The Four Color Media Monitor

It appears Marvel's decided to go ahead with a followup to their recent, otherwise uninspired revival of the Marvel Swimsuit Specials of the 1990s, this time with a special titled Winter Break, previews of which are provided by Flickering Myth, with a promotional blurb stating:

You asked for more Swimsuit Special, and you’ve got it — sort of! Hit the slopes with YOUR favorite Marvel heroes this winter, with the help of a team of superstar artists — and then warm up in the hot tub… hot springs… hot yoga… lots of places that start with “hot”! FRET NOT, True Believers, we’ve got equal parts action AND relaxation for your money in this one-shot!

Which seems to indicate the problem persists: they put in standard comic-style panels similar to the 2025 swimsuit special from a few months ago - something the original 90s specials didn't have - and didn't improve on how sexless some of the illustrations were there. From what's posted on Adventures In Poor Taste, writer Tim Seeley is apparently using this as an excuse to allude to his recent Rogue: The Savage Land miniseries, but even that doesn't compensate for how sexless even the "action panels" look. There are a few coverscans that may look better than what could be inside. But again, if it turns out this is a case of not judging the interior by its covers, then those covers don't compensate either, or justify purchasing this special. In this earlier item on AIPT featuring Stormbreakers variant covers that have a connection, those with the ladies look watered down, with only the one featuring the Enchantress being better. Which beggars the question: we're supposed to marvel at the art for a villainess?!? It may not be new, but it most certainly is insulting to the intellect.

That can certainly be a warning of how this followup to the swimsuit special from last summer could end up being a ripoff that doesn't deliver when it comes to the heroines, if any characters. There may be a few variant covers that'll be worth saving to computer hard disks, but if the Winter Break special continues to use an approach not unlike the previous special, that's why it won't be worth much of anything, and serious fans should avoid wasting their money on what could be more of a winter bummer.

Labels: bad editors, censorship issues, golden calf of villainy, marvel comics, msm propaganda, women of marvel