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MILES MORALES, the Bildungsroman, and the Ethnoracial Pause

After a screening of my doc. Latinx Superheroes in Mainstream Comics at the Durham County Library, a librarian asked: “What comics do a good job representing diversity, especially for young readers?” My reflex answer: “Go to the independents! Begin with those Latinx and African American creators featured in the documentary. Then follow the yellow-bricks to…

Health and Inclusivity: Starting a New School Year with CHECK, PLEASE!

Look. After working for a university for the past few years, I’ve become well-acquainted with the hectic and rapid change that is a New School Year. Being on the other side as a faculty member has meant that the transition and change I experienced from the first time I stepped on campus is a similar…

Hated and Feared: HOUSE OF X and POWERS OF X Examined

Taking on the voluntary mission of being the latest — in a long line of authors — to reintroduce a famous superhero team like the X-Men, in my humble opinion, is akin to reinventing the wheel or building a better mousetrap. No matter how good your concept, and no matter how unique your perspective, there…

KIRBYOLOGY!: Two Tales of Cavemen from the Craziest Trading Cards Ever

Some people carry a Bible in their pocket for comfort or as an inefficient bulletproof vest. I carry Jack Kirby: The Unpublished Archives, a 1994 set of trading cards that feature unused Kirby concepts from his time working in animation for Ruby-Spears. To say these concepts all over the map undersells their bonkers quotient by…

Transmyscira: The Catfight over MAN-EATERS #9

We are not at war. There is no enemy. This is a rescue operation. – Mister Six, The Invisibles Volume 3 #12 The comic book industry is in the midst of a full blown crisis in the representation of transgender, non binary, and otherwise gender non-conforming people. The decision by Man-Eaters writer Chelsea Cain to…

Learning to Love the LEGION: On Supergirl and Selective Continuity

Hello, loyal Legion learners! Welcome back to the bi-weekly column where we attempt to figure out what this whole Legion of Super-Heroes business is about and why you, a Twenty-First Century comics connoisseur, should give them your attention. I had forgotten how many characters are introduced, and how quickly, early on in the Legion’s publication…

Deadly Nightshade: Poison Ivy, SQUADRON SUPREME, and a History of Sexualized Violence

Does it count as consent if the person you’re with has been programmed to never go against your orders — to always give consent, no matter what? In the recent Heroes in Crisis series, we saw Harley Quinn framed for murder and Poison Ivy killed — and subsequently reborn as a shell of her former self.…

Baby, Queer Me One More Time: 39 MORE Indie Titles Doing Right by LGBTA Fans

Over the last few years, we’ve highlighted 101 print comics — not published by industry leaders DC or Marvel — and 80 webcomics that give queer, lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, nonbinary, genderqueer, and asexual characters and stories center stage. The list is growing so quickly every day, to be honest, that keeping up with all…

#MakeComics: Writer/Artist Youssef Daoudi

How do the pros #MakeComics? We’re here to tell you. Comicosity is picking the brains of a pro who is killing it in the comics industry, and for this round I was lucky enough to talk to Youssef Daoudi! Youssef is the writer and artist of the Eisner-nominated Monk!: Thelonious, Pannonica, and the Friendship Behind a…