tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25566450.post8272276793440470134..comments2024-01-14T11:45:23.991-05:00Comments on Occasional Superheroine: Attack of the 50-Foot FangirlsUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger35125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25566450.post-1824664518400508802009-07-25T23:01:04.469-04:002009-07-25T23:01:04.469-04:00I know with me it's not a lack of literary mer...I know with me it's not a lack of literary merit or the gender of the fans that get to me, it's the screeching human tide that they form, a phenomenon associated with women in the popular imagination but by no means exclusive to them. If a bunch of men were crowding around some actress and hooting loudly at every single thing she did or said like long-deployed sailors at a 1943 USO show, I'd have a problem with that, too. Not only is it creepy, I'm just not a fan of noise.<br /><br />I'd like it if more women were comic fans, but if that means that comics have to be more like Twilight, then we're getting the wrong women. Comics have enough crap polluting the shelves, and that'd be a step down a road we don't need to tread. Of course, I in general can't stand modern fantasy, especially modern fantasy about how immortal shiny rich people with fancy gas-guzzling cars are the chosen people of Joseph Smith. A story in which the Cullens were burned to death by a proletariat uprising or imprisoned for eternity for tax and estate fraud would get my money.Al Roderickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09733862198933359626noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25566450.post-2505724091746054692009-07-21T17:01:34.262-04:002009-07-21T17:01:34.262-04:00Yes, William, you are absolutely correct; using th...Yes, William, you are absolutely correct; using that example does not prove the anti-<i>Twilight</i> sentiment is misogynistic, which is why I said I "think". Do you see how that changes the frame of the argument? However your claim that my example had nothing to do with <i>Twilight</i> and thus has no bearing on the argument completely misses the point I was trying to make, which is that I believe there is a real underlying misogynistic tone at these conventions.<br /><br />And thank you for recapping those articles, William, because one thing I tend not to do when making an argument is research, and so it's really pretty great when someone can come along and explain why I'm so wrong. However while the Slashfilm article may not have explicitly said <i><b>"Female Twilight Fans Are Going To Fuck With My Mondo Marvel Panel God Damn It"</b></i>, these bloggers, Valerie, and myself all stupidly inferred that to be the point when we read lines like "Hundreds of tweens and <i>Twilight</i> Moms/Dads camped overnight to be the first ones into Hall H" and "when the Summit panel began you couldn’t even hear yourself think as four or five thousand Twilight fans screamed in unison." Whether that was the implication or not in the Slashfilm article it's an idea that seems to have spread, and thus we clumsily believed it would be ripe for discussion.<br /><br />Also, when you said "this is essentially a shell game to distract us from the real problem", it finally hit me, and you're right; <i>Twilight</i>'s a red herring! Who knows what nefarious tricks the convention planners are up to as we waste our time talking about this! I'll investigate and come back if I find anything suspicious. Godspeed.Paul DeBenedettohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05988493725410067496noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25566450.post-12839054920447537712009-07-21T13:45:12.604-04:002009-07-21T13:45:12.604-04:00Paul DeBenedetto said...
No, I really do think it...<i>Paul DeBenedetto said... <br />No, I really do think it has to do with the fact that a large portion of Twilight fans are female. The only "big" convention I've been to is last year's NYCC, and just listening to some of the people waiting on line was enough to make me angry. Any girl that passed with a costume, or a t-shirt with a Batman logo, got a scoff and a comment in the vein of, "she's probably just here because of her boyfriend". </i><br /><br />To use what "some" people said at the NYCC as proof of the argument that the anti-Twilight sentiment at SDCC is misogynistic is a fallacy. You are applying a sentiment from "some" people you overheard to all comic fans, and something that happened months ago at another Con that had nothing to do with Twilight or this very specific circumstance. <br /><br />Has anybody read the links Valerie provided? This whole aurgument is like one of those Russian Nestling Dolls. At the center is the Slashfilm article by Peter Sciretta (it's the third link from the top of the post). Now, this is a complaint about how fans for other films with panel before the Twilight panel might miss out because their spots in Hall H will be taken by Twilighters. Not once did he himself refer to these fans as being exclusively female, or use any term resembling "these GIRLS are ruing MY Con". The only mention of Twilight fans being female is in a quote from the Hollywood Reporter included in the post.