Inside Out

Recently, Val D’Orazio asked a lot of comics pros the following question:

“Do you think the comic book industry, and its principal players, should be subject to the sort of public scrutiny and (at times) gossip that others in the entertainment field are subject to?”

I haven’t been among the respondents, because I am not important, and no one cares what I think.

But I’m going to tell you anyway.

I think it’s a slanted question, because it takes for granted that “the sort of public scrutiny and (at times) gossip that others in the entertainment industry are subject to” is appropriate.

I don’t.

Let me make something clear: I’m not supporting cloak-and-dagger secrecy here. I believe in accountability—public accountability where circumstances warrant. In fact, I agree, in principle, with most of the commentators, who discussed the importance of accountability and transparency in matters like creative responsibility, professional decorum, and business relations. In fact, I think most of those issues—and particularly those that involve exploitation and abuse, financial or otherwise—should probably get more coverage.

But that wasn’t the question. The question was,

“Do you think the comic book industry, and its principal players, should be subject to the sort of public scrutiny and (at times) gossip that others in the entertainment field are subject to?”

And to that, my answer is,

Absolutely not.

As far as I’m concerned, the parts of comics professionals lives that the public—and the industry at large—have any right to know about begin and end with the comics industry.

But that’s not as simple as it sounds, because comic people tend to socialize with, well, other comics people. We talk together. We drink together. We date each other. We embarrass ourselves in front of each other. And the lines between our personal and professional lives blur—which makes the answer to Val’s original question a hell of a lot more complicated. We can draw lines, sure—whom you date, for example, should be nobody’s business but your own—but there will always be exceptions: what about the editor who awards a competitive gig to the artist he’s involved with, or the couple whose divorce also means the dissolution of a creative team?

And so, to me, it comes down to a question of integrity and judgment.

If I thought any comics bloggers or journalists read this column, I would offer them the following challenge:

When you are deciding whether to report on a rumor or news item centering around a person or people (not, say, the release of a book, even if there are creator names attached to it), ask yourselves two questions:

What guides this decision shouldn’t be blog hits, or sensationalism, or laziness. It should be journalistic ethics, because when you are writing in your official capacity—even if it’s just at a personal blog—you are writing in the role of a journalist, and the weight you give the answers to those questions defines what is gossip, and what is news. And only one of those has a place in the public eye.

Discuss this column here.

June 21st, 2009
Categories: Creators, blogging, journalism . Author: Rachel Edidin . Comments: 1 Comment

The following is an excerpt of Wizard Fan Awards categories and contestants, cut and pasted for your edutainment:

21) FAVORITE HERO:
Batman (DC) (Details)
Spider-Man (Marvel) (Details)
Captain America (Marvel) (Details)
Superman (DC) (Details)
Hellboy (Dark Horse) (Details)

22) FAVORITE VILLAIN:
Skrull Queen/Spider-Woman (Secret Invasion) (Details)
Dr. Hurt (Batman) (Details)
The Joker (Joker) (Details)
Brainiac (Action Comics) (Details)
Red Hulk (Red Hulk) (Details)

23) FAVORITE FEMALE:
Buffy Summers (Dark Horse) (Details)
Witchblade (Top Cow) (Details)
Emma Frost (Marvel) (Details)
Fallen Angel (IDW) (Details)
Wonder Woman (DC) (Details)

I think Wizard’s choice of poll categories makes for an interesting lens through which to view a larger argument that’s taking place in the nets: whether, and to what extent, there can and should be “female superhero” movies. I’ve been wading around the trenches Jezebel comment threads, and much (but not all) of the coverage I’ve seen has echoed what I see as a kind of problematic assumption–the same one Wizard makes in their poll–that there is a fundamental difference between “superheroes” and “female superheroes.”

