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Topic: Cassie Sandsmark, Porn Queen (Aging, Again) (Topic Closed Topic Closed) Post ReplyPost New Topic
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Michael Penn
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Posted: 13 April 2006 at 11:19am | IP Logged | 1  

...teenagers having sex... "irresponsible" rather than "good."

***

Perhaps the inability or even just sheer discomfort with pubescent sexuality is at the root of the dearth of teenage characters, particularly female since comic books have always been predominantly a male domain.

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Trevor Krysak
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Posted: 13 April 2006 at 11:20am | IP Logged | 2  

 Porn queen? Bit excessive wouldn't you say? I agree though that the character sure has been aged quickly. I imagine the fact that Donna Troy was out of the picture had a bit to do with that. But hard to say for certain.
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John Byrne
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Posted: 13 April 2006 at 11:26am | IP Logged | 3  

I remember now something I have not thought about in years. Back when the idea of "graphic novels" was just aborning, one of the earliest ones Marvel contemplated was an X-MEN book done by Chris and me. Shooter informed us that because of the different format, this could be a more "adult" comic. To me, the first thing this meant was that Wolverine could disembowel somebody on camera. To Chris, it meand Scott and Jean could consumate their relationship, also on camera.

Where that takes us in revealing the ways out different minds work, I will leave to your own cogitations.

What definitely seems to be happening now, tho, some 25 years later, is that a bunch of fanboys who grew up drooling ove the nipples Terry would add to Storm or Phoenix, or imagining what happened after that bedroom door was closed -- these are now the people writing and drawing the books, and instead of merely tantalizing, they have to show as much as they possibly can. And the audience, dumbed down by the departure of so many readers, leaving hardcore fanboys in a much larger percentage than was formerly the case -- well, they just love it.

The word is "pandering" -- and, you know, it's not a good thing.

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John Mietus
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Posted: 13 April 2006 at 11:31am | IP Logged | 4  

Sad.

Hey, is that Michael Penn the musician?
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Vinny Valenti
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Posted: 13 April 2006 at 11:31am | IP Logged | 5  

This is a good time for me to ask - am I the only one that gets creeped out by movies like "American Pie"?. The movie seemed to start out with a theme that it wasn't that important for a teen to have sex, followed by the ending....wherein pretty much every kid had sex. Then there's scenes like Alyson Hannigan talking about playing a flute in a way that would likely void the warranty if it had one. Amusing in itself, but I find it hard to laugh when the subject is someone who could be underage.

Oh, God, have I become my parents??
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Michael Roberts
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Posted: 13 April 2006 at 11:33am | IP Logged | 6  

I like the current run of Teen Titans, but I do blame it for most of the current
aging of the characters. Even when Cassie abandoned her original look for
something more trendy, she still looked like a teenager trying to look more
grown up, rather than someone interchangeable with Wonder Woman or
Donna Troy. I wonder if her aging was done to keep in stride with what they
were doing with Superboy, since they've been pushing the two as a pair for a
long time now.

Another aspect abandoned for the characters was the issue of parents. Both
Tim Drake and Cassie had to deal with their parents' reticence (or lack of
knowledge) of their superheroics, but Tim's father has been killed off and
Helena Sandsmark hasn't been used much.
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Rob Hewitt
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Posted: 13 April 2006 at 11:33am | IP Logged | 7  

The relationship between Wonder Girl and Superboy was one the things I enjoyed most about TEEN TITANS (of course that relationship is now unfortunately done).

The annual's best parts was their romance, (the rest of it was not so good) and the part where they consummated the relationship, while unexpected and not something I am used to seeing, and generally don't want to, was sweetly done, and handled fairly tastefully.

Some of the little touches of the issue reminded me of some things long past (like badly trying to cover up some form of romance with the opposite sex, when mom or dad unexpectedly came in).

For the record, Superboy was also 14 or so when created (right after The Death of Superman in 93 or 94) and looked much younger. He is much broader, bigger, and older looking now too. (of course he is Superman and Lex Luthor's clones so who knows how he ages). He also looks more contemporary now.

The current Teen Titans seem to have gone from 13-15  to 16-19 in a short time.

Although teenagers, girls in particular, seem to look much much older now, even from when i was in school, which wasn't that long ago.



Edited by Rob Hewitt on 13 April 2006 at 11:35am
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Michael Roberts
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Posted: 13 April 2006 at 11:34am | IP Logged | 8  

Oh, God, have I become my parents??

---

Yes!
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Matthew Hansel
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Posted: 13 April 2006 at 11:36am | IP Logged | 9  

At this rate of aging, the Batman will soon be within spitting distance of his "age" in Dark Knight Returns--which, somedays, I think is WHERE DC wants to head their universe.

MPH

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Brendan Howard
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Posted: 13 April 2006 at 11:38am | IP Logged | 10  

I liked Cassie when JB introduced her, and as much as I have enjoyed Geoff Johns' characterization over the past couple of years, she is a generic cookie-cutter blonde bombshell in her current guise, and that's a shame.

I have been crossing my fingers that the recent revelation that SPOILERS Cassie is the daughter of Zeus END SPOILERS would explain her physical transformation, and maybe allow us to have the old Cassie back.

Raven was de-aged to about 13-14, and she is being drawn as much older than that now. ***sigh***

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Michael Roberts
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Posted: 13 April 2006 at 11:42am | IP Logged | 11  

What's odd about Superboy is that when he was stuck at age 16, his
girlfriend was much older (I'm thinking 21). I really didn't think much of it at
the time, but now it's kind of eww.
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Gregory Dickens
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Posted: 13 April 2006 at 11:42am | IP Logged | 12  

"To Chris, it meand Scott and Jean could consumate their relationship, also on camera."

Seems to be the norm for Claremont. I admit to being surprised by the amount of sexual situations the X-girls found themselves in. Not the X-women, the X-GIRLS. Kitty was dressed as a slavegirl and had the moves put upon her by an evil Xavier doppleganger in the Microverse (and her mind was then switched with Baron Zarza's in a weird Heinlein "I Shall Fear No Evil" sequence) . Illyana was molested by a magic wall in Asgard. Karma was raped while escaping her country. Kitty asked Peter to deflower her before the implanted Brood eggs killed them. Rogue was molested by soldiers in Genosha.

At the time, as a young teen, sexual situations were perceived as a bonus to discover in a comic book. But I remain surprised by their inclusion and never quite comfortable about them.


Edited by Gregory Dickens on 13 April 2006 at 12:44pm
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