Sequart Organization » gender

Maia Kobabe Discusses Eir Career and Eir Book Gender Queer: A Memoir

Nicholas Yanes — Fri, 21 Jun 2019 13:16:14 +0000

Gender Queer: A Memoir" title="Maia Kobabe Discusses Eir Career and Eir Book Gender Queer: A Memoir" style="float:left;" />Maia Kobabe (pronouns e/em/eir) is a nonbinary, queer writer and illustrator. A graduate of California College of the Arts, Maia has quickly built a tremendous portfolio of work – much of which can be found… [more]

Suzanne Scott Discusses Her Career and New Book Fake Geek Girls

Nicholas Yanes — Sat, 18 May 2019 01:00:56 +0000

Fake Geek Girls" title="Suzanne Scott Discusses Her Career and New Book Fake Geek Girls" style="float:left;" />Currently an Assistant Professor of Media Studies at UT Austin, Dr. Suzanne Scott is a scholar focused on fan cultures, gender studies, popular culture, and the various ways they intersect. She has recently published a… [more]

An Open Letter to Guys

Mike Phillips — Mon, 08 Oct 2018 23:50:37 +0000

Editor’s Note: The author of this piece requested anonymity. Dear Guys, It sucks being a woman these days. I am a straight, cisgender, white woman, and there is not a day that goes by that… [more]

Deborah Whaley on Black Women in Sequence: Re-inking Comics, Graphic Novels, and Anime

Nicholas Yanes — Sun, 13 Sep 2015 16:00:15 +0000

Black Women in Sequence: Re-inking Comics, Graphic Novels, and Anime" title="Deborah Whaley on Black Women in Sequence: Re-inking Comics, Graphic Novels, and Anime" style="float:left;" />Dr. Deborah Elizabeth Whaley is an Associate Professor of American Studies and African American Studies at the University of Iowa. A scholar of race, gender, and popular culture (as well as other fields), Dr. Whaley… [more]

Race and Gender: Incognegro‘s Protagonist is Not the Hero He Hopes to Be

Samuel Crowe — Wed, 19 Aug 2015 11:00:59 +0000

Incognegro‘s Protagonist is Not the Hero He Hopes to Be" title="Race and Gender: Incognegro‘s Protagonist is Not the Hero He Hopes to Be" style="float:left;" />With the recent release of Strange Fruit #1 being critiqued for its lack of unique identity in its African-American (and even Alien-African-American) characters and unrealistic characterisation, my thoughts drew back to another piece. A comic… [more]

The Folly of Male Supermasculinity

Stuart Warren — Fri, 10 Jul 2015 11:30:06 +0000

When I discovered comic books I was already in college, but their influence was present in my life far before that. I had seen all the Batman films (Burton and Schumacher’s work) and the venerable… [more]

The Women of Marvel and Geek Subculture

Sage Gentry — Thu, 02 Jul 2015 11:00:42 +0000

Whilst scrolling through the internet, trying to find the Women of Marvel variant covers which celebrate Women’s History Month through showcasing female artwork on comic book covers, I came across my favorite superhero, as her… [more]

Deconstruction of Male Duality in American Comic Books: Robert Kirkman’s Invincible

Rafael Alves Azevedo — Mon, 11 May 2015 11:00:18 +0000

Invincible" title="Deconstruction of Male Duality in American Comic Books: Robert Kirkman’s Invincible" style="float:left;" />***Editors Note: Following articles contains graphic imagery originally featured in Invincible #110. According to Judith Butler, gender is not a static, stable, and “natural” condition someone is born with, but rather a socially constructed concept… [more]

From Batgirl to Comicgate?: The Variant Cover Controversy

N. Emmett — Sat, 02 May 2015 17:00:49 +0000

Batgirl to Comicgate?: The Variant Cover Controversy" title="From Batgirl to Comicgate?: The Variant Cover Controversy" style="float:left;" />The Joker would be proud. On 13 March, DC Comics unveiled a set of variant covers for title due to be published in June. To mark the 75th anniversary of Batman’s archenemy, each of the… [more]

Will Brooker on the Similarities Between My So-Called Secret Identity and the New Batgirl

Julian Darius — Fri, 20 Mar 2015 12:00:37 +0000

My So-Called Secret Identity and the New Batgirl" title="Will Brooker on the Similarities Between My So-Called Secret Identity and the New Batgirl" style="float:left;" />Dr. Will Brooker has published studies of comics and pop culture since his Batman Unmasked in 2001. In 2013, he launched the comic book My So-Called Secret Identity, which he writes. The series, illustrated by… [more]

She Makes Comics is Out!