<br /><br />The misogynistic meaning was applied to Sciretta's post in a post by Movieline's by Kyle Buchanan (a link to which Val included in the body of the post). Buchanan essentially puts words in Sciretta's mouth, saying <i>...Sciretta then pretty much admits that actually the most anticipated film is the Twilight sequel New Moon, which doesn’t count because girls.</i><br /><br />That's a direct quote from Buchanan's article. But neither does Sciretta ever say that or does Buchanan offer any tangible proof that that is Sciretta's belief. He only offers commentary on certain passages on Sciretta's work as if it was obvious that his point was made. It wasn't.<br /><br />Yes, a majority of Twilight fans are female. They are also mostly white and mostly teenaged or younger. You can make more of an argument that Sciretta is anti-teen because he does use the what-some-think-is-dismisive term "tween" in his post. <br /><br />Sciretta is not even truly anti-Twilight. He suggests moving the Twilight panel to the beginning of the program so Twilight fans can get in and clear out and fans who want to see the other presentations can get in. <br /><br />The two other post at the top of Val's posts are commenting on Buchanan's unfounded extrapolation. And Val's post is based on all of it.<br /><br />If we are using the Slashfilm article as the nucleus of the whole controversy or an example of misogyny in comic fandom, then we are totally of base. There are real, more unctious examples we can rail against. This is essentially a shell game to distract us from the real problem.William Gatevackeshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06448031585797310734noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25566450.post-61981707889448669952009-07-19T23:12:04.836-04:002009-07-19T23:12:04.836-04:00Was on the SDCC facebook page today. Noticed how n...Was on the SDCC facebook page today. Noticed how nobody was crawling up one guys ass for writing this:<br /><br />"OLiViA Munn is honestly the only reason I'm even attending Comic Con 09! I can't wait to meet her and get her Playboy issue autographed ;) OMFG FTW!"<br /><br />People forget CCI has become a multi-million dollar business. With great power comes great responsibility. This year, they will get $150,000 in ticket sales alone. This is not E3. This is not a Medical Conference. CCI also has APE and WonderCon, and those conventions have become MUCH more niche-focused (one for mainstream comics and one for indie) as SDCC has become much more pop-driven.<br /><br />They don't care about the TwiHards roaming the halls. They quite simply have to let in the Olivia Munn fans to swim in the very pool they created. They have to accommodate the people that could give less of a damn about comics.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25566450.post-13738793953687566362009-07-19T11:40:23.031-04:002009-07-19T11:40:23.031-04:00I think you guys have pretty much covered it!
Mor...I think you guys have pretty much covered it!<br /><br />More girls at a con is a good thing.<br /><br />Trying to convert em into comic fans is a good thing.<br /><br />Elitism of any kind is a bad thing.<br /><br />And screaming of any kind is a bad thing, well, except in the "throes of passion" and wait for it...<br /><br />ArrrOOooo! :DJahhdoghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06094596391789233499noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25566450.post-63819123182619484842009-07-17T15:48:05.687-04:002009-07-17T15:48:05.687-04:00What I find ironic about the attempts to recast Tw...What I find ironic about the attempts to recast <i>Twilight</i> and its fandom as suffering anti-feminist slings and arrows is that anyone who reads <i>Twilight</i> with even half a brain should recognize that it's easily one of the most misogynistic modern genre stories written by anyone whose name doesn't rhyme with "Chuck Austen."<br /><br />Seriously, change the characters from vampires to superheroes, age them up just a few years, publish their adventures as comic books rather than as prose novels, and change the gender of the author from "Stephenie Meyer" to "Stephen Meyer," and all other things being equal, female fandom would be throwing a collective fit over how inexcusably Edward treats Bella, and their criticisms would be 100-PERCENT RIGHT, so why is this crap getting a free pass because it's about sparklypoo vampires instead?