Geeky Wardrobe Woes Revisited

Could it be?

Could it actually be possible that clothing manufacturers are finally taking small steps towards including women's clothing in the merchandising of all things geek?

You might recall from one of my earlier posts that I was less than pleased with how little is available clothing-wise for women who (like me) have a fondness for superheroes and other comic book related things.

Well, the other day while hubby, GG2.0 and I were at Walmart picking up a few things (most of which were in fact for GG2.0), we were walking by the pajamas of the women's section and happened upon a Batgirl nightshirt.

Just imagine my excitement!

There I was at Walmart of all places, and I was standing face to face with a piece of comic book-themed clothing that was actually designed for the female gender (not simply a shirt taken from the men's department...and seriously how many of us geeky gals have done just that on more than one occasion when faced with a comic book-themed shirt of our liking?). I waited maybe all of two seconds before I was grabbing one off the rack and hugging it to my chest with an exclamation of "I need this!".

Hubby for his part simply chuckled and shook his head before walking away with the stroller...leaving me to scamper after him with my prize.

In any case, maybe this nightshirt is a silver lining for geeky girls everywhere. Maybe superhero-themed nightshirts is the first step in what will finally be an array of actual superhero-themed clothing items designed specifically with girls in mind.

Once can only hope!

Until next time, peace, love and cookies!

Batgirl: Spoiled!

OMIGOD! OMIGOD! OMIGOD!!

I am SO frakking excited about what my husband found and then shared with me that I just had to share it with all of you!

Now, if you recall from one of my earlier posts, Stephanie Brown is my favorite Batgirl despite how much I love Barbara Gordon, and that the reboot of the Batgirl comic book in the New 52 was a double-edged sword for me. On the one hand I was very happy that Barbara Gordon was restored to her former glory, but on the other hand, I was very sad to see Stephanie Brown disappear. Imagine then my excitement and joy when I saw the dazzling little gem below...

Not only is it a preview for what looks like an utterly awesome web series  revolving around Batgirl, but Batgirl: Spoiled is a web series revolving around my favorite Batgirl! Now, my excitement not only stems from the fact that my favorite Batgirl is the star of this series, but also because those responsible for creating the web series obviously did their homework. They didn't just stick some blond in a generic Batgirl costume (as I have seen done with a few cosplayers), but rather they actually recreated Stephanie Brown's costume with the kind of great, painstaking accuracy that could only be weilded by geeks.

Then, there's the fact that even though Stephanie doesn't utter a word throughout the entire course of the trailer, her snark still manages to shine through, so a great deal of character research has obviously been done. Aside from all of that, Stephanie and all the other notable characters that appeared (however briefly) on the screen near the end of the trailer looked as though they quite literally walked out of the pages of the comic books. All of that being said, a great deal of effort was obviously put into not only the casting of the players, but also into their costumes and makeup...and considering that this series is being done for the sole purpose of entertainment and not for profit, that is saying a great deal.

Suffice to say, I will be waiting anxiously for the episodes to start airing.

And who could blame me?

With the amount of attention to detail that has quite obviously been applied to this project, it can only mean that the series as a whole will be extremely well done and more than worth the watch whether or not you're a fan of Stephanie Brown.

Especially since this series is being done by fans for fans.

What does that mean?

It means that geeks are in control of the reins and will thereby stay true to the characters as they were written and not throw unnecessary curve balls into the works...unlike some people...

*cough, cough* Michael Bay *cough, cough*

For more geeky awesomeness, go here!

Fulfillment of a Childhood Wish

Well, it only took about twenty years, but I am now the proud and exceedingly happy owner of a Teenage MUTANT** Ninja Turtle action figure.

As I mentioned in one of my previous posts, I was a tomboy growing up. However, what I neglected to mention that the toys I wanted more than any other in the universe were TMNT action figures. However, because of my being a girl, my mother deemed them inappropriate toys for me and steadfastly refused to get them for me. 

Imagine my surprise and delight the other day when my wonderfully geeky husband came home from making a diaper-run at Target and presented me with not only a TMNT action figure, but the action figure of my favorite turtle! His exact words as he revealed the gift to me with a smile being--"I know it's over twenty years late, but here."

