Hooray for super-late Con reports! After an incredible and exhausting first Dragon*Con, I had to immediately return to real-life, with things such as going back to work and taking Maddi to the airport so she could return to Pittsburgh. I have a feeling that everyone needs at least a week to recover after the experience that is Dragon*Con.

Friday

We left Orlando at 3am to start the drive to Atlanta. There were many Queen singalongs to keep us awake. There were also very weird billboards in Georgia to read for entertainment.

This photo was taken after we had stopped at a rest stop in the middle of Georgia to get ready. We did not wake up like this.

We got to Atlanta with little time to spare before our first panel. As we were total newbies to Dragon*Con, we did not realize that it is held across multiple hotels, so we had to grab our badges in the Sheraton and then hurry a few blocks down to the Hyatt. We made it just in time for the Milkfed Criminal Masterminds panel with Kelly Sue DeConnick and Matt Fraction. The panel was unsurprisingly amazing. Matt and Kelly Sue talked a lot about their current projects. Matt talked about future plans for Ody-C and shared a very funny story behind the customized variant covers of Sex Criminals #11. Kelly talked about the next arc for Bitch Planet, as well as the much-anticipated Pretty Deadly Volume 2, due out this fall.

Waiting for the “Milkfed Criminal Masterminds” panel

Immediately after it over, we had to rush to the Hyatt for our next panel, Quiet Time with Doc Hammer. As mentioned before, this was our first D*C, and so we were extremely unprepared for the horror that is the skybridges between panels. So many people. In giant cosplays. Often with props that stick out and whack you in the face if you are in the shorter range as we both are. We inched forward – almost literally – and made it just in time for Doc’s panel. I am a huge Venture fan, and this was the first time I had seen Doc in person. He said he would answer absolutely any question – except possible Venture spoilers for the upcoming season. Some topics covered: Doc’s problems with the current art world, his new hairstyle, his music, Fuck/Marry/Kill situations (answered in the voice of Henchman 21, naturally), and as always, extensive discussion of his poops.

Our next and final panel of the day was the Complete Guide to Creating Comics. This panel featured Kelly Sue, Jimmy Palmiotti, Frank Mastromauro, and Andrew Gaska. They discussed the process behind creating comics, such as collaborating with a writer/artist, researching, and how to market yourself. The members on the panel all came from different backgrounds and had different experiences of establishing themselves in the industry, which added a variety to their opinions and answers. It was an informative and fascinating inside look into the comic book industry.

The one and only Kelly Sue DeConnick, lovely as always

Saturday

Although we had not initially planned on going to the parade, the couple we were staying with decided to go and we decided to join them. More on this later, but if you want to see the parade, you better get up early and be ready to wait. We arrived about 90 minutes early and were still a few rows of people back from the street. The parade was very cool but I don’t think we will wait for it next year.

I cosplayed as Dr. Mrs. the Monarch from the Venture Brothers and Maddi cosplayed as my Henchwoman. It was so much fun wearing costumes that people recognized. We ran into a ton of other Venture Bros cosplayers which was awesome.

Repping the Mighty Monarch

We visited my favorite table, the People’s Republic of Venture, and found that they were having a scavenger hunt. We only had a few panels we wanted to attend that day, so we decided to give it a try. We had to get photos with 18 of the characters on the list to complete the hunt.

NBD just us and the finest and most gifted bowman we’ve ever met

When you don’t need to find Elsa, she’s everywhere. When you need one for a scavenger hunt, she’s no where to be found.

Arrow!

Much of this weekend was documented with Snapchat

We also went to the Gonzoroo III: A Musical Quizodyssey panel, which is music and improv and as awesome as it sounds. I finally got to meet Doc Hammer, who signed my Venture Bros DVD and graciously tolerated me babbling about how much I love the show while in costume from said show. It was the highlight of my weekend.

Sunday

The scavenger hunt continued!

Starfleet Captains!

The cutest family of Firefly cosplayers!

Sorting Hat!

We were in line to wait in line super early for the Venture Brothers panel at 3, and ended up sitting in the center of the third row. If you’ve ever attended a Venture Bros panel or watched one on YouTube, you know that Doc Hammer and Jackson Publick don’t host typical panels. This year they continued the tradition of doing the panel as a ’70s talkshow called Let’s All Smoking. James Urbaniak, Mark Gagliardi, and Hal Lublin, also joined them onstage. They showed a few preview scenes from Season 6, and it was revealed that the first episode of the new season should be premiering on February 7th, 2016.

