By the Numbers

Okay, this one is interesting.

Chris Butcher made a post about a Marvel cover.

Since he made that post, there have been:

- 7 posts of outright agreement that the cover is offensive.

- 2 posts noting that the cover was part of an odd trend from Marvel lately.

- 9 posts linking Butcher's complaint as an interesting happening in the blogosphere, but either not giving a discernible opinion either way or commenting only on the fan interaction.

- 6 posts politely stating that they find the cover inoffensive and can't see the offense. Several of these are from bloggers who regularly discuss women in comics.

- 8 posts proclaiming that the idea that the cover may be offensive is absurd. Several of these decry Butcher's post as just another example of fans being hysterical and overreacting to every little thing as an example of sexism.

- 1 post linking Butcher's posts with a phrase in Finnish that translated to "hysterical symptoms." I was unable to tell the rest of the context from the translator I used.

There are 82 comments on Blog@Newsarama and 86 comments on Mr. Butcher's blog. The denouncement starts early on Blog@Newsarama but takes a few comments to get into on Butcher's blog. People comment multiple times, but words like "groupthink," "collective" and "overreacting" are applied liberally in the first thread. Some rather insulting comments are in the second thread.

Of the 8 posts proclaiming Butcher to be overreacting, 2 suggested that female fans were unfairly targeting Marvel Comics. Over the last two days I have collected 15 links pertaining directly to how Marvel Comics deals with female characters and fans, and 21 links pertaining directly to how DC Comics deals with female characters and fans. 12 of the Marvel links were on that particular cover, and only 2 of those links agreed with Mr. Butcher. This is part of increased attention for Marvel for the last two months, because up until the statue matter the ratio was at least 5:1 favoring complaints about DC. There were 4 additional links involving movie adaptations.

All of this is verifiable from the last four posts on When Fangirls Attack, except for the approximate DC:Marvel ratio. That is based on my own personal impressions over the past year and a half and not an actual count.

Definition

I feel like a tourist when I search for WFA links. I mean there's a section of the blogosphere that feels likes its become my home territory (to the point that the message board I used to frequent feel like a foreign country), and I am totally in my element at the shop and most conventions, but there's places where even when I read the exact same comics and have been to the place often enough to know the lingo, I'm still just taking snapshots home to show my little community. Fandom on the whole is naturally splintered and clannish, so I can easily get this total outsider feeling from some corners.

During one of my excursions in the writing community, I ran across this post about gender and the type of fanfiction people write. I don't really care to engage his points generalizing gender and its not "topical" for WFA, but I was really struck by just one section of a sentence:

"fandom"--that is, the term that a predominantly female subculture of fanfic writers have appropriated to describe themselves

I'm coming from the non-writing side, the convention-going, message-board fighting, theory and review blogging analytical side and I'd call that a huge part of Fandom. In fact, I usually refer to it was Greater Comics Fandom because the superhero fans there are so big there in comparison to the superhero fans int he writing community.

What's weird and disappointing about that post is he's a fanfic writer and seems to also figure all of fandom is the fiction writing section (he's just into a different type of fanfiction writing) when we are stuffed to the brim with story theorists, newshounds, gossips convention-goers, podcasters, satirists, webcomickers, autograph hounds, commission hunters, toy collectors, creator worshippers, aspiring creators, music video-makers, and fan artists who have never sat down to write out their own story and using "Fandom" to just describe the fanfiction writers is really dismissive of the rest of us. Like we're not "real fans."

Not that none of the rest of fandom isn't ever dismissive and stupid when it comes to fanfiction writers, but its a little (but disturbingly consistent) piece of snobbery that really grates on my nerves when I surf around the writing portions.

Anyway, back to compiling links. I just had to take a break and vent a bit.

Probable JLA Spoilers.

There's a Dwayne McDuffie interview up at Wizard.

Who are some of the villains involved?

MCDUFFIE: Just like the core of the Justice League is Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman, the core of this organization is Lex Luthor, the Joker and Cheetah, and they’ve brought a lot of help.

Any Wonder Woman villain who can be categorized as Not Circe at this point is a welcome sight.

Will there be any new members of the League, and if so, can you give any hints?

MCDUFFIE: At least one new member. Well, anybody who has seen “Justice League Unlimited” knows I like [Green Lantern] John Stewart, so I wouldn’t be averse to opening up that big, ugly can of worms.

About fucking time.

(I knew it had to be Meltzer demanding to play with Hal that kept John out of the JLA.)

Justice League to be written by person who can actually write comic books

More news from the con front:

And the question is answered. Since he started his run on the series with #0, Brad Meltzer made no secret that his run as the writer on Justice League of America would end with #12. And that’s in August.

So – who gets the job next?

Dwayne McDuffie, longtime comics writer, and perhaps, best known in JLA fans view as one of the writers on the animated Justice League Unlimited series. McDuffie will start with the JLA Wedding Special in September, shipping just prior to Justice League of America #13, with art by Joe Benitez (regular series artist Ed Benes will return on the series with #14).

Okay, the Wedding Special looks like its going to be about the worst couple in comics since Nightwing dated Huntress (seriously, there had better be mind-controlling aliens involved if Dinah's actually going to say yes to this guy), and Boobs Benes is still going to be on art, but Dwayne McDuffie is writing and he has plans. (Emphasis mine)

We’re going to shift the team a little, partly because the team that Brad set up is a huge cast, because Brad wanted to work with a lot of characters. So, we’re looking to bring things down to a more manageable size, we’re going to bring other members in also, and bring in that sense of high action and high adventure again – bring the big scale feel back in to the book. Brad did such a fabulous job on the book in telling a very personal story which established and reestablished the bonds between these characters, so we felt it was time for a little bit of a tonal shift and we’ve got someone who understands the workings of the DCU to do it, which will allow for the book to interact with a lot more titles now, because of Countdown and what we have planned for the year.

I take back what I said yesterday. DC must love me.

DC Comics, why must you torment me so?

You're kidding:

As announced by Dan Didio and Bob Wayne in Philly and Heroes Con, respectively, next week's Flash: The Fastest Man Alive #13 will be the last issue of the young series, which was just launched last year. Although DC is keeping mum about what happens in that pivotal issue, its story will act as a precursor to the announced return of Mark Waid to The Flash beginning in the fall with penciler Daniel Acuna (Uncle Sam and the Freedom Fighters).

Okay, on one hand, this is Mark Waid. I started reading The Flash during Waid's run and I am firmly in the camp of people who loved that run and would be interested in seeing if he can recapture that. I never thought I'd drop that comic. (Until, of course, this series happened and I just had to. It was too painful.) To me this writer is not a guaranteed hit (I much preferred his 90s LSH reboot to the current one, for example) but definitely work a look.

On the other hand, its going to be drawn by Daniel Acuna, an artist who draws comics that I find only slightly more visually appealing than the slides accompanying the STD briefing at Keesler AFB.

Some days, I think DC editorial is personally out to get me.

Joe Q: Villain or Menace

David Brothers has a great post up in defense of Joe Quesada called Joe Q: Villain or Menace, and I must admit that I liked the guy as the EiC when he first took over.

I'm sure you all know my current feelings about the editorial Marvel.

I can't agree entirely with David's take on DC's handling of women vs. Marvel's. Comparing Storm cold to Wonder Woman isn't really fair (especially since Storm's handling in her home book, Black Panther, is not really hetr book, or even her home book, and isn't an impressive use of the character. Wonder Woman has been consistently a force to be reckoned with outside of her book, despite editorial flounderings with the title itself. She's at the forefront in heroic society.) The issue is far more complex. Why not take Sue Storm, Spiderwoman, Ms. Marvel, She-Hulk, Scarlet Witch, Power Girl, Black Canary, and Manhunter (which is uncancelled, thank you David) into account? How about Lois Lane's treatment vs. Mary Jane's? And for Spiderman loves Mary Jane vs. Supergirl, we have Birds of Prey vs. Heroes for Hire. And DC just hired McKeever, didn't they?

