Q&A #188: Plan a comic book convention that would be perfect for YOU.

Posted on January 29, 2013 by Anika

In Q & A, a weekly feature of Fantastic Fangirls, we ask our staff to tackle a simple question — then open the floor to comments.

Plan a comic book convention that would be perfect for YOU.

ANIKA

For over a year now I have wanted to present a Ready to Wear Superhero Runway Fashion Show at a convention. It’s never come together, but a girl can dream. Anyway, Comic Book Inspired Fashion Week, that’s number one.

Number two, it’s kid and family friendly. There are specific areas for rest, with couches and quiet, outlets for recharging various electronics. And ice chips. All the food vendors have vegetarian options, and more than just soda to drink. My Little Pony t-shirts come in more than just Men’s sizes.

Number three, more space for conversation. It’s no use complaining that people only visit creators to get things signed when the atmosphere is like some kind of county fair auction house. I’m not sure how this is accomplished but creating a semi-private area for meeting with people would be a good start.

Number four, there’s a costume ball. It’s upscale and requires separate tickets and is basically the ball in Sarah’s dream/nightmare in Labyrinth except with comic book VIPs instead of random aristocracy (although, David Bowie is totally invited).

Number five, it takes place at Disney World.

CAROLINE

Back in my early days of Buffy fandom, a friend proposed the idea of “Backyard Con.” Rather than traveling all over the U.S. to attend conventions, she would invite her friends from all over the country to come visit, book a local hotel, and then hold the actual festivities in her yard — barbeque and pool party in the day, TV episodes projected on a screen at night.

I find it hard to improve on this model. Pool everybody’s comics that they maybe-don’t-exactly-want-anymore in a giant bookswap, box up the rest to mail off to libraries or overseas troops. Maybe bring in a few artists who will draw commissions (and like barbeque!)

So that’s my con idea. My backyard might not be quite big enough to accomodate this, though.

Does anybody out there have a pool?

SIGRID

I would really like a comic convention that followed the pattern of the science fiction conventions I attend. I want to do away with the endless tables of huckstering and have lots of panels in which people talk about topics of mutual interest. I want to see writers, artists, and editors playing Iron Artist as they do at CONvergence. I want panels on third-wave feminism as there are at Wiscon. I want hotel parties thrown by fan groups and industry organization and other local conventions, as there are at both CONvergence and Wiscon. I want a chance to mingle and talk over coffee or dinner. And I want it all in a nice hotel, like the Concourse in Madison, with not too many people. Eight hundred or so, tops.

A big party with my friends and friendly acquaintances, more or less.

So what about you? Plan a comic book convention that would be perfect for YOU.

Hayao Miyazaki: State of Wonder

Posted on January 28, 2013 by Anika

by Marie

Fans of Hayao Miyzaki may know that this past January 5th marked the 72nd birthday of one of the most influential animators in the industry. For the uninitiated, Miyazaki has been well known for the films he wrote, directed, and distributed through Studio Ghibli (which he co-founded). In fact, you may even recognize the large forest spirit on the company’s logo as Totoro from My Neighbor Totoro—more on that in a bit.

the Studio Ghibli logo

Despite popular comparisons of Miyazaki as the Eastern Walt Disney (or John Lasseter of Pixar, who also happens to be a fan of Miyazaki), there are still those who still have yet to see his films. If you happen to fall into this category, then you probably have annoying friends/co-workers/well-meaning significant others who constantly pester you to put him on your Netflix queue. I would know because I am that annoying friend/co-worker/well-meaning significant other. The conversation would most likely go like this:

“Hey, have you seen Princess Mononoke yet?”

“Princess Who? I don’t even–”

“Oh my God! Why are you such a terrible person? Here, let me strap you down into this chair introduce you to the magic that is in Laputa: Castle in the Sky. Hang on, I’ll go get more duct tape so you can stop struggling.”

Or something along those lines.

Now granted, there may be those who don’t enjoy anime—and that’s fine, we all have our flaws (just kidding). But for those of you are genuinely interested in the genre should at least know how much of an impact that Hayao Miyazaki has made in terms of style and storytelling. Most of his films often feature rich worlds that are rendered with incredible detail. In fact the only way I could think of describing how rich they are is that the experience is less like watching a movie and more like walking into a fairy tale. And that’s pretty rad. This shouldn’t really come as a surprise, however. Back in the day, Miyazaki personally reviewed every single frame from each of his movies. With Princess Mononoke, he redrew 80,000 of the frames himself.

Nowadays, Miyazaki delegates most of his work to his staff and tries to keep a balance between hand-drawn animation and computer-animation. Even if you don’t like anime, you may at least appreciate his desire for his films to remain 2D. His overall respect for traditional animation was transparently stated in Ghibliworld, when he said, “hand-drawing on paper is the fundamental of animation.”

And if that doesn’t tickle your fancy, then maybe his themes and characters would. Miyazaki has often been labeled as a “feminist” by his colleagues, not only because of the almost deferential way he treats women, but also because most of his films feature strong female protagonists. A lot these characters were created with the intent of having someone that young girls could look up to, such as in Spirited Away .

Often, these characters would undergo an emotional journey through a fantastical landscape where the innocence of childhood is challenged by outside forces. The result is a wondrous “coming-of-age” adventure/drama. Oh, and did I mention that Miyazaki also happens to be a pro-environment, pacifist, and super into flight and aircrafts? Or how he legitimately believes in the power of love since that often plays a key role in how his films are resolved?

In any case, the following is a list of movies that are not only my personal favorites, but also a good introduction to those that are still on the fence. And without further ado, one of the first Miyazaki films that you should see are…

1.Spirited Away

the poster for Spirited Away

This is on the top of my list not only because it won an Academy Award for Best Animated Feature in 2002, but also because I think it encompasses a lot of the themes that I mentioned earlier: childhood, a coming-of-age, a fantastical landscape, and of course the power of love.

At first, you may not be taken with the ten-year-old protagonist, Chihiro Ogino. She can seem pretty ill tempered in the beginning since her parents decided to move to the countryside. While on their way to their new house, her parents take a wrong turn and walk through what looks like an abandoned amusement park. After crossing a dry riverbed, Chihiro’s parents unwittingly eat the food of the spirits that live on the other side. As a result, they become cursed and Chihiro becomes indebted to the witch, Yubaba who rules a bathhouse in this spirit world.