The hosts of famous talkshow Let’s All Smoking

When the panel ended, I rushed to the stage and somehow got Jackson to sign my DVD as Doc Hammer threw fake roses to the crowd behind me – a bizarre yet fond memory that could only happen at Dragon*Con.

After almost a decade of watching..

At 10pm, I was a panelist at Con Culture & the Changing Face of Fandom. As we waited in the hall before the panel, a man left the room from the previous panel yelling at the people in the room and then yelling at the line of people in the hallway. It was very strange. We found out later that the panel he had left was “Sexuality and Diversity in Comics” and that he had interrupted someone else’s comment to say that panel discussions would never change anything ever and that people should make their own characters instead of trying to make current characters better. He was a jerk. Pro-tip: If you enjoy telling others that their opinions don’t matter and have a problem with discussing queerness in comic books, maybe don’t attend a panel about diversity. Or even better, don’t attend the convention. Stay home and yell at yourself in the mirror. It might be more productive.

The panel itself was a lot of fun. There was a lot of discussion on diversity and intersectionality of both comic book characters and the fandom, how to keep convention spaces safe and how to keep conventions accountable when there are issues, and the advances/setbacks that the fandom has faced in recent years. People in the audience shared their own viewpoints as people from different backgrounds which added openness and diversity to the conversation. I was on the panel with Kari Storla and Chris Brennaman, two brilliant minds who made it an incredible experience.

Definitely ready for bed after a 10pm panel

Monday

We were up bright and early to get to the Comics and Feminism panel. I presented my thesis, “The Fake Geek Girl: Female-Occupied Space and Masculinity in Geek Culture”, part of which I discussed in the previous blog post on Gendered Spaces. This was my first time presenting it outside of a women’s studies audience, and it seemed to go well. Tini Howard did her presentation “Thinking Outside the Fridge – Changing Comics with the Subject/Object Problem”. Tini is very knowledgable on her subject and is a super engaging speaker. She discussed how female comic book characters are often subject to terrible things that result in death or permanent injury, which is usually used in order to advance a male character’s plotline. However, when male characters face tragedy, they are shown defeating the trauma with strength or force and often coming out unscathed. Tini made connections that I had never considered as a feminist comic book reader, and often the entire audience nodded their heads in agreement. It was an honor to present with her. The audience had many questions and comments on our presentations which created an excellent dialogue about the treatment of female characters, fans, and creators within the comic book industry. The panel was definitely one of the best things I’ve been involved with in my life and I hope to someday do it again.

Afterwards, we stuck around for the Kelly Sue DeConnick in Focus panel. Kelly Sue and Matt had to leave the convention for a family emergency, so Kelly Sue was unable to be there, but the panelists still did an incredible job regardless. They spoke about Kelly Sue’s work on Bitch Planet, Pretty Deadly, and Captain Marvel, as well as G. Willow Wilson’s Ms. Marvel. Speakers Ahmed Younis, Chandra Jenkins, and John Flowers, as well as moderator Damien Williams were knowledgable, passionate, and extremely interesting. It was great to listen to an academic take on Kelly Sue’s work that I love so much while sitting in a room of people who also love and respect her.

After that, we started the 6 hour drive back to Orlando. Our first Dragon*Con was exhausting and overwhelming but completely worth every minute. We definitely plan to return again next year!

Advice for First-Time Dragon*Con Goers:

1. The sky bridges are PACKED between panels. Sometimes its just quicker to run down to the main floor and walk between the hotels outside.
2. Have a Sharpie and the stuff you want signed with you at all times!!! You never know when you’ll run into the person you want to sign it. I was going to wait for the Venture Bros panel on Sunday, but I ran into Doc Hammer at the merch table at the Gonzo panel on Saturday and was able to run back to my seat and grab my DVD and Sharpie and get it signed.
3. If you want to go to the parade, get there early. Like hours early. Be ready to wait. The parade started late and the sun had started to shine about a half hour beforehand, so we were very sweaty and hot by the time the first group came down the street. I would recommend bringing comfortable shoes, especially if you’re planning on wearing your costume to the parade. I wore heels as a part of my cosplay. Big mistake. You’ll probably see most of the costumes around the con later, so think long if waiting for the parade is worth it to you.
4. Dragon*Con is pretty strict about not letting people wait in line for big panels over an hour beforehand. However, there is often an unofficial group of people waiting in line to wait in line. The volunteers will often let you line up earlier if the panel beforehand goes into the room early. We waited in line to get in line for the Venture Bros Panel about 2 hours early, and they let us into the real line about 90 minutes beforehand.
5. Because Dragon*Con is held in hotels and not a convention center, there is definitely a significant partying atmosphere. If you like alcohol and partying, this is the convention for you. If not, definitely try to steer clear of hotel lobbies at dinner time and afterwards.
6. SLEEP. At least try to sleep. This is the kind of convention you need lots of energy for.

GGG will be at New York Comic Con next month!

Hey y’all! Maddi and Molly are going to be at DragonCon this weekend! We will be all over the place, including most of the Matt Fraction and Kelly Sue DeConnick panels and the Venture Bros panels!

Molly will be on the “Con Culture & the Changing Face of Fandom” panel at 10pm on Sunday at Hyatt Hanover F and presenting at the “Comics and Feminism” panel at 10am on Monday at Hyatt Hanover F.

Come say hello if you see us!

Cultural geography is the way that humans create and occupy cultural spaces. Humans occupy more than just their physical space; they occupy spaces within their nationality, gender, race, political parties, hobbies, careers, and in many other cultural ways. While studying the cultural geography of gender, feminist geographers noticed that gender stereotypes are not limited to people themselves. In fact, definitions of masculinity and femininity can be applied to particular spaces and group memberships, in what feminist geographers refer to as ‘gendered spaces’. Gendered spaces are spaces that humans occupy that have been socially assigned genders.

When people are treated badly in a space because of their group membership, they obviously tend to stay away from those spaces. Gendered spaces have been historically used to keep women away from information and therefore away from power. If women are not allowed to participate in a space, it is unlikely that the space will ever shift away from its gendered label. For example, consider the kitchen. Although it has been decades since women were the only ones in the kitchen, the kitchen is still an extremely gendered space. So much so that misogynists often instruct successful women to return to that domain.

Geek culture exists as a gendered space. Despite the often-reported increase in female membership, geek culture exists with a clear masculine label. Geek is a gendered noun. When the word ‘geek’ is used, it is almost always used to define a man. Female geeks are considered abnormal. When a woman is a geek, she is always called a ‘geek girl’. Geek is never her noun, just the descriptor before her gender. Women who attempt to occupy space in geek culture face harassment and abuse for seeking membership in a gendered space. Geek culture is such a male gendered space that women who attempt to occupy space are often accused of only doing so for male attention.

Men discourage women from getting involved in geek culture in many ways. The male-dominated feel of many specialty shops often scare women away from attempting to join physical space in geek culture. Many women report that they feel ignored or negatively singled-out when they enter comic or gaming stores. Women who are new and seeking advice find their questions met with condescension or ridicule. Employees laugh at their lack of knowledge instead of trying to help them, or only recommend ‘feminine’ titles and accuse women of only being interested in male characters because of their physicality. Sexist reactions to women in specialty shops is not limited to the customers: female employees also report sexual harassment from coworkers and negative comments from customers.

Women are also guilty of preserving gendered spaces. Due to the generally unwelcoming feeling surrounding geek culture, women who finally feel like they have entered the space successfully may feel defensive. Women who worked hard to get into geek culture may feel that the space for female membership is limited. They may see other women occupying that space as a threat to their own membership instead of as a potential ally. Some women perpetuate the ‘fake geek girl’ trope by attaching the title to other women in geek culture, or challenge other women’s credentials with the goal of discrediting them.

Once a space has a societally-labeled gender, that label is incredibly difficult to change. Despite increased female membership in both the fans and creators of geek media, geek culture’s male label remains prominent. The process of changing gendered spaces to be truly neutral is long and painful, but recent media attention to the inequalities in geek culture has helped. The best way to change geek culture to be less male-dominated is to increase representation in geek media and to always, always, always treat newcomers with respect, kindness, and helpfulness. Always remember that there is still work to be done.

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Interested in hearing more about geek culture and gendered spaces? Come see me present at DragonCon this weekend! The Comics and Feminism panel takes place at 10am on Monday in Hyatt Hanover F! Hope to see you there!

Sometimes its hard to know where to begin if you’re a newbie to weekly comics!  Girl Gang Releases is a weekly series where we identify some of our favorite new comic releases for each Wednesday.

New Girl Gang Releases for 3/4/15:

• Lumberjanes #17 (BOOM) – We love the Lumberjanes. Even as writers and contributers change, the story remains fun and the characters always wonderful.
• Batgirl #43 (DC) – Batgirl is one of my personal favorites out right now, and I’m looking forward to seeing where they take the storyline with the introduction of tech genius Luke Fox. This issue also features Babs’ friend Alysia getting married, and Babs Tarr’s incredible art will definitely be a joy to see in this setting.
• Captain Marvel and the Carol Corps #3 (Marvel) – Seeing Carol in charge of a group instead of flying solo has been a really interesting twist to the Captain Marvel we all know and love. More trouble comes to the Corps in this issue, even some among their own ranks.
• Spider-Woman #10 (Marvel) – Jessica Drew continues her roadtrip and stops at the Alamo. This issue features the “Last Days of..” feature that will hurl Jess and her crew into the Secret Wars.
• Zodiac Starforce #1 (Dark Horse) – The world always needs more magical girls, and Kevin Panetta and Paulina Ganucheau are here to deliver! Zodiac Starforce is a team of teenagers who try to balance high school with fighting dark forces. I’m excited to see the modern twists that Panetta and Ganucheau add to this title.

What other titles should we be picking up that we should be adding to this list or don’t know about? Let us know in the comments or at thegeekgirlgang@gmail.com!

Happy Wednesday girl gang!

Sometimes its hard to know where to begin if you’re a newbie to weekly comics!  Girl Gang Releases is a weekly series where we identify some of our favorite new comic releases for each Wednesday.

New Girl Gang Releases for 3/4/15:

• Angela Asgard’s Assassin #4 (Marvel) – When Maddi and I first heard of a new female-led Marvel series at NYCC, we were very excited. I am a huge fan of all things Asgardian, and hearing that Kieron Gillen would be on board just made us even more excited. However, we immediately rolled our eyes once we saw the cover: a tall, busty woman with long flowing hair and (wait for it) a metal armored bikini. It really seems that by now everyone would have realized that bikini armor is ridiculous, impractical, and completely sexist. How could that possibly be comfortable? Does Angela have a magical force field around her belly, upper thighs, and chest that allows her to go armorless in those specific locations? I decided to pick up issue #1 of Angela anyways, and I am glad I did. Angela is the impressive level of badass I have come to expect from female Asgardian warriors, and her adventures are really fun. I just wish we could have a character that both identifies as female AND has full and realistic body armor!

• Princess Leia #1 (Marvel) – I may or may not have rewatched A New Hope on Sunday just to get prepared for this comic. Princess Leia is one of my all-time favorite characters, and I can’t WAIT to get my hands on this issue. The story follows Leia after the destruction of the Death Star as she tries to find her place in a world without Alderaan. If the previous Star Wars comics coming out of Marvel are any indication, this should be a great read. Also, how could you say no to that Skottie Young variant cover?

• Rat Queens #9 (Image) – I picked up a Rat Queens trade over Christmas when my local shop was having a sale. ‘Female ladies with weapons?’, I thought to myself. ‘Sign me up!’ I was definitely not prepared to fall madly in love with a crazy, often very bloody, super incredible series that I would reread at least 6 times in the following week. Rat Queens is a very special kind of story that draws you in from the first panel and spits you back out wondering where all of these feelings about Dwarven beard gender norms came from. I was happy to see that author Kurtis Wiebe made the decision to end his working relationship with Roc Upchurch after Upchurch was arrested for domestic violence and I was very proud to see that Tess Fowler had been asked to do last month’s special issue. I’m so excited that the Rat Queens are finally back and I can’t wait to see what new artist Stjepan Šejić is going to bring to the table.

• Saga #26 (Image) – If you have any familiarity with comics at all, you have heard of Saga. Saga is one of the most original, amazing, beautiful comics being released right now. With its incredible characters and a suspenseful plotline, Saga is definitely a must-read. And let’s be real, even if the story wasn’t so great, Saga would be worth picking up if only to see Fiona Staples’ stunning artwork. This month’s issue follows Gwendolyn, Sophie, and my personal favorite Lying Cat as they search for a cure for The Will.

