Women in Geek Culture: 2014 In Review

From the silly to the serious, it was a mighty year for The Geek Initiative. We published over 100 articles by 20 contributors and editors. We interviewed, entertained, and had representation at SDCC and NYCC this year. To accommodate this growth, we changed the look of our website … twice … and scored an awesome logo design from the talented Heather Fesmire!

Thank you very much to all of our readers and contributors for your contributions. Every like, click, and share matters. We love your feedback, too – so contact us if you want to write something or have some input.

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If I made a list of quality content or editor’s picks, it would include just about everything we published. Our mission is to celebrate women in geek culture, so this year I limited myself to a list displaying our diversity of content that does just that. Thank you again to readers, contributors, editors, and our crowdfunding supporters!

Tina covered “The Quest” in 2014.

‘The Quest’ Interview Series by Tina Degenhart (contributions by Tara M. Clapper) – Enjoying the paladins’ shared journey on “The Quest” has been remarkable for fans of the series. The Geek Initiative has been proud to cover a show that so well represents and appeals to our subculture and interests. Contributor Tina Degenhart interviewed the cast and production crew of this fantastic show.
Kickstarter Spotlight: Help This Storm Fan Film Fly – Tara interviews Maya, creator of an awesome, crowdfunded fan film now in production.
Top Ten Marvel-ous Female Characters – Jeff reviews his ten favorite female Marvel characters. Did yours make the list?
Maya Glick as Storm!

‘Bitch Planet’ Review by Amy L. – Amy reviews this Rated M masterpiece from Image Comics. We’re generally major fans of Kelly Sue DeConnick at TGI, and BP #1 did not disappoint.
Review: Conan Vol. 16, The Song of Bêlit – Dan D. takes a look at this offering from Dark Horse Comics.
Playing a Healer in LARP – An Illustrated Guide by Khaleesi – Khaleesi lightheartedly offers a peek into the world of LARP – from the perspective of someone playing a healer. This was our top-performing post of 2014.
How We Did a Geek Chic Wedding – Whitney describes how she and her husband made their wedding a geeky one!
Play It Safe: A Guide To Convention Safety – Rebecca examined conventions’ harassment policies and reached out to the cons for comments.
Crowdfunding Heroics: The Story Behind Hero Forge Minis – Tara learns how lack of available diversity in tabletop RPG miniatures inspired this team to crowdfund their own business.
Zoe Quinn and Eron Gjoni – A Look at the Gaming Industry and Accountability – Sam begins coverage of #GamerGate well before the mainstream media.
Duckfaces for days [feat. Editor Amy and Kelly Sue DeConnick].
Coverage of runDisney Avengers Half-Marathon by Amy L. – No big deal. Amy completed a half-marathon and got a selfie with Kelly Sue. The usual.
Heroes of Cosplay: Professional and Competitive Cosplay – An Unpopular Stance – This year, we featured a great deal of cosplay content, including over 20 cosplayer spotlights. In this article, Misha defends her view of professional cosplayers.
5 Martial Arts Misconceptions That Women Should Ignore – KungFuDave smashes stereotypes and demystifies martial arts.
Examining the Identity of Thor in ‘Thor’ Issue #2 – Tara takes a look at the possibilities for Thor. Who is she? The cool thing is that multiple women are potentially capable of wielding the hammer.
Contemporary Chivalry: A Modern Paladin’s Perspective – Rick examines feminism and finds that being a gentleman is never out of style.
Perspective: Trans Girl in the Gamer World – D. H. Torkavian describes what it’s like to be a trans girl gamer.
Comic Book Review: Secret Six #1 – Wes S. posted a thorough review of “Secret Six #1” which earned a retweet from Gail Simone!
Sisters: A Personal Look at Disney’s ‘Lilo & Stitch’ – Dan G. takes a look at ohana. His examination of the film exemplifies how quality entertainment and touching characters can affect us personally.
THORsday Food: Bifrosted Flake Cereal Bars – John Speas makes magical Asgardian things. Here’s a recipe you should try.
NYCC 2014: Five Things I Learned About Women in Geek Culture – We were delighted to attend NYCC as press in 2014. We had five attendees handling coverage, including live tweets, interviews, and panel attendance. Tara’s roundup highlights the inclusion of women in geek culture in 2014.