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Write Club Funnies! - Fall of Write Club

Discovering the Voice by Jayme Roxann Wright

When I first decided that I wanted to write a comic book, I was in my early 20’s. I had been collecting several titles at that point- ARIA by Holguin, More than Mortals, XFACTOR, and ANIMAL MYSTIC, anything by Joseph Linsner, LADY DEATH, and SANDMAN. I was tossing around an idea that I am still playing cat and mouse with to this day. This particular story is my baby, so giving it to just any artist scares the bejeesus out of me because I am very particular about how I want my visions to look. When I finally started finding artists, I had to make sure that their artistic style that fit the stories, and that was hard because art created the tone of each book. I feel that the biggest impact of the comic format is that the art drives the emotion and description that would have been written had the story been prose. Most of my stories are darker in origin, so Manga or cartoonish artists won’t fit the visuals. I developed a list of who I wanted to give life to my stories and looked for similar styles.

I was really lucky when Jason Craig approached me to help with his story which was at that time being pitched as a series to STARZ. I had about three weeks to write a TV pilot and Character Bible/Series Outline. It was quite an experience. When it was passed over at STARZ! , we decided that it would work as a new comic series and began to rework it. Writing someone else’s baby is a great experience because you have to literally write what they envision. It is a great lesson in interpreting what people want. It has been a great process, the late night arguing and the endless battles over tiny details, all the while creating a great story that started as a simple one to creating a universe. The creative process is exciting and bleeding some of my blood into it to make it my own is a great reward.

Men develop a comradery quickly with other men; however, a relationship in a professional realm between men and women can be tenuous. I find that there has to be a great degree of respect for each other, which isn’t necessarily needed in male working partnerships. Jason has always treated me with respect and understanding. We are both single parents and both raised in the south despite my Los Angeles location. There comes a deep understanding of how we were raised, and it helps us navigate the waters similarly. Good people attract good people.

The more I develop the voice that I want to have in comics the more I find that wading through the muck and the wide eyed excitement of the comic book business is necessary. It is also why I understand – writers keep to themselves.

Write Club Funnies! - Indie Club Conquers All

Girls Club! a look back

Howdy all you 'clubbers out there.

I just want to say welcome if you're new, or thanks for reading if you're a frequent visitor. Write Club had its biggest month ever in March and there's a lot of thanks that need to be passed out for that.

First thanks to Tim Mucci. He's the man behind the podcast plan. I always was blogging, online journaling, etc. but it was his drive to do a podcast that pulled together the decade old idea of Write Club. He spends countless hours editing the audio and also handling half the blog entries including the weekly Comic Reviews.

Which brings me to Jon & Brian who have provided constant weekly comic reviews for us for quite awhile now. They're even starting to get quoted around the internets. Thanks guys! You can read their reviews here: COMIC CLUB REVIEWS!

On the comic review tip, hats off to Max Every who posted his SPX Top 5 Book Highlights for us. All great books and nice interviews with the creators. I highly recommend reading them and checking out the books.

Also thanks to Mike Mooch who's been our resident video game reviewer with GAME CLUB!

Now on to the ladies of Girls Club, without whom we'd just be a bunch of silly boys pretending we knew what it was like being a girl who likes comics.

Our special podcast guest, with our very first phone interview recording, was none other than Nikki Cook, a young female artist on the rise with an issue of DMZ, Marvel's Girl Comics, and a story in Tori Amos' Comic Book Tattoo, among other works. Find out more about her on Write Club Vol. 3 Episode #0! (you can also listen to our past 20 episodes on there as well, or get them free through iTunes.)

First up, Stacey Barlow Hills gives advice to all of you out there who're in a relationship with a Fanboy/Fangirl with LIVING WITH YOUR COMICS FAN. (Our highest tweeted article to date!)

Girls Club really kicked off with the beautiful logo you see above provided by the hysterically talented Lauren Barnett. We met her at King Con last Fall and her mini comics still make me laugh when I read them, so why don't you give her MAKING MINIS article a read and then pick up a copy of Secret Weirdo or I'd Sure Like Some F@*%ing Pancakes. Mini-comics are the new coffee table books after all.

Then Jayme Roxann Wright graced us with her presence and gave us the skinny on BREAKING INTO COMICS AS A FEMALE. Keep your eye on her people, she's got the fire in her to bust this industry wide open.

I met SmartGrrrl aka Michelle Weiner on Tumblr and convinced her to write up a piece talking about her journey from publishing to freelance writing. Check it out the Writer Spotlight on her and hook her up with a gig, she's good people.

