Angry Bi Kid Approved Comics: Young Avengers
September 23, 2013
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Warning: This blog post contains spoilers for Young Avengers v2 #s 8 and 9.
You know, I've had a half-written review of Kieron Gillen and Jamie McKelvie's Young Avengers v2 for this blog sitting here for, no kidding, three months now. Or since my last comic book update post happened. But this summer has been completely ridic (not in a good way), so nothing that was meant to get done got done. Anyhow, McKelvie is my favorite artist working right now in comics--I know, I say this like every day, but still--and Gillen, man, even when he gets crap editorially dictated to him, he manages to make the writing shine. These guys. These guys.
So today is Bi Visibility Day + Celebrate Bisexuality Day and I'm an Angry Bi Kid™, as you may have noticed. Possibly. So I'm gonna use this opportunity to talk about one of the coolest recent bisexual happenings in popular fiction and why it was awesome. And it just happens to be from Young Avengers, so I'm just gonna scrap that half-review and focus on this one reason why it is my favorite comic right now. And on its way to the all-time greats list, probably.
Skip this paragraph if you don't care about the background: David Alleyne, aka Prodigy, is a Marvel mutant--X-Men affiliated... on and off--who had the ability to telepathically absorb knowledge, skills, abilities, and (awkwardly enough, sometimes) memories from the people around him. I say this in past-tense because he was depowered on the travesty that was M-Day, but for convoluted reasons he regained the stuff he'd absorbed before then and still has it. He's with the Young Avengers in this arc, trying to rescue a friend.
Some of you may be aware that one of the most talked of couples in the Marvelverse are Billy and Teddy, or Wiccan and Hulking, who are adorably angsty right now.
And in the end of issue #8 David kissed Teddy. Much to Teddy's surprise and David's embarrassment, but you can read to find out all that awesome. My point is that this, from #9, is a great but simply written and drawn explanation/analogy:
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No, it's cool, you can click them to make them bigger and read. I'll wait. Because lemme tell you, I am feeling David pretty hard right now. (Also haha "the wiki has since been updated" ♥)
And yeah, I know, I didn't need that last bit in there, but Teddy and Billy's constant Game of Thrones references kill me so. You know. Had to be done.
Now, I've seen people complain that this makes it sound like David's powers "made him gay". I cannot tell you how angry that makes me on multiple levels without sputtering and spewing obscenity that would rival even my most foulmouthed character (looking at you, Malory--another Angry Bi Kid™, wahey, I see a pattern). I will simply--and calmly!!1!11!one!--point out that it is willfully removing the entire context in order to present something very positive--both for the character and for bisexual readers, who do not get enough of this at all ever--as negative for absolutely no good reason. Except to complain about the book.
It also makes me angry for the same reasons of erasure and dismissiveness the concept of 'Gay For You' in romance often makes me angry, but that's an old rant, I know, I'll stop.
Here are Kieron Gillen's author notes on the issue, containing his thoughts on how and why he went about David putting it precisely like this, which I won't rehash. If you don't wanna read the rest, scroll down to where he starts taking about "Page 5".
So that, basically.
Okay, so all that said, how fucking rad is this? God, I wish so hard that Marvel had been producing things like this when I was a kid, but I can't even be upset because I'm just so glad it exists now. Like emotionally moved to the tearing-up hand-flapping stage that this exists in a popular mainstream comic. I felt much the same way about Julie Power in Avengers Academy (which I talked about here before after it happened because yay bi-girl!), but I'm giving this one its own post because 1. the day and 2. I promised to talk YA ages ago.
Anyhow, Young Avengers #10, which will finish out this super-intense (oh god, my feels) arc, goes on sale in comic shops and the Marvel app this Wednesday the 25th Sept. And the trade of the first arc is already available. Can you jump into it right at #1 of this volume/with that TPB if you haven't read the stuff that happened before? Probably. It'd be better if you started from the beginning, yeah, but I think people with a passing familiarity with the Avengers could figure it out. There's always wikipedia.
Plus, come on. It's so pretty.
And that's all from your friendly neighborhood queer comic pusher on Bi Visibilty Day 2013. Woohoo!
Plus, come on. It's so pretty.
And that's all from your friendly neighborhood queer comic pusher on Bi Visibilty Day 2013. Woohoo!
5 Fun Facts
September 11, 2013
Today it's time for fun facts about "Willoughby Spit", the freebie short that comes between Riot Boy and Re-entry Burn, for those who'd like to know just what Brady and Etienne have been up to. It takes place while Brady and his band Willoughby Spit are recording their first EP--to take on tour with them. Probably.
