The Squeaky Wheel

I'm so sorry to hear about your cat. I can't imagine how devastating it would be. If that happened to me, I would worry that it would ruin the relationship with my friend. Do you blame your friend? How can you not?

Thu, 16 May 2013 14:57:40 -0700

You know, I wondered if it would hurt our relationship, too, but I don’t blame her, even in my heart of hearts. She’s a mother, too, and she gave me a bouquet out of love. It was a kind, loving thought. She had no idea that it was a danger, in fact, she had a similar bouquet in her house and we called her to let her know to get rid of it, rather than put her cats at risk. It could just as easily been her cats as mine - how could I possibly blame her?

In truth, I blame myself. I saw that my cat had knocked over the vase and picked it up and re-filled it. Later I noticed that she’d taken a bite out of one of the flowers. I even thought, “I should double-check that and make sure it’s not going to hurt her,” but I was in the middle of making my daughter’s lunch and afterward I forgot all about it. I mean, cats eat plants all the time, right? I hadn’t the slightest inkling that she’d been poisoned until it was far too late, but if I’d stopped a minute to look it up, I could have gotten her treated in time and probably saved her life.

original-blue: joyfulldreams: tealgeezus: mganns: and that’s...

Thu, 16 May 2013 06:41:53 -0700

original-blue:

joyfulldreams:

tealgeezus:

mganns:

and that’s how i contributed to the fandom at 3AM

“goal is now to make radical fashion statments in hopes that bruce will notice him”

HA HA OMG! I legit choked at that part.

OH MY GOD IM GONNA CRY

So fucking accurate.

The “This is Dan Didio’s favorite character” had me snorting out loud.

PSA: The deadly flower in my Mother's Day bouquet.

Wed, 15 May 2013 18:38:48 -0700

artling-fiasco:

kyrax2:

Please, if you have a cat, be very careful about what flowers you bring into your house. Even the pollen from lilies is deadly to cats.

And please, please pass this on. Please.

honestly just dont let your cats eat ANY PLANTS

unless its catnip or something(really now)

my mother loves star gazer lilies, i get them for her every chance i get

i have 3 cats

train your cats not to eat them

Please be aware, even lily pollen that is scattered and licked off a cat’s fur can kill it. Pollen on a ground or table that’s picked up on a cat’s paw and cleaned off can kill it, too. A petal or leaf fallen from a lily that a cat plays with and chews on? Will kill it. If you think it’s worth the risk, that’s up to you, but I hope you never have reason to regret it.

If I’d had the opportunity, I certainly would have trained her - but I didn’t “let” her eat my flowers, she got into them while I was asleep (this was the first time we’d had flowers in the house since we got her).

the inspiration for this poem: PSA: The deadly flower in my Mother's Day bouquet.

Wed, 15 May 2013 17:48:53 -0700

the inspiration for this poem: PSA: The deadly flower in my Mother's Day bouquet.:

tigerfires:

kyrax2:

I want to write a quick note to everyone, because this is something I didn’t know, and I really, really wish I had.

A dear friend gave me a lovely bouquet for Mother’s Day. Included among the flowers were a couple of stargazer lilies. You all know what lilies look like, they’re…

There are a TON of plants/fruits/vegis that you wouldn’t think twice about that are toxic to pets. Check out the ASPCA for a pretty comprehensive list

http://www.aspca.org/Pet-care/poison-control/Plants

Reblogging for this useful info. Pet owners, please check out this list. It may save your pet’s life. Thank you so much for sharing.

Amy sells out: Please help me save my cat.

Wed, 15 May 2013 16:53:01 -0700

Amy sells out: Please help me save my cat.:

minaspeak:

Hey everyone. I’ve been super busy working, and now I’ve hit another snag.

This is my kitty. He needs some major surgery to correct urinary issues he has been having. If he doesn’t get them fixed, he will either be put down, or will die from associated complications.

For…

After today, how could I not reblog this?

Lilies kill cats. Pass it on.

Wed, 15 May 2013 13:07:42 -0700

I got word from the vet about an hour ago.

My cat’s kidney numbers are “off the charts”. In every other way, she is fine - heart, lungs, even her empty little stomach, but her kidneys are failing, even as I type this.

