When Marvel announced last year that Thor was going to be female, there was some backlash from pockets of comic book fandom saying that the change went against the mythology of the comic, and that Marvel was just pandering to feminists. Of course, given our cultural climate, it’s hardly surprising that an objection would be made on the basis of Thor’s gender. But what’s weirder is that the basis of this objection is that it wouldn’t fit into a universe which, by its definition, was a fictional one, and as such could encompass whatever sort of characters we can imagine.
The vast majority of domains in geekery depend on imagination. Super Mario World, for example, is about an Italian-American plumber, who rides talking dinosaurs, can gain powers to kill everything in sight and fights a giant anthropomorphic turtle. The Avengers are a team of humanoids who fight mostly-humanoid enemies. The crew of the Starship Enterprise, while diverse in race and gender, are humans or humanoid, and they go to planets where the inhabitants are usually also humanoid. But even if we disregard the fact that most of these inhabitants are human (for example, in the case of Star Trek, there are obvious budgetary and practical reasons for casting humans), notice that in most of the characters we encounter in our hypothetical geek worlds are white, cisgender males. Even in our most diverse worlds, our heroes are, more often than not, white dudes.
GeekGirlCon is excited to announce the presence of featured contributor Susan Eisenberg at GeekGirlCon ‘14. Ms. Eisenberg is the voice of Wonder Woman on the Justice League animated series, and a nerdy role model. Her other geeky voice-acting credits include The Super Hero Squad (Power Princess), Star Wars: The Force Unleashed (Shaak-Ti), Jak II (Ashelin), Daxter (Taryn), Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, Mass Effect 3, and Destiny.
And this year we’re lucky enough to have her join us for several of the con’s highlights!
From veteran graphic novel lovers to comic book beginners, there’ll be something for every reader at GeekGirlCon ‘14! Offering jokes, action-packed panels, and instant graphic-ation (get it??), comics make fantastic gifts and collector items. Several brilliant web comic creators will make an appearance, so you can get your hands on content that’s usually only online. Here’s a tiny, tasty sampling of the readable goodies you’ll find in the Exhibitors Hall.
Artist Aaron Diaz will be coming up from Portland to display Dresden Codak, his impressive series of web comics. The futuristic storylines include female protagonist Kimiko “Kim” Ross, tongue-in-cheek humor, emotional truths, and a dash of steampunk-esque costumes. Fans of robots and complex mysteries will love the intertwining plots and imaginative characters—such as a TV-headed cat!
The creative team behind Weregeek will be joining the fun as well. Canadian trio Alina Pete, Layne Myhre, and Todd Myhre craft tales of die-hard D&D-players, vampire fans, and of course, Weregeeks—people who “get a handful of dice and an unholy hunger for Cheetoes” whenever a full moon rises. Sound like you? Swing by their booth to check out these clever, nerdtastic comics.
You can also use your fan-powers for good by supporting independent publishers at GeekGirlCon ‘14. One such example is Corvid Comics, a family-run press that issues comic books for both adults and children. Whether you dig black and white comics, full-color kids’ books, or both, you’re sure to walk away with a stack of future favorites to read—especially since their prices are ridiculously reasonable.
The inimitable Northwest Press team will be present to capture hearts and minds again this year. In their own words, the minds behind the company are “dedicated to publishing the best lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender comics collections and graphic novels”. This ultra-important mission has supported the LGBT community in a variety of ways, including by bringing realistic, underrepresented characters and their stories into the public eye. This press is truly doing fantastic things for the world—stop by their table to see them in action and meet your next favorite character.
On top of all this awesomeness, many exhibitors from GeekGirlCon ‘13 are coming back again! Meet or reconnect with the makers of Little Vampires, Skin Deep, Soulless, Larsen Geekery, and many more. Support independent artists and keep up on beloved storylines by picking up all the latest issues you may have missed over the past year.
This mini-list is but a glimpse into the countless comics that will be present at GeekGirlCon ‘14 for rookies and longtime readers alike. Be sure to check out the many panels (pun intended) pertaining to comic books as well. Buy your passes today and pore over all the geeky goodness with us!
