Review! (Graphic Novel Edition!) - Codename Baboushka, Vol 1: The Conclave of Death

Title: Codename Baboushka, Volume 1: The Conclave of Death

Author: Antony Johnston

Contributors: Shari Chankhamma, Simon Bowland

Genre: Graphic Novel, Spy, Gangster, Thriller, Crime

Series: Codename Baboushka

Amazon: UK - USA

A few starting notes:

I received a free digital review copy of this book via NetGalley. NetGalley provides review copies from publishers in exchange for fair and honest reviews.

I decided to give this a shot because of the cover: it has this kind of cool Russian-vibe going on, and it looked intriguing.

Sometimes, particularly with graphic novels, I really don't need any more than that.

Premise:

Femme fatale Baboushka is retired from the Russian crime-boss game. Until US intelligence want her to do them a favour, that is.

They don't give her much of a choice.

So it's time for the kick-as* Russian countess to get back in the game - it's gonna be a bumpy ride.

Best bits:

A weird thing to start on, but I'm just gonna go with it: I really loved the chapter title pages.

They had that whole 007 title-sequence deal going on, with a colour-scheme of red, black, and white, and it just worked.

The style of the artwork in general had its own uniqueness - which is always good in a world where it's hard to be original in anything. I would've preferred a little more depth and shadow to the art, but that's a personal thing.

Baboushka herself is awesome - and I was impressed by how much she managed to move out of the shadow of that other leather-clad Russian comics heroine, The Black Widow.

The page layouts (and this sounds like such a geeky thing to talk about, but when something's done well, it's done well,) were really thought-out and affective.

The flow of the panels worked and there had clearly been some thought put into the backgrounds and the whole look and feel of the page. I appreciate it when some effort has been put in!

Also, the matryoshka (Russian nesting-doll) weapons rocked!

Not so great bits:

To the Russian elephant in the room: the similarities between Baboushka and The Black Widow.

They are there, no question about it - the leather outfit, the fact that they're Russian, the unbeatable skills, the mysterious back-story, the stand-out hair colour (Baboushka's is white where Widow's is red, but the affect is much the same,) etc. etc.

Criticisms of Baboushka as a Black Widow mirror-image are valid.

But somehow it doesn't feel like it when you're reading.

Yes, they are very similar - but Baboushka is not Widow, she has a different feel to her character, and a different story, and there's the potential for them to move further apart in the future.

Black Widow casts a big shadow - and while I think the extent to which Baboushka manages to move out from that is admirable, I can't help but think that Marvel's Natasha Romanoff will always be in the back of the reader's mind.

There's a some (very, very, mild) swearing ('bl**dy',) and a lot of gore and violence here - so if that's not your thing, then this is probably not for you.

Verdict:

I enjoyed this - it brought a spark of originality to a character who could just have been a cheap imitation.

Baboushka, though, may never shake of Natasha Romanoff's spectre.

I hope she does. Because she has the potential to be truly great.

Buy Now UK – Buy Now USA – Goodreads – Antony Johnston's Website

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The Case For Fanfiction

You know me, I luuurve fanfiction (I even provide a ficrec every Friday with 'Friday Fics Fix' - yes, I'm shamelessly plugging my own posts,) but I'm aware that to many people it's a divisive issue.

Last week, two of my girls - the bloggers that are in the metaphorical 'inner circle' of my blogging life (that probably makes it sound more like a cult than it is - oops!) - made their points for and against fanfiction.

The lovely Emily @ The Paperback Princess argued against, and the sweet Sierra @ The Nerdgirl Review argued for.

Both made great points, and you should definitely check out their posts. :)








Not content with writing epically long comments on their blogposts, I decided that I'm going to throw my opinions out there in technicolour for all of you to read.

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And who wouldn't enjoy that?







A warning before we start: for some reason I use really big words and/or fancy sentence structures when discussing fanfiction.

...So I might end up coming across as pretentious, but I honestly believe every word; I just become weirdly eloquent when talking about fanfiction.

(The irony of this, given the grammatical standard of a butt-load of fanfiction, is not lost on me.)

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Also, this post might get quite long. You have my permission to take breaks to go to the loo or get a cuppa if necessary.

You can even skim-read, if you really must ;)

Although obviously I'd love it if you were to read and cherish every word ;)








Fanfiction is about, at it's very heart, passion.

(Yes, I can hear you giggling - it does often include that sort of passion. So much smut. *Mind flashes back to...images.*)

Fanfiction is the expression of our fundamental love for the things we're passionate about - the TV shows, the books, the films, whatever.

Basically it's the fans engaging with the material in the deepest of ways - saying, we loved this so very much that we want MORE!

