The Real Power of the DC Universe

Reading Winston Churchill's The Second World War has put me in the mood for some ancilliary material, so I've watched some World War II movies (like Pearl Harbor) and dug out some old comic books...like Storming Paradise by Chuck Dixon and Jackson Guice (WildStorm, 2008). Regarding the latter, which is a most excellent comic book, as I neared the end of the first issue I turned the page and saw this two page Adam Hughes spread:

And I had to pause for a moment. On the one hand, DC seems to be trying to say that its Super Women are powerful (in fact, more powerful than the Super Men), and that DC values these Women and wants its readers to value them, too. Well, that's good, right?

But most of the Women portrayed here...Catwoman, Oracle, Zatanna,  Black Canary, Power Girl, Wonder Woman, and Supergirl (I can't tell who the cut off characters are supposed to be)...are portrayed in such a way as to emphasize their sexuality, especially their breasts.

 Which just reiterates the same old message, doesn't it? No matter who you are as a Woman, you will be perceived primarily in terms of your sexuality...more specifically, in terms of the sexual appeal you provide for Men. Can you imagine a two page spread of DC's Super Men which emphasized the size of their cocks? (And if Superman's cock size paralleled Power Girl's breast size, he'd be hung to his knees.) Of course you can't. That would be completely unacceptable. 

So why is it okay to portray Women this way?

Just one more thing. I did say "most" of the Women were portrayed in this way. The one exception is...

Oracle. She is one of the two characters who isn't showing some serious cleavage (and the other one, Catwoman, has turned sideways so that the magnificence of her 36" breasts can be admired). She's not even showing any leg (as 3 of the other 6 are). Gee, I wonder why? Oh, that's right, because people in wheelchairs aren't sexy. I forgot. Also interesting is that Black Canary thinks it's okay to lean on Orcale's wheelchair. If I were Oracle, I'd be telling that bitch to back the fuck up.

So there it is. The Real Power of the DC Universe is in the exploitation of female sexuality. Specifically in terms of what is pleasing to Men. 

Admittedly this is from 13 years ago, so all of this is just anachronistic.

Right?