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Results 1 - 22 of 22
1. A 13 foot high bronze statue of Captain America will soon be erected in Brooklyn

Well, to be more precise, it’s probably going to be a 13-foot high statue of Chris Evans — not that there’s anything wrong with that. As USA Today reports, the 1-ton statue will debut at Comic-Con at the Marvel booth before gong on a cross-country odyssey that will end in Prospect Park, Brooklyn on August […]

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2. Gruesome Hollywood murder was foreshadowed in a graphic novel

Look for this one to be on the Oxygen channel before long: the suspect in a gruesome Hollywood murder with ties to everything from Mel Brooks to the Olympics is being called by some the “graphic novel murderer.” Director/author Blake Leibel was charged with murder, mayhem, aggravated mayhem and torture after the body of his […]

1 Comments on Gruesome Hollywood murder was foreshadowed in a graphic novel, last added: 6/3/2016
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3. When Jack Kirby drew Captain America saluting Adolf Hitler

201605261328.jpgHate and outrage have defeated love and optimism yet again. On Monday it was suggested that Marvel had a story trick up their sleeve that would steal the spotlight from DC's ramming-speed publicity blitz for its revamped universe and Rebirth #1. A shocking!!! plot twist in Captain America Steve Rogers #1 that revealed Steve was really a Hydra agent all along seemed unlikely to unseat a wholesale rewriting of ten years of DC history, along with a shocking Alan Moore related plot twist. But, today we have a genuine tweet storm and think piece blitz, all wrapped in a bow

10 Comments on When Jack Kirby drew Captain America saluting Adolf Hitler, last added: 5/26/2016
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4. French publishers threaten to start their own festival as Minister of Culture agrees to meet with them

L’Affaire de Angoulême continues and will not stop. As we reported yesterday, 40 French publishers — basically all the important players in France— have said they will boycott the 2017 festival if changes are not made. According to an interview in Le Monde, Guy Delcourt, owner of Delcourt, one of the biggest French publishers and head […]

1 Comments on French publishers threaten to start their own festival as Minister of Culture agrees to meet with them, last added: 2/26/2016
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5. Opinion: Why The Force Awakens is a retread of The Phantom Menace

rey-anakinby John Patrick Green [Discussing the meanings and symbology of Star Wars The Force Awakens has become a national passtime, and i the interests of leaving nofacet of this cultural landmark unexamined, our resident Stawr Wars expoert John Patrick Green has put forth a radical new theory, which you can read below.]   So the movie […]

10 Comments on Opinion: Why The Force Awakens is a retread of The Phantom Menace, last added: 1/4/2016
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6. THE LAST UNICORN Author Peter S. Beagle Sues Business Manager for Elder Abuse

GaimanquioteGenre-defining fantasy author Peter S. Beagle, whose seminal novel The Last Unicorn was adapted as a comic book series by IDW in 2004, has charged long-time business manager Connor Cochran with fraud and elder abuse.

2 Comments on THE LAST UNICORN Author Peter S. Beagle Sues Business Manager for Elder Abuse, last added: 12/12/2015
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7. Frank Miller remains consistent, disowns Netflix Elektra

Frank Miller is the Donald Trump of comics, replacing Alan Moore who used to be the Donald Trump of comics in that every little utterance of his was fodder for headlines and web traffic. Miller's been retired from public speaking for a while but the Dark Knight III promo process—and a series of appearances in foreign lands—has provided a fresh platform and ample ammo for SEO air strikes. But is this current comment any different from what Millar has said in the past?

6 Comments on Frank Miller remains consistent, disowns Netflix Elektra, last added: 12/10/2015
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8. Amidst Growing Police Resentment, Quentin Tarantino Speaks Out

In his first public conversation since making comments at an October 24th protest that has sparked a national police boycott of his films, including the upcoming HATEFUL EIGHT, Quentin Tarantino takes aim at his critics.

5 Comments on Amidst Growing Police Resentment, Quentin Tarantino Speaks Out, last added: 11/7/2015
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9. Podcorn Podcast V4.07- The Importance of Disclosure

Brandon and Alex have a frank discussion about the state of comics journalism.

0 Comments on Podcorn Podcast V4.07- The Importance of Disclosure as of 11/4/2015 6:03:00 PM
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10. Siegel Case Argued On Appeal — Again

Today’s oral argument in the Siegel case is up on YouTube – and no, this isn’t a rickroll. As noted in my article reporting on the scheduling of today’s panel, the odds did not appear to be in the favor of the Siegel appeal, and the judges’ questions and comments did little to dispel that […]

1 Comments on Siegel Case Argued On Appeal — Again, last added: 11/4/2015
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11. Dark Horse president Mike Richardson releases statement on harassment

In light of the incident involving Scott Allie and several attendees of the Boom! party at San Diego Comic Con that was brought to light earlier today, Dark Horse president Mike Richardson has released a statement: I applaud Ms. Asselin’s Intentions in dealing with sexual harassment in the comics industry. I also want to make […]

10 Comments on Dark Horse president Mike Richardson releases statement on harassment, last added: 10/2/2015
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12. Another Two Bite the Dust, “Sensation Comics” and “Batman ’66” are Cancelled; “Green Lantern: the Lost Army” Missing from Solicits, has the “Circle of Trust” been Broken?

Looks like bad news comes in droves.  Hot on the heels of DC’s announcement that Omega Men, Doomed, and three other series have been cancelled, DC solicited the final issues of Digital First titles Batman ’66 and Sensation Comics featuring Wonder Woman.  Both of these series will conclude in December, with Batman ’66 making it to a healthy 30 issues and Sensation […]

10 Comments on Another Two Bite the Dust, “Sensation Comics” and “Batman ’66” are Cancelled; “Green Lantern: the Lost Army” Missing from Solicits, has the “Circle of Trust” been Broken?, last added: 9/14/2015
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13. The Money Thing Part 2: New writer on Red Wolf is perfect storm of all of today’s comics issues

When is a story not a story? When is the story about a story actually the story? Well strap yourselves in because you're about to find out!

