September 21st 2011: Women Comic Book Readers Day!

Comic book fans have displayed mixed emotions at the announcement that DC would be essentially "rebooting" their entire universe come September.  The move by DC is undoubtedly an attempt to gain new readers, considering the stagnation comic book sales (complex continuities can be intimidating to newbies, as are the glut of titles being offered).  Concurrently, women comic book fans have been taking DC to task for a lack of gender diversity behind the page.  This gave me an idea:  I want more gender diversity in the bullpens (racial diversity is hopefully on the way with the new Spider-Man) and I want more people to fall in love with comics, a form that means a lot to me.  My idea is to bring the two together and to make September 21st 2011 (the launch date of Wonder Woman #1) Women Comic Book Readers Day.  Essentially, if we want more people to read comics and greater diversity, let's show the industry that women matter.  

My argument is that writing editorials and grilling personnel about the lack of gender diversity simply isn't enough.  In order to get a profit industry to adopt radical change, they need to be affected where it really matters:  their finances.  

Machete (2010)

At the press conference for Machete (2010), co-director Robert Rodriguez was asked the inevitable question about the film’s political subtext.  For those of you unfamiliar with the film, it tells the story of a Mexican illegal immigrant (Danny Trejo) turned assassin who avenges the wrongs visited upon his race via violent acts that eventually spiral into a social revolution.  Given the subject matter, the journalist inquired if Rodriguez had specifically intended to make a statement regarding the controversial steps Arizona had taken in dealing with illegal immigration.  Rodriguez responded that “There are real issues going on in any movie…[Immigration is a] real issue and people want real answers….It’s just a backdrop.”   Rodriguez’s answer, both in the form of the press conference and in the form of the film, is disappointing.  As an homage to exploitation filmmaking, Rodriguez and co-director Ethan Maniquis’s film takes the form of a scratchy, blood soaked negative and attempts to critique the anti-immigration sentiment that has grown to define much of America which has a great deal of potential in theory.  Unfortunately for the film, the filmmakers, and the audience, the film does not nail the landing as its critique and ability to provide visceral thrills quickly dissipate by the end of its first hour.    

Spider-Man: Turn On the Dark

Forgive the headline, but I cannot contain my enthusiasm for the news of the most recent challenge to the racial boundaries of comics.  Sure, Marvel has had Nick Fury and DC has had Steel.  However, if there was going to a Mt. Rushmore constructed out of Superheroes, it would white as the actual granite cliff face (Superman, Batman, Spider-Man, and Wolverine?).  In June, that hypothetical sculpture will drastically change:  Peter Parker is dead, Miles Morales is now Spider-Man.