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I was going to write an entry exploring ephemera based on my twitter prompt, but some recent online events have happened that I wanted to talk about in a more expanded form.

When I first started doing comic reviews, it was fun. It was a mini vacation from writing my book and an opportunity to get a quick sense of accomplishment. For the last several weeks, those positive feelings have been stripped away and replaced with stress. It seems like every day there has been some new revelation that made me question how much I wanted to be associated with the team I was once appreciative to be a part of. This is a real shame considering the last piece I wrote for Comic Crusaders was the one I cared most about and the closest I got to in field work while writing for them.

https://www.comiccrusaders.com/review-moving-target-the-history-and-evolution-of-green-arrow/

The analytical skill I brought in my reviews garnered considerable praise from creators; and, as the American superhero was the focus of my Masters’ degree, Richard Gray’s book finally gave me the opportunity to put my academic training to use. In contrast, however, I increasingly felt like I was being censored and punished for my informed insights in chat discussions. Like many of the women who used to be on the team, I was often made to feel like nothing more than a troublemaker. I truly do not want to bash the company and I still care for several members on it, but the drama therein has already spilled out onto the world wide web several times with one person even making a podcast where he blamed the lack of a new episode on a female team member, by name, because she expressed discomfort with the misogyny in the book we were supposed to all be reading. By the time the intentionally misleading and incendiary column regarding Gen Con was mistakenly published, I was already wanting to take a step back. The resulting response columns and backlash gave me further pause. Then, I was offered the position of Assistant Editor in Chief where I could prevent something like that from happening again. The fact that the articles were eventually taken down gave me hope that I could help turn things around, so I accepted the position. That said, I made the decision to not write any more reviews for Comic Crusaders because I didn’t want my writing to be associated with that kind of rhetoric.

In spite of my anxieties, I quickly threw myself into doing all I could in order to get the company get back on its feet: I suggested creating a mission statement that would inform the content the site would provide; I was set to help a teammate draft a contract new members would have to sign; it was even suggested by another teammate that I serve as an admin to cut off volatile comments before they escalated into conflict on the group chat. I really did try. Then, a member suggested that I invite a friend of mine to do a podcast, and I realized that I didn’t feel comfortable asking her to do something that I myself would not do given the still current circumstances. I told her that it would be a cool opportunity, but waiting might be wise. For protecting my friend, I found myself, once again, in trouble with the group after I shared that information in the interest of full transparency. This is when I was kicked off the team, which is what happened to the majority of their other female members. I told the owner that it seemed like an overreaction and he privately told me he needed a few days to think. All things considered though, I don’t think Comic Crusaders is the place for me. Clearly, what I had to offer the team and what the team actually wants are two different things. I still am thankful for the platform Comic Crusaders gave me and I really do hope to see them rise above all this. I just know that I personally can’t be a part of it anymore. Thankfully, as one door was closing, another had already opened.

I know for a fact that other groups have suffered from the same problems Comic Crusaders recently experienced, but it doesn’t have to be this way. In the Sirens of Sequentials, I see a refuge from the toxicity that has become so prevalent in the comics community. Every member is able to bring something unique to the table and that is honored and respected. We make decisions as a group and those decisions are centered around us doing things we want to do based on our skills, connections, occupations, etc. We are a small group, but I am proud to be a member. One of the things that we are doing to inject a little more positivity into the battle for awareness is spotlighting the many women and minorities who are working in various different parts of the industry. We are also engaged in showing how, even though character creation and stories haven’t always had our readership in mind, geeky girls have been around since the beginning. I know this one personally as my grandma is the one who got me into comics in the first place. We are not going away. This media is ours too and our team is filled with intelligent powerful women who are not afraid to read against or across the grain. If you want to join our cause or have materials you would like us to promote please feel free to reach out. We are predominately female but are looking to grow and want to highlight diversity in all forms. Together, we are only going to sing our siren songs louder.

In sum, when it comes to reviewing, I have found my happy place again. I just had to move to a new company to do it. Apologies to all who were waiting on my ephemera entry to post. Look out for that next month!