So I had an opportunity to submit my work to a publisher that will actually pay me if I'm accepted. However, when I got a list of the rundown I was told something I found somewhat disturbing. Full nudity was not allowed, neither was pornography but a two page spread of someone getting their head blown apart by a shotgun was okay.
Am I the only one who finds this disturbing?
EVERYONE will see a naked human being at some point in their lives, especially if you join the military but very few of us will see a body that has been dismembered in some way. So why is sexuality being censored while violence is allowed to flourish? This isn't the comic's fault, in fact its a trend that goes way back to my childhood and beyond. Our media and indeed, we as a culture seem to find portraying violence more acceptable than portraying sexuality and it drives me batshit insane. My work tends to focus on sexuality (especially if you read my comic Their Own Little Worlds which will feature nudity and sexual situations in the next few pages) because to me we have more to relate to than violence. Hell, most of America doesn't even go hunting anymore so why show only action and no sex? Don't get me wrong I love comics and manga and yes there is a lot of violence but its tempered. I think its a lot easier for most people to watch super humans pummeling each other against skyscrapers or watch giant robots blow each other up then seeing gore and guts flying this way and that for the sake of entertainment. It makes no sense to me that you would be willing to showcase heads exploding but not naked people (male or female or preferably both) having sex.
So I think I will pass on this opportunity on the basis of creative differences. I wish them all the best and hope they succeed but I will find a different avenue.
