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Blame Marvel Execs, Not Creators, For Lack Of Representation
It was an unprecedented move by Marvel Studios. In the third episode of the Disney+ show Loki, the titular character was asked if he had been with any princesses or “perhaps, another prince.” He responded with “a bit of both.” It appeared he was openly confirming his comic counterpart’s bisexual identity — a first for…
Ratcatcher 2 Is the Heart And Soul of The Suicide Squad
Spoilers ahead for The Suicide Squad. Between the child-killing Weasel and the violent vigilante Peacemaker, there’s a lot of rotten people in The Suicide Squad. Amid all of the gore is a bright spot though: Daniela Melchior’s Cleo Cazo, aka Ratcatcher 2, who holds everything together when the story threatens to get too heavy. “She’s…
Comic-Con@Home: 2nd Annual Hollywood Game Changers: A Conversation with the Women Behind Popular Film and TV Projects
2nd Annual Hollywood Game Changers: A Conversation with the Women Behind Popular Film and TV Projects: Hollywood Game Changers is back with another exciting panel featuring women behind popular film and television projects like Halston, Shadow & Bone, Why Women Kill, Drunk History, and Ratatouille: The TikTok Musical! Get insight into how they navigate their…
The Alchemy of Excalibur: Race, Magic, and the Mutant Metaphor
Earlier this year, in a piece for our Breaking In! series, I wrote, “The mutant metaphor means that the X-Men have the potential to represent people of marginalized genders and sexualities and people of color and especially people at the intersection of those identities. They didn’t under [Chris] Claremont, not fully, and I’m not sure…
Angela and Sera: A Triumph of Queer Love and Existence
This is the second time I’ve written this piece. The first version of this was a perfectly serviceable summary of Angela, Sera, and their journey together from lovers to Queens over three volumes of series they share and how Marvel Comics utterly dropped the ball with one of the most exciting and bold queer storylines…
Hey Eisner Awards! Where Are the Women?
So hey, the Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards are next month (if you’re eligible, the voting deadline is June 30) during the San Diego Comic-Con at Home event. Like last year, there won’t be an in-person event, and like many, I’ll miss the opportunity to get dressed up and pretend to be a bigger deal…
Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles: Revisiting My Favourite Show About Motherhood
In a 2017 Guardian interview, James Cameron referred to Sarah Connor as a terrible mom. A disappointing statement from the man who introduced us to her in 1984’s original Terminator movie. In that film, he gave us a character, then played by Linda Hamilton, who went from mousy waitress to barking “Get up soldier! Move…
Leveraging D.B. Cooper in Loki
When the Loki trailer was released earlier this year, the scene with Loki as D.B. Cooper immediately caught my attention. I have been enthralled by the story of D.B. Cooper since I was a kid growing up in the Pacific Northwest, where D.B. Cooper is a legendary figure. I don’t know how well-known he is…
Investing in the Gods: Nezha, Jiang Ziya and the Fengshen Cinematic Universe
The global box office has long been dominated by Hollywood blockbusters. If you look at one of the past decade’s annual lists of the highest-grossing films, chances are you will be confronted with the continuing adventures of Marvel superheroes, the latest iteration of Star Wars, and other such bankable tentpoles. Things changed in 2020, however:…
Seen But Not Satisfied: The Logic of Prejudice in Shadow and Bone
I didn’t know I was going to fall for Shadow and Bone as hard as I did. The luscious world, the characters, and the mythology all nestled their way into my heart. There was so much to love in the series. And yet, my love was uneasy.
REVIEW: Women in Marvel Films: They Don’t Know Their Value Yet
Women in Marvel Films answers the question “why aren’t there more superheroines on our screens?” Especially when a comics giant like Marvel has successfully churned out so many films featuring male heroes. And when we do get women characters, what kind of role do they play? What agency do they have? Readers aren’t going to…