As anyone who even vaguely pays attention to comics news has surely heard, Marvel Comics is continuing to broaden the diversity of their universe by spotlighting female characters in their own solo titles–and by making key characters Thor and Captain America a white woman and a black man respectively. Two of the new female solo titles of 2014–Storm and Ms. Marvel–feature women of color. It’s also arguable that the recent Kieron Gillen/Jamie McKelvie run of Young Avengers gave us the first all-queer superhero team in comics history.
Whether you think these developments are part of an ongoing commitment to diversity, or that they don’t go far enough, it’s true that the comics universe is leaps and bounds ahead of the Marvel cinematic universe in terms of representation.
Marvel Studios have been teasing us for a while now with the idea of a Black Widow film that’s supposedly “in development,” and Captain America: The Winter Soldier had a good-guy team backing up Cap that consisted of Black Widow, Maria Hill, Falcon, and Nick Fury (two white women and two black men). But Cap was still in charge, and so far, despite much pleading from the fanbase, there has been no definitive news of a female-fronted film.
So if you’re listening, Marvel Studios, here are my five top picks for women to head up their own movies.
Foul-mouthed. Dirty-minded. Hot-tempered and hell-raising. These terms describe many of my closest friends — so it’s only fitting I liked Alana of the comic book series Saga from the very first panel.
Published by the prolific Image Comics, Saga is an ongoing series written by award-winning Brian K. Vaughan, and gloriously illustrated by Fiona Staples. It showcases the love story of Alana and Marko — a couple reminiscent of Romeo and Juliet, but with literal stars crossing to foil their relationship. Alana is a winged creature from the planet Landfall, while Marko is from Landfall’s moon, Wreath, whose residents boast horns or antlers. The two celestial bodies are wrapped up in a ceaseless war so large, even citizens of surrounding galaxies get drawn in, though they have little to nothing to gain.
Realizing the fight’s absolute pointlessness after his first battle as a soldier, Marko surrenders to Landfall as a “conscientious objector.” While in prison, Alana is stationed as his guard, and the two bond over Alana’s favorite book — a romance novel rife with anti-war symbolism — and their disdain for the feuding between their homelands.
When Alana learns Marko is to be transferred to a confinement center for life, she spontaneously breaks his chains, and the two flee together, conceive a child, and quickly get married. Talk about love on the run!
As the unlikely trio is chased through space by family members, foes, and political forces, this epic story only gets wilder and more addicting — as does the intense personality of Alana. When it comes to protecting her child, Hazel, she is aggressive with a bone-chilling calm. In one scene, for example, a character attempts to kidnap Hazel for a financial reward, and Alana’s reaction is to put a gun to her own baby’s head, threatening to kill her to save her from a life of slavery. Almost every relationship Alana ends up enjoying — with her in-laws, Hazel’s babysitter, and Marko himself — begins with her being violent in order to protect herself or her loved ones. I admire these warrior-woman actions and attitudes because they occur out of necessity, not sick pleasure. (Most of the time, anyway!)
Another aspect of Alana I admire are her two favorite hobbies: reading books and having sex. Her passion for books is as voracious as her libido, and she’s not afraid to express either interest. You know that sick myth that women can’t be both sexually active and smart? Alana blows it out of the water without a second thought. In the same breath, she can express a cunning assessment of dangerous situations and her fierce desire to get it on with Marko. And she does it all with wit and unapologetic sarcasm — now that’s someone I want to hang out with.
Given her strong opinions and fiery feelings, Alana does have her faults, of course. She’s fitfully jealous over an ex-girlfriend of Marko’s, and is often detrimentally stubborn. My view, though, is that rather than making her emotionally unstable, these internal challenges actually help her become stronger, as she attempts to rein in her reactions for the sake of her family. Her jealousy isn’t petty, but born of justified concern, since Marko originally hid his past relationship, knowing the ex wasn’t exactly cool with the way things ended. Alana’s temperament isn’t tied to an affinity for drama, but is rather a result of the worlds she’s always inhabited. Her life has consisted of fight-or-flight situations over and over, and as a damn good combatant, she’s developed hair-trigger methods that help her stay alive.