Along the way, Chihiro makes many allies—though not very easily, she often has to work for it. Among them are Haku, a river spirit who takes the form of both a dragon and a young boy; Lin, another worker in the bathhouse (whose voice actress in the English dub happened to also voice Megera from Disney’s Hercules); and Kamaji, a spider-like spirit (or yokai) who runs the boiler room in the bathhouse.

It’s been stated that one of Hayao Miyazaki’s largest influences were Lewis Caroll, which makes sense since a lot of the elements in this movie are reminiscent of Alice in Wonderland. If anything, you should watch the film just for the bathhouse—it’s pretty epic in scale!

2.My Neighbor Totoro

You may not have seen the movie, but if you’ve probably seen plushies, figurines, and/or key chains of these adorably awkward creatures. On the whole, they look like a cross between a cat, a raccoon, and a panda. In my book, this translation for these creatures can also be, “the best things to hug ever.”

The story follows two young girls named Satsuki and Mei who are the daughters of a university professor. Like the protagonist in Spirited Away, these girls end up re-locating to an old house in the countryside so that they can be closer to the hospital where their mother is recovering. While there, the girls come in contact with many spirits that only they can see— not just the Totoro, but also the susuwatari (dust-like spirits that also incidentally appear in Spirited Away.

Another bonus perk is that if you are fond of cats, there is also a creature featured here call the Cat Bus. And amazingly, that is exactly what it sounds like.

3.Kiki’s Delivery Service

Holy frak, get thee to a DVD player!

This one is made it my list because of how its themes largely have to do with self-discovery; going through a trial and finding out just what you’re made of. It’s a little like Harry Potter if Harry was a girl and was forced to study abroad during his third year at Hogwarts. In the world of this movie, it’s traditional for young witches to do just that when they reach the age of thirteen. Kiki (voiced in the English dub by a young Kirsten Dunst) is nothing but excited to take on the world and make a place for herself in it. So, along with her broomstick and smart-talking cat companion, Jiji, she embarks on a thrilling journey into the big city…where everything isn’t as she thought it would be.

Probably one of the most poignant moments in the film is where Kiki loses her self-confidence and as a result, her powers diminish. It takes her quite a few obstacles to overcome her ensuing depression, but I think it’s one of the things that make this film really resonate since it’s an issue that many young girls (and boys) often face. Again, you have a heroine that you can really look up to. If you have any little ones, this might be a good starter.

4.Howl’s Moving Castle

Two words. Christian Bale.

Yes, the Dark Knight steps in to voice the handsome and charmingly rakish wizard, Howl in Miyazaki’s adaption of Diana Wynn Jones’ novel of the same name. I never read Jones, so I’m not able to make the proper comparisons. But even if the worlds of the film and the book don’t entirely align, I think that the film at very least makes a great tribute to the magic (both literal, and figurative) of its literary counterpart. Also thankfully, Bale doesn’t resort to using his Batman voice when playing this character.

This is actually one of the few films that Miyazaki has been involved in which features older characters. Often, his characters are children so it’s a little refreshing to have an older hero and heroine (and actually get a satisfying on-screen kiss). In any case, Howl’s Moving Castle features a young woman named Sophie who works as a hatter in a kingdom that is currently in the midst of war. On her way home, she encounters the vicious Witch of the Waste who transforms her into an old woman (presumably since Sophie has come in contact with Howl, albeit unknowingly). Eventually, Sophie finds her way to Howl’s rather haphazard-looking castle that walks on chicken legs. This may or may not be a nod to the Russian fairy tale character, Baba Yaga, who was said to live in a hut that stood on chicken legs.

All that aside, Howl’s Moving Castle is definitely a must-see. If not for the wizard fights and spells that can only be broken with true love, then maybe for the voice of Billy Crystal and probably the best freakout by a guy over the color of his hair.

6.Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind

This is one of many Miyazaki films that featured a princess as the main character.

The film takes place in a post-apocalyptic setting in which human civilization was nearly destroyed after an event referred to as “The Seven Days of Fire.” After this event, the surviving humans made settlements that are scattered around what is known as the “Toxic Jungle” which is home to a host of lethal things that include giant mutant insects. The Valley of the Wind is one of these settlements scattered around the jungle.

The seeds of the environmental themes prevalent in Miyazaki’s later films can arguably be traced here. The settlers in the Valley of the Wind, for instance, hold fast to a prophecy that tells of a warrior that will one day reconcile and reunite man with nature. In fact, the crux of the film hinges on Nausicaa’s struggle against the Tolmekians—warriors from a distant kingdom intent on destroying the Toxic Jungle with an ancient biological weapon.

Oh, and did I mention the awesome jet-powered hand-glider she uses? Yea, she uses one of those.

7.Laputa: Castle in the Sky

This one holds some pretty significant importance since it was the first film produced and released by Studo Ghibli in 1986.

The film centers on around humans that built cities that flew in the sky. The movie itself contains a lot of aerial devices, specially designed airships, and flight sequences. It’s been noted that Miyazaki was largely influenced by the power of flight, since it is a form where people can defy gravity (in other words, achieve the impossible). In this film, most of these flying cities have been destroyed with the titular Laputa as the only exception.

The story follows a young girl named Sheeta who falls to the ground after her ship was
ambushed by air pirates. She survives due to the power of a crystal amulet she wears. While there, she meets a young boy named Pazu whose father has coincidentally been searching for Laputa. Eventually, the truth of Sheeta’s heritage comes to the surface. The discovery not only causes tension between her and Pazu, but also gives rise to the complications brought on by the many people who want to hold Sheeta captive.

There is also an amazing giant robot tossed into the fray.

And last but not least…

8.Princess Mononoke

This one holds a special place in my heart because it was one of the first Miyazaki movies that I saw growing up. Granted, it was probably a little too mature for my age but I think it worked out well since I kept seeing it from different angles as I got older. In other words, it’s a film that really “grows with you.”

The film takes place in feudal Japan and follows a young prince name Ashitaka who becomes cursed by a demon while defending his village. While the curse grants him skills like superhuman strength, he is told that it will eventually kill him. He is later told that his curse may be lifted if he asks for help from the Deer God (or “Forest Spirit” in the English dub).