And before I get called a DC apologist, there's Jean Loring, Spoiler, Black Canary and Green Arrow, any Green Lantern girlfriend, Star Sapphire especially, about a third of the posts on this blog are about DC idiocy.

Point being, both companies have excellent moments and moments of stunning stupidity. But this is before work and I don't really have time to get entirely into it.

I will give him that John Stewart in the background is fucking stupid.

Anyway, its an interesting post. Go read it.

As long as I'm mad about Countdown.

Still no substantial Kyle either. I'm going through withdrawal here. The fucking nerve of you guys, to have a 12-issue maxiseries which ends with a fucking advertisement for a book that's not going to come out for two months and shelve the character until then.

I swear, if Kyle dies because you felt his sales were too low after you went and gave him the stupidest name Winick could come up with as an official name then marketed his book under that stupid name with an unwieldy set of powers and used the brand name on two other books but not his I am camping outside your offices, DC. In my nerdy Green Lantern shirt. And harassing your editors.

Crummy Bastards.

(Granted, it'll be on a day trip home to the Northeast. But I'll have my equally loud and annoying sister with me!)

In which Ragnell realizes she is 3 weeks behind on Countdown, and catches up.

You killed a Kirby creation?

Buttmunches.

They can't mean anyone I know.

Most of the female readers I know would've joined the Hulk vs. Spiderman argument.

(Hattip Angelthorne)

That's not a runner's butt.

Shelly dug this up:


I call foul! Must be a trick of the panel angle. A guy who spends that much time running would be much more toned.

Now that its quiet enough that people can read more closely

(People meaning me, of course)

Takeshi Miyazawa's description of the cultural snafu, which I've just now (that the whole thing's died down a bit) had a chance to read thoroughly, tells me much more than I want to know about Marvel's art policy (Emphasis mine):

I drew the previous cover to Heroes for Hire and was asked to choose at least two girls out of the cast and draw them as sexy as possible so, naturally, I did.

If there is one thing that everyone should take away from this, its that using "sexy" as the defining trait for a character (and seriously, if that's all that is matter that a character be drawn as in the cover, that's a "defining trait") is a stupid idea.

Edited to clarify: This interview is from an artist who drew a previous cover, relayed the instructions he got, and described what probably happened with issue #13. I quoted him because I felt the art instructions he repeated were extremely important and the whole point of Miyazawa's post was that by Japanese standards, that cover was attractive so I didn't want to get into the cultural differences of what's sexy and what's creepy, but instead wanted to point out what Marvel was telling their cover artists to do.

If the phrases "strong, aggressive, brave, or heroic" were used instead of just "sexy" there may have been a very different cover, but we can only conclude from the end result that none of those words were important enough to be used when communicating with the artist from another culture who had never seen the characters before.

So who lost sight of the idea that these were 3 kickass women, Joe?

From Showcase #22

(Just a little reminder of what Hal Jordan was like in his first appearance. In case anyone forgot that he was meant to be an ass.)

(Yes, that woman was the main love interest.)

Oh, and Greg Rucka needs your help.

Local conventions.

Why is every blogging panel at every convention in the morning?

Aside from that, Soonercon has been great. I bought a bunch of old comics, toys, and books. I got filmed for a public access horror show. I got compliments on my Wonder Woman shirt. I didn't place in the costume contest (I was the Power Girl) but I got a ton of compliments on the costume. I got to rant about comics to a bunch of different people. I ran into friends I haven't seen in months. Got one friend's kid to take pictures for me, so I actually have pictures of me this time. Also, his mother showed me how to work a part of my camera that had been a mystery up until now. I ate chinese food in a superhero costume. I saw the last hour and a half of Hogfather (Susan Death: Even more badass in live action).

Unfortunately, because its local and I'm too cheap for a hotel I have to get up twice as early to get to a morning panel I'd sleep through if I was staying in the hotel.

(Oh, and for those keeping the tally of these things, Soonercon did nothing to break my streak. I actually noticed three times as many come-ons at this con as at any other. I think its because people at this con is more likely to be local than at the others.)

Who is... John Stewart?

There are some barely formed thoughts and ideas in the back of my head which may or may not turn into another John Stewart post, but they have me starting to wonder about something.

What does most of the superhero-reading community think John Stewart is supposed to act like? And what writer and/or media portrayal cemented that idea?

Do me a favor and (whether you have a strongly formed idea or just a general impression) comment with your opinion of what John Stewart the Green Lantern character is supposed to think and act like, and where you got that idea.

Oh, and I mean this John Stewart:


(Just in case there may have been some confusion.)

There goes my last Marvel read.

Daredevil #98:

Karen Page. Elektra. All the women Matt Murdock has loved have been violently taken from him, victims of unspeakable tragedies and in Daredevil #98, his wife Milla Donovan may be next! The Gladiator has returned, more enraged and brutal than ever, with one purpose in mind: making Matt Murdock suffer! With the defender of Hell’s Kitchen in police custody and the Gladiator alone with a terrified Milla, things aren’t looking good for the wife of Daredevil…and history isn’t on her side either. The penultimate chapter of “To The Devil, His Due” will have huge ramifications for Daredevil as he races towards the milestone Daredevil #100.

Brubaker shows and gets into an argument with an offended party, with the regular Newsarama peanut gallery in the background. Of course, this is a golden opportunity to tell a pro precisely what I think of this story idea so I couldn't pass it up (even though I hate the boards there). Here's what I posted:

Mr. Brubaker,
I like your stories and I don't think you'd kill Milla in a horribly tasteless fashion, and were it other circumstances I'd say you sound more reasonable and side with you, but here's the thing:

That solicit calls up the disposable girlfriend trope. It points out a trend in Matt's life. It plays it up for tension. And the disposable girlfriend trope, the "You touched my stuff" story (where the hero gets personally offended because his loved one was hurt/murdered) is sickening in all forms of media, and that article plays it up.

Milla is a fairly new character, she's not Foggy. She hasn't been around long enough to be an indispensable part of the franchise. She's not Elektra. She doesn't have the fan appeal to be brought back to life to kick ass on her own. She is to all appearances a disposable girlfriend, so its not a big stretch to figure she's on her way out when we see a solicit like that.

And in the comics world, where nearly all of the female characters are dating other heroes who can protect themselves, but the majority of the male heroes (who are also the vast majority of the heroes) have disposable love interests or set damsels-in-distress, its hard not to get the message that women are disposable to the writers and get really annoyed when you see advertisements that play it up as exciting.

And its really hard to get the motivation to spend money on something that sounds almost sure to offend, so if you'll excuse me I'll wait until after Milla's fate is leaked to decide if I'll buy another issue of Daredevil.

They probably won't notice me, though, as they are arguing over whether or not Scarlet Witch's breakdown was sexist.

(Whatever they decide about that one, it sure as hell wasn't in character.)

That's a cute coincidence.

I believe Duck Tales wasn't until the 90s and this issue of Green Lantern was in the mid-80s (right after Crisis). Unless, of course, the triplets joined the Boy Scouts knockoff early on in Uncle Scrooge and Donald Duck and it wasn't a cartoon invention. Maybe some Disney scholar can help me out there.

Either way, its too bad that book didn't give him tips on crossing the street safely.

Sims just managed to break my brain.

Chris Sims found something in the back of his monthly Tarot research and just had to send it to me. It seems Balent weighed in on industry attitudes towards female readers.



For those of you who (understandably) can't read the scan, a male reader asks Balent why the lettercol always focuses on women, and sends his picture in, asking for a column about Guys instead.

The reason we celebrate Girls/Women at Broadsword is mainly because I was told by the so-called "Know-It-Alls" in the industry that female [readers] really don't read comics. While other companies ignore their female readers we glorify them.

Balent compromises by putting the guy at the bottom as the "Do you have dude."

As Sims would say, that was the sound of your mind being blown.

