[Book Review] The Jewel and Her Lapidary

Stitch

Wilde Jewel LapidaryTitle: The Jewel and Her Lapidary
Author: Fran Wilde (Twitter)
Rating: Highly Recommended
Genre/Category: Fantasy, Politics
Release Date: May 3 2016
Publisher: Tor.com

Order Here: AMAZON  (KINDLE)| AMAZON (PRINT) | BARNES & NOBLE (PRINT)

Note: I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All opinions and thoughts expressed in this review are my own. Spoilers abound!

By the time I finished reading The Jewel and Her Lapidary, I was well on my way to an ugly crying session. I’ve read books that broke my heart before and I’ve read some truly stellar fantasy. However, what Fran Wilde does with this book basically wrecks me.Read More »

Grayson #20 and WOC as the “Wrong Choice” Love Interests

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Note: You may disagree with this reading. You may think that’s not a valid reading. That’s fine, but as experiencing misogynoir in a comic that I adore and having clear proof that women of color (especially Black women) will always wind up “losing” to whiteness/white women is hurtful to me, I absolutely do not want to hear about it.

Helena and Dick

I knew Helena Bertinelli and Dick Grayson wouldn’t end up together at the end of Grayson #20.Despite my shipping goggles snapped tightly to my head (and you know… the actual content in the book), I knew that they wouldn’t be riding off into the sunset together especially as both characters are going to be in their own books come Rebirth.

But I knew that Dick and Helena were attracted to each other because there are several separate moments in the comic series that shows that their attraction is mutual.

More than that, the comic showed that on some level, they cared about each other as more than friends and it was in a way that could be construed as romantic. A way that could have been fleshed out in the upcoming Rebirth reboot or that would have gotten more focus in the comics had Grayson continued past issue #20 with the original creative team (Tim Seeley and Tom King on writing with Mikel Janin on art).

How do I know this? Well, in Future’s End: Grayson, five years into the future of the DC Universe (pre Rebirth and all of the retcons that’s going to be responsible for), Helena and Dick are together romantically.

So to go through Grayson #20 and basically see the new creative team kind of crap all over that is incredibly hurtful.Read More »

Stitch on Fansplaining’s Two-Part Episode About Race and Fandom!

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Earlier this week I got a chance to participate in an episode of fandom podcast Fansplaining that was all about race/racism in fandom and giving people of color a chance to speak about what they’d witnessed and experienced. It was amazing!

First, the cool content:

Fansplaining Episode 22A

In “Race and Fandom Part 1,” Flourish and Elizabeth follow up on the last episode’s questions about the impact of racism in the Star Wars fandom—and how it’s a microcosm of fandom at large. They interview Rukmini Pande and Clio, and they hear clips from Holly Quinn, Shadowkeeper, and PJ Punla. Topics covered include the historical presence of fans of color, space nazis, femslash and its discontents, and the Filipino perspective on the whiteness of media.

(Show notes!)

Fansplaining Episode 22B

In the second and final installment of our “Race and Fandom” episodes, fans of color continue to speak about their experiences in fandom. Elizabeth and Flourish interview Jeffrey Lyles and Zina (@stitchmediamix), then hear clips from Roz (@rozf), Traci-Anne, and zvi LikesTV (@zvilikestv). Topics covered include being Black and Jewish, Star Wars weddings, cosplaying characters of color, and why kink is never divorced from the real world.

(Show notes)

Under the cut is a bit of backstory (copied largely from some DMs I sent earlier in the week) about what sparked this anger at fandom (for me and several of the contributors this episode):Read More »

[Book Review] Runtime

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Divya RuntimeTitle: Runtime
Author: S. B. Divya (Twitter)
Rating: Highly Recommended
Genre/Category: Science-Fiction, Politics, Classism, Cyborgs, Body Modification
Release Date: May 17, 2016
Publisher: Tor.com

Order Here: AMAZON  (KINDLE)| AMAZON (PRINT) | BARNES & NOBLE (PRINT)

Note: I received an ARC (Advance Reader Copy) of this book from the publisher. All opinions and thoughts expressed in this review are my own.

At first glance, S. B. Divya’s Runtime is just about a race – the Minerva Sierra Challege – set in the distant future that is open for cyborgs to participate in.

Except, it’s about way more than that.Read More »

Wonder Woman Earth One Is Far From Wondrous

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Content warnings: This post contains descriptions and images of sexual assault/harassment from the comic that may be triggering or upsetting to readers.

WW EO 1

With every reading of Wonder Woman: Earth One, I hate it a little bit more.

Grant Morrison has been working on WW:EO for years.

Many years.

Seriously, the first book in DC’s Earth One line (Superman: Earth One Volume One) came out in October 2010. In the past almost six years in that same line, there have been three Superman books, two Batman books, and one Teen Titans book. And yet, the least represented version of DC’s Trinity, Wonder Woman, has been pointedly absent from the universe.

Part of it, is because Grant Morrison is apparently a slow writer. He had to get things just right and that takes time. Morrison, like his comic creator peers Alex Ross and Jim Lee, isn’t the best with deadlines.

However, there’s another, more insidious reason to the push back: sexism.

Read More »

To Market, To Market

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Market Square

— To market, to market, to buy a plum bun/ Home again, home again, market is done.

Maren walks two steps behind the governor’s wife on their way through the market near Fort Christensen, standing near enough to hear the older woman call her name, but not so near that anyone would assume them to be closer than they were. While she may only have been working for the new governor’s wife for a scattered handful of months, she already feels as if she understands the other woman.

When Regine pauses in front of a stall selling vegetables and fruits from local, small farms that used to be part of bigger plantations, Maren stops at her right elbow, head tilted as she raises the basket holding the woman’s coin purse in case there’s something there that the woman wants to purchase.  Read More »

Black Ladies Deserve Love Too: Lupita Nyong’o, Concern Trolling, and White Feminism

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image

Yesterday, internet gossip revealed that 12 Years A Slave actress (and all around adorable human being) Lupita Nyong’o was in talks to star opposite Chadwick Boseman in 2018’s Black Panther solo movie. One of the earliest (now seemingly refuted) tidbits of information about this potential role was that Lupita would be playing the female lead and specifically would fill the love interest role.

Almost immediately, the concern trolls came out of the woodwork.

“Why do you have to reduce Lupita to a love interest,” they cried. “She’s a strong Black woman who doesn’t need a man. She should play one of the Dora Milaje or T’challa’s sister Shuri or someone else who has no romantic life and exists to be strong and undesirable (because Blackwomen can’t be strong and desirable at the same time).”

Because that makes all the sense…

Read More »

[Book Review]Lois Lane: Double Down

Stitch

Lois Lane Double Down CoverTitle: Lois Lane: Double Down
Author: Gwenda Bond (Twitter)
Rating: Highly Recommended
Genre/Category: Young Adult, Superheroes (sort of), Mystery, Science Fiction
Release Date: May 1, 2016
Publisher: Switch Press

Purchase Links: AMAZON | AMAZON KINDLE | BARNES & NOBLE

I love Gwenda Bond’s Lois Lane because she exhibits all of the traits that make Lois one of the longest lasting and most beloved “civilian” characters in comics. (I use quotes around civilian because Lois is capable of throwing down just as easily as a costume wearing hero would be.) She’s a freaking brilliant badass and I adore that Gwenda Bond shows her as multifaceted in so many ways.Read More »

In Moderation

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I’ve had comments moderated since I started this site because I don’t want the comment sections on my blog to turn into a mess when I talk critically about fandom or nerd culture.

That’s not going to change.

You literally couldn’t pay me money to allow that kind of access to some of the people I’ve seen salivating over the urge to get nasty on critical posts about nerd/fandom culture. My need for safety on the internet and self-care are more important than any stranger’s need to belittle me or insult me for being critical about something they like.

