Molly Mahan | Geekscape

Tori Spelling to Host My Little Pony Royal “Bridle” Shower

by Molly MahanApril 7, 2012

The Royal Wedding of the year is upon us, as a Princess of Canterlot has pledged her hoof in marriage! April 21st at 1PM on The Hub Network, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic will air a special two-part episode (back-to-back for a full hour of My Little Pony amazingness!) of Princess Cadence and Shining Armor‘s wedding!

In honor of this once-in-a-generation event, The Hub is holding a special “bridle” shower on April 14th, at a tea house in Culver City, CA, which will be hosted by none other than actress/writer/wedding enthusiast Tori Spelling! In addition to a pre-screening of the episodes, it will include bridal related activities such as bouquet making, cake decorating, and even a horse-shoe toss!

Myself and fellow Geekscapist, Allisonnnn, shall be in attendance. So, be on the lookout for full coverage, as we countdown to the bridle event of a lifetime!

Heroine Addict: Lauren Faust and the Fluttershy Effect

by Molly MahanMarch 25, 2012

Recently, I was granted the opportunity to ask My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic creator Lauren Faust a couple questions. Regrettably, she was running from her signing to her next appointment, so only two questions were actually able to be answered. But during my brief appointment with her, I was able to understand her fanbase and get a glimpse at what kinds of stories Faust enjoys and wants to continue telling.

Now, I am no stranger to her work. I used to watch the Power Puff Girls when I was younger, and I may very well have the potential to become a brony myself (there are still a few more pastures I must graze before I am truly ready to rock out with my hoofs out). Nevertheless, I didn’t know what to expect. I hadn’t read much about her in the press or any potential blogs, and I’m not entirely familiar with those who solely create stories geared to tweens and younger. So, it was an awesome experience to see such a creator, surrounded by her creations and her beloved fans.

Waiting at the end of the line for her autograph signing, I saw an array of Faust fans. Although there was a spattering of young girls, for the most part they were somewhere between 15-35 year olds, many of whom are men. A fanbase Faust could never have expected “in a million years”. The best part about it, is that none of them love the show ironically. They are all fierce supporters and proud to hear the term “brony” dropped sans snark. It goes to show what I have been saying: solid storytelling with relevant characters and archetypes can and will bring in the desired and even unexpected audiences. Nevertheless, it’s awesome to see how little we think we know about institutionalizing gender roles, or the claim that they are natural in society. It is to a point that even I am surprised.

Of the two questions I had time to ask Faust, the first was how she feels about her unexpected brony fanbase. “They’re awesome,” she says. “I’m inspired by them and their ability to look past preconceived notions of what’s society says is acceptable for them and judge the show by its own merit […]. They’re all so open-minded and cool. Their ability to endure how other people treat them is inspiring.”

If you ever take the time to watch an episode of My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic (do it. Do it NOW), you’ll see that the message of the show is one its fans–8 year old girls or 30-something year old men–really take to heart. And no, it’s not just the same morality plays that storytellers have been telling kids for years being resold under a different label–although such messages of “treat others as you want to be treated” and “think before you speak” are present in the show–there is much more to it than that, and not just because the heroines have hoofs instead of feet. The show really is about the importance of friendship and that there is a kind of magic to it. The show effectively portrays mixed personalities, real-to-life conflicts and struggles, and how to essentially enjoy the company of those who don’t think the same way you do.

Now, in case you’ve never watched the show, let me catch you up on the basic premise: a young unicorn named Twilight Sparkle, who knows everything and anything so long as it can be found in a book, is sent–much to her dismay–by her mentor Princess Celestia, supreme ruler of Equestria, to Ponyville to experience friendship first hand. There, she meets and (begrudgingly, at first) befriends a group of ponies, each of whom represent an important ‘element of friendship’.: Apple Jack (honesty), Fluttershy (kindness), Rainbow Dash (loyalty), Rarity (generosity) and Pinkie Pie (laughter).

The great thing about this show is the layers. You can tell each character apart not just by her coat and mane, but by her actions. Just like, you know, real people. And there’s more to these ponies than just being “the fighter”, “the pacifist” or “the leader”, which is the typical three-part discord you find in storytelling to distinguish your characters. Neigh! These ponies have legitimate fears, needs, and desires, and their personalities are ones you can actually use as a template to help handle real people, which I believe is what draws in the unexpected fanbase.

Twilight Sparkle, like many of us who were born in or adapted to the internet age, is a pony who would much rather be left alone. She doesn’t believe she need friends or external action to have adventure or learn about the world around her: she has her books. She is an armchair anthropologist, sociologist, psychologist and any other -ologist you can think of. She knows more than any pony around. If she needs social interaction, she has her dragon assistant Spike and weekly correspondence to Princess Celestia for that. She has bigger fish to fry than to learn about her pony brethren.

“The fate of Equestria does not rest on me making friends!” but the fate of humanity, might, Twilight!

After all, learning how to interact with people can be hard. If you get a couple of math problems wrong, you can erase the answers and try again. But muck up an introduction or say the wrong thing in a conversation and you can easily be labeled an asshole for the rest of your life in that town. Who wants that? So, sometimes it seems as if you are better off alone (that’s right, Alice Deejay, I said it).

Yet, social interaction is a key part of the human experience. When Aristotle said, “Man is a political animal”, he wasn’t talking about a person’s need to vote in elections, sign petitions or picket grocery stories. He meant a human is an animal of the polis, the city. In essence, humanity has a need to work together–not alone–to build our species up. The blending of cultures and ideas is, supposedly, what postbellum America was founded upon. But, not everyone is able to socialize efficiently or effectively, and so many of us–like Twilight Sparkle–build our walls and towers to keep people out and ourselves in.

Having a studious and shut in character isn’t exactly rare in children’s cartoons, especially those which include an element of socialization in their aim, however they are scarcely the prominent characteristics of the main protagonist. They typically pertain to one of the sidekicks or someone the lead has to “fix”, and who ever wants to be associated with being the sidekick or broken? (The only other book-smart main protagonist I can think of is Dexter, of Dexter’s Laboratory, but he was hardly socialized. Aside from a few people he played the show’s equivalent of DnD with, I can’t recall him working well with others who acted or thought differently than him.)

Not once, do you think while watching the show, “What is wrong with Twilight Sparkle, who doesn’t want friends?!” You understand her dilemma and agree at once that the ponies of Ponyville might be a little backwards from the cultured thoroughbreds of Canterlot, but you also know she’s not there just to observe others friendships, but to make and experience them on her own. Which is something we should all do.

When I was younger I had a hard time making friends. Either I moved or my best-friend moved, throughout elementary school, that by middle school and high school I had given up. I went to school to learn, not to make friends. Then I moved to Texas for college and quickly learned the importance of a familiar face when adapting to new surroundings.

I do not mean to imply that every brony out there is a Twilight Sparkle, or only has her characteristics. I personally see myself as more of an Apple Jack or Rainbow Dash, but I was a Philosophy student in college and can admit that I know more about Aristotle’s theories of friendship than about the actual experience, and I’d wager the same is true for most of colleagues. MLP:FiM is an excellent exercise in philosophy of mind, especially when delving into the theories of other’s minds, because you can witness the interactions rather than just read about them.

Of course, as the pilot episode suggests, your own experiences will be infinitely superior qualitatively, but this is a great stepping stone in understanding others. Once you are able to understand that people think differently, and that in doing so they are actually a benefit rather than a deterrent in your understanding of the world, then you can realize the importance of friendship and that friendship truly is magic.

See what I mean?

When I stood in line for my interview, I could tell that all the bronies had taken the message to heart. Half a dozen fans tried to file in line behind me before being turned away because Faust was leaving the booth to her next appointment. Rather than pout and complain, they all nodded, smiled and said with a glimmer of hope, “Maybe next time” or “I knew I should have been here earlier!” None complained or tried to get special treatment. It was really a breath of fresh air. It’s cool to see fans actually receive a message and understand that the world doesn’t revolve around them.

Although Lauren Faust is no longer the show runner of MLP:FiM, she is still involved as a consultant and has laid out some excellent ground work for future seasons and episodes. Currently, she’s branching off to new shows and projects, such as Milky Way and the Galaxy Girls and Super Best Friends Forever, each geared at young girls, though with potential to bring in the male demographic.

As a DC fangirl, I am personally excited about Super Best Friends Forever, which by now many of you have probably seen. They’re 75 (or so) second shorts, starring Wonder Girl, Supergirl, and Batgirl that are intermingled in the DC Nation block on Cartoon Network. The controlling idea behind these shorts are to show superheroes in teenage situations rather than the other way around. Instead of saving the planet before bedtime, “they’re trying to hijack Wonder Woman’s invisible jet and take it for a joyride,” Faust explains, “or get out of being grounded.” Real to life situations that extraordinary people are put in rather than the other way around. After all, they’re teenagers first, superheroes second.

History Channel: Where the Past Comes Scripted

by Molly MahanMarch 13, 2012

Remember the good old days of the History Channel, when the only programming they had consisted of scholars and scientists explaining why the Nazis should have won World War II, but didn’t? Despite superior weaponry, planning, and their spectacular taste in clothing. Hey, say what you like, but those evil bastards sure knew how to dress.

Once they started a serial called “Ancient Aliens”, I knew serious scholarship and credibility were slowly skipping out the door. But at least it was scholarship, even if the academics are clearly out of the minds (but aren’t all academics?). They researched, they came up with crazy ideas about fifth dimensional beings and even inspired Spielberg and Ford to bore everyone out of their minds for a good two hours a couple years ago with Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. Good for them. I honestly thought that was the worst place a channel dedicated to historical study could go.

But now, the History Channel has truly jumped the shark and given up on their roots by ordering their first scripted series, called Vikings from the creative minds of Michael Hirst and Morgan O’Sullivan–the ones behind The Tudors and Camelot. While it may start off historical enough, like the little scenes they play out with silent actors while historians give their theories or a voice over reads an original document, etc. There is only so far it can go before it turns into pure historical fiction. And while I thoroughly enjoy historical fiction–and The Tudors is one of my favorite shows–and think the show sounds great, I am more than a little disappointed that the History Channel is where this show is going to be played. It’s not the place for it.

Now, creating special programming because of events in pop culture–like when they reran their ancient Greek specials when 300 came out, or their plethora of “What did the Bible really say” specials that come on around Christmas–is one thing. Those are topics people are interested in, and there are actual sources and things from which scholars can draw upon to make conclusions. But to take a person from history–Ragnar Lothbok, in this instance–and sensationalize him and his conquests shouldn’t be the job of the History Channel. At least they chose an already sensationalized character, as he’s essentially the Norse equivalent of Robin Hood or Arthur. Historical, but mostly legendary.

