Welcome to another installment of Pamela, Amanda, and Brittany Finally Close All Those Tabs. Can I just say that Pocket is the best thing ever?
Chaka Cumberbatch as Huntress (Photo courtesy of BentPics5)
Over at xojane, Chaka Cumberbatch writes about how we need more representation for black girls in geek culture. This is a fantastic post from a fantastic cosplayer whom I had the pleasure of meeting at San Diego Comic Con this past year. The lack of women of color in the nerdy domains, like comic books, SF television/film, and so on, is really glaring, and I’m absolutely with Chaka on the need for more characters for young black girls to look up to. This part of her article really stuck with me when I first read it, and though it’s a situation that I have never and will never find myself in, it really struck me and drove home a point that had been kind of peripheral to me.
At Dragon*Con this past summer, I cosplayed Huntress, one of my favorite characters from Birds of Prey. While wandering around the Marriott in search of a Black Canary or an Oracle to take pictures with, I was stopped by a fellow black girl nerd who couldn’t have possibly been more than 13 or 14 years old. She excitedly asked to take my picture, and I excitedly obliged.
When she was done, I thanked her, but as I turned to leave, she stopped me. Her eyes nervously darted between meeting my gaze and staring at the ground as she told me, in an almost hurried, whispered tone that she didn’t know black girls were “allowed” to cosplay, that she hardly knew any black female superheroes, and that she had no idea “people like us” could join in on things like comic books, cosplay and conventions.Listening to her, my heart stopped –- for once, I was at a loss for words. Because 13 years ago, I probably would have said the same thing. I want better representation for women of color in comics, video games, movies and cartoons for many reasons -– but mostly, I want it for that girl.I want her to know that she’s allowed to be here, and I want her to know that she is not alone.
We all follow this artist, who goes by kanapy, on tumblr, and we loooooove her fan art. I poked around on her Society6 store the other day and ended up ordering this beauty:
Hawkeye & Black Widow by Ineverplan
She also has artwork from other fandoms (like Hannibal and Pacific Rim) in her Society6 store, so check her out!
Disney and Natalie Portman are running an awesome contest to go along with the upcoming release of Thor: The Dark World. Here are the details:
MARVEL’S THOR: THE DARK WORLD - ULTIMATE MENTOR ADVENTURE aims to empower girls ages 14 and up in grades 9-12 to embark on a journey that will allow them to explore their potential in the world of STEM: Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics. Through the collaborative efforts of MARVEL, the National Academy of Sciences, and Underwriters Laboratories, Inc., girls will have a chance to go out into the real world and ask successful women in STEM fields about what they do, how they got where they are…and how others can follow in their footsteps.
MARVEL’S THOR: THE DARK WORLD - ULTIMATE MENTOR ADVENTURE is looking nationwide for girls – just like you – ages 14 and up in grades 9-12 to apply to be a part of this incredible journey. Finalists from the applicant pool of MARVEL’S THOR: THE DARK WORLD - ULTIMATE MENTOR ADVENTURE will be selected for the opportunity to meet some of the most incredible women in science, all while conducting interviews, participating in experiments and interactive events, and getting the opportunity to go behind-the-scenes where the general public is not normally invited – all while having this adventure filmed.
On FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 8TH, 2013, finalists will conclude their journey and will be recognized at the Premiere Screening of their MARVEL’S THOR: THE DARK WORLD ULTIMATE MENTOR ADVENTURE documentary short. This video short will be shown at the historic El Capitan Theatre prior to the screening of MARVEL’S THOR: THE DARK WORLD on the film’s opening day.
On this week’s Girl on Guy podcast, Aisha Tyler talks with Jared Padalecki! Here’s what this episode is all about:
Look at these two gorgeous people.
join supernatural’s jared padalecki and aisha along with of a gathering of the army at comic-con as they rant about sweating antihistamine, new york minutes, rejecting fame, geriatric zombies, selective disasters, entering the fishbowl, homoerotic fan art, nightmare casting directors, the ninth season of supernatural, the lonely concept of bros before hoes, and ceiling pipe pull-ups. plus jared pulls a ballsy he-man on the eurostar.
Over at Smart Bitches Trashy Books, Sarah has an interesting post about negative reviews and readers. There’s been a lot of backlash against negative or critical reviews lately, what with Goodreads deleting reviews and all of that, and it’s nice to see even-handed examinations of what critical reviews actually mean.
Of course there are always reviews that are more than just critical of the book itself; some people are just assholes and want to bash authors and insult their families and all that crap. But for me, a critical review, one that cuts down to the bone of the story and examines it closely, is incredibly helpful to me as a reader, and it sometimes won’t even discourage me from picking up that book. If the book reviewing community turns into a sea of “OMG I LOVED IT A++++++,” it’ll be useless to me as a reader. Not everyone will like every book, and that’s awesome. That’s what makes a rich reviewing community.
Holy crap, this is the coolest quilt ever. EVER.
Avengers Quilt by waffles29 on flickr
And finally, we leave you with the newest thing to set our panties on fire. The Immigrant, directed by James Grey, is coming out at some point in the near future (spring of 2014? we just don’t know). The reason we’re interested in this is Jeremy Renner in a bowler hat and guyliner.
Fetch my fainting couch.
And because we’re discerning fans of cinema. But mostly Jeremy Renner as a magician and Marion Cotillard as a woman forced into a seedy lifestyle and we’re really really really hoping there’s some sweet romantic lovin’ between Marion and Renner. (hat tip to IndieWire)
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