The *only* possible treatment would be a full dialysis - the same kind humans get. It would cost $10,000 for the *first* week, and last, oh, three to five weeks, depending on how she responded. Even then, it would only give her a slim chance of survival…*if* her kidneys aren’t too damaged to recover. Apparently they’ve saved cats before, but…

So, yeah. Tonight my husband, daughter and I will be going and saying goodbye to her.

I hate this.

She’s only a little over a year and a half old. And she’s just the best cat. The *best* cat. I’ve had several cats in my lifetime, but never have I bonded with any of them the way I bonded with her. She is so smart, so sweet, so loving. We believe she’s part Burmese, due to her narrow little face and long body, coppery eyes and the fact that she never set off my allergies. I could rub my face right up against hers and it never once made my nose itch or my eyes burn. We got her from the Humane Society when she was about six months old.

She would play fetch, but only on her terms. She loved those plastic eggs you would get around Easter. If you took half of one and threw it, she would chase it around, then pick it up in her mouth and bring it back to you…sometimes.

I tried to do everything right with her. She’s an indoor cat, and we have a Loc8tor on her collar - an expensive investment, but well worth it. We fed her the best raw food, grain free diet we could afford. We used corn-based litter (which was much better for me as well, and worked far better than the clay kind, we found).

And now…now she’s going to die. And I have to be the one to say to the vet, “kill her”.

I can’t even imagine what it would be like to go through this with a child. But at least with a child, there wouldn’t even be a question of whether I should try to save her. At least I could start a fundraiser, or beg friends and relatives for help, even if the chances were slim. But $30,000 for the *chance* to save a cat…there’s no way.

I used to make (gentle) fun of people who called their pets their “babies”. But she was a little bit my baby, the second child I chose not to have, but a small part of me craved. I spoiled her, and snuggled with her, and loved her very, very much.

And now I have to kill her.

Please, if you have a cat, don’t bring lilies into your house. Don’t take the chance. Don’t give bouquets containing lilies to friends that own cats. If you think there’s even the slightest chance that your cat might have taken a bite out of a lily, or even licked lily pollen from her fur, please, take her to the vet. Don’t wait. Don’t wait to see if she shows any symptoms, because it *will* be too late. I had no idea lilies were poisonous, but if I’d looked it up as soon as I’d realized she’d taken a bite out of my Mother’s Day bouquet, if I’d double-checked then and there to see whether she might have eaten something dangerous, she might be fine right now. We might have been able to save her.

Instead, I have to kill her.

Please, let your cat-owning friends know: don’t keep lilies around. Put them in the trash, covered, where neighborhood cats can’t get to them. Don’t keep them in the house. I don’t want anyone else to have to go through this.

Please, tell everyone you can.

PSA: The deadly flower in my Mother's Day bouquet.

Wed, 15 May 2013 10:34:00 -0700

I want to write a quick note to everyone, because this is something I didn’t know, and I really, really wish I had.

A dear friend gave me a lovely bouquet for Mother’s Day. Included among the flowers were a couple of stargazer lilies. You all know what lilies look like, they’re those trumpet-shaped flowers in pink or white or orange, with lots of pollen. If you’re not positive, google “lily” in google image search.

What I didn’t know is that almost all kinds of lilies are deadly to cats. Even a small amount of one will cause massive kidney failure. My cat took a bite out of one of them and now she’s dying. She’s suffered through lethargy, vomiting, and even seizures, and we had no idea what was wrong with her. She’s at the vet now, getting treated, but it’s probably too late, because we weren’t able to get her treatment until the critical initial 18-hour window had passed.

Please, if you have a cat, be very careful about what flowers you bring into your house. Even the pollen from lilies is deadly to cats.

And please, please pass this on. Please.

The Brave and the Bold

Tue, 14 May 2013 10:25:04 -0700

matthewbogart:

I recently posted a link on Facebook to this petition regarding the redesign of Merida from “Brave” that Disney is reportedly doing to include her in the Disney Princess line and I got this response.

> “I don’t get the hoopla over this. Apart from wearing a different outfit and being drawn by a different artist, I don’t really see a difference. Is it that a woman without a weapon is weak?”