Their own words show how far they have departed from the origins: Vikings “will boast a polished, stylized look that pushes the boundaries of television drama” and “will feature imaginatively choreographed battles that emphasize individual points of view, strategies and ruses rather than mindless, graphic slaughter.”

Great for ratings, not that I am against ratings, but not exactly good for one’s education. And yes, I do think a station called “History” should be educational. (I have enough trouble dealing with people trying to be classicists after watching Gladiator, what will it be like when people can note the History Channel as a sign of ethos?) If they want to create a sister channel named “Historical Fiction” or “HiFi” (which would later be changed to “HyFy”), I’d jump faster and farther than John Carter to be there.

Nevertheless, I guess they win. We all know I’ll be catching the first episode.

Geekscape Movie Reviews: John Carter

by Molly MahanMarch 13, 2012

Last Friday, I saw John Carter in a movie theatre at 12:30AM, with approximately seven other movie goers. I didn’t go because I was pumped up for the flick–to be honest, aside from a couple of billboards around the LA area, I knew very little about it. From the pictures, I honestly thought he was fighting dinosaurs not some crazy martian creatures (to my credit, I only saw the images while driving and noted that he was fighting large green things). Needless to say, like most of the domestic market, I didn’t have any expectations about the film other than it was probably going to be a huge bomb and suck. Turns out, I was only half right–lucky for me, not so lucky for Disney.

Although the film has its problems, I thoroughly enjoyed it. I am still amazed it was ever made with a $250million budget. Not to say it didn’t feel like a movie with that kind of budget–it did–but, wow. If I was a creative executive at Disney, no matter how much I love the story, I don’t think I would allow for it. After all, it’s a straight forward pulp story, and those kind of tales don’t really have an audience anymore. Case in point: people went to see the last Indian Jones for nostalgia purposes and not for the love of the genre, that’s why it failed. Not because of the 4th dimensional being aspect. And, I’m sorry to anyone who feels different, but an alien religion which believes that knowledge is power isn’t all that strange or farfetched when you previously dealt with face melting artifacts, witch doctors, and immortality granting cups of water. (I’m not saying Crystal Skull was a good movie within the genre, but if aliens are you’re concern, then you aren’t paying much attention.)

So, tell me there’s a movie out there with a blockbuster budget about a civil war soldier being sent to Mars and fighting in their civil war, based on a book that’s over a hundred years old with no existing franchise or fanbase, I’ll laugh in your face. Hollywood doesn’t make those kinds of leaps of faith anymore. Right? Apparently not.

The movie begins with images of the planet Mars and the typical voice over of, “So you think you know … but you don’t!” before bring us into the middle of a Martian battle, where one of the Martian leaders (a “Jeddak”) has control of some blue, mystical force, which we will later learn can be used for great good or evil (like nuclear). Then, we are taken back to earth, where John Carter has just sent a telegram to his nephew, Edgar (“Ned” in the message, and no doubt a reference to the author of the original stories) requesting his immediate presence.

When Edgar arrives at his uncle’s estate some time later, we learn that John Carter is dead and has left everything to his nephew. Edgar is just as confused as the rest of us, when Carter’s lawyer hands him a diary which may or may not explain Carter’s wishes, as only Edgar is allowed to read it. Once he is alone, Edgar begins to read the story that is the rest of the movie: One day, living a pointless life now that his side lost the war, he accidentally comes across a Thern (an otherwise immortal alien race that attempts to control the destiny of the cosmos) in a cave in the Arizona desert and shoots him. The dying Thern reaches for a medallion, which Carter takes, repeating the Thern’s dying words which send him to Mars.

Now on Mars (“Barsoom” in the Martian tongue), he gains Golden Age Superman powers–speed and the ability to leap tall buildings in a single bound–and runs into the green, four-armed humanoid race of Tharks. He quickly becomes enslaved, but is a held in high regard by the Jeddak of the Tharks, Tars Tarkas (voiced by Willem Dafoe). Along the way, he meets the beautiful and scientifically brilliant princess Dejah Thoris (Lynn Collins) who has run away to avoid marrying the villainous Sab Than (Dominic West) and uniting their kingdoms to end the humans’ civil war on the planet, aids the Thrak outcast Sola (voice by Samantha Moon), and matches wits with the enigmatic Therns.

Although the pacing sometimes lacks (the scene of John Carter realizing he’s on Mars is pointless, as the audience is already aware of his location thanks to the prologue) and there is nothing new or spectacular about the action, the world is still fun, filled with characters and visuals I would like to see again. The adorable dog-like creature Woola that follows John Carter around throughout the film is a scene stealer, full of personality and the right mix of ugly and cute. My favorite element, however, were the costumes and machines, which are a cool sci-fi Egypto-Roman blend that made me momentarily nostalgic for Stargate.

Speaking of the ancient element of the film, I wondered how conscious the casting of Rome‘s Caesar and Mark Antony (Ciarán Hinds and James Purefoy, respectively) was as the Jeddak and Captain of Helium. Although their roles are important, they are rather brief and so the ethos of their earlier roles may be drawn upon. Additionally, I was curious why the filmmakers hid that Isis and goddess they worship on Barsoom (also Isis but pronounced “Is-is”) are the same. Considering the lack of subtly the rest of the film had, it was an odd choice to ignore.

The motives of the Thern are also a little vague, but their purpose in the plot serves.

Despite these issues, I still had a blast, as it was a decent film that didn’t try to take itself too seriously. So, if you’re looking to have your worldview changed, don’t bother. Although not quite so black and white as Avatar, the villains and plot turns are obvious. But, if you want to see a new world, filled with four armed apes, eight legged dogs, and attractive, tattooed humans, then bop on in to the theatre and make Disney feel a little better for trying.

Love and Xena: Warrior Princess

by Molly MahanFebruary 14, 2012

Valentine’s Day is one of my favorite days of the year, and I mean that. I love checking in on my various social networking sites and looking at which topics are trending and seeing that “Valentine’s Day” is #1 and that 99% of those comments are people crying about how horrible a day it is or how we need to not talk about it all together. No other holiday—even Christmas—causes so many people to revolt and scream in anger of a single day. It amazes and confounds me, for what else in life is more deserving of celebration than Love? And I don’t just mean romantic love, but all forms of love. People are afraid to talk about love—even say the word—for fear that someone might be confused of the meaning. Perhaps it’s because in the English language there is a lot of ambiguity about love and what it can mean in a context. For example, I love my family and I love the music of Stevie Nicks, but neither in a romantic way nor in the same way. It is also possible that we live in an emotionally stunted and immature culture that fears a person may misunderstand what you meant when you said, “I love you, man!” and give your buddy a good, old-fashioned side hug.

Unlike in English, Greek has three words for love. There is “eros,” which is sexual, physical love, where we get the word “erotic”; there is “phileo”, which is friendly, nonsexual devotion, from which words like philosophy and Philadelphia find their origins; and there is “agape”, the love you hear about at weddings when they bust out the Bible and read 1 Corinthians 13 to you. Agape can apply to a lot of things—friends, family, an ideal—it’s basically the kind of love you have when you’re willing to sacrifice yourself for the continued existence of something or someone else.

I think the reason why I love Love so much is because I am, as you know, a hardcore Xenite. Always have been and probably always will be. Although when I was a kid I was much more into evil, badass Xena, and had no idea until I was in high school how campy, ridiculous and non-serious the show was. Don’t judge me, I was six and humor went over my head—some might argue that it still does—so all I saw was a badass chick and her annoying sidekick kicking ass and telling the people of Greece what for. That said, I was still being indoctrinated with the fundamental story about Xena, which surprisingly isn’t about redemption or the greater good (both fundamental quests the hero is on), but about Love.

Hello, Ladies. You can call me Cupid, though Eros would be more geographically accurate. Just call me.

Now, I’m going to say this outright: I never believed that Xena and Gabrielle were lesbians. To this day, I maintain that they are soulmates but not sexual lovers. Although I can understand where people might see that (even might have needed it to be the case in the 90s), it was never something I saw and it was only toward the end of the show that the writers and actors even admitted to the possibly of there being some sexual subtext (previously in articles and interviews it was never the case and definitely not something the creators intended) and now (possibly due to the fact that the bulk of their remaining fans are homosexual, or to a more accepting culture) some writers claim that they are “married without the stupid piece of paper”—just like at least half of the XenaCon goers who couldn’t be married because of prop 8 and other legal mumbo jumbo. As a heterosexual female, I have always been much more interested in Xena’s relationships with Ares, Caesar and Hercules. Not to say I can’t read or watch about LGBTQ characters—I am a fan!—but the fact I found Gabrielle obnoxious probably didn’t help make me want her to be romantically linked to her, either.

Can’t two straight women bathe together without anyone acting weird about it?

True story: when Gabrielle “dies” during the season 3 finale, “Sacrifice pt. 2,” I looked every day in the newspaper for casting calls for Xena’s new sidekick. You know, because that’s where I thought casting calls would be. I was 9, don’t judge me too harshly. But that’s how badly I wanted to be Xena’s sidekick and how much I thought everyone else hated her and so believed the creators offed her like Jason Todd, never to return. Come the season 4 episode “Family Affair,” I learned I was wrong. Come Judd Winick’s run on Batman and I learned I was wrong about Jason, too. Sigh, being a geek is so hard.

But this article isn’t about whether they are or they aren’t or why I hate(d) the Battling Bard of Potediea, it’s about how Xena shaped my understanding of reality and made me recognize that nothing is more important than Love and it is worthy of praise. By the way, I love the fact that a show about an ancient Greek warrior princess has the same message as hippies and flower children.

Season 4 opens with an awesome two-part episode known as “Adventures in the Sin Trade.” It’s awesome because it’s pre-reformed Xena being evil. The basic plot is that Xena goes to the Amazon’s land of the dead to talk to her gal pal. Along the way, we find out that one tribe of non-Greek Amazons (those she hung around with while she was still in power lust mode and whoring around with Borias) have been banned from entering, due to a curse laid on them by the super evil, super scary shamaness Alti (and pretty much evil Xena’s fault, too). They don’t understand it, because their holy word should have been enough:

Xena: Then maybe you need a new holy word, one stronger than the last.
Cyane: Our holy word is ‘Courage.’ Nothing’s stronger than courage.

And so it becomes Xena’s duty to undo the dark magic by fighting Alti in a literal spiritual battle. Along the way we learn that Gabrielle’s not dead, due to a dark vision of the future given by Alti where the two are nailed on crosses side-by-side. “Who’s the blonde?” Alti asks. “She represents what can defeat you,” helping Xena to discover the new holy word that will save the amazons: Love.