Anyway, before we get lost in a sea of confusion, Balent-bashing, Boobie jokes and feminist analysis of Tarot (which could take weeks), there are some things to keep in mind:

1) Tarot is an adult title and was concieved as such, is written and drawn as such, and is viewed as such by most casual readers.

2) In my personal experience with Tarot readers, I've only met female readers except for Chris), and there was a post by a shopkeeper a while back (that I can't find, but I know its out there) about how he sold a lot of Tarot to female fans. Those are both anecdotal impressions, but the complaint above was that the lettercol is female-dominated, which supports it.

3) I'm finding it really impossible not believe him when he says some know-it-all told him women don't read comics after all the backlash we've seen.

Now on one hand this is Jim "Boobie" Balent and that could be just a smooth way of telling the guy "I'd rather print naked and scantily clad girls, thank you." There's much argument to be had over whether this comic celebrates women or not.

On the other hand, "I have lots of female readers and they send me positive feedback" with the ability to back it up is quite a change from the usual "This is aimed at boys, so you shouldn't be offended" and "You're losing sight of the strength of the character by being offended" we hear when industry professionals talk about women and comic books.

There's also something in here about female spaces, male spaces and neutral spaces, but I'm not familiar enough with the Tarot lettercol to speculate on just what it is.

Now that that's been said: Bring on the confusion, feminist analysis of Tarot, Balent-bashing, and Boobie jokes!

Or feel free to say nice things, too.

Panel Excerpt

From one of Oyceter's Wiscon writeups:

Coniraya mentioned Phantom Menace (I think); he remembered being so excited about it, only to go in and be slapped in the face with Jar-Jar Binks, the Japanese-sounding evil traders, and the Jewish-sounding merchant/slaveowner.

Janine asked if Lucas was deliberately being racist; all of us thought no, probably not. Coniraya said that lots of cartoons that Lucas watched probably had the same accents and that Lucas might have just picked it up, but that that was why it was important to examine these things.

(Emphasis mine)

Green Lantern #19-20 Spoilers

(I'll pick up #18 over Reis and Acuna's pink slips, dammit.)

Yeah, I picked it up. Rachelle and Sally kept blogging the storyline and I had to check it out.

I should really fucking hate this storyline.

I don't.

I hate aspects of the storyline. I still hate the fucking costume. I fucking hate Acuna's art. I really fucking hate the emotional divide between the Zamarons and the Guardians, they get to study love rather than willpower*? Yuck! How fucking stereotypical can you be?

The most irritating part was the Dela Pharon retcon. The original story with Dela (Star Sapphire III) in Green Lantern #41 had a new Star Sapphire pretending to be Carol and trying to trick Hal into marriage. This was part of her usurping Carol as the Zamaron Queen. As well as defeating Carol in battle, she felt a need to steal Carol's position, identity, and boyfriend. It was an interesting story that played up the Zamaron role-reversal by making Hal the "bride" in an old plot. The story itself was about Carol.

By making the Star Sapphire parasite attracted to Hal, he destroyed that story and made the whole thing about Hal.

That wasn't the only point in the whole storyline that made me want to throw things at Johns, but its the part I find hardest to forgive.

But...

It fits in with Hal's character and Carol's character, and restores Carol to her proper place in the franchise. Carol's back to flying airplanes herself. There was an appearance by Tom. It adds the Zamarons into the franchise plotline, which they need to be into, and in the end they aren't so obsessed with love/lust anymore. (It also conveniently changes their appearance back to that of female Maltusians, rather than white human women).

The story is problematic, but moves towards a much better status quo. (Eventually this parasite crap will need to be retconned out, though.)

And the ending left me with a little smile. Cheered me out of a pissy mood. I'm back to reading the GL mainbook again.

Hopefully Acuna'll be gone next issue.

*Anyone wanna take bets on the Controllers' specialty?

Reminder: Why I'm a Pile of Rage and Gristle.

I've finished with the fucking backlog. This happens every time I go away, and every time I slog through days worth of blog posts and grow very greatly annoyed by them. This time was especially bad, because most of them were response posts to already-burning outrages. I've read too damned many of these.

I can tell when someone has read most or all of it and is responding with a thoughtful argument. I can tell when someone has skimmed and is responding in anger. I can tell when someone just looked at the number of links and then decided to shoot their mouth off with their stupid assumptions about what feminists are saying. I've read them all. I've read your rants. I read your whining. I've read your attacks. I've read your defenses. I've read remarkably little joy and humor in the backlog (which is probably why my shoulders and neck ache so much). I find myself with a very short temper, especially for the little fuckers who are making arguments after not having actually read the complaints.

Anyway, I've made three WFA posts today, and I have enough for two more actually. I'm going to sit and spread them out a bit over the weekend. I also managed to get my Wiscon writeup -- Part 1 and Part 2 -- posted, and I've been really wishing I was still there today.

I was going to let you know that I hate you all, but I found this first. The title of that post is wonderful. I remember when I could only find a handful of people regularly blogging about this stuff. Now comics blogs devoted to feminism are fairly prolific. That makes me happy.

As does the Green Lantern spoiler I found earlier.

I still need to relax. I'm going to go find pictures of Green Lantern butts in my back issues now. I don't know when or if substantial content will return to this blog. Just be happy I'm not fighting in your comment sections like a rabid St. Bernard.

Friday Night Fights, Round 12!

Bahlactus requests violence for his weekend entertainment.



Valkyrie delivers.

Carnival Notes

The 14th Carnival of Feminist Science Fiction and Fantasy Fans is up at Heroine Content, featuring the highlights of the Mass Comics Outrage of May 2007 and some of the more interesting things that I missed while following that.

I'll be hosting the 15th Carnival myself on Feminist SciFi -- The Blog! on July 1. Deadline for Submissions is June 29th. It will be a special Wiscon edition, so I'd like to get as many Wiscon reports as possible. I won't be restricitng the content to just that, but I'd like a sizeable section on con writeups. Send them to my email address or use the submission form. Guidelines are here.

In the meantime, the 12th Erase Racism Carnival at The Angry Black Woman has a lot of scifi-related posts, and the People of Colour SF Carnival is due on June 15th.

I'm Back

Had a blast at Wiscon. Came home to a huge livejournal blowup and 2,573 unread posts on my Bloglines.

So instead I put a police uniform (bought in the dealer's room) on one of my blonde barbies and took a picture of my new Liza Warner Barbie doll.



I also found a discounted Supergirl (Linda Danvers uniform), and a brown-haired blue-eyed barbie, which was a joy because I could never find one as a kid. Now I just need that green-skinned Wicked Witch Barbie.

Actual content should resume as soon as I catch up, or find something that makes me extremely happy or extremely angry. Whichever comes first.

Seeya later!

I'll be at Wiscon. I've never been there before. I'm imagining tables of women in Star Trek uniforms (from various series) debating the lack of female mad scientists in popular culture. We'll see how close that idea comes.

(I cut off the title to that cover to drive certain readers insane. Don't give it away in the comments.)

Heroes for Hire #13

I'm going to weigh in on this one before I go on vacation, because there's something important about this (NSFW) cover that I'm not seeing mentioned in the posts.

Look at Black Cat, she's hiding rather than unconscious (see how her left eye is shut?). She's huddled and trying to shrink away from the tentacle. Very vulnerable, very scared, and she's the one with the goo on her chest.

What pisses me off more than anything else (more than the breasts, the tentacles, the for the boys mentality, the blatant disregard of their own rating system) is when you see that, and take this retcon into account.

Yeah.

Fuck you again, Kevin Smith.

And fuck you, Marvel Comics.

Carnival Time Approaches

Heroine Content (http://www.heroinecontent.net) is hosting the 13th
Carnival of Feminist Science Fiction and Fantasy Fans, which will be
published on May 30th. The deadline for submissions is May 27th!
Please submit via email to skyekilaen@gmail.com. We're looking for
posts, web comics, and art with a feminist perspective on science
fiction and fantasy. This can include TV, Movies, Books, Comics,
Games, etc. For more information, see the Guidelines at
http://carnival.feministsf.net/?cat=3

Also check out the new People of Colour SF Carnival
(http://ofcolour.blogspot.com/). The first edition is scheduled for
June 15th, see their site for more details.

