Buffy the Vampire Slayer was undeniably an important landmark in the representation of girls and women on television. But it, along with spinoff Angel, spent a surprising amount of time on men’s insecurities and traumas in relation to the women in their lives. There are an awful lot of terrible things that women did to…
Your Feelings Are Valid: A Reminder to YA Writers to Listen, Not Preach
A few weeks ago a Tumblr user, virjn (the username virjn is no longer in use) posted a few thoughts on best-selling, mega famous Young Adult author, John Green. Her original post has been shared on Twitter, Tumblr, and countless other sites but in case you haven’t see it we’ll share it here as well….
Claire Spills Her Guts Again: Teen Things, ParaKiss, & Velvet Goldmine
Stories might be best told in certain media, but their reflections are ever-refractable: a lyric written in the back of an image puts a song into an imaginary world, a game cabinet in the background of a scene tweaks your understanding of the character who owns it. So, I’m going to talk about a film…
Every Little Girl Flies: Captain Marvel and the Mother/Daughter Bond
Have you ever seen a little girl run so fast she falls down? There’s an instant, a fraction of a second before the world catches hold of her again… A moment when she’s outrun every doubt and fear she’s ever had about herself and she flies. In that moment, every little girl flies. (Captain Marvel…
#LoveWins: Past, Present, and Future for Queer Couples in Comics
On June 26, 2015, the Supreme Court ruled by a vote of 5-4 that the American Constitution guarantees the right for same-sex couples to get married. Twitter went up in rainbow splashes of celebration in the #LoveWins tag and a myriad of ignorant tweets — the tweets from disgruntled folks saying they were going to move to…
#FreePeterParker: Spidey is Trapped in a Timeloop — WWAC to the Rescue!
When Sony agreed to let Marvel Studios give us the next Spidey film, we had our hopes that we’d get something more, because really, after five Spider-Man movies, we’re tired of Peter Parker and had our hearts set on a fresh take on the webslinger. Alas, we’ve got a new Spider-Man and it’s, unsurprisingly, not Miles Morales and…
Kingpin over Catwoman: Organised Crime vs Spontaneous Theft
Over a year ago Batman volume 2 #28 came out and introduced us to Selina Kyle as the new Kingpin of Gotham. She declared that Catwoman was dead–and I instantly disliked the new direction. I was expecting DC to introduce a new creative team and outlook. Writer Ann Nocenti’s run was widely disparaged (though I…
Transphobia in the Year 3001: Superman A Super Jerk, No Justice For Guy Gardner
“These great heroes called themselves the Justice League — protectors not just of Camelot, but of all the universe,” rambles an insect-like robotic being on the first page of Justice League 3001. It’s part of a speech used to set the stage for the futuristic superhero comic by Keith Giffen, J.M. DeMatteis, and Howard Porter….
Game Shames Roundtable: “All Games Are Too Hard to Finish!”
Games Section writer and general excellent person Jules Low recently wrote this awesome piece about their ‘Game Shames.’ They wrote, “There’s an odd sense of guilt surrounding the idea that we can’t complete the video games we attempt, that we are somehow lesser for it.” I thought it would be interesting to see how the…
Why I’m Boycotting Spider-Man: Diversity Isn’t a Trend, It’s a Reality
Yesterday we learned that Marvel and Sony’s Spider-Man film had officially found its friendly neighborhood web slinger…and once again it’s a white straight male. Oh and there’s more! The director is–wait for it–a white dude! Let’s go back and reminisce about how this all came about, shall we? Remember last year in an interview with IndieWire when,…
The Pregnant Belly: A Narrative Prison for Mother and Child
I’ve been pregnant twice. I won’t say I loved being pregnant. There were definitely down sides to the reproductive process, though compared to some my pregnancies were relatively easy. I do not say that to brag. Pregnancy is a frightening thing. A dangerous thing. According to the World Health Organization, approximately 800 women die daily from pregnancy or…
Miles Morales Moves to Marvel’s Mainstream But Not the Movies
Say that headlines five times fast. No worries if you can’t, because either way, thanks to the new Spider-Man series coming this fall, Miles Morales will be shifting from his current status as an Ultimate character, to becoming a full member of the Marvel Universe with the conclusion of the Secret Wars event.