Geekorama

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Trish - Working hard to get Fire and Ice finished and to the editor so she can meet her second deadline extension; pandemics are hard!

Jeremy - Negotiating literary contracts and trying to make decisions for seven years down the road!

This month in Pop-Culture History

Very Special Star Wars addition! May the Fourth Be With You!

Denis Lawson who played Wedge Antilles in A New Hope is Ewan McGregor’s real-life uncle. McGregor has vivid memories of going to see A New Hope to cheer on his uncle.

In the story development for Return of the Jedi, Lucas toyed with the idea of Luke taking off Vader's helmet and then declaring “Now I am Vader” and turning to the dark side (providing further proof that George should never be allowed to make final story decisions about the franchise.)

The sets on Phantom Menace where Liam Neeson appeared had to be rebuilt to accommodate his 6’4” stature, costing an additional $150,000 in production costs 

Laura Dern who played Admiral Amilyn Holdo, couldn’t stop saying “Pew!” when she fired her blaster. In spite of some handy editing and camera angles, you can still see her saying it in the final cut.

The kiss that Luke places on Leia’s forehead in The Last Jedi was unscripted, but Hammill felt that since this was it, the last time he’d see his sister, it was a fitting good-bye. (And now I’m crying!)

Fun Star Wars Trivia Quiz,

Geek Outs!

Trish-Clone Wars Series finale. NO SPOILERS, but I will say that it’s some of the best storytelling (if not THE BEST Star Wars storytelling) I’ve ever seen.

Jeremy- Knee deep in the horrific. The Endless and The Platform are two horror movies worth checking out on Netflix. The Endless involves brothers returning to a cult and has a bit of Lovecraftian horror and the Platform is essentially the vertical version of the Cube. Not amazing, but worth adding to your quarantine watchlist. 

Deep Dive- 

Trish’s Book- Trail of Lightning

It wasn’t my thing (I’m a bit biased against dystopian novels), but it was a solid book with good characters and if you like weird dystopia, this is the book for you! It features a monster hunter, authentic indigenous voices in America, and a whole lot of magic. There is a bit of weird that happens between the main character and her mentor that makes the plot a bit unsettling, but overall, it’s compelling enough to consider reading the second book in the series.

4 Out of 5 Stars

Jeremy’s Book- The Walking Dead: Days Gone By

There was a lot to like in this series by Robert Kirkman and Tony Moore. I’ll admit, I watched the show before reading the comic so there is a bit of bias in that regard. The first issue is compelling. Rick wakes up from a coma in a world gone mad and filled with zombies. The angles and techniques used to create a sense of isolation start with a bang in this six-issue arc. However, the moment Rick finds his wife and son amidst a group of campers outside of Atlanta, it starts to fall apart. The storyline feels rushed and there isn't’ enough time to develop the love triangle behind Rick, Shane and Lori. There are too many interwoven stories that cloud the primary story. This is where the show, with two seasons to see this arc to fruition was better able to create a tense atmosphere with intrigue. But despite its shortcomings, there is enough intrigue to warrant a read and even continue (hopefully the bumpy road at the start is due to publisher jitters.)

3.5 Out of 5 Stars

 

Next month Book Club

Soon I Will be Invincible by Austin Grossman

Wonder Woman: Odyssey (#600 - #614)

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https://www.superhero-fiction.com

 

For this episode Trish and Jeremy joined with QuaranCon for a panel of Superhero Authors. Join them and Matt King, Michael C. Bailey, Karen Diem, and Taylor Elwood to discuss the art of writing action packed stories with superpowered heroes. Join in the laughs and look at the inspiration that led to our novels.

 

Fan of the show? Hit the subscribe button or leave us a comment. Tune in for a new episode every Thursday morning!

Visit Superhero-Fiction for the Full Shownotes

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Trish - having a hard week, to be honest. The volatile emotions of her kids, remote learning, and the stress of the times we’re living in have created a perfect storm. She’s fighting the fight, flight, freeze instinct of her brain but it’s really hard right now.

Jeremy -is proud to say that the smutty superhero romance in the Children of Nostradamus Universe has been accepted and will be released in a few months. He also wrote “The End” on book two in the Daughter of Nostradamus series that should be out in a couple of months.