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And you know what that should mean to the people who produce the original material? A lot.

Because it means you've really meant something to people - it means people are carrying a piece of your creative endeavour in their hearts.







Fanfiction gives characters life - actual moving, in-flux, living, life. Because they're no longer confined to their original media, their original stories.

Fanfiction sets characters free (yes, I know that sounds a bit new-age-y, blame my parents, I do.)

They're able to become more than just a story - they enter our collective consciousness as myths, legends, symbols.

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Through fanfiction, characters can transcend their original medium; they can spread and gain a greater understanding - a greater following.

Do you think that when storytellers sat around the fire they used to tell the same version of the story every time? Of course not.

Even someone with a fabulous memory will miss out a detail here, use a different word there. And over time the story changes, inch by inch, into something else.









And that is the same beautiful, morphing, fluidity of narrative, that we now have in fanfiction.

That spark of interpretation that means a reader never truly reads the same words twice has been captured and magnified. We are making the stories our stories.

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And fanfiction can be a force for improving literacy (no, really, bare with me on this one.)

Yes, there's plenty of truly atrocious grammar, plot-holes galore, and a wonky grasp of spelling; but it's spreading reading and writing to the world.

People who would normally not consider themselves readers, or writers, are a part of the fanfiction scene, tapping on their keyboards, or reading anxiously on their phones.

And that? Truly amazing.

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Fic-writers are brave. They are not afraid to tackle any topic in any way.

(The anonymity helps - but this was, originally at least, primarily a way to not end up getting sued by Disney. I'm sure there are other companies. But it's Disney that the primal part of every fic-writer fears.)

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Granted, a lot of the time this means a lot of very graphic sex between... well pretty much anyone on two legs (and some with more or less than two legs *cue brain flashing on disturbing fic images.*)

Male/male pairings dominate the medium - partly because major companies, publishers, studios, etc. are too afraid to give the big-money characters a same-sex partner, but also partly because a lot of people find two men having sex very hot (fans self.)









It's not all sex though - you're just as likely to find your favourite characters struggling to deal with relationships, family, mental health, and the everyday domesticity of supermarket runs.

(I've read so many supermarket stories - what is it about the supermarket guys? Does anyone know??? I really don't get the fascination with this trope.)








The porn is everywhere though. I'm not going to lie to you. There are some things that I really wish I could un-read, and that make me worry about humanity in general.

And sometimes you're just reading what you assume is non-sexy-times fic and... Oh! Look! Much graphic porn!

(Things tend to escalate quickly. Very quickly. And in a weird and usually unexpected direction. Sometimes the unexpectedness isn't even sexual - just random as all hell, because collectively, fangirls/boys have no inhibitions. At all.)

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But usually fic-writers leave tags and/or warnings to stop the unaware from falling too far.

It doesn't always work, but if you don't pay attention to the tags IT WILL NOT WORK.

YOU WILL BE LOST. *Cue more fanfiction images flashing through my mind.*








If someone's given warnings for heavyweight subjects, or just the obligatory 'I'M SORRY - WHAT DID I WRITE?' (you'll find this a lot,) then please tread carefully.

It ain't gonna be rainbows and bunnies (and if it is you're probably not going to look at rainbows and bunnies the same way ever again.)

I personally don't agree with fanfiction that uses real people as characters, instead of characters who were fictional to begin with - I think it's more than slightly creepy, in all honesty.

I don't like the whole writing-about-celebrities-doing-it thing because, well, would you want someone to write about you having sex? Eww, no. Exactly.

Fanfiction also definitely warps your perspective. I no longer find MPreg (male pregnancy) that weird.

I should definitely find it exceptionally weird... I don't. I just kind of accept it and move on.

And that's probably not the worst of it... far from it, actually (*yet more images of disturbing fics - I really can't explain, it's not repeatable in polite company.*)








But, despite the many times I wished I hadn't read a particular fic, or even just a particular chapter, I still love fanfiction.

It's wish-fulfilment. It's a safe place to explore sex and relationships. It's somewhere where you can read about characters feeling just like you do - and going through the things that you 're going through.

It's unfiltered feels (strong and indescribable feelings to the non-fandom-speakers.) It has it's own genres - family, hurt/comfort, angst, fluff...

It's the mood of the fans, and what speaks to them, in the purest of forms.

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And real writers emerge from the depths of it - E L James and Cassandra Clare, no matter your personal feelings on either of them, are hugely successful authors. And both were fic writers.

It's the perfect ground for newbie writers, who need to get all the writing practice they can. How better to start than with characters who are all ready existent, and just waiting for you?








