Comicsgirl

Over Christmas, I went to visit my brother in Michigan, so we of course stopped in at Vault of Midnight in Ann Arbor. (The store’s Facebook page is more up-to-date than the site.) I’ve mentioned Vault of Midnight previously here, but it’s worth its own post.

It reminds me a lot of a toy store with its bright interior and colorful art. Yes, they do sell quite a number of toys (usually of the vinyl/collector type, but they do have Uglydolls and such) and games (role and board), but comics are the star here.

I’d say that Vault of Midnight runs more mainstream than a lot of other comic book stores I frequent — most of the indie stuff occupies two small shelves downstairs — but they do have an impressive selection of comics and art books. The open and airy layout leads to a comfortable environment for browsing. I saw a few things I didn’t see elsewhere.

While we were there, I’d say that there were more women/girls than men/boys in the store for a bit (the store’s proximity to University of Michigan probably helps on that account) and I thought that was pretty great. The staff was friendly and attentive.

Ann Arbor may not be on your list of places to go, but if you’re nearby, check out Vault of Midnight. It’s a store I’d like to have closer.

The Internet was all a-buzz about it yesterday. Well, the comic book/”genre” blogs were, anyway. I read the post about it at The Beat and read a few more pieces about it, promptly got fed up and then watched another episode of Lost (granted, yes, I probably would’ve watched another episode of Lost anyway).

I am pretty pro-Girl Comics, at least at this point. The concept sounds wonderful on paper (er, screen, but you know what I mean) — there’s a great line-up of talent that covers quite a broad range, and I like the idea of having women do everything from the art to writing to lettering and more. I think that’s really cool.

But considering Marvel’s problematic attempts to appeal to women recently (the entire Marvel Divas debacle, the bad inside art of Pride & Prejudice, the whole lip gloss thing), I’m guessing this will probably be similar. Yes, giving Heidi MacDonald an exclusive interview with the editor is a good first step, but I don’t think this is going to get women who aren’t already reading comics to do so.

At the most, I think it’s just going to get indie readers to pick up this Marvel title. And I’m OK with that. I like superhero comics. In theory. I’m not speaking for all women here, but personally, the art of a lot of superhero comics turns me off. I just don’t connect with it. (I had a dream the other night that Colleen Coover was drawing Blackest Night for DC and when I woke up, I thought how awesome that would be. That would probably get me to read the book.) So I like when indie creators do superheroes. It’s fun. So I’m looking forward to that on this level.

I read a lot of disappointing-but-expected objections to this, like “why can’t we just tell stories for people” which usually means “I don’t really want to read books by women.” Because I mean, I like stories for people, regardless of who writes/draws them, and men absolutely can tell wonderful stories about women (I loved loved loved Dong Hwa Kim’s Color trilogy, which I will review eventually). But when there are pretty good lists of “entry” comics that don’t have one title by a female creator, I think there’s a problem. It’s not that women aren’t making comics — they are, and they are making good ones — I think they’re often ignored.

So I think Girl Comics is at least pointing out that hey, women are making comics.

I don’t know if there’s really an answer to “how to get women to read more comics.” I don’t know if there needs to be, personally. I think women are already reading comics, just not what Marvel and DC typically consider to be comics. But maybe this is a step in the right direction. Or a step toward something. I guess we’ll see how successful it is.

Two years ago, I decided to stop buying presents for people (kids were still an exception). Supplies to make things, sure, or containers to put things into, yes, but I didn’t want to do the whole “obsess over what to buy people” thing anymore. I didn’t want to fight crowds in parking lots or even spend hours searching for the perfect thing online.

It’s not that this is a completely stress-free thing to do — there is still difficulty in coming up with new ideas or even implementing those ideas. But I do like it better. It’s more satisfying and more fun.

I realize it’s not for everyone, though. And I’m fine with that. I think there’s something genuinely beautiful with picking out something cool for someone you care about, too.

But I also know that coming up with ideas is sometimes a challenge. Consider this list a starting point. Also consider it as me saying “This is stuff I like.” Or quite often, “This is stuff I want.” It’s vaguely categorized and affiliate links are used where appropriate (because, quite honestly, part of the reason I turned to making gifts was because I’m broke).

Media

• Drawing Down the Moon: The Art of Charles Vess
  This book is very much overdue and I can’t wait for it. Yes, you can look at the whole thing online, but that’s just silly. Vess’ art deserves more than a computer screen. And he deserves your money.
• Little Otsu Book Lover’s Bundle
  You get a bunch of great stuff (books by Jo Derry, Lilli Carre and John Porcellino as well as some other odds and ends) and you get to support one of San Francisco’s coolest publishers and stores. This package is a steal.
• Gruff Rhys – Candylion
  If you know me in real life, you know how much I love the Super Furry Animals. So why one of lead singer Gruff Rhys’ solo albums rather than an SFA album? I think this is more approachable in a lot of ways — it’s mostly acoustic guitar and a little bit more romantic — while not abandoning his trademark quirks. You can also head over to the Candylion website and print out your own Candylion to make as well as watch an entirely too-cute video of Rhys and singer Lisa Jen. (And if you don’t buy CDs anymore, this is available to download, too.)
• The Taste of Tea (Limited Edition)
  I love this movie. Some friends who have tried to watch it have claimed it is “slow” and subsequently gave up on it. But these friends are very wrong. This movie has so many wonderful things — yes, it’s surreal and silly in places, but it’s also a heartfelt exploration of family. It also has one of the most beautiful scenes I’ve ever seen on film (I would start crying months later just thinking about it). I know Katsuhito Ishii is mostly know for weird, trippy movies and stoner comedy, but this is something else entirely.