This month in Pop-Culture History

1947 Jackie Robinson became the first African American in over 50 years to play on a professional baseball team. In ten seasons with the Brooklyn Dodgers, he played in six World Series games, including the 1955 Dodgers Championship, and six consecutive All-Star games from 1949-1954.

1967 Muhammad Ali refused to be inducted into the US Army because he was a conscientious objector to the war in Vietnam. He was immediately stripped of his heavyweight title and sentenced to 5yrs in prison. For 4yrs he and his legal team fought to appeal the verdict.

1978 The Amazing Spiderman debut on CBS, and was the first live-action TV series based on the character. Though a ratings success, it was canceled after just thirteen episodes.

Geek Outs!

Trish- Nancy Drew on the CW. Nancy Drew purists will HATE this new vision of the character but I’m LOVING it!

Jeremy- Devs is a little something for everybody. The Hulu Original is eight episodes of sci-fi adjacent thrilling conspiracy theories. It asks the question, is the future fixed, or do we have free will?

Deep Dive- Sense8 (A Show About Relationships)

“This is proof, that for all the differences between us and all the forces that try to divide us they will never exceed the power of love to unite us.” - River El-Sadawi

Sense8 is many things. On the surface it's a show about eight people interlinked and bound to one another in a supernatural manner. As they discover their newfound abilities, they must do so before they are hunted down and killed by one of their own. This Netflix series may have ended prematurely, but it tells a complete story and ends with an emotional bang that takes casual fans and makes them "senates."

Sun & Joong-Ki

Lito & Hernando & Daniela

Nomi & Amanita

Kala & Wolfgang & Rajan

Riley & Will

Capheus & Zakia

All of these people overcome incredible obstacles both personal and from the wider world to be together, and to love in the way that is true to them. This show is many things but at its core it is about love.

 

Question of the Week:  What’s something extreme or weird that you’ve done for your fandom?

Trish - Working on Fire & Ice, Book two Heroes of High Tide and bingeing season three of Miss Fisher so I can watch the movie.

Jeremy - Just sent, “We Must Endure” off to the editor and got a chance to put together my box set for the Night Quartet and the pre-order is live.

This month in Pop-Culture History

1564 William Shakespeare was born (we think)

1970 an oxygen tank exploded in space on Apollo 13. The crew never made it to the moon but they did survive to tell the tale.

1992 the first discoveries of planets outside our solar system were announced by Alexander Wolszczan & Dale Frail. The planets orbit the pulsar PSR 1257+12.

Geek Outs!

Trish- History documentaries on YouTube. The She-Wolves of England and History Buff

Jeremy- Also, history documentaries? I’ve been watching WWII documentaries to help fill out the world in the Daughter of Nostradamus series. To help make it more “me” I even started watching comic book documentaries about the Golden Age of Comics. I finally understand the appeal of Archie Comics!

Deep Dive: Galaxy Quest 

The overall feel of the movie is a love letter to fans of great science fiction movies and TV; specifically Star Trek. The movie respects fans, and is full of heart. Though written as a comedy, it was directed as a drama, meaning that the characters took everything seriously.

The cast is a who’s-who of actors from TV and Film, some known at the time and others just breaking out. Sigourney Weaver is the only one who had experience filming anything Sci-Fi. And Tim Allen wasn’t the first choice to play the leader fo the intrepid crew of the Protector.

This movie was pure lightning in a bottle. None of it should have worked. Everything about it was a risk and on paper, it looked insane. But, it did work and is considered a classic Sci-Fi Comedy.

For more on Galaxy Quest:

Never Surrender: Documentary on Galaxy Quest

Film Joy Movies with Mikey: Galaxy Quest

Question of the Week: What is YOUR fandom?

Trish - is trying to find a silver lining as the word comes down from the Governor of her state that schools are closed until the fall.

Jeremy - Jeremy is preparing to release a short story and trying to patiently wait for his audiobook to come online. He’s failing miserable at the patience part.

This month in Pop-Culture History

1975 Microsoft was formed by a partnership of Bill Gates and Paul Allen in Albuquerque, New Mexico

1986 Geraldo Rivera hosted a live two-hour special titled The Mystery of Al Capone’s Vault. They found nothing.

2008 Danica Patrick became the first woman to win an Indy car race, defying decades of sexist thought and action by the Indy car racing sport.