On the flip side, Alana is a hopeless romantic at heart, and has so much compassion for the underdog it could fuel a solar system. She’s constantly scrutinizing individuals around her and frequently gives them the benefit of the doubt, so long as they’re not messing with her kin. Thanks to her volatile dedication, proud sexual prowess, love of books, and hilarious quips, Alana reads like a intriguing, intricate universe. The series is still being created and released, so who knows — she could totally end up disappointing us in the end — but for now, I’m rooting for this winged woman for sure.
If you’ve read any issues of Saga, what do you think of Alana’s disposition? Who is one of your favorite strong female characters in comics?
Written by Adrienne M. Roehrich, Manager of Editorial Services
Not too many weeks ago, GeekGirlCon ‘13 was held in Seattle, WA. ‘Geeks With Disabilities’ was a late addition to the programming at GeekGirlCon ‘13. Half-blind and half-deaf geek Elsa Sjunneson-Henry led the panel with ally Stevi Costa, a graduate student in literature who’s work focuses on disability in literature.
In case you missed the panel description on the Fresh Sheet: “From cosplay to comics to literature to superheroines, Geeks with Disabilities explores both the real life experiences of persons with disabilities (both visible and invisible) and their fictional media counterparts.”
Elsa Sjunneson-Henry in cosplay at GeekGirlCon ‘13. Image courtesy of Elsa Sjunneson-Henry.
First up, they tackled, “Why we should be talking about disability in pop culture. Why is it important to us, why is it important to have at a con like this.”
The use of disability in mainstream media is often used as a narrative crutch or as inspiration porn, and is usually something that happens to a character, not as a birth trait (unless the character is supernatural or a superhero.) And then the focus is on overcoming the disability. Stevi points out that an able-bodied viewer then reads that as an inspiration for overcoming obstacles. Elsa says as a person with a disability, she “dreams about things I want to do, not the things I can’t do.”
This led into a discussion about Glee, a show they love to “hate-watch.” Glee was chosen as a place to start because it is promoting a neo-liberal, multi-diversity, body-positive, all-inclusive environment. Critiques included having an able-bodied person play the wheelchair using character, who, in one episode, gets out of his wheelchair and dances. The episode is doubly unfortunate because it completely obliterates the previous effort of the show up until that point of normalizing this situation.
In another episode, an outrageously expensive piece of equipment, the ReWalk, appears. This is an amazing tool that creates an odd juxtaposition that it is never seen in the series again. Elsa says, “If someone gave me a bionic eye for Christmas, you can be sure as hell I’d be wearing it every single day.”
Yet, they later do other things right. For instance, two paralyzed characters get together and crack what Stevi calls “a great joke afterwards that nobody gets unless they were a person with a disability or an ally in that community.”
Elsa points out the episode in The Glee Project where a music video about bullying was being made, and the cane of the blind character was taken away as a bullying moment. This moment was painful to Elsa, who has experienced the same situation where bullies have taken her cane away in order to make fun of her. In addition, the show handled it very poorly by not admonishing the actor who made this decision, which could have hurt his scene partner.
They moved onto the character Becky Jackson, a character with Down Syndrome played by an actor with Downs. Stevi particularly likes her sassiness. Her character was well-developed, and then inexplicably she becomes a school-shooter. Her action and motivation are inconsistent with the character. Her motivation is given as she is afraid to graduate, which implies there is no life for those with disabilities after they leave the support of high school. Elsa points out “I survived, I went to college, I did all of the things I wanted to do, and now I’m sitting in front of you because I actually have a profession.” She clarifies that she was afraid to leave her very supportive high school where she was given tools to excel, but that she went out into the world, and it didn’t require blowing fear out of proportion into harming those around her.
