When I saw that Hailee Steinfield was the frontrunner to play Kate Bishop in Disney+’s Hawkeye, I messaged everyone I knew about it. Finally, someone like me was going to play an Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) hero: a mixed race Filipinx person who fell into the “ambiguously brown” category. While my excitement was not universal…
The Complete The Killer: The Craft of Pasting Ethics Over Action
The Complete The Killer Matz and Luc Jacamon, translated by Matz and Edward Gauvin, with lettering by Marshall Dillon (Chapters 1-10) and Deron Bennett (Chapters 11-13) Archaia for BOOM! Studios The Complete The Killer (RRP $39.99) is unbelievably long. Unreasonably, as a PDF—my internet’s not great, but even so—it took a full hour to load…
From Sexy to Sexual: Witchblade’s Return & Top Cow’s Maturing Eroticism
Back when I spoke to Matt Hawkins in March, we spent a little time talking about the sexual legacy of the first ten years or so of Top Cow. We also spoke a little about Witchblade–a title about a woman who carries a living weapon disguised as a bracelet–which is being resurrected in December, with…
You’re a Comedian: Trans Characters and Jokes in “Comic” Books
You’re a comedian. You’ve been working in the comedy business for a few years, getting a few laughs here and there with your crude style. Things have been good thus far, and you’re feeling more and more confident in your dark humor. In fact, you’re in a whole new city with one of your first…
Vampirella In Design
Vampirella is being rebooted and recostumed again! Dynamite has announced that they will be rebooting the comic for the second time in recent years, with a new creative team and another new direction. Paul Cornell and Jimmy Broxton (Knight and Squire, Saucer County) will be taking over the book and delivering a Vampirella for a…
Good Butt Cracks & Bad Butt Cracks: The Nuance in Old City Blues
Cyberpunk police story? Corporate interests versus morality, in a mech-filled, nourished dystopia? Patching in–Old City Blues.
Mantles, Crowns, and Knowledge: What RiRi Williams Needs
The second I see a panel of RiRi Williams sleeping without a bonnet or silk pillowcase, I’m gonna be waiting for my apology from Big 2 comics folks and their defenders. Black hair is important to me. I have it. My family has it. My friends have it. Black hair is simultaneously an outlet for…
Margot Robbie Played Harley Quinn, But DC Played Themselves
Let’s talk about this excerpt from Paul Flynn’s Margot Robbie profile in the Autumn/Winter issue of LOVE Magazine. Let’s talk about how harsh a burn it is, against the art form comics. Let’s talk about how disastrous a proof it is of Harley Quinn’s degraded graphic cache.
Who You Gonna Wear? Ghostbusters! The Fashion of Erin, Abby, Holtzman, and Patty
The costuming (the character design) of Ghostbusters announces itself graciously but doesn’t demand your attention. It takes the introduction of the third protagonist to blossom into full life. Once it does, it only gets better.
Designed We Stand: How Basic Design Procedures Could Have Spared Marvel Embarrassment
We sometimes forget, in our passion projects and favourite serials, that comics are a business. An industry that exists to make money. And sometimes it appears that the people who forget that most are professionals working in comics. We’ve discussed bad or odd business before — but this time, it isn’t about money. We need…
Fanart is a Giant Group Hug: An Interview with Fanartist Vylla
Here at WWAC, we love fanart. So when news reached us that some fanart of Kate Bishop had been mistaken by an actual Marvel artist as official Kate Bishop Hawkeye uniform, we had to know more. I reached out to the fanartist in question, the incredible Vylla, (Find her on social media here and her…
Don’t Judge A Book By Its Cover: The Action Lab Conundrum
Middle school cookie dealers, hockey stick wielding magical girl vigilantes, princesses who don’t need saving, a space demon slaying comic retailer, and a time travelling chef who cooks prehistoric creatures. Action Lab is making comics you should be reading… so why aren’t you? The “Action Lab Conundrum,” as I call it, is one I’ve become…