When I was young, my parents would take me to a bookstore at least once, sometimes twice, a month. I lived in a sprawling suburb, so we usually frequented either a Barnes & Noble or Borders or—on the rare occasion—a Media Play. I would not discover the pleasures of an independent bookstore until well after…
Gin & Kate’s 90s Nostalgia Roadtrip Review: The X-Files: Year Zero
Karl Kesel (words), Greg Scott & Vic Malhotra (lines), Mat Lopes (colors), Robbie Robbins, Chris Mowry, & Tom B. Long (letters) IDW February 2015 Continuing their coverage of the X-Files canonical comics in preparation for the television revival, Kate and Gin review The X-Files: Year Zero, a five issue series about the very first X-File….
Scrabble Vs. Family Feuds: Games Are All That Hold Us Together
Scrabble is one of the few links between me and my dad’s side of the family. There are other things we share, mainly our last name and genes. But the one hobby that my brothers and I share with them is Scrabble, and this bond is possibly the one thing that could hold us together….
Incredible Indie Tuesday: So Many Good Books, So Little Time
First up, a very astute post from Nadia about the limitations of comics’ journalism when we talk about ‘indie’ books. For the sake of this weekly column, I use it as a catch-all term for all those publishers and books outside Marvel and DC, but she’s right that there is a huge difference between a publisher…
Reading Diaries: It’s Really Radical!
Angel: I seriously have no idea how it’s already September! I thought I had plenty of time to read all the books coming out this month, but it looks like I’ll just be enjoying them throughout the next 30 days. I’m currently making my way through Randy Ribay’s An Infinite Number of Parallel Universes, and…
When Down Is Up: What’s Wrong With Indie Comics?
We’ve already discussed why “mainstream” comics are not that mainstream these days in my last “When Down Is Up” article. Let’s now look at the opposite of the mainstream at the so-called indie or creator-owned comics.
Everyone Wants to Be Touched: Diary of a Teenage Girl
At 15 I thought I was a pervert. This may be why I loved Diary of a Teenage Girl so much. My sophomore year of high school I made my grandmother, a woman uncomfortable with the word “vagina” take me to the pediatrician I was still seeing to discuss my “sex addiction.” When the middle-aged doctor,…
Decoupling Gender: Why You Should Care About Toys
On August 7th, Target announced that they were eliminating gender-based signage from their toy department. Proponents of the changes celebrated, and opponents released a flurry of negative media coverage. When I discovered the backlash exploding all over Facebook and Twitter I was pretty surprised, because this isn’t a very big change. The move to separate…
Zine Review: Hidden Expressions: Volume II
When no one will listen to your voice, you must make them listen. A fundamental part of zine and DIY culture is that it provides a space for marginalized people to meet others like them and be heard. While self-publishing comes with its own hurdles—many of them financial—zines are special because even if the paper…
Mighty Marvel Monday: Stories, Support, and Speaking Louder than Silence
It’s Monday, and this is your regularly scheduled Mighty Marvel Monday, although this week’s column is anything but regular. It should have been a good week for Marvel. The Jessica Jones teaser trailer is out. Agent Carter comes out this week on DVD and Blu Ray (although troublingly as an Amazon Exclusive). Best of all,…
Indiegogo Update: Stretch Goals and New Perks
Okay, everyone. Hold on just one second. Take a deep breath, and then … THROW YOUR HANDS IN THE AIR AND DANCE! BECAUSE YOU DID IT! One week ago, we launched our very first Women Write About Comics fundraiser. Our goal is to turn our calling—writing about comics and culture from an intersectional feminist…
Comic Fusion’s Superhero Weekend’s Superheroics
Need something uplifting? Well, if you happen to be near the New Jersey area on the weekend of October 3-4, 2015, then you should drop by Comic Fusion in Flemington, NJ for their annual Superhero Weekend. Formerly known as “Wonder Woman Day,” Superhero Weekend auctions off comic book themed sketches to raise money and awareness…
