Anya’s Ghost
by Vera Brosgol
First Second Publishing
Review by Arielle Sorkinator
Anya’s Ghost has a fairly straight-forward premise: Anya’s a teenage immigrant who finds it difficult to fit in. One day, she tumbles down a hole and picks up a new ghost friend that, unfortunately for Anya, isn’t as nice as she seems.
Power Girl means a lot to me, as a character and an icon. Not so much as a sex symbol, though, which I think she’s often reduced to. She’s so much more than a receptacle for fanboy lust. Mainstream comics do such casual disservice to female characters on a regular basis*, it hardly seems worth pointing out, but ten percent of the time, somebody will hire an artist/writer team that actually seems to know what they’re doing, and that makes all the difference.
Especially when you’re tackling a character like Power Girl. It’s too easy to fall into characterizing her as a walking, unironic boob gag, but she always has the potential to be a real hero and, dare I say it, empower women. (And I am a woman, and so…) I told you I had a personal investment in this, lemme back it up.
So I actually made a file pertaining to Amethyst/Sword of Sorcery #0 as soon as I read it on Wednesday. But then later I saw Chris Sims had written (almost) exactly everything I wanted to say, and I felt alright about maybe not writing a post. But then this guy decided to prove how ignorant people can be, so now I’ve gotta address it.
On one hand, I’m thankful for jerks giving me writing opportunities I’m passionate about.
On the other, SERIOUSLY YOU MAKE MY BRAIN SHRIEK WITH RAGE LIKE MILLIONS OF NAILS RAKING A DESERT OF CHALKBOARDS.
It took me a while to get past my initial rage (I quote, “I will pull this guy’s lungs out through his urethra”), but I think I’m calm enough to evaluate him objectively. After all, I don’t think he’s a bad guy. His heart seems to be in the right place, his head’s just wedged securely up his ass.
Basically, I am a big fan of the DCAU Justice League. So it’s really hard for me not to say, “we should just make Justice League Unlimited the main continuity and be done with it. They did it. It’s done. Everyone break for coffee.”
But wow that’s simplistic and boring and probably only 97% truthful, so here’s what I want out of Justice League actually.
Smut Peddler is an anthology marketed as porn made “for women by women.” It’s sex-positive, woman-friendly, and sexuality inclusive. And while it was made with women in mind, it’s easily enjoyable for those of the male persuasion as well. (You know, like how the rest of the world makes everything for men, but ladies tend to enjoy it anyway?)
Warning! Images below are pretty darn NSFW!
So yesterday was International Read Comics in Public Day. Did you participate, hypothetical reader? (I did.)
I think that this day is really good for nerd visibility. I mean, I assume that’s why it was started: to prove that we aren’t all basement dwelling cave monsters. (But really, if we were, how would we get our comics every Wednesday?) It’s nice to show the rest of the populace that we’re all most pretty regular human beings with a regular human being hobby. While I think that the general mentality towards nerds has shifted favorably in the last few years (considerably so), I remain suspicious that there are still people who think we’re actually all Comic Book Guy.
Well, you guys anyway. I’m actually not sure how the general populace stereotypes nerd girls. (Nonexistent? Attention seekers? Jess from New Girl? I hate that show.)
This cover is interesting to me, simply because it took me a few looks to figure out that fleshy, goo-ish blob is actually a person unmasking. I don’t know why their creative team chose to portray the unmasking in the form of sculpted ground meat, but it’s their decision, so who am I to question them.
Their tagline is incorrect, because to believe or not, I’d really have to care first.
reMIND
by Jason Brubaker
published by Coffee Table Comics
I got Jason Brubaker’s reMIND from my local library recently on a whim. I’m a sucker for a pretty cover. WOW I did not know what I was in for. (And I mean that in the best sense possible.)
Oy gevalt. So far in Suicide Squad, Amanda Waller’s characterization has been weak and pathetic, which has amounted to a major annoyance but not much more. This issue was CHARACTERIZATION BRUTALIZATION for our Waller, and baby, does it hurt.
In related news, I wish the covers would stop showcasing Harley so hard, especially since she’s no longer the focus after that terrible escapee arc.
If only this was accurate, and they actually were falling to their overdue demise. (And was that “UNfriendly skies” tagline really the best they could come up with? Read More