Cold November referrals

I've decided that the first of every month I'm going to post the best of RF referrals from the previous month. Sunday monkey covers at Yet Another Comic Blog is the best running feature, natch, but this should be amusing too.

Last month I let 2 librarian coworkers see my blog, and one now calls me girl-fight and the other sexy fighting librarian because of a referral.

The best of November, filtered to PG13 ratings--

1. nerds like redheads
2. sexy girl in prayer
3. redhead banana
4. trooper groupies
5. all love is unrequited
6. redhead or dead
7. batgirl underoos
8. supergirl redhead evil half
9. the axeman of new orleans
10. no more mutants
11. sonia sonia red sonia
12. fan art of evil jester
13. redheads deviant
14. how many superman titles will there be in 2006
15. mr sandman bring me a dream
16. yummy redhead blog
    

See ya Sydney, Jack, Marshall

One of my favorite shows, though very weak the last 2 seasons, will be cancelled in May. Alias

Since JJ began working on Lost, it has been Alias that is the stranded one...Last year, Season 4 was another attempt to start over and lure in new viewers. That dumbed down the entire show, more is Sloane bad or good, and the awful subplot of Sydney's sister (thankfully now in a zombie coma).

Sark does return this week- he is such a smooth, wily villian, so I do look forward to that. I thought killing off Vaughan was handled in a lousy way.

Glasgow drivel, pish, pattoons

Pattoons

Scotland has the highest population of redheads in the world-- and I think Glasgow, where Patt is from, has close to 40%. Imagine that! In Ireland, there were fewer reds than I expected, but some shades were just so vivid. They called me the "American Colleen"-- for the actress Maureen O'Hara.

Anyway, Patt draws cartoons of friends and such. It's fun to read his blog for the scottishisms like "wee" "pish" and some stuff I don't understand.
His 'redhead girl' cartoon is here.

Share the blog love

A couple new comic blog friends--

She's a librarian and comic reader, you can't go wrong there. She's a big Birds of Prey fan too. Try this blog:
Shelly's Comic Book Shelf

Shelly linked to my site thanks to a post from Riot Comics . This is a comic store in Camp Hill, PA. He emailed his Comic crib sheet to me, good referrals along the 'if you like BLANK, you'll like BLANK'.

Quit being Oracle?

Since the success of my letter to the Luna brothers, I am going to have to email the talented Gail Simone about the latest Birds of Prey 88 . (Oracle even has a Green Lantern shirt on, just as I have a few blog posts ago!)

The Dinah and Green Lantern scenes are great. The surface small talk, with the subtext "We almost got married, a few lifetimes ago. 'Til he let me down one time too MANY."
But of course, Dinah "really missed the guy". He was rude, arrogant, pushy, preachy and vain. I liked him right away."

A 2 panel near the end of the book is what made my heart jump-- Oracle thinks that if Helena helps take down the Gotham mob..."Could I actually quit being Oracle?"

There are in fandom lots of opinions on this. I can understand the 'Batgirl has moved on, she's much more help as Oracle' view. That's why I try not to read other blogs before I post. No matter how independent we think we are, there's still a need to fit in. If there is blood in the water - a bad review, etc- comic fans are especially brutal. These characters become our identity (and I know I am the worst offender projecting the redhead librarian/Batgirl thing)

RF in print in Girls!!

So, here I am in the Pocono Mountains of PA, taking a Thxgiving holiday. I've been busy with eating (go to the Stroudmoor Inn if you are ever here!), shopping, and swimming in the hotel pool- then getting windburn outside because it's freezing cold.

Today I picked up Girls 7 by Jonathan and Joshua Luna, a series that has great artwork, interesting cliffhangers, and getting more character development each issue. And there I was- my letter in the GIRL TALK letters column! Today, I am a rock star. If you read Girls, you can find the letter. If you don't read it, I'll sum up the idea...one insomniac night my mind was racing and I was thinking how I love Y the Last Man and Girls.

• The premise of Y is that Yorick (and his monkey) is the last man on Earth...and the premise of Girls is that naked girls are killing the women of the town.
• Ethan of Girls and Yorick of Y are similar in appearance - floppy brown hair and personality- don't understand women, witty, self-depricating.
• So my idea was that the Luna brothers and Brian K. Vaughan should create a crossover, teamup-- the Girls would give Y some of the extra men since they are lacking.

More on my visit to the Encounter comic store, in Stroudsburg, PA when I don't have a slow connection. Happy black Friday to all!

my (young adult) baby

In the sense that I conceived and created the graphic novel sections for my public library, this is one of my babies. The adult section of graphic novels is not pictured. It took quite a lot of research, reviews and persuasion, but my library now has about 500 graphic novels. Our system probably has over 1000 all together.