<br /><br />Yes, we need more female readers of comic books, but we don't need ANYONE in ANY genre or medium to be reading "romances" written by and for people who think that the ultimate message of <i>Wuthering Heights</i> is that Heathcliff was The Ideal Man that women should be seeking out. Crap like that is more insidiously woman-hating than the vast majority of even Larry Flynt's mass-media output.Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15372247588051343812noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25566450.post-7454441976401161302009-07-16T13:49:07.595-04:002009-07-16T13:49:07.595-04:00Something that keeps popping up in these discussio...Something that keeps popping up in these discussions and comments (here and elsewhere) is that Twilight doesn’t have a comic book so it shouldn’t be at a comic convention. Well, as we are probably all aware now, it does have a comic book coming out. So is there still a problem?<br /><br />The other fall back excuse to dislike Twilight fans is to point out that what they like isn’t as good as what I like. “The books are dumb and poorly written. The characters are dumb and simplistic and do dumb things. They pander to their target audience and have no redeeming literary value.” Certainly no one could say the same thing about comics could they? <br /><br />I don’t read Twilight, but I also don’t read every book or comic or watch every tv show or movie. Because not every book, comic, tv show or movie is something I want to watch. But I can’t say that other people shouldn’t enjoy what they want to enjoy. And I certainly can’t stop them from paying their money to ComicCon and enjoy what they enjoy. If they’re willing to share a convention center with me and my hobby why can’t I offer them the same courtesy? <br /><br />Also…<br />Anonymous at 8:08pm said<br />“And now, you want to talk about the TWILIGHT fans. Hell, Val they aren't even fans of the story. They just want the actors. If it was just author Stephanie Meyer there, and no movie, no actors, the turn out would be just about nil.”<br />They made the movie(s) because the books were and are successful, not the other way around. People like the books. They read them and reread them. And that’s not just to think about Robert Pattinson. I don’t read and reread the Fantastic Four and think about Chris Evans. Stephanie Meyer is a draw.<br /><br />Anonymous at 3:37pm said<br />“4)Twilight fans are notorious for their bad behavior, even by 'nerd/geek' standards. Google up the publicity tours the movie actors went on (visiting 'Hot Topics' across the USA, etc.) last year in advance of the movies and you'll read about several near-riots and related insanity. It's worth noting that even their supposed objects of worship (Pattinson, Kristen Stewart) are more than a little fearful of them.”<br />The near-riot was at a mall in my hometown of San Francisco where I sadly used to work. The reason for the riot was everyone involved underestimated the fan turnout. They were planning to let 500 people in to see Robert Pattinson one gray morning and got a few thousand. And this was before the movie came out. They weren’t fans of his yet, these were people devoted to the book and looking forward to seeing the man who would take on the role of Edward. People weren’t there for Pattinson or his portrayal of Cedric Diggory in Harry Potter 4, they were there for Twilight.Adam Farrarhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07886013836509986780noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25566450.post-29716758492140597142009-07-16T05:14:19.366-04:002009-07-16T05:14:19.366-04:00I see a lot of comments where people are overanaly...I see a lot of comments where people are overanalyzing the shit out of these conventions. I don't get it. It's like the people that get angry over people that have never read the Bible watching Kings.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25566450.post-27032478189418518382009-07-15T17:59:45.402-04:002009-07-15T17:59:45.402-04:00I stopped going to SD five years ago when it becam...I stopped going to SD five years ago when it became "too crowded" at 60,000.<br /><br />I'm not necessarily pleased to see thousands (or tens of thousands) of any fanbase suddenly show up at the show.<br /><br />Signed,<br /><br />Fearful of being crushed this year.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25566450.post-89259188136128741582009-07-15T14:28:30.884-04:002009-07-15T14:28:30.884-04:00@Secret-HQ
