sexism

“I think this woman is wrong about something on the Internet. Clearly my best course of action is to threaten her with rape.” That’s crazy talk, right? So why does it happen all the time? Honest question, dudes. That women are harassed online is not news. That women in comics and the broader fandom cultures are harassed online is not news. That these women are routinely transmitted anonymous messages describing graphic sexual violence perpetrated upon them for transgressions as grave as not liking a thing… that is actually news to me, and it’s probably news to a lot of you guys reading this. So what can we do about it?

Folks, I have seen some dumb things involving the X-Men in my time. It is, in fact, my actual job is to see dumb things involving the X-Men on a fairly regular basis, and I have also seen more than my share of terrible ads over the years. This new ad from Hardee's and Carl's Jr. that makes an attempt to promote their Western X-Tra Bacon Burger, however, might just be the new gold standard for idio

Welcome to the latest episode of ComicsAlliance Presents "Kate or Die," a series of exclusive comic strips created by one of our longtime favorite webcomics cartoonists, Kate Leth! In this episode, Kate takes on the subject of sexual harassment in the comic book industry and the culture of silence that often surrounds it, a topic that's been brought to the forefront as a consequence of r

A couple of weeks ago cartoonist Tess Fowler tweeted that she had been sexually harassed at a comic convention by a well-known comics writer some years earlier. At that time, she did not name the other party. ComicsAlliance's Matt D. Wilson was among those to write about Fowler's widely reported commentary as part of a vital discussion about the culture of misogyny and sexual harassment that perva

In an article posted on The New Republic's website about his controversial body of work, Mark Millar -- the writer of Jupiter's Legacy, Kick-Ass, The Authority, and Superman: Red Son -- was asked about the many depictions of rape in his comics. The writer, whose attitudes toward rape in comics have been called into question in the past, said simply: "I don't really think it matters." Re

Following the success of the Avengers film, and with Iron Man 3 set to hit theaters next month, the characters who make up Marvels Avengers team are more recognizable than ever. Naturally, the publisher is taking advantage of that fact via merchandise, including the two t-shirts pictured above...

I've been thinking about fake geek girls--or, more, the tenacity with which the geek community has latched on to the bugbear of the fake geek girl. Even in a community with a reputation as argumentative, the intensity and volume of the vitriol directed at the fake geek girl is unprecedented...

It's very easy to examine at the state of the mainstream American comic book industry and its relationship with women and come with away with a diagnosis of "grim." With respect to very young women, like the seven-year-old girl who last year had to give up on her idol Starfire because of the character's updated and decidedly "adult" depiction in DC Comics' Red Hood and the Outl

2011 was a good year for superhero beefcake. Not in comics, of course, but at the movies. And not in terms of quantity, but in terms of quality. What I'm saying is that Chris Hemsworth took his shirt off in Thor, and it was great. All right, Chris Evans took his shirt off as well for his Charles-Atlas-ification in Captain America, and I understand Ryan Reynolds was briefly featured in his scanties before having his body replaced with a cantaloupe-skinned wire-frame in Green Lantern. That was it, though. The bar for superhero beefcake is set pretty low. And the bar is set low because the source material -- actual superhero comics -- has never been fertile ground for the shameless sexual objectification of men.

As you -- or your children, depending on your life -- open up your presents to reveal awesome toys this holiday season, it's worth watching this righteous rant by young Riley, who has a few questions for the marketing tactics of toy companies...