Radio Silence

So, to begin, apologies for metaphorical radio silence as of late- I say as of late, but really it's... in general.

This is due to my recently acquiring a job, it's probably not what I'm going to be doing for the rest of my life, but for now it's income and something to actually... do with my copious amount of free time.
It's nice that I get to work with my best mate, and although we're probably not going to interact much on the job- we're shelve fillers/general jobsbodies- it's nice to know someone will always have my back.
Oh, and my bosses are super nice. I've pretty much always had awesome bosses. Aww yeah.

I suppose in a relevant way it means money and more comics, and more recommendations for you the readers. I say readers like there's more than about three of you, haha.

I'll make another recommendation post soon, when I'm less tired.
For now I am going to chill and get on with reading A Dance with Dragons.
I'd play more of Portal 2, but unlike the first one it makes me really dizzy @_@ I dread to think how much worse it'll be because I'm tired. I'm not sure if it's the game's fault, or that it's four years on, or my declining eyesight. I feel old, haha.

I would laugh if the title turned out to be literal.

I do like that I've read about half the series after having seen the show, as I hear certain character's dialogue in their respective actors' voices. It's particularly strong for Tyrion and Littlefinger.

I can't wait for the second series to see the counterparts of characters introduced in that book, that and it was very compelling. I can't decide if A Clash of Kings or A Storm of Swords was the most compelling book of the series so far.

My Comic Recommendations

A fair few of my friends have expressed an interest in the world of comic books, but to a new reader it can be a very daunting place when comics are up to about 700 issues.

This is why DC are doing their reboot in September, to give the opportunity for new readers to be able to come in at issue 1 and not have missed out on decades of back story that can sometimes be referenced in such a vague manner, the casual reader has no chance of understanding. A risky move, but it does makes sense, after all a friend recently stated that she wanted to start reading X-Men comics, and wasn't sure where to begin.

Different creative teams can take completely different slants on characters, plot lines can span years, and what can appear on the surface to be the same character can be entirely different when both the big companies of Marvel and DC have alternate universes by the bucket load.

I would say that these days I am primarily a DC reader/purchaser, yet I have more Marvel characters I'm attached to. Weird, right? It's all about that "where to start?" question.

So, without further ado here are some comics I have enjoyed, and would like to recommend to people in general, as well as perhaps referencing specific people.

DC Comics Edition

The Batfamily

Batman: The Long Halloween

Calendar Man

Batman has had a lot of popularity over the years, thanks to a TV series, animated cartoons and various movies- so I would wager most people have at least some knowledge of the Batman mythos. I find origins these days, particularly with DC are a story told over and over and over, so starting near the "beginning", but with a very unique example, could be a good starting point for an interested reader.

Containing a good amount of the tradition Rogue's Gallery that we all know and love: Catwoman, Poison Ivy, Joker, Two-Face, Riddler and Penguin amongst lesser known foes such as Solomon Grundy or Calendar Man, this story spans more than a year and the troubles Batman has to face with a holiday themed killer. You'd naturally think Calendar Man, right? Well think again, as he's behind bars at Arkham. You can see parallels to Silence of the Lambs, with Calendar Man providing the role of Hannibal Lecter, with less cannibalism. Murder, mystery and the mob all feature in what will be one of my favourite Batman stories, and with twists, turns, a hint of romance and some gorgeous art, I think anyone can find something to enjoy in this.

I adore stylish covers like this one.

Batman: Hush

This book is often hit with mixed reviews, but personally I found the story to be an interesting one.

In a way, I don't entirely want to say too much about the plot as I don't want to inadvertently give away any hints- but the story has left significant impact on the Batclan. This story is equally full of twists and turns, and Jim Lee's art is always a pleasure. 

It's certainly a must read, even if it is hotly debated.

Batman: Under the Hood

It seems there is a trend here that I like things that are loved and hated in equal measure. To fully understand this one you have to have read Hush, as it links to it a little. A figure from Batman's past returns to antagonise him yet again, but why? The Red Hood was an identity originally taken by the Joker before he was chemically altered... so who is the Red Hood?

It looks like the chemicals also affected Joker's fashion sense.
This was a good look for him.

Without giving anything away to anyone who has not read this story- people do agree it is a well crafted story, but that they don't necessarily agree with the story being told. It has an even bigger impact on the batclan than Hush did, and deals with one of my favourite underdog characters. There has been a recent animated adaptation which was very successful, and showcased John DiMaggio as the Joker (known for Bender, Wakka and Marcus Fenix) but gave the plot twists away too quickly for my taste. It did however, make it more accessible to people relatively unaware of DC back history, which may be a better avenue for some.

