Diamond Releases May Sales; Comic Trolls Forced to Move on to New Topic

So in May, Marvel introduced a new X-Men title. You might have heard of it? Brian Wood? Olivier Copiel? All women?

Marvel publicized the hell out of the book pitching stories to not just the comic folks but other media. Like CNN. Where there were, at last count, 758 comments. 

And a lot of them were supportive. And then you have ones like this:

Oh Lewda, Lewda, Lewda. 

You and your ilk. So the opposite of smart and erudite. So the epitome of the worst of comics fans.

Oh, here’s the top ten comics for May.

Given that Batman has averaged north of 135K for the last six months, I think we can guess that we know where sales on this is going to end up, right?

It’s just amazing to me the vitriol that anything that has to do with women and cape comics can generate. Every week it seems that I find a new comment around women and comics to put my head and desk in what is apparently what is destined to be a long relationship. This morning I had some dude come to my blog and explain that women don’t use the “right tone” when discussing issue in comics and this is why people reacted positively to Joss Whedon discussing gender issues and superheroes vs. female commentators.

Really, I can’t make this shit up.

So I’m pretty happy X-Men #1 did well because Brian Wood is a great creator, Jeanine Schaefer, the editor who pushed this thing forward, is smart and passionate and did a great job and because it’s a good comic whether women are all the team members or not.

But yeah I’m also just a teeny happy because it makes these dudes look like the idiots their comments imply.

And Mark MY WORDS … it won’t be the last time.

Li’l Gotham #12: Can I get a Tattoo of this Comic?

It’s Father’s Day in the wonderful world of Dustin Nguyen and Derek Fridolf’s Gotham where characters I love still exist. To celebrate this holiday there is a meeting of two dads - one good and one, not so much.

But more importantly it means their daughters meet.

Look, it’s Oracle!

How great and perfect is that dialogue? It is so the Barbara Gordon and her Dad from Simone’s Birds of Prey.

Share a table? But who what other Dad and Daughter would that be?

Read More

(Source: ign.com)

When is your favorite Superman Comic not a Superman Comic?

So Comixology is doing a survey on Superman. And they ask if you’e going to see Man of Steel and some other questions about Superman like your favorite super power (mine is x-ray vision).

And then there are some questions that had me sideying this survey.

Let’s take a look, shall we?

The question is which is your favorite current Superman comic. Hmm, I know my answer! Smallville Season 11!

Let’s vote!

Wait, since when is Earth 2 a “current Superman title”? 

At first I thought, “oh they mean just new 52.” But nope there is Injustice which is, just like Smallville, digital first and out of continuity with the new 52 and based on stories from another medium.

But here’s the really confusing part. When you are asked to pick the best love interest for Superman here are your choices.

Chloe Sullivan IS from the Smallville comic. And in that comic she’s never been a love interest as she is married to Oliver Queen. (By the way is there really any question who is the right answer? Yes, I have checked off Lois).

I’m not sure what is up with this survey but I just pinged Comixology on Twitter to try and get some answers. I mean it would only be fair that all the Superman books get included - don’t you think? 

Change Can Happen: Marvel Reveals Mighty Avengers Team

In April of 2001 Tom Brevoort gave an interview to CBR  - here is an excerpt:

“an idea that never got as far as an official title, but it was essentially “Black Avengers.” It was “Let’s put all the African or African-American heroes together on a team for an adventure,” and in those cases too, there was nothing about the idea beyond “It’s a bunch of super heroes together” that said “Avengers” beyond the fact that “Avengers” is a term that’s salable. I think there’s something very specific about what “Avengers” means to the Marvel Universe. They’re the varsity. They’re the A-list. They’re the Man. They’re not about being super heroes because of demographics or ethnicity. They stand for something specific and occupy a certain role. If you don’t have some degree of that, then it doesn’t feel like Avengers.”

Following those statements he furthered expounded on this topic on Twitter:

I said at the time that watching this conversation on Twitter was one of the most disheartening things I’ve experienced during my time in comics fandom. 

Today Marvel announced a new Avengers book, Mighty Avengers. 