Mike Phillips — Wed, 10 Dec 2014 02:00:51 +0000

She Makes Comics is Out!" title="She Makes Comics is Out!" style="float:left;" />Sequart Organization and Respect! Films are proud to announce the release of their latest documentary, She Makes Comics, a film spanning the history of women in comics as creators, fans, and everything in between. The… [more]

Why Can’t Erica be Thor?

Emily Malabey — Sat, 02 Aug 2014 11:00:24 +0000

This is Erica. She will be the first to tell you all about the meaning of her name, and how it’s described in various books as the name for a female warrior, with adjectives like… [more]

An Apology to Pam Noles

Julian Darius — Fri, 04 Jul 2014 04:53:05 +0000

Early this year, I wrote an analysis of an interview Alan Moore did with Pádraig Ó Méalóid. One day after it went live, I learned that the “Batman scholar” referenced in the interview (whom I’d… [more]

Optimus Prime, Pedophile

Julian Darius — Sat, 28 Jun 2014 11:00:43 +0000

Did you know that the beloved leader of the Autobots had a fetish for underage girls? Or that a Megatron look-alike not only shared the same fetish, but repeatedly tried to rape those girls? Or that… [more]

Sherlock’s Women: The Good and the Bad

Carole-Ann Perron — Sun, 22 Jun 2014 15:00:32 +0000

Sherlock’s Women: The Good and the Bad" title="Sherlock’s Women: The Good and the Bad" style="float:left;" />I was continuing my journey through my imposing edition of The Complete Sherlock Holmes when I realized my mind could not stop making links between the original texts and BBC’s hit series Sherlock. While I… [more]

A Father’s Day Post-Mortem: Maleficent, Gender, and Fairy Tale Romance

Greg Carpenter — Mon, 16 Jun 2014 11:00:18 +0000

Maleficent, Gender, and Fairy Tale Romance" title="A Father’s Day Post-Mortem: Maleficent, Gender, and Fairy Tale Romance" style="float:left;" />Down with eyes romantic and stupid Down with sighs and down with Cupid Brother, let’s stuff that dove Down with love. –Bobby Darin, “Down With Love” Whenever someone asks me what’s the best part of… [more]

Women in Super-Hero Movies: We Still Have a Long Way to Go

Karra Shimabukuro — Mon, 09 Jun 2014 20:00:31 +0000

I was watching Tomb Raider last night, and while I love Angelina Jolie and the movie, there is one scene that makes me absolutely crazy at the beginning: Angelina Jolie’s character, Lara Croft takes a… [more]

Dear X-Men… It’s Not You, It’s Me

Greg Carpenter — Mon, 19 May 2014 11:00:43 +0000

I’ve been putting off writing this column for a while now. When I first heard we were doing an X-Men week here at Sequart, I wasn’t too worried. After all, I’ve got a shelf full… [more]

It’s a Hard Life Out There for a Fan

Amy Maynard — Sat, 17 May 2014 17:00:05 +0000

Tellingly, I was going to title this article, ‘It’s a Hard Life Out There for a Lady Fan’. But then I realised, that’s stupid. There are men, there are ladies, and then there are fans,… [more]

Cody Walker on Noir City

Julian Darius — Thu, 27 Mar 2014 21:36:57 +0000

Noir City" title="Cody Walker on Noir City" style="float:left;" />Cody Walker, Webmaster here at Sequart, has put together a Kickstarter for the second issue of his comic book Noir City. JULIAN DARIUS: You and your co-writer, Rich G. Valerius, have been working on Noir City… [more]

Twisted Times: My Part in Alan Moore’s “Last Interview”

Will Brooker — Thu, 23 Jan 2014 23:15:58 +0000

We are told that Alan Moore doesn’t use email, and rarely goes online. By contrast, I’ve been online – on and off – for twenty years now. I started using the internet when it was… [more]

Image Expo and the Changing Value of the Creator

Paul Jaissle — Thu, 16 Jan 2014 18:00:36 +0000

Among with the flurry of new series announced at this year’s Image Expo was the news that Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips (Criminal, Incognito, Fatale) had signed a five-year deal with the publisher that effectively… [more]

Stop Sexually Assaulting Women at Cons!

