In Article One, Section Eight of the [...]]]> You know how the Second Amendment to the Constitution begins with “A well-regulated Militia being necessary to the security of a free state”? If you’ve ever wondered what the framers of the Constitution thought were the responsibilities of said well-organized militia, look no further than the Constitution itself.

In Article One, Section Eight of the U.S. Constitution, the function of the militia is encompassed within the rights and responsibilities of the Legislative Branch (Congress):

“To provide for calling forth the Militia to execute the Laws of the Union, suppress Insurrections and repel Invasions;

“To provide for organizing, arming, and disciplining, the Militia, and for governing such Part of them as may be employed in the Service of the United States, reserving to the States respectively, the Appointment of the Officers, and the Authority of training the Militia according to the discipline prescribed by Congress…”

So the next time somebody tells you that the Second Amendment was meant to enable people to overthrow the government, ask them why it’s the responsibility of the same militia that provides the basis of the Second Amendment to “execute the Laws of the Union” and “suppress Insurrections.”

But it turns out I’ll be closer to this Alana:

So I actually won’t be there at all because I will be forbidden from traveling.

The newest de Guzman-Belew will arrive in August.

So I was hoping that I’d be looking like this Alana come Comic-Con:

But it turns out I’ll be closer to this Alana:

So I actually won’t be there at all because I will be forbidden from traveling.

The newest de Guzman-Belew will arrive in August.

I feel like I’m going to throw up, like, all the time.

It gives you kinship. Not just with the future, which now will be the home of the life you’d sacrifice [...]]]> It makes you unfathomably fierce and utterly vulnerable. It makes your heart strong enough to hold more love than you thought possible and so frail that you fear what might break it at every moment.

It gives you kinship. Not just with the future, which now will be the home of the life you’d sacrifice yours for, but with the past and present, and everyone in it. You want to protect every child because you know how precious they are — not just know but feel, so strongly that your sinews ache with bearing the heavy value of every child in the world.

As a friend told me, it makes you wonder if you ever really knew what empathy was before them — before your life altered irrevocably, becoming not just a string of days held together with ego and ambition but the purpose of that drive. Live, live, live, your heart said. And now you know why.

You feel that love when you look at everyone, not just your child. You see the old man at the newsstand, the woman pushing a cart, and think, They were once someone’s child; they are someone’s child. They are deserving of love and compassion.

Humanity begins to have continuity and form. And you are afraid. Because every rend in the fabric reminds you of what it would take to break you, and how easily it could be done. Every rend is someone broken, and you want to bear some of their pain. You know you would need the help if it happened to you.

If it, if it, if it. You both embrace and dread possibilities. You live in fear and love and hope.

You hold your child. More than anything else, you hold him — in your arms, in your mind, in your heart. His image is imprinted on every atom of your being.

And you love others because they are capable of such love. You love others because they have been so loved.

Our protagonist is xenobotanist Shriya Singh. She’s pretty much a genius, but she has a problem… Everything about her life seems just a little bit too good.

I haven’t seen the [...]]]> My Womanthology: Space #3 collaboration with Leigh Dragoon was in stores today. The theme of the issue is “Ship” and our ship is called the Vesta.

Our protagonist is xenobotanist Shriya Singh. She’s pretty much a genius, but she has a problem… Everything about her life seems just a little bit too good.

I haven’t seen the issue yet — I had a belated birthday office lunch, so I didn’t have time to hit Fantastic Comics today. I hope some of you picked it up, though! Leigh’s art is trés beau, non?

My people: Deciding whether or not a woman is allowed to call herself a nerd is just more paternalistic [...]]]> I suspect that people will be coming here to find out more about me because of this. I don’t have much to add to what I have already said, so I am reposting my little manifesto:

My people: Deciding whether or not a woman is allowed to call herself a nerd is just more paternalistic patrolling of women’s behavior. It is telling women “If you attempt to be part of this community, you’ll be scrutinized and doubted, because your gender makes you suspect.”

And I have been in this industry and fought against this behavior too long to care about explanations, rationalizations, or justifications. Nor will I tolerate the attempts of those who blithely spread this shit to call themselves “cooler heads” while they paint me as irrational.

Am I angry? Yes. Is my anger rational? Yes. A woman is not hysterical just because she has an emotion and uses her intellect to explain it.

tl;dr: It is never OK to call a woman a whore because you don’t approve of her.

I am no longer a spiritual believer, but the Christianity I was raised with remains with me. Jesus’s teachings about our responsibility to be compassionate toward others — not just those who deserve it but most of all to [...]]]> The election and the rhetoric surrounding issues of “entitlement” have got me thinking about my upbringing.

I am no longer a spiritual believer, but the Christianity I was raised with remains with me. Jesus’s teachings about our responsibility to be compassionate toward others — not just those who deserve it but most of all to those who do not — fell away from me for a while, but now that I am older and calmer, they resonate.

This is why I go to Mass a couple of times a year with my Nana. (I was raised Evangelical, however, not Catholic.) It is why I still read the Bible and meditate on verses, just as do with the Tao Te Ching or Emily Dickinson’s poetry or beautiful songs. (“There is a light that never goes out,” is a mantra if ever there was one.)

