Doug Manchester, owner of the Manchester Grand Hyatt hotel in San Diego has come under fire for supporting California's Proposition 8 to the tune of a quarter of a million dollars. What's Proposition 8, you ask? It's the effort of California voters to overturn the Supreme Court's decision to allow same-sex marriages.
In a previous interview with the San Diego Union-Tribune, Manchester said that he decided to donate to Proposition 8 because he had heard that schools that teach that marriage is between a man and a woman could be sued for discrimination against homosexuals. He also told the Union-Tribune that he was motivated by his strong Catholic faith to believe that marriage is between a man and a woman.
He may try to be hiding behind his religion, but LGBT groups in southern California are having none of it.
The group's message Thursday was to urge residents and tourists to stay at other hotels. The boycott call comes at the height of the summer and just one week before the start of the 2008 Gay Pride festivities in San Diego, during which 200,000 attendees are expected to attend, according to festival organizers.
This time period also includes ComiCon International in San Diego, the largest of all comic book/sci fi/movie conventions in the summer. While most people won't be giving up their hotels room sin the long-sold out area, it would be wonderful if many of the Manchester Grand Hyatt rooms went unoccupied for the next month or so.
As diversity becomes more and more prevalent in societies throughout the world, it's only natural to look for the same diversity in our daily lives. One of the most ubiquitous forms of media today is film, so it's only natural to expect a wide array of ideas and images from the medium - however, not so much.
Karen Healey over at the Girls Read Comics blog has an interesting article up about the presence, or lack thereof, of multicultural women in film. The two films discussed specifically are the recently released Iron Man and Incredible Hulk. Healey admits that it's a step in the right direction getting women in this films at all, but it's not enough. There needs to be just as many Latino women as there are Asian as there are Caucasian.
Even if we haven't sorted out the jet-packs and the teleportation windows, you'd think that we could handle getting some American women of colour in American-centric cinema, in speaking and non-speaking roles.
(Since she's making a valid point, we'll forgive her the Canadian -our in color.)
She goes on to describe a conversation with Gabrielle Union that is very surprising and wholly depressing in this day and age. While I may be a white male and can easily hide in plain site if push comes to shove, it's disturbing to see this kind of treatment still alive today for any minority, be it based on race, gender or sexuality.
You should definitely go over to Girls Read Comics to read the article. Then you can come back here to rant and vent about the situation.
We're all aware that the U.S. economy is headed into the crapper right quick. The dollar loses value on a daily basis as inflation is kicking in and unemployment is rising again. As a matter of fact, just last week I myself lost my job with little advance warning. As the looming threat of being broke becomes more and more real, the first question most people ask themselves is, "Where can I spend less money?" One of the first answers to this is usually hobbies and entertainment, two categories that comic books fit snugly into.
Have any of you felt the pinch enough to start cutting back? What are some of your tips to save money other than slashing your pull list every week?
Do you buy trades with a better per-issue ratio of money? Do you download comics? Is subscribing Marvel's Digital Comics Unlimited a viable alternative (even though new books won't appear for a few months)?
If none of these options have any relevance to you then you can send me a check at your earliest possible convenience. E-Mail Goblin@PinkKryptonite.com for the Swiss bank account number.
Welcome back to my little webcomic jamboree. Last week we covered a whole array of topics, and this week we look more at the community aspect, as well as the remainder of the list. So without further ado, let's finish part two of this three part series with your pal and mine, Mr. Jerusalem!
When a story falls between the cracks, it ends up in the sewer and gets swallowed up by the Pink Kryptonite AGGROgator!
_____
BAM! ... Been looking for a catch-all resource for everything Jack Kirby? Well, I live but unto serve!
_____
BAM! ... You know it's a slow newsweek when the logos for upcoming films are news. Ah, who am I kidding, I'm interested in it too.
_____
BAM! ... That oh-so-sexy Sean Kleefeld is back again. This time he's deconstructing the use of the line and using Peanuts< to do it. No, really, it is more interesting than it sounds. You really should check it out if you have an interest in art as a serious form. As one commenter says, he'd best watch his back because Scott McCloud may come up behind him one day and - well, it wouldn't be pretty.
BAM! ... And finally, this has nothig to do with comics, but there's just no way I could not let you all in on this. I present to you - Ferris Bueller sneakers!
What is it about masks? That shroud of mystery and secrets that hides the true identity of the wearer. That secret layer that confuses and distracts the bad guys helping the hero to defeat his enemies while protecting his private life and loved ones. For some heroes, that secret identity, that mask, is merely another tool in their arsenal of weapons against crime. To others, the secret identity is a comforting lie that no matter how many enemies he develops, he can always take off the mask and return to the world of anonymity.
But, for Batman, what is his reason for wearing the mask, and even more importantly, which identity, Batman or Bruce Wayne is the mask and which is the real identity hidden underneath?
The internet is an amazing place; full of wonder and whimsy, with danger on every side and nightmares staring you right in the face. Often lost among the menagerie of horrors, are the little bright lights that give the whole internet its moments of true gloriousness.
For me, webcomics (or, for the uninitiated, comics that are on the web) are one of these bright points. A small glimpse of light every day (or, more commonly, three times a week, if the artist feels up to it) that gives this dark chamber of terror we call the internet it's allowance for continued existence.
Why should you be reading these testaments to the worth of humanity? Why, lucky for you, Uncle Jerusalem has the answer for you in a convenient little list in three parts. The first two will be my justification for webcomiccery [Editor's Note: These young new writers and their murder of the English language *sigh*], and the third will be a handful of recommendations for the comic inclined.