10 Comments on The Money Thing Part 2: New writer on Red Wolf is perfect storm of all of today’s comics issues, last added: 9/10/2015
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14. How To Make Crowdfunding Sustainable For Comics

A little while back, Brian Hibbs wrote a piece involving the place of Kickstarters in the comics world that still seems to be making the rounds online.  It comes at it from the retailer angle, and as somebody who’s run a few Kickstarters, I have a few different thoughts about how crowdfunding fits into the […]

5 Comments on How To Make Crowdfunding Sustainable For Comics, last added: 8/19/2015
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15. Accusations of Bi-Erasure aimed at Axel Alonso and Marvel’s Hercules Set Off Internet Firestorm

Yesterday, Ray Sonne at Loser City levied hefty accusations at Marvel staff.  In an interview with CBR, Marvel Editor-in-Chief Axel Alonso angered fans when he crushed longstanding implications that the Greek mythological-inspired character Hercules is bi-sexual. From CBR: Also, a lot of fans have been curious if the character’s sexuality — it’s been strongly suggested Hercules is bisexual, and […]

10 Comments on Accusations of Bi-Erasure aimed at Axel Alonso and Marvel’s Hercules Set Off Internet Firestorm, last added: 8/4/2015
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16. New Black Lightning Archive: DC, Tony Isabella Reconcile

Black Lightning 4“Dogs and cats, living together!” – that’s what immediately popped into my mind yesterday when I read Tony Isabella praising DC on Facebook for how it was treating him in regard to Black Lightning.I’ve never seen the original contract between DC and Isabella in regard to Black Lightning so I have nothing to say of substance in regard to the property’s legal status, but as anyone who has followed Tony’s online writing over the years can tell you, Isabella’s statements about DC’s treatment of him and his landmark creation have not exactly been complimentary. That changed, however, yesterday, when Isabella called attention to an Amazon listing of the April 2016 release of Black Lightning, volume 1, the first of what could be a series of collections featuring DC’s first African-American superhero to star in an an eponymous book.

According to Isabella, the rapprochement is the result of outreach by Dan Didio and Geoff Johns, and Isabella is confident that DC will treat him fairly in regard to the payment of royalties. He also raised the possibility of doing more work for DC given sufficient reader demand; the prospect of Isabella working with, say, the creators of the revived Milestone line on a multi-generational crossover is particularly intriguing, given certain thematic resonances with Milestone’s nuanced reflections on creative identity.

To say that Isabella’s announcement is the most unexpected Facebook post of the year is an understatement — it’s one of the most dramatic turnarounds I’ve seen in decades of reading about comics-related disputes, and kudos to all involved for bringing about what I hope will be a truly lasting peace in our time.

3 Comments on New Black Lightning Archive: DC, Tony Isabella Reconcile, last added: 7/25/2015
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17. Harvey Awards confusion leads to response from Zdarsky, others

hopeless-savages.jpg

Last week’s announcement of the Harvey Awards nominees was, as usual, accompanied by controversy. This time it wasn’t the domination of Valiant (20 nominations) and Boom/Archaia, but rather just why certain books and people were even eligible.

For starters there was the “Most Promising New Talent” category which included the following:
 

Steve Bryant, ATHENA VOLTAIRE COMPENDIUM, Dark Horse Comics
Daniel Warren Johnson, GHOST FLEET, Dark Horse Comics
Chad Lambert, “KILL ME” FROM DARK HORSE PRESENTS, Dark Horse Comics
Babs Tarr, BATGIRL, DC Comics
Jen Van Meter, THE DEATH-DEFYING DOCTOR MIRAGE, Valiant Entertainment


Considering that Jen Van Meter was nominated for an Eisner in 2002, and Steve Bryant launched Athena Voltaire in 2002 this is…an extrenely liberal definition of “newcomer”….top put it mildly. You can be promising at any age but after 13 years you’re not a newcomer. (And Van Meter’s fine work such as Hopeless Savages in the past shows she’s well established at this point.)

More controversy cam in the form of the Athena Voltaire Compendium being nominated in the Best Graphic Album Original category.

BEST GRAPHIC ALBUM ORIGINAL
ATHENA VOLTAIRE COMPENDIUM, Dark Horse Comics
JIM HENSON’S THE MUSICAL MONSTERS OF TURKEY HOLLOW, Archaia/BOOM! Studios
SECONDS, Ballantine Books
THE WRENCHIES, First Second Books
THIS ONE SUMMER, First Second Books


Although here you could argue it was original to print so….

Bryant responded on Twitter,m explaining that much of the compendium was new material:

Finally, (or at least finally for what I have notes for) Chip Zdarsky took exception to being the only nominee for SEX CRIMINALS in the “Special Award For Humor In Comics”
 

James Asmus, QUANTUM AND WOODY, Valiant Entertainment
James Asmus & Fred Van Lente, THE DELINQUENTS, Valiant Entertainment
Ryan Browne, GOD HATES ASTRONAUTS, Image Comics
Fred Van Lente, ARCHER AND ARMSTRONG, Valiant Entertainment
Chip Zdarsky, SEX CRIMINALS, Image Comics


Also, there were more funny comics than Valiant last year but their get out the vote campaign was undeniably effective.
Zdarsky issued a statement in support of his collaborator, Matt Fraction,—who is a very funny fellow in his own right—and said if chosen he would not serve:

Comics, for the most part, is a team effort. Pencillers, inkers, writers, letterers, Jordie; all of these roles are integral to the creation of a comic book and, time after time, positions like writers are routinely ignored in reviews, news and awards. Is it the fact that they’re invisible to the process? That when you’re reading a comic you’re noticing the beautiful drawings, the vibrant colours, the well-placed and designed lettering? Possibly. But it doesn’t mean writers aren’t integral to the process, or aren’t human beings who need to be noticed a lot.

With that being said (or, more accurately, WRITTEN), I simply cannot accept this HARVEY AWARDS nomination as it stands. I urge the awards committee to change the ballot to say “Chip Zdarsky and Matt Fraption, SEX CRIMINALS, Image Comics.” If it does not get changed to exactly that wording, I will ask them to remove my name from the ballot completely, allowing the awards to replace my position with another middle-aged white man.

Harvey Award administrator Paul McSpadden released a statement that seemed to address the eligibility problems:

The Harvey Awards would like to address questions posed by the comics press and other concerned parties since the release of The Harvey Awards Final Ballot.

The Harvey Awards were formed over 28 years ago with the intent to enable the creative community to honor their peers. The Harvey Awards administrators, as well as fans, retailers, and convention professionals, have no vote. That is the guiding principle of the nomination ballot, and we work very hard to maintain that vision.

As with all Harvey Award categories, “Most Promising New Talent” and the “Special Award for Humor” are selected through the voting of the comics professional creative community exclusively. Beyond a publishing date in 2014, we provide no eligibility guidelines for works in these categories and, as such, we continue to rely on the judgment of our voters, and not impose arbitrary limits.

Our vetting process also leaves us confident that all nominations in the Best Original Graphic Album category are indeed eligible, containing enough new and revised material to meet the category definition.

The Harvey Awards committee is open to suggestions from the professional community and we welcome the input. As we do every year, we will review the Harveys voting process and identify areas where improvement can be made.


Which seems like
a) like a total “huh? I was in the other room having some pie” response and
b) poor Paul McSpadden
…but mostly a.