There isn’t. Or, at least, there doesn’t have to be. Female superheroes’ gender doesn’t magically supersede their jobs. They don’t automatically have to have Shoe Shopping and Relationship Drama in every story, any more than every male superhero story requires a rousing football scrimmage. The problem isn’t with the characters–it’s with our own assumptions about the categories into which they’re allowed to fall. For example, Kill Bill, despite its female protagonist, overwhelmingly female supporting cast and villains, and substantial female fanbase, is categorized as an action movie, not a “girl” movie–and, despite its protagonist’s colorful costume and iconic code name, certainly not a “female superhero” movie.

More significantly, though, Kill Bill doesn’t get categorized as a “female superhero” movie because it doesn’t fit the stereotypes we’ve come to associate with such movies. It’s not a poorly-produced b-grade write-off. It didn’t fail miserably. It wasn’t a stereotypical “chick flick” with a couple action scenes slapped on. And, incidentally, it starred a woman who had played an enthusiastic role in the creation of her character and story rather than brushing it–and the genre it reflected–off as kid stuff or a shitty dues role.

It’s absolutely true that “female superhero” movies like Elektra and Catwoman don’t succeed. That’s not because they’re about female superheroes, though. It’s because they’re bad movies.

Here’s how you make a good “female superhero” movie: Write a good, involved, interesting action story about an interesting, three-dimensional superhero. Then, lose the penis.

You can discuss this column here.

January 10th, 2009
Categories: Superheroes, characters, fandom, feminist stuff, general comics, invisible women, media . Author: Rachel Edidin . Comments: No Comments

Today, the president of Dark Horse walked past another female editor and my (adjoining) offices and stopped to call in that he’d just learned that we don’t exist, because someone else (I didn’t catch who) has been going on about how there are no women in comics. In retrospect, I should have asked if that meant we could have the rest of the day off, but it also makes a nice segue into one of my pet peeves.

A lot of the problem with how sexism in comics is addressed in media, and one of the reasons those reports are so easy for the comics industry to blow off, is that the reports of sexism in comics are almost always built around the essential fallacy that there are no–or painfully few–women working in the comics industry.

This fallacy seems to stem from a couple main sources. First of all, when the general news media (and even a lot of more specialized media) reports on comics, it often does so with a conception of the industry that begins and ends with writers and artists on mainstream (read: superhero) titles–who are, in fact, overwhelmingly male (which is a problem, but not the same problem as which it’s often framed).

Second, the same media’s understanding and portray of comics seem to be based largely on the perpetuation of a stock of convenient sterotypes, with little attention to or examination of reality. Even generally comics-friendly articles are often full of astonishment that comics readers (and, to some extent, creators) aren’t all mouth-breathing recluses who subsist entirely on pizza and bondage fantasies in their parents’ basements–and, it should go without saying, all male.

Look, there are absolutely sexism (among other -isms) and misogyny in comics, and in the comics industry, and comics culture, and much of what passes for comics “journalism.” The majority of the creators who get high profile, highly paid art and writing gigs are male. Sexual harassment is rampant at conventions and comics shops (and within the industry, although that’s something I’ve not experienced first-hand). These things are terrible, and they need to be called out and addressed, loudly and persistently.

But not by ignoring the many, many women who make their living and art in comics. Every time we are conveniently erased because some pop-cult page needs an appropriately sensational headline, or some hack journalist or blogger decides to lionize the lady he’s profiling by painting her as a lone Amazon in Man’s World, we fade that much further into the gutters.

This isn’t Man’s World. It’s ours–all of ours.

You can discuss this column here.

January 5th, 2009
Categories: Publishing, feminist stuff, invisible women, journalism, women in comics . Author: Rachel Edidin . Comments: 1 Comment

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

(You can discuss this column here. *sniffle*)

October 16th, 2008
Categories: Books, Manhunter, Publishing, Superheroes, characters, general comics, rant . Author: Rachel Edidin . Comments: No Comments

This post is for Keely, whose idea it was, and without whom I would likely have let both Love Your Body Day and Fat Talk Free Week slip by without noticing.

But! Luckily for me (and you), Keely is more alert than I, and thanks to her, you get a roundup of Five Characters Who Break the Paradigm of Feminine Beauty in Comics!

