Finding Dory, Disability Culture, and Collective Access

Originally posted at Disability Visibility Project

On June 25, I saw Finding Dory after reading many positive reviews and recommendations from my disabled friends. I wasn’t disappointed. There was so much to unpack and process when I got home that I decided to write this review/essay.

Continue reading Finding Dory, Disability Culture, and Collective Access”

APAture2015: Interview with Jason Bayani

We continue our spotlight on Kearny Street Workshop and its APAture2015: Future Tense, a series of showcases featuring emerging artists from the San Francisco Bay Area. This Saturday, October 10, the Comics & Illustration Showcase will feature a number of comic book artists. Yesterday was my interview with artist Thi Bui. Today, I chat with Jason Bayani, Program Manager of Kearny Street Workshop.

Continue reading “APAture2015: Interview with Jason Bayani”

APAture2015: Interview with Artist Thi Bui

Kearny Street Workshop, one of the oldest and well-known arts organization in the Asian Pacific American community, proudly presents APAture2015: Future Tense, a series of showcases featuring emerging artists from the San Francisco Bay Area.

On Saturday, October 10, the Comics & Illustration Showcase will feature a number of comic book artists. Below is a brief Q&A with  Thi Bui, who is the featured artist at this year’s showcase.

Continue reading “APAture2015: Interview with Artist Thi Bui”

Disabled Geeks: Improve Representation of Disability in Wikis

Calling all geeky crips! Do you have a favorite comic book character with a disability?

Do you find wiki posts about disabled comic book characters ableist, inaccurate, or devoid of a disability perspective?

If so, we’re looking for you!

Dominick Evans and I — through the Disability Visibility Project — are looking for volunteers to update various entries in comic book wikis.

Continue reading “Disabled Geeks: Improve Representation of Disability in Wikis”

A smiling Daredevil action figure sits in front of a computer monitor, arms raised above his head triumphantly. The opening sequence from the Netflix series Marvel's Daredevil plays on the screen behind him with a newly added audio track selected in the settings menu that reads: "ENGLISH - AUDIO DESCRIPTION." In the corner are two hashtags in red text: ‪#‎Dare2Describe‬ ‪#‎HellYeah‬

The Fight for Audio Description on Netflix’s Daredevil

When Marvel’s much-anticipated Daredevil premiered on Netflix on April 10, the disability community, especially the nerds with disabilities, looked forward to the series in appreciation of the genre, the comic books, and in particular, the blind protagonist, Matt Murdock, aka Daredevil. Unlike other popular superheroes with disabilities that might be cyborgs, mutants, or aliens, Matt Murdock became blind in an accident, a very human and mundane event, nothing supernatural or alien about it. Yes, the radioactive isotopes that he was exposed to gave him certain abilities, but his lived experience as a blind man in a non-blind world also gave him certain skills that became as useful as his heightened senses, ability to take a beating, and mastery of the martial arts.

Very soon after the release of Daredevil on Netflix, people began to realize that blind Netflix users could not enjoy Daredevil’s adventures since the series did not come with audio description.

Continue reading “The Fight for Audio Description on Netflix’s Daredevil

Sikh Captain America: The Man Behind the Shield

Is America ready for a Sikh Captain America — a superhero fighting hate crimes and intolerance? In the wake of 9/11, the massacre of Sikh Americans in Oak Creek, Wisconsin, and America post-Ferguson, my answer is a resounding yes! If superheroes can battle aliens, cyborgs, and fellow villainous superheroes, why can’t there be one that fights for social and racial justice?

In 2013, cartoonist Vishavjit Singh wore a Captain America costume for the first time with a royal blue turban to match his ensemble. The short documentary Red, White, and Beard is a quirky, lighthearted glance into Sikh Captain America and the man behind this growing phenomenon.

Continue reading “Sikh Captain America: The Man Behind the Shield”

Gotham & Sleepy Hollow: More Mixed Feelings on Monday Nights

This week both episodes of Gotham and Sleepy Hollow left me feeling a lot less meh, especially Sleepy Hollow. During Gotham, I noticed on my Twitter timeline either a lot of rage toward the Arkham storyline or a lot of excitement seeing the asylum for the first time on the show. Since I am not a reader of the comic books and unfamiliar with the Batman canon, perhaps I am less disturbed and annoyed by the way Arkham (and the role of the Wayne family) was introduced on the show.

Episode four of Sleepy Hollow, on the other hand, had an embarrassment of riches for #Ichabbie shippers. Those golden shipper moments in combination with some great action and comedic scenes made this episode much more fun to watch and live-tweet.

Continue reading Gotham & Sleepy Hollow: More Mixed Feelings on Monday Nights”

Putting the Meh in Monday Nights

I’d have to say both episodes of Gotham and Sleepy Hollow this week left me feeling a bit meh. It feels like the episodes are, dare I say it, becoming formulaic. And yet, I must be a servant of Moloch because I will most likely live-tweet again next week. The question is, will Moloch (a.k.a., the God Demon of Child Sacrifice) reward me for my loyal viewing?

Here are some choice tweets for this week’s episodes of Gotham and Sleepy Hollow, “Balloonman” and “Root of All Evil,” respectively. For more, check out the hashtags #Gotham and #YungGotham for the Batman prequel and #SleepyHeads and #SleepyHolla for some great tweets. And check out Keith’s take on last night’s Gotham.

