super art fight – Comicsgirl https://www.comicsgirl.com Sat, 30 Jun 2018 15:07:52 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.5.3 https://www.comicsgirl.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/cropped-EdenMiller2017-1-32x32.jpg super art fight – Comicsgirl https://www.comicsgirl.com 32 32 59683043 Happy 20th birthday, Comicsgirl! https://www.comicsgirl.com/2018/07/01/happy-20th-birthday-comicsgirl/ Sun, 01 Jul 2018 13:00:02 +0000 http://www.comicsgirl.com/?p=4767

On July 1, 1998, the first incarnation of Comicsgirl officially launched. The internet was a very different place then and no, I didn’t think I’d still be trying to hang onto this 20 years later. I mean, 2018 was completely the future! I have no idea if that teenager who thought it would be cool to make a website would be happy or sad I’m still doing this. I may have been overly ambitious, but it was 1998 and there was a need!

I admit to being naive in some of the language I used but I do admire how generous I attempted to be, even if I was — admittedly — really imperfect at it.

The early days of Comicsgirl are long since gone from the internet, for the most part. There’s still the Wayback Machine, so let’s revisit some of the things I wrote (not all are from the earliest version of the site — the oldest version I could find was from October 1999, but close enough!) Also, I just tossed these images in — they weren’t ones from the original site (and the introductions to these posts did have creator/publisher information and such).

About The Sandman:

The Sandman was an ambitious project about the Lord of Dreams and his family, The Endless (Destiny, Death, Delirium, Destruction, Desire, Despair), and the mortal (and often not so mortal) dreamers they encountered. The Sandman delved deeply into mythology, history, and literature. It has been said that The Sandman is a story about stories, and I will easily agree with that.

The Sandman, mainly because it was a nontraditional comic book (meaning that it generally lacked men in tights and capes fighting crime), appealed to many women. Neil Gaiman’s personal estimate of its readership is about 50/50 split between males and females. Three and a half of the seven Endless are female (Death, Despair, Delirium, and sometimes Desire), and many strong female characters play prominent roles in the storylines. Even though some of the female characters may be strippers, or murdered, they are never presented as being mere sex objects or victims. From the coldly independent Thessaly, to the sweet, lonely Nuala, to the quick intelligence Johanna Constantine, every woman in The Sandman has self-worth and is presented as being nothing less than whole. One character remarks in The Sandman that “All women are remarkable.” Everything about the women in this title would agree with that. Highest recommendation possible.

About Elfquest:

ElfquestElfquest is a fantasy comic book concerning a group of elves named the Wolfriders. These elves evolved after a race of being accidentally landed at the wrong time on a fantasy world. They struggle against humans who believed them to be demons, cruel trolls, and even other treacherous elves in a struggle for survival in a world where they do not belong.

Elfquest, which was written and illustrated for many years by a woman, has an abundance of female characters, each multidimensional with her own strengths and weaknesses. The female elves are treated on the same terms as the male elves, and neither gender is made to look superior or inferior. The writing and artwork deals with them both equally. While the women are sometimes scantily clad and well-figured, the men are drawn exactly in the same manner, and neither is offensive. The stories are excellent, the art is great, and Elfquest is just downright fun. Highly Recommended.

About Batman: The Dark Knight Returns:

In this dark and historic miniseries, Frank Miller explores what effect superheroes have on society. Ten years after Bruce Wayne retired from being Batman, a new crime wave has hit Gotham City. Although he is older, Bruce Wayne feels the drive and desire to become Batman once again, and does so not realizing how the world has changed since the last time Batman appeared.

I almost did not want to review this, because the question came up…is The Dark Knight Returns “female-friendly”? Well, it’s not “friendly” in any way, although it is a monumental work–as relevant today as it was ten years ago, and it probes deeply into the psyche of one of the world’s most beloved superheroes, but is it something female comic book readers would enjoy? I can only speak from experience that I am a female comic book reader, and I liked it a lot.

I would like you to be warned–this is no simple superhero tale. It is violent, unnerving, unrelenting. Those aspects of the book can’t be ignored. But The Dark Knight Returns is also about the sweet, fatherly relationship Batman has with the new Robin, a thirteen-year old girl, and Batman’s continuous attempt to save himself from the torture of the memory of the violent killing of his parents he witnessed as a child. These aspects humanize the book. It’s not just mindlessly violent, nor a thoughtless tale of fighting crime. It’s about one man’s misguided mission to save his city from crime–to stop what happened to him from happening to anyone else. In that regard, the book is worthy of being read and something will be gained from doing so. So reservations about “female-friendliness” aside: Highly Recommended.

