Wonder Woman Wednesday

From Inspire. Cheer.

Wonderful!

More photos from the London con!

These are some photos that my friend took at the London Super comic con.  (I think that if I don't put that exact phrase in this post won't show up in search items.  So, let's add some more in.   Cosplay. superheroes.  Comic Convention. Flash. Jay Garrick. Supergirl. awesomesauce.)

Now to the Marvel ones first.
Glacatus, the vulture and spiderman:

Galactus had a bit of paper on his back saying 'ultimate nullify me'.  Lols.
The Scarlet Witch and Valkyrie:

One of many Ms Marvels:

Now for the DC costumes.
That is one impressive Catwoman suit.

 

DC new universe Supergirl!

This costume was amazing!  She'd even got the right contacts in to change her eye colour.  And she was an absolute sweetie.

And here's where I can't believe I'm actually putting these online because my gods, I am such a dork.

But of course I needed a picture of me and Kara.  How could I not?

This is the only pose I did.  It's not very good.  And I am such a dork.

London Super Comic Con!!

Sooo yesterday I went to London for the first London Super Comic Con.  Ohhh it was SO much fun!

Let me tell you about my day.....

I get up at 6am.  I realise I have time to have breakfast. I am shocked.  I get in the taxi at 6.30 am, I get on the train at 6.45.  I go oh grife it's really fucking early.

Due to a basic miscalculation about the times of London transport, I arrive at the venue, the Excel centre, an hour before I expected at 9am.  No matter, my friend arrives shortly after and we start queueing.  I am dressed like Jay Garrick, but being British still feel faintly embarrassed about being in public all dressed up.  After half an hour of queueing I get over this and put my hat on.  I blush a bit and then I calm down and get used to it.

We finally get in, the fella giving us our passes compliments me on the hat, and I feel better.  What does it look like?  Well I'll show you!

(Photo taken by this fella)

I'm really pleased by the outfit.  I should have moved the pass out of the way though cos you can't see the belt buckle.  I'd glued a lightning bolt charm to the buckle for extra authenticity.  I'll put a post up about how I made the helmet later.

For those non comic-y people, this is Jay Garrick as drawn by Alex Ross:

So, once in, my friend dived off to the Stan Lee queue and I went a wandering.  I had a hitlist of Jamal Igle, Paul Cornell, Phili Jiminez, Jock and Bill Sienkiewicz.  off I trotted, aware that although each had a signing session lined up, I was anxious not to miss anyone.

I found Jamal Igle first.  He recognised me, because on twitter I had mentioned I'd be dressed as Jay.  So when he shook me hand and said Saranga! I was bowled over.  He was lovely!  I apologised spamming him on twitter the other day - this was a result of a 3 way conversation between me, Sterling Gates, Anj from Supergirl Comic Box Commentary and him, which degenerated into me and Sterling chatting about silly fannish encounters.  So, sorry Anj as well.  I asked him to sign War of the Superman #1 and explained that I brought it because I find it such a great piece of storytelling through art, no dialogue, and it gets me really emotional every time.  He said he was gutted when he had to draw it.  I asked him what he was doing now and he said a Kiss comic set in 1912 (I think) and that something very cool will be announced June/July time.  Then I headed away as other people wanted to chat and I don't feel right monopolising folk.  Oh, I bought one of his sketch books too.

Then I went to the other side of the table and introduced myself to Paul Cornell, as I had been tweeting him about things recently.  (Apparently Demon Knights is set in France, not England).  He said I looked very different in person, I said yes, my twitter icon is doodle that makes me prettier and thinner, he said he couldn't comment.  Now, recently Paul Cornell has decided that in an effort to redress the gender imbalance at comic con panels, he will step off any panel where there isn't a 50/50 gender split, and invite a woman from the audience to take his place.  he was talking about this on twitter, so I chimed in on the conversation saying that women should be better represented at con panels, and, well, the upshot is that I've now volunteered myself for a panel at Eastercon in London on 6th April, to talk about 'comics outside the mainstream'.

Eek.

Anyway, I told Paul Cornell this and he was really pleased about it.  I hope I don't gabble like a fool at the con.  Paul was also giving away his free DC comics, that he gets sent by DC, so I picked up I, Vampire.

Again, someone else wanted to talk to him so I headed off. Oh, I got Demon Knights #6 signed by him.