Character design matters.

If there’s one thing the character design class I took in college stressed more than anything else it’s that a good character design informs the viewer who the character is, what they are like. What they wear, how they stand, how they do their hair, the shape of their face, their standard expressions, what they carry with them, these are all vital decisions in a good design.

Few have embraced this philosophy more wholeheartedly than Disney. Take a look at some of these designs and think about how well the designer conveys the basic concepts of the character through the design alone.

(source)

Disney knows how to do this and their choices are deliberate. A misstep in the design of a character can make the difference between one that is marketable and one that is not. That’s extremely important to Disney, and a task that they do not treat cavalierly. If you have to sum up the character in just one image, like you often have to do with marketing materials or toys, qualities like the ones listed above are the only tools you have.

Artistic Interpretations

(source)

The argument that a character always looks somewhat different when a different artist draws them doesn’t apply when your’e talking about Disney. If you think I’m wrong, think of how many drawings you’ve seen Disney publish of Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, Aladdin, or Woody that look exactly like they did in the movies. While things like comics have some leeway to veer off model a bit, marketing materials need to match as closely as possible to key images and are scrutinized by Disney for inaccuracies. I’ve had friends who have drawn licensed properties professionally and, in general, if you aren’t able to keep your drawing “on model” you aren’t going to keep working on the project.

An Experiment

Think about the choices that were made in designing the original Merida and the ones that were made in the redesign.

If you were asked to design a character that was a beautiful, rough and tumble, scottish adventurer who was technically a princess but rebelled against the frill, pomp, and sexisim that came with her post, what are some good choices you could make?

You could dress her in a plain green wool dress that fits with her earthy surroundings.

You could give her a wide, plain face, and the expressions of a normal attractive girl; likely avoiding the full red lips, thick eyelashes, or pointed jaw that you might find on a princesses such as, say, Cinderella.

You could make her standard postures and facial expressions defiant, strong, and powerful.

You could give her a weapon and you could make it one of her defining characteristics. If you really wanted to drive the point home, you could make her weapon a defining element of the plot and marketing of the film.

Now, let’s say you were given the task of taking the established Merida design from the film and re-imagining her to more closely resemble the typical damsel in distress that the Disney princess line seems to champion. What choices could you make given that she still needs to be recognizable as the character from the movie?

Perhaps you could take her plain wool dress and make it a beautiful gown. You could take the earthy green color and change it to a shimmering turquoise, cover it with sparkles, and drop the neckline over the shoulders.

You could add intricate gold embellishment wherever possible including an elaborate foot wide band around the hem of her dress.

You could drastically thin her waist and face and thicken her eyelashes.

You would have to remove her bow and pouch full of arrows, replacing the strap that held the arrows in place with a wide belt and giant gold belt buckle.

Attached to the buckle you could put a shimmering turquoise scarf.

You could change her standard postures and facial expressions from aggressive, assertive, and defiant to sassy, cute, and submissive.

Do the above descriptions sound like something the character from the film would be excited about?

Who would win in a fight, Bruce Wayne or Disney Princess Merida?

Now, you could point out that the redesign isn’t that much of a stretch. Merida does wear a more glamorous gown in the movie that does, with the help of an excruciatingly painful corset, make her appear much thinner. She is sometimes sassy. Both points are true and a good choice for the filmmakers to have made. Allowing a character to have multiple different qualities, sometimes contradictory, can make a story better, but we’re not talking about a story in this circumstance. We’re talking about marketing.

When you market a character you have to boil them down to their essential elements. Take Batman for example. Bruce Wayne can sometimes be dressed to the nines; handsome and glamorous, but when you choose the images you’re going to use to market Batman those qualities don’t come up so much. You want Batman to be strong, heroic, aggressive, adventurous, and sometimes menacing. That’s why the children’s section at Walmart has a lot of things that look like this:

and less that look like this:

Merida was originally marketed similarly. She was depicted in trailers and posters as strong, determined, adventurous, beautiful, and heroic.

This redesign de-emphasizes those qualities and pushes for a Merida that is more glamorous, sassy, and passive.

I drew a brief sketch of a corresponding version of Batman:

Here’s a link to that petition again.

