I know Saranga is trying to help with this post, but she really isn’t.

 

So, I finished reading Young Justice. As people may have noticed I think it's rather good. But there's always a but, right? Take Empress - cool costume, cool power, cool character background etc etc. I feel that making the sole black chick's power a voodoo one is, how shall we say it, racial stereotyping? And then on top of that she gets naked to cast a spell? Jesus. I call that racist. Probably not racist through maliciousness, more racist through lack of imagination and thought, but still racist.

 

Which is another way of saying that either:

 

A.  Voodoo should not be in comics like other religious beliefs are. In other words, there should be less religious diversity in comics. (BTW, Voodoo should be capitalized like “Christianity” is, but far be it from me to suggest that someone should “Just do it right. Please? Do your research first.” Nor would I call someone who didn’t capitalize it a ethnocentrist or racist.)

 

B.  People involved in Voodoo should not be blacks despite the fact that they are the group most involved in the religion. Instead the characters should be white, I guess. In other words, there should be less ethnic diversity in comics.

My other problem with the run is the deaf girl Arrowette makes friends with on the way to the games. I'm fully supportive of including more (any?) deaf people in comics and literature but i think it should be handled well. It should not be inferred that deaf people are experts on lip reading. Only about 30% of all words are formed on the lips, the rest are formed with the tongue and throat. So, it's impossible to lip read 100% of all speech. It really would be nice to see communication issues reflected accurately. ... Comics can provide a good forum to educate people about illnesses/disability/social issues so bring it on. Just do it right. Please? Do your research first.

 

I agree that it is nice to see deaf people in comics and that it is not possible to read lips in the way that it appears in comics. But seriously, would it really be nice to see communication issues reflected accurately in comics? Do we stop the action to have people repeat things and point, gesturing to get their point across, maybe whipping out little pads to write stuff? If we are really going to have communication issues reflected accurately in comics it’s another way of saying “Please put in pages of mundane communication problems in comics because that’s what we buy comics for.” Frankly, I believe a deaf character would wear out her welcome in no time if that were the case. If we want more deaf people in comics, I’m not sure the mundane issues need to be added like we don’t see comic characters on the toilet a lot despite the fact that that would also make comics more accurate. Seriously, can we get over the idea that a medium full of the most unrealistic people in the most unrealistic environment doing the most unrealistic things is “a good forum to educate people?” Good forums to educate people are schools and personal interactions. People don’t buy comics to be educated.

(And on another note, I really hate Cassandra Cain's ability to read body movement like a language - it doesn't make sense! People growing up without speech and without hearing don't communicate as she did. It's a stupid plot device.)

 

Stop the presses! Saranga has discovered that super powers don’t really work that way! Quick, someone find out if a transfusion of mongoose blood will really give you super speed! And someone please tell me I didn’t expose myself to massive doses of radiation for nothing! Surely, comics are a good forum to educate people on the benefits of radiation, right?

I should add that fro Buffy to be gay or bi she'd have to actually crush on women.

 

I should add that no, you shouldn’t add that. One does not need to have crushes to be gay or bi. There were plenty of guys I wanted to have sex with that I did not have crushes on that let me know I was gay. Not only did I not have to have a crush, I did not have to know the guy’s name. Someone passed on the street would do.

 

I know Saranga is trying to help, but the poor thing just isn’t helping. I’m sure her heart is the right place, however.

Once again, someone says “I’m not a prude,” so you know what that means!?! That’s right! Someone is going to bash some guy for something sexual! Yea!

 

Dara, in his nifty little post entitled “Newsarama readers: putting the ass back in class,” tells us:

 

You know, I'm neither a prude nor an elitist.

 

Let’s stop here for just a second and ask ourselves, “If Dara assumes that we know he is neither a prude nor an elitist, why is telling us this?” Hmm. That is a stumper. Why would he feel it was necessary to tell us he's not a prude or an elitist? Maybe he begins all his posts with that little reminder.