This is not the first, nor the last, time Love as an ideal saves the day. In the musical episode, “The Bitter Suite,” Xena and Gabrielle go on a musical odyssey to deal with the damages they have both caused in their relationship and each other (the episode actually opens with Xena hurling Gabrielle off a cliff). The third and fourth acts are a physical manifestation of the heroines’ resentment and hatred for each other—the complete destruction of their friendship from the season 2 finale to that point—playing out in musical form in the songs “War and Peace/Gab is Stabbed” and “Hate is the Star” (which seriously begins with Xena shouting, “Hatred! That’s what we’re fighting”).

But Xena, if you kill me, we’ll have to sing about it for 40 minutes!

It is only when Xena admits that she lied about assassinating Ming Tien (in the aptly titled “Yes, I Lied”), tells the deceased Solan (who is the pure manifestation of love) that she is his mother and asks for both of them to find it within their heart to forgive her that they are able to get out. And since this show is unable to be subtle about anything: when they do forgive her, the phantom manifestations of all the big bads from previous seasons explode. Xena and Gabrielle are then able to leave the musical land of Illusia and head back to Greece and continue their journeys (Solan can’t come, ‘cause he’s DEEEEEEEAD!).

So while our protagonists are learning about the magic of friendship and the importance of love, conversely our villains are out to destroy and hate. In fact, it is those villains who discover the power of love that eventually become good guys. Xena’s original archnemesis Callisto says in her eponymously titled episode, “Love is a trick nature plays to get us to reproduce.” In season 5, when archangel Xena (shut up) takes pity on her and cleanses her damned soul, she is born a new with the power of love and light and becomes an angel. And later her spirit is inserted into Xena’s womb and becomes Eve who then goes evil, but is later good after he conversion to the Xena love cult. Oh the things creative comes up with to deal with a star’s pregnancy!

Joe Starr would still tap this. Too bad he has insufficient mana.

Similarly, Ares, god of war (and sex appeal), goes evolves from heel to face over the course of the show, as his power lust wanes to a desire to be with Xena and fight by her side (“I rather die in your arms, then live without you in mine”). He may be the god of war, but it’s not as if Xena’s quest for peace and the greater good is without, you know, physical violence.

Hanging out with Lady Love herself, Aphrodite

Other characters that turn bad to good through the power of love: Markus, Draco

Characters that fail to see the light and die horribly: Velasca, Alti, Caesar, Hope

Turns out Gabrielle was right all along when she was giving those preachy speeches about love in the early seasons.\

Not bad, kid.

Love conquers all is a standard theme in storytelling. According to Tim Rice and Elton John, “Every story is a love story … All are tales of love at heart,” so even if it is not the only theme it is prime. As previously stated, not all stories of love are romantic, sexual or even between people. A girl can love her horse and their partnership leads to their fleeing oppression and coming to a new world, a man can build a baseball stadium for his love of the game, etc. What’s consistent in all these stories is that the hero loves, while the villain hates. Even if the hero starts out as bitter, he will eventually realize that he’s been wrong about this love business all along and start loving, too.

So stop being a villain when it comes to Valentine’s Day. Xena managed to overcome her hatred and animosity, so can you!

Geekscape Visits Xena Con 17: The Not So Final Journey

by Molly MahanFebruary 6, 2012

After fifteen years of wishing, wanting, begging for parental support to go to Xena Con, I finally mustered up the courage to ask J-Lo if I could go for the sake of nerds everywhere. To be honest, I didn’t know how badly I wanted to go until a few hours after I sent my request, I received the answer of “yes” and I nearly started crying in the middle of my internship. No joke. Xena is my first and most beloved fandom, but more on that is another article.

XENA: WARRIOR PRINCESS has been off the air for ten years now and it’s interesting to attend a convention for a seemingly all but dead fandom (seriously, how many of you are self-proclaimed Xenites?). Nevertheless, the convention center at the Burbank Airport Marriott was packed full when the chance arrived to see our personal Jesus—the one and only Lucy Lawless—accompanied by her (to extend the metaphor) John the Baptist—the lovely Renee O’Connor. But that was Sunday, there were still 2 full days before that, filled with Q&A’s, fan-made music videos and oodles of bass and feedback coming from the mic.

What the Con lacked in production quality, however, it made up for with heart, much like the show itself. At times, I felt like I had crashed a family reunion—you could tell that those who ponied up the dough for the front row tickets did so every year since its inception. Even so, there were a lot of newcomers—like my self—this year, since it had been billed by Creation Entertainment as the last Xena Con, “The Final Journey.” We learned quickly, however, that due to fan response that it was probably not the case. We’ll learn soon enough as the year progresses. Unless they meant the apocalypse was going to happen in 2012, in which case, yes, that may very well be correct. But as these things go, so long as they’re making money, they’ll continue to happen. Like sequels. Or prequels.

Throughout the convention, fans heard from a myriad of people who had worked on Xena. From staple writer and co-producer Stephen L. Sears (who was around all weekend with his Cavalier, Julian the Warrior Puppy) to editors to actresses who literally appeared in a single episode, and each of them received a standing ovation.

War cries could be heard all weekend throughout the convention. From fans ululating their version of Xena’s infamous cry in the halls of the convention to Adrienne Wilkinson performing her Livia cry, something she had previously sworn off, when after three fans told her she did is wrong after she performed it at her first convention she ever attended.

I also got to experience Ted Raimi’s alter-ego “T-Money” do a little rap after half the room had left, believing his time was over.

In addition to war cries and alter-egos, a few actors performed bits in character, like Tim Omundson (the only actor, it seems, whose career has survive since Xena, as he now plays Detective Lassiter on Psych) and Claire Stansfield who reprised their roles as Eli and Alti for an “Inside the Actor’s Studio” riff that they called “Occupy Creation”, so-called because Creation did not invite them to the convention.

The highlight of the convention—aside from breathing the same air as the Warrior Princess herself—was without a doubt Michael Hurst’s drag turn as the Widow Twanky (a Hercules character). It was like watching Rocky Horror live only enjoyable. Bawdy jokes, corsets and puns galore, in addition to in-character stories. I can honestly say, without a doubt, that I prefer Hurst as a woman.

Other highlights included a guided meditation by Lao Ma herself (Jacqueline Kim), meaning I have officially had some of Xena’s training, and the almost surreal moment when a fan confused Tim Raimi for Ed Norton and complimented him on his work in Red Dragon.

I witnessed a dress worn by Hudson Leick (Callisto—Xena’s archenemy) sell for under $2000, but a bra worn by Brittney Powell (Brunehilda—a character that appeared in 3 or 4 episodes in season 6) sell for over $3200. All proceeds went to charities, of course, but neither was encrusted with diamonds or made of gold.

And, of course, what would a convention be without a few cosplayers? Although I missed the costume contest (babysitting pays in dollars, Geekscape in fun times), I still captured some great shots and gained inspiration for future conventions (trade-in my fishnets for a leather cuirass? We’ll see). Here are some of my favorites:

On Saturday, Katharine Fugate—writer of “When Fates Collide” (often viewed by fans as the true series finale)—performed a skit that gave Xena the ending many fans wanted: instead of losing her head, Xena accepts Gabrielle wedding proposal. The sketch was performed with help of actors and actresses like Beverly D’Angelo, David Franklin and Claudia Black as Xena, with Renee O’Connor playing Gabrielle.

Sunday gave us a tribute to the late, great actor who played Ares God of War (and of my prepubescent fangirl heart) Kevin Tod Smith. Videos from past conventions and concerts (he had such a wonderful voice!), with pictures and stories from each episode of Xena, Hercules and Young Hercules he appeared in. It was a bittersweet look back on a career that ended far too soon.

Michael Levine—director of several Xena episodes—gave a few great anecdotes about his time with the cast. Regaling us with the tale of how overtime is decided by vote in New Zealannd, and his feelings about the would-be Xena/Gabrielle kiss in “The Quest” (Xena’s spirit is in Autolycus’s body at the time). The kiss was in the script, he says, so he shot it purposefully in such a way as to avoid it.

But stories and awesome b-roll footage aside, there was only one reason we were there and that was for the main event: Lucy Lawless and Renee O’Connor in person!

Lots of pictures, lots of videos. Of Renee, anyway. My camera died shortly after Lucy came out—but not before I captured her war cry!

Renee was very sweet and heartfelt, telling tales about her family and her son who has been elected an ambassador of compassion at his school, part of an anti-bullying campaign. She thanked the fans for their continuous support of her career and allowing her to try out new things at the cons (throughout the weekend we watched her “5 Ways to …” videos. Super low quality and ridiculous but it’s ROC, so of course this crowd was going to lap it all up).

Lucy, on the other hand, was no nonsense and began the Q&A without anecdote. Although she cracked jokes, she was too aware of the ridiculous nature of it all. As if she could put the warrior princess behind her. When a fan asked how she felt about being called the anchor and leader on set, she dryly quipped, “I was getting it on with the producer, so his business was my business”—basically she knew what Rob Tapert knew and so, if he was too busy she of course knew the answer to most any question.

Begrudgingly, she gave her iconic war cry and after much coaxing ever stated her typically screamed catchphrase, “Kill ‘em all!” but she never slipped from her Kiwi accent.

Finally, she called ROC back to the stage and after urging from the audience, they read Katharine Fugate’s ending. I say “read” because Lucy mostly made side comments, not once establishing herself as Xena, although Renee was definitely Gabrielle. Lucy gave a crazed “Yessss!” to the proposal before spinning her around and dipping her into a kiss. The crowd went wild—at least the Xena/Gabirelle shippers, which was the majority of the fans in attendance.

Overall, the con was an experience. Although not as intimidating as San Diego Comic Con, it was still hard for me to adjust around a group of hardcore fans—even if I count among their numbers (based on the trivia game, I know I’m up in the ranks, as well). But I would never—or perhaps “could never”—pays hundreds of dollars for a picture with Lucy or an autograph from Renee, but I had just spent a weekend with 2300 people who were willing to do just that. It’s intense.

This convention also gave me the first time in my life where I have officially felt old. I’m 23. I was six when Xena and Hercules were on the air, and I have always been the youngest person in a room of fans or interested parties, but there were kids there 17 years of age and older—not even alive, let alone cognizant, of the show in ’95. It’s crazy, but cool. A new generation has been given the warrior princess! I wonder what they’ll do with her … film reboot, anyone?

Heroine Addict: In Defense of Fishnets

by Molly MahanDecember 27, 2011

Women’s costuming is a topic often put on the block for debate, especially in comic books. Do the costumes make sense or are they simply exploitative? Fashion guru Tim Gunn even threw his hat into the ring a few years ago, critiquing an array of female superheroes and villains’ wardrobes. Among those he critiqued were Power Girl and Black Canary. Interestingly, Gunn said he believes that Power Girl owns her boob window costume and that it is less objectionable than many of the other costumes (such as Star Sapphire and even the current Catwoman costume, which is typically lauded for its utility). Conversely, upon seeing Black Canary’s costume his immediate response was, “Well, she’s a tramp.” I’m not going to accuse Mr. Gunn of slut shaming a fictional character, but as Geekscape.net’s number one Black Canary fan and doppelgänger, I feel it is my duty to defend her and the fishnets.

