I’ve created a Medium, and am starting things off with a bang, talking about Devin Grayson’s and Marv Wolfman’s runs on Nightwing. Warnings for sexual assault, suicide, and abuse.
actual fandom elitism: often perpetuated by cishet white men who assume that women, people of colour and lgbt people cannot enjoy or know things about their interests. or that they’re only into it for romance / finding characters hot. very much a problem in comic and gaming spaces.
NOT FANDOM ELITISM: tired people on the internet asking you to actually read and understand the source material instead of making everything about shipping and tropes.
[ID: a screenshot of tumblr tags that read “very telling op is a comics fan” /end ID]
“We go from store to store, trying to things on and inspecting them. I give my opinions on dresses and shoes, blouses and lipstick colors. Sometimes I say things that make the other women look at me, agape, as though my mouth has been possessed by that flighty queen from Queer Eye even while the rest of my body still looks like any other big dumb boy’s. I say that I like a skirt but I wish it were bias-cut instead of A-line, or that I am not fond of the fashion for surplice tops, or that the post-WWII idiom in shoes this season is amusing but rarely looks good on actual feet, or that I like the look of a bolero jacket. I know the names of colors, heliotrope and coral and Nile blue, and I can say without hesitation whether a lipstick might look better matte with a bit of powder.
These other women look at me with wonder, their boyfriends and husbands having made a fetish out of refusing to learn such words under any circumstances, as though merely pronouncing the word "periwinkle” or “princess seam” could easily turn a strong man gay as a box of birds. They say to her, “That’s your husband?” in voices that loiter between admiring and disgusted, as though they know that there’s no force on earth that could make their men or boys take such interest in their clothing and they think they might really prefer that to the spectacle of me, filling an armchair, legs crossed ankle over knee, looking just right until I say “tea length.”
The point is that she wants other girls to see what it looks like to have a boy so cracy in love with you, as I am, that he will spend an afternoon talking about capri pants to have a boy so delighted by you that he never calls you by your name, but addresses you always as “beautiful girl,” or “my love” or occasionally and with great fondness, “boss.” To have a boy who will happily fetch your next-size-down and carry your bags and charm the salesclerks at the register without flirting overmuch and just generally try to make himself as useful as possible, all for the dizzy and undying pleasure of making you happy. And even though I am not a boy, I look like one, and so I can be complicit with her in this kind of wonderful afternoon, part indulgence of her great beauty and style, part guerilla feminist activism.
Later, when we walk through the mall or down the sidewalk, me laden with packages that are clearly hers, I watch the eyes of the people we pass: the women who look at me with a certain longing, wishing they had their own boys to carry the bags. The men who look at her with an unmistakable hunger, wishing that they had the honor of schlepping for a girl like her, and then look at me with a certain edge of disbelief, not quite clear about why I get to squire this marvelous example of femininity around when they are clearly wealthier, more handsome, better hung. I have learned to meet all of these gazes with a calm kind of sweetness. There’s no point in defensiveness or sheepishness or challenge. I’m the one holding her bags.“
"Being a Shopping Switch”Butch is a Noun essays by S. Bear Bergman (2006)
i think we as a society went through a period where people watched every marvel movie because they’re marvel movies. So, which of these movies was the last one you watched before only watching Marvel movies you’re genuinely interested in seeing?
(some titles are shortened/condensed to fit into the character limit)
i at no point watched every marvel movie as a matter of policy, but i did watch all of block 2 and all of block 5 so i was in fact being pretty thorough. after careful reflection i would say block 6 marks the start of a path angled away from the franchise.
(i.e. the only one i’ve seen since Endgame was Shang-Chi)
Thinking once again about how different people approach the idea of which side of the Superman/Clark Kent divide is “real”. My two cents?