Next I tried queueing for Bill Sienkiewicz but got bored (I hate queueing) and noticed a twitter friend, AlexanderLyons, behind me, so said hello and we chatted.  Alex is lovely! We queued for Phil Jiminez, I got Wonder Woman:Paradise Lost signed by him (Phil), he liked my hat.  Then Alex was up next and him and Phil had a reallllly long conversation.

By this point my friend Simon had come back, had met Stan Lee, got his signature and got his hand shook by Mr Stan!  This made Simon's day.

Me and Simon headed off to find other cosplayers, specifically a new 52 Supergirl, who quite frankly looked amazing!  She'd got everything absolutely perfect.  I'll upload photos when I've got a hold of them.  We also saw another Jay!   So me and him posed in the running pose and had photos taken.  Man, there were so many amazing costumes there.  This Flickr photo stream has lots of good examples, as does the facebook group I linked to above.  I think my favourite was the Vulture, DCnU Supergirl and She-Ra.  Nearly all of them were throwing poses when asked to be photographed.  Now, quite a few folk wanted my picture, which was cool, but apart from the one with the other Jay, I didn't pose.  Because I'm not an actor and I do fancy dress for the fun of it.  I also noticed that the women in more traditional superhero costumes got asked for tons more photos than I did, which narked me.  I don't like the fact that it annoyed me, and I fully understand why they would get more photos taken, but I still couldn't help feeling narked.  Which I don't like about myself. Oh well.

We stopped at Simon Furman's stand, him who wrote the 80s Thundercats and most Transformers comics.  I met him at Norcon last year, he said I looked a bit familiar.  I bought a couple of his Shulkie comics.

So, after this, me and Simon wandered round each and every stall, had a little sit outside, got some lunch, enjoyed the sun, wandered round the stalls again.  I noticed about 1 o'clock that the soles of one of my boots was coming off, (they were cheap), and got concerned I'd have to buy replacements later.  I didn't have to and they lasted till i got home at 2.45am.

I never managed to get anything signed by Jock or Bill Sienkiewicz because the queues were too long.  Alex got a Wonder Woman issue signed by George Perez.  Me and Simon went to the Stan Lee panel at 4pm which was far better than I expected.  Stan Lee is just like my Dad, when my Dad is in full storytelling mode with a few drinks in him. This made me warm to him so much.

One bad point of the day - while I was at the orbital comics stall 2 of the staff were in costume.  I was rifling through back issues, minding my own business when I overheard a conversation from a couple of fellows behind me.  They were criticising one of the cosplayers - they said she was too flat chested.  To costume as who she was costumed as.  I was flabberghasted and considered turning round and lamping them, or at least telling them they were being dicks.

But apart from that the day was great. It was wonderful to meet older and younger Jay Garrick-specific and Flash-general fans.  It was great to have people like my outfit and ask how I did the hat.  The other Jay made his wings out of balsar wood.  I think he may have done a better finish on the spray paint, as his hat looked much more heard wearing than mine.  Mine now has tons of fingerprints and is also missing a wing, as one cam eoff in the bag on the way home.  I shall replace it.

After the con i went to meet a couple of friend's for dinner, then to meet some other friends for a 30th birthday drinks.  I got in at 2.45am, knackered, but I had a fabulous day!

I think I've reported on everything.  I definitely want to go back next year.

Super Silly Sunday

This came from a backup story about 2 girl sort-of-detectives.  Named Betty and Tracey.  It is one of the most fabulous things I have ever read and I urge you all to get a copy from Maid of Might.
From Adventure Comics 401.

Reynard City art

I found these couple of scans on facebook.  They are teaser images for an upcoming Reynard City issue.

 

I really like them, especially the black and white one.  It's a really clear, clean art style.  My only critiques are that it might make more sense for the left hand bottom panel to be on the right hand side instead, and the pose in the bottom panel is a bit awkward.  I think her body should be more vertical and less horizontal.  But hey, she's a fox (literally), maybe humanoid foxes have different skeletal structures.

Even with those comments, it's still a pretty good comic page.  I like the layout and I love the sense of perspective and movement you get in the middle and bottom right panels.

Good stuff.

It's done by Susie Hampton, you can see more of her stuff on her deviantart account.

Wonder Woman Wednesday

Wonder Woman 185

That pesky slippery slope of marriage equality!

Found on this f word post.

I wrote a guest post for The F Word!

woot yay, rarr etc!!

It is titled 'my experience with slimming clubs' and is probably the closest I will get to ever writing about weight and fatness and thinness as it pertains to me.

