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LGBTQ
And for my next trick...
June 13, 2019
Happy Pride!!!
Here in Dayton we had our festival and parade on the first weekend of the month. JA Rock and Lisa Henry joined me, and we gave away a ton of queer romance novels to people, plus spread the word about great places to find queer books online. It was epic! Thanks to everyone who showed up to make it Dayton's biggest pride crowd ever ♥
Now that all the Superpowered Love Books I already wrote are back out in the wild (yay!), the new stuff is finally getting lots of attention. I've got two projects in the pipeline. One is a contemporary--my first novel-length one ever!--called THE RISE OF VIRGINIE. It's about would-be rock stars in a small town... my hometown, as a matter of fact. I wrote it on request from a friend and editor, Raven McKnight. It was meant to be a short story Christmas gift and... uh. I started reading Johnny Marr's autobiography (SET THE BOY FREE--so good) and this movie about Oasis came out and I was listening to the Clash a lot. What can I say? Stories happen :D
More on that soon, but it's in the early editorial stage. Keep an eye out for a cover reveal in the next few months! I cannot wait to share it.
Also, Superpowered Love 9: UNDER SIEGE is in the works. Draft 1 is halfway written, and I'm so excited to have it up and running. I've been dying to write it for years now, literally since LOSING BETTER came out--because it features the voice of Kieran Hooper, he of the occasional threesome, as he finds his own superpowered babe. As the series comes near to its close (11 books, so only a few more to go!), things are starting to come to a head for the Awakened and their secret world just beneath the surface of ours. Prepare for explosions.
That's the progress update for the moment, but keep an eye out for an upcoming newsletter complete with another giveaway (every time!), this time for something a little different. I'm running on a laptop I generally use just for writing (dead pc D:), so my resources are limited. Bear with me, please!
That said, I'm so excited for this year's Coastal Magic--my first! I've been dying to go, but my timing was always off. Finally, this February, I get to chill on the beach with other authors and readers and talk romance! Yay! Join us, if you can!
Makeover Time
April 11, 2018
Almost seven years ago, I made a site called "Superpowered Love" when I sold my romance first novel, Equilibrium, to Loose Id. Before that book was even published, I already had the next two sent off to the editor, and I knew this was gonna be a long and awesome road. Late last year, book 8 in the series, The Takedown, dropped. And I'm not quite finished, either. Somewhere in there, people started referring to the series itself as "Superpowered Love"--so Loose Id rolled with it, and I loved it.
Now, as I work on Book 9, Loose Id is winding down its last month of sales. On May 15, all of its books will start disappearing from online retailers. For me, it's an end to an amazing era.
But it's also the beginning of a new one. The "Superpowered Love" series--and all my other work--will be finding new life starting this summer. Partly through relationships with other publishers I've come to know and love over the past few years, and partly through things I'm gonna do with other authors or on my own. I'm feeling pretty good about all this, and I'll have announcements in May for sure, so stay tuned.
In a similar vein, it's been a big couple of months--year, even--for queer romance and romance in general. A lot of issues that need to be more widely talked about, in particular abuse and racism in the industry, are finally getting the attention they deserve. This is mostly thanks to a few brave people, both people who've been directly abused and authors of color who are sharing their experiences, speaking out. I love and support these people and can't thank them enough. I'm gonna boost their signals when and where I can.
A lot of this is part of my decision to take on more self-publishing and independent projects. Those of you on social media might have seen the joint statement issued by authors of the wlw Rose & Thorn series, formerly of Riptide, stating that we'll now be going it alone. But not alone--actually together. ♥ But I'm also excited to keep working with Less Than Three Press, who've always been amazing.
It's a new chapter for me, and so I figured it was time for a site makover. Ta-dah!
And now, I'm gonna fuck off to France for a few weeks, because sweet Jesus, I need a vacation. Catch you on the flipsside--or if you're a social media kid like me, catch you there. More to come upon my return!
Enchanted Soles is Here!
July 8, 2016
Hello, hello! I return with happy news, my friends. Yesterday saw the release of a super-fun anthology of stories from editor Sasha L. Miller of Less Than Three Press: Enchanted Soles!
The theme of this collection is, as you might suspect, magical shoes. But it's more than that! It's also about my favorite thing in the whole world: bisexual characters! I've ranted and raved for years about how near and dear bisexual characters are to me and how important good bi representation across all genres and media is. So I'll spare you.
Instead, I'll just point out that this book has such a wonderful variety of characters and pairings--there's got to be something for everyone, and there's something new for everyone, too. My story, Aelfwear, is a lighthearted, modern take on The Elves and the Shoemaker. Check it out:
Sometimes all it takes is the right pair of shoes...
In Three Nights (A.D. Truax), Synder buys a pair of sandals that have a mind and plan of their own, and drag him to a celebration to which he was not invited—and into the arms of a handsome prince.
Saidah of Dame Fortune (C. Finley) asks her beautiful new wishing boots to take her to her true love, but the simple question has a complicated answer that will take more than magic boots to find.
Heart, Lace, and Soul (Archer Kay Leah) brings together Elly, who seldom removes the psychic boots that let her read and feel the minds of other people in order to help them, and a man her boots cannot read.
In Aelfwear (Katey Hawthorne), Frida is hired to make hideous shoes for a beautiful woman who claims she's out to cause misery for a man who once betrayed Frida's family—but Frida fears she'll wind up being played for a fool a second time.
And Into the Hollowed Veil (A.M. Valenza) is the story of a man who puts on a pair of beautiful red shoes and finds himself in a strange forest helping a beautiful woman rescue the man she loves...
Find it at...
LT3 Book Market * Amazon * AllRomance ebooks * Barnes & Noble * Smashwords * BookStrand * Kobo * iBooks
And if you're into bi characters (which, come on, of course!), check out editor Sasha L. Miller's current giveaway for a Bisexual Book Bundle of Badassness ♥
Bi Awareness -- and pretties
September 23, 2014
Oh I had to say something, of course! It's Bi Awareness Day/Week. Be aware of the bisexuals in your life, community, and world. It'll be a novel experience for them. Okay, no, no bitterness, only love, so let's do some celebrating, bi folk and allies alike. And, because they get left out sometimes, this is a special shout out to all my biromantic and bi asexual lovelies out there, too, today. You are loved ♥
Let the party begin!
-Feel like getting out and proud? Check out bisexualweek.com for events in your area!
-Here's some #bihistory via BiNet USA. All kinds of fun bi facts, including important bisexuals in LGBTQ history, plus great 'learn more' links. They've got a different hashtag going every day this week, woo~
-Take Autostraddle's suggestions, which I fully endorse. Good stuff here, and like that last one, some really excellent links.
And here, have some pictures of really pretty bi characters as drawn by Astro, because what better celebration can there be but to look at pretty art? I mean, right?:
~Malory Claremont~ The Angriest Bisexual
~Callum Race~ The Most Batman Bisexual
~Jody Aguirre~ The Most Precious Bisexual (coming soon!)
~Geordie Rogers~ The Trippiest Bisexual (also coming soon!)
~Rajini Srinivasan~ The Hottest Bisexual (also also coming soon!)
That's a lot of boys... and mostly white boys, which is unfortunate. Too bad I didn't have Genevieve from my closest-to-finished in-progress book (The Playhouse) drawn yet, but I will eventually! Oh well. My point is: give some love to bisexual people this week--not just the fictional ones--because we're pretty too.
Have a rad week ♥
2014 HAHAT - On Representation
May 17, 2014
There's a rallying cry in fandom: Disregard canon, acquire representation. For those who don't live their lives neck deep in fandom (like me ahem >.>), the short version is that it means when you're sick of seeing cis, white, straight dudes as the stars of all the stories, bend that shit. Write about bisexual transgender Captain America. (You know who you are and I love you.) Roll around in the Harley Quinn/Poison Ivy 'ship. Read lifetimes into that shared look of intensity between Lagertha and Siggy. And while you're at it, racebend the hell out of Jane Austen.Why? Well, for one, it's fun, so why not?
