Martial Arts Archives

INTERVIEW: Into the Immortal Storyverse with Rylend Grant on Fa Sheng: Origins

May 3, 2022

It’s the 19th century and China’s Boxer Uprising forces a young man named Fa Sheng to reevaluate his purpose. Turning attention to those in need and working to empower them to help themselves, he must face the corruption, cowardice, and ruthlessness of many adversaries. Written by ...

Comics, Indie & Small Press, Reviews

REVIEW: Dead Legends II Makes Me Want to Punch Things — But in a Good Way

October 13, 2021

Dead Legends makes me feel the same way I do when the Mortal Kombat theme starts playing.

Comics

Birds of Prey and the Fantabulous Feminist Fight Choreography

March 19, 2020

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 ...

Essays

The Misrepresentation of Daredevil’s Elektra

May 17, 2016

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 ...

Uncategorized

Orientalism in Big Trouble in Little China

April 28, 2016

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, ...

Essays, Opinion

Race and Romance in Daredevil Season Two

April 17, 2016

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 ...

Comics, Essays

Elektra’s Silence and Victimization in Dark Reign

March 18, 2016

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, ...

Opinion

Shang-Chi Won’t Fix Iron Fist’s Racist Origins

March 17, 2016

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 ...

Uncategorized

Street Fights and Civil Wars: Previewing Daredevil Season Two

March 16, 2016

(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 ...

Opinion

Another Day, Another White Man Appropriating Asian Culture: Finn Jones Cast as Iron Fist

March 1, 2016

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 ...

Martial Arts

INTERVIEW: Into the Immortal Storyverse with Rylend Grant on Fa Sheng: Origins

REVIEW: Dead Legends II Makes Me Want to Punch Things — But in a Good Way

Birds of Prey and the Fantabulous Feminist Fight Choreography

The Misrepresentation of Daredevil’s Elektra

Orientalism in Big Trouble in Little China

Race and Romance in Daredevil Season Two

Elektra’s Silence and Victimization in Dark Reign

Shang-Chi Won’t Fix Iron Fist’s Racist Origins

Street Fights and Civil Wars: Previewing Daredevil Season Two

Another Day, Another White Man Appropriating Asian Culture: Finn Jones Cast as Iron Fist

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