Nikki's a real lantern now!

I don't know how I missed this last month, but in accordance with DC tradition Soranik Natu (Kali and I have been calling her Nikki between ourselves) has finally gotten a butt-showcasing cover all her very own.



The artist has the concept sketches posted on his blog.

DC's WW Bust

Because of the current raging controversy I did something unusual and checked out the figures section of the DC solicits. I found something I have to buy.

I want them to make more like this.

50 Things I Love About Mainstream Superhero Comics

(Kalinara started a meme.)

1) Continuity Porn -- Yes, I am that kind of fan. The one that DC caters to. The one that keeps Geoff Johns in the job. The one who perfectly satisfied to read five different versions of the exact same story, published at different time periods and adjusted for continuity.

2) Time travel storylines, guest-starring the Legion of Superheroes from any publishing period.

3) Any version of Starman, because of the intricate history James Robinson set up.

4) That every Flash who has ever been published can team up to fight a single villain.

5) Power Girl's playful banter with Wildcat reminds me of me and the guys at work.

6) Coluans.

7) She-Hulk enjoys her super-strong green form.

8) The core team of the JSA is essentially a bunch of cranky old men who probably get together with old supervillains to play poker.

9) Characters I love who died (Ice) can be brought back to life. Characters I love who went evil can always have been mind-controlled.

10) John Stewart's first appearance when he steps in between the cops and the checker-playing kids.

11) Retroactive Continuity!!

12) I've been following these characters long enough to be able to fill in the spaces between the panels.

13) Quicksilver is an absolute jerk when he's good. He can also believably go insane and evil and I still adore the character.

14) Patrick Gleason's aliens.

15) Somewhere in the Multiverse there is an Earth controlled by Nazi Dinosaurs.

16) Multi-part serial stories which give me something to think about as I do mindless repetitive tasks.

17) Green Lantern's powers have as much visual potential as an illusionist, but all entirely in my favorite color.

18) I can read about both Kyle and Hal.

19) Spider-man interacts playfully with random New Yorkers.

20) Big Barda is the muscular ass-kicker in the Free family, and Scott isn't the least bit bothered by this.

21) A large percentage of the male population of Opal City wear fedoras.

22) Black Canary was still a hero when she lost her powers.

23) Manhunter is divorced. She is not a castrating bitch. Her husband is not deadbeat Dad. They are two decent people who couldn't make it work out, and there was no need to make anyone the villain to make the other look better.

24) The original Red Tornado was just a lady with a pot over her head and a blanket-cape, even came from a humor book, but in the modern DCU she's known as a hero and her flashback stories drive that home.

25) Tim Drake and Maxine Hunkle are overenthusiastic hero-worshippers who became heroes.

26) "When I'm no longer needed to battle crime and injustice" is a better answer to "When will you marry me?" than "When Hell freezes over"

27) It is almost completely random, yet very funny, that panels featuring Green Lantern are usually a rear-view.

28) Whatever damage is done by the current writer can be fixed by the next writer's retcon, reboot, or just plain redemptive writing.

29) That even the tropes I despise are so well-known that we have a staple of jokes to make when we see them. (Yes, I love Fridge jokes. Surely you all knew that)

30) The term "cosmic rod" makes me giggle like a 12-year-old.

31) Husk can shed skin like a snake.

32) Mutants like Domino, Longshot, and Scarlet Witch, who have vague probability powers that conform to the writer's needs.

33) Shining Knight is a teenaged girl with a sword, gold armor, an Arthurian history, and a flying horse!

34) The cover to Defenders #5 has a giant monster holding a blonde woman in his hand just like King Kong -- only this woman is swinging a sword at the monster! (And she's a valkyrie!)

35) Wonder Woman killed Medusa on live television, while she was wide awake. Touch that, Perseus!

36) Lois Lane is a driven, pushy, arrogant, complaining, sneaky modern career woman. As a result, she gets to see Superman with his briefs off on a regular basis.

37) Captain Comet still appears from time to time.

38) All Brainiacs are pretty much dicks, whatever time period and moral alignment they show up in.

39) Grant Morrison.

40) No knockoff can hold up to the original Superman.

41) You can make an easy Jack Knight costume for any convention with a pair of boxers, a Hawaiian shirt, a leather jacket, ski goggles, and a broomstick that's been spray-painted gold.

42) The industry pros are part of the fandom.

43) The creepy visual effect of shadow powers when the Shade, Obsidian, or Nightshade show up.

44) That Blink was so popular after Age of Apocalypse she was the anchor for a new series.

45) Kyle Rayner, in the alley, with the lead pipe.

46) Everything is just so much bigger in the DC and Marvel Universes. The stakes are higher for everything. Aliens invade every week. The End of the World is nigh every month. People don't just have fist-fights, they have aerial battles over the mountains while the government calls out the Air Force to take out the winner.

47) At the same time, there's street heroes who handle normal crime and everyday accidents. They interact with the cosmic-level heroes and team-up.

48) Science Fiction, Fantasy, Mystery, and Romance genre stories all take place in the same city.

49) "You made me lose my hair!" was not the motivation for a female villain.

50) The story where Power Girl lifts up an Arthurian-era knight and throws him into a lake after he tries to run off with her per the laws of Chivalry? Collected in trade now.

I'll hold your cape for you.

As long as I'm on statues showcasing domesticated women I have one more thing to get off my chest. (Others have pointed this out, but I still need to say it.) This whole MJ thing reminded me of this:



That one pisses me off more than any of the others, and its not the outfit. Kirby designed that outfit. Didn't bug me when he drew it. Its the pose. Do you know what would have been a better pose for Barda in that statue?

Any pose.

When Kirby drew Barda in that outfit she was doing strength exercises, lifting heavy things, and discussing the plot and battle plans with Scott. Here Barda is holding Scott's cape for him. Effectively the little woman is holding her husband's coat while he goes off to actually do stuff. It's Big Barda for heaven's sake. She should be kicking something's ass in any statue.

"Honey, here's your cape. Now go out and save the world without me."

"I'll hold your coat while you fight him, darling. Good luck."

Seriously, does that fucking sound like the quintessential Big Barda moment to you?

Yeesh, what is wrong with these licensing people?

About that hamper distinction.

I swore I'd do that 50 Things meme Kalinara set up, but before I do I just have to ask about the hamper thing in the MJ discussion.

We've established that yes it is a hamper rather than a washtub. That still means this statue shows Mary Jane doing Peter's laundry. How exactly does that invalidate all the complaints that she's doing menial housework chores for her husband? Does this even count as a Bad Reasons fallacy? The basic premise is still true, a slight detail was mistaken.

2007 Glyph Awards Winners

From Glyphs:

Story of the Year
Stagger Lee, Derek McCulloch, writer, Shepherd Hendrix, artist

Best Writer
Derek McCulloch, Stagger Lee

Best Artist
Kyle Baker, The Bakers

Best Male Character
Stagger Lee, Stagger Lee; Derek McCulloch, writer, Shepherd Hendrix, artist; inspired by the life of Lee Shelton

Best Female Character
Thomasina Lindo, Welcome to Tranquility; co-created by Gail Simone, writer, Neil Googe, artist

Rising Star Award
Spike, Templar, Arizona

Best Reprint Publication
Deogratias: A Tale of Rwanda, First Second; Mark Siegel, editor, Alexis Siegel, translator

Best Cover
Stagger Lee, Shepherd Hendrix, artist

Best Comic Strip
The K Chronicles, Keith Knight, writer and artist

Fan Award for Best Comic
Storm, Eric Jerome Dickey, David Yardin & Lan Medina and Jay Leisten & Sean Parsons

The New Godwin

I totally missed it, but Dirk Deppey got the first 1984 Reference in the MJ debate:

Today’s When Fangirls Attack! link is a choice between your Scott Kurtz Two-Minute Hate and your Dirk Deppey Two-Minute Hate. Fun for the whole family!