First of all, the costume has history. It is as old as the character, dating back to 1947 when the original Black Canary, Dinah Drake, first appeared on the scene. At first, she looked to be a villain, before she was revealed was the newest costumed hero, infiltrating a criminal gang. She was a competent hero who joined the Justice Society of America and, later, helped found the original Justice League of America. Her daughter, Dinah Laurel Lance, would follow in her footsteps and put on the fishnets herself to become the new Black Canary of the modern age.

Nevertheless, since taking over her mother’s role, Dinah has gone through several costume changes. Some more practical than others, but she eventually always reverts back to the fishnets. Although the look of the bodysuit has changed over time (from breast baring to a turtleneck on top and with varying cuts over, under and on the hips), the wide weave fishnets have been a consistent staple to the costume. In her rebooted costume, there are even references to the fishnets in the design on her pants. Although I think this particular costume is ridiculous, the fact the wide weave made it into the character design proves how important the fishnets are to the character.

In Gail Simone’s first run on Birds of Prey, Huntress dresses up and pretends to be Black Canary, while Dinah is rehabilitating from a previous mission. Helena could not handle the fishnets at all; she felt gross and exposed. A later Helena asks Dinah how she could possibly bear to wear that kind of thing on a nightly basis and not feel trashy, and Dinah quips, “At least when I go after Two-Face he can’t tell if I have an innie or an outie,” and Helena rescinds her comment.*

When it comes to costuming in comic books, it is pretty easy to look at a character and be disgusted by the way he or she looks (there are some seriously bad male costumes out there, too), but to take one look at Black Canary and call her a “tramp” is grating. It shows he doesn’t know anything about the character and her history. Which may be the point: he’s assessing based on visual alone, yet he still says Power Girl owns her costume and is fine with it. In which case, it’s possible that the pictures used for reference were poorly chosen. The things to pay attention to are the history of the costume, the personality of the character, in addition to the potential beef and cheesecake factors. I agree with Tim Gunn when he says that Power Girl’s costume works for her, in the same way I believe Emma Frost costume works for her. I can’t imagine just anyone running around in a corset, which is why Harley Quinn’s costume design upsets just about everyone who looks at it.

Of course, this is the problem we run into when a universe is rebooted and so none of the character have a history that we are familiar with. Black Canary’s mother likely no longer exists, and so her fishnet costume no longer makes sense and the traditionally conservative Harley Quinn may fit the new Quinn who we only know so much about.

In another video by Crazy Sexy Geeks, they poll convention participants on whether or not Wonder Woman should wear pants. The women asked, mostly cosplayers and artists, almost unanimously say “No.” One Supergirl cosplayer even points out that “when you’re invincible, you don’t really need to cover up.” Tim Gunn, of course, won’t say she has to wear pants, but if she wanted to work a skinny jean, she totally could. Yet every time artists change Wonder Woman’s costume, the horde comes after them and the editors, even those who hate her patriotic color scheme have taken ill with some of her changes. Perhaps because while it may get more practical in some areas (i.e., pants), impractical parts still exist (like the corset). My personal favorite version of her costume will always be the Grecian armor in her standard color scheme. It represents all aspects of her history and origin, and keeps most of her thighs covered. Everyone wins here, in my opinion. But alas, we have that “no skirts” rule, which is ridiculous.

From my understanding, the reason the “no skirts” rule came about was because there was one too many panty shots of our dear Supergirl. This should really just have been a ban on the artist exploiting female characters, as there is nothing inherently sexist or offensive about fighting crime in a skirt. The Greeks and Romans did this for years, even after the invention of pants. And this is the true problem when it comes to costumes: the artist needs to respect the characters he or she is drawing. While fanservice and pinups have their place, it is rarely within the pages of a comic.

Back when Ed Benes was the main artist for Birds of Prey, I used to count how many panels it would take before I got to one where I didn’t see any of the character’s butts. Even with Huntress’s cape, he managed to make it so her derrière was still prominent in most of the panels. Now, I’m a fan of Ed Benes’s work. His women are beautiful, I have a copy of his first art booklet and I not-so-secretly want to commission him to draw me as Black Canary someday. Nevertheless, there is a time and place. So, unless Helena’s butt is aiding in the storytelling, there’s no need for it, and I doubt Gail Simone requested that Mr. Benes put her bottom out there so often in the panels of their book.

Ed Benes just can’t help himself.

Though some writers do detail it into their scripts, though it does not always add to the story. Jim Lee was requested by Frank Miller to draw Vicki Vale in her panties and heels, waltzing around her curtains-less apartment, as she works on her next news piece. She also appears to have been knocked down from an investigative reporter to a Carrie Bradshaw-esque sex columnist. Neither of these things particularly aids her in being a realistic and respected character. Not to say that real women don’t walk around their apartment in their underwear and five inch heels, but few do it to excite an audience like Miller. Here’s an actual line from his script to Jim Lee:

“Okay Jim, I’m shameless. Let’s go with an ASS shot. Panties detailed. Balloons from above. She’s walking, restless as always. We can’t take our eyes off her. Especially since she’s got one fine ass.”

A Frank Miller “Character Moment”

What does this add to the story? Not a thing. But that’s what happens when your creators don’t respect their characters, and Miller calls himself on it with the “I’m shameless” bit. It’s heartbreaking to see that kind of behavior, but I digress.

The trick to having empowered female characters is to make sure all the creators involved respect the work they have created and view each of the characters as his or her own person and not just as plot devices or eye candy. If you’re going to write or draw a character then at least have the decency to know and understand her. Read the Wiki article and a couple of back issues. The more realistic the character, the better the story will be. It doesn’t matter if she wears pants, a skirt or fishnets, so long as it’s the kind of clothing that character could pull off.

When I dressed up as Black Canary for Comic Con this last year, I was a little nervous about the endeavor. It was less clothing than I have ever really worn out in public (during daylight hours, no less!), it was my first day at Comic Con, ever, and I just wasn’t sure if I could pull it off. But believe me, once I put it on and got myself into the character of Dinah Lance, I loved it. I didn’t feel like a tramp, I didn’t feel objectified by the people around me. I felt confident and proud of my costume. If it weren’t for the fact I got run over by a rickshaw that night, I probably would have worn it again later in the Con. And I think all of this stems from my original argument for why Dinah Lance wears the fishnets in the first place: she wears them to emulate a person she loves and respects. She wears them because they remind her of who she is and where she comes from. They help her to become the Black Canary, which is why I think her other costumes didn’t last very long, even if they were more practical.

The fishnets don’t work for everyone and each character has his or her own style. For an artist to redesign a character (be it Black Canary or anyone else), he needs to first understand who that character is, where he or she comes from and where he or she plans to go and do, before he can decide what look works for her.

* Huntress’s costume has come under its own share of fire. The costume she wore for most of the 90s was based on Roman Catholic robes and had full bodied protection. When the change came during the first Hush storyline in Batman, fans were aggravated because it no longer expressed anything about her and showed off her stomach, where she had not too long ago taken a bullet. Her current costume (a full body variation of the new Jim Lee design), is once again practical and references her Catholic roots again with the white cross.

Heroine Addict: Let’s Talk About Rape

by Molly MahanNovember 14, 2011

This past weekend, I was having a lunch date with a fine gent who happens to be a fan of A Song of Ice and Fire by George R. R. Martin. While emphatically discussing the books and the show, I made a comment on how great the women are depicted in the story and how it really could be examined as feminist literature, if you were so inclined. My date looked at me, shocked and perturbed. “Are you serious? Unless you’re [a short list of female characters which has been redacted for potential spoilers], you’re going to be raped. At least once.”

I tried to make an argument for how that was realistic, given the time period, and that the fact that GRRM even allows for women to play in his Game of Thrones was pretty awesome (Yeah, Tolkien. I’m looking at you. Eowyn aside.), but the conversation pretty much ended on that note. Which got me thinking the rest of the weekend about rape in fiction. The main question that came to my mind was, since these characters are controlled by an author (or some other conglomerate), is it okay for a character to be raped or is it fridging as usual? As with all things, it depends on its purpose and how it affects the character after the fact.

Retroactive rape is still rape.

For many a costumed heroine, rape is part of her origin story, either originally (Starfire and, depending on canon, Helena Bertinelli), or retroactively tacked on (Felicia Hardy). Even male superheroes are often subjected to rape. Though, in those cases it is less often about power and usually due to a female villain trying to breed some kind of super heir. In the Batfamily, there are only two characters that I can think of who have not yet been raped, nearly raped or a product of rape and they are Kate Kane and Cassandra Cain. Don’t worry, though, they’re pretty new to the game, so they have time. Same goes with Team Arrow, although Mia (who may be retconned?) did have some serious trauma with her history in the skin trade, but she was still able to fight crime, despite having AIDS. Even Kyle Rayner of the Green Lanterns was drugged and raped and the whole island of Themyscira is made of the souls of women who were mistreated by men in their past lives. A lot of DC references, but Marvel’s not innocent here. Ms. Marvel, the lady Hawkeye and Mockingbird have also been raped.

Kyle Rayner feels used… We’re guessing he saw the Green Lantern film too.

As you can see, rape is a prevalent trope in comics, and it affects both male and female characters with almost equal frequency (which is odd, but nice to see something is at least equal among men and women, right?). The problem with these instances is that the rapes scarcely affect the character in the long run, or at all. None of these characters dwell or angst about what happened to them. This sometimes stems from the fact that comics are serials with multiple authors over time, and depending on who is currently penning the book, he or she will concentrate on certain aspects of the character’s persona. But more often than not, it’s because these characters are viewed as weak, and not in the “I can’t carry a box that weighs more than 40lbs” weak. But in the sense that they don’t carry their own title and their existence is in virtue of the fact that they support the main hero, They are not seen as characters in their own right, so they can go through the wringer, the grinder and be served as Sunday dinner, just so the villain can “get at” the lead. None of the victims need to overcome the pain or trauma they just went through, because the pain and trauma that occurred on the previous pages wasn’t about them, but their (frequently male) cohorts and how he has been able to overcome the horrible things that just occurred to his beloved.

This is why it gets put down as “Women in Refrigerators” or “Stuffed in the Fridge” (as it may happen to men). The raping, murdering, etc. happens, but it has little to do with the character it happened to and everything to do with those who care about said character. Or it’s just to have something controversial happen to keep the books selling, but after the conclusion of the arc, it is never addressed again and no real healing occurs, either for the victim or the reader. And that is why there is a problem with rape as it is often depicted.