The Eisner Awards have a review process; if a chosen nominee does not meet their criteria is is removed from the ballot. And adjustments have definitely been made in past years. I realize that McSpadden is probably just tired of all the kvelling at this point, and threw up his hands and went back to his pie, but if you’re going to have awards, you need to have guidelines. The Newcomer nominees should all have been vetted BEFORE the announcement went out, and if there were only three people in the category, well then, that’s better than having “rookies” who have been getting Eisner nominations over atwo decades. Sadly, the Harvey’s have become a joke in many ways, but at least let it be a surreptitious titter and not a public guffaw.

I don’t know if any changes to the ballot have been made other than Zdarsky’s withdrawal. However I’ll throw this out there again:

If 19 comics professionals want to create an annual “Harvey’s voting tong” to pick a more selective list, well….Facebook Groups, people.

6 Comments on Harvey Awards confusion leads to response from Zdarsky, others, last added: 7/23/2015
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18. SDCC ’15 – The Beat’s Panel on Ethics in Comics Journalism

funamim00Reflecting on The Beat’s comics journalism ethics panel tonight at San Diego Comic-Con, my thoughts keep going back to the comics community – who we are, where we’re going, and what can keep us all connected however much we grow.

For all the online conversation, the panel went without incident. I ended up reluctantly having to cut off someone who I learned afterward was from the Gamergate perspective after his second or third point, but that was due to the program’s time limits and not any issue with his questions, which were thoughtful and well-received by the panel — the discussion of how Agent Carter makes a woman’s agency its central them was quite illuminating.

Jamie Coville will no doubt post the whole audio, so it’s only a matter of time before you too can hear the panelists’ brilliant insights, interrupted on occasion by my not-so-brilliant calling out their names: Heidi MacDonald, our intrepid leader; Donna Dickens, James Viscardi, Casey Gilley, Joe Illidge, and Brett Schenker.

One of the things that was great about this panel was that the speakers grounded their discussion of ethics in the comics community, and in so doing they expressed the essence of ethics itself. A lot of folks think of ethics primarily in terms of rules or abstract decision making principles, such as avoiding conflicts of interest or protecting the environment. Those can be important, but ethics is fundamentally an extension of ethos – it’s about who we are as individuals and groups.

And as becomes more than evident at conventions, comics people — and gamers, genre film & theater folks, and everyone else in this extended happy network of geeks, nerds, and dorks – are more than just faceless consumers. We’re a community connected by shared interests and values, and we’re all part of the conversation, not just the people who self-identify as journalists or scribble online. We don’t agree on everything, of course, but as the panel emphasized, by following the fundamental ethical principles of understanding and mutual respect, we can talk about our differences in ways that only strengthen our bonds.

However, as the panel also noted, our community of communities is growing to scale — our little niche interests have gone truly global, and even as we engage each other over whether various items and actions truly reflect our communal values, millions of people are coming to the stuff we like without a thorough grounding in our up ’til now shared experience, let alone the unassailable arguments as to why Crisis on Infinite Earths was the greatest crossover of all time. The influx of fans has tremendous potential for extending our community’s influence, but it also brings with it a heightened risk of fragmentation to the point of dissolving, or at best reducing to a network of shared interests that doesn’t go beyond what we see on a screen.

So we talk and write, explain and argue, with neutral just-the-facts articles when they help us gather useful knowledge and principled arguments for what we believe is right. That’s what we’ll all keep doing online and ultimately, that’s what makes comic-cons so important. Just as they gave us a chance to talk about what we talk about when we talk about ethics, they provide a forum of all of us, old and new, to learn about each other and ourselves.

0 Comments on SDCC ’15 – The Beat’s Panel on Ethics in Comics Journalism as of 1/1/1900
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19. DC’s in-story ads only to destroy comics for a month…so far


The instant internet revulsion at DC’s new half-page ad placements united the people as few things can—perhaps only revulsion for Game of Thrones and love for #NationalBiscuitDay. We can now see that this throwback to an older, more popular time for comics, when sales in the six figures were average, may not jibe with today’s love for a smooth, unfettered artistic comics reading experience.

Fortunately, I’m told that thus far, the ghastly Twix ad is the only one booked for this “half page” placement. However that’s not to say that some enterprising salesperson at DC couldn’t sell it again—unless the internet revulsion sends up a big red flag that this is perhaps not that great an idea.

As many have pointed out on Twitter and beyond, in-page ads are nothing new in comics. Tom Spurgeon found a tiny thumbnail of a comics page from the 70s, and I seem to recall that TEXT ADS were common at the bottom of 70s Marvel comics. The nü West Coast DC with its battalions of branding experts may have decided that ad revenue is a good thing and maybe the product is strong enough to withstand a disruptive—and from the twitter photos, horrible looking—ad like this. I suspect that internet outrage will dissipate fairly quickly however.

If you don’t like this, vote with your wallet people!

14 Comments on DC’s in-story ads only to destroy comics for a month…so far, last added: 5/31/2015
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20. Denver Comic Con had 16 panels on Women—including one that was a flash mob

201505290245.jpg

Denver Comic Con is a bit of a puzzler. It’s a huge, fast growing show that entertains many people, but it’s also had a lot of problems with crowding, ownership and some eye-rolling over the claimed number of attendees. It also has a strong educational focus, which is good, but a rather chaotic panel schedule, which is bad. Anyway, as I’m sure you’ve heard, there was a blast of outrage last weekend when it was revealed that a “Women in Comics” panel consisted of three fusty male scholars talking about female characters of the 40s. I was off the grid over the holiday and missed joining in the ridicule, but Janelle Asselin-Moore has a great report on the matter here.

She has a subsequent report on what sounds like a positive outcome, as playwright Crystal Skillman, comics herstorian Trina Robbins and others put together a flash mob style “Women in comics” panel that was by all accounts, awesome and fun and washed away the bad feelings over the first panel. The panel was recorded and can be listened to here.

Bleeding Cool’s Hannah Means-Shannon, who has a close relationship with the DCC, has a rather spirited defense of the con, which I’ll get to in a minute, but one of her points is that the DCC was devoted to a spirit of diversity and one bum panel shouldn’t spoil the barrel.

Indeed, I took a quick peek at the Denver Comic Con panels and there were, counting the bad panel and the pop-up panel, sixteen separate panels devoted to “women in [fill in the blank.]” I should note that a “quick peek” isn’t really possible, as DCC is one of the many events that doesn’t put its panel descriptions all in one place where you can see them, but uses one of those “guidebook” apps. I did scan this and I may have even missed a few. (I left out the queer panels.) With two separate panels devoted to “Women in Doctor Who” alone, this was a lot of talk about diversity and women.

Women in Comics – Creators and Characters
May 23rd at 11:45 AM until 12:35 PM
With the female interest in comics increasing lately, this panel discusses many of the popular female characters from the beginning of the superhero mid 1930s comics. Also a focus on some of the women that were able to break in the mostly all male club of creating comics during that time. Includes an introduction to many of the female illustrators/creators attending the convention.

