The Killing Joke is touted as the “Definitive Joker Story,” and while it is certainly one of his darkest and most memorable chapters, it’s Barbara Gordon that is ultimately defined by the story. We’ve already talked about the disparity in consequences between the actual protagonists of the story, Batman and Jim Gordon, and its collateral…
One Piece and Its Dead Mother Cemetery
If you read shounen manga, you’ve probably heard of One Piece. If you read manga, period, you probably know about this series featuring a guy with a rubber body who wants to become the Pirate King. Between the merchandising, pop-up restaurants, and amusement park, it’s difficult to overlook.
Scary, Magical Women: Lilith of Borderlands
SPOILER WARNING: Borderlands, Borderlands 2 “Alright, you mindless gun-hands: you’re looking for a really hot chick with blue tattoos and mystical powers. A Siren. Specifically, one named Lilith. The official reports say she died in New Haven, but I’m positive she’s hiding out near Sanctuary. If you catch wind of her, tell me and I’ll pay…
The Bloodied Vagina: Why the Batgirl Variant Cover is No Joke
Content Warning: Rape, Sexual Violence, discussion of the meat of bodies.
Why I Cringed During the Agent Carter Finale
Let me start by saying that I’ve had a blast watching Agent Carter. There are many reasons why the show is fun and important and awesome and all those good things. Others (including the amazing Rachel Edidin) have already done a great job outlining the good stuff; there are some good critiques out there too,…
Starfire’s New Costume: A Reflection of Her History and Personality
If you haven’t heard the news about Starfire getting a much needed costume update—not to mention her own on-going series by powerhouse team Amanda Conner and Jimmy Palmiotti, of Harley Quinn fame, along with Emanuela Lupacchino—then buckle up because I’m going to break it down for you.
A Trip Down Fear Street: What I Learned about Dating from Fear Street
After a brief hiatus, A Trip Down Fear Street is back! This time with handy-dandy lists. For the month of love, I decided to read, appropriately enough, love themed books from the series: First Date (no. 16, 1992), Double Date (no. 23, 1994), and Killer’s Kiss (no. 42, 1997). Because Fear Street was often targeted…
Mortal Kombat Is A Bad Franchise And Nothing About It Is Good: A Character Design Discussion
It must have happened, but I don’t remember a time before I felt encroached upon by Mortal Kombat. I was five when the first game was released, and I was seven when the ESRB rating system was introduced in response to parents’ response to the game’s “fatalities.” This means that parents were alarmed by characters…
[NSFW] Sex Criminals Review: Lonely Sex Tourists
Sex Criminals #10 Matt Fraction (W), Chip Zdarsky (A) Image Comics Damn, I’m hungry. Thick Chicken has been a minor character in the last two issues. It’s the favorite indulgence of Jon’s new therapist, and Suzie confirms it in this issue, telling Jon that “[t]his chicken is so good I want it inside of me.”…
Women As Superheroes: A Comic Drawing Workshop to Celebrate 40 Years of The Feminist Library
A free comic workshop led by artists Sally Jane Thompson, Rachael Smith, and Karen Rubins in London at The Feminist Library? I’d signed up faster than you can say sequential-art-salon-in-Southwark.
Don’t Do This: Diplo Steals Indie Illustrator’s Art, Responds to Criticism with Harassment
Yeah, you read that right. Grammy-Award winning DJ Diplo was above requesting usage or offering payment for independent illustrator and animator Rebecca Mock’s work. Without her permission, he used her animated gif as a promotional Instagram for his latest collaboration. Not content with having a conversation about copyright and usage laws, he responded to Mock’s outcry…
Political Cartooning With Joe Dator: Clean Lines and Jokes
At first, I thought I really did not like artist Joe Dator. My initial assumption was that he was sexist and took easy shots like so many other political cartoonists. Honestly, these thoughts were based almost entirely off the the first cartoon of his that I saw, which was this one:
