7 Favorite Sherlock Holmes stories

Posted on April 4, 2012 by Tanya

If anyone were to ask me what I think of Sherlock Holmes, my response – he’s a cantankerous, brilliant man with an infectious laugh, reckless habits, and a great sense of compassion – would be inspired by Vasily Livanov, the Soviet actor who portrayed the famous detective in several TV series made by LenFilm from 1979 (the year I was born) to 1986. Doyle’s detective stories were part of most Russian kids’ childhood education, or at least kids of my generation, and Livanov’s portrayal earned him not only adoring and lasting love from countless fans, but also an honorary membership in the Order of the British Empire in 2006.

I say all this not from some sort of elitist sense of pride (although an inkling of it is there), but because I’ve come to realize that one of the best things about Sherlock Holmes is that, like another strange genius most of us love, each generation has their own Holmes, with a new face and slightly different quirks. That’s what makes Holmes lasting and immortal, as he is reinvented by directors and actors, from Rathbone to Downey, Jr. to Cumberbatch. The same goes for his trustworthy partner, Dr. Watson, who has remained a steadfast and endearing companion through countless film and TV versions.

SH_Develop Your Mind by mad-samurai on DeviantArt

But in the end, where would we be if it wasn’t for the stories, in the first place? Whether films and series interpret the existing stories, or use them as a departure point for new episodes that seem in line with Holmes and Watson’s adventures (BBC’s Sherlock has done a good job of that), Doyle’s stories are still the source. So, in the spirit of appreciation, I’ve put together a short list of a few of my favorites (it was so hard to narrow it down). So if you haven’t had a chance to read Doyle’s mysteries before, I hope this piques your curiosity. I admit, all my favorite stories are from the first three volumes written by Doyle (The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes, and The Return of Sherlock Holmes). The e-books are available for download for free (links at the bottom of the post).

Now then, the list in an arbitrary order of preference. I’ve done my best to avoid any major spoilers.

1) The Adventure of the Speckled Band (The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes)
This story combines some of the best elements present not just in Sherlock Holmes stories, but mystery stories in general. (Doyle also considered it his favorite Holmes story and I’m obviously in agreement.) There is a damsel in distress, an intriguing and eerie death, and a cold-hearted father figure. It’s an example of a “locked room mystery,” where Holmes and Watson have to figure out the nature of the crime that took place in a supposedly locked and inaccessible room. Plus, if you’re into satisfying endings where the bad guys get their just rewards in the best way possible, this one has it, too. Continue reading →

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Game of Thrones Recap, S2E1: Dragons, Bastards, and When Sassing Goes Wrong

Posted on April 2, 2012 by Elyse

The curtain’s raised, the theme music played, and this is what our favorite Westeros residents have been up to this week! (Spoilers ahoy, obviously!)

Continue reading →

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Reading Comics with Alice Marie: Supergod (Avatar)

Posted on April 2, 2012 by Alice Marie

 

The final installment of Warren Ellis’s “synthetic heroes” series (with previous books being Black Summer and No Hero) wraps up with Supergod (Avatar Press, 2010) by asking “How far would the world go?”

Without giving too much away, the story is set in the 20th century, as the nations of the world with the most firepower create beings who are more than just super humans: they’re truly supergods. Ellis creates an alternative arms race, where super-beings are the bombs that could bring the world together or tear it apart, and the whole prospect is both exciting and terrifying. With the supergods’ powers comes the potential for destruction beyond all imagination.

The interesting thing about Supergod is how this third volume is completely different in style from the preceding two books, not only in art – Garrie Gastonny instead of Juan Jose Ryp – but also in narration. Here we have a single narrator, describing to an unseen party the events of the past 30-plus years, leading us on a story to the present moment and the destruction of Earth. It is a story that’s much darker in tone, which I love when done well.

The book definitely has a good deal of cultural “intersectionality”, as far as drawing on several different mythologies as the narrative unfolds across multiple countries and continents. Ultimately, this is a story of what would happen if the pent-up aggression of the world’s nations have towards one another were to be concentrated into post-human beings. Going completely unchecked, giving a single being in each country all the power, can lead to a situation that escalates into something horrible, as we see happen in this book.

Supergod was a fine ending to Ellis’ trilogy, but I’m definitely ready to move on to something a bit more whimsical. Next week: Scarlet Traces.