 

In fact, I follow a very live-and-let-live philosophy when it comes to life. But sometimes the anonymity of the Internet affords some social rejects a level of exposure that just grates on my nerves. Case in point, this regular Newsarama "reader" (who goes by the classy handle of SMARTASS8) commenting on a story about IDW's new comic based on the Jennifer Love Hewitt TV show Ghost Whisperer:

 

I like how this guy's user icon and signature file reaffirms every single stereotype about comic book fans being mouth-breathing pubescent boys living in their parents' basement. But I suppose there's a bright side to all this: Jennifer Love Hewitt can rest easy at night, knowing the aforementioned pubescent boy won't "kick her to the curb" should she ever show up at his parents'-basement-comic-book-lair-of-love, looking for some hot comic-book-message-board-commentator action.

 

OK, let’s look at this a second and see if we can figure out who is actually reaffirming this stereotype. What do we really know about the Smartass8? I would suggest that we can make a reasonable assumption that he’s a comic book fan who likes a nice butt on a woman. Other than that, I’m pretty much at a loss. I can’t tell if he:

 

1. breathes through his mouth,
2. is pubescent,
3. lives with his parents,
4. lives in a basement,
5. is a social reject (ouch! extra harsh!),

 

and yet somehow Dara has come to all these conclusions. Why, he’s even making jokes about them! But not jokes that he thinks brand him as a prude or an elitist. No, no, no. His jokes are sex-affirming jokes that don’t suggest that he’s better than other people. (Note: beings who breathe through their mouths, are pubescent, live with their parents, and/or live in basements are not “people.”) Isn’t Dara the one who is reaffirming the stereotype? I mean there wasn’t anything about basements or parents in that post was there? We couldn’t hear the guy breathing, could we? Do we know Smartass8 isn’t married, wealthy, charming, etc.?

 

If Dara wanted to say the icon and signature were tacky, I’d agree with him (but I am an elitist.) But when you try to pretend that you aren’t a prude and aren’t an elitist and are in opposition to stereotyping comic fans, perhaps a snarky stereotype of comic fans that makes fun of them in a sexual manner might be something to avoid ... you know, especially if you are a comic book publisher.

 

I’ve been trying not to say anything about the Presidential campaign on my blog because:

 

A.  I don’t think I have anything original to contribute.

 

B.  I don’t think anyone really gives a crap what I think about it.

 

But now I’m getting crabby and what’s happening does tie into one of the big themes of my blog, so I’m going to say something about this little speech of Hillary’s in that YouTube clip.

 

But before I do, let me say that I’ve been a fan of Hillary’s. I was a resident of NYC when she was a Senator. I was proud of her. I was happy that she squashed her opponents. On a great deal of issues, we are similar. Moreover, when she began her quest for the Presidency, I was happy and really looked forward to the US having its first female President. I was looking to shove all the irrational Hillary bashing down the Right's throat with her election. Later, when Barack began his campaign, I became more of a support of his than hers for a variety of reason, not the least of which was a that he seemed to want to get above the pettiness of politics, but I was still more than content with the idea a Hillary Presidency.

 

However, lately, I’ve been getting more and more soured on Hillary with that despicable 3 a.m. telephone ad, the stupid “shame on you” rant about Barack’s health plan mailer, and now this Rev. Wright business.

 

I am, obviously, not a religious person or rather, I am overtly anti-religious. However, even I know how important one’s spiritual advisor can be. Barack says that Wright is the man brought him to Christianity. That means that Barack believes that his man brought him to salvation. Barack believes this man has opened to him the doors of eternal paradise, has given him access to miracles, and infused is spirit with a piece of the divine. If you are a Christian, there is literally nothing whatsoever that anyone could do for you that could compare to the gift of Christianity. Nothing else is remotely close. Further, this spiritual advisor may very well be the person who knows the very worst of you and still accepts you, may have been with you at the very lowest moments of your life and helped to lift you, and may have been your companion at the greatest moments of your life. It is hard to think of anyone, outside of a close family member, who could potentially be closer to one than a spiritual advisor in the way it appears Rev. Wright was for Senator Obama.

 

Seriously, how likely is that anyone would say, “Oh, sure, he was instrumental in saving my immortal soul, but I can’t sit here and listen to him say something mean about America!”?

 

So Hillary was asked the question “what would you have done if Rev. Wright was your pastor?” Her answer included the following:

 

You know, we don’t have a choice when it comes to our relatives. We have a choice when it comes to our pastors and the churches we attend. Everyone will have to decide these matters for themselves. They are obviously very personal matters, but I was asked what I would do if he were my pastor and I said, “I think the choice would be clear for me.”

