Comic Arts Conference @ San Diego Comic Con International

Comic Arts Conference Schedule Announced.

Bummed I'll be missing it - - looks like a lot of interesting presentations this year.

Pop Culture Round-Up

Guest post by screenwriter and actress, Nia Vardalos over at Women in Media & News concerning Hollywood studios not making movies with female leads because "women don't go to the movies." Sounds like what we've heard from the gaming and comic book industries (women don't play/read them - - which we know is bullshit).

A detailed and thought-provoking piece over at Salon on genre busting heroines in supernatural fiction including Buffy Summers, Anita Blake, and Sookie Stackhouse.



I've yet to get into True Blood or the Southern Vampire series by Charlaine Harris, but this piece over at Damsel has me intrigued by the author's suggestion that Sookie Stackhouse is the "natural heir to Buffy's feminist throne." Considering my interest in female heroes (and specifically, post-Buffy heroes I think I'm going to have to get cracking!

Fourth Biennial Slayage Conference on the Whedonverses-- Coming Soon!

FYI - Just got a note from the Whedon Studies Association saying that the fourth biennial Slayage Conference on the Whedonverses will take place June 3 through 6 of 2010. Location plans are being finalized and will be announced soon.

I attended the Second Biennial Conference on the Whedonverses at Gordon College in Georgia in 2006 and had a fun and informative experience - - there's no one like Whedon scholars for a good time and a great, scholarly conference!

Interview with the Ink-Stained Amazon at SciFiPulse

An interview with Yours Truly, conducted by comic book academic, Nicholas Yanes, is over at SciFiPulse.Net.

Jim Henson's Fantastic World

Jim Henson’s loveable, laughable Muppets have provided some of the most irreverent, inspirational, and educational entertainment of the past 50 years. But few know that Henson, who died unexpectedly from pneumonia at the age of 54, had a prolific career in television commercials and success with experimental film prior to the creations of Sesame Street (1969-) and The Muppet Show (1976-1981).*






Jim Henson’s Fantastic World, a collaborative effort between The Jim Henson Legacy and The Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service tells the story of "Jim the Man" rather than simply "Jim the Puppeteer" in a effort to provide deeper insight into his process of visual thinking.






The retrospective, - - in the middle of a 12-venue tour - - is a collection of original drawings, photographs, video footage, puppets and Muppets. It stops this Summer at Seattle's Experience Music Project|Science Fiction Museum. In addition to hosting Jim Henson’s Fantastic World, EMP|SFM is also presenting Muppets, Music and Magic: Jim Henson’s Legacy.**




Be sure to check out the appropriately named Mudgarden Experience - - a Seattle only component to the exhibition. Envisioned by EMP|SFM's Director of Education, Margie Maynard, and designed by local puppet maker, Annett Mateo, this interactive puppet rock band - - comprised of Northwest rock icons Jimi Hendrix, Kurt Cobain, and Carrie Akre - - allows visitors to experience what it might be like to film a live puppet television show.


(At the media preview tour, Carrie Akre had a chance to rock out with her puppet likeness while EMP|SFM's Director of Public Programming, Sam Vance, played drums with a puppet inspired by Keith Moon and Mike Musburger.)



Summer events associated with the retrospective include lectures from Henson’s widow Jane Henson and writer Craig Shemin. There will also be screenings of The Muppet Movie, clips of Henson’s experimental film and work for NBC Experiment in Television, a presentation of Labyrinth with special guest Karen Prell (aka “Red Fraggle”—and a local girl), and performances by the Clay Martin Puppet Theater and the Carter Family Marionettes.




