Threats To Female Bloggers - Is It Happening With Comics?

Today's Washington Post has a frightening story about threats to female bloggers. Many female bloggers have been a victim of cyber-attacks by readers. This runs the gamut from explosive disagreement to threats of physical violence and rape. That got us thinking, is this at all prevalent for female comics bloggers? To be sure, we have seen the vitriolic attacks that follow the "go back to your woman's studies course you damn feminists" line when ostensibly male posters/bloggers attack a woman for espousing some sort of feminist viewpoint. Although we bemoan those types of attacks, they don't appear to have resulted in actual threats of violence.

That leaves us with 2 questions that we'd really like to see answers to in the comments section.

1) How prevalent are these attacks on women in the blogs you read/post to?

2) Have any of our female readers felt personally threatened by these exchanges?

Please leave a comment on this. We are really interested in your response and want to get a discussion going about this. As is par for the course, feel free to take the topic and run with it. We could complain about the latest issue of Wonder Woman, but that's been done to death of late.

Oh Dear God ...

Found over at the Washington Post.

Black Canary Mini #2 Cover: Kicking Ass and (Insert Wildly Inappropriate Comment Here)

WTF is with this stance? We're just saying ...

For once, we are speechless. For now.

We found this among the images DC released from their upcoming July issues.

Confirmed: Gail Simone To Pen Wonder Woman And We Are Most Pleased

Fans of Wonder Woman rejoice! We know you're out there. We want to be one of you, we really do, but we've never really "got" the character in her recent solo incarnations. We strongly suspect that will change, however, when Simone takes over the book. She's one of our favorite writers out there, and one of our all time favorite female superhero comics writers, along with Louise Simonson. Click here for the Newsarama story from earlier today. Not sure that this makes up for her leaving Birds of Prey, but it will help. And then there's Welcome to Tranquility, her newest title. Are you reading it? You should. It's great. Our friend Amy over at Arrogant Self-Reliance is undoubtedly doing a jig in celebration. We hope you are too! Did e mention how gracious Gail was over at last year's Comic-Con? Congratulations on making it to the top of mountain Gail! You deserve it. Now hopefully some of the top creators out there will show you more respect. If not, ignore the haters.

Marvel's Civil War Done By PBS.

Updated: Can someone please explain why we can no longer post You Tube videos with the new blogger? Click here to see the video.

Imagine if Ken Burns worked for the Daily Bugle, or with Marvel's intrepid reporters Manoli or Conan (named after NPR's Neal Conan, by the way), and reported on the recent Civil War story. Imagine no more! See the clip. You know you want to. We found this over at the Blog At Newsarama, which actually found it at iFanboy (how in the world did we not know about this site?). Does this mean we'll be seeing something similar this Fall, what with DC's upcoming World War III story and Ken Burns' upcoming World War II documentary series?

Sure it's about the wrong Civil War, but we thought Dali's work above was a nice change.

Pym In Particles? One Can Only Hope

This was posted over at Newsarama today. Probably a bit of misdirection, but have we mentioned how we've never been of fan of Dr. Pym? If not, we should more often.

Click the image to enlarge.

Not So Fast Gail Simone Lovers: J. Torres Takes Over Wonder Woman But ...

It's only for two issues. Read the story from Newsarama. It looks to us like Gail is waiting in the wings, but that might be wishful thinking. Think happy thoughts! Happy thoughts.

Possible Clue As To Gail Simone's Next Comic Writing Job?

First and foremost, we are dealing in rumor and conjecture here. No doubt about. We found this over at Comics Fairplay, and even there we see lots of cross-postings so who knows what that actually means. But don't forget, most rumors are based on the tiniest sliver of truth. For those who don't know what the hell we are talking about, scroll down to the post below this one.

The next Wonder Woman writer, after Jodi Picoult and Allan Heinberg, is... Kurt Busiek? Maybe. For two issues. Tying into "Superman" #661. Maybe. After that, who knows? Well, probably Gail, but let's try and preserve the illusion of suspense!

If it's true, we'll start picking up the book, which we dropped two issues ago due to the writing (art if gorgeous however).

But wait - there's more! Click the link above if you haven't already and it gets really confusing. Enjoy.

Gail Simone To Leave Birds of Prey: Mister Fanboy Editorial Offices In Mourning

We will be wearing black all week. In case you missed the back page of any of your favorite DC comics, or this, or this, scribe Gail Simone (who looks remarkably like our next door neighbor) will be leaving Birds of Prey. We're in denial at this point and have nothing positive to say except that her next book (net rumors seem to be fixating on Wonder Woman) better kick ass. Please don't go. There we said it. We're sure you're moving on for all the right reasons, but we still don't like it. But we'll get over it. We hope. Best of luck Gail. Don't be a stranger. Here's a brief chat with her replacement, Sean McKeever.

