Welcome to this week’s adventures climbing the cliffs of insanity. There was much I could’ve ranted about this week, from the sexist superhero t-shirts, to the weird fanboy meltdowns about the new female Thor, and my own frustrations with my health care provider. (Hint: if you want an insurance cover to cover stuff, never have a chronic condition.)
But I had a rough personal week and then, I didn’t, because awesome nerds stepped up and made it all better. So this week is about stuff I adore that I hope you’ll love too.
1. Geek Girl Con in Seattle, October 11th & 12th.
This con is my favorite, from the fascinating, feminist and thought-provoking panels to the DIY science zone, to the kid-friendly atmosphere, and to the GeekGirl Connections area, for career advice and networking.
GeekMom will be there in force, holding down a convention table, and we’ll have some serious goodies to give away. Stop buy and chat, let your kids colors for a bit, and sign up for our newsletter.
We will also be giving a panel at 10 a.m. on Saturday, “Geek Girl Transformation to Geek Mom,” which features me, GeekMoms Kelly Knox, Cathe Post, Ariane Coffin, and special guest Tristan J. Tarwater, novelist, comic book writer and freelance RPG writer.
On a personal note, I’ll be part of another panel Saturday, at 7 p.m. called “Sex Scenes From the Female Gaze.” There might be smutty readings. If you’re curious as to what kind, feel free to check out my own Phoenix Rising, a superhero romance story that’s only 99 cents for a limited time on Kindle, Nook (B&N), and Samhain Publishing. (As DCWomenKicking Ass tweeted: WOC lead, nuclear explosion sex? You MUST read @CorrinaLawson book.)
2. A Voice In the Dark by Larime Taylor.
I could tell you Larime’s story, of how he draws with his mouth because of his disability, of how he’s had national media coverage of his comic, and how the support of friends and fans helped him survive, though finances remain a struggle.
But I’d rather tell you how awesome this comic is.
Because it’s dark, layered, intense, and brings us deeply into the mind of Zoey, a young woman who murdered a woman in revenge for damage done to Zoey’s best friend. Zoey got away with that murder but now has another problem: she discovered she likes killing. The story takes Zoey to college where she fights her murderous impulses and then comes to the attention of a serial killer who ‘admires’ her work.
This is brilliant crime drama. Those enjoying Ed Brubaker and Greg Rucka’s noir graphic novels must read this.
3. Ungrounded by Patrick Gerard and Eryck Webb, also available digitally on Comixology.
A classic superhero story of good and evil. But that’s only on the surface. Gerard is interested in the nature of good and evil and the big philosophical questions of the universe. Also, fun.
Yes, he’s riding a polar bear. This comic put a big smile on my face when I received my Kickstarter edition.
4. Creating Graphic Novels by Sarah Beach.
I can plot, I thought. So I can write a comic story. Not so fast because that panel-to-panel storytelling is a skill, one distinctly different from writing a prose novel.
But Sarah Beach’s new guide is perfect, with chapters about graphic novel terminology, the different kinds of scripts, how to break the story into panel by panel pieces, to business elements like who does what in the story and how to find an art team, marketing, contracts and overall storytelling.
Buy this book and you’ll never have the excuse of “but I don’t know how to make comics” again.
5. Simply Weird: the (fake) History of Weird Comics Incorporated, a Fake Comic Book Company by William Robert Webb III; HeroNet Files Book 1, by Wayland Smith, Dara Hannon and Harry Heckel
One is a collection of stories about young superheroes and how they learn to cope with their powers. The other is, well, about a fake comic book company. What do they have in common? They both wear their love of comics on their sleeve. They are written, yes, by friends. Which only shows that I have awesome friends.
I’ll likely be dark next week but I’ll be back in two weeks with a GeekGirlCon report.
Happy October, awesome nerds. Now I think I’ll go watch Pitch Perfect again.