Though, those characters that are “strong”–Kyle Rayner, Bruce Wayne, Dick Grayson–either don’t remember the event or just never bring it up again. Either way, weird. You’d think a man like Bruce Wayne, with so many emotional issues, would have a serious problem with Talia Al Ghul taking advantage of him, but apparently not! Although, I have a serious qualm with that whole scenario in and of itself, as it stems from a pretty good story (Son of the Demon), where Bruce may actually have found his one true love. And while I’m no fan of Talia (and a Cat x Bat ‘shipper to the end!), it was nice to see The Detective happy with a woman. For once. As for Dick Grayson, maybe he is so jaded by all his romantic trysts that he finds it all old hat and doesn’t care that he’s been raped–twice. I don’t know the reasons why these issues are never addressed, but I definitely find it curious. Why have a rape scenario if you’re not going to address it?

Batman: A Victim of Rape. Yes. BATMAN.

Before writing this article, I looked up the statistics for rape. According to the US Department of Justice, by way of Wikipedia, 1 in 6 women are either victims of rape or have been nearly/partially raped. In the US. That’s just under 17%, and I’m not certain if that is adjusted to include the number of rapes that go unreported. Either way, it’s a more frequent occurrence than how many women develop breast cancer in their lifetime (1 in 8), and that has a whole month dedicated to it, and it means we all know someone who is dealing with that trauma, whether we are aware of it or not. Which means, every writer of comic books knows–or, possibly, is–someone who has been raped or nearly raped, which gets me to thinking, as statistics are wont to do: if you know someone who is suffering, be it deeply or something that only crosses her mind when there is a trigger present, wouldn’t you want to create characters that actually deal with their pain rather than ignore it or pretend it didn’t happen?

Which brings me back to A Song of Ice and Fire. By virtue of the fact that it has one author, George R. R. Martin, and, potentially, a definitive beginning and end, all of the events that happen in the novels occur with purpose. Additionally, is written from 3rd person multi-perspective, meaning the reader gets to view the events from a variety of different view points. Some of these characters are women, and some of those women go through the wringer, grinder and are (nearly) served up as Sunday dinner and some of them do the wringing, grinding and serving. It’s a wild world in Westeros, but the pain is palatable. They aren’t just victims, even if we sometimes think of them that way. Despite all her faults, Sansa is aiming to survive and live through her experiences just as much as the beguiling Cersei, come hell or high water. If you can give even your most loathsome character that trait, then even if everyone around her views her as pathetic, she still has a lot of grit to her. That’s right, I said it: Sansa has grit. It doesn’t matter how much she internalizes all her fears and emotional trauma, she’s still managing through those books better than her brother Bran made it through the pilot episode of Game of Thrones. (But I don’t want to give too much away about just yet, as I still want to do an article on the awesome women of Westeros.)

Basically, what I’m saying is not to not write rape scenarios, but if you’re going to do something like that, at least understand the repercussions and ramifications such and action will cause. Not just to those who love the victim, but to the victim, too. Let them deal with the pain, on the page. Research your characters thoroughly and show us how they deal with it on the page so that those who have been hurt might be able to learn how to do deal with it, too. It’s a serious issue and one that affects more people than I’d like to think possible, and therefore should be addressed with delicacy and care. It’s not something that should be used just to sell books.

This would be a hard one to forget for numerous reasons.

As a reader and fan of fiction, I like to imagine that writers have a great duty in being stewards to the collective consciousness, by bringing humanity to a fuller understanding of each other, rather than just being purveyors of all that is wrong with the world and insight further fear or misunderstanding. So, if you’re going to abuse your characters, at least know how it will affect the character going through the experience, and not just those around her.

Heroine Addict: The Skinny on Heroines in Film and Television

by Molly MahanOctober 31, 2011

I have always been a fan of the action genre. When I was 6, I made my first attempt at script writing and wrote a five page Xena/Hercules skit for my friends and I to perform; later I dreamed someday I’d be Sarah Connor and would lead the fight when machines inevitably turned on us (Y2K was obviously a very exciting time for me, as I hoped I would finally fulfill my destiny). I am still aiming to do both of those things, in some capacity, but when I look around at Hollywood today I become forlorn and moderately depressed. Where are our Lucy Lawlesses and Linda Hamiltons of this generation? Nowhere, as far as I can see.

That’s not to say that female action films are dead. With box office successes like Salt and franchises such as Resident Evil, we are bound to see one female-led action-adventure movie every year or two. But are Angelina Jolie and Milla Jovovich really believable in their roles? With Linda Hamilton we had muscles. Legitimate muscles. That’s her doing the one-armed pull ups in Terminator 2. According to this article, Linda Hamilton could pump load a shot gun with one arm from her training and preparation before filming. That’s badass. Seeing Angelina Jolie do it in Wanted, left me expecting her arm to break off from the stress. Watching action movies where I’m afraid that the heroine is going to die of exhaustion (rather than enemy fire) isn’t exciting. It also makes it impossible to see past the actor to the character.

Even her arm needs to eat a sandwich…

Gerard Butler and company completed a ridiculous exercise routine to get their 8-pack abs for 300. Lena Headey, who played Queen Gorgo in the film, may not have been expected to be so fit as her male co-stars (though Spartan women were athletes themselves), but when she took on the shotgun to play Sarah Connor in The Sarah Connor Chronicles, why wasn’t she expected to also take on the muscles? At least Summer Glau could at least say she was a cyborg who just appeared frail to seem less intimidating to her foes (though why a Terminator would want to look nonthreatening is beyond me). Lena Headey playing the human Sarah Connor doesn’t have that luxory. Yes, there was dissonance from fans and critics regarding this contrast in physique that made national news. Yet, this incident is unique: the physique of the action heroine is scarcely ever mentioned, this incident aside. In all likelihood the uproar occurred simply because of her predecessor’s hardcore dedication to the role, and that’s a shame. All female action stars should be put under such scrutiny. If you’re hired on as an actor to play a character, then it is your job to accurately portray that character on screen and it should be a priority of the director and producers to make sure you’re doing your job. If you’re an action heroine and you’re not pumping iron before principle filming begins, then you’re not doing your job and you shouldn’t get paid millions.

We don’t let men get away with this behavior. It’s a double standard and I find it most disturbing: why do men, when given roles as action heroes, must they hit the gym, devour protein and bulk up to look the part, but women are allowed to look like twigs? Seeing old-man Stallone packing an absurd amount of heat in The Expendables looked just as a genre acceptable and realistic as when he did it 40 years ago for Rambo. Yet, I found it more realistic watching 65 year old Helen Mirren work a Gatling gun in RED than 20-something Zoe Saldana holding a high powered rifle with both hands in Columbiana.

Could beat you in arm-wrestling… easily.

Why are we as audiences allowing this to happen? We won’t watch movies where Russell Crowe is old and fat trying to play a typically young and lithe hero (Robin Hood), yet we’ll watch Milla Jovovich slay zombies for years to come, not at all phased by the fact that her muscle tone has yet to increase.

Of course, to me, this is all a double-edged sword, because American film studios already seem to be against female leads in general, let alone in action in particular. If I stop paying to watch thin, un-toned women fight, will they view it as “oh, we need to beef these women up!” or see it as, “Clearly audiences hate female action stars!” Being the pessimist that I am, it’s probably the latter, and that’s heart shattering to a girl who grew up wanting to fight the good fight and kill half a dozen aliens and terminators while she was at it.

So, I’m writing this. Not just to vent or see if other people see the same way I do or to start a flame war or whatever it is that might happen with an opinion piece that gets posted on a website these days. It’s, in the off chance that this gets out there, that the studios know I exist and there’s something that I want.

Xena: The Female Action Gold Standard… who also wears gold.

I am your audience when it comes to action flicks and I am a woman who actively goes and see action movies. On opening night. I am that demographic, which you say doesn’t exist, but I exist and I am not alone. So if you’re trying to “tap into me”, and if you’re wondering why you don’t always get me into those seats on opening weekends, or why I’m waiting until the Blu-Ray release or for Netflix to stream it, it’s because you’re giving me a product I don’t want. You’re giving me women who are impossible for me to find cool or badass. If I can’t believe your star can throw a punch that will bruise a peach, do you think I’ll believe her when she’s holding two 20lb guns in each hand and firing willy-nilly without feeling any kind of kickback? Not a chance. You have to get me to see the reality first, then you can try to give me the fantasy.

Heroine Addict: Women of the DCnU

by Molly MahanOctober 21, 2011

Back in June, I wrote a little article on DC’s reboot, and the decision made to cut the female creative force by half (from 4 to 2). At the time, I didn’t give any predictions on how that might affect the female characters or readership. I didn’t speculate because I try to be optimistic about my fandom, despite evidence to the contrary. The only negative comments I made were about the art, because–at the time–that was all I could comment on. I know Amanda Connor and Nicola Scott are talented artists and we all know Rob Liefeld is not. Art is consistent. Stories, on the other hand, can be hit or miss, be it because the creative well has run dry or the characters don’t speak to the writer anymore. For example, I hate Judd Winick’s Green Arrow, I could take or leave his Outsiders run, but I will defend his arcs on Batman to the death. I loved Devin Grayson’s Arsenal miniseries, but after the twentieth tragic event in her Nightwing run, I got bored and moved on.

Additionally, I didn’t want to wage some gender war by saying that men cannot write women (or vice versa). Obviously, that’s just not true as most of these characters were created by men. Bob Kane created Catwoman, Paul Dini and Bruce Timm created Harley Quinn, Marv Wolfman and George Perez created Starfire, John Ostrander, Len Wein and John Byrne created Amanda Waller. I am grateful for these characters and creators because I know many of them are apart of me and helped make me into the woman I am today. My beef, regarding the state of women in the DCnU, is not with men. It is with creators who write without knowing their characters, who write without thinking how it will affect their readership, let alone the world they have created. My beef is with people who just don’t think.

From Catwoman T&A to free love aliens, a lot of the damage has been discussed here and elsewhere, but there is still much to explore (not all of it bad). Really, I’m not the kind of person that looks to hate something. I genuinely want to like and enjoy things. But there are times where I just have to look at something and ask, “Why?” Are the creators purposefully trying to perpetuate the misogynistic and anti-feminist dialogue in comics, or do some of the creators just not see? It’s hard to guess and I’ve never been fond of assuming. So let’s talk about the DC relaunch and what it did and didn’t do for me, as a comic book fan and as a woman.