But for another, if we're not gonna get representation, we'll make our own. The stories we read and see become a part of us--that's why we feel so 'unf' when something connects and hits that right spot. Living in someone else's head, having someone else's adventures, they become ours. We internalize the way the people and situations are presented in those stories. The beauty standards, the morality--even if we're actively fighting it, it seeps in sometimes, especially when we're young. If we don't conform to that naturally, it often results in internalized ____phobia, right? What's wrong with me? Should I be something else? Oh god.
Speaking as someone who's seen the horror wrought by internalized biphobia, lemme tell you. It's no joke.
When we do get representation. Magic happens. Like this letter from the the letters column of Young Avengers #17 by Allen Heinberg. WARNING: This letter contains a non-explicit reference to a suicide attempt:
Powerful right?
Not all representation is perfect. It's important for those who consume the product to call it out, and for creators to not be a dick about it when they screw up. But all that conversation can't be anything but good, in the end, and that's what's important. So that's my main idea for this year's International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia : representation is where it's at. I'm gonna work harder at it, myself, and I'm gonna celebrate it where I see it.
In that spirit, one commenter on this post will be chosen by the magical random.org fairy to get a trade paperback of an awesome comic that represents--and a decent romantic subplot. The winner can choose from:
Young Avengers Volume 2, #1 by Kieron Gillen and Jamie McKelvie. The teenage love affair between Billy Kaplan and Teddy Altman might save the world... or break it. The series also includes several other LGBTQ teens, including David Alleyne (Prodigy), America Chavez (Miss America), and, of course, Loki.
or
Astonishing X-Men: Northstar by Marjorie Liu and Mike Perkins. Contains Marvel's first LGBTQ wedding between Northstar and longtime boyfriend Kyle Jinadu. Bonus: interracial relationship FOR THE WIN. (I might be biased there. But still.)
Just drop a comment and some way I can contact you--email, twitter, tumblr (make sure your ask box is open!), whatever works for you. I'll random.org it after the hop is over.
Happy hopping, y'all!
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!
Hello and welcome! Today is the International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia, which is, of course, awesome. Cynics, step off; no one's saying today solves the problems. I'm just saying that talking about problems is where the solving starts and how it moves forward, and I love that this hop exists for that purpose. Thanks so much to Erica, K-Lee, NJ, Cherie, and Sasha for organizing it. You are amaze.
Last year I did an interview about the production of The Laramie Project -- the preparation and research it takes, the reactions it causes, and the awareness I've seen it raise.
This year, I figured I'd go a little more personal and a touch lighter, if not completely. Heavy subject is heavy.
I've done posts before about bisexuality and biphobia here, but lately I've been trying to let the stories do the talking. Lately, however, as I see more statistics, see bisexual and pansexual people struggling with identity and coming out issues, it's become even more worrying to me that a lot of people just don't know where to go when they need answers and support.
I'm not gay. I'm not straight. No one believes me, no one wants me. Hence the joke about bisexual people being like unicorns. Mythical creatures. We don't even exist.
I sort of grew up in the beginning of the internet era, so I sometimes think I can blame that for not quite figuring my shit out early on. I was so conditioned towards not just a heterocentric worldview, but monosexism that I didn't even know it was possible. Adolescence sucks, but moreso when it seems like something's broken. Why am I not constantly interested in boys like my friends? Why do I stress out over that girl so much? Why do I remember the thing she gave me and obsess over it? Why do I wish she'd be my friend but closer than that and why do I just want to stare at her and feel fluttery? To have all these thoughts and never realize what they meant was a sign of some hardcore social conditioning.
Sounds rough, right? That's just the beginning. Statistics say something is very, very rough, obviously. But I'm not gonna focus on that, right now, because otherwise I'll be here all day linking articles about how biphobia is a rampant phenomenon that is causing serious destruction to a lot of people. (Okay, here's one more.)
