Last summer, I attended a thesis presentation by one of my classmates. It was on the portrayal of women and minorities in comic books. I wasn't the only girl there, but I was the first one to arrive. As we waited for kick off and were casually discussing the topic, one of the other students piped up, "Hey, let's ask her -- you're a girl who reads comics, what do YOU think of Frank Miller? Is he a misogynist or what?"

Yikes. And I've since learned that no man or woman ever expects you to say "No" to that question. If you say "No, I really don't," jaws will drop and everyone will say "But what about that Vicki Vale thing?" Damning, to be sure -- but 95% of comic book writers and illustrators do the exact same thing. But, to make a long story short, I always point to Elektra, and we all begrudgingly agree to disagree.

Well, over at the official website for The Spirit, Miller has posted a new production blog. While he never specifically addresses the charges against him (and may not even be thinking of them as he posted this), Miller nevertheless has written a spirited defense. "I love writing tough, powerful women." And he has set out to do just that with one chick specifically -- Ellen Dolan, love interest of the title character. The character has proved to be a challenge, a weak stereotype of the age in which she was created. Miller calls her "a lousy character" and complains, "[The Spirit] even tossed her over his knee and spanked her. And she took it. Ellen Dolan made Donna Reed look like Angelina Jolie."

• 
• Dreamwatch Magazine talked to Elektra director Rob Bowman who says that an R-rated Director's Cut will be coming out in November. Other tidbits include the film budget, which he reports was $43 million, making the worldwide box office total of $56 million look a lot better. This also doesn't include DVD and VHS sales. Bowman also thinks there's still a plan to make a third movie in the Daredevil/Electra series.
  
• SuperHeroHype has a Ghost Rider set report which includes pictures.
  
• They also have five new international posters for the Fantastic Four movie.
  
• Check out these pictures from the second unit Superman Returns film shoot at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles.
• The full international trailer for Fantastic Four is now up at the Apple Quicktime site.
• Now Playing Magazine talked to John Carter of Mars screenwriter Ehren Kruger: "I'm in the writing process for John Carter of Mars, working with the director - Sky Captain's Kerry Conran," says Kruger of the Edgar Rice Burroughs adaptation. "He's in, too, with his visual design team — the effects, and the sort of outlandish worlds that need to be created for that. He has to design all that. So we're pretty (well) along with the script."
• GotFuturama.com reports that David X. Cohen said that they had talks with the top guys at FOX who were extremely impressed with the sales of the Futurama DVDs. The idea was proposed to make a series of direct to DVD Futurama movies.
  

The Geek Report is published on Cinematical Monday through Friday. Got a geek news tip? Leave it in the comments!