Five Webcomics from Female Creators You Should Totally Be Reading

FIVE WEBCOMICS FROM FEMALE CREATORS YOU SHOULD TOTALLY BE READING

By Marie Victoria Robertson

I often sigh about how I wish I could draw. Thing is, I have an intense respect for comic artists, and webcomic artists in particular; using the versatility of a visual medium to tell a good story seems like a beautiful challenge to me. The comic book industry seems like a tough market to get into, particularly for female artists, and the big-name companies are often stuck catering to fanbases. On the flip side, webcomic artists strike out on their own, with the power to write, draw, and produce their own content on their terms. There is often little to no money involved in webcomics, meaning artists are putting their work out there, for free, for people to read and share and enjoy, purely for the love of their art.  

So, respect. Lots of it. 

Some amazing and talented women are responsible for some of the best webcomics out there and they deserve all the attention they can get. Below is a short list of webcomics I love, and you probably will too. 

1. Hark! A Vagrant by Kate Beaton

Chances are you’re already reading this one. If you’re not, I strongly advise you to sit down with a cup of tea and go through the archive. Kate Beaton is a master at crafting jokes based on history, literature, and occasionally pop culture. Her “strong female characters” are not to be missed. 

2. Oglaf (WARNING: Not Safe For Work) by Trudy Cooper (co-authored by Doug Bayne)

DO NOT click on that link if you are at work. Or if dear old aunt Gertrude is reading over your shoulder. From the same author as Platinum Grit, Oglaf tends to bounce between being a medieval fantasy-parody strip with liberal sex and nudity, and being an outright pornographic comic with token fantasy elements. It can be incredibly funny, however, and scathing in its deconstruction of fantasy tropes. Be warned that it can be VERY Not Safe For Work as sex is a huge element of this webcomic, though readers will enjoy seeing same-sex and interracial couplings, and women (of varying shapes and sizes) in interesting positions of power. 

3. Lackadaisy by Tracy J. Butler

This comic is about the titular speakeasy struggling to stay in business in prohibition-era Missouri, amid shifting loyalties, secrets from the past, and rum-running adventures. The story is so intricately written and the art is so exquisite that you almost stop noticing how the entire cast is comprised of anthropomorphic cats. While updates are not frequent, it’s worth going through the archives and bonus gallery over and over again, especially for history geeks. To say that the artist has done her research on the 1920’s is an understatement.  

4. Girls with Slingshots by Danielle Corsetto

GWS is another strip you’re probably reading already, but I couldn’t create a list of my favourite webcomics without including this one, especially since I may or may not have a crush on the character Jamie. For the uninitiated, GWS is a long-running series about a group of friends dealing with life events such as relationships, unemployment, and sexuality. And there might be a talking cactus involved too. It’s been running since 2004 so if you’re new to GWS, there is a lot to catch up on, but it’s a wonderfully funny ride. 

5. Junior Scientist Power Hour by Abby Howard

The first JSPH strip I read was this one and I was hooked. The once-a-week gags cover everything from Abby’s personal life to elements of pop culture to (of course) cats, with a healthy and hilarious dose of surrealism and a cool art style likely inspired by Jhonen Vasquez. Also be sure to check out Abby’s ongoing story, “The Last Halloween”, a comedy-horror story.

Which favourites would you have put on the list?

Marie Victoria Robertson is a published speculative fiction writer and playwright, as well as the board president of Jer’s Vision: Canada’s Youth Diversity Initiative (www.jersvision.org). When all the other girls wanted to marry Johnny Depp, she wanted to run away with Worf on the Enterprise. She enjoys giant robots, time-travel paradoxes, and dressing up her kids like Ninja Turtles.

Montreal Comiccon Highlights: 2014

by Jordan Danger

Photos by Chris Patten

MONTREAL COMICCON 2014: HIGHLIGHTS

A stunning Bishop cosplay, and moi.

This year I attended the Montreal ComicCon once again. It’s my third time at this con, and it shows no sign of slowing down. With record-setting crowds this year, the con was packed—almost overwhelmingly so—and the entire building was a-buzz with con goers. The Palais de Congres is such a great venue because it offers extensive room to chill out, so the con floor itself isn’t packed with people dragging their feet; indeed, the main mezzanine is a great place to grab some amazing cosplay shots.

COSPLAY FUN

And the cosplay was really the star of the show this con. I estimate that 1 in 4 people seem to be dressed up in some fashion; certainly I could turn in any direction at any point, and find somebody in a glorious costume. I myself attended as Jet Girl (my cosplay that debuted at Ottawa ComicCon this year) and enjoyed the thumbs-up and photo op requests from attendees.

Click Here to see our full album of Montreal Comic Con Photos. 

Cosplay really is becoming a major part of conventions, and I think this is wonderful. One can only attend so many cons before you’ve bought all the merch you really need, attended all the panels you wanted to hear, and gotten all the celebrity photos you can afford. After that, the cons can get a little stale—take it from me, who has attended every con in the area for a year straight. What doesn’t get old is the fans and the cosplay.