Does anyone else think these are beating out the Hitler references on internet debate these days?

Friday Night Fights Round 10!

What better way to take your mind off the current strife in the blogosphere than to post pictures of violence?

...

It made sense when Bahlactus first suggested it.

Chorus Member

I'm watching all of the outrage I linked get described as herdthink, cliquish, and just a general hivemind. Honestly, though, herdthink? Don't these people know anything about comics or communities? Birds of a feather and all that. People with like minds link each other and friend each other and react in much the same way. So, people linking Devil Doll are, on the whole, reacting like she does. Communities build on communities like a chain. You read someone and someone else reads you, you link someone and that someone who reads you also links them and the someone who reads that someone links them and so on. Some posts don't get linked. Some get linked once. Some get linked multiple times and some things become an internet fad in themselves, to the point that ten years and ten thousand links later someone writes a quote on a picture of his cat and everyone laughs, but almost nobody knows the origin of the phrase.

This particular outrage went a long way and through blogs I've never seen before. It's burned fast and bright. I linked Lisa on Wednesday, Devil Doll posted on Thursday and Thursday night and it carried through the movie fandoms. When I got home I had so many links I had to take another day to compile them in a separate post (figured it would be easier if people could link it if they were interested in responses, and that it wouldn't detract from the other discussions). This didn't happen because of follow the leader, it happened because it resonated with a lot of people. A lot of people saw that post and had the same reaction to the pictures, so they linked it. And it travels on.

Its incredible, though, how some things can get people talking. A lot of these are new blogs, but a lot of these are people I read every day. Blogs I constantly monitor, some of them are regular WFA commenters. There's such a range of interests there, and opinions. One person likes cheesecake to a certain point, another thinks its all bad and a third is okay so long as the problem is writing. They post and rant and analyze and argue amongst themselves until something happens, something big, to make a large number of these different voices speak in chorus.

But to some people, all outrage is the same. Even though there are different players using different arguments in each fight. Even though there are alliances drawn and redrawn every day (I watch this every day -- I've seen bloggers engage in bitter fights with and then become the darlings of the Fan Feminist Community over a period of a month), somehow the last three major outrages are proof of a growing hive mentality and my website is somehow the center of this.

When I see people like Kalinara and Livia, who have completely different approaches to their Feminism debate on the same side, I don't call that a hive mentality. I don't call Colleen Doran and AriellaDrake using the same talking point (coincidentally, it was "feminists are not a monolithic entity") a hive mentality. I call it a fricking miracle.

Yes, there's been a lot of buzzing. There's all out rage over stuff I never thought twice over, which I don't mind. I enjoy watching a good fight (though I thought that the deleting of complaints was more offensive than the statue). Its annoying when its coupled with complete and utter ignorance of things I figured were pretty important. Plus there's the trashing of a hobby I love by outsiders. The fans who think that non-American comics are somehow less sexist are getting on my fucking nerves here. Have they never seen an anime or manga-based toy?

That's nothing, however, to the people who go through the links and think that there's a swarm a drones following some Alien Amazon Queen in her outrage. The communities doesn't work that way, not on this scale.

Anyway, the initial shock seems to be subsiding, and I'm seeing more thoughtful responses. I will admit I used to be more thoughtful, though.

I was thinking about it as I answered this person with a link to a previous post.

I think I may be at the point where, if I could muster the energy to sort through my archives, i could answer everyone with a past post, because we're seeing so many things I've seen since I started blogging. I just finished reading Where the Girls Are, which goes over the history of Feminism and the Mass Media from the 60s to the 90s. It all looked so familiar. Same old song, only I experienced those thirty years in just three years it seems with comics alone.

Kalinara and I are the only people who have read every link at When Fangirls Attack as they were posted. No one else knew us in those first couple of days, but we read everything as we posted and even if we were forced to skim we went back and read it.

I read every single link I linked on that stupid statue. I've read every single anti-feminist link I've put on there and I treasure them as I find them. They're conversation builders. People answer them, and rant and rave and rationalize and agree and disagree and keep talking. Someone asked me if I ever ran out of outraged. I told her I did all the time, but I enjoyed a good fight so that kept me going.

But I'm just getting so sick and tired of hearing the same stupid arguments over and over again from people who thinking they are new and haven't been addressed before. People who think they're clever and that such an "insight" will stop others in their tracks. People who are dismissive.

I'm losing my temper with them. I've seen it so damned often. I've seen it from people who have seen it themselves. I've seen the fannishness. I've seen the absurdity. I've seen the hypocrisy. I linked it all and fumed as I did.

When I started blogging Feminism, I got complimented on my patience and my accessibility. Now more often I'm described as crazy, overreacting, and over the top. I'm also getting linked as the feminist poster girl for conversations I never weighed in on. That's weird. I'm losing readers for my focus sharpening (to the point I'm livejournalling all of my non-comics stuff) even as WFA is gaining them. That's weird, because this blog was originally for everything and WFA was born of specialization.

Oh, and for those of you who don't think ranting about Power Girl's boobs ever did anyone any good. I got politically aware through the Fan Feminists I've met and the places my comic book articles were linked. So don't tell me this is a waste of energy. This kind of thinking reverberates into real life, whether you're the one carrying it from fandom to reality or you've taken it from fandom to reality.

They mirror each other. Just as we're in a backlash against the Women's Movement in the political media, we seem to be in the midst of the backlash from Women in Refrigerators still. As the companies and the fanboys get meaner, louder, and more explicit, so do the Feminists. They attack from all sides, so do the Feminists. The companies attack each other, the fanboys attack each other, the antifeminists attack the Feminists who attack other Feminists who attack antifeminists who attack fanboys and feminists who team up to attack the companies. Its become a wild repetitive dance where the music just gets faster and faster and we change partners and costumes in mid-twirl.

Its all the same old song, a little bit louder and a little bit worse each time. Each time you hear the part where they throw us a great female character, its better than before. Each time they then kill her off, its just a bit worse than before. Each piece of cheesecake is just a bit worse than the last. Each part where someone waves their hand and dismisses someone with "Its just a comic book", "Its for men anyway", "You should be blogging about women in the Middle East instead" and "Well, I'M a WOMAN and I'm not offended" is just a little bit louder and a little bit worse than the last time I heard it, and that was the worst part of the dance to begin with.

There's one good point.

As I told someone earlier, I disagree with Girl-Wonder.org members vocally and regularly. But I don't dismiss them. Being dismissed unites people in rage against the dismisser. Douglas, in the aforementioned book, notes how being dismissed by the news media in the beginning of the women's movement drew women of many different ideologies together. They made a common enemy of themselves.

I think that's the driving force behind the recent surge in comic book feminist blogging. The companies are dismissing us. With every fetish statue, porn-inspired cover, male-focused marketing campaign, pink ghetto and closed fridge door they're dismissing women as superhero fans. Then when we stand up and say "We're here! We've been here! And it would be nice if you didn't actively try to run us out of here!" we're accused of asking for special treatment, and dismissed again. After you notice too much of that (and you can't stop noticing it) you either take the hint and leave or (held captive by your love of the basic concepts of the genre, your appreciation for the medium, and your desperate fannish need to cling to your childhood dreams) you decide you've had enough and write rude letters to Peter Tomasi about the lack of female characters in Green Lantern.

At the same time, a hundred other women decide they've had enough, and sent in postcards about the Spoiler.

Now, we have more women who've decided they've had enough. Some are probably taking the hint, while others are sending letters (ranging from the polite to disgusted to enraged) to the helpfully provided addresses.