On his journey, the prince becomes entangled in the conflict between the people of Tarataba (or “Iron Town”) and the gods who live in the surrounding forests. The town finds itself constantly under attack by the wolf god, Moro and her daughter, San (a human girl whom the locals call Princess Mononoke). What really struck me about this film was the way the characters are great composites of good and evil—each has their own capacity for cruelty and compassion. The film also does a really nice job of highlighting man’s complicated relationship with nature. The growing relationship between Ashitaka and San is another great selling point. As an outsider, Ashitaka is pulled into both sides of the conflict and like the viewer is unsure if he can save both.

Whedonverse comics roundup: Spike

Posted on January 25, 2013 by Anika

by Gabby

Let’s start this off by being honest.

I don’t particularly like Spike. I think he was at his best in season 2 of Buffy. Spike and Drusilla, an evil duo taking pleasure in other people’s misery. I loved the intricate foursome they formed with Angelus and Darla, combining their pasts into something semi-incestuous. After that, I feel like Spike was used as bait; something to draw in viewers, because people loooove Spike. He never really found his place after that, for me. Always hanging around the edges of the Scooby gang, with an inexplicable infatuation for the Slayer (as she leads him on, then drops him ad vitam eternam), not really serving any kind of purpose. I think the goal was to give him a purpose, being the Hero that destroyed the Hellmouth at the series’ conclusion. But it felt a little cheap, tacked on. Overall, I guess he just fits the mold of my Buffyverse experience, though I’m sure it wouldn’t be the same if he weren’t there.

This mini-series kind of makes me think I was onto something.

In APART OF ME, part three (in Buffy, S9), Spike makes a decision.

Spike: (…) You can take some time to figure out what you need, Buffy. Me being here doesn’t help.
Buffy: Don’t tell me what I need.
Spike: Withdrawn. But you tell me. How do you imagine I felt when you said you were thinking of us running off together? (Silence) Come with me now. You’re right. There’s no one here for you. What does this town have to offer? (…) I don’t want to go back. To lurking around the edge of your life. Watching from this far above it all till you’re desperate for someone you can count on. (…) You know what. Forget it, Slayer. And I don’t mean to sound snappish. I love you. You know this. But I can’t get jerked around no more. I’m not even saying I blame you. I can never tell for sure where your heart’s at, so I’m not gonna stand here under a romantic, albeit deadly, sunset lecturing you. I believe in you, Buffy. And I know you’ll do right. That’s how I have your back.

Then he jets off into said deadly sunset on his ship of bugs. This is where his solo arc kicks off for five issues, a journey of self-re-discovery. Who is Spike, without Buffy? Let’s find out.

A DARK PLACE, parts 1 to 5

This starts with Spike in his bug ship wanting to go to the dark side of the mood to brood. I don’t really understand where the ship, or the bugs, come from. According to a wiki (http://buffy.wikia.com/wiki/Spike’s_ship), it’s some sort of escape pod that Wolfram&Hart planned to use when Twilight/Angel created a new world. Regardless, what I do know is that the bugs, lead by Sebastian, are hilarious and talk like robots infected by proper english. Witness:

Basically, the bugs want to make Spike feel better, because if he keeps brooding, he won’t be fit to be their master any longer. They build him a fake beach (based on a picture taken from one of Buffy’s magazines, which Sebastian calls “periodicals”), hoping that the sun will lift his dark mood. It seems to work, at first, but Spike gets a little angry; why find comfort in something that’s fake?

At this moment, a giant frog and some demons take over the ship, pirate-style. Apparently, they need a ship because they were stranded on the moon following the destruction of the Seed. With the bug ship in their possession, they wish to make Spike walk the plank and take control of the navigation. Direction: Sunnydale. They hope they will find shards of the Seed, shards that may contain remnants of magic. Hopefully it will garner enough magic to send them back “home”.

Spike, however emotionally broken, is still very smart, so he offers to be their guide through the tunnels of the hellmouth. However, he hadn’t planned on the feelings that the place brought to him…

Sunnydale is, to Spike, the closest thing he’s had to a home, though he’s not really ready to admit that to himself.

For me, it’s not really the “place” that makes a home. It’s the people that make it up. From the above panel, I can gather that Spike is starting to feel the same way. For better or worse, Spike created long lasting connections to many people in Sunnydale that had nothing to do with the relationships he had with Dru, Darla or Angel. He lived with Giles, he became a brother/father figure to Dawn, he loved Buffy… You can’t just shed those things. It’s part of his identity, now.

When they finally get to the Seed Chamber, the demons feel Spike cheated them; there’s nothing there. In fact, there is something there, or rather, someone. Morgan, who, as it turns out, is a succubus, also wants her share of the shards to go home. I think we’ve got a recurring theme here… After beating up the demons that stand in their way, both Morgan and Spike set off on their quest to find a home; a metaphorical one for Spike, but for Morgan, it takes the shape of another Hellmouth.

Before they can set off, though, they get interrupted by Nash and Pearl, the recurring villains in Angel & Faith. Here, we learn that Spike and the twins know each other; Spike “saved” Pearl from a Black Widower demon in Rome in 1953. The haven’t seen each other since, and seeing her, completely different from that cowering girl-demon he saved years ago, is a catalyst for Spike to think about how he’s changed.

Later, aboard the ship, he’ll tell Morgan that “there was something very direct about the person [he] used to be. At least [he] knew what he wanted most of the time”. Does he want that again? Is he regretting getting a soul, and all these mixed feelings that came with it? I don’t think he does. These lines come off without the nostalgia that one would expect. It’s like he’s looking through an old yearbook, completely disconnected from the person he was. Essentially, he knows he has another purpose, but he can’t quite put his finger on it yet…

But how did they get on the ship in the first place? Spike knocked the twins out with timing (as they were lunging at him all super-charged, they crashed in a wall), and the bugs grabbed Morgan as they all went into the ship. Morgan asked them to set the course for Easter Island, another hellmouth. At this point, the bugs are worried, though; they don’t know this succubus. Maybe she’ll put Spike under her charm? Maybe she has a shard and wants to open the hellmouth? But Spike ignores this and decides to trust her. As they talk, he learns that she used to be a “courtesan demon”. These demons were women that used to hang around and advise ancient rulers. Soon, though, the conversation comes back to the shards; she needs them. Spike tells her that Buffy asked him to shoot the shards into the sun, to obliterate them. So, he asks her, what’s the purpose of going to a Hellmouth without a key to open it? She still wants to go, so the bugs, listening in, decide that Spike is “under her spell” (ha! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=61Wzo2dlIC8) and promise each other that “steps will be taken”.