Kevin Robinette – Instructor Academy Art University of San Francisco, History of American Comics
Craig Glassen – Art Instructor, Denver area schools
Jason H. Tucker – The Way Interactive graphic novel app

Native Women in Comics and Pop Culture
May 23rd at 12:55 PM until 1:45 PM
This panel led by Native women comic creators will look at how Indigenous women are portrayed in popular culture, including comic books and graphic novels and the effect that has on real women in the world of today. From the myth of Pocahontas to the Victoria’s Secret runway, we will explore images and stereotypes and how they have been damaging to Indigenous communities. We will also discuss what qualities are empowering for Indigenous women and how Native comic creators are helping to establish stronger representations of Indigenous women.

What Do Teen Girls Really Want to Read?
May 23rd at 1:20 PM until 2:10 PM
Books created for teens can sometimes be shallow and unrealistic. Teens want more! Join an amazing group of teen girls to discuss what they want from books, with real Young Adult authors. Elements we will discuss are: character development, relationships, story line, setting, honesty and the quality of writing. We will also book talk 5 great books from different genres (manga, video game based graphic novels, scifi/fantasy/action, dystopian romance and fanfiction) showing why these books are worth reading based on the qualitites we want in books. Another great presentation from the Teen Librarians at the Anythink Libraries: Genne Boggs, mod., Teen Librarians: Lexxie Clark, Grace Derickson, Kayla Terrill, Jakie Kleuckman, Shandra Chase. Participating YA Authors: Amalie Howard, Amanda Strong, DelSheree Gladden, Gail Wagner, Kristi Helvig, Sue Duff.

Women in the Geek Industry
May 23rd at 2:30 PM until 3:20 PM
Following a career path in the geek world can be one of the most rewarding adventures you ever take. There are many opportunities waiting for those with a passion for this culture. So come to the Women in the Geek Industry Panel and hear from professionals as they share their tips and ideas on starting a career in books, comics, journalism, podcasting, video games, vlogging and much more. This year’s panelists include:
Bonnie Burton – author/actor/co-host of Vaginal Fantasy Book Club
Jen Timms – video game producer at United Front Games
Taffeta Darling – professional cosplayer/artist/ host & producer of The Fangirls of Dallas
Tiffany Wangerin – professional cosplayer Evil Mech Meru/co-host of The Sheekery Podcast
Maureen Elsberry – journalist/UFO researcher/co-host of Spacing Out/Marketing Director at Open Minds TV
The panel will be moderated by Kirei. She is the co-host of The Sheekery podcast.







Great Gaming Paradigm: Where’s Diversity in Games & Comics?

May 23rd at 3:15 PM until 4:05 PM
We will discuss what the typical hero in a game/comic book looks like. We will demonstrate a lack of representation for minorities, women, and LGBTQ people and introduce the audience to characters that are starting to emerge to represent these groups. We will also talk about: the oversexualization of women in comics/video games, unrealistic beauty standards for both men and women, and women supervillains being portrayed as seductresses. This panel will promote diversity in games and graphic novels. Genne Boggs, mod., Lexxie Clark, Kayla Terrill, Lilly Taylor, Iszaiah Lauvergeon.

Strong Women in Film & Fiction
A comprehensive review of some strong female charactes we all love in fiction and motion pictures. Molly Tanzer
Kristi Helvig
Betsy Dornbusch
Sherry Ficklin
Stant Litore
Amalie Howard





She Makes Comics – Presented by the Denver Film Society

She Makes Comics traces the fascinating history of women in the comics industry. Despite popular assumptions about the comics world, women have been writing, drawing, and reading comics since the medium’s beginnings in the late 19th century. And today, there are scores of women involved in comics and its vibrant fan culture.

Women of Whedon – Amy Acker, Jewel Staite, Clare Kramer, Emma Caulfield

May 24th at 10:35 AM until 11:25 AM
The Women of Whedon! Stars of Joss Whedon’s hit series, Buffy, Angel and Firefly – get together and share stories: Jewel Staite, Amy Acker, Clare Kramer… and now with Emma Caulfield. An All-Star Line-Up and a once-in-a-lifetime event!

Diversity in Dr. Who
May 24th at 11:00 AM until 11:50 AM
We just had our first female director and next season will have our first female writer for the television show. How has Doctor Who traversed Diversity and has it been successful? Join our panel as they discuss Diversity in Doctor Who. Giveaways at this event. Moderator: Chris Getzan. Panelists: Heather Maloney, Kerri Sharner and Shad Gray.

Girls and Geekdom: Position Papers and Roundtable Discussion on Finding the Feminine Voice in Comic Culture

May 24th at 11:00 AM until 12:20 PM
· “Muted Group Theory as a Lens for Finding Feminine Voice: A (Dad)cademic Perspective”—Thomas Endres

· “The Her Universe Irony: Voices in TV and Film”—Carleen Endres

· “The Sexual Super(hero)model in Comic Culture—Aundi Rameriz

· “Hers and His: A Couple Compares Perspectives on Gender Roles and Cosplay”—Kellsie Moore and David Moore

· Tracy Bealer (Respondent)

Minority and Women Authors of the Past
May 24th at 11:45 AM until 12:35 PM
Who are the greats that paved the way for today’s authors?

Van Aaron Hughes
Mario Acevedo
Rebecca Moesta
Peter J. Wacks
Panama Soweto
Colleen Watsonto




She Can Do It: Awesome Women in Comics

May 24th at 12:10 PM until 1:00 PM
This reader’s advisory-style panel geared towards teen and adult fans will focus on fascinating women in graphic novels and why this trend is so exciting for fans. Nick Taylor, Alison Slyziuk, Bridget Kiely, Emily Keel, Galina Derevyanko

Changing Times: The Role of Women In the Whoniverse

May 24th at 1:20 PM until 2:10 PM
Depending on which era of Doctor Who you’re watching, women have been portrayed in many different ways, be it headstrong and brave or something “for the dads”. Join us for a discussion in the changing role of women in Doctor Who. Shelley Duncan, Somer Suter, Erica Feather, Trevor Byrne-Smith

Woman of Nerdom w/ King of the Nerds

May 24th at 3:15 PM until 4:05 PM
Join cast members of King of the Nerds as they discuss women in nerdom. Special guest panelists TBA

Beyond Bechdel: Queer Femmes and Women in Comics

May 25th at 10:35 AM until 11:25
From Catwoman to Miss America, Betty (Rat Queens) to Kat Donlan (Gunnerkrigg Court), the range of queer femmes and women in comics is broader than it’s ever been. A conversation with queer femmes and women about representation in comics. Panelists: Audrey Zarr, Emily Smith, Gina Bernard, Melanie Gillman – Comics Creator and Instructor at RMCAD and California College of the Arts, Pam Steele. Moderated by Katie Barak.

