Comics - Lady Heroes

Hi again friends,

So I'm back with another batch of comics to review and recommend.  I'm going with a theme this time and showing off some more lady heroes.  I'll start off with Captain Marvel Volume 1: Higher, Further, Faster, More by Kelly Sue DeConnick, David Lopez, and Lee Loughridge is my first time reading Captain Marvel.  I've been interested in reading about her for a while since I heard she'll be the focus of the first Marvel movie with a female lead (currently slated for November 2018 release, which can't come soon enough!).  This volume is sort of a restart to her storyline, as she ventures into space whereas her previous exploits were on earth.  Carol heads out to prove herself and isn't afraid to work hard along the way.  While diplomacy isn't her strong suit she still ends up helping settle interplanetary squabbles while teaming up a bit with the Guardians of the Galaxy.

Captain Marvel Volume 2: Stay Fly by Kelly Sue DeConnick, Marcio Takara, and David Lopez continues from the past volume as Carol fights over her cat with Rocket and soon another party.  She teams up with a rockstar while rhyming, and then comes home just in time for Christmas after a letter from home reminds her of all she left behind.  This volume has lots of humor, and mostly lighthearted storylines to offer while also expanding on her background for newer readers.

Captain Marvel Volume 3: Alis Volat Propriis (She Flies With Her Own Wings) is the work of Kelly Sue DeConnick, Warren Ellis, and David Lopez.  With only 4 issues this volume feels a little sparse compared to the previous ones which had 6 & 5 respectively.  We have space maneuvers, a bit more rescuing, some more fighting over the cat, introspection as Carol is faced with the prospect of more power, and a touching story of her mentor to wrap things up before Secret Wars picks up with a new storyline.  I really love Carol, but I wish some of these stories were a bit meatier and less such short arcs.  Still, I heartily recommend it to all who like a tough lady who gets the job done.

Ms. Marvel Volume 2 by G. Willow Wilson, Adrian Alphona, and Jacob Wyatt sees Kamala growing into her powers and teaming up with another hero for the first time....and taking a selfie to remember it by too!  She gets a new pet who just happens to be sent from someone who's got information about her powers.  And all the while she's trying to protect her hometown.  This volume progresses things so nicely, that it made me really glad to have the third volume ready to read as soon as I finished.

Ms. Marvel Volume 3 by G. Willow Wilson, Takeshi Miyazawa, Elmo Bondoc, and Mark Waid has lots of interesting twists and Kamala has a Valentine's special with another great cameo, and gets to deal with a crush who seems too good to be true!  She learns of others like her and a resistance movement, while proving her character.  And finally she meets some SHIELD agents who have to contain a nearby issue, but may be helping to shape her future...or not, since that's where this volume ends things.

And my last review was a pick from Fight or Flight Comics' discussion group, Word Balloons, which Bryan and I got to join over the weekend.  Batgirl Volume 1: The Batgirl of Burnside by Cameron Stewart, Babs Tarr, and Brenden Fletcher.  This, similar to Captain Marvel has a character starting up a new storyline, and in this case moving to a trendy new neighborhood. Barbara has to balance school, her secret identity, a bit of a party girls lifestyle, and some crazy social media hijinks as she tries to get her thesis work back after having her computer stolen.  She's got good friends, a photographic memory, and the tech skills to tackle the job, but new kinks keep getting thrown her way, including some identity theft.  Batgirl is more mature reading than Ms. Marvel, but equally well written.  I really love the feel of the art here, but am simultaneously turned off by how much it seems to be drawn for the male gaze (despite how her costume is perfect, the rest of the clothing is not so true to life).  Still, I can't wait to pick up the next volume.

This is a bit of a late post, but it's all done.  And since Bryan and I stopped by the comic store over the weekend I have even more fodder for the next comics post.  So stay tuned, dear readers, for more!

Love,
Lydia

I am a Nerd

Hi everyone,

I have a confession to make, I am a nerd, or maybe you'd call it a geek, either way it's about the same.  I love things that are boring to other folks and though I haven't talked about it much here I am unashamed in my passion for them.  I just thought it was time to say that here too.

Today Bryan and I had a conversation about how a being would theoretically evolve with two hearts and how those hearts would function. Many animals with multiple hearts probably had them evolve along with gills.  Would one control blood flow to the left side of the body and the other the right?  If so when a heart failed the individual might lose a leg and arm, but still go on living.  Perhaps the second heart was there to give the individual more energy reserve for purposes of something like the regenerative abilities.  #TimeLords #Centaurii #Science?

We recently discussed how a roleplay system we really enjoy (Hackmaster New) has neglected to introduce information for all the various cleric faiths they promised in the rulebook.  We want to play another campaign, but we may have to adapt the information we have to make something new.  Since we have the opportunity we can put a trinity of gods in place, perhaps sun, moon, and star/void and use that instead of the usual alignments.  Add in another element to craft them by classifying the themes into color families to mimic the values of Magic the Gathering's colors to create the flavor of each cleric's personality.  I have a feeling everyone in the party may be itching to play a cleric character.

We play with ideas like these often, when we're not playing games of Civilization V together, or gathering with brothers for Pokemon roleplay nights (yes we pretend we're trainers, trying to be the very best), or over at Bryan's parents for Sci Fi Night, making art about time travel, going to a LEGO convention, talking physics with Davey, or history with each other, meeting with comic book discussion groups, and playing Brain Dots on our phones in bed together when we should be trying to sleep.

As a result my personal fashion is more Felicia Day than Coco Chanel, though I do love some vintage style.  It may just be influenced by the 1950s as well as steampunk Victorian worlds.  I end up being so eclectic, and I hope I can make that work in a more minimalist way.  It's taking some time to put things together for my fall capsule wardrobe, but I'm excited to see what happens.  And I'll finally have managed to go through all my clothes and can actually go sell stuff (I've been putting this off for the summer) and donate slightly more loved items.

So this is just a bit of my personal love letter to all the geeks out there, and there's probably more where this same from.  For now I'll wait until Wednesday to share more, when I'll be back with another installment of graphic novel reviews.  See you then!

Love,
Lydia