Wednesday, June 26, 2013

Geeky Chick-Lit And Why We Need More Of It

I was in the book store a few weeks ago, looking for a Father's Day gift for my Dad when this caught my eye.


I'm a sucker for a great cover, and this shocking purple and green contrast made me stop in my tracks. After a moment of staring at it's brilliance, I realized what it was; Geeky Chick-Lit!

"JANUARY 1
CURRENT STATUS: No job, no boyfriend, no permanent place to live, no car, and most of my clothes are held together with staples and duct tape. Bank account almost wiped out. Many of my former associates have expressed a desire that I never darken their doorways again for legal and financial reasons.

She-Hulk got us got us kicked out of the Avengers Mansion. People keep posting videos online of her New Year's Eve shenanigans: twirling, flaming telephone poles in Times Square, climbing the Empire State Building while dangling Anderson Cooper, dancing wildly at parties, and commandeering a motorcycle cop's ride to do wheelies across the Brooklyn Bridge."

Saying there are two sides to Jennifer Walters's personality is an understatement. When she hasn't morphed into a 650-pound, crime-fighting, hard-partying superhero, she's a single lawyer trying to get her act together. Hilarious and action-packed, The She-Hulk Diaries tells her story, as she juggles looking for Mr. Right and climbing the corporate ladder by day with battling villains and saving the world by night. Maybe she'll finally take on a case that will define her career. Maybe she won't meet one Mr. Right, but two, and she'll have to choose. Maybe bad guys will stop trying to destroy the planet so she can read her Perez Hilton in peace.

"An absolute delight. Those who are unfamiliar with Bruce Banner's wayward cousin are in for a treat . . . Whether you like She-Hulk straight up, comedic, or a combination of both, The She-Hulk Diaries is the She-Hulk endeavor for you." --Peter David, long-time writer of The Incredible Hulk, She-Hulk, and X-Factor and author of Pulling Up Stakes
 I couldn't wait to start reading it, although part of me was apprehensive. 
Despite writing chick-lit myself, I don't particularly enjoy the genre. I find a lot of it is about stupid women making stupid choices and somehow getting everything they ever wanted in the end. Now don't get me wrong, there not all like that, but I read a bad streak of novels that made me give up on the genre. I like reading about empowered women, which is why I tend to stick close to fantasy/sci-fi for my reading choices.


Once I started reading it, I couldn't put it down. When I wasn't reading it, I was thinking about it and trying to figure out when I'd get the chance to read next. That doesn't happen much for me these days. I read at least 3 hours a day, so even if my book isn't very good, I'm still usually reading quite a bit. To want to be reading more is pretty impressive.
Art by  Laurie B!

This book is still chick-lit. Even Jennifer Walters seems to think that she needs a good job and, more importantly, a man to define her life. These are things I totally disagree with and so does She-Hulk. But Jennifer isn't She-Hulk most of the time, so that's where we fall into the chick-lit cliches. Don't get me wrong, I understand what it's like to look for a PFLOML (possible future love of my life) or the perfect job, I just know that those things don't define me as a person.
Luckily, this is done with enough humor and superhero references that I can look past it.
I really love that besides all that, they really do define her as a person and not as a superhero. They really get into the fact that she's a high powered, hard work, passionate lawyer. I also love that she loves online gaming, Arthurian legend, Game Of Thrones, and for her resolution to try new things, she takes up LARPing. She even sees a therapist, who in the end actually helps her find herself, something I think all of us could benefit from.


 We so rarely see the normal side of superheroes, especially the women. Considering that she also practices law as SH, there really aren't a lot of reasons to focus on Jennifer as a person. I'm glad they did though. I certainly felt that I had more in common with regular old Jennifer than I did with out of control, party animal She-Hulk.

This is totally how I pictured SH in this book. Art by Jebriodo
I think it's important for us as women to have books like these, to have characters that we can relate with. Women who are strong and independent, who take on bad guys with a passion to do the right thing, that they don't have to be in superhuman form to do so. Isn't that a lesson that we could all learn? Isn't it more important to see that Jennifer is just as much of a hero as She-Hulk?
I think so.

Next on my to-read list is Rogue Touch.


 It's by a different author, so I'm hoping that she decided to take it in the same direction as The She-Hulk Diaries. I'm really looking forward to it.

"An interesting take on Rogue, as her powers take her down a path I never would have imagined." --Chris Claremont, author of Dragon Moon and writer for seventeen years of Uncanny X-Men

Eighteen-year-old Anna Marie was just fired for the third time--this time from a bakery. Why can't she hold a job? Well, for starters, she dresses . . . differently. She looks like a Goth girl to the extreme, her shock of white hair contrasting with her head-to-toe black garb, her face the only skin she chooses to reveal. But Anna Marie doesn't have a choice. Her skin, her touch, is a deadly weapon that must be concealed. She accidentally put her first boyfriend, Cody, in a coma when they kissed. Horrified, she ran away to Jackson, Mississippi, where she's been living alone in a cramped apartment and scraping by on food stamps.

Then she meets otherworldly James and everything changes. He's just like her--completely alone and also on the run. To elude James's mysterious and dangerous family, the pair takes to the highway. As they cross the country, their simmering attraction intensifies and they both open up about their secretive pasts. James reveals that his true name is Touch and he christens Anna Marie Rogue. But with danger at their heels, they know they can't run forever. Rogue must decide if she'll unleash her devastating powers once again, which she swore never to do, in order to save the only person who seems truly to understand and accept her.

