2010

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From DC’s The Source Blog last week, the announcement that as of issue #55, Amy Reeder will be the new cover artist for Supergirl.  Though that should be awesome enough news on its own, the post came with a preview of cover art for Supergirl #55 – and it’s beautiful.  This is going to make Cover Solicits more fun than ever.  Absolutely stunning.

New SHE HAS NO HEAD! is up – a review of Linda Medley’s excellent tome, Castle Waiting.

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New SHE HAS NO HEAD! is up, a review of Brian Wood’s new miniseries DV8: Gods And Monsters, as well as a discussion of why THIS is comics for men AND women, without compromise.

In case you guys missed this a few weeks ago (in addition to being featured originally on Comics Alliance, it was also picked up by two of my favorite sites – Project Rooftop and Jezebel) here is part one of a great interview about superhero fashion with the illustrious Tim Gunn and comics historian Alan Kistler for the series Crazy Sexy Geeks.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8fQwU7uUPcU&hl=en_US&fs=1&]

As I said in a comment on Jezebel when it popped up there…I don’t really want to criticize either of these guys and this interview IS completely awesome….HOWEVER (isn’t there always a however?) I find it pretty frustrating that two such smart guys are just skipping over a huge part of the problem of the idealized body types (I’ll give Tim a pass since he’s not a superhero expert).  The issue is not inequality between male and female superheroes because they are both idealized forms…of course they are…the problem is what those forms are BASED on. For the most part men get idealized ATHLETIC forms, which denotes power, ability, and strength (etc); while for the most part women get idealized MODEL/PORN STAR forms, which denotes beauty, sexuality, and far too often submissiveness.

And this same theme carries through to costumes and posing. Women get posed sexually, men get posed powerfully.

Yes, both sexes wear spandex, but the men are fully covered up (with a few usually logical exceptions – Namor comes instantly to mind) while women are subjected to swimsuits, thongs, fishnets, heels, unzipped body suits, skirts, bare midriffs, boob windows, and beyond (as well evidenced in their discussion in this clip) without any regard for if that fits their “character” the same way it makes sense for a character like Namor.

So while I still love this (and both these guys) it’s frustrating to see them blow off such a complicated issues with “see? it’s the same inequalities and idealization for BOTH the men and the women”.

It’s not.

If it was there wouldn’t have been a discussion of women in that clip as being portrayed as vulgar and slutty. Those characters are NOT vulgar and slutty (not that there’s anything particularly wrong with those characteristics) but it’s unfair to pigeonhole them as such because men have designed ridiculous costumes for them and given them idealized porn star figures for years.

Okay, end of rant (although I’ve been working on a post that delves more deeply into this issue…so of course expect to see more in the future).  If you liked this first clip of Gunn and Kistler, check out part two here.

New She Has No Head! is up at CSBG. A review of three new superheroine books from Marvel – Firestar, Sif, and Her-Oes.

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I took some time (five minutes to be exact) to draw with Tim and his lovely girls again for 5 Minute Marvels.  I chose Catwoman, and the girls (and Tim) really outdid themselves…I love how they’re incorporating color…I need to be less afraid of color.

Cate, Grace, and Tim's Catwoman!

Anyway, if you haven’t checked out 5 Minute Marvels yet, you should.  They’re sweeping the internet with tons of great artists from Ross Campbell to Colleen Coover sending in original work for the site, and it’s just a great thing to see kids and parents drawing together…superhero or otherwise (although I’m obviously pre-disposed to superheroes!).  Tim’s site has been really catching on – recently getting featured on Wired and Whitney Matheson’s Pop Candy – not to mention a slew of great comics sites like Robot 6, Comics Alliance, and Kate Beaton’s site – so don’t fall behind – get there before the rush!

My 5 Minute Catwoman!

On Tim’s other site Marvel Smartass he currently has a great interview up right now with Project Rooftop and comics creator extraordinare, Dean Trippe, so check that out while you’re at it.

Supergirl by Dean Trippe

Alex Maleev Cover Art for Scarlet

Which I’m fine with.  I’d rather have a great new book by Bendis and Maleev (their new book Scarlet, forthcoming from Marvel ICON) than have the fairly lackluster Spider-Woman anyway…I guess.  But mostly I just hated the idea that the motion comic…something I despise and don’t think works on ANY level, killed a book that had some potential…and one of the only superhero books at Marvel with a female headlining.  It’s particularly a bummer because while I’m confident Spider-Woman will pop up elsewhere in the Marvel Universe, Abigail Brand’s future is less sure.  With S.W.O.R.D also officially dead, I have to hope that she gets some love elsewhere.  Which it looks like Kathryn Immonen is doing in Heralds…I just hope that’s only the beginning for Brand.

In case you’re coming late to the party, Marvel’s Spider-Woman title by Brian Michael Bendis and Alex Maleev, ended abruptly after the first story arc ended in issue number seven.  Included in the issue was a one page explanation by Bendis, letting readers know that the motion comics turned out to be FAR more work than Maleev had anticipated and meant he had to draw about four times the material for each issue than he would normally draw…turning a seven issue book into more like 28 issues…which, in fairness to Maleev is A LOT.  So Maleev after so much time spent with Jessica Drew (aka Spider-Woman) and likely in part due to having to draw similar things repeatedly in a not too wildly interesting story to begin with…felt burned out on the character.

And with that, though I don’t blame Maleev, one of Marvel’s only headlining female superhero books…dies.

David Mack's Scarlet

Now, Spider-Woman wasn’t great.  In fact, though I personally liked it, part of that was due to having never read the character before.  So I mostly didn’t mind that Bendis was taking it slow…really slow.  However most readers seemed to have real problems with the molasses-like pacing and the storyline which produced little driving action.  By the time Bendis got to issue five, I have to agree that I, too, was getting weary of the pacing.  It picked up for the finale, however, Drew, the star of the title, essentially had to be bailed out both figuratively and literally in the title by The Avengers.  Which is not a good sign…for the character or the book.

So, since Spider-Woman was already dead, apparently killed by the motion comic, I’m excited to see that that may not be ENTIRELY true, and that it may have also been Bendis and Maleev’s creator owned book Scarlet that helped kill her.  Too bad we can’t have both…but if we can’t then I’ll take a great creator owned book by Bendis and Maleev over editorially controlled characters any day.  If it sounds like I’m hoping for another Alias, and another character as wonderful as Jessica Jones, you’d be right.  Bendis has gotten a lot of fan criticism in recent years, which I think is fairly common when a writer explodes as he has, but he’s also been called out for having some sexist and misogynistic storylines…I generally haven’t read the stuff in question, so I don’t know how accurate those complaints are, but I can say that Jessica Jones remains one of my favorite female characters ever created, so I’m fairly confident Bendis and Maleev can hit that same magic once again.

So…consider me excited for Scarlet, mourning Spider-Woman, and hoping motion comics soon die the horrible pointless death they deserve.

A bonus for you SHNH fans this week, as I have a second post up today, a follow up on my Ross Campbell Spotlight post of yesterday.  Today there’s an epic interview of Ross Campbell up.  Check it out!

Sparkle & Scout from Shadowyes

A spotlight on phenom indie creator Ross Campbell over on She Has No Head! Also, tune in tomorrow for an in-depth interview with Campbell on SHNH as well.

Cover to Campbell's Wet Moon Volume 5

I know what I want for my birthday this year.  Are you ready?  Are you listening?  Is this thing on?!

BATMAN!!!!!!!

Here is where you can buy it for me…since I’m sure that is your next question.  That is all.  Please return to your lives.

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