Thursday Throwdown feat. Evan T.!

Hot Nerd Thursday is being pushed off this evening, because we have more pressing issues over here at Carly on Comics. Evan T. has finally decided to rebuttal my Marvel/DC post from last week. Below is a series of e-mails passed back and forth between he and I this morning. YOU can tell US who the winner is... Please do enjoy.

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To: Carly
From: Evan
Subject:  :-P
Sent November 11, 2010 at 10:13 AM

Listen. I have stood by as the main writer for this site has slandered the good name of marvel for too long.  No more. The glorious company that I have loved for going on twenty plus years now has been demeaned and I will stand for it no longer. It is time. Marvel Rebuttal.

The first post that Carly had mentioned how she likes DC (Stands for Douchey Comics) more than Marvel. Don't get her wrong, she is a pretentious indy comic reader, for sure, but if she does read those silly mainstream books she reads mostly DC. First of all, let me just drop a bomb of truth on you boss: If Marvel and DC didn't have the mainstream juggernauts like they do they independent scene would not exist. So, yeah.

Secondly, Carl says she enjoys the stronger, more stand alone female characters. Then references that Ms. Marvel, Emma Frost and Rogue are members of groups. Hmm, introducing female characters in mainstream, popular comic teams is bad? To have these characters reach a larger reading group? Oh, that's bad? Ok. I started picking Ms. Marvel after having seen her in an Avengers story and loved her book. What about She-Hulk? She's not a good female character. She is a secretary. Oh wait, she's a lawyer and one of the more powerful heroes in the Marvel Universe? Oh. Elektra has always been a strong character and risen in popularity and prestige the last couple of years. I wont mention Jewel, Mokingbird, Spider-Woman, Scarlet Witch, Maria Hill, Firestar, Jocasta, Wasp, Black Widow, Sharon Carter, Valkyrie, Stature, Hawkeye (Kate Bishop), Karolina Dean, Nico Minoru, Gertrude Yorkes, Molly Hayes, Songbird, Moonstone, Colleen Wing, Misty Knight, Photon, Lyja, Invisible Woman, Namorita, She-Thing, Mudusa, Ronin/Echo, Vindicator or ANY of the about 30 mutant female characters because they are a part of a group.
   
Then Carlifornia sites Catwoman (Batman's Rogues Gallery and only got her own book due to the "Bad Girls" craze of the ninties), Zatanna (Long time JLA member) and Supergirl (Long time mess in the DC universe. Clone? Angel? Actual Kryptonian? Who knows). The only one I would have coincided is Wonder Woman. Easily the strongest female character in either universe.
   
I don't know what a female reader is looking for and I am sure it is difficult to relate. Neither of these companies have flawless records with integrating in Female, African American, Latino, Native American or disabled super characters. I will say they have made huge steps over the last couple of years, though. To say DC does it better offended the Marvel Zombie in me. Make mine Marvel.

P.S. - The majority of DC characters are super idealistic humans who then have every super power ever. As if they were created by the kid on the playground who always had the anti-bullet shield when playing guns. Marvel's characters are flawed from jumpstreet and not everyone of them could reverse the rotation of the Earth to go back in time (REALLY DC???). :) Hugs Chief. 


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To Evan
From Carly
Subject: :-P
Sent: November 11, 2010 at 10:53 AM

