In June, I became a contributor to Panels.net, and I could not be more thrilled. In the last two months, I’ve discussed feminism, race, geek culture, tattoos, and more. I’d love to hear your thoughts–check out the posts and leave a comment or two!

Black Comics by Black Authors: A List

When you want to understand something outside of your realm of experience, the solution is not to stand up and start telling your version of reality. The solution is to listen to those who have experienced it. If you’re looking for comics about race in the United States that were actually made by African-American creators—books with nuance and depth and heart and guts—here are a few top-notch options. Read more…

Fitting Comics Into a Stressful Life

The past few months have been particularly hectic for me. My last two grad-school classes were the toughest yet, and my job became even more demanding. My days were planned meticulously: I read my assignments while commuting to and from work and at night; I wrote and revised papers on weekends (when I wasn’t pulling overtime). Read more…

In Times of Crisis, Comics Come to the Rescue

Life is always stressful. But the first half of this year was particularly anxiety-inducing for me: I doubled my courseload in order to finish grad school, and my workload at the ol’ day job ramped up even more. At the end of April, I eagerly awaited the culmination of a big work project: A reporting trip to Nepal. We would lead 11 journalists through the country to report on health and development issues in one of the poorest countries in the world. On my second day there, a magnitude-7.8 earthquake shook the world around me. Read more…

Tattoos and Tributes: Confessions of a Non-Compliant Ink Virgin

For the feminist comics fan, there’s no better time to get a tattoo. I can’t think of a more fitting emblem for feminism than the Non-Compliant symbol from Bitch Planet. It epitomizes fearlessness, individuality, and general badassery. Read more…

Cowabunga, Dude! Finding Childhood in Comics

I envy those who fondly recall a childhood full of comics. I was a voracious reader, but I could only access books through my church, my homeschool curriculum, or my public library, which served a predominately Mennonite community. As you might imagine, the few comics I could find were pretty religious. I learned to read on an illustrated version of the Bible, and the single issues of comics I found focused on the dangers of drugs and the healing power of Jesus. If my brothers were reading cooler comics, they never shared them with me. Read more…

Furiosa Doesn’t Add Much to “Fury Road”

I don’t normally love action movies, but I loved “Mad Max: Fury Road.” So fast-paced, so delightfully action-y—it kept my attention the whole time, and it never felt stale or unbelievable. When I heard Imperator Furiosa would get her own comic, I was thrilled. Read more…

When a Movie Helps You Understand the Art of Comics

I am always wary of movie adaptions of beloved books. Movies are often either slavishly faithful to the story, adding little to your appreciation of it, or so different from the book they’re almost impossible to recognize. (And I won’t even talk about when a movie gets the book totally wrong.) It’s rare when a movie helps you understand the book better. Yet that is exactly what happened to me with Persepolis. Read more…