Comics were delved into, with specific mentions of Oracle, a character that had been paralyzed and then was cured in the reboot of her storyline. She is the most high profile woman in comics with a visible disability, and the creators took that away. Not only was she in a wheelchair, she was drawn correctly, which got a thumbs up. Daredevil was well-liked because he was blind and used a cane and was super awesome and had some extra-sensory stuff going on. Unfortunately, he never used his cane while in his superhero costume. Elsa wanted to see a superhero’s cane, so she had someone make her one. Notwithstanding, the movie, with its Braille credits, didn’t even keep Elsa viewing for more than the first couple minutes.
Photo by Tyler Pruitt.
This brought the panel into a discussion of disability and cosplay. “People with disabilities should be able to cosplay. We should be able to cosplay as whoever we want. And I believe we should not be told, ‘you cannot play that character because you are blind’,” says Elsa. When cosplaying, able-bodied people can fall into some issues. One of which is asking those with disabilties where they got their props – such as a cataracted eyeball. Elsa has been asked exactly this about her blind eye which she has from birth as a Rubella baby.
Another issue becomes that of cultural appropriation. While cosplay in cultures involving race and ethnicity has a voice, one that is still silent is that of disability. Disability does have a culture. So, when able-bodied people put on a disability, such as an eye patch, a cane, a wheelchair, as a costume, when they disable themselves for fashion or costuming, it makes Elsa and many of her friends very frustrated. They need legitimacy. They need to be recognized and read as people with disabilities. The more that able-bodied people use disability as a costume and fictionalize it, the more the disabled have to explain themselves. Elsa says, “Also, I really like it when people treat me like a human being and not like a fictional character.”
From there, the discussion moved onto what happens when able-bodied actors play disabled characters and then are rewarded for doing so. It intensifies the fictionalization problem. Examples include Daniel Day Lewis playing Christy Brown in My Left Foot, Al Pacino’s oscar for playing a blind man (badly), and Tom Hanks who is rewarded for both Forrest Gump and Philadelphia.It is pointed out that there are many actors who have the disabilities these able-bodied actors are wearing, that directors could be using. When The Miracle Worker appeared on Broadway a few years ago, a call went out for visually impaired actresses to play Helen Keller. Unfortunately, they were slated to be an understudy for an able-bodied actress. This is problematic. An attendee mentioned that name recognition is a part of that cycle. Stevi says that the ‘cult of personality’ that arises around actors doesn’t happen with disabled actors because it is seen as a limitation.
The panel asks, Can we shift from seeing disability as a limitation to seeing what we can do with people of various bodies?
The panel moved onto discussing conventions (cons) and accessible spaces. GeekGirlCon got some kudos for having Introvert Alley, a place for people to go to relax and find some peace away from the crowds, and also because the community of GeekGirlCon is respectful. Elsa mentions seeing many people with disabilities present who seem pretty comfortable. She relates the story that someone recognized her SteamCane as a White Cane and moved someone out of the way for her, which was a novel experience for her at a con. Other cons were called out for a lack of accessibility. Cons can do well to think about things like how to get around, having ASL interpreters, having the hearing aid link into the sound system available, and including panels that discuss these things.
A question arose about how to read if a disability exists and if the tool that is being used is necessary. This discussion did spark a bit of ire in the attending group. Generally it came down to trust. It’s inappropriate to request someone disclose their disability – visible or invisible. Unfortunately, there is enough stigma surrounding having a disability requiring a tool, such as having a therapy dog present, that people are highly uncomfortable self-identifying with those disabilities. There becomes a line where someone who is trying to be an ally can cross into policing. Again, trusting people to be using a tool to take care of their own (likely invisible) disability, of which there are many, rather than abusing such a tool or putting on the tool as a way to get something they want, is necessary.
This transitioned into the topic of policing. We moved a little out of the realm of geek culture into life in general. Stevi brings up the topic of able-bodied people becoming angry at someone for using a handicap parking space who doesn’t appear to need it, but it isn’t really the place of an able-bodied person to take on that issue. There are those who don’t need their cane every single day. Just because Elsa can wear glasses and read her smart phone does not mean she isn’t blind. She is blind and having an able-bodied person ask her if she is really blind or pick up her white cane because he is curious infringes on her person. She says, “It isn’t okay.” It isn’t okay for any person to investigate her disability and inquire as to how she became disabled. (Disabled cred, anyone?) Generally, socially, people with disabilities are seen as public property, and not as the human beings they are.