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Geeking Out

Posted on March 30, 2012 by Mace
  • Probably THE most exciting bit of news for us this week is the fact that our panel proposal for Geek Girl Con in Seattle this coming August has been ACCEPTED!!! We will definitely share all the details with you as it all comes together. For now, we’re just dancing around, giggling, and high-fiving the world. We’re a bit overwhelmed, and this has been a busy week for us all at Geekquality, so please forgive that this week’s list is a bit short.
  • April 1st means Wrestlemania, the premiere of Season 2 of Game of Thrones (check back on Monday for our recap!), and the Shameless finale on Showtime.
  • Also doubly excited about The Legend of Korra getting started in April, after watching the preview of the first two episodes on the KorraNation website last weekend. It’s everything we’ve wanted and more!
  • Wary about the announcement that Anchorman is getting a sequel. It seems like we just got done running into drunk dudes at parties who think “go back to your home on Whore Island!” is the funniest thing ever.
  • Can’t wait to find out more about the comic book O.C.T.: Occult Crimes Taskforce being prepped for television. Co-creator Rosario Dawson will most likely take on the role of NYPD Detective Sophia Ortiz.
  • With Moxie’s post on race in fantasy media and Elyse’s Hollywood whitewashing commentary causing a stir, we are still pressing on. We want to see more media we can relate to, experiences of POC. The NY Times op-ed There Need to  Be More Nonwhite Characters is an empowering reminder.
  • It’s full of stars! This cool interactive tool lets you scroll about the Milky Way’s galactic plane and check out the most beautiful of all views. Zoom in to your heart’s content and wish for the umpteenth time that you had a TARDIS.
  • It’s not really a big secret that superheroes are conflicted people, but Cracked’s list of the seven biggest dick moves in the superhero history was a little gross and cringe inducing. (You should hate-read it).
  • There has been a lot of hate going around the Internet and it can be really discouraging. Bruce Lee’s “Be Like Water” is a pep talk to revive the fighting spirit.
  • You know what we love more than geeky physicists? Geeky BABY physicists! We’re keeling over from the cuteness. Neil DeGrasse Tyson has won our hearts completely, with a notable mention to baby Carl Sagan.
  • Female creators – be they filmmakers, writers, artists, or authors – get a lot of weird reactions from critics, as evidenced by this perplexing list of critical essay titles about some more famous women authors. “Does Anyone Read Willa Cather Anymore?” Yow, harsh.

 

What’s on your radar this week? Tell us in the comments!
Check out our previous Geeking Out posts.

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An Open Letter To Amandla Stenberg and the Hating Haters Who Hate Her

Posted on March 29, 2012 by Moxie

Can we take a moment to bow our heads in memory of the late Whitney Houston and her hit single “The Greatest Love Of All” which I have been playing on a loop a) because it’s Thursday and b) because I really do believe the children are our future, we should teach them well, let them lead the way, show them all the beauty they possess inside, and give them a sense of pride to make it easier. Because, the world is pretty tough, and the wild west that is The Internet is even tougher.

Look at the BB!!

At 13 years old, Amandla Stenberg is set to become a hot topic in the world of Hollywood casting. Most of us first saw her in the Zoe Saldana action flick Colombiana, playing a younger version of Saldana. Suffice it to say, she owned the role, and once news came around, most people were pumped to hear she would be playing fan favorite Rue in the screen adaptation of the popular YA book The Hunger Games.

But, as you may know, The Internet is not “most people”. Since her casting was announced and even after the film was released, Stenberg has been inundated with hateful messages regarding her race. Consequently, the character that she plays in the film is explicitly Black, but according to the Internet, Blackness and innocence are somehow mutually exclusive. We won’t get into too much detail here, but our friends over at Racialicious, The Mary Sue, and The Huffington Post have been gracious and iron-stomached enough to follow the whole thing from tweet to vile tweet. Instead, we here at Geekquality would like to take this time to give Stenberg’s camp some words of encouragement.  (If you’re on Tumblr, you can reblog this post to spread the words of support, as well as check out the heart warming number of co-signs from Tumblr fans across the web).

Dear Amandla,

You go girl! Pay no attention to the haters behind the curtain, because, as you know, you have scores of people rooting for you. You are talented, and quite frankly you’ve dealt with this whole thing better than a lot of adults we’ve seen. You are doing something that a lot of folks could only dream of, and you are doing it well. We wish you nothing but the best. And if anyone, and we mean anyone, tries to bring you down, don’t let them. You Rosa Parks this thing all the way to the end of the line, don’t give up your seat for anyone offering you less than the best, because that is what you deserve, and don’t you forget it. So get right out there in the spotlight and show them all what you’ve got. We’ll have your back.

xo-

Geekquality

Posted in film, oh internet, race | 12 Comments

There Are No Heroes Left for Sansa Stark

Posted on March 28, 2012 by Lois

This post contains some plot development mentions, so if you haven’t finished Season 1 of Game of Thrones/haven’t read the first two books, you may see spoilers.

Everyone has a special character they hold as a litmus test to gauge how decent another person is. (Don’t you?) Let it be forever known that my litmus test is Sansa Stark. In fact, I will go as far as to say that if you’re a person who wholeheartedly wishes the very worst for her, you probably hate women. Oddly enough, Sansa Stark is not my favorite character, but she is definitely one I feel very protective towards, which is why I’m establishing this credo.