Event Highlights
Wednesday, May 27th 2009
7:00 pm
JBL Theater
Muppet History 101 with Craig Shemin

Saturday, May 30, 2009
11:00 am
JBL Theater
Muppet Music Moments Film Screening

Wednesday, June 10, 2009
7:00 pm
JBL Theater
Commercials and Experiments with Karen Prell

Tuesday, June 16, 2009
7:00 pm
JBL Theater
Exposed: Inside Film screening of The Dark Crystal

Wednesday, July 8, 2009
7:00 pm
JBL Theater
“Look Both Ways” with special guest Jane Henson

Tuesday, July 21, 2009
7:00 pm
JBL Theater
Exposed: Inside Film screening of Labyrinth with special guest Karen Prell

* The innovative Time Piece was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Short Film in 1965. Check it out on iTunes.
**(Portland's NW Film Center is also currently hosting.)

-Stay tuned for a more detailed feature by yours truly on Jim Henson's Fantastic World and the man himself coming soon in the July issue of Geek Monthly!

Fringe Season Finale

Loved, Loved, Loved Fringe last night. I've been intrigued since the beginning of the series, but had no idea I would come to care about these characters as much as I do. Olivia has fire and determination. Peter turned out to be resilient and compassionate, as well as a patient and caring son. Walter, who I thought would be the butt of every joke - - you know the endearingly kooky mad scientist - - is heartbreaking.

And last night's episode, wow, what an ending - - so unexpected and so controversial. See why they choose to do what they did explained at the linked video.

I'm looking forward to rewatching the series so far and picking up on what I didn't catch the first time (and to playing "Spot the Observer"!) Of course, I'll also be keeping a critical eye on Agent Dunham as a heroic female character!



Scifiwire

Wonder Woman Special Features Clip

This clip from one of the Special Features Documentaries for the new Wonder Woman 2-disc DVD or Blu-Ray features yours truly talking about the Amazon Princess!


GODDESS EVOLVES

Ink-Stained Amazons and Cinematic Warriors (Coming Soon to a Bookstore Near You)

I wanted to let anyone who is interested in know that I made a Facebook Page for my forthcoming book.

The book itself won't available until late Summer/early Fall, but I will be sure to post publishing details, speaking engagements, reviews, and interviews both here on my blog and on Facebook.

In the meantime, here is some advance praise:

“Female heroes abound in literature, film and all walks of life, although most people don’t know that they do. Not surprising given how much they challenge the gender roles in which women and girls have historically been confined. This wonderful book shows female heroes breaking out of gender boxes left and right and illuminates new possibilities for the indomitable hero in all of us.”

Kathleen Noble, Ph.D., author of The Sound of the Silver Horn: Reclaiming the heroism in contemporary women’s lives.

"Once upon a time -- only a few years ago, actually -- women could turn on their TV sets and glory in the adventures of Buffy, Xena, Sydney Bristow, Dana Scully, and many more strong, ass-kicking women. Today there is not one show on the small screen that stars a female action hero. What happened? Comics are not much better. Aside from the occasional exception (for which we are grateful) like Birds of Prey, and women writers like Ivory Madison (The Huntress) and Gail Simone’s newly feminist interpretation of Wonder Woman, most comic book action heroines continue to be male-written and drawn creations whose breasts are bigger then their personalities.

Now along comes Jennifer Stuller, with her very entertaining book, Ink-Stained Amazons, to explore the whys and wherefores of pop culture super women, and perhaps jolt us all into demanding more and stronger women characters. Thank you, Jennifer. We need those role models!"

Trina Robbins, author of The Great American Superheroines (Palace Press, 2009)

Another Great Comics Arts Conference at WonderCon

From Wonder Con's Programming Page


"The Humanization of Weisinger's Legion of Superfluity," "Sequential Signs: Comic Art in the Gallery," "The Feminstas of Justice" — do these titles seem a bit high falutin' for a comic book convention? Well, they're the titles of a few of the presentations slated for the Comics Arts Conference, a full- fledged academic conference that takes place each year at both WonderCon and Comic-Con International: San Diego.