HIDDEN GEMS IN ARTIST’S ALLEY

Also infinitely enjoyable is Artist’s Alley. This often-overlooked part of a con’s offerings was a busy place at MTL this year. Many of the artists are repeats; for instance, I see Ron + Indy regularly, and Dr Kyla’s Emporium who makes the most wonderful crocheted characters, like my Gorn who I glued to my hula girl legs on my dash and is now the famous HulaGorn.

What’s great about Artist’s Alley is that, even when you chat with an artist you’ve already met, you get an update on their world and their work. Of course, it’s also great fun to see people having custom sketches done by industry giants like Geof Isherwood and Nick Bradshaw, two highly approachable and awesome comic book artist greats. Over the course of many cons, Nick and I have become well acquainted (and I have a sketch of Rogue on roller skates to prove it), and it can be a real treat to chat with some of the men and women who bring our favourite characters to life.

me with Nick Bradshaw, Marvel's go-to guy

It’s also great fun to discover younger talent and support them with the purchase of a print or postcard. This year, Amy Spaulding and Deena Pagliarello get my vote for ‘best in show’ with their very clever takes on iconic super women.

A GOOD GEEKY TIME

We departed the con after a giant feast of sushi from the Palais’ sushi place, then headed out, full of that bright happy geek energy you can only find at a con. It’s such a joy to live in the ‘golden triangle’ and have such easy access to everything Ottawa, Montreal, and Toronto; if you haven’t made the short trip down to Montreal for the con before, I heartily recommend you hit it up next year!

Jordan Danger is a veteran blogger, writer, and marketing consultant based in Ottawa, Ontario. She is also President and Editor in Chief of CapitalGeekGirls.com. Jordan blogs at GirlCrafted.com, a lifestyle blog about crafting life both literally and figuratively. She loves DIY projects, her dog, and Oxford comma

CGG Reviews: LUCY--More Than An Action Movie

by Jordan Danger and MJ Baker

LUCY: SO MUCH MORE THAN AN ACTION MOVIE

I opted to review Lucy because I enjoy movies with theoretical science as a catalyst for the plot line. I expected something akin to Elysium or Limitless, but what I got was so much more.

The premise of Lucy is simple: a young American woman, living in Taipei, is accidentally dosed with a large quantity of a drug that opens up her brain’s full potential, revealing a myriad of skills like telekinesis and telepathy. I had assumed the rest of the movie would be Lucy, played by Scarlett Johansson, wreaking vengeance on the drug cartel that had dosed her. Boy, was I wrong.

The movie was a cleverly cloaked commentary on the human condition and humanity’s eventual evolution. In the words of my co-reviewer, MJ Baker, “It was like a new age science class wrapped in an action movie”. Director Luc Besson, also famous for his film The Fifth Element, takes us on a journey from the beginning of homo sapiens all the way to modern day life, somehow intertwining this story with a hell of a lot of theoretical neurophysics and sugar coating it in a thrilling Bourne Identity-like storyline.

Johannson is not an actress that has, honestly caught my attention much in the past; however, her performance in this role was exceptionally well done. She spends a good deal of the film in an emotionless state, but unlike Keanu Reeve’s portrayal of the famous Neo, it didn’t come off wooden or flat. We found ourselves swept up in feeling what Lucy must be feeling, thinking what she must be thinking, and yet wondering what would happen next.

The film presented some intriguing theories that have been explored by scientists in real life, in way that was accessible and exciting. “Let’s face it,” says MJ, “Morgan Freeman can explain anything to you and it sounds completely reasonable.” Besson’s intermingling of documentary footage, a monologue in a lecture hall by Freeman, and scenes of the actual plot line were seamless. What was cool about this film was the number of ways the director conveyed a message or emotion without any words at all. Indeed, some of the most poignant parts of this film were completely without dialogue.

Do not go into Lucy expecting another action film; you won’t get it. However, if you are looking for something that combines all the energy of a thriller with the art house quality of a foreign film (and a heavy dose of an episode of Carl Sagan’s ‘The Cosmos’), you’re in for a treat. The teenagers behind us were entirely displeased with the film, and loudly proclaimed this at the end; however, my science geek comrade was rendered mute by the climax and I personally found myself wanting to stay for a second screening so I could soak up all the philosophical dilemmas presented.

In short, this movie was so much more than we expected. It’s a shame that it is likely to be overlooked as so many films are that successfully marry the genres of science and fiction.

MJ Baker is a baker (no lie); she owns Bake It So! Bakery, a custom-order bakeshop in Ottawa. She is also a lifelong geek, first and foremost a fanatical Star Wars fan. Her head holds more geek and science trivia than Wikipedia. MJ is the co-star of Capital Geek Girls' YouTube show, 'Two Girls Talking'. She loves fireflies, coffee, and books of all sorts.

Jordan Danger is a veteran blogger, writer, and marketing consultant based in Ottawa, Ontario. She is also President and Editor in Chief of CapitalGeekGirls.com. Jordan blogs at GirlCrafted.com, a lifestyle blog about crafting life both literally and figuratively. She loves DIY projects, her dog, and Oxford commas.

Sitting down with the Queen of Mean: An Interview with Persephone Vice

SITTING DOWN WITH THE QUEEN OF MEAN: AN INTERVIEW WITH PERSEPHONE VICE
By Katie Bonnar

When you’re sitting down with a female wrestler for the first time, you let them call the shots – I met Julia at her hair salon of choice in Billings Bridge Mall, the night before her WWE tryout. Measuring 6’2”, Nulis towers over me at 5’4”, but more dominant than her stature is her nature – she’s immediately warm, upbeat and friendly. Not what you’d expect from a self-styled villain in the ring, nick-named the “Queen of Mean”. In her words, “Persephone is all about business, doing what she needs to do: plan of attack, executing it and be done with it. That’s how she is.”

Nulis wasn’t always a fan of wrestling, but started to attend independent wrestling matches and was introduced to Jeff Smith, who pointed her on her path. She started as a manager and valet, while training on the side. In 2006, at the age of 21, she made her debut in Hamilton. 

When asked how her family took the news, Nulis surprised me, “I’ve kept it pretty quiet within my family. My mother knows and she said ‘are you sure this is something you want to do because, if it is, I’m going to support you in any way that I can’ – so she’s been my rock.” Her brother also echoes this support as do a couple of cousins, including one with whom she was close and whom she lost a few years ago. She paid tribute to him during an especially significant match: her first title win, the Ontario Championship Wrestling title, a disclosure that leaves us both feeling the lingering raw emotion in her voice.

On the back of this WWE try out, her family’s understanding of her wrestling could drastically change. So how does one get a WWE tryout? Her trainer, Wayne Cryderman (Crusher Kline), of Bodyslammers, was asked for names of his students. Nulis has been put forward before, but they hadn’t called until now. This waiting has been good for Nulis who acknowledges that “it just gave me more time to focus on myself, how I look, how I want to present myself to them.” It was Cryderman who made the call, letting her know about the try out, “I’m very thankful to Wayne for opening doors for me so I’m going to make the most of every moment that I can.”

I asked what this could mean for her, “I’m just going to go in with a very level head, very humble head and whatever criticism and advice they give me, I’ll take it and that’s how I can improve.” You can’t help but feel an intense admiration for this woman who loves her sport and seeks to continually improve. It explains why her fans love her so much – her positive attitude, even under the guise of a villain, really does shine.

Speaking of fans, Persephone Vice has a devoted following, which Nulis is happy to indulge. She’s always up for pictures and autographs at shows, but she keeps fan interactions to the events. In public she’ll acquiesce to a photograph if asked, but she’s clear that there’s a line and she doesn’t feel it appropriate to cross that with dinner invitations from fans. Having endured one over-zealous fan, Nulis is understandably keen to ensure she maintains boundaries.

Nulis also maintains an intense training regimen, but admits that nothing can prepare her body for the feeling in the ring – the impact on the ropes and the mat takes your breath away and leaves you gasping, “No matter how much you train, it’s very exhausting!” The experience in the ring is in direct contrast to the preparation Nulis undergoes before the match, “Lots of meditation – I think of the outcome of the match and I make sure that I surround myself with positivity. I’m not injured, my opponent doesn’t get injured, the fans are entertained…surround myself with good.” Having suffered through several injuries, including a broken shoulder that required surgery, it is clear why Nulis has adopted this pre-match ritual.

I asked who her ideal opponent would be, from any universe and while she has a soft spot for Rogue and Storm, her response was immediate, “Tank Girl! 100%! Oh my god, it would be so crazy.” Nulis also confesses to a zombie obsession – in particular, the Walking Dead. She’s fascinated with the idea and admits that were this to happen, Persephone Vice would need Wolverine’s healing ability and some seriously armoured skin to combat the undead. We were both quick to agree a Persephone Vice comic book would be awesome! And what’s a superhero without a weakness? Nulis admits hers is red velvet cupcakes and also credits her friends with getting her hooked on the board game Ticket to Ride. Who knows, maybe WWE will present Nulis with her own ticket some day soon.

I encourage anyone who is interested to catch Persephone Vice in action at these upcoming events:
July 26 Beechwood Fair
September 6: Picton fair
October 3: Metcalfe Fair 
September 27: Timmins, Ontario

And if you’re looking to unleash your inner wrestler, contact Body Slammers 

No word yet on when Persephone Vice will learn her fate with the WWE, but the experience was one that she’ll never forget and she also had a blast being a Rosebud for WWE’s own Adam Rose. She also notes that she’s come away with some solid advice and this has left her more determined and focused than ever. You can keep up with her on her Facebook page for all the latest info.