Superman is flawed. Sure, he may be bulletproof, but he is left with the burden of being the savior of mankind. He is the last of his kind as far as he knows. He's an orphan who was sent to save the world. Like that isn't pressure? What about Batman? Batman watched his parents get murdered in front of him, which has left him an emotional retard. He also has the burden of knowing that anyone who has contact with the batman is putting themselves in harm (remember "The Killing Joke"?). Elektra wouldn't be around if it weren't for Daredevil. Namorita wouldn't be around if not for Namor. She-Thing? Same thing. She-Hulk? Exactly. These women are not "unique" characters. Same as X-23 being the female counterpart to Wolverine. Just because you put a vagina on it doesn't make it all better. I'm just defending myself because I feel like I'm getting unfairly attacked. Not to go all feminist on you, but you're not a girl, so you don't know what it's like to love something the way I love comics, and then come to the conclusion that the two biggest companies (Marvel and DC) really don't give a shit what the female audience thinks. I mean, not to bash on "kids today", but who the hell do girls have to look up to these days? Kim Kardashian? Paris Hilton? Girls are being told that its okay to be airheaded assholes and exploit their bodies because it may lead to them being famous someday. Famous for doing nothing. What it comes down to for me is not Marvel/DC, it comes down to sexism and role models. I understand that Marvel has created some female characters who are original (Rogue, Storm), and don't have a male counterpart, but the majority of them don't. I'm not saying that being a vigilante is a great idea, because teamwork is great too, but for crying out loud, girls should have more than one comic book role model that they can name. I'm not giving DC a whole lot of leeway here either. I mean, even if they do have stand alone women characters, they still objectify the hell out of them. I'm not saying that introducing characters as part of a team is bad, but even my beloved Ms. Marvel is the counterpart of Captain Marvel. I'm fully aware of this. I didn't go on a killing spree and attack anyone personally. In my mind (and it could be different for everyone on the planet, and I understand that) DC movies are more dramatic, Marvel movies are more action packed. Yee haw. They both have something to offer the audience. I'm simply saying that my PERSONAL taste is in DC movies. That is all. I don't think that my personal opinion warrants being called an elitist. Yeah, I do like independent comics. So fucking what? At the end of the day, all I'm saying is that as a girl, I think we could use more Wonder Woman in the world.

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To: Carly
From: Evan
Subject:  :-P
Sent: November 11, 2010 at 11:00 AM

Are you angry? Because we are talking about comics. And i don't want you yo be angry. It seems like your main argument so much about strong female role models which is an entirely different thing which I agree about and am not happy about. I want my nieces to have more strong female role models. But then I can give them a comic and they can see there are more to female characters than being Batmans girlfriend. Much love chief. Also female super heroes are useless one week a month.

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Thoughts and comments are welcome. End communication

Wizarding Wednesdays!

Hidey ho! Here I am, all hopped up on "Smallville"! I'm currently on the 21st episode of the 8th season.... Why do these seasons have to be so loooooong? Lol. So, after reading copious amounts of the new series of "Batgirl" the comic book last night, I have decided that if you are a chick and want to get into comics (Deadlie Mercury, I'm talking to you), "Batgirl" is the place to start. Basically, the new Batgirl is a somewhat ditzy, disaster magnet. I love it because she is just like me, only she can kick way more ass. You watch her go through most things a late teen's/early 20's chick does. Things like, making time for school and friends and boys, having awkward run-ins with her ex, and constantly seeking approval. Other first time comics for chicks to read include "Supergirl", "Fables", "Brids of Prey" and "Gotham City Sirens". They are all female empowermenty, have good stories and are incredibly easy to relate to, considering it could never really happen.

My apologies for playing the "girl power" card. If you haven't noticed, I'm buying time, because I don't have those promised character sheets for Aberrant... I kinda, sorta, fell asleep at the table last week, and I have no idea where we're at. Sorry! Hopefully tonight will be a "Lunch Money" kind of night. "Lunch Money" is a super fun card game based on girls in the playground catfighting. You basically just kick the crap out of each other (with our imaginations, not physically). It keeps me engaged much more that RPG games do, I'm sad to say. I just have a short attention span, kind of like that of a goldfish. It's part of my charm. I'll be back tomorrow with "Hot Nerd Thursday". Blog ya later!

Best. Game. Ever.

Catching up With Superman...er..boy...