Is there Discrimination in Pop-Culture?
May 25th at 12:55 PM until 1:45 PM
A discussion on the perceived and real discrimination in pop-culture toward women, minorities and the LGBT Community. Pros from a variety of pop culture fields will talk about how traditional biases may have affected their careers or those of others in their industry in the past, and how this may or may not be changing. Moderated by Animator Jan Scott-Frazier, with playwrite Crystal Skillman, comics creator and historian Trina Robbins, comics industry editor and historian Jackie Estrada, Flobots musician Stephen Brackett, and TV director Vince Gonzales.

Women in Comics NOW!
May 25th at 3:00 PM until 4:00 PM
Some of DCC’s many female comic creator guests come together in a roundtable discussion about their careers, their passion for comics and their places in the industry. Come support DCC’s Diversity Mission with this guest-led discussion. With Trina Robbins, Crystal Skillman, Joelle Jones, Amanda Conner, Marguerite Bennett.

Now I wasn’t at the con, and haven’t conducted a thorough investigation, and have been mad busy all week with Book Expo, but I think we can learn a few lessons here:

• One fuck up is all it takes to ruin everything. Obviously the topic of “women in …” was covered at the show, but all anyone cared about was the dumbass “men talking about women in comics” panel, which, if it had had a different name, would have escaped without notice, like the other 14 panels. I don’t have the time to click on all he “comics” panels, but I’m HOPING they were mixed as to gender and ethnicity, because that’s ultimately what diversity actually is.

• While I’m not the biggest fan of “Women in Comics” panels, it sounds like the flash mob panel was a great healing experience for everyone who participated, as the accounts quoted in the second Comics Alliance link attest.

• A larger problem, from the bits and pieces I heard, is that the programming for DCC was very ambitious (12 tracks, nearly 400 panels) and it was not very well organized. Means-Shannon kind of alluded to this in her defense of the con:

But Denver overreached in their programming, clearly, because the checks weren’t in place to prevent this panel from happening. If Denver Comic Con is becoming a force to be reckoned with in the geek community (and they are), this was their youthful pratfall. One panel out of 300-400 went wrong. I think we can talk about it, use it as an example, but also forgive them and stop acting like this mishap was somehow intentionally organized by Denver Comic Con. How do I know that? Because one of the con’s earliest supporters, who has a great deal of influence over the tone and content of the convention, now the con’s Director, is Christina Angel, a woman in comics who I have known for a few years now and it’s hard to imagine meeting a professor and con organizer more passionate about diversity and “doing things right” at conventions. She’s a major part of why the charity that launched the con began, and of why there is so much programming at the convention. I know that had she realized there was a Women in Comics panel at DCC with no women, her head would have nearly exploded and the panel would not have gone forward. But people who don’t know Denver Comic Con, and only read about it online, don’t know the personality of the con and how far from intentional this event was.


As I mentioned above, I kind of hate “Women in Comics” panels and I won’t do them any more! I will do panels that discuss the issues of diversity and gender, which often end up being the same thing, but at least the focus has shifted. If there is one thing I think almost every “Woman in [fill in the blank]” can agree on, it’s that being asked “What is it like to be a woman in [fill in the blank]?” is tiresome and needs to be put to rest. But I can guarantee that it won’t be. Obviously, the fact that women and girls like comics and read them is still a matter of some astonishment to people who haven’t been paying attention for the last few years, so there will always be inappropriate wonderment and curiosity about these strange creatures, these…women in comics.

Personally, I would like to see more panels like this:

Hat Making Basics
May 25th at 11:45 AM until 12:35 PM
A crash-course introduction to the materials, techniques and intricacies of traditional hat making. We’ll begin with basic hat vocab and materials and move into discussing materials and fabrication of both the basic fabric covered hat and the pulled felt hat. We’ll end with an open Q and A. December Wynn


We need more hats in [fill in the blank] panels. The world is waiting.

And just to reiterate what I said above, to any potential con organizers, heed this tale. ONE FUCK UP IS ALL IT TAKES.

1 Comments on Denver Comic Con had 16 panels on Women—including one that was a flash mob, last added: 5/29/2015
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21. Alan Moore Interview Part III – Jack the Ripper, Joyce Brabner, and a Swan-Shaped Pedalo

Previous parts of this interview: Part I – Steve Moore, River of Ghosts, The Show, and Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, and Part II – Punk Rock, Crossed, and Providence. Now read on…

From HellPÓM: A few other things… Yes, now. Have you been following any of the latest revelations on Jack the Ripper? Do you keep an eye on that?

AM: [Laughs] No, because it’s all going to be bollocks.

PÓM: Oh yeah.

AM: Alright, I stand to be corrected, but what are the latest revelations on Jack the Ripper?

PÓM: Somebody claimed to have bought a scarf, a very expensive scarf…1

AM: Oh yeah, I read about that. And obviously at the time, that’s bollocks…

PÓM: Oh yes, absolutely and complete bollocks!

AM: And they’ve since proved that it’s bollocks – I think that they’ve just said that, no, there’s no connection at all between Catherine Eddowes and the stain on this scarf.

PÓM: I do remember thinking that they seemed to be in possession of an awful lot of information about DNA and all of that that seemed… unlikely.

AM: Unlikely at the time, yes. No no, that – these are always going to be non-starters. Alright, unless there is some brilliant piece of evidence waiting to be discovered that – how likely is that?

PÓM: I know. I just wondered if – ‘cause you did From Hell, I presume you still have some interest in the subject.

Koch SnowflakeAM: Well, with From Hell, at the end of it, in The Dance of the Gull Catchers, there is that statement about – Look, how long can this go on? About Koch’s Snowflake2, about the increasing trivia applied around the crinkly edges of this case, but the area of the case cannot exceed the original events and consequently, new books about Jack the Ripper, they’re less about Jack the Ripper than they are about keeping the Jack the Ripper industry going, because it’s been quite lucrative for a few years, you know? And I honestly think that that is the truth.

So, no, I tend to be dismissive of – every four or five years there will be ‘At last, the final truth!’ And it never is. And it’s very often preposterous, or a deliberate hoax. Or you’ll get, say, Patricia Cornwell, with her vandalisation of a Walter Sickert painting in the ridiculous hope that she could match the DNA to that on the letters received the police, which were not from the killer anyway.3

PÓM: I remember when the documentary was on the telly, I saw it was coming up…

AM: Yeah, I saw that, and I saw at the end of it, all she’d got was some footage of Walter Sickert being led out, probably in his eighties, to be filmed in a garden somewhere, and she said, ‘Yes, look at those eyes – pure evil.’ Ignorant woman.