#1: Reagan, of Templar, Arizona, by Spike

If I needed one word to describe Reagan, I’d go with “big.” She dominates every panel she appears in–and not just because of her ample body. I imagine her talking in a just-a-bit-louder-than-life voice and laughing the kind of belly laugh that makes me proud to be human.

#2: Scar and Anzu, both of Knights of the Shroud, by Matt Bayne.

I love Knights of the Shroud a whole lot. If you’ve been following this column for any length of time, you probably know that already. And now you know yet another part of why.

Reagan is gorgeous, which is part of how she fucks with our beauty standards. Anzu and Scar challenge them because they’re not pretty. They’re powerful, and regal, and damaged, and maybe even beautiful, but if there is a single impression they give, it is that they are not there to be your eye candy. They have their own lives–and their own ideas–to follow. You’re just along for the ride.

#2.5: Another reason I love Matt Bayne is that he responded to my LJ post asking for suggestions for this column with a link to someone else’s comic. I haven’t read much of Dicebox myself, but it certainly seems to fit the bill.

#3: Amanda Waller, of the D.C. Universe.

There is no one–no one–in the D.C. Universe more badass than Amanda Waller. She is smarter than Batman. She is tougher than Darkseid. And she is one of the most morally and humanly complex characters in fiction. She embodies a combination of deep compassion, profound ideals, and utter ruthlessness that female characters rarely get to touch–and she will fuck up your binaries and paradigms better than any other character in mainstream comics.

#4: Sharon Ford, from Baker Street, by Guy Davis

In his introduction to Honor Among Punks: The Complete Baker Street, Guy Davis wrote, “I wanted the series to have a couple of things not seen much in comics at the time: a strong female lead whose focus was her character and not her breast size, and also making it a fantasy piece for the punk scene I was into.” The series protagonist, Sharon Ford, is a middle-aged queer punk detective and one of my all-time favorite comics characters. The reverence and deliberate care with which Guy draws characters–male and female–in all their glorious and profoundly human ugliness is one the most persistent and compelling aspects of his art.

#5: The entire cast of Dykes to Watch Out For

No picture for that one, ’cause it’s late and I’m tired. But you should read the archives anyway.

These five (and change) are some of my favorites but far from the only ones. Tell me about your favorite bodies that break the mold here.

October 15th, 2008
Categories: bodies, characters, diversity, feminist stuff, race . Author: Rachel Edidin . Comments: 1 Comment

Happy National Coming Out Day! Thank you SO much to everyone who offered stories–your bravery, diversity, talent, humor, and love makes me proud all over again to be part of the queer comics community. Thanks also to the folks at Prism Comics, who posted my call for stories on their front page, and who work like crazy to support and celebrate queer comics, creators, and fans.

Originally, I had planned this as two posts–one about great coming out scenes in comics, and the other focusing on coming out stories from members of the comics community. But as I looked through what I had lined up–and heard from you–they started to bleed together.

I considered setting these up with a table of contents and target links but finally decided against it–less because I’m lazy than because every single one of these stories deserves your full attention. You don’t get to pick and choose your sexuality; you don’t get to turn a blind eye to lives and experiences; and you don’t get to choose which stories you see.

Some of these stories contain links to comics and stories off-site. Please show their creators and hosts the same respect you would be expected to on the Inside Out forum.

And, a final note to friends in and out of comics: Inside Out is not an inherently political column–but queer visibility and rights are an inherently political issue. This November, three states have ballot items defining marriage as “between one man and one woman.” If you live in Florida, California, or Arizona, please, please get out to the polls and vote NO against propositions 2, 8, and 102, respectively. And even if you don’t live in those states, take a few minutes to make a donation or some phone calls and strike a blow for equal rights:

http://sayno2.com/index.php

http://noonprop8.com/home

http://www.votenoprop102.com/web/index.php

And now, stories!

