The classic horror films made by Universal had no shortage of monstrous men, such as Bela Lugosi’s Dracula and Boris Karloff’s Frankenstein’s monster. Monstrous women, on the other hand, were few and far between. The Bride of Frankenstein, iconic as she is, appears so briefly in her self-titled 1935 film that she can scarcely be…
Transgender Superheroics in Alters #1
Alters #1 Paul Jenkins (Writer), Leila Leiz (Artist), Tamra Bonvillain (Colors), Ryane Hill (Letters), Brian Stelfreeze (Cover Artist) Aftershock Comics September 7, 2016 In recent years, transgender people have become something of a recurring theme across fiction. Whether this is a fad or the beginning of something more substantial, trans people and the issues they face have been depicted with…
Women in British Animation: Thalma Goldman Cohen
“Sex has become very commercialized. But people are moving away from cheapness, it abuses them.” —Thalma Goldman Cohen In 1976, Screen International cast an eye over the position of women filmmakers in Britain. “If British Cinema, to its shame, can boast few female directors as yet,” read the article, “one field in which women…
Winners Announced for Inaugural Dragon Awards – Or Should that be Puppy Awards?
The inaugural Dragon Awards have taken place at DragonCon, with fifteen works of science fiction and fantasy across the fields of literature, comics, film, television, and gaming being honored with fiery-red trophies.
2016 Without Rabid Puppies: The Hugos that Could Have Been
Following the Hugo Awards ceremony that was held on Saturday, the awards’ administrators released a PDF file with thorough breakdowns of the voting data. This means that we can get some idea of what the ballot would have looked like without interference from the Rabid Puppies campaign. Before we start, we will need to estimate the…
2016 Hugo Awards Winners: Dogged Determination
The 2016 Hugo Awards were handed out on Saturday night, the voters having chosen their favourites from a controversial ballot that was heavily affected by the Rabid Puppies slating campaign.
Nominees Revealed for First Dragon Awards
The fantasy/science fiction convention Dragon Con has revealed the nominees for its inaugural Dragon Awards, celebrating novels, comics, films, television and games from across the varied subgenres of SFF. The Dragon Awards were announced back in April, and since then have suffered from definite teething problems. The eligibility period for nominations underwent a last-minute change; after…
Suicide Squad Is Not the Film it Wants to Be
Suicide Squad Director: David Ayer Starring: Will Smith, Viola Davis, Margot Robbie Warner Bros. August 1, 2016 When it came to DC’s attempts at building a shared cinematic universe to compete with Marvel, Suicide Squad was under a lot of pressure. Critical reactions to the previous DC films, Man of Steel and Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice,…
2016 Hugo Reviews: Novels
I have already covered the Hugos’ short fiction categories: Best Short Story, Best Novelette, and Best Novella. Now it is time to wrap up the prose fiction nominees by looking at the contenders for Best Novel…
New Hammer Horror Comics Line Kicks Off With The Mummy
During SDCC, Titan Comics revealed the first title in its collaboration with Hammer Film Productions: a miniseries entitled The Mummy. Peter Milligan (2000 AD, Hellblazer) is the writer, while Ronilson Freire (Heavy Metal, Doctor Who) takes artistic duties. Hammer made a total of four Mummy films between 1959 and 1971, but the comic’s plot synopsis…
2016 Hugo Reviews: Novellas
With Best Short Story and Best Novelette covered, I now turn my attention to the last short fiction category at the Hugo Awards: Best Novella… Binti by Nnedi Okorafor Mankind has spread to the stars and encountered alien races, but not all of humanity is eager to explore space. The Himba of Southern Africa remain a…
Comics and Controversy at the 2016 Hugo Awards
As anyone who follows the Hugo Awards will already be aware, the 2016 ballot was decided in large part by one man: Vox Day. As part of his Rabid Puppies campaign, the self-styled “national libertarian” provocateur sent his followers to vote for a slate that he himself assembled. The Rabid Puppies also affected last year’s Hugos;…