Utilitarian Review 7/13/13

On Hu
Featured Archive Post: Richard Cooke on Finder: Voice and gender.

Bert Stabler on the new Pixies video and race.

Peter Sattler on Dan Clowes’ agonized relationship with comics.

Me on Finder:Voice, power, knowledge, and penises.

Michael Arthur on furries, nostalgia, and the mainstream media.

Chris Gavaler says “I Am Tonto.

Jacob Canfield on how late Ditko is worse than Jack Chick.

Ng Suat Tong on Utsubora and the dangers of artsy erotica.
 
Utilitarians Everywhere
 
Other Links

At the Good Men Project I talk about how misogyny hurts men.

At the Atlantic I talk about racism, sexism, and the Pixies new video.

At Splice I write about:

Joy Stecher and Kate Brislin’s great version of Our Town.

How work for hire is not spiritual debasement.
 
Other Links
Jog writes about late Ditko.

 Mind

Utilitarian Review 7/6/13

On HU

Featured Archive Post Anja Flower on queerness and the uses of yaoi.

Nicolas Labarre reviews Blood Feast in 5 panels.

Me on W.W. Denslow’s beginning chapter illustrations for the Wizard of Oz.

Me on gender and comics in Dan Clowes’ Wilson and Like a Velvet Glove.

Ng Suat Tong on Graham Chaffee’s Good Dog.

James Romberger on gender and film in Godard’s Contempt.

Chuck Berry for the 4th of July.

Chris Gavaler on World War Z, stay at home dads, and Muslim zombies.
 
Utilitarians Everywhere

I write about changes in fatherhood and the rising number of single dads at the Atlantic.

I wrote about confronting trafficking without arguing that all prostitutes are trafficked at the Goodmen Project.

At Splice Today I wrote about

People’s coverage of a transgender girl and the bedrock reality of gender.

Chicago Public Radio’s awful, eugenics-like marketing campaign.
 
Other Links

Kim Thompson on being an elitist comics critic.

On the Baffler’s new editor.

Abigail Rine on how he’s not sleeping through the night yet.

Ta-Nehisi Coates on manhood among the ruins.

Genevieve Valentine on harassment at cons and other places.

Amy Julia Becker on reading and disability.

Mary McCarthy on Internet trolls.
 

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Utilitarian Review 6/28/13

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News

The lovely and talented Patrick Carland is joining us as a regular blogger. Welcome aboard Patrick!
 
On HU

I talk about the smaller-than-life soul of Womack and Womack.

Voices from the Archive: Marc Singer on morality in All-Star Superman.

Jones, One of the Jones Boys explains why all the superpowers have to be dull.

Chris Gavaler on Man of Steel, eugenics, and why do DC films have to be so dour anyway?

I did an extended analysis of the father’s day card my son made me. Because it’s my blog, damn it.

Subdee on Saint Young Men and divinities as boho slackers.

Patrick Carland on the Hunger Games, Battle Royale, and neoliberalism putting children to the scythe.
 
Utilitarians Everywhere

I wrote about:

The Dan Clowes show at the Chicago MCA for the Chicago Reader.

Being a man trapped by the male gaze for the Good Men Project.

A doc about a gay couple and their 8 weddings for the Atlantic.

And for Splice Today:

The Scorpions’ first album was fucking awesome.

Why reading doesn’t make you more human.

Edward Snowden, Russia, and thuggish bullies.
 
Other Links

Tom Spurgeon with a magnificent, endless, amazing obituary for Kim Thompson.

Janet Potter on the Ladydrawers show in Chicago.

Jeffry O. Gustafson analyzes a kid’s comic about some stick figure falling into a vat of toxic waste.

Ben Schwartz with a sweet tribute to Kim Thompson.

Jonathan Bernstein on Wendy Davis and why talking fillibusters are still a bad idea in the Senate.

Utilitarian Review 6/21/13

News

As most folks probably know, Kim Thompson, co-publisher of Fantagraphics, died this week. I had my first ever troll battle with Kim; he showed up in my inbox after my piece on In the Shadow of No Towers came out to tell me I was rash and foolish and an idiot. It was actually a really fun conversation; he was extremely gracious while telling me what a fool I was. It’s a treasured memory.

I don’t feel like I knew him well enough, or was familiar enough with his legacy, to write a full obit, but…I did just want to say that I always felt lucky when he came by to comment on HU, often to tell me again that I was an idiot. He was a friendly acquaintance rather than a friend, but like lots and lots of folks who he met, briefly or otherwise, online or elsewhere, I’ll miss him.

For a better sense of what Kim meant to comics, a nice place to start is with Chris Mautner’s discussion over at Robot 6.
 