And Christina Oppold closes out Girls Club with her article on LEARNING TO LOVE COMICS, with a major shout out to Tom & Amy of Bergen Street Comics.

We also had the mad lunatic Josh Jenkins of the HOW I F@%$ED UP series provide us his TOP 5 FAVORITE FEMINISTS IN COMICS. But more on that madman soon.

As well as the semi-regular Comic Book Calendar which we'll use to keep you up to date on any comic/art/writing events in the NYC/Brooklyn area (Art of Jaime Hernandez at Jim Hanley's today!), I'll also be bring you a weekly dose of weird pics, vids, flicks, and lit in my Sub*Text Saturday posts, and keep an eye out for Sunday's This Week in Cool.

And lastly, be sure to give our Write Club Funnies a read. They're a weekly, completely auto-biographical, account of what goes on behind the scenes to keep Write Club running for you 'clubbers out there.

Tim & I will be running wild at the MoCCA fest this weekend shoving microphones in indie creator faces, asking the hard hitting questions like "where are you drinking after the con?"

<3
K

Ps- If there's something you'd like to promote, an event you're planning, a movement you're building, please let us know and we shall help spread the word. We're cool like that.

Write Club Funnies! - Battle Club

My Top 5 Favorite Feminists in Comics

by Josh Jenkins

Kate Corrigan

Powers: Wrote sixteen books on folklore and occult history (not a super power? Let’s see you do it.)
Why I love her: One of my favorite moments in comics involves Kate and her first encounter with a ghost in “The Wolves of St. August.” She doesn’t freak out or run away, she starts balling. So educated on the supernatural she can view ghosts for what they really are: a representation of human tragedy. She is by no means a shrinking violet bookworm; she also outwits an ageless marquis hell-bent on trading her for a homunculus.
Greatest Hits: “The Wolves of August,” “The Universal Machine”

Power Girl

Powers: Nigh Invulnerable, Flight, Super-strength, Very distracting.
Why I love her: The jokes practically write themselves and yet, they don’t. It annoys me to no end when a character is bogged down with all of the “Earth: who gives a rat’s ass” minutia. It isn’t her difficulties that make her interesting, it’s her ability to deflect the way she’s treated by looking the way she looks.
Greatest Hits: “Power Girl: A New Beginning”

Jaka

Powers: Melting the heart of one of the coldest meanest misogynists in comics (Not me, Cerebus).
Why I love her: “How do you write women so well? I think of a man and I take away reason and accountability,” Dave Sim is most noted for being a self-proclaimed misogynist, which befuddles me considering the way he writes this character. I have never bought into the idea that dancing naked for money is feminism. I find the idea completely absurd and offensive, however in Jaka’s case I make an exception. She loves to dance; it is her art form, and she takes great pride in it in the way of monetary value. It’s easy to armchair quarterback and say you’d never exploit your art for money, but if Marvel asked, I’d write the shit out of a Power Pack story quicker than you can say “Snarks and Carmody”
Greatest Hits: “Cerebus Vol. 5: Jaka’s Story”

Jen Walters

Why I love her: Here’s an equation I hope you can follow; I hate She-hulk, She-hulk hates Jen Walters, so I love Jen Walters. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a super-hero more embarrassed by their alter ego. Imagine if you had a version of you that was infinitely stronger, more exotically beautiful, and way more famous than the “real” you will ever be. Would you ever go back to being the real you? How would you ever know if people really liked the real you? Imagine how hard that is. It’s a perplexing dichotomy that’s worth exploring. All I know is, I love ya Jen, hope you get on a cover one day.
Greatest Hits: “She-Hulk Vol 1. Single Green Female”

Mina Murray

Powers: Monster Wrangling
Why I love her: Ya know what’s uninteresting in Hollywood? A woman with no superhuman abilities that can keep rapists, murders, terrorists, and opium addicts in line. Ya know what Hollywood loves? Sexy Vampires! Fuck You everyone involved with the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen movie! Sorry, I have to pull my bloody fist out of 6-inches of drywall to finish this article. Alan Moore has always written strong women well, and I think Mina is my favorite (no offense Evey). I love her for all the reasons mentioned above, AND she helped take down Dracula for god sake!
Greatest Hits: “League of Extraordinary Gentlemen Vol. 1 and 2”

Slackerday: Not Girl Comics but Comics by Girls

I know how you feel. Sitting there at work, putting off whatever it is that you gotta do, groggy and tired, barely able to form a coherent thought. It's best to take it easy today. Why not sit back and read some comics? You deserve a break.

