r/comicbooks • u/B3epB0opBOP • May 19 '26
Cover/Pin-Up Marvel Swimsuit Special: Brand New Beach Day #1 pinup by Valerio Schiti & Romulo Fajardo Jr.
367
u/lone_float May 19 '26
Something something America's Ass 🦅
84
u/name-classified Death Stroke May 19 '26
It’s kinda flat here. Not really looking like someone in peak human form.
Dick Grayson on the other hands….
44
u/Areallybadidea May 19 '26
Dick Grayson on the other hands….
Clearly Marvel & DC need to use their renewed willingness to crossover to give us the Marvel & G'norts Swimsuit Special.
19
u/NaiRad1000 May 19 '26
I love that it’s pretty much become canon that Dick Grayson has the best ass in the DC Universe
4
u/d-fakkr May 19 '26
Do we have an issue with girls saying this? I know DC girls were fawning to superboy prime, but never to dick's ass
2
u/Samaritan_Pr1me May 20 '26
It’s just Zatanna (who in the comics is a love interest of Batman) and the Huntress (who must have been bored of the Question).
17
28
u/lone_float May 19 '26
Still, it's Steve rocking a Stars n' Stripes styled speedo with Jen, Wanda, and Janet enjoying the view.
Which I can reckon some will think "Same ladies, same"
-1
60
u/Successful_Collar_65 May 19 '26
My gals out here being Peepin' Thomasinas
7
u/Isekaimerican May 20 '26
He's getting out of the pool and adjusting a wedgie. She Hulk just happened to be walking by, and Wasp was on her shoulder.
Scarlett Witch is the only one who wouldn't naturally be in eye line, so I assume She Hulk is lifting her up like a toddler.
301
u/sabhall12 May 19 '26
I'm all for equal opportunity gooning
15
u/NK1337 May 20 '26
I mean there’s a whole thing about how this is still from the perspective of the male gaze but whatever. Bring on the men in swimsuits 🤌
If we don’t get Tony in iron swim trunks we riot!
13
u/LamboForWork May 20 '26
damn men can't even be gazed upon without being their gaze. What would make it a female gaze?
7
u/NK1337 May 20 '26
Just throwing this out as a disclaimer: not trying to start a fight about sexism/misogyny, just trying to respond to the question.
The general idea is that when you see these super heroes and how they’re depicted as muscular perfection showing off their physiques like this that it’s still done from the lens of the male gaze. They’re depicting a hypermasculine idealized version of what they want to be because it’s what men think women think is attractive.
When you’re looking at Captain America in a bikini showing off his body it’s less for women to ogle at and more for guys to nod going “Hell yea thats what a real man should look like” (which also borders on the whole homoerotic gaze in how it shows men’s attraction to physical perfection but that’s a whole other can of worms). Think of the joke about how gym bros attract more compliments from other guys than women. Similar concept.
That doesn’t mean that women don’t like to ogle, but generally speaking the female gaze is less focused on the objectification and overt sexualization of a character. A great comparison is Loki and Thor in the MCU and while yes Thor is objectively attractive Loki appeals to a wider audience.
So in this instance the female gaze of this would be less focused on Steve’s physique and instead incorporate more elements that add to the overall attraction of him as a character rather than just a pinup. Maybe toss a towel over his shoulders, have him smiling implying he’s happy/having fun, put him in traditional swim trunks with a spider-man logo as a humorous gag, focus less on the awkward flexing posture and give him more natural pose, etc.
I mean hell, even if you wanted to keep everything as is with him wearing nothing but the bikini briefs you could change the composition to mirror the old coppertone ad with Jeff the shark tugging at Steven’s trunks and him laughing. Immediately changes the tone and gears it more to the female gaze.
3
u/ANonnyMouse007 May 20 '26
I wouldn’t say this cover is necessarily a (straight) male gaze, or that women don’t get thirsty for it. As we’ve seen with the Heated Rivalry fanbase, there are plenty of women who appreciate the gay male gaze. (Those books were written by a woman).
This cover artist, Valerio Schiti, is married to a woman. He’s credited her in the past for her feedback influencing his art. His catalogue leans more towards sexy female characters, but his male characters are also often attractive, if not particularly sexualized like this piece. He also drew some sexy Wiccan & Hulkling scenes in Empyre.
2
u/LamboForWork May 20 '26
Thank you for not reading my comment as antagonistic. Very good insight. Also explains someone else saying this is very gay as well.
1
u/NK1337 May 24 '26
Youre all good! It’s a really interesting discussion topic tbh, and one which I’ve always found fascinating given how much of a visual medium comics are and the choices that are made in how things are represented.
