The Happy Badger: Observations of a Suburban Curb-Shopper: Comics: Open Female Aggression and Secret Male Desire

I've been ripping up the unsellable comics, those of the Aftermath, making neat little piles: "Big, Bold Heroes," "All Things Female," and "Ads That Play On Male Fear/Desire." I'm BURNING through the Mod Podge.

Really, anybody and everybody can decoupage the heroes. Easy Peasy. Just check out "Comics Decoupage" on Etsy.

Soon, you can find this matched set on my Etsy shop.

Women in Comics: Far more interesting. I've got loads of material on that topic. Some is raw cliche:

This poor superhero got supersized and abandoned in the desert. Yeah, that's gonna happen to her male counterpart...

In this 1970s ad, Wonder Woman's "SERIOUS WORK" is to "FIND A JAIL BIG ENOUGH TO HOLD THE FAT LADY AND HER EVIL FRIENDS" who really want "THE MALTESE CUP CAKE."

I had fun making this homage to Big-Haired Beauties:

"YES, WHAT DO YOU...OH, GOLLY!"

Some of these Oh-So-Scantily-Clad superheroes may appear come-hithery, but their responses to men (even to heroes) is a lot more Noli Me Tangere than I expected. Frankly, I like it.

So, I decoupaged a box I like to think of simply as "Female Contempt." This ad, from the late 80s, demanded center stage.

I chose elements of two different stories for the side panels: Fantastic Four's Frankie ditches her boyfriend, bursts into flame, and flies off, alone in the universe, shouting "I'M FREE!"

This hardcore X-Men hero smashes villains to pieces and calls a fellow mutant "FOOL"...just before she makes out with him (ah, well, I skipped that part--I'm thinking of making a makeout box)

Good results, I think. Fierce!

Even more interesting are the ads in the older comics. Those guys didn't need Netflix or Google algorithms to understand their target market's dreams, fears, and secret desires: