Seeing myself in a piece of media never gets old. There’s a basic kind of representation that feels all right — oh, another queer person, a bisexual person, cool! — but every so often I find something special that really, truly resonates. I usually expect to find that feeling more in books or indie comics…
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…
Orientalism in Big Trouble in Little China
Before you read this: did you watch the Dr. Strange trailer? You should, because I’m going to compare it to Big Trouble in Little China, a movie thirty years its senior. “Why?” you ask. Because John Carpenter made BTLC with the understanding that Chinese-ness is context and not just culture, and that the mixture of…
Race and Romance in Daredevil Season Two
Netflix’s Daredevil is, on the surface, a pretty progressive show when it comes to romance: Matt Murdock is romantically linked to two women of color, Claire Temple and Elektra Natchios, during the course of two seasons, which is definitely more than can be said about any of the MCU films so far. But a deeper read shows…
Elektra’s Silence and Victimization in Dark Reign
This month, Netflix’s Daredevil series adds a much-anticipated character: Elektra. Elektra debuted in Marvel comics in the 1980s. The recap page of the 2009 miniseries Dark Reign: Elektra describes her thusly: “Elektra Natchios was the most dangerous woman in the world: an assassin, master martial artist, and weapons expert.” I had never read any comics starring Elektra,…
Shang-Chi Won’t Fix Iron Fist’s Racist Origins
So here I am again, talking about Iron Fist, only this time with much less righteous fury and much more frustrated reluctance. The first time around, when I reported on the Finn Jones casting news, I received strong opposition on my personal Facebook and Twitter. One commentor told me I needed to “check [my] privilege” because…
Street Fights and Civil Wars: Previewing Daredevil Season Two
(This piece contains major spoilers for season one and some thematic spoilers for season two of Daredevil, as well as some thematic discussion of the Captain America: Civil War trailer and of Frank Castle/The Punisher’s role in Marvel Comics. I’ve attempted to avoid any spoilers that deal with the specifics of major plot points, with…
Another Day, Another White Man Appropriating Asian Culture: Finn Jones Cast as Iron Fist
News broke last week that Game of Thrones actor Finn Jones has been officially cast as Danny Rand, a.k.a. Iron Fist, in the upcoming Netflix series of the same name. In a completely unsurprising move that keeps the status quo of most Marvel live action adapted franchises, Iron Fist is going to be portrayed by…
Two Questions About Netflix’s Iron Fist Adaptation
It’s been an issue that’s hung over the series like a dark cloud since it was first announced in 2014. No matter the other elements such as mysticism, tone, and plot, there’s been a very big question about the upcoming Netflix Iron Fist series that revolves around one thing quite simply: race. It can’t be avoided, and frankly…
The Vocabulary of Violence: 4 Takes on Steve Orlando’s Midnighter
Midnighter #1-6 Steve Orlando (Scripter), Stephen Mooney (penciller), Aco (penciller), Alec Morgan (penciller), Romulo Fajardo Jr. (colourist), Hugo Petrus (inker #3 and #6), Bryan Hitch (cover artist #1), Artyom Trakhanov (cover artist #3) DC Comics May 2015 – Present In May 2015, the DCU welcomed longtime Stormwatch and Authority character Midnighter to the fold with…
