Three Words - NZ, Women, Comics

I'm a huge fan of short comics. Upon discovering NZ author (as well as comic artist and zine-maker) Sarah Laing, I fell in love with the simplicity of her autobiographical comics. After this, I kept seeing her work everywhere. And then I noticed - I kept seeing NZ comic artists everywhere. And a lot of them were women. Or, they've been there the whole time, and I never bothered to look.

But now, I'm bothering.

Earlier this year, Three Words: an anthology of Aotearoa/NZ women's comics was published. A whole anthology of comics from our very own artists, from all over the country, with the purpose of getting our creative women and their work out from the shadows and into a book - into your libraries, onto your coffee tables, into your hands.

And the theme? Simple - each artist would give three words to another, and in return, receive three words from someone else. Then, they incorporate those words into a comic (literally or figuratively) which you get to feast your eyes on.

With a huge variety of artists - from those who breathe comics, to those who are doing them for the first time - Three Words is a diverse and fantastic way to get to know the women who you probably pass on the street, and the creativity that they put on the page.

On Heavy Rotation

Recently I have been listening to four albums on heavy rotation and I can't seem to get enough of any of them. These women are crazy talented and are bringing some fresh sounds to 2014!

I highly recommend checking them out below:

Aquarius - Tinashe

This is the debut album of R&B singer Tinashe. Her first single of the album 2 0n is a total club banger and I love it! She's got a total Aaliyah vibe about her, particularly in this live performance on Jimmy Kimmel. What I love about this album though is that its not a throwaway album with cheap and quickly produced club banger tracks. This album is not what I expected from her, but I really am enjoying it.

I Never Learn - Lykke Li

This is the third album from Swedish artist Lykke Li and once again she has captivated me with her personal brand of etheral and haunting melodies with great beats. The love songs on this album simultaneously warm my heart and tear it apart. Definitely worth a listen. Check out the first single off the album, No Rest For the Wicked.

LP1 - FKA Twigs

The debut album from British artist FKA Twigs is one of the most fresh sounds I have heard in a while. It is a mixture of synth-laden R&B while evoking the sounds of bands like Portishead and Twigs' vocals being both soft yet piercing. Honestly this album is so much worth your time, she's definitely one to watch - which you can actually do live at Laneway Festival next year in Auckland! Check out her first single off it below.

Souled Out - Jhené Aiko

I first heard the voice of Jhené Aiko on a Drake song (From Time) and immediately knew I had to see if she had any solo music out. At the time she had an EP called Sail Out which I fell in love with. Aiko's brand of chilled out, intimate songs are captivating for their honesty and the beauty of her voice. Her songs are about issues close to her heart, ranging from breakups, relationships, her daughter, and the death of her brother. What really sets her apart however is her talent with lyricism and wordplay. She's definitely one of my new favourite artists <3

I am Malala : the girl who stood up for education and was shot by the Taliban

I am Malala : the girl who stood up for education and was shot by the Taliban 

by Malala Yousafzai ; with Christina Lamb.

"When the Taliban took control of the Swat Valley, one girl spoke out. Malala Yousafzai refused to be silenced and fought for her right to an education. On Tuesday October 9, 2012, she almost paid the ultimate price. When she was shot in the head at point blank range while riding the bus home from school, few expected her to survive. Instead, Malala's miraculous recovery has taken her on an extraordinary journey from a remote valley in northern Pakistan to the halls of the United Nations in New York. At sixteen, she has become a global symbol of peaceful protest and the youngest ever nominee for the Nobel Peace Prize. This is the remarkable tale of a family uprooted by global terrorism, of the fight for girls' education, and of Malala's parents' fierce love for their daughter in a society that prizes sons. It will make you believe in the power of one person's voice to inspire change in the world." - (From the book jacket). 

I have so much respect for Malala and the work that she does so I can't wait to read this book! Nothing infuriates me more than women and other minorities being treated as second class citizens so I am truly grateful for the work that Malala and her family are doing. Malala is the ultimate bad-ass. 

Why is Supergirl in a miniskirt? My thoughts on women in comic books.

Now before I get angry comments from comic book enthusiasts. I will openly admit that I'm not ultimate nerd level on comic books. I do however work in a library so everyone just be cool.

I was browsing the library shelves the other day in the adult comic book section and I noticed that almost every depiction of women on the cover of the comic books was borderline ridiculous. Everywhere I looked there were cartoon boobies, cartoon thighs and cartoon butts. I couldn't help but wonder why the hell they're all dressed like that, I mean is it really necessary for Supergirl to be in a miniskirt? 

First of all let's talk about practicality. Say you're hypothetically fighting an evil Nazi spymaster as Wonder Woman often did. Are you really going to wear high heels? Of course not! You've got a job to do, ain't nobody got time for that! Don't even get me started on her playsuit. There is no amount of fashion tape in the world that's going to keep those knockers in. I guess my real question is this: Are women in comic books just there to be sexualised or do they have a real purpose? 

I will say that from my experience a lot of female characters in comic books are tough and intelligent women and we are defiantly moving away from them being just the love interests and side kicks but isn't it time that we were at least a little realistic about what a woman actually is? Can't we have female super heroes who are  intelligent and awesome without being ridiculously over sexualised? I'm all for a bit of leg meat now and again but there comes a point when they're just there for the sake of their bodies and nothing else. 

Now I'm not necessarily pointing fault at libraries for this even though we are the ones stocking these books so yeah, I'll admit it's partially on us but I really don't think there are a huge amount of books available that feature women who aren't nearly naked.

I'd love to see more comic books featuring women who are a tad more practically dressed while being smart and generally kicking ass. Either that or we need a little more of this: 

Summer Reads Just For Us Chicks

There are times when I almost hate my job or, more accurately, regret my job.

Just when I think I've got my reading list under control I start browsing through web pages and book lists hunting for new titles to blog about and suddenly I find myself adding more and more titles to my own reading list.

It's a bit like the finger in the dyke story only the idea of being flooded with books actually sounds quite nice.  Though if they were to come all at once it could, I think, be quite painful.

Death by book avalanche anyone?

There is, I fear, no hope for me and my never ending reading list.

Even if I wasn't a librarian my reading list would still be out of control.  There's just something about their glossy covers and blurbs that tempt me with whispered words that I can't resist.

I'm an addict I know and it's an addiction that I hope never leaves me however much I sometimes regret my endlessly long reading list.

This year there seems to have been particularly busy year in the book world with a plethora of new titles streaming out or perhaps it's just that my reading has reached epic proportions, either way I know that I'm going to be having a very busy summer working my way through an increasingly large pile of books.

From fashion to murder to romance hopefully there is something here for everyone.