Bringing it back into media, Stevi points out that much of the viewpoint of people with disabilities being investigated comes from the narrative of the able-bodied become disabled through some event is the dominant paradigm. So therefore people who are unaware of this cultural conditioning feel free to ask about this life event, regardless of if there is one or if it is appropriate to ask.
About this time, the panel opened the discussion up to the floor. While this post doesn’t cover all of the topics brought up by the floor, here are a few highlights:
“Covert Affairs” is mentioned, not as a good show, but because the character is blind and has a sexual storyline, which is rare and happens to be done correctly.
Yes, people with disabilities are sexy. Yes, they know they are sexy. How? As Stevi points out, Elsa has hands.
Recommendations for shows, media, comic series where characters have disabilities but they aren’t focused on as an issue: Switched at Birth, The Michael J. Fox Show,
The actor who plays the forensic doctor on CSI gets a mention.
Hawkeye having lost 80% of his hearing in a storyline in the 1980s (estimated.) Fan culture embracing it both problematic and also excellent.
Back to cosplay – there’s no issue with those who have a disability cosplaying able-bodied characters. However, able-bodied people cosplaying characters with disabilities need to find a way to cosplay without using the character’s assistive devices, says Elsa. While Stevi says that intention and respect is important. She feels that one can use assistive devices in a respectful way, and a way that actually makes the device clearly not real. E.g., Jordi LaForge’s visor gets a pass because it isn’t a real assistive device.
Elsa does video game reviews from a disability standpoint at Feminist Sonar.
The more narratives we see where someone’s physicality is treated like the color of their hair, a t-shirt they are wearing, and just normal, the better.
Did you attend the Geeks with Disabilities panel at GeekGirlCon ’13? Tell us about your experience in the comments here.
What do you want to see at GeekGirlCon ‘14? Subscribe to the Newsletter to find out when programming calls open to put your ideas in.
Street harassment: at best, it’s irritating, like a buzzing fly that won’t leave you alone. At worst, it’s scary and makes you feel unsafe. Most of us have experienced it at least once, if not several dozen times. And we’re tired of it.
The good news is that women (and other folks) all over the world are putting that fed-up energy to good use. Hollaback is an international movement to end street harassment, with chapters from Argentina to Turkey, including several cities in the US.
2011 comic cover
Hollaback encourages folks to take action, and HollabackPHILLY took an innovative approach to that mission. Working with Philadelphia-based artist Erin Filson, they created an anti-street harassment comic book for use in education workshops. Fundraising to publish the comic was so successful, they’ve also been able to translate the comic into ten (!) languages and are at work on a choose-your-own-adventure computer-based comic.
According to their website, HollabackPHILLY is “on a mission to make conventions safer.” At GeekGirlCon ‘13, they will lead a panel on comics for social good, culture jamming, and a more inclusive geek culture. They’ll talk about some simple ways for you to get involved in anti-harassment efforts at cons.
Interview by AJ Dent, GeekGirlCon Staff Copy Writer
Kelly Sue DeConnick
If ever there were an author who’s as much a superheroine as the characters she writes about, it’s Kelly Sue DeConnick. From adapting manga into English to revamping Captain Marvel, her comic book career knows no bounds. We are very excited to welcome her to GeekGirlCon ‘13!
Recently, I had the honor of chatting with her about women in the comic book industry, her collaboration with artist Kelly Rios, and her prolific career.
Are there any particular challenges or flak you’ve received for your reinvention of Captain Marvel?
I know there are people who aren’t into it, but for the most part, they don’t seek me out to let me know. The people who seek me out are the ones who are super into it. So from the beautiful little bubble that I live in, it is a resounding success! [Laughs] I mean, there are things about my own performance I am not happy with, because I’m on a learning curve. I have ten years in the industry, but I only have three years writing original comics. It has been a kind of whirlwind.
