throughthebrush

February 2, 2011 10:11 pm @ScorpionMasada Go to any news site right now, look at what Congress is doing, and tell me the world takes rape seriously.  No, actually, look up information on rape laws worldwide, and tell me that it's unversally considered "one fot he worst crimes on the planet."

Words have impact.  If we didn't believe that, we wouldn't be on this site arguing.

February 2, 2011 9:23 pm @j206

I love superhero comics.  I'm not hiding that at all.  I also think there is a wealth of great material out there on the indie scene, and I want creators to have the opportunity to publish their work.  I'm sympathetic to Powell's argument, even if I don't like his methods and don't entirely agree with all of his points.

The rape reference, however, is insupportable.  The only thing "convenient" about it is the ease with which Powell was able to use that comparison in a culture that demeans the seriousness of sexual assault.  As a white American man, Eric Powell has boundless amounts of privilege.  No one FORCED him to take down his video.  He did so in a huff, and because he knew his method of presentation was indefensible.  But he could just as easily have left it up.  The people in danger of actually being FORCED into anything are the millions of sexual assault survivors who will face a world where their rapes don't "count" if Congress passes some current legislation.  You tell me who is a bigger victim of intolerance.

February 2, 2011 8:26 pm Well I'm sorry, Eric Powell, but when your "satire" belittles rape, I'm not apt to follow you any further than that.   Satire is not an excuse for contributions to a reprehensible cultural discourse.  I'm pretty sure Gandhi would agree.

But flounce away, sir.  Take your toys and go home.  I'll remain in the sandbox quite happily without them, listening to others who choose to make your legitimate points without your so-called "satire."

February 1, 2011 2:31 pm These are all excellent responses!

My ideal comic book husband is probably Hank McCoy.  If he's some version of blue and furry it would be a chaste marriage, but he'd be a fantastic lifelong companion -- witty, fun, intelligent, caring, and never boring.

January 24, 2011 6:03 pm On the one hand, Dark Knight #2.  (I have pretty much the best birth year for game-changing comics past the Silver Age.)  On the other hand, something called "Son of Ambush Bug."  You win some, you lose some.

December 8, 2010 7:07 pm Wonderful piece.  I agree with all that you've said, and I also want to add another bullet point -- it sends the wrong message to creators looking to break in.  By highlighting these writers, Marvel is kind of driving home that in order to shape the Marvel Universe, you need to be a straight white dude.  It also completely eliminates the contributions of artists, who apparently don't shape anything, in Marvel's estimation.  I tend to look at writing more than art myself, but ignoring half of the production of a comic is shortsighted at best.

December 1, 2010 11:30 pm Somewhere, I'm sure, there are a group of fanfiction writers saying, "Really?  Some guys get together to babble about superheroes for an hour every week, and people actually listen to it?  That's so weird."

Fandom is fandom.

November 22, 2010 11:23 am Oh, wait, the Toon Tumblers website says they use lead free paint.  This is good.  So it's just the Trekkies that are killing me.

November 22, 2010 11:15 am Perhaps I shouldn't drink exclusively from my Toon Tumblers and Star Trek glasses from Burger King...

November 17, 2010 10:28 pm And to clarify -- I wasn't a reader of TMA, but I know it had a lot of ardent fans, and I'm sad on their behalf that it was cancelled.  This is a good article, Ali, and you express what was great about the book really well.  I just don't want to see fans beating themselves up over it.  If you bought the book, you did all you were supposed to do.  Marketing is Marvel's job, not yours.