 

Really, Hillary? You don’t have a choice when it comes to your relatives? What about your husband? You had a choice on that relative, didn’t you?

 

I have to wonder what her response would have been if you went back in time to sometime before Bill and Hillary married and asked her, “Would you stay married to man who had an affair with an underling at his job who was less than half his age if he was accused by other women of also having affairs with them after it was discovered that he committed perjury to hide the affair with the underling?”

 

I suspect that the answer would have sounded something like “I think the choice would be clear for me.” And yet when confronted with those choices, they become a lot less clear, don’t they? The majority of women say they wouldn’t stay with a man after they discover he has committed adultery, but as it turns out, the majority of women do stay with their husbands after they find out about adultery.

 

Frankly, Hillary has no idea what she would have done if she’d been in Barack’s shoes. She doesn't know what she'd have decided about a black church if she'd grewn up as a black man instead of a white woman. She doesn’t know if she’d have left her church that she loved and that nurtured and loved her if it did something she objected to anymore than she would have known if she would have left her husband if he did something she objected to. And to suggest that she would know is low, petty, lacking in empathy and knowledge of the human experience, and unworthy of someone trying to court the vote of Americans.

 

Don’t get me wrong. I’m not saying Hillary should or shouldn’t have left Bill. It’s a personal question and if someone asked me what I would have done in her shoes, confronted with the Monica Lewinski scandal, I’d say, “I don’t know. It’s obviously a very personal matter, and I haven’t had the experiences with Bill that Hillary has.” If asked if I’d have stayed with Wright’s church, I’d say, “I don’t know. It’s obviously a very personal matter, and I haven’t had the experiences with Rev. Wright that Senator Obama has.”

 

What I can tell you I wouldn’t say is “I think the choice would be clear for me.”

 

One of the things that has impressed me about Barack is his willingness to get beyond the petty squabbling to score points and create divisions to exploit. As readers of my blog know, I am in opposition to accusations without clear basis. Hillary’s subtle (and her supports’ not so subtle) accustations that Barack is an anti-Semite, a racist, or anti-American do not make her a good Presidential candidate anymore than calling someone a witch makes one a good Christian.

 

I agree that Barack’s participation with Rev. Wright’s church should make you look at Barack and see if he has any of those traits that you find distasteful in Wright. Look to for signs in Barack of anti-Semitism, racism, or anti-Americanism if you believe Wright has exhibited those traits. Personally, I haven’t seen them in Barack. I see someone way beyond that, someone struggling against those things. And sadly, in Hillary, I now see how she is using divisiveness to further her own goals at the expense of her party and country.

 

If asked which of these two candidates I’d vote for to be in the White House, answering that phone at 3 a.m., I’d say, “I think the choice would be clear for me.”

 

Yes, unusual things happen sometimes, but that doesn't make them miracles. Also, mundane things happen all the time, and those really aren't miracles. Case in point (Hit the link and watch the video to see how astonished the reporter is that her bag of fish sticks didn't have crosses in it ... as far as she could see without opening the bag but shaking it so that any fish sticks stuck together would be dislodged; now that's reporting you can trust!):

 

Local Woman Finds Crosses In Frozen Fish Sticks

Elyria Woman Puts Fish Sticks Up For Auction On eBay

Two straight objects perpendicular to each other is not a miracle

ELYRIA, Ohio -- Holy Week, the week leading up to Easter Sunday, is a special week for Christians around the world.

 

One local woman believes she got a special sign from above in honor of the upcoming celebration, and it all began with a trip to the supermarket.

 

Victoria Landis from Elyria sees something very special in a batch of fish sticks she purchased.

 

I went to cook them one day and I poured them out into the pan and there were three kind of fused together in a way that made three mini crosses, and the way they fell on the pan it looked just like the hill where Jesus was crucified," said Landis.

 

Landis said she didn't have the heart to cook them and put all three crosses back into the freezer, where they stayed until she came up with an idea a few days ago.

 

She put the fish sticks up for auction on eBay. Now, Landis is looking to a higher power for an Easter miracle.

