March Editorial

By Katherine Keller
March 1, 2007

Back when I was a wee fangirl, if somebody had told me I'd have a somewhat prominent sandbox to stand on, I probably could have come up with oodles of stuff to say, or so I like to think.

First things first. Last month, I meant to plug the Sequential Tart CafePress store. Carrie Landers did a lot of work to get it all updated and I'm kicking myself for not mentioning it sooner. If you'd like an item (or an option) you don't see, drop us a line and we'll see what we can do.

On to more substantial things. I'm sad (but not totally surprised) to see that the FOL's Empowerment Fund has died the death of a thousand papercuts. But what baffles me is that outside of Leigh Dragoon's excellent response, I have yet to see a response from anybody else at the FOL which seems to grasp the scope and gravity of the situation and the need for giving forthright, clear answers. (The initial FOL response to Johanna Draper-Carlson's query flabbergasted me.) Not only is this the most prominent thing that has ever been attempted under the aegis of the FOL, the former FOLer who got the ball rolling on it (inadvertently) pointed the finger at Hero Initiative and Jim McLauchlin, and rather unfairly implied that the CBLDF ran some sort of a cover-up. Appearing blind-sided about this (because this day has been coming for months), or less than prompt in responding to inquiries, and more or less publicly putting the matter on a back burner runs the risk of giving the FOL (another) black eye. Leigh Dragoon has posted in her LJ that the FOL will soon have an official statement on the matter, and that statement cannot come too soon.

That said, if I may be so bold, perhaps the FOL should take the remaining funds and use them to produce a booklet or a pamphlet on the matter of sexual assault/harassment and employee (or potential employee) rights, and work on doing other kinds of outreach at conventions. They are the organization best suited to taking on such a role (since it is an issue faced by many female industry professionals) and they do have a lot of support in the industry, which is why so many of us are willing to give them the benefit of the doubt in this matter. I look forward to seeing what they plan to do with the remaining funds and have faith in their ability to choose wisely.

Finally, speaking of women in comics and feminism — hello and welcome to The Ormes Society, "an organization dedicated to supporting black female comic creators and promoting the inclusion of black women in the comics industry as creators, characters and consumers." Wear your battle thongs with pride, and see you in the trenches.

And now, on to the issue!

In Features Interviews we have Gwen Rachel Stanley (Paper Moon, A Month of Sundays), Mike Bullock (The Phantom), Phil Hester (Green Arrow, Ant-Man), and Jason Yungbluth (Deep Fried).

Features Articles give us part one of Suzette Chan's Messing with Metanarratives, Lisa Lopacinski's look at convention season, Jennifer Franklin Elrod's Secret Origin of a Fangirl, Mary Borsellino's in-depth look at Supergirl, What Happens In San Diego ... wherein I make the case for moving San Diego Comic Con to Las Vegas, and the indefatiguable Pam Bliss 71st installment of Hopelessly Lost.

Over in Columns, you'll find a 13 Questions With CJ Hurtt and Shawn Richter (One Last Song), Rebecca Buchanan bids a fond farewell to Nodwick in Fantastic Firsts, while Tart Tastes examines genderbender comics, Tart To Heart picks our brains about book to comic adapations we'd like to see, and Retailer's Corner look at Eisner nominations.

Culture Vultures is chock full of pop-culture goodness. In Interviews Mary Borsellino rounds out her focus on the women of Supernatural by interviewing Alexia Fast (Missy Bender), Brooke Nevin (Kat), Georgia Craig (Sherri), and by giving us an (other) shot at Sera Gamble. Lee Atchison sits down with singer/songwriter Jonathan Coulton, and Leigh Dragoon picks the brain of director David Giancola (Time Chasers).

In Features we have a Rant about Bridge to Terabithia, a look at vintage Nickelodeon, Who On Earth, and Wizardwatching, a look at The Dresden Files TV series.

Stick a fork in me, that's a lot of stuff.

Katherine Keller,
Editrix in Chief
March 1, 2007