Batman: Thrillkiller

I am a huge fan of the DC Elseworlds imprints, this is to do with that multiple universe thing I have spoken about. What if tales, imaginary stories and so much more. I would say this is one of my favourite Batman Elseworld tales, even though it largely focuses on Batgirl and Robin.

It is worth it for the art alone.

The story is set in the 1960's dealing with the changing ideals of the time, corrupt politics and sexual revolution. In this universe the Joker is female, and decidedly more devious than comic. This story gets very dark, but oh so very engrossing. It's unfortunate that it's hard to find these days, but it's worth trying to track down a copy from somewhere.

Batwoman: Elegy

One of the more recent additions to the batclan, making her first appearance in the big event 52 and following it up with some brief appearances in the other two events Countdown and Final Crisis (for the new reader, these are one to avoid- very complex) but this book is where she truly comes into her own.

No picture can encompass how excited I got about owning this book.

Greg Rucka is a fantastic writer, and did a great job with this title- probably in part to having been one of the primary writers for the character of Renee Montoya, Batwoman's ex-girlfriend. Batwoman may have not had an official origin title, this book deals with it sufficient in flashbacks and exposition. The art is truly fantastic, and J.H. Williams III has a grasp of composition like no other artist I've seen. This story will naturally appeal to those with an interest in the LGBT community, as Batwoman is considered the most high profile gay super hero and it's an issue certainly not buried in the closet. If you like stories with strong women, you will like this book.

It's always nice to see a female super hero who is not in heels.

The Joker: Devil's Advocate

Most people who know me, know that I am not a huge fan of the Joker. He has the potential to be very interesting, but too often feels like a one trick pony. However, this is probably the best Joker story I have ever read. I cannot tell you why without giving the game away, but it is brilliantly written. It's unfortunate it is also very hard to find (I myself do not have a copy) but I was happy to see that there was a copy in my university library, albeit one page was falling out. If you are a fan of the Joker you should be reading this book.

Kate, go find it in the library, it really is worth it.

You will not find a better story that involves stamps.

Batman: Going Sane

The only Joker story that I own is this one, the moment I heard about the concept I had to get my hands on it. The concept is simple, what if the only reason the Joker is insane, is due to Batman? The Joker and Batman fight as always, and it seems this time Joker has killed his nemesis. Of course, Batman isn't dead- just incapacitated away from Gotham- but the Joker, believing him dead, only has one place to go... sanity. People often debate whether the presence of Batman and other capes is what spurs on the super villains, and if they weren't there to oppose them, would they still exist? This story deals with the concept, but may have been better as an Elseworld tale to fully deal with the consequences. 

Does this like the face of a sane man to you?

Harley & Ivy

As I said in the last post I do like a bit of the Harley/Ivy, as an awesome villainous friendship and as a romantic pairing. This trade collects a few stories involving the two of them in different artistic styles. The main pull of this collection is the titular mini-series which was drawn by Bruce Timm himself, it's the quintessential animated Batman look to most people.

I'm sure anyone who has a passing interest in the pairing has seen this.

It's just such a fun little book, and if you like subtext it is a good read. Angie- this one is definitely for you.

Secret Six

Villains United/Secret Six

This is my favourite DC series, and shares some links to the batclan, but is intended to stand on its own- and interact with various DC groups. The Secret Six are a team of super villains, although they're more anti-heroes than anything else, who manage to be likeable even though they always are very close to skirting ethical lines. Featuring a team that constantly changes- these four shine as more interesting characters:

Scandal Savage- She holds a lot of secrets, and is very hard to kill.

Deadshot- A man who never misses a shot, and antagonises just about everyone.

Catman- Formerly a pathetic Z list villain who's made something of himself in Batman's shadow.

Ragdoll- You don't get much stranger than a man who cut his own penis off as it got in the way of his flexibility.

I bet you can guess which one Ragdoll is...

The series features some appearances from Batfamily villains, some who temporarily join the team, and some very interesting stories. I am a huge fan of the writer Gail Simone, and would recommend literally anything she has written, she is fantastic and certainly very good with female characters and being LGBT/People of Colour friendly. The art various from book to book, but certainly Nicola Scott's shines the most, she is well known for fan service for men and women. There is a running joke that Nightwing's ass is the most fabulous ass in all of DC Comics, and it appears in Nicola Scott's run, when I tweeted at Gail about how even I could appreciate the fabulousness of "DAT ASS" she replied saying that Nicola Scott's art made her feel that way about the character Jeanette, when she appeared naked. Nicola Scott is powerful in the way of cheesecake.

Nomi, you will appreciate the Mad Hatter's appearance and an Alice in Wonderland inspired hallucination.

If I were to recommend one comic to anyone, and only one, this would be it.

Elseworlds

Kingdom Come

This is a story I will reread whenever I really need to get my brain going. It will make you think.

I suppose you could call the concept "What is a world without Superman?"- the story is set about ten years of the normal DC continuity, the world is a very different place after the Joker went too far and massacred everyone in the Daily Planet, including Lois Lane. During his trial, the Joker is killed by a new hero, Magog, and they decide not to punish him, as it was a righteous act.

This is against the rule for most super heroes. Heroes do not kill, but is that the problem? Distraught, Superman goes into solitude for a decade, and many other heroes follow suit and leave the public eye.

The next generation of heroes do not have the same ethics, and there are constant fights in the streets, and the lines between hero and villain have gone when bystanders lie dead in the streets.

That however, is not the end of the story, the old heroes return, and a clash between the old and new begins. Yet another book with fantastic art, Alex Ross does the full interior- gorgeous realistically painted scenes that give an almost religious tone to the story. An excellent read.

All of the art is like this. Om nom nom nom nom.

Superman: Red Son

This is my favourite Superman centric Elseworlds tale, a simple concept, but powerful. "What if Superman landed in the Ukraine, and not America?" A dark twist on the normal Superman original tale, and gives us some very interesting character designs. There is a similar parody tale that takes the tack of "What if Superman landed in Britain" but I was not a fan. A simple question has lead to a very successful story.

Just look at that Batman. LOOK AT HIM.

That's all for now folks, I'll dip in to some Marvel and other DC imprints in another post, as this is long enough as is!

Asexuality, canon, and retcons- oh my!

As one of my University tutors once pointed out, I have a wry grasp of sexual and gender politics, so I figured why not start branching out a bit in what I've been looking at, as largely it's been very personal to me. Due to my fairly recent education and interest in the asexual community, it recently came to my attention that they uphold 'The Doctor', the titular character from Doctor Who as a prime example of a character aiding asexual visibility.

I have no problem with the issue of visibility, after all, I doubt a huge amount of people know about asexuality, or indeed, enough about asexuality. Having asexual visibility is a necessary thing, but only when appropriate to the character.

With the specific example of the Doctor, I don't believe the character is actually asexual. Considering the very first incarnation of the character, his first companion was his own granddaughter, meaning he has had some degree of sexual relations (unless on Gallifrey they mate in a different way? I highly doubt it considering near identical anatomy to humans) I do however, acknowledge that this could still mean that the Doctor is indeed asexual, as there are degrees, and they are capable of sex even if they don't necessarily desire it, or enjoy it.

This break is brought to you by David Tennant, because we realise he is pleasant to look at. Enjoy.

Please note this next example contains spoilers for the end of Tennant's run, so if you don't want to know, ignore this next paragraph.

Another example that would point towards the Doctor not being asexual, is that in his tenth incarnation he shows a very strong romantic attraction to Rose, to the point where his half human clone goes to have a life with her in a parallel universe. You would think, sexuality often being a large part of the human lifestyle, if that wasn't in his interest, it would have come up. Of course, that half-doctor is more human in physical aspects than the actual Doctor. Who knows?

Spoilers have ended here, just so you know people.


The third and final point in regards to character, are remarks the Doctor has made about Queen Elizabeth I, that he was once married to her and that one of her nicknames was no longer applicable. I think many people would agree that the most famous nickname of "Good Queen Bess" was that of "The Virgin Queen", naturally the sentence wasn't finished leaving it ambiguous but I think it is a relatively safe assumption to make.

The larger case as to why this is not likely to be an asexual character even though the lack of sexual entanglement is apparent, is more than likely to be due to the target audience of the show having a large amount of children. Sexual relationships are not really shown in the show at all, only romantic ones and that is probably not going to change. If you consider Torchwood, the so called "adult spin-off" there are a lot of sexual situations. As the two shows do interact from time to time, it would be interesting to see if they did bring up the Doctor's sexuality at some point on Torchwood, but as Russell T. Davies is still in charge of Torchwood, and Steven Moffat now in charge of Doctor Who it is probably not as easy to intertwine the two without having to talk about it at length.

