So, at this point in time if you’re not aware of SOPA and the PIPA legislation you must be living in a cave, or don’t use the internet at all, and so aren’t reading this anyway.  So I’m not going to bother explaining either of these bills.  You know what they are.

On the bright side, they’re effectively dead.  What supporters they have have backed out, opposition is rampant, hell even the White House is set to shoot them down if the House or Senate were to pass them, assuming they still have the numbers to make that happen.

Unfortunately, while these particular bills seem unlikely, this is not the first nor is it likely to be the last time such things will be proposed.  Which is troubling.  I understand the concerns of intellectual piracy.  Piracy is wrong.  Period.  Don’t try to defend it to me, such arguments are fallacies.  However, having a stranglehold on the distribution methods is not an acceptable answer.

There is a better way.  I don’t pretend to know just what it is, but I like to think that I am part of something that may just figure it out.  Webcomics give their content away for free.  I have to wonder, what would happen to sales if  Hollywood used our business model?  What would happen if a movie was released, officially, free for your viewing pleasure online with simultaneous release in theaters?  Would theaters really suffer?  As it is, no one really likes going to the movie theater.  It’s always full of noisy people interrupting your viewing experience, sticky floors, and that one drunk dude who inevitably pukes up his popcorn.  But maybe, having seen a film at 1600×900 pixels, Jeff would gather up his six best buddies and go see what he now knew for certain to be an awesome film on the big screen, and BE HAPPY to pay the $12 for the privilege.  Having seen the film for free, perhaps sales would actually spike.

Maybe that’s a fantasy.  I don’t pretend to know for sure.  But I have to say, the only way to really prevent piracy is to change how people feel about paying for content.  If they don’t know, or think it’s crap, or simply don’t care they’re not going to shell out.  But for quality, people will pay through the nose.  Changing people’s minds is the only way to bring about change.  No law, no regulation, no penalty, nothing will make things change until you change their minds.  Change their minds.  Make them care.

So how do you make an audience, a market, care?  You open up.  It really is that simple, as far as I can tell.  The most successful production companies are the ones that put themselves into their product, and truly wish to share it with their audiences.  When you put up pay walls and lock things down with regulation and excessive licensing, you push people away.  You give off the impression that you want to keep whatever media you’ve created for yourselves, that you only begrudgingly allow others to see it because they’ve bribed you with money.  Is it really so surprising that there are those who wouldn’t think twice about sneaking a peek without paying up?

I don’t know how to end piracy.  I don’t know if my business model translates to any other media type.  I don’t even know if the webcomic business model is a viable model writ large.  Perhaps it’s only rare exceptions who make it work.  But I do know, without hesitation that I, as a consumer, will eagerly pay top dollar for media I enjoy and/or enriches my life.  And the harder it is for me to acquire my beloved movies and books and music and comics through official channels, the more likely I am to walk away.

And so in parting thoughts, I shall sum up the business model for the new millennium in four easy steps:

1. Make it Awesome.
2. Make it Accessible.
3. ???
4. Profit.

To minimize the differences, I’ve gone with Supergirl as our female superhero up for a sexy make over.

Supergirl has always been one of those characters that doesn’t really have a lot going for her except being the female version of Superman.  And that’s all well and good, but it really has lead to her really seeking an identity as a character, which you can see in frequent wardrobe changes throughout the years.  Unlike the iconic Superman uniform, Supergirl’s costume changes practically with every story line, artist, writer, title, crisis, or drop of a hat.  Most of the designs wind up being more or less Superman’s uniform but as a dress.  Some of them get more creative than others, but ultimately she always seems to come back to “what if Superman was a girl, and a cheerleader?”  I think we can do way better than that, and skirts don’t exactly scream “superhero” to me.  So lets see why I made the choices I made in her new sexy red and blues.

The Hourglass figure is the predominant shape that most people agree says “sexy lady,” so I wanted to emphasize the the width of her bust and her hips, but NOT her shoulders, as we did with Superman.  Going in the OPPOSITE direction, we extend the Super S delta across her breasts and downwards away from her shoulders.  This, emphasizes her bust, but minimizes her powerful manly shoulders (which are a result of being crazy strong).  We use the same darker-blue ribbing we did with Superman (to keep to a stylistic theme) to visually minimize her waist and show off her ever sexy abdominal core.  Everyone admires a nice pair of abs, male or female.  To emphasize her hips, we give her a wide, low belt, which also makes her red briefs seem briefer than they actually are.  As we showed with Superman, nothing’s sexier than a bit of skin, so we keep her thighs bare, and give her an off the shoulder neck-line.

I’m going to pause here, and address why I did this, because I think it’s worth stating.  Whereas men have sexy arms, women have sexy legs.  For whatever reason we have it in our heads that strong legs are feminine and strong arms are masculine.  I’m sure there’s an explanation, but I don’t know it.  But regardless of why we think this, we do.  So whereas we covered up Superman’s legs, and showed off his arms, we do the reverse with Supergirl.  And they look better and sexier for it.

