Note: This article contains spoilers for Insexts and images that are not safe for work. On the surface, Insexts is a monster story. It is gory and graphic, with no qualms about Alien-esque birth scenes and vagina-teeth eating a man’s arm; at no point does the art veer away from being downright gross if it needs…
Margot Robbie Played Harley Quinn, But DC Played Themselves
Let’s talk about this excerpt from Paul Flynn’s Margot Robbie profile in the Autumn/Winter issue of LOVE Magazine. Let’s talk about how harsh a burn it is, against the art form comics. Let’s talk about how disastrous a proof it is of Harley Quinn’s degraded graphic cache.
Outfit Select: Lara Croft, Vogue, & Personal Development
Thinking about Sarah Harris using “gaming heroine” to define to aesthetic spirit of the decade in British Vogue’s centenary edition–a Royal on the cover, input from seasoned industry greats, and women of the moment throughout, a real authoritative environment, if Harris’ name alone isn’t enough to convince you of the scale of this proclamation–I came…
Trading Outpost: Growing Up Is Hard To Do
Hello and welcome back to Trading Outpost, with me, FST, co-host with the co-most of The Trades, a comics podcast for people who like comics and podcasts. The other half of The Trades is Aaron, who can’t write here, because Aaron’s a dude. You can find the previous installment on WWAC here, and you can…
Who You Gonna Wear? Ghostbusters! The Fashion of Erin, Abby, Holtzman, and Patty
The costuming (the character design) of Ghostbusters announces itself graciously but doesn’t demand your attention. It takes the introduction of the third protagonist to blossom into full life. Once it does, it only gets better.
Nasty Old Hags Nearing Death: Absolutely Fabulous
One week after I saw Absolutely Fabulous, I saw Ghostbusters. I saw it in the same cinema, on the same day of the week, at the same approximate time, midday. I saw both films for the same reason: because for many many years, they have been a part of my personal entertainment environment. I am…
Designed We Stand: How Basic Design Procedures Could Have Spared Marvel Embarrassment
We sometimes forget, in our passion projects and favourite serials, that comics are a business. An industry that exists to make money. And sometimes it appears that the people who forget that most are professionals working in comics. We’ve discussed bad or odd business before — but this time, it isn’t about money. We need…
Can a Bad Anime Be Art? Heat Guy J
Heat Guy J was a twenty-six episode animated series that aired in Japan in 2002 and wasn’t particularly well-received. For whatever reason, possibly in recognition of the positive reception director Kazuki Akane had previously enjoyed in the West through Escaflowne, it was exported anyway. Box sets with dub and sub experiences available were later sold…
Morals and Magic: How The Wicked+The Divine Depicts Changing Western Views of Identity and Sexuality
Kieron Gillen is no stranger to diverse teenage characters. The author of the Young Avengers relaunch, Gillen is experienced at writing characters from a variety of racial groups and sexualities and even won a GLADD award for his work. The Wicked+The Divine (pronounced “The Wicked and the Divine” or simply “WicDiv” for short) takes it…
Manipulation of Manhood: Julia Gfrorer’s Comic Book Misandry
Content warning: penises, breasts, rape of men. EDIT, October 2016: this article is an analysis of Gfrorer’s work as a commentary on phallocentric patriarchy. Cis masculinity is consciously centred in the readings of these narratives. I never really managed to think of a penis as a vulnerable thing until I caught the first fifteen minutes…
Trading Outpost: Why I Don’t Hate Why I Hate Saturn
Hello, this is the Trading Outpost, in which I, hostess of The Trades, further discuss some of the comics and concepts covered by (yes!) The Trades. The Trades is a podcast by me, FST, and Aaron LaRoche (A boy, hence lack of onsite embed —Ed.). We trade comics, talk about our picks from the month,…
Monster Women: Harrow County and The Witch
Witches are tricky figures in horror fiction. It’s indisputable that witch hunts are a blight on human history, yet we’re still fascinated by their subject as instruments of terror. Maybe we fear an ability to interfere in our lives while hiding in plain sight, or maybe they still tap into uneasiness with feminine power. Look…