Kevin Thurman — Tue, 31 Dec 2013 18:00:15 +0000

Convention season has become a really sad time for me. What was once a fun, light gathering of comics fans has become a Bingo card of sexual assault. Women of a sadly growing number are… [more]

Why We Shouldn’t Have to Play Detective When it Comes to “DB,” or Why Douchebags Need to Be Named and Shamed

Amy Maynard — Mon, 23 Dec 2013 18:00:43 +0000

On December 18th, MariNaomi, author of Kiss & Tell: A Romantic Résumé, Ages 0 to 22, posted an article on popular feminist website xoJane.com. It detailed how she was publicly humiliated and heckled by a heterosexual man… [more]

The Bechdel Test and a Sexy Lamp: Detecting Gender Bias and Stereotypes in Mainstream Comics

Forrest Helvie — Thu, 21 Nov 2013 12:00:43 +0000

Recently, the Swedish Film Institute began sponsoring a movement spearheaded by a number of theaters who are now making use of the “Bechdel Test” to evaluate their films in order to determine the extent of… [more]

Will Brooker on My So-Called Secret Identity

Julian Darius — Mon, 18 Feb 2013 12:00:49 +0000

My So-Called Secret Identity" title="Will Brooker on My So-Called Secret Identity" style="float:left;" />Will Brooker is Reader in Film and Television Studies at Kingston University, London, and editor of Cinema Journal. He is also author, editor or co-editor of nine books, including Batman Unmasked, Using the Force, Alice’s… [more]

Interview with Sue from DC Women Kicking Ass

Cody Walker — Fri, 05 Oct 2012 11:00:47 +0000

DC Women Kicking Ass is a popular blog that addresses gender issues within the comic book industry or, to quote the site itself, it is a place for “Thoughts, pictures, reviews and other stuff about… [more]

Building a Better Dredd: The Smart Narrative Choices of Dredd

Julian Darius — Mon, 01 Oct 2012 08:21:30 +0000

Dredd" title="Building a Better Dredd: The Smart Narrative Choices of Dredd" style="float:left;" />Earlier, we discussed how Dredd is faithful to its source material, to the extent that it could be described as a violent morality play. Today, I’d like to discuss the film’s narrative choices, because I… [more]

Stoya on Why Chicks are Gross

Patrick Meaney — Sun, 12 Aug 2012 15:30:04 +0000

Stoya is an adult film star and model. She’s also a big fan of science fiction, including the works of Warren Ellis! In this clip from Warren Ellis: Captured Ghosts, she responds to the stereotype… [more]

On Body Typing in Comics: What We’re Not Saying and Why It Matters

Julian Darius — Mon, 07 May 2012 11:00:57 +0000

This is not an essay I wanted to write. Doing so, I’m conscious of wading into waters famous for their landmines. This is at least the sixth full draft of this essay. Most of the… [more]

Not the Way We Play the Game

Colin Smith — Tue, 01 May 2012 11:00:47 +0000

I’ve never once criticised the work of another blogger in public, so why start now? Yes, Gene Phillips’s Making a Dirty Breast of the Matter (parts 1 and 2) are appallingly written pieces which express… [more]

Making a Dirty Breast of the Matter, Part 2

Gene Phillips — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 11:00:49 +0000

I want to focus on one remark made by Kelly Thompson in the essay “No, It’s Not Equal,” regarding the inequitable objectification of male and female characters in superhero comics: “If women, like men, were… [more]

Making a Dirty Breast of the Matter

Gene Phillips — Wed, 28 Mar 2012 11:00:03 +0000

In “Pulp Friction” I addressed the logical problems inherent in the position of those fans I called “anti-pulpsters,” who oppose, in one way or another, the presence of extravagant sensationalism in superhero comic books. As… [more]

How Could They Do That?: Understanding Scott Lobdell and the New Comics Criticism