Geek Outs!

Trish- The audiobook of The Witches Are Coming by Lindy West  Socio-political commentary and comedy at it’s BEST because as you’re laughing, you also cringe as West gets right to the heart of it all. And Secret Diary of a Call Girl, for some high class, wonderful smut with dashes of funny and serious.

Jeremy- Has resumed his comic book reading and jumped into the story arc “House of X” and “Powers of X” that started in 2018. The story is weird, somewhat unfamiliar and a little bit aggravating, but it’s a fresh take. How far they go with it and what is the outcome for the long haul of the X-Men is up in the air. However, the graphic design of the info dumps in the book are stunning and show attention to detail. It’s worth checking out if you’re an X-Men fan.

Deep Dive 

Everybody has a strong opinion when it comes to their favorite portrayal of a hero, but none can compare to the tenacity of Batman. We focus on the cinematic universe despite Jeremy’s insistence that Adam West transcends all mediums. We also make sure to give a shout out to the amazing voice work of Kevin Conroy. But who is the best and who is the worst? We’ll tease you with our least favorites...

Trish’s Least Favorite: George Clooney and Val Kilmer (Sorry Val, I will always love you!)

Jeremy’s Least Favorite: Ben Affleck, Boston loves you, but I do not.

To hear our Favorites, listen to the podcast!

Question of the Week: Who is YOUR favorite Batman and why?

Trish -Finally getting some writing done! It feels so good and I’m gonna start outlining book three this week. Also proofing my audiobook, it’s slow going.

Jeremy - I’ve submitted my Superhero romance to the publisher. I’ve started working on a superhero novella for my readers and I’m nearly done writing the second book in my prequel trilogy. I’m on fire!

 

This month in Pop-Culture History

1902-The first full-time movie theater in the US opened in LA, it was called “Electric Theater”

1982 NASA announced that the first female astronaut would be Sally K. Ride and the first black astronaut would be Guion S. Bluford, Jr.

2000-Pokemon card game premiered

 

Geek Outs!

Trish-The new Roswell. I loved the original but the new one is darker, older and has great representation.

Jeremy- Locke & Key is the next on the list of binge series. Created by Joe Hill and Gabriel Rodriguez the show straddles fantasy, mystery and a tinge of horror. Three episodes in and willing to report, I decided to do my laundry while it was on. Those who love a slow burn with intriguing fantasy elements will love it. Unfortunately at this point, Jeremy wants to lock the kids in a closet and lose the key.

 

Deep Dive: Picard (SPOILERS! You’ve been warned!)

Loved: 

Riker and Deanna, the emotion of their episode was perfect

7 of 9 in all her kick but glory, and thankfully sans catsuit

Space Vegas! Not the actual name but who cares when Picard is in an eye patch and sporting a fake French accent?

Showing that Starfleet isn’t perfect.

The ragtag crew, and especially Raffi.

Hated:

The deus ex machina in the second to the last episode that retconned a major plot point.

The hollowness of an emotional moment in the last episode.

Not enough 7 of 9!!!

For more Trek goodness: Special shout out to Movies with Mikey. Watch his two-part Star Trek special here.

 

Question of the Week: Who, in your opinion, was the best Star Trek Captain?

Having difficulties coping during this turbulent time? We are all struggling. If you need somebody to listen, you can reach out to https://www.takethis.org.

Trish -started implementing some homeschooling for the girls, which is going well, especially since her husband is home with her. And she’s on the mend from the swine flu, finally!

Jeremy - Isolation, my ass! Jeremy is working at lightning speeds again and after throwing away an unsuccessful novel, he’s back into it. He’s hoping to release his urban fantasy superhero prequel series in the next couple of months. 

 

This month in Pop-Culture History

1655 - Saturn's largest moon, Titan, was discovered by Christiaan Huygens.

