In between marketing winding up for its May release and Toy Fair around the corner, merchandise for Age of Ultron has been showing up everywhere. But one Avenger has been largely absent: Black Widow. It's not something new to Marvel — and that's starting to be a problem. » 1/27/15 2:35pm 1/27/15 2:35pm

Ah, Iris West: Jitters barista by day, intrepid chronicler of the Flash's superspeed shenanigans by night. But while The Flash has been off the air, we've been thinking that maybe Iris isn't Central City's best Citizen Journalist. In fact, she's actually the worst blogger on the internet, which is quite an achievement. » 1/19/15 2:58pm 1/19/15 2:58pm

It's easy to get caught up in the internet gender war trainwreck, where we're still arguing over whether women belong in tech or rape victims are liars. But let's set that shit aside and take the long view: Do we have any evidence that the future will bring greater freedom to women, or should we expect more dystopia? » 1/02/15 4:25pm 1/02/15 4:25pm

Into the Woods had a powerhouse cast and a gorgeous sound. But there's still something missing in this musical: the death of a certain character. And it nearly kills the movie. Spoilers ahead. » 12/29/14 5:17pm 12/29/14 5:17pm

He used to be so cool and unpredictable. He would breeze into a complicated situation and make it simple through the razor-sharp power of his intellect. But lately, he's gotten dull and predictable, performing the same party trick over and over. The "smartest man in the room" is overexposed lately, and he needs a… » 12/22/14 4:59pm 12/22/14 4:59pm

When Marvel announced that its next round of movies would include a Captain Marvel movie, we were thrilled. Yes, a major Marvel movie featuring a popular and wonderful female superhero. But amidst that celebration, let's not forget there are still tons of worthy female superheroes who would make excellent movie stars. » 11/13/14 4:08pm 11/13/14 4:08pm

The phone call isn't dead. Despite what many a journalist/blogger/paranoid internet commenter might have you believe, smartphones can indeed still dial out. Of course, that doesn't mean it's not in the process of dying. And if you have even a shred of decency about you, you'll help take it out back Old-Yeller-style… » 11/11/14 3:44pm 11/11/14 3:44pm

Everybody does it. We obsessively watch TV shows that we kind of despise, and then we mock them, and complain about them on the internet afterwards. "Hate-watching" is a thing now. What's going on — are we just masochists? Are we doing serious damage to our bodies? What's the worst thing that could happen to us? » 11/03/14 4:29pm 11/03/14 4:29pm

My mother is untrainable. At least, as far as voicemail is concerned. We'd repeat the same song and dance over and over. Me: Stop leaving me voicemails. Her: I don't understand. This went on for years, until I figured out she was right all along. » 10/14/14 11:28am 10/14/14 11:28am

You know what we really want from our "strong female characters" in pop culture? Not to be perfect human beings. Or to screw up and be sidelined. What we want is to see them do what all great characters do: make mistakes, and grow as a result. Here are a ton of female heroes whose mistakes made them great. » 9/10/14 5:27pm 9/10/14 5:27pm

This weekend, Hollywood will release the movie adaptation of Lois Lowry's The Giver, a film many of us have been waiting for since our junior high years. And in a world of Hunger Games, Divergents and many more popular YA novels, we'd like to talk about why this slightly older book still matters. » 8/14/14 5:47pm 8/14/14 5:47pm

This fall is seeing a huge crop of comic-book TV shows, and one of the most promising is Constantine. The trench-coated antihero who copes with the unsavory side of magic is getting a more faithful portrayal. Except he won't smoke. And now we're hearing his sexuality will be toned down too. Does it matter? » 7/14/14 4:29pm 7/14/14 4:29pm

This weekend Maleficent made a boatload of cash, and that bums me out — because this wasn't the Maleficent I wanted. And it certainly wasn't the Maleficent we all deserved. Here's why I'm pissed at what Disney did to the biggest and baddest villain around. Warning, spoilers. » 6/03/14 11:18am 6/03/14 11:18am

It's no secret that female characters are portrayed in a different way than their male counterparts are in comic art. But in a medium where superhero costumes are already so silly, why do we care so much about how our lady heroes dress? » 5/08/14 8:54pm 5/08/14 8:54pm

This morning we all delighted in the casting announcement for Star Wars VII. And then the reality set in: There is only one new female character being added to what is arguably the world's most beloved mythic series. It's as if 51 percent of the population cried out in pain, and was suddenly silenced. » 4/29/14 2:30pm 4/29/14 2:30pm