Because of the big S on her chest, we can’t really show any cleavage, but we can give the impression of being undressed by highlighting her collarbones and tops of her shoulders.  It gives her a very sexy look without actually showing a whole hell of a lot.

We also give her boots a few more inches of lift than we gave to Superman (yeah, he had heels, go look).  I hear a lot of people complain that high heels make no practical sense in superherodom, yet they show up EVERYWHERE.  While I agree stilettos are kinda silly for an active life style, heels do wonderfully attractive things to a person’s calf muscles.  They give your legs a longer, sleeker, stronger, sexier look.  I’d also like to state that running in heels is perfectly possible and just because it hurts YOUR mortal feet, doesn’t mean the girl from krypton can’t take it in stride and look crazy hot all at the same time.  Over all you’ll note that Supergirl, while having many of the same design elements as Superman, uses a lot more curves and fewer straight hard lines.  This also accents her femininity which we want to celebrate rather than hide.

So there you have it.  Two iconic superheroes done up in costumes to be unquestionably hot, but refraining from being degrading, demeaning, or sexist.  A blend of practicality and killer fashion.  What do you guys think?

So let’s start our sexy superhero study with the harder subject:  Superman.

Superman is truly one of the most iconic superheros ever created, so iconic even that he is one of the very few characters who has totally failed to have any significant costume change stick for any prolonged period of time.  Here I present to you Supe’s new sexy duds.  I think he’s looking pretty sharp.  How about you?  Would you endanger yourself to have him “rescue” you?

So why’d I make the changes I made?  Let us investigate.

Starting with our basic superman build, we’re in luck as he’s pretty sexy all by himself.  But he can’t be running around in the buff, so we’re going to attempt to emphasize all the bits that make him a total stud.  The sexiest part of the male figure is the torso and arms.  Ask anyone who’s into guys, they’ll confirm this with rare exception.  Furthermore, it is the trapezoidal shapes that are considered the hottest:  the broad shoulders and wide chest tapering to a narrow waist.  A shape which is also frequently repeated in the face:  cheekbones to chin.

So to emphasize those broad shoulders, we take the Superman S and extend clear to his shoulders.  We use a ribbing texture and a darker blue color on his sides to visually diminish his waist and show off his abdominal core which is a part of the body that is considered sexy in both genders.  The red shorts are too iconic to not keep, but we give them a sexier lower-rise, and mimic the downward angles used in the Superman S.  For visual consistency, we repeat that angle in the tops of his boots.  Nothing’s sexier than looking slightly undressed, so we keep his arms bare, keep his collar low and open at the throat, and we give his boots a little bulk.  Instead of the traditional neck or shoulder cape, we throw it over his shoulders, clasped with a Superman shield emblem to give him the look of a dashing rogue.

And there you have it:  Superman at his sexiest.  An outfit clearly designed for sex appeal, but hardly demeaning to the character.  Up next:  Supergirl.

No comic this week folks.  I’ve been swamped in paid work and some big social obligations have eaten up my time.  However, I’ve been doing a lot of thinking about some things, and so I’m going to share them with you for whatever they’re worth.

Something I’ve been noticing a lot lately is criticism of female superheroes, how they’re written, how they’re dressed, and a lot of the criticism bothers me.  Some of its legit criticism, and some of its just plain stupid.  Most of the complaining, ironically, seems to come from men.  While the whole re-writing of Starfire’s polyamorous alien culture of love and emotion into a cold and detached “no man owns me” frat-boy-esque get your rocks off wherever you feel is just flat out disgusting and bad writing, whether or not Wonder Woman’s pants or lack there of is sexist is just ridiculous.

Let us be clear about something regarding superheroes:  they are ridiculous.  They are larger than life, smarter, stronger, and better people than any of us.  They are ideals for us to live up to.  They are symbols.  Icons.  But they are ridiculous and extreme.  They wear flashy costumes, dress in symbols and capes, and their vigilantism is utterly ridiculous.  Real crimefighters would never dress or act like any superhero even if they did have super powers.  So let us move beyond arguments like “it’s not practical for her to have bare legs.”

Superheroes should be sexy.  They are idolized versions of human beings, why should they not be sexy?  Should our perfect versions not be strong, smart, competent, and beautiful?  If the answer is “no, they shouldn’t,” you clearly need to read something other than superhero comics.  Because I think you’re missing the point.

However, what is attractive about and for men is not the same for women.  While a woman looks good in a cocktail dress, a man does NOT look good in the same dress, even when it fits him.  Contrariwise, a suit that looks right sharp on a man does not flatter a woman.  Simple truth.  But just so we’re clear, just because outfits and costumes for men and women are different, does not excuse some designs which are beyond ridiculous and surpass bad design and delve into poor taste.  The kind of taste you find in sleazy strip clubs.

So how do you design a super hero costume that is sexy, but not sexist?  I’m gonna show you!  Over the next week, I’m going to take two of our most iconic superheroes, one man, and one woman, and design sexy costumes for them that are not degrading but empowering.  More-over I’ll explain the principles behind and reasons for my design choices.

Stay tuned.