Nothing touches a critic's heart quite like pancakes! (Weekend Pattering for 11/16/2017)

This and That

** At DC Comics, An Editor Rose Through The Ranks Even After Being Accused Of Sexual Harassment (Buzzfeed)-- Even at a week old, it almost feels like this is old news but Buzzfeed did some great reporting about Eddie Berganza, the DC editor who was fired following this report because of repeated harassment issues.
Within an industry that has created some of the most influential American fiction serving as the basis for blockbuster films, TV shows, and video games, Berganza has become notorious for the contrast between his personal conduct and professional success. Professionally, he’s moved through the ranks at DC from group editor to executive editor and back again, shepherding properties like Superman and Wonder Woman — properties that grow more valuable by the day as superhero movies dominate box offices and define pop culture. Berganza has become a quintessential company man at a big company inside an even bigger company; DC Comics is part of DC Entertainment, which is owned by Warner Bros., part of Time Warner Inc.
You really need to read the whole thing as it does a great job at shedding light on actions that have long been talked about but never really investigated.

Following the firing of Berganza on Monday, others have been named as harassers, including cartoonists, publishers, journalists and even a recently hired VP at Marvel Comics.  This week at Panel Patter, we've removed pieces reviewing/promoting some of these alleged harassers work as well as removed our banner for the time being. 

2017 has been a year of controversy, pain, and hatred in comics and in the world.  Back in July when writing about Howard Chaykin's morally ugly and racist cover to United States of Hysteria #4, we said: 
But Panel Patter is a place that will always be a home for those who might be rejected elsewhere. And we will continue to speak out against hate within our community.
We mean this now more than ever.  With all of the recent events, we stand with the victims of abuse and support you.

** Missing the point: The Eddie Berganza story (Smash Pages)-- Brigid Alverson points out that the firing of Eddie Berganza for harassment is only part of the story here.
The only way DC can make this right is to change their corporate culture and make a determined effort to hire more women. (Please do not say “They should hire the best candidate for the job.” The whole point here is that by not hiring women, they haven’t been doing that for years.) During the dark period when DC was covering up for Berganza and god knows who else, more enlightened comics publishers were hiring and promoting women. There are plenty of qualified creators, editors, and managers out there, and DC should be seeking them out and preferentially hiring them.
Firing Berganza is a start but DC still has to address why they've known about this for years and have sheltered Berganza as he's edited high profile books.

Panel

from Watchmen #1 by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons

Previously on Panel Patter



Cover of the Next Week


I honestly have no idea what this is but if I spotted this cover on the racks at the comic shop, I'd definitely pick it up because it doesn't look like anything else on the stands.  Looking at artists Maaren Donder's website, I think he's an artist I need to familiarize myself with right away.

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