tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38498648.post8467864334075612896..comments2023-10-15T10:25:22.469-05:00Comments on Arrogant Self-Reliance: The “Girl-Standards”: Thoughts on Those Titles We Womenfolk Might Like; or, how I recently read (and watched) a lot of HellboyAmy Readshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02571924705714110971noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38498648.post-3313577475383724842007-03-26T20:38:00.000-05:002007-03-26T20:38:00.000-05:00Hi Scott,I am amazed at Joss Whedon's subtlety. I'...Hi Scott,<BR/><I>I am amazed at Joss Whedon's subtlety. I'm almost ashamed to admit that I hadn't considered the feminist agenda in Buffy until Whedon spoke about it in DVD commentaries. At the time, I hadn't trained my mind to look for such things. When I realized what he was doing, the show felt a whole lot more important. (I think one of the reasons I didn't catch on right away was because I didn't think a female superhero was so unusual. I did, however, realize that what made Buffy "sexy" was different from what made most female superheroes/femme fatales sexy. Here was a character where I cared more about her emotional journey than about how hot she looked stabbing monsters with Mr. Pointy. And can you believe it? Most of her fights, her clothes never got ripped in suggestive places! Amazing.)</I><BR/><BR/>And what I think is really smart about Buffy is that there really *isn't* a "feminist agenda," or a "pro-weirdness agenda," yet there are all of those things and more. What makes BtVS so smart is that everyone can take something away from it. My father, even, who has No Interest in things like BtVS, enjoyed watching it, even.<BR/><BR/><I>Loved American Gods. Loved all his novels, but I think American Gods was the only book that I considered to be Sandman quality.</I><BR/><BR/>Shadow's my heart, truly. He gets me where it hurts, like Batman, or Atticus Kodiak, or Harry Dresden, or Faith, or Spike, or any of the other thousands of broken characters I love so much (Darcy, Jane Eyre, Huntress, Elektra, the list goes on!). But the *writing* is truly wonderful, I agree.<BR/><BR/><I>Absolutely. I've started reading some older works recently, to finally get a sense of some of that rich history. In fact, I think I'm more interested in older stuff than I am in what's coming out today. (Peter and Gwen make such a cute couple. Hope everything works out.)</I><BR/><BR/>Yes, Scott, let me know how that Peter/Gwen relationship turns out ;)<BR/><BR/>I feel bad that I can't get into the comics that I enjoyed as the kid because honestly, they're not aesthetically appealing to me. Pretty art goes very far in my eyes. I swoon for Jim Lee, John Cassaday, Adam Hughes, etc. <BR/>Ciao,<BR/>AmyAmy Readshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02571924705714110971noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38498648.post-62406524460376956712007-03-26T09:23:00.000-05:002007-03-26T09:23:00.000-05:00I like my subtext subtle. Buffy subtle.I am amazed...<I>I like my subtext subtle. Buffy subtle.</I><BR/><BR/>I am amazed at Joss Whedon's subtlety. I'm almost ashamed to admit that I hadn't considered the feminist agenda in Buffy until Whedon spoke about it in DVD commentaries. At the time, I hadn't trained my mind to look for such things. When I realized what he was doing, the show felt a whole lot more important. (I think one of the reasons I didn't catch on right away was because I didn't think a female superhero was so unusual. I did, however, realize that what made Buffy "sexy" was different from what made most female superheroes/femme fatales sexy. Here was a character where I cared more about her emotional journey than about how hot she looked stabbing monsters with Mr. Pointy. And can you believe it? Most of her fights, her clothes never got ripped in suggestive places! Amazing.)<BR/><BR/><I>Gaiman truly is a master of his craft, although I think he really fell into a good novel groove with American Gods (still one of the best books I've ever read, period).</I><BR/><BR/>Loved American Gods. Loved all his novels, but I think American Gods was the only book that I considered to be Sandman quality.<BR/><BR/><I>But I've believe, sincerely, that if we comic book fans want the world to take us seriously, then we need to take comics seriously. They are a serious medium with a long tradition (*waves at William Blake*).</I><BR/><BR/>Absolutely. I've started reading some older works recently, to finally get a sense of some of that rich history. In fact, I think I'm more interested in older stuff than I am in what's coming out today. (Peter and Gwen make such a cute couple. Hope everything works out.)The Scalehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01532419292156335019noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38498648.post-70795987955765107512007-03-23T07:45:00.000-05:002007-03-23T07:45:00.000-05:00Hi Scott,There were some books I recommended to a ...Hi Scott,<BR/><I>There were some books I recommended to a lady friend because I thought they were "feminist" or "empowering." But that wasn't really a priority for her--she just wanted a good story.