October is here! The month of All Hallow’s Eve, Halloween, Samhain, of witches, ghouls, and delighting in the macabre. At WWAC, we are exploring the archetype of the witch and what she means to us. Starting us off, Stephanie Tran asks, “Are you a good witch or a bad witch?”
Luke Cage’s Moment of Truth: The Revolution Will Not Be Televised
I watched the pilot for Luke Cage Friday morning. The more I thought about it, the more I hated it. And when it comes down to it, it’s a single question: guys, what are you trying to say?
The Soska Sisters and Hollywood’s Complicated Relationship with Women and Horror
To be a woman who loves horror is a strange thing. It’s the constant navigation of a genre steeped in misogyny and racism. It’s looking for yourself in something that on a surface level seems to torment and torture you just for entertainment. Yet despite all of this, women have always been a large and…
The Modern Supergirl: What Makes America Today
Man of Steel, John Byrne’s post-Crisis on Infinite Earths take on Superman—with its trimming away of Silver Age sci-fi elements; changing of Lex Luthor into a greedy, corporate businessman; and strong emphasis on Kal-El’s human persona, Clark Kent—is now considered one of the most highly influential runs on the character of all time. Some readings note xenophobia…
Butch Woman Weeps: A Response to Noelle Stevenson
This morning a man about my age put his hand on my shoulder, pulling me back from the door while telling me I should let “ladies go first.” He also called me “young man.” My friend and I continued on our way without much comment, and I got into my office otherwise undisturbed. Upon checking…
Shall We Say No to Moe?
“It seems that Ming has some issues with you,” my friend Yu told me. Hearing her words, I shrugged and said nonchalantly, “I don’t care about his opinion.” Yu stared me for a moment, “You are truly a tsundere.” She laughed, “I know you do care.” I was surprised, not because Yu misunderstood me and…
Transfiguring Adoption: How Harry Potter Helped Me Survive My Experience in Care
Growing up I was an avid reader and often used books to escape my reality, a reality that included a mentally ill, abusive mother and an absent father. In grade two our teacher started reading a book about a young boy with shaggy hair and a scar in the shape of a lighting bolt and…
Super Sad Depressing YA Books: How They Help Me To Feel
“What super depressing tragedy are you reading about now?” That’s what my fiance said to me the other night as I pulled out my book to read before bed. “The sinking of the Lusitania,” I replied. “Of course. That sounds awful.” I like sad books. I almost always have. Friends ask me for book recommendations…
A World of Gods and Monsters: Science vs Superstition in Sub-Mariner: The Depths
Superhero comics have traditionally relied upon a clear denotation of right and wrong, a binary of good versus bad, that is easy for children to comprehend. In recent decades, we’ve increasingly seen fans calling for “realism” in superhero narratives, with grittier and morally fallible heroes. Look no further than Batman v Superman and the fact…
Zendaya as Mary Jane Is A Big Screen Story We Don’t Get Often Enough
Sitting down to write about Zendaya’s casting as Mary Jane Watson, I actually thought it would be simple. I settled down with a notebook full of facts and told myself that with it my words would crush all the angry fans and turn away the naysayers; I ended up hitting backspace more times than I…
“Bismuth” and Steven Universe’s Racial Coding Problem
Since season one, I have waved the flag for Steven Universe, going so far as to introduce it to my WWAC co-writers. Naturally, I was as excited as any devoted viewer when Cartoon Network announced the “Summer of Steven” in which we’d get at least two weeks of nightly episodes, including a couple of 22…
Mom’N’Pop Culture: How a Song Sparked a Discussion on Consent
Meghan Trainor’s peppy song “No” may get mixed reviews and some serious hate from the “rejected,” but the message in the lyrics is clear. It doesn’t matter how a woman is dressed or how she dances, she has the right to say no to unwanted advances. Even though I understand the meaning of the lyrics, instead of…
