"Clone Girl Syndrome": A Love and Capes comic review

[brendala]

I picked up volume one of Love and Capes because I heard good things about it (and it was 40% off at my comic shop). The story was cute and romantic (a Superhero reveals his secret identity to his non-superpowered girlfriend and they deal with the everyday trials of tribulations of his double life together); but it was also a textbook example of something I like to call “Clone Girl Syndrome”. “Clone Girl Syndrome” is when a comic or cartoon has distinct and diverse looking male characters, but all the female characters look nearly identical. It was so prevalent in this book that it distracted me from the story at times.
This may seem like a petty thing to say; but this minor annoyance is enough to make me think twice about buying volume two.  Every time I saw yet ANOTHER girl with the same giant heart-shaped head and big googlie-eyes, I cringed. And it’s a shame because the artist behind this book is clearly talented and it’s nice to see a colorful and light-hearted superhero book for a change.

I need to ask you guys…it isn’t just me, is it? Here are some pictures of the actual comic:  








The thing that gets to me the most about "Clone Girl Syndrome" is when artists who are ridiculously talented fall victim to it. I hate to sound sexist, but those artists are almost always male. And they seem to have a very narrow definition of what an attractive woman looks like. All of these lazy artists need to either take some life drawing classes or read Terry Moore comics over and over and over and over until their eyes bleed!
[/end nit-picky feminist art rant]

Comments

[secondlina.livejournal.com]

The syndrome as a version for boy-drawings too. Lazy Bishonen Syndrome (ever seen some shojos where all the boys look the same?)

[brendala.livejournal.com]

Good point. But most of the fluffy, bishonen-heavy shojo manga I've seen make ALL the characters look similar, not just the bishonen.

[parareality.livejournal.com]

XD I got a free issue of Love and Capes on Free Comic Book Day a couple of years ago. The art is hugely lazy throughout, but I was impressed that the gal (temporarily given superpowers) was actually confronted with not being able to save everyone and that being a standard thing all superheroes eventually go through being addressed in-universe.

Holy crap, the lazy art, though! And... why have all the women had their waists replaced with pringles cans?

[brendala.livejournal.com]

Thanks. I'm glad you liked it. :)

It wouldn't have bugged me so much if it weren't for the fact that the artist is quite good at drawing distinct male characters with a variety of noses, eye-shapes, chins, etc. I know some artists struggle with drawing members of the opposite sex (I personally have trouble drawing men), but it can't be THAT hard to put more variety in their looks.
Heck, I'm not nearly as talented as the dude who wrote this comic; but even I can draw a dozen characters without making them look like they're all related! :P


Holy crap, the lazy art, though! And... why have all the women had their waists replaced with pringles cans?

Don't you know? If a chick's waist is bigger than a pringles can, then there is something wrong with her!!

[parareality.livejournal.com]

And if her chest is smaller than a La-Z-Boy recliner, she's unattractive!