Katie Bonnar is a modern renaissance woman, which is reflected in her interests. She is a seriously devoted fan of music, art, photography, arm chair economics, fashion, culture, language and My Little Pony. She's an early adopter and, while obsessed with the visually stunning and well-designed, she's also on a quest to minimise the ephemera in her life. You can find her on Twitter at @iamkatiebonnar

Geek Girl Review: Roller Derby Saved My Soul

ONCE MORE AROUND THE TRACK: NANCY KENNY'S ROLLER DERBY SAVED MY SOUL THROUGH THE EYES OF A RETIRED DERBY PLAYER
By Katie Bonnar

60 minutes: the exact length of a roller derby bout and, coincidently, the running time of Nancy Kenny’s phenomenal fringe show, Roller Derby Saved My Soul. Capital Geek Girls has mentioned this show before and Assistant Editor Courtney and I were lucky enough to be able to attend the one-off fundraising performance here in Ottawa before Kenny headed off across the country to Canadian fringes far and wide for performances and to film her documentary on Canadian fringe festivals.

As a retired derby player, I had two prevailing thoughts going into the performance: how can roller derby translate in a theatre space? And, will non-derby audiences “get” it? The short answers to both are through clever staging and YES.

Using very pared down set, the story moves through several environments without fuss. A simplified track is taped out on the floor and a bench is placed in the centre with her few props. Scenes switch fluidly from Amy’s apartment to the track and even out to the bar for celebratory drinks. Kenny’s script fills in the scenery and ensures the focus stays on the performance. Through an elaborate superhero-esque montage, Kenny suits up in her roller derby equipment fairly early on in the performance, leaving her to perform the bulk of the hour-long show in full roller derby gear- even skates!

Nancy Kenny’s time spent on skates and around roller derby women definitely shows. Her protagonist, Amy, embodies one of the two most common personas in roller derby, the timid superhero-wannabe. While Amy’s sister June, also played by Kenny, is alpha female through and through. Having been away from the game for over two years, I could finally see what Kenny was highlighting. Roller derby is a highly-charged and dramatic environment – fertile ground for humorous commentary and her witty script delivers regardless of your knowledge of the sport. Rink rash, when explained in gory detail, is remarkable and amusing to all, while the inlines vs quad skates argument bubbles up briefly and gives the initiated a chance to knowingly smirk. That each girl assumes a derby name, which must be unique and registered with a worldwide roster is, let’s be honest, teetering on the ridiculous. Though I did check, and my name is still registered.

Kenny goes about this mild roasting of roller derby with respect and admiration. She has chosen to single out the very best parts of the game and leave them as the focus. While roller derby may completely absorb your time, leaving little for friends and family, there is a strong sisterhood formed over hours on and off the track that develops and, for better or worse, replaces many non-derby friends. And, to her credit, Kenny makes it very clear: roller derby is filled with body diversity. There is room for every shape and size on the track – something few other competitive sports can proudly boast. She also touches upon the emotionally-charged aspects of an all-female team and how that can, in many circumstances, become a safe place for experimentation and personal expression.

Roller Derby Saved My Soul plays touching and clever homage to a sport that reaches beyond the physical game. It is a passion, a family and for so many women like Amy, their doorway to becoming the superhero that’s always been lurking inside, waiting for her chance to shine.

Kenny will be performing at eight different fringe festivals across Canada this summer: London, Montreal, Toronto, Winnipeg, Calgary, Edmonton, Victoria and Vancouver. Highly recommended for non-derby and derby aficionados alike.

Katie Bonnar is a modern renaissance woman, which is reflected in her interests. She is a seriously devoted fan of music, art, photography, arm chair economics, fashion, culture, language and My Little Pony. She's an early adopter and, while obsessed with the visually stunning and well-designed, she's also on a quest to minimise the ephemera in her life. You can find her on Twitter at @iamkatiebonnar

Great Geek Girls: Meet Hollaback! Ottawa

ALL ABOUT HOLLABACK! OTTAWA

By Marie Victoria Roberston

If you were at Ottawa Comic Con this past May, hopefully you had time to attend Hollaback! Ottawa’s excellent panel, “Cosplay =/= Consent.” The panel opened up a discussion on the grim reality of harassment at conventions and how con-goers can help put a stop to it. 

Hollaback! Ottawa’s work is not limited to conventions. Hollaback! Ottawa is the local chapter of an international movement dedicated to ending street harassment. They define street harassment as gender-based violence in public space. Julie Lalonde, the founder of Hollaback! Ottawa, was already dedicated to doing anti-sexual violence work in Ottawa when she decided Ottawa needed a Hollaback! chapter of its own. As the only organization in Ottawa dedicated solely to ending gender-based harassment, Hollaback! has been able to address issues that otherwise go unchallenged. Hollaback! was able to call out Ottawa Police's victim blaming statements in the fall regarding the 'serial rapist' and was able to have really productive conversations about cosplay and consent at Ottawa Comic Con.

In the geek world, it’s hard to think of your favourite fandoms and conventions as having problems with harassment. We get understandably defensive. In the same vein, it’s hard to think of your home city as having problems with street harassment. Because we here in Ottawa pride ourselves on being ‘quiet’ and ‘boring’, says Julie, we have a hard time believing harassment happens here—at least until it happens to us. Nearly all of my friends have had slurs or crude sexual comments directed at them at least once. I’ve personally been hollered at from passing cars too many times to count. 

Julie tells of an unfortunate experience that happened to her in summer of 2011: while riding on the bus toward downtown, she was physically and sexually assaulted by another passenger. As if it weren’t bad enough that a stranger felt entitled to violate a woman on the bus, not a single passenger was willing or able to help out. No one alerted the driver, no one stood up to say “Come on, stop” or “I’m calling the police”. This kind of inaction is problematic and can even be deadly. 

The good news is that taking action does make a difference! In the 3 years Hollaback! Ottawa has been active, some positive changes have been made: the Ottawa Police responded positively to concerns about victim-blaming in fall of 2013 and have since changed the way they communicate about assaults in the city. And of course, a success for the local geek community was getting Ottawa Comic Con to begin a dialogue and address harassment at conventions. 

Another one of Hollaback! Ottawa’s major successes happened with OC Transpo. Last February, Hollaback! approached OC Transpo to discuss the issue of harassment on public transit and was met with hostility. Harassment, OC Transpo claimed, was not a problem on transit and at the time, they refused to even talk about it. Hollaback! persisted and, a little over a year later, got OC Transpo to begin advertising their safety measures and promote safety messaging.  

In addition to their appearance at Ottawa Comic Con, Hollaback! Ottawa hosted a Chalk Walk on Sunday, June 8th at 3pm with a meet-up at Confederation Park. They will also be working to organize a series of events in the lead-up to Ottawa’s municipal election in October 2014. Anyone looking to attend events or get involved is encouraged to join Hollaback! Ottawa’s mailing list (via ottawa@ihollaback.org), follow them on social media (on Twitter @HollabackOttawa and on Facebook), and above all, let everyone know about the organization and how they can help stop gender-based harassment!

The greatest allies we have in ending harassment are each other. Whether at Comic Con or on Rideau street, we have a duty to speak up and keep each other safe. As Julie says, “Be an effective bystander. If you see someone in trouble or looking really uncomfortable: Direct, delegate or distract. We have a plethora of great resources on how to be a great bystander that are free for folks to check out. Whether it's on the #95, waiting for a cab on a Saturday night or at a house party, bystanders are crucial to ending all forms of gender based violence.” 

Marie Victoria Robertson is a published speculative fiction writer and playwright, as well as the board president of Jer’s Vision: Canada’s Youth Diversity Initiative (www.jersvision.org). When all the other girls wanted to marry Johnny Depp, she wanted to run away with Worf on the Enterprise. She enjoys giant robots, time-travel paradoxes, and forcing her son to watch Futurama.

Geek Girl Fun: Roller Derby, Geek Documentary, & Fringe Festival Stuff!

by Jordan Danger

BEST BET FOR GEEK GIRL FUN THIS WEEK: ROLLER DERBY SAVED MY SOUL IN OTTAWA
(FOR THE REST OF YOU, THE DOCUMENTARY SHE'S MAKING WILL KEEP YOU ENTERTAINED.)

Many of you may have heard about a little indie play called Roller Derby Saved My Soul. Writer and actor of the one-woman show, Nancy Kenny, created and performed this show much to the joy of many roller derby enthusiasts, and she’s back at it again.

Kenny is currently raising money for a nationwide tour of Fringe festivals as she and a crew are heading out on the road to film a documentary called On the Fringe, detailing the life and experiences of the people who spend their summers participating in Fringe festivals. It’s a unique concept, and a cool one to be sure. Kenny is working hard towards raising the necessary $10,000 to make this documentary, and you can check out her Indiegogo campaign here.

What this means for Ottawa folk is that this Friday, May 30 2014, you can catch a one-night encore of Kenny’s cool show, Roller Derby Saved My Soul. Kenny’s piece is a narrative of one girl’s experience with roller derby, and how much it makes her feel like a superhero. As a former derby player myself, I can tell you this isn’t far from the truth.

ROLLER DERBY SAVED MY SOUL

STARRING NANCY KENNY

FRIDAY MAY 30 2014

ARTS COURT THEATRE, OTTAWA ONTARIO

TICKETS: $15-25

More info here.

Kenny and her show are heavily decorated with awards and highly critically acclaimed. Whether or not you’re familiar with derby, this show shouldn’t be missed. And of course, we love to support geek girls in all areas, so please do contribute to Kenny’s Indiegogo campaign if you can! The documentary project is gathering strong support, not the least of which is the loan of a Volkswagen Passat for Kenny & crew to travel around the country this summer, donated by an independent Ottawa dealership, Hunt Club Volkswagen. So extra snaps for Hunt Club VW for supporting geek girls and girl filmmakers!

You can check out all sorts of info about the show, the documentary, etc etc etc at the info below. You’ll see a couple of our CGG writers at the show on Friday, so be sure to say hi!

