There is a pose that's all too familiar in comic books, one often used for superheroines that's come to be known as the "brokeback." It's basically a spine-twisting pose intended to show the butt and the boobs at the same time, but which also defies logic and anatomy. While the pose varies between subtle and extreme, it's always hovering within the wings of comic book art. Here are ten of the most ridiculous examples in comic art. Remember, these are all the work of professional so-called artists who are supposed to be trained in skeletal structure, biology, and stuff.
14 comments:
I've seen REAL women do these poses. They're dancers, models, and athletes but still, there's nothing impossible about any of the poses mentioned here.
Well, I've never seen a woman with a torso smaller than her neck like in number 10, but this is a common argument: "real women can do this pose!" If you look in the brokeback tumblr, you'll see the rebuttal - can some women be this flexible? Possibly. But a lot of the photos with this pose are either Photoshopped or the result of an excruciating amount of twisting. I remember reading one model who said that the seductive looks in her photos were often thinly disguised expressions of pain. The brokeback is certainly achievable, but nowhere near something a real woman would casually adopt when she's lounging around or in the heat of battle.
Sorry, I've seen all of these poses in real life. & these aren't even very extreme.
I won't debate this too much, to be honest. If these look like a normal woman to you, then I will refer to the following article from a gymnast and contortionist on the topic: http://justsayins.tumblr.com/post/14957660366/this-needs-to-stop-and-let-me-tell-you-why
Who wants a real woman anyway? Love these poses.
As a woman, I can tell you it is extremely hard to maintain that pose without using something to brace yourself, like a chair. Even then it hurts. Really, try it yourself.
Agreed. I think I need to do a follow-up post breaking down exactly how the spine works and why this artwork is impossible. But this post explains it well:
http://justsayins.tumblr.com/post/14957660366/this-needs-to-stop-and-let-me-tell-you-why
You should try a photoshoot comparison with real women trying to imitate these poses.
If you seriously believe that, you should take a course in anatomy
I really wish I could
I'm actually an art student, and we use Yoga, Gymnastics, and other athletic poses constantly. All the poses we use have to come from real life models doing them, as many classes for 2D and 3D animation are called "Life Drawing For Animation". I came across this page while doing a routine search for models to draw. The subject we are after is drawing poses with torso twists, because as a 2D animator we have to draw the human figure from every angle to study how what the body is capable of.
I have also studied comic art, and have instructional videos from artists such as Todd McFarland "Spawn or Spider-Man" fame. One thing that the OP doesn't seem to grasp is that comic art is "based" on real life athleticism, but its not stapled there. Pushing the boundaries of the human figure is what art books such as "Drawing Comics the Marvel Way" are about. Kids don't want to read an overly realistic comic, they want the extreme, I mean be honest, what man can really fly? What "real" woman can lift a bus? The fact that you are comparing comics to real life is kinda like comparing Mickey Mouse to a real mouse.
However as I stated at first, these poses on this post are not impossible by any woman who trains to be flexible and if you do a simple google search on yoga torso twists poses you will find women "and men" doing poses that are more extreme than any you have seen in comics "in real life". This is the age of information so a discussion like this can easily be debunked.
Here's the one thing that punches a hole in your argument: if it's all about flexibilty and hyper-realism, then why don't comic books present men this way? There are a ton of acrobatic superheroes like Nightwing who are never drawn in this pose. Also, why are all female characters drawn this way? Barda and Wonder Woman are not gymnasts, but are given the same pose as Catwoman and Spider-woman. The answer is that it's all about sex, not art.
Also, they're totally ignoring the fact that a professional contortionist and gymnast has actually tried all these poses and they're impossible. The only woman who could do these poses is the "lordosis Woman" from the Mutter Museum, and I highly doubt she'd want to go prancing around in a lycra costume.
Yes, comics are comics, but it would be nice if our comic book artists actually had to show some degree of knowledge about the human body and what it can and cannot do.
I'm starting an online class about gender through comic books, so I'll share the word about this post and other related ones!
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