When they get to the island, there’s a slight shift that happens with Morgan, a shift that mirrors what Spike has been going through.

Sensing that Spike is a powerful man, she wants to become his courtesan demon.

Once he realizes that he’s more talking to Buffy than he is Morgan, he reconsiders. Maybe it would be different with Morgan? Maybe she really could give him a purpose, where he would be the leader and she the follower. I’m thinking that her plan does appeal to his former self, the one that would do anything for action, excitement, and, let’s be honest, a shag. But when they start kissing, he sees the picture of the fake beach from the magazine laying on the ground, and he pushes her away.

This is an important moment for Spike. He realizes that he can’t just “substitute” Buffy. Maybe for the first time, he’s admitting to himself that everything that happened with her defines a bit of himself. If he is to reclaim, or redefine, that bit, he needs to heal by himself, without the help of a succubus.

Morgan is furious; who dares reject her? She changes her mind and decides to go home by herself. Spike tries to reason with her again but, a little too late, he realizes that she already has a shard of the seed. Fighting ensues; the bugs try to capture Morgan with a net to help, but it doesn’t do much good. she crashes out of the ship, lands on the island and vomits up the shard, ready to “crack open” the hellmouth.

In the final issue, Morgan tries to open the Hellmouth by awakening the Easter Island statues; problem is, they don’t answer to her, or anyone. Spike joins her in an attempt to fight them off, but it’s ultimately the bug ship that saves the day. At first, they use the ship’s guns in a scene that is reminiscent of Captain Adama in his Battlestar Galactica (or maybe they were Star Trek references? I wouldn’t know about those). Since that effort isn’t enough, Sebastian commands the bugs to abandon ship and he decides to crash it in the giant statues in a grand gesture of self-sacrifice.

With the ship destroyed and their leader dead, the bugs decide to stay on the island and Morgan, after trying and miserably failing one last time to seduce Spike, leaves in a flap of wings.

After this arc, Spike is effectively unburdened of anything that ties him to his past. He has fled from Buffy, he is no longer the captain of a spaceship, he has no other girl. It’s him, alone, on an island. Yet, the first thing he says when this realization sinks in, is: “I wouldn’t say no to a familiar face”. We know this thought isn’t fake, because it’s devoid of an exterior influence. And it’s here that we understand who Spike really is, without Buffy. He’s a social being. He needs others’ needs to define his life. What he had to discover on this journey was that the “others” don’t have to be “Buffy”. That’s why he’ll take a little detour before returning to San Francisco; we’ll see him next month in Angel&Faith.

What did you all think about Spike: A Dark Place? Do you like that Dark Horse is publishing side stories with specific characters? Are you angry that I haven’t used the term “Spuffy” in my article? Let me know in the comments.

Fantastic Fangirls Podcast 2.4: 2013 Movie Preview

Posted on January 24, 2013 by Caroline

In our newest podcast, we talk about upcoming movies in 2013. In fact, we had so many 2013 movies to talk about that we’re just covering January through March in this episode. Anika, Sam, and Sigrid talk about some things that have caught their eyes. We’ve posted the links to some trailers below so you can follow a long.

Previews:
Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters
John Dies at the End
Bullet to the Head
Warm Bodies
Beautiful Creatures
A Good Day to Die Hard
Jack the Giant Slayer
Oz: The Great and Powerful
The Host

Along the way, Anika mentions an article that will forever influence her opinion of James Franco:

James Franco is not a good actor. But it’s not a lack of effort which makes him mediocre at best, merely a lack of talent. Franco compensates by making it a point to be interesting. He picks roles he has no business doing, seeks out projects that better actors might be afraid to touch, and damn his ability he’s doing them anyway. James Franco should probably try to get by solely on his James Dean good looks, he should probably go wherever that crooked smile takes him, but he’s not interested. Talented or not he’s out there doing the insane and the ridiculous.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Review: “The Blinding Knife” by Brent Weeks

Posted on January 23, 2013 by Jessica

The Blinding Knife, by Brent Weeks

by Jessica

If you haven’t read anything by Brent Weeks before, I suggest you stop reading this article and head out to your local library or bookstore and pick up his work. Weeks is part of a new echelon of fantasy writers that have burst onto the scene in the past few years, along with Patrick Rothfuss, Peter V. Brett, Brandon Sanderson, who are taking the genre of epic fantasy to a whole other dimension. Assassins, intrigue, romance—what’s not to love?

However, as much as I could gush about revitalizing the tropes of fantasy trilogies, I am here to talk about Weeks’ latest book, The Blinding Knife. Beware of spoilers from here on out!

the cover of the book The Blinding Knife by Brent Weeks

The Blinding Knife is the much-anticipated sequel to The Black Prism and the second book in the Lightbringer series. The world of Lightbringer is one in which magic is inextricably linked to color—those who can work magic are those who are able to draft certain colors of light. Most drafters can only use one color, but some are born with the ability to draft two or three. One man, the Prism, is able to draft the entire spectrum. As such, he wields extreme power, responsible both for keeping the colors in balance and serving as a figurehead for the national religion, also based on the intricacies of color-magic.

Weeks drops you into a world rich with tension and political intrigue. Gavin Guile is the current Prism, having emerged victorious fifteen years ago from the False Prism’s War, which he waged against his own brother. Like most powerful leaders, Gavin keeps a secret—he is in fact not Gavin at all, but Dazen Guile, who has lived for over a decade disguised as his older brother. This alone seems fodder for some good reading based on Dazen-as-Gavin’s daily interactions—like with Karris, the woman he once loved (still does, as a matter of fact…) who later became engaged to Gavin and who thinks that Gavin jilted her after the war when really it was Dazen who didn’t want to have her love through false pretenses but only if she loved him for himself and of course he can’t tell her who he really is because then he would have to kill her and now she serves as one of his own elite bodyguards, and they deal with each other on a day-to-day basis and the sexual tension is maddening, and—

Whew. See what I mean?

