The Four Color Media Monitor

Artist Adam Hughes, who's worked mostly as a cover artist for many years, presented the following picture of Tomb Raider's starlet kissing Santa Claus from a late 90s advertisement (during which time he'd contributed artwork to Top Cow's adaptations):

pic.twitter.com/IoAOFRrRlw

— Adam Hughes (@AH_AdamHughes) December 26, 2020

I think it's a charming and amusing illustration. Unfortunately, several false "fans" of Lara butted in to ruin everybody's pleasure by attacking it, and demanding it be removed:

Wow, a bunch of TOMB RAIDER fans do NOT like that Lara kissing Santa drawing. Woof. One just asked me to delete it (although they said ‘please’). Am I missing something offensive?

— Adam Hughes (@AH_AdamHughes) December 27, 2020

Of course not. He just met the latest bunch of perpetually offended by anything they can contrive, including the anti-religious activists and such, who wouldn't even give a clear explanation what's wrong with Lara making love to Santa. Though one person had a good guess:

AH. I did not know that. Thank you! https://t.co/Aa90keEaW6

— Adam Hughes (@AH_AdamHughes) December 27, 2020

Given that Lara's spent time with men before in past iterations (with the possible exception of the previous 3 games that wound up sputtering in the end), that hints this was little more than a pathetic hijack attempt as well. Thankfully, Hughes is an artist who understands why it'd be a terrible mistake to succumb to cancel culture:

I mean, I’m not going to delete Lara kidding Santa. It’s just odd that there are 7 or 8 people suddenly reacting poorly to it, and it’s been around for 25 years. None of them are saying WHY they are horrified by it. I’m just like ‘WTF?’ Bemusedly.

— Adam Hughes (@AH_AdamHughes) December 27, 2020

Thanks for the support about the MINOR Lara Kissing Santa kerfuffle. It's no big deal to me (tonight my Debit Card was identity thefted, THAT was a big deal) I was just baffled as to what these 9 kids found offensive. Your guesses are all appreciated. Let's move on.

— Adam Hughes (@AH_AdamHughes) December 27, 2020

It was practically a non-issue, concocted by the same cybertrolls on Twitter who doubtless went after fellow artist J. Scott Campbell in past years. With that told, it's a terrible shame the producers of the video game series itself succumbed to political correctness and destroyed the popularity of what was once considered a marvelous franchise, all for the sake of social justice pandering, and most irritating is how the same designers who toned down sexuality thought sexual violence itself was allowed, even if only implied. Which doesn't seem to concern the cybertrolls who insulted Hughes/Campbell one bit. All they dislike is the positives, not the negatives, of sexuality and heterosexuality as we know it, and they're not Lara Croft fans at all. Just a whole lot of troublemakers.

Labels: good artists, licensed products, misogyny and racism, technology, violence