  (I’ve linked to the special edition because it has a wonderful making-of documentary. But yes, it is pricier than the regular edition.)

Creative

• Golden Half camera
  This is a fun little film camera — it’s basically a toy. It shoots two images per frame of a roll of 35mm film, so you get twice as many photos. I like the shots that I’ve seen coming from it and I do think we’re at the point where we’re absolutely romanticizing shooting on film (and perhaps, rightfully so). I also figure if it’s cool enough for Ayako Fujitani, it’s cool enough for me.
• Mr. Bunny Moods rubber stamp set
  Everyone loves Sewing Stars, or at least, everyone should. Teresa is a grad of Rhode Island School of Design, which is not surprising at all, and definitely has a wonderful sense of design and cuteness. I carried a pouch with Mr. Bunny on it as wallet until it basically fell apart. All of these stamps are wonderful, but mostly, I like Mr. Bunny with his cup of coffee, because that’s me in the morning.
• Koi Watercolor Pocket Field Sketch Box
  I have one of these and I’ve tried to use it on many occasions. The “try” part is not at all the kit’s problem — it’s a lovely little thing and I absolutely adore the portability of it — I am just not as good of a painter as I think I should be. I keep trying, though.

Fun

• Gelaskins ‘Bunny Blossom’ by Kozyndan for your iPod/etc.
  I think Gelaskins are great. I immediately bought this for my netbook as soon as it was available. But I also love Kozyndan and that specific image (I have a print of it hanging on my wall). Sadly, I have no devices that it would fit on, but I’m sure you do. (Gelaskins also has a lot of other really cool artists and skins for a lot of devices — I just figured I should pick one thing.)
• 2-foot Ice Bat
  Ice Bat is my favorite of the Uglydolls. I didn’t even intend to have a favorite Uglydoll. You probably don’t intend to, either, and think “Oh, I’ll just buy this one.” And then, suddenly, you have a collection.

  I think Uglydolls are a wonderful thing — David Horvath and Sun-Min Kim have remained independent in the face of success, and I think that’s amazing. And the story is that Kim sewed one thousand Uglydolls herself before either of them thought, hey, maybe we should get someone else to do this.

  I think everyone needs an Uglydoll, personally, even if they don’t need a two-foot tall Ice Bat.

• Gama-Go Bling Buffet Go-Right bag
  I suppose, kind of like Uglydolls, I never meant to have a collection of Gama-Go T-shirts. I bought one and the next thing I knew, I had three. I don’t particularly have $88 lying around, especially to spend on someone else, but you might, and this bag is quite cool.

  If it’s a little out of your price range for a gift (or for yourself!), I also like the Sleeping Giant Coin Purse. And the T-shirts are always good.

• Poketo “mood” bottle opener
  If you also know me in real life, along with my love for SFA, you are likely to know that I love beer (sadly, beer is hard to ship, which is why I didn’t include any on this list). And beer requires a bottle opener. Now, yes, any bottle opener will do, but wouldn’t you like something fun? I think these are wonderful — sadly, Shocked seems to be sold out, but you can still get Crazy or Happy (I’d go with Happy).
• Peggle Dual Shot for the Nintendo DS
  Peggle is one of the few computer games I’ve actually purchased. I decided that it was worth it to me to own it outright. It’s a delightful time-suck and I finally had to step away from it. I keep telling myself I’ll buy this version for the DS but I’ve hesitated because I know I will get nothing else done. Maybe one day.

Indulgences

• Biggs & Featherbelle soaps
  All of the Biggs & Featherbelle soaps I’ve used are wonderful — good blend of scents and very luscious and creamy. I do recommend Barlesque and Polar Bar, though. I am excited to try some of their newer soaps, too, though. I don’t think you can go wrong with any of them.
• Crazy Rumors Spice lip balm collection
  It occurred to me that Crazy Rumors’ lip balms are pretty much Lip Smackers for grown-ups. I linked to the Spice collection (which is their tea-inspired line) because I think all three of those flavors are wonderful (the Chai one is absolutely amazing!), but there are also some good coffee ones and I’m overly excited about their Candy Cane-inspired flavors. I have at least two tubes of Crazy Rumors lip balms near me at almost all times.
• Christmas Party Lush Gift Set
  Oh, Lush. I am currently without a bathtub so I don’t get to indulge in Lush products as often as I like (yes, they make some wonderful things for the shower, but it’s not the same) so I like that this set is soap and shower gel — it can be used by anyone — and isn’t particularly masculine or feminine. .
• Endangered Species Chocolate Vegan Collection
  Mmmm. Chocolate. And you get to help cute animals at the same time. You really can’t lose with this one. Endangered Species is everything I want from a company — one that makes a great product while still having a conscience.