 

"As a blended family of nine people, we have a lot of transportation issues because we don't have a car big enough to hold us all, and I had been praying for a long time for God to provide a way for us to get a new van," said Landis. "I kind of want to work with what He gave me here in these fish sticks … and I could turn them into a van for us."

 

The fish stick auction ends Wednesday at 5 p.m. Landis said she will ship the sticks the next day in dry ice so they stay frozen for Easter.

Part of what I love about this story is that they are a "blended family," which suggests that God didn't prevent the death/divorce/premarital sex that allowed for this family to blend, but He did send them fish sticks that froze into crosses. Thank you, Jesus! You always know when to step in!

From my local news:

Long-Time Preacher Killed By Goat

CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. - A Clarksville preacher was killed by a goat Tuesday that he was attempting to return to a fenced-in area.

 

Liston G. Richardson, 76, was found dead by his wife after he didn't return home for some time.

 

Richardson's wife told authorities that when she went outside to check on her husband, he was on the ground next to a trailer where the goat was tied up, according to a police report.

 

The goat was on top of Richardson, and the rope that was tied to the animal was wrapped around the man's neck.

 

"I’ll never forget the sight I saw," said Lucille Richardson.

 

The goat also tried to attack Lucille Richardson and emergency personnel. The normally docile goat was killed after the attack.

 

Family members said Richardson had heart problems that could have contributed to his death.

 

"When Daddy went out there to put him up, he got his feet tangled up and fell, and the initial shock of the fall was what triggered, maybe, his heart attack," said son Scotty Richardson. "My daddy was much of a man, and I don’t think a 40 pound goat could've ever done anything to him."

 

Channel 4 talked to Richardson's wife on Wednesday who said he was a family man who loved his church.

 

"Well, he was a family man. He loved his family," said Richardson.

 

Richardson was the pastor of Sunnyview Independent Missionary Baptist Church since 1978.

 

"The first love of his life was his Lord and Savior Jesus Christ," said family friend Garner Smith.

 

"He believed what he preached and he lived what he preached," said son Bobby Richardson.

 

Family and friends said L.G. Richardson was a gentle giant and that when he spoke, everyone listened.

 

Visitation for L.G. Richardson is set for Friday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Sykes Funeral Home in Clarksville. The funeral will immediately follow.

 

Hmm. Isn't it usually at the time of a death that Christians start talking about God's merciful plans? Surely, they'd agree that it was God's plan that His loyal servant be killed in such a humiliating fashion. Either that or shit just happens.

I’m not a huge rugby fan, but I do like it. A friend of mine is on a team, and I’ve seen them play several times. I like rugby, but I love Ben Cohen, an English rugby player. I first became aware of Ben from Postmodern Barney, where Dorian Wright had him as a Man of the Moment. Dorian and I are not terribly dissimilar in our taste in men. Anyway, after a little research, I discovered two things I love about Ben Cohen.

 

The first is that he’s really gay friendly. It is so refreshing to see a straight sports star so comfortable with gay fans. One of the things that first brought Ben to the attention of gay fans was that he did a signing for his calendar at that gay sex store. You can read about it here (or a slightly more salacious version here.)

 

He was later asked about it on his site:

 

From Simon
I was lucky enough to get a signed copy of your calendar from Prowler in London. What prompted you to carry out a signing at a gay store and have you had any negative feedback on the decision from your team mates or those involved with rugby?

Hi Simon
I have not had any negative feedback from anyone really - only positive. I think to be honest my rugby mates are more interested in what I do on the pitch! I just think that if you have a fanbase who come and see you and support you through good and bad, you should turn up to say thanks. I also went on the radio that day and had a great interview with Neil and Jason at Gaydar Nation. It was fantastic.

 

Ben had mentioned in other interviews that his gay fans supported him more consistently than his straight fans, who were more likely to turn on him if a game went poorly. Ben first noticed that he had so many gay fans when he discovered that a large percentage of hits on his site came from links to gay blogs.

 

In another interview we saw this:

 

Outsports: Is elite-level rugby ready for an openly gay player?

Ben Cohen: I am just one man with my own views. My impression is that it would be fine to be able to ‘come out’ in rugby. Most rugby players are cool about it and think that people should be allowed to live their lives how they want to, but I can’t speak for everyone.