This is FANTASTIC, especially that comparison with Batman at the end. Brilliant.

Code Monkey Save World Stretch Goal: The Princess That Saved Herself children's book!

Tue, 07 May 2013 12:24:00 -0700

So, I haven’t been around much, but I had to share this, because it looks AMAZING.

Greg Pak and Jonathan Coulton have teamed up to make a graphic novel based on some of the characters from the songs of Jonathan Coulton.
Which is totally awesome, but not even the most awesome part.

The stretch goal, if they reach $250,000, will be to turn Coulton’s song “The Princess That Saved Herself” into a children’s book. Is that the BEST STRETCH GOAL EVER or what? I’d have participated in a Kickstarter just for that!

Batman and (Red) Robin #19: Carrie Kelley and... STEPHANIE BROWN!? The New Female Robin

Thu, 11 Apr 2013 19:41:35 -0700

daggerpen:

wafflesforstephanie:

daggerpen:

schizoauthoress:

georgethecat:

offcenterfold:

Stephanie Brown fans might soon have reason to rejoice the New 52, which has thus far not acknowledged the character even in a revamped role (such as Tim Drake, whose background was remixed to cross out his time as plain-old Robin and throw in a pair of supportive, middle-class parents.) Notoriously mistreated by DC but adored by readers, Stephanie seems to be brought up in nearly every conversation about Bruce Wayne’s brood, whether it be fans calling one another out for failing to pay homage to her in Robin-centric fandom, or angry readers bemoaning squandered opportunities to use her in present Batman storylines.

With Damian Wayne’s abrupt and largely criticized death in Batman Inc came a slew of speculations on a replacement Robin and the characters that could fill those shoes. Many thought Harper Row (featured in Scott Snyder’s Batman) would step into the pixie boots, but those hopes were dashed when Synder clarified Harper wasn’t intended for the costume. With the announcement of Carrie Kelley’s inclusion in today’s post-Damian Batman and Robin issue (retitled Batman and Red Robin, to be followed by various other “Batman and _” stories), many were piping up that surely she — having been a Robin herself in an alternate universe penned by Frank Miller — would become the next Robin. Again speculators were hushed, as writer Peter Tomsai noted Carrie’s “not exactly the ‘New Robin’,” but that he doesn’t “want to spoil the story.”

I personally took that as a hint that if Batman picks up another sidekick so soon, they won’t be taking on the title of Robin. But after both reading the issue and exchanging a few tweets with fellow Stephanie Brown fans, I’ve come to another conclusion, and I’d like to take a moment to prop up my hopes with a few panels from the issue itself:

If you’re like me, you probably skip these “Channel 52” pages entirely. While I feel that they’re a fantastic way to pimp out other ongoing stories in the DC universe and help create an atmosphere of interwoven ongoings, I’m twenty-three and the only exposure to the whole television news station format I put up with in my pretentiousness is when the flatscreen in the McDonalds lobby is stuck on CNN again. But the Robin logo caught my eye, so I read the panel and immediately emitted a high-pitched keening noise that should probably be reserved for my wife’s ears only.

A female Robin, who is so clearly independent from Batman that most people question if she’s even affiliated with him.

So that confirms that there’s a new lady to add to the Batman line; whether she’s given an official club membership in the future is anyone’s guess. But her identity isn’t exactly solidified here. There’s no physical description beyond her sex, not even her hair color or assumed age. Some readers might jump to assume Carrie — who was seen earlier in the issue wearing a Robin costume for a party — is the mystery Robin (and probably mouth off about Stephanie getting snubbed again), but I’m not exactly sold.

When we first see Carrie’s apartment, she’s shown playing a video game with a female roommate. A roommate, as @scandalsavage pointed out, who is blonde and wearing purple, a color perpetually associated with Stephanie Brown. To further the this-could-be-Steph speculation, Tealgeezus points out an interesting portion of Carrie’s conversation with her roomie:

Robin fanatics would be quick to point out that Stephanie was Robin number four in prior continuity (no matter what take-backs DC might have attempted), following Dick Grayson, Jason Todd, and Tim Drake. (Carrie, who was never featured in normal DC continuity, is often slapped on the list as the sixth.)