This is why I am both dismayed and bewildered to see Evangelical Christians turning toward a doctrine of capitalism rather than the tenets of their faith to guide how they think their government — which, in the United States, derives its power from the will of the people — should care for those who need help.

They think no one should get anything they didn’t earn. (As if our mere humanity isn’t enough.) They want what they have all to themselves, no matter how they may benefit from living in our society.

See, this — this bothers me. Because:

Then the King will say to those on his right, “Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.”

Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’

The King will reply, “Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.”

- Matthew 25:34-40

And because:

Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

- Matthew 6:19-21

(Or, as Shakespeare put it:

Why so large cost, having so short a lease,
Dost thou upon thy fading mansion spend?
Shall worms, inheritors of that excess,
Eat up thy charge? Is this thy body’s end?
Then soul, live thou on thy servant’s loss
And let that pine to aggravate thy store;
Buy terms divine in selling hours of dross;
Within be fed, without be rich no more.)

And because:

Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them.
-Matthew 6:26

(The irony here is that birds do sow, in their own way — do those deemed “worthless” to society contribute in their own way also?)

What does it mean to be Christlike, then? If you focus your spiritual belief on a god who so loved humanity that he took human form in order to be sacrificed to atone for all of humanity’s sins, if your goal is to be like that god made flesh as much as you can be — just how Christlike is it to begrudge paying tax dollars to give someone food stamps or healthcare or welfare checks when Jesus Christ gave his life for the sinners of the world? And as far as earning or deserving help? Christ gave not just for the least of these but for the worst of these.

I just don’t understand the disconnect between Belief and belief. But what can one do but keep striving and have compassion? Life is a struggle, not to survive, not for most of us, but against our worst tendencies, and we all are fellow sailors in that storm.

–

During my grandfather’s funeral, I meditated on a single line of the Beatitudes: “Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.”

Shakespeare again: “It is twice blest.” Those who mourn are blessed because they will experience the connection of being comforted by their fellow human (and their god), and those who comfort are blessed, too, for they have the opportunity to truly help their another person in the most trying of times. In that moment, united by grief, we are a single unit of compassion — for each other, for our humanity, our frailty, our mortality, and for ourselves as well.

Before compassion for others, the Dalai Lama has said, one must have compassion for oneself.

On Sunday morning at New York Comic Con, Fiona Staples, Ming Doyle, Amy Reeder, Alex de Campi, Christine Larsen, and Jordie Bellaire joined me to talk about being a woman in the comic book industry. The slideshow that accompanied the [...]]]> UPDATE: The audio of the panel is available here.

On Sunday morning at New York Comic Con, Fiona Staples, Ming Doyle, Amy Reeder, Alex de Campi, Christine Larsen, and Jordie Bellaire joined me to talk about being a woman in the comic book industry. The slideshow that accompanied the panel is up on my Tumblr site.

Here is what I remember, and I apologize if I do not attribute what was said or do so incorrectly, as I was a bit caught up in the conversation and didn’t take notes. The experience was a great one for me, and I loved being able to have a group of such talented women talk about their careers to a room full of interested and eager listeners.

The conversation more or less had this structure:

Introductions
Origin Stories
Does being a woman matter?
The Female Gaze (on depicting attractive men)
What does sexy mean?
What does beauty mean?
What makes a woman? (on character development)
Recommendations!
Questions

I opened by asking each of the women talk about how they got into comics, since there’s often an anthropological curiosity about how women came to be part of an industry where they’re still a minority. Most spoke of non-traditional routes into the industry, not through portfolio reviews and pitches, but through connections and networks.

Amy Reeder mentioned the role of a champion of sorts, someone established in the industry who supports your work, since so often the styles women draw in are not the stuff of most superhero comics.

Jordie Bellaire mentioned that she draws as well, but when challenged to find a focus for her career, she discovered coloring.

Alex de Campi talked about working on a myriad of types of projects, having to stand up for herself when (male) artists attempted to bully her, and the very DIY nature of independent comics.

Both Fiona Staples and Ming Doyle, now in their sixth years of professional work, spoke of doing apprenticeships of sorts, doing work-for-hire and mini-series until they felt they were ready to tackle bigger projects (Saga with Brian K. Vaughan and Mara with Brian Wood, respectively).

Some of the points that stuck with me:

Ming said she actually had some difficulty drawing the image of Mara used in the slideshow (in the bikini) because it was hard to draw a woman as “a beautiful object,” without thinking about what she was thinking or feeling. The image comes from a scene in the comic that is a photoshoot for a Maxim-style magazine. Jordie mentioned that when she colors images of women’s bodies, she doesn’t render breasts and buttocks as much as some would prefer.

Amy  summed up what women find sexy in imagery as something that is emotionally realistic. Even if the setting is quite fantastic, the moment between has to be authentic. Christine Larsen described drawing the scene with Valentine and the Lady of the Lake as a challenge because she didn’t often depict romance, and she wanted the connection between the two characters to be palpable. All seemed to agree that intimacy is what resonates, not sex.

All in the room seemed to enjoy the special advance look at the cover of Saga #9 that had debuted the night before at the Saga panel. I described it as a reverse of the typical romance novel cover “clutch,” in which the man is holding the woman while she swoons in his arms. Fiona said that the image pretty much encapsulates the relationship between The Will and The Stalk.

I presented my Jane Austen theory of character development:

• Flaws, a.k.a. “Emma Woodhouse Model”
• Unexpected change, a.k.a. “The Elinor and Marianne Dashwood Model”
• General awesomeness, a.k.a. “The Elizabeth Bennet Model”

The panelists gave shout-outs to Becky Cloonan, Emily Carroll, Kate Beaton, Faith Erin Hicks, Hope Larson, Jill Thompson, and others — someone please remind me! (UPDATE: Carla Speed McNeil, Linda Medley, Lucy Knisley, Emma Rios, Kelly Sue de Connick, Moyocco Anno)

A young man in the audience asked about the Drink and Draw Like a Lady event at MOCCA and said he was upset that he couldn’t go because it was for women only and asked if events like this held women back. Alex immediately told him about privilege, and why it is important to women to carve out spaces for themselves within institution where inequality still is the rule. I concurred. She said she finds an event like MorrisonCon, where there wasn’t a single female guest, far more offensive than events like Drink and Draw Like a Lady because it was in effect men-only as a result of an industry’s culture. Christine disagreed, however, saying she doesn’t like exclusivity or elitism.

A woman in the audience thanked Fiona for the cover of Saga #1, saying that it made the rounds on the “mommy” message boards she frequents. I told a story about how I, filled with hormones because I was still breastfeeding my then-infant, cried when I first saw it.

A man asked what advice the panel had for men who want to write female characters. I quipped “ask Greg Rucka,” which was only kind of flippant because, while I think Rucka’s work is fabulous, I am bit miffed that he gets so much attention when he talks about how to write women when there are actual women who do so as well. Fiona (or Ming?) said to forget the phrase “strong female character.” Alex said not to be shy about asking female friends what they think. Amy said that too often a women are depicted as “I can do whatever a man can do!”-type characters instead of as authentic depictions of individuals.

We wrapped it up with gift bags for attendees filled with posters and postcards. Thanks to everyone who came out and to my charming, intelligent, well-spoken panelists!

Age cannot wither her, nor custom fade her infinite variety. - William Shakespeare, Antony and Cleopatra

She walks in beauty, like the night Of cloudless climes and starry skies, And all that’s best of dark and bright Meet in her aspect and her eyes… - [...]]]>

Age cannot wither her, nor custom fade her infinite variety.
- William Shakespeare, Antony and Cleopatra

She walks in beauty, like the night
Of cloudless climes and starry skies,
And all that’s best of dark and bright
Meet in her aspect and her eyes…
- Lord Byron

With your childhood flames on your midnight rug
And your Spanish manners and your mother’s drugs
And your cowboy mouth and your curfew plugs
Who among them do you think could resist you?
- Bob Dylan, “Sad-Eyed Lady of the Lowlands”

If you’re a girl of artistic leanings and sensitive disposition, chances are you spent some time in your young adult years considering the sad-eyed lady who inspired Dylan (Sara Lownds) or the woman in the black dress who inspired Byron (Anne Beatrix Wilmot) or the queen who inspired Shakespeare (Cleopatra VII) or the stunner staring out from Rossetti’s paintings (Jane Morris) or, hell, Stephanie Seymour in those Guns ‘N’ Roses videos, and mooning for a boy who would see you the same way.

I did, anyway.

Now, with twenty years of perspective, I can say, “Why, silly girl?” — and then realize that I wasn’t so silly.

That’s the role our culture has given girls of artistic leanings and sensitive dispositions. You’re a muse, an inspiration, a model.

You are not a real girl. You are an idea in flesh, simply by being.

What I’ve come to realize in these twenty years is that the women who become muses for artistic men — like all women (and men) — are the protagonists of their own lives. And their lives are such that they have become interesting people; they are extraordinary so they inspire.

And they deserve to have their own lives and work and be admired for that.

I find the recently discovered papyrus with what probably is Cleopatra VII’s handwriting on it appropriately symbolic. Cleopatra wasn’t a harlot queen who spent all of her time seducing Romans. She was incredibly capable, and perhaps even more ruthless than a Lannister. She reigned for eighteen years that were mostly peaceful and prosperous in Egypt. When she wanted something done, she signed an order with the word ginesthoi — “make it so.”

I love Shriya’s futuristic kurta, her hair (I described it as [...]]]> What have I done to deserve to work with such a fabulous artist as Leigh Dragoon? Not only does she rescue kittens, she also designs awesome spaceships and is making our Womanthology story “The Vesta” look breathtaking. Here’s a first look at her colors:

I love Shriya’s futuristic kurta, her hair (I described it as “a cloud of black wavy hair that floats around her head–despite there being artificial gravity on the ship”), and that the communicator earpiece looks like a nautilus. And the ship! It’s like a sea creature floating through space.

I had thought Womanthology: Space #3 was scheduled for November, but it looks like it may be a later month. I’ll keep you posted!