The Mary Sue’s Favorite Articles Of 2012

by The Mary Sue Staff | 12:34 pm, December 31st, 2012

1. 1.Allow Us to Explain

   We've already let you know what our most talked about and most popular posts of 2012 are. But as the people who write all those stories you read, we at The Mary Sue have to admit that we have favorites of our own. They might not have garnered page after page of comments or tons of hits, but darnit, we like 'em. So now, in our final roundup of 2012, we've let our biases out to play to share with you our Favorite Articles of 2012.

   Here's to a geek-tastic 2013!

2. 2.A Lesson In Illustrating Wheelchairs From Someone Who Uses One

   This was hands down my favorite thing I wrote on The Mary Sue this year for many reasons, not the least of which is it was a finalist in the 2012 Online Journalism Awards. (Insert pat on back here.) As someone with Muscular Dystrophy, I've been doing my part to educate people about those with disabilities for almost my entire life. Sometimes it's something as simple as explaining that not all disabilities are visible, not all are the same, wheelchairs can't make it up those steps, etc., while sometimes it's pointing out an easy-to-fix flaw in my favorite medium. For a while I noticed wheelchairs were being illustrated in all sorts of ways in comic books, and usually not the correct way. I knew it wasn't a matter of malice, but one of ignorance, and thought it would be a good idea to have a permanent reference for artists to refer to down the road. And if nothing else, to at least make everyone aware that different people use different wheelchairs and depicting them accurately is just as important as drawing realistic body proportions on characters. Oh wait. — Jill

   Read: A Lesson In Illustrating Wheelchairs From Someone Who Uses One

3. 3.On the 'Fake' Geek Girl

   I wrote "On the 'Fake' Geek Girl" in March in response to Tara Tiger Brown's article in Forbes, with the thought of "Well, who knows when the next time I'll have a topical chance to weigh in on the issue?" Of course, there's been plenty of chances since for the "'Fake' Geek Girl" to show up in discussion, or at least for those purporting a) that 'Fake' geek women exist and b) that they can be identified on sight due to... well, the fact that they're women, who, like, guys are talking to... to show up in discussion. One particularly big incident was a Facebook post in which Tony Harris, an established veteran artist of the American comics industry, brought out his capital letters to let all those lady cosplayers out there know that they were unattractive, "lying, liar face"es who only dress up in skin-tight, revealing costumes (i.e., ones accurate to his drawings) to prey on unsuspecting nerds. And even worse, they don't actually know anything about comics. He could tell from watching them at cons.

   Anyway, the Tony Harris brou-ha-ha led to at least one cool thing: "On the 'Fake' Geek Girl" was quoted in the New Statesman. Which is at least as cool as that time my writing on race and gender in X-Men: First Class got linked by Rachel Maddow's blog last year. — Susana

   Read: On the "Fake" Geek Girl

4. 4.This Newspaper Editor's Statement On Why He Doesn't Like Female-Starring Movies Is Just… I… I Have No Words

   Why do I count this post, about the He-Man Woman-Hater newspaper editor who ranted against female-starring movies, as one of my favorites? I think I can sum it up with a few phrases: "unmanly perfidious creeps." "weakling, hyena -like men, cum eunuchs." "i believe in manliness." It's not often I see a bit of news about rampant sexism where my first reaction is uncontrollable laughter instead of anger. So thank you, Frank Parlato, Jr., you crazy ball of unrepentant sexism and bad grammar, you. In a year full of stories about frustrating things like the "fake geek girl" trope and comic con harassment, you and your obsession with MANLINESS put a smile on this female, feminist cinephile's face. Even if you didn't mean to. — Rebecca

   Read: This Newspaper Editor's Statement On Why He Doesn't Like Female-Starring Movies Is Just… I… I Have No Words

5. 5.NY Times Wakes the Dragon By Insulting Game of Thrones Viewers

   Before we published our list of most talked about stories for 2012, my Star Trek: The Next Generation recast would have been an easy favorite. Since I didn't want to double up, I had to think of another. Although I've written too many articles to remember this year, there were a few other standouts that came to mind. One was my stern defense of the fans of HBO's Game of Thrones. I have a temper similar to the famous Targaryen "wake the dragon" saying, most of all when someone is hurting those closest to me, and I see fans as my kin. So when yet another writer for the NY Times decided to spout off on a subject he knew little about while insulting those who do, I felt compelled to act. Why a writer felt the need to spout off opinions on viewers of a particular show in a review of an episode is beyond me and led us to believe the intent was simply nerd bait. I'll defend your right to hate a fantasy show, but I won't do the same when it comes to your hate of fantasy viewers. — Jill

   Read: NY Times Wakes the Dragon By Insulting Game of Thrones Viewers

6. 6.Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell Is Being Made Into a BBC Miniseries. Someone Pass Me My Smelling Salts, I'm Feeling Faint.

   The BBC's done a lot to make me sad this year. Postponing Sherlock. The series finale of Merlin. (I don't want to talk about it.) But in November it was announced that they're making my second-favorite book of all time, Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell, into a miniseries, just like I said they should in one of the very first things I wrote for The Mary Sue. This post might not be the obvious choice for one of my favorites this year: After all, it's pretty much just an announcement that an adaptation will happen at some point, probably not any time soon, and it might not even be good. (Oh please oh please oh please let it be good.) There were plenty of bigger things in entertainment, science and general geekitude that went on this year.

   But I picked it for two reasons. One: Seeing "Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell" and "BBC Miniseries" together never fails to make me smile, no matter what other shenanigans the Beeb has been pulling. Two: Some awesome fancasting went on in the comments. The idea of Tilda Swinton as the Man with the Thistle-Down Hair or David Tennant as Vinculus pleases me to my very soul. Not that it'll happen. But I can dream. — Rebecca

   Read: Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell Is Being Made into a BBC Miniseries. Someone Pass Me My Smelling Salts, I'm Feeling Faint

7. 7.It's Not a Car: Batman Identifies Things by Process of Elimination

   Okay, so if you give me one serious post that got a lot of attention for my favorite posts of the year, for my other one I've obviously got to do a silly post that almost no one looked at. Before I started running The Mary Sue, I whet my young internet teeth over at Geekosystem.com, where I wrote a lot of silly internetty things like "6 Hugh Jackman Period Films That Can Be Rewatched as Wolverine Prequels" and collaborating on a collection of thirty-odd original Troll Quotes. The upshot of this is every now and then I get nostalgic for writing articles that are mostly photoshopped images with Impact font. One of these times was early this summer, when TV spots for The Dark Knight Rises revealed Batman's immortal line "It's not a car," and I made a post of Batman identifying seven things by what they aren't.

   Except, of course, that the line is actually "This isn't a car." But I don't care. I photoshopped Batman golfing. — Susana

   Read: It's Not a Car: Batman Identifies Things by Process of Elimination

8. 8.10 Non-Costumed, Non-Powered Female Heroines

   We at The Mary Sue love ourselves some kick-butt ladies. I know, you never saw that one coming, did you? So it's no surprise we count this Power Grid among our favorite posts from 2012. Ripley, Eowyn, Martha Jones, Brienne of Tarth, Barbara Gordon, and Sarah Connor all on one list? (There are others, but you'l have to go read the post.) It's almost too amazing. —Rebecca

   Read: 10 Non-Costumed, Non-Powered Female Heroines