So is the roommate really Stephanie Brown, or are these little tidbits just smiling nods to fans chomping at the bit for her inclusion? Further, even if it is Stephanie Brown, who is to say she’s not just a side character, or perhaps poised to become Spoiler in later issues rather than be masquerading as an independently operating Robin?

This:

At the very end of the issue, Carrie and her unnamed roommate briefly discuss the fact that Bruce paid Damian’s debts (with a substantial tip), and Carrie suggests her friend accompany her to the bank to cash/deposit the check. And while Carrie might have just been being playful when comparing her roommate’s presence to that of a bodyguard, her remark could arguably have been indication that her blonde pal packs enough of a punch to be worthy of the title.

Given DC’s track record with Stephanie, it’s far too early to tell if we’re just seeing Stephanie in the clouds or if this is truly the introduction of the snarky snacker who resonates with male and female readers alike for her funny, upbeat attitude and realistic struggles on the dirty streets of Gotham. But I’m willing to bet a box of waffles that this is, in the very least, Stephanie herself, and as the discussion continues, I might throw in another that she’s our mystery girl Robin and Carrie’s a red herring.

(PS: I promise to read Channel 52 from now on, I’ve learned my lesson.)

Some good evidence that it was Stephanie who appeared in B&R #19.

I’m not going to throw my support behind the theory (when I do that, the universe seems to go out of its way to shit on me), but the speculation is interesting and well thought out

I would be astonished if Carrie’s roommate was not a Steph nod, but I would also be astonished if, after all the shit that writers have gone through trying to get permission to use her, and after the incidents with Steph in Smallville and Li’l Gotham, we will see confirmation anytime soon that this is in fact Steph.

Maybe they DID have plans for her. lol no.

Hahaha.

If DC had plans for her all along and at no point saw fit to inform the other writers who repeatedly submitted proposals with that character until they thought they had exhausted all possible routes so that they would know to stop trying, and then further muddled things by recoloring a Li’l Gotham appearance of her and forcing BQM to replace her with anyone of his choosing - not with Babs specifically, mind, just with anyone else - in Smallville, then that’s not really any better than lying and trying to keep Steph out of the comics entirely.

Uh-huh.

I have been burned too many times for any Blue Lantern rings to be flying my way right now. After Smallville I will never trust DC again. I’ll believe it when I’m holding the issue in my hands, not before. (Even then you’re not really safe…as L’il Gotham showed.)

daggerpen: No regrets. I’m not saying you should print these...

Tue, 09 Apr 2013 18:35:51 -0700

Missing- Cassandra Cain

Missing - Stephanie Brown

daggerpen:

No regrets.

I’m not *saying* you should print these out and post them in your LCS (with permission) or hand them out at cons or whatever, but, well, it’d be an interesting idea, wouldn’t it? ;)

Aside from that, I was originally going to try to make Steph’s look like her missing poster in Young Justice, but I couldn’t resist.

EDIT: Added in QR codes. IDK if they’ll show up on your blogs, but since this is a photoset it should show up in everyone’s fullview images now, ideally.

Hehe, these are pretty clever!

daggerpen: A brief tribute to sneaky creators and their...

Mon, 08 Apr 2013 14:31:08 -0700

A girl who looks just like a slightly older child Steph seen in the YJ 80 page giant cameos in Smallville S11

A child dressed as Stephanie Brown Batgirl walks alongside children dressed like Cassandra Cain and Klarion (bum bum bum) the Witchboy

A blonde girl who looks a lot like Steph goes caroling with the Bats, standing alongside Damian

6 Robins appear in Li'l Gotham, 5 with domino masks and one with Carrie Kelly glasses. Each one clearly corresponds to a Robin, with Steph's wearing an eggplant mask.

A screencap of Stephanie Brown from Young Justice, where she was confirmed to be Stephanie.

A Stephanie Brown missing poster appears in the final issue of Young Justice's comic tie-in.

daggerpen:

A brief tribute to sneaky creators and their determination to sneak in Steph nods.

These guys are my FAVORITES.

