Fan STEPHEN CMELAK responds

The once and future moderator of the Kingdom Board at Comic Book Resources (which grew out of the original Unofficial Kingdom Come Boards, which makes Steve some sort of dinosaur or hereditary bad ass, I can't decide), Stephen Cmalak is the heir to the Log Cabin Syrup fortune and a militant Canada Firster, who advocates invading the Dakotas. Of course, since no one will notice that they're gone, it's entirely likely that he'll be declaring himself the Caliph of Fargo any day now. He also happens to still wear "Star Wars" footie pajamas to sleep at night. Don't ask how I know; it's all too painful. (BY)

All right, I’m going to go out on a limb, here. I’m going to risk suffering the slings and arrows of comic readers, netheads, and feminists everywhere, and express what I’m sure will be an extremely unpopular point of view. Now, Gail and everybody else involved with this site are all very good friends of mine, and while I can’t deny that ‘Women In Refrigerators’ is a thought-provoking, beautifully-designed piece of work, I’ve gotta say that in the long run, I’m disappointed. WiR isn’t terribly balanced in the presentation of its subject matter; in fact, it doesn’t even come close to presenting the whole story.

I mean, it’s all about women, for crying out loud! Where in God’s name is the refrigerator content?

I’m sorry, but it seems awfully one-sided to me.

Here, then, is my attempt to balance the scales a little, and provide you with a one-stop online fridge resource. Before you come to any hard and fast conclusions, take a quick browse through some of the links below. Because, damn it, the refrigerators of this world deserve to be heard.

The brand name that immediately leaps to mind when I think ‘Women In Refrigerators’ is Frigidaire, which just goes to show you how effective their advertising is. Their home page features both a handsome gallery of all the models they offer, as well as a list of their specifications. Pretty handy to have if you’re a supervillain comparison-shopping for quick-and-easy storage.

Maytag is a distant second, partly because I have trouble associating the Maytag Repairman with women. They make a pretty big deal about their innovative features that allow you to “create big and tall spaces in your refrigerator at the turn of a handle,” which can be convenient if you’ve got your hands full ...

The Electrolux home page features a Real Fridge Cam, simulating the experience of actually being shoved inside the fridge of your typical American family. Groovy and educational!

The Brrrr-tual Reality Refrigerator is an award-winning (no, really) virtual reality tour of a fully-stocked fridge. Turn the air conditioning on full blast, and you’ll swear you’re really there. The closest you’ll come to the WiR experience, without actually having to date a Green Lantern.

The dimensions of the typical refrigerator featured at What’s In My Fridge? are 64" h by 32" w by 27 1/2" d, with a capacity of only 14.1 cu. ft. Bad guys take note: You may have to empty the produce drawer to get everything to fit.

And finally, Fridgedoor.com, the Web's biggest fridge magnet store, has quite a large section devoted to "comics and superhero magnets." Y'know, for those of us who’d rather see our favorite superheroines on a fridge, as opposed to in one.