I like that. That's progress. That means the dance hall's getting crowded, even as (or probably because) the music's getting faster. We haven't hit the breaking point, though. Or we've passed it. I'm not sure I'd recognize the breaking point, but I figure its some point after somebody sends 12 T-Shirts to a major publisher addressed to the most scantily clad female characters, or sends them pink printouts of the resumes of feminist sci-fi novelists, along with what series they'd be best suited to write.

In the meantime, once this outrage dies down and people return to their respective blogging habits, I'll appreciate having the variety back. See, not every WFA link makes it to the major news and commentary sites so many people may not realize it but there are a lot of very different people in the comics blogosphere, even fi they seem to turn into an echo chamber when united through special provocation. Even then, it lasts for a day or so and some of the most incredible things you've ever read come through once people get their heads about them. Some of the most amazingly stupid things as well. The variety returns.

Its spreading beyond even the movie fans now.

Holy crap, we just got Boing Boinged.

This is after clearing Feministe and Pandagon (but Pandagon didn't link When Fangirls Attack!)

Given that the Batwoman fracas started outside the community in a huge venue like the New York Times, and this one flared up at a personal livejournal, I'd say its officially bigger than Batwoman.

Not bad for a statue that only got a few eyerolls two months ago.

What a way with words!

Eumelia:

The poor Boys have to deal with the fact that many, many Girls are entering (or already inside) the Comic Book Club Tree House and are rearranging the furniture, just a little, so that they don't have to sit on the floor or the other boys' laps.

I'd say that captures the spirit of this blog.

High praise from hippokrene:

Name That Troll!

I've been graced by trolls recently. They are poor trolls, however, for they were unable to afford even standard internet handles. Normally, I don't give gifts to the unnamed, but such brave words are truly deserving of a description sobriquette.

So, we're going to have a little contest. I'll give you the comment, you give the troll a name. You get points for wittiness, accuracy, and creativity.

Anonymous #1 is a comment I've been saving for a few weeks (that was left on a much older post):

Get a grip folks - the new costume is 600,000% better than the previous. It's daring, it's provocative, and really not that much more revealing than the costumes of, say Wonder Woman or Namor.

Funny how nobody ever objects to a guy in a scaly green speedo, but Star Sapphire, OH NO.

This person was referring to this costume, and seems to think that comparing a scantily clad woman to Namor in a discussion is a novel idea. I'm sorry Anonymous #1, but that complaint is so old its only Comics Community Anti-Feminist Cliche #8. We're on #305 by now.

Next up, we have Anonymous #2 from just a few days ago:

I think I have finally figured out why we Americans are one of the most aggressive nations in history! We are TERRIFIED of sexuality! In most of the civilized world, this statue would not prompt the perverted, blue-balled, artificially hysteric revulsion to playful erotica as it does here in the good old USA. Is it "feminism's" fault? "Puritanism's" fault? I don't know, but "I tremble for my country" and all that...

I'd wager that Anonymous #2 believes very strongly that bikinis made out of the American Flag are patriotic. And I worry about his sex life.

Moving on, we come to Anonymous #3 from yesterday:

Oh for god's sake. What the hell is wrong with you people? The idea for that statue is BRILLIANT, and it looks cool too, except for the eyes that seem to be of slipshod make.

Anybody who gets furious over that statue officially hates FUN.

Anonymous #3 enjoys doing laundry by hand without even a washboard, wearing thongs and a shirt two sizes too small, bending over with a special joint located in the thighs, and smiling while in this position. Let's give a hand to Anonymous #3!

That's all I found today, but these three brave persons are clearly deserving of names for their controversial opinions. What do you suggest?

Editorial Simmering

If anyone wonders at my generally foul temper, my quick descent into condescension, and the gradually sharpening tone of my writing style, I have an explanation.

I read every fucking link I post on When Fangirls Attack.

Normally I can take some delight in the more spirited debates, and in widespread rages I can usually find some lovely new blogs that combine comics and feminism regularly. I always look back at the recent posts on any new blog to see if there's other posts that suit my interest, and if they are worth reading. Its my little joy.

Well, that and watching people rant at each other.

But this Mary Jane thing has been beyond irksome. I've logged over 150 posts on it (and I have twenty-some in the folder, and more places to look still), and at least two-thirds of those are blogs I've never seen before.

And out of all of those brand new (to me) blogs, I've gotten maybe two livejournals that are worth keeping an eye on. A few Feminist blogs, a lot of movie fans, but few of them seem to discuss comic books aside from this.

I want ice cream, and a comic starring Mary Jane Watson-Parker in which she uses Laundry Fu to kick the asses of a bunch of Nazis who have kidnapped Peter to experiment on him and clone a master race of Super-Aryan-Spidermen.

Written by Beau Smith, of course.

Happy Mother's Day

Hey, I've got an hour left for a Mother's Day post, and I had work today.

And I sent Mom flowers and called her from work, so this is technically a blogging formality.

*Ahem* Anyway...

More contact info -- to complain to Marvel

Angry at Marvel over something? Sadly, Quedsada's just the EIC and can't do anything for you if its not a comic book, but Guy has the goods on who can:

Quesada = Didio / Levitz = Dan Buckley. And yeah, I suspect the statue is something the comics side of the business has little control over; not unlike the movies.

Contact licensing here or here:

Marvel Licensing Department
Marvel Entertainment, Inc.
417 5th Avenue
New York, NY 10016

Also, if you're serious about this, I'd suggest contacting
Alan Fine, President and Chief Executive Officer of Toy Biz and Publishing Division (same address), and their PR rep Jeff Klein (jeff_klein@dkcnews.com), Executive Vice President, Dan Klores Communications.

Oh, and since Dan Didio's only as powerful at DC as Quesada is at Marvel, those of you outraged over the Supergirl, Catwoman, and Barda statues might want to try here:

Paul Levitz, Publisher
DC Comics
1700 Broadway
NYC, NY 10019

Yeah, that's not going to work out.

About this shit (again). Found this comment:

I went to the Marvel comics website and Joe Quesada's blog. (Joe Quesada is the Editor in Chief, he writes about interesting things. His blog is here: http://www.marvel.com/blogs/Joe_Quesada/). I commented, asking him if he'd write about the approval process for this figurine.

Two hours later, my comment was deleted.

Do you think Marvel is trying to pretend the whole thing never happened?

Marvel's silencing complaints too. Screencaps, people, screencaps.

Friday Night Fights, Round 9!

Can even Superman's outdated attitudes stand against our barbaric weekly tradition?

Please, let this be good.

This one's due out June 6th. I really liked this character when I was a little girl. Please let this be a good story.

Debunk this.

Check out what a simple google search brings up:

At 9 p.m. ET, the debut of "Heroes" (5.9 rating, 14 share in 18-49, 14.3 million viewers overall) delivered NBC's highest 18-49 for any fall drama premiere in five years (since "Crossing Jordan" on Monday, Sept. 24, 2001). "Heroes" soared above the time period competition in the key demographic of adults 18-49, with a 31 percent margin of victory over second place (5.9 vs. a 4.5 for CBS' comedies). Pending updates, "Heroes" also won the hour in total viewers, adults, men and women 18-34 and other key measures.

Hey, that flat out says that more women were tuning in to a show about people with powers and abilities beyond that of normal men and women than any other show that night. They won the overall "Adults" demographic, rather than just the "men." Why that would imply that there was an interest in superheros from both men and women.

And that's a report from just September of last year.

Now, I'm no marketing or television specialist but it supports my personal experience where I know both men and women who urge me to watch this show.

If there's an experienced person out there who can debunk this argument without resorting to stupid cliches about women watching to land a man, feel free.

That won't do at all.

I've been tracking the commentary sparked by this post (which was itself sparked by this post, which was itself sparked by this obscenity) for When Fangirls Attack when I saw this update on Devil Doll's entry:

ETA Again 9PM Central: Several people have left comments in the thread at Sideshow. They've all been deleted at some point in the last hour or so.

