Sex Switched Superheroes – The Next Big Thing
Crossovers are so 2011. Gender Crossovers are the new wave in comics.
As summer blockbuster movies devour entertainment budgets, comic publishers are scrambling to find new ways to draw attention to their books and boost sales. In a similar fashion to film studios working on movies with the same themes without knowing, it seems that Marvel and DC have crafted new books with the same spin: Sex Changed Superheros! Lets take a look at what they have come up with, shall we?
Over at Marvel, the inscrutable House of Ideas has put Wolverine out first, as the new flagship title, hoping his longstanding popularity can launch their new line.
Wolverine: Boneless #1 The Earth has been blasted by a strange beam of energy, its source unknown, but it’s results immediate: any male hit by the beam has been transformed into a female!
Wolverine teams up with Phoenix for costume repairs and contemplates the disappearance of his middle claw.
Taking a deep look at societies preconceptions about gender roles, this book will challenge your beliefs in ways you can’t even imagine yet.
Trill as you watch Wolverine’s mind attempt to acclimate to the new body!
Read in wonder as the Phoenix tackles sewing repairs on her spangled costume!
Wolverine: Boneless will expose you to the emotional side of these characters, answering long unanswered questions like:
When you possess the power of fire, how difficult is it to thread a needle?
Will Wolverine’s healing power return his body to it’s original, male form, or will it accept the new layout of things?
Should Marvel encounter success with this new title, they have an entire line waiting to follow in Wolverine’s footsteps, however the details on these other possible titles are being very tightly guarded by Marvel.
Meanwhile DC has gender bending stories of their own in the works. DC has decided to go the other way with their approach and have turned the Batman into the aptly named Catman. The new name may not be all that creative but the stories promise to be quite titillating.
In the Gotham that Catman inhabits, it has become illegal to be a man. Most males have been forced into exile or imprisoned. But Batman refuses to be kept down and dons Catwoman’s outfit to hide his true form while battling new foes that have arisen in the presumed absence of Batman.
The Joker has run off as well, the manic man of mayhem replaced by his helper Harley Quinn. Harley has assembled a team of all female trouble makers to take over the unmanned Gotham City.
Disguised as Catwoman, Batman is able to continue his battle against evil and oppression, but faces the twist that he cannot use all of his skills and arsenal for fear of revealing himself as an impostor.
It will be up to fans to determine the success of these bold new directions, we can only wait and see.