  You don’t have to get the vegan pack, although I think it’s an amazing assortment and I love that they put it together. They also have an amazing-sounding dark chocolate collection and a milk chocolate one for those who are a little less adventurous.

That’s it. I actually think that’s plenty. I hope you’ve found something for someone, even if that someone is yourself. Or at the very least, have found some inspiration that has pointed you to the perfect gift.

I still have a season of Lost to watch, but I’ll probably be back before the holidays pick up entirely. If not, though, I hope they are good ones for you, whatever you celebrate.

I’m in State College, Pa., for a few days because I had some time off, it was within driving distance and I had a free place to stay. Before my grad student friend left me to go teach his class, he said “The comic book store is that way.”

As much as I love the stylishness of stores like San Francisco’s Isotope and Brooklyn’s Bergen Street Comics, I love when a classic comic book store is done right. Comic Swap is just that.

While it’s in a basement, the store bright, clean and well-organized. The graphic novel shelves are the first thing you see, and they’re arranged by category and then alphabetical by title (a set-up I prefer, because I’m often more likely to remember a title than the creator). To the right is the floppies, interspersed with minicomics (some by local creators) and to the left is manga, back issues and other comic-related peripheries (role-playing games, etc.).

The store is fairly small and even though it’s not overly packed with goods, it’s obvious whoever runs this store has put a lot of thought into it. The graphic novel selection had a lot of great titles, ranging from the classics to the smaller gems. I also loved the extensive children’s section (I think every comic store needs one). I think it’s great they sell minicomics alongside the big titles from D.C. and Marvel.

The staff was friendly and my brief chat with them was great. They seem like they’re having fun.

I encouraged my friend to go there — he’s a sometimes comics reader but felt a little intimidated by the Batman and Spider-Man signs in the window. I told him he has nothing to worry about. It’s a lovely, comfortable store. I know State College is a college town, but any city would be lucky to have a place like Comic Swap.

Comicsgirl turns 11 years old today.

Well, sort of.

It was 1998 and I was a recent high school graduate. The Internet was the future and we were just on the cusp of the dot-com bubble. I had, at some point previously, been looking up something about some comic book, came across an image of Witchblade and thought, you know, this is why women don’t read comics.

And I, being idealistic and young, thought I could do something about that. I enlisted a couple of friends, employed my awesome (for the time, OK?) web design skills and began writing reviews.

The site officially launched on July 1, 1998. I maintained it for more than three years, off and on. I closed the site on November 1, 2001. I was trying to graduate from college and I do think the events of Sept. 11, 2001 made the world a little bit more serious and maintaining a web site about comics just wasn’t as fun as it once was.

And in those three years, something had changed. Sequential Tart was around. Comics, while they still had a long way to go, felt a little bit more inclusive.

I really wasn’t quiet for too long. In the summer of 2003, I bought the comicsgirl.com domain name (you see kids, domain names used to cost a lot, which is why I didn’t have it before) and relaunched it as a blog. Admittedly, I got off to a slow start, but I soon picked up the pace.

Eleven years ago, there was no When Fangirls Attack (which, it seems, everyone reads, whether they admit it or not). There weren’t as many girls and women going to comic book cons and comic book shows. There were no publishers like First Second. There was no creators like Marjane Satrapi being interviewed on morning shows. There was translated manga out there, but it was few and far between. Comics were much more of a genre and not a medium (granted, we were just coming out of the whole glittery-cover collector’s market/rise and fall of Image era, so things were different).

And there certainly wasn’t as many girls and women writing about comics (in the early days, I tried to maintain a list of comic book websites created by women. I don’t think I caught them all, but honestly, there weren’t too many. Now, with the explosion of blogs, I don’t think I’d even know where to start on such a thing). In 1998, I was one voice among the few. Now, I’m one voice among the many. I actually like that better.

Of course, there are things that haven’t changed. Female characters and fans are still marginalized in the comic book industry — how many discussions of breast size (too big!) or skirt size (too small!) have you read in the past year? I bet you couldn’t keep track.

And I think that’s what’s been the most interesting thing to me — while comics have definitely changed for the better in so many ways, so many other things that needed to change have remained the same. It’s been 11 years and the same issues are still being discussed.

So I think it’s kind of cool — and perhaps appropriate — that Marvel Divas was released today. I think it’s ended up representing both the bad and the good of the way women are portrayed in comics, and more importantly, the way women view comics.

If you want to dig through old days of Comicsgirl, Internet Archive Wayback Machine is all too happy to provide. Unfortunately.

(It’s also the birthday of my favorite little stuffed bull. Happy birthday, Bully!)