In 1963 Tony Stark premiers in Tales of Suspense #39 by Stan Lee, Jack Kirby, and Don Heck

In 1964 Scarlet Witch premiers in X-Men #4 by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby

 

Deep Dive: Book Club Edition

Trish’s Selection: The Binti Novella Trilogy by Nnedi Okorafor

The first novella is a Hugo and Nebula award-winner where we are introduced to a young Himba girl named Binti who has the chance to attend the prestigious Oomza University. Binti has a talent for mathematics and is a master harmonizer. But on the way to the planet where Oomza is located, aliens called the Medusae attack, leaving Binti as the lone student survivor. She has to fend for herself and survive the five-day journey with a shipful of the aliens.  Binti discovers that the Medusae are planning an attack and so she has to try and broker a peace agreement between them and the leaders of Oomza. What happens transforms her in more ways than one, and Binti’s life is forever changed. She becomes even more of an outsider to the Himba people than she was by simply leaving, and becomes an object of curiosity at best and revulsion at worst by those around her.

The three novellas have themes of transformation, being an outsider and the courage to enact necessary change when everything is resisting that change.  They are simply and beautifully written, the world-building is simply done without a lot of explanation and yet I wasn’t lost at all. I highly recommend reading the trilogy as one complete novel because you get a really compelling, complete story. 

 

Jeremy's Selection: Daredevil: The Man Without Fear

By: Frank Miller (Author) and John Romita Jr. (Artist)

Originally created by Stan Lee and Bill Everette in 1964 and known as the Devil of Hell’s Kitchen. However, amongst the many stories about this “street level” vigilante, one will always rise to the top. In 1993, a limited edition, five issue comic was released blending the solemn and poetic words of Frank Miller along with the gritty and violent artwork of John Romita Jr. 

The story delves into the origin of Daredevil, taking key moments from his childhood, teen, college and adult life that led him to wear the suit. What we quickly learn is that Matt Murdock is not the hero we need, he’s the hero we deserve. Surrounded by tragedy, first with the death of his father, then the abandonment of Stick and later Elektra, Matt tightly holds onto the shred of humanity that puts him just slightly on the right side of good and wrong. 

What makes this story unique does come from the origin story itself, or the tragedy Murdock faces on his way to becoming a masked vigilante. No, the beauty of the story comes from an almost cold detached narrator giving us insight into what we’re seeing. Written in third person, we are left wondering if these words are from some godlike figure, or if they’re Murdock himself from the future looking back. The simple statements packed with emotion, both good and bad, rope in the reader and take them on a turbulent ride. By book five, when we finally see Murdock don the classic red devil costume, it feels earned, as if he was given no other option. We the reader are left feeling that it is the only choice we could have made. In five issues, we are given an emotional landslide that provides context for the existence of another

Trish released her newest superhero novel, Fahrenheit’s Ghost!!! Yay!!! It’s now available on Amazon. Oh, and she has swine flu.

Jeremy is in isolation and trying to find the will to live...or at least write. The Superhero Smut story is officially finished. Now to get back to writing about a certain psychic woman from the 1940’s.

This month in Pop-Culture History

1976 - March 19th Barry Allen is born (According to ‘76 DC Calendar)

1972 - LUKE CAGE, HERO FOR HIRE #1 debuted

1980 - Jean Gray goes full Dark Phoenix in Uncanny X-Men #134 

1980 - "Who Shot JR?" Episode of Dallas premiered giving rise to the popularity of the cliffhanger season-ending episode 

Geek Outs 

Trish's Geek Out!

Want to binge on pop culture perspectives? Youtuber, Lindsay Ellis has done a series of videos that looks at The Male Gaze in Michael Bay’s Transformers. But in a twist, she doesn’t look at females, she focuses on the men in his movies. She’s a fan of his movies but has no problem picking apart the good and the bad. You can fall down the rabbit hole.

Lindsay Ellis: Transformers The Male Gaze vs. Men

Jeremy's Geek Out!

We hate to bring up the same thing two weeks in a row, but the androids are making us do it. Season 3 of Westworld has come out and the folks are saying it’s good. However, Jeremy hasn’t gotten there. Perplexed, confused, and amazed by season two, Jeremy is going back and rewatching (for the third time.) It gets better each viewing and has amazing storytelling that any person will admire. The writers deserve serious accolades. If you haven’t watched it yet, put it on your quarantine binge list.