Yeah, and that’s enough of that. Did I mention I was a teenager and this was more or less 20 years ago?

In all honesty, though, doing this has brought so many good things into my life. People were generous with their comics and I got to read a lot of things I wouldn’t have otherwise. I was once vaguely considered an “expert” and people even interviewed me about my site! It lead to getting involved with Small Press Expo and that’s been amazing. I’ve made countless friends — including people I absolutely consider to be my family. It indirectly (and directly) lead to job opportunities. It has been frustrating at times, sure, but I think there’s a good reason that even after 20 years, I haven’t wanted to let go of this.

Mostly, it’s been such a huge part of my life and I’ve loved it so much.

I’ve watched the internet change from websites (remember when I used to run a webring? Do you even know what a webring is?) to blogs to … whatever space we’re in now. I like change but I hope I can keep up.

I had fun going through my site and rereading things. I’ve collected a few of them.

Favorite posts (that aren’t reviews):

My favorite reviews:

Three reviews by special guests:

Despite the fact I haven’t updated this site in nearly a year, I don’t consider it “dead” — I’m just … taking a break. I have some plans for the next era of this site. I’m getting there! I may even bring the podcast back! But really, thank you to everyone who has ever indulged me with this. You’re all a delight.

]]> 4767 The D.C. Area Comics Scene for June 18 https://www.comicsgirl.com/2013/06/18/the-d-c-area-comics-scene-for-june-18/ Tue, 18 Jun 2013 22:30:21 +0000 http://www.comicsgirl.com/?p=3838 News/reviews/interviews:

Publications:

New releases:

  • Emotional Distance #2, Zach Mason (Purchase)
  • Cartoon Picayune Summer 2013: The Hard Work Issue, edited by Josh Kramer (Purchase)

Events:

Have comic news or events related to the D.C. area to share? Email me by 4 p.m. Tuesday. More information is here.

]]> 3838 The D.C. Area Comics Scene for June 4 https://www.comicsgirl.com/2013/06/04/the-d-c-area-comics-scene-for-june-4/ Tue, 04 Jun 2013 22:56:05 +0000 http://www.comicsgirl.com/?p=3831 Publications:

Events:

Have comic news or events related to the D.C. area to share? Email me by 4 p.m. Tuesday. More information is here.

]]> 3831 The D.C. Area Comics Scene for May 28 https://www.comicsgirl.com/2013/05/28/the-d-c-area-comics-scene-for-may-28/ Tue, 28 May 2013 22:30:47 +0000 http://www.comicsgirl.com/?p=3809 News/reviews/interviews:

Debuts/new stuff:

Presentations:

Publications:

Kickstarter:

Events:

Have comic news or events related to the D.C. area to share? Email me by 4 p.m. Tuesday. More information is here.

 

]]> 3809 The D.C. Area Comics Scene for May 14 https://www.comicsgirl.com/2013/05/14/the-d-c-area-comics-scene-for-may-14/ Tue, 14 May 2013 22:03:26 +0000 http://www.comicsgirl.com/?p=3796 Event reports:

Kickstarter:

Events:

Have comic news or events related to the D.C. area to share? Email me by 4 p.m. Tuesday. More information is here.

]]> 3796 The D.C. Area Comics Scene for April 23 https://www.comicsgirl.com/2013/04/23/the-d-c-area-comics-scene-for-april-23/ Tue, 23 Apr 2013 22:58:16 +0000 http://www.comicsgirl.com/?p=3729 News/reviews/interviews:

Event coverage:

Podcasts:

Free Comic Book Day events (May 4):

  • Matt Dembicki, S.G. Artley and Michael Cowgill at Big Planet Comics,  Vienna, Va.
  • Andrew Cohen and Evan Keeling  at Big Planet Comics, Washington, D.C.
  • Art Hondros at Big Planet Comics, Bethesda, Md.
  • Troy-Jeffery Allen and Matt Rawson at Fantom Comics, Washington, D.C.
  • Jacob Warrenfelt?z at Third Eye Comics, Annapolis, Md.
  • Rafer Roberts and John Shine at Beyond Comics, Gaithersburg, Md.
  • Carolyn Belefski and Joe Carabeo at Laughing Ogre Comics, Fairfax, Va.
  • Rob Anderson at Laughing Ogre, Lansdowne, Va.
  • Cary Nord, Brandon Seifert, Greg LaRocqoue, Joe Keatinge, Mike Moreci, Steve Seeley, Marc Hempel at Collectors Corner, Baltimore, Md.
  • Adam Kubert, Frank Cho, and Steve Conley at Cards, Comics & Collectibles, Riestertown, Md.

