Yesterday, Editor-in-Chief Axel Alonso announced that, for the month of October, Marvel will release variant covers paying homage to hip hop. These covers were designed to reflect the “ongoing dialogue” between Marvel and hip hop, and to “spotlight the seamless relationship between those two forces.” How nice, right? Seamless relationship! Ongoing dialogue! Hip hop! Marvel!…
When Up Is Down: There’s Nothing Mainstream About Mainstream Comics
Mainstream and indie are two counterparts of the comics industry; two gears that spin interdependently, shaping the medium. You’ll meet these two terms at any comics-themed website or discussion, both online and in real life. People use them when talking about comics history, or describing the current state of the medium, or specifying their own…
The White Privilege, White Audacity, and White Priorities of STRANGE FRUIT #1
Strange Fruit #1 J.G. Jones and Mark Waid (Authors), J.G. Jones (Artist), Deron Bennett (Letterer) BOOM! Studios (July 2015) (This review contains some spoilers) Writing about Strange Fruit #1 has been a long time coming. It has been on my very-reluctant radar since it was announced on February 20th — Dwayne McDuffie’s birthday. For readers who are unaware, Dwayne McDuffie…
She’ll Oni Work with the Young, the Brave, the Best: An Interview with Commissioning Editor Ari Yarwood
Comics editor Ari Yarwood was part of a wave of recent promotions at Oni Press. She caused a stir on Twitter by announcing that she was particularly looking to work with diverse queer and trans cartoonists telling their own stories. I caught up with her just as Oni was announcing an unprecedented period of open…
Interview with WinC: Uplifting Women One Panel at a Time
I got the chance to speak with three women involved with WinC, a collective of women working in comics and entertainment whose mission is to highlight other women in the industry and discuss issues women face within it. When our interview through my new favorite tool Google Hangouts began, I could see the dark grey skies of…
Red Stylo Is Singing Killer Queen: An Interview with Enrica Jang
I first met Enrica Jang while at Philadelphia Wizard Con a near two years ago. She was on a panel speaking about diversity and women in comics, and I—the baby comic journalist I was then—bucked up the courage to speak with her. She gave me honest advice about writing and promoting one’s self online. She kindly…
Attack on Titan’s Gargantuan (Sales) Impact
Hajime Isayama’s Attack on Titan (進撃の巨人, Shingeki no Kyojin) is a force to be reckoned with. And no, I’m not talking about the monstrous, human-eating, gigantic Titans that represent chaos and xenophobia for the series’ protagonists. I’m talking about pure, cold, hard capitalism here. Numbers, numbers, numbers, money, money, money.
The Future of Free Comic Book Day
Since 2002, every first Saturday in May, comic shops around the world have taken part in Free Comic Book Day, the industry’s “open house” event tailored to invite new and lapsed fans into the welcoming arms of brick and mortar comic shops. The concept is simple: publishers release exclusive content geared toward (mostly) young, new…
Tumblr Fandom Doesn’t Owe You Sales: The Fans Who Are Ruining Everything (This Week)
Tell us, oh Internet sages, about this new phenomenon they call Tumblr fandom: “I had a discussion at ECCC with someone in comics, I’m not going to mention who, about how busy the convention was, and they said that some of the attendees were probably just ‘Tumblr fans.’ I asked what she meant, and she said that…
How Not to Run a Comic Site: Comikka’s Problems with Permission and Attribution
The 21st century has provided writers, artists, and other creators with a multitude of platforms for sharing their work. Unfortunately, the systems that have made it easier for creators to share their work also make it easier for other people to abuse it. While copyright infringement is not always a case of outright plagiarism, it is important to be…
What’s Loud, Proud, and Somehow Invisible? Diversity At The Creative Level
A couple of years ago, I read an interesting article about a young woman moved to tears by a panel discussion on “Women Who Kick Ass” at the San Diego Comic-Con. While waiting in line for hours to see the panel, our narrator had the misfortune of standing behind a few white dudes who continuously made…
Comics On Your Digital Bookshelf: Scribd is Not the App it Could Be
I originally signed up for Scribd last summer. I knew a couple people who used it already for its unlimited ebooks, as well as a similar service, Oyster. I initially went with Scribd, though, because in addition to unlimited ebooks it offered audiobooks too. I love audiobooks but I do not love the price of…