I have been very lucky. In 2007 was Eben and Stella, and then my son was born, and I went back to doing very little for about a year, so I had to kind of restart my career again. So it’s really only been three years I’ve been back at it. Ten-plus years as a professional writer, ten years in the comic book industry, but really only three doing this kind of thing, and only one doing a monthly superhero comics. And let me tell you, monthly superhero comics are a grind! I am not particularly gifted at that part of it.
Matt [Fraction] and Brian [Bendis] are both very fast and very good. They’re also both a lot more experienced than I am so I try to take solace in that, but I don’t know how long I get to ride that. I don’t know if I’m getting faster fast enough. I don’t know if I can keep the quality up the way that they do. When I start getting too upset about it, Matt points out that Sandman never came out monthly, and Gaiman was doing just Sandman. He’s one of my favorite comic book writers of all time, and he is not fast either. Now someone will probably hear that and suggest that I’m comparing myself to Gaiman, which is not my intention! [Laughs] This is just to say that better artists than me have had the same problem.
Back in the day you could get away with not being fast enough in a market that insists on being fast, but you cannot get away with it now. But most of my favorite comic book writers working today are crazy fast! They’re just amazing. They keep the quality up, and they put them out like clockwork. I have not figured out how to do that yet, and I say ‘yet’ because I haven’t quite given up yet. But I’m teetering on the edge of giving up! [Laughs]
Have you seen any shifts for women working in the comic book industry over the course of your career? Do any current trends particularly excite or frustrate you?
I think popular culture is reflective of culture in general, and we are having a lot of conversations right now about what happened to the women’s movement, how it sort of fizzled, and how it seems to kind of be coming back again. Unfortunately, I think—and I’ll reveal my political leanings here a bit, as though it was a secret to anyone!—women have been culturally under duress, if not attack, over the last few years, and are certainly starting to respond. And I think that female comic book characters came to the fore and made big strides in the 40s, in the 70s, and again right now—not coincidentally in times when women’s movements was coming to the fore. In the height of the second wave movement in the 70s, in the 40s when women were going into the workplace, it is not a coincidence. So you see this conversation happening a lot right now, in our industry and about our industry and in our fandom.
I think that that is very exciting to me in one respect; in another I do get frustrated because it’s a difficult balancing act. I want to talk about it, it’s something that interests me. As a young woman, I was not aware of having experienced any sexism until I was well into my adulthood, it was probably not until I was married that I was aware of it. It wasn’t until deeper into my career did I start to see, “Oh! Oh, yeah! That’s why that happened!” And so I think that sometimes there are people who have not yet experienced it—and I say yet with unfortunate resign—who do not think that it exists, so I think it’s important to call it out when it happens, as much as you can and as delicately as you can.
At the same time, boy am I sick of this being the conversation! My husband’s gender almost never comes up in an interview. I would say never, but I don’t know, maybe it has come up once, I’m not sure, but I kind of doubt it. When Brian Bendis was invited to write Spider-Woman: Agent of SWORD, no one asked, “Ooh, are you going to be able to write that? You’re not a spider!” [Laughs] You know? “Aren’t you afraid you’ll bring too much masculinity to that character? Are you only going to write about her hitting and punching things?”
These conversations don’t happen in reverse. Although, when you put them in reverse, you can sometimes illustrate just how asinine they are. But I get sick of it. I get sick of the notion that I am “other.” My husband is a writer, my friend Brian is a writer. I’m a “girl writer.” It fucking sucks. I don’t want to be a “girl writer.” I’m a girl, yes, I’m a woman, I’m also a mother, an outspoken feminist, and I’m proud of all these things, but the entirety of my identity doesn’t need to be present in these things. It becomes that adjunct thing—“you are other.” The joke I always make is that I don’t want to be Girl Writer any more than I want to be Lady Deadpool. It’s like, “You are the linguistic Other.” Now watch, the world’s biggest Lady Deadpool fan will write me: “There is nothing wrong with Lady Deadpool!” Missing the point. [Laughs] Missing the point.
