Fanboys need to grow up – soon

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fangirls coffee variety

I still remember feeling slightly amused and slightly insulted by the warning included in the printed program for an Indianapolis science fiction convention in the early 1980s.

It said, in effect, that just because a female attending the con was dressed like a character out of the Elfquest comic books – remember, this was a long time ago – that didn’t mean she was a piece of meat to be manhandled – well, fanboyhandled, really. Women at conventions might appear to be the flesh-and-blood embodiment of your fantasies, but They. Are. Not. Yours.

In effect, keep your hands – and your thoughts – to yourself, fanboy.

After my initial reaction to the warning passed, I realized that, yes, the warning was probably necessary. We were talking a few hundred young males who, in many cases, had little experience with the female of the species when she wasn’t on the movie or TV screen. As a young male who actually had met and talked with women and genuinely enjoyed them on every level – as equals, supervisors at work, romantic partners and partners in crime – I wasn’t the target audience for the warning.

Thirty years later and a cool and curious thing has occurred. Women make up a pretty good percentage of the fandom that has sprung up from movies, TV, books, comics and gaming. Some days it feels like they make up a slight majority of that fandom.

And while cosplay at conventions has moved well beyond elves in loincloths, the “hands off” warning still applies. The woman in the Power Girl outfit, complete with cleavage window, is not yours for the taking.
The controversy that’s broken out in fandom in the past couple of weeks is an outgrowth of that same stunted attitude on the part of some male fans, but frankly this attitude, this situation, feels more toxic than anything I’ve seen in decades.

Although there’s been a Neanderthal-ish attitude in online comments sections since the first sci-fi website was built, the especially poisonous vibe came after particularly apt criticism by writer Janelle Asselin of a Teen Titans comic cover. In an April 11 column on Comic Book Resources, Asselin noted several things wrong with this cover:

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Not the least of which is the typical-for-comics-yet-absurd-fanboy-wetdream portrayal of Wonder Girl, whose rack is improbably huge and whose head is bigger than her waist.

So noted.

But, incredibly, Asselin’s critique was followed by a heaping, steaming load of bullshit from fanboys who, on various online soap boxes, insulted and threatened Asselin and her fellow female industry figures with everything from shunning to beatings to rape.

Of course these cowards wouldn’t actually be able to say or do any of this stuff in person. I’m sure it made them feel incredibly daring and manly to say it from their hunched-over, masturbatory stance in front of the Dell computers in their mom’s basement.

The whole thing set off a lot of back-and-forth and, happily, lots of people sprang to Asselin’s defense. Among the best of them was writer Greg Rucka, who wove a tapestry of insults and profanities aimed at the idiotic fanboys in question that still has me chuckling. Rucka’s rant was inspired in great part by this image:

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The answer to that t-shirt – or at least one of them – is at the top of this column. I wish I could figure out who to credit for the image, but I first saw it on daggerpen.tumblr.com.

Who would not want the presence of women in fandom? Women are in most cases smarter than men. They aren’t the war makers, they aren’t the dominators and those who demean everyone around them to make themselves feel better. Their very presence elevates the level of any conversation, including those in fandom.

Or it should, anyway. If they aren’t so put off by ignorant comments online that they don’t avoid the conversation entirely.

So fanboys, grow the hell up or take your attitudes elsewhere. I can guarantee that you’re not going to win that online argument with a smart, driven fangirl. You’re not going to win the hearts and minds of fandom with your disgruntlement.

And you’re sure as hell not going to get Power Girl, or even that cute elf, to bend to your will.

 

Cool ‘Batman Beyond’ short for 75th anniversary

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batman 75th anniversary logo

This will really only whet your appetite for more Dark Knight.

DC Comics is celebrating Batman’s 75th anniversary this year – like it marked Superman’s 75th anniversary last year – with some cool stuff, including some short films.

The latest is comic book artist Darwyn Cook’s tribute to Batman Beyond, the sequel series to the original Bruce Timm Batman animated series.

batman beyond short

Kevin Conroy and Will Friedle return to voice the roles of aging Bruce Wayne and young Terry McGinness, his protege.

batsuits batman short

Cool action, cool shots of the former Bat-family costumes …

batman beyond short batmen

And, at the end, a tribute to a bunch of former movie/TV Batman portrayals and actors.

Good stuff.

Neve Campbell latest fave on ‘Mad Men’

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neve campbell w don mad men

There was a lot going on in last week’s season premiere of “Mad Men,” what with the bi-coastal Sterling Cooper office antics, Roger showing why tiny cell phones wouldn’t have worked in 1969, Peggy and that damn little neighbor kid, Megan’s channeling Sharon Tate and Pete’s plaid pants and sweater, the latter worn over-the-shoulder-style.

And yes, that was Neve Campbell on the plane, snuggling with Don.

neve campbell mad men

Neve Campbell of “Scream” and “Party of Five.” Looking amazing and 1969-period-appropriate.

Campbell wouldn’t acknowledge, in talking to Entertainment Weekly, if that’s her only appearance in this, the split-in-half last season of “Mad Men.”

