On HU

Featured Archive Post: Pam Rosenthal on Jo Baker’s Longbourn — literary fiction or romance?

Shonen Knife forever.

Ginsburg and Breyer have doomed us all.

Nate Atkinson wonders whether the superhero genre, or any genre, can be racist in itself.

Stephan Gary on ARTS video games, neoliberalism, and randomness.

Chris Gavaler on the X-files and super doctors.

The Premiere of Agents of Shield is really racist.

Episode 2 of Agents of SHIELD is also really racist. They’re on a role.
 
Utilitarians Everywhere

This was kind of an insane week. I had six pieces published in one day, which I think is a record…and the Playboy piece on Laverne Cox went semi-viral on twitter.

For Pacific Standard I wrote a piece on the importance of sex workers and former sex workers doing research on sex workers.

For Chicago Magazine I wrote about how Chicago’s torture reparations fit into the case for reparations for African-Americans.

At TNR I wondered why all the hate for Superman?

At the Life Sentence I explained why cozies are morally reprhensible.

At Reason I wrote about how Daredevil sacralizes torture.

For Playboy I wrote about:

—how the structure of twitter is optimized for abuse, and needs to be changes.

— how poptimism does’t limit music criticism; attention does.

—Laverne Cox posing nude and how radical feminism often fails black women and trans women.

At Quartz I wrote about how searching for happiness makes you unhappy. Also evil.

At Ravishly

—I wrote about Daredevil and how white saviors need injustice.

—I argued that to puncture the cult of motherhood we need to value other relationships, not independence.

At Splice Today I wrote about how Orphan Black’s male clones are kind of boring stereotypes.
 
Other Links

I think with all the above I’m a little link-exhausted…but if you have pieces you’d like to share in comments, that’d be great.
 

Wonder Woman News

Liz Baudler reviewed my book at New City.

On HU

Featured Archive Post: Michael Arthur on Magical girl anime.

Linke on Valerie D’Orazio and Goodbye to Comics.

Me on Insidious and why you need sin in your horror films.

Chris Gavaler on superheroines old and new.

Me on Orphan Black, Pam Rosenthal’s The Edge of Impropriety and how the closet shapes genre fiction.

Matt Healey on Green Fairy and searching for great furry genre fiction.

Patrick Carland on Steven Universe and narrative arcs in animated series.

Shonté Daniels on the mediocrity of Mario Party 10.
 
Utilitarians Everywhere

At the New Republic I wrote about how indie music defines itself through whiteness.

At the Atlantic I wrote about Trevor Noah and the petty etiquette of discrimination.

At Urbanfaith.com I wrote about Anthony Heilbut’s wonderful history of Gospel The Gospel Sound, still great some 40+ years later.

At Ravishly I wrote about:

—adolescent brain science and its limited applicability to policy

—Lena Dunham and how anti-Semitism has been abolished in America.

—the terrible new A&E show about saving sex workers.

—online abuse and privilege

—Azealia Banks’ whiteface video and appropriation

—CBR’s list of the greatest female comics creators and the surprising ways its different than their overall list of greatest comics creators.

At Splice Today I wrote about:

—Scott Walker, better a liar than a warmonger

—Lena Dunham, Stephin Merritt and weeping on the corpse of meritocracy.
 
Other Links

Katy Lee on Japan and blackface.

Robert Jones Jr. on DC’s Cyborg and racism.

Ijeoma Oluo on how your fave is problematic.

The Sun Times on efforts to move forward with torture reparations in Chicago.

Wonder Woman News

I am reading in New York on Monday! Hope to see some of you all there.

And my friend Bert Stabler posted some pictures of me reading in Urbana last Saturday. I stand before impressive windows.
 

 
On HU

Featured Archive Post: Caroline Small on Nina Paley, Jonathan Lethem, and how copyright kills culture.

Best Music of the Year So Far

Me on Gilette ads and gender roles.

Me, on Icon and what black superheroes can’t do.

Chris Gavaler on Houdini’s superpowers.

Brittany Lloyd on ecofeminism, Allende, and Nicolay.

Roy T. Cook tries to define comics, those pesky suckers.

Kailyn Kent on the unbearably apt whiteness of the “Wes Anderson” X-Men spoof.
 
Utilitarians Everywhere

At Urbanfaith.com I interviewed Mikki Kendall about diversity in comics, sci-fi, and YA.

At Ravishly I wrote about:

—Chris Hedges, Wonkette and how hatred of sex workers sells.

—why the Handmaid’s Tale is overrated, and Marge Piercy’s great A Woman At The End of Time.

—Batgirl and changing audiences in comics.

—how Starbucks should have a conversation about class and making workers do emotional labor for no pay.

At Splice Today I argued that the left should spend less time on the strategy of privilege discussions, and more time on their truth.

At the New Republic I wrote about Sensation Comics and why Wonder Woman needs her lasso of control back.
 
Other Links

Thor is selling better as a woman.

Katherine Cross on gg’s crusade against blocking.

Claire Napier on Chris Sims’ harassment of Valerie D’Orazio.

Sarah Nyberg on being outed and harassed by gamergate.

James Parker on trying to make G.K. Chesterton a saint.

On HU

Featured Archive Post: Comics vs. fashion editorials.

James Lamb on why superhero diversity isn’t enough.

Me on Static and how if you see racism you’re a supervillain.

Tom Syverson on The Bachelor, hysteria, and the pain of being an object.

Chris Gavaler on Paradise Lost, the first superhero story.

R.M. Rhodes on the contribution of art director John Workman to Heavy Metal.

Me on X-Men: Days of Future Past and the coming post-racial genocide.

Shonté Daniels reviewed the game Hot Tin Roof.
 
Utilitarians Everywhere

At the New Republic I wrote about the limits of diversity and how Octavia Butler created the greatest black superhero.

At Ravishly I wrote about:

—I interviewed Dee of blackrocktumblr about genre, rock, and race.

—I wrote about our forthcoming dog.

—I write about how writers aren’t romantic heroes.

At Splice I cheered Rahm not winning because he is a terrible mayor.
 
Other Links

Kenya Golden on Amber Rose.

Alyssa Rosenberg on barriers to the entertainment industry getting more diverse.

C.T. May on Harlequin and feminism.

New Open Mike Eagle EP
 

On HU

From the Archive: Aaron Costain on architecture and comics.

Christina Wintturi on why you can’t take the sex out of Barbie.

Me on Batgirl overturning the patriarchy.

Chris Gavaler on ouija boards and superpowers.

I interviewed Jordannah Elizabeth about her lovely new album.

Ibrahim Ineke on how the gothic and comics are intertwined.

On art, society, and fear of a Beyoncé think piece.

On how the right can’t even tell when it hates Jews anymore.
 
Utilitarians Everywhere

At Reason I wrote about how sex work stigma precedes criminalization, rather than the other way around.

At the Daily Beast I argued that Marvel comics aren’t better than the films in the handling of race.

At the Atlantic I reviewed Ted Gioia’s book on love songs (and Jessie J.)

At Ravishly I wrote about:

—the crappy cover for the new all-female Avengers title

— Beyoncé and all the better versions of Precious Lord.

—Dawn Richard and the reluctance to see black women as geniuses.

— being bored with your spouse.

At the Chicago Reader I did a review of a show on nudity.

At Splice I explained why Bobby Jindal insults John Boehner.
 
Other Links

Tessa Dare has a brilliant Taylor Swift fanfic.

Brianna Wu with some concrete actions folks can take to reduce harassment of women online.

Jessica Luther has a lengthy discussion of the implications of a Vanderbilt rape case.