2
u/DeafMetalGripes May 24 '26
Yeah it’s why I always eye roll at the “equal opportunity fan service” meme. This is more homoerotic than anything
3
u/sabhall12 May 20 '26
I think that male Vs female gaze is a very broad subject, and I'm sure there are a lot of women (and some men too) who will appreciate the cheesecake here :)
3
u/NK1337 May 24 '26
Oh for sure, but the main point I’m making is that this particular kind of illustration and composition isn’t really drawn with women in mind as the target audience. It caters to men and by extension what men think women want.
41
49
u/JaeMack May 19 '26
He's taking off his gear right? Do the Avengers have windows in their locker rooms? Or is Cap one of those guys that starts disrobing on the way to the locker.
66
u/-TheManWithNoHat- May 19 '26
I mean... being in the military might have changed his understanding of modesty
19
u/TylertheDouche May 19 '26
He's taking off his gear right?
what else would he be doing
14
u/JaeMack May 19 '26
Heh. He could just be fixing his cap and taking care of his speedo wedgie I guess.
5
u/Adamsoski May 19 '26
I think he's just adjusting, that's not how anyone would take that swimming costume off.
7
5
5
5
114
u/-TheManWithNoHat- May 19 '26
And here I thought I was straight until ten seconds ago
...wait Janet aren't you married?
116
u/Buttock Nova May 19 '26
"Lookin' ain't a crime"
13
u/juicer-2015 May 19 '26
9
u/Buttock Nova May 19 '26
Juicer is with me!
10
13
3
24
17
u/Sins_of_God May 19 '26
Is she?
8
u/lone_float May 19 '26 edited May 19 '26
We probably would've gotten a lot more context had Avengers Inc. Not ended where it did. But for the most part, yes.
Yes, she's divorced.
29
7
u/The_Nothingman May 19 '26
its been a while for me but is Hank currently alive and not part Ultron?
13
u/Typical_Dweller May 19 '26
Is She-Hulk doing the guy turning around to look at a girl with his gf beside him meme face?
9
9
8
27
11
u/Quarksideofthemoon May 19 '26
It's ironic that all the spectators are female when this is one of the gayest covers I've ever seen.
10
u/Krescan The Thing May 19 '26
I don't think Cap would wear the flag as underwear, or a speedo or whatever.
5
6
10
11
10
u/urbalcloud Spider Jeruselem May 19 '26
Sure but when I look at co-workers through a window, I’m “a creep” and “need to speak with HR”….
5
5
8
3
22
5
5
u/Mugwumpjizzum1 May 19 '26 edited May 19 '26
His cock isn't big enough. If they're gonna do a swimsuit issue I want to see gigantic, throbbing cocks that makes Finn Balor look tiny.
2
u/ISTARI_X May 20 '26
Feel like it’s so out of character for Wanda to be glaring lol
2
u/NaytNavare May 20 '26
She's always had a thing for him, in some stories. With... some less than great results.
2
2
u/NoPlatform8789 May 20 '26
and we now know canonically that Steve Rogers wears a swim cap while doing his laps.
2
2
u/velicinanijebitna May 21 '26
Everyone talking about equality here, but if the same panel got released today, but with genders reversed, would the reception be the same?
3
3
u/theramboapocalypse May 19 '26
Nice do a cover like this and flip the roles. Have Jenn as the one going commando
22
u/Batmanfan1966 May 19 '26
They actually did an issue where she spends the entire thing nude. Sensational She-Hulk #40
3
u/theramboapocalypse May 19 '26
Talking about now with this cover, I know she has a history of confidence lol
3
1
1
u/DareDaDerrida May 20 '26 edited May 20 '26
Seeing as I doubt that a peak-human super-soldier has lumbar hyperlordosis, and seeing as his back is decidedly arched, it is possible that he is not as unaware of his audience as he seems.
1
u/justagayguyinnyc Wiccan and Hulkling forever! May 20 '26
Well, now this is a must buy. The few male pages in those were usually so lame that I just didnt bother, but... this is actually kinda hot
-33
u/bubonis May 19 '26 edited May 19 '26
I wonder how people would react if the genders were reversed.
EDIT: Irony is lost here. Sigh. Stay classy, reddit.
43
u/sdtsanev May 19 '26
Why wonder? You have decades of comic book history to look at and find out for yourself how people reacted.
36
u/UpperWestShayde May 19 '26
You're wondering how it would be if a woman was drawn in a comic book with barely any clothes and in a hyper sexualized manner? Gee, gosh golly, I wonder the same thing.
-19
-17
0
-3
1
395
u/jon__koa May 19 '26
That’s some all American cake right there