Utilitarian Review 9/6/14

On HU

Featured Archive Post: Emily Thomas on The Nao of Brown and representations of mental illness.

The most covered songs ever, from St. Louis Blues to Sweet Home Chicago.

We had a thread on whether video games can be good art.

Kailyn Kent on the low-key use of wine in Obvious Child.

Chris Gavaler‘s play “Crisis on Infinite Earths”, on superheroes, saints and dinosaurs.

Michael Arthur on the feminine fabulousness of Scar and other furry matters.

Brian Cremins on density of page layout in Carol Swain’s Gast. (That completes PencilPanelPage’s Thierry Groensteen and page layout roundtable.

Me on Zoe Quinn’s Depression Quest and video games as art.
 
Utilitarians Everywhere

At the Atlantic I talked about Dana Goldstein’s The Teacher Wars and why Americans hate teachers.

At the Morning News I wrote about Nicki Minaj and our centuries long obsession with black women’s rear ends.

At the Awl I interviewed Linda Williams about The Wire and the realism canard.

At Splice Today I wrote about

— how Anita Sarkeesian’s videos are really low key.

— how ticklish my son is.
 
Other Links

R. Sikoryak Wonder Woman/de Sade mash-up.

Cathy Young question whether harassment online is gender based. Don’t agree with most of it, but raises some interesting points.

Sara Benincasa on why you shouldn’t look at Jennifer Lawrence’s nude pics.
 

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Utilitarian Review 8/29/14

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HU

Featured Archive Post: Kailyn Kent on Lyonel Feininger’s retrospective at the Whitney.

Anne Lorimer expresses skepticism about the Gay Utopia project.

Is there any good literary fiction?

Ng Suat Tong on myth and the Encyclopedia of Early Earth.

Sean Michael Robinson on the one thing that’s not awful about Grease 2.

Chris Gavaler on the French Batman.

Michael A. Johnson on Guido Crepax and the erotics of page layout.

Me on Morales and Kirby’s Truth and the bitterness of the black Captain America.
 
Utilitarians Everywhere

My son helped me out with the Black Girl Dangerous bucket challenge to support queer and trans people of color in the media. No bucket, but I do get bashed in the head.

At the Pacific Standard I wrote about

—Patricia McGinley’s great book Staging the Blues and why Beyoncé isn’t a terrorist.

—Curtis Johnson’s book on Darwin and chance and why life is all about uncertainty.

At the Center for Digital Ethics I wrote about why Facebook is like Stanley Milgram.

At Splice Today I wrote about the Manara Spider-Woman and the difference between sexy superheroines and sexy superheroes.
 
Other Links

Conor Friedersdorf on yet another case of police racism and incompetence.

G. Anne Bassett on interviews for the long-term unemployed.

Dani Paradis on the problems with anti-rape nail polish.

Avital Andrews on the virtues of being a couch potato.

Monika Bartyzel on why the Big Chill still matters.

Utilitarian Review 8/23/14

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.
 

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Utilitarian Review 8/16/14

On HU

Featured Archive Post: Betsy Phillips on the appeal and repulsion of blackface, for both blacks and whites.

Voices from the Archive: Caroline Small on the failures of comics symbolism.

Me on why books don’t make you spiritual.

Ng Suat Tong on Li Kunwu and Philippe Ôtié’s A Chinese Life, and choosing stability over freedom.

Chris Gavaler on the Leftovers and an apocalypse without answers.

Kate Polak on J.P. Stassen’s Deogratias, Rwanda, and unethical empathy.

Roy T. Cook asks whether some panel layouts are superior to others (part of the PPP roundtable on Groensteen and page layout.)

Alex Buchet on the dangers of translation and the importance of accountability.
 
Utilitarians Everywhere

At Pacific Standard I explain why, in addition to more strong female characters, we need fewer strong male characters.
 
Other Links

Jennifer Williams at Ms. on why Ferguson is a feminist issue.

David Masciotra on the latter-period Elvis.

Nicholas Jackson on why Pacific Standard doesn’t have comments.
 

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Utilitarian Review 8/9/14

On HU

Featured Archive Post: Kate Dacey on a crappy manga about Ghandi.

Chris Gavaler on Lucy and the regin of the superwoman.

I explain why I stopped watching Weeds after its godawful sex trafficking story.

Chris R. Morgan looks back at the Blair Witch project after 15 years.

Osvaldo Oyola on Dan Slott’s Superior Spider-Man and how continuity mucks with identity.

Vom Marlowe with an introduction to the wonderful world of Avengers slash fan fic.

Adrielle Mitchell kicks off a PPP roundtable on Groensteen and narrative by looking at panel shape.

On Spider-Man, identity, morality and Kant.
 
Utilitarians Everywhere

At Comic Book Resources I argued that William Marston would approve of Laverne Cox playing Wonder Woman.

At the Atlantic I argued that Shakespeare was a conservative.

At Splice Today I wrote about:

—how Nicki Minaj and Lana Del Rey are watching you.

—how I was the victim of an IRS phone scam.

— Kira Isabell’s Quarterback“, date rape, and country music history.

London Crockett interviews me about genre in music and literature.

At the Chicago Reader I wrote about Brown Sabbath and the glory of lounge metal.
 
Other Links

Christina Sharpe on racism, urban ethnography, and Alice Goffman’s much-praised, ethically challenged new book.

Roxanne Gay on racism and retail.

Jim Norton on being a john.

Julia Serano on media coverage of trans issues.

On class and getting into elite schools
 

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Utilitarian Review 8/2/14

On HU

Featured Archive Post: our Octavia Butler roundtable

Me on Nicki Minaj’s crappy first album.

Nishizaka Hiromi with a manga version of red riding hood, translated by Matt Thorn for the gay utopia.

Kim O’Connor on Tom Spurgeon, tcj.com, and barriers to women in comics crit.

Chris Gavaler with an introduction to the French superhero Atomas.

Alex Buchet with the first ever translation of Pellos’ French superhero comic, Atomas.

Brian Cremins with his first post as a regular for PPP — on Charles Johnson’s single panel cartoons and Thiery Groensteen’s theories of narrative.

Me on Christopher Priest’s Black Panther being trapped by superhero tropes.
 
Utilitarians Everywhere

At the Atlantic:

—I interviewed Feminista Jones about street harassment of Black women.

— I reviewed Above the Dreamless Dead, a collection of comics adaptations of World War I Poetry, and talked about the possibility of anti-war art.

At the Awl I interviewed Otrebor aka Botanist about black metal and eco-apocalypse.

At Salon I did a list of the most covered songs. This is my last list for Salon, alas.

At Splice Today I speculate about the next Supreme Court nomination battle and the broken Republican party.
 
Other Links

David Brothers on Marvel’s diversity marketing.

At the Village Voice, Stephanie Zacharek said the Guardians of the Galaxy was mediocre. Marvel true believers spewed sexist bile, because that is what they do.

Andrew O’Hehir thinks about violence and Guardians of the Galaxy.

Margaret Corvid on the pernicious myth of sex trafficking.

Russ Smith on still liking Bob Dylan, albeit not live.
 

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Utilitarian Review 7/25/14

On HU

On Octavia Butler’s Xenogenesis and feminist submission.

Me on Ariel Schrag’s Adam and penises.

Ross Campbell, author of Wet Moon, on endings.

Chris Gavaler documents the graffitti of Angouleme.

Ben H. Winters on a career writing mash-ups, funny and otherwise.

Me on how Bob Dylan and John Porcellino will get you with twee nostalgia.

Michael A. Johnson on surrealism, history, and Rutu Modan’s clear line.

Kailyn Kent on “Under The Skin” and failing to get inside the mind of the spider lady.
 
Utilitarians Everywhere

At NPR I did a commentary on masculinity and virginity.

At the LA Review of Books I wrote about Octavia Butler, Gone With the Wind, and how a utopia for some can be a hell for someone else, depending on where you’re standing.

At the Atlantic I

—tried to quantify how many women read superhero comics.

—wrote about the genius of casting Beyoncé as Christian Grey in the 50 Shades movie.

At Splice Today

—I write about Iggy Azalea, racial appropriation and class solidarity.

— I listed the worst Beatles songs

At the Chicago Reader I briefly wrote about Insect Ark and emo goth drone for metalheads

I was on WCEH’s World’s Finest radio show talking about sci-fi and genre. (download the Hooded Utilitarian show from itunes at the link.)
 
Other Links

Mark Stricherz on what happened to Dinesh D’Souza.

Kim O’Connor interviews Hillary Chute.

Jessica Lahey on a 6th grader who stole a scientist’s research.

C.T. May explains why Thomas Frank’s complaints about Obama are silly.

Maya Mikdashi on how Palestinian men are seen as always, already dangerous.
 

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