The Black Prism begins when the Prism must go investigate reports of his (really Gavin’s) bastard son, Kip, in the land of Tyrea. By the end of the first book, the Prism has failed to defeat the king in Tyrea, ensuring that the war will spread to the rest of the Seven Satrapies. There is also an assassination attempt made upon his life with a very special kind of knife. Weeks’ employment of multiple perspectives throughout the narrative makes it clear to the reader that the gash the Prism receives from this knife has cost him the use of one of his colors, blue, but Dazen/Gavin takes the loss of blue to mean that he is dying.

That’s where The Blinding Knife opens. As the title hints, poor Prism Guile is due for further encounters with the blade that steals his magic before the 625-page installment has concluded. In the meantime, he goes about being dashing and heroic as always, though bending under the pressure of keeping his true identity and the loss of blue a secret. It seems he is constantly on the move, one chapter setting up a colony for the refugees he saved from Tyrea, then leading a political council, trying to convince everyone that there is, in fact, a war, and trying to defeat the Blue Wight, a type of monster-god that is forming in the middle of the ocean now that the Prism is no longer able to keep the color blue in Balance.

His compatriots from The Black Prism are equally busy. Karris, still serving as one of the Prism’s Blackguards, keeps Gavin company on his various mission, alternately saving his ass, thinking he’s a dick, and noticing that there is something familiar about the way he smiles (*cough* foreshadowing). Meanwhile, Kip is attempting to earn a spot in the next Blackguard training class, which taxes him physically and mentally. At the same time, he must deal with Andross Guile, Gavin’s father, who is less than pleased about the presence of a bastard besmirching his family line.

Liv Danavis, one-time ally of Kip and the Prism, has gone over to the dark side, serving in the army of The Color Prince. Liv’s story becomes a contemplation of ethics, tradition, and establishment, and a meditation on what can happen when people feel that the institutions they have put their faith in have failed them. Certainly Weeks intends for the reader to condemn her decisions—at one point Liv stands complacently by while women are hurled by catapult over the walls of the city—but she isn’t entirely unsympathetic either.

Oh, and the Prism’s brother Gavin is still wallowing in the prison his brother built for him.

The narrative is full of delightful twists, turns, and flights of fancy (a magical deck of cards that records moments in history is one of my favorites). After several years of reading fantasy, there are certain ways you expect things to go, and The Blinding Knife turns nearly all of them on their head.

I also appreciate that The Blinding Knife, besides just being a captivating story, is progressive in its depictions of women. Growing up reading the genre, I’ve had to sort of get used to the fact that women often take a backseat in fantasy novels, usually as pretty and scantily clad vehicles for emotional depth for the male characters if they are there at all. That’s not to say that there has been no progress at all—once women who read fantasy books when they were young grew up and started writing fantasy, the world gained many admirable heroines.

Still, even in these stories, the woman protagonist is usually the exception. She is exceptionally strong, gifted, or smart, indicating that the other women around her are not. I think this kind of world where women are the “exception” is in many ways a reflection of women writer’s own experiences. Fantasy and science fiction has long been a boy’s game, and consequently, the realm of epic fantasy writers has long been dominated by men. Women writers of epic fantasy are living in an exceptional world themselves.

However. Exceptional or not, I applaud everyone who has worked to create more heroic and realistic portrayals of women in their fantasy narratives. And Weeks does a particularly great job of it.

His women are everywhere, permeating every tier of the Lightbringer world. It’s like, I don’t know, real life. I’ve already mentioned Karris several times, so I’ll start with her. It’s true that she fulfills a traditional role as the unreachable love for the male protagonist, but I appreciate how much depth she’s got. For one thing, she’s not pining away in a tower somewhere, but instead is a member of the most elite fighting force in the world. She doesn’t simper or pander, but she can be kind and have true emotional depth as well. Karris can kill a man and cry about her brother being murdered fifteen years ago all in the same chapter. She’s awesome because she is a complete person who has motivations and passions that exist outside of the Prism’s desire for her.

But neither are women in Weeks’ world put on some pedestal of toughness and morality. Liv is certainly just as much of her own person as Karris is, but instead of using her strength for good we see her manipulated into fighting for the dark side. One of the most despicable characters in the novel is also a woman: Lady Aglaia Crassos, who violently whips her slaves because she gains sexual pleasure from watching them suffer. She is unbelievably cruel, but even Aglaia is a complete person rather than just a cardboard cutout of a wicked woman. There are others—including the White, who heads the government—but my favorite female character new to this installment is Teia, a girl who trains in the Blackguard class with Kip. She is smart, capable, brave, and there is no way that Kip could have made it through the training without her help. I really look forward to seeing what happens to her as the story moves ahead in the next two installments. Of course, Weeks’ world isn’t the perfect, but it seems like a very good start. A world where women are treated fairly and have equal opportunities—now that’s a delightful fantasy indeed. Too bad we’ll probably have to wait two more years for the sequel.

Q&A #187: What is a comic you are currently enjoying?

Posted on January 22, 2013 by Anika

In Q & A, a weekly feature of Fantastic Fangirls, we ask our staff to tackle a simple question — then open the floor to comments.

What is a comic you are currently enjoying?

ALI

I know he’s my boyfriend, but seriously Thor: God of Thunder by Jason Aaron and Esad Ribic is just insanely good. I think it’s probably my favorite book out of Marvel NOW! so far. It’s just so freaking epic. I mean, it’s like Simonson good. And Old King Thor is just the greatest thing to happen to comics in a long time. Ancient and grizzled, the Odinson sits on the throne of a fallen Asgard with a missing eye, using the Destroyer’s arm as a prostethic for his own lost limb. And still the old battle axe fights to defend his lost kingdom. Aaron is brilliant about using him in small doses so you always want more of him.

Also there are Icelandic vikings.

MARIE

Over the holidays, I pretty much overdosed on episodes of Young Justice and X-Men Evolution. Both series primarily featured angsting superpowered teenagers, so to ride off that high I started getting into Brian K. Vaughan and Adrian Alphona’s Runaways.

an image of The Runaways cover

I currently own Volume 1: Pride and Joy and so far, I find the writing extremely clever and the characters really fun to follow. With a teaser like, “All young people believe their parents are evil…but what if they really are?” I can already tell that this will be a wild ride.

an image of The Runaways cover

SIGRID

Hawkeye.

The thing is, that when you start out in life — when you take your first stab at adulthood, when you leave college or enter the workforce or get married for the first time or join the Peace Corps or the Air Force or you buy your first house or get your first dog — you don’t know what you’re doing. So you look around you and you try to convince everyone that you have got this. That you’ve earned the right to be an adult. That you can handle life like a goddam grown-up. Someone wants an answer? You’ve got it. Someone wants a solution? Problem solved. You are so there.