Founded in 1992 by Dr. Randy Duncan — of Henderson State University in Arkadelphia, Arkansas — and Dr. Peter Coogan — who teaches at Washington University in St. Louis — the Comics Arts Conference brings scholars and professionals together to talk about comics with the public by breaking out of the ivory tower and holding sessions during two of the nation's most influential comic book shows. This year marks the CAC's 17th annual conference at Comic-Con International and its third at WonderCon.

Headlining this year's CAC presentation at WonderCon is the legendary cartoonist and San Francisco native Trina Robbins, a special guest at the convention. Robbins will be presenting "Nell Brinkley and The Brinkley Girls," a talk on Jazz Age cartoonist and illustrator Nell Brinkley, whose glamorous, curly haired "Brinkley Girls" were a household name in the early 20th century when Brinkley was "The Queen of Comics." Robbins' talk is drawn from her Fantagraphics book The Brinkley Girls, published in January, and Robbins will be signing copies of after her talk.

Comics have been moving into the classroom and gaining ever-greater acceptance at educational institutions. This acceptance is reflected in two CAC presentations. The first is "Cross-Curricular Comics: Applying Comics in the K-8 Classroom" a workshop by middle-school teacher Liz Vizcarra that demonstrates the application of comics in the K-8 environment to meet California standards. A professional development certificate is available for teachers who attend this session. The second is from CAC co-chair Randy Duncan on his new comics studies textbook, The Power of Comics: History, Form and Culture, to be published in April by Continuum Books. As the first textbook on comics and graphic novels aimed at undergraduates, The Power of Comics is an exciting breakthrough in the cultural legitimization of the comics medium, and the CAC offers a first look at this important work.

Besides the classroom, comics have broken into the museum, and the CAC does as well, in a pair of talks. Fine arts scholar Kim Munson explores the importance of comics to contemporary visual culture and the central role of the 2005 Masters of Comic Art exhibit in breaking comics out of the art world's high/low debate. CAC co-chair Peter Coogan presents "Superhero Science 101," a talk originally given in conjunction with the Marvel Comics Super-Hero Science exhibition at the St. Louis Science Center. Dr. Coogan explains the science- fictional laws that operate in superhero universes, including why Bruce Banner's pants stretch so much and what we in the real world can learn from such "rubber science."

Need to bone up on your superhero history? The fifties, sixties, and seventies get a thoroughgoing review in a matched set of three presentations. California State University librarian Douglas Highsmith and University of California librarian Chuck Huber examine the superhero comics "between the Flashes" from the last appearance of the Golden Age Flash in 1950 to the first of the Silver Age Flash in 1956 — yes, there were superhero comics in the early fifties! Moving on to the 1960s, independent scholar Jeff Barbanell peers through his timescope to find the first "Marvelization" of a DC series in Jim Shooter's Legion of Super-Heroes run and his infusion of his comic book narratives with the Lee and Kirby techniques of group dynamics, hyperrealism, and cosmic context. Finally, the "ink-stained Amazon" Jennifer K. Stuller attempts to resolve the conundrum of the "feministas of justice," the superwomen of the 1970s such as Valkyrie, Diana Prince, Ms. Marvel, and Lois Lane, who presented a superficial image of feminism but continue to serve as symbols of female empowerment in the cultural imagination.

But like the world of comics, the CAC is more than superheroes. CAC presenters take on social issues that resonant with today's headlines. Indian cartoonist Gokul Gopalakrishnan (aka Gokul TG), who is a fellow of the Centre for Performance Research and Cultural Studies in South Asia, investigates the cunning exploitation of the misconception of comic strips as "harmless fun" to enable cartoonists to sidestep censorship, focusing on O. V Vijayan's Malayalam comic strip Ithiri Neramboku, Ithiri Darshanam ("Bit of Trifle, Bit of Philosophy") during the 1975–1977 State of National Emergency in India. Diana Green of the Minneapolis College of Art & Design unearths the GLBT in EC Comics and the play of these stories in the burgeoning, shifting acceptance of gay culture that began in the 1950s. And Trevor Strunk, graduate student at New York University, takes on the topic of hybrid cultures as they are expressed in Jaime Hernandez's Love and Rockets output.

