Posted in: Comics, Recent Updates | Tagged: Comics, entertainment, idw

Thursday Morning Runaround – Where No Woman Has Gone Before

Published Thu, 06 Feb 2014 06:49:32 -0600

Last updated Thu, 06 Feb 2014 09:31:57 -0600

GET COMMITTED AT COLLEGE

Swarthmore College gets a comic book makeover. And James Sturm certificates!

You may have noticed the comic books on display as you rushed through McCabe's atrium and up the stairs to your latest due date. The exhibit "Committed to Comics" features the work of faculty and students from this small and selective New England art school, the center for Cartoon Studies. For those at the school, "drawing is seeing, a powerful tool for creating and thinking." Founded in White River Junction, VT in 2004, the center offers a full course of study for aspiring cartoonists and graphic novelists to build their skills. Students also learn the ins and outs of getting their work recognized. The center, founded by cartoonist James Sturm (The Revival, Fantastic Four: Unstable Molecules), also offers one and two year certificates in cartooning as well as summer workshops.

WHERE NO WOMAN HAS GONE BEFORE

Comics Alliance looks at the Star Trek gender-flipping story coming from IDW.

In the case of "Parallel Lives", the gender-switching story that starts in issue #29, it arose from a discussion I had when Sarah when she first joined the series as editor and we were planning out the year ahead. I wanted to try something attention-grabbing and slightly weird, in the tradition of the more daring original episodes, and joked that a "Lil' Star Trek" series following a miniature crew would certainly be that. Sarah suggested an alternative that still embraced the idea of seeing the crew in a different way: switching genders. It's certainly attention-grabbing, but it is also very "Star Trek" in the way that it invites an examination of deeper themes in the story beyond just the unusual premise.

WOMEN LIKE COMICS. WHO KNEW?

Brett Schenker at The Beat numbercrunches,

In February, the Facebook universe of self-identified comic fans grew to a new high of over 24 million fans in the United States. Of that 24 million, women account for 46.67% of that population. Since I've been tracking these stats, that's the highest percentage of women recorded. With some changes on Facebook's end, I can now see what terms have grown from the previous month, and in this case it wasn't any single term, it was many of the over 100 used to compile the statistics.

COMICS OF COLOUR

Comic Book Resources begins a month covering comics by black American creators.

Today we take a look at Jacques Nyemb's Not So Super #1, drawn by Joe Hunter. Check out the great Superman: Secret Identity homage cover it has…

The gist of the comic is that we meet a young single man named Dan who is living a normal enough life as an IT professional for a large company…

SHE MAKES COMICS: THE UNTOLD STORY

A documentary film about the untold history of women in comic books, celebrating female creators and fans alike.

While women have made significant strides in the medium over the past several decades, it's still not easy to be a woman in comics. Female readers fight to be recognized as legitimate fans in an insular and sometimes sexist community. In mainstream comics, there remains an unequal balance of women in creative and business roles, and some publishers have been criticized for misogynistic portrayals of women in their titles. The pessimistic question is often asked: is there a place for women in comics?

In spite of these issues, our project intends to emphasize the valuable contributions women have made since the Golden Age of comics. They may not be as recognizable as Will Eisner or Stan Lee, but we hope to make some of comics' most prolific women into household names by showcasing their talents and contributions.

AND THE PARENTS ARE???

Dragon Ball creator Akira Toriyama reveals after twenty-five years the identity of Goku's mother.

According to an announcement by Toriyama in Japanese publisher Shueisha's recent Saikyō Jump #3, Goku's mother is called Gine. Like all Saiyans, her name is a vegetable pun, which this time around is apparently a play on the Spring Onion known as "Negi."

Goku's mother (including her character design) will be fleshed out further in the supplemental material of the collected edition of Toriyama's Jaco the Galactic Patrolman one-shot in April in Japan. We've contacted Viz to see when the material might be headed to North American readers and will update once we get official word.

Thanks to Macey A Lavoie for the assistance.

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