And then your life happens.

By the time you’re starting a second time around — by the time you’ve gotten married and divorced and remarried, by the time you’ve made it to management, by the time you’ve gone back to graduate school, by the time you’ve acquired kids, by the time your parents are getting older and sicker, you’ve flirted with bankruptcy, you’ve quit partying, you’ve crashed a car, you’ve fucked everything all to hell six ways from Sunday, you’ve gotten a new job — you are done having answers. You’ve figured out the secret, that everyone is faking it the same amount. By the time you’re taking a second or third stab at this whole being a grown-up thing, you know that easy answers are cheap and flawed. You know that idealism will falter. You know that you can try your best and fail utterly. You understand, down to your bones, that you are not really a very nice person.

But you know that you have friends, that you are trusted and loved. You know that you are going to be stupid-stubborn idealistic all the way down. Because if it hasn’t been kicked out of you yet, it never will be.

Hawkeye.

So what about you? What is a comic you are currently enjoying?

Skipping to Conclusions: The Originals

Posted on January 21, 2013 by Anika

In geekdom, we see a lot of teasers. Sometimes it’s just an image or the name of a creator, other times it’s a trailer or a simple tag line. Whatever it is, it’s meant to get a reaction from you and start a discussion. Inspired by the anticipation and buzz caused by these teasers, we at Fantastic Fangirls present Skipping to Conclusions in which we speculate about the comics, movies, TV shows, or whatever we’re excited about but hasn’t come out yet.

by Gabby

According to these two different sources, The CW is contemplating a Vampire Diaries (TVD) spin-off that could start as early as next season. It would center around the family of the original vampires, including Klaus and Rebekah.

There are many elements of this still-developing project that I’m already in love with. Let’s run them down, list-style.

First, the Originals have always been one of my preferred parts of TVD, as they are intrinsically tied with the mythology of the show. As I am not an active “shipper”, I watch weekly to get wrapped up in the historically accurate costumes and stories that the show provides.

Second, the character of Klaus (whom I presume will be the figurehead of the show) is multi-faceted and one of the creepiest creatures on TV. The life of a being that has lived for more than a millenium is bound to be A) super complicated and B) super interesting, and TVD has already explored some of this. I would love to spend more time with this conflicted vampire, who seems to have this really soft side to him. Not only can I see glimpses of this side of him when he speaks to Caroline, but he expresses his emotions through art, which says a lot about who he is. He’s not only the destruction machine that we’ve come to know, but he also has feelings about those actions.

Third, from what I’ve seen so far, the city in which this spin-off will take place is New Orleans. I’ve always had a soft-spot for Louisiana as the home of Cajuns (among other things). Let’s pause for a short history lesson: the word “cajun” derives from “acadian”, which represent the first French settlers to arrive in Eastern Canada, once named Acadia. In 1755, the English took over the lands, expelling and dispersing the Acadian settlers to New England and Europe with the goal of assimilating them to the english way of life. Many Acadians ran away from New England to settle in the as-of-then mostly empty lands of Louisianna, and these French-men are the ancestors of the Cajuns that are there today. As I am myself an Acadian from Eastern Canada (oh yeah, and we claimed back our lands because we’re badass like that), I have deep appreciation for the Cajun culture that seeps out of Louisiana. As such, I’m really excited that New Orleans will be the setting for this new show. It will also offer up many “supernatural” possibilities (as we’ve seen in the episode “We’ll Always Have Bourbon Street”, as well as the occasional Anne Rice reference.

Lastly, Phoebe Tonkin will most likely be involved. In TVD, she is known as the havoc-wreaking werewolf who [SPOILER] double-crossed Tyler, but I remember her most fondly as Faye Chamberlain in the now-cancelled CW series, The Secret Circle.

I mostly only remember her because she reminded me of Fairuza Balk as Nancy in The Craft. And that is a wonderful thing. This girl has acting chops, and I love to hate her in TVD, so I’m excited to get to hate her more in this spin-off (that will hopefully happen).

I must admit that I’ve been tethering on the edge of “I love it!” and “I don’t like that!” in regards to TVD this season (see: the sire bond, the cure). I think that bringing a spin-off into the mix would be beneficial for two reasons. On the one hand, I believe it would actually tighten the storylines in TVD, giving us more time with the “core” characters which would help to develop their motivations and points of views. On the other hand, the spin-off would serve as the more dark, twisted sister to TVD, much like Angel did to Buffy. It would also provide more mythology and background to the show, something that I am totally fine with.

The episode of TVD airing on April 25th will/should serve as the backdoor pilot for the spin-off; I hope that on that day, my excitement will be justified.

Q&A #186: What comic book characters should raise a child together?

Posted on January 15, 2013 by Anika

In Q & A, a weekly feature of Fantastic Fangirls, we ask our staff to tackle a simple question — then open the floor to comments.

What comic book characters should raise a child together?

ANIKA

I wish for a world where heroes grow up and grow old and somewhere in between have babies. Or find babies or foster babies but somehow, as it says, raise a child together. I think you could give me any two comic book characters and I could give you back a scenario and a name and an actor to portray the kid. I have played that game many times. I tend to fall in love with those imaginary children of my favorite characters, and then I start to pair them up and give my favorite characters imaginary grandchildren, too.

Today I suggest James Barnes

a panel from New Avengers 49 featuring the team and baby Cage; Bucky says

and Natasha Romanov

a panel from Black Widow featuring Natasha refusing to hold a baby

My husband laughed when I told him my answer. “You want the Black Widow to have a baby?” I’ve used a similar line in fanfiction because it’s not obvious. They’re not going to get married and move to the suburbs like Vision and the Scarlet Witch (in Vision and the Scarlet Witch which everyone should read). They’re not going to hang up their tights and work for the NYPD like Peter Parker or join the PTA like Mary Jane (in Spider-Girl Vol I, which everyone should read). The panels above make it clear that a baby scares them the way a supervillain, an assassin, a clan of ninja, or an alien invasion don’t.

Sometimes we fear what we want the most.