Well-written, character-driven fanfiction? (And it does exist.) It's the best feeling in the world.

A distillation of humanity's imagination, its hopes and fears, just waiting for you.









So, what do you think? Ready to give it a try, and hear the voices of millions as together they transform beloved characters into something... alive? ;)





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The Writer Diaries: Micropoetry - May 2016

Just a couple of micropoetry poems for you this month - clearly I've not been in an overly poetry-ish mood.

(Just as a reminder - this is the micropoetry that clutters up my Twitter profile over the course of the month. I stick it here because otherwise I'll use it in the stream of tweets-and-such.)

Hopefully the quality makes up for the quantity (a girl can be overly-optimistic and hope, right?)

Anyhow, these are my four little brain-creatures - see what you think:





8th May

Oh but I did see you.
You never noticed me, did you?
Again and again I saw you.
You never saw me.

11th May

The stars are there -
You can't cover them;
They're still there.

You blocked out your shine.
But I'm light. I'm a star. In the dark.

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23rd May

My heart is hammering
for attention.
At least I know,
that it's still beating.
Still here.

23rd May

They gave her to the birds, the moon, love -
They did not know
Her names were more than words.
Names gave her away

But she gave herself

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Nerd Church - When Heroes Fall

We choose heroes. We love and support them - even if they've never heard of us; even if they're fictional (the fictional ones probably haven't heard of us either.)

Sometimes, though, our heroes - real or fictional - can let us down.

I spoke in my comics wrap up earlier this week about my frustration and disappointment at Marvel's stupidity.

In case you haven't heard? They've turned Captain America into a Nazi.

People all over the world look up to Captain America - including kids, men, and women. Including me.

So this decision is not one I support - clearly.

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I don't think that the people who made this decision should be threatened however - that's not what our real Cap, the one who isn't part of f**king HYDRA for f**ks sake,) would want.

Anyone who would dare to make death threats, or induce others to kill themselves, simply because they don't agree with a creative decision (no matter how down-right awful the decision may be,) is not a true Cap fan.

(And if you don't agree with that? Think very carefully about what Steve Rogers would say to you about your opinion.)

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But, whether this turns out to be an elaborate fake-out or not (and here's hoping,) it got me to thinking - what do we do when our heroes fall?

Well, the problem with real people, is that they're real.

And while they can be hugely admirable, real people are likely to err at various points in their lives: the accusations made by Amber Heard against Johnny Depp, Maria Sharapova's failed drugs test, etc.

If they're lucky - and very good for a very long time - they can regain our trust. But there will always be an element of fans who they will've lost for good.





The problem with fictional people, is that their lives are controlled by real people - who are likely to err and/or make stupid decisions.

Luckily, with fictional people, it's not the character's fault. Therefore you can still love them, and use the excuse of bad writing etc. to exonerate them.

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Does this mean we're quicker to forgive fictional people - with all the stresses they have of being fictional - than we are to forgive real people; who, let's face it, have to deal with real life?

Whether we do or don't, and whatever the rights and wrongs of forgiveness in any particular situation, when your hero lets you down, it can feel like a crushing blow.

Maybe this is because we feel like there should be an ideal - someone we can realistically look up to and model ourselves on; who is better than ourselves, but not unattainably.

Maybe it's just because we've always needed heroes - from mythology to today - so that we can feel like there are forces for good in the world.




But we shouldn't forget the good just because of the bad.

Because the good things that Captain America stands for? Not even a crappy HYDRA story-line can damage that.

He's still about love, tolerance, and freedom (which is why he SHOULD BE ALLOWED TO HAVE A BOYFRIEND DAMMIT!!! - Sorry, I'm not letting that topic go either.)

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So I still love you, Cap. Because I love what you mean to me - and to millions of other people around the world.




Nerd Church is a weekly post where I faff on about various things and pretend I know what I'm talking about. Feel free to continue the discussion - or to share this post, if you liked it, because it would make me very happy :)

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Month in Review(s) - May 2016

And so another month is well on its way to faffing off into the sunset.

I actually haven't reviewed any graphic novels this month (I know - who am, and what have I done with Cee?)

I'm probably making up for last month, which had graphic novels falling from the ever-loving rafters.

I've been on a bit of a contemporary YA binge lately - which led to me reviewing 3 contemporary YA titles this month.

'The Art of Being Normal' was beautiful, 'One' was unique, and 'Boy Meets Boy' was your favourite rom-com in book form.






My stand-out book this month, though? 'Swan Boy.' Wow. Just wow.





