On HU
Featured Archive Post: Warren Craghead adapts Wallace Stevens’ “The Rabbit As King of the Ghosts.”
EyeofSerpent with the erotic mind control short story, “Friendly Advice”. (not even a littls sfw.)
On CIA Spying and genocide in Indonesia.
Kristian Williams on Donnie Darko, the Perks of Being a Wallflower, and adolescent superhero psychosis.
Osvaldo Oyola on how underage girls age quickly in superhero comics so that the audience can sexualize them.
Me on Charles Johnson, Kathleen Gilles Seidel, and how romance depends on which parent is dead.
Qiana Whitted on Thierry Groensteen and when a grid isn’t a grid.
Ben Saunders with an anniversary appreciation of Keith Moon.
Utilitarians Everywhere
At the LA Review of Books I talked about Linda William’s new book On the Wire, liberalism vs. neoliberalism, and building a better panopticon.
I was on Huffpost Live talking about whether or not Shakespeare is still relevant.
At Splice Today I wrote about:
—The Handmaid’s Tale and appropriating the experiences of slavery.
—my midwest vacation. Kitsch and corn.
— James Baldwin and Ferguson.
Other Links
Meghan Murphy with a nice piece on Outkast and misogyny.
Richard Dawkins now telling random strangers why he hates them.
Tressie McMillan Cottom on the importance of black media.
C.T. May on the Guardians of the Galaxy soundtrack.
Tracy Q. Loxley with a short post on Milo Manara.
You are aware that the Dawkins story is a goof, right? It’s from an Onion-style comedy site.
Sure; I thought it was funny.
The only surprising thing about the Manara “controversy” is that it’s taken this long to happen
Not sure what you mean Jones? People should have been disgusted with Manara long ago…?
The thing I like about almost every discussion of the Manara kerfuffle is how the writers start off by telling us that they are not against erotic art, really. Now if they only realize that superheroes are our erotic art for kids.
Noah — kind of. This was always going to happen when Marvel started commissioning covers from Manara. I guess I was saying (a) anyone who knew Manara was doing covers should just have been waiting for the other shoe to drop, and so (b) the controversy should have been when they commissioned him in the first place. Of course Milo Manara was going to draw super-heroines in sexualised poses of stylised submission. Of course he was going to do that.
The other surprise about that cover is that Spider-Woman is not making the classic Manara face.
‘We learn, in an aside, that the regime hates the song “Amazing Grace”…’
I’d say good for the regime. Worst song ever written.
Ah, I can’t agree with that. Lots of wonderful versions of Amazing Grace. First recorded one is a fantastic sacred harp take; I really like Rod Stewart’s…and of course there are any number of lovely versions by gospel performers.