First I've take a selection of female creator comics from web collective Act-I-Vate.

Miss Lasko-Gross: A Mess of Everything


Molly Crabapple: Backstage


Jennifer Tong: Orifice


Jennifer Hayden: Underwire


You can also read the Geek Girl on the Street's review of the Act-I-Vate Primer.

***

A few other webcomics of note by female creators are:

Girls With Slingshots by Danielle Corsetto

Scene Language by Corey Marie

Octopus Pie by Meredith Gran

Random Assembly by Samantha Allen

I Was Kidnapped By Lesbian Pirates From Outer Space by Megan Rose Gedris

And if you'd like some audio to go with your webcomics, be sure to check out (if you haven't already) the newest podcast featuring Nikki Cook right there below this sentence.

K

Girls Club! Week One

Hello Clubbers, I hope all of you enjoyed week one of Girls Club. As Write Club heads into its second year, we'll be setting up a theme to coincide month by month with what's going on in comics. So for Women's History Month & Marvel's publishing of Girls Comics, we present Girls Club.

We kicked off the week on Monday with a new logo and article on Making Mini-Comics by the hilarious and talented Lauren Barnett of MeLikesYouComics.

On Tuesday we had Mike Mooch (who is not the DJ DaMooch) run down his pick for the top iconic female video game characters.

Wednesday, aka Comic Book Day, had our resident comic reviewers Jonathan Gelatt & Brian Bannen cover the week in comics. We even got quoted for Jon's review of Underground #5 over at Periscope Studios, home of Steve Lieber and others.

Thursday, Jayme Roxann Wright delivered unto us her first in a series of articles about Breaking Into Comics As A Female, busting down the doors on the boys club and preparing to take comic publishing by storm by showing it what it's been missing: a realistic approach to writing women.

That wraps up the first week of Girls Club, but stay tuned Write Clubbers, as we've got a lot more fun and excitement up our sleeves. This week we'll have a new episode of the podcast up where we'll talk to Nikki Cook about her process and Girl Comics.

While I prepare to deal with these two female hackers called DARK PHONETIX, I'll leave you with some links on Girl Comics.

Thanks for reading.

K

The Beat interviews Marvel Editor Jeanine Schaefer about Girl Comics




Video from Marvel.com with Jeanine Shaefer



Marvel's List of Women Characters

Breaking into Comics as a Female by Jayme Roxann Wright

I begin writing this article on the heels of a momentous moment in Entertainment history where a woman (for the first time) has won an Academy Award for Directing. A likely ponderance ensues about all the areas where women are proving themselves “boss” in the good old boys clubs. Many women have blazed trails for a women like me to happily follow behind in so many areas of life. Yet, the hardest part of any groundbreaking moment for a woman is that not only do we have to be good in our own right, but we have to be BETTER than a man. Sometimes, even that isn’t enough.

When I first decided that I wanted to take my writing career seriously, it was as much a shock to me that people started sitting up and paying attention. From blogs to micro-fiction posted on Facebook, people seemed to notice that I had some talent. Yet, as a female, talent isn’t enough. You have to be more talented than a man, and in many ways are expected to approach a subject like a man would. If you can write like a man, conceive horrific or action packed imagery like a man, then you might have a decent shot. But what about the unique perspective a woman has on life? What about the diversity that we bring to the table for just being a woman? I don’t quite think we are there yet, and why? We are still forced to play by the men’s rules because they wrote them.

I have loved comic books since I was young, but then neglected the love for some years until I could afford to be a collector in my 20’s. It was discovering the DAWN comics by J.M. Linsner that pulled me back in. Comics to me was the great combination of imagery and dialogue, where a story could be told and the reader was spared trying to figure out what things looked like because it’s all on the page. The hardest thing to digest was the unrealistic way that women were written about, either portrayed as cold and heartless or overly emotional; a very bland portrayal in my opinion. When I envision comics, I want it to be a myriad of colorful characters not just colorful costumes. Dawn was complex and all woman, but wasn’t overly emotional. She was everything that a woman is from kind and compassionate to merciless and manipulative. Joe’s grasp of the feminine form in its reality -not its ideal-appealed to me. As I began crafting my stories, I leaned towards complicated feminine archetypes, not the one dimensional women that most men write.