PÓM: I remember she said something like ‘I knew as soon as I looked into his eyes that it had to be him.’4 And this is a woman who…

AM: That was all the evidence that she’d got, and – the thing is, that Patricia Cornwell is apparently supposed to be an actual real-life pathologist…5

PÓM: Yeah!

AM: …apparently cases in the American legal system have presumably depended upon her evidence – I hope she was doing a little bit more than looking in people’s eyes.

PÓM: I know! I have never been so disappointed with something on the television – in my life! Because I expected – because of who she was, and what she was, I expected this was going to be really incisive and good and interesting.

AM: I had read some of her books, so perhaps I wasn’t expecting quite as much as you were.

PÓM: [Laughs] Fair enough!

AM: I read a few of her books with the beautiful woman pathologist…6

PÓM: Oh, I know who you mean…

AM: …who somehow always ends up at the centre of every case. She’s always the one that the serial killer gets an obsession with, even though there’s no way in the real world that he would ever know who she was. She’s always smarter than the police. And then when I found out that Patricia Cornwell was herself a pathologist at some point I thought, ‘Yes, I think I can see where this is going.

PÓM: Yes. It did seem as well the whole Jack the Ripper thing was kind of because her father had left home when she was five, and there were some elements of that in there, which is where it started getting strange.

AM: Yeah, well a lot of these people who get obsessed with true crimes, they’re – sometimes, they can be working out something in their own psychology, rather than anything to actually do with the crime that they are officially dealing with. I haven’t really taken a great deal of interest in Jack the Ripper since finishing From Hell – probably more in Psychogeography and London.

richard_coles_dogPÓM: I must say, we’ve been spending a fair bit of time in London, Deirdre and myself. We were over there last week. We went to see – do you know the Reverend Richard Coles?7

AM: Oh yes, I met him once. I met him with Robin Ince.8

PÓM: Yeah. He was doing a thing in the British Library, he was doing – because he’s got a first volume of his autobiography out – another good Northampton lad!

AM: Is he? Yeah, he’s from out in the outskirts, I think he’s from one of the villages.

PÓM: That’s where he’s being a Rev these days. A thoroughly lovely man.

AM: He seemed really nice when I met him, and of course he was great in The Communards.

PÓM: Well, he was. He was. Not a great dancer, but a charming human being. But, yeah, I’ve recently joined the British Library, which is completely fantastic.9 I’m doing research into Flann O’Brien, and The Cardinal and the Corpse, all of that.

gorse 3[There’s actually a part of the interview missing here, because I felt it was so far removed from having even the slightest relevance to this particular site that it was best elsewhere. It concerns English writer Iain Sinclair‘s 1992 documentary film The Cardinal and the Corpse, which almost no-one has seen besides Alan and myself. It also peripherally concerns Irish writer Flann O’Brien, about whom I have been spending quite a lot of time reading and researching of late. The interview is here, on the gorse website. By absolutely no coincidence whatsoever I have an essay on Flann O’Brien in gorse #3, entitled The Cardinal & the Corpse, A Flanntasy in Several Parts, which I commend to you all. End of outrageous and gratuitious self-promotion.]

PÓM: Are you doing some series of things with Joyce Brabner?10

AM: There is a work that I’m – I’m doing a work with Joyce, but I’m starting that at the moment. I can’t tell you much about that, because it will be sometime this year – I’m more or less starting work on it now, over the next – probably over the weekend, and it’s likely to be something to do with identity, but I really can’t tell you much more than that – I’ve got my ideas, but they’re not really well formed enough yet, but later in the year I’ll be able to fill you in more with that.

A 4-seater swan pedalo

A 4-seater swan pedalo

PÓM: Ok, cool. Sure, we’ll talk again, undoubtedly. And I think I’m going to wrap it up – I must say, when you’re talking about doing Swandown, and things like that – that’s the thing with the pedalo, isn’t it? With the swan-shaped pedalo?11

AM: That is one of the sweetest films I’ve ever seen, and not just because I’m in it. In fact, I think that my contribution is one of the more negligible aspects of it. It’s English poetry. It shows you that there is no landscape that cannot be made poetic with the addition of a big plastic swan. And in fact, since then I also earlier this year – no, last year, last year. Spring or Summer, I went and filmed a bit with Andrew and Iain for their next project, which is called By Our Selves, and it’s all about John Clare12, and it’s got Andrew mucking about dressed as a straw bear, and recreating John Clare’s limping walk from Epping Forest and Matthew Arnold’s mental asylum back to Helpston in Northampton. Eighty miles or something, where he was eating grass and hallucinating. Yeah, so Andrew and Iain came up to Northampton, I spent a lovely afternoon sitting pretending to be a version of John Clare. They’ve got Toby Jones

13 doing all the heavy lifting in terms of being John Clare, so that should be – ‘cause he’s an incredible actor…

Alan Moore and a Straw Bear, borrowed from here

Alan Moore and a Straw Bear, borrowed from here

PÓM: What I was going to say about that is, you do really seem to be having far too much fun, still – you’re doing everything you want to.

AM: That stuff is the best. Things like that that just come out of the blue. I still enjoy me comics work, I still enjoy the ordinary writing that I do, but – the little surprising things like that, that I’ve not done before, that are a great afternoon out, seeing lovely people, and knowing that it’s going to end up as a really poetic cinematic document, yeah, I am having a lot of fun with that, when it happens. It’s irregular, but charming when it does.

PÓM: Well, good. And I think that’s it. Is there anything that you’re doing that I should know about that I don’t know about?

AM: Yeah, probably. Whether I actually consciously know about it, is the big question. There must be some – did you hear about The Dying Fire?

PÓM: Nooooo…

AM: This was a book that I’ve just brought out from Mad Love Publishing, it’s the collected poetry of Dominic Allard14

PÓM: Yes, I did, because I have a copy inside. Yes, of course.

Dying FireAM: Ah right. With the big introduction. That seems to be going quite well, and Dominic seems a bit stupefied by the sudden exposure – mind you, Dominic seems a bit stupefied by most things, it has to be said. But, no, that was really good, taking the books down to him, and giving him a load of copies, so there’s that. What else have I been doing? I’ve been reading through Steve Moore’s journals, which I collected from his house, and that’s bittersweet. There’s some incredible information in there, things that I’d forgotten about. Just day-by-day stuff in Steve’s life, but he was meticulous about listing it all.

PÓM: Do you do that? Do you keep a journal, or anything like that?

AM: No I don’t. And Steve’s journals are part of the reason why I don’t.

PÓM: Oh yes, one other thing I did want to ask you. Do you remember our last interview? That was the written interview.15

AM: Yes…?

PÓM: Did you ever get any feedback on that, or did you hear – there was a certain amount of…

AM: I don’t know if I did or not, Pádraig. Where would I have got it from?