Updates and OpBGInc Panel/Booth Potential

Mon, 08 Apr 2013 14:23:00 -0700

operationbatgirlinc:

Sorry for the lack of updates recently. One of our mods has been traveling, the other just finally finished her second round of midterms (never major in physics) but has finals soon, and the third has a spotty internet connection, so we sadly haven’t been able to update much.

We’re going to be redoing Steph month as soon as we have the ability to update, given how fast March flew by, but with NYCC finally selling passes, we’d like to take a moment to turn our attention to a more interesting question.

NYCC has the ability for fan groups to make booths and panels.

So, what do you all think of an OpBGInc fan booth and/or an OpBGInc panel? Would that be something you all would be interested in attending? We can meet other fans, talk tactics, and, most importantly, kick up more notice by the powers that be over at DC.

Thoughts?

This certainly sounds like an AMAZING idea if we can make it happen!

duss005: cassandra Truly amazing and gorgeous.

Thu, 07 Mar 2013 07:11:30 -0800

duss005:

cassandra

Truly amazing and gorgeous.

The Power Principle: The Trade Paperback

Thu, 07 Mar 2013 07:10:43 -0800

The Power Principle: The Trade Paperback:

schizoauthoress:

First off, thank you to everyone who helped make The Power Principle’s first arc a reality.

Now I’m hoping that you can help Alan again, this time by helping fund the full-coloring printing of the trade paperback edition.

In Alan’s own words:

As was always the plan when I set out to make the The Power Principle, the first eight issues is now headed for trade paperback, this time in full color!

The first arc of The Power Principle was made possible thanks to 189 Kickstarting friends. Digital Issues 1-4 are available for purchase at Graphic.ly or directly, DRM-free at The Power Principle blogspot, along with the print single issues.

Now that I’ve produced 4 issues, I know better what to expect as far as a realistic timetable. Currently, I am drawing issue #5, which will be published in April. Issue #6 is due in June, issue #7 in August, and issue #8 in October. I will be collecting them into the trade paperback in October and, after a month printing turnaround time, have them ready to ship in November.

While the single issues were all produced in grayscale, the trade paperback will be published in FULL COLOR! Tilting the odds in favor of this timeline, I’m already coloring the issues now.

This Kickstarter is to fund the printing of your trade paperback. You pledge, and I use the funds to print and mail your book to you, anywhere you are in the world.

duss005: Cover to this year’s Emerald City Comic Con program...

Fri, 01 Mar 2013 06:58:42 -0800

duss005:

Cover to this year’s Emerald City Comic Con program guide! excited we got to feature Lil Gothams for it (:11 x 17 watercolor and photoshop on hotpress

ALSO!- If anyone’s coming to Seattle this weekend for the Emerald City Show, you can find me at these times and places-4-5pm PANEL – DC Entertainment – ALL ACCESS HALL B (608-610)Saturday 3/211am-12pm SIGNING (DCE Booth #1908)Saturday, March 2nd: 3:30-4:30pm at the BOOM! Studios boothI’ll also be in Artist Alley, when not there. Due to deadlines and workload, i wont be able to take on any commissions at all this year unfortunately. But at my artist alley table, i’ll have lots of original art, prints, and the remaining stock of my “twenty twelve” sketchbook.

see you there!

If you’re going to ECC, I recommend finding this guy and talking to him, and possibly buying some of his stuff.

He’s really cool.

The Squeaky Wheel: Are you actually shitting me

Thu, 28 Feb 2013 17:22:15 -0800

The Squeaky Wheel: Are you actually shitting me:

constellation-funk:

constellation-funk:

kyrax2:

This has got to be one of the most tasteless things I have ever seen.
Stay classy, DC.

I feel like if DC making fun of a guy who used to be Robin a little bit is “one of the most tasteless things” you’ve ever seen, maybe…maybe don’t read superhero comics at…

I responded to you because I like you and you’ve been very supportive of me when I went out to make my own comic, which I’m still grateful for. I don’t not care about DC Comics, I choose not to let them effect my emotions unless they do something that involves the actual human beings who create them. There’s a difference. I’m bewildered that Batman comics can still do this to people, is all, that people still allow Batman comics to do this to them. I’m not trying to beef with you; I like you and I think you’re smart, and I think you’ve done good things in exposing the sexism in both the industry and the fandom. But it really, truly isn’t necessary to exert even the vaguest amount of strife over these comics. The only reason I’m even doing so now is because I’m argumentative by nature; after tonight these comics will cease to have any import to me and I will be a better person because of it.