If you're seeing this on a feed, like Goodreads or something, it'll look a lot better if you click through to the blog, since this is image/video heavy, as posts go.
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| Willoughby Spit EP cover Download the book and get a pdf of the cover art, front and back! |
Fun Fact #1: Brady and Et live in my best friend's house in Pittsburgh. It's true, my best friend since I was six (see also: the dedication to Equilibrium) lives in precisely the house Brady describes, in precisely the location he describes--well, as much as he does describe it, since I'm not trying to advertise my best friend's address. That'd be awkward.
I grew up about a half hour (depending on traffic) outside of Pittsburgh, so it was really My First City. I miss it a lot.
Fun Fact #2: "I Like Fucking" is Brady's favorite Bikini Kill song.
It is amazing. Riot grrrls ♥
And Melissa, who gets roped into singing it (because a dude singing it just doesn't work, come on)... it's kinda her theme song.
Fun Fact #3: The line 'an unhealthy thirst darkens my veins', which Brady assures Tyler "was written by a horny sixteen-year-old French boy in 1872" is from my favorite Rimbaud poem, "Song of the Highest Tower". Actually it's not just my favorite Rimbaud poem, it's probably my favorite poem full stop.
Fun Fact #4: As for the rest of the EP's track listing, Brady wrote "Freezer Burn" about Mal, "Bookshop Boy" about Etienne, and "Liar" for certain politicians.
Fun Fact #5: This one is for Jess, who asked about George a week or two ago. George the Fox, whom Brady puts on his amp before every rehearsal and/or show, is real. This is him:
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| Poor George has a rough time of it in "Willoughby Spit". Tyler, why you gotta be so mean? :( |
Brady picked him up after he left home the third time (because how could he not? Look at that face!)--the time that stuck, and he figured that made him good luck.
I put him in both Riot Boy and "Willoughby Spit" as an oblique reference to Nicky Wire of the Manic Street Preachers. Those jerks (aka my favorite band ever--also Malory's, but that's another post) didn't come to the US and play a show for ten years. I'm not exaggerating, it was literally ten years. Then, finally, I think it was after Send Away the Tigers (ETA: Nope, sorry, the Journal for Plague Lovers cover is right there on stage behind Nicky in the pic below. Ha!), they appeared, and Irene--yes she of Superpowered Science--got us tickets to see them in New York.
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| Most people go to New York to see Broadway shows. I go for random bands, apparently. I don't even know. |
So when they came out on stage, my teenage years flashed before my eyes, obviously. But also, Nicky Wire, fabulous bass player and all around source of awesome frocks, boas, and accessories, set up some little stuffed animals on his amp.
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| Okay it's a crappy picture from the cell I had like 5 years ago, but you can still kinda see them behind Nicky there. Also his signature mic draped in boas and pretty things. Nicky ♥ |
And I thought: holy fuck, that's perfect. I don't know why he did it, or if he does it at every show, or what. But I had Brady do it in, um, homage, I guess, to one of my favorite bass players. Because Brady totally would.
Also, the Manics still haven't been back since. Sigh.
Bonus music:
Buzzcocks - "Raison D'etre". If you've read the story, you know why!
And that's all she wrote!
"Willoughby Spit" cropped up on B&N too recently, so here's the list of ways to get it, for the curious. Please mind the warnings within, though:
My Box.net folder (separate zip files for mobi, epub, pdf, and htm--take whatever you like!)
Smashwords (all eBook formats)
Giveaway at Joyfully Jay
September 9, 2013
Just a run-by posting to remind y'all that there's still a day left to get in on the giveaway over at Joyfully Jay! I've got a little guest post about redeeming a villain and in the end if you drop a comment, you can be entered to win a copy of Re-Entry Burn and Riot Boy (or, if you have Riot Boy, something else of mine). Woohoo!
I'll have another giveaway later too, promise! Life has just been a bit wild for the last few. :D
First Review!
September 4, 2013
Re-entry Burn got its first review over at Joyfully Jay this morning--along with the freebie short, "Willougby Spit". Jay gives the book 4.75 stars (omg yay!) and says it's highly recommended. As usual over there, the review is in-depth, thoughtful, and really sinks its teeth into some of the stuff I wanted to play with in the book--
So. All the squee.
Check out her review here, and watch out for a giveaway coming up there in a few days, too! Thank you, Jay ♥
Don't forget, you can get Brady's short that comes between Reentry Burn and Riot Boy, "Willoughby Spit", from several different places via the Free Reads page.
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