encounters, the sexual tension, fighting as a team or against one another. Their dynamic is quite cool. The hero and the thief sometimes working together--a mutual attraction and connection.

Evil That Men Do provides a great layer of depth for Black Cat as she basically takes center stage. Kevin Smith adds some info to her backstory, provides her with maturity as she looks back on past mistakes and overall gives Felicia some great character growth as she goes from what many would consider the 'rebound girl' to someone who is more well-rounded.

This definitely has some dark moments and without the risk of spoiling this for the few who may not have read it, delves into both rape and incest. It's a bit uncomfortable reading these topics whether they be a news article or maybe even moreso in the pages of a comic. But...it works here and Smith details those topics in a way that makes for an interesting read. I'll leave it at that.

The art by Terry Dodson is beautiful. I'm not overly familiar with his body of work but here he does a fabulous job of illustrating this book. It has a more cartoonish feel to it that is a great counter-balance for the darkness that the comic achieves. His Spidey and Black Cat as well as Daredevil and Nightcrawler (yeah, they both make an appearance here!) all look exceptional.

Kevin Smith writes some very nice dialogue throughout from the more serious tones to the more lighthearted moments. Spidey's quips are very funny and few even had me laughing out loud and the playfulness between Cat and Spidey during the first three issues are absolutely perfect. Their banter is definitely a highlight.

Overall I would highly recommend this series. If you're not familiar with Black Cat this may not be the best place to start as this series does make several references to her past. Though there's much to enjoy here I don't want to discourage people from reading it because of a lack of familiarity--it's an easy read and you won't be thrown off course without having prior knowledge of her character. It's better though coming in with that knowledge as it gives greater weight to her growth. Be warned, this does take some dark turns. The ending with Cat and Spidey has me wishing this series would have been continued...I would have loved to see her continue to grow some more.

 

[JJJ's Ulcer]

Wow, this was a random bump.

I liked this mini. It wasn't the best Spidey story ever and the 3 year delay was really obnoxious, but looked back on now it was a solid story with beautiful artwork. I never understood the hate for it. I guess the delay caused some of that, but I think some people just hated on it because it was by Kevin Smith and they didn't like Black Cat's characterization. But compared to the crap Slott has done to Cat, it was gold. All the pre-BND Spidey storylines look better and better in retrospect with each passing year.