The Four Color Media Monitor

I see Canadian writer Jim Zub is talking about the great aspects of writing romance storylines:

Writing romance is fun.

Flirting, fawning and...*ahem*...frolicking.

Will they/won't they situations create tension and engagement in ways that aren't centered around violence or life-threatening danger.

It's an important part of the dramatic mix. pic.twitter.com/VElRmBKIDC

— Jim Zub (@JimZub) February 8, 2021

It's easy to get caught up in relentless action and ever-increasing stakes, but breaking that cycle up with some quiet moments and a bit of romance can help keep readers engaged more than you might expect. pic.twitter.com/pgN009IVoo

— Jim Zub (@JimZub) February 8, 2021

I enjoy writing romantic tension and payoff. Those scenes are as much fun as building big action set pieces.

It's not something I'm known for, so I need to find more places to bring a bit of love when it comes to future projects. pic.twitter.com/Z1uCOi4zuX

— Jim Zub (@JimZub) February 8, 2021

Sometimes you have romantic plans for a story and they get vetoed partway through.

If you read a comic by me and wondered why a clear romantic thread just seemed to end for no apparent reason...yeah...maybe that wasn't my choice?

Maybe, just maybe, it hurts me too.

— Jim Zub (@JimZub) February 8, 2021

On that latter statement, I can guess: Marvel editorial, if we're talking about what he wrote in the Avengers and Conan stories he's worked on, sabotaged his directions, right? You can only wonder if it's because of anti-heterosexual hysteria and propaganda, though they'd obviously never admit it. There has, in the past number of years, been far less emphasis on heterosexual romance than homosexuality, if we take the mega-forced Iceman retcon as an example. A more recent, notable example of heterosexual romance making a comeback was when, 3-4 years ago, Marvel finally reunited Peter Parker and Mary Jane Watson in the pages of Spider-Man, though their marriage has yet to be restored, last time I looked. And, lest we forget, there's that little matter alluded to above of violence continuing its almost unfettered reign without question as a storytelling tool, no matter how gratuitous it gets.

We could even make a case of Marvel - and DC - watering down artwork into sex-negative renditions. That's surely another semi-related problem by today's standards. The latter illustration appears to be from the Dungeons & Dragons comics IDW's published, where they may wisely be avoiding what the Big Two have fallen victim to in the past decade, and that looks like the better illustration, IMO. (Update: I think it's actually from Dynamite's Pathfinder adaptations.)

I think there's a very valid case hinted at here for why more heterosexual romance is needed in today's comics, mainstream or otherwise, and less emphasis on jarring violence. We can't allow PC mentality to dictate whether romance is allowed or not, and whether violent content should be given far more free reign than sexuality.

Labels: indie publishers, licensed products, marvel comics