Hello! Good evening everyone! I'm on a 3 season Smallville marathon at the moment, and I just keep asking myself "Why did I ever stop watching this?!". I love this show. Seriously. I don't give a shit if I'm half way through season 8 and Kal El hasn't flown yet, and I don't care if Lana Lang is the most irritating character (next to Britta from "Community") on television. Hell, I don't even care that Tom Welling is a sub-par actor. I love this show. I mean, really, where else am I going to get to see Lois Lane, Clark Kent, Jimmy Olsen, Lex Luthor, Aquaman, The Flash, Green Arrow, Doomsday, General Zod, Supergirl, the Legion of Superheroes and the JSA all in one series?! It really is the ultimate DC Nerdgasm. It's a superhero soap opera. You watch these characters progress from teenagers to adults, while dealing not only with everyday teenage drama, but dealing with having to hide secret identities. It's pretty much the ultimate "origins" store ever. That being said, I could certainly do without Lana and Clark's romance. She's such a tease. At the end of season 6 when I thought she was dead, I was the happiest girl in the world. Then she came back. What?! Why? Does anyone even like that character? I mean, I get that guys think that Kristen Kreuk is hot, but she's so irritating to me that I can see past her hotness. Green Arrow and Lois Lane are my two favorite characters on the show, because they don't take any B.S. and they keep Clark's whining to a minimum, which is much appreciated. I also appreciate that the characters wear garments that are the colors of their comic book characters uniforms (eg: Clark and Kara wear red and blue, Green Arrow wears green, The Flash wears red and gold, Aquaman wears green and orange...). What can I say? I'm a sucker for fashion. Anyhoo, I'm going to get back to the marathon. I promised I'd be caught up by Friday, so I could enjoy the rest of the series in real time with the rest of my Smallville loving peeps.

Before I go though, I just need to pimp the North Carolina Comic Con that is going on this weekend. The guys at Ultimate Comics will be there (sadly, I will not), so if you're in the Raleigh area stop by and say "HEY!"

Nerding 101: Intro to Protecting Your Comics - Organization and Boxing

Good evening class! It's a snowy, chilly day here in the Northeast! It's the perfect day to write about comics. The topic this evening is about boxing and organizing your comic books.

Generally speaking, there are two sizes of comic book boxes to choose from: Long boxes and short boxes. The long box is about 27.25 inches long, and is ideal if you have many comic books that you'd like to store. Conversely, the short box measures in at 15.75 inches, and is great if you just have a few comics to store. The easiest way to organize them right off the bat, is to go in alphabetical order. Start with numbered comics, and then go from A-Z. For example: "30 Days of Night" goes before "100 Bullets" and "The Avengers" comes after "100 Bullets". You can usually get long and short boxes from any comic book store, however, if you're ordering bags and boards as well, you may want to check out www.BCWSupplies.com, as they have the best pricing.

Size is everything

Comic book boxes can be stacked on top of each other, but you want to be sure that you don't stack them over 3 high, as you do not want too much weight on them. The best thing that I have found, that beats the heck out of a traditional long box is a drawer box. They hold slightly less than a traditional long box, but you can stack them neatly in a corner, and have super easy access to all of your comic books. Instead of having to open and dig through each box to try and find which box is the box you're looking for, with drawer boxes, you can simply open up the box like a drawer, and have organized access to what you need. Also, because of the hard, reinforced shell of the drawer boxes, you are able to stack these higher than traditional boxes without worrying about the comics on the bottom being damaged. The Editor and I order ours from www.collectiondrawer.com. They do cost more money than regular long boxes, but the extra money is well worth it.

Neat and organized is the name of the game in my house!

No matter what type of box suits you best, you want to make sure that the boxes are stored in an area with low moisture. The boxes will protect your comics from the sun and temperature changes, however, they will not protect against moisture. Next week we will be discussing how to archive all of these comic books. We'll be talking about the best organizational software, generating lists and reports, and how to send said reports to your phone, so you can have easy access to them, etc. Class dismissed!

