Hawkeye Popped my (Comic Book) Cherry

As I’ve mentioned before, I have never really read comic books. I’ve always wanted to become more familiar with the medium, but it’s very daunting to approach that much material with essentially zero knowledge. I’d expressed this sentiment to my friend Thom at Pure Nerd Nip, and he recommended that I read the new Hawkeye comics, as they’d recently done a reboot of the series. I was initially hesitant (really, another archer?), but when he mentioned that there was a snarky chick, I was totally sold.

I picked up and read the 3 Hawkeye books that have been released, and I found from the very first book, I was sucked in. I wasn’t really sure to expect. I’ve seen comic book movies before, and many of them seem to start with the hows and whys behind a character’s transition from ordinary to extraordinary. Not Hawkeye. Thus far, every book starts us in medias res. We see Hawkeye in a precarious situation with no idea how he got there, and then he fills us in with the story up to that point. Being someone with a short attention span, this instantly caught my attention.

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Tune Tuesday – Evelyn, Evelyn

As I get in the habit of writing over here more, I’ve decided to do a few themed days. I’m always sending music to my friends, so I’ve decided Tuesday will feature a song I’m currently obsessing over. Today’s Tune comes recommended by Thom.

Evelyn, Evelyn is a group composed of “conjoined twins.” Their first album tells the haunting tale of the twins, Eva and Lyn, who are put on display by a circus. The self-titled song “Evelyn, Evelyn” features the twins arguing with one another over wanting to get away from one another. There’s something really catchy about the song, and the video is especially effective at creating a “creepy” sort of vibe.

What do you guys think? It was really disturbing at first, but now I’m kind of obsessed. What are you listening to right now?

Waitaminute. History Channel is Showing History Programming!?

Lately, it’s seemed like History Channel has forgotten about what it’s supposed to be focused on. You know… history. Sure, there’s a built-in lesson with every item pawned on Pawn Stars, or found on American Pickers, but everything on those shows is scripted and over-dramatized for reality TV fans. My faith was somewhat rekindled when I saw the advertisements for Men Who Built America, which promised to liven up the post-Civil War era.

One of my biggest qualms with the History Channel has been that even when they were showing history programming, it wasn’t very entertaining. It’s consistently amazed me that narrators can discuss some of the bloodiest events in human history with the clinical detachment of a surgeon ordering a pizza. History can be an extremely fascinating subject, when it’s actually presented in a manner that allows it to shine. I was hoping that the History Channel had figured out a good formula to “sell” their product. I wasn’t particularly thrilled with the result.

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Got Shiny? Pretty Geeky Things

Over the course of the past few years, I have become more interested in “girly” things that didn’t interest me as a teenager. Jewelry and makeup are both things that I suddenly find myself obsessing over. A substantial reason for my change of heart is indie designers who create products specifically targeting geek girls.

Despite the fact that indie cosmetic companies can sometimes be a bit more expensive than just going to the drugstore and picking up some eye shadow, I prefer purchasing from them. I like knowing my money is going to other geek girls, and I like knowing that the products I’m purchasing are not tested on animals. Many indie products are vegan, and they generally avoid fillers and controversial ingredients. Indie jewelry is often handmade, and I love knowing that I’m not going to be wearing the same ring every other woman on the planet owns.

Here’s a list of a few of my favorite indie companies and Etsy sellers:

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Bullseye or Bullshit: You Be the Judge

As I’ve confessed before, I’m not really a comic book fan. It’s not that I have anything against them, but just that I’ve never had the time to jump into a medium that has so much content, and so much history. Still, I decided to check out CW’s new series Arrow, as I am sure that a good number of the four million viewers who watched the inaugural episode were also comic book virgins.

The pilot’s first few minutes inundated us with a ton of information about Green Arrow’s back story. While this is a good way to get non-fans up to speed, the delivery lacked finesse. Arrow would have benefited from a two-part first episode, as the sheer volume of information the writers tried to convey was immense. Unfortunately, information overload wasn’t the sole factor hindering the exposition, as the writing and acting were pretty lackluster as well.

