Sequential Tart: (Volume 10 Issue 6, June 2007)

By Katherine Keller
June 1, 2007

Ah, June is upon us. I don't know about you, but where I live, that means the triple digit days (that's 40+ in metric) are upon us and will continue until the end of September.

First, a bit of housekeeping.

It has come to Sequential Tart's attention that Rick Olney has been using my name and some comments I made about ORCA and Fresh Magazine in an effort to promote his new project, The Mohawk Valley Comics Newsletter. It is true that seven years and some months ago I did say positive things about Fresh and ORCA. However, that hardly constitutes a current (or ringing) endorsement of Olney's present activities. Given that I mocked him on the YABS forums in the "Rick Olney: Mega Fibber or Mega Giganta Fibber" thread earlier this year, and that our relationship has hardly been close or even congenial for many years now, I think this shows what an out-and-out weasel Olney is, and the straws at which he'll grasp to get the validation and attention he craves. Anybody who is thinking about doing business with Olney (who is currently being sued by several people) is encouraged to pay a visit to Unscrewed and read "The Olney Files".

Also, on much more pleasant note, if you'd like to be notified about new content when it goes live, hop on over and subscribe to Tartlet the ST PR mailing list. It's just a simple announcement that drops into your mailbox, not endless spam. I'm plugging this because ST is planning to start releasing content on a weekly basis before the end of summer, and I'd hate for any of you dear readers to miss out.

And on to the ranty portion of the month.

It's been quite a controversial month in the world of comics, especially where the representation of women is concerned. First came that barf-o-riffic Mary Jane statue, and then that beyond rancid cover to Heroes For Hire #13.

Of course we women (and men) who complained about either were more or less told to sit down and shut up and that we were whiny and full of self-entitlement, that we were making a big deal out of nothing, that we should devote our attention to "real" issues, and all sorts of other crap; we had a field day X-ing off the squares on our bingo cards. And Joe Quesada and Sideshow Collectibles showed themselves to be complete fools by deleting all comments about the topic from their blogs and/or fora. Now, while a believer in "my house, my rules", generally, this sort of rule is invoked only when somebody shows up and pees on the carpet. Quesada and Sideshow deleted any dissenting comments, even those politely and respectfully worded. Again, it's their right. But it's also my right to say this makes them look like complete cowards who have backbones made of marshmallow. (As an aside, Dr. Stephen Dann has a word about why Sideshow's response is short-sighted from a business and marketing perspective.)

There are articles related to both these controversies in this month's issue, because even though the hubbub had died down, the treatment of women as fans, as characters, as creators, as customers is still worthy of discussion. (You'll also note that several of our picks for Tomb Raiding were chosen with this theme in mind.)

All Star Batman and Robin and Spider-Man III are two of the funniest things I've come across in a long time. I laughed so hard at the "Disco Peter and Jazz Hands Peter" sequences in Spider-Man III that the tears dripped off of my chin. The fact that neither is intended to be a comedy only makes it better. I almost can't wait for Miller's Batman vs. Al Qaeda tragi-comedy. (Trust me, it's going to be epic ... and not intended as either tragedy or comedy, but it will be both.)

And to wrap up the ranting section of the editorial, Fanlib and Six Apart (the company that owns LiveJournal) both played incredible arias on their FAILmonicas this month, didn't they? If you are a creator of fanfiction, I'd read Fanlib's Terms of Service, FAQ, and this interview and the responses to it very carefully before signing up. And Six Apart's not being able to (or not bothering to) distinguish between a community of pedophiles and a community created to discuss the novel Lolita before handing out a suspension has me shaking my head.

But it's not all bad news and gloom and doom and white hot stabby rage in our industry.

It looks like a writer and an artist with a clue are taking over Supergirl come August. I'm looking forward to reading it.

Recently, we at ST were contacted by Jorge Siles of Comic Bolivia. He asked us for permission to translate and repost an article he belived would be of interest to his readership.

Aha! This provides golden opportunity to remind our readership about ST's translation and reposting policy. We almost always allow for translation and reposting of articles provided it's for not-for-profit purposes. But please notify us and ask first; we like to know where in the world we're being read, and by whom. Even if we can't read the translation (or read it well), we enjoy seeing the end result. Also, we insist on a link back to the original piece on the ST site. The reason for this is that it enables people who want or need to read the piece in the original to swiftly find it. (And it ups our page hits a bit, too.)

After we granted him our blessings, Jorge responded, "So the comic culture is growing in my country and I hope that with your help, this growing will be very healthy and positive." We hope so too, and although I only read and speak a very small amount of Spanish, Comic Bolivia looks like a very nifty blog.

While on vacation in Germany, my husband Ralph and I discovered and amazing store in Freiburg called X für U. Inside and out, the store is beautiful and showcases a wide variety of the medium. The owner is passionate about comics and comic art. I hope to follow up with an interview sometime in the next few months.

Finally, congratulations to all the Friends Of Lulu Lulu Award nominees. (I'd especially like to give a tip of the hat to Rachel Nabors, Rivkah, Donna Barr, Colleen Doran, and Abby Denson.) If you'd like to vote for them (or any other of the amazing candidates), the page is here. I look at that field of nominees and am flabbergasted by the depth of talent and creativity ... and somewhat dismayed that I can't pick them all.

We live in interesting times,

Katherine Keller
Editrix In Chief
June 1, 2007