With the Comics Arts Conference, WonderCon offers attendees a unique chance to dig into comics' past and present and give their brains a workout while in the midst of one the country's great comic book conventions.


(BTW - - "The Feministas of Justice" is me! - - Thanks to Hubby for the title suggestion!)

Li'l Abner on TCM

Cinema Retro reports that Li'l Abner--the 1959 film based on Al Capp's comic strip will be playing this Friday at 11:30 EST.

I'm intrigued because I've never seen it, I'm a sucker for a musical, and Trina Robbins gave a great talk on "The Feral Women of Li'l Abner" at Wonder Con last year:

Cartoonist and historian Trina Robbins (From Girls to Grrrlz) presents a slideshow talk on the feral girls—Pig Girl, Hawk Girl, and Wolf Gal—of Li’l Abner’s Dogpatch, a bloodthirsty lot with no compunction about turning Dogpatchers into dinner. Wolf Gal, the starring wild girl of Dogpatch, is strong, beautiful, independent, and—don’t laugh—a feminist. When the little girls of Dogpatch imitate Wolf Gal by taking no guff from the boys, the citizens of Dogpatch react. They want their daughters to grow up as "overworked, wore-out, respectable married drudges," not "wild an' happy an'f ree, like th' wolf gal!!" Robbins connects these cartoon wild women with mythical feral children and more contemporary figures like Misha Defonseca, a Jewish orphan during World War II, who hid from the Nazis in the forests of occupied Europe for four years and eventually teamed up with a family of wolves. Recounting her experiences years later, she wrote, "the only time I ever slept deeply was when I was with wolves... Those were the most beautiful days I had ever experienced."

And . . . it stars the gorgeous Julie Newmar as Stupefyin' Jones.

Comic Arts Conference @ Wonder Con

I just found out that I'm scheduled to speak to speak at 3:00 on Saturday 2/28. If this conflicts with Trina's Spotlight Session then I might try to switch with someone, but for now here's the relevant info for anyone who is interested:

3:00-4:00 COMICS ARTS CONFERENCE SESSION #6: SUPERHEROES OF THE BRONZE AGE—Jennifer K. Stuller (www.ink-stainedamazon.com) attempts to reconcile the conundrum of 1970s feminist superheroines like the Valkyrie, Diana Prince, Ms. Marvel, Lois Lane, and The Cat, who presented a superficial image of feminism but continue to serve as symbols of female empowerment in the cultural imagination. Jeff Barbanell (Teenagers from the Future) argues that the “Marvelization” of DC’s Bronze Age was presaged in Jim Shooter's run on the Legion of Super-Heroes with Shooter’s attempt to infuse his comic book narrative with the Lee and Kirby techniques of group dynamics, hyperrealism and cosmic context, which added a further dimension to Lee and Kirby's humanization of the comic book superhero. Room 200/212

And a little more detail:

Emmapeelers, Disco Divas, and The Feministas of Justice: A Look at Superwomen in the American 1970s

Taking cue from the Women’s Liberation Movement, superhero stories in the 1970s featured righteous Lady Liberators, Femizons, and Amazons who fought to free women from gender inequity and oppression. But were they really feminist?

Jennifer K. Stuller, author of the forthcoming Ink-Stained Amazons and Cinematic Warriors: Superwomen in Modern Mythology (IB Tauris), explores such contradictory, and often cliché, characters as Valkyrie, Diana Prince, Ms. Marvel, Lois Lane, and The Cat. Though they presented an image of feminism that was superficial at best, they continue to serve as symbols of female empowerment in the cultural imagination—a conundrum Ms. Stuller attempts to reconcile.

Feeling Fairly Fangrrrl-ish

A very Hanso Foundation-esque viral video for Watchmen.