I have a solution to that. Screencap your complaint after you post it, print out the screencap and fax/mail it to the company through the contact information Impertinence provided:

Sideshow Collectibles
2630 Conejo Spectrum Street
Thousand Oaks, CA 91320
toll-free: 1-800-474-3746
ph: 1-805-214-2100
fx: 1-805-214-2190

I also advise posting the screencaps on your blogs and journals if they delete your comment.

(And send me that link, as this is a lot of rage to keep track of for WFA.)

*Twitch*

Remember what I said last post about arguing from a reasoning point of view?

Forget it, its time to rant.

What this girl is is unusual or non-standard or atypical or whatever adjective you’d care to use. (She reads superhero comics and wants to know what that makes her, since they “aren’t for girls”.)

“Superhero comics aren’t for girls” is true the same way “romance novels aren’t for boys” or “action movies aren’t for girls” are. They’re gender-identified genres. The people who make them and the majority of the people who consume them know who their audience tends to be. Recognizing that doesn’t make you sexist or invalidate anyone’s tastes; it’s just realism. “Chick lit” and fashion mags are aimed at women; Mack Bolan books and gun and car mags are aimed at men.

Now, on first glance you might think this argument is a parody, but I'm afraid she's said it before in just as condescending a manner.

What pisses me off more than anything here, more than the oft-repeated argument, is she's trying to sugar-coat it with "I know you like them honey, but its a pointless fight" which is what she has been telling us on her blog for months. Note her last paragraph:

I’m sure there are occasional males who read romance novels, too, but if one started blogging about how the genre needed to be overhauled to be made more attractive to men, they’d be giggled at… and rightly so. Everyone wants to think that they’re a reasonable model to use to represent the general public, that everyone else is just like them down deep, but in some cases, it’s just not so. As an old friend once told me, “weirdness is a compliment”. Be glad you’re unusual, and realize the “mainstream” will rarely suit you.

Now what I want to know, before I Hulk out, is what in the genre inherently makes it male. Give me a reasonable argument, something that is fundamental to superheroes that can not be removed without gutting the basic concept of a superhero (sorry kiddos, sexist art doesn't cut it because 40s and 60s superhero comics didn't look like porn and they still worked), something that can not work with genders reversed, something that I can't link an post countering it to prove that it is actually gender-neutral or even appeals to our feminine cultural experience more than it does to a masculine cultural experience.

Either give me that irrefutable argument, tell me what in Skadi's name is so exclusive in its appeal to male fans and is so inherent in the genre that they are justified in repeatedly alienating female fans, or shut the fuck up with this "superhero comics are for boys" meme because it is pissing me and a lot of other female superhero fans off greatly and I'd wager you don't know what the hell you're talking about.

This needs a more solid stance

Recently it was revealed that Dan Didio wanted to keep Isis alive, which has spawned a number of bemused and confused reactions that I think need to be addressed.

1) From everything I've seen and heard them say or publish -- the editors, the writers, and the artists on the whole do not think about how women are portrayed in comics. They don't think about the patterns. They don't think about the subtext. They don't think about how it looks. They are, in general, clueless, and have been for a long, long time. That is the problem. That is what needs to be fixed. You can't assume awareness because even their recent attempts to reach female readers have betrayed their cluelessness on a number of issues.

So, Mr. Didio wanting to off a character or save a character is most likely based on whether or not he likes that character, or whether or not he feels he can sell that character. I believe that "we can't sell girls/gays/minorities" comes into the equation when deciding whether or not a character can be sold or is liked, but its highly unlikely that this is a conscious train of thought.

This is not indicative of a change in attitude of Dan Didio's, or a criminal record of Mark Waid's (he has a genuinely mixed record at handling female characters, hardly Miller's rap sheet). I haven't seen any evidence that they think on that level.

2) This is not indicative of Gail Simone being part of the problem. I don't know this came up, as she had shit-all to do with 52, but it was mentioned a few times. Anyway, just to point out, she had shit-all to do with 52 and likely couldn't have saved Isis.

3) Real people are not perfectly good or bad. They are not even consistently good or bad. Someone who writes an awesome character such as Soranik Natu may kill off a female character in as pathetic a scene as Jade's. Creators have ups and downs. Someone who's decisions you usually dislike holding an opinion you agree with, or someone you usually like doing something you dislike really isn't this big a deal.

4) The treatment of Ralph Dibny and Isis is not a good case for the double-standard. Dibny's an established fan-favorite with a few decades of history behind him, and in his little ending they tried their best to rectify the beginning of Identity Crisis which caused much outrage way back when. Isis was a character completely contained within the story of 52, based loosely on an old character who had some popularity from her TV show. The treatment of Isis and Daniel Carter? There you've got an argument.

Now, none of the above points is a reason not to criticize the work in question, even though personally I'm not bothered by Isis. She's got Egyptian symbolism, is tied to a character who's getting his own series, and the Editor-in-Chief wanted to keep her alive. That's a recipe for resurrection. Plus, we had enough (Montoya, Batwoman, and the Dibny resolutions) to balance it out in this series. Sure, if they'd offed Natu instead I'd be mailing catshit to Tomasi right now, but I'd like to think I can keep some perspective on exactly what to criticize. I can see where you're coming from, just exactly what you're poking at is awkward here.

Anyway, I recognize that there's an argument to be made from her death. I'm just asking you to please, please, when you criticize matters of social issues in creative works, don't assume a conscious pattern. This is a problem that lies at the base of societal gender roles. Never attribute to malice what can be better attributed to laziness. Its considerably more likely unconscious and you can argue a better reason for change from a wider base of evidence without alienating the people who are capable of making the necessary changes when you lead it back to cliches and trends.

Plus you just look better in the long run.

I admire the overall attitude, but...

Y'know, Valkyrie, its nice to inspire your teammates but there's a fine line between leadership and dickery and you're getting pretty close with the puny males comment.

(I need to get my hands on some Defenders back issues.)

New Carnival Announced

Courtesy of Willow, the People of Colour SF Carnival:

Because Lt. Uhura should have had more lines. (ST: TOS)

Because Kevin Sorbo was jealous of Keith Hamilton Cobb and wrote him out. (Andromeda)

Because among other butchery, the SciFi Channel made Ged white. (EarthSea)

Because Forrest was a plot point and Graham was an extra. (Btvs)

Because Ronon Dex is not a savagely sexual wild man. (SGA)

Because Ford deserved better. (SGA)

Because Goliath showed up only to get killed. (Marvel: CW)

Because Vixen should have been more than the other woman. (JLU)

Because it can feel isolating among other journalers and bloggers.

Because it could encourage other People of Color to speak up more.

Because Carl Lumbly should be remembered for MANTIS.

Because Milestone Media deserved more love.

Because there should be more shows like Afro Saumrai.

Because there should be more heroines like Jade and Juniper Lee.

Because Bianca Lawson tried out for the role of Cordelia Chase instead of Kendra. (BtVS)

Because Pete Ross drowned in a sea of nothingness (Smallville)

Because there are illustrators of color who don't get to put faces like theirs on the front of a SF book.

Can you think of more reasons? I'm sure you can.

PoC SF Carnival: We Exist. And We Are Not Invisible

Tentatively scheduled for June 15th. Submission Guidelines at the link.

Undergarments of the Gods

BreastBlog 2007 is winding down, but it can not die until some poor woman has blogging specifically about underwear.

Its my turn this year.

And, as I have been shown this dreadful "Public Service" Announcement which blames female bloggers for creepy street harassment on the part of people who should be acting more professional, this post will involve me discussing my taste in underwear specifically, as well as that of several well-known superheroes. And if any of you should approach me on the street and mention my underwear in the hopes of creeping me out, expect to hear a 3-hour talk on the virtues of granny underwear. It will be far more detailed than you wish to know, and shall involve a tangent about two men kissing and the opportunities to view such an event, as well as a lecture on how the yellow weakness was the greatest arbitrary weakness conceived of in the Silver Age, a rant on George Perez's Wonder Woman reboot, and complaints about people who think Frigga and Freya are the same goddess.