"Over the last decade, publishers...@Secret-HQ<br /><br />"Over the last decade, publishers, retailers, and fans have managed to revamp the "boys club" aspects of their world to lure more and more women into the fold. As the effort has grown more successful, women are becoming less and less of a novelty at comics stores and at cons — and, honestly, I wonder how many will drop out when being Queen of the Geeks is no longer a perk of regular trips to the comics shop."<br /><br />Nice and classy, there.<br /><br />The word "lure" aside, comics convention spaces themselves were notorious for being unsafe spaces for women on a purely physical level, not to mention the sexism that gives rise to ideas like the ones you're expressing with your Queen of the Geeks comments: that a primary motivator for women in comics or other fandom is to obtain male attention, not to enjoy entertainment. Women may no longer "be a novelty" as you put it, but they are vastly outnumbered, and that problem leads to all kinds of other issues that remain largely unresolved.<br /><br />I don't play RPGs or read comics or sf/f because it makes me "queen of the geeks", even when it does make me one of the few women in the room; I do these things because I like them. But being told endlessly that I don't really like them, couldn't possibly like them as much as my male counterparts, must not like X [male-identified interest] because I enjoy Y [female-identified interest], or have to expose myself to ridicule, sexism and possibly even assault or harassment to enjoy them in convention spaces, makes me unwilling to be "lured". <br /><br />I'll just keep going to Wiscon, where women talk about comics and TV and RPGs and books and I don't have to worry that someone is going to make patronizing remarks about my gender as it intersects with my interests, or sexually harass or assault me, or assume that my interest in driving half-way across the country to spend five days in a hotel room with four other women so there'll be money for all of us to spend in the dealer's room is all about wanting male attention.Pope Lizbethttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00506541826234667585noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25566450.post-46878503860931452782009-07-14T23:53:24.890-04:002009-07-14T23:53:24.890-04:00I may be wandering far afield, but I'm glad to...I may be wandering far afield, but I'm glad to see a couple of points I wish I'd made myself and can now happily jump on the bandwagon behind:<br /><br /><b>Tyson Durst wrote:</b><br /><i>Do people actually enjoy themselves at this thing? Or it just a massive stressball of doom that people survive and then complain about on the Internet?</i><br /><br />Cons have become such an albatross around fans' necks that I wonder why they bother at all. I had plenty of fun at cons when I was a teen and in my early 20s, and working a bazillion of them as a dealer in my mid-20s did a lot to desensitize me to their charms. Nevertheless, I've gone to a few cons as a civilian since then, and everyone I've encountered is so fixated on their personal agenda of contacts to make, panels to attend, creators/bloggers/cool people to woo, and (once in a while) toys or comics to buy that the whole trip becomes a weekend-long exercise in second-hand misery.<br /><br />Admittedly, I'm an old man and a killjoy — but these things have become such an emotional burden on con-goers that the toxic level of disappointment and self-loathing intrudes on everyone else sitting at home trying to enjoy their comics.<br /><br /><b>Kat wrote:</b><br /><i>Once again, chicks not being able to deal with being treated just like one of the boys.</i><br /><br />For a long time, the comics community has been actively courting female readers, spreading the chum far and wide to draw in any female who might possibly show an interest in comics. Females have become a prized commodity in every segment of the comics world, from store customers with purses to cosplayers in high heels to con-goers in lipstick.<br /><br />Over the last decade, publishers, retailers, and fans have managed to revamp the "boys club" aspects of their world to lure more and more women into the fold. As the effort has grown more successful, women are becoming less and less of a novelty at comics stores and at cons — and, honestly, I wonder how many will drop out when being Queen of the Geeks is no longer a perk of regular trips to the comics shop.Secret-HQhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09115462321831914618noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25566450.post-43815691593933676102009-07-14T17:58:55.787-04:002009-07-14T17:58:55.787-04:00Big deal over nothing. So these girls are succumbi...Big deal over nothing. So these girls are succumbing to "fan-litism"... uh... isn't this what ALL fans go through? <br />"DC's the best!"<br />"No, Marvel's the best, Excelsior!" <br />"Screw you, Indie is where the cool is!"<br />"Original BSG is the only way to watch."<br />"Picard could kick Shatner's butt any day."