I can't help but be impressed, and, a little giddy.

Holiday Television: Best of the Season

You don’t have to be a devotee of television programming to notice ‘tis the season of Holiday Specials. Here are my 15 favorite seasonal shows and films, in no particular order.


Futurama -"Xmas Story"
In which our hero Fry learns that Christmas, now simplified as X-Mas, is a day terrorized by a Robot Santa who deems everyone naughty.

FuturamaWeeknights, 9p/8c

Futurama - Santa Warnings

More Funny Videos
Comedians on Tour

Get Funny Ringtones
Stand-Up Comedy

Seinfeld- “The Strike”
In this 9th Season episode we get yet another glimpse into George Costanza’s dysfunctional heritage when his father shares the details of Festivus. The Pole, The Airing of Grievances, and The Feats of Strength have evolved into a cult holiday complete with a guide.



A Muppet Christmas with John Denver
And speaking of Seinfeld . . . Remember that episode when Kramer has a seizure whenever he hears Mary Hart’s voice? My parents must have the same problem whenever they hear the soundtrack to this Christmas special—an album which received constant play on our childhood turntable.



Elf
Will Farrell does his funny thing, and it’s charming here, but the true gems of this film are Zooey Deschanel and Bob Newhart.




Fred Claus
Vince Vaughn and Paul Giamatti star as the Claus brothers in this hilarious, endearing, and quite frankly, unexpected, treat. John Michael Higgins, Elizabeth Banks, Kevin Spacey, and Kathy Bates are marvelous as always. And the filmmakers really hit the nail on the head when it comes to the complicated, painful, and incomparably deep relationship of siblings. I have to admit, I got a bit teary.




A Christmas Story
In the mid-1980s I was helping my Dad assemble the electric train beneath our tree. Flipping through the channels for some background entertainment we discovered the most funny, charming, and though it sounds cliché, heartwarming, little movie we’d ever seen - - A Christmas Story. Based on the work of Jean Shepherd this sweet movie starred Peter Billingsley (who later would cameo as an elf in Elf) as a little boy in the 1940s who only wants one thing from Santa—a Red Ryder BB gun.

The TBS Network runs a 24-Hour marathon of the movie starting every Christmas Eve at 8:00 pm, and there is a yearly convention at the house in Cleveland where the movie was filmed.





The Simpsons—“Grift of the Magi”
Springfield Elementary is privatized by Kids First Industries--an undercover toy company looking to design the next Hot Christmas Toy. Before you know it, Homer and the Kids are stealing the robotic fuzzball "Funzo" from beneath holiday trees in an effort to save Christmas, and arguing the topic of commercialization with Gary Coleman.



Rudolph, The Red-Nosed Reindeer
This classic stop motion animation special is a story about difference, acceptance, and love. The seemingly odd combination of Santa, a red-nosed reindeer, an abominable snow monster, an elf who'd rather be a dentist, and Burl Ives works. The best part is when Rudolph keeps his promise to the Misfit Toys--and makes sure they all find a loving home.



Olive, The Other Reindeer
A sweet dog and a misinterpretation lead to a charming story about determination and friendship.



A Charlie Brown Christmas
Always with a B-I-G bowl of popcorn (and I wish that networks still did the intro to “specials” that always made specials special).




The Office Christmas Special
While highlights include the long-awaited kiss between Tim and Dawn, it’s hard to top David Brent’s music video for his cover of Simply Red’s “If You Don’t Know Me By Now.”




Alan Partridge: Knowing Me, Knowing Yule
Steve Coogan’s alter ego is an arrogant prick--probably my favorite of television. Alan had somehow managed to move out of talk radio to become the host of his own television show, Knowing Me, Knowing You with Alan Partridge. In this Christmas special, Alan--always a hilariously painful disaster--royally blows his chances at a second series, not the least of which, by punching the director of programming at the BBC.