But by the time I was 24, "I'm bisexual" was a first date conversation. Someone's reaction to that would tell me enough to know if date number two was going to be a thing. I was on my own, in a position to support myself, and the first of my family and friends to learn this fun fact about Katey were perfect about it--if not terribly surprised. I escaped with relatively (and oh, it is relative!) damage because of those circumstances. It would've been harder if it had happened earlier, without a doubt, though obviously I can't say how much.
I can say that I would've needed even more help than I do now. And I often do. So here are some helpful things from my bookmarks for bi people and allies:
Here's an excellent resource post by Maria on tumblr for people who need that or want to know more about bisexual issues. I love this list because it focuses on intersectionality, with sections specifically detailing resources on feminism, trans* issues, racism, and other issues that are all linked. Aka: not your old rich white guy list. There are also bisexual health statistics resources (like I said, this stuff can be extremely damaging), information on the defintion of "bisexual" (which is apparently very confusing to some), and relevant history, and bisexuality in the media (a favorite topic of mine, obvs).
You'll often hear talk of Robyn Ochs, and for good reason. Her definition of bisexuality is the one I've seen most often cited around the communities, and yes, I like it. She also has excellent resources on trans* and intersex issues.
There's also the Bisexual Resource Center, Bialogue (the tumblr is great), and Lani Ka'ahumanu--who I believe is also linked in the catch-all post above, but here's her Bi Any Other Name page, which is worth checking out for some seminal bisexual lit.
You totally exist, and there are people who believe you and want you and support you. I don't know, maybe you trail glitter too, but I'll bet you're not a unicorn, either. Next time someone makes you feel like you don't, or can't, or shouldn't have that, check out some of those places and see where they lead. It's a frustrating world, but there are a lot of people out there trying to make it better. Sometimes just knowing that helps.
Also, shout out to Kris for bringing that initial resource post to my attention via my tumblr dash. All the hearts.
And now comes my contribution to the giveaway frenzy. Wee! Well, I'd offer some bi pride stuff, but that's not everyone's bag even if they do identify that way. So whoever wins can pick any eBook of mine they want (from either pen-name)... with a bisexual protag*. Also, last year we did a 3-pack of Matthew Shepard Foundation ERASE HATE bracelets, so let's do that again too. Make it a tradition :D
To win: Drop your email address (or twitter, or goodreads username, or something where I can get hold of you if you win) in a comment on this post. On May 27, I'll let random.org choose a winner!
*Current options: Equilibrium, By the River, Fairy Compacts (all of them, incl the still-to-come third and final installation), Inedible Sins, Liam, or Scripped. Or, if you're willing to wait, my next one will count too ;)
Hop to the next participant!:
The Regularly Scheduled Comics Update
September 11, 2012
Long post will be long, but it's been that kinda summer, my friends.
Okay, so it's comic book time again. And this one is going to be less enthusiastic than the last few, I'm sorry to say. Much has changed since the hopeful beginning of this summer. I'll just start at the beginning with the monthly buys, but I'll do categories this time. As usual, this is mainly Marvel, because that's how I roll (for some ungodly reason). I should also point out that in the wake of the Avengers vs. X-Men clusterfuck, Marvel is doing a reorganizational thing (not a reboot) known as Marvel NOW! in which all the usual lineups are reshuffled--and apparently priorities too. So this is basically shit leading up to that.
Spider-Books
(Note: these aren't getting reshuffled--though Pete's an Avenger, obvs. These will be the nice ones, though, so much more brief than the X-Book rants coming up...)
1. Avenging Spider-Man. Still good, actually, though the last issue (#11) was totally phoned in by return/original writer Wells. It was meant to be the 50th anniversary, so of course it went back to the beginning. But it was fuck ugly (Dillon, wtf are you doing? No.) and cheesy in a bad way. I was disappoint. But hey, the arc before it with Captain Marvel was fun as hell, as advertised, and we get Deadpool next month with a new artist and writer, so maybe it'll be fun again.