About the documentary: www.onthefringedoc.com

About the Roller Derby Saved My Soul: www.rollerderbysavedmysoul.com

On the Fringe Indiegogo campaign: http://igg.me/at/OntheFringe/x/4757376

One Night Only information and tickets: http://www.eventbrite.com/e/fundraiser-roller-derby-saved-my-soul-in-ottawa-for-one-night-only-tickets-11077050757

About Aventus Films: www.aventusfilms.com

About May Can Theatre: http://maycantheatre.webs.com! 

Hunt Club Volkswagen: http://huntclubvw.com/?lng=2

Letter from the Editors: Our Perspective on Our Ottawa Comiccon Panel

Credit- Morris Rothman

This past weekend, Courtney Lockhart, MJ Baker, and I presented a panel at the Ottawa Comiccon called “The Girl’s Guide to Being Geeky”. When we started gathering notes for this (asking all our CGG writers to contribute their two cents) we really didn’t know what would come out of it. As I was working on the notes, I kept thinking, “Is any of this really all that novel? Don’t we all already know this stuff?"

What I think I forgot is that, working here in our ‘Ivory Tower’ of geekdom, the CGG writers have managed to incubate a sense of happy geek safety and support where we always have people with whom we can ask questions, share ideas, rant, and generally feel connected. When you’re building a lighthouse in the dark night by which other ships may steer, the light is obviously most radiant right where you’re working because you have to foster such a profound brightness to have it shine beyond the waves. This, I think, blinded me to the fact that for many geek girls out there, the waters are still dark and murky indeed.

I can’t say enough thank you’s to the full house we had—both men and women. It was an absolute honor to chat with you all, and those that stood up and gave their thanks for the work of CGG, you moved me more than I can tell you. To the Princess Leia who made me tear up, and to every other woman out there who’s ever felt alone in the geek world, let me quote Valerie’s letter from V for Vendetta: 

“…what I hope most of all is that you understand what I mean when I tell you that even though I do not know you, and even though I may not meet you, laugh with you, cry with you, or kiss you: I love you.”

Hearing people stand up, support other question-askers, share ideas, pose queries, and smile at us from their seats…this was a humbling and epic moment in my geek life. Thank you for letting us share some of the knowledge, ideas, and reassurances we’ve gathered for you. I look forward to geeking out with you all in the future.

-Jordan Danger

Editor/Founder, Capital Geek Girls

I’ve sat down to write this about three times. It’s been really hard because I’ve found myself just wanting to say two words to everyone who attended the panel, shared the event information, or just wished us well: Thank You

Thank you to Jordan for coming up with the idea for the panel and including MJ and I in her cunning plan.

Thank you to Ottawa Comiccon for putting on a great weekend and letting us be a part of it.

Thank you to our tech ninja Morris for keeping everything running smoothly and playing The Safety Dance to pump us up. 

Thank you to our families, friends and pets for putting up with pre-con crazy.

And most importantly, thank YOU. The Capital Geek Girl Community is full of such lovely people. We had hoped to have a simple discussion in a safe space and you blew us out of the water. Everyone laughed at the silliness, supported the people with more serious concerns  and made sure that little alpaca had the opportunity to get his earmuffs sewn back on!  I spoke more candidly on what exactly constitutes my nerdiness than I ever had before. That wasn’t a room of 60 strangers, it was 60 friends.

So until next time, Don’t forget to be awesome, and thank you. 


-Courtney Lockhart
Assistant Editor, Capital Geek Girls 


P.S : Slides from the Presentation will be uploaded soon! We Promise!

Hollaback! Ottawa: Cosplay =/= Consent

COSPLAY IS NOT CONSENT- HOLLABACK! OTTAWA AT OTTAWA COMICCON 2014

By Marla Desat

Source: Marla Desat

"Just because we're wearing a costume doesn't mean we're not people," Courtney, CGG’s assistant editor, was one of the four panellists at the Hollaback! Ottawa "Cosplay =/= Consent" panel at Ottawa ComicCon 2014. Hollaback! Ottawa director Julie Lalonde, and cosplayers ÁLI and Rogue joined her, to talk about harassment at conventions. 

The Hollaback! Movement is dedicated to ending street harassment. Lalonde explained that harassment on the street or on the bus is no different from harassment at a convention. Hollaback! interviewed cosplayers who have had photos taken without permission, been groped, or had upskirt photos taken, but many cosplayers don't immediately identify these actions as harassment. "Because we don't name it that, people don't identify it as harassment.”

L-R: Julie, ÁLI, Rogue, Courtney- Source: Hollaback! Ottawa

Harassment isn't limited to uninvited sexual touching, leering, or inappropriate photos. Cosplayers are often harassed for having a different gender, race, or weight than the character they are portraying. ÁLI, a musician, discovered cosplay in 2012. She has used cosplay to help overcome bullying she faces in her career. Unfortunately, cosplay has opened her to other avenues of harassment. ÁLI spoke of a fan whose constant messages online were supportive, but unsettling. Despite getting no response from her, the fan continues to contact her daily. Recently, ÁLI faced bullying from the press over preferring to use ÁLI, her cosplay and artistic pseudonym, to her legal name. 