I wonder what the original creator's statement would be? I don't think it would be asexual. I have heard people say that they think asexuals have only made note of it recently as the Doctor's incarnations have been visually younger, whereas you don't often think of older people as being overtly sexual.

Now, the reason why I make this post is in response to a friend's question-
"Why does it matter?"

As aforementioned, visibility matters to everyone, you could argue there's a lot for the every-man, but it's often harder for minorities. It's good for everyone to see people they can relate to in the media.
I have no problem with visibility, but to me it just doesn't seem a fitting example. Consider the recent BBC adaptation Sherlock which is by the aforementioned Moffat, as well as Mark Gatiss, both prominent contributors to Doctor Who. It is made relatively clear that the character of Sherlock Holmes is meant to be taken as asexual, showing no interest in romantic or sexual attachment. He claims he is married to his job, and although is somewhat socially inept- to the point that could be seen as an implication of some kind of autism, or complete disregard for social conveniences- it is a more likely example of asexuality that could be rightly championed by the asexual community.

Interestingly enough, when I was thinking about this I remembered some kind of controversy surrounding one of Rob Liefeld's comic book characters having their sexuality changed. From what little I recalled at the time it seemed like a homophobic incident, but when I looked into it more it was interestingly quite appropriate to this argument.

Shatterstar says everything you need to know about Rob Liefeld.
Pouches pouches pouches, lines lines lines, and you rarely see feet.
Hrm!

Shatterstar is an alien from Mojoworld (which is chronologically in the future as well), so he's an intergalactic time traveller- he's like the Doctor in a way, heh- he had no parents and was effectively bred in a tank as a sort of super soldier. As far as I understand when it comes to his species' mating habits they have a 'genetic bond mate' which has no real romantic associations, it's solely for combining DNA for breeding. They never met, as Windsong, his mate died- but Shatterstar always claimed to have felt no romantic or sexual feelings at all. There was even less when he eventually ended up on Earth.

Recently Shatterstar has been in a relationship with his team mate Rictor, it started off relatively subtextual but is now officially an open relationship and writers consider Shatterstar's sexuality to now be bisexual. Supposedly the inspiration was taken from Torchwood's Captain Jack Harkness, and Shatterstar's prolonged exposure to Earth has made him sexually curious about anything with a pulse.

I'm sure there are some people who would like to look at Jack too. Drool away folks.

I know sexuality is certainly a lot more fluid these days, but when the original creator is not happy about the change in use of his character, saying that the point was that he was asexual and that he struggled to understand human behaviour.

Now, back to the point, why does it matter? I am admittedly, a bit of a canon nerd. Sure, I sometimes support ideas, theories, and relationships that are not necessarily completely canon, sometimes merely subtextual, but never anything that seems contradictory or implausible.

I shall try to list some examples that people will understand:

• Remy- Fang and Vanille from FFXIII, not strictly canon (might as well be if the novel is considered canon)- yet as we both agree Fang/Lightning comes from nowhere. Other than that bit with the brand checking. 
• There are a lot of people who ship stuff like Harry/Draco or Fred/George. Just, no. No.
• Luke/Leia from Star Wars, Kirk/Spock from Star Trek
• I do ship Harley Quinn/Poison Ivy- although you know, Harley will always go back to the Joker, it's sort of become canon very recently in Gotham City Sirens, but was previously always subtextual.

A thinly veiled excuse to post Fanille fanart? You betcha.

I'm sure if people were to throw fandoms at me, I could probably think of a few more.

This is probably quite a big thing for me because of being a so called writer. When things compromise the intent of creators it feels a bit disrespectful to me. When browsing my local library I noticed some books that were being touted effectively as new 'Dashiell Hammett' novels, how this was supposed to work I have no idea, but they were recent publications. It's a shame I can't remember the titles or new author, but I really don't like the idea of someone profiting off of someone else's work without permission.

Of course there is room for parody and all that kind of thing, but I always get a little antsy if people profit off the back of other people's work. I suppose with comics it can be a bit of a different issue, as creative teams both on art and writing can change a lot, and canon is always being changed and retconned, but it still feels almost a little like a violation to me.

I'm sure not everyone feels the same way.

