Month in Review(s) - June 2018

June was stressful...  but just about OK. Some of it was even awesome.

Comics Wrap-Up - Open the Door Don't Let It Sting

It's too hot here in the UK - let's check out some cool comics! 😎 

(See what I did there?)

4 Fangirling-Worthy Webcomics With Central F/F Romance (That Are Also Available In Print!)

Ladies who love ladies are amazing.

So, as it's Pride Month, and I'm a Queer lady who loves the nerdy things in life, I think it's time we celebrate some central F/F relationships, don't you?

This short list of comics features romantic relationships ranging from the sexy to the innocent, and ladies who have their own unique personalities and situations.

Available to read online (for free!) or in printed form, let these ladies bring a little love to your lives!

Comics Wrap-Up - One More Off-Key Anthem

I don't know whether you've noticed lately, but these comics wrap-ups are less thorough than they used to be - but don't panic! That's on purpose.

It was getting to the point where I was trawling things formulaically and obsessing over not missing anything.

So I figured I'd take it back to basics - sharing comics-related stuff I found awesome or funny or whatever over the course of the week! 😎

Comics Wrap-Up - But I'm Not The Only One

An awesome mix of stuff for you this week!  Check it out:

Comics Wrap-Up - My Heart Is In Danger From Shadows and Strangers Now

No, I haven't seen Black Panther yet - I'm going to go see it Monday, hopefully! :)

So on with the rest of this week's comics wrap-up:

Mini-Review! (Graphic Novel Edition!) - The Tea Dragon Society by Katie O'Neill

Title: The Tea Dragon Society

Author: Katie O'Neill (aka Strangely Katie)

Genre: Kids/Middle Grade, Fantasy, LGBTQ+ (F/F; M/M)

Series: The Tea Dragon Society

Amazon: UK - USA

Comics Wrap-Up - Live Without the Sunlight

TV Trailers




Another little video clip for Marvel's Inhumans!!!! (Iwan Rheon totally rocks dammit!!!)

Comics Wrap-Up - My Heart is Like a Stallion

Film Trailers



Here's another li'l trailer for Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol 2 - which I've already seen!

(Dudes it's good - both hilarious and heart-breaking dammit!!!!)

Warning: flashing images

#Prideathon TBR

Comics Wrap-Up - But I'm No Good, Good, At Lip Service

Webcomics

In the wake of a whole lotta stupid coming out of the US in terms of policy this month, let's take a look at some excellent webcomics/cartoons/art from the webs, which make the world a better place.

(I'm embedding tweets here, and I've never done that before - so let's hope this works!)

First, let's let Ms. Marvel, aka Kamala Khan, show us how it's done:

@MaryneeLahaye @GynoStar sometimes words aren't needed: pic.twitter.com/vgSdeYTRaX

— This bear hates Nazi (@ADobsonComics) 28 January 2017

Phil Noto Revises Cover Art In Reaction To Immigration Ban https://t.co/Iwj3TuUDBz pic.twitter.com/pZeX63xE96

— Dark Matters (@DarkMattersProj) 29 January 2017

Now, let's let Lady Liberty show the world how she would greet refugees:

RETWET this POWERFUL art #MuslimBan #NoBanNoWall pic.twitter.com/xvisAnvvSa

— #HeWillNotDivideUs (@HWNDUS) 29 January 2017

My dear friend @TheKeyThief's art is being shared around the world as a call to arms. If you want a printable version for protests DM her!! pic.twitter.com/HFM4HVT3l3

— Diya Mishra (@thedimishra) 30 January 2017

cred: star-socks on Tumblr #NoBanNoWall pic.twitter.com/R5z33OoXwR

— Fem For All 🏳️‍🌈 (@projectFem4All) 31 January 2017

And just to round off the webcomics section, here are a couple of awesome artworks/cartoons from LGBTQ+  creators:

"No, not like that." #transgender #AssignedMale pic.twitter.com/FRreMKAtFB

— Sophie Labelle (@AssignedMale) 28 January 2017

Finished this one for friends over the holidays. Just some dads, being dads and gay and in love and also dads. pic.twitter.com/gzwqLgWokZ

— ✨genué ECCC U3✨ (@hrtbrokentweets) 1 February 2017

Other Stuff

The wonderful Supergirl TV series has been nominated for a GLAAD award for outstanding drama series.

The awards honour media with outstanding LGBTQ+ representation; and the current series of Supergirl has made leaps in rep. with the step of allowing Supergirl's sister, Alex, to be lesbian.

via GIPHY

And here's a bunch of interesting links of the comics-y type that I've come across this week:

• The lovely Tina @ As Told By Tina gave us her list of Top Ten Graphic Novels

• Swapna Krishna @ Book Riot wrote an excellent piece about Captain America and the 'should we punch Nazis?' question that challenges the comics world to do better in the modern age.

• Naja Later @ Women Write About Comics also writes an excellent piece on this topic - and points out that Cap has never been a neutral kinda guy.

• Dan Van Winkle @ The Mary Sue wrote about the California council member who was sworn in holding a Captain America shield XD

• Johanna @ Comics Worth Reading gave an informative analysis of the problems with new comics series The Assignment - which appears to be full of misogyny, transmisogyny, and transphobia. This doesn't bode well for the film version, due for release later this year.

Like this post? Try these:

• Comics Wrap-Up - Destroyed in an Hour
• Be Brave, Be Bold
• Nerd Church - When Heroes Fall

7 Hacks for Completing the Goodreads Challenge in the Final Days

For those of us who haven't finished our Goodreads challenges for 2016, the time has come to take more creative measures.

There is cheating, which is bad, and there is acceptable cheating - which is good.