AM: Well, indeed. There was huge amounts of hoopla on the internet about it, which – it was interesting. It was…

AM: Oh, that was the stuff about the Golliwogg?

PÓM: Yes, the Golliwogg, and…

AM: Yes, that was when I wrote my – Yes, I remember – that was when I spent the Christmas writing the rejoinder?

PÓM: Yes, yes!

AM: Yeah, I didn’t hear much about it, to tell the truth, once I’d got it out of me system, and I thought that the issues had been addressed, I just kind of let it go. Why, did – you say that there was a lot of furore?

PÓM: Oh, I had – when I put it up on my blog, and it just spread out everywhere, and I was getting hundreds of comments and replies. It was all quite fascinating – it genuinely didn’t bother me in any way, shape, or form. The people who said rude things, I just deleted them, because people have strange notions about what the right to free speech actually means. And it was just – it was interesting – it was great. It was a fantastic piece of, em…

AM: Invective?

PÓM: I was going to say a fantastic piece of writing, of a thing to put out there, and I was delighted to be in that way involved with it but, yes, a fine piece of invective, and all the better for it.

AM: I was talking with somebody who read it, and he was saying ‘I think you might have revived a kind of literary form, that has not been really practiced since the eighteenth century,’ the really crushing, bitter, stinging satire, if you will. Yeah, I was quite pleased with it. After doing it, I tended to put it out of me mind.

PÓM: No harm in that. I must say…

AM: Was any of the response positive?

PÓM: Oh yeah! Oh Christ, yes! Plenty of it. There was lots of people who are just happy to do down anything that turns up, but there was a lot of people that thought you gave someone a kickin’ that deserved a kickin’.

LocusAM: Well, that’s good. I had a very nice comment from Ramsey Campbell16. He said, pretty much, ‘Right on, Alan,’ so that was nice. I did see, in the Michael Moorcock issue of Locus that came out recently that Mike, he was talking a little bit about Grant Morrison as well, just because he was asked some question about why he doesn’t encourage other people to do Jerry Cornelius stories these days, which apparently does rather connect up with some of Morrison’s work. Ah, I thought it needed saying, and it was better out than in.

PÓM: Well, indeed. Sure, it’s all part of life’s rich pageant.

AM: Absolutely.

MelindaPÓM: How’s Melinda?17

AM: Mel’s fine – oh, yes, that’s something that I should probably tell you about. Mel is preparing for her first spectacular exhibition. This will be at the Horse Hospital in Bloomsbury.

PÓM: Oh, I love Bloomsbury, I have to say. I could live in Bloomsbury.18

AM: Have you been to the Horse Hospital?

PÓM: I don’t think we have, no.

AM: Well, I did a gig there with the lovely Kirsten Norrie19 – which also, she appears with me in that, By Our Selves, the John Clare film. But I did a gig where Kirstin was singing, and I was reading a part of Jerusalem, so I went to the Horse Hospital, and in there, I knew that our gig was underground, in the basement, and I thought, ‘Oh, this is a bit weird, there’s no stairs, there’s just these ramps.’ And then I thought ‘Horse Hospital!

But it’s a lovely little space, and I believe that Mel will be doing her exhibition there on April the 10th, and there’s tons and tons of drawings, there’s seven or eight of her paintings, and I believe that there might be some bronze busts that she’s done of the three main characters from Lost Girls. So, if anyone reading this happens to be in the Bloomsbury area around April 10th this year, they could do worse than to drop in.

PÓM: I shall be sure to tell people.

AM: OK, you take care, like I say, Pádraig, and love to Deirdre – and that’s what Mel’s doing, she’s preparing that.

———————————————————————————————————-

FOOTNOTES:

1On the 6th of September 2014 the Daily Mail carried a story that DNA evidence had been found on a scarf – allegedly once the property of Catherine Eddowes, the fourth of the five ‘canonical’ victims of the serial killer known as Jack the Ripper, whose exploits set Victorian London into a frenzy of speculation which has still not died away – which proved that the killer was actually Polish immigrant Aaron Kosminski. The story is here, although you really also need to read the refutation, here, as well.

2I refer you to the Koch’s Snowflake page on Wikipedia, because they explain it better than I ever will.

Chasing the Ripper3Crime writer Patricia Cornwell wrote a book called Portrait of a Killer — Jack the Ripper: Case Closed, published in 2002, where she claimed that British painter Walter Sickert was the Whitechapel murderer, and went to extraordinary – and, frankly, borderline insane – lengths to prove it, including supposedly cutting up one of his paintings in an effort to find clues of some kind. There’s an excellent piece about it on the Casebook: Jack the Ripper website, here. In the meantime, Cornell has written more on the subject, a Kindle Single called Chasing the Ripper, published in 2014, and available here, if you’re feeling brave.

4 Yes, she really says something almost exactly like that. Here‘s the relevant bit from the documentary, courtesy of those nice people over at YouTube.

5Patricia Cornwell isn’t actually a ‘real-life pathologist,’ although she did work in the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner of Virginia for six years, first as a technical writer and then as a computer analyst, so had at least some input into their findings, one imagines.

6Dr Kay Scarpetta, the protagonist of twenty-two Cornwell novels thus far.

Fathomless Riches7The Reverend Richard Coles is a Church of England priest, currently working as the parish priest of St Mary the Virgin, Finedon, Northampton, in the Diocese of Peterborough. He was previously in The Communards with Jimmy Somerville, formerly of The Bronsky Beat, with whom Coles had also occasionally played. He is openly gay and lives with his civil partner in a celibate relationship, although they have four dachshunds, and he remains the only vicar in Britain to have had a Number 1 hit single. Above and beyond all that, he does regular appearances on the television and radio in Britain, and is a thoroughly lovely human being. He did an appearance in the British Library on Friday the 20th of February 2015 to publicise his autobiography, Fathomless Riches, which I attended with my wife Deirdre.

8Robin Ince is an English Science-Comedian and renowned Atheist. He is involved with the occasionally annual Christmastime event Nine Lessons and Carols for Godless People, as well as the radio programme The Infinite Monkey Cage, both of which have included Alan Moore on occasion.

9If you think I’m being overly mean in describing the Rev. Coles as a bad dancer, I suggest you go look at this video of The Communards performing Never Can Say Goodbye

, and make up your own mind. The British Library, by the way, is one of my favourite places in the whole wide world. If Heaven is not very like it, I shall be very disappointed.

secondavecover110Joyce Brabner is an American comics writer, and the widow of the late Harvey Pekar. She has collaborated with Moore before, on Brought to Light, and on Real War Comics. Most recently she has written the non-fiction graphic novel Second Avenue Caper: When Goodfellas, Divas, and Dealers Plotted Against the Plague, about the real-life efforts of people caught up in the AIDS epidemic in New York in the early 1980s. It’s good stuff, and you all need to go read it.