 

The key thing is the individual needs to be able to take the pressure of top-level rugby and the knowledge that his teammates know he is gay. I don’t know for sure, but my feelings are that if he were completely open about it, after the first bit of banter, things would calm down. We all take banter all the time about different things. It’s a bloke thing, isn’t it?

 

Personally, I think that’s the right answer. I don’t doubt that there’d be some razzing from some people. I would even suggest that there would be a few guys that were really bothered at least initially, but what researchers have found is that the number one thing that turns people away from homophobia is knowing a gay person. Further, I think it was Bill Maher who said that he thinks that people believe they are supposed to be bothered by homosexuals more than they actually are bothered. I strongly suspect that for the most part, a profession athlete who came out today during his athletic career would see far more positive things happen for him than negative. I suspect that a huge number of gay fans would buy his merchandize ... if he’s really great at his sport, mind you.

 

The second reason I love Ben Cohen is ... well, Jeez, just look at him! If my husband walked in on Ben and me doing it, he’d think, “Well, I can’t expect Scott to reject him.” I’m ... umm ... sure I would turn him down though. Yes, I’m sure I would.

 

P.S. I don’t think my husband reads my blog, but he might.

 

P.P.S. Cohen's nickname is "Big Ben." I'm just saying.

Dear Billy Tan,

 

“Invisible” means “not visible” or “impossible to see,” which makes your cover to Ultimate Fantastic Four # 55 somewhat perplexing. I understand the necessity to sometimes draw the images of Sue’s invisible force fields. Comics are a visual medium and being able to see those forms she creates can help us to understand what’s happening in your drawings. For instance, for this cover, you’ve drawn a disk that Sue is standing on. That helps us to understand why she is able to be in the air. Good choice.

 

However, I have trouble understanding why you’ve drawn the concentric rings in the target that Sue seems to have formed with her – ahem -- invisible force field. Those rings don’t seem to be delineating different shapes in the invisible field. They seem to be delineating different hues of invisible. Well, there are no different hues of invisible. While a target may have different colors, if it is invisible, it doesn’t.

 

Also, what the hell is the point of an invisible target!?!

 

Hugs and kisses,

 

Scott Anderson

Over at Neither Doormat Nor Prostitue, we got this insightful quote:

I have deep, deep concerns with the idea that Diana lowering herself to an unworthy mate's standard somehow makes her "relateable" or that making her less intelligent (because an intelligent person would not pick That Creature, not as he is currently being written) is a worthy goal. I don't look at his Diana while she's "courting" That Creature and say "aww, that's cute! I know women with equally bad taste in men! How fun!" I look at her and say, "oh, look, there's DC proving once again they can't write interesting and equal couples interaction in their comics."

And I just wanted to say that I do not believe this is an example of misandry. I do not. I'm sure there is another way to read this that doesn't suggest that at all.

Thanks for your time. I just wanted to be the first person to defend this quote because I'm sure lots of people will be attacking it and I wanted to nip that in the bud. Just because she's debasing the guy by calling him a creature doesn't mean anything. Sure, he's brave, smart, and funny, but come on, he's not worth courting. And if someone is not worth courting, he should be reduced to the status of "creature."

Anyway, again, thank you for listening about how the above quote is not, and I mean NOT, an example of misandry.

On a related note to this post, there was some debate on whether or not Electra wears underwear with some people (including Electra’s creator, Frank Miller) having some very definite thoughts about this. Seemed a little silly to me, but what the hell? You can find some of this important discussion here, but that's not the debate I had in mind. And there are just too many Google hits for "'Frank Miller' Electra underwear" (surprise!) for me to wade though to find it.

 

So my question is, do you think Herc wears underwear beneath that little skirt of his? Seems out of character to me. And we can see that he doesn't wear socks.

 

Vote here ------>

 

The post I just did on BMI, sexiness, and Marvel characters reminded me of the cover of The Incredible Hulk #107 that featured two of Marvel’s beefiest fellows wearing little more than scowls and waling on each other. To the left is the cover image that was solicited. To the right is the image that actually appeared on the cover. I guess someone thought we were going to get a little too excited by some green ass cheek and gave our hero some incredible underwear ... not to be confused with edible underwear.