On HU

Featured Archive Post: Ted Rall: Not Mean, Just Dumb.

I argue that you should get rid of comments threads if you’re not going to moderate them.

Chris Gavaler on Joe Shuster’s drawings of rape and torture.

Jog on how After Earth has that thoughtful take on violence all the critics are bemoaning the lack of in Man of Steel and everything else.

Patrick Carland on what to remember and what to forget about Ralph Bakshi.

Owen Alldritt on the alternating charm and irritation of One Piece.

Richard Cook on Bioshock Infinite, violence, and video games’ crappy aesthetics. There’s an interesting comment thread too.

I wrote the best post ever on the Internet if you want it to be.
 
Utilitarians Everywhere

At the Atlantic I talk about Nancy Friday, sexual violence, and sexual fantasy.

At Splice Today I wrote about:

The liberal dilemma in giving taxes to Obama.

The Bechdel Test and Emily Dickinson.

how misogyny leads to sexism against men.

 
Other Links

Inebriated Spook on Daft Punk.

Jason Thompson on Peepo Choo.

Dodai Stewart on Miley Cyrus appropriating black people.
 
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Utilitarian Review 6/14/13

News

So I’m musing about future roundtables. Any interest in comics and fashion? In a roundtable on Michael DeForge? Any other ideas? Let me know in comments….

On HU

William Leung kicks Darwyn Cooke one more time.

Me on why Matthew Houk is not Johnny Cash, and should shut up.

Jacob Canfield on Moebius and consistency of backgrounds.

Chris Gavaler on why Americans need James Bond.

Kailyn Kent on comics vs. the deskillers.

Me on how homosexuality makes Watchmen more real. Plus! Beyonce and Andrea Dworkin.

Vom Marlowe creates a comic with neither words nor images.
 
Utilitarians Everywhere

At the Chicago Reader I talk about how country music sells whiteness to white people.

At the Atlantic I

suggest that maybe it’s okay not to try to maintain desire in your marriage.

talk about how writers write to talk.

At Splice Today I talk about the Kelly Rowland/Camera Obscura mash-up that wasn’t.

 
Other Links

If you think comics is sexist, you should see gaming.

Nice takedown of analytic philsophy and Steven Hawking.

Mark Waid with a heartfelt rant against Man of Steel.

Kate Clancy on not being immune to sexual harassment.
 

Beyonce

Utilitarian Review 6/8/13

On HU

Featured Archive Post on the dreadfulness of Darwyn Cooke’s New Frontier.

Eric Berlatsky on how Darwyn Cooke’s Before Watchmen may be just slightly better than that.

John Hennings on how country music got more racist.

Alex Buchet on some oddities of Uderzo and Jacobs.

RM Rhodes with a guide to what to see if you’re a comics fan in Brussels.

Isaac Butler on the boring beauty of Upstream Color.

Chris Gavaler on the Hollywood superhero and 9/11.

Me with a brief NSFW survey of porn comics through history.
 
Utilitarians Everywhere

I contributed to a roundtalbe on 50 Shades of Grey over at Public Books.

At the Atlantic I talk about how Hollywood puts icons ahead of people.

At Splice Today I write about:

Male fantasies and feminism.

How freelancing eats the soul.
 
Other Links

Jon Reiner on the modern writing school paradox.

Kelly Sue Deconnick on comics and sexism. (Edited because I was confused on the initial description.)

The city of Chicago sucks.
 

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Utilitarian Review 6/1/13

News

We have social media buttons! Check at the end of every post. Thanks so much to Derik Badman for sticking them on there.

Also…I’m going to be in San Francisco next week. So if you’re an HU reader/writer and you live in SF and would like to meet up, let me know and we’ll try to make it happen.
 
On HU

Featured Archive Post: Anne Ishii on Hayao Mayazaki and women in anime.

Chris Gavaler on the politics of Star Trek: Into Darkness

William Leung explains just why Darwyn Cooke’s Before Watchmen work is horrible. Part 1, Part 2,

Patrick Carland talks about queer resistance in Coraline and ParaNorman.

Chris Gavaler on the Great Gatsby as supervillain.

Me on the virtues of retrograde daddy fantasies in Astro City.
 
Utilitarians Everywhere

At the Atlantic I wrote about:

— whether fans own fan fiction and Amazon’s new fan fiction venture.

— how men experience sexism.

At Splice Today I wrote about:

why everyone else is so stupid

how to be a hack writer.

 
Other Links

Tucker and Abhay do their thing.

Josh Marshall on honoring traitors on Memorial Day.

Melinda Beasi on feminism in Basara.
 

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