This is partially a contrarian reaction to the vitriolic hatred she’s received from the fandom, but at the root of my defensiveness lies the fact that the unwarranted hatred of Sansa reveals the undercurrent of misogyny that runs within the geek collective consciousness. Even though there has been a little more love for Sansa lately, the hatred that still remains is absolutely ridiculous, and now that Season 2 is about to start, I’m not letting my guard down.

Arya Stark

Admittedly, it’s easy to dislike Sansa based on first impressions. Upon the series introduction, Sansa is an 11 year old girl (14 in the TV series) whose only concerns are her hair and various pretty things; she spends her time daydreaming of marrying a handsome knight, and she worries about not letting her bratty sister muss up her dress. She is willfully unsympathetic to her half brother Jon, aligns herself with her mother Cat (another much hated character), and is so painfully naive that it’s impossible to not grit your teeth whenever she talks. I will acknowledge that Sansa’s younger sister Arya, a charismatic tomboy, is more likable and easier to sympathize with, but this is the only allowance I will make. It’s still not enough justification for the undeserved and unreasonable hatred of Sansa.

It’s easy to lambast a character – I know I certainly liked to scream (and cry) over Ned’s lawful stupidity honor – but when does character critique overstep? In Sansa’s case, the conversation has long ceased to be a legitimate character study and has crossed a disturbing amount of boundaries into deranged hatred territory, all because she is a naive girl child. Seriously? Continue reading →

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Recap: The Everdeen in the room

Posted on March 26, 2012 by Tanya

Over the past few days, we’ve watched the activity around Elyse’s “Hollywood Whitewashing” post explode on Tumblr. We got a real kick when our post made its appearance on Oh No They Didn’t. (Does this mean we’ve officially arrived?) The response across the web has been overwhelming, both in its sheer mass and because a lot of people appreciated the message. We are happy to have contributed to the conversation and (one can hope) perhaps to have inspired some folks to reevaluate their perspective. With a couple of exceptions here on our site that didn’t adhere to our comment policy and thus were removed, it’s nice to know that most of our readers, even if they might not agree, know how to get their message across without insults or attacks. So thanks for that, guys, it gives a little hope about how people communicate online. Even if we won’t always agree, civil discourse will still help us all understand each other better and pave the way to progress.

Across the various platforms there have been some reactions that misunderstood the post or were quite negative, but obviously that is the nature of communicating openly on the Internet about important and controversial topics. I don’t expect Elyse to take on further responsibility of elucidating her point. She said what she needed to say; she is not here to hand hold through the process of education on the subtleties of racism. However, I am going to take a break from my general duties of scheduling and editing here at GQ (I promise I’m not locked away in some dark room and they do feed me well) to write down a few thoughts of my own, to add to the ongoing dialogue.

Specifically, I want to talk about the main point of contention I saw repeated: the casting in The Hunger Games used as an example in Elyse’s post. In various iterations, the comment most often repeated has been: “This is not a good example to use in your post; I didn’t read Katniss as anything but white.”

As you know, multiple other examples were mentioned to support the main message, and even more examples could have been included but weren’t for the sake of conciseness (‘dapperbitchmalice’ over on Tumblr named quite a few, if you’re interested).  The casting in The Hunger Games is highlighted in the article not because it is the most blatant example, but because it is the most subtle and, thus, more insidious; it is indicative of the predominant way of thinking about characters when interpreted from page to screen; it is yet another example of hope dashed. Continue reading →

Posted in books, film, race | 7 Comments

Reading Comics with Alice Marie : No Hero (Avatar)

Posted on March 26, 2012 by Alice Marie

Continuing in my review of Warren Ellis’s synthetic heroes series (that’s what I’m calling it), this week I want to talk about No Hero. Written by Ellis, with art by Juan Jose Ryp, No Hero looks at how far the individual would go to obtain special powers for himself.

The book opens with a look at a group of vigilantes in 1960s San Francisco calling themselves The Levellers. They come about in response to the increasingly violent police reaction to the American counter-culture movement and violent street crime. The Levellers evolve into a team, called The Front Line, and work to maintain calculated balance and prevent the world from becoming one giant police state.

When one of their own dies, the team finds a replacement in a young man named Josh. He draws their attention when he makes himself noticed through his street vigilantism, expert fighting skills, and parkour abilities. Josh is brought into the group and given the pill which will give him his abilities, but no one expects what he will truly bring to the team.

What got me about No Hero was the ballsiness of it. Ellis really takes your emotions for a ride with this book, and the result is a fantastic mess of “WHAT THE HELL JUST HAPPENED??!?!?” You know, it’s that reaction that makes you say, “No, that can’t be right!” causing you to go go back and re-read the book over and over again.

The main themes of the book are hubris and self-examination. The pill given to all of these would-be heroes turns them into what they are inside. Whether they’re good, or horrible, it will show all over. This can mean many things for those who have been taking the drug since the 60s, as something more sinister can be hidden underneath a shiny veneer.

Once again, Ryp’s art blows me away. The detail and gore make for a truly intense read. The dream sequences in particular are gut-wrenching in their horror, and his portrayal of San Francisco is fantastically accurate! While this book is much less lady-centric, No Hero does examine the extremes of social justice in a compelling and interesting way. It’s a great installment in Ellis’ series, and next week we’ll wrap up the discussion when we look at Supergod.

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Geeking Out

Posted on March 23, 2012 by Mace

Splinter is NOT amused

  • Michael Bay continues to be downright rude. (Newsflash Mike, if you change the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles backstory to make them aliens, they’re no longer the goddamn Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.)
  • Even with our frustration about The Hunger Games and the underlying casting issues, we’re still swept up in the craze.  For example, we’ve been urging Lois (our resident New Yorker) to check out the “Train like a Tribute” program offered by the New York Sports Club. The (literally) competitive program is closely tailored to the different physical assets you’d need in order to survive. Lois politely declined as she doesn’t quite feel like dying on a sweaty gym floor. While you’re contemplating your chances of surviving the gym, why not also check out what The Hunger Games movie posters might have looked like with a different director at the helm.
  • Feeling wary about the new companion for the Doctor, to be played by Jenna-Louise Coleman. Obviously only time will tell how we feel about her, but a lot of us were rooting for a woman of color to be cast in the role.
  • These campaign posters for fictional villains are a bit of fun to help take our minds (for a moment) off the real villains and megalomaniacs looming on our political landscape.
  • The ending of Mass Effect 3 has caused quite a stir among the fanbase, which has prompted BioWare co-founder Dr. Ray Muzyka to release a statement. It makes for an interesting discussion of authorship and ownership in the realm of video games and other consumable media.
  • With the return of Mad Men this weekend, everyone’s hearts are aflutter to see our favorite advertising misfits and their wardrobes. To extend the depths of our adoration, we’re checking out books from this great list of books that were featured in or based on the show, as well as provide inspiration for the series.
  • It’s highly irritating when you’re trying to quietly read your enthralling romance novel on public transit and someone keeps trying to make eye contact or talk to you. Now you can silently project your misanthropic thoughts through your book jackets! While we appreciate the classic “Go away, I’m reading” line, covers like “BRB going to Hogwarts” and “Fiction > Reality” are also fun. Print one (or several) out for yourself!
  • Definitely interested after seeing the trailer for the movie For Greater Glory, based on the Cristeros War in 1920s Mexico.
  • We have a lot to say about the end of Season 2 of the Walking Dead. Sometimes, though, words are not enough and a meme can really express fandom’s distaste for practically everyone on the show. While some of the JPGs reek a little too much of fan misogyny, overall they pretty much hit the nail on head about everything that’s wrong with the show.

    Brigitte Helm on the set of Metropolis

  • Taking it back – all the way to the 1920s – in sci-fi film history, these amazing behind the scenes photos from the set of Fritz Lang’s Metropolis are, well, amazing!
  • Some of us are on the fence about The New Girl, others aren’t so into Parks and Rec, but all of us love this this clever montagecomparing Schmidt vs Tom Haverford and their really bad (good?) pickup methods.
  • Sometimes a good cuss word gets the point across just right. This list of sci-fi curse words is a great reference if you need a few fresh ways to express your frustrations.
  • On a related vocabulary tip, check out this list of 75 terms every sci-fi geek should know. There may or may not be a quiz.

What’s on your radar this week? Tell us in the comments!
Check out our previous Geeking Out posts.

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Hollywood Whitewashing (Yes, It Really Hurts)

Posted on March 22, 2012 by Elyse

I hope it’s no surprise that whitewashing has been an accepted convention in Hollywood since the beginning. The history of blackface and yellowface has been well-documented, but with recent reminders like The Last Airbender, Drive, and the highly-anticipated Hunger Games, it seems necessary to re-examine the inequality in casting that people of color have all but come to expect from media.

"The Last Airbender"

"No, no, keep the bad guys brown. I don't know, it just makes more sense that way, right?"

Lately, whenever roles written for people of color are filled by white actors, there is an outcry, subsequently countered by a surprisingly large group of people who are desperate to deny the systemic racism of Hollywood: the kinds of people who will use words like “post-racial” while defending a white actor being given a role meant for a person of color. Let’s also not forget those who are vocally upset when the tables are turned and a person of color is given a role traditionally played as white. (Most recently, Idris Elba as Heimdall in Thor, Angel Coulby as Guinevere in Merlin, and Lucy Liu as Joan Watson in the upcoming Elementary). But, if there really isn’t a institution of racism in Hollywood and we’re somehow beyond race as a country, why are people of color still deemed insufficient to tell our own stories?

