Tag Archives: sexism

Frustrations (And a Few Bright Spots)

Posted on October 12, 2009 by Kelson

Vienna Teng: Inland Territory

  • Hard disks should not sound like buzz saws. #
  • Slashdot article “FOSS Sexism Claims Met With Ire & Denial”…gets met with ire & denial. *headdesk* #
  • Listening to lightsaber sounds from across the office. I think my coworker w/ the new Android phone found an app for that. #
  • Vertical Horizon‘s Burning the Days is growing on me, but I think Vienna Teng‘s Inland Territory is my favorite new album this year #MusicMonday #
  • TNT, its nice that your video streams are Mac-compatible, but when your ads require Windows, don’t prevent me from finishing the episode! # (I’ve gone into this in more detail.)

Posted in Annoyances, Computers/Internet, Music | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Victimized Hero

Posted on May 28, 2007 by Kelson

Flash v.1 #193: Captain Cold holds up a photo labeled 'Censored' and says, They wouldn't let me show you what I did to the Flash. Do you dare read this issue and find out for yourself!?I didn’t think I had anything to add to the discussion on the infamous Heroes For Hire #13 cover. (Some of those links possibly NSFW.) Something stuck in my mind, though. Typolad suggested that “you would never, ever see Marvel or DC make a cover like this with a male protagonist. Yes, a male hero may be shown in peril, but his face will be defiant. He won’t be shown as submissive.” Lea Hernandez’ remix of the cover alters the expressions to do just that.

Now, I agree—that cover was way past the line, and I can’t imagine DC or Marvel doing the same thing with male characters, especially when you take into account the sleaze factor. But phrases like “never, ever” tend to read like a challenge. Looking just at the defiant/passive stance, I knew I’d seen at least one cover with the Flash beaten to within an inch of his life, unable to put up a fight or even a glare, so I took a trip through the Grand Comics Database’s cover gallery. Continue reading →

Posted in Comics, General | Tagged , , , , , | 9 Comments

Naming Zatara

Posted on September 28, 2006 by Kelson

I flipped through Teen Titans #39, which introduces the new Zatara. He’s apparently Zatanna’s cousin, which makes him the original Zatara’s nephew (appropriate for a cartoon character).

OK, that makes sense. He’s got a connection to the original, he’s got a right to the name, he’s got a legacy of magic, DC gets to keep the trademark going, etc.

But wait a minute. Like the original, Zatara’s his last name. Zatanna, however, is her first name. (Though I have to question the wisdom in naming your daughter “Zatanna Zatara,” “Zachary Zatara” isn’t much better. I wonder if they ever get together and perform with ZZ Top?)

We have two related characters, one male, one female. The teenage boy goes by his last name, and the grown woman goes by her first name.

Figures.

Posted in Comics | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment