And then Skynet becomes self aware....

Since Google+ dropped the gauntlet and began #Nymwars, we've all known what was behind Google's real common names policy.

Google, up until this weekend, stood behind the pretty notion that they want us to use our common names so that we can socialize better. They want us to be a happy social network. They want us to chat and play games blissfully with people online as we would if we met them randomly on the street. They don't want the bad bad people who use pseudonyms to come in and spam and troll us! They want us to use common names for our own benefit. Because they love us!

Besides! Google promised to do no evil, right? It's a good thing their definition of "evil" does not include lies and deception!

The truth is, we are consumers using a free product that they have to pay for. Our real names are, apparently, paramount to that. None of us are sure how this actually works when there really is no verification for us regular folk to prove that we are truly using our real names. Personally, I assumed that, if Google wanted to sell me to advertisers, they would just give them the information they already have, such as my age, location, interests.... I'm not the only one who thought that a simple solution to appease both advertisers and users was to have a back end verification process that required our proper information that we knew Google was giving to advertisers in some way, shape and form, while we were allowed to socialize however we want on the front end. But nope, our real names - or at least what looks like real names - are the bow on the gift they are giving to advertisers.

So anyway, this weekend, Google ex-CEO, now Chairman Eric Schmidt finally and officially let the cat out of the bag (get it? Cat? Internet?). It's all over the internet, so there's no need for me to try to reword everything. Instead, I've been hunting down the various articles and loading them up here for prosperity. (Transcript of Schmidt's comments)

See you on Judgment Day!

Lost Girl

The ads on the TTC walls read,

Everyone else has vampires. We have a succubus.

This article concludes with:

A hot bisexual succubus show that cares about strong female friendships?
God bless Canada.

And there you have all you really need to know about Showcase's Lost Girl, season two of which begins in a week. Fear not, Americans, unlike you, we like to share our science fiction, with Sy Fy picking up both seasons of the show.

Okay, okay. I guess you might need more to convince you to watch. When I first started watching Lost Girl, I wrote this:

Kenzi

Showcase repeated the first episode of Lost Girl for my benefit so now I'm all caught up and still in love. I love that Bo has lots of heart and yet is not bound to be angsty in regard to the discovery that her desire for sex results in dead people. She's left a trail of bodies behind her and she's just matter of fact about getting out of dodge after she's fed. She's got conscience enough to have moments of pain over it, which was used against her in the first episode, but I appreciate that the show isn't dwelling on this issue.

And of course, there's darling Kenzi. I love her intro into Bo's world through her own charisma and Bo's semi-heroism, plus her association with Team Dyson, whom I also love because he's got heart too and there's stuff going on there! Need to watch the new episode again.
I also love that Bo has no issues with the concept of "to the death." I like that the show doesn't pull punches with her.

Now, with season two on its way, I'm excited. All of the above remains, but I am even more invested in the characters.  Particularly, Kenzi, whom, I've learned was very specifically created by Michelle Lovretta to fill the hole that so many shows and movies seem to miss when it comes to its female characters and their friendships:

That’s something that’s important. That you are able to just be a chick and talk with another ones and it might involve things other than occasionally the guy. For me, the most important relationships in my life, a lot of them have been my friendships. I see a lot of shows on TV where I don’t recognize my friendships in high school, in college. I don’t see the solidarity, I don’t see the support. I see a lot of cattiness and I wasn’t that girl, I didn’t know that girl.

Don't get put off by the cheesy play on the word "fae" that happens in every episode. The show has its silly moments, but there is a lot of heart here and a lot of interesting supernatural lore. Sure we've seen it in shows like Supernatural, but this time we're seeing it from the inside perspective with a main character who's stronger and far less angsty than Buffy, with a lot of solid back up.

Fan Expo 2011

I'm not your typical convention goer, so if you're looking for a proper fannish report on Fan Expo 2011, you should probably visit pages like this instead. I don't go for autographs; meeting the celebrities is incidental. I don't care about workshops and press conferences and my purchases are usually to support friends. Fan Expo is actually a social outing for me, which started as a work outing back in 1998 when I was hired as the Anime Coordinator. I worked for the Event Coordinator - who would become a very good friend - in varying capacities up until two months shy of the birth of my first daughter, Bunny. After that, domestication and moving further away from easy babysitting and accommodations have restricted my visitations, but I have been back every year to see my friends, many of whom I really only see at this annual event.

Some of them are artists and creators and it's great to see that, along with the show, they too have grown. Some branching off from their original benefactors, while the benefactors themselves have moved from the back of the Artists Alley to the big tables at the front. Meanwhile, the student that used to meet me before class at university and sell me comics like they were drugs now has a big old booth at the convention, three kids and a store of his own ... that delivers... hmmm.....

As far as the event itself goes, it has become most impressive. When I started, it was in the back corner of the south building of the Metro Toronto Convention Centre. Now, it is the south building, after previous north building events resulted in fire marshal shut downs due to far too many bodies in one place. We used to round up our attendance figures to help corporate sales, now the show is brought to you by G4 and Guillermo Del Toro calls to drop by because he's in town filming. Hell, there were even some people with signs shouting something about "no more line ups." I didn't stop to find out what their beef was. Too busy skirting the line to go pick up my VIP pass.

Sheep!

The main joy for me this year was that I got to go with Bunny. She been there before, but this time, she's old enough to understand and it's some much needed time for us together, away from her sister, Panda, who stayed home sick with daddy. Bunny was very excited about the subway ride, but when we got to the convention and she saw all the people, her attitude changed and she spent most of the explorations of the floor in my arms.

JM Frey as Belle

She was very impressed with the costumes, though, with the first one to catch her eye being a very beautiful Belle. I almost convinced her to give her a hug, but had to settle for a handshake. I could not convince her to pose with R2-D2 or hold a lightsaber or do much else, but that's okay. She did pose with my friend Trisha, who also drew her a picture and drew a picture of a sheep for a girl that was asking all the artists to do the same. Bunny decided that next year, she would follow suit and ask for butterflies. She told her sister about Belle later and they decided that next year, they wanted to dress up.

Maybe it's too cold up here, but I did not see many sexy cosplayers attempting T&A their way into geekdom acceptance. Thankfully, that guy who used to dress up as Sailor Saturn no longer does so, or else I missed him. Bunny was disappointed that she missed the Wonder Woman, though.

Anansi Boys

Anansi Boys by Neil Gaiman
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

As a sequel of sorts to American Gods and based on word of mouth that told me that this was very much unlike the much darker predecessor, I wasn't sure what to expect, although, anything centred around Anansi promised to be charming.

The book started rather slowly with a boring character, Fat Charlie Nancy, who's greatest stress was an embarrassing father, something many of us can sympathize with. Knowing what we know of his father, the trickster god Anansi - which Fat Charlie did not learn until his father's death - made the dull circumstances of Charlie's life oddly compelling as, at some point, it was certain that things would change. Change came in the form of his brother, Spider, who was very much unlike him and proceeds to take over Charlie's life, literally, with everyone falling in love with Spider, including Charlie's fiance.

From there, the story continued on a reasonably normal path until suddenly, the mythology of the Anansi stories and the reality truly came crashing together in odd and unpredictable ways that resulted in a book that I'm adding to my favourites list, if only for the strange smile it left me with.

I've known Anansi stories, but some how, I won't look at spiders the same way again. Charlie and Spider are fascinating characters and their twisted relationship is frustrating and endearing at the same time.

I understand now why Neil Gaiman is a favourite among fans. His imagination is immense and enjoyable. His reimagining of mythologies is impressive.

View all my reviews

Cleopatra 2525: How did I miss this?

So I was talking to my friend about meeting Kevin Sorbo again this weekend and he suggested I punch him for Andromeda. I can only assume that mention of Andromeda is what stirred up a tiny memory in the depths of my mind, launching it to the surface and demanding that I immediately look for this:

There are a lot of cheesy science fiction and fantasy shows that I have watched, including some of the ones Kevin Sorbo has to offer, but some how, but some cruel twist of fate, I missed Cleopatra 2525.

When complications arise during her breast augmentation surgery, 20th-century exotic dancer Cleo (Jennifer Sky) is put into suspended animation. Waking 525 years in the future, Cleo joins two women in their fight against the Baileys, armed flying machines who now control Earth's surface. Her team leader, Hel (Gina Torres), is commanded by a mysterious female entity called "Voice", who relays orders via a communications implant under Hel's left ear. Voice controls many other teams and gives them their orders in a similar fashion, in effect forming a resistance to the Baileys, with their ultimate goal to retake the Earth's surface. Their final team member is Sarge (Victoria Pratt), whose sister belongs to a cult that regards the Baileys with reverence and willingly sacrifices themselves to them. Humanity has moved underground and built a complex of elaborate shafts and tunnels created by the "shaft builders" to survive the Bailey menace.

 I turned to my G+ posse and it seems I truly am remiss with this. Many proclaim the show to be their guilty pleasure and of course, many speak of the importance of Gina Torres. I watched Standoff because of her. I watched the horrid season of Angel because of her. I played DCUO to listen to her voice Wonder Woman. How could I possibly have missed this show which not only features her usual hawt and ass kicking self, but she also sings the opening theme.

Cleopatra 2525 Theme Tune by jonboy1234

Putting this piece of awesome in my shopping cart as we speak, thanks. 

Geek girls don't have to be sexy to be sexy

I recently read “Geek girls” and the problem of self-objectification and was a bit miffed by the overriding notion that females are only accepted into the Geekdom Boys Club if they are scantiliy clad in appropriate fantasy or sci fi attire. To be one of the boys, you have to cosplay your T&A to their hearts' content.

Too often, women in geek cultures are only welcomed if they are decoration, sexy versions of the things geek men love, not equal participants or fellow fans. Forever Geek […], for example, has, in just the past two months, posted with glee about female models naked except for high heels and stormtrooper helmets gracing skateboards, a car wash in which women dressed in sexy Princess Leia costumes washed cars, and Star Wars corsets. Geek communities love women, as long as their members don’t have to think of those women as people.

Writes KJ in G+ discussions:

Who are these "geeks" the writer claims are only accepting "hot" chicks into the geek circle? Are they the target audience for G4 who apparently only cares about looking at Powergirls breasts and watching dudes throw up and get kicked in the nuts? Are they the same guys who say, "Dude, I hear there are chicks dressed as slaves at Comic Con, lets go and get wasted!" These are not real geeks and response to their acceptance is not a response worth having.

Olivia Munn in the outfit at
the heart of most "sexy
cosplay" discussions

This view point of the article is disturbingly biased, but perhaps it is a sign of the times, where being a geek is now cool, considering the success of Big Bang Theory and comic book and sci fi movies. Non-geeks are ever so slightly less likely to add a negative tone to the words "I didn't know you read comics," when they make that discovery.  There has also been a rise in North American comic con culture that apparently has resulted in a lot more sexy ladies showing up at conventions scantilly attired. (Not that the scantilly attired haven't always been there and not that I disapprove of anyone dressing in a sexual nature in the approriate venues. By all means, if you are comfortable with your sexuality and your body, then work it. If you are The White Queen, then own it.)


Do you think they have a favourite
Ghostbuster?

Now we have the likes of Olivia Munn, an actress and model who has probably helped convince other sexy, aspiring females that the newest way to your 15 minutes is through geek culture. Research not required.

To be fair, some of the scantily clad, unresearched flesh belongs to Booth Babes Promotional Models who are specifically hired to look good in that tiny outfit, not for how much they might know about that outfit and the character that normally wears it.

Going back to the subject of regular geek ladies and the culture they are supposedly trying so hard to fit in to with their exposed flesh, the article states:

Women aren’t the problem, whether they crossplay and eschew femininity altogether or they pull out the sexy Leia costume. The problem is that women who dress sexy, who frame themselves as sex objects, are rewarded by geek culture for doing so.

 Um. No. No, they are not rewarded. Having the drooling attention of the boys and having their images shared all over the internet is not a reward unless the woman in question is an attention seeker, in which case, there are far deeper issues there than her desire to be accepted into the geek culture - or any culture for that matter. Boys clubs are far from confined to geekdom. Women have to fight their way into acceptance in work environments, sports, etc. The easy way in, I suppose, is flashing some boob, but if you actually want to stay there and be respected, you need to walk the walk and talk the talk.

A sexy woman dressed as Chun Li who doesn't even know how to deliver the Hyakuretsu Kyaku is going to have her picture taken, posted online, but she is unlikely to have her name remembered, unlike a sexy woman dressed as Chun Li who can give you the control pad commands for all of Chun Li's moves in any or all of her incarnations. Guess which one the guys will be inviting to their next game night or arcade adventure?

A fine example would by my good friend, Trisha Cezair, who started cosplaying over the last few years in addition to her well established art work. She can do the sexy cosplay, but if you're only interested in her boobs, then don't expect to earn her attention. She doesn't paint or cosplay anything she doesn't like and know, so don't be surprised that, unlike some cosplayers, she will not give you a blank stare in response to a geek question. Is she accepted into the geek culture? Well, just ask all of her friends - many of whom are guys - with whom she shares her love for anime, comic books and video games.

Are they only her friend because of her boobs? No. Don't worry, I'm not naive enough to believe that her looks don't help, but I think her talent and her geekery far outweigh. 

The problem, then, isn’t what women do, but a culture in which the only way that women can be recognized as a desirable part of the culture is when they participate by making themselves consumable sexy objects for geek men.

Again, no. Guys might ogle the sexy female form, but in the end, they want to hang out with the girl, especially if the girl can hang out with them. The key word is "approachable." Face it. If we bust out the stereotypical geek-in-mom's-basement model, how many guys are likely to wander up to a sexy cosplayer and try to strike up a real conversation about whether Superman is faster than The Flash, knowing that there's a strong chance of being utterly shunned and humiliated? This is why we can all appreciate down-to-earth sexy geeks like Felicia Day or Aisha Tyler who don't need to flaunt their sexiness. Guys are just as likely, if not more likely to buy their geek-related products, instead of just a poster of them wearing next to nothing.

Penny happily dressed as
Wonder Woman

Even Hollywood gets that. We have Penny from Big Bang Theory, who is objectified initially and occasionally thereafter, but her acceptance as a friend is not merely because she has boobs, and more importantly, she is not fully accepted into their ranks because, no matter how impressive her boobs might be, she is not a geek.

We have Zoe in Fan Boys, who is accepted by the boys - in spite of her boobs - long before she ever dons the Leia bikini.

Free Enterprise had Rob meet his girlfriend-to-be Claire in the comic shop, she is fully dressed and impresses him with her knowledge. In fact, for the geek girls that I know, Claire's experience is the standard. I wrote about it in 1997, and things haven't changed much. When a woman walks into a comic store, it is assumed that she's just browsing the pretty pictures while she awaits her male counterpart. When the boys realize that they are there for themselves, there is first amazement and awe that quickly is replaced by respect, as discussions about a shared love ensue.

Simply put, my issue with this article is that I am and know many geek girls and we have never encountered situations where our acceptance is based entirely or merely on our level of sexy. 



We know that comic books and video games are realms that objectify women. We know that the majority of these geeks are male and that the companies cater to them by adding the appropriate amount of bounce. We know that there are not a lot of women behind the scenes creating the products of geekery. Those are issues that feminism needs to address, but the idea that women can only be accepted into geek culture by dressing in next to nothing? Ridiculous. If you're a geek girl trying to find acceptance in geek culture and finding that this is your only option, then you've found the wrong representatives of geek culture.

I like Alphas...because it's normal

That's the conclusion I have just come to, catching up on my DVR collection. The easy path is to compare Alphas to Heroes or any of the many other normal-people-with-powers shows out there, but like so many reviews that lazily rely on comparisons, this is unfair.

The premise is simple: Alphas are people with special powers. The team, working as "DCIS," sort of works with the government to help Alphas and fight the bad Alphas that run with Red Flag. Unlike Heroes or No Ordinary Family, the Alphas who form the DCIS team are well established in their powers, save for Dr. Rosen, the team leader, who is a non-Alpha psychiatrist with a good heart. There is no need for awkward power moments or "OMG look what I can do!"

Aside from the obvious Red Flag versus DCIS issue, Dr. Rosen's good heart makes for drama with the government types who want to secure Alphas they deem dangerous and/or useful. Meanwhile, Red Flag has been revealed to be more than just The Bad Guys^TM, with one of their hits being against drugs meant to prevent the birth of further Alphas.

There is nothing flashy about the show. I don't think there are any special effects (well there are some, and they are a bit cheesy, but we can forgive that). The actors are very people-off-the-street with very human feelings and flaws. Gary was an immediate favourite, though I still sometimes call him Mr. Nigel Murray. Rachel has become rather endearing too, and ... well as each one's personal life and issues come to play, they become even more real, more normal and thus far, more likable.

The plots for each episode are self contained and follow a fairly standard process that offers a reasonable amount of predictability, but they move cleanly and quickly, with each character pulling their weight.

I have a special fondness because it is filmed in and around Toronto (that bowling alley in the first episode is near my old office!).

I've added a few shows to the DVR list this summer, including Falling Skies and Torchwood: Miracle Day. Both of those have been dropped from the list, but Alphas remains strong.

That's my sister!

In highschool, in a puff of smoke, I entered stage left and made the announcement, "I'm Adaperle, the Feel Good Girl!" From the darkness of the audience, I heard the words, "That's my sister!" loud and clear. With that kind of encouragement, what could I do but put on a show to make her proud?

Many years later, my sister has accomplished many things that are worthy of sibling pride. Not the least of which is her obsession with marathons. Most recently, she ran A Midsummer Night's Run. Participants often show up in fairy wings and tutus.

See that lady crossing the line with the bright pink furry hat and feather boa?

That's my sister. And she makes me so damn proud.

The Good Fight: Jack Layton

I think the reason why Jack Layton's passing is so shocking is that no one believed that he couldn't win against anything he fought. Even cancer.

When I got off my ass and decided to vote, it was him I decided to vote for. Not the NDP. Jack Layton. He was the man that fought for me, the little guy and did so with honesty and integrity.

I've disagreed with his stance on things like the recent Canada Post and Air Canada strikes, but he's the man I've always wanted at the right hand of the Prime Minister, if he couldn't be Prime Minister himself.

There's no one that can fill Jack Layton's shoes, but, considering the legacy he's left behind, I damn well expect his party to try their hardest. That alone will honour his memory and all that he stood for.

Rest in peace Jack. You've earned it, though we know you weren't ready for it.

Before his death, Jack Layton wrote a letter to Canadians. Here it is in full.

Scrapbooking

I'm currently reading Supergods and got to the page where Grant Morrison informs the reader of just how successful his Arkham Asylum was and remains. It inspired me to go through my collection to see if I still had it, only to confirm my suspicion that it had been eBayed in the great comic book purge.

Love those shoes.

Going through the comic box meant passing by Witchblade, which suddenly reminded me of that issue 29 where, at the request of Randy Green, I designed some outfits for Pez to wear, which he subsequently drew. This, in turn, inspired me to enter the storage room - a place of great mystery and desire for both the cats and the kids - to hunt down my scrapbooks to find the original design sketches I had made for Randy.

Yes, I scrapbook. Not with frilly paper and scissors with funny edges. My scrapbooks were cool, thank you very much, not contrived. First there were the Blue Jays scrapbooks, culminating in not one, but two amazing World Series victories. Then came three notebooks crammed to overflowing with anything that struck my interest, inspired me, amused me, made me pause...

"Shades of Grey"

They are filled with everything that I thought was cool and important during highschool and university. That means lots and lots of comic book pages, characters and posters, with many thanks to Wizard Magazine (R.I.P.). Also, my own sketches and drawings, including one of Jean Grey, who never did get to be all she could be, but, after recently reading Phoenix Endsong, I'm glad to know she's finally found some peace. I've got drawings from friends and sketches of my own characters and notes from their various stories.

The scrapbooks go through my various phases, with one boasting pages and pages of movie tickets (yes, I did see The Rock three times in the theatre; remember that time we dressed up to see Tank Girl?), while another focuses on my night club days, with lots of cool and creative advertisements and images in between.

I have a shrine to Angelina Jolie (from which I later designed a website) in one book, and a shrine to Brad Pitt in another. I knew they were OTP long before they did!

My scrapbooks weren't all for fun and games. There are several newspaper clippings - some insightful and educational, like an article praising Xena: The  Warrior Princess for "getting it right" in terms of racial diversity - and some heartbreaking, like the four-page spread in the National Post about Randall Dooly by Christie Blatchford, who wrote:

"There may be no other culture in the world where children are simultaneously so valued and so devalued, where the having of them is deemed so important and the raising of them treated so casually."

My highschool self even had the foresight to include some parenting advice.

I've recently purchased notebooks for the girls so that they can start their own scrapbooks.  Hopefully, some time in their future, they'll find themselves looking back fondly at their own amusements, interests and memories, too.

Ironically, I never did find the Witchblade designs I actually went looking for.

For the love of cross-overs

In reviewing my old scrapbooks, I came across something I wrote about my "love" for cross-overs in 1999, which was around the height of multiple covers, foil embossing and special editions. It was a time that also featured ridiculous cross-overs. Not that cross-overs are ridiculous per se. Marvel was built with the intent for all of its residents to come in contact with one another. The crazy happens when the companies decide to "work together," creating ridiculous reasons for their respective characters to join forces in ways that usually defy canon. Sometimes it worked (Zealot's gift to Wolverine was kinda cute), but usually it was just, well, brain hurty. I'd like to believe the ultimate proof of the crazy is pictured at right, which is why, back in 1999, I wrote this on the Top Cow Fathom Forums. Considering the pending return of Voodoo and the rumours of Zealot as part of DC's reboot, all, apparently stemming from the DC/Wildstorm cross-over, Dreamwar, this still holds some relevance, I suppose.

The Ultimate Fathom Cross-over 2000

Having discovered that her mother is actually a creature brought back from Mars, crossbred with the Lochness Monster and a mutant shark, and her father is actually Bill Clinton (who's the one who really stole Austin Power's mojo), Aspen Matthews goes on a search for her long lost fraternal twin sister, Cassie Lane, who is being held captive by a group of rogue vampire Borg who have sided with the Aliens in an all out war against the Predators.

In order to get Cassie back safely from the underwater base she is imprisoned in, Aspen has to steal a special submarine designed by Wayne Enterprises. Understanding Aspen's pain, batman lets her go after the shocking revelation that he is actually the mysterious underwater guy, Carmeron, and Sara Pezzini's illegitimate brother. 

As fate would have it, Pez overhears everything, as she had been in Gotham City following a lead about the origins of the Witchblade, which, as it turns out, is actually the reincarnation of the Phoenix entity.
Unbeknownst the the trio, Mephisto, Tapestry, Dr. Doom and Mr. Sinister have been secretly planning their next hostile takeover of the world using the Summers/Grey DNA stored in Lex Luthor's STAR Labs in Metropolis, but their experiment goes awry when someone spills Aunt May's secret recipe for grits into the vat, serendipitously creating five clones of Jean Grey and seven of Peter Parker, while simultaneously restoring Matt Murdoch's sight.
Above the lab, Superman's marriage to Abby Chase is interrupted by the sudden appearance of Godzilla, who is being controlled by Red Monika, wielding yellow manipulate materia. Too bad the materia fails on her, releasing Godzilla, who proceeds to get himself lost in the city of Manhattan.

Meanwhile, during the lizard's rampage, Chase's maid of honour, Lara Croft, implements her plans to destroy her best friend's wedding, only to be confronted by her long time enemy and former lover, Solid Snake and his brother Liquid Sephiroth.

Thankfully, the WildCATS have finally gotten back together after having tea with Mussolini, Lynch and the Gen13 kids, they head over to Metropolis to kick some serious ass.
With guest appearances by The Fantastic Four, Kabuki, Shi, Jay and Silent Bob, Katchoo, a rather handsome pizza delivery guy in tight shorts and no shirt, the top half of Darth Maul and the entire cast of Cats, this promises to be the hottest cross-over of the 21st century, spanning the pages of 200 titles, 42 companies, and soon to be a feature length film starring the cast of Party of Five and Dawson's Creek, along with Britney Spears, Geri Halliwell, N*Sync, The Backstreet Boys and Leonardo DiCaprio and will be directed by Stephen Spielberg, James Cameron, George Lucas and Oliver Stone.

~Xade.
Who really hates cross-overs

Where's my LBP parenting trophy?

I bought Little Big Planet for me, but the girls have been having a grand old time. Apparently, it is gut busting fun to simply hang out in the pod and smack each other and make faces.

Bunny will play, but it's not easy, so mostly, she and I just hang out in the first level.

Hubby has also been playing into the wee hours and, being the thorough person he is at everything but housework, he has surpassed me and even took the time to go through the tutorials, which he introduced me to last night.

Meanwhile, Bunny recently decided to make up her own language, Pinego, which she is teaching me (we're on letter "L"). The language is used by the Pinego people (obviously), who live on Pinego Island.

So last night, as I went through the LBP tutorials, a thought struck me.

I'm gonna build her a world to play in that a 5yo can handle, that is all for her.

I'm building Pinego Island.

I'll take that Best Mom Ever t-shirt now, thanks.

My lil geeklings

I have two daughters. Unless I turn off the TV or DVD player (which I won't do ... who else will babysit my kids while I play video games?), it is impossible to hide from Disney Princesses, Fairies and Dora etc any more than the boys can be kept away from the Diego, Spiderman, etc. Yay! Gender stereotyping!

It's also impossible to prevent others from inflicting them upon your daughters anyway, as evidenced by my husband's vehement stand against turning his girls into princesses, which served only to inspire some friends and family to defy him.

While I believe that Dora and Kailan teach better life lessons than the Disney princesses, I am not against the lovely ladies and don't mind my girls playing dress up accordingly. I personally decorated their rooms with Ariel and Tinkerbell, have bought the dolls, movies and costumes by request, and was most certainly NOT going to miss The Princess and the Frog.

I suppose I should have started on the indoctrination into geekhood sooner. I should have pounced on the moment when Bunny looked at her Spiderman and Friends puzzle and asked me who the girl with the white hair was.

"That's Storm," I told her. "She's beautiful," she promptly replied.

Unfortunately, I was long since out of comics at this point. Thankfully, a few friends have remedied me of this ailment and I am passing the love on to my kids, digging out my old comics, along with a whole bunch of 80s nostalgia.

Rewards like this swell a Geek Mom's heart.

Next up is Star Wars. I'm slightly hesitant in letting them watch the movies just yet because I remember the nightmares that damned garbage monster gave me...

When I was younger, my brother introduced me to comics. Beyond him, I had no one to relate to with that. None of my friends were interested and in highschool, I was labeled "Untypical Girl" because of the stereotypes I defied with my comic love and girliness.

My parents never understood my collections and didn't encourage my desires to write or draw comics. It was kind of lonely.

I'm pleased that geekery is becoming more accepted in the mainstream and I'm happy that, never too late, my girls are getting into the things I love and are proudly telling snooty little girls that it's Catwoman and Wonder Woman they are holding.

They'll be officially attending their first convention at the end of the month. I'm excited to see what they think, now that they are old enough to understand all the shiny.

They can have their princesses and fairies, but I'm happy that they love their superheroes and villains just as much.

Google+ ..um... Marvel Civil War review

The problem with quitting something you love when it turns sour is that, in the future, you will inevitably find people who love it and their constant chatter will tempt you to catch up.

Ten years of comics is a LOT to catch up on.

Most recently, my friends have been discussing Marvel Civil War so I had to up and read it myself. I did not read all the extraneous titles surrounding it, so I am missing details in regard to character and plot development but the seven issues, with some Wiki help, were enough to help me understand what they were going on about.

On a side note, when I started reading this, I immediately equated it to the current #NymWars spawned by Google+'s suspension first administration of their new "common name" policy. Those against the use of pseudonyms argue that they are no benefit to truth and justice and the internet way. Unlike mutants who can vaporize you, the worst 'Nym users can do is troll you, and they are at the mercy of your block button.

SOURCE: www.ryanestrada.com 

Anyway, Civil War is the result of a reality show gone wrong that ends up killing 600 people, including some of the superhumans who caused it. The people are understandably angry and want superhumans kept in check and held responsible. Enter The Superhuman Registration Act, this time with Iron Man at its head and Captain America against.

The idea of prejudice against superhumans is not new to Marvel comics (ref: Genosha, God Loves, Man Kills) and certainly, when dealing with people who can blow things up with a mere thought, a bit of paranoia is to be expected, no matter how many times they save the world. It is perfectly reasonable to expect superhumans to respect the laws and, you know, not blow shit up all the time without taking any responsibility.

The heroes discuss anonymity on Google+

Unlike the other battles over this issues, the superheroes end up divided, with Iron Man, influenced by the mother of one of the slain children and his prediction coming true, works with the government's hasty implementation of the act, with the aid of Reed Richards and Harold Pym. Previously Iron Man had wanted to work with the government to diffuse such an act.  This time, his plans have added bonuses.

Meanwhile, Captain America is ordered by S.H.I.E.L.D., currently headed by Maria Hill in Nick Fury's absence,  to help in the capture of the superheroes who choose defy the new law. Captain America refuses, and thus friends become enemies.

Lots of fighting and explosions ensue, and that's when everything in this story starts to fall apart.

Basically, it seemed to boil down to randomly rolling the dice to see which hero was on which side, and then rolling again to see which hero would change sides when faced with various conflicts of interest. Whenever the opportunity presented itself, all three sides (Captain's Secret Avengers, Iron Man's Avengers, and Maria Hill's S.H.I.E.L.D.) always went with Option A: BLOW SHIT UP. It's not until the very end that someone realizes that hey, all our fighting is hurting the people that want to lock us up, and now we're giving them all the more reason to do so.

This could have been a great story, but for three things:

(1) The decision to make Iron Man evil. Iron Man's original idea of diffusing the Act from the inside was a rational one. It could have meant a compromise that allowed for the accountability the government seeks, and even the State-specific teams, without actually revealing the identities of the superheroes to the world. A verification process to allow Google+ users superheroes to do what they do best, with the people comforted by the fact that the government knows who they are and can track them, just in case. Yes, there are some questions of human rights here, but when you can blow up a house by sneezing, you have to make some compromises.

Iron Man's role then would have been to make sure the government did not take advantage. Instead, Iron Man went all out to capture and contain everyone, including trickery, cloning and the use of bad guys. Nothing to make his decision seem at all the right one.

(2) Pulling punches. People complained about The Black Guy Dies^TM plot device, but frankly, it was a logistical issue that resulted in his death.  Admit it. He made a pretty obvious and convenient target.

My problem is that his death, or rather, the "person" who caused it, was a cop out. Ultimately, we know it's Iron Man's fault, but he wasn't the one who physically did it. If you wanted this to be a really powerful death, then it didn't have to be the only one and it should have been at the hands of the actual warriors involved. No, not The Punisher. Let's see what happens when a good guy actually kills a friend in the name of whatever side they are on.

(3) The cliche plot devices. Really? You walked into that trap? Really, you walked into that trap? Really, there was a spy in your ranks? Really? There was a spy in your ranks?

What I did appreciate was the fact that the X-Men stayed out of the whole battle (and that Emma Frost was their spokesperson!). One did join the fray, but he, thankfully, got stomped in the head. Think I might need to make that scene my new desktop.

September Book Choices

September choices for the LeVar's Rainbow Book Club.

Embassytown, China Miéville

Big idea: Alien life forms cohabitate a distant planet with human colonists, including Avice Benner Cho. She straddles both worlds from a unique perspective: Unable to speak the bizarre language used by the Ariekei, she functions as a "living figure of speech" for the aliens.

Sample text: "There was a Hostnest in fine alien colors tethered by creaking ropes of muscle to a stockade, that in some affectation the Hosts had fashioned like one of our weaker fences. I'd creep up on it while my friends whistled from the crossroads ... [past] breezes sculpted with nanotech particle-machines and consummate atmosphere artistry."

Machine Man, Max Barry

Big idea: Crowdsourced with reader input during 37 weeks of online postings, this nanotechnology adventure follows a man who becomes obsessed with bionic limbs after one of his legs is hacked off in a factory accident. (The Machine Man book cover will be selected by fans from one of the six illustrations shown above).

Sample text: "I spent a lot of time being jabbed by needles. Not syringes. Tiny steel slivers with embedded electrodes. The idea was to insert these into my truncated thighs so they could read signals from my brain, and translate them into motorized movements."

Mind of My Mind, Octavia E. Butler

For 4,000 years, an immortal has spread the seeds of a master race, using the downtrodden as his private breeding stock. But now a young ghetto telepath has found a way to awaken--and rule--her superhuman kind, igniting a psychic battle as she challenges her creator for her right to free her people.

About the Author: Octavia E. Butler was the first black woman to come to international prominence as a science fiction writer. Incorporating powerful, spare language and rich, well-developed characters, her work tackled race, gender, religion, poverty, power, politics, and science in a way that touched readers of all backgrounds. Butler was a towering figure in life and in her art and the world noticed; highly acclaimed by reviewers, she received numerous awards, including a MacArthur "genius" grant, both the Hugo and Nebula awards, the Langston Hughes Medal, as well as a PEN Lifetime Achievement award.

His Majesty's Dragon, Naomi Novik

In this delightful first novel, the opening salvo of a trilogy, Novik seamlessly blends fantasy into the history of the Napoleonic wars. Here be dragons, beasts that can speak and reason, bred for strength and speed and used for aerial support in battle. Each nation has its own breeds, but none are so jealously guarded as the mysterious dragons of China. Veteran Capt. Will Laurence of the British Navy is therefore taken aback after his crew captures an egg from a French ship and it hatches a Chinese dragon, which Laurence names Temeraire. When Temeraire bonds with the captain, the two leave the navy to sign on with His Majesty's sadly understaffed Aerial Corps, which takes on the French in sprawling, detailed battles that Novik renders with admirable attention to 19th-century military tactics. Though the dragons they encounter are often more fully fleshed-out than the stereotypical human characters, the author's palpable love for her subject and a story rich with international, interpersonal and internal struggles more than compensate.

Golden Witchbreed, Mary Gentle

This is the story of Lynne de Lisle Christie, the first of Earth's envoys to Oerthe, a primitive world on a planet half a galaxy from Earth. Presenting herself at the court of the Crown of the South, Christie's life quickly teeters into the hands of those motivated by beliefs, assumptions and thoughts alien and unknown. Factions in the Southland would rather that she were dead, or defamed never to return. Others feel that now that Earth has visited Oerthe, there is no way that the clock can be turned back. But all are quite wary of Earth and its technologies, and a current of hostility runs deep. As events unfold, at one point Christie finds herself among the ruins of Oerthes anchient civilization and realizes that Earth has made a very, very large mistake.

Devil's Hand, M.E. Patterson

Trent Hawkins survived a 30,000-foot fall from a jetliner and became an overnight sensation -- the Luckiest Man Alive. For years, his strange and unnatural luck made him the king of the Las Vegas poker scene.

After years on the blacklist, despised by every high roller, he finds himself returning, with his wife, Susan, to his former stomping ground, only to be caught between a serial kidnapper, vengeful angels, poker-playing demons, and a magic-wielding thirteen year-old girl who stands unwittingly at the center of a fallen angel's plot to end all of mankind in an unholy blizzard. As Las Vegas grinds to a halt, Trent is forced to make terrible sacrifices and must ultimately choose his role in the coming War, or watch our world fall to ruin beneath a blanket of shadow and ice.

Robopocalypse, Daniel H. Wilson

Daniel H. Wilson, the author of this book, has a doctorate in robotics from prestigious Carnegie Mellon and his writing credits include the nonfiction How to Survive A Robot Uprising and How to Build a Robot Army. That knowledge alone should activate your senses as you enter Robopocalypse, a realm where robots run free and humans flee skittering in many directions. Told with the unfolding menace of The Invasion of the Body Snatchers, this novel will keep you up late and your computer unplugged.

The Wood Wife, Terri Windling

Winner of five World Fantasy Awards for her editing, Windling (coeditor with Ellen Datlow of the annual Year's Best Fantasy & Horror anthologies) now shows off her writing skills with this strong first novel, a fantasy. When writer Maggie Black learns that her friend and mentor, poet Davis Cooper, has died and left her his house in the arid hills outside Tucson, Ariz., she travels there intending to write his biography and to investigate the mysterious circumstances of his death. Every detail she uncovers about Cooper's past, however, only seems to raise more questions. When Maggie comes home one evening to find that the house has been ransacked, it becomes clear that she's not the only one looking for answers. To solve the puzzle of Cooper's life and death, Maggie will have to outwit the Trickster and the other powerful quasi-human creatures that roam the desert hills and feed on creative energy. Although at times Windling's humans come off as too sensitive and artistic, her Native American spirits comprise an intriguing blend of human folklore and alien emotion. Her debut novel is richly imaginative, a captivating mix of traditional fantasy and magical realism.

Superheroes - review (4/5)

A friend alerted my soon to be posse of the documentary, Superheroes, by Michael Barnett.

I'm not at all surprised by the fact that there are people dressing up as real life superheroes, putting themselves in dangerous situations, and sometimes involving themselves in shady practices like entrapment.

It's not like I haven't thought about being a superhero and dressing up (but dammit, my outfits would have to be way better than those). But, you know, lazy (ref: blog title).

Kickass had Nicholas Cage being kooky. This has Master Legend who believes he has super strength, speed, precognition and a link to God. He is fond of drinking on the job, and keeping freezies in his white van for the kids, while Mr. Xtreme, epitomizes the stereotypical comic book nerd.

Barnett pulls no punches when it  comes to showing how ridiculous these Real Life Superheroes look, act and sound, despte a bitchin' PR campaign.

If you're closed minded enough, the "ridiculous" is all you'll pay attention to, thereby missing the motivation behind their actions. Hint: A few of the Heroes cite Kitty Genovese and the documentary actually begins with this quote from Albert Einstein:

“The world is a dangerous place not because of those who do evil but because of those who look on and do nothing.”

Think about that every time you laugh at them and consider what you've done for your community lately...

Villain haute couture

So badass.

Wandering around Youtube for one thing or another led me to the trailer for DC Universe Online and I suddenly found myself missing my little villaness, Shelucid, a mental Controller with the ability of flight, and a penchant for not wearing much and changing the not much often. I claim Emma Frost as my inspiration.

After the PSN hack, I ended up quitting DCUO ... but every now and then, I'd think about it.

Why would I think about it? Why, because of all the fancy costuming options, of course.

Pants are for nerds.

Following a friend's post informing us that a recent update has allowed the taking of screenshots on the PS3, my temptation was complete. Hubby secretly re-installed it while I was upstairs diligently trying to read while the kids tackled me.

What was the first thing I did when I logged back in? Why preened in my costumes and took pictures, of course.

"Aww I missed watching you get dressed," said hubby from his perch, playing World of Tanks. He also missed Power Girl.

Honestly, if it weren't for the costuming versatility, I'd be quite bored of this game. Once you reach the level cap of 30, which doesn't take that long to do, the object of the game becomes grinding away at various tasks in order to achieve better equipment and skill points to help you grind away at various tasks better.

Of course, grinding it the result, biproduct and process of any MMO. I only recently quit Final Fantasy XI because, after almost a decade, I'd finally grown tired of the grind. Not even the temptation of thigh high boots for my sexy Elvaan could bring me back this time.

While I disapproved of the cap raise in Final Fantasy XI from 75 to 90 (and eventually 99), there was still so much to do, even in the process of leveling up other jobs. Even with the regular additions of a new raid here and a new alert there, I just don't see much to keep me interested in DCUO for long. 

I'm not into PvP, so I will miss out on the apparent joys of that aspect. Nothing impressed me more than being humped and harassed by the enemy, many levels my senior. Or the guy many levels my junior who was really really determined to bring me down. Poor thing. I hope he appreciated the mercy round I gave him when I got tired of the annoyance. 

I also have a hero whom I have not put as much effort into. I like her looks, but I'm not a very good RPGer. I tend to prefer characters that look like me. I just can't get a feel for this one. Actually, it probably has more to do with the pose I gave her. She looks and moves like she has something significant stuck in her bum.

I  learned, this being my first real venture into an MMO with factions, that heroes suck. Villains seem to have their shit together and get it done. heroes seem to spend an excessive amount of time shouting without purpose and discussing various people's mothers. And there are so much more of them. Everyone wants to be a good guy and invariably, create heroes that mimic existing ones and come up with creative names like "Batmann."

A lot of my apathy for DCUO and even FFXI probably has something to do with my down payment on SW:TOR. I'm going to be terribly happy if I get to play dress up with a sexy Twi'lek like this one.

In the mean time, I'll continue playing dress up with SheLucid and my Sack Thing on Little Big Planet (who is currently dressed like Elektra with jeans and a tank top).

Black is the new black

Blah blah blah new Spiderman is Black/Hispanic blah blah Laurence Fishburne is White blah blah.

Old news.

Racist people don't like new Spiderman!

Old news, too.

Hell, everything I'm going to write here is old news, but this is my blog and I'm feeling ranty, dammit!

Because you see, I'm tired of being part of a trend. I'm happy that DC is rebooting its universe, but I'm rather annoyed that DIVERSITY^TM seems to be their new catch phrase.

Call me picky and paranoid, but I find it troubling that they've had to raid Jim Lee's pockets to pull out a semi-A-list female minority (who's also bisexual, because it's easier to roll our minorities together! Compact DIVERSITY^TM)

I'm tired of the notion of a minority Spiderman being frontpage news (okay, not front page, BUT STILL).

I'm tired of tokenism. I'm tired of tokenishm being mistaken for DIVERSITY^TM. It makes me sad that DC is making this big effort to bring minority characters to the forefront, because it means that it's taken them this many decades to figure out that there are minorities in the world in the first place. And yes, we do buy your comics!

Black Heimdall was ohgoodlord sexy and I'm sure the new Spiderman will be just fine, but I do have issue with the timing. I have issue with the notion that Black is the new Black. It's a bloody trend. And I'm growing tired of it.

I've been here for a long, long time. I'm not a fucking trend to be catered to when you think sales numbers will be able to handle it.

***

Okay, now that I have that off my chest, allow the voice of reason to conclude:

Change has to start somewhere, right?

I don't like it now, but it means that, some time in the not so distant future, my grandkids will be reading comic books with a-list not-so-minority heroes that they can relate to and none of it will make headline news at all because it will just be normal.

And I'll be sitting in my rocking chair yelling at them about how back in my day.....

Science is so gosh darn fun!

Is there any scienticific research into how quickly a little brain 'splodes when over-stimulated? Because my kids could have been candidates yesterday when we decided to take them to the Ontario Science Centre.

We made the mistake of landing on the floor with KidSpark on it. We should have heard the warning signs (i.e. the shrill screams of excitement). It's about a hundred different stations of OMG!SCIENCE! with some much going on that it is impossible not to breed ADHD as the kids flit from one station to the next, attracted by all the sensory overloading shinies.

I have no idea how we convinced the girls to leave this section to view the much, much tamer Space exhibit.

The last time I'd been to the Science Centre, I'd taken my nephews to see The Science of Superheroes, which was a scientific look at Marvel Comics' biggest and best, explaining or correlating their powers and abilities with actual science.

This year, one of my favourite exhibits is Mindworks in the Communication Hall, a look at how the mind perceives things and how it can trick us. Mind over matter. Near this section was a paper creation studio where Panda patiently listened and waited for 40 minutes to make her very own piece of recycled paper.

Also and appropriately near this section was A Question of Truth.

What is your point of view? Everybody has one, including scientists. In A Question of Truth on Level 6, the exhibits challenge broadly-held beliefs about the differences between people and explore how those beliefs influence science.

•Compare different models of our Solar System and discover that there’s more than one correct way to look at the skies...
•Take a quiz to determine if your gender affects your point of view...
•Match faces to voices and explore how stereotypes affect our perceptions of other people...
•Touch actual acupuncture points on a life-size model and learn more about alternative medicine...
•Blend your face with a friend’s in a combination mirror and window, and explore the link between melanin, colour and racism...
•Step inside a box equal in size to the spaces that confined Africans on slave ships. Learn about the attitudes that led to conditions like these...
•Speak up on video to tell us what you think about the exhibition...
•And lots more!

This was an impressive exhibit that simply challenged our way of thinking when it comes to prejudice and discrimination. Simply put, there are very few differences between us on a scientific level, yet our minds determine otherwise and even devise "scientific" results based on these biases (such as the assumptions that criminals have certain ear shapes, or prostitutes have particular physical characteristics, etc). We wrote the girls names in Mayan and learned about the "civilized" world and its various inventions.

The exhibit included letters from visitors, many of which were very positive. One from New York proclaimed that no such exhibit would ever appear in their city.

Of course, there were the negative letters too, like the one admonishing the Science Centre for this "shameful display," believing it worthy only of a history museum, as slavery has nothing to do with science.

I'm guessing that person skipped the whole exhibit when they saw the word "RACISM" plastered everywhere. Very unfortunate :(

Hubby and Bunny went off to see The Hubble IMAX movie, which he said was very impressive and moving.

We had planned to leave earlier to avoid traffic, but it was impossible to do so. There were so many things to see and do (we missed the Human Body exhibit when exhaustion started to set in).

Might have to consider a membership...

Wonder Woman - The Angry & Bitter Tour

My tits.

Well, thanks to a friend, I watched the pilot for the failed Wonder Woman series. I didn't hate it, I suppose, but I wasn't at all impressed by it. I do not know the Wonder Woman from comics well enough yet (workin' on it), but I got the feeling that that Wonder Woman wasn't quite so angry and bitter. Lonely, maybe, but this new TV Wonder Woman was just. Angry. She hates babies. She breaks arms to get the truth out of people (instead of using the more convenient "Lasso of Truth"). And she kills people.

