For this addition to Beauty and the Geek, I wanted to do something a bit bolder than usual that also honored one of my all time favorite comic characters: Tim Drake as Red Robin. I recently had my first tattoo done, and it was of, you guessed it, the Robin symbol.
Can a Bad Anime Be Art? Heat Guy J
Heat Guy J was a twenty-six episode animated series that aired in Japan in 2002 and wasn’t particularly well-received. For whatever reason, possibly in recognition of the positive reception director Kazuki Akane had previously enjoyed in the West through Escaflowne, it was exported anyway. Box sets with dub and sub experiences available were later sold…
Manipulation of Manhood: Julia Gfrorer’s Comic Book Misandry
Content warning: penises, breasts, rape of men. EDIT, October 2016: this article is an analysis of Gfrorer’s work as a commentary on phallocentric patriarchy. Cis masculinity is consciously centred in the readings of these narratives. I never really managed to think of a penis as a vulnerable thing until I caught the first fifteen minutes…
Trading Outpost: Why I Don’t Hate Why I Hate Saturn
Hello, this is the Trading Outpost, in which I, hostess of The Trades, further discuss some of the comics and concepts covered by (yes!) The Trades. The Trades is a podcast by me, FST, and Aaron LaRoche (A boy, hence lack of onsite embed —Ed.). We trade comics, talk about our picks from the month,…
With Great Popularity Comes Great Eroticism – The Conversion of Pixie
Warning: This article contains images depicting violent acts against women. It’s incredibly common that once a female comic book character gains popularity, she is drawn to be more sexually appealing. This is done by dressing her in more revealing clothing, making her thinner and/or bustier, and, if she’s not white, lightening her skin tone—often a combination…
Manga Profile: Try Murder Incarnation
Hey, kid. Kid. Hey. Hey, you like a little story with a twist in the tale? You like a last-minute swerve? You like all that sweet tension ramped up in one final reveal that not only makes everything worse, but the whole story … better? Hey, kid, hey. Who would you kill to get that, huh? Who’d…
The Power of the Black Panther
Comics have helped shape guest author Krystal Kara’s life. Through the many pages she’s read, she’s found both support and encouragement in the stories and actions of superheroes and now uses that strength to empower others. The non-profit Be Super initiative calls upon the superhero in all of us “to bring to life the heroism within people” and…
Knit Your Comics: Garnet’s Gauntlets
Knit Your Comics returns with a special pattern for all my fellow crystal gems. True confession: I’d never watched Steven Universe until I started this project. I’d crowdsourced for KYC ideas and someone mentioned the show, and the project seemed doable. But I needed a show to watch while working on this project, and so I put…
Dear Amanda: Letters of Caution
Cathy G. Johnson’s Dear Amanda plays catch with you for a while. Then it knocks the ball out of your hands. You thought you were reading a simple diary comic? You were reading a rather complex meditation on perspective, in fact. It knocked the ball out of my hands, I should say. Reading experiences may…
Let Me Desire Myself: Sexy Drawings That Don’t Hurt [NSFW]
Erotica, one might hope, is intended to make people feel good. Erotica, as has been discussed at length on this site, can cause people to feel bad. All art containing bodies has the potential to push the viewer into a state of comparison. Desiring to encourage reflection upon the differences and the the reasons which span this…
When Romance Comics Hated Women
When I was a teenager and first reading poetry, I inherited (basically stole) my mum’s copy of The Penguin Book of Love Poetry. It’s from the 1970s, has her name written in the front in blue pen, and the cover focuses on a detail from Bronzino’s Allegory with Venus and Cupid. Here’s a photo of…
Iron Woman: Natasha Stark, Earth-3490, and the Case for Canon Genderswaps
One of my favorite things about the clamor of excitement surrounding any new comic-related movie is that every time a new film is released, more and more of my friends get interested in reading the comics a movie is based on. Captain America: Civil War is no exception to this, and Marvel’s first Civil War…