Unless, of course, I don't have three hours, in which case I will mercilessly taunt your visible physical flaws.

Anyway, I've been recently made aware that a bouncing chest is considered a stumbling block, something very trying for men who are attempting to stare open-mouthed at a perfectly innocent young woman and keep their thoughts pure at the same time. I feel no pity or sympathy for a man I've caught staring when my chest moves, because whatever awkwardness is felt on their end can't be anything compared to being attached to the dreadful things. Oh sure, as a body part there's a certain amount of unconscious comfort to it. A Bounce Tolerance, so to speak. It differs for every woman, based on her size and her choice of support, but there's a certain amount of bouncing that is to be expected and can be ignored. Even then, however, we are all well-aware of the bounce and know that nothing can be done to stop it (to be honest its quite rude to remind us of that fact, because its uncomfortable enough to know that your flesh is bouncing without some person calling attention to it!). Some women don't give a damn either way, but most women will take steps to minimize the bouncing. I'm one of those women who care very much about minimizing the bouncing.

For me, its a matter of comfort as well as self-consciousness. I don't like feeling that bounce. I don't like thinking about that bounce. I don't like others watching that bounce, and seeing others watch that bounce just makes me think more and more about how I don't like feeling that bounce or thinking about that bounce. This puts me in a foul mood and leads to a great deal of unpleasantness at work and on the internet.

Yes, that's right, Ragnell the Foul is cranky because her chest bounces too much. And here I bet you thought my shoes were too tight.

After evaluating various bras on comfort, dressing time, amount of movement, appearance, and durability, I discovered the perfect bra for me a few years ago. It has a racer back, a back-closing clasp, and an underwire. It happens to be about two cup sizes too small right now, and distributes my flesh into what my sister refers to as the "uniboob" but trust me once I get that contraption fastened there is as little bounce as possible and that is precisely how I like it. I find bouncing to be very unpleasant.

It may be surprising (well, to new readers at least -- "Hello to any perverts out there who googled women's underwear and came up my insane ramblings!") that I looked at Amanda Conner's Power Girl costume design and thought of that bra.

Its the creases, actually, and the fact that the costume does not appear to separate the breasts but instead distributes them into the aforementioned uniboob and looks a couple cup sizes too small. Adjusting for artist interpretation, I'd say an actual Power Girl costume would not dip so low on the breasts and instead would have the same effect as my favorite sports bra -- as much restriction of bounce as possible. There's still going to be some natural jigglyness, but absolutely nothing can be done about that with our society's support technology.

Which brings me to Wonder Woman. She is from a society of women that has existed independently of men for three thousand years, and has access to divine magic. If anyone can make a better bra, its the Amazons.

When Jodi Piccoult was hired, she was quoted as asking to change the costume because she thought a bustier would be difficult to fight crime in. A bustier is an undergarment which supports the bust from underneath, usually with plastic ribbing. I'm with Piccoult in that I think a bustier such as the red top that Diana wears would be difficult to fight crime in. Honestly, I think that a bustier such as the red top Diana wears would be difficult to do anything in. Diana's costume, however, was designed by the Amazons who must have superior brassiere technology.


By that logic, I propose that Wonder Woman is not actually wearing a bustier. Her bust is supported by the gold breastplate that lies on top of the red material.

It only makes sense. That belt is the girdle of Gaia, a major divine artifact. Those bracers are forged from Aegis, a major divine artifact. Her tiara is forged for Amazon royalty. Surely its not too out of the question to assume her breastplate has magic properties as well?

Some artists draw a tiny, tiny WW, but the Byrne years depicted the WW (and the classic eagle) with a decent amount of coverage. The eagle could clearly be a bra in itself, but the WW probably works with the red material to lift, cradle, and stablize the WonderTwins as well as protect Diana's vital organs. In most drawings it molds to her chest shape and likely has an attached underwire threaded through the red part of the costume. There's probably a decent amount of padding for comfort underneath the gold and surrounding the underwire. Add Diana's gift of flight and magic properties associated with any of Wonder Woman's gear and that bra must feel like an extension of her body, never too restrictive, never too loose, an undergarment forged by Hephaestus himself!

Yes, I have considered this at great length.

But there can always be a better bra. I think the capabilities of one are in the hands of Lorna Dane (Polaris) and Francis Kane (Magenta) of Marvel and DC respectively.

When I first saw the X-Men trailers a few years ago, I watched a clip of Magneto spontaneously create a bridge with random plates of metal as he was walking across it and was struck by the potential breast-tech applications of magnetic powers. From how I've seen magnetic powers used, a person can tear metal apart and assemble a costume over their body that fits their form absolutely perfectly. As this is made entirely of metal, there is no chance of it moving, and if those breasts are snugly contained and supported in the metallic bra there will be absolutely no bouncing. Its form fitting, so it lifts and separates if you want it to. No need for an underwire, as the entire outfit is an underwire. With the right kind of padding it could be very comfortable, and since you made it on your own it certainly wouldn't restrict breathing. And in addition to all of that you can reasonably expect it to withhold against most attacks.

I'd go so far as to say that if I could have any superpower I wanted, it would be magnetic powers to aid in the construction of the Ideal Support Garment.

In retrospect I suppose this is the mentality that led to the corset.

It would cut down on bounce, though. I certainly wouldn't want bounce if I was fighting crime.

Personally, I'd prefer to call the whole month Breastfest 2007

From the comments of Breastblog 2007, on Power Girl's costume:

I don't mind her flaunting, I do mind artists and authors flaunting her *at* us.

Precisely. That's why I don't see why the window requires any explanation at all. Plenty of buxom women wear low necklines without expecting - let alone wanting! - to be leered at. It's the men that are the problem, not the choice of clothes. The comic book equivalent to that is that it's the way artists draw PG that is problematic, not the design of her costume per se.

Trying to 'explain' the costume just draws unwarranted attention to what isn't, in fact, the problem. And covering up her cleavage would, I'd argue, be conceding the sexist point, just as women shouldn't have to cover up just because some arseholes won't look them in the eye.

Creative Work

From a conversation on livejournal.

Betacandy:

Now I'm writing a novel online that I should try to sell... but the very thought of hearing back from a publisher who likes it, then talking to an editor, then starting to work... only to realize they fully intend to alter everything about it that makes it unique... no. Even though I know that might not happen, I'd just rather waste my time flipping off the industry with my free novel. And flipping off half-ass TV shows with my fanfic that beats their own filmed episodes in some people's opinions.

But I can admit that it's a very fine line between rebelling against a corrupt system and letting yourself get shoved out of that system by its corruption. I'm not sure what the answer is.

Tekanji:

All paths of resistance are valid and necessary. For me, I do intend to get some experience in the gaming industry, but I 100% intend to strike out on my own. Will I reach Blizzard fame? Probably not. But if I could help pioneer the way for more inclusive game design -- like companies such as Her Interactive are doing -- then I'll be happy. Would working for, say, a company like Nintendo (or going into the fires and trying to deal with Blizzard) and trying to reform from the inside out make a bigger impact? Maybe, but maybe not. Both are needed for any real change to occur.

Anyway, this is just my long-winded way of saying that the fight for equality isn't fought and won on a single front, and that you are making a difference by doing what you're doing.

ETA: Okay, I've erased four comments and I can't think of a graceful way to clear up this one in the comments, so here's an edit for intention.

I'm pretty sure her worries are based on her experiences scriptwriting (and trying to sell those scripts), which I figure would very much apply to comic book writing since you are dealing with established characters and a lot of strict editorial control.

I know a lot of would be/would like to be but wouldn't for that line of reasoning/aspiring comic book writers who have expressed similar concerns, and I very much liked Tekanji's response to this post.

So I quoted it figuring it would be helpful to comic book fans, not as an accusation towards the book industry.

In conclusion, I wish Loren Javier would come back to blogging because he's better at this sort of thing than me.

This is awesome.

(Thanks Tek!)