Things I Don't Get: Jersey Shore Edition

Happy Sunday! On this day of our lord The Editor, Russel H. and Tiffany W. have decided to have a "Jersey Shore" season 2 marathon. When The Editor announced this to me yesterday, my response was to immediately find something else to do. I've been hold up in my bedroom watching"Smallville" for the past 5 hours.

I don't get it. I really really don't. I watched the first season and, not going to lie, I enjoyed it. I like to be entertained. I got it the first season. It was new and exciting and something for people to laugh about at the water cooler. What I want to know is why the hell do we still think this is funny? The same thing happens every episode. Ronnie and Sammy fight. Snooki is irritating. JWow plays with her boobs. Angelina looks like a muppet. And "The Situation", Vinnie, and DJ Pauly D manage to stay in neutral territory, all while collecting as many STD's as possible  These people are not interesting, and they certainly don't have anything to add to society, so why does everyone still tune in? When the point comes that I can't even turn on non-cable stations without seeing these people, we have a problem. Nay, an epidemic. It's disgusting that people look up to these idiots as role models. I mean, really? It's totally okay to have people promoting alcohol poisoning, skin cancer, STD's and generally inane behavior? The girls refer to a man who likes to work out, and is obviously on steroids as a "Juicehead". Yeah, that's exactly what I hope my daughter comes home with some day. Maybe my son will meet a nice stripper too.

How many STD's can you count in this picture?

I'm not scrutinizing people for watching it. I myself watch some sub-par programming too. All I'm asking is why do these people belong on a pedestal? What exactly have they done to deserve it except for drink, smoke, tan, and "smoosh"? When you're watching the show, thinking about how white trash these people are just remember, they're probably earning at LEAST 3 times as much as you do annually, just by being total assholes. Sleep tight!

Steven Seagal Lawman Drinking Game Saturday!

Hello hello! So, last night The Editor and I were flipping through the Seagate (which is WAY better than a DVR) trying to figure out what to spend our evening watching. Like lightening, it hit us both at the same moment: Steven Seagal Lawman. "Steven Seagal Lawman" is a fantastic, generally overlooked TV show about actor Steven Seagal's career as a deputy sheriff in Jefferson Parish, Louisiana. We laughed through the first season, and plowed through the first half of the second season, when it came to me that "Steven Seagal Lawman" would be the best drinking game ever.

If you are unfamiliar with the show, here is the synopsis from A&E:

"Steven Seagal Lawman" - His movies have grossed more than $2 billion worldwide. He is an expert martial artist with a 7th-degree black belt in Aikido. He's considered to be in the same class of action hero as Sylvester Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger. However, Steven Seagal isn't just an action hero in the movies. For almost 20 years, Seagal has been working as a fully commissioned deputy with the Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office in Louisiana. In addition to going out on patrol, Seagal is an expert marksman who has worked with their SWAT team and has instructed Jefferson Parish officers in firearms and hand-to-hand combat.
"Steven Seagal Lawman" will allow fans to ride shotgun with Seagal as he and his hand-selected elite team of deputies respond to crimes in progress. Then, when Seagal goes off duty, the cameras will continue following him as he pursues his many ventures, including musical performances and philanthropic efforts in Jefferson Parish and New Orleans.

The Editor and I came up with the rules of the game. Basically, you take a drink any time one of the following things happen;

• Steven Seagal breaks a sweat
• Steven Seagal tries to speak with an "urban" accent
• Steven Seagal yells "Get 'em Johnny!"
• A suspect is a black male
• "Seagal vision" is used
• Steven Seagal references the orient
• Someone asks Steven Seagal for an autograph
• Steven Seagal ironically refers to himself as a "movie star"
• Steven Seagal pulls out a guitar

I asked The Editor if I was missing anything, and he promptly told me that if I added anything else to the list that people would die from alcohol poisoning. Happy drinking! Just remember, Steven Seagal is ALWAYS watching.