Westworld Season 3 Trailer 

Deep Dive

Our Suggested Isolation Movie List

We’re a world in lockdown. Across the world every country is experiencing some form of isolation. Currently we’re staying indoors and abusing our Netflix, Hulu and Amazon Prime subscriptions. It seems the world is split between appropriate “apocalypse” worthy movies. There are those looking to lift their spirits and ward off the misery and then there are those who want to see the worst-case scenario to feel better about life. Even here, Trish and Jeremy diverge in opinion...

Trish’s Top 5

Easy A starring Emma Stone

Bad Moms starring Kristen Bell, Mila Kunis, and Kathryn Hahn

The Spy Who Dumped Me starring Mila Kunis, Kate McKinnon, Sam Heughan

Galaxy Quest starring Tim Allen, Sigourney Weaver, Tony Shaloub, Alan Rickman, Sam Rockwell, Daryl Mitchell, Enrico Colantoni and Justin Long

The Lord of the Rings Trilogy starring...c’mon, do I need to say it? 

Jeremy’s Top 5

28 Days Later - starring Cillian Murphy & Naomie Harris

Dawn of the Dead - starring Sarah Polley & Ving Rhames

Blindness - starring Julianne Moore

Resident Evil Franchise - starring Milla Jovovich

Anna and the Apocalypse - Ella Hunt, Malcolm Cumming & Sarah Swire

Question of the Week

What are you watching during the “Great Isolationing of 2020?”

Trish is struggling with a MONSTER cold (NOT Covid!!!) that has waylaid her.

Jeremy wrapped up his steamy romance and has been preparing for the crazy about to swallow the United States as lock downs and cancellations happen.

This month in Pop-Culture History

1818 - Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus by 21-year-old Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley was published. It is recognized as the world's first science fiction novel, 

 

1973-Spiderman #121 kills off Gwen Stacey, shocking the readers. It was previously unthinkable to kill off such an important character. Generally, a superhero did not fail this disastrously unless it was part of his or her origin story.

 

2012-Captain Marvel #1 by Kelly Sue DeConnick premiered, The relaunch of Captain Marvel stands out as being important most of all because Danvers was notoriously a character that was shelved, squandered, and underutilized for decades. 

Geek Outs 

Trish's Geek Out!

The Lady’s Guide to Celestial Mechanics is a period romance with two delectable lesbian protagonists. It’s an older woman-younger woman romance with so many beautiful layers and a healthy amount of steam. Set in Regency-era England, Catherine is a widow whose husband had been abusive throughout their marriage. Lucy is a brilliant young astronomer who longs to continue her fathers’ work but is being held back by society. The book not only does a beautiful job of showing the growing passion between these two women but uses it to heal them both: Lucy’s broken heart and Catherine’s wounded one. Underneath all this is a history lesson on how brilliant women were forced to hide or kill their talents in service to the men around them. Written by Olivia Waite, this book is the literary equivalent of a rich chocolate cake and good red wine.

Jeremy's Geek Out!

New Mutants Final Trailer

The New Mutants, created by Chris Claremont is coming to the big screen and it’s the last chance for Fox to wow us before Disney and Marvel incorporate characters into the MCU. Unlike the previous X-Men films, this movie has a much stronger genre presence. Based on the New Mutants comic, it appears to be holding true to the horror themes that ran rampant during its original publication. Unfortunately with another PG-13 rating, it will maintain a tame theme. With characters including Wolfsbane, Magik, and Psyche/Mirage, it has the potential to end on a high note, But can it overcome the horrific writing that has plagued the X-Men franchise up to this point? We’ll know soon enough.

Deep Dive Favorite Women of Sci-Fi (Mostly) Television

Trish’s Top 10

 

Myka Bering- Warehouse 13 (Joanne Kelly)

Alison Blake-Eureka (Salli Richardson)

 

Aeryn Soong- Farscape (Claudia Black)

Sarah Lance- Legends of Tomorrow (Caity Lotz)

Peggy Carter- Agent Carter (Hayley Atwell)

The Ladies of GLOW- GLOW

River Song- Doctor Who (Modern day) (Alex Kingston)

Zoe- Firefly (Gina Torres)

Eleanor Shelstrop- The Good Place (Kirsten Bell)