Also, to explain to those not in the know- retconning is the term for when plot/origins/background is just changed, sometimes without a proper explanation, sometimes with.

Some famed examples are what people would consider the camp era of Batman, you know all the BAM, KAPOW kind of stuff, compared to the brooding dark knight image of today. Often the tack is "multiple universes" as the old Batman exists in one universe, the modern in another, the one from the animated TV show in another, etc. etc.

Other examples include the time Superboy punched the Multiverse (the official term for all the alternate universes) which gave them an excuse to bring back characters previously dead with no other explanation, amongst other things.

DC are planning a huge reboot of their titles this September which is going to retcon a lot of things.
One of the biggest controversies around this, is the character of Batgirl.

To most of you, this is probably one of the only incarnations of Batgirl you will recognise (I don't count the live action representation here... for good reason *shudder*)

Barbara Gordon as Batgirl (by Phil Noto)
Oh Babsgirl, you were a classic.

However, there have been two other official people under the mantle of Batgirl- and technically two unofficialish ones (Huntress had a brief stint in Cass's uniform, and Bette Kane was briefly Bat-Girl before being the Pre-Crisis Batwoman)

The two more recent incarnations are:

Cassandra Cain-

Considering the whole Batman thing is meant to be about fear, you'd think this costume would have been the first one.

and Stephanie Brown (Was also the only canonical female Robin at one point, but will be non canon after the reboot, which is sad.)

She used to be a hero called Spoiler, before the Robin thing... Purple was her colour.
Sorry, it's eggplant. Not purple. Don't hurt me.

After the reboot, Barbara Gordon will be returning to the role of Batgirl. You may think, no problem, sure, whatever. The big deal here is due to one of the more famous Batman stories, which has been unsurprisingly not touched in filmverse. If you do not want to know the story of The Killing Joke then I suggest you stop reading here, but I wager you may actually already know the outcome.

The Joker shoots Barbara Gordon in the spine and cripples her, leading her to give up her role as Batgirl (which the Joker was unaware of) and eventually assuming the identity of Oracle a sort of information broker to superheroes largely working with the batfamily.

She can still kick your ass. If you deserve it.

Many people could argue that it was in this role she truly became something more, and not just for the visibility for the disabled, but being a capable awesome character who had huge impact on the DC universe. Supposedly when the reboot happens, The Killing Joke will still have happened, but they have yet to say how Barbara is going to regain the use of her legs. There have been previous retcon opportunities for her to get that chance, but they always kept her as Oracle, which I did agree with.

I feel quite strongly about this upcoming change, but the new Batgirl book is going to be written by Gail Simone one of my favourite writers, who is very inclusive when it comes to minorities. Gail has been a prolific Barbara Gordon writer for years, taking on most of the run of Birds of Prey a very good series about Oracle's team of (mostly) female superheroes. It is a brilliant series, go read it.

There has also been some very recent controversy during San Diego Comic Con about the treatment of female readers and equally their female creators by DC, so I want to show my support for Gail in these circumstances, but I don't yet know how I feel about this book. As I largely tend to buy comics in collected editions, rather than single issues, my purchases wont really have an impact on their sales... but people are talking, and it's good to talk.

This is why canon is important.

Obligatory Introductory Post

I figured that I had best have some kind of introductory post before I launch into anything serious, otherwise readers (hah!) may get somewhat confused. I say this, merely because there are traces on the internet of people trying to get me to blog again, you don't know what you're in for, oh ho ho.


As some of you may know, particularly if you read the sidebar, or were referred here by a certain someone, I'm Ren. I'm more of a lurker than a doer, but we shall see how it goes. It never hurts to have a place to ramble...


I most certainly do ramble, or digress to the point where I will begin to digress within a digression and things turn into a delightfully complicated mess, but hey, that's me. Does this count as one of those instances? I'm not sure.


To think, I could technically be called a writer. Not to say I have been published as such, but it's what I've been doing for quite some time.


This could end up being a very mixed bag of topics, as in all likelihood I will ramble about some fandom or another, what I'm watching on the telebox, playing on some machine or another, or thinking about. There are two things I would said I would do first though- both comic book related, and for different people.


In short, I am a nerd, a geek, and as I am so often delightfully told, a dork. Whatever turn of phrase you use for it- although supposed there is a difference, to do with obsession/skill/social aptitude- really it just means I like stuff, a lot, and that there's a lot of stuff I like.


So howdy.