              

Things You Should be... Friday

Things You Should be Listening to...

Animanaguchi- Animanaguchi is a fantastic band out of New York City. Their style is "8 bit music", meaning it sounds like a video game. Listening to them while doing any sort of mundane task, automatically makes you feel like you're in Super Mario Bros. If you're a video game fan, you know that they are the band that did all of the music for the game Scott Pilgrim vs. The World. Below is my personal favorite track "Jetpack Blues, Sunset Blues".

Tell 'em Steve Dave- Tell em' Steve Dave is part of the View Askew universe created by Kevin Smith and Scott Mosier. It is a weekly podcast featuring Bryan Johnson, an unemployed part-time author who lives with his girlfriend, Walter Flannigan, a family man who runs Kevin Smith's comic book store "Jay and Silent Bob's Secret Stash" in Highlands, New Jersey, and Brian Quinn, a firefighter from Staten Island and friend of the show. These three guys put together a somewhat raunchy, completely hilarious view on life. They also help raise money for some really good causes. Previously, they helped raise money for Brendan Marocco, a vetran who lost his limbs in Iraq (http://www.brendanmarrocco.org/). Currently, they are donating 5 iPads to a special needs classroom, to allow the children to learn better. You can catch them on iTunes, and while you're there you may want to check out some of the other podcasts in the SModcast network!  

Things You Should be Watching...

Fringe- This show has taken a lot of flack as far as being compared to "The X-Files". The comparisons go about as far as that they are both sci-fi themed mysteries. Below is the official description of the show from Fox:

From J.J. Abrams (“Lost”), Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman, the team behind “Star Trek,” “Mission: Impossible III” and “Alias,” comes a new drama that will thrill, terrify and explore the blurring line between science fiction and reality.
When an international flight lands at Boston’s Logan Airport and the passengers and crew have all died grisly deaths, FBI Special Agent OLIVIA DUNHAM (newcomer Anna Torv) is called in to investigate. After her partner, Special Agent JOHN SCOTT (Mark Valley, “Boston Legal”), is nearly killed during the investigation, a desperate Olivia searches frantically for someone to help, leading her to DR. WALTER BISHOP (John Noble, “Lord of the Rings: Return of the King”), our generation’s Einstein. There’s only one catch: he’s been institutionalized for the last 20 years, and the only way to question him requires pulling his estranged son PETER (Joshua Jackson, “Dawson’s Creek”) in to help.
When Olivia’s investigation leads her to manipulative corporate executive NINA SHARP (Blair Brown, “Altered States”), our unlikely trio along with fellow FBI Agents PHILLIP BROYLES (Lance Reddick, “The Wire”), CHARLIE FRANCIS (Kirk Acevedo, “Oz”) and ASTRID FARNSWORTH (Jasika Nicole, “Law & Order: Criminal Intent”) will discover that what happened on Flight 627 is only a small piece of a larger, more shocking truth.
FRINGE is directed by Emmy Award-winning Alex Graves (“The West Wing”) and produced by Warner Bros. Television and Bad Robot Productions.

 The show features strange happenings, parallel universes and mad scientisit. Being a huge fan of the show since the beginning, I got The Editor to start watching it with me during the second season, because the show is SO good that I didn't want him to get too far behind. 

Things You Should be Reading...

Kick Ass vol 2- The second volume of Kick Ass is now out! I devoured the first issue, and I'm very hopeful about how this volume will go. The first issue was a bit slow on the uptake, but I think that by issue 3, we should see a really amazing tale. It's too new for me to go over the synopsis (I don't want to ruin anything), I'm just happy to see little miss Hit Girl back in action! The only downside to to the Kick Ass series is the looooong duration between issues. If you're a comic collector, certainly buy the individual comics. However, if you're just buying time before the next movie comes out, wait until the second volume is done, then get the compendium. Happy reading!

Kick Ass Volume 2 Ultimate Comics Variant cover.