I'm not kidding when I say that I let loose with a fangirl squeal before grabbing the package from my husband's hand and hugging it tightly to me while jumping up and down in child-like excitement before placing it on display right next to my Arkham City Harley Quinn (another gift from my wonderful hubby).

It's silly, I know...a grown woman getting so excited over an action figure, but I simply couldn't help myself. After wanting something for over twenty years, wouldn't you get excited when presented with it?

Of course you would!

Until next time, peace, love and cookies!

**That's right...MUTANT! Take THAT, Michael Bay!

Bay's Turtles: The Hurting Continues

Well, my fellow TMNT fans...here we are yet again.

For those of you who have been keeping in the loop in regards to the film "reboot" (and I use that word loosely), you will of course be familiar with the news of the film being put on indefinite hiatus because of scripting problems.

Naturally, when I heard about that, I was beyond pleased because my inner fangirl believed that the studios and everyone else involved with the project finally came to their senses upon being met with all the negative reactions by the fans. My inner fangirl optimistically believed that the scripting problems meant that a complete re-write was being done because those involved in the project actually listened to the many cries of outrage from the plethora of hardcore fans. My inner fangirl dared to hope that the cries of we fans actually meant something.

However...according to this interview with TMNT co-creator and rebooted film supporter Kevin Eastman, we find out that is not the case...

According to Eastman, the delays with the script have nothing to do with rewriting the debacle that is the alien angle, but rather involve making certain that director Jonathan Liebesman can do all the effects that he has planned. Also (and this is what really has me steamed at this particular juncture), the plan is to release the reboot in 2014--within a few days of the franchises 30th anniversary.

Really? I mean REALLY?!

Not only, are the rebooted turtles aliens and not mutants, but the fact that this reboot is being aired within a few days of the franchise's anniversary is a real slap in the face for the die-hard fans. By releasing this "alleged" reboot in this time frame, it's as though they're saying that the turtles we all know, love and grew up with no longer exist. Even Kevin Eastman is guilty of this because he is on board with the changes being made to the franchise that he himself helped create.

"[W]hat they're doing with the movie is creating its own story, but it has to be true to the source material or we'll get @#$!-ng murdered. To be blunt."

This is what makes me want to repeatedly slam my head against a wall. Not only does Eastman know that the fans are angry about what's being done to the turtles, but he keeps saying that the film stays true to the core story.

I'm sorry...but in WHAT reality is making the turtles aliens instead of mutants--thereby doing away with the core part of the lore--a way of staying true to the core story? Seriously...has Eastman not been reading the IDW reboot that he works on? Because THAT is creating a new story while remaining true to core concepts in the lore.

To paraphrase one of my favorite quotes from a television series...

"Read! Learn how to read the comics that you write!" (50 points to whoever can name the show and the exact quote, and who uttered it.)

Until next time, my friends. Now if you'll excuse me...the wall is beckoning my head.

Nerd up

Serenity: Those Left Behind

Attention fellow Browncoats!

You'd better aim to misbehave, because due to his the shelves the 15th of this month is the shiny 2nd edition of Serenity: Those Left Behind!
Based on the sadly short-lived television brought to you by Joss Whedon (otherwise known as God in the Nerdverse), this gem of a graphic novel is written by none other than Brett Matthews (the show's writer) and Joss himself! This brand, spankin'-new edition comes in a beautiful hardcover, and features the extras that were previously only available in the limited deluxe edition!
For those of you who were only able to get the regular edition when it first came out, this is your chance to finally be privy to the special extras that you've up until now been denied! I'd say that's more than enough reason to get your hands on a copy of this masterpiece.

Now that the 'boring' stuff is out of the way (yeah, right...like anything dealing with this franchise could ever be boring), let me get to my review of the piece. Yes, I know this is a second edition of a previously released version, but I've never been able to get my hands on a copy of it before, so you're going to have to suffer through my fangirl ramblings. ;)

Besides...there might be some of you out there who have yet to experience the awesomeness that is the Firefly franchise. By the way, if this is the case, you should take steps to rectify that situation!

Now then...onto my review!

First of all, the artwork (by Will Conrad) is absolutely gorgeous! The characters on the page actually look like the characters we know and love from the series and the spin-off film, and that is a huge accomplishment. Seriously, I cannot tell you how many comic books I've read that were based off of television shows and films (which will remain nameless) in which it looked like the artist didn't even make an attempt to liken the illustrated version of the character to the real life version.