</I><BR/><BR/>I don't actively seek out books with feminist agendas, particularly because most of what I read from the 19th century has no feminist agenda at all, even those books written by women. And honestly, I don't really like overtly political stories/movies/tv shows/etc. I like my subtext subtle. Buffy subtle.<BR/><BR/><I>There are lots of comics out there that I would call "entertaining," but so few that I would actually call "good." Most of the writers that I read faithfully I consider "good" (Busiek, PAD, Waid, Slott, Simone, Vaughan, Kirkman, etc.). Theirs would be the first books I recommended. Others (Bendis, Brubaker, Johns, Loeb) I just find "entertaining." I blame Neil Gaiman for this, because Sandman raised my standards for comics.</I><BR/><BR/>Gaiman truly is a master of his craft, although I think he really fell into a good novel groove with American Gods (still one of the best books I've ever read, period). I, too, find myself differentiating between books that are "good" and books that I read "just for fun," although I'm trying, real hard, not to make that distinction. Now granted, given my profession, I have to differentiate between books read for work, and books read for pleasure (I don't, for example, read Neil Gaiman with a pencil in my hand, although I have written on and will teach Coraline). But I've believe, sincerely, that if we comic book fans want the world to take us seriously, then we need to take comics seriously. They are a serious medium with a long tradition (*waves at William Blake*).<BR/><BR/><I>Anyway, yes, Hellboy is a wonderful series. Even more so because it is so plainly distinctive. Hellboy tales are told (and shown) with true artistry. And thanks to this blog, I want to go and read them again.</I><BR/><BR/>Huzzah! That was the most important part of this! What a great series, no? Mr. Reads, too, is on the reread. Keep me updated!<BR/>Ciao,<BR/>AmyAmy Readshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02571924705714110971noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38498648.post-78727071754684110342007-03-23T07:39:00.000-05:002007-03-23T07:39:00.000-05:00Hi Chris,I had similar thoughts when reading this ...Hi Chris,<BR/><I>I had similar thoughts when reading this blog. I think what makes certain comics "girl comics" is the presence of a captivating story. Unfortunately, in today's world, if a book has more of a story than blood or guts, it's just not macho enough. That goes with movies and (regular) books as well. This is very unfortunate. I'm thinking of Sandman in particular and can see why that would appeal to a more feminine or "in touch with their feminine side" audience. Gaiman has a way of making words beautiful, and unfortunately there's only a few of us guys that can appreciate that. Though come to think of it, I know just as many Sandman fanboys as Sandman fangirls. I don't know if this made any sense....long day :p</I><BR/><BR/>It makes perfect sense, and I think you're right in that we, as a society, tend to associate "blood and guts" with masculine and introspection and good storytelling with feminine. What I find really interesting are the people actively trying to combat those dichotomies, particularly from the storytelling angle. Like Hellboy :)<BR/>Ciao,<BR/>AmyAmy Readshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02571924705714110971noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38498648.post-90778605411720457462007-03-21T15:28:00.000-05:002007-03-21T15:28:00.000-05:00There were some books I recommended to a lady frie...There were some books I recommended to a lady friend because I thought they were "feminist" or "empowering." But that wasn't really a priority for her--she just wanted a good story.<BR/><BR/>There are lots of comics out there that I would call "entertaining," but so few that I would actually call "good." Most of the writers that I read faithfully I consider "good" (Busiek, PAD, Waid, Slott, Simone, Vaughan, Kirkman, etc.). Theirs would be the first books I recommended. Others (Bendis, Brubaker, Johns, Loeb) I just find "entertaining." I blame Neil Gaiman for this, because Sandman raised my standards for comics.<BR/><BR/>Anyway, yes, Hellboy is a wonderful series. Even more so because it is so plainly distinctive. Hellboy tales are told (and shown) with true artistry. And thanks to this blog, I want to go and read them again.The Scalehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01532419292156335019noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38498648.post-72558227749294702672007-03-21T14:58:00.000-05:002007-03-21T14:58:00.000-05:00I had similar thoughts when reading this blog. I t...I had similar thoughts when reading this blog. I think what makes certain comics "girl comics" is the presence of a captivating story. Unfortunately, in today's world, if a book has more of a story than blood or guts, it's just not macho enough. That goes with movies and (regular) books as well. This is very unfortunate. I'm thinking of Sandman in particular and can see why that would appeal to a more feminine or "in touch with their feminine side" audience. Gaiman has a way of making words beautiful, and unfortunately there's only a few of us guys that can appreciate that. Though come to think of it, I know just as many Sandman fanboys as Sandman fangirls. I don't know if this made any sense....long day :pchrisa511https://www.blogger.com/profile/05793512698366676453noreply@blogger.com