Continue reading “Putting the Meh in Monday Nights”

Monday Night Live-Tweet: Gotham and Sleepy Hollow

Monday nights are just full of nerdy goodness. First with Gotham and then Sleepy Hollow on FOX.  It’s been fun live-tweeting both episodes back-to-back. Here are some choice tweets for the second episodes of Gotham and Sleepy Hollow, “Selina Kyle” and “The Kindred,” respectively.

For more, check out the hashtags #Gotham and #YungGotham for the Batman prequel and #SleepyHeads and #SleepyHolla for everyone’s favorite

Continue reading “Monday Night Live-Tweet: Gotham and Sleepy Hollow

Sleepy Time is Over: A Storify of the Sleepy Hollow Season Premiere

Gotham wasn’t the only high-profile NOC-friendly series to debut on FOX last night. Immediately following was the second season premiere of Sleepy Hollow, and since I was already on twitter, we live-tweeted that too! You could’ve followed along with the hashtags #SleepyHeads and #SleepyPremiere.

If you missed any of the live-tweets, find them on Storify here. Some highlights are after the jump.

Continue reading “Sleepy Time is Over: A Storify of the Sleepy Hollow Season Premiere”

Once Upon a Time in Gotham: A Storify

Since last night was the kickoff to the new fall season, I was tasked with watching the FOX network for two straight hours, with Gotham debuting and NOC-favorite Sleepy Hollow returning. Fortunately, I was joined by the lovely folks on twitter since I was live tweeting both shows on the official NOC twitter, using the hashtags #GothamPremiere and #YungGotham.

If you didn’t get a chance to follow along, here’s a Storify for my live-tweets of the Gotham pilot. Check back later for the Sleepy Hollow one. I’ve also highlighted some choice tweets below as well.

Continue reading “Once Upon a Time in Gotham: A Storify”

Forever Ghibli

It might be sad commentary that I get my breaking news from my Facebook news feed. I suspect the same is true for millions of others. Earlier this week, I was alarmed when several friends alerted me to an announcement by Studio Ghibli that they will be closing their production division.

Translation: no new Studio Ghibli animated magic.

Continue reading “Forever Ghibli”

Goin’ Back to Gotham, Gotham, Gotham…

Oh, I love me a good origin story. For those who loved Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy starring Christian Bale and a panoply of excellent actors, this fall’s Fox television series Gotham will be giving us a chance to revisit Bruce Wayne as a young boy when the city was as dank and gross as Times Square in the 70s.

Sensing it might have a hit on its hands, Fox’s marketing department has gone into overdrive promoting the show. After releasing an official trailer and first look preview, eight new character posters were just unveiled by Entertainment Weekly. Apparently, they’re celebrating Bat Week, too.

Here are some initial thoughts on the latest live action take on the Batman universe.

Continue reading “Goin’ Back to Gotham, Gotham, Gotham…”

NOC Recaps Game of Thrones Part Three: It’s Not Easy Seeing Green

[Ed note: The season finale was so epic, we couldn’t contain our thoughts in just one post! So to accommodate all the thoughts and feels from the Season 4, Episode 10 “The Children,” we’ve called on the heroic trio that led us the last ten weeks — Anna, Julie, and Alice — to each share their thoughts on the finale and the season overall. Part one is here; part two is here.]

With a heavy heart I write this re-cap of the Season 4 finale of Game of Thrones: “The Children.”

Continue reading “NOC Recaps Game of Thrones Part Three: It’s Not Easy Seeing Green”

NOC Recaps Game of Thrones: Dividends and Debts

Season four of Game of Thrones has been a tumultuous one to say the least, especially for those who have read the A Song of Fire and Ice series and know how much the television show has diverged with the characters in the last several episodes in particular (cough, cough Jaime Lannister the rapist).

The season’s sixth episode, “The Laws of Gods and Men,” grapples with a lot of thorny issues such as how leaders need to balance justice with mercy and whether they truly are able to deliver justice or just merely a series of motions with a pre-ordained verdict.

Continue reading “NOC Recaps Game of Thrones: Dividends and Debts”

NOC Recaps Game of Thrones: Only the Good Die Young

In “Breaker of Chains,” the third episode of season four of HBO’s Game of Thrones, everything is running amok in Westeros, North beyond the Wall, and Meereen. Things were never sweet, but they sure are sour. The long overdue death of the king has created a power vacuum, and the many players of the Game are scrambling to realign themselves with the next ruler.

Continue reading “NOC Recaps Game of Thrones: Only the Good Die Young”

NOC Recaps Game of Thrones: Reversal of Fortunes

In the immortal words of Salt-N-Pepa, I’m gonna “Push it… Push it Good…” and recap the season four premiere of Game of Thrones, “Two Swords,” as best as possible. For those who want a review of what’s happened so far and where we left all the main characters, go herehere, and here.

Continue reading “NOC Recaps Game of Thrones: Reversal of Fortunes”

A Mutant from Planet Cripton, An Origin

In 1974, a baby arrived in the suburbs of Indianapolis, Indiana from the planet Cripton. She looked like the offspring of two Chinese immigrants, Ma and Pa Wong, but something was different.

The Earth’s gravitational force made it difficult for this baby to raise her head. She couldn’t crawl and went straight from sitting to walking. Perplexed, Ma and Pa Wong took their baby to the doctor and found out: she is a mutant from Cripton!

This is her origin story.

Continue reading “A Mutant from Planet Cripton, An Origin”