Dear Mister Fanboy Science: Can Power Girl's Breasts Cast Such A Large Shadow?

Dear Mister Fanboy Science:

My name is Jimmy McDougal. I am in the Mrs. Wendryhowski's 7th grade class at Enola Gay Middle School in Ames, Iowa. Our teacher assigned us a science project about the sun. I know that as the sun rises and sets shadows can get longer and shorter, depending on the time of the day. But can our body parts, like our noses, or, ummm, other parts, cast shadows? I am enclosing a cover from an upcoming comic book so you can see what I am talking about.

The woman in the front is Power Girl. The woman in the back is Black Canary. They both look pretty realistic to me. I mean, the women on MTV and the Disney Channel all dress like this. But one thing about this realistic comic confuses me. Can a women's ... you know ... boobs - I mean BREASTS - cast such a large shadow on their owner?

Sincerely,

Jimmy McDougal

Dear Jimmy:

Thank you very much for your insightful question. While I agree that these two women , particularly the obviously apt-named Power Girl, are a true representation of the modern woman, I am unable to answer your question at this time. Without examining the subject up close it would be irresponsible for me to venture an opinion. However, using body language theory, this Power Girl is clearly a strong willed woman, one who is intelligent, honest, and even-tempered in all her endeavors. Contrast that with Black Canary in the back. Her slumped shoulders and inferior "stature" clearly point to a troubled soul, one who is unsure of herself and who can rarely make an intelligent decision. It proves the Hugh Hefner Hypothesis: She with the biggest breasts MUST be the best. It's science. It can't be wrong.

Sincerely,

Mister Fanboy Science

P.S. If you were able to arrange a one-on-one with me and the subject I would be able to more definitively answer your question and ultimately enrich scientific studies, which is really for the children.

A Spiritual Message For The Comics Industry From Mister Archbishop Mother Earth Dalai Swami Imam Reverend Rabbi Shaman Fanboy

We here at the Mister Fanboy Editorial Offices are all about inclusivity. Not only does everyone have to share the same water fountain (except for Mister Fanboy Gamer, we took a vote), but we all worship in our own special way. Except for Mister Fanboy Science. He's an atheist. Don't worry, he's going to hell. We took a vote on that too. Now where was I? Did I have a point?

Anyway, because of our differing faiths, we decided to collectively pray for guidance for the comics industry to our made-up pan-deity, Mister Archbishop Mother Earth Dalai Swami Imam Reverend Rabbi Shaman Fanboy. So we gathered around the maypole, sacrificed a few goats (hey, we'll eat the meat, but not in front of our Hindu and Wicca friends!), and chanted for a sign. Suddenly, there was a flash of light? Or was that darkness? Not sure since I just got back from the eye doctor where he dilated my pupils. So after the avalanche we found the following message written with urine in the snow. We think it's scripture.

Publishers ... HEAR MY WORDS!

Thou Shalt Not Solicit For A Book Until Said Book Is Completed.

Thou Shalt Not Continue To Make Excuses.

Thou Shalt Not Cast Blame On The Artist, When In Fact It Was You Who Jumped The Gun With Your Marketing Plans.

Thou Shalt Not Passive Aggressively Respond To Fan Queries With The "We All Want _________ On The Book And Rather Than Impact The Overall Quality, We Think You Will Agree That It's In Your Best Interests To Continue To Wait" Response.

Thou Shalt Have A Minimum of 6 Months Of Every Ongoing Series And The Entirety Of Every Miniseries Completed Before Soliciting The First Issue.

I HAVE SPOKEN! Let It Be So!!! .

Well, there you go. Our very own Mister Archbishop Mother Earth Dalai Swami Imam Reverend Rabbi Shaman Fanboy has spoken. Let it be so.

A Concerned Parent Expresses Parental Concern Over Power Girl's Breasts

Mister Fanboy is back after a long hiatus (it involved the Negative Zone, Adavan, and She-Hulk – don’t ask). We return today with a letter from a concerned parent. We’re sure her son wished we would have changed the names to protect his rep in school, but then what about our journalistic integrity?