When casting decisions for The Hunger Games were released, an online outcry arose over Jennifer Lawrence being cast as Katniss Everdeen, who is generally accepted by readers to be a woman of color, described in the books as having olive skin and dark hair. The one counter-argument that appeared everywhere was that she was the best actress for the role. She could just be made up to appear darker, you know? “Haven’t you ever heard of bronzer?” some would scoff. Similarly, the character of Irene in Drive was originally written for a Latina woman, but was cast with a white actress, because Carey Mulligan looked more to the director like the type of woman who needed to be “protected”. It seems that for people of color, and especially women of color, calling for a particular race or ethnicity in a script is only a suggestion, unless it is white. This kind of racebending, which prioritizes a whiter shade of beige, is a fairly common occurrence in Hollywood films. Where does that leave actors and actresses of color, when even opportunities that are expressly written for them are offered first to their white colleagues?

Christina Hendricks in "Drive"

"Don't get any ideas, there's only room for one vulnerable white girl in this movie."

When we’re constantly pushed to the edge, not being able to represent ourselves or tell our own stories, the mainstream media narrative becomes an overwhelmingly white one. We speak out against it because we must; because not doing so means standing idly by while we are gradually written out of the nation’s consciousness. It’s that very real fear and the pain it brings, that make whitewashing and racebending so personal to people of color, something it seems many people fail to comprehend. Much has changed since the infamous Mr. Yunioshi in Breakfast at Tiffany’s (part of the promos for the movie actually included the mysterious introduction and buildup of a strange Japanese actor who was later revealed to be, simply, Mickey Rooney in yellowface, in case you were wondering if that whole thing could have been more racist) and yet so much has stayed the same.

"Ok let's see... white. White. White, white, white, aaaand white!"

With The Hunger Games being released tomorrow, I’m caught between positive and negative feelings, which I’m sure are familiar to other people of color. The positive side is that I enjoyed the books, I want to see the movie, and I certainly hope all the actors are wonderful in it. Yet, I’m also discouraged by what looks like a sea of white faces, where I had expected to see brown ones. If that disappointment affects me – an adult who has a firm grasp on her identity and self-confidence – to such a degree that I question whether I will want to see the movie in theaters in the first place, how might it affect children of color? And yet, perhaps as a result of our false system of meritocracy, with its ever-popular “bootstraps” theory, it seems that society believes that people of color are the ones who should bear responsibility for this inequality. After all, if they really were the “best for the role,” they would have gotten it, right?

So, my question to the post-racial brigade is, if it’s true that not all of these incidents are examples of systemic and institutionalized racism within Hollywood, where do we draw the “racist” line? How can people of color possibly separate the “real” racism from “Caucasian preferred” when both are rooted in tradition that has always upheld whiteness, and both happen to us on a regular basis? If we have been getting shafted since the very birth of cinema (and we have), and have continued to take the same punishment to this day, what reason do we have to believe that things are somehow different now? Do you really expect us to compartmentalize our lives to such an extreme degree, just to be less of a nuisance to the system that oppresses us?

I’ll wait.

Note: Since this post, an additional follow-up has been written by one of our editors to expand on the discussion.

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Enter Michonne: a New Day for The Walking Dead

Posted on March 20, 2012 by Lois

Glory Hallelujah, praise be. It has finally come to pass.

Michonne.

Michonne, to whom I now affix all hopes of salvaging this wreck of sweat and stupidity called The Walking Dead. I’ve been waiting for Michonne to come save those sorry bastards for so long, and after an entire season of idiocy and inaction, she’s finally arrived – a little late but still with due pomp and badassery. Glenn, Daryl, T-Dawg, and maybe Andrea can stay, everyone else can GTFO at this point. Especially you, Carl and Lori.

So now what? What can this all mean for the rest of The Walking Idiots Dead?

It Just Got Real
For TWD comic readers, we know what Michonne’s arrival means, what she brings with her. For TV-only watchers, however, let’s just say this: shit’s about to go down. No, really.

Just from a few seconds-long glimpse of this mysterious hooded stranger, we can already glean the promise of better things to come. She obviously has no problem handling herself and is incredibly smart and resourceful, as demonstrated by her pet walkers. She will be a heavy hitter and a much needed asset to the survivor group, especially if my guess about the locale of that ominous aerial shot is correct.

No More Lori-Rick-Shane
Fine, wishful thinking, but thank all fuck we no longer have to deal with their selfish brooding and the love triangle hogging the creative resources. Yes, Lori, her pregnancy, and her very public marital problems are going to garner a lot of attention, but with Shane’s exit and Michonne’s arrival, this could force the writers to give much needed screen time to our secondary characters. As they pick up their lives (yet again) and acquaint themselves with this newcomer, Michonne can demonstrate her bad-ass skills while adjusting to group living.

