About Me

Hi, I'm Gabby and this is where I blog about comics. I am currently a student at Sheridan College that works part time at a comic book store. Being a relatively new reader, I will be using this blog to keep track of my journey into the fandom and all of the comics I've read or plan to read. Please feel free to recommend your favourite reads, ongoing or not; I'm more than willing to try something new!

Did anybody read Superman WonderWoman #1?

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Despite my first impression of the book being a half-cocked attempt by DC to address their female audience, the starting issue was not horrible and sexist as expected. I enjoyed Tony Daniel’s art, and the fold-out spread featuring the cast of Wonder Woman’s current run was lovely. Reading through the issue did not invoke any cringe-worthy moments, (Good job not blatantly offending women DC!)  however, as an introduction to a series it was nothing special.

If you were too lazy or scared to read it, dude-bro Clark wants to keep things on the down low in contrast to strong, independent Diana’s wish to make their relationship public. (With a bit of action shoved in here and there. Wonder Woman gets to fight Doomsday next issue so maybe that will add some excitement?) These wants very much reflect both their personalities, but it’s obvious that this book is aimed at women or girls that have experienced a similar dating or relationship situation.  The way it was presented did not invoke any feelings of familiarity or sympathy for Wonder Woman or her relationship with Superman in my opinion. Which is troubling for a book that is aimed at their female demographic...AKA ladies like me.

The point can be made that I myself have never been in a situation like this, but I feel if the writing for any piece of fiction is good enough I should be able to relate to it regardless. Because of this, I will probably read this out of boredom whenever it comes out, but I will definitely not be buying it.

If you read it, did you enjoy the issue? What were your expectations when it was first announced?

What's On My Pull List?

Disclaimer: What I read is different from what I buy. As a student, I already feel as if I'm spending too much money on comics. However, there are always few comics that come out monthly that I cannot resist buying!

Adventure Time Comics
Ryan North with art by Shelli Paroline and Braden Lamb

Adventure Time: Candy Capers

Yuko Ota, Ananth Panagariya with art by Ian McGinty

Carrying over the same mix of smart and dumb humour I adore on television in print form, and featuring artists from Tumblr that I follow almost every issue keep this Adventure Time fangirl happy. Usually a  fun and easy read. Also, the limited series that spin-off the comics are done incredibly well, if not better than this comic. Candy Capers is the current spin-off series featuring usual side characters in the Adventure Time series solving crimes and being adorable.

Batman
Scott Snyder with pencils by Greg Capullo
C'mon. It's Batman. How can I resist Batman? He fights crime, avoids personal problems, and does it all with so much angst!

Batwoman
W. Haden Blackman, and J. H. Williams (who also does the artwork)
Beautiful art by J.H. Williams, and it's refreshing to read about a gay character whose life does not revolve solely around their sexuality. Granted, I may be dropping it in the nearby future because of J.H. Williams leaving. I’m going to miss the current team but am going to wait until the Zero-Year issue (#25) before I completely stop buying it.

Captain Marvel
Kelly Sue DeConnick and Christopher Sebela, with art by Felipe Andrade and covers by Joe Quinones

If you haven't already noticed, I have a soft spot for books that feature strong female leads. Captain Marvel definitely fits under this category, featuring pilot Carol Danvers. Kelly Sue brings Carol to life through a much needed reintroduction to the character. It's so good that it has a fandom. They're called the Carol Corps.

Rat Queens (pictured above with Sex Criminals)
Kurtis J Wiebe with art by Roc Upchurch 

"Who are the Rat Queens? A pack of booze-guzzling, death-dealing battle maidens-for-hire, and they’re in the business of killing all gods’ creatures for profit." Image Comics describes this better than I ever could. It's fun, and I was convinced to buy it after issue one! I can't wait to see what's in store for this series!

Red Sonja
Gail Simone with art by Walter Geovani

Barbarian Red Sonja, known as 'the she-devil with a sword' fights to free the city of the King who saved her life from her ex-prison mate. You can't go wrong with Gail Simone, and it's difficult to imagine the book without Walter Geovani's art.

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Saga
Brian K. Vaughan with art by Fiona Staples

Oh, where to begin with Saga? Featuring a lovable, eclectic cast of characters beautifully written by Brian K. Vaughan and absolutely gorgeous art by Fiona Staples it is difficult for me not to rant about Saga to every customer who’s willing to listen. It’s about star-crossed lovers in space, and bounty hunters and all sorts of aliens and war and... You know what, just read anything Brian K. Vaughan has written. Trust me on this one guys. 

Sex Criminals (pictured with Rat Queens earlier in post)
Matt Fraction and Chip Zdarsky

My co-worker and I are really hoping this one becomes a movie or series on HBO. Two people with the ability to stop time when they orgasm meet by chance and decided to use their powers to commit various crimes. AThis is another book that I was convinced to buy after the first issue due to its honesty, humour, and how embarrassingly relatable it could be.  Matt Fraction also writes for the current run of Hawkeye, which I haven't included in this list because it isn't technically on my list. Still a must-read; I am planning to purchase the trades. The point being, Matt Fraction is a damn good writer.

Uncanny X-Force
Sam Humphries with pencils by Ron Garney
Psylocke, Storm, Puck, make up the current X-Force team. Dealing with problems the main team of X-Men won't handle for varied reasons, trouble arises in the form of time-traveler Bishop, Cluster and a group of beings called The Revenants.  

Wolverine and the X-Men

Jason Aaron with pencils by Chris Bachalo

This book is about Wolverine running a school of mutants. Hilarity and shenanigans ensues. I don't keep up with this book as much as my brother does, but it's still a fun read. 

Wonder Woman
Brian Azzarello with Cliff Chiang

Oh, Cliff Chiang. How I love your art.

Wonder Woman is one of the few DC books that I keep up with, and if you read it you would understand why. They may have changed some fundamental aspects of Diana's origin story, but they played it off well enough that it can be easily overlooked. 

X-Men
Brian Wood with pencils by Oliver Coipel

An all-female team of X-Men? Anyone who knows me knew how excited I was when this book was announced. Focusing on fan favourites such as Storm, Rogue, Kitty Pryde, Rachel Grey, Psylocke, and the reintroduction of Jubilee (who is still a vampire) and a mystery baby! I am so pleased with this book and am glad that we're at a point in the world of comics that this can be published!

Saga and Hawkeye are (regrettably) not on my pull list, but I do buy them in trades. (For those who don’t know, these are the collected editions of the single issues) It’s a hassle to go hunting for back issues, especially with books as popular as those two. I’m content in the money I’m saving by waiting a little longer to own them myself...But if I could send a message to past me it would definitely be to start buying those books the moment they began. Or to tell myself to start reading comics a whole lot earlier.

Do you have a pull list? If so, what's on it?

My First Comic Box!

Due to the fact that I've been collecting comics for a year now, I decided it was time that I bought my first comic box. The milk crate I was using was over flowing at this point, and I had many a scolding from fellow readers/coworkers.

I decided on a short box mostly because I didn't think I would have enough comics to fill a long box. I was wrong. However, I realized it was a good purchase considering the limited amount of space I have in my room. Also, having only a small amount of space forced me to separate the comics I actually bought and/or read, from the issues that I hadn't read, or had been given as gifts, or that I borrowed from friends.
I was going to post a little video of me assembling it, but it took a lot longer than expected and was in short incredibly painful to watch. I'll just post a picture of the results to save anyone reading the torture and myself the embarrassment.

Regardless, it all worked out! I'm planning to pick up a few more short boxes as I keep collecting. I know a fair amount of people that use the boxes, and a lot who don't. Where do you keep your comics?

How I Got Into Comics and Why I Started This Blog

My name is Gabby and I want to begin by saying I am by no means an expert when it comes to comics. Hopefully one day I will be….but for now the purpose of this blog is to express my journey into the fandom and keep track of all the comics I’ve read and wish to read.

Although always having an interest in comics, it did not become a regular past time for me until about two years ago. Other than the odd graphic novels and collected editions of well-known newspaper comics, my knowledge of comics was the bare minimum. No one around me had a strong interest in them, and a lack of confidence in regards to entering a fandom I knew nothing about, especially one that was predominantly male, had me intimidated. That all changed when I discovered blogging. Despite not being too comfortable with doing it myself, I was enamored with reading and viewing blogs. Blogs that showcase people’s lives, interests and art soon became my favourite reading material. It was through blogging sites like Tumblr that I became exposed to comic artists and fans, which not only encouraged new people to get into comics, but were also, to my surprise, female!

I decided that this was something I wanted to get into, so I did some research and realized the cheapest and easiest way for me to start was to read whatever graphic novels caught my interest at my local library. I kept up this habit for a year, and eventually started visiting comic stores to pick up books for my brother every now and then. I would usually end up going to the one I currently work at, mostly because my workplace at the time was conveniently located in the same mall. Every time I went the same guy would be working. Even though I knew practically nothing about comics, he was very helpful and fun to talk to. Eventually he found out that I needed a job, and suggested I talk to the boss about handing in my resume. A week later I was hired, and after working there for over a year I not only purchase but read comics on a regular basis.

When I chose to blog about comics I did so not only to express my interest in them, but with the hope that it would inspire others to learn about comics as well. In addition to being an amazing and ever growing source of entertainment, I’ve also made many connections and met a lot of new people because of it.

I’ve wanted to start a blog for a while now, and being required to do so for a class has given me the initiative to actually go through with it. My hope is that I will enjoy it enough to continue writing even after the assignment is complete! However, having never done this before it may take some time for this to become a habit rather than a chore. Please feel free to recommend your fave reads, ongoing or not; I’m more than willing to try something new!