But c’mon, we know it can’t be.

She’s too recognizable to have just a couple of quick scenes. As, as Entertainment Weekly pointed out, the end credits even gave her character a name: Lee Cabot.

Neve has joined the ranks of past TV stars like Madchen Amick, Alexis Biedel and Linda Cardellini playing partners/playthings of the “Mad” men.

So here’s to more of Campbell this season.

madchen amick madmen hd

And – we should be so lucky – more Madchen.

Classic sci-fi: “It! The Terror from Beyond Space”

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It_the_terror_from_beyond_space 50k

If there was a heyday of black-and-white, low-budget science fiction movies, “It! The Terror From Beyond Space” might have been smack in the heart of it.

It’s startling to think now that the 1958 release date of “It!” came just 10 years before “2001: A Space Odyssey” and less than 20 years before “Star Wars.” Those movies – although decades old now – seem much more contemporary than “It!”

When you make those comparisons, though, it’s funny to note that a movie that still feels contemporary despite the passage of years, Ridley Scott’s 1979 sci-fi thriller “Alien,” was in many ways inspired by “It!” A lot of people have called “It” the inspiration for “Alien.”

Plot-wise, they have more than a few similarities. An expedition to another planet – Mars in the earlier movie – results in a dead crew and suspicion on the survivor. When a second ship is sent to investigate, the only survivor of the earlier crew – played by Marshall Thompson – is to be brought back to Earth to be tried for killing his crew.

it the terror girl on shoulder

But there’s another addition along for the ride: A stowaway, a monster, a scaly hulk played by stuntman and actor Ray “Crash” Corrigan. The creature killed the earlier crew and, on the trip back, begins picking off the second crew, stalking them in the hidden recesses of the ship.

“It!” is most effective when it doesn’t show the monster. Shots of the creature’s big, rubbery feet and pigeon-toed walk sap some of its menace, that’s for sure. While the hulking monster is appropriately kiddie-matinee scary for its time, every shot of it reduces the mystery and menace.

it the terror lobby card

Random thoughts:

Although the movie is called by some the inspiration for “Alien,” it’s almost like a sequel instead.

The movie’s action is set in 1973, which as we all know was a big period for Martian exploration.

“It” came out during the great period of 1950s black and white science fiction with craggy alien landscapes and beautiful star-filled backdrops and graceful rockets with Buick-style fins.

There’s a lot of science-defying action here, with the crew firing guns pretty indiscriminately at the monster. Lots of gas bombs are thrown and there’s a token wearing of gas masks, but only when hatch doors are open. What about the the air-handling system? The monster and his victims spend a lot of time in the vents, so I’m pretty sure that gas would get all around the ship.

dabbs greer

Look for Dabbs Greer, familiar to “Little House on the Prairie” watchers, as one of the crew.

 

Latest in Parker series is … fine, really

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damned if you do robert b parker michael brandman

One of my favorite writers was Robert B. Parker, who wrote scores of crime novels before his death in 2010. Best among them was the series that followed the exploits of Spenser, the Boston private investigator. But Parker also wrote a nifty, if short-lived, series with a believable female protagonist, Sunny Randall, as well as a series of westerns.

Maybe Parker’s most successful “other” series was that featuring Jesse Stone, a alcoholic former cop who is hired as police chief in the New England town of Paradise. Stone is troubled – for a male Parker hero – and struggles with his addiction and his relationships.

After Parker’s death, his wife, Joan (who has since passed) and his estate authorized writers to continue both the Stone and Spenser series. Ace Atkins, a mystery writer in his own right, does a very good job with new Spenser novels. Michael Brandman, who produced a series of Jesse Stone TV movies starring Tom Selleck, was tapped to continue the Stone books.

He’s done three now, with the latest being “Damned if You Do,” and it might be the weakest of the renewed series so far.

That’s not to say there’s not a lot to like about “Damned if You Do.” Brandman has captured the spirit of Stone, the small-town cop who won’t let anything stand in the way of bringing justice to the unjust. The supporting characters are perfect recreations of Parker’s.

But the latest is kind of thin and feels like something Brandman tossed off without a lot of effort.

Parker’s later books, while wildly satisfying, felt pretty slight compared to his meatier earlier stories, so the feeling that Brandman is coasting a bit here isn’t without precedent. But I’m ready to read a book that feels like Jesse Stone – and the writer behind his modern-day adventures – is breaking a sweat.

This story finds Stone investigating the death of a young woman in a seedy Paradise motel. Her death threatens to – but never quite – spark a dust-up between warring pimps.

More satisfying, in a way, is Stone’s crusade to shut down a town nursing home where patients are being abused. But even here, the resolution seems really easy.

Parker’s stories rarely had a lot of twists and turns, as his heroes found a path toward a resolution and bulled their way through to their desired outcome. It feels like, in some of the latter-day books, that the path is just a little too straight and hurdle-free.

