After the first season of Marco Polo, Wendy and I talked at length about it and agreed it was a show we both loved. Now with the second season available on Netflix, the WWAC crew gathered to voice our opinions on the first three episodes. It’s a new season! What are your general thoughts of…
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…
How to Go Steady: An Interview with Comics Historian Jacque Nodell
I stumbled across comics historian Jacque Nodell’s blog on romance comics, Sequential Crush, a few years back. I loved her historical analysis of the comics that provided insight into the period, but also showed a great love for the genre. Last March, I interviewed her about her work, then the following month, I had an…
Queens Will Play the Game of Thrones: 3 Takes On the Season 6 Finale, “Winds of Winter”
Season six of Game of Thrones wrapped up with an extra long, extra deadly episode on Sunday.
Indigenous Sci-Fi: 3 Takes on ABC’s Cleverman
Cleverman is a new Australian sci-fi/fantasy series that draws upon indigenous Australian (aboriginal) mythology. Collider called it “District 9 with werewolves instead of aliens,” and The New York Times characterized it as “sci-fi with a social conscience.” The series just premiered on ABC TV in Australia and Sundance TV in the US to favorable reviews…
The Feminization of Bucky Barnes
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…
14 Ways Movie Adaptations Sabotage Themselves
A staggering 57% of movies in released in the last five years were sequels, reboots or adaptations. That means that only 43% of Hollywood movies released in that five year period were based on original ideas. An average of 57 movies in each of those given years were adaptations. And a lot of them sucked….
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…
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…
Interview with Meredith Gran of Octopus Pie
One of the reasons I love webcomics is that they give readers the opportunity to see an artist grow and change. Webcomics are, with a few exceptions, published quickly after they are created, giving the reader a chance to engage with a work while the artist is still living through the experiences that influenced the art. Of…
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…
Dungeons & Damsels: Adventures of a First Time DM
I tend to get a little overzealous when I have an idea. Deciding to build a tiered vegetable garden, I went out and bought dozens of seed packets without having actually built anything yet. I wanted to start a gaming channel on YouTube, so I bought a recording program without considering the effort it takes…