Personally, I don’t like it being as simple as “Superman is the tool Clark Kent uses to do good” or “Clark Kent is the mask Superman wears to blend in with the rest of society.” It might be easier to explain if we think in terms of there being three identities–Clark, Superman, and Kal-El. Kal-El is the identity that can be called “real” with the fewest caveats. It’s who he is around his parents, Lois after their relationship starts to be deeper than “Winking at her after saving her from a burning building”, Kara, Jimmy, and probably the other founding members of the Justice League (Rule of thumb: anyone who has been let in on the secret identity probably knows Kal-El). Kal-El is the most rounded identity, able to be sweet and earnest and a little awkward without having to be as meek and timid as Clark Kent has to be; able to be brave and sure and capable without having to be as flawless and (for lack of a better word) corny as Superman has to be. Kal-El, I think, is where the playfulness and sense of humor live, along with the fundamental drive to do good and the ability (not merely the desire but the ability) to form close relationships.
As for Clark and Superman, they are both, in their way, lies–or at any rate constructs–and yet because they are equally false, they are also equally true. Superman is Kal-El’s ideals, his willingness to step up and accept the “Great Power=Great Responsibility” principle, and his efforts toward staying connected to and honoring whatever he can salvage of his origin and heritage (I could go off on a whole ‘nother ramble about that) as much as he can. Clark Kent is Kal-El’s humility, his belief in the importance and worthiness of those who don’t have “Great Power”, and his efforts toward fitting into and making a home this world that took him in and loved him when his ancestral world could not.
What makes this three-way identity tricky to spot is that he so rarely uses the name “Kal-El” even when he is very much in “Kal-El” mode. His parents, the people who can most unquestionably be said to know Kal-El, call him Clark, while Batman, the person with whom he is most likely to act as Kal-El when presenting as Superman, will still call him Superman as long as they’re in costume (and then Clark when they’re out, assuming we’re at a point where he and Bruce have swapped identity information).
This the way Christopher Reeve played the character, and he made each of them easy to spot.
@pedanther *nodnodnod*. If we want three names for that one, we could think of The Bat-Man, stoically-terrifying creature of ambiguous humanity who strikes terror into all who nurse evil in their hears (and frankly a lot of people who don’t), Brucie Wayne, cheerfully-idiotic playboy who offsets his phenomenal privilege-blindness by handing out $500 tips and fully-funded hospital wings like it’s nothing, and a third aspect (who one would be equally justified in calling Bruce Wayne or Batman), a deeply compassionate yet emotionally-stunted loner with dozens of loved ones who buries his grief and survivor’s guilt in a wickedly deadpan sense of humor and a “hopeless” crusade that has meant the difference between life and death for hundreds of people.
I think Brucie Wayne is a little bit more of a fiction than Clark Kent is, but he’s a fiction that Bruce can wear like a second skin, and might very well enjoy doing so. Being rich is fun, after all, and sure you can’t embrace it uncomplicatedly when there’s justice (in all its forms) to pursue, but does that make champagne less sweet, satin less comfortable, or socialites less enchanting? Probably not all the time.
Meanwhile, a lot of the impression that The Bat-Man generates is carefully constructed to generate maximum fear, but all the snarling and rage still has to come from somewhere.
I maintain that Brucie Wayne is autistic masking, Batman is a work uniform, and the real person is Dad.
When September and October are nearing and you’re planning an event: google “Rosh Hashanah *year*” and *Yom Kippur *year*” and then, and I cannot stress this enough, don’t plan your event on those days. In fact, don’t plan any events starting sundown the night before. Those are the three most important days of the Jewish calendar, and, once again, I cannot stress enough how much this little bit of forethought and kindness will make every Jew you know cry tears of joy.
(link is to a series of tweets, which include the original poster of the screenshot directly asking SAG-AFTRA what the rules are for cosplayers who want to support the strike)
Y'all sorry for not clearing it up in the original post (frankly I thought more people would read the link) but this applies to influencers, professional cosplayers, content creators, and the like. Basically, people who make money off cosplays or otherwise promoting the
There is an official FAQ on the SAG-AFTRA site that details it better than the email (which came out probably right after the email did, hence why I missed it. I’d have just posted that link if I’d seen it).