Without further ado, here are the top ten reasons as to why you should be reading webcomics, RIGHT NOW! (the first half anyway)
Wow. When we asked if anybody wanted to be a writer for PK, we didn't realize that we would get so many submissions! There were a lot of great writers in the bunch, and if you didn't make it this round, don't worry, we do have your submissions archived should the need ever arise again.
Tomorrow (I am writing this Sunday night), you'll see a brand new team of writers. We will be joined by four new staff members that will be revealed throughout the day.
For now, check out the all new PK staff in all of their comic book avatar glory (well, except for Sgt. Sausagepants, but we borrowed him from Gaygamer, so all is forgiven).
Finally, a big thank you to you folks, the readers! Thanks for making our readership grow everyday and for making us a part of your internet browsing experience!
In the next round of reader discussion, we're whipping out 2007's monster hit, Spider-Man 3!
Despite being one of the best selling films of all time (breaking and to this day holding records for Thursday night opening, one-day total, opening weekend, worldwide one day, worldwide opening weekend and shattering records in several countries across Europe and Asia) and currently ranking #1 in the U.S. Opening Weekend Battle Royale with $151+ million, the film is often looked at with certain eye of disregard by fandom.
Some say the movie is too long. Some say it should have had more Venom. Some say Sandman never should have been involved in Uncle Ben's death. Others actually think the movie is worthless because of a three minute musical number. Proponents of the film acknowledge the character arc of Harry Osborn. The fantastic design of both the new Goblin and Sandman. The scene of Sandman's transformation. Most importantly, the best thing about the film is that will probably the last to feature Kirsten Dunst - so long Drunky Eyes!
So what say YOU, intrepid PK'ers?
Is Spider-Man 3 given undue flak because the second film was just too good to follow up or does it really drop the ball as a trilogy-ender?
(All box office figures and records are taken from Box Office Mojo.)
Sadly, that is not a witty headline meant to provoke or amuse. It's just the plain truth, sad as it is to say.
Orson Scott Card, currently writing Ultimate Iron Man and Red Prophet for Marvel, was just announced as the winner of the Margaret A. Edwards Award given out by the Young Adult Library Services Association. This award in particular is given on the basis of "an author's work in helping adolescents become aware of themselves and addressing questions about their role and importance in relationships, society, and in the world."
Now, while Card's biggest hit (Ender's Game) hasn't interested me enough to try it, I can say with certainty that he does NOT deserve the award. The man has been more than just outspoken on his views of homosexuality. He claims to dislike the term "homophobic," but he considers same sex relationships to be a sin and that we require salvation. My two favorite excerpts of his views on the subject:
Gay activism as a movement is no longer looking for civil rights, which by and large homosexuals already have.
Laws against homosexual behavior should remain on the books, not to be indiscriminately enforced against anyone who happens to be caught violating them, but to be used when necessary to send a clear message that those who flagrantly violate society's regulation of sexual behavior cannot be permitted to remain as acceptable, equal citizens within that society. The goal of the polity is not to put homosexuals in jail. The goal is to discourage people from engaging in homosexual practices in the first place, and, when they nevertheless proceed in their homosexual behavior, to encourage them to do so discreetly, so as not to shake the confidence of the community in the polity's ability to provide rules for safe, stable, dependable marriage and family relationships
Sounds like the kind of guy you want to give an award to, huh?
When we posted last week's LGBT Comic of the Week, Tommy Roddy's Pride High, we had no idea how large the reaction would be from our readers. I believe that, to date, this has been our most commented on story in Pink Kryptonite's history. Tommy has posted his own response to the comments, but I felt the need to write something regarding some of the negative comments.
When I first started writing for PK, we didn't have as many resources to seek out LGBT creators and their work to be able to highlight them. But when we did come across an LGBT book, we held it to the same standards as any other book, and we were quick to dismiss them because they weren't "real" or "authentic" and didn't portray the world to our liking.
When I took over being editor of this site, I had to face my own prejudices and set of standards that I held to LGBT comic books. Facing so much specialized and intense adversity as a gay man, my world strictly became me against everyone else. Then when I met other gay men who shared the same interests and beliefs, it became my skewed perspective of what gay men should be like vs everyone else. What ended up happening was that I dismissed any gay person who didn't fit within the confines of my ideal. So of course when this type of thinking is applied to comic books, you could see how easy it is to dismiss something like Brian Andersen's So Super Duper. As I met more people outside of my comfort zone and witnessed how diverse we truly are as LGBT people, my attitude started to change.
Exposure to new ideas eases the dissolution of prejudices.
One of the major changes to the site that we made conscientiously was to grow and foster the LGBT comic book community by supporting the already small amount of LGBT books out there. Because LGBT characters are so rarely portrayed in mainstream comic books, it's been refreshing and interesting to read the wide spectrum of characterizations that these creators present to us. If Pride High isn't your cup of tea, don't read it. The benefit of having sites like Prism Comics, After Elton, The Gay League and Pink Kryptonite is that we are offering you many choices for you to pick and choose to your liking.
Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but not everyone is entitled to delimit the advances of a minority without exploring all recourses for understanding.
Tommy's advancing the LGBT community. Whether you like it or not. It has people talking, and you my friends, are the proof.
Boy Meets Hero by Chayne Avery and Russell Garcia
