Women Rule Batman’s World in Batman 6: Bride or Burglar

I’ve been out of the Batman readerverse for a while, but I jumped back in with Batman Vol. 6 to see what the Tom King buzz was all about. This graphic novel includes many women from Batman’s life: Wonder Woman, Poison Ivy, and Catwoman, of course. Although this collection from DC Comics didn’t give Selina Kyle much to do, it was still fun.

This volume covers issues 38-44 of Batman, but the stories were easy to pick up midstream. First off was a twisty tale about an orphaned boy who wants to be Bruce Wayne. At first, it seems that Batman relates to him too. After all other adults in his life are gone, Batman figures out what’s truly disturbing about this child, and denies him the path he wants. Bye, kid.

Now for the good stuff! Next, we have “The Gentle Man,” where Batman and Wonder Woman follow up on a promise to give a warrior a well-earned night off from fighting demonic hordes for thousands of years. Turns out, time works differently in his realm because he’s only been gone for a year in Earth time, and he wants to see his girlfriend. But while he’s doing that, Batman and Wonder Woman are trapped in the other realm, and time passes. Catwoman figures out what could happen between the superheroes, and wonders if Bat will be faithful to her. After all, when you spend twenty years fighting demons together and there’s no one else around, how long will you keep those promises to your fiancé? It was more of a love story than I was expecting in Batman, but King did an amazing job, and I laughed out loud at some of Wonder Woman’s remarks about Batman’s tiny pointy ears and how odd any man looks holding a weapon from an Amazon’s point of view.

In the multi-part “Everyone Loves Ivy,” Poison Ivy returns and takes over the minds of everyone in the world, except for Batman, who administers the antidote to himself and Catwoman. She listens, watches, and talks to them through different people, from Alfred to Superman, but she promises to leave them alone if they stay at Wayne Manor.

Of course, they can’t, and they interrupt her in her plans to dominate and heal the world. She retaliates by having Superman punch Batman, and then brings Bat back to life through plant magic. Eventually, Bat and Cat figure out what she’s really doing, trying to heal the world because she can’t reconcile the deaths she caused while working with the Riddler. Instead of simply punching his way through a problem, though, Batman seems to have grown during his time with Catwoman, and realizes Ivy needs to heal herself. The best way to do that is with love, and he manages to break her worldwide spell long enough to get the one person to her that can help: Harley Quinn.

I truly loved this story because it showed nuances of these characters and a self-awareness of their own world that we usually don’t see. Also, Mikel Janin and Joelle Jones did an amazing job on the art, depicting Poison Ivy in an almost photorealistic way, out of step with everyone else until the very end.

The volume wraps up with “Bride or Burglar,” a sentimental and very meta tale exploring Batman and Catwoman’s relationship throughout the comics.

Selina Kyle slips out of Wayne Manor in the middle of the night and breaks into a bridal shop to do a little shopping. As she does this, we see the relationship of Bat and Cat, back and forth, sweet and sour, in snippets from their past. They trap and release each other, or give the other the slip, numerous times in costumes from every decade, as their relationship builds. It’s a very nostalgic piece, and I was totally there for it, especially this bit of dialogue:

“What if we change again? What if this doesn’t work?”

“Oh Bat. It just seems like we’re changing, because we’re always looking. But if we’re always looking then we’re not at all changing.”

A lovely note to end this volume on, especially if you’ve already read the issues after it and know what comes next. Batman and Catwoman are both dark and light, in an eternal dance.

Disclaimer: This writer received an ARC for review purposes.

This post originally ran on GeekMom.com.

Why My Emotional Support Zombie Should Be Allowed On This Flight

If the plane is overbooked, his limbs can be popped off so he fits in the overhead compartment.

I’ve stashed an access point in his chest, so he’s a wifi hotspot.

Airplane food has just enough raw, unidentifiable body parts to keep him happy.

He’s better than an air marshal at keeping the peace. No one will attempt to take over the plane or be overly obnoxious with a drooling, hungry zombie on board.

 He smells better than that guy who always takes off his shoes.

The constant moaning makes him a natural white noise machine. He drowns out the screaming kid, the drunk soccer mom and the guy who just discovered politics and wants to talk about it.

If someone reclines their seat into his lap, he will crack their head like a walnut and they will never do that to anyone else, ever again.

His thumbs have fallen off, so he’s unable to tweet about any unpleasant experiences like excessive runway time or the condition of the bathroom.

His greatest wish, besides slurping brains out of your skull, is to watch “The Emoji Movie” 427 times while in flight.

If I’m not distracted by feeding him brain kibble every 90 seconds, I will realize I’m flying 30,000 feet above the planet in a metal tube going 600 mph and I will scream like a banshee with a paper cut throughout the entire flight.

Fall update

Wow, that summer went fast! Here’s a bit of what kept me busy and in the air conditioning:

Change Their Minds and Change The World: Wonder Woman at GeekMom/GeekDad

Book Review: Bad Girls of Fashion by Jen Croll at GeekMom/GeekDad

I’m currently working on a lot of fun stuff, including a few book reviews and a humorous sci-fi book roundup.

What ‘Chewbacca Mask Lady’ Can Teach Us About Humor

Screenshot from Candace Payne’s video

One lady, one Chewbacca talking mask from Kohl’s, and four minutes that lit up the Internet for days. By now, you’ve likely seen Candace Payne, aka the Chewbacca Mask Lady, in her joyful Facebook video. As of Sunday morning, it’s been watched more than 120 million times. Why has this simple video of a Texas mom’s fangirl glee captured the attention of the world? And what lessons can humorists take away from it?

1. The premise is simple. Candace buys herself a birthday present, and is so excited over it, she tries it on in the car. Her reaction to wearing it and seeing herself as she streams it on her phone via Facebook is the true gold here. Coming up with a simple premise that avoids low-hanging fruit of most comedy is difficult, but not impossible. Being original always wins.
2. She laughs at herself. There’s no mocking of anyone else in this video; it’s self-deprecating humor. Laughing at yourself is the best type of humor, because it’s honest and it doesn’t come at the expense of anyone else.
3. There are no sides. This video appeals to everyone because it isn’t about politics, religion or personal beliefs. There are no sides to point and laugh at, unