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The We-Are-So-Over-Winter-Now Linkpost

linkpost bot — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 09:00:30 +0000

“Man up? Oh that’s that new superhero, right? Mild-mannered supplement salesman Mark Manstrong says the magic words “MAN UP,” and then transforms into THE FIVE O’CLOCK SHADOW, the massively-muscled, deep-voiced, black-leather-duster-wearing superhero who defends the world from, I don’t know, feelings.” – Guante’s ten spoken-word responses to the phrase ‘man up’.
Sarah Brown on technology and that horrendous Paddy Power advert.
“I spent a year studying romantic comedies and this is the crap I learned“
On “lady blogs”. And “in defence” of them.
Cyber Woman With A Corn, you are still our new favourite unexplained stock photo. You’re like the Green Giant’s cooler sister from the internet.

Awesomewatch 3: I wear a sweater, sweaters are cool now

Jenni — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 09:00:37 +0000

Super Girls in Sweaters

Have you ever looked at superheroines today and thought “Hmmm… they could be a bit more comfy.” All that spandex and those costumes with holes cut out, don’t they ever get cold? Don’t they ever just want to put their slippers on and relax?

Well, artist Hanie Mohd must have thought the same thing, because she’s got a whole series of prints on Etsy featuring super girls in sweaters, and they’re super cute, too! She’s got Power Girl, Catwoman, Oracle, Harley Quinn, Poison Ivy, Rogue from the X-Men and Stephanie Brown’s Batgirl. I wonder who she’ll draw next?

I’ve bought the Catwoman print, and after all the hullabaloo about how much Catwoman was or wasn’t wearing in the DC52, there’s something that’s quite comforting about seeing Selina in a kitty sweater. Doesn’t she just look so happy to be wearing it?

The SFX Weekender

The SFX Weekender is an annual sci-fi convention run by SFX Magazine; it took place in Rye in the south of England in 2010 and 2011, and this year it’s based in Wales at Prestatyn Sands, from the 2nd to the 5th of February. There are events for those who love comics, gaming, SF movies and books, and unlike what might be thought of as a ‘typical’ sci-fi convention there are always loads of women there enjoying the show.

I’ve been before, and I’m going again, this year they’ve got stellar guests such as Alex Kingston, who plays River Song in Doctor Who, and Eve Myles who plays Gwen in Torchwood. There’s also Hattie Hayridge, the standup comedienne who plays Holly in Red Dwarf and Sophie Aldred, who used to play the Doctor’s companion, Ace, in Doctor Who in the 1980s. There’ll be some great scifi and fantasy authors there too, from fantasy authors Juliet McKenna (who wrote this great post for us on the representation of women in fantasy last year) and Mark Charan Newton, comics authors such as Paul Cornell and Dan Abnett, to sci-fi authors Jaine Fenn, Michael Cobley and China Miéville.

There are always great booths and an equally great programme of panel discussions, writing workshops, quizzes, and cosplay competitions, awards ceremonies such as the SFX Awards and the Kitschies, and a ‘Maskerade’ party on the final night (DJed by Red Dwarf‘s Craig Charles). All best enjoyed with some cold beer and some good geeky friends, of course.

Sci-Fi Stage Adaptations

Did you know The Ballad of Halo Jones had been adapted into a play? No, neither did I, but the Alan Moore story that’s been named as one of feminist website The F Word’s recommended comics and graphic novels was perfomed by Manchester-based production company Scytheplays in early January.

We heard about this production via this glowing review from Ed Fortune.

Halo and her friends live on the Hoop – a repository for the unemployed in the 50th century, but she won’t be beaten. She dreams of getting out and becomes a legend in the process.

The current run is over now, but maybe they can be persuaded to go on tour? Comics writer Maura McHugh mentions her love of Halo Jones in an interview with BadRep here.

We also found out recently that Cory Doctorow’s revolutionary YA novel Little Brother has been adapted for the stage by The Custom Made Theatre Co., though sadly this theatre happens to be in San Francisco, America, so I don’t think we’ve much chance of seeing that one…

Do you know of any other SF stage adaptations going on at the moment? Share them in the comments or send them to the usual BadRep editors address!

Also filed under ‘Awesome’…

This story on Tumblr, about a little boy who wanted to buy a purple controller and a ‘game for girls’. Dear Customer who stuck up for his little brother…

Awesomewatch: Have YOU seen an awesome thing? Tell our Jenni all about it.

Awesomewatch 2: Seriously Mystique

Jenni — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 09:00:28 +0000

Remember the first Awesomewatch? Here’s the follow up dose.

Comics: Gingerhaze

If you’re on tumblr and involved in fandom at all, you might have seen her art around, but if not, Gingerhaze (aka Noelle Stevenson) is a talented young artist based in Maryland, working on her illustration degree and spending her spare time drawing some pretty neat comics on her Wacom tablet.

Covering franchises such as the Avengers, X-Men, Sherlock, Lord of the Rings, Supernatural and The Hunger Games, Noelle’s simply drawn yet instantly recognisable characters, together with her sense of humour, have won her a lot of fans. She says: “I mercilessly make fun of everything I love. It’s my particular way of disguising the sheer magnitude of the feelings that I have.” And the running jokes in her art – the hipster hobbits of the broship of the ring, Marvel Comics’ Loki characterised as Thor’s annoying little brother – could be what keep people coming back.

Here at BadRep Towers, we love her take on the Scooby Doo characters Daphne and Velma: “You hurt my nerd, you’re going down!” There should be a word for bromance between two women, because that is CLEARLY what tattooed, chain-smoking Daphne and hipster glasses-wearing Velma have going on. A ladybromance? We also love how Noelle highlights the marginalisation of Mystique, or at least the limitations of the way the character was written, in the X-Men: First Class movie and fandom in her ongoing GO AWAY MYSTIQUE series (Jesus, Mystique, stop ruining everything, seriously).

Novel: Gaie Sebold’s Babylon Steel

You may or may not know (depending on whether you’ve ever read the Team BadRep bios) that I’m an editor at a science fiction and fantasy publishing imprint. I left Solaris in October to go to another SFF publisher, so I hope you’ll take that as proof I have no commercial motive when I recommend a badass little fantasy that Solaris publish – Babylon Steel by Gaie Sebold. It’s coming out in January 2012.

Babylon Steel, ex-sword-for-hire, ex… other things, runs the best brothel in Scalentine; city of many portals, two moons, and a wide variety of races, were-creatures, and religions, not to mention the occasional insane warlock. She’s not having a good week. The Vessels of Purity are protesting against brothels, women in the trade are being attacked, it’s tax time, and there’s not enough money to pay the bill. So when the mysterious Darask Fain offers her a job finding a missing girl, Babylon decides to take it…

Babylon Steel is not for the kind of feminist who thinks all sex workers are evil or need to be saved from themselves, but I really hope we don’t have any of those here – it’s more for the kind of fantasy fan who’s read Terry Pratchett’s Discworld books and wishes he’d write one about the, er, Seamstress’s Guild (hem hem!). It acknowledges the bad and the good side of the job, featuring a wicked sense of humour, S&M in the basement, a big green troll cooking breakfast in the kitchen, and a great epic fantasy story with a fun cast of characters, too.

The Hunger Games Trailer

The trailer finally came out! And it looks just as good as we hoped…

A YA dystopian story with a kickass female protagonist, a great cast of characters and set in a gritty, well-realised post apocalyptic world? Sign us up!

Linkpost-a-Go-Go

linkpost bot — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 09:00:29 +0000

Artists! Gendered Intelligence needs your help!
Girl With A One Track Mind: an awesome long list of female comedians crowdsourced from Zoe’s twitter.
The Darwin and Gender Project, aiming “to explore what Darwin’s letters can tell us about the origins of modern understandings of masculinity and femininity”. Specifically, Darwin’s son George’s rather detailed theories on Victorian men’s fashions and how they’re, er, all rooted in his dad’s evolutionary theory are as fascinating as they are bizarre. (If only more people would find the “girls: hardwired to like pink!” debate as much of an oddity.)
Bim Adewunmi for the Guardian on Racism and Skin Colour: The Many Shades of Prejudice which has some commentary on this hard-hitting film.
Lauren Laverne, interviewed by the Guardian.
Romance author takes a stand against shackling women giving birth in prison; gets law passed.
Happily ever after, the tumblr way.

November’s First Linkpost

linkpost bot — Fri, 04 Nov 2011 09:00:19 +0000

io9: The First Lesbian Science Fiction Novel, published in 1906
Zoe Trope takes on the term “Mary Sue”
The I-75 Project: public art with a conscience based on interstate signs in the US
Awesome photo of a WAAF pilot
The Mookychick Feminist Flash Fiction competition
Our Sarah C talks on her own blog about making opera more accessible – and here’s the event and the blog belonging to the feminist opera collective she’s been working with. There will be a team field trip. Come say hi!

Linking For The Weekend

linkpost bot — Fri, 21 Oct 2011 08:00:02 +0000

It’s that time again!

“These women are at OWS for the purpose of voicing dissent, not being evaluated”: The “Hot Chicks of Occupy Wall Street” debate continues, with Jezebel and Feministe very much fed up of the hotchick business, while the NYT attempts what it refers to as “equal opportunities” ogling with a tribute to the “Underappreciated Hunks of Occupy Wall Street”.
We’re on the hunt for particularly awesome pumpkin stencils. Here’s two broadly-relevant-to-our-interests ones at Pink Raygun, though they’re pretty fiddly-complex-lookin’: Wonder Woman and Battlestar Galactica…
Hey girl. Feminist Ryan Gosling in the house.
Cynthia the 1930s Adventure Mannequin, or your daily dose of Uncanny Valley and emotionally-involved Wikipedia editing.
“This is a frustratingly inconsistent approach to writing chemical formulae”: Blackboards in Porn, analysed and rated for accuracy! (no nudity)
“And now I have a boyfriend! His name is Car washer, and he gives me $50 a day” – Rock Paper Shotgun takes on new “game for girls” Lady Popular.

The Friday Linkpost Rides Again

Miranda — Fri, 07 Oct 2011 08:00:14 +0000

Our party is tonight! Finally! DETAILS HERE AND HERE. COME AND SAY HI.

And now that we don’t have much longer to rabbit on about said party, ON TO THE LINKS.

Here is an 18th century drawing. It is titled “A Map Of A Woman’s Heart“. No, really, that is the title. As our Sarah J said, who else fancies a paddle in the LAKE OF SELF CONCERN? No? Then let us go hiking in the REGION OF SENTIMENTALITY! At once, ladies, at once!
To My Someday Daughter: beautifully illustrated article on Star City Games by Geordie Tait on Twitter, sexism, That Gizmodo Magic The Gathering Business, and geek tribalism.
Warhammer 40k Space Marine: Most Surprisingly Feminist Game of the Year Contender? What I like most about this post, which reader Brave Sir Robin sent us, is lines like “Mira doesn’t have time for this motherfucking conventional treatment of motherfucking women in motherfucking videogames”.
Relatedly, Women Fighters In Reasonable Armour, our new favourite tumblr that isn’t titled “animals talking in caps lock”.¹
And finally, after a string of tweets from Laurie Penny on actresses who should play Doctor Who, illustrator Rosy Higgins imagines what Tamsin Grieg as the Doctor, with Helena Bonham-Carter as the Master, would look like. It looks bloody awesome. WHEN DOES FILMING START.

Don’t argue. The main reason tumblr was invented was for pictures of pissed off animals. Two of us RUN one of those tumblrs, for our sins.

The Disturbing World of the Linkpost

linkpost bot — Fri, 26 Nov 2010 13:00:32 +0000

Hollaback NYC have posted a video of a woman calling out a man who flashed her and rubbed up against her on the NYC subway. I see his penis out! CBS New York reports that he was brought to justice due to her actions.
After the flasher was caught, Jezebel reported on The Disturbing World of Dickflash.com, a forum for flashers, who swap tips about how not to get caught, and who, regarding the NYC subway flasher were asking ‘Is this one of us?’ Let’s hope so, people.
Also at Jezebel, and very NSFW let us add, is this article by Irin Carmon, on Playboy models and Photoshopping.
You’re probably seen the Privilege Denying Dude meme – here’s an interview with the creator of the meme, Diana Lopez, at Colorlines, and as at the time of posting the site is currently down (although shortly to return, we hear, with a new model), you can keep up with her, and further news of PDD, at her tumblr account.

Remember to send us your links in the comments, at [email protected], or on twitter @BadRepUK!