Arion Hunter:

For a long time, I was interested in comics, but could never find a space for myself in the comics culture. The one time I did visit my local store, the man behind the counter watched me the entire time as if he expected me to shoplift. Unsurprisingly, I was suitably scared off of comics after that.

So on my first day of college, I randomly ran into another freshman and we hit it off rather well. It turns out she was a huge fan of comics, and so I agreed to head back to her dorm to inspect her collection. I had, up to this point, not been out to anyone around me. As a test of the waters, I made an off-hand comment about ‘probably not meeting another gay person on campus.’ She looks at me, laughs, and says, “Well, you just met one.”

She’s still one of my best friends to this day.

Siduri (originally posted at http://shannon.users.sonic.net/blog/?p=99):

National Coming Out Day is October 11, so it’s come and gone for 2007 and it’s a long way away for 2008. It’s been a while since I felt any need to mark this holiday. But I recently got into a conversation about gay marriage on a mailing list I frequent, and I realized: for a lot of people, I’m in the closet. I’m a wife and mother, and some people—the people I’ve met recently, including my husband’s wonderful family—wouldn’t have any reason to realize that I’m queer.

So here we go. I’m a bi woman. I’m one hundred percent monogamous and one hundred percent devoted to my husband, but in the past I’ve had girlfriends as well as boyfriends. Not at the same time—that’s called being polyamorous, and it’s a different thing from being bi—I’m bi and I’m monogamous. But I’ve had girlfriends, at least one who I deeply loved, and she’s still important to me. I would never repudiate that part of who I am.

The way the dice fell for me, my soulmate is a man, and so I could marry him. But they might have fallen another way. I could have ended up in love, forever, with a woman. That’s why the issue of gay marriage is so very important to me. And also, of course, some of my dearest friends are gay, and I witness the very real and ongoing harm that our country’s unjust laws are wreaking.

I get a ton of legal benefits from being in a heterosexual marriage. That’s actually why I don’t talk more about being bi. It seems presumptive to claim a queer identity when I’m enjoying so much heterosexual status and privilege. But I came out to my friends and family a long time ago, and I’m not willing to go back into the closet.

Hearts and minds are changed when people realize that “gay” isn’t some scary person they see on TV, it’s a real person they know and love. I’m a faithful wife and a loving mother, and I’m bisexual. If you didn’t already know that about me, surprise! Maybe it won’t make a difference to you and maybe it will, but it’s something I want everybody to know. Happy Coming Out Day, late or early, and God bless us every one.

Joe Palmer of Gay League:

My whole coming out story is a gradual one and not all that exciting in its retelling. I have early memories of when I was four and five, having an internal monologue and knowing something about me was fundamentally different from everyone else around me. I didn’t have a word for it. Who does at that age. It wasn’t till I overheard my grandmother whom I loved dearly tell my mother she’d “better cut loose the apron strings or she’d have a sissy on her hands” that I knew there was a word for it and hearing it reinforced the understanding to never let anyone know. I was six years old.

My understanding began to clear up some when I became fascinated with watching TV shows like Batman and Robin, Green Hornet, and Star Trek. I was consumed with looking at Kato, Sulu, and Chekov, Imagine my surprise when George Takei publicly came out. Around this time I discovered comics. Unlike a lot of gay men, my coming out and sexuality don’t have a strong, early connection and identification with Wonder Woman. It’s almost heretical, right? I fall into another group because the Legion of Super Heroes became my first and lasting passion. Here was a group of teens, more guys than girls, living together without parents. It was how I came to understand the idea of a chosen family and it was an extremely important idea for a nine-year old whose family was very dysfunctional. Of course, it was impossible for comics to have any gay content back then. This is 1967 after all and the Comics Code Authority is at full strength. Like with TV shows, there were male characters I became fascinated with, especially Ultra Boy and Element Lad. Unlike TV, comics were an entirely private ritual that allowed me to gradually come to understanding that realization of being different I had as a young child.