Please be aware that although this strike might be of great inconvenience to you, that’s the point. This isn’t convenient for anyone. This isn’t easy for anyone. That’s the point. Between WGA and SAG-AFTRA, thousands and thousands of people are not working, and it’s going to keep being like that until AMPTP wakes up and pays these people their fair share. Rather than complain, find ways to support the strikers (the link’s final question offers ways influencers can support the strike, although frankly some of their suggestions aren’t limited to just influencers).
“your favorite/new shows will be delayed!” oh, good. now’s the time for me to convince more people to read comic books
“I don’t like superheroes!” that’s okay. Here are some great (Western) comics that aren’t superhero comics, all of which are complete
Sandman - this is, on pure technicality, a superhero comic. There are superheroes for maybe 3 issues. Really it is horror and existential fantasy. By tumblr’s own Neil Gaiman
Know Your Station - you like robots? You like art? You like mysteries? You like stories about art? You like stories that lull you into a false sense of security before hitting you over the head? It’s only 5 issues, you’ll enjoy every page
The Good Asian - noir mystery. If you like historical fiction, this one’s for you. I do not recommend historical fiction lightly, so trust me when I say this one’s good
Elfquest - if you like massive fantasy stories that run for 30 years, this one’s for you. If you miss 80s fantasy, this one’s for you. If you want something you can read online, FOR FREE, LEGALLY, this one is for you. It is however fucking massive compared to the others on this list and for that reason I have only read a fairly small portion of it. Good luck
Fables - imagine if Once Upon A Time was actually good. That’s it that’s the pitch
Two Graves - surrealism and supernatural. I’m not sure how to describe it, which I know isn’t helpful, but it’s about avatars of Death
White Savior - this had a touch too many meta jokes for my taste, but lots of people love that, and I liked everything else about it. A 4 issue time travel story taking the piss out of action movies.
I asked @rainbowfoxes and she gave me, like, 20 more. Some of these are still running. I’ve marked the ones that are complete with a *
Starsigns is about people gaining powers associated with the zodiac after said stars disappear from the night sky
Traveling to Mars is the diary of a terminally ill man who is on a one-way trip to be the first person to land on mars on behalf of a corporation in exchange for them caring for his loved ones for the rest of their lives
Banshees is a murder mystery where the ghosts of a serial killer try to solve their own murders
Eight Billion Genies is about what happens if you give every person on earth one wish*
Kroma is about the daughter of the King of Colors living in a black and white world*
Kaya is about the last two humans traversing the realm to get the Chosen One to safety
Monomyth is a horror about wizards (still early issues, hard to give much more detail since more detail hasn’t been revealed yet
Phantom Road is about a trucker and his hitchhiker who keep phasing between realties as they try to deliver whatever it is he’s hauling
Briar is a retelling of sleeping beauty where the princess is awoken 100 years late to a divided, desolate land slowly being conquered by an evil queen
Usagi Yojimbo, per Rainbow, is “about a rabbit samurai”. As far as I can tell it’s straight historical fiction aside from the fact that the people are animals. It’s another doorstopper
Lady Baltimore series, which is basically supernatural indiana jones. she fights nazis and demons.