So I have mixed emotions about the conversation happening right now, and my role in it. On the one hand, I think it is important, because as much as it may infuriate me, as much as it may at times embarrass me, you know, I think every time I have this conversation is one time my daughter doesn’t have to. Fingers crossed.
What advice would you give young geeks who are interested in working in the comic book industry?
I have so much advice, I can teach a class on it! It’s hard to boil down into a line or two, but the most important thing is to stop making excuses. Any creative pursuit is scary, and you’re not going to be as good as you want to be. You’re probably never going to be as good as you want to be, but if you never start, that guarantees it.
Start making comics. It doesn’t matter if you can’t draw, it doesn’t matter if you don’t have an artist. Do them with stick figures, make mini-comics, use cut-outs from magazines, use pictures, or just start practicing writing scripts. One thing you can try is to take your favorite comic and reverse-engineer it. Try writing the script that would have produced that comic. You don’t need anything to do that except a notebook, a pen, a comic book, and some time.
So start. I get inquiries from people who want to know how to get jobs writing comics, and they’ve not written comics. You know, I’m not going to hire a plumber to fix my sink if he’s only ever washed his hands. Using a sink does not qualify you to build a sink.
So start. Start now. I started too late, I will tell you. I am 43 years old, I have two small children, and I am utterly exhausted. The number of all-nighters I have pulled to keep up with my deadlines is stupid, so don’t do what I did. Start now. I am an idiot: do not follow my path.
Everybody wants to wait until they’re hired, or they say it’s hard to find an artist, it’s all very, very hard. It is all very, very hard. You must do it anyway.
Talk about inspirational tough love! For more life lessons and looks into the works of Kelly Sue, catch Part 2 of our interview with her next week!
Make sure you don’t miss out on seeing Kelly Sue at GeekGirlCon ‘13—buy your passes now!
DeConnick’s best-known comic credit is her involvement with Marvel Comics and the evolution of Ms. Marvel, a character with beginnings in the 1970s as a feminist character named Carol Danvers, into Captain Marvel. The role of Carol Danvers has grown through many personal hardships, from identity crises to alternate reality disasters to alcoholism. DeConnick emphasizes the character’s strength in overcoming and living through these challenges, and focuses on the amazing woman who has become Captain Marvel.
“Kelly Sue DeConnick is a talented writer and a strong advocate for women in comics,” said Jennifer K. Stuller, Director of Programming and Events. “We are thrilled that she is coming to GeekGirlCon ’13!”
For more information on her fantastic catalog, check out Kelly Sue DeConnick’s author page on Amazon for information on her available titles.
Comic books were once a child’s domain. Now not so much. Today’s Batman and Iron Man are aimed more for teenagers and, let’s face it, those more in their 30s than for those beginning their love for the graphic novel*. You may look fondly on your younger self, sitting around following the adventures of Wonder Woman, the X-Men, or Archie. But where do you start for your child?
The following 10 comic books are ones that I’d recommend for children ages 7-12, who might find a story to love. And, parents, you just might love them too.
I Kill Giants by Joe Kelly and J. M. Ken Niimura
There are monsters in every child’s life, but one girl, Barbara Thorson, is ready to fight them. And she’s preparing the world for her battle or at least trying. Barbara’s tale touches your heart, especially as she fights her demons: both real and imaginary. Between Kelly’s thoughtful writing and Niimura’s beautiful art, they bring Barbara’s story to life. Let I Kill Giants warm your heart.
Mouse Guard: Fall 1152 by David Peterson
One of my favorite comic books about the bravery of small things: in this case, mice. Mouse Guard draws you in with its beautiful art and keeps you around with its big heart. The Mouse Guard valiantly defends all mice territories from threats like eagles, weasels, foxes, crabs, and sometimes even larger creatures. Despite their size, the mice risk their lives for each other and work together to bring down their larger enemies. Soon Saxon, Kenzie, and Liam will be your new friends. Buy Mouse Guard.
