Brace yourselves. Blake Petit, columns editor of ComiXtreme.com, published a startling finding about women and comic books.

"I want to talk about what women would want out of comics now. And here's the thing I think will surprise people … women want exactly the same thing as men: engaging characters, intelligent stories and great art."

All together now: Duh.

Comments like that used to irritate me. Now they just make me tired. I mean, next we'll read that women like food that tastes good and cars that get good gas mileage. And breathe oxygen.

Granted, many, if not most, comic books are written for men, probably because drawing babes with boobs is a whole lot simpler than developing a compelling story. (Not that I'm against babes with boobs.) But AfterEllen.com makes a point of letting you know when we find good comics that we think you'll like. Whenever I have a chance to spend more time in my comic store than it takes to pick up my subscriptions, I find new titles that appeal to me. And more are on the way.

I'm eagerly looking forward to Echo, by Strangers in Paradise creator Terry Moore. … continue reading

I keep coming across lists I can't really improve on, so I'm just going to list them. In a list. Of lists. (A few of these are via Pop Candy, which is always a good source for lists and, well, just about everything else.)

1. 10 Star Wars toys that unintentionally look like other celebrities

When I was a kid, I often complained that my Princess Leia action figure just wasn't made right — it kept toppling over. And it annoyed me that her gun was so flimsy and useless, especially compared to Chewbacca's giant over-the-arm weapon. But at least the '70s toy version of Leia didn't look like Christian Bale:

And then there's Mon Mothma and Laura Bush:

The list includes other frighteningly spot-on comparisons, like Han Solo/Josh Brolin and Yak Face/Robert De Niro.

2. 13 movies worth preserving

EW.com readers recently named the films they'd like to add to the National Film Registry. I agree with Raising Arizona and The Women — and with the reader who submitted the latter and said, "I can't believe it's not already there." … continue reading

I think I want Capone over at Ain't It Cool News to be my new BFF, because he keeps interviewing the coolest women! A few weeks ago it was Loretta Devine. This week, it's Persepolis creator Marjane Satrapi.

Scribegrrrl blogged about Persepolis in December but, if you missed it, you should go back and read about this fascinating movie, which I'm chagrined to admit I still have not seen. (But I just decided I'm going to remedy that this week!) Also, if you have not seen it, you should definitely take a moment to watch the Persepolis trailer.

Frankly, I don't know how I've waited this long to see the movie. It looks so incredibly good!

But enough about me. What's actually interesting is to read what Marjane Satrapi has to say about the original graphic novel, the movie and her life. Here are some highlights. (And keep in mind, as Capone noted, “if her English isn't grammatically correct, remember that she is fairly fluent in probably a half-dozen languages.”) … continue reading

For years, Strangers in Paradise fans have speculated about a movie or television series based on the adventures — and love story — of Katchoo and Francine.

I didn't really expect it to happen, mainly because I couldn't imagine a producer who could fully appreciate the genius of Terry Moore's storytelling. But at last weekend's Xena convention, Steven Sears, who produced Xena, announced that he and Moore are working together to bring a live action version of SiP to television. Sounds like a match made in, well, paradise.

Sears and Moore got to know each other after the SiP issue in which Francine and Katchoo appeared as Xena and Gabrielle.

Once Moore finished the comic series — marvelously, I might add — he decided to get in touch with Sears and actively pursue making a TV show. Of course, the writers' strike has to end and they have to find a studio and make a pilot and get the series picked up and other minor details, but I can't help being excited about the prospect. And I can't help imagining who will play Francine and Katchoo. … continue reading