Ellemental Evil Cosplay

“Please do not fear for me. I have no fear myself. The old monsters are fine. The old curses have echoed to silence. And if my immortal soul is lost to me, something yet remains. I remain.”

Lapis Lazuli, Steven Universe

Vanessa Ives, Penny Dreadful.

Lady Lucille Sharp, Crimson Peak

Hannah from Rat Queens

Wanda Maximoff/Scarlet Witch

Dottie Underwood, Agent Carter

Yuuko from AKB0048

one of the little buddies that follow around Totoro, who looks like a smaller, bluer Totoro. Because @thetyrelloftarth is a gr8 Totoro.

Capable, Mad Max Fury Road

A really cool thing happened at New York Comic Con this weekend. I attended the Women of Marvel panel on Sunday. I love hearing from Marvel’s lady creators and what they have to say about what’s to come of the lady-led titles in the future. The Women of Marvel panel at NYCC in 2013 really helped me get into comics, as before that, I didn’t quite know where to start, and felt like I didn’t really have a place in that fandom.

Well, fast-forward two years, and I’m at the panel again (missed it last year D:) in cosplay as Natalia Romanova, the Black Widow, ready with my questions. In the past, I felt I wasn’t “well-versed” enough to ask questions, as if you had to earn the right to be curious about something. I got that vibe off of how women who read comics are treated by male readers…the “fake geek girl” myth. Anyway, so I’m very excited because Black Widow Forever Red is coming out, and Red Widow was just introduced as a character in Mockingbird, and I want to ask things about them. When the floor is open for questions, I get in line, and I’m getting a little nervous as I get closer and closer to the mic. Confession: I’ve never asked anything at a panel. I have always felt like I didn’t know enough to present one.

It’s my turn to ask, so I start off sort of with a joke. I ask the audience where the heck our Black Widow movie is (it’s funny because I’m dressed as Natasha). And while I’m preoccupied with laughing at my own joke, @margaretstohl who is dressed as Red Widow, runs up to give me a hug and a copy of the book. At this point, I’m STUNNED…nothing like this has happened to me at a convention before. I’m surprised I even managed to ask my questions but I did, and afterward we got a pic of us as the two widows.

Anyway, I’m so excited to read this book. I’m always looking for more Black Widow content, especially stories that can give us a deep look into her character. And I feel a novel is the best way to do that. Lol if you look at the movie versions of books, they are never quite as good, because things inevitably are cut out of simplified. Literature has been a lifelong love, and the basis of my nerd-ing before comics were even in the picture.

Thanks for fighting the good fight, and thanks for prompting @margaretstohl‘s answer, which is that they hear us on social media and it matters.

As far as purchasing power goes, that's something that a lot of young people (and people in general) are limited in. Many people, myself included, have to really pick and choose which titles to actually buy. I try to spend my money where it will matter the most, like supporting the more diverse books in the Marvel universe.