M.F.K (Non Spoiler) Review

(photo from: mfkcomic.com)

MFK is an adventure webcomic focused on Abbie and her quest to scatter her mother's ashes. The first chapters set up the characters and the town where they help Abbie recuperate. Like most adventures, things get in the way of the quest and great times ensue. She meets Jamie  after suffering a setback in said quest. He along with his aunt, the practical Nifrain and his grandfather, Iman help Abbie get back on track. There are jokes, secrets, sad back stories and feelings of abandonment as well as duty. Yet, MFK is not a heavy read. I believe I read the first chapter in less than a week. At this time, there are three chapters completed and it is rated PG-13.

The author, Nilah Magruder, recently won The Dwayne McDuffie Award for Diversity, which is how I found this webcomic. This is a clear example of why I love the internet. I haven't been this enamored with a webcomic since Bayou by Jeremy Love. MFK is also what got me back into webcomics. It is hard to believe that something so great and creative is free to enjoy. The webcomic can be found on http://www.mfkcomic.com/ and updates every Monday. The author also has an online store at  http://nilaffle.storenvy.com/. The first two printed chapters are sold out but she has other artwork and jewelry available for sale.

Enjoy!

Creepy Noir: A Fatale Review

Fangirl Disclosure: Due to Gotham Central, I am predisposed to loving anything Ed Brubaker writes. I also like the style of noir storytelling. Give me a rumpled suit, a woman with a good high spilt in her dress with a dangerous secret and I’m sold. That all being said, Fatale not only met my expectations (which I will admit were influenced by Frank Miller’s “A Dame to Kill”) but far exceeded them.

Click to read more ...

Manga Mambo #31WriteNow

I love manga.  I enjoy reading manga a LOT MORE than reading comics. 

I try to be an avid comic book reader but it just never hooked me for long.   I know there are great story arcs and series for comics but it's the same character forever plus the wait for the trade book kills it for me.   I hate getting a tiny taste of a story.

It feels different with manga.  I can straight away pick up a trade book and jump into the story.   I feel more investment with the characters and story due to the longer arcs.  It becomes this amazing adventure that I must cherished cause I never know if the journey is long or short.

Here are a couple of my favorites.

1.  Kare Kano (His and Her Circumstances) - Story about the romance of "perfect" student Yukino Miyazawa and her academic rival Soichiro Arima plus relationships of several of their friends.

2. Bastard‼: Heavy Metal, Dark Fantasy - Just imagine Dungeons & Dragons + Heavy Metal Music.  It's tongue in cheek with awesome magical fight scenes.

3. YuYu Hakusho (Poltergeist Report) - Yusuke Urameshi, teenage delinquent, dies while saving a child from getting hit by a car.  Due to his sacrifice to save a child, he is given tests by Koenma (son of the ruler of the Underworld) to earn the title of Underworld Detective in order to investigate cases where demons and ghosts appear in the human world causing trouble.

4. Bleach - Ichigo Kurosaki gains the power of a Soul Reaper.  He's now force to take on the duties of a Soul Reaper by defending the human world from evil spirits plus guilding lost souls to the afterlife.

5. Chi's Sweet Home - Story about an adorable gray and white kitten who gets separated from her mother and siblings but finds a new home with a young boy, Youhei, and his parents.

I know yall wondering where's Naruto?  Well, I'm still upset at the continued death count of my favorite characters.. so I'm gonna be in my feelings for awhile. 

Since We're Talking About X-Men #31WriteNow

Since we’re talking about X-Men, I would feel remiss if I didn’t bring up my favorite ship from the series. Wolverine and Storm. It started when I was child and saw Season’s 4 One Man’s Worth. It was a glimpse at a relationship between two attractive strong characters. I remember the feelings of disappointment I had when I realized it wouldn’t happen again. After the series ended, so did my interest in X-Men. That is until the movies and then it was like picking right back up where my child heart left off. I never forgot about my ship though and neither had the internet.

(source:http://fyeahstormandwolvie.tumblr.com)

The comic books also knew gold when they found it. The ship married in the What If comic #114 and they have a daughter, Kendall! There was some flirtation in the Ultimate X-Men. There was more than flirtation in Wolverine and the X-Men #24 Superhero Date Night (which I have to find somewhere). It wasn’t until I read the exchange between them in Wolverine Vol.5 Issue #7 that I got my entire life. There was flirting, conversation and shaving. I will now be picking up the series as they up the stakes by drawing in her ex-husband Black Panther.  It is and will be everything.

(source:http://fyeahstormandwolvie.tumblr.com

Geeky Friends Are The Best #31WriteNow

Whether you consider yourself a nerd, geek or blerd, you are my favorite type of friend.  Not saying that my other types of friends are not cool but who else will suggest karaoke at a comic book shop... Yeah...

It’s so refreshing to enjoy the smooth croonings of nerds belting “Creep” by Radiohead to Humpty Dance by Digital Underground and I also got to talk about linux distros, command prompts, and batch files all within the same night!  How’s that for entertainment?!  

I’m enjoying seeing this community of geeks and freaks grow.  I get to be myself unapologetically and discuss ALL of my interests.  I don’t have to choose to be the “girl”, “geek” or “black person”.   I’m all of these and more.  No longer will I try to divorce aspects of me to make someone else more “comfortable”.  I have great friends who let me spill the depths of my personality.  And if you don’t like what streams out, I have a great karaoke song selection for you!

