Fantasy Theater

For those voting in Tuesday's election (or before), here's a handy link to find your polling place:

http://pollingplaces.democrats.org/

If you pay any attention to the comics industry, you've probably heard that DC Comics is publishing a new Superman comic featuring work by sci-fi author and notorious anti-gay-rights activist Orson Scott Card. Needless to say, there's been considerable backlash, with calls for boycotts and several comics shops refusing to carry the book. I understand and sympathize with that point of view, even if I can't fully agree with it.

To be clear: Orson Scott Card is a vile excuse for a human being, and I wouldn't piss on him if he was on fire. And I certainly have no intention of buying this book, or anything else Card works on. But any time people start organizing in an attempt to suppress speech -- even the most disgusting, hateful speech -- I get nervous. I'm a firm believer in the principle that "the solution to bad speech is more speech". Card gets to spew his horrifying bullshit, and I get to call him an asshole. God bless America.

Still, it's distressing to think of this guy using Superman money to fund his evil agenda. The folks at Chicago's "Challengers Comics + Conversation" shop have come up with, I think, a rather elegant solution: They're donating 100% of their profits on this book to the Human Rights Campaign. More details here:

http://challengerscomics.tumblr.com/post/43176937330/all-things-being-equal

I especially like this bit: "Our profits per book are more than his royalties per book, so, like, double f**k him".

Indeed.

http://www.isidewith.com - It's a pretty good quiz, they give you lots of options to choose from on the thornier issues.

Ok, no matter what you think of Obama, this is a sweet moment:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/03/21/deaf-student-obama-sign-language_n_1369118.html

Garfunkel and Oates explain it all:


http://youtu.be/_M8fOwHnwg0

As an artist, I always try to be aware of the distinction between "sexy" and "sexist"...I thought this was a really cogent explanation of the essential difference:

Scary but true:

http://www.cracked.com/article_18458_6-subtle-ways-news-media-disguises-bullshit-as-fact.html

Saw this linked on Gail Simone's forum. Fred Rogers testifying before a Senate subcommittee in 1969, when Nixon wanted to cut PBS funding. Watch him effortlessly charm the pants off the skeptical Senator Pastore:

Ty Templeton looks back on the history of Black Presidents in fiction:

http://tytempletonart.wordpress.com/2010/10/22/the-top-ten-black-presidents/

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/17/world/17russia.html

To summarize:

China, Russia, et. al.: "Bwah-hah-ha! We will use trumped-up "anti-piracy" charges to stifle political dissent!"

Microsoft: "Hey, man, being dicks about software piracy is OUR job. Back off."