"A lost chapter from Rogue's past, told with elegance and conviction and attention to detail. Really entertaining." --Mike Carey, author of the Felix Castor novels and writer of X-Men: Legacy

 I hope Marvel continues on with this trend of writing. I totally think there's a market out there for this. I know there are tons of geek girls out there, just like me, who have been waiting for something like this to come along.

Certainly there are a lot of artists who have had similar ideas. Maybe not chick-lit, so much as old pulp covers


This picture was posted on Club Jade with the title "This book will blow your mind". There were a lot of disappointed fans when they realized that it was only an April Fool's joke. I was one of them.

TonyFleecs's deviantart is filled with these great geeky, pulpy novel covers.














Timothy Anderson has taken the Star Wars movies and turned them into Princess Leia novels in these next few covers



 
I would totally read them all. How about you?

Guess I should get back to writing my own geeky chick-lit. It's about a geek girl who finds herself, and maybe the geek of her dreams along the way. If you're interested in hearing more about it, let me know.

Sunday, June 23, 2013

Hyperspace Hoopla - Dance-Off With The Star Wars Stars

Every year when the Disney Star Wars Weekends come around, I tell myself that I'm going to save my pennies and go next year (not that it'll do me good, since we Canadians are getting rid of pennies, but you get what I mean)


There are always awesome things happening, like Her Universe releasing a new line of clothes, tons of celebrity guests and, of course, The Hyperspace Hoopla!


Yes, Hyperspace Hoopla. I love watching the Star Wars characters dance it out like there's no tomorrow. I watch these every year and I'm never disappointing. This year was no exception.

Witness the power of this fully armed and operational dance team...



30 years of Jedi. Wow!
(Guess that means that I'm turning 30 this year, too.)


Did you enjoy the 30 years of music? or at least the few songs that weren't from this year?

Individual dance songs:
1. Fight For Your Right to Party - Beastie Boys
2. Hey Ya - Outkast
3. Bad - Michael Jackson

Cantina Band medley songs:
1. Ain’t Nobody Got Time For That by Sweet Brown
2. Bug Hunt by Skrillex (off the Wreck-It Ralph soundtrack)
3. Beauty and A Beat by Justin Bieber and Nicki Minaj
4. I Cry by Flo Rida
5. Cinema by Benny Benassi ft. Gary Go
6. Let’s Go by Calvin Harris ft. Ne-Yo

Here’s the list of finale medley songs:
1. Don’t Stop the Party - Pitbull
2. Scream and Shout - will.i.am & Britney Spears
3. Thrift Shop - Macklemore and Lewis
4. Blow Me One Last Kiss - Pink
5. Runaway Baby - Bruno Mars
6. Locked Out of Heaven - Bruno Mars
7. I Knew You Were Trouble - Taylor Swift
8. Harlem Shake - Baauer
9. Good Time - Carly Rae Jepsen and Owl City
10. Gangnam Style / 2 Legit 2 Quit - Psy and MC Hammer

Songs Jedi Mickey danced to:
1. Feel This Moment by Pitbull ft. Christina Aguilera
2. Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough by Michael Jackson

Can I just say how much I love the dance off between Darth Vader and Padme?

Fantastically done! We all know what a rocky history these two love birds have and I think their choices of songs were well done.



 The only thing I didn't like about the show was the way the women danced. I know, I know, there's nothing wrong with dancing all sexy, but it really did seem to be all that they were doing.

It was kind of unnecessary. I mean, really, there are kids there.



It seemed like pretty much any time they were up front on the stage, they were shaking their asses at the audience or bending down, seductively in front of  one of the men. Except for Ahsoka, thank goodness for that, she's not even legal.
 The women in Star Wars have always been so strong. This just sexualized them and didn't really give them any purpose besides that.
Come to think of it, they were all pretty much just glorified back up dancers for the most part...

Well, despite all that, it was still a hell of a show, wasn't it?

With the talk of Disney (maybe, possibly?) building a Star Wars theme park in the future, I would imagine that they would have these shows all year round and not just on occasional summer weekends.

this art is from last years Celebration V. Wish I knew who drew it. Also, please Disney, please!!
Guess we'll just have to wait and see. As for me, I'm going to save my nickles and dimes up so I can maybe attend next year.


thank you to Inside The Magic for the playlist and Nerd Approved who can't stop til you get enough

Sunday, June 16, 2013

Happy Father's Day

Happy Father's Day to all those geeky and non-geeky dads out there. 
You guys rock!



Wednesday, June 12, 2013

HER-ray For More Her Universe Stuff!

Her Universe is on a roll! 


I posted about their new Star Wars line not long ago, and I'm happy to say that line has finally been released to those of us who couldn't make it to the Star Wars weekends.

Plus, there are a few new Star Wars items as well!

This cute crawl shirt says May The Force Be With You in all sorts of different languages, allowing you to Talk Star Wars to people wherever you you might be.


Ahsoka Lives! And aren't we all happier for it! Although I haven't seen the end of Clone Wars yet, I was happy to find out that they weren't planning on killing her off. If you feel the same, celebrate with this t-shirt.


Remember the Rebel Alliance dress? Check out how cute the back of it is


Her Universe has also come together with Hot Topic again and released these amazing Doctor Who dresses, shirts and leggings!


I already own the Tardis dress, so now I want to get my hands on the dalek dress so I can exterminate all of my enemies.

For the release of Star Trek Into Darkness, Her Universe released these two items; The Command Dress and Khan v-neck. 


I really like the dress and the v-neck is kind of hilariously awesome.


So, what do you think of all this new stuff? Pretty awesome, right?


The problem now is trying to figure out what I want to buy first!