I, Sentinel #31WriteNow

So.... new X-Men movie is coming out soon.... you know, the one that's supposed to pull together the old trilogy, the two Wolverine movies and First Class using the Days of Future Past storyline from the comics. If you haven't ready that particular series, you may still be familiar with it because it was the basic storyline for the 90's X-Men cartoon.

Any of this sound familiar? I'm going to pretend you said yes either way, but just to make doubly sure you understand I'm going to show you this picture.

That's right, those big, purple robots from the cartoon/comic are set to be in the upcoming X-Men film along with apparently everyone from any X-Men movie ever, but the movie robots don't look anything like the above.

 Although I'm glad they didn't keep ANY of the design from the cartoon (let's face it, the late 80's/early 90's was not a great time for character design, no matter how badly I want Jubilee's yellow jacket) the real world Sentinel seems to fall really flat. Maybe it's because we don't see them doing anything yet, but nothing about these robots gives off a sinister-hidden-beneath-service-robot kind of feel. I'm hoping as we get closer to the release date for the movie we'll see something that makes them more interesting but until then, I'm unimpressed.

Wiscon: Fake Geek Girls Panel

Yes.. I know I'm late putting this up but here is the recording for the It's Not For Girls II: Attack of the "Fake Geek Girl" panel at Wiscon.

[Download MP3]

The panel ask these questions

• What "cred" is needed to be taken seriously as a geek? 
• Does the "fake Geek Girl" exists?
• Who are the gatekeepers of geek culture?  Who put them there?
• How does the conversations and take-downs of this idea shaping geek culture?

The Panelists: Julie Andrews. Becky Allen, Jamie Nesbitt Golden (thewayoftheid), Katherine Olson/Kayjayoh, Piglet

For more information on Wiscon, go to wiscon.info

C2E2 Snippets: Interview with Terry Huddleston and Kimberly Moseberry

[ Download ]

Here are two more short interviews I did at C2E2.

The first interview is with Terry Huddleston who's known for his work with Big Bang Comics.   I was able to just catch him before he had to leave to do a drawing workshop.  Woot!  You can find his art at http://thuddleston.deviantart.com. 

The second interview is with Kimberly Moseberry who works with Xigency Studios and releases her first comic book called Enigma.  You can check out her art at http://ebony-chan.deviantart.com/ and purchase her comic book at Xigency Studios website.

Also, here is a picture of the awesome Storm poster that I purchase from Kimberly!  It's just beautiful!

 

NNN Episode 102 - You Know That's Right

 

• Play Episode

[Download MP3]

Topics: We got a lot of comic news! Graphic Novel Trilogy surrounding Civil Rights Movement, DC under fire for hiring Orson Scott Card, Peter Dinklage in X-Men: Days of Our Future Past, Lobo movie with Dwayne Johnson not happening, Perfume lets fans make their own manga featuring the pop group, 365 days of Black heroes, free college courses on comics.  We also have a Nosy Nerd Corner with JP!  

Nerdtastic News:

• Civil Rights Leader Rep. John Lewis Launching Graphic Novel Trilogy via Top Shelf Comics
• DC Under Fire for hiriing Anti-gay writer to pen Superman
• Petition to remove Orson Scott Card from Superman
• DC Responds to Outcry
• Bryan Singer eyes Peter Dinklage for X-Men: Days of Our Future Past
• DC Comics “Lobo” with Dwayne Johnson Not Happening Anymore
• Make your own manga of Pop Group Perfume
• Wardell Brown drew 365 Black heroes from historical figures to tv, movie & comic book characters
• Free Comics Course Attracts Big Names
• Grad Student Creates His Own Working Spiderman Suit
• Google reportedly in negotiations with music labels to launch streaming service

Locke And Key: Spoiler Alert, I love it.

Locke and Key: Welcome to Lovecraft is the first volume of the Locke and Key series. It is written by Joe Hill with artwork by Gabriel Rodriguez. It is the story of Locke family(Tyler, Bode Kinsey and their mother Nina) as they start a new life after the gruesome murder of their father. They pick up their life and move to the old family house in Lovecraft. The house just happens to be creepy and the doors are important. Also the youngest (Bode) acquires a clearly dangerous new “friend” who lives in a well.  Each member deals with the death in his or her way. We also follow his disturbed murderer teen Sam Lesser. The reason behind his death unfolds throughout the six issues as well as some of the mystery behind the house. Welcome to Lovecraft concludes in that near perfect way that connects dots and leaves more questions.

Locke and Key pretty much encapsulates why I love reading comics/graphic novels. There are some books that are difficult to warm up to due to excess of exposition. It’s a little hard to get excited read a book know you have five pages of family blood lines and descriptions of rooms to look forward to before an actual plot emerges. This is not to say that graphic novels can’t fall into this trap but it feels less likely.It is definitely not the case with this book. Locke and Key artwork, crisp dialogue and narration work together to create a very satisfying experience. Things are dark and gory but not overly so.

This would also be a good time to jump in as a reader of this award winning (2009 and 2012 winner of British Fantasy Comic/Graphic Novel and 2011 Einser Award winner for best writer) series. There are five volumes with six issues each. Very reasonable, if one were to ask me. Another selling point? Still not convinced? Well luckily for you, in 2011 a pilot was shot because this incredible series was going to be a TV series. Unfortunately, it was not to be but cross your fingers.

Here is the trailer.