I have to go change my insulin pump site now, but I hope I’ve made myself clear. I wish nothing but good will towards you.

*sighs* I’m sorry. It’s been a stressful day. (The first thing that happened this morning was that I got a call telling me not to bring my daughter to school because the place had been locked down.)

I’m truly glad you’ve gotten out, that DC can’t hurt you anymore. I’m happier than I can say that you’re turning your creative energy elsewhere. I’m working my way there, but it’s tough. I do have friends online that I don’t want to leave behind. I feel like there are still reasons to speak out, and that speaking out still has value.

And yet…I don’t think you’re wrong. More and more I am beginning to question whether the outrage we express just drives sales. More and more I’m becoming numb to the things they do, as they go to more and more disgusting extremes in transparent and increasingly cheap attempts just to get a reaction.

More and more, I just don’t care.

In the end, it’s not because I was angry that I stopped buying and reading their comics. It’s because I just didn’t care anymore. And as the company dies a slow, painful, agonizing death as bad as any they’ve ever inflicted on their characters, I’ve come to realize something. I don’t think anger will kill DC comics.

Apathy will.

Are you actually shitting me

Thu, 28 Feb 2013 14:54:00 -0800

constellation-funk:

kyrax2:

This has got to be one of the most tasteless things I have ever seen.
Stay classy, DC.

I feel like if DC making fun of a guy who used to be Robin a little bit is “one of the most tasteless things” you’ve ever seen, maybe…maybe don’t read superhero comics at all.

I’m not even trying to be condescending, like, literally do anything else with your life. Batman matters too much to you. Just leave. Just drop all of it, wholesale. I haven’t been reading corporate comics for almost a year now and it feels fucking grand. You understand almost immediately that none of this matters at all and your emotional energy starts going in much healthier directions.

There are so, so many better things in the world to worry about. I know that it’s hella possible and in fact basically understood by anyone that isn’t trying to make a strawman that you can care about more than one thing at once but literally any amount of outrage aimed at mainstream comic books greater than 0% is a waste of your mental and spiritual faculties, unless that outrage involves staff being abused or cheated in some way. Stop looking at it like something that happened in a “world.” Stop playing their game. Look at it as an editorial decision that you don’t like and a disagreeable piece of continuity to be upheld for the foreseeable future and all of this disappears immediately.

The world is a big place, there are a billion trillion comics in the world that aren’t published by Marvel and DC and I can guaranmotherfuckingTEE you that more tasteless things than Editorial poking fun at Jason Todd happen in the world with every breath you draw.

Wash your hands of this. Nobody who has done so seems to regret it, myself included.

I haven’t actually bought or read a DC comic yet this year, and it’s been amazing how much better my life has been.

However, I’m still a part of the fandom and still a part of the community, like it or not. I think you must understand that, since you reblogged my post and since you still follow me. I mean, the majority of my tumblr to date is about comics, specifically DC comics. Why are you reading it, if you don’t care about DC comics anymore? Why are you wasting your time following someone who talks about something you no longer care about?

If I, after having been absent from tumblr for months because I literally have not had time for it, choose to reblog a friend’s post with a comment on it, that’s my prerogative. If I want to reconnect with the friends in the fandom and share their grief and dismay at the decisions DC has made that affect THEIR favorite characters, I will damn well do so.

Don’t assume that, just because you’ve read my tumblr, you know anything about me. You know nothing about me. Comics make up a tiny portion of my life. I just don’t choose to share the rest of it with the entire internet because it’s no one’s business but mine and my family’s. Don’t assume I’m doing nothing with my life, or that this is all I do, or that I’m not aware that there is pain and suffering in the world beyond the pages of comic books.

I have friends here. I have friends in real life, too, and they get a hell of a lot MORE of my time, sympathy, and energy than my online friends do. But that doesn’t mean that the friends I’ve made online don’t matter to me.