Second of all, the story in itself was very well written and it feels like you're actually watching an episode or even a film unfold across the pages (hardly surprising considering just who wrote it). For those of you who are already proud Browncoats, but who haven't gotten around to reading the first edition of this amazing work of art, it picks up not long after where the last episode of the series leaves off and is meant to serve as a bridge between the end of Firefly and the beginning of Serenity.

More to the point, we see why Shepherd Book is no longer with the crew during the course of Serenity. Now, I don't know about the rest of you, but I was certainly wondering why one of my favorite characters was no longer part of the intrepid, ragtag crew. Had a disagreement been had? Had he had a crisis of faith? Did he feel that his time with the crew had run its course? Every time I watched Serenity, these questions would go through my head, and now after reading this wonderful graphic novel, I finally have my answer.

My overall review?

This graphic novel is a MUST HAVE not just for Browncoats, but for Whedonites everywhere. Even if you don't read comic books, this is still an excellent read and worthy of a place on your bookshelves. Just think of it as a lost episode...or even a lost screenplay with pictures...

Gorgeous, full-color pictures.

Pre-order your copy today!

Nerd up!

Geeky Wardrobe Woes

So, as you all know by now, a month ago I gave birth to my daughter (Girlygeek2.0/GG2.0) who has since taken over every aspect of my life in the most wonderful of ways. With that in mind, is it any surprise that this post is using her as the primary focus?

Anywho, as parents (geek parents to be precise), hubby and I are constantly keeping our eyes open for anything remotely geek oriented and designed for children any time we go shopping. Don't misunderstand me, we're not planning on forcing GG2.0 to be a geek; rather, we're trying to show her (yes, even at this young age) that it's okay to be one. It's okay to like comic books, video games as well as fantasy and scifi. Knick-knacks, DVDs and toys aren't a problem to find, but clothing...

That's where we see a distinctive lack of encouragement for girls to pursue the geeky and nerdy wonders that life has to offer.

Case in point, a couple weeks ago, hubby went to Walmart to pick up a few things that we needed. But while he was there, he ambled over to the children's section (as we both do now regardless of whether we're shopping for GG2.0 on that particular trip or not), and proceeded to look through the girls clothing in the hopes of finding something comic book or otherwise super hero-related to bring home to his little girl.

I don't need to tell you that he was rewarded with not one single thing.

However, as he passed the boys section, he came across quite the plethora of super hero-themed clothing and he thereby grabbed a Batman-themed tank top and shorts set. Naturally, because it is in point of fact a boy's outfit, it looks like a boy's outfit. When you look at it, there's no mistaking that it was designed with boys in mind.

Now, don't misunderstand me...

I don't have a problem with GG2.0 wearing a boy's outfit. Seriously, I was a tomboy as a child and even now as an adult, I'm what hubby affectionately calls 'fella-girly'. Basically, I LOVE shoes and all things cute and fluffy...but I throw like a boy and love movies like The Godfather and The Terminator. But aside from that, with the exception of one shirt I got at SDCC, all of my geeky shirts are from the boys/mens section of stores because unless I'm shopping on line, there are no geeky girl shirts to be found. Not even my comic book shop carries them, I'm very sad to say, and it's through no fault of their own because it's simply the way of things...boys get clothing emblazoned with beloved super heroes while girls are forced to wear clothing with Disney princesses.

Keep in mind that I have no quarrel with the Disney princesses (Belle is my favorite because as a fellow bookworm, I can relate to her), but I am however annoyed at the fact that little girls are told from a young age through fashion that comic book heroes are only for boys.

I'm sorry...are clothing companies unaware of Wonder Woman, Batgirl and Supergirl?! How about Storm, Rogue or Black Widow? And those are just to name a few...there's PLENTY more where that came from.

Clothing companies should take into account that there are in fact female comic book heroes and emblazon a few of them across the clothing they design for girls...and not just of the child variety, but of the adult variety as well.

The clothes don't even have to be comic book related...

Seriously how adorable would it be to have little girl shirts with chibi Chewbaccas, chibi Ninja Turtles, or Adiposes on the front? What's an Adipose? Just look below...
 

Adorable, right???

Seriously...what's it going to take before clothing companies realize that girls can and often do like the same thing as boys?