So here are my hacks to help you towards your reading target for the year:

Comics Wrap-Up - Setting Fire To The Sky

Graphic Novels

This week, I reviewed Rendez-Vous in Phoenix by Tony Sandoval (UK - USA ) a generally great graphic novel about a young man crossing the border into America.

There are some issues with the representation of black people, which I went into further in my review, but overall it's a great book.

You can check out my full review here.

Other Stuff

I read a fairly damn cool ghost-based webcomic called 'The Auntie' by Alyssa Wong and Wendy Xu.

You too can read it - FOR FREE - on Tor's website.

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Over on Women Write About Comics, Sergio Alexis wrote an awesome post about queer rep.

Alexis, quite rightly, points out that The Big Two (Marvel and DC to those who don't speak hard-core nerd,) are cr*p at selling queer comics, but that queer comics do sell elsewhere.

It's a really interesting piece, so give it a glance :)

Like this post? Give these a try:

• Review! (Graphic Novel Edition!) Rendez-Vous in Phoenix by Tony Sandoval
• Friday Fics Fix - Tis The Season
• Comics Wrap-up - Lego Time!

Comics Wrap-Up - Here We Are Now

Film Trailers

Uber-short Doctor Strange trailer for you my dear nerdlets:

Graphic Novels

This week I read Who Killed Kurt Cobain? - The Story of Boddah (UK - US) by Nicolas Otero.

This is pretty dark, very graphic, mightily weird, and could probably do with being sealed in a child-proof 'Trigger Warning' box to ensure readers are suitably prepared... but for all that, I really liked it!

I'll be reviewing soon :)

I also binged on webcomics and read the first volume of Honeydew Syndrome.

This can be read for FREE here.

I quite enjoyed this dose of m/m-yaoi manga, but I did have some issues with it - little things like relationships which start with a punch to the face not being a great example.

The references to self-harm and suicide being a part of emo culture seemed a little too flippant/treated too lightly/over-simplifying for my liking.

That said - I totally binged on it, so it must be doing something right!

Like this post? Try these:

• Comics Wrap-Up - Girl Power
• Comics Wrap-Up - Things Are Shaping Up To Be Pretty Odd

Comics Wrap-Up - Girl Power

Single Issues

I was uber-uber-uber-impressed this week with independent Pakistani free-for-all web-comic Raat.

This features a strong female lead, who fights crime on the streets of Karachi. And with a strong style, and a distinct voice, I hope it goes far :)

You can check out the series' website @ raatcomic.com and follow on Twitter @raatcomic

Other Stuff

When catching up on my comics-y blog-reading, I came across this post by Laura Harcourt @ Women Write About Comics.

It discusses the problems of race in the superhero TV show Supergirl - and how the diversity of the show can be expanded.

via GIPHY

(Just to be clear - I love Supergirl. I also love this post. It doesn't undermine Supergirl, just points out places where the show can make things better.)

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Also on Women Write About Comics is a post by Doris V Sutherland about a more distasteful side of comics.

Apparently there's a dude in America who likes to write comic-strip style Christian fundamentalist tracts.

Now, neither I nor anybody else would mind if these were just happy little stories celebrating the Christian faith.

Unfortunately, as can be seen in the post, they are pretty horrible things which claim that Halloween, neo-paganism, Harry Potter, etc., are all demonic and evil.

via GIPHY

This is particularly unfair for people who practice Wicca, witchcraft, or any other type of neo-paganism (which is completely unlike fantasy-story witches - can we please differentiate between folklore, fantasy fiction, and real people who follow real pagan religions? Thanks.)

Whenever I see something as ignorant as this bloke, I really want to bash my head repeatedly against my laptop!!!

That's about it for me this week guys: be excellent to each other!

Like this post? Try this:

• Comics Wrap Up - Things Are Shaping Up To Be Pretty Odd

Comics Wrap Up - Gallons of the Stuff

TV Trailers


Here's Netflix's trailer for their adaptation of Marvel's Luke Cage:

Looks pretty cool. Unfortunately, I still don't have Netflix.

And before everyone starts going 'it's only x-pounds per month' let me remind you that I don't have a lot of money. And the money I do have goes on books. 

Luckily, since I live in my parents' house, I mooch off of their Sky+ a lot ;)

Graphic Novels

This week I read Vertigo's First Offenses (UK - US) which is more an anthology of single issues than a graphic novel, but I'm totally putting it in this section (because I feel like it dammit!)

So, like I said, this is made up of single issues. 5 series starters from Vertigo's versatile range of devil-may-care comics:

• The Invisibles #1
• Fables #1
• Preacher #1
• Sandman Mystery Theatre #1
• Lucifer #1

My favourites had to be... Preacher #1 and Lucifer #1.

Both are kind of based in subverted religious iconography - so I really don't know what that says about me! But they were pretty damned good, and I may read more of these series in the future.

All in all, a good little selection - and it really shows the quality of the Vertigo imprint :)

Other Stuff

I've just finished an excellent essay collection - Last Night, A Superhero Saved My Life (UK - US) - edited by Liesa Mignona, about how superheroes make a difference to every-day life. It's great.

I'll be reviewing it soon :)

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I also kind of binge-read all of Linda Sejic's Blood Stain series on DeviantArt - not as convenient as waiting for the collected volume (read my review of vol 1 here) but like the crazy-a*s fangirl dedicated reader that I am, I read the whole thing :)

I also managed to scare my cat (the fluffy white boy-cat, Jango, in case you're familiar with my cats) by laughing at it at a random moment.

And I managed to succeed in being exceptionally awkward and tagging a random instead of Linda on Twitter! (I need the Coffee God now Linda... please?)

Like this post? Try These:

• Review! (Graphic Novel Edition!) - Blood Stain, Vol 1
• Comics Wrap Up - This'N'That