Kickstarter:

Events:

Have comic news or events related to the D.C. area to share? Email me by 4 p.m. Tuesday. More information is here. I’m still taking FCBD events.

]]> 3729 The D.C. Area Comics Scene for April 16 https://www.comicsgirl.com/2013/04/16/the-d-c-area-comics-scene-for-april-16/ Tue, 16 Apr 2013 23:01:32 +0000 http://www.comicsgirl.com/?p=3721 News/reviews/interviews/etc.

Announcements:

Free Comic Book Day events (May 4):

  • Matt Dembicki, S.G. Artley and Michael Cowgill at Big Planet Comics,  Vienna, Va.
  • Andrew Cohen and Evan Keeling  at Big Planet Comics, Washington, D.C.
  • Art Hondros at Big Planet Comics, Bethesda, Md.
  • Troy-Jeffery Allen and Matt Rawson at Fantom Comics, Washington, D.C.
  • Jacob Warrenfelt?z at Third Eye Comics, Annapolis, Md.
  • Rafer Roberts and John Shine at Beyond Comics, Gaithersburg, Md.
  • Carolyn Belefski and Joe Carabeo at Laughing Ogre Comics, Fairfax, Va.
  • Rob Anderson at Laughing Ogre, Lansdowne, Va.
  • Cary Nord, Brandon Seifert, Greg LaRocqoue, Joe Keatinge, Mike Moreci, Steve Seeley, Marc Hempel at Collectors Corner, Baltimore, Md.

Kickstarter:

Events:

Have comic news or events related to the D.C. area to share? Email me! Submit no later than Monday at 9 p.m. for inclusion each Tuesday, but the earlier, the better! More information is here. I’m still taking FCBD events.

]]> 3721 The D.C. Area Comics Scene for April 9 https://www.comicsgirl.com/2013/04/09/the-d-c-area-comics-scene-for-april-9/ Tue, 09 Apr 2013 12:00:10 +0000 http://www.comicsgirl.com/?p=3712 I will be listing Free Comic Book Day-related events starting next week. If you got them, send them along! Thanks!

News/reviews/interviews/etc. (both of these are related):

Event announcements:

Kickstarter:

Events:

Not quite comics:

Have comic news or events related to the D.C. area to share? Email me! Submit no later than Monday at 9 p.m. for inclusion each Tuesday, but the earlier, the better! More information is here.

]]> 3712 The D.C. Area Comics Scene for April 2 https://www.comicsgirl.com/2013/04/02/the-d-c-area-comics-scene-for-april-2/ Tue, 02 Apr 2013 23:30:44 +0000 http://www.comicsgirl.com/?p=3707 Event reports:

Kickstarter:

Events:

Not quite comics:

Have comic news or events related to the D.C. area to share? Email me! Submit no later than Monday at 9 p.m. for inclusion each Tuesday, but the earlier, the better! More information is here. I would especially love any Free Comic Book Day events!

]]> 3707 The D.C. Area Comics Scene for Feb. 26 https://www.comicsgirl.com/2013/02/26/the-d-c-area-comics-scene-for-feb-26/ Tue, 26 Feb 2013 23:30:22 +0000 http://www.comicsgirl.com/?p=3651 Monica Gallager, Nicole J. Georges and Sally Madden sign books at Atomic Books in Baltimore, Md., Feb. 21.
Monica Gallagher, Nicole J. Georges and Sally Madden sign books at Atomic Books in Baltimore, Md., Feb. 21.

News/interviews/reviews:

Event reports:

Publications:

Events:

Two outside the area (but close enough!) shows worth noting:

Note: I’ll be at MSU Comics Forum this weekend, and I think this is a good time to remind everyone that if you’re from the area and going to an event somewhere else, let me know! Also, if you’re not from the area but will be for something, let me know that too! Necessary information is all below!

Have comic news or events related to the D.C. area to share? Email me! Submit no later than Monday at 9 p.m. for inclusion each Tuesday, but the earlier, the better! More information is here.

]]> 3651