At one point when I was a teenager my father tried to stop me from reading comics because they had nothing to do with Christianity and were therefore Satanic. He watched television for hours on end so I thought tit for tat would be good. For two or three weeks I blacked out everything in the TV Guide that wasn’t a Sunday morning religious broadcast, and got my message across. If he’d had any real idea how I’d related to comics I think he wouldn’t have relented.

The following are coming-out stories–personal and fictional–in comics form. Follow the links to read the full comics.

I Like Girls, by Erika Moen, was part of the inspiration for this post. I read this for the first time when I was in college, long before I met Erika, and it remains one of the most powerful coming-out narratives I’ve read. For another incredible comic by Erika on coming out and why visibility matters, read When We Hold Hands.

Erika writes:

“I Like Girls” was originally written as an essay for my “Memoir and Autobiography” class, freshman year of college. I had JUST gotten into my first openly gay relationship and had not yet come out to my (homophobic) mom, so the paper was kind of a mental practice/preparation for that.

The comic I didn’t start working on until my sophmore year– again, I think I did it for a class? An art class? I don’t exactly recall, but it is still the longest single comic I’ve ever completed and even though the artwork is oldy moldy it’s still the project I’m most proud of.

Everyone always asks if I came out to my mom by having her read the comic. That’d be a great story, but no, I did not. I told her face-to-face towards the end of freshman year, so she already knew (and was in denial) before I started illustrating my essay.

After four years, my mom is as supporitve as she possibly can be (Though it’s no secret she desperately would prefer me straight)

I Like Girls, by Erika Moen

Brian Andersen, of Unabashedly Billie:

I have been a comic reader since I was a wee little boy of 8. Comics were (and still are) my safe haven from all the meanies and bullies at school who harassed me relentlessly (stupid, dumb jerks!). Growing up I always felt awkward and different and didn’t realize that my outsider feelings were because I was totally, completely, and utterly gay! In fact, I didn’t even come out until I was 26 whopping years old! “Unabashedly Billie” is my semi-autobiographical comic book story of my coming out, my first date with my now boyfriend (we’re going on eight years together) and all the internal fears and joys that went along with me discovering and accepting the real me! Yay!

Unabashedly Billie, by Brian Andersen and Preston Nesbit

proggirl:

My comics about being out appeared in Lavender magazine, but that was years ago.
My characters have been coming out their entire lives (at least the GLBT ones!).
Here’s a page I did lo these many years ago for Gay comics #25:
http://www.bcholmes.org/images/foxtown/trannytowers.gif
I’ve done little comics work dealing with sexuality in recent years- maybe I’ve said what I have to say, or else I just want to think about it for a while before I say anything else.

Thank you again to everyone who contributed stories and comics–and to everyone who has stood up and spoken out about queer rights and identity, in and out of comics.

You can discuss this post–and share more stories–here (I’ll add stories to this post as/if they arrive!).

October 11th, 2008
Categories: Creators, Personal, Stories, activism, diversity, feminist stuff, general comics, queer stuff . Author: Rachel Edidin . Comments: No Comments

Given the title and premise of Inside Out, the only surprise that should come with the news that I’m posting a series in honor of National Coming Out Day is that I’ve taken this long to get around to it.

But I’m going to make up for lost time, and you’re going to help–and with luck, so will your friends.

Here’s the deal: I’m going to do two National Coming Out Day posts (after this one). The first is going to be a round-up of coming-out scenes in comics; if you’re interested in contributing one of your favorites, you can do so here. I’ll be posting them at Inside Out on Thursday, October 9.

The second is going to be more personal: it’s going to be about coming out around comics and the comics community. If you have a personal coming-out story in which comics or the comics community play a role; have created a comic about your coming out story; came out via a comic or in context of your involvement in the comics community; or are an openly queer comics fan or professional, and you would be interested in sharing your story, you can do so here. I’ll be posting those stories on Inside Out on National Coming Out Day (Saturday, October 11). If you’d like to share a story on the forum but don’t want me to post it in Inside Out, just let me know in your post or in a PM; likewise, if you’d like to share a story anonymously, you can PM me on the Girl-Wonder forum or email me at rachel(at)girl-wonder(dot)org.

