In case you haven’t noticed, women really like the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Bucky Barnes. Surprisingly, the direct question of “why?” does not seem to have been asked, which suggests that the question of “what women want” isn’t actually something men are that interested in after all. However, after discussing this with other women and analyzing…
My Best Period Ever: Thinx Are the Next Generation Menstruation Product
A few months back, I exited a subway car and came face-to-face with an ad that said, “Period-proof underwear that protects you from leaks and sometimes the patriarchy, but not from manspreading. We tried tho.” Wait, huh? I wondered as I passed underneath, transfixed (as transfixed as a citizen in a walking city can be anyway,…
The Power of the Black Panther
Comics have helped shape guest author Krystal Kara’s life. Through the many pages she’s read, she’s found both support and encouragement in the stories and actions of superheroes and now uses that strength to empower others. The non-profit Be Super initiative calls upon the superhero in all of us “to bring to life the heroism within people” and…
What Devin Faraci Gets Wrong About Audience, Ownership and Power
Earlier this week, Devin Faraci of Birth Movies Death, wrote that fandom was broken. Out of control and on the attack, wild elements of the audience had broken free from their assigned role of mild adoration and GIFpreciation to wage war against creators. Hashtag campaigns, calls to action, death threats — described in one long…
The Sharon Carter Problem: How Marvel Keeps Failing Female Characters
Marvel movies are, by and large, not romances. And that’s okay. When I go to the theater to see a superhero movie, I don’t need to see anyone falling in love. If a romance can be played well within the confines of a rich and compelling superhero story, I’m not going to complain—I’m a sucker…
Petticoats, Bloomers, Stockings, Oh My!: On Lolita Fashion & Subculture
In Café Princess, at the Yonge and Finch intersection, there are four Lolitas sitting together, remembering stories, and enjoying delicious-looking slices of coffee chocolate flavoured cake. Meagan Wilcox, 20, relaxes on a red couch; she’s a lifestyle Lolita and has been wearing Lolita for six years. She started dressing in Lolita when she was in…
A Texas Broad Reads Preacher in 2016
This past March and April, I read Preacher for the first time, which feels like comics sacrilege in 2016. Garth Ennis and Steve Dillon’s seminal late 90s creation about a man from East Texas who is burdened with glorious purpose—or, more accurately, the spawn of an angel and a demon—is held up alongside The Watchmen…
Gozer in Ghosbusters: Call Me Marshmallow Woman
Marshmallow Man is a woman. Granted, “Marshmallow Woman” doesn’t roll off the tongue with the same alliterative satisfaction as “Marshmallow Man.” It’s tough to pronounce two W’s in a row like that, not to mention adding an entire extra syllable. But, it’s the more accurate of the two. Accuracy versus a lulling literary device is…
Review: I Contemplated the Sun of Limbo
Welcome to An Adventure in Small Games, a monthly series focused on games that cost less than $20, ideally less than $10. In this series, Eve Golden Woods will focus on the indie game and what it has to offer the world of gaming. There will be spoilers. This month Eve takes a look at I Contemplated…
Living Dead Boy: Jason Todd vs. The Culture That Killed (And Resurrected) Him
Here’s the thing: Robin was never intended to be a legacy character. There were no real reasons to assume or suspect that Dick Grayson, the original Robin, was going to give up the mantle. Sure, as Dick progressed in age, thanks to some very specific cultural anxieties, there were reasons to assume that he might…
The Misrepresentation of Daredevil’s Elektra
Just after the title sequence, and eleven minutes into episode nine, Elektra Natchios is cleaning up the previous episode’s mess: Matt Murdoch gets shot with a poisoned arrow and Elektra slits the throat of a young ninja. She saves Matt’s life using the same concoction that Stick used to save hers and brings in what…
Comics Academe: Teaching Ms. Marvel Part 2
This is part two of my account of teaching G. Willow Wilson’s Ms. Marvel to honor students at a large southern university. Part one can be found here.