When I first started, we had 3 graphic novels-- a 9/11 one, the Road to Perdition, and Maus. How far we've come! It is so awesome to see little kids pick up Batman or Kim Possible, teens with Inuyasha or Green Lantern, and adults with Watchmen, 100 Bullets. I love talking with patrons about what they like, and having part of my job being ordering graphic novels.

This is what started the fangirl road I'm speeding down now. Being a librarian is so much more than people think!

the church of Springsteen

After just spending 3 hours at a solo Springsteen show, I wanted to share these lyrics of
Redheaded Woman (his wife is a redhead, and an excellent guitar player too)

Well, I don't know how many girls you dated, man
But you ain't lived 'til you've had your tires rotated
By a redheaded woman

http://www.springsteenlyrics.com/lyrics/r/redheadedwoman.html

Ellis- English and Twisted

Desolation Jones 4--- I've had it for while, but it says Jan 2006--
Warren Ellis has the most creative swearing and cursing of any comic writer. There are not just f bombs, but more variations and combos of curse words than ever seen. JH Williams continues the stark, sharp edged art, mainly in black, white and grays..but then a splash of red blood or orange pills to shock you and draw the reader in.

DJ 4-- government conspiracy, tattooed butlers, hitler porn, ex intelligence agencies, Los Angeles

Also, the Warren Ellis blog has some of the most interesting and obsure stories. I added it to my RSS feeds. Today's story is on how the clown painting by John Wayne Gacy has been causing the owner bad luck. There's nothing funny about clowns.

Pink slips for Plastic, Gotham, Batgirl, JLA

This post is from Comic Book Commentary's post on
Riot Comics and Culture post- everyone credited now!

Plastic Man is CANCELLED.
Gotham Central is CANCELLED.
Batman: Gotham Knights is CANCELLED.
Batgirl is CANCELLED.
-(comment-- leaving the door open for Barbara Gordon, wiggling toes now, to walk again-- some sort of Oracle/Batgirl will be created is my guess. Boracle? Batacle?)
JLA is CANCELLED.
Adventures of Superman is being CANCELLED and the Superman title is being reverted back to its original numbering (starting with #650).
Flash is ENDING (not yet sure what the difference is with being CANCELLED).
the "current run" of Wonder Woman is ENDING as well.

Folks have been talking about the scene in Infinite Crisis #1 where the Bat-Signal is shining on The Spectre's chest. Hmm?

And evidently, the group that Donna Troy has recruited to fly off into space with her (Starfire, Sentinel, Bumblebee, Red Tornado, Firestorm, Jade, Herald, Cyborg, Air Wave, Shift and Supergirl) will go through the wringer as well. One of them will be changed. One of them will offer the ultimate sacrifice.

There will be a new Blue Beetle.

One of the "Big Three" will be replaced.

the Hawkman title will become Hawkgirl.

I've heard word that some of the new titles created may include: Adam Strange, Animal Man, Atom, Booster Gold, Ion, Spectre, Suicide Squad, Superboy, Zatanna.

But only DC knows for sure.

Overheard in NY

More from yesterday's National Comic Book expo--

I overheard quite a few fanboys and dealers comment that this year's
New York Comic Con, Feb 24-26 looks great. There is excitement about this con, and I even heard one person say that the NY show might start to rival San Diego. I've never been to a Javits Center con, but the guest list is pretty rockin right now. Jim Lee, Todd McFarlane, Brad Melzer are guests of honor.

Also, a vendor I met at Chiller who sold me the Green Lantern Tshirt told me that Chiller would be moving back to the Crowne Plaza, Secaucus, NJ on Jan 27-29. There was drama involving Chiller, the fire marshal, and money exchanges at the last place.
Chiller Theatre

The very best place to find out about comic convention is Comic Book Conventions
the appropriately titled site.

May your hell be a green one

2 images of Poison Ivy I dug...and Batgirl. Good and evil redheads!

No more mutants?

House of M Issues 7 and 8
Brian Michael Bendis- writer
Olivier Coipel- penciler

Avengers. X-Men. Mutants. The cast of House of M seems to include everyone in the Marvel universe-- and thousands/millions of unnamed mutants. I'll confess that I am not the most familiar Avengers fan out there. I do love Spiderman, and have grown to like She-Hulk. Emma Frost is OK in my opinion. There are just so many Xmen series that I just can't open that door and enjoy the indies too.

Wanda Maximoff has altered the world - she burrowed down into a self-made existence, and to hell with how it changed the lives of everyone else.

Spidey, after being with Gwen in the altered reality, wakes up to find Mary Jane sitting by the bed. "You OK, Mr. Parker?" "Headache" "Try not to get hit on the head by big mechanical octopus arms so much". MJ doesn't remember.

Logan "I remember...my whole life...I remember all of it."

Some remember the other world, some don't. Is the mutant gene deleted from everyone..or repressed? The comic leaves us with the unanswered questions of where the mutant energy went...and how will it effect the Earth.

mr. sandman, bring me a dream...

Flint Marko was a wanted criminal who was hit by radiation when an experimental nuclear reactor's steam system exploded. Marko discovered that his body had weirdly taken on the properties of animated sand, and that he could transform himself into sand. And The Sandman was born, only one of the rumored three villians in this third film.

Spider-Man 3

She is an aberration to this universe

Infinite Crisis 2 0f 7

I'm torn on this series. I do like the hope and light message Johns brings --- some of the honor back to the JLA. Looking at those panels Jimenez draws while the alternate Superman watches this Earth "a darkness seemed to spread, warping the heroes lives. Some dies. Other lost their lives. We watched for years hoping everyone would find inspiration again. But as we continued to look on...Things got worse." Most comic fans discuss this as the 'dark age' --the DC response to the success of a moody Spiderman and dark Xmen plots. While its grittier and more real, its a far cry from the triumph of my childhood Superfriends and Batman/Robin (which were bloated with campiness, I know).

However, I have a huge aversion to Power Girl. I've always thought she is like the pornified version of a superheroine, with her blonde hair and RIDICULOUSly huge boobs. She's the opposite of the women I love in comics-- like Batgirl. I know she's a fighter, blah, blah, but the idea of her being center of this huge series is a heinosity (heinous and atrocity). "In this reality, she may be the most important person on the planet" Make it stop.

Bloggin for the free world

A map of the last 100 visitors to this blog and where in the world they came from...

Spiderman meets Invincible

Kirkman knocked it out of the park with the Spider-man meets Invincible Marvel Team-up. Robert Kirkman has been creeping up my list of favorite comic book writers the more I read The Walking Dead and Invincible.

Mark Grayson (Invincible) is thrown by his enemy Angstrom Levy into Spidey's dimension. This issue is great as a summary of "previously in Invincible" to intro you to the character. His wisecracks are priceless...
"Spider-man" really? That's your name? Isn't that a little lame?
This line of jokes continues in the Avengers tower, where Invincible guesses Captain America is "Flag Man" - read it yourself for the rest of the guesses, including Fabio-Man and Claw-Man.

But my absolute favorite part was him meeting Mary Jane and referring to the classic Peter Parker-MJ meeting...
"..and super hot redhead?" "Actually that was my wife-- they just live here" "Wife? Really? Wow, I'm impressed-- you hit the jackpot, man" "Yeah-- No kidding..Actually, that's what she says, heh"

faangirl watches gyllenhaal

Spent this Veterans Day seeing Jarhead partly for the content but also for Jake Gyllenhaal. and Peter Saarsgard (do these two have enough of the letter A in their names? ) Funny, disturbing, restless, political and not political.
I have read no comics today.

trampled by dinosaurs

Astro City Dark Age 4 of 4

I think Busiak's writing on ACDA is philosophical regarding the super hero vs. real life world, with the added struggle of the orphen brothers who took very different roads in life. The artwork depicting Charles and Royal Williams, the two page spreads of the battles, and even the melancholy feel of sitting at the bar are great. Alex Ross has a dramatic cover of the Silver Agent, set to be executed, sitting in the electric chair. The light coming from his body armor draws your eye against the dark background.

Doesn't this sentence intrigue you to read ACDA?
"Not that it made them safe from the quakes, but at least they wouldn't be trampled by dinosaurs"

Dawn of the knockers

Escape of the Living Dead (Avatar, Issue 1)
I've been feeling sick, so I haven't read comics. I have been sleeping and drinking lots of ginger ale. But a few days ago I read Escape of the Living Dead. I love horror, zombies, but was really disappointed in this. There could have been an interesting story about a research facility in 1971 Pennsylvania, and trying to kill zombies after a plague.

But the mom and daughter (recently divorced) have all the cliches- really low cut shirts, short shorts, riding horses, taking a shower- standard stuff. Except that during a zombie attack, I couldn't feel for the mom character because I kept following her boobs panel to panel. The women just seemed to provocatively posed, even for obvious fiction.
I think this comic could be called "Escape of the Living Melons" and be more appropriate.

sexy girl fistfight

I have a running list of some amusing and scary referrals I've gotten for peeps who have checked out the Redhead Fangirl blog. Many fall into the 'internet is for porn' category, and I won't list, but here's some that tickled me over the last few weeks...

• sexy girl fistfight
• surviving zombie attack
• wed with a redhead
• the light fandango
• roots of desire
• irish temper italian attitude
• that strange girl
• zapped photos sexy
• superfly snuka theme
• william katt chiller theatre
• sexy red bones
• comic book babes
• redhead paradise
• lee meriweather

..and by posting these I've assured my blog of getting more hits like these! I love wackiness!

Autumn day for Souls and Girls

Trying to savor the last bit of my favorite season, fall. After doing some errands, I took a stack of comics, a fleece blanket, the Ipod with Rilo Kiley, Sugar, Ben Folds and other songs I added way late last night to Washington's Crossing park. I wanted to lay in the sun and read my comics and watch the river go by under the quickly falling leaves. But the best laid plans...it was too windy, even in my Irish sweater...so I only read 2 comics. I did enjoy both...

The Book of Lost Souls
J. Michaeal Straczynski, writer; Colleen Doran, artist
Oh, we readers know this quote "Why can't you be like everyone else --
burying your head in books all the time"
The green eyed, dark haired male is spurned by his love,
with this cringing write-off,
"All love is unrequited, haven't you heard?"
The art is dark, striking, and the coloring really sets the mood. JMS creates the beginning of a new world of lost souls that I'm looking forward to exploring. (book 2 out 11/9)
And there is a talking cat named Mystery..."All cats are mysteries. Anyone with any sense loves cats..cats can never be understood"

Girls 6

Josh and Jonathan Luna
There have been some criticisms that the characters are not developed enough in Girls. But Ethan, and the town, have appeal to me. Ethan only said 3 words to ex-Taylor (not THE 3 words), and touched her face - the art and simplicity were deep though.

Plus, there's always a good cliffhanger "what will happen" feeling that sucks me in. I'm happy that cover #7 (of the 24 issue run) is Ethan's ex-- the auburn haired Taylor.

Redheads derive from...

"While the rest of the human race are descended from monkeys, redheads derive from cats"- Mark Twain
I do love cats, and redheads...

Pulp AdventureCon #5

My comic show partner R held his 5th Pulp AdventureCon in Bordentown- a pulp and paperback show. I was the admission girl, so I tried to dress "pulpy". I wore a vintage shirt, a pencil skirt, curled my hair and even wore pearls! There were some nice people, excited about the artists and the dealers. I really did not tear myself away from the cash box much, but some photos are here:

PULP ADVENTURECON PHOTOS

Bold Venture Press

Small talk doesn't work

The Walking Dead, #22
Written by Robert Kirkman

Post zombie plague....
"I-- you know, we have these small talk questions, questions that just don't work anymore. Sports, weather, work-- everything...But old habits die hard, don't they"

*Don't forget to pick up the Marvel Team-up with Kirkman's Invincible and Spiderman due out this week!*

po-boys and the axeman

Of Bitter Souls 3
The flawed and bitter souls in issue 3 take on a New Orleans legend in the Axeman. The story follows the return of a murdere from 1918-1919 who sent the city into a frenzy and axed many, then disappeared. A letter sent to the press said that he would spare any home with "a Jazz band playing".
Norm Breyfoyles art has great style and perspective, along with a historically accurate color palette for the city. The creators have stated they will keep the comic in pre-flood days, but may have an issue #0 as a benefit to address the Katrina hurricane. Satterlee's writing of newspaper articles, info insets, and word balloons varies the pace and keeps the story propelled.

Heedless, unfocused souls

Saw Rebirth
Got a free copy of Saw at the Chiller Theatre con. (Yes, comics free are for me!)
(Saw II from Lions Gate out now)

Picture John, a low level artist type who has worked himself into a rut. "It's just that I knew there was more to life. I was just too lazy to grab it."

He loses Jill, who needs more from him. "She wanted a commitment that I just wouldn't-couldn't- make" And so she left. "She ripped out my heart and the hole's still there."

Then he gets sick. He finds a purpose- to convince others to realize how fleeting and valuable this existence was. The chosen would need a personal touch....

waiting for the trades! sheesh!

Read She-Hulk 2, #1
Dan Slott stirs the comic vs. trade pot up in She Hulk 2, #1.
Looking for case reserach, they find the reference library has switched over from comics to trade paperbacks. "How are we supposed to function from month to month if everyone is waiting for the trades?" Of course, in Slott comic fashion, She-Hulk trades save someones life.

A time travel case brings a jury pool from the past, including Hawkeye


SHE-HULK 2 #1
Written by DAN SLOTT
Penciled by JUAN BOBILLO
Cover by GREG HORN

Comixfan on She-Hulk
See why Aint it Cool News says, “She-Hulk is the best comic Marvel publishes today.” And in this first issue, She-Hulk isn't the only one returning. Get ready, True Believer! Because it's NOT a dream, NOT a hoax, and NOT HOUSE OF M... HAWKEYE'S BACK! We kid you not!