Cleanse the Palate

OK, I've just plowed my way through many, many women in comics, movies and television. (And I've only done three letters of the alphabet!) Lots of those female characters are clad in such a way that appeals to men, which is to say, scantily. Men are the majority of the comic book buyers, the consumers of action movies, etc., so it does make sense to market to where the dollars are coming from. But it still leaves a bad taste in my mouth...

Rather than take the high road and pontificate on the value of fully-dressed heroines and the illogic of half-naked heroines, let's do a little objectifying of our own, shall we? A few minutes of digging on the internet yielded me a few pages to reference:

Top 10 Sexiest Men in Comics

1. Batman
2. Black Adam
3. Wolverine (specifically the movie version)
4. Ironman (movie version)
5. Superman
6. Green Lantern (specifically Kyle Rayner)
7. The Winchester Brothers (based on the tv show)
8. Gambit
9. Magneto
10. The Darkness

Kudos to Victoria (whose list that is) for including a villain. I confess, some of those guys I've never heard of, particular the Winchesters. Never seen the comic, never watched the show. Not overly excited about those two. Whatever, it's not my list.

Then there's Sexiest Hero Alive, not a ranked list, just a bit of commentary on People Magazine "sexiest man" covers and comic book movie leading men. Mentioned are (in order from the article):

• Johnny Depp/From Hell (not a superhero, but the movie was based on a comic book)
• Ben Affleck/DareDevil
• George Clooney/Batman
• Hugh Jackman/Wolverine
• Ryan Reynolds/Green Lantern and Deadpool (out in 2014)
• Chris Evans/Johnny Storm and Captain America

"Ortegatron" wrote that one, and, as a man, cannot be expected to choose who the ladies might prefer -- but that's not what the article is about. It is an interesting look at the correlation between People's sexiest and comic book heroes on the big screen. For me, the most drool-worthy of that list is Chris Evans, after his Cap transformation. That young man is buff! (Hey, is it hot in here?)

And another ranked list: Top 10 Sexiest Comic Book Guys (with lengthier reasons why):

1. Batman
2. Wolverine
3. Nightwing (Richard Grayson)
4. Red Robin (Tim Drake)
5. Gambit
6. Red Arsenal
7. Superman
8. Midnighter
9. Green Arrow
10. The Flash

Just like the other top 10, there's some unfamiliar faces to me. Interesting that Bats made #1 on both, though, and Wolvie's in the top 3 on both.

There is some significant mancandy there, some of it sweeter than others. There are hundreds of heroes to choose from and I'll be working on my own list, but until I get it finished and polished... I'll be in my bunk.