So yeah, when some dude on the internet proceeds to comment on a months’ old post (From October!!) condescending at me and being kind of a jerk on what’s actually a pretty poignant post about why I love romance comics despite everything they represent of the United States’ history with racism and sexism, of course I’m going to let it stay in the spam box. It’s my blog, I get to do that!

When he comments again with the same comment, I’m going to let spam handle it as well.

And when he comments a third time a few minutes after saying that commenting on my  blog is useless (because he can’t belittle me in public, I guess), then I ban his IP address because I have done nothing to earn this person’s attention or his ire and I do not have to deal with it either.

Look, if you hate when people on the internet talk critically about the things they love, just talk up the things you love about that thing on your own website. You’re not entitled to a space at anyone’s table or a comment on anyone’s blog and to expect otherwise is rude.

Letters to the Author – JK Rowling

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Part passive aggressive stress valve, part honest attempt at expressing my continuous frustration with JKR, this first post for Letters to the Author  is me at my grouchiest. Future posts will be more moderate. Maybe.

Dear Jo:

I can’t remember exactly how old I was the first time I read a Harry Potter book I was either nine or ten years old. It was before I moved to Florida and before I knew that there was a certain kind of magic that really only existed in books like yours.

As a small child, I didn’t notice how poor your portrayals of people of color were or how lacking all forms of representation were. You got so much praise for the women you wrote, but aside from my own headcanons about Hermione’s implicit blackness, only a handful of your women were like me.Read More »

Thoughts On Tone Policing

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I’ve done the “proper” methods of discourse.

I’ve written carefully sourced articles about problematic aspects of media and fandom where I lay out to the letter how something is racist and why that’s bad. I’ve played educator, lecturing via tweets or responses to tumblr messages that demanded my time, energy, and identity for free. I’ve stripped the snark from my words, pretending that I’m not angry about how people are not getting it and may never get it.

I’ve been nice.

Do you know what being nice got me?

Nothing.Read More »

[Spoilers] Stitch Reviews BvS

Stitch

(Featuring my bestie Robert holding the camera and making commentary.)

I watched Batman vs Superman today and okay, it really sucked. In my opinion. Obviosly.

This video contains serious spoilers for BvS, mispronounced names, me saying Scott when I mean Zack (Snyder), and a metric ton of cussing. Deal with it. It’s also unedited because after almost three hours watching that crapfest, I needed to get my anger at it out as soon as possible.

You don’t have to feel the same way that I do about this movie. You don’t. But if you come out of BvS like “this was the best movie I’ve ever seen”, I’m going to wonder what rock you’ve been living under. DC’s attempt at a cinematic universe isn’t dead in the water yet. Batman vs Superman will probably make BANK despite not making any sense and having a Lex Luthor who put me in mind of a caffeinated hamster.

But that doesn’t mean it was a good movie.

Because it’s not.

At all.

(And I’ve liked some bad movies in my time — remember Jupiter Ascending and the bees and the albino angel werewolf soldier? But okay I’d rather watch that Superman movie with Richard Pryor than BvS again.)

Stitch Watches Daredevil Season Two

Stitch

I’m supposed to be writing a paper on the nature of transgression via the Marquis de Sade. Instead, I’m rebelling by watching Matt Murdock beat the shit out of half the criminal underworld in Hell’s Kitchen while Frank Castle murders the half.

I’ve been sporadically tweeting about the series (mostly cursing) but Tues/Thurs I’ll be putting up a video about the series and my thoughts. So far though, its okay. I’m not liking how so far its even less diverse than the first season (SOMEHOW) and obviously, I think The Punisher is a dick but he has a monologue in episode four that really kind of helped me get into his character.

If you’re watching Daredevil or you plan to, the comments for that forthcoming post will be a place where we can scream about the show together.

Happy watching, folks!