Photo Post

If ever there was doubt Amy Reeder would be an excellent choice to draw this book, this should dispel it. Kara looks lovely. I didn't get the variant cover. Actually, I didn't know about it until I saw the credits inside on my ride home, so I checked it online and it's wonderful. But this cover rocks, too. The story started off great and it looks like Gates is determined to go out with a bang. There's just so much going on, and the toys are creepy, as creepy as clowns. Igle and Sibal's art is wonderful. Igle draws wonderful expressions, more realistic than Amanda Conner's but with the same level of emotion.

And this arrived yesterday. It comes with a handle! I included the action figures so you could get a sense of it's size. 75 Years of DC Comics promises to be an experience to read.

Gal Pals

Birds of Prey 6 ended the current story better than I was expecting, given Dinah's behavior last issue. I do trust Gail Simone, though, so I wasn't worried. The cover was nice, and Helena really owned the issue. For a character I didn't much like when she first showed up in the DCU -- I was too big a fan of the original Huntress, Helena Wayne, to warm up to Helena Bertinelli -- she has become a favorite, and that's not just Gail's doing. Helena has simply evolved over the years to the point that she's more sympathetic, is more considering of her actions while maintaining her hardass approach to crimefighting, and is a fully realized, 3-dimensional character. And it's also nice to see one young girl rescued, safe and sound, when Dinah finds Sin.

My only complaint with the issue is that the art wasn't as nice as the cover. I didn't like the long, almost gaunt faces and half the time when only headshots were visible, I couldn't tell Dinah and Zinda apart. This book deserves better art.

Batgirl 15 was total fun. The opening sequence of Steph's drawings summarizing the state of the Batverse over the years was priceless and Dustin Nguyen's pencils suit the book nicely. I loved the cover, too.

In other female superheroes of the DCU news, I officially dropped Power Girl. The fun is gone. I wanted to give Judd Winick a full shot on the book, reading through the end of the first full arc, but this is not the book I want to read. I loved how in her own book, PG was lighter than in her JSA adventures. We got to see her warm, fuzzy side, while she could be tough and badass whenever the situation called for it. But the main selling point was that the book was a joy to read, bot for the kickass, retro feel stories and the lovely art. Now, the art is nice, but the stories don't live up to the high bar the previous team set for the book. Sorry, Judd, but there are characters you should not be writing, and this is one of them. And I don't care if you were required to tie your stories into the Max Lord stuff I'm not reading elsewhere. PG's been inept and annoying lately, and that is your doing. meh

It's Not Just Nerds

I started answering Sally's post, In Defense of Nerds, then realized it was long enough to be a post. So, here it is.

The thing is you don't have to be a nerd to be obsessive about something. Just look at the guys at football games who shave their heads to form their favorite team's logo.

Most people are probably a fan of something and are well versed on that something to the point that they know the little details.

They might be nerds and geeks who are into such things as Star Trek, Star Wars, comic books, math, etc. They might be oh so classy as to be film buffs or wine connoisseurs, or everyday folks who are sports buffs. They might collect fine art or be into photos, or they might simply like to visit museums every chance they get.

They might be folks who make sure to record their favorite tv shows if they won't be home to watch them, or be into music that they never miss their favorite bands in concert. They might collect autographs or coins or stamps or things with hearts on them or motorcycles. They might be birdwatchers or crafters. They might knit or crochet or make model airplanes and/or spaceships and know everything there is to know about their crafts.

They might make LEGO sculptures or they might be religious about running or jogging. Maybe martial arts is their thing. They could be foodies who like to either read everything about food or they might cook every chance they get, trying every new recipe that catches their interest.

Or perhaps theater is their thing. Or they paint or sculpt. Maybe it's a game of touch football every weekend with their buds, or maybe it's dressing up for a night of dancing a few times a week.

Maybe they're hooked on reality tv or think Mad Men is absolute must viewing. Or maybe it's books. Maybe they've read every book by their favorite authors and drive booksellers or librarians crazy until the next release by those same authors.

It doesn't matter what their "thing" is. It matters that they have a "thing." If I learned anything from my father is that having hobbies pays off beyond the core of the hobby. It pays off in friendship and social interactions. My father is in his mid-80s and while most of his friends from his youth have much dwindled in number, he has many friends in their 50s and 60s and 70s who will likely be around longer than he, so he's guaranteed to have friends for the rest of his life.

He's also managed to stay busy, busier in retirement than when he was working, and that includes all the doctor's visits older people have that younger ones don't. He collects stamps and autographs and he's a space buff. In fact, it was because he wanted to watch the new "space show" called Star Trek when it premiered that I became a lifelong Trekker. So now he goes to lectures given by astronauts and ex-astronauts and NASA employees, and attends functions where he can mingle with people who share his interests. And he's far from what anyone would call a nerd, now, or back when he was young.

Most people do most things in moderation. But there's usually something they obsess about that isn't family. It's not true for everyone, and maybe the folks who do everything in moderation are better rounded than we obsessives, but that doesn't make them better than us or vice versa. It just makes us different and interesting in our own way.

So, instead of putting someone down for their quirky interests or labeling them nerds or geeks as a way of dismissing them and their interests, why not engage them in conversation? You might learn something ... interesting.

Just call me a nerd, and proud of it! :)

So Far Behind

The To Read stacks of comics here are getting scary. Did read Secret Six on the way home today. Talk about convoluted. It's getting hard to tell what side anyone is on. And Waller is definitely someone you love to hate.

Meanwhile, Dark Horse has Last Kiss Comics goodies: including mugs and sticky notes. I love Last Kiss and these goodies would make nice gifts. They should be hitting comic stores, soon.