Tension in the Best Way Possible
Not only does Michonne’s arrival bring new blood, it forces a change in the group’s dynamic. And after all the BS that just went down, a change is very much needed. Rick and Shane’s selfish antics and power plays have really jeopardized the group this season, especially because they were unable to deal with their emotions, history, and (ultimately) each other. On top of that, everyone’s selective silence and refusal to keep the “leaders” in check when it was crucial just led to disaster and a barn full of burning walkers. But no longer!

Rick,  all I’m saying is you better learn to put your money where your mouth is and prepare to be publicly called out. Do you really think a sword yielding woman with pet walkers is going to take shit from you? No, I didn’t think so either.

Oh, the OTPs (and OT3s) – Possible Spoilers ahead
I know you see the way Daryl looks at Carol, and the way she’s latched onto him with affection that is misguided and desperate, but affection and need just the same. Now enter Michonne.

If you were Daryl – racist brother issues and a necklace made of walker ears and all – wouldn’t you appreciate this lovely stranger who shares your approach to survival? This nubile priestess of death who can totally make it on her own and prefers to be in the fringes? Oh yes you would. Now here be soft spoilers for TWD comics.

Continue reading →

Posted in comic books, television | Tagged | 7 Comments

Reading Comics with Alice Marie: Black Summer (Avatar)

Posted on March 19, 2012 by Alice Marie

Black Summer - Warren Ellis, Juan Jose Ryp - Avatar Press, 2007

Part of my introduction to Warren Ellis has been through Black Summer, when it was recommended to me by James Sime, owner of Isotope Comics in San Francisco. (I think it’s probably the best comic book store on the planet, but that’s topic for another post altogether!) This book is part of a series Ellis did with artists Juan Jose Ryp (Black Summer, No Hero) and Garrie Gastonny (Supergod). When James described the idea of “How far would you go?” to have superheroes in society, or be a superhero, I was sold immediately.

Black Summer details the rise and fall of a vigilante justice group called The Seven Guns. This team of genetically modified young adults have spent the past several years broken up after a terrible accident left one of theirs dead, and another one with a lost leg. They’re all brought back together when their former “leader” John Horus kills the President of the United States for being a war criminal, a thief, and a liar. (It’s merely implied that the president is George W. Bush). Now, the Seven Guns are on the run, and have to stop John before they’re all caught and accused of backing up his actions.

From what I’ve learned of Warren Ellis, he loves writing strong, badass women and this book does not skimp on those characters at all. The Seven Guns were actually three men and four women – something that is almost unheard of in a superhero team. While we start with one of the women, Laura Flame, having been killed, her death wasn’t a “fridging“; it was not meant to further her romantic partner’s storyline. In fact, the character of Tom Noir is first seen drunk, depressed, and living in squalor, and once he does come back he doesn’t do anything “For Laura”.

The Women of The Seven Guns - Angel One, Kathryn Artemis, and Zoe Jump

The rest of the women are strong, capable, and level-headed. They don’t need saving because they are the survivors and the ass-kickers. However, Ryp’s depiction of the women is less than empowering, with plenty of T&A poses (mostly for cover art) and a pair of comically large breasts. What I can appreciate though is that each woman on the team has a different face, so to speak. They’re not all just drawn from the standard “hot babe” model but have unique features and varying body types. You see it in the flashbacks to when they were first getting their mods, and in the present day shots as battle-worn soldiers.

Depiction of women aside, I actually really enjoyed Ryp’s artwork on the whole. His attention to detail is stunning, with little flairs and touches to signify things like pressure on objects, or lit screens. Plus, that man draws some frakkin’ DETAILED gore. The blood, sinew, bone, skin… it’s absolutely breathtaking in its complexity. Not for a weak stomach, that’s for sure.

Black Summer is a really enjoyable read. I loved the questions asked, the attention to detail, and the portrayal of women as not only true heroes, but as autonomous persons with lives beyond the men they know (this book totally passes the Bechdel Test). I also loved its companion book No Hero, which I will talk about in more detail in my next post, and can’t wait to pick up the final part of the series, Supergod. I know that this is just my start on Warren Ellis, but I’m looking forward to reading more by him – specifically Planetary. If only the copy available to me wasn’t the Absolute compendium. It’s just really difficult to carry on public transit (although that might not stop me).

Posted in reading comics with alice marie | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

Geeking Out

Posted on March 16, 2012 by Mace

Current events side-eye of the week: Rick Santorum’s offensive speech, demanding that Puerto Ricans all follow “federal law” and treat English as “the main language.” Crude, racist, and uninformed: Rick Santorum, ladies and gentlemen.

