Panel 1: As
a young man watches, Barbara slaps a poster reading "West of Bathurst
by Kari Maaren" on a wall next to a number of other posters. The
biggest reads "Ad Astra 2012." The others feature, respectively, a girl
holding a sword in front of a fiery mountain, with the word
"Shadowstalker" beneath her; the cover of the book Ninja Versus Pirate Featuring Zombies; and yellow cat eyes on a black background.
Panel 2: At
a science-fiction and fantasy convention, Barbara is sitting on a panel
with two men and a woman. The balder of the two men is the moderator.
Moderator: Do you think the role of evil in fantasy has been shifting lately?
Woman: Well--
Man: Absolutely.
Panel 3:
Woman: It's been a long time since a good old-fashioned good-versus-evil plot has been a necessity.
Man: Maybe. But the trope hasn't disappeared. Take Harry Potter.
Panel 4:
Moderator: I think it's all been very ambiguous, very dark.
Woman: There's certainly a fascination with alternate points of view.
Man: Even in books for young adults.
Panel 5:
Moderator: Especially there.
Woman: We've always been drawn to darkness. In a way, it's healthy.
Man: It helps us come to terms with who we are via what we hope we're not.
Panel 6:
Barbara: One of my best friends is Satan.
Panel 7: Later, Barbara is sitting with the young man from the first panel.
Barbara: They may not ask me back next year.
Young Man: No, that was totally the best part.
Alt-Text: I've never done this on a panel, but I can't say I haven't been tempted.
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