Yet again London gets all the fun things

I got this from the Deaf Uk Jobs yahoo group/mailing list:
-------
CommunityID is running a Big Lottery project for ALL of London. The aim is to promote 'community cohesion' for Deaf people and improved working conditions and awareness for their BSL Interpreters.

We regularly deliver our free interactive and modern "Deaf & Interpreter" sessions to those that are eligible (third sector, volunteers and those from deprived/poor backgrounds) .

However, 2012 will be taking a new additional approach – with some great themed events with some great Deaf guest speakers being lined up!

There will be a mix of presentations, training workshops & sessions and lots of opportunities to network at all the events.

ANYONE from LONDON is welcome to attend, if they meet our criteria:

• Work in Third Sector (charity, community/voluntary groups, C.I.Cs, ethically motivated social enterprises)
• Volunteer in spare time
• Low income (deprived background – unemployed, low paid worker)
• Have a Deaf family member and need to learn more
• Volunteer or work to support specific Deaf communities/ organisations/ projects

Please see the list of dates coming up in London:

"Deaf Accessibility in the Third Sector" 1st March (in partnership with Sense)
http://communityid. co.uk/CID_ third_sector_ themed_day. jpg

Guest Speakers:
Gillian Morbey OBE, CEO of Sense International
Tomato Lichy – BDA Representative

This day is open for all – with a specific theme of how the Third Sector is open to Deaf community members. A great day for Managers and Service Coordinators!

"Creative Opportunities for the Creative Minds" 5th March
http://communityid. co.uk/CID_ art_sector_ themed_day. jpg
Guest speakers:
Samuel Dore, BurstEarDrum – Deaf Film Maker, Photographer
Caroline Parker – Freelance Performing Artist

This day is open for all – with a specific theme of the Arts and Creative Industries and looking an inclusive opportunities and experiences of Deaf `creatives'!

"Age & Isolation from a Deaf perspective" 22nd March
http://communityid. co.uk/CID_ age_isolation_ themed_day. jpg
Guest speakers:
JDA (Jewish Deaf Association) representative
Others being confirmed

This day is open for all – with a specialised focus on the ageing population and sharing the Deaf experiences. A fascinating debate on services and resources…

"Ethnicity & Equity - exploring Deaf culture and access" 27th March
http://communityid. co.uk/CID_ ethnicity_ equity_themed_ day.jpg
Guest speakers:
Mohammad Mahboubi – Deaf Iran Refugee experience
Others being confirmed

This day is open for all – focusing on the multi-cultural and diverse community that not only London has, but it's rich Deaf community too. What are the daily issues that this service sector face?

"Enhancing Education through Sign Language"
http://communityid. co.uk/CID_ education_ themed_day. jpg
Guest speakers:
Francis Elton – Linguistic Researcher
Catherine Drew – Deaf Instructor, Frank Barnes

This day is open for all – investigate and learn what "bi-lingual" education means and the importance of Deaf BSL users being taught in their first language, with fascinating insight in Deaf History and first hand experiences…

"Deaf Accessibility for LGBT services" 29th March
http://communityid. co.uk/CID_ LGBT_themed_ day.jpg
Guest speakers:
Tim Aldcroft – Kairos in Soho (a beneficiary of our project will share his views)
Others being confirmed

This day is open for all – sector specific day focusing on the daily experiences of the Deaf LGBT community and how it can access its diverse, sensitive and essential support services on a par with others.

"Positive Pathways into Mental Health & Deafness" 3rd April
http://communityid. co.uk/CID_ mental_health_ themed_day. jpg
Guest speakers:
being confirmed

This day is open for all – having a positive approach to Mental Health and it's services is vital to make positive changes. Deaf people are more prone to experience such issues? Come and learn why…

Our aim is to deliver 2 sessions that repeat in the morning and afternoon – to allow for people's valuable time. Maximum of 50 people per session please.

All people that attend are then eligible to apply for FREE BSL 1 training via our project.

Please do pass this on to others that you think would benefit.

If you would like more information, have a question about coming or to book a place on any of these events then please do contact us as soon as you can!

Contact details are:

Colette Hogan
Project Director

colette@communityid .co.uk
020 7249 8454

------------------
This looks so interesting  but I don't live in London so I can't go. :(

Super Silly Sunday

I'm pretty certain I want this framed and put on my wall.

I passed!

My BSL assessment, woo-hoo!

EDIT - this means that I get to do the second part of the level 3 course, which gives me the qualification.  I haven't actually passed the level 3 yet.  But I hope to do so by summertime.  I'll just have to work really damn hard.  Which I am more than happy to do!

I failed the driving test.  There's a surprise.  But the BSL thing is far more important to me, so hurrah!
I booked another driving test. Perhaps I shall drive better next time. *le sigh*

Wonder Woman Wednesday

Discworld Watch and Witches and Death and a few others

'Tis (some of) the Discworld characters.  From left to right, the top row is:

Sir Terry Pratchett (erstwhiel clever author) , Death, Susan (daughter of Death), Lord Havelock Vetinari (Patrician and tyrannical ruler of Ankh-Morpork), the Luggage and Rincewind (a wizard), the Librarian (an Orangutan), Moist Von Lipwig (Postmaster of the Post office), and One of the posties who I can't remember the name of, because I've only read Going Postal once.

From left to right, the bottom row is:Granny Weatherwax (a crotchety old Witch-supreme), Nanny Ogg (a boozing, crude lovable Witch –nearly-supreme) and Greebo (a vicious wolf baiting cat), Magrat Garlick (a hippy Witch), Sir Samuel Vimes  (Commander of the City Watch, Duke of Ank-Morpork and Blackboard Monitor), Captain Carrot Ironfoundersson (6 ft 6 dwarf-by-adoption, Watchman, not-so-secret heir to the throne of Ank-Morpork),  Angua (werewolf, Watchwoman), Fred Colon (fat, bit stupid, Sergeant of the City Watch), Nooby Nobbs (Corporal of the City Watch, has a certificate to prove he’s a member of the human race).

I'm not sure where I found this piece of art but I loves it.

On the idea of 'sex sells'

Cross posted from here, the following is an comment on the idea of 'sex sells' in relation to comic book art, particularly women of the escher variety.  ----->>>>

Beast of the Sea, I don’t know who you are, since you only contribute Anonymously, but I love you more than words can ever express.

In response to that anon, let me expand on the last point:
“P.s. the x ladies are looking mighty hot lately, hope Land doesn’t read your blog and tone down the ladies”
Tone down the “lady”, you mean, since all of Greg Land’s women look nearly the same. In fact, in a tutorial, he advises the potential artist to “Draw the kinds of features readers expect to see on this sort of character, including full lips, a petite nose, and eyes that have a nice darkness around them to draw the reader’s gaze to the pupils.” and “Since this is a glamour sketch, go for the aesthetic of the “ideal” female form. Draw longer, thinner limbs.” In short, he has an ideal in his head, and he draws women to strictly match that ideal.
Now, what’s the problem with this, you ask? After all, male superheroes are all drawn to match a ideal male form, too.
Well, because that ideal male form has variance. There’s the short and hairy Wolverine, the slimmer (sometimes) Cyclops, the bulky Colossus, etc. Robins have leaner builds than the Batman himself. Reed Richards is usually long and thin (as one might expect from Mr. Fantastic). Even with the mandatory Greek-god physique, there are different versions of that physique. And the faces! Even though there is a default square-jawed, glowering-brow facial structure, heroes do vary from that - Spiderman is usually one such, right? - and even within that structure, if Superman and Batman are in the same comic together, the artists usually make an effort to distinguish one black-haired Caucasian male from the other.
Greg Land’s women, on the other hand, all have “longer, thinner limbs”, big bosoms, wide shoulders, thin hips, full lips, petite noses, and heavy eyeliner. And they have a tendency to get caught with their mouths wide open in a certain manner, though I’ll omit the usual speculation as to why.
I’ll even concede that it may not be due to tracing similar-looking models, because his tutorial showed him transforming a model who did not look like his usual lady into one who did. He does it by choice, not by incompetence.
Riiight, you ask, so what’s the problem with this? It’s a hot lady, even if it IS the same lady modulo different skin-tones, hair-colors, and costumes, it appeals to you, it’s pretty art, so what’s the problem? Sex sells!
On the solely “sex sells” front, I have to ask why more male characters aren’t drawn to appeal to women or gay men, since they’ve got money too. Now, I like muscular fellows, so some comic art looks rather good to me… but I’ve noticed that How To Draw [American] Comics books tend to have one tutorial minimum on how to make women look “sexy and alluring” (sometimes an entire section), whereas the tutorials for men are more along the lines of ‘how to make the hero look powerful’, with notes along the lines of ‘A thin waist makes a character look sleek, whereas a thick waist just makes him look brutish’. That’s very nice, but where are the tutorials on making men sexy and alluring, again? If sex sells, shouldn’t we be aiming to sell sex to the widest market possible?
Again solely from a “sex sells” perspective, not all men will like the same body type and facial features that Greg Land apparently prefers! Some men like wide hips - the famed “hourglass figure” is not a “funnel figure”. Some men like women bigger, some men like women slimmer (Difficult, you say? Shrink the shoulders to match the hips), some men like women shorter, some men like women taller… and Greg Land draws each and every one with about the same height and build. In this sense, he’s actually shrinking the “sex sells” market by excluding every fellow whose tastes markedly differ from his. (And yes, it is possible to have athletic women who do not all look like Greg Land’s woman. They may all have the same muscles, but if you slap them down on top of different skeletons, they will not look the same up to a change of costume, wig, and skin-tone! I mean, is every superheroine Greg Land draws secretly played by the X-Universe’s Lady Gaga?)
Oh, and by the way, Greg Land has been criticized for making even middle-aged mayors and scientists look the same as all the superheroines, so the idealized-female-form argument wouldn’t apply to all his stuff even if I conceded utterly to it. But I think I’ve spent enough time on the “sex sells” argument as it’s currently used.
As for other problems with his single woman - that single woman has facial features typically associated with Caucasian supermodels. This may make sense when on a Caucasian woman, but not all the women he’s supposed to be drawing are Caucasian. I’m trying to phrase this delicately, and I think it works to say that this choice declares “mighty hotness” to be the exclusive province of women with Caucasian features… and not just Caucasian features, but a specific subtype of Caucasian features. Not only is this ludicrously racist (though I do not claim this to be Greg Land’s intent - I am sure he is a quite friendly and unprejudiced guy in person), but I am sure that many, many men (and women!) would disagree that only a specific subtype of Caucasian features grant a woman “mighty hotness” - Sorry, I said I would drop the “sex sells” argument, didn’t I? Well, it’s the supposed magic bullet against any objections to sexualization and stereotyping of women in comics, so I figure it’s high time for it to be used to return fire.
Back on the “men are idealized too” front - teenage boys and young adult males look markedly different from older men in comics. The Robins are not drawn as miniature Bruce Waynes, never have been, and never will be. Even the Dread Rob Liefeld did NOT draw all male characters with the same build and facial structure - he has two male body types (muscular and torso-wide-as-it-is-tall), but he has two different male body types. And since Rob Liefeld is all but regarded as the Comics Antichrist, I think that drives home that male characters really are given multiple body types. One could probably argue that he has two different female body types, too - close-to-normal and severe-scoliosis-sufferer - but that’s a subject for different blogs.
Greg Land, on the other hand, draws teenage girls, young adult females, and adult women as having no appreciable difference whatsoever. There is no change in facial structure or body shape to tell the two apart - 14-year-old Hope looks nearly-identical to Jean Grey in her 20’s or 30’s. All of his females after the age of menarche have the same body. And you cannot say that about his males.
Yes, his males have issues with exploding biceps, but that’s a different matter…
TL;DR - Greg Land’s art has problems with the ladies, and it goes beyond bad anatomy, tracing, and the possibility of needing to be “toned down”. Even if you look only with an eye to “mighty hotness”… there’s a problem.
[Final disclaimer - no, I am not calling Greg Land racist or sexist, I am not calling the anon racist or sexist, I am not calling your houseplant racist or sexist, I am not calling anyone racist or sexist. I am criticizing Greg Land here solely for his artistic choices, which have certain unpleasant side effects. I am sure any unpleasant side effects are wholly unintentional. Sorry, a recent binge on reading the comment-sections of Wundergeek’s excellent blog has made me paranoid.]
By way of an apology to the mod for clogging up her Tumblr, here’s a truly spectacular example of the big-shoulders small-hips thing I was talking about [Again, that Photobucket account is not mine - I don’t even have a Photobucket account], and an amusing collage of Greg Land’s women by a guy here on Tumblr. (Please note the tags.) I just wanted to go into detail on the ‘Well, at least he draws hot women!’ argument, since it’s apparently one of his big selling points.

Today is hate the world day

So, I've been doing a British Sign Language Level 3 NVQ Certificate course (for British folk - it's about A-level standard).  I started it in September, finished (and passed) the first part (called language development) in December, and was very ready to start the second part in February, which would give me the qualification.

