Tales of the Geeky Vixen

Psst...hey you. Wanna have some fun? Some good clean nerd fun? Mark your calendar, fanboy (or fangirl). AdventureCon is coming next weekend! Comics, toys, celebrities (like Ernie Hudson!), and geeks, nerds, and dweebs galore! (And please know that I use those terms with the utmost of love for my fellow geeks.)

It's a lot of fun, even if you don't buy anything. (I, however, am never able to leave the place without an armload of something. For example, I brought home My Little Cthulhu last year.) There are people in costumes, and a lot of merchandise to peruse. A lot of times I leave thankful my husband is as normal as he is (of course it's a sliding scale, especially in a place like that).

On the nerd front, I'm working on cataloging our comics so we can have lists to take with us. (Gee, nerdy girl, would you like a pocket protector with that statement?) Nothing is more disheartening to a comic book geek (CBG for short) than coming home with a duplicate or passing up on something you needed. I'm using Comic Collector Live, and it's making things muy easy. The software is free, so if you've got a stack that needs organizing, download CCL and make your geeky life easier! (Because you've got better things to do--video games to play, blogs to post, movies to nitpick....)

My latest comic obsession is turning once again to Wonder Woman. Plagued with shitty writing throughout her Amazon life, WW is really underestimated (except for me and the gay community...LOL). Not that she's not popular, but fanboys don't often take her stories seriously, especially the older stories. And I was one of those haters for a long time. I bought WW comics because I like the covers. Then I started reading some of them. Most notably, WW vol. 1 #329. It's the end of the first set of WW comics, and it ties in with Crisis on Infinite Earths. It's a kick-ass story about WW and Themiscyra (or Paradise Island), and how it's affected by the crisis. Another one I really dug was WW vol. 2 #62. My Secret Pal at work sent me a quote from this book that was amazing, and I happened to pick it up a couple of days later.

The other part of WW comics I'm trying to find are the ones where she's out of her costume. Dubbed "The New Wonder Woman", Diana loses her powers and decides to ditch the tiara. These 20 issues or so are more kung-fu and often made fun of by critics. I've managed to get 5 or so so far, and I like them. They're kinda like the first arc of vol. 3 ("Who Is Wonder Woman?"). I like WW when she's a little conflicted and trying to find her identity. It makes it a little better when I feel that way. :) Interesting fact about those issues--many fans demanded WW return to her costume, and the biggest proponent was none other than Gloria Steinem, who felt it sent a bad message that WW changed who she was for the world around her. I don't know about that, but I like having a kinda dark piece of WW's history.

Which brings me to what's going on now. I started subscribing to WW at issue 195 of Vol. 2. Greg Rucka had started writing, and it was a really good story--elements of mythology (she fights Medusa and Circe and goes blind at one point) mixed with a modern WW (going on a book tour, being a diplomat). Then it ended with #226. A little later, Vol. 3 launched. Allan Heinberg (writer most notably of "The OC") took the helm with Terry and Rachel Dodson doing art (they are one of my favorite artist couples). The first 2 story arcs were great. Then Gail Simone started writing. Her first few issues were pretty good. The last 2 or 3, not so much. In the latest issue (*SPOILER*), Wonder Woman is put in a trance by this guy whose name I can't recall, and she thinks she's in a mead hall looking for none other than Beo-f**kin'-wulf. Ummmm, really? I had my doubts when she started writing for the book, knowing what I knew of what she did with Superman a while back (Superman with a heart shield fighting a dinosaur/dragon). And yet, everyone loves her. Maybe I'm overly critical, but Beowulf? I'm just holding my breath that things improve. If not, I may need to take a WW break and read my back issues.

By the way, I went back on my vow. I read The Walking Dead #49. It was brilliant. I can't wait for issue 50. Curse you, Kirkman!!!

Madman Atomic Comics: Some people call it weird, but I call it genius.

The Sword: If you're not reading this book, you don't like comics. Or things like Kill Bill. It's so good--go buy this book (if you can find it).

I won an auction on ebay for the Tara McPherson Hellboy Qee.



I am so excited, I can hardly stand it. She has become one of my favorite artists. I'm starting to look for copies of The Witching just so I can have more of her artwork.

*SIGH* I am such a nerd. But I love being a nerd, so there.

That's why they call me the Geeky Vixen! ;)