Julian Darius — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 11:00:57 +0000

Do That?: Understanding Scott Lobdell and the New Comics Criticism" title="How Could They Do That?: Understanding Scott Lobdell and the New Comics Criticism" style="float:left;" />I’m quite certain writer Scott Lobdell, writer of Red Hood and the Outlaws, didn’t intend to make Starfire in any way diminishing of women. I know this because it’s leaked that DC was concerned, prior… [more]

On Hickman and Ribic’s The Ultimates #1: Yet More Stories for Boys

Colin Smith — Sun, 02 Oct 2011 11:00:42 +0000

The Ultimates #1: Yet More Stories for Boys" title="On Hickman and Ribic’s The Ultimates #1: Yet More Stories for Boys" style="float:left;" />On the evidence of Messrs. Hickman and Ribic’s The Ultimates #1, the fundamental concerns of feminism haven’t yet become a matter of public concern and debate on Earth 1610, or (it needs to be said) in… [more]

Female Leads in Comics: Don’t Shoot the Messenger

Cody Walker — Sun, 25 Sep 2011 13:44:46 +0000

There has been a lot of talk about comics being sexist or DC comics in particular not wanting to hire women and while it can be construed as a problem when DC’s titles went from… [more]

On Feeling Compelled to Boycott Greg Land’s Uncanny X-Men

Colin Smith — Sat, 06 Aug 2011 11:00:18 +0000

Uncanny X-Men" title="On Feeling Compelled to Boycott Greg Land’s Uncanny X-Men" style="float:left;" />I can’t do it, I just can’t. It doesn’t matter how much I admire Kieron Gillen as a writer, and admire him I most certainly do. He’s undoubtedly one of the best half-dozen writers currently at… [more]

Colin Smith on Comics Criticism, Part 2

Julian Darius — Tue, 19 Jul 2011 11:00:22 +0000

Continuing from part one, we now move on to discuss when it’s fair to criticize a work for depicting human rights violations such as torture and rape, writing personally, and comics culture. 6. When is… [more]

Issues in Digital Comics Distribution — and Where We’re Heading

Julian Darius — Tue, 21 Jun 2011 11:00:56 +0000

Assuming we recognize the very real and pressing need for a comprehensive digital comics policy, several issues still remain that must be solved, before we can envision what such a policy would look like. (This is a… [more]

The Diversity of DC’s Relaunch, by the Numbers

Julian Darius — Fri, 17 Jun 2011 11:00:14 +0000

Since DC has publicly stated that its line-wide relaunch is partially to increase the diversity of its line, it’s worth asking how the relaunched titles stack up in this regard, including some hard quantitative analysis… [more]

On Flashpoint #1: Sex, Gender, and the Superhero Crossover

Colin Smith — Thu, 02 Jun 2011 12:00:46 +0000

Flashpoint #1: Sex, Gender, and the Superhero Crossover" title="On Flashpoint #1: Sex, Gender, and the Superhero Crossover" style="float:left;" />We’ll talk of the value of Geoff Johns and Andy Kubert’s Flashpoint #1 solely in the context of a superhero comic at another time, but it’s worth saying in passing that it’s in many ways a… [more]

Moms in Ovens: Why Comic Books Hate Parents

Cody Walker — Tue, 25 Jan 2011 13:00:07 +0000

You’ve witnessed this origin story a million times and across all mediums; protagonist seems to have potential, but it’s the death of a parental figure that spurs protagonist to becoming the hero that he /… [more]

Amy Racecar and the Question of Gender: Women in Action-Based Comics

Jane-Rebecca Cannarella — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 13:00:26 +0000

Amy Racecar and the Question of Gender: Women in Action-Based Comics" title="Amy Racecar and the Question of Gender: Women in Action-Based Comics" style="float:left;" />I was having a lot of difficulty in trying to write my first article about such a prickly subject as women and their perception and relation to sequential art, comics and graphic novels specifically. After… [more]

Getting More Women Into Comics

Lisa Lopacinski — Tue, 11 Apr 2006 16:38:10 +0000

Recently, I had a customer ask me why there aren’t more women reading comic books, and if, because I am a woman store owner, we had a lot of women shop here. Let’s just say… [more]