Kids




Swan Boy by Nikki Sheehan - Contemporary, Magic Realism








Young Adult

The Art of Being Normal by Lisa Williamson - Contemporary, LGBTQ+
One by Sarah Crossan - Contemporary, Poetry* (*novel in verse)
Boy Meets Boy by David Levithan - Contemporary, LGBTQ+, Romance (M/M)









Adult




alt. sherlock. holmes - Anthology, Novellas/Short Stories, Crime, Contemporary*, Historical Fiction*, LGBTQ+* M/M* (*one or more stories.)







Non-fiction




Reasons To Stay Alive by Matt Haig

Friday Fics Fix! - Love And Other Inconveniences

Hello dearest nerdlets!

It's Friday again - which means it's time for me to drag you kicking and screaming into the incredibly weird and wacky (but still oh-so wonderful) world of fanfiction.

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And I'm going to spoil you (because I'm just that lovely,) and give you a whopping 5 fics for the price of one!

Yep - a whole 5 fics.

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Lemme explain:

I came across a FrostIron series that somehow I hadn't tripped over before (I know, hard to believe that there's any FrostIron I haven't devoured yet - but here's the proof,) and realised that they're so closely linked that I had to recommend all of them.




(Fangirl note:

FrostIron is where Tony Stark and Loki have a little something-something romantical and/or sexy-times going on between them.

I read far too much of it, so if you haven't heard me (seen me? I'm typing not speaking, after all,) talk about it before... then you must be quite new here; and now is probably your last chance to run.)

Now, there is sexy-sexy-times here, particularly in the last instalment of the series.

So. You know what I'm going to say:

18+ only.

Don't let your parents yell at me. Thank you.

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Okie dokes - today's fics are:

The Here Comes Your Man series by hannahrhen

This is a whole Reluctant!Soulmate AU. (I have no idea why we punctuate everything with '!'s in fanfiction, we just do.)

(Fangirl note: An AU is an alternate universe. Because in fandom, anything can happen. Anything.)

Soulmate AUs are relatively common in the world of fanfiction: basically, everyone (or a few chosen people) is/are born with a soulmate.

'Soulmate bonds' tend to be magical-y and/or biological-y.

Beyond that, the 'rules' are usually up to the fic author. Some favour the first words your soulmate will say to you being printed on your skin like a birthmark, some prefer an intense physical feeling of unity, etc.





What makes this series so great is that neither Tony nor Loki want to be each other's soulmates for all time. Which leads to much angst and shenanigans :)

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Enjoy!





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Comics Wrap Up - Calling Out Your Name

Film Trailers

Yet more X-Men: Apocalypse TV ads and film clips this week. Not that I'm complaining. ;)

(Although, it does make you wonder, just a little, how much unseen footage the film will actually have.)

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...D'aww, sad-face Magneto >.<

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I love the next one. Jubilee doing a cheesy 80s commercial for Xavier's school (with a familiar voice-over at the end!)

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And someone in the editing department for this next one? Thanks for all the interaction between the characters and the critics' quotes - my film-nerd side is very happy :)

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And this last one? Dun-dun-duuuunnn! :)

Graphic Novels

This week I read Codename Baboushka, Volume 1: The Conclave of Death (UK - US,) which is about a Russian lady-mafia-boss slash spy slash assassin slash whatever-she-needs-to-be-at-the-time.

Comparisons with Marvel's Black Widow are inevitable (and valid,) but I enjoyed it, and I'll be reviewing it very soon. :)

Plus, the cover looks the poster for a spy movie: I mean, look at that!

Other Stuff

Something beautiful happened this week - people showed Marvel that there's a real taste for change.

People spoke up, and told the studios exactly what they want - and what they want is to #GiveCaptainAmericaABoyfriend.

(And I quite agree.)

Will the studio listen to the social media clamour? Who knows.

But the louder and longer the fans call out, the harder it will be to ignore.



For the time being though, Marvel have decided to just make Cap a Hydra Nazi.

Yeah, cos that works. (Rolls eyes, bashes head against table repeatedly.)

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(This is Batman. Being disappointed in Cap. This is what you've reduced me to Marvel. Me - a lifelong Marvel-girl - using an animated DC gif. Of Batman. Because I can't even look at you right now. I hope you're happy.)

Marvel, would you honestly rather Cap was a f**king Nazi than non-heterosexual?

Are we seriously having this f**king discussion?!?!



Just do what the people want. Get your heads out of your a**es and allow the comics to go back to not be freaking insane.

Let Cap stand up for his ideals and not be a Nazi(for f**ks sake, how did we get to this point?)

Then allow Cap his Bucky. It's time.

#GiveCaptainAmericaABoyfriend.
#SayNoToHYDRACap.

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Give Cap his Bucky. It's time.

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