No matter where you look these days, listicles about the sexiest characters in comics all look the same. You’ve got your Gambits and your Thors, for example, characters whose canon beauty is basically an explicitly listed trait on their wiki-pages. Some fans swoon over Clark Kent’s earnest farm boy persona, while Emma Frost’s fierce and…
Look Harder: Choosing Comics for the Classroom
Editor’s Note: Comics Academe is back! This month’s Comics Academe is a feature article by guest writer Gina Brandolino, kicking off a summer series on teaching with comics. Check out some of our past articles about teaching with comics! Teaching Bitch Planet Roundtable Teaching Ms. Marvel – Part One Teaching Ms. Marvel – Part Two…
Guest Post: Why A Black Lois Lane Matters
“She is a fighter to the point of getting in over her head, but she does it to fight for truth and justice the same as Superman does… only she does it without powers.” Natasha Townsel This essay was previously published on DC Women Kicking Ass. I am a huge Superman fan. No, let’s get…
Guest Post: Lois Lane’s Cry For Help
“Silver Age Lois didn’t seem to have any feminist gumption, but her readers may have found a subversive message among her tears.” Tim Hanley and Lori Wozney At first glance, the Silver Age Lois Lane had a lot going for her. She was an ace reporter for the Daily Planet, appeared regularly in various Super-books,…
Guest Post: Reflections on Golden & Sliver Age Lois
“Lois Lane had to survive in this man’s world and it’s important to understand the times and attitudes toward women when this story was written.” Maya K. I wasn’t planning on submitting an article for the Lois Lane celebration, because there are so many others better suited for the task. However, after reading this submission,…
Guest Post: Interview with Dan Jurgens
“We tried to portray a Lois who cared about people and their plight, who was committed to her job and loved it, and saw it as a way to give something to the world.” Mary A Writer and artist Dan Jurgens helped guide some of the most successful Superman narratives of the last 25 years,…
Guest Post: Ultra Woman
The Super-Humanity of Lois & Clark’s Lois Lane (And Why it’s So Important). Pamela Bodziock When Lois & Clark premiered in 1993, my ten-year-old self was instantly transfixed. Not, mind you, because of Superman (though I quite liked Dean Cain’s Clark Kent – and his super alter-ego). No, my heart belonged to one character and…
Guest Post: Lois Lane: Hero or Villain?
Golden Age Lois and the psychology of superhero romance. Michael May I’m thrilled that Lois Lane is getting her own celebration during the 75th Anniversary of Action Comics #1, but I haven’t always felt that way. It took me a long time to warm up to her. Some of that is my fault, but most…
Carol Appreciation: Carol and the Stories of Other Women
A guest post by Garrideb This is the third in our series of Carol Appreciation posts. Also check out Megan Byrd’s review of Captain Marvel #1, and Valtyr’s ode to Ultimate Carol. One of the most insidious forms of sexism is the valuing of stories about men above stories about women. An obvious symptom of…
Guest Post: Let’s zap some ladies!
Ashley Clayson blogs about comics at Blah Blah Witty Comment. She’s contributed to rounds two and three of Women Write About Comics, and today she’s going to make a case for more science-based heroines. It’s worth pointing out that not only is there a dearth of science-based heroines in fiction, real female science heroes tend…