Let’s begin with Starfire. She’s the one we were all up in arms about, after all. Allow me to start by saying that I have never been a fan of Starfire. Be it because she amplified some insecurity I had about myself (I got deep into comics at age eleven. Who has a strong sense of self at eleven?), hit a mark on my extra-terretial xenophobia (she’s an alien! Aliens were always bad growing up, except for E.T.) or because I was a Babs/Dick shipper to the core (thank you, Batman: The New Animated Series!). The thing was, even if I didn’t like her, she was still a hero with the best intentions. She loved life, she loved earth, she loved being a hero, she loved. To be capable of such love in general, and in spite of her abusive past in particular, was amazing. Her love for humanity is what made her such a great hero, in addition to her power. It’s what made her so special, so singular, so interesting. A character who represented all the positive sides of emotion. Often in comics we focus on the negative aspects of emotion: the angst, the hate, the vengeance (yes, I’m looking at you, Bruce!). It was refreshing to have a character who reminded us that it’s good to feel. Emotions can be positive.

The new Starfire does not love. She is incapable of it, in fact. She has no interest in earth or earthlings and our silly lives. She has no memory of her friendships and previous relationship with Dick Grayson. Why, then, is she here? Why and how is she a hero? How can anyone who loved Starfire before, be bothered to care now? This is not Starfire. This is a doll, a void, a husk. Aside from some early deus ex machina (that almost any super powered hero could have pulled off), the pages that Starfire graces are a waste of ink. She brings nothing to the team, fan-service and cheesecake aside.

In my previous review of Suicide Squad, I mentioned my dissatisfaction with the new Harley Quinn. Harley was one of my favorite characters as a kid, rivaling my Catwoman as my favorite 90s/early millennia comic character (she lost out because her obsession with the Joker didn’t seem healthy, even to my pre-teen self). But she’s not the only problem I have in Squad. My other issue is Amanda Waller, The Wall: Where is she?

I want to know how DC is going to explain away two-thirds of her. Did she have a heart attack? Did her doctor warn her about something? Seriously, how can a historically large character suddenly become 120lbs? Who’s decision was that and why? There aren’t a lot of hefty characters in comics, let alone large women, so if comics are supposed to have “relatable” characters, why do that? Amanda is a widowed mother (two of her children having been murdered, with her husband) who works a sedentary, time consuming, stressful, government job. When did she find time to hit the gym? Does DC think her deflation in size is going to suddenly urge some readers to go to the gym, or is it more likely to make someone feel ostracized? There are enough thin, stacked female leads that I find it interesting (if not offensive) that the relaunch gave someone the agency to replace The Wall with Zoe Saldana (no offense to Zoe Saldana, she’s lovely. She’s just no Amanda Waller). Next to Starfire’s heroic nonchalance, this is something I must have explained to me.

The Birds of Prey return, with only one original bird and minimal fun. The new Starling is essentially Huntress-light (hard hitter with a case of Catholic guilt) and Black Canary is all business with no time for fun. Part of the greatness of Birds was that the women were like a family. To be in the Birds of Prey was to be a part of one of the coolest, most close-knit bowling leagues ever. Now, it looks to be just another day at the office, with strained friendships and forced partnerships. It’s hard to say how the relationships with the women will change over the course of the book, but if the female characters can’t even be friends and like and/or respect each other, how can I, as a reader, be expected to be a fan?

But not all DC women were thrown under the bus in the relaunch! While I agree fully with Eric Diaz’s article regarding the unoriginal announcement that Zeus is now Wonder Woman’s father, the first issue was great. The gods are once again relevant in our world, making her relevant. Her personality has not been this solid and clear since … never. Wonder Woman was a character whose book I bought because I wanted to like it, but always failed to fully enjoy it. As the Holy Spirit in DC’s Trinity, I was ever confused and lost in the mucky muck that was her story. Her history and personality always came off as convoluted. A shame, since I studied classics in college and am all about empowered, interesting women (obviously). But now, it looks like it’s a new dawn, it’s a new day, it’s a new life for Diana and (wait for it) it feels good. She’s a warrior, in the truest sense. Dutiful, but kind. Stoic, yet compassionate. She cares for those she has sworn to protect in exactly the way the new Starfire does not.

Also, take note regarding Wonder Woman: she, like Starfire, is naked in a couple of panels of her comic. However, it doesn’t make you, as the reader, feel awkward, because it’s realistic. She’s not flaunting her nakedness around so young children can send picture texts to their buddies or post it on some celebrity blog out there. She’s naked, because it made sense for her to be so. Diana is a true Wonder Woman, both strength and beauty incarnate. She stands on her own without the baggage of fanservice and cheesecake. It’s amazing.

Batwoman continues to be brave, bold and beautiful (I seriously cannot get enough of J. H. Williams III’s art) and Batgirl as a hero dealing with post-traumatic stress disorder is inspired. Not to suggest I don’t love Oracle and was against Babs’ return to the cape when it was announced, it is still a topic that is scarcely discusses in comics and one some readers need. I’d prefer if it was another character–male or female–because the chair and Oracle are important, but I don’t know who else could address it like Gail Simone. This seems typical of Barbara Gordon. I love her previous incarnation, but am just as grateful–if not more so–for her latest version. It’s impressive.

My favorite character, The Huntress, also made her debut last week in a shiny new miniseries, and I must say, I approve. She’s a little softer (that is, she didn’t maim any thugs out right) than the pre-boot Bertinelli, but she’s still kicking ass, sporting the crossbow and donning purple. I’ll have a more comprehensive review of THE HUNTRESS #1 up soon, so look out!

I’m still on the fence about Supergirl, and fan-service and some fan-fiction-esque elements aside, I really didn’t have much of a problem with Catwoman. Also, it’s hard to talk about any character in particular in the larger (> 5 hero) team books, so I’m holding my tongue until the first arcs pan out, making this not as extensive as it could be. Obviously there are some wonderful female characters who are still rock solid. Nevertheless, there are some definite changes that I am curious about and request an explanation for the changes.

Comics have a reputation for being sexist, anti-feminist and sometimes even misogynist, but that doesn’t have to be the case.I have read several articles over the month regarding these issues, and even most–if not all–of the creators agree that these exist. So what’s it going to take before they (and we as fans) start developing a solution? Perhaps some who recognize its existence don’t view it as a problem (which is an issue I’d like to address in a different article). But what about those who do see the error in their ways, but do nothing to fix it? Here, I am pin pointing a few of the core issues in the reboot and asking the simple question, “Why?” Once we can understand each other, we can get the dialogue started.

(**I also want to note that female characters weren’t the only ones affected by the reboot. The way the Savant character in the Suicide Squad acted was a big punch in my Birds of Prey loving gut. His presence–if that is my beloved Brian Durlin–was just pointless and unnecessary. A ‘fridging if I ever saw one.)

Confessions of a Comic Con Virgin, Pt 2

by Molly MahanJuly 30, 2011

After a full day of waltzing around in heels—either as Black Canary or Comic Con Party Goer #317—I decided it might be best to wear sneakers. I decided to braid my hair and wear brown shorts with a green t-shirt at scour Comic Con as “Not Lara Croft.” A few people got it, but for the most part I was left unbothered, which is fine by me. I only really wanted one person to call me out on it and he did. I must say, wearing sneakers and roaming around on foot still hurts after a day of heels, but it hurts “so good,” in a way.

Anyway, Lea, being a fan of the Locke and Key comics, took me upstairs to see the panel for the failed pilot of the show of the same name. We missed the screening of the pilot episode, but we made it into the panel to listen to Joe Hill, director Mark Romanek, pilot-writer Josh Friedman and a few of the actors. I wasn’t exactly aware of the project prior to coming to Comic Con and checking out the schedule, so I wasn’t entirely invested but it was an exciting panel. I took copious amounts of notes on a Starbucks napkin and will likely write up a little article about the panel. I am currently trying to get a hold of the pilot, so I can write an accompanying review, but we’ll see what happens.

After the panel, Lea and I stalked around the convention floor again. We looked at all the awesome reproductions and scale models of all-things nerdy from Sideshow Showcase, I even found my new boyfriend!

Another thing that was there, that I did not get a picture of, was a lifesize reproduction of the T-800 in the original Terminator, after it had been stripped of its Arnold skin and was all metal and porcelain teeth. While gazing at its magnificence, I overhear someone commenting on it:

“Why would they make the teeth porcelain when the rest of it is metal?”

Trying my best not to punch anyone in the face, I reply, “Because it used to look human.” Duh. Apparently the Con-goer didn’t hear me because I never got a response, but a third party did. He turned away from the statue and gave me a nod as we shared a look of “how stupid can someone be?” I mean, there is a possibility that this guy had never seen Terminator, in which case, where has he been in the last 20 years. Even if he hasn’t seen it, he must surely know what one is due to the collective pop culture consciousness that we share. But in all likelihood he probably has seen it, and his inability to recall certain elements of the franchise is pretty mindboggling.

Also on the floor, I purchased my only souvenir from Con (I had a few other free ones, some of which are pretty cool). And that is a red shirt dress from Star Trek TOS, officially licensed by Roddenberry. Remember this, as it will come back up.

Shortly thereafter, we picked up Ben Dunn, Lea’s brother, and went up to interview the kind people of Thundercats. I interviewed Emmanuelle Chriqui (Sloane of Entourage) who is the new Cheetara, Ethan Spaulding, a producer of the show, and the original voice of Lion-O Larry Kenney, who will voice Lion-O father, Claudus, this time around. The interviews hardly went without a hitch. Ms. Chriqui didn’t feel like looking at the camera and was timid to give out much information; I went blank while interviewing Mr. Spaulding—hopefully my good friends here will edit that out—and the one awesome interview that I did, well, we ran out of battery. So, I think we have maybe 30 seconds of my interview with Larry Kenney, who is a very charismatic and awesome human being.

Afterward, we headed over to the Wired Café for some free booze and food. Oh, the perks of being in the press. While it was awesome to get free things, I must admit that the booth babes working the Fangtasia bar were perhaps some of the most incompetent people I can imagine. It seriously took one of them 45 seconds to open two cans of pineapple juice. I suspect these girls are working for tips, in addition to whatever HBO feels like coughing out, so their lack of interest astounds me. Seriously. People who are paid to do something and don’t do it with any kind of efficiency baffle me. I don’t care how cute you are or how perky your rack is. I want my Death on the Beach and I want it in a somewhat timely manner. Seriously, it’s not as if she was doing something else. She was just standing there, pineapple juice in hand, not opening it. Vacant staring all around.

And that’s my rant against booth babes. You’re welcome.

Also while at the Wired Café, being awesome, Ben, Lea and I got a picture with Kellan Lutz. I didn’t know who he was, but I’m in the photo anyway. For those of you still uncertain of who this filet of manliness is, he’s Emmett from the Twilight saga and will be Poseidon (“god of wetness … and moisture”) in the upcoming Immortals flick (more on that in part 3!).