So far, almost two years into the process, I feel that I have been shunned quite a few times, mostly for being a new unpublished writer, and then as a female. However, I am blessed that while there are many naysayers in the publishing ranks, the artists have been exceptionally willing to work with me, and genuinely intrigued by my ideas. I feel because I am considered an attractive female that it is harder to get to know publishers and editors professionally because they might prefer to deal with me on another level -Back to the boy’s club. The industry is such a close knit one, and because I am a female dealing with men, I find that people love to speculate on the nature of my relationships with others in the industry. I often want to pretend I am married just so I take any non-professional agendas off the table. However, there are women out there in the industry who are knee deep in geek/nerd-dom that are kicking butt and taking names while still being completely female. It can be done.

My current project that is in development is EVIL WAISE created by Jason Craig (Seven, Freddy vs. Jason vs. Ash), and art by Jason Craig, written by me. I am also working on three other projects currently shopping publishers, and a horror screenplay.

Bio: Jayme Roxann Wright is a freelance writer working on breaking into the world of comics. She is a single mother of a comic savvy 6 year old. Currently pursuing her masters/Ph.D. in Forensic Psychology, she lives in downtown Los Angeles. She is the assistant editor/reviewer for SheNeverSlept and writes for the LA Examiner website as well as has three blogs that she maintains: Contemplative Afflcition, The Subtle Charm, and Swordplay and the Single Mom. She is also a professional Belly-dancer at several restaurants in the Greater Los Angeles area.

Game Club: Female Icons of Video Gaming!

Hey All,

In honor of Women’s History Month here on the newly formed "Girls Club," Game Club will be taking a look a few of the coolest female characters to ever grace the Video Games world. Boot up your favorite console and get ready to play!




Samus Aran: “The Metroid Series”
Arguably one of the first female heroines seen in console gaming, Samus Aran caught the gaming world by complete surprise when the ace bounty hunter removed her helmet to reveal a shock of long blonde hair. Video games were irrevocably changed for the better. No matter what iteration Samus and her adventures have taken, she’s never been denigrated to the world of pin-up eye candy. She’s a kick-ass warrior with the coolest abilities who can wield an arm cannon in a sweet symphony of destruction. Metroid's BEWARE!! She’s also got the most iconic set of armor games have ever seen, The "Zero Suit": Often imitated, but never duplicated. A true original, just like Samus.






Chun-Li: “The Street Fighter Series”
The reigning Queen of all female fighters in "versus" games, Chun-li captivated player after player with lightning fast kicks and devastating helicopter twirls. The only female fighter in Street Fighter II, adept players found she was a force to be reckoned with as she went toe to toe with the best male fighters in any version of the SF series. Chun-li remains a fan favorite to this day, a powerful and whimsical whirling dervish of destruction. If you listen carefully, you can still hear her out there kicking ass and taking names with her battle cry sounded:"Spinning flying kick!!"






Bayonetta: “Bayonetta”
As discussed in my debut game review on Write Club, Bayonetta has become somewhat of a model for a modern female character that can decimate foes with a flick of her wrist (or ankle for that matter) and own her sexuality like no other in the genre. Some would argue that she’s still the creation of a male mind and thus falls into similar trappings that less notable female game characters have suffered through, and while that is true in certain respects, the end result still can’t be denied. Bayonetta is a bad ass, and is always in command of every situation she finds herself facing. She’s sass and over the top camp all rolled up into a crimson bullet with your name carefully engraved on it. Get in her way and they’ll still be cleaning up pieces of you from the floor tiles.






Lara Croft: “The Tomb Raider Series”
Without a doubt one of the most popular and recognizable female game characters of all time. While it’s a sad fact that most of the attention was paid to her “assets” when she first exploded onto the gaming scene, no one could deny that the world Lara Croft carved for herself was rock solid and uniquely hers. Lara was tough, a fighter, born of royalty and riches, and had a hunger to follow in her parents footsteps as an archeologist and treasure hunter. Eidos had successfully created their own version of a pulp novel icon, an Indiana Jones for the digital world.



Today Lara has evolved from game to game, becoming more realistic in proportions while maintaining everything that made the character so great from the outset. Currently, the Tomb Raider series is seeing another reboot, with Lara again at the receiving end of what’s probably her most realistic look yet. One that aims to tap directly into the strong and intelligent character she is and, hopefully she'll permanently leaving the days of fanboy fantasy far behind.






