Earthbind was totally within the realm of ordinary fantasy art in 1993. I think the card highlights a generational divide between older fantasy fans and younger ones.

But I don’t disagree that Earthbind is out of step with contemporary fantasy art. Chosen of Markov, OTOH, is not about capture, it’s about surrender and power. That art is expressing a type of sexuality that clearly you guys don’t like, but that a lot of men and women DO like, that is central to the portrayal of vampires in media for decades, and it’s doing it completely tastefully. Vampire movies have had this “sexual power” dimension to them from Bela Lugosi through today. Hell, if you look at her expression on the flip side of the card, you could interpret the “story” of the card as her having manipulated the vampire that turned her so that she could gain power. You can’t really write off the card as being about “objectification” and pretend she has NO agency here, unless you are really that deep down the rabbit hole about “power structures” and all that Sociology 101 stuff. I don’t begrudge you your own opinion, but TONS of young women (my own wife included) watch those vampire shows on TV, they love those shows, and that kind of sexuality is rampant in those shows and their legions of female fans from teenagers to 40-somethings don’t seem to have any problem with it.

I’m not saying this is the artistic direction I want for the game, but it’s not my opinion that counts, nor yours. FWIW, my preference for the art direction would be to diversify the acceptable styles — my two favorites all time are Rebecca Guay and Quinton Hoover, and I’d rank Terese Nielsen the best of the remaining old guard, and the game has totally pushed anybody with a truly distinctive style to the fringes in favor of bland uniformity in the name of marketing and world-building. The fact that all these recent cards just look like mediocre comic book art, instead of actual unique pieces of art you would want to buy, is the real crime.

-1 about the negative dig against some artists fantasy girlfriend. You drank the Kool-aid you just rallied against with such a sexist dig.

Overall, good way to draw attention to the sexual objectification in MtG. What’s next, though? You brought attention to it, so your next steps are, what, exactly- just complaining? Has WotC issued any statements you can quote? What did they say about this article? Can we have a linked quote to anything the business has said?

Starting with Earthbind was a good example. You had some categories that were reaches, like the anthropomorphic creatures with larger breasts. Seeing the original art for Keeper of the Mind was enlightening. By the time I wound up at Troupe #8, I lost count of the accusations you levied against WotC, or at men, in general, it seems. Triumph of Ferocity should have lead this discussion, soon after Earthbind’s picture to show history from 4th Edition+ (and earlier, but 4th Edition is where a lot more people jumped on board).

Insightful, but no calls to action or intended plans going forward. What now?

Long story short, the criticism should be angled more toward the artists (or the culture that influenced them) than Wizards itself.

My main issue is tasteless fanservice, particularly the hideous art that goes on commons seemingly as a matter of hitting a quota. I despise fierce orcs, beastwomen, witches, and zombies that display boobs for no reason in an artless way. Clothes which exist to tear away in the artistic moment are softcore porn uniforms.

Still, there are times when it is called for in canon, in the case of merfolk, faeries, centaurs too much clothing would be as unsettling. Vampires have a long history of wearing revealing clothes, there’s a way to portray this without it being a 14 year old’s wet dream.

Magic says it want to diversify its base, which seems a noble goal. Considering diversity in artists will be a big part of it, the art of Rebecca Guay has always brought its own flavor to Magic. Let’s seek more artists with individual styles and fewer fanboys who came up short in their dreams as comic book artists.

As to the effect this has on 13 year old girls, magic’s not as pervasive as watching a shampoo commercial on the tv, but it still needs some sunshine.

As to this article, there is no one who is writing this. Bravo. Brav-freaking-o.

Then they said “screw it!”, printed Grinning Demon and many more awesome demons, and now we’re complaining about a little peek at cleavage on the new Demonic Tutor.

To me, if they wanted Liliana to screw a demon that’s the true offense. Not depicting a subtle hint + flavor text about it. But even then, there is a mountain of demon/vampire erotica written primarily for women, so this might not be a purely “male gaze” issue.