James and Natasha don’t worry or complain about everything they miss by being who and what they are. They’re Russian. And before he was Russian, James was from Indiana. They don’t worry or complain. They do. Whenever and however they decided to do it and whoever he or she turned out to be, I know their child would be: good.

a panel featuring James and Natasha visiting Bucky's sister

CAROLINE

I’ve enjoyed the time traveling father-daugter dynamic between Nathan “Cable” Summers and Hope, the child he raised from infancy to teenagerhood in a futuristic wasteland. Their adventures continue in the current Cable & X-Force series. I like this comic! You won’t find a better audience for Summers family soap opera than yours truly.

But. . .

Sometimes I worry about that kid. Hope has the super serious take-no-prisoners vigilante style you’d expect from someone raised in a futuristic wasteland, by Cable. She’s a kid, though, she ought to learn how to have fun. She probably only knows a handful of swear words, and they are definitely not the most interesting ones. It’s almost certain that no one has exposed her to the wonder of the chimichanga, or the acting oeuvre of the late, great Bea Arthur. (Just take one look at Hope and you can tell she hasn’t seen a minute of Golden Girls, much less Maude.) Sure, the kid knows how to fight, but Cable’s probably never bothered to explain the importance of answering your telephone on mercenary business only when your mask is securely on.

Sure, Cable did a decent job of raising Hope, but imagine how great she would have turned out if she’d had the influence of the second parent every child needs: Wade “Deadpool” Wilson.

(There’s probably no way to make up for lost time at this point, but a Cable & Deadpool relaunch would do something to limit the damage, am I right?)

a small panel of Cable and Deadpool

SAM

I am currently having a lot of fun with the post-reboot World’s Finest title, which has focused on the adventures of the Earth-2 Huntress and Power Girl, who were stranded in the main universe during the Big Climactic Battle with the forces of Apokolips. This Huntress is the Helena Wayne version, and this Power Girl is… Power Girl. Anyway, they’ve spent the past eight issues mostly flying under the radar of the established heroes of the prime universe (with the exception of Damian Wayne, and that was a fun read) while Helena uses the Wayne name to get a little funding and Karen starts her tech companies and stuff.

Karen and Helena have pretty fantastic chemistry with one another, as only the two-survivors-of-another-universe-trapped-with-no-way-home can. Though Karen’s had some lovers, none have even been given a name in canon (and she has not been judged for it… refreshing!), her strongest relationship is definitely with Helena. Whether or not that’s a romantic relationship… well, I compare them to Rizzoli & Isles a lot, and if you don’t know what that means, uh. Chemistry! Like I said!

Romantic or not, I think that the direction of the book lends itself well to these two characters randomly stumbling upon a baby, comically disliking it at first, then coming to love it. Sort of like Three Men and a Baby, but Two Superheroes and a Baby. There would be some wacky hijinks, some serious and heartfelt moments while the two women reflect on their own not-exactly-normal upbringings, and some genuine growth for the characters.

So what about you? What comic book characters should raise a child together?

Skipping to Conclusions: Star Trek Into Darkness

Posted on January 14, 2013 by Anika

J.J. Abrams’s second Star Trek film Star Trek Into Darkness hits theaters May 17 and there are trailers, interviews, images, and an extended sneak peek available to dissect, but we still don’t know who the villain played by Benedict Cumberbatch is.

a still from Star Trek Into Darkness featuring John Harrison in a glass prison

I am obviously Loki.

ALI

He’s totally Khan. It’s like when all the official statements for The Dark Knight Rises said “Marion Cotillard is totally NOT Talia Al’Ghul” and then she totally was Talia. We figured it out so they’ve gone into evasive maneuvers. Otherwise, there’s a slim possibility he’s a completely new villain like Eric Bana in the first movie.

ANIKA

I don’t want him to be Khan because why would Khan be vengeful already? I guess I just hope they don’t try to do “Space Seed” AND “Wrath of Khan” in one movie.

SAM

I’m still holding out hope that he’s Gary Mitchell, because “Where No Man Has Gone Before” is one of my favorite episodes of original Trek, and I think it would make for a good modernized Trek story. But, honestly, if he’s Khan I’m not too bothered. I think Cumberbatch is good at a certain type of scenery chewing, and that’s the type of character Khan is.

But that’s not the only question to ponder or conclusion to skip to!

Will Spock — or anyone else — die?

ALI

WHY WOUlD YOU SAY THAT? NO ONE IS GOING TO DIE!*

* someone is totally going to die and I will cry like a baby. also, I really hate when they kill main(ish) characters in a movie.

ANIKA

If someone has to die, I hope it’s not Spock. Kirk or McCoy are the next most logical choices and… well, I really, really don’t want any of them to die. Especially New Kirk, he is my favorite. But I guess I’d prefer him to anyone else. I would find Spock dying to be redundant or lazy, and anyone outside the triumvirate would be a cheap sacrifice. Chekov has been seen in a red shirt…but he’s such a cutie, I’d feel so manipulated if he were killed off. Though I feel manipulated even having this conversation.

I don’t want anyone to die. The end

Alice Eve is playing Carol Marcus, who in Trek Prime mothered Kirk’s son, David. Will David be in the rebooted universe? Should he be?

ANIKA

I’m sad she’s not Elizabeth Dehner. I like Dehner because she wears pants and because she figures in the Giant Novel Strangers from the Sky, which I have a silly love for. But I like Carol Marcus fine, and I like David Marcus fine. But I really do not like accidental pregnancy plots and it’s the twenty third century, you know?

SAM

I was disappointed to find out she’s Carol Marcus. It’s not awful, but I’m with Anika and was hoping she was Elizabeth Dehner (because I was hoping Cumberbatch would be Gary Mitchell, like I said, though one could very geekily argue that Marcus gets a mention in “Where No Man Has Gone Before” if one wanted to). I’m also with Anika on the accidental pregnancy plot, which is stupid enough in twenty-first century stories. But I really like the character of Carol, and I like her relationship with Kirk, and her choice to be a single parent who both pursues her career and raises her child, something my own mom did.

Who knows if that’ll happen with the new version, but I’m hopeful.

What are your thoughts on bumps in the road for Spock and Uhura?

ALI

The thing that I loved most about Spock and Uhura was that they were both established as awesome individual characters before we found out they were together. They have a wonderful, grown-up relationship that I love to pieces. That said, no relationship is perfect or without flaws, so I’m actually really eager to see what this movie will throw at them and how they handle it. I also really hope they don’t throw a cheap love triangle/jealousy thing in. I think Uhura and Spock (and their relationship) are better than that.