[Note: Some Spoilers after the Cut]

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An Interview with Geek Chic Cosmetics

As I mentioned in a previous blog post, I absolutely love Geek Chic Cosmetics. I had the opportunity to interview the lovely Chantel from GCC (as well as Phil!), and because I want you all to go take a look at their new Cthulu-themed collection, I’m sharing it with you today.

What made you decide to tailor your product lines to geeks? What do you think makes geek ladies a viable market?

In the early phases of developing what kind of company GCC was going to be, part of figuring out the viability of the business was to determine its target demographic. I decided early on that I wanted to sell to people like me, and I identified most with the geek community more so than strictly fashion or beauty focused groups which always felt so unnaturally rehearsed and, I don’t know how to say it best… superficial? I feel like there’s still a huge segment of women that don’t even approach makeup because the industry makes it look and feel so daunting sometimes, and that’s exactly why we are going after that group. I want to share the nerdy joy I find in essentially playing with makeup, in having fun with something that generally takes itself so seriously. I don’t think geeky ladies are any less interested in the concept of what makeup can do, some are just hindered by its apparent inaccessibility, and GCC aims to make it more accessible by bringing the fun back.

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Farewell, GGN

Space

So, as many of you know, I have largely been ignoring this blog, as I was writing for Geek Girls Network. Unfortunately, Kristin Rielly has decided that she just doesn’t have time to run the site anymore, so GGN will be closing. I plan to do some sort of “communal” blogging project in the near future, but in the meantime will put what I’ve learned from GGN to use here. Expect somewhat regular updates, some theme updates, and more in the near future.

As you may have noticed, my GGN posts have been getting linked here, thanks to the lovely Thom, so if you haven’t been reading them, now’s your chance. I have also decided to make a Facebook devoted to the TGC blog, which you can like here if you’re so inclined. I’ve also got a new theme, as the old one hasn’t been updated in some time now. I’ll be working on categorizing older posts and the like once I have a bit of free time.

Throughout the month of November, I’ll be participating in NaNoWriMo, so my updates will likely be a bit sporadic, but I do have several topics I want to discuss here in the near future.

YAY! Guild Season 6 is FINALLY Here!!

I know that it hasn’t been that long, but it feels like eons since Season 5 ended. Don’t get me wrong, I absolutely love everything that Felicia Day is doing for geek culture and the like, but as a huge fan of the series that rocketed her into nerd stardom, I’ve been desperate for new episodes of my favorite web addiction. If you haven’t watched it yet, you need to! Take a look, then click the link below for my thoughts.

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Looper: Fucking Excellent

I’m certainly not the first blogger who’s noticed a trend towards both dystopian themes and time travel in science fiction films. And though I don’t see it as the hallmark of a dying genre, it annoys me. As a Trek fan, I’m more interested in a lighter view of the future, and as a film buff I value innovation and creativity. Despite the fact that I knew Looper was a dystopian/time travel flick, I had extremely high hopes.

I tried to go into Looper as untainted as I possibly could. I refused to watch trailers, I avoided reviews, and I ignored interviews. Even if I wouldn’t have avoided the hype, I would have still loved it just as much, though. Those who’ve said that Looper has the potential to be 2012′s Inception are spot on.

**Spoilers ahead! If you haven’t seen Looper, stop reading now, and go watch it before someone spoils it. Seriously, see it in the theater, show Hollywood that a Sci Fi film can sell without being a sequel or a remake. If you’ve seen it, continue on below!**

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Rule 63 for Halloween

So last week, Bree made some really compelling arguments against going out and buying a flimsy mass-produced Halloween costume. But now, some of you might be thinking, “Well crap. Halloween is in two weeks! What am I going to dress up as this year?” Might I humbly suggest that you take some of your favorite geek characters and Rule 63 ‘em?

I know what you’re probably thinking. There are tons of super awesome female geek characters. But let’s be honest, half of them are half-naked, and a good majority of the rest are wearing costumes it’d take you weeks to put together. I’ve selected a few super awesome characters that you could put together over the course of a few days from things you have lying around anyway, things you could get at a thrift store, or things you could cheaply (and quickly) acquire.

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