Look how Ben ruins an otherwise breathtaking photo.

When we finished up here, we scampered (yeah, we can do that) back to the Geekscape booth where our good pornstar buddies are signing autographs and giving away SFW porn (it apparently exists?). Since I was about to leave to do an interview with the real Batman (Mr. Adam West), I took a shot with the guys and headed out.

Seriously, though. Look at Superman. He could repopulate Krypton with that thing. Or at least the Bottle City of Kandor.

I originally believed that I was going to be on-camera for this interview, but things did not turn out to be so. Instead, it was a round-table interview—six or so different interviewers get together and shoot questions at the interviewee and hope to get some decent info—which is fine, of course, but I don’t think the video I took is any good, so I will likely have to just turn it into an article of awesomeness. Anyway, the interviews were with Adam West, Burt Ward and Julie Newmar, promoting or commemorating the 45^th anniversary of the original TV series.

Now while it was cool to meet the original Batman and Robin, I must admit that I only cared about in my fangirl heart of hearts to meet Julie Newmar. For a number of reasons. The first, Catwoman has always been one of my favorite characters. I had dressed up for her for Halloween more times than I can say, each time a different version (from the Burton film to the comics to even the cartoon). Also, she—Ms. Newmar—is my favorite Catwoman and my original idol. That is, she, as Catwoman, was who I wanted to emulate and be when I grow up. She’s beautiful, brilliant and quite the entertainer. Who wouldn’t want to be compared to her?

So, imagine my delight when I sit next to her (right next to her. Because, I mean, I had to) and she turns to me and tells me I am “adorable.” Now, I know, you don’t usually get flattered by someone calling you adorable, but this is Julie-freaking-Newmar. Essentially the only person at Con that I met and was completely star-struck by. Her calling me anything, especially on the positive side like “adorable”, was just … gah. I can close my eyes forever now and be pretty happy. True story. Sadly, since this was a “professional” situation, I wasn’t able to get a picture with her, but I do have recording of our voices together and that is pretty stellar.

Adam West really only wanted to pimp out his new comic book, which is fair. Though his obviously rehearsed “My life has come full circle. I played a comic book character on TV and now I am one!” lost its shine after the third announcement. Still, cool to meet a Batman. Burt Ward was perhaps the most ridiculous (not to say Newmar and West weren’t, they definitely had their eccentricities). After the round table was over, he kept us at the table for an addition ten minutes to tell us about his new show (which has yet to be picked up by a network) about the 50 dogs he lives with in his home, which doubles as an animal shelter. He showed us a picture of one “puppy”—a seven foot tall great dane—and a camel, that apparently is the pet of one of his neighbors. I was talking to a friend of mine the other day about this, she apparently knew it existed (Burt Ward’s animal shelter, I mean), and said it was rather nefarious, since he doesn’t neuter all of his dogs and claims that none of them don’t get along. I wonder if any of this will come up if the show gets picked up. Should be interesting.

After the interviews, I headed over to the El Shaddai party. Free booze and hors d’oeuvres. I was probably more excited about the food than the drink, but it was all a recipe for disaster. When to came in, they gave you a raffle ticket, which I packed into my purse and left at a booth with some friends while I went to get a drink. Since it was a full bar, I decided I wanted to get something fun, so I ordered a raspberry martini and hung around the bar, chatting with whoever was available. While I was drinking my martini, Gilmore comes up to me and demands to try it. Finding it satisfying, he orders one for himself while I pick up my second. While at the bar, the raffle begins. I don’t have my ticket on me, but I remember my number, so while I’m in the middle of conversing with someone about the raffle and the names of things (El Shaddai means “the breasted one” in Hebrew. It’s a name for God), I hear “Enoch 17” get called. My eyes get wide and I drop my glass (or place it on the bar, you decide) and run over to my bag. I dump it out and fish for my ID case. As they go to pass my number over, I find it and present it and get my prize. I think it’s an art book, but I’m unsure. It’s in Japanese and I have yet to crack it open.

Anyway, after putting everything back in my bag—including my artbook—I go back to the bar where half of the new people I have met over the last two days are … all of them with a raspberry martini. All of them male.

“This is how STDs spread,” I comment, while ordering my next one and picking off cheeseburger spring rolls and Philly cheesesteak dumplings off trays (DELICIOUS, by the way).

Anyway, around 10 or 11 or so, we cut out of there and decide what to do next. We go to another bar to figure things out. Another bar that, for some reason, refused to serve me but happily served Gilmore who was clearly blazed. My theory, because I was still cognizant, is because I changed into my red shirt dress (but kept my sneakers on), and therefore looked moderately ridiculous. Or they just thought a mid-scene dress change was odd. Clearly they’ve never seen the Oscars. We didn’t stick around there for too long, however, as we bopped into a rickshaw (or pedicab, as it was lead by a bike), and headed over to Nerd HQ.

As we arrive, I manage to fall out of the rickshaw and get run over. Yeah, you read that right. I got ran over by a rickshaw. Hilarious. You’re all assholes. Actually, it is pretty funny, despite how much it hurt and muddled up my plans to dress up again as Black Canary on Saturday. Despite being run over, I manage to hop back on to my feet (with some help). A friend of mine, commenting on this as I told him this story, “Of course you did. You’re Molly f’ing Mahan. Nothing will keep you down, no matter how stupid or dangerous.” I’m practically a superhero. Only my archnemesis is clearly my drunk-ass self. Basically, I’m Iron Man and my nemesis is Tony Stark (or Molly Mayhem, if you prefer). Anyway, as everyone is trying to get me up and figure out how this happened, the cabby flees the scene. So no justice for the wicked and inebriated. As I get to my feet, everyone asks me how I am doing, and of course I laugh it off and say that I’m fine and I hobble into the Nerd HQ. We find a booth, and continue the night as planned.

A good reminder not to wear a red shirt while on an away mission

Intermittently, through the evening, I would laugh, crack jokes, and without warning break down and cry. Between the alcohol and my own pain tolerance, the pain would go over and back under the threshold. It was entertaining, I’m sure. And, of course, since I wasn’t with a bunch of doctors, the response to treat this was to get more alcohol to consume and help numb the pain.

There was a photo booth at the event, and of course I took pictures in them, and you can obviously see that I had been crying or was about to in the middle of the shot.

After Nerd HQ the party broke up. I did the responsible thing and dragged Gilmore over to Denny’s. I talked some things over with him, none of which he remembers as he was clearly about to fall asleep, face first, into his eggs-over-my-hammy, but I know I needed to eat something at the very least. When we got back to the hotel, I asked the receptionist for some first aid (see, mom? I am responsible!). She told me she didn’t have any, but called security to bring some.

Security came about five minutes later with 5 small adhesive bandages. Awesome.

When Gilmore and I got back to the room, we saw some fries outside the hotel room. He drunkenly complained about the room service bill, while I took the opportunity to sit down and pick at them. He eventually sat down too.

At least we got a song out of the night. “Molly got run over by a rickshaw, on her way to Nerd HQ last night.” (to the tune of “Grandma Got Runover by a Reindeer”) It haunted the remainder of my Comic Con experience.

Confessions of a Comic Con Virgin, Pt 1.

by Molly MahanJuly 29, 2011

I apologize for the delay in writing this article, and also for the fact that it is yet another “Comic Con Recap” article. The reason it was delayed is because I honestly have not managed more than 4 to 5 hours sleep since Comic Con due to various internships and other responsibilities. The reason you should read this despite its redundant topic is because prior to last Wednesday, I was a San Diego Comic Con virgin. Hell, I was a virgin to any kind of comic convention before this. Plus I’m awesome. So read up, nerds and Geekscapists!

My journey began in Los Angeles. I was a naïve girl, going to San Diego, thinking I could somehow manage to spend a minimal amount of money and maintain my sanity and sobriety over the course of the next four days. When I hopped on the Amtrak to make my journey to San Diego, little did I know that my hopes to be sober and save money would be crushed. As I began to play Angry Birds Rio on my Droid 3 for three hours, I knew my sanity was already waving goodbye and that I had morphed into Alice and that San Diego was the modern equivalent of Wonderland. The train, of course, playing the role of the rabbit hole as the scenes and people became less normal (that is, what you see and expect to see every day) and steadily increased in their variety of uniqueness. I was not disturbed, as I firmly believed I was among my people. We who have and understand passion greater than the standard being. We who love without necessarily being loved in return. The Eponines in a world of Cosettes. (I just came back from watching Les Mis. Deal with it.) It was great to feel like I was in the majority for once.

And then I landed in San Diego.

Finding my fellow Geekscapists was easy enough. Merely a text or a phone call away. Thanks to my handy-dandy Droid, I was able to find our hotel with ease. As I waited for one Geekscapist to pick me up, I began to survey the lobby and discovered that nerds all dress he same. Either a Threadless or fandom related T-Shirt with long shorts and a look of awkwardness that shows we just aren’t fit for social interaction. Once Gilmore met me, I dropped off my bag in my room (which I shared with six fellow Geekscapists) and we met up with a few people for a drink.

Still believing I would maintain my sobriety, I did not partake in anything but water. One because I’m poor, two because I wanted to experience my first day of Con without the pains of a hangover or the murkiness of still being a bit drunk at 9AM in the morning. With my fellow geeks, nerds and Geekscapists, we discussed topics that could only be considered socially acceptable thanks to the internet. Topics like “What is it about furry porn that you find so disturbing?”, “Which Disney princess/character helped you discover your own sexuality?” and, of course, “Are there any panels your excited about?” After our little cocktail hour ended, the few of us staying in the same room went back to it.

I should note here, that even before coming to Comic Con I was sleep deprived. I hadn’t slept more than about 5 or so hours two or three nights building up to it. I had planned to take a nap on the train, but after a few minutes of dozing, when the guy asked to see my ticket, I was bright-eyed and bushy-tailed. So, when we went back to our room, which was shared with six others, we all chatted until about 2 or 3 in the morning. And then, thanks to the curtain being open, we all awoke at the ass crack of dawn as well. I didn’t mind this, since I had to get showered, dressed and wait in an hour or so long line to get my official Comic Con badge.

Wanting to experience my first Comic Con in full, I dressed up as Black Canary on the first day. I later learned that cosplay is more prevalent on the second and third days of Con, but I was not alone in my costume wearing, so all was well.

Holding my hand through my first day of Comic Con, was the lovely Lea (who somehow manages to put up with being Gilmore’s girlfriend). She waited with me in line and showed me how to go through the whole process (including turning my massive Con bag into a backpack for me!) and showed me through the floor to the Geekscape booth. I must say, no matter how much you think you can prepare for the convention floor, you can’t. It’s a complete assault on your senses. Colors, advertising, people, costumed characters, booth babes, vendors, promoters, everything you hate and love about living in a modern society is there, ready to pounce.