<br />"Twilight's the best book ever!"<br />"Ick, you're into Twilight, go away."<br /><br />Once again, chicks not being able to deal with being treated just like one of the boys. So you like Twilight. Good for you. You’re not special. Get over it.<br /><br />-katKathttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05823678613503531518noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25566450.post-53922240231519045062009-07-14T15:37:56.911-04:002009-07-14T15:37:56.911-04:00I think all the concerns about the Twilight contin...I think all the concerns about the Twilight contingent are vastly overstated. However:<br /><br />1)Twilight has no comic antecedent (unlike Watchmen, The Spirit, and Hellboy), so one could make a reasonable argument that its inclusion is less central to SDCC's mission as a *comic* con.<br /><br />2)Does sexism play a role in the anti-Twilight sentiments? Quite likely, but it's also worth noting that other girl-centric fandoms (Harry Potter, Naruto, etc.) have been welcomed into the Comicon fold w/o incident. Framing this issue as a sexist one ignores that reality.<br /><br />3)The mass critical disdain for Twilight (and not just in 'nerd' circles, but in more mainstream outlets like Entertainment Weekly) makes it an easy target for contempt. I know a few folks who dig Bella, Edward, and the rest of the sparkly gang, but even they aren't willing to defend the books as 'good', just 'fun' (compared to the Harry Potter books, which mostly received favorable reviews from critics).<br /><br />4)Twilight fans are notorious for their bad behavior, even by 'nerd/geek' standards. Google up the publicity tours the movie actors went on (visiting 'Hot Topics' across the USA, etc.) last year in advance of the movies and you'll read about several near-riots and related insanity. It's worth noting that even their supposed objects of worship (Pattinson, Kristen Stewart) are more than a little fearful of them.<br /><br />All that said, I was at the SDCC last year during wave one of Twilight mania. It didn't ruin the con then, and I very much doubt it will now, if for no other reason than that the con staff are smart folks who do their job well.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25566450.post-38878335980943405192009-07-14T15:19:36.979-04:002009-07-14T15:19:36.979-04:00I recently gave Shane shit for saying something ak...I recently gave Shane shit for saying something akin to this, but if you think this TwiHard Hate has nothing to do with the stereotypical role of "girls don't read comics", you're on crack.<br /><br />"I desperately wish I'd gone to SDCC ten years ago."<br /><br />Even six years ago, it was dead on Preview Night. Liz Cavalier once told me that they should make Preview Night pro and press only. I agree.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25566450.post-41278456999899498302009-07-14T09:21:13.175-04:002009-07-14T09:21:13.175-04:00I think the Twilight thing taps in less to misogyn...<i>I think the Twilight thing taps in less to misogyny than the "what are these interlopers (especially Hollywood) doing at our con!" thing that Teresa and Jerry mentioned.</i><br /><br />No, I really do think it has to do with the fact that a large portion of <i>Twilight</i> fans are female. The only "big" convention I've been to is last year's NYCC, and just listening to some of the people waiting on line was enough to make me angry. Any girl that passed with a costume, or a t-shirt with a Batman logo, got a scoff and a comment in the vein of, "she's probably just here because of her boyfriend". That's a stupid attitude to have, and to quote Val's original post:<br /><br /><i>After all the bullshit I’ve heard over the last year about females getting harassed at comic conventions, it’s hard for me to have any pity for people who whine over these ‘interlopers’ invading their convention.</i><br /><br />I don't recall any of the <i>LOST</i> fans who swarm the convention getting any shit. I wonder why that is.Paul DeBenedettohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05988493725410067496noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25566450.post-44458305415495189432009-07-14T06:02:17.712-04:002009-07-14T06:02:17.712-04:00Figuring out how to sell comics to people in gener...Figuring out how to sell comics to people in general just goes without saying really. <br /><br />I desperately wish I'd gone to SDCC ten years ago.<br /><br />I dig movies and games and comics but if I'm paying good money to travel down from Canada and endure customs and plan all the details, am I going be able to enjoy myself, or find myself huddled in a corner hanging onto my SDCC giveaway goodie bag for dear life?