  • WELCOME BACK, COMMUNITY!!!! Did you happen to catch the season premiere? We’re super excited to welcome back Greendale friends, including (Oscar winner) Dean Pelton. We’re also enjoying Blastr’s look back at past Community brilliance, with a list of 12 hilarious sci-fi themed moments from the show.
  • If you live in the San Francisco Bay Area, why not avoid the usual St. Patrick’s Day madness and instead head to the Castro Theater for a double feature of Coffy and Jackie Brown, hosted by Peaches Christ. Pam Grier herself, film legend and Head Bitch In Charge, will be there in person! Better act fast, so check ticket details here.
  • WonderCon is this weekend in Anaheim! While we are unable to attend this year, hopefully some of you can make it. The schedule is full of exciting sneak peaks and creator spotlights, as well as unique panels like the “LGBT Disney Fandom” hosted by Prism Comics and “I Can’t Write, I Can’t Draw, But I Love Comics!” session offering career insight within the comic book industry for those without the creative gene.

    The Starwatcher (Moebius)

  • The geek world was shaken by yet another loss (Ralph McQuarrie passed away March 3) this past Saturday, when we had to bid farewell to visionary French comics artist Jean Giraud, better known to his fans as Moebius. His creative output holds a far reaching influence over sci-fi and fantasy as we know it, and this loving and thorough tribute on Tor is a really great place to get acquainted with his work.
  • First peek at the footage of the upcoming reboot of Total Recall looks promising. The cast includes Kate Beckinsale, Colin Farrell, Jessica Biel, Bill Nighy, and John Cho. Overall, the visuals make us hopeful for a slick re-imagining of Philip K. Dick’s original concept.
  • Ron Swanson is easily everyone’s favorite government official from Pawnee, but what does Nick Offerman think of the caricature-like nature of his manly character? This one-on-one with the actor is a good source of insight.

    YESSSSSS, congratulations on your EVERYTHING

  • We can’t get enough of Idris Elba – can’t wait for Prometheus and Season 3 of Luther, whenever that might happen! – and this scoop has us buzzing. Elba might take on two roles in Ascension, a series penned by Warren Ellis (Transmetropolitan, Red), where he’ll be playing Ancient Egyptian royal scientist Imhotep and a near-future astronomer. No updates on Ellis’ own site yet, but hopefully more details will be revealed soon.
  • It’s easy to adore Harry Potter, but even everyone’s favorite wizarding universe deserves some side-eye, as served up in this six-point list on Cracked.
  • Cartography, LOTR style! It’s fun to imagine the continental U.S as a mystical, Tolkien-esque landscape, a reflected in this redone map. Then again, alluding to various GOP members as orcs isn’t too far from the truth.
  • The Jim Henson Company released concept art for a new movie in the vein of Who Framed Roger Rabbit? called The Happytime Murders. It should be no mystery (har har) that we’re excited!
  • John Carter released last week to lukewarm reviews and a pretty low box office pull, but Alice Marie still went to see it and was pleasantly surprised. The movie gets her thumbs up for equality (in skimpy armor) and for the highest count of man-nips in a film so far this year. (At least until “Wrath of the Titans” is released.)
  • The Legend of Korra announced their premiere date on Pi Day (and confirmed that is in fact the official title). The show comes out April 14th on Nickelodeon. Get ready for the next chapter of one of the best animated series in recent history!
  • We aren’t ashamed to say there’s some truth to these travel posters for lazy people. Besides, what IS more fun than killing dragons, really?
  • Elyse is super excited about the new Mass Effect class shirts in the Bioware store (available in men’s and women’s sizes).
  • Gamers on a budget can play Star Wars: The Old Republic for free this weekend, and have their trial characters saved should they decide to purchase a subscription.
  • Fans and new readers of Malinda Lo should consider entering a drawing to win an Advanced Reading Copy of her upcoming sci-fi novel, Adaptation. The drawing for the give-away is open for entry until Friday, March 23.
  • The art design in this teaser for Telltale’s Walking Dead: The Game is intriguing, but we’ll have to wait until Monday to get a more in-depth look at the game play, when Up at Noon with Greg Miller reveals some more footage and talks to story consultant and screenwriter Gary Whitta (The Book of Eli) about the project.

What’s on your radar this week?
Check out our previous Geeking Out posts.

Posted in geeking out | 2 Comments

United Colors Of Albion: Race In Fantasy Media

Posted on March 15, 2012 by Moxie

This is going to be a post about Race in Fantasy media.

I just wanted to get that out there, right off the bat, so we’re clear.

If you would like to get yourself a glass of wine, maybe a hot chocolate, and open your browser to a Wikipedia tab, I’ll wait.

I’ve been inundated with various questions, reasons, and exclamations on the topic of race and race relations in fantasy media. Mostly by people who – in my humble opinion – forgot to check themselves, and subsequently got wrecked.

I thought I would answer some of the most burning questions here. So buckle in, Marty, because we’re about to go back to the past.

“The author clearly intended for all of these characters to be white, based on the traditional mythology of the land”

Well, dust my buttons. Not unlike fictional characters, deities are intangible; they are also not human, and thus not at all bound to look like any one of us. Of course, you wouldn’t believe that if you consider classical depictions, like ancient sculptures and mosaics, a source. Keep in mind that most of classical canonical works in Rome and Greece were built on commission from the ruling class, that class mostly being White. Ergo, most of the depictions of legendary persons/deities, regardless of ethnography, were also as White.

