The Dark Link Rises (Silly Teen Wolves, ComiCon Panels, and More!)

To all you lucky people living in North America right now, I resent you. Mostly because The Dark Knight Rises is coming out this weekend, and if you’re the kind of person who actually reads this blog, you’ve probably already got tickets.

I am not in North America, and we’re not getting that movie here for another week. So, grr.

But because I don’t hate you, here’s a list of cool stuff from the Internet (though not, generally, from this week, because I am scattered and lovable like that).

Feel free to promote your own stuff in the comments below. I'd also like to take a second to just say that what happened in Colorado on Thursday was sad and horrible. But this isn't the time to think about blame or how to deal with the murderer. It's a time to think about how fortunate we are to be alive, and to pray for those affected and their families.

Seriously.

Katie McGrath is my hero.

1. In right-on-then news, The MarySue has compiled a list of the ten most awesome non-costumed, non-powered female heroes. It’s a nice idea for me, because the idea that a woman doesn’t need to hide her identity or have special abilities to be a hero is appealing. It’s important to tell young girls that, and it’s also pretty important for us to remember that for ourselves. So, here’s the list. Agree or disagree, be glad it’s out there.

2. In really-REALLY news, apparently the European Commission is dumb. Like, really dumb. They would like to encourage more women to go into science. This seems sensible. Women are the majority of the population, and the only thing stopping them is societal pressure. But the way they went about it? Urgh. Here’s a link to the video and a fabulous breakdown on Cracked. Let the comedy soothe your soul.

3. In wish-I’d-been-there news, remember ComiCon? Yeah, that was only last week. Freaky. Anyway, Entertainment Weekly held a panel of “Women Who Kick Ass”, and while some of their choices were eye-roll inducing (Kristin Kreuk, clearly just out promoting her new show), others were perfect (Lucy Lawless should be in all of the things). Read about the highlights here, and daydream about meeting these chicks for coffee someday.

fem!Thor is awesome.

4. In bless-you-child news, Fangs for the Fantasy has now come out with not one, but two awesome articles talking about female sexuality and agency in the Anita Blake series. As someone who genuinely tried to get into those books in college and was turned off by the creepy porn and unnerving portrayals of women, I want to thank FftF for finally explaining just what I was hating. Check out their article on Anita here, and their piece on the rest of the women here.

5. In grrr-I-wish-this-were-embedding-enabled news, Penny Arcade’s excellent game criticism show, Extra Credits has a very cool video up about the problems with Call of Juarez: The Cartel. The reason we’re talking about this here is that this is a game with a lot of flaws, but chief among them is that it’s a lighthearted and incredibly racist take on a war that is actually still ongoing. The other reason is that it’s a game that radically misinforms its players about the realities and dangers of sex trafficking. Watch the video, and help us make a stand by educating ourselves and the world about real problems, instead of problems that make us feel good about ourselves.

6. In now-will-you-take-me-seriously news, The Boston Globe has a fantastic article on television as literature, and the lingering question of what shows will last and become touchstones for future generations. Our Jane Eyre and Vanity Fair-s, so to speak. And I really don’t know the answer to that question, but I sure as hell want to find out. Read the article here. It’s pretty cool.

7. And finally, in just-a-bit-of-silliness news, two of the stars from Teen Wolf made a video for the fans, urging them to vote for Teen Wolf in the People’s Choice Awards. I think. Anyway, the video is really… Really…

Oh just watch it.

That’s it for this week, guys! Tune in tonight at 6pm Pacific to see the latest Crossover Appeal, and have an awesome weekend.