<br /><br />Do people actually enjoy themselves at this thing? Or it just a massive stressball of doom that people survive and then complain about on the Internet?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25566450.post-43013132844577915592009-07-14T05:20:27.196-04:002009-07-14T05:20:27.196-04:00I would never differentiate my complaints between ...I would never differentiate my complaints between male and female fans. I cannot believe fanboys would complain about girls being at their convention. Jesus, do you not want to get laid? Here's the opportunity to meet fellow geeks. <br /><br />But having said that, Twilight, as I understand it, is complete shit.<br /><br />I am not going to insult women by being Ok with their fandom of complete rubbish. It's like if they were superfans of Highlander 2 or the works of L Ron Hubbard or Dan Brown. (And as a male, I dislike Michael Bay and loathe the movie Red Dawn). <br /><br />I'm going to call a spade a spade.<br /><br />Having said all that, I have not read or seen Twilight. I just go by the opinions of my intelligent female friends and the critics I like to read.JMYhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12016847165500501360noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25566450.post-84255938099129595012009-07-14T01:37:43.866-04:002009-07-14T01:37:43.866-04:00I agree on so many levels.
Twilight is part of po...I agree on so many levels.<br /><br />Twilight is part of pop culture. SDCC has become a pop culture con. Why are we complaining about TwiHards when they have not proven themselves to be annoying dickheads yet, and yet, the more vehement fanbases such as California Browncoats and the 501st Legion - who ARE dickheads - get to prance around like they OWN the f*cking convention center? <br /><br />I mean what the shit, man.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25566450.post-25367423472014704292009-07-14T00:01:35.833-04:002009-07-14T00:01:35.833-04:00Oops. I didn't meant to clip your quote quite...Oops. I didn't meant to clip your quote quite so late. I'd also intended to point out your notion that "we could see this pop-culture focus as being part of a continuum that was started and kept alive by comic book culture" is similar to the thinking at the beginning of MTV's move to abandon music content in favor of music-culture content.Secret-HQhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09115462321831914618noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25566450.post-15458907513633234742009-07-13T23:58:43.183-04:002009-07-13T23:58:43.183-04:00Quoth the Superheroine:
I do not think there coul...Quoth the Superheroine:<br /><br /><i>I do not think there could be the convention without the comics.</i><br /><br /><i>Q.v.</i>, <a href="http://occasionalsuperheroine.blogspot.com/2009/07/is-niche-cable-network-dead-syfy.html" rel="nofollow">"Nerd Flight" blog</a>.<br /><br />I think SDCC has reached a point of critical mass. It's already become the only U.S. comic show "that matters," with others struggling to find unique niches (Dragon*Con) or stake a firm claim as regional shows (Heroes Con). The only way the show can support its massive size and significance is to cater to smaller slices of larger industries (which is how it lured in the narrow wedge of Hollywood). I fully expect we're in the "Real World"/"Singled Out" part of the spiral and can look forward to "SDCC2" offering round-the-clock comics programming in another 5 to 8 years.Secret-HQhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09115462321831914618noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25566450.post-40983668001145424072009-07-13T20:08:21.057-04:002009-07-13T20:08:21.057-04:00Where was this whining when people were going frea...<i>Where was this whining when people were going freakin nuts over "Watchmen?" Or when I couldn't even get through the fanboy phalanx to meet up with friends because of the Hellboy roadblock?</i><br /><br />At least those movies are comics related, and had a reason for being there.<br /><br />The fact is, many of us are sick of seeing comics getting shoved out of the SDCC venue by Hollywood, the Porn Industry, Video Games, and other non-related "pop culture" crap, all of which have their own convention circuits that comics by and large is unwelcome in.<br /><br />When this is how you get treated at typical non-comics centric "pop culture" shows:<br /><br />http://www.arrowcomics.com/webstrips/images/spank2_005_aaa.jpg<br /><br />http://www.arrowcomics.com/webstrips/images/spank2_006_aaa.jpg<br /><br />http://www.arrowcomics.com/webstrips/images/spank2_007_aaa.jpg<br /><br />Why the hell would you want those kind of people at your comics show?<br /><br />And now, you want to talk about the TWILIGHT fans. Hell, Val they aren't even fans of the story. They just want the actors. If it was just author Stephanie Meyer there, and no movie, no actors, the turn out would be just about nil.