mcguffin

April 19, 2013 5:01 pm Molly, pretty sure Knockout's name is intended to be a double entendre. In her secret identity she was a stripper. Your healing journey is certainly more nuanced. I'm just working with the text of the article and discussing whether or not its message is one that has merit.

April 19, 2013 3:34 pm @jasonhart I do understand those low points, which fuels my dislike for the article. I understand anxiety as an affliction unto itself as well as social anxiety.I also understand hating your own body. I hated being rail thin my entire life so much that I completely dedicated myself to working out, sticking to a rigid, joyless diet to this day to make myself look the way I want to look. I did get past my self-hate and insecurity, but I did it through hard work, setting my own personal goals and achieving them. Yes, I wanted people to be attracted to me, but my hatred for my own body completely overshadowed that. And by the time I got where I wanted to be, I didn't feel half as good about how I looked as I did about the work. It wasn't the work or the creativity that got Molly over her insecurities. It wasn't something that she derived from within. It wasn't the craft of cosplay itself because she had cosplayed many times before. What got her to changed her self perception was being a chick with a curvaceous body in a leotard at a con and having attention and admiration lavished on her by men who love curvaceous bodes (Which, lets face it, is most of us. But apparently the message hasnt been received because the internet is overloaded with women lamenting their big boobs, small waists, and wide hips. How awful for them). What if she didn't have the figure to pull of Knockout? For Christ's sake, if you have the figure to pull off a character whose is so-named because she's stupid-hot you need to stop complaining, at least out loud where other people who don't have such a desirable figure can hear you. Those men and women who aren't blessed with such conventionally attractive bodies can't just put on a Knockout or Nightwing costume and have the same experience. If I had daughters, like a poster below does, I would not want them to take that message to heart, because they might not be so priveliged to look like Molly. And then what? Yes, I am discrediting her "achievement" based on how she got there. There are good ways of making yourself feel god about yourself and there are shallow ways of making yourself feel good about yourself. I feel compelled to criticize the shallows ways because I don't think women, especially young women should internalize those lessons. The world is already excessively judging women by their looks. There's no need to feed into that by basing your self worth on your ability to get your ass stared at at a con. I hope to have kids one day. Maybe daughters. I do NOT want them taking this message to heart. I want them to understand that the are not just things to be objectified. I want their pride to be rooted in the fact that they made a badass costume with their own hands, not in the fact that they just happen to have the body to pull it off. That is why it matters. Also, I appreciate your taking the time to criticize my points and not simply taking the easy way out bywriting me off as a misogynist. Thank you.

April 19, 2013 12:50 am Now, that's message of substance. A message I can get behind. Well said, Mockingjay.

April 18, 2013 3:36 pm Because she never felt so good about herself in all her life until strangers looked at her approvingly -- until strangers made her feel sexy and beautiful. It has nothing to do with creativity or craft. this isnt an article about a creative endevor. It has everything to do with her desire to feel desired. That's the point of the article. The cosplay wasn't even necessary. She would've gotten the same reaction at a car show.

April 18, 2013 1:26 pm You're right, Is1200. It's completely possible that she didn't think she was hot before she put on the skintight leotard. The real lesson here is: "be hot and you will feel better." A valuable one indeed.

April 18, 2013 1:02 pm Yes, criticism of this article must be rooted in misogyny. There are no other possibilities.

October 18, 2011 3:49 pm Wow, you guys sounded like hell, and still managed to deliver some interesting and insightful commentary. Thanks for busting your ass and entertaining me while I work.

August 31, 2011 1:51 pm I happen to think the comic is very underrated. It has a really unique tone which I haven't seen in any other books. The thing which I thought was really interesting about the book, which was unfortunately absent in the movie, is the sort of schizophrenia of the storytelling which reflects the mindset of the protagonist. Before he dies he's portrayed as a normal guy -- a person who's able to love, laugh, and enjoy life. But after he returns from the dead he's portrayed in a way which really makes it clear that the trauma of his horrifically violent death and subsequent reanimation has driven him somewhat insane. That insanity is depicted by way of some really strange, almost hallucinatory sequences interspersed between the regular scenes and through his weird, nonsensically poetic dialog. The book also featured selected works of poetry and the lyrics for songs (stuff from Joy Division and early work from The Cure while they were still in their dark post-punk phase) which really fit the atmosphere of the book. If they found some way to work all these tonal elements into the film they could really create something memorable, instead of just making another cliched revenge/action film.

January 22, 2011 4:12 pm

@cskilpatrick Really shows how meaningless the word has become, doesn't it?

Hipster Xavier was clever. But the rest were just reiterations of the same 2 hipster jokes that get repeated over and over and over. Seriously, people. Write some new ones.

July 16, 2009 4:57 pm

Great show, guys.

I love pretty much everything associated with the Green Lantern mythos...except for the focus on Hal Jordan, Kyle Rayner, and John Stewart. I can't think of three more boring characters in the DC Universe. I've always secretly pined for Guy Gardner to be the main focus of the series. He has more potential to be a fully rounded three dimensional character than blank slates like Hal and Kyle. He's funny, his presence is a constant source of tension, and he reflects the stereotype of the egomaniacal, power drunk cop, except that he actually gets the job done to the dismay of his collegues. 

 Hal Jordan is just....a guy....a brave guy...with lots of courage...... zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.........