We found our way to the Geekscape booth, dropped off some major bits of baggage and bounced off to get an overpriced coffee at the convention center’s Starbucks. While in line, I saw a Usagi (or Serena, if you watched the dubbed) from Sailor Moon. She was my first cosplayer (aside from a few Doctor Whos, but I never watched that show, so I wasn’t half as excited). I wanted to take a picture, especially since she had managed to do the meatball hair with her own hair, but I decided against it. I’m a nerd. I’m socially awkward. Plus, she seemed to be enjoying her latte.

After that, Lea and I bounced back onto the Convention floor. We roamed around Artist’s Alley and the main floor, before breaking off. I was going to interview Paul Dini later that day, so I wanted to touch base with Walton and a few others, to see if they had any suggestions for questions or tips for not vomiting on someone who helped shaped your childhood mid-interview. Not much help on the latter, but one fellow Geekscapist offered up a great question which—depending on how the video was cut—made the interview!

My interview with Paul Dini had my stomach in knots. Not just because he is Paul Dini, but because I had never done an on-camera interview before and I had a great fear of turning into a deer in headlights and just freezing. Luckily I did not and he was awesome. He also commented on my costume, which was cool. Especially since there was a “professional” interviewer who was not at all shy about her disgust for how I was attired. Ah, nothing like a little fashion cattiness at Comic Con. I like to think the interview went fairly well, although I mostly have it blacked out from my adrenaline and fear. If it makes the site, you can all tell me how much I sucked.

After my time with Dini, I scampered back on to the Convention floor. I did a little work at the Geekscape.net booth handing out flyers …

Before roaming around on my own.

Ass shots and mean girls aside, dressing up as Black Canary, I must admit, was probably the best decision of my Comic Con experience. Those who knew who I was player were really excited about it, and those who didn’t gave the best confused and awkward “trying not to stare, but what?” looks. The only time I was annoyed in costume was when a fistful of people asked me if I was Silk Spectre. Really? Did you not (at least) see the Watchman movie? Lea suggested I claim to be inverted-Silk Spectre, but Dinah Lance is too great of a character to diminish in that way. Oh, and a few “in the know” fans hailed me by “name” as Dinah, and that was pretty stellar.

I have two favorite moments in my life as a cosplayer, though. The first was while I was walking down artist’s alley late in the day, looking for some Black Canary art, and being hailed down by one of the vendors who was really excited by my costume. Pleased to have a fan, I bopped over to her booth to chat and look over here wares. While she was gushing over how awesome I was, I checked the names on the book. I recognized the artist and looked up with wonder. “Wait, are you Nicola Scott?” “I am!” “Oh my God. You are my favorite! I HAVE to have a picture!” So, now I have to pictures of me as Canary with Nicola Scott and this great story of mutual fangirling with a wonderful artist. She told me to track down Gail Simone—believing she’d love my costume—but I could not find her.

My second favorite moment, happened while I was on the search of Gail Simone. I went to the Comic Book section of the convention floor (that’s right, there’s a non-Comic section of COMIC Con. Don’t ask me. Ask the Hollywood people). In my search for Gail, I saw a camera crew interviewing some guy in costume. Since I am probably the vainest person you’ll ever meet (people don’t believe this, but that’s because I care a lot about other people, too), I stalked the waters of this camera crew. I circled around the nearby booths, keeping in obvious site of them, until lo and behold: I was stopped for an interview. Yeah, that’s right. Turns out it was with Entertainment Weekly and it was a section on whether or not you can find romance at Comic Con. I bring this up not just because it’s cool to be interviewed, but because it actually ended in me getting asked out.

Looks like you answered your own question, EW!

I didn’t manage to go to any of the panels, because I was still trying to find my equilibrium and recover from the culture shock that is Comic Con. I did glance upstairs once to see if I could make the Game of Thrones panel, but the line for that thing had begun at least four hours prior to the panel. I know we lovers of pop culture are known for waiting in lines, from Star Wars fans to Twihards, but I refused to spend my first day of Comic Con waiting in a line that wasn’t the one getting me into the convention. I did manage to catch a glimpse of Peter Dinklage at the Game of Thrones signing, however, and that was pretty exciting. Not gonna lie.

As the day turned to evening, I wandered back to the hotel to lay down for a minute before getting ready for the parties. Geekscape hosted a party with Stan Lee, so of course we all had to make an appearance. Regrettably, I did not stay long enough to meet him, as I bounced early with a few of my fellow Geekscapists to the Tucker and Dale vs. Evil party. There, they had free BBQ and an open bar. They also had Alan Tudyk who I was sure to make an ass out of myself in front of. You will see, as these little recollections are produced, how much I love to make an ass out of myself in front of celebs.

While at the bar with Lea, Lea gushes to Mr. Tudyk about how much she loves his work and thinks he’s the greatest thing since sliced bread. When he turns to me, I tell him I loved him in A Knight’s Tale. His expression was priceless and encapsulates how embarrassing the moment was for both of us. When he later tweeted:

The Tucker and Dale party had a lot of geeks, several nerds, three dweebs, a hand full of celebrities, two silly bitches, and a douche. Nice.

I like to imagine that I was one of those silly bitches. But I may have very well been the douche. Hard to say. Afterward, I mumbled something about how he was great in Firefly, too, before drowning sorrow in another vodka cranberry.

Also at the party was my favorite little elfin character, Link, celebrating his 25th anniversary! Lea and I took this chance to take a picture with him.

It should be noted our poses are stolen from other characters posted around the room and that we aren’t, in fact, retarded. Though, if we were, there would be nothing wrong with that.

Once that party ended, my little group of Geekscapists headed to a party that was DJ’d by Jon Favreau. There, I managed to swindle a free beer from some guys at the bar. While dazzling them with my personality [you may call my personality “Edward Cullen” as it does, in fact, dazzle. (Please don’t kill me for that joke!)], one of them quipped “You are too cool to be hanging out with us.” Ever susceptible to suggestion and looking for a way out, I thanked them for the drink, found Gilmore and danced the night away.

We rolled back into the hotel a conservative guess of 3AM, with my feet hurting more than I could ever fathom. It was a beautiful day.

DC Reboot: Keeping Score, Where Are The Female Creatives?

by Molly MahanJune 15, 2011

With the September solicits for DC up (and reviewed!), we finally get the full scope of DC’s new line up of books and the characters they will feature. Not surprisingly, the male to female ratio is off. It is expected, for whatever reason, that there will be more male-lead solo titles (23) than female (5), and that there will be more male characters than female in team titles like the Justice League (though 6 to 1 is pretty atrocious). And while none of us would be surprised to hear that there are more men who work in the industry than women, the numbers for September should still surprise you.

Drum roll, please!

In September, DC will see a downsizing in female creators by 50% and increasing in male creators by over 40%. Pretty drastic stuff, but that’s still not the scariest part. This actually makes it look like DC has a sizable female demographic already. In actuality, it means, for the month of September, DC has a whopping two women on the payroll for their flagship line. Yes, that’s right. Before the reboot there was a grand total of 4 women on the creative staff. Now, there is a lonely two. So, of the 52 new titles coming out for September, a grand total of 3 have women working on them.

As comic readers, we’re all about the visual aspect of storytelling, so here are a couple of pie charts courtesy of Gwen Frankenstien to show you what is going on:

(pre-reboot)

(post-reboot)

Of those remaining one is, of course, Gail Simone who could write as many titles as she has time for and I’d read them all, two will just have to make do. For now. The other is cover artist Jenny Frison, who is working on the new I, Vampire series. Hopefully Frison’s work will continue to the point of doing a full issue.

This means talented artists like Nicola Scott and Amanda Connor are nowhere to be found, but Rob Liefeld is allowed to get paid for his “work” on Hawk and Dove. Now, that’s just terrible.

A lack of female consciousness in the art department, may very well be the reason behind why Supergirl losing the skirt isn’t a good thing or perhaps why Harley looks more like a carnival-loving crack whore rather than the Cupid of Crime (introducing the corset to Harley Quinn is one thing I will never forgive Batman: Arkham Asylum for) .

So, while Batwoman gets her long awaited day in the sun, the creative side of DC still has a way to go before it can claim to be “diverse and modern”.

Geekscape Movie Reviews: Super 8

by Molly MahanJune 10, 2011

From the opening scene of J. J. Abrams’s Super 8, you know that it is written and directed with the film lover in mind, and that it is love letter to not only young, aspiring filmmakers but to the career of the film’s producer, Steven Spielberg. That is to say, if you don’t know what the title is a reference to (i.e., super 8mm film) or you didn’t watch E.T. and Close Encounters of the Third Kind daily as a child, then you best stay at home, as Super 8 is much more a hommage to Spielberg than it is a film in its own right. Unable to stand on its own feet, it is lacking and misses its marks as often as Abrams uses unnecessary lens flares.

Set in 1979 in a middle-of-no-where small town called Lillian, the story follows seven friends as they try to complete a film for a festival. As they try to create a story to their zombie film, they must deal with the trials of family and growing up, learn hard lessons about love, forgiveness and letting go. In the meantime, mysterious phenomena surrounding an absurdly destructive train crash unfolds and leads to military attention.

Which of these is not like the others?

Although the young filmmakers and their families are interesting and, at times, compelling, the added sci-fi element distracts rather than enhances the stories and characters lives. It acts more often than not as story-framing rather than action-causing, which makes it completely unnecessary to the film. However, without the sci-fi element Abrams could not pen his love letter to Spielberg, but instead would have an interesting story about young filmmakers trying to make a film despite the conflicts of the world around them.

Additionally, because time is wasted on the sci-fi element, there is less time for character development of the kids’ parents. We see a Romeo and Juliet scenario unfold before us, but we never get a chance to understand to any real extent why the elder generation of the two families doesn’t get along. We are left with a few clips and phrases at best and muddled dialogue at worst. (I saw it with four people and each had his or her own inclinations about what might have happened.)

Yet, story isn’t the complete sum of a movie; especially not in this day and age. The acting is quite good, despite everything. Each of the actors, young and old, carry their characters well and are convincing. There are even a few touching moments; nothing tear-jerking, but certainly sweet. The special effects are seamless and believable within the context of the story, train crash aside (I don’t care if it is or it isn’t a reference to The Greatest Show on Earth, it’s ridiculous to a modern audience). However, Abrams religious use of lens flares makes it hard to forget you’re watching a movie.

If you’re a diehard fan of either Abrams or Spielberg or a filmmaker, then you might give Super 8 a whirl in theatres. Otherwise, wait for the blu-ray, if you must watch it. Additionally, if you do see it, be sure to stay through the credits to see the “reel” moment you’ve been waiting for.