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DC Comics
I’ll admit that when I saw the above left t-shirt at Wal-Mart a while back, I laughed it off. Graphically it’s just plain ugly, and the way I read it from top to bottom was “Training [Batman] To Be Batman’s ~Wife~”. And I thought to myself: “That makes a certain amount of sense, the only person who would really want to put up with Batman long-term is Batman himself, but I don’t know how to giftwrap a fleshlight.”
The second shirt on the right is even more offensive from a design perspective. It’s just part of a comic book panel slapped on to a t-shirt with text bubbles that don’t really fit with the picture. It’s from a Jim Lee Justice League cover that has Wonder Woman’s lasso Photoshopped out, and makes it look like she’s about to coldcock him.
DC Comics
It would
I mean, honestly, they’re just badly made shirts. Even without the sexist element that makes them insulting to the female comic book readers who might want a Batman t-shirt. But in addition to the twelve seconds of thought that went in to their design, they’re both problematic as hell, and people took notice, and complained to DC about those shirts and others like these:
See, the risk you run with licensing your characters out is that if people don’t like it, they complain to you, and not to the manufacturer. Most of the time these complaints get ignored. But as it turns out, DC realized it’s probably not a good idea to let hacks create crappy apparel with their art, and have issued the following statement in response:
DC Comics is home to many of the greatest male and female Super Heroes in the world. All our fans are incredibly important to us, and we understand that the messages on certain t-shirts are offensive. We agree. Our company is committed to empowering boys and girls, men and women, through our characters and stories. Accordingly, we are taking a look at our licensing and product design process to ensure that all our consumer products reflect our core values and philosophy.
It’s unclear how carefully DC has tracked its licensees in the past, but I’m going to take a wild guess and say that they’re about to find out there’s a whole lotta awful merch with their characters on it. They don’t seem to be as litigious about copyright violation as, say, FOX, but they might start cracking down on all those t-shirt sites that can’t possibly all have permission to put superheroes on their cheap tank tops.
Via Comics Alliance
Wait until they find out what WB did with their Man of Steel license.
lol +100
I know some people who used to work in DC’s corporate aoffice. One guy was in lisencing and told me he spent half his time explaining to manufacturers why they didn’t want Batman and Spiderman appearing on the same t-shirt. Imagine that 1000 times a day and I can see where quality control might fall apart.
Why didn’t they want Batman and Spider-Man appearing on the same shirt? That’s the only thing anyone should want appearing on the same shirt.
What, like making out or just in general?
Those shirts are tone deaf, but i’m not so sure you could consider them ‘offensive’.
It must be exhausting always having to go around finding stuff to be offended by.
Can we make this the best comment of the day?
Because that’s the only reason why someone would have this reaction to these shirts.
It must be exhausting always having to go around finding comment threads to be a condescending asshole on.
I wouldn’t say it’s exhausting, just a little tiring. I should probably get more exercise.
Thank you for the concern, and understanding, though.
Thanks, enigmahfc. Good luck with the exercise.
I was on board until i saw the baby clothes teet. then i kinda went /wank because really is that something worth bitching over. seems a bit over the top
Tweet *autocorrected
The baby clothes is the only one that actually bothers me. I have a 2 year old girl and I’m already having to teach her that she’s just as important as a boy and she can do whatever the hell she wants to do- even if it’s typically “boy” activities. She loves superheros and she should be told that she can aspire to awesomeness too- and not just hang off the arm of an awesome man.
In today’s day and age you’d think we could see past colors. Why can’t the hipster’s put the pink pajamas on their son? Why can’t a man wear the Batman wife shirt? I’d marry Batman. I’d be his beard.
Those shirts, they’re all right.
Yah, fuck women. Why do they deserve anything?
So problematic.
You’re right! I’m ordering one for my kid. I’d be proud of her marrying Batman. Green Lantern no, Batman yes.
DC is not alone: [www.huffingtonpost.com]
It literally takes .045 seconds to find Batman shirts for women (there’s this new thing called Google on this new thing called the internet…jeez)
Finding superhero stuff for girls is really annoying. Everything is pink and sparkly and dumb as hell. On the other hand my son has all these bad ass Gil Kane, Jack Kirby shirts. I’ve just resigned myself to the fact that baby girl is going to end up wearing a bunch of her big brothers hand me downs. What’s the other option NOT dressing her up in superhero clothes? I don’t think so.
My little girl actually has a lot of boy super hero shirts because they are so much more awesome. I refuse for her to think that Iron Man and Batman are supposed to be pastel and covered in glitter. It’s frustrating. And like you said, what am I supposed to do, not have her rock awesome tees?
Yeah, children’s licensing is a goddamn rabbit hole. Remember that article we did about Gamora T-shirts? [uproxx.com]
I just read that article Dan linked to and now I’m extra ragey.
Wearing your brother’s hand me downs is fine when you’re 6, but after you go through puberty “men’s” t-shirts don’t necessarily fit how you’d like. And a lot of the times the problem with “women’s” t-shirts is they assume you don’t have arms. The only place I’ve seen (and bought) tees that had graphics I like in a women’s cut is at a convention, where they charge you 35 goddamn dollars.
Spider-Man kids meal toys. ‘Nuff said.
Because it’s just literally not possible to focus on a small problem for a time while still addressing larger issues. FFS
It’s not even a problem it’s a minor inconvenience.
Marvel will jump the shark when they have the She Hulk/Ray Rice tshirt!
this is kinda ridiculous to be enraged about. not great shirts but im sure some girls would like them and some wont just like with any clothing. im kinda disappointed DC even gave this a response like its some huge insult to women and civil rights. it amazes me what the internet will get outraged over, its like the most popular hobby of 2014 is being incredibly offended
That you might know girls who would like these explains a lot about half of these comments.
Hey, just because you ain’t a believer doesn’t mean you gotta stand in the way! I wish people content to sit on the sideline would keep their fucking baktag mouths closed. If they don’t keep pointing forshak like this out, the same negative imagery will perpetuate and grow. You either don’t understand HOW *or* you don’t care how this type of imagery can be non-beneficial or even damaging.
And yet, that’s always when you pop up, Ted