Faith Connors: “Mirror’s Edge”
The fastest “Runner” on two legs (think Spider-Man as an information broker), Faith leapt from her stark and sterile cityscape straight into the consciousness of gamers everywhere. Rebelling against a Totalitarian government and fighting to clear her sister’s name for a crime she didn't commit, Faith proved to be as persistent a detective as she was at scaling and leaping from skyscrapers. When Mirror’s Edge was announced, Faith received a lot of attention as she was one of the first lead video game characters to be of Asian descent. Slight in build with baggy clothing to support maximum movement, and sporting the coolest set of jet black tattoos, Faith could outrace any opponent that was unlucky enough to cross her path. Faith remains an uber-cool parkour soldier, a silent, watchful guardian perched forever on the ledges of ivory towers everywhere.






Alyx Vance: "Half-Life 2 Series"
Alyx Vance is usually the "go to" game character when an avid player is asked to point out when the female character finally evolved. Alyx Vance was a fully realized PERSON when players met her within the first few hours of Half-Life 2. Whip-smart and humorous, her design intelligent, tasteful and respectful, Valve created a character so three dimensional it was hard not to feel connected to her by the games end (and each subsequent chapter after). While the story has yet to draw to a close, Alyx will always remain that benchmark character. A strong, intelligent woman who could solve any task at hand, and who fought back against alien hordes so vile, Ripley herself would cringe:) Alyx remains an important character in video games and a very welcome addition to the Half-Life series. The gaming industry wouldn't be the same without her.


Cheers,
-Mooch-

Herstorical

In honor of Women's History Month, Write Club would like to salute some of the most powerful heroes in comics. Both on & off the page.

Girl Comics #1 (MARVEL)

Colleen Coover

Amanda Conner

Laura Martin

G. Willow Wilson

Ming Doyle

Kathleen Marinaccio

Trina Robbins

Stephanie Buscema

Kristyn Ferretti

Valerie D'Orazio

Nikki Cook

Elizabeth Breitweiser

Sana Takeda

Lucy Knisley

Robin Furth

Agnes Garbowska

Lauren Sankovitch

Devin Grayson

Emma Rios

Barbara Ciardo

And special thanks to Lauren Barnett of MeLikesYouComics for designing our Girls Club logo!

Living With Your Comics Fan

by Stacey Barlow Hills

Are you the loved one of a fanboy/girl? Do you share your home with any number of items representing the multi-verses of DC, Marvel, Image, etc? Are Stan Lee, Alan Moore and Bruce Timm part of everyday conversations? Are you concerned that you possess knowledge enough that the previous three sentences make sense to you?

If so, you’re not alone, and you’re in luck. After nearly 10 years of marriage to a man who is both fan and artist, I’m here to tell you that your relationship can survive AND thrive with comics. It just takes a few simple steps on your part…

• Everything in its place. Action figures, collectibles, lithographs, the library of graphic novels and the dozens of comics boxes all need a home if you are to survive in yours. Give them space, but not everything needs to be visible. In our house for example, graphic novels are on the bookshelves as long as they aren’t too graphic for our five-year-old to flip through. The rest go into the office where she’s not allowed. Living in an apartment? Be creative in your decorating. Frame the lithograph, or put a piece of wood or glass on those comics boxes and throw a big piece of fabric over the entire thing – coffee table. Too much stuff? That’s why self storage exists.

• Choose your battles. If your fan is excited about watching “Crisis on Two Earths” and you are ambivalent about your evening TV plans – defer. If you are convinced that the latest web viewer is not innovative and your loved one swears that it is – let it go (trust me on this one). Save your energy for things that matter, like whether or not to name your child after his/her favorite comic book character and whether the nursery will be decorated with DC or Marvel characters.

• The more you know. Most of us have been learning our entire lives. The square root of 25? How to ride the subway? Parts of speech, directions on a DVD player, we are constantly adding terms to our vocab in order to function in our world. Make this one of those things. It’s like learning a whole new language, and just like learning a language, your horizons expand with new knowledge. Did you know that Aquaman is more than someone who talks to fish? He’s awesome – check it out.

• Find a niche. To be honest, I never thought there was anything in comics that would interest me. Still, the diversity of storytelling, art and character is overwhelming. There is, quite literally, something for everyone. The key is to find just a couple of things that you like. I’m not a fan of fantasy, and I’d rather watch my superheroes or buy the trade paperback than read issue by issue. My husband doesn’t agree, and that’s ok. Comics are art, and art is subjective.

Above all, if you truly care for your fan, just love and respect him/her. If they love it, try to love it too. My husband’s passion for comics makes him who he is, and I wouldn’t have it any other way. Hang in there everyone!

***

Stacey Barlow Hills is the wife of super talented Doug Hills, who's work you can find at PNH Comics where they have their manga webcomic CHIBI CHEERLEADERS FROM OUTER SPACE.