Around the Pod-o-Sphere: Shoot the WISB on Pacific Rim
Over at The Skiffy and Fanty Show, I’m joined by David Annandale, Paul Weimer, and Michael R. Underwood to discuss Guillermo Del Toro’s wonderful giant robit epic, Pacific Rim. The podcast is not spoiler free, so if you want to see the movie before you hear what we think about it, save the podcast for later. In short, we all really liked the movie and recommend everyone see it in theaters as soon as possible. Anywhoodles!
Week of Joy (Day One; Part One): An Introduction
If you don’t follow me on Twitter, then you have no idea what this is all about. Basically, with all the nasty crap going on in the world right now, not to mention in the science fiction and fantasy community, I have decided to take one whole week off from depressing things and only write about things that bring me or others some sense of joy. I won’t go completely off the trail, of course, but I think a little detox will do me (and maybe others) some good. So, for the next seven days, you can expect lots of talk about books (releases, books I like, etc.), comics (ditto), movies (ditto), and anything else I feel like babbling about (SF/F-related or otherwise). Of course, I don’t have to do this alone. If you want to join in, feel free to do so! All you have to do is spend the next week blogging or tweeting about things that make you happy. That’s the only rule. And if you do join in, let me know where you’re going to do it so I can link everyone who reads my blog to your stuff! And so you should all prepare yourselves, for the Week of Joy has BEGUN!
Top 10 Blog Posts for May 2013
And once again, some oldies sprung up out of nowhere and took some spots from the new boys. I don’t know why these posts remain so popular, but so be it. Here’s the list: 10. Shocking Revelations: Pointing Out Racism Doesn’t Mean You Hate White People 9. Link of the Week: Judith Butler Explained with Cats! 8. The Black Guy is Ruining the Fantastic Four Reboot! 7. Movie Review: Star Trek (Why It Sucks and Why Abrams Needs to Stop) 6. Top 10 Cats in Science Fiction and Fantasy 5. The End of Good Writing: The Damage of Twilight, Harry Potter, and Their Friends 4. Shoot the WISB #02: Star Trek Into Darkness (2013) Reviewed w/ Paul Weimer and Jay Garmon 3. Silly Reader Questions: Super Powers, Magic, Bathrooms, and Poetry 2. Top 10 Most Ridiculous Moments in Science Fiction and Fantasy Film in the 90s 1. Top 10 Overused Fantasy Cliches I wonder which posts people actually enjoyed reading in May…
My Trip to the Comic Shop (or, How I Started My Journey Back to Comic Books)
(Note: I am still open to comic/graphic novel suggestions. Feel free to leave them here.) Yesterday, I went to the comic book shop. It has been close to a decade since I last went into one, and longer since went shopping for comic books (or graphic novels — manga excluded). And so, I took the bus out to MEGA Gaming and Comics in Gainesville, FL expecting to find a few interesting things in that tiny shop by the gas station. Little did I know what I was getting myself into. MGC is not so tiny after all. Unlike the place in Placerville, CA, where I would sometimes buy Magic: the Gathering cards and what not, MGC seemed enormous in comparison. The fellow running the place was also quite helpful. The greatest fear I have as a new comics reader (or renewed, if you will) is jumping into the middle of a series and getting hopelessly lost (DC and Marvel in particular). While I think some of my selections will require some backwards reading, the staff member (whose name I didn’t catch) was kind enough to point me in the direction of a number of renewed properties that would be less alarming to a new reader. Apparently DC and Marvel have recently tried to reboot some of their characters/series (the New 52 for DC and Marvel Now! for, well, Marvel), and I wouldn’t have known that if MGC’s staff hadn’t told me. As the list below will indicate, I didn’t get that many things that were suggested by you readers. Part of this was because the store simply didn’t have some of them or were missing book #1. The other part was that I forgot to write some of the titles down on my way out, and subsequently forgot the titles. I’ve since added them to my Amazon Wishlist. Since I have already read two of the books I purchased (yeah, that fast), I expect I’ll buy a lot more stuff in the future, which means that my Amazon Wishlist is going to fill up with comics and graphic novels. In any case, I won’t hold off telling you what I got anymore. Here goes (large pictures ahead): And there you go!
Book Suggestions for “American” Lit Syllabus (a terrible title…)
If you don’t follow me on Twitter, then you are unaware that I am attempting to teach a somewhat unusual American Lit survey in the fall. Basically, I am not teaching the traditional American canon (i.e., the greats of U.S. literature). Instead, my course will offer a broader interpretation of “American” to include works from U.S. writers and writers from the Americas at large — North, Central, South, and the Caribbean. Essentially, this course will be designed to challenge the traditional canon in almost every way; even the U.S. texts I select will offer a challenge. While I am familiar with a great deal of work from these regions/areas, there is always the possibility that I’ve missed something I should seriously consider for inclusion — hence, this post. If you have a suggestion for a short story, play, or novel that is from one of these regions, please leave a comment. I am also open to suggestions for U.S. works written by traditionally marginalized groups (Native Americans, people of color, etc.). So suggest away! P.S.: Translations are more than welcome (and expected, considering the range I’ve selected). As long as I can get it in English, it’s open game.
Top 10 Blog Posts for March (Or, Weirdness You People Like in a 30 Day Span)
And they are: 10. The SF/F and Related Blogs You Read 9. Adventures in…Cancer?: If Only You’d Been Bad Asthma (Or, Leading Up to Diagnosis — Part Two) 8. Hugo Award: What I Nominated 7. Literary Explorations: What the hell is a “strong female character”? 6. Poll: The Retro Nostalgia Film (#7) 5. Death Star Economics and Ethics? (Or, What Would You DO With a Death Star?) 4. Link of the Day: Liz Bourke on (Male) Rape in Epic Fantasy 3. Hugo Awards Finalists (Plus Preliminary Thoughts) 2. Top 10 Overused Fantasy Cliches 1. Top 10 Cats in Science Fiction and Fantasy I’m not sure what to make of this mishmash of old and new. Either certain posts of mind continue to have some kind of lasting impact or aliens have set up some kind of auto-refresher that changes IPs so I can feel special about a blog. The latter makes no sense… April should be equally interesting, methinks.