Norcon 2011

It was fab!  Organised by the Norwich sci-fi club, Norcon is a celebration of all things geeky.  The emphasis was on Dr Who and Red Dwarf but there was also comics nerdiness there, including Barry Kitson who pencilled JLA Year One (I didn't get a sketch, he was very busy and I didn't understand the queueing system, meaning that I inadvertently pushed right in to the front and then got very very embarassed).
There was also a writing fella named Simon Furman there who I didn't know, but we got chatting, and it turns out he wrote the 80s Thundercats comics.  Now that was the series that got me into comics, so you can imagine my glee at finding this out!   Anyway I told him this and also bought some signed transformers issues that he wrote as a gift for the boyfriend.

I of course bought some comics for myself too - Lobo and Black Orchid ones, and a Captain Britain one, on the recc of Anj from Supergirl Comic Box Commentary.  Captain Britain was surprisingly good, I haven't read the others yet.

I was at Norcon cos I was helping out on the Reynard City stand - we got lots of people interested in the project and even met a few fans! Some who remembered us from last year and some who met us for the first time.  Near enoguh everyone who came to the stand was postive about the comic, I got to chat comics and superheroes (DC, Marvel and webcomics) with so many people, young and older, my colleagues on the stall were brilliant.  We even made some links with industry people so the future is looking bright for Reynard City!  Professionally, it was a really successful day :D  I loved it!
Below the cut is lots of photos of Con wonderfulness.

Forgot to say...

I'm gonna be at Norcon - Norwich's Sci-Fi Convention - on Sunday.  I'm helping out on the Reynard City stall and I'm quite excited about it.  The cast of Red Dwarf will be there, along with Daleks, Sophie Aldred (Ace from Dr Who), Davros, lots of Dr Who folk and Barry Kitson.  Mr Kitson did the pencils for JLA Year One, so I'm pretty darn excited about him being there.  Gonna get my trade signed and nerd out a bit.  I will possibly get a sketch done too - I think a Black Canary/Black Cat piece would be rather good.  Or possibly an Aquaman/Canary piece, to honour Aquaman's new series.  I dunno yet.

Anyway, I'm looking forward to it.  The fella who runs Reynard City is lovely and quite possibly the most dedicated person I've ever met.  It's a fun universe that he's created and of all the creative people I've met, he's the only one who I think will actually go somewhere with his product.

LGBT Reading Challenge 2011 - Antique Bakery

After yesterday's rather annoyed review of an LGBT book, I thought I'd showcase one that was actually good.  However as I'm short on time (but long on ambition) today's feature is going to be crossposted from New readers..start here!.  I've been debating between showing off Antique Bakery or The Moon and Sandals, and have ended up with Antique Bakery, because this review is at least new and written this month, which I felt was more in the spirit of the book challenge.  Please don't forget about The Moon and Sandals though!  In some ways it's a better book.  And hey, if it's superheroes you want for your LGBT fix, then we have those too.  While you're at it, don't forget about the webcomics!

Anyway, enough plugging, on with the review!

Writer and artists: Fumi Yoshinaga

What's it about?
An old antique shop reopens as a bakery.  A surprising selection of characters staff the shop, some unlikely coincidences take place and some delicious cakes and pastries get baked.

The book opens with some historical episodes.
14 years ago... In high school Ono confesses his love for Tachibana, who responds by telling him to 'Hurry up and die, homo'.  Nice.
13 years ago...Urishihara is being bullied in school for looking different and Miss Ito admires her.
5 years ago...Eiji Kanda is a champion boxer.  Unfortunately for him he develops a detached retina and is forced to give up boxing.
3 years ago...Mr Tadahiro is a grumpy businessman with a wife and son and an obsessive desire for desserts.

This unlikely group of people drift to the Antique Bakery.  We learn some secrets, see some relationships blossom, and, well, learn a lot about different types of cake.

This is a Yaoi title.  Yaoi means boys love and is the name given to manga about male couples.  Yaoi can be explicitly about sex, or can be more about the relationship side of things. Some of it can be a coming out narrative, some of it can just be two men getting it on.  A lot of it is written by women, for women.  The female equivalent is called Yuri.  This book is not explicit and is far more about baking than sex.

What's good about it? Oooh it's simply delightful!
Let's start with the bakery part - throughout the book there are mouth watering descriptions of cake.  If you like cake you'll want to eat them all.  My book comes with a scratch and sniff cover - you get an aroma of strawberries.  I read this on a Monday and it took me until Friday to find a cake that could satisfy my craving (Japanese cheesecake with green tea ice cream, since you ask).

The book is more of a cooking manga than a story about sexuality.  Ono's gayness is present throughout the book, as it is part of him.  His sexuality is part of him, but not necessarily always the most important part, and the story reflects that.  It's normalising of different sexualities in a way that is often missed by mainstream Western media outlets.

Having said that, there is a subplot about Tachibana and Ono.  Tachibana may start as an asshole but by the end of the book he has been thoroughly outshone by Ono.  It is clear that Ono is the better person, and in fact, in one of the best lines of the book, it is stated that Ono has grown up to become "..no ordinary gay. He's a demonically charmed gay, unspeakably gay, a legendary gay" who inadvertently seduces every man he takes a fancy to.  It's enough to send right wing bigots everywhere into a frenzy ;)

Note: Due to computer issues the scans in this post are taken from fan translations on the internet, so some lettering and vocabulary may be different from the official printed version.

If this book were a song it would be a light little summer ditty. 

What's bad about it?
Not a lot, if I'm honest,  The characters are all easily distinguishable (something I often have problems with in black and white books), the plots are fun and the build up to various reveals is done with skill and precision.  There are a few panels where it's not terribly easy to work out what the reading order is but overall it's fine.

Please note that this book is presented in the original Japanese format, so you read it back to front, right to left.  An explanation of how to read manga can be found at the bottom of this post.

What's the art like?
Most panels have little to no background detail, this has two effects - 1, you focus in on the character's faces and body language and the story is told through the way the characters are placed in each panel.  2, the blank space gives a feeling of solitude and contentment that you would expect to find in a peaceful artisan bakery.

Yoshinaga doesn't use a lot of pencil lines for her characters.   This produces restrained and simplified images where little things denote expressions and moods, for example, the angle of an eyebrow or a mouth.  Occasionally a wrinkle or a tear is shown, and it is their very scarcity which increases the impact of the scene.

To complement this simplicity, shading techniques are used quite often to emphasise moods and space.  And then, because there's an exception to every rule, some panels will be bursting with ink:

Other information
You are unlikely to find yaoi titles in mainstream bookshops, as the sexual content is incompatible with a genre still widely (and incorrectly) considered suitable only for children.  Because of this, you will be best off buying yaoi titles from amazon, ebay or British online distributors such as United Publications and Anime Online.

To read more from the same author, try Antique Bakery volumes 2 to 4, or The Moon and Sandals.  Click here to see what other LGBT books we have covered.  Click here to read other romance and Valentines themed posts.

Webcomic linky time!

I'm getting slack with real posts again.  Forgive me and please take a gander at these here links, which are my pitiful attempt at today's blog:

What's normal anyway?  - a new webcomic about being trans male.  Only a few strips in so far, but it looks interesting and the art is sweet, if a little amateurish.  I'm sure it will improve over time.

Reynard City - I've been threatening to blog about this for ages.  I discovered it via twitter (@reynardcity since you ask) and from my initial browsings it looks to be about superhero foxes who come to earth.  It's written by folks from my city, and as Norwich doesn't get enough credit for being a creative, artistic city, I feel duty bound to promote things from here.  We aint all farmer hicks you know.

Comics are put up regularly in pdf format and it looks inventive and fun.  They are also looking to get funding to make it into a TV show and seem a pretty ambitious lot.  The comic itself is done by a range of artists, some better than others.  On the whole, the art could do with more nuance but I guess that will come over time.  Check it out.

Moving away from the webcomic side of things:

Before Christmas, Girls Gone Geek did a series of posts on a Batman/Wonder Woman pairing.  It was great.  It has inspired me to collect other BatWondy pairings and I have them all saved waiting to be posted.  Some time soon.  Or tomorrow.

Fuck Yeah Nerdy Nails - oh ye gods I love stuff like this.  The adorable @smash_is_nerdy from twitter is one of the moderators of this tumblr.  Please go look at it!

Fuck Yeah Gotham Slash - Does posts of Gotham slash.  Wonderful.  There's lots of BoP and DinahxBabs stuff on at the moment.

Venus Envy

So, I started reading Venus Envy a few days ago, a webcomic about a transgendered teen, her high school life, home life, and friends.  It's pretty good and funny.  And not at all about superheroes.  I mean, Zoe (the protagonist) wears a Batman vest once but that's it.  And then I came across this awesome strip.

And I was roaring with laughter because it's just so damn unexpected.  And funny.

That's not the usual style  of the comic btw, that particular strip is a fill in one, but the humour is spot on and matches the rest of the series well.  Anyway, I highly recommend reading Venus Envy.

You are a great read

A while ago wiec gave me this lovely award:


and I thought it was time I passed it on. And I like the picture. How cheeky.
Everybody on my link list is a great read. They are all blogs I follow and I recommend them all. having said that, I would like to draw your attention to the following, more unusual and non comic related ones:

Butch Girlcat: knee-deep in gender trouble: masculinity, genderqueerness, butchness, whatever. still with my highschool sweetheart, still checking out the girls
Menage a 3: Web comic. Awesome. Probably NSFW.
My Pal Itty: Also awesome. Less full of sex than Menage a 5. We need more strips though!
Welcome to Wayne Manor: Home of the Black cat, who does very cool Batfamily comic strips.
Advanced Style: Proof from the wizened and silver-haired set that personal style advances with age.

Linky time

Some things I have found interesting over the last few days:

Gay Youth Centre bombed in Tel Aviv
Heartless Bitches International For women who won't take any shit
ReligionFacts.com Giving an overview of several religions, including less well known ones such as Stoicism, Greco-Roman religion, Cao Dai, Aladura and New Thought
Racebender.com and Chaobunny's Guide to Casting Fail (youtube video) Regarding the Avatar: The Last Airbender cock up. I reliase i'm late to the party on this one.
Superhero themed wedding They're not even comic fans, just theatrical.
Dar: A supergirly web comic featuring two strips which are so me. The main character identifies as a lesbian who sometimes fancies men. It's very good.
Willow's Avalon is unexcited by the DC/99 co mini to be released later this year. When i first read about the project (in the newspaper) I was really excited because I thought that it might mean that I'd be able to get copies of ther 99 over here. However, I completely see Willow's point, it could go very very wrong.
I want this.

Remarkable comic sites situated on this here internets

I'll try and keep this as up to date as possible but it may be that my 'Blogs I Follow' list contains more links.

If you're not happy with the description attached to your blog please leave me a comment and I'll change it.

Firstly, New readers...start here!  My other blog, recommending comics for people who don't read comics.  Check it out.

General comic action
A Less Than Reputable Source - UK based, write about comics and other stuff.  The other contributor to New readers.
Action Figure Blues - devoted to the collection and review of Action Figures
Adventures of Comic Book Girl - nevermore999 loves Stephanie Brown (The Spoiler) and also runs When Fangirls Attack.
Ami Angelwings Heavenly Comic Reviews - A feminist viewpoint of comics.
Comics All Too Real - satires and piss takes and mixed media stuff.
Comics Fairplay - Especially notable for the is this gratuitous feature. Encourages discussion.
Fantastic Fangirls - does what it says!
Get Off my Spaceship - Run by one of the contributors to When Fangirls attack!!!
Heroine in Training
Heroic Hips 
Hoosier Journal of Inanity - Fun site, check out the My Pal Itty strip.
Like Scratches in the Sand - did the brilliant If Men Were Objectifed Too post. Does absolutely perfect fan fiction.
Maverick - Comics and other stuff
Nerdosity - Friday Night Fights
Okazu - Yuri manga blog
Pretty Fizzy Paradise Written by one of the founders of When Fangirls Attack.
Retconning My Brain - female, queer blogger, writes intelligently. Likes Bart and Kara.
Seeking Avalon Excellent for race issues
Shelly's Comic Book Shelf Mostly reviews.
Sindeloke Comics, politics, her name should have little accent things above the o and last e, but I don't know how to do them.
So says the Nerd Queen Lady comic fan, blogging about it.
Stars and Garters Features One Panel of Pain posts
What WERE they thinking? Posts odd scans from old comics. Rather entertaining.
The Inevitable Mediocre Spin Off Lady comic blogger, Supergirl fan, does really cool wallpapers
This is why I hate you - Is rather fond of monkeys
Title Undetermined Manned by Diamondrock, Doctorr Polaris and Azrael.
When Fangirls Attack!!! Feminist link blog site for posts discussing about women in comics (American, Manga, comic strips, alternative, anything). Excellent resource.

Character specific action
Supergirl
Adventures of the Girl of Steel
Kara Lives
Maid of Might
Supergirl Comic Box Commentary

The Flash
Crimson Lightning
Heartbart
Speedforce
Bart MasterList (listing all Bart Allen appearances outside of his regular series)

Green Arrow
Dispatches from the Arrowcave
WingedLion's Quiver Also covers Smallville
Hawkman
Being Carter Hall
Green Lantern
Green Lantern Butt's Forever

Wonder Woman
Amazon Princess

Batman
Building Batman
Batman Tattoos

Aquaman
The Aquaman Shrine

Fan creations
Burn the Fat off Your Soul - Beautiful Ice and Bat family art
Comics All Too Real _ Sort of a cross media project with comics as the focus
DC Elseworlds webseries - video creations of DC characters
Gotham Public Works - The best cosplay for Gotham characters I've seen. these guys make amazing costumes.
Larsworld - Customised action figures
Random Happenstance - Does action figure based comics strips.
Welcome to Wayne Manor Home of the Black Cat, creator of the best Bat family comic strip ever.

Webcomics
Menage a Three - Some may call me a bad feminist for reading this, but I think it's great.
DAR - A super girly top secret comic diary. About life, sadness, relationships, sexuality. If you like Alison Bechdels' Fun Home you'll like this.
Ninjerktsu - Ninjas being jerks. the first one is the best.
The K Chronicles Not so much a webcomic as his stuff is published in newspapers, but very good nonetheless.

Employed comic professional type folks
Cliff Chiang
DC Universe: the Source
Landry Walker
Neil Gaiman
Jamal Igle
Todd Klein
Amber Benson (yes, that would be her who played Tara in Buffy)
Ink Destroyed My Brush - Charles Yoakum, who created my blog banner, and has supplied art work for a variety of books, including Batman.
Lee Garbett
Matt Camp
Joshua Middleton
Landry Walker
Manu Mane