• Spider-Woman #4 (Marvel) – Poor Jessica Drew. The announcement of her title came around the same time that the infamous Milos Manara cover was released, and it seems like because of that the series hasn’t been given a real chance – especially because Marvel decided to release the cover anyways! As much as I adore Jess, she never seems to get an artist who understands basic female anatomy. Although I’ve enjoyed the story thus far, especially when Silk is involved, I can’t help but get distracted by the way the girls are posed in the panels. HOWEVER, this week debuts Jessica’s brand new far more comfortable-looking costume. I’m definitely looking forward to seeing how her new duds affect her action poses.

What other titles should we be picking up that we should be adding to this list or don’t know about? Let us know in the comments or at thegeekgirlgang@gmail.com!

Happy Wednesday girl gang!

Sometimes its hard to know where to begin if you’re a newbie to weekly comics!  This is the first in a weekly series where we identify some of our favorite new comic releases for each Wednesday, along with a brief description of the title.

New Girl Gang Releases for 2/25/15:

• Tomb Raider #13 (Dark Horse) – We all know that Lara Croft was one of the first video games to have a female lead, and this comic begins a new arc for Croft she works for the British Museum. The covers of this title are incredible, and I might be slightly obsessed with Michael Atiyeh’s stunning coloring in the preview.
  

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• Gotham Academy #5 (DC Comics) – This one time at NYCC I passed the Gotham Academy booth and said “I’ve heard this is good!”, and the man next to me said “Thanks!” And then I realized I had awkwardly been talking about a title in front of its artist. I immediately read this comic in an attempt to avoid that ever happening again, and I’m so glad I did. Gotham Academy follows students at Gotham’s most prestigious prep school and is super enjoyable, even if you aren’t a sucker for school teen dramas like I am.
  

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• Orphan Black #1 (IDW) – If you’ve ever been on Tumblr, you’ve heard of Orphan Black. The BBC America show’s popularity has increased like crazy in the past year, leading to this comic series written by the show’s co-creator John Fawcett. Orphan Black is about one woman discovering the existence of multiple clones of herself in the world, and that there are dangerous people looking for them. The description of this new title says that it will expand the Orphan Black universe and unearth new conspiracies. Not to mention that it will be awesome to see the gorgeous face of Tatiana Maslany in comic book form.
  

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• The Wicked and the Divine #8 (Image Comics) – If you aren’t reading WicDiv, you are missing out. This is the most original title out there right now, and the Gillen-McKelvie Dream Team seems to be unstoppable. It might actually be impossible to not fall in love with every single character in this book. WicDiv is about the The Pantheon, a group of young Gods with supernatural powers who are reincarnated 90 every years. The Pantheon and are the ultimate rock stars with thousands of adoring fans, including Laura, who gets far more than she was looking for. Although, I should warn you that if you start reading this title you will be cursing at the end of every issue knowing you have to wait an entire month until the next one.
  

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• Spider-Gwen #1 (Marvel Comics) – The comic world has been waiting very impatiently for this title since they announced it at NYCC in October. This is for all the fans, like me, who left Spider-Man 2 feeling pissed off about yet another occurrence of killing off an amazing female character for the purpose of the male lead ~finding himself~. Thank God Marvel finally gave Gwen the treatment she deserves.  Also, the variant covers for this are some of the coolest ever, including the classic Skottie Young baby variant and a gorgeous one from Adam Hughes, finally giving us some new AH! Marvel art. Also, is Gwen’s new costume not the coolest thing of all time? Calling it now: this book is gonna be amazing.

What other titles should we be picking up that we should be adding to this list or don’t know about? Let us know in the comments or at thegeekgirlgang@gmail.com!

Happy Wednesday girl gang!

Welcome to GeekGirlGang! This blog will be dedicated to feminist discourse about geek culture.

We created this blog with the intention of making a safe space to discuss geek media with a feminist lens. We were interested in finding a bigger and more specific place for our rants and raves than our Tumblr tags. We want to think critically and fairly about the media we love.

We hope you remain patient with us as we get this blog up and running and start sharing our stories.

Also, we are looking for contributors of any sort! Please send us an email at thegeekgirlgang@gmail.com if you are interested!