CGG's Jordan and MJ- Source: Hollaback! Ottawa

Rogue shared stories about online harassment. "Ninety percent of the harassment that has affected me has been online, not at conventions," says Rogue. As a writer for GeekxGirls, Rogue has received death threats and worse for her work. "Stand up for yourself," she says, but also cautions, "There's no tone online. We all read our own tone into comments." Sometimes responding to a cruel comment with overwhelming kindness can yield a better result than anger. 

Harassment doesn't just come from other con-goers or from online comments. Courtney talked about how hard it can be to identify as a geek at all. "I had what I like to call the Kardashian/Cardassian complex. I was really into both mainstream stuff and geeky stuff," She said. "My mainstream friends would give me flack for the geeky stuff and my geeky friends would give me flack for liking mainstream stuff." 

Hollaback provides support and education about harassment, encouraging its three step model for stopping street harassment: direct, distract, delegate. Directly intervene if you can, distract to indirectly stop the harassment, or tell a convention representative about what's happening. In online spaces, you can intervene directly by sharing your views.  Rogue suggests writing your concerns somewhere, even if it's as simple as a Facebook post. "Without a dialogue, we can't move forward," says Rogue, whose first published article was born from a letter to the editor over an article that misrepresented cosplayers.

As ÁLI says, "It's really about a community. We're all connected, so if you see something, say something, do something. This is supposed to be our safe space."

Marla Desat is a recent University of Waterloo grad living and working in Ottawa. When she isn't playing the latest video games, she's geeking out over comic books, board games, tabletop roleplaying games and science. Marla also writes for The Escapist as a freelance news writer. You can follow her on Twitter @mrdesat. 

Short Cut to Criticism: Felicia Day's Haircut

TREND OR TRAVESTY? THE TALE OF FELICIA DAY'S HAIR 
By Emily Towsley

Felicia Day, the popular vlogger, and creator of the Geek & Sundry, cut her hair off. Did you know? Or better yet, did you care?

The male blogging world was set ablaze with the news that the geek-girl extraordinaire had chopped off her long ginger locks. “Love your videos, will be back when you grow your hair out” became a hurtful refrain that Day has finally decided to speak out against. 

Though Ms. Day is on the record as stating that “We are gamers first, and female incidentally.” The attacks she was facing over her recent hairstyle choice got her to take a stand for feminism, and against misogynistic trolls.  

In the vein of the blog post “Why Patriarchy fears the Scissors”, Felicia Day posted on her tumblr

her thoughts and opinions on being a woman with a newly chopped coif. 

“My hair doesn’t affect what words come out of my mouth dude? But he can’t see me as anything else I guess. Guys like him tune in because I’m attractive to them. Without long hair, I’m no longer attractive to them. Ergo…goodbye.” 

However Day doesn’t mourn for the loss of these particular fans, “It makes me sad for THEM actually…they might be missing out on meeting an awesome girl/woman for themselves” 

For as Felicia points out, we are still living in a society that treats women as inhuman dolls, whose only real purpose is to be attractive to men. 

This idea that women must be attractive to men, and that long hair is the only attractive option, categorizes women with short hair as destroying their femininity to 'punish' men. To distil the argument even further, “men like long hair, and what sane woman would ever want to do anything that decreases her capacity to please men?” 

When the argument is brought down to its brass tacks like that, it’s easy to understand why criticising women for cutting their hair is uncomfortable, and inherently misogynistic. 

To take it one step further the manosphere decided to protest her new chopped ‘do by placing before and after pictures of Felicia Day side by side, with captions like “What boyfriend allowed this type of self-harm?”  

The kicker? The before picture was not even a picture of Ms. Day. These fans had reduced her traits to her hair, and did not even know what her face looked like behind the ginger locks. 

Felicia’s conclusion; “Think I’ll be keeping my hair short for a long time”

I think we can look forward to witty and on-point contributions from Felicia Day in the future, no matter the length of her hair. 

Emily Towsley, can be found either teasing her cat, or philosophizing with a customer over coffee in her second-life as a barista. Messages of support regarding her addiction to Netflix, and news of vintage teacup sales can be left on her twitter.  Her spare time is spent reading copious amounts of books,  or working on her latest blog. 

Geek Girl Review: Captain Marvel #1

Captain Marvel #1 by Kelly Sue DeConnick,  David Lopez - Art & Cover Art, Lee Loughridge - Colour Art

By Thea Nikolic

So I have mentioned before that I am definitely a DC girl, cosplaying as many Harley Quinn versions as possible, but lately I have been on a Marvel kick, reading a bunch of different titles. My newest addition is the new Captain Marvel featuring Carol Danvers as Captain Marvel. She has moved up in superhero ranks and so have women in comics. We are seeing more and more writers, artists, editors, you name it. The new Harley Quinn New 52 title, Transformers Wingblade and the new Ms. Marvel to name a few.