Runaways Vol. 1: Pride & Joy by Brian K. Vaughan and Adrian Alphona
Ever wonder what would happen if you found out your parents were super villains? That’s just what happens to these six teenagers (plus, one pet velociraptor). After finding out that their parents play for the dark side, they run away and plot to stop their parents. Also Vaughan doesn’t forget that they need practical things like food and shelter. How would you react to finding out that your parents are evil? Join the Runaways on their epic adventures.
Dolltopia by Abby Denson
I pretty much cannot stop raving about Denson’s Dolltopia. As a little girl, I played with dolls, mostly Barbies, Ninja Turtles, Batman, or Star Trek ones, all the time. There were extensive narrations in my head and certainly, ones like Denson’s book, that defied heteronormative gender identities. But before you go thinking Dolltopia might be too much of an intense genderqueer narrative for a child, it’s just subversive enough. It is, at its crux, a story drawn in all black and white and hot pink about a group of dolls that escape humans’ homes to find themselves. Whomever they may be. And there’s nothing stronger to give a child to read, but a book that tells them that they will be loved, no matter who they are. Get some subversive fun in your life.
Rose and Isabel by Ted Mathot
Take a historical trip back to the Civil War with Rose and Isabel, two sisters who don’t sit idly by while their three brothers go off to fight with the Union soldiers. But Rose and Isabel are no ordinary women; they come from a long line of warrior women. And even though they were taught pacifism and kindness all their lives, neither will tolerate the loss of their family. Travel back in time to meet these strong ladies.
Spider-Man Loves Mary Jane Vol. 1: Super Crush by Sean McKeever and Takeshi Miyazawa
Ever want to know what Mary Jane thought of Spider-Man when they were in high school? Now you can walk the halls with Mary Jane, Peter Parker, Flash Thompson, Liz Allen, Harry Osborn, and Gwen Stacey as they all try to figure out who they are becoming. Miyazawa manga-style art makes this teenage romp even cuter. Discover Mary Jane and Spider-Man in their early days.
Kevin Keller: Welcome to Riverdale by Dan Parent
Who doesn’t have fond memories of going to the orthodontist and reading Archie and the adventures of the rest of the gang in Riverdale? It can’t just be me. Well, today, the whole loveable gang’s still around getting up to their typical shenanigans that still make adults go “those darn kids!” Recently, current writer and artist Parent has introduced a new pal to the bunch, Kevin Keller. Kevin’s most famous for being Archie’s first gay character. Get to know Kevin and how he’s just another darn kid.
Doctor Who: The Only Good Dalek by Justin Richards and Mike Collins
Hiding from Daleks behind couches is a strong British childhood tradition I’d like to bring to the States. Exterminate! Here the Doctor and Amy Pond must stop the Daleks from invading Earth (again) and follow up on some rumors about there being a good Dalek. (The Doctor is not a believer.) My favorite scene is where a Dalek sinks into lava; now that’s something I’d like to see on the show. Do you believe in good Daleks?
GoGirl Vol. 1 by Trina Robbins and Anne Timmons
When Lindsay inherits her mother Janet’s superpowers, her teenage life involves more than just algebra. Inspired by Robbins own relationship with her daughter, GoGirl fosters a great mother-daughter relationship, not to mention equally awesome female friendships. In the first story, Lindsay saves her best friend Haseena, who’s been kidnapped, with the help of Janet and Haseena herself. Thoughout the book, Lindsay learns a lot about life, growing up, and her mother’s love as she starts fighting crime. And, of course, her adventures are just really a lot of fun. Take an adventure with GoGirl!
The Saga of Rex by Michel Gagne
Rex, a fox, gets taken from Earth to a faraway world to be studied. Due to his charismatic nature, he ends up traveling the universe and meeting his soul mate. In a comic with few words, Gagne paints every cosmic scene and discovers other worlds, species, and a bit of magic through the point-of-view of a fox. This adorable fox will melt your heart no matter what planet you’re from.
What comic books do you recommend for those under 12?
*Graphic novels are collected versions of comic books. Though sometimes these book might go straight to graphic novel format and skip the single issue.
Erica McGillivray is the Director of Marketing for GeekGirlCon.