Supes and Wondy sittin’ in a tree

So as you may have heard, the big news out of DC Comics in the past week has been the confirmation that Superman and Wonder Woman will be getting it on in JUSTICE LEAGUE #12. Rawr!

Aren’t you excited? Wait, you’re not?

So far, the reactions I’ve seen have ranged among:

• “so? why is everyone losing their shit?”
• “omg no no no omg lalala I’m not listening”
• “didn’t this happen in the 80s?“
• “whatever, I’m not reading it anyway”

I’m sure there are people who think this is an awesome idea, but I haven’t talked to or heard from any of them. But I’m sure they’re there. (Maybe.)

Anyway, I fall solidly into the “whatever” camp. True, I’m opposed to a Superman-Diana make-out session for a couple of reasons, the obvious one being that Superman + Lois = OTP.* I’m also more of a fan of the Batman-Diana sexual tension they had going on in the Justice League animated series, if we have to give Diana a semi-love interest. But overall, I’m pretending the current JUSTICE LEAGUE doesn’t exist. I prefer the Wonder Woman who is starring in the Azzarello/Chiang series, and I dropped JL like a hot piece of crap aaaages ago. So DC can carry on with their bad selves and it doesn’t really affect me either way.

BUT.

I must voice my main objection to the Superman/Wonder Woman pairing, which is: what lazy fucking storytelling. I’m tired of DC going for shock value rather than taking any care in crafting their stories. This just feels like manufactured drama, made to draw people in and make up for the fact that the story isn’t actually that interesting (and it appears to be working, with people already offering up to $25 for the issue). This Superman/WW snogfest strikes me as being from the same lame toolbox as the “omg these powerful heroes are meeting for the first time let’s make them fight til they realize they’re on the same side!” thing which happened at the beginning of this JUSTICE LEAGUE reboot (and, to be fair, in the AVENGERS movie I loved so much). But it really doesn’t impress me at all as a creative decision. Sorry, DC.

Now, if JUSTICE LEAGUE #13 has Superman and Batman in a kissy embrace, maybe I’ll be interested. Tune in next month.

*One True Pairing

because I know you all like to laugh with me, not at me

I am a clumsy, accident-prone person. See: last Halloween, when I tripped and landed on my face, or my recently dislocated kneecap, which I acquired while sitting on the couch.

I am now in PT to fix my knee so I can run again and things were going swimmingly until…

dun dun DUN

So last Saturday was “Grace cleans all the things” day. This included my bedroom where, lurking under some laundry, I found a hair dryer. This hair dryer has been on my floor for approximately six months, since whenever I cut my hair off, and I thought this was a good time to finally put it somewhere that wasn’t my floor. So I picked up the hair dryer, put it on the top shelf of my closet, and turned away to go about my business.

BIG MISTAKE.

Representative image of evil hair dryer.

The hair dryer fell off the top shelf and landed on my left foot—but wait, it gets better. It landed prongs-first, and then the hair dryer body HIT the plug, driving the prongs farther into my foot like some sort of vindictive, hair-stylin’ pile driver. WHAT the FUCK. This does not happen to normal people. Does it?

Five days later, my foot still hurts. I’m limping and icing like it’s going out of style. According to the PT (the one fixing my knee), I have ended up with what appears to be a bone bruise. From a hair dryer.

It’s okay to laugh. Everyone else has.

#500

This is the 500th post on this blog! There have been other blogs, previously and concurrently, but this is #500 for gracetopia as we know and love it today. I think that means it’s time to PARTAYYYYYY!

Thanks to everyone who reads and comments and so forth! I know I don’t have a lot of readers, but I appreciate every one of you. Mwah.

keep on keepin’ on

I’m writing this from the Harvard Square Starbucks (the big one), where I have spent the last 3 hours:

• writing (2K words!)
• eavesdropping on neighboring tables
• consuming too much caffeine and a fair helping of whipped cream

Which is basically the summation of my perfect Starbucks experience.

I’m glad to get those 2000 words. Writing has been hard recently (only recently?). For once I know exactly what happened to stall me, but that doesn’t make it any easier to fix the problem. I’m beginning to come to the conclusion that being a writer is one massive mind game you play with yourself.

sometimes

Sometimes the idea of writing makes me panic. Like, I have a visceral reaction and my heart rate goes up when I think about facing whatever my current project is. I’m afraid of ruining what isn’t there yet by getting my grubby writer hands on it. I’m afraid of not being good enough.

Sometimes opening up the word document is like ripping off a band-aid, something I just have to face and get over with. Here I go.

Maybe.

 

awesome new comic: Hawkeye

I am embarrassingly behind on my comics reading list, but I did manage to read the new HAWKEYE #1 the week it came out (aka, this week) and I am very glad that I did. I’ve started being more selective in my weekly subscriptions (peace out, BIRDS OF PREY, I tried I really did) and I am thrilled to have something so blisteringly good to add.

Written by Matt Fraction with art by David Aja and color by Matt Hollingsworth, HAWKEYE #1 is, according to the intro blurb, about “what [Hawkeye] does when he’s not being an Avenger.” Very matter-of-fact, and then oh joyous day we are not presented with an origin story. If you are one of the three people who didn’t see Avengers, the first few pages give you the all the “non-superpowered dude who shoots arrows” info you need to just jump in and enjoy the story, and we can just get on with the fun.

There’s a lot to like about this first issue, including the fact that it is both a standalone story and a good introduction to how the character will be played in this series. Hawkeye/Clint Barton is a normal man who just happens to be able to do extraordinary things, a man who—even when he’s living his “normal” life—can’t help but be extraordinary. This single issue tells us so much about Barton and what he holds important, with a plot that is both exciting but obviously one step down from whatever his “Avengers-level” adventures are.

The art is amazing, I love this not-realistic style. (Maybe this style has an actual name? I do not know. Someone tell me.) This is also one of those few comics where I, with my amateur’s eye, can SEE the impact of a good colorist, not just hear about it from various artists friends. The color is definitely part of the story here.

So, to sum up: excellent opener to what I hope will continue to be a great series. I’m excited to see what happens next, and I encourage you to jump on board if you’re looking for a good comic!