This first issue starts off with Carol and her team on an assignment on some other world in the galaxy, and then we get a what my husband and I call a "J.J. Abrams" with a "Six Weeks Ago". At this point, you get a touch of action, Carol's personal life including her relationship with Jim Rhodes aka Iron Patriot and why she might not feel like her life is going the way she wants it to. 

This is definitely a set up book for the series however the art is clean and I am excited to read further. 

Thea Nikolic aka Critical Miss has been cosplaying for several years and has just recently started hosting panels at various conventions about cosplay. She is also an actor, so she loves to play and act like her various characters that she loves. You can follow her cosplay shenanigans with her costuming husband at their Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/criticalmissandretrojoad. You can also follow her on Twitter @HarleyQuinnBabe as well as on Instagram harleyquinnbabe. 

The "I Hate Fangirls" Shirt Debate: why are YOU mad?

by Jordan Danger

THE 'I HATE FANGIRLS' SHIRT AT WONDERCON: WHAT'S THE REAL ISSUE?

So this past weekend at WonderCon, a shortsighted (and in my opinion, PR nightmare of a) company called Tankhead Custom Tees was selling this shirt:

It’s offensive, right? Well, a lot of people thought so. Whenever something like that happens though, where people are getting riled up, I like to ask, what is the core issue here?

Is it that the shirt denigrates fangirls? The tee producer says that a ‘fangirl’ is a specific type of geek, loathed by all. Here’s their official explanation, actually, after the fallout that happened after WonderCon:

So I thought to myself, why IS this shirt so offensive, if there's a boy version, too? 

Can't we all just agree that we all seem to dislike each other, and move on? But somewhere in this shirt was definitely something offensive. What exactly was the problem?

So I thought about the shirt (which, taking the 'fangirls' word out of it, is kind of clever), and made some substitutions to see if it would still be something that causes torches to be lit and fists to be waved:

How often do we see the redneck community denigrated in our humour? Pretty darn often. My guess is, though, that no viral internet outrage would have ensued over this shirt. (Comment on this post and share your opinion, though. Seriously.)

I really despise poodles, so this was an easy one to think up. Because dog breed fanatics are just as fanatical as the most stalwart comic book fan. (Trust me, I'm a pug fangirl of the highest order.) As a pug fan, I obviously think all other dog breeds and their fans are out to lunch. However, aside from being only funny to people who PVR the Westminster Dog Show, this shirt is also unlikely to incite rage across the Web.

Oh MAN, who doesn't hate tailgaters, right? I suppose someone who tailgates because they have poor depth perception could be offended. Or someone who was rushing to the hospital with their pregnant wife in labour and had to tailgate that one time...still, unlikely to get me punched in the face.

So then I thought about more words, like:

'black people'

'autistic people'

'poor people'

'Italians'

...and the reality is, I couldn't make mock-ups of these words on the tee because I couldn't handle the thought that someone might copy the images and spread them across the internet and actually mean what the shirts would say.

So the line on the 'piss people off and sound like an asshole' meter seems to be when the shirt attacks a human group based on their attributes, culture, ability, etc. Basically, anything that someone would be bullied for in grade six.

Okay, but then how come I can totally see THIS shirt being sold at many of the queer women's festivals I've been to, and no one would freak out....

My point right here is that there's a weird 'offensiveness blindness' that happens when men are the brunt of the exact same joke as a woman. Comment below if you've got thoughts on that, but please for the love of Stan Lee, don't rely on the same tired argument that men have all the privilege. I think it's more complex than that. Give me something new to think about.

ANYWAY, I wondered if the Tankhead Tee people were fully aware of what the problem was here (using the word 'hate' in conjuction with reference to an isolated minority). They didn't seem to understand why this would be hurtful. I wanted a way to illustrate for Tankhead how it feels to be the brunt of people's discriminatory hatred--something they'd understand. So this is what I came up with:

I hope they see that, and I hope they have a little moment where the lightbulb comes on. "Ohhhhh, it DOES suck to have a tee shirt making fun of you." And hey, if they say they're offended, I'll just respond with, "You're being over-sensitive. CLEARLY I was referring only specifically to one kind of Tankhead, and it's not YOU. I swear."

Okay, so assuming I have your attention now, Tankhead, I'd like to propose some uses for your clever catchphrase that are pretty universally agreed upon:

Preach it, sister.

It's like Hunger Games with math.

RIGHT?!

Needs no explanation.

Come on, WE'RE ALL THINKING IT.

I'd really like to hear what people think about this tee shirt mess. Comment below, won't you please? I hope we can hear from supporters AND non-supporters of the shirt. I'd also like to hear which of the above alternate designs you think should be in production.

Jordan Danger is a veteran blogger, writer, and marketing consultant based in Ottawa, Ontario. She is also President and Editor of CapitalGeekGirls.com. Jordan blogs at GirlCrafted.com, a lifestyle blog about crafting life both literally and figuratively. She loves DIY projects, her dog, and Oxford commas.