Dear Mister Fanboy (if that is indeed your real name. I hope to God I don’t see you on Dateline and learn it was really Fan of Little Boys):

My name is Becky Lee Ann Summers. I am a 30-something mother of three – Mikhail, 13, Rajiv, 9 and Latonya, 6. Yes, you surmised correctly. Because of my husband Dan’s “problem,” we have adopted three ethnically diverse children. Why our little split-level out in the suburbs is a living and breathing Rainbow Coalition. Jesse Jackson (or is that Al Sharpton?) would be so proud. We live in suburban Tampa where all 3 of my children attend Our Lady of the Sea Catholic School (Go Fightin’ Tuna!). I am a homemaker who spends much of my free time (if there is such a thing for a mom in the 21st Century) volunteering with the local library teaching Cuban émigré’s how to speak English. They’ve only been here for 40 years, but I think they’re getting the hang of it. My husband Dan works for the state department of transportation as an Assistant Director for Accounting Services for the West Central Division’s Central Actuarial Office. We work hard to project a level of WASP-ish Catholicism in our domestic affairs, but still presenting a progressive exterior. I mean, look at our Ford Expedition’s new "I Love Mother Earth" bumper sticker! It shows we really care. However, I would never vote for that Hillary. Just look at her hair! As if I need to know anything else about her. Enough about me. Dan says I can go on and on about me and never get to the point. That Dan, he’s such a kidder. I mean, he keeps threatening to drive right into the lake just so he could stop my "yammering." Anyway, there is a reason I am writing to you.

Mikhail, our oldest, born to a Ukrainian prostitute on the outskirts of Chernobyl, is a big fan of your site (which, quite frankly, makes no sense to Jenny Abrogast, his English Lit tutor, who finds your writing trite, formulaic, and pedantic. And juvenile. She wouldn’t want me to forget juvenile.). Mikhail is also a huge fan of comics, which we encourage because it keep him preoccupied. Now, we realize that Mikhail is at that age where he is experiencing changes in his body. Why he’s becoming a little man just before my every eyes … it’s like every mother’s dream (sob!). I’m okay. Just give me a moment to compose myself.

While cleaning his room a few weeks ago, I found last season’s JC Penny’s and Sear’s catalogs under his bed, surrounded by a sea of wadded up used tissues. Of course, I cleaned up the mess throwing everything away. This got me suspecting that he was doing drugs. I mean, why else would he seemingly waste tissues? So that night I barged into his room, under a false “mommy pretext” as I like to call them, and surprised my son ... “pleasuring himself.” Dan thinks it’s normal. (Of course he would, he’s Canadian!)

And what do I see in his hands? No, not that! None other than this picture from an upcoming comic book, which he printed off of the internet.

Here it is again for your convenience. Look at this trash. But what does it really mean? I knew I needed help in interpreting the meaning of this objectionable material. I'm just a mom. How would I know?

So I consulted Drusilla Alpenglow, or at least that’s what she calls herself now that she’s taken her Celtic name and joined her secretive Earth First commune. Or something. I do have trouble keeping it all straight ever since I went on this new prescription. Drusilla works at the local comic shop and leads a women’s studies roundtable Tuesday nights at Ye Olde Coffee Shoppe, followed by bowling. I mean, I never attended one of these "round tables," except for the one at the Medieval Village Theme Park, but I am sure they are interesting and she says all of the right things.

Upon seeing the image, Drusilla went into hysterics. A-ha, I thought. Someone who sees the danger of this. But then she began to scare me. Honestly, she was babbling left and right and I could only get fragments out of her:

Boob Job … Breast augmentation …. Defies gravity … Objectifies women … Ruining the character … Power Girl is a character all about female empowerment and not cheesecake …

To be sure, I don’t know what she was talking about. I mean, who doesn’t like cheesecake? Truth be told, I was also concerned about the message the woman wearing fishnets was sending Rajiv and LaTonya, my two youngest. Because as we all know, along with fishnets comes teenage pregnancy.

Then suddenly, Jimmy, one of Drusilla’s coworkers ,walked by. Pausing to look at the extraordinarily "busty" woman on the cover, he declared that she looked hotter than ever and that with her new “look” he was sure to buy that issue. Drusilla screamed up and down about sex selling and minds being corrupted. To be honest, all of that nonsense gave me a headache. Thanks god for my HEAD-ON (I hate their commercials, but I just LOVE their product!). She blamed some faceless multinational corporation. I mean, really, it got a little out of hand. Who could believe that a company like Wal-Mart would be bad? Sheesh.

I, on the other hand, think all ofthis has something to do with the terrorists. Although I can’t prove it, I’ve got my eyes peeled. So why am I writing you? As I mentioned, my family is my life. Dan calls it an obsession, but he likes to watch soccer on TV so what does he know. I am writing you in the tried and true vein of the letter to the editor. In the past, my letters have praised our leaf blowing citizens and demanded an end to light pollution in the desert thousands of miles away from here. I implore you to publicly post this letter so that other concerned citizens know there are others who feel like them.

Sincerely,

Becky Lee Ann Summers
Tampa, FL


Well thanks there Becky. Were not quite sure what your point is but we were glad to share it with our readers.