Consider the following: as more and more scholarly research is conducted, it is being found that Roman based Madonna worship was actually founded on the assimilation of the Egyptian worship of the goddess Isis. Many Renaissance images of Mary with child harken back to Egyptian representations of Isis and her infant son, Horus. This may also be why Pre-Renaissance depictions of the Madonna sport dark pigmented skin.

Let’s also consider historical people of legend. Jesus, who is believed by many to have been very real and very human, was from a very specifically documented part of the world. Those of the class Jesus was purported to belong to (working class) had a very specific ethnic background, and it was certainly not John Tesh, or whoever that blonde Jesus is supposed to be hanging out in chapels across America. I mean, come on, folks, no one ever argues about Mohammed’s ethnicity.

Sixth and lastly, there is this thing called “whitewashing”. Unfortunately, a lot of our Western forebears were what we’d call racist imperialists. That means you, me, and everyone we know have to work extra hard to set right all that has been set wrong, protecting and keeping intact as many as possible pieces of cultures they tried to destroy.

Idris Elba (and his beautiful, perfect face) didn’t get cast as Heimdall just to come after your Greek, Roman, English, and Norse mythologies; those aren’t going anywhere, so don’t you go foaming at the mouth with worry.  Besides, Fake Made Up Person I’m Addressing, there have been Black people in Scandanavia for as long as there have been Black people AND Scandanavia. And no, that doesn’t mean you can go and do a retelling of the Anansi tales with White people. But wait, there’s more!

Posted in fantasy, race | Tagged , , | 5 Comments

Once More, With Reapers!

Posted on March 14, 2012 by Elyse

As my first impressions have noted, Mass Effect 3 opens with a bang, but things really get interesting as the game continues and Shepard finds herself forced into the role of peacemaker between all manner of alien races and groups, for the sake of the galaxy.

Ey, Steve!

The crew of the Normandy this time around is a little more diverse, one of my favorite new recruits being Lieutenant Steve Cortez, the shuttle pilot. Cortez is a gay man of color and a potential love interest for MaleShep. He is also the first and only openly gay male in the Mass Effect series, and his character is handled beautifully. He is a quick and capable member of the crew, he isn’t a stereotypical representation by any means, and he’s trusted and respected by all onboard the Normandy. His sexuality is not the entirety of his personality, and frankly it’s refreshing to see a representative of gay men in the gaming world at all (as they have been typically relegated to one-dimensional and often offensive fighting game characters or blank-slate RPG NPCs), let alone one whose story is so fairly and honestly treated.

Shepard is again given the opportunity in ME3 to save or doom races and make or break alliances with serious consequences, calling in questions of ethics and reminding the player of similar judgments humanity has made over the years. The Mass Effect franchise has always been praised for its interactive plot, which allows players to impact the outcome of the game with the choices they make along the way, but in the context of the game, these choices feel even more poignant and urgent. As one of the game’s secondary characters, C-Sec Commander Bailey, notes early in the game, it may not be the end of days, but it sure feels like it. Every big decision and character interaction seem to matter more than ever, with the Reapers steadily encroaching on territories all over the galaxy.

Physics? We don't need no stinkin' physics!

But perhaps what makes Mass Effect 3so fun and satisfying to play – aside from improved gameplay mechanics, higher quality graphics, and more streamlined missions – is the simple fact that it’s the final game of the trilogy. It all comes down to this, after all: Time to pull on your hero pants and save the world. It’s the same epic science fiction story that originally drew me in and made me a diehard fan, but this time Shepard’s playing for all the marbles. That kind of excitement is contagious, and it makes for intense gameplay that still manages to be fun and humorous at the right moments. It’s the kind of game that you can play for hours on end without realizing how much time has passed, because so much is happening and the plot is so compelling. I haven’t played a game like that in years, so even if the Mako was still around, clumsily tumbling down mountainsides on strange planets, or the game’s inventory system was as mangled and unwieldy as it was in the series’ debut, ME3 would still be worth the price tag, if only for that sense of awe and childlike wonder that comes from being present as a great story unfolds.

What? Scars can be sexy!

I have told friends and acquaintances that Mass Effect is my new Star Wars. It represents the first time I have so voraciously consumed a narrative and its universe since I saw A New Hope on VHS with my family when I was a kid. And to me, Mass Effect 3 has been as satisfying an experience as seeing the Death Star destroyed for good in Return of the Jedi. But of course, even the infamous Lucas brainchild isn’t everyone’s cup of tea. So if you’re not a fan of sprawling space-age epics, complete with romance, action, intrigue, drama, and more than a few chuckles thrown in, maybe steer clear of this title. I won’t be hurt, I promise. After all, that just leaves more Garrus for me…

Posted in gaming | Tagged , , | 1 Comment