Please don’t tell me to drop my friends, my fandom, my interests, when it’s clear that you haven’t been able to do so.

Are you actually shitting me

Thu, 28 Feb 2013 13:49:04 -0800

daggerpen:

@DCComics #DCHatesChildren A deep and hearty fuck you to the people at DC’s FaceBook, and to DC entirely.

http://www.facebook.com/dccomics/posts/363396283773473

The article itself: http://www.dccomics.com/blog/2013/02/28/52-reasons-the-bat-books-wrecked-us

A few choice quotes:

Please ignore the raggedness and puffy eyes. It’s… it’s been a rough 24 hours following the events of yesterday’s BATMAN INCORPORATED #8. For those of you who missed it, we suggest you check it out immediately. We’ll wait right here.

5.1 Literally Right in the Heart, Morrison!

(Yes. Yes, they included the actual shot of Damian being stabbed.)

Oh, and so we Jason fans don’t feel left out-

4. Poor, Poor Jason Todd

It’s in the heading, but it bears repeating: poor, poor Jason Todd, pretty much the Cousin Oliver of the Bat-Family. First the Joker beats you to death with a crowbar, then you went a little—okay, a lot—insane after being resurrected in the Lazarus Pits, and now we can’t even say, “Well, at least you’ve still got your boyish looks.” You just can’t catch a break dude. We’d give you some words of encouragement but at this point, we’re terrified that even the slightest bit of positivity toward you might cause the universe to retaliate by having your puppy killed.

I literally do not have the words to express my rage right now.

This has got to be one of the most tasteless things I have ever seen.

Stay classy, DC.

The D(ead) C(hildren) Comics Tinies

Thu, 28 Feb 2013 06:27:20 -0800

schizoauthoress:

A is for Ariella, erased from all time / B is for Baby, heat visioned by Prime

C is for Cerdian, buried in rubble / D is for Damian, saving Gotham from trouble

E is for Eddie, blown up in a plane / F is for Kit Freeman, Nazi bullets his bane

G is for Greta, electrocuted with a Walkman / H is for Helena Kyle, adopted out and forgotten

I is for Irey, her grandpa was unjust / J is for Jason, who picked the wrong person to trust

K is for Kole, mobbed by demons of shadow / L is for Lian, crushed from head to toe

M is for Marvin, mauled by a hellhound / N is for Nell, nowhere to be found

O is for Osiris, whose best friend made him into a meal / P is for Phantasm, his burns will never heal

Q is for the Qwardian, Kaliber, who the Source made blind / R is for Robbie, driven to a fate most unkind

S is for Steph, tortured with tools / T is for Tara, played for a fool

U is for Ulysses, who killed his siblings with a bomb / V is for Vulcan, left in a coma by Trigon

W is for Joey Wilson, his dad did the deed / X is Xanthi, murdered for being a Seed

Y for Young Frankenstein, dearmed by Black Adam / Z for the Zatara twins, whose mother never had them.

The Squeaky Wheel

I'm so sorry to hear about your cat. I can't imagine how devastating it would be. If that happened to me, I would worry that it would ruin the relationship with my friend. Do you blame your friend? How can you not?

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PSA: The deadly flower in my Mother's Day bouquet.

the inspiration for this poem: PSA: The deadly flower in my Mother's Day bouquet.

Amy sells out: Please help me save my cat.

Lilies kill cats. Pass it on.

PSA: The deadly flower in my Mother's Day bouquet.

The Brave and the Bold

Character design matters.

Artistic Interpretations

An Experiment

Who would win in a fight, Bruce Wayne or Disney Princess Merida?

Code Monkey Save World Stretch Goal: The Princess That Saved Herself children's book!

Batman and (Red) Robin #19: Carrie Kelley and... STEPHANIE BROWN!? The New Female Robin

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Updates and OpBGInc Panel/Booth Potential

duss005: cassandra Truly amazing and gorgeous.

The Power Principle: The Trade Paperback

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The Squeaky Wheel: Are you actually shitting me

Are you actually shitting me

Are you actually shitting me

The D(ead) C(hildren) Comics Tinies

daggerpen: No regrets. I’m not saying you should print these...