A critical look at comics and culture
The Guy (Matt Myers) and The Girl (Christen Orr), photo by BreeAnne Clowdus, courtesy of Synchronicity Theatre.
As befitting a play inspired by Golden Age Wonder Woman, Lasso of Truth flaunts a complex collection of seemingly contradictory themes including subjugation, freedom, betrayal, and the subjectivity of truth. Continue reading ‘Wonder Woman, Truth, and a Bit of Bondage: ‘Lasso of Truth’ Review’
“Lasso of Truth” logo courtesy of Synchronicity Theatre
Lasso of Truth opened this week at Atlanta’s Synchronicity Theatre and I’m thrilled to announce that I’ll be a guest speaker as part of the performance’s talkback series. Continue reading ‘Come See Me Talk Wonder Woman at Synchronicity Theatre’s ‘Lasso of Truth’ Talkbacks’
11-year-old Michael Morones
I’d like to take a break from my Wonder Woman series to discuss an item that came across my newsfeed. Actually, it’s not something I’d “like” to do. I’m trembling and I feel physically ill just reading the news reports but this is something that we need to talk about. Continue reading ‘Bronies, Gender Policing, and the Tragic Story of Michael Morones’
We had an amazing turnout at the “Race, Gender, and Sexuality in Cosplay and Fandom” panel at Dragon Con. It was only scheduled for an hour but since we had such an awesome and engaged audience we ended up keeping the panel going for over three hours.
If you weren’t able to make it to the panel, you can now check out the audio recording!
Thank you to everyone who came out to make it the highest attended panel at this year’s Comics & Popular Arts Conference. It was truly exhilarating to be able to talk to so many intelligent people passionate about the intersections of race, gender, and sexuality in comics, cosplay, and geek culture.
My Favorite, Funny, Feminist Superhero Fan Art continues to be one of the most popular articles on the site. Since you all seem to like it so much, I’ve decided to turn it into a ongoing series.
First up is Batman from Fernacular’s series If Male Superhero Costumes were Designed Like Female Superhero Costumes. Fernacular says that she was “tired of guys having no idea why girls find female superhero’s costumes kinda sexist” so she decided to enlighten them. Her goal was to make the viewer think of sex (“whether you want to or not”), make men uncomfortable, and highlight the ridiculousness of it all.
Speaking of an uncomfortably sexualized Batman that makes men uncomfortable… Continue reading ‘My Favorite, Funny, Feminist Superhero Fan Art (Vol. 2)’
I just want to give a quick update on the status of my 2012 Superhero Census.
All of the raw data has been collected. It’s a massive amount and information and includes roughly 250 characters that appear across more than 300 individual comics.
Right now, I’m having a few associates proof the collected sex, race, and sexual orientation of all the characters. I’m also working out the best way to display the data. Once I get all the finer points ironed out I’ll publish a series of post examining the results so make sure to stay tune!
Transgender characters are still a rarity in superhero comics but hopefully this is changing. Just last month, each of The Big Two featured comics in which a transgender character comes out.
I’m thoroughly enjoying Matt Fraction’s run on FF. It’s a fun, offbeat book with a lot going for it. Mike Allred’s art and a Fraction written She-Hulk both stand out, but it’s Mik, Korr, Turg, and Tong that really steal the show.
As if I didn’t dig these four little Moloids enough, this touching scene graced the pages of FF#6. Continue reading ‘Transgender Comic Characters Come Out: ‘Batgirl’s’ Alysia and ‘FF’s’ Tong’
Paradise Island first appeared with Wonder Woman in All Star Comics #8 in December of 1941. Since then, it has often been referred to as a “feminist utopia.”
Please stop doing this. Paradise Island is not a feminist utopia. Continue reading ‘Stop Calling Paradise Island a Feminist Utopia’
I’ve been looking forward to seeing this independent documentary since I first saw the trailer last year. I finally got my chance earlier this week when Wonder Women! The Untold Story of American Superheroines aired on PBS’s Independent Lens. Continue reading ‘‘Wonder Women!’ Documentary Explores Wonder Woman’s Impact on Feminism and Pop Culture’
Today, the last day of Women’s History Month, I’d like to take a closer look at the most influential and recognizable superheroine in comics, Wonder Woman.
She may not be the the first comic book superheroine or even the first heroine to star in her own comic, but you can’t deny the impact that Wonder Woman has had on the history of comics and our culture as a whole.
As a character with strong feminist roots, Wonder Woman has certainly seen her share of ups and downs throughout her publication. Continue reading ‘Women’s History Month Superheroine Spotlight: Wonder Woman’
Journey Into Awesome 