Catfight is about a thief who’s been framed for his grandmother’s death and has to fend off her avenging thieves guild (I also second this recommendation, but didn’t include it in the original list as it’s not complete)
Junk Rabbit is about the return of the mysterious folk-hero junk rabbit, who lives and fights in the trash wastes outside the domed cites and defends the poor who live there
Seasons have Teeth is a 4 part exploration of a man’s relationship with his now deceased wife, told through his quest to photograph the deadly embodiments of the 4 seasons
(finishes this month)
Death Drop: Drag Assassin is about a former assassin turned drag queen who gets pulled into One Last Mission to find out what’s been happening to the queer folk going missing from her neighborhood
Hell to Pay just finished and is about a couple trying to find all the coins stolen from hell that are used to make deals with demons in order to be free of the shady organization that employs them*
Damn them All is ALSO about demons and their summoning tokens but this one treats the demons like people and is also more mystery and less action thriller than Hell to Pay
The Approach is a classic horror that takes place in a snowed in airport
*
Bulls of Beacon Hill is a gay mob drama
* (this one is on my list to read I swear)
Harrower is about a town that makes movie-style serial killers on purpose*
Hitomi is about a girl who seeking vengeance against the samurai who killed her entire family, by any means necessary*
“I want to get into superhero comics, but I don’t know where to start” That is A-OKAY my dudes, it took me a long time to get into them too because of how confusing they are, so here is a list of runs you can read straight through after starting at #1. Some of these have crossovers that add to things, but they’re not needed to understand what’s going on. Once again, the ones that are complete are marked with an *
Nightwing (1996)* - this is my platonic ideal of a superhero comic. It’s on the darker side. I would describe the majority of it as a mob thriller with elements of a classic tragedy. Has crossovers, but not necessary. Proof that colorists should be given more due.
Batgirl (2000)* - this was my first superhero comic, and I stand by it. Best compared to martial arts films. Not much dialogue.
Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight (1989)* and
Batman: The Knight (2022)* - if you’ve read Batman: Year One, or even if you haven’t read any Batman at all but want something with less investment than a lot of the doorstoppers people rec, these would be my recommendations. Legends ran for a longass time and is made up of a bunch of shorter, isolated stories with a lot of Gothic and fantasy elements, The Knight is ten issues. They’re both set pretty early on in Batman’s career.
Batman/Superman: World’s Finest (2022) - OKAY OKAY I SWEAR THIS IS THE LAST BATMAN ON THIS LIST it’s Batman and Superman being dads and going on adventures. If you want something that feels like watching a cartoon when you were a kid, then here you go
Poison Ivy (2022) - there’s nothing about this comic I don’t like. Gorgeous art, beautiful colors, spectacular writing. eldritch lesbian wants to destroy the world, decides not to, has to deal with the consequences. Possibly the highest recommendation on this list I can give.
Flash (1987)* - okay, I’m not actually sure if you can go straight through this one without any crossovers, but you can definitely read just this book for a good long while. I love this one because while it puts its main character into Situations to watch him grow as he realizes the world sucks, actually, it’s still pretty good at remaining lighthearted
Power of Shazam! (1995)* - Pulpy, lighthearted, and fun. It’s like reading a throwback to the Golden Age.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2011) - the skill of Sophie Campbell in giving turtle people expressive faces without giving them human lips or eyebrows honestly blows my mind. Queer allegory be here.
Night Club (2022) - this is technically a superhero comic, but it also absolutely does not feel like a superhero comic, so if you don’t think you like the genre, it might be worth checking out. This is also a comic that made me enjoy vampires, which is not an easy thing.
Vanish (2022) - another one that doesn’t really ‘feel’ like a superhero comic. If you ever wanted a story about what happens to the Child Chosen One in a high fantasy story after they kill the big bad, Vanish is literally that. Definitely darker.
Sins of the Black Flamingo (2022)*- this is a comic by and for queer men and it is gorgeous. Feast on the hunks
Ms Marvel (2014) and (2016)* - my kingdom for coming of age stories that aren’t slice of life. honestly the only thing I can think to compare it to is the pre-MCU Spider-Man movies.
Moon Knight (2021) - Urban fantasy noir. Another comic that proves we don’t give colorists enough credit.
Scarlet Witch (2023) - every issue of this is like its own mini portal fantasy novel, even the ones that aren’t technically portal fantasy. Lovely art.
I would also recommend looking out for anthology books like Batman: Black And White, Superman: Red And Blue or Marvel’s Black, White and Blood series, each of which features a different character.