Starting in September, it’s Mighty Avengers, by Al Ewing and Greg Land, featuring the likes of Luke Cage, Spider-Man, She-Hulk, White Tiger, Blue Marvel, Power Man…and more!

Note, yes that is Monica Rambeau. She is the field leader and her name is now Spectrum.

Here is what Brevoort said about Mighty Avengers:

“The racial diversity of the line-up is no accident, really. I’ve always responded to people asking why we don’t have a black Avengers or Latino Avengers that it feels artificial. But, the reality is that people who want to see characters in comics representing them have a point. We first started conceptualizing this book in February around Black History Month and the anniversary of the death of my friend Dwayne McDuffie. So I set out no to do ‘Black Avengers’ but more Dwayne McDuffie Avengers. I wanted to have a minimum of non-white characters but not have that necessarily be the point, then a lot of the characters who fit into what we wanted to do ended up being minorities. It’s not a ‘solution’ to lack of diversity elsewhere, but it’s something we considered.”

Earlier today I quoted Dwayne McDuffie in another post. I’m going to include it in this one as well. 

“You don’t feel as real if you don’t see yourself reflected in the media … There’s something very powerful about seeing yourself represented.”

I’m glad Marvel and Tom Brevoort finally realized this important point.

THIS. THIS. THIS. Joss Whedon on Female Superheroes

Why bother? Why do we post and comment and Tweet and argue? Why is the issue of “NEED MORE LADEEZ IN SUPERHEROES” a quest, at times quixotic, at times demoralizing and demeaning and depressing?

Why is that the simple request that 51% of the population be recognized a problem? Or that they when they are drawn the default isn’t sexed up and not objectified? That they have representation in the creation of the content? Not domination, not elimination of others or tokenism, but simple recognition that inclusion and diversity are a THING that matters and that there is a world beyond all male, all white, all the time.

Why is when someone points these things out that they are attacked? Told to “burn in hell forever”? That they have a “problem” that is best solved by them being sexually accosted?

I’ve thought about this time and so many times again over the last few weeks when I saw a post that Kelly Thompson did on superhero costumes turned into a story about that post into a cesspool. A cartoon that Amy Mebberson and Jill Pantozzi brings comments that can fill a bingo card for cluelessness (from both men and women) which was breathtaking in it earnestness. How when Anita Sarkeesian touches upon these same issues in gaming, she is attacked and trolled with a level of viciousness that is sickening.

And then I saw this quote below from Joss Whedon it made me happy.

Why do you think there’s a lack of female superheroes in film?

Toymakers will tell you they won’t sell enough, and movie people will point to the two terrible superheroine movies that were made and say, You see? It can’t be done. It’s stupid, and I’m hoping The Hunger Games will lead to a paradigm shift. It’s frustrating to me that I don’t see anybody developing one of these movies. It actually pisses me off. My daughter watched The Avengers and was like, “My favorite characters were the Black Widow and Maria Hill,” and I thought, Yeah, of course they were. I read a beautiful thing Junot Diaz wrote: “If you want to make a human being into a monster, deny them, at the cultural level, any reflection of themselves.”

Why? The first reason is a simple fact. It’s a man saying it. Because sadly we know that when a man says the same thing a woman says it has a higher chance of being HEARD by the man. Secondly, because it reiterates and validates all the arguments that have been made and knocked down and sliced and diced by others. And third because that line by Junot Diaz nails so much of why, just why, it all matters.

He isn’t the first to say things like this but we need more people who realize that this stuff matters.

As Dwayne McDuffie said, “You don’t feel as real if you don’t see yourself reflected in the media […] There’s something very powerful about seeing yourself represented.”

That’s why female representation matters for comics, for TV and movies. Even though when you bring up this stuff to others in the industry they seemingly shrug and say “oh well”. Even though you will be called a bitch or worse in the basement of the internet for simply discussing these issues. Even though it feels like you’re just shooting a water gun at forest fire sometimes.

Today you take a win. Be glad that there are others who are same minded. That change is hard but still a possibility. And you pull out your water gun and go off to another day.

(Source: thedailybeast.com)