ANIKA

I love Spock and Uhura. LOVE. Their relationship surprised and charmed me and I am one hundred percent behind it. I’m not at all opposed to bumps, drama or angst but I do want them to make it through.

SAM

Okay. It is very rare that I ever push for a love triangle, or any sort of twist of canonically straight characters into an m/m relationship (ramble for another time), but I would love to see a love triangle with Kirk/Spock/Uhura in which it is an actual love triangle and all three characters have feelings (or whatever, sorry Spock) for each other. I think it would be a great call out to those original slash shippers out there, I think Star Trek is long overdue for a major queer character, and I think we, as an audience, are ready for it. And as insufferable as some people (ahem) on the internet might be afterwards, I think it would be a great story.

But do we like that title?!

ALI

I think people are being a bit silly getting flustered over a title. I mean, there’s a movie currently in theaters called Gangster Squad. Clearly there are worse things than using “trek” as a verb in a movie title (because that’s actually awesome).

ANIKA

I find the title controversy so funny. These same fans all freaked out about the first Abrams film not having a subtitle. Honestly, I actually think it’s cute to use ‘trek’ as a verb? But I also think Attack of the Clones is a cute title, so.

Part of me doesn’t need a trek into darkness. She’d be okay with space hijinks! But most of me is just really excited for more Star Trek.

SAM

I didn’t even know there was a controversy! I mean. Look at all the other Trek titles. I’m not too annoyed by it, and I’m pretty excited for some more Trek. Now if only the female characters could start wearing pants (or the male characters skirts, like they tried in the first season of Next Generation) and I would be so happy. Slightly off topic, I know, but if you can change the way the bridge of the Enterprise looks because you’re modernizing, you can move past the clothing conventions of the late 60s. Just sayin’.

What about you, dear readers? What are your thoughts on these questions or other teased plot points?

All-New X-Men #5: WE HAVE FEELS

Posted on January 9, 2013 by Ali

Ali and Caroline really like Jean Grey. Like, really really. So when they read the latest issue of Brian Michael Bendis and Stuart Immonen’s All-New X-Men they had, what’s called in internet parlance, ALL OF THE FEELS. And now the ladies will share their FEELS with you.

Let’s drive in with the big stuff!

ALI
Oh Jean! I just… I miss this lady so much. I mean look at all that awesome. She’s such a rich and fantastic character, and in a double page spread BOOM Immonen captures all of that. And all of my feels. ALL OF MY FEELS.

CAROLINE
First of all– just for the record and may we never speak of it again — I object on principle to the word “feels.” “Feelings” only has three more letters, it’s an actual English-language noun, and (unlike “feels”) it doesn’t sound like a medical condition you could get from drinking contaminated water.

However,, if anything was going to reduce me to a giggling squealing fangirl running around the Internet talking about my “feels,” I have to say — this Stuart Immonen page would be it. Every single one of those images speaks to a significant moment in Jean Grey’s history. Jean is an iconic character who has been referenced plenty of times over the last decade, but it usually boils down to a few big moments. Usually, she’s dying. Seeing a creative team display such affection for the character and awareness of her history is a great sign for the new era of X-Men.

ALI
When it comes to the X-Men, I have absolutely no problem talking like a LOLcat.

ALI
I just really loved this bit is all.

CAROLINE
This series of panels illustrates why Bendis and Immonen are one of my favorite writer/artist team-ups in comics. I like a lot of Bendis’s work, but pairing his words up with Immonen’s art creates some kind of quantum leap in my (oh, okay, I’ll say it, shut up) feels. I think it’s because Immonen is such a master of visual “acting” — through gesture or, like here, facial expression, that it complements Bendis’s character-focused work perfectly.

And there’s the whole Jean and Logan thing…

ALI
This is such a brilliant little moment. Six lines of dialog and Bendis freaking nails the whole Jean/Logan dynamic. These two! I can’t even.

But let’s all remember, folks. This is 16-year-old Jean. SIX. TEEN.

CAROLINE
OK, look, I’m of two minds about this. On the one hand, I think, “What a brilliant way to bring Jean into current continuity without making it all about whether she screws Wolverine. Make her too young to be his love interest!” And then my other mind is like, “Wait, how young is she? I mean maybe Bobby is sixteen but I always thought Jean and Scott were older, can’t Jean and Logan make out just a little???”

And there’s then the whole Scott and Logan thing…

ALI
Past Scott breaks my heart. This poor kid. Everybody hates him. And Logan wants to kill him. Which is pretty much the usual for Logan, Past Scott just doesn’t know that yet.

CAROLINE
Wait, Logan wants to kill him? Is that what, “When I think about all the times I was close to you” means? Because that would maybe not be my interpretation. Maybe we should just move on.

ALI
Yeah, in the very next panel (not pictured) Logan says he could just pop a claw in Past Scott’s head right now and fix everything. It’s kinda scary actually.

Meanwhile, this is what present Scott is up to…

ALI
Um… seriously, Scott? That’s what you’re calling your little movement? Seriously. Seriously. *facepalm*

CAROLINE
OK, I haven’t totally been top of all the X-Men stuff but didn’t Scott kill Xavier? Well, maybe Magneto insisted.

Professor K

ALI
Fuck. Yeah. Kitty Pryde.

CAROLINE
Dammit, I do not have “feels” but. . .okay, when I realized Kitty Pryde was going to be babysitting the time traveling teen X-Men, I literally did a seal clap. KITTY! Now all we need is Kitty’s BFF Rachel Summers-Grey, who is Scott and Jean’s kid from the future only, if I’m not mistaken, is now significantly older than Scott and Jean. And once that reunion gets going, obviously Scott’s future time-traveling clone kind Cable has to come and Cable is hanging out with Hope who is apparently not Jean but might be the same age as her. And don’t forget Wanda Maximoff, who is finally back with the Avengers again and who was Jean’s BFF when they were teenagers and, I’m sorry, there will be no time for the X-Men to fight supervillains for the next 478 issues because all the redhead BFF’s will need to be having heart-warming adventures.

OK, that’s probably not what’s going to happen. But I’m going to enjoy it for now.

ALI
If that “XX” comic Marvel’s been teasing isn’t about what you just described I’m going to be seriously sad.

How about you guys? Do you have X-Men feels?