On August 7th, Target announced that they were eliminating gender-based signage from their toy department. Proponents of the changes celebrated, and opponents released a flurry of negative media coverage. When I discovered the backlash exploding all over Facebook and Twitter I was pretty surprised, because this isn’t a very big change. The move to separate…
Zine Review: Hidden Expressions: Volume II
When no one will listen to your voice, you must make them listen. A fundamental part of zine and DIY culture is that it provides a space for marginalized people to meet others like them and be heard. While self-publishing comes with its own hurdles—many of them financial—zines are special because even if the paper…
Mighty Marvel Monday: Stories, Support, and Speaking Louder than Silence
It’s Monday, and this is your regularly scheduled Mighty Marvel Monday, although this week’s column is anything but regular. It should have been a good week for Marvel. The Jessica Jones teaser trailer is out. Agent Carter comes out this week on DVD and Blu Ray (although troublingly as an Amazon Exclusive). Best of all,…
Indiegogo Update: Stretch Goals and New Perks
Okay, everyone. Hold on just one second. Take a deep breath, and then … THROW YOUR HANDS IN THE AIR AND DANCE! BECAUSE YOU DID IT! One week ago, we launched our very first Women Write About Comics fundraiser. Our goal is to turn our calling—writing about comics and culture from an intersectional feminist…
Comic Fusion’s Superhero Weekend’s Superheroics
Need something uplifting? Well, if you happen to be near the New Jersey area on the weekend of October 3-4, 2015, then you should drop by Comic Fusion in Flemington, NJ for their annual Superhero Weekend. Formerly known as “Wonder Woman Day,” Superhero Weekend auctions off comic book themed sketches to raise money and awareness…
Getting a Feminist Makeover: Red Sonja, Gail Simone, and Chainmail Bikinis, Pt. 1
Gail Simone’s run on Red Sonja has been a huge boon to the character. Simone has changed the character’s origins, tweaked some of her personality (or more accurately, “enhanced”), made her canonically bisexual, and worked with artists who are willing to depict Red Sonja as the powerful warrior woman and complex character that she should be. Issue 18 will…
Only the Broad Brushstrokes: A Review of “The Comic Book History of Comics”
The Comic Book History of Comics Fred Van Lente (w), Ryan Dunlavey (a) IDW Publishing June 7, 2012 Histories need narratives. As much as we prize objectivity, in presenting the story of “events that happened” the historian needs a storyline to put those events into a context and keep the reader engaged. In The Comic…