2. Ultimate Spider-Man. No complaints here. I admit that I don't always love Bendis, but when I do, it's generally Spider-Man. He's doing a good job tying Miles back into the whole Peter Parker thing while still giving him his own excellent drama. The last issue brought in Captain America, who's a huge dick and it's awesome. Marquez's art remains fabulous. Etc.
3. Spider-Men. Only has one issue to go. I mentioned this in my Amazing Spider-Man movie post, but it's basically 20-something 616 (as in, usual Marvelverse) Peter Parker getting zapped into the Ultimate Universe where 13-year-old Miles Morales is the new Spider-Man... cuz Pete's dead there. #4 actually had the touching moment Avenging Spider-Man failed miserably to deliver, so I was happy, there. It's Bendis writing, and I adore Pichelli's pencils.
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| From Spider-Men #4 by Bendis and Pichelli. BRB tearbending. |
I may or may not decide to start buying Amazing Spider-Man again. This is the book my dad grew up on, and therefore the book I grew up on... and the book that always sends me into one of my "NO MORE COMIC BOOKS sulks when it inevitably breaks my heart. I bought the 50th Anniversary #692 and enjoyed it, both for the actual story and for the bonus stuff. Hesitated over buying the next one this week, though. Dan Slott has written some stuff I really like and some stuff that makes me want to throw things. We'll see how desperate I get.
Avengers Books
1. Avengers Academy. Still the best thing going, but unfortunately it's not going to exist in the wake of Marvel NOW! Not only that, but Christos Gage, who I can safely say is my current favorite comic book writer, doesn't look to be a regular on any upcoming Marvel title. So yeah, you could say I'm fucking pissed. This book had better not go the same sporadic route the bad ass Young Avengers went--or the suddenly sub-par route Runaways did.
Marvel, this is why you can't have nice things.
Still, I'm enjoying this final arc a lot. Great character moments, good action, nice art from Divito, and I just hope they don't let these kids get lost.
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| From Avengers Academy #36 by Gage and Divito. See, Berto? See what happens when you talk shit on The Hero's Journey? Tsk. |
Also the "Island of Misfit Toys" collection that is the teachers here. I will never, ever like Hank Pym, but he is at least interesting here, and Gage did such a beautiful job picking up loose end characters (Speedball, Quicksilver, Tigra, Justice) and carrying through a real arc. Gah.
So yeah, I definitely still recommend the trades of these, if you're interested in dipping your toe into the Marvelverse. Well worth it.
ETA: UPDATE: Marvel!NOW was already dead to me, but now it's official. NOPE.
ETA: UPDATE: Marvel!NOW was already dead to me, but now it's official. NOPE.
2. Fuck the Avengers, basically.
X-Books
(Very little love, some outright hate. Fuuuuuck.)
1. Wolverine and the X-Men. It seems like far more than four months ago that this book had favorite potential. The cracky fun was occasionally interrupted by some stupidity, but it seemed as if these were issues that might be sorted out later. Mainly, issues of character interaction and relationship. Surely, Aaron would explain what the hell he was doing with Shadowcat/Iceman, right? Why the fuck he was dicking Husk over?
Thing is, I don't even care any more. After a few really, really bad continuity errors rising out of this AvX thing, plus, far from decreasing the creepy in his character relationships, Aaron actually upped it with sexual harassment as a repeated punchline... yeah. Nope. I'm done. You have punched my squick button, buddy. Ugh, what a waste of a great setup.
2. Uncanny X-Men. Here's the thing: I think Kieron Gillen is honestly a very good writer, and I'm not just saying that because of Phonogram. I think he understands his characters. The problem is that this whole AvX editorial mandate means that Cyclops and Emma Frost, in particular, have to act in very un-Cyclops and Emma Frost-y ways. Any time he does character interaction, it's perfect. It makes total sense.
But he got landed with the Phoenix Five. Which is the dumbest idea in the history of dumb Marvel crossover ideas. And I don't give a shit, so I stopped buying it as of last month.
It's kind of a shame I don't read Iron Man, since that's where he's going with Marvel NOW! But whatever.
