Comicsgirl

It’s a short but good interview.

I liked Skim quite a bit and I’m happy to recommend it to people.

Todd Ciolek of Topless Robot lists the The 10 Most Unfairly Toyless Women. It’s definitely an ’80s-centric list, with some obscure cartoons I haven’t heard of.

But sadly, this still goes on today. There were no five-inch figures of Raven or Starfire in the line of Teen Titan animated series toys. And despite the fact that there were three very important, major female characters in Avatar: The Last Airbender, there were no toys of any of them (a joke about which was in the Avatar Puppet Pals clip made for New York Comic-Con last year).

Obviously, like I said, boys do have a harder time playing with what are perceived to be “girl” toys than girls do playing with “boy” toys, but a lot of these female character were important to the cartoons/properties they were apart of. Who’s to say that boys wouldn’t want to play with them too, given the chance? And I know there are girls out there who like these shows (I liked shows like that as a kid). Shouldn’t they get to play with action figures too?

It hasn’t been updated in nearly 10 years, but the supremely awesome Sarah Dyer used to maintain Action Girl’s Guide to Female Figures. It’s still a fun site with a few reviews and it was, at the time, an impressively-researched list.

Image of the Coraline Bendy Fashion Doll Assortment as seen and for sale on Entertainment Earth. I used it mostly because I want these now.

One of my favorite presents* this year are the earrings pictured, named “Fizz,” by jewelry designer Karin Jacobson. And if you couldn’t tell from the “superkarin.com” domain name, she says she’s inspired by “science fiction, comic books, mechanical toys and Japanese animation.”

These earrings make me feel like a superheroine. I want to design my whole wardrobe around them now. They’re that awesome.

I also have this ring and I wear it every day. It also makes me feel like a superheroine. I sometimes like to imagine it shoots laser beams at my enemies (sadly, it has yet to do so, but I do keep hoping).

Her catalog was even done as a comic, which is really one of the coolest things ever.

I love that there’s a jewelry designer out there so closely reflecting my sensibilities (you know, rather than jewelry that makes me feel much like this segment of Current TV’s “Target: Women”). If I had more money, I’d buy so much more of Jacobson’s stuff. But in any case, I do get excited just looking at it.

*Please note that I love all my presents equally. I would easily say they’re all my favorites. But you get my point.

Image credit: superkarin.com

J. Caleb Mozzocco at Newsarama has a good roundup of the contributions of women at the Big Two in 2008.

I’m glad to see Mozzocco has written about this and he makes some good points, but obviously, there is still a ways to go for women in comics at the Big Two. A few women working on a few titles here and there doesn’t erase the problems out there (and he does seem to be aware that they exist).

I don’t necessarily seek out comics by women. Sure, I am interested in them, and stories about women, whoever tells them. But if a story is good, I’m happy to read it. I don’t care who writes or draws it. But it does happen that quite often that I relate to the stories that women are telling more than men.

In an ideal world, it wouldn’t matter if a creator was male or female. But we’re not in an ideal world. And I think that it needs to be pointed out when a creator is female speaks volumes.

The Christian Science Monitor brings us Manga: Another way of the seeing the world. It’s not a bad article — it doesn’t say much you haven’t read before, but it at least says it well (but The Dark Knight being anime-inspired? Huh?).

I am slowly coming around to manga — or at least, finding things I like (which isn’t to say I ever hated it) but thus far, Nana is the only title I’ve stuck with (oh, Nana). I’d love to find more, though. (My finances would rather I not, however.)

Yeah, I don’t really have much to say right now. It’s been a busy week at work and I think the pre-holiday shutdown is already beginning.