Betty Suarez- Ugly Betty (America Ferrera)

Jeremy’s Top 10

 

Maeve Millay / WestWorld (Thandie Newton)

Sarah Manning / Orphan Black (Tatiana Maslany)

 

Prairie Johnson OA / (Brit Marling)

Lt. Sharon 'Athena' Agathon / BSG (Grace Park)

Astrid Farnsworth / Fringe (Jasika Nicole)

Colonel Samantha Carter / SG1 (Amanda Tapping)

Xena / Xena (Lucy Lawless)

Clarke Griffin / The 100 (Eliza Taylor)

Machonne / The Walking Dead (Danai Gurira)

Number 6 / BSG (Tricia Helfer) 

Question of the Week

Who is your favorite female in Television Science Fiction & Fantasy?

Trish is excited that her upcoming new release has already made it at the top of the new releases for African American Science Fiction.

Jeremy is working like crazy to finish editing the Night Covenants Audiobook. It’s currently offering a chance for him to cool off from writing steamy superhero romance. 

This month in Pop-Culture History

1972-Misty Knight makes her premiere in Marvel Team-Ups #1 

1985- Robotech premiered in US syndication, 

1998-Titanic became the first film to gross over 1 billion dollars worldwide,  

Geek Outs 

Trish's Geek Out!

 If you’re wanting a little more Woo in your life, look no further than the Glow Girl podcast! Two midwest moms talk about the ins, outs and slightly crass side of Astrology and Tarot while being incredibly down to earth in the process. Though raised in a conservative Christian home, I’ve been yearning for something a bit more Female empowering in my spirituality. I was never sure where to start and decided “Why not just start with Wicca” last fall. Though it doesn’t quite fit me, I’ve fallen in love with crystals, oracle cards, and Astrology, not to mention Goddess culture in general, as a way to expand on the restrictive faith of my childhood. I know it sounds woo-woo, and that’s why the Glow Girls call it Woo. Seriously, it is a little woo-woo, and I’m ok with that. 

Glow Girl Podcast 

Jeremy's Geek Out!

In the pursuit of superhero shows that aren’t Marvel and DC action-packed extravaganzas, we have a new trend that is happening. I Am Not Okay With This is Netflix providing a story that focuses on character development and not the over-the-top action. Created by the same team that brought us Stranger Things, this show focuses on a Sydney, a teenage girl who doesn’t fit in. Drawing on the universal feeling of isolation in the teen years, this show goes a step beyond puberty and adds budding superpowers. The show has some flaws overall. It’s dangerously close to Stranger Things, awkward kids, doing awkward things and a young female with telekinesis. The other major downfall is that it is only seven episodes long and just and just as the plot finds a direction, it ends. It’s obvious that Netflix is splitting the season to help spread out their content, but the cliff hanger is irksome.

Watch the trailer on Youtube 

Deep Dive

What’s the difference between genders in iconic superheroes?

 

There are numerous reasons why a hero can make it to icon status. It can be the writer, the artist, or even the reader who propels them to this legendary status, but there's an unfair uphill battle that female characters face. 

Trish and Jeremy discuss the two powerhouses of DC, Superman & Batman. While Superman embodies the hopes we have for humanity and our needs to always be in the right, Batman operates in the gray area of morality. We want Superman's hope, but we want Batman's ability to persevere when there is no easy answer.

For Marvel, there is Wolverine and Deadpool. Wolverine is the loner whose internal struggle is between being a human and submitting to the animalistic rage. We understand his anger, and ultimately hope that he manages to find peace and happiness. Where as Deadpool has exactly zero F*cks to give. He's the man readers which they could be in the real world, no filter, no care for consequences. Deadpool has the unique trait of being the newer superhero and has quickly risen to icon status.

For the women both Trish and Jeremy noticed something different. Storm and Ms. Marvel aren't frequently knocked back to the status quo, they're more often clawing their way for acceptance. Storm is an iconic black goddess who even in her darkest hour holds a semblance of grace. Without her powers she still finds an identity that rivals her male counterparts. Ms. Marvel, with a tragic back story (tragic as in sexist) had to bide her time until writer Chris Claremont used her for more than a prop. Despite being torn down over and over, she manages to become a hero that is now recog