The Spirit of Christmas: Jesus vs. Santa Jesus
In the long, long ago, before South Park stopped being edgy, and even, before South Park was South Park, Trey Parker and Matt Stone were commissioned to make this short video to be sent out as a holiday card. A fictional Brian Boitano makes an appearance, Jesus and Santa battle, and the kids learn the true meaning of Christmas - - presents.

Best line of the short goes to Stan: “Dude. Don’t say ‘Pig-Fucker’ in front of Jesus.” At least that's still funny.





Friends – “The One With The Holiday Armadillo”
Friends’ Thanksgiving episodes were always better than the Christmas ones, but Ross Geller’s dedication to making sure his son has a memorable holiday—and learns about his Jewish heritage—is really touching.



Scrooged
Bill Murray, Karen Allen, Carol Kane, David Johansen, John Glover, and Bob Goldthwait star in one of the best takes on “A Christmas Carol.” Karen Allen is as enchanting as always, and the cameo by Lee Majors is inspired.




“The Night the Reindeer Died”



It’s a Wonderful Life
The end of this 1946 classic gets me every time—and I sob like a baby. Case in point: Clarence the Angel’s inscription in the copy of Tom Sawyer he leaves for George, “Remember, no man is a failure who has friends.”



Honorable Mentions:

Dr. Who - “Voyage of the Damned”
Guest Starring Kylie Minogue!




A Colbert Christmas: The Greatest Gift of All!
A threatening bear! Feist singing! Elvis Costello in a clown costume! And Jon Stewart stopping by as “The Jewish Friend” who teaches us about “other” celebrations this time of year!

The Colbert ReportMon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c

A Colbert Christmas: Feist Sings

Colbert at Christmas
Colbert Christmas DVD

Green Screen
Bill O'Reilly Interview

Venture Bros. Christmas Songs


Dr. Girlfriend and The Monarch sing The Pogues’ “Fairytale of New York.”

Majel Barrett Roddenberry Has Died

SciFi.com is reporting that actress Majel Barrett Roddenberry has died.

Roddenberry is perhaps best recognized for her roles as Nurse Christine Chapel, assistant to the ship's doctor Leonard McCoy on Star Trek, The Original Series and later for her portrayal of Deanna Troi's irrepressible mother--Lwaxana on Star Trek: The Next Generation.






She also provided the voice of the ship's computer for most, if not all, Starfleet ships, including the one in the forthcoming J.J. Abrams movie.

Prior to her role as Nurse Chapel, Roddenberry portrayed the more subversive character of Number One in the original pilot for Star Trek called, "The Cage."



Number One was the cool-headed and intelligent Second in Command of the Enterprise--and her then-radical rank did not sit well with network executives. As Nichelle Nichols--who would play the character of Uhura in the reworked series--wrote in her autobiography:

"After viewing what was purported to have been the most original and expensive television pilot ever produced, NBC executives weighed in: 'The Cage' was too original, too cerebral, and decidedly lacking in 'action' (i.e. violence). What's more, two characters in particular left them cold. It must have been difficult for them to determine which offended them most: the purely fictional pointy-eared, mixed-blood alien* (whose appearance, they said, audiences might find frightening) or the intellectually gifted woman in charge of the ship (whose existence they might find frightening). Either way, they were determined to eliminate both of them."

Barrett's brunette locks were replaced with a blonde bouffant, and she was recast in the more traditionally feminine role of caretaker--a nurse who pined for the new Second in Command--Mr. Spock.

Regardless, Majel Roddenberry made her characters a delight to watch. Whether she was taunting Captain Picard with her confident and playful sexuality as Lwaxana, or commanding a ship with authority in her too-brief role as Number One.





* Part of Gene Roddenberry's humanist agenda included a commitment to presenting diversity and challenging societal conventions. Mr. Spock -- the alien Nichols refers to here--is the product of miscegenation.

News From The Ink-Stained Amazon

*Special thanks to Ryan Wilkerson for the lovely site design!