But the training provider I was training with had to delay the second part until September.  So I started looking for other providers.  Yesterday I headed down to London (no short trip - it's about 3.5 to 4 hours door to door, each way) for an assessment to do the second part of the course.  Which I right royally fucked up.  See, I know I'm at the required standard.  I'm at the right level.  My signing isn't fluent, I make mistakes, but I am ready to get this qualification and I am absolutely determined to do it.  Unfortunately I'm not very good in test situations, and I panic, doubt myself and get really nervous.  So my signing goes to pieces, my handshapes get sloppy, I forget basic vocabulary, I forget what I'm trying to say, I forget to respond to people, I concentrate so hard on getting all the information that I go out of focus and my mind wanders and I don't pick up what they want to tell me.

So because of nerves, because I want to do this qualification so badly I have probably screwed it up.  I wasn't at my best, I can do better.  I know this.  But what's the point if I can't show it?  I do the same with driving tests - I've got my third one on Tuesday. I can drive OK, I can drive to the right standard, I just freak out just before the test, get nervous and drive badly.  I will probably do the same again on Tuesday, which will mean another £62 (the cost of each test) and the cost of lessons is wasted, and I'll have to spend it all over again.

Have an appropriate song:

Edit, made about 5 hours later:  Now I've had a walk and a think I figure the best thing for me to do is keep up my signing, go to workshops and training to improve problem areas, go to more deaf events, and just suck up the fact that I'm gonna have to wait till September to do the second part of the level 3.  And delay/amend my career plans, as I'm obviously not gonna get to to the next level  as soon as I thought.
Fuck, I'm so angry at myself for screwing up yesterday.

Super Silly Sunday

What the hell is with those glasses?  Were they ever fashionable?

From Adventures of Supergirl, 397.

Smallville season 11 in comics format!

and bryan miller is writing it!  an actual good, qualified, experienced writer doing a tv spin off in comic form!  acebeans!

From the DC news article:

Smallville Fans Rejoice! New Comic Book Series, SMALLVILLE SEASON 11, to Pick Up Where Show Left Off

Fans of the smash-hit TV series Smallville haven’t had much to cheer about since the show ended its critically acclaimed 10-year run on The CW last May.  That’s all going to change with the upcoming new comic book series from DC Entertainment: SMALLVILLE SEASON 11.  Written by former Smallville show scribe Bryan Q. Miller, the new digital first series will be published digitally on April 13, 2012, with new digital chapters released weekly thereafter.  Additionally, the online chapters will be offered in a print periodical, along with an episode guide to the hit television series, with the first print issue released on May 16.
The new comic book series picks-up where the show left off (with Clark officially now as Superman!) and features other fan-favorite characters including Oliver Queen/Green Arrow, Chloe Sullivan-Queen, Lois Lane, Lex Luthor, and General Lane.  The book features an all-star creative team – in addition to Miller, SMALLVILLE SEASON 11 creators include print cover artist Gary Frank (SUPERMAN SECRET ORIGIN), digital cover artist Cat Staggs and interiors by Pere Perez (BATGIRL).
“Six months after Clark Kent donned the cape and took to the skies to save Earth from Apokolips… enter Season 11!” enthuses Miller.  “New allies abound!  New enemies afoot!  And old friends return where they’re least expected!  Pere and colorist Chris Beckett have done a fantastic job of capturing the look of the show and the players, and Gary and Cat are knocking it out of the park on covers. I couldn’t be more excited to help give seasoned viewers and new readers an all-access pass to Clark’s first year in the cape.”

Wonder Woman Wednesday

Wonder Woman Annual 7

On consent

I hope it's big enough to read.  I nicked it from someone on facebook.   It's worth repeating.  I like it. 

Super Silly Sunday

Adventure Comics 388.  He's like that fella from Power Girl, the sleazy one.

Imbolc

February 1st and 2nd is Imbolc, an old pagan festival. Imbolc means ewes milk and it marks the time of year when we see the light returning – the days have become noticeably longer, it’s now light-ish at 4.30 to 5pm. The Imbolc goddess is Brigit. She walks the ground tapping it with a white rod and then snowdrops appear. She can turn water into beer and she is linked with the moon. In the past, when Brigit had priestesses, she used to have 19 who guarded a fire each day. On the 20th day Brigit would arrive to tend it. Her animals are the swan and the wolf. I don’t know why. Brigit has 3 fire arrows – one for the hearth or forge, one for healing and one for inspiration. At Imbolc we eat sheeps milk cheese, drink a beer and light candles.

I like Imbolc – I hate the darkness of winter, I hate the cold. I like candles, and cheese, and beer. This festival suits me. Enjoy the new light folks!

Here's my BSL (ish) version of the above text:

Wonder Woman Wednesday

Issue 159.