Did I mention she is angry? And bitter?

And at the end of the day, she puts on her glasses and nerdy ponytail and cuddles up with her one friend, Sylvester the cat, and tries really hard to make a Facebook page for Diana Prince, the identity that she's keeping from the world that loves Wonder Woman, who is played by Diana Themyscira.

The notion of separating the three entities was ... silly. It just didn't work. And you know it didn't work because there is a confusing moment where she and her assistants have a confusing conversation about it in order to explain it to the audience. It's not like she's hiding that Diana Themyscira is Wonder Woman, so why bother with the business woman identity at all? Oh, right, I guess so that she can have the pathetic home life that makes her human so that we can feel sorry for her. The being human part apparently is the underlying theme that we're to watch for. In case you missed it, it was driven home at the very end of the show, so you better be feeling sorry for her by then!

Not my tits.

In a business meeting to discuss the new Wonder Woman doll, Diana Themyscira gets angry (did I mention she's angry?) and bitter (did I -- oh never mind) about the doll's "tits". Her use of the word is reprimanded, to which she retorts:

“No Wonder Woman isn’t vulgar. Wonder Woman is perfect. Perfect tits. Perfect ass. Perfect teeth. … She always does everything right. God forbid she’d make a mistake. Sorry. We’d expect the world to think her human.”

This scene might have made some sense if she didn't keep sticking her ample tits into an ill-fitting corset throughout the entire show.

We're supposed to believe that she wants to help humanity and she does so by kicking ass, but what we really see is that she's angry and bitter at something and vigilante ass kicking  is her therapy. I found myself wondering if she and Batman had been hanging out recently. Fortunately, her ex-boyfriend (who is now married but moved to LA to be near Diana - oh boy, drama -- except for the complete lack of charisma from said ex-boyfriend!) is around to protect her from the legal backlash of all the violence.

You get the distinct impression that Diana Themyscira is only putting on a costume and pretending to be good and pretending to want to help humanity, but in truth, she just wants to beat up on people. The whole "being good" part seems to get in the way. But hey, the public loves it, giving her big standing ovations every time she does something wondrous. It's good for business (whatever it is her business does....)

By the end of the pilot, she's already defeated her arch enemy. Sure Veronica Cale has lawyers, and there are all those technicalities, and we know how the justice system works, but are we really going to run with that plot? More importantly, didn't Sharon Stone already cover the shady pharm-business in Catwoman?

At least the jet was kind of cool.

It's very sad that such an iconic character has ended up in NBC's trash. Hopefully, it doesn't mean the end of the attempts to bring her back to the screen, though. The key, as with all such characters and stories so heavily rooted in fandom, is to make sure that there is a fan behind the scenes, bringing her to life. Someone who cares about her. Someone who will be her friend on Facebook...

30 Day Comic Book Challenge (Day 27 - Fave Comic Book Movie)

I have grown weary of the 30 Day Comic Book Challenge because I don't much care for the remaining requirements.

Save for one: Day 27 - Favourite Comic Book Movie.

But, I'm not actually going to post my favourite comic book movie. I'm going to take this opportunity to explain, once and for all, why I like X-Men 3: The Last Stand.

Yeah you heard me. I liked it!

1. lolScott

Scott! Jean!

It wasn't until some time after seeing this film that I came to appreciate Scott Summers. Prior to that, I strongly disliked him and considered him one of the worst and most annoying characters.

I think most people will agree that the movies did him no justice. At least, not until they had Jean kill him. Pretty sure I squee'd outloud at the theatre when it became apparent what those floaty ruby quartzes meant....

2. Ding Dong

If youngified Patrick Stewart and Sir Ian showed up at my door, I would be a very happy girl.

3. Oh my stars and garters

I thought Kelsey Grammer did a fantastic job embodying the Beast as both scholar and brawler. And he said it. He said it!

Now, I know there are some who complain that he is not true to his origins because he should not have lost his blue fur when he came in contact with the boy, but this is one of those things that die hard fans need to learn to forgive if they want to see their beloved comics come to film. The scene worked visually.  The actuality of Beast's blue fur (or Spidey's webs, etc) requires a bit more detail and backstory that is not conducive to keeping a movie around the 2 hour mark. Similarly, of course it would make sense that a young woman who can't touch anyone would want to get the cure. Movie Rogue was not the same Rogue we know from the comics. You gotta let go, kids. You gotta let go and understand where changes have to be made to suit the medium, and if you want to see more of your favourites on film, then you have to let Hollywood explain to the non-nerds in the quickest, easiest way possible. (After that, it's your job to indoctrinate the non-geeks with the truth!)

4. The Pithy Phoenix Saga

I read the Ultimate X-Men that had some convoluted plot involving the Phoenix entity .. something to do with a prison that was earth and aliens and lalalala. We already have one convoluted Phoenix Saga, thanks, and it was told in a far more comprehensive manner. Now, considering what I said above about having to condense and alter things to suit a medium that does not have time for large backstories, I think this movie did an excellent job of explaining the Phoenix. The explanation, to me, complimented what I have always felt about Jean: There was a spark - an intensity in her that Wolverine saw and that the Phoenix entity was drawn to, but Jean was never truly permitted to tap into by her writers, who always bound her to Scott, Logan and the Professor. Unfortunately, the movie bound her to Magneto, but at least she got to unleash that which the Professor (who is not the fluffy bunny he makes himself out to be!) had forced down, rather than help her cope with it. When you lock away that kind of power for that long, well of course she's gonna be pissed.

5. Logan + Jean Forever (which wasn't that long...)

Logan! Jean!

As part of my Scott hate, I defaulted to wanting Jean to be with Logan because I felt that Jean always stuck with Scott because he was safe and kept her safe from that dark part of her soul. Logan saw that spark and would have helped her face it. Unfortunately, due to Professor X's suppression, the potential therapy sessions probably would have been too little too late.

I liked X-Men 3 because it recognized that and had Logan recognize it. Scott couldn't kill Jean in the comics (okay okay so Logan failed, too) and so she had to do it herself, but here, Logan was the man and did it at her request because they both knew it was the only way. It was a tragic love story and I loved it. Sue me!

***

There were other things I liked about it. Little things, like the nerd references (Maneuver #7 and "I'm the Juggernaut, bitch"), and most importantly, enough things to make me almost forget that Halle Berry was there.   There were enough of these things to make me enjoy this movie, despite the obvious flaws, with my disclaimer being that I have actually only seen X-Men 3 once, and don't ever plan to see it again.....