Swandown11Swandown is a 2012 film in which Andrew Kötting and Iain Sinclair pedaled a swan pedalo down the Thames from the Hastings, on the sea, to Hackney, in London, occasionally joined by people like Alan Moore and comedian Stewart Lee. Look, I promise I’m not making this stuff up, and there’s a photograph to prove it. From left to right we have Lee, Moore, Kötting, and Sinclair.

12John Clare, known as The Northamptonshire Peasant Poet, was the writer of collections like Poems Descriptive of Rural Life and Scenery and Village Minstrel and other Poems. The film By Our Selves is in part based on Iain Sinclair’s book The Edge of the Orison: In the Traces of John Clare’s ‘Journey Out of Essex’. More information can be found on the By Our Selves Kickstarter page. It was successfully funded, and the project is ongoing.

Toby Jones13Toby Jones is an excellent English actor. Amongst other things, he has done the voice of Dobby the House Elf in the Harry Potter films, appeared in an episode of Doctor Who, and had parts in films like Captain America: The First Avenger, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, The Hunger Games, and Captain America: The Winter Soldier, and many many more.

14Mad Love Publishing is a publishing company Moore set up in the late 1980s with others, originally to publish AARGH (Artists Against Rampant Government Homophobia), and subsequently the first two issues of Big Numbers. The company had a long hiatus, but has reappeared recently as the publisher of Dodgem Logic, and most recently of The Dying Fire, a poetry collection by Moore’s old school friend Dominic Allard. The Northants Herald & Post reported on the story here.

15The interview referred to hear, which Alan doesn’t at first realise I’m referring to, is the infamous Last Alan Moore Interview?, which some of you may have already read, or at least read about. It has, to date, a bit over 100,000 views, and 350 replies, which is not too bad for the first post on a new blog!

doll216Ramsey Campbell is an English horror writer who has written numerous novels, including The Doll Who Ate His Mother, The Face That Must Die, and The House on Nazareth Hill, as well as numerous collections of short stories. He has a list of awards for his work as long as your arm, including the British Fantasy Award, the World Fantasy Award, the International Horror Guild Award, and the Bram Stoker Award.

17Melinda Gebbie is an American comics creator, now settled with her husband, Alan Moore, in the heart of England. They’ve worked together on various things, including Lost Girls.

18Bloomsbury is the bit of London that contains the British Museum, occasional headquarters of the Victorian version of the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, and the British Library. It’s full of culturally wonderfully stuff, parks with friendly squirrels in, and lots of Blue Plaques to all sorts of writers and the like. I recommend you go visit, at least once in your life. The exhibition in the Horse Hospital runs until the 9th of May, so there’s time to see it yet.

19Kirsten Norrie is a Scottish artist and musician, and a member of Wolf in the Winter, an international performance collective.

3 Comments on Alan Moore Interview Part III – Jack the Ripper, Joyce Brabner, and a Swan-Shaped Pedalo, last added: 4/27/2015
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22. Booth removed from Calgary Expo after members derail panels


A new and potentially awful chapter in Con Wars opened up today.

The Honey Badgers are the ladies auxiliary of the MRA (Men’s Rights Advocates) groups, and MRA groups are largely affiliated with GamerGate, the endlessly annoying group that has been fighting diversity behind a shield of anti-censorship for the last two million years since last summer. And sadly this warzone—mostly held on social media until now—just got dragged into the real world of the Calgary Expo.

The Honey Badger Brigade purchased a booth—which was crowdfunded—and sent some of their biggest names to the show. The goal was:

In April of this year, the Honey Badgers plan to put on a booth at the Calgary Comics and Entertainment Expo! We plan to infiltrate nerd culture cunningly disguised as their own. Each of us has been carefully crafting a persona of nerdiness through decades of dedication to comics, science fiction, fantasy, comedy games and other geekery, waiting for this moment, our moment to slip among the unaware. Once there we will start distributing the totalitarian message that nerd and gamer culture is… perfectly wonderful just as it is and should be left alone to go it’s own way.

That’s it folks.

As men’s issues advocates and defenders of creator’s rights to create unmolested, that’s what we have to say to the nerds and geeks and gamers. You are fantastic as you are, carry on.

Yep, in today’s political climate that’s considered an extremist position. Just letting creative communities create; consumers consume what they want; and gamers get down to the business of vidya without being judged.

So if you share our vision of a world in which nerds and geeks and gamers roam free and unfettered, help us spread that message by throwing a few shekels our way to attend the con.

However, as posted by The Mary Sue in a full report you should definitely read, the group was actually there to disrupt panels that didn’t agree with their world view:

We’re not done just yet. The group also attended the “Women Into Comics” panel last night. Panelist Brittney Le Blanc gave us this account of the events that transpired:

We were about fifteen minutes into the panel when a woman in the second row stood up and identified herself as a Men’s Rights Activist. She and her male companion both came to raise issues they felt would not be covered by our panel. Raising points about the way men are portrayed in comics struck a note with all the panelists, as we agreed that we want to see a diversity across body types, characters, races, etc in mainstream comics. Not everyone wants to see a hero who looks like he’s built like Gaston from Beauty and the Beast. They also accused us of presenting all women as victims, which was an outright lie and derailing tactic.

Their questions did take up quite a bit of time at the panel and served to derail the topic onto another tangent, which was frustrating for the panel and for those in the audience. It’s what they came to do, and in part, they succeeded. I would say that it brought up some great discussions though, allowing us to talk about the lack of representation for people of colour in comics and to give well deserved props to artists like Sophie Campbell, who has done an amazing job in showcasing a broad range of bodies with her art in Jem and the Holograms.

 

News of the HBB booth, which was not registered under that name—with its images of Ellen James, a bizarre idealized girl gamer who coexists with men in some peaceful wonderland straight from the imagination of Henry Darger—spread on social media. After complaints from congoers, who just went to have a good time and not get caught up in a partisan war, the booth was removed.

…which had led to a renewed explosion of trolling from the proGG forces on twitter.

ON the surface, this event seems to play right into the GG/HBB agenda by making it appear that a group with an “alternative viewpoint” has been “censored.” But of course that isn’t the real agenda. If it was just about promoting one’s own opinion it would be one thing, but the GG/HBB faction has (from my own personal experiences) been focused on verbal abuse, gender based slurs, and basically, as with the panel above, attempting to disrupt the promotion of views opposite to their own—exactly what GG/HBBs accuse their foes of doing.

Sadly, this shows no sign of slowing down. Are convention panels soon to be a nerd version of a CNN “expert” panel, with loud talking heads shouting over one another seeing who can make the most noise and no one listening? Dear Crom, I hope not.
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2 Comments on Booth removed from Calgary Expo after members derail panels, last added: 4/17/2015
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