<br /><br />After all, SDCC has had plenty of big name authors at their show before and nobody's made a big to do about it. It's only been the past eight to ten years, where they've turned the con into a movie / video game mecca, that things have gotten out of hand.<br /><br />And really, is that what you or any comics fan goes to SDCC for? Movies and video games? I should think not, hope not.<br /><br />They should ban the whole movie and video game industries from being present at SDCC altogether. You don't see Marvel setting up their wares at E3 or the VGXPO, trying to capture audiences with their books, depsite all the stupid video games, now do you? You don't see DC with their WORLD OF WARCRAFT comics and the creators there with whomever makes that dumb game, promoting their stuff, either. Or the Superman / Batman / DC Vs. Capcom games.<br /><br />Why not? Because honestly, comics people are not wanted there. They're not welcome.<br /><br />So why should we want them at our shows, Val?<br /><br />If it's not going to be reciprocated equally, then we don't need or want them in our backyard. It's that simple.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25566450.post-60847947502562890632009-07-13T18:34:58.776-04:002009-07-13T18:34:58.776-04:00I don't begrudge anyone the oppurtunity to com...I don't begrudge anyone the oppurtunity to come into the pop culture pool and hang out with the rest of us, as long as they do so in a reasonable manner with the intent to have fun.<br /><br /> This'll be my first year at the SDCC and while I think the media-related panels will be icing on a delicious cake, I'm mainly there to geek out over comics. I think its wicked that Watchmen will have a Q&A as well as a look at the director's cut, but if it cuts into my prime convention-going time I'll wait for DVD. Though I plan on doing my best to get into the Green Lantern screening.<br /><br /> Can't wait!<br /><br /> StacStacyHDhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03182215174658982848noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25566450.post-11964442944334365532009-07-13T17:11:34.274-04:002009-07-13T17:11:34.274-04:00The one thing I would like to be explored is "...The one thing I would like to be explored is "How many Twilighters bought weekend passes when they will only use them for the one day of Twilight panels/signings." For that matter, how many fans of any one niche fandom did the same?<br /><br />That <i>is</i> something worth bitching about, but of course would require actual legwork and research <i>and</i> doesn't let bloggers scapegoat an entire gender.Alexa Dhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06251397021262342205noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25566450.post-37746590627376809482009-07-13T14:21:50.556-04:002009-07-13T14:21:50.556-04:00I used to be a Twilight fan, until I realized I...I used to be a Twilight fan, until I realized I'd be categorized with the rabid scary fans. Frankly, the fandom embarrasses me. I don't understand why some girls get so excited about stuff that they forget about their common sense.<br /><br />Now, this is my first Comic-Con and I'm very excited.. I've been to AX a bunch of times, and some small time local cons, but I've migrated away from the anime/manga scene over the last couple years and more into mainstream American stuff, and I'm going mostly for the *comics*. I will probably be giving SDCC's Twilight presence a wide berth, and I hope that will be enough. But having the Twilight fans take up space in panels they don't want to see, but the rest of us do, is really not cool. Hopefully they will be able to organize it better now that they know what to expect.<br /><br />Val, you mentioned something about girls being harassed at cons - does that actually happen? Is SDCC a con where I'll have to be concerned for my safety? I'll be alone most of the time - maybe I should rethink some of my costumes...illustarhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09003573868057932357noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25566450.post-40760138913398566772009-07-13T14:16:48.099-04:002009-07-13T14:16:48.099-04:00I agree, though...rather than alienating them, mal...I agree, though...rather than alienating them, male (and female) fans should be trying to bring them in....maybe they could've saved MI3 and Captain Britain...or the Blade series. I bet some of the young women would love Young Avengers (with their opinionated and tough girls like Hawkeye) or the young women in Runaways as much or more than they love the female lead from Twilight.Hysanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03085593008609914782noreply@blogger.com