In the meantime, here are some links to check out for inspiration–creative or personal:

Prism Comics
A nonprofit organization that supports lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered (LGBT) comics, creators, and readers. They’re one of the coolest advocacy organizations in comics.

The Gay League
An online community for Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgendered, Transexual, and just plain friendly comic fans, collectors and creators worldwide. The purpose of the Gay League is to have a safe, hate-free, fun environment to read about, discuss, review, discover, trade, buy, sell, and learn information about comics - and make some friends online along the way. For some historical perspective, check out their LGBT Comics Timeline.

Coming Out in the Comic Strips
David Applegate writes about queer characters in newspaper comic strips.

The Cartoon Closet
Another article on queer characters in comic strips.

Creators Speak Out
PopImage’s Q&A with 16 queer comics creators.

Queer Comics Make Impact
A brief roundup of GLBT comics-related news from July of this year.

Why It Still Matters
In which I talk about queer comics characters and paper mirrors.

Talk Back:
Tell me about your favorite coming-out stories in comics here.
Tell your own coming-out story here.
Discuss this column and share more GLBT comics and resources here.

October 6th, 2008
Categories: Creators, Questions, activism, blogging, characters, diversity, links, meta, queer stuff . Author: Rachel Edidin . Comments: No Comments

More questions from you! Answered by me!

Benel R. Germosen asks:Best fight sequence ever rendered in comics…ever?

Nextwave: Agents of H.A.T.E. All of it.

hippokrene asks: What was the first comic you fell in love with?

According to my parents, I used to make them sit and explain Kliban cartoons to me when I was one or two, so I guess those, followed fairly closely by Nicole Hollander’s Sylvia, Mark Marek’s Hercules Among the North Americans, and Tintin in Tibet. I had a gloriously weird childhood.

Who is your favorite female action movie heroine?

It’s a toss-up between the two main characters of Outrageous Fortune, the Bride from Kill Bill, and Yu Shu Lien from Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. I seriously think Michelle Yeoh is going to revolutionize the roles of older women in action movies over the next few decades.

What is the best flavor of ice cream?

Baskin-Robbins’s Gold Medal Ribbon.

I don’t know if you’ve read The Hollows novels, but if you have, what do you think of Ivy Tamwood as a portrayal of bisexual women?

I think I’d have a stronger opinion on the topic if I’d read the novels.

In a visual medium like comics, can a character be ‘feminist’ even if she’s continuously dressed in spandex thongs and contorted into spine-breaking sexual poses, or will the art always undermine other aspects of the character?

If that portrayal is clearly tongue-in-cheek, sure. The art will always trump the rest of the character’s portrayal for some readers, but considering how many people make social judgments based on appearance, that’ll be a problem no matter how a given character is drawn.
And I think most readers will realize that portrayals like the one you’re describing say a lot more about the artists than they do about the characters.

Urbane Zombie asks: Do you ever privately imagine One Fish Two Fish being recited in the deep, sonorous voice of James Earl Jones?

I sure as hell do now.

If you had to take care of someone else’s big, smelly, drooling dog for a week, what would be the absolute worst comic-style superpower for that dog to have?

I’ve thought through the more obvious awful superpowers, but all those seem like cheating, so I’m gonna go with the power to drool on things from a distance. That would be really damn creepy.

Let’s say you inadvertently killed the Scorpion King and found yourself the absolute commander of thousands of big, musclebound, jackal-headed spearmen in little gold lamé skirts. What would you order them to do?

Moonwalk! And then I’d probably be wracked with guilt and have them go volunteer for community garden projects or something.

Do you think that pies can be used to express respect as well as ridicule?

Absolutely–in fact, I use most pies I make to express respect, affection, and the fact that blackberries are in season. Which I respect.

Does having children of elementary school age telling someone not to use drugs decrease that person’s level of drug use?