3. Astonishing X-Men. Actually got better. I've discussed previously how this is basically my dream team, so I'll spare you. I got my Northstar Wedding Issue and it was well enjoyed. Had a few WTF moments, but overall gave me BEAUBIERFEELS (yes, allcaps) for a week or two. Helped because Aurora was depicted as an actual human being with feelings. Can we just say that only women are allowed to write her from now? That'd at least give her a fighting chance...
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| From Astonishing X-Men #51 by Liu and Perkins. BEAUBIERFEELS. |
The arc was uneven, writing-wise, but it's starting to smooth out on the Karma arc happening now. I'm still a bit sick to death of the "woman gets mind-controlled" plot device, but I trust Liu to finish it off well. Still not a Perkins fan, however. Sometimes I really like his panels--the ones above are a great example--but his style is the polar opposite of all my favorite comic book art, really. He's good, but I don't care for him, if that makes sense. (And seriously, that one shit-eating grin he gives everyone. I can't deal.)
**As a side-note, for those of you interested in this arc for wedding purposes only (entirely possible considering the content of this blog in general), I can recommend the hardback collection or the trade when it comes around. The story stands alone without much background. The bonus stuff isn't that exciting, but it's interesting for historic purposes, I guess. Basically they just reprinted Alpha Flight v1 #106, which is the issue where Northstar comes out. It's ugly as hell--Marvel in the early 90s was ugly in general--and the story is both problematic and a rushed mish-mash of an after-school special, basically. But it was a big deal, and I guess is... vaguely relevant? First Marvel superhero to come out, first to get married to someone of the same sex? Or something? Sure, why not. Go on and pat yourself on the back, Marvel. Why stop now?**
4. X-Men Legacy. Also relegated to the "don't care" pile. Which is sad because it's Gage writing, and I really trusted that given some time he could save the book for me. But I just don't give a shit at this point. I'm waiting til the reshuffle, then I'll decide what to buy.
5. Uncanny X-Force. I came late to this one for the Dark Angel Saga. The line up is a cool one, but I really only had an interest in Psylocke and Archangel at first, hence my finally hopping on for that, and only once it was out as a collection. I liked it so much that I eventually caught up with the whole series... and fucking loved it. The Apocalypse Solution was amazing in every fucking way (basically one of those "if you could go back in time and kill Hitler as a child, would you?" stories. Their answer is one of my fave comics panels ever for sheer "holy fuck that just happened" effect). Jerome Opeña, marry me. Remender, way to write some fucking anti-heroes. Then the lead up from Deathlok Nation into Dark Angel. And then...
Okay, the Trial of Fantomex was silly as fuck, but nothing involving the Captain Britain Corps will ever not be silly as fuck. I had been forewarned that things went downhill for this series here, but even after that, I still wasn't quite sure it was going to happen. And then... and then momentous issue #25. Which was... okay-ish. Sorta. Except the "special bonus material" (vintange Remender and Opeña!) was complete shit. A casually misogynist Wolverine backstory moment and a crappy Deadpool issue that was a giant fat joke? Yeah. Fuck you very much.
I'm caught up with the whole run now, and it genuinely did go downhill, as I was warned. Every awesome thing they built up with Psylocke is effectively tanked (oh wait, a woman being mind-controlled again? VICTIMIZING YAY! Also, PS: she is not actually Japanese, fuckers, so stop making her an appropriating douche, ugh); the man vs. animal debate inherent in a mutant kill squad run by Wolverine has gone off the interesting rails into STFU territory; and they completely screwed Fantomex, who fast became my favorite character. The dude, everything about him, every fucking detail and word, was the most brilliant existentialist experiment. And... blargh, now. Blargh. I'm so annoyed I might even have to write fanfiction just to FIX IT in my head.
It's almost over, as in for good, and now that they're on the new Brotherhood (Daken! Yay!) and Evan (who is part of my whole existentialist experiment love), I'm interested, at least. But blargh. Please save it. Please.
6. Sortakinda--I have been told I must start reading X-Treme because apparently Dazzler is kicking ass. Due to a recent sale, I also bought a large chunk of the current New Mutants title, and I'm a huge New Mutants fan. So we'll see how that shakes out, since I dropped three other X-books...
Solo Books
(A mixed bag, but most of the bad is conjecture.)
1. Captain Marvel. A few months ago, Carol Danvers, previously Ms. Marvel, took on the Captain Marvel mantel left behind by Mar-Vell when he died. (Again. He does that a lot.) This shiny new series is written by Kelly Sue DeConnick and drawn by Dexter Soy--and it's pretty much a clinic in storytelling. I didn't think I'd like Soy's art when I grabbed the first issue, but I've changed my mind. We've just had #3 and I'm in love.
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| From Captain Marvel #2 by DeConnick and Soy. |
Marvel's late to the girl power party, but they went at it good and hard when they finally did, I reckon. Also, I got a bunch of flack for this from friends when the design was first made public, but I still say McKelvie's costume redesign means he should redesign ALL THE COSTUMES. Fuck yes.
2. Hawkeye. Hawkeye is my third favorite Avenger ever, as I've mentioned multiple times. So him getting a new ongoing--and one kicking this fucking gorgeous David Aja design, at that--was a matter of some excitement for me a few months back. I don't have a great deal of faith in Matt Fraction, as he's committed some atrocities in the past, but hey, new book, new start, right? Anyhow, how can you fuck up Hawkeye?
Well, the first issue didn't. And I thought the second would be even better, because they were bringing in the other Hawkeye, Kate Bishop, my favorite Young Avenger. (Okay, second-favorite--my favorite is Speed, but that's obvious to everyone who's ever met me.) And I mean, look at this page. This is some serious mastering of your medium shit from Aja:
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| From Hawkeye #2 by Fraction and Aja |
Click to enlarge if you like, but seriously. Fucking gorgeous.
And then they had to go and make it all awkward with Clint telling Kate that he wanted to work with her because he "doesn't want to sleep with her". And Kate telling him that would be creepy (she's, like, eighteen, and he's her mentor hellooooooo position of power!), so yay... then looking all disappointed.
Now, Fraction has said that this is not going to be a thing. Like ever. At all. Clint meant what he said, and that's that. But seriously, it was so. Creepy. You guys. And I'm so annoyed because the rest of the issue was so. Awesome. It would've been perfect. No joke. Fucking gorgeously brotp Hawkeye awesome.
So if it was a writer I trusted, I'd be fine with the way it went down. But it's not. So I'm not. Goddammit, do not fuck up an awesome thing, please. :/
3. Gambit. As a child of the 90s (well, a teenager of the 90s), Gambit is the reason I got into the X-Men in the first place. I'm starting to think part of the requirement for being on my list of favorite X-People involves some manner of bastard-French accent (three is a pattern, and even if I count Northstar and Aurora as one, which I do, now there's Fantomex so fuck). Also, I like my good guys to be bad as often as not, if you haven't noticed. Anyhow, point is, I always try a new Gambit series, and recently I have always been horrifically bored with them.
But we're on the second issue of this one and it's kinda fun so far. Asmus doesn't go overboard on the dialect (writing dialogue in dialect =/= writing out an accent phonetically for the love of god), and Mann's art is good for the story they're telling. Remy looks suitably hot, which is also important.
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| From Gambit #2 by Asmus and Mann |
So we'll see.
And that's all for this especially long edition of "what I'm reading in comics". Lately there have been a lot of questions about my superpowered love stuff and when it's gonna continue. I hope that even for those of you who don't care about comics, this post at least puts to rest any fears that I will not be continuing in that vein. Because oh yeah. I've been this obsessed (and more) with comics since I was born, basically. Makes it difficult to run out of superpowered heroes and heroines of my own. Looooooooove!
Follow the Rainbow Hop: GLBTQ Writing Katey-style
August 24, 2012
Today marks the start of Rainbow Book Review's inaugural blog hop, yay! Thanks very much to Lena Grey and Serena Yates of RBR for inviting authors and publishers to help celebrate their shiny new site. It's beautiful.
The topic for the hop is 'What Writing GLBTQ Literature Means to Me'. It's a topic that's at once so complicated and so obvious that I rarely say much about it, but I should, so I'm happy for the occasion. Please be warned, this will be a really personal post and way TMI, but that's the kind of question they asked, innit?
I was a bit of a late bloomer, as they say. I never had the interest in boys that my friends did--oh, I had pictures of rock stars on my walls, but that was as near as I ever really wanted to get--and when I dated someone, it was because, well, they asked, and they seem okay, so... I guess I should? (Someone get teenage me one of those 'I need feminism because...' signs, please.) I thought people were beautiful but had no interest in touching them, or, when I got a little older, I enjoyed and wanted sex for and of itself, but was never all that happy with a partner--or random fucking around. I was impatient with love stories because, I mean, seriously, what a load of crap. Blow some shit up, entertain me, none of these lies about true love, thanks.
Then in my last year of undergrad, something clicked into place, and I realized my lack of enthusiasm was because I hadn't been thinking about love and sex and even myself in a way that was at all natural to me--I'd been thinking about it how I thought I was supposed to think about it. No wonder I couldn't muster any real interest--it was being shoved into some weird little box for no good reason.
Not to sound melodramatic, because it really wasn't, but the realization that my brain is queer changed everything. Understanding and acknowledging how I worked, and that my way is just as valid as anyone else's, freed me to make myself, and future partners, so much happier.
In retrospect, I can see how perfectly obvious it is, and so can the people who were close to me growing up. I also had plenty of friends who identified all over the spectrum once I went off to college, but-- Okay, I'm a super-proud lit nerd, and fiction is what gets to me the hardest and fastest. I can see the pattern of characters that captured my heart, of love stories that spoke to me, even the things my friends and I made up to amuse ourselves as kids. I often think that if I'd had more stories with queerbrain protags of all shapes, sizes, manners, genders (or lack thereof), and orientations, I might've come to that freeing realization a lot earlier. That's part of why visibility is such an important thing to me personally now. It's amazing how things have changed in just a few decades, and what we have access to now is so much more inclusive than what we had when I was in high school in the 90s--and bless the hardworking pioneers who've sacrificed so much to get us to this point.
Thing is, it can never be enough. Not until all viewpoints are visible, represented, part and recognized parcel of society's intellectual fabric--and not in a way that others and exoticizes. Yeah, I have QUILTBAG-identifying protags. And yeah, they love and fight and hate and fuck--or not--by the same basic human rules as het-norm protags. Because that's for real. So basically, I'm writing the stories I was making up for myself back then, the stories I wish I'd had, the stories that will always ring true to me. Stories where brains work either like mine, or in a way I recognize, that feels natural to me, that feels honest.
And yeah, my honesty isn't even close to heteronormative. Clearly. But I still think, hope, and know that it's accessible to every human, regardless of their own identity. That's the point.
And yeah, my honesty isn't even close to heteronormative. Clearly. But I still think, hope, and know that it's accessible to every human, regardless of their own identity. That's the point.
As a side note: I have since discovered that there is such a thing as love and happily ever after. And that, my friends, is why I came back to romance with a vengeance, once I knew myself. Because it's honest, after all.
After that absurd little confession, I think it's appropriate to give away an e-copy of By the River--which takes place in my hometown (if renamed). Might explain a few things you never wanted to know, right? You can check out the details on the book here, if you're interested. All you have to do is leave a comment on this post (please include your email if it's not listed in your profile), and I'll let random.org pick a winner on the 27th, after the hop is over.
Don't for get to hit up the other blog hop posts, including the main one, for more opinions, thoughts, and giveaways. Oh, and also, the last day of the hop (the 26th) is the last day of the Equilibrium Birthday Giveaway, so check that out too and maybe score a print Equilibrium/Riot Boy copy while you're here.
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