What I’m watching: Playing catch-up

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The Man Under the Hood

It always feels like a new TV season when “Mad Men” starts up again on AMC. It’s not of course; we’re in the awkward part of the calendar when some shows have completed their seasons, others have a few episodes left and some – “Sleepy Hollow,” in particular – are long gone.

Here’s some thoughts on what I’m watching or watched until just recently.

“The Walking Dead.” This season, after staging a battle at the prison that saw Hershel and the Governor die, seemed to build to a climax in the middle of its year. The last half of the season was made up of really-pretty-good character pieces. The finale, with Rick and the gang playing into the hands of the Terminus cannibals, was shocking in that it was not bombastic. Curiously, it made me look forward to next October more than almost anything else.

“Agents of SHIELD.” This small-screen Marvel flagship series struggled early in the season. I wonder if the “slow build” story the showrunners are maintaining now is really the case – if so, they didn’t do it very effectively – or if, like many other series, it just took them a while to hit a stride. With recent episodes, including tie-ins to “Captain America: The Winter Soldier,” “SHIELD” is finally clicking. I hope it doesn’t falter again in the final episodes of the season.

“Dallas.” I miss J.R. I miss Larry Hagman. But the series is good, soapy fun.

“Arrow.” It’s possible I’m not enjoying any series on TV more than this take on the classic DC hero. The cast is really good, the stories are fun and the show is stuffed with comics characters. What’s not to like?

“Justified.” One of my favorite series, “Justified” had an uneven series at best. Lawman Raylan and outlaw Boyd and their supporting players were good, but the messy Crowe family story just didn’t do it for me. Next year is the final season and the last scene of this past season forecast the story: Raylan vs. Boyd. Can’t wait.

“The Mindy Project.” This Mindy Kaling comedy is funnier than I ever expected. I wish it would run for 10 years.

“Community” and “Parks and Recreation.” With only one episode left this season – and its future uncertain – “Community” has bounced back this year with the return of controversial creator Dan Harmon. It’s so odd and inside baseball that it’ll never grow in viewership. I just hope it hangs on. And “Park” has grown from a series full of oddballs to a series with characters I really care about.

I’ve probably forgotten something. With “Mad Men” back tonight and “Orphan Black” returning April 19, we’ve got more weeks of good viewing ahead.

sleepy hollow cast

But you know what? I think I miss “Sleepy Hollow” more than anything.

The late, great late night

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colbert-letterman

Yes, back in the 1980s, I was a huge fan of David Letterman. Yes, I stayed up for his 12:30 NBC show – after Carson’s “Tonight Show” – every night. Yes, I videotaped Letterman as I was watching. Yes, I excised commercials.

Yes, in a hall closet that’s been the repository of most of my VHS tapes over the decades – a closet that should be devoted to some more productive use, as I’m sure my wife is thinking as she reads this – are those tapes, buried along with videos recorded over the air of “The X-Files” and “Lois and Clark.”

Yes, I acknowledge it’s strange that I sat up and taped those Letterman shows.

I regret nothing. (Even though I haven’t watched the tapes in years.)

That’s because, back in those days, Letterman was the cutting edge of late-night comedy.

As I’ve noted here before, I was watching Carson from my late childhood or at least early adolescence. Carson was and will ever be the king of late-night. Nobody did it better.

Letterman – another Indiana guy, who spent time here in Muncie, working at the radio station I always listened to and going to college where I later went – was innovative and funny and awkward in all the right moments.

I haven’t watched a lot of Letterman in recent years and maybe it’s ironic that Jon Stewart’s “Daily Show” and “The Colbert Report” have taken over my late-night viewing – when I can stay awake that late: The days of staying up until the 1:30 a.m. sign-off of Letterman’s old show are long gone.

So I was pretty pleased at this week’s news that Stephen Colbert was going to take over for the retiring Letterman on “The Late Show” next year. Colbert is sharp and funny and heartfelt and he’ll make a great host. I’ll probably check out at least the start of his show after Stewart’s sign-off.

I’m curious if Colbert’s right-wing ass character will “appear” at all on his new show. I’m curious how Comedy Central will replace “Colbert Report.”

You can bet I’ll be checking out Dave’s victory lap in this final year.

Heck, I might even break out some of those 30-year-old tapes and relive Dave’s glory days.

I can always watch those at 7 p.m., when I’m not too sleepy.

1970s poster flashback: ‘Coffy’

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Coffy pam grier poster

A while back I was inspired to begin this recurring look at the poster art of 1970s movies after seeing the throwback-style poster for “Captain America: The Winter Soldier.”

Movies don’t get any groovier than “Coffy,” the 1973 blaxploitation flick starring Pam Grier in the title role. And the poster does justice to the movie’s storyline.

After her younger sister is hooked on drugs, Coffy, a nurse, sets out to kill as many drug dealers as possible.

It’s a pretty straightforward plot.

If you’ve never looked at it, check out the oddly-written Wikipedia page for the movie, complete with plot recap.

“Coffy uses her sexuality to seduce her would-be killers,” indeed.

And good lord, what an impression Grier made on a lot of us.

pam-grier

See what I mean?