My partner’s stepfather quit cigarettes for almost twenty years after his six-year-old stepson burst into tears and told him he was afraid it would kill him, so I’ll guess yes.

Are there any decent names for a dark-costumed character who fights crime when it is night-time, that haven’t been used yet?

Yes. They’re stockpiled in a warehouse in Queens, along with mint copies of the Shade miniseries. AND SOMEDAY, THEY WILL ALL BE MINE.

Is Order really Good? Is Chaos Really Evil?

Only about a third of the time.

If you could only have one minion, but they could be any kind of minion you wanted, what would they be like? (They need not be a previously existing minion.)

Definitely Warren Ellis. I can’t imagine anything cooler than being able to say that Warren Ellis was my minion. I’d take him to parties and go “Hi, I’m Rachel. And this is my minion, Warren Ellis. That’s right. Warren Ellis. Who is my minion.” And then I’d probably make him play scrabble with me, because I’m really a terribly dull person.

Giant spider… or giant centipede?

I don’t care, as long as I can ride it to work.

Of all female comic book characters, who do you think best exemplifies the middle ground between useless passivity and openly sadistic ultraviolence?

I can think of a lot, actually, but if I only get one, I’ll say Kate Corrigan. She’s freakin’ awesome.

Of all male comic book characters, who do you think best exemplifies the middle ground between useless passivity and openly sadistic ultraviolence?

Again, I can name more than I can count on fingers and toes, but let’s go with Jack Knight, my all-time-favorite super guy. I would definitely party with him, even though I suspect he’d talk a lot about art deco furniture if he got drunk.

If you had to make a feature-length live-acted summer blockbuster action movie remake of Dr. Snuggles, what acting-type-person would you cast in the title role? (Note: Sir Peter Ustinov is unavailable.)

If you could distill secular morality into a sort of glowing green liquid, what would happen when you splashed it on people?

Revolution, baby!

If you really want to, you can discuss this column (or ask more questions) here.

September 16th, 2008
Categories: Personal, Questions, characters, feminist stuff, general comics, miscellany . Author: Rachel Edidin . Comments: No Comments

I’m writing this post to announce my resignation from the board of Girl-Wonder.org, and to reassure my readers (That’s you! All six of you!) that said resignation does not signify drama, angst, or imminent meltdowns and is, in fact, a Very Good Thing for all parties concerned.

This isn’t a break-up–I am still snuggly with both Girl-Wonder as an organization and its board members as individuals and a group. Neither I nor Inside Out will be going anywhere, and I will still be serving as a community moderator on the forums, so don’t get any ideas.

The reasons for my departure are nominally “personal,” in that they have nothing to do with Girl-Wonder, and everything with the fact that I had hopelessly overextended myself and needed to either find things that I could stop doing without fear of them crashing and burning, or resign myself to life with no time for creative projects, interpersonal relationships, or sleep–and I’d pretty well fulfilled my quota for the latter situation in college.

That I’ve been able to detach myself from my board responsibilities this painlessly says a good deal about the grace and competence of the remaining board members, and I am looking forward to watching from the sidelines as Girl-Wonder continues to flourish under their care.

If you’re so inclined, you can discuss this column here.

September 9th, 2008
Categories: Girl-Wonder, Personal . Author: Rachel Edidin . Comments: No Comments

Remember that little letter-writing campaign I proposed a few days back?

It’s grown.

I’m proud to announce a new, ongoing part of Girl-Wonder’s work: CAHP, the Con Anti-Harassment Project. The CAHP’s goal is to help make conventions safer, more fun, and more accessible by encouraging organizers to establish, articulate, and act upon clear anti-harassment policies. We’ve got a letter-writing guide complete with templates; a database of conventions, policies, and contact information; resources for organizers; and a comprehensive faq; and a moderated safe-space forum!

You can discuss this column, and CAHP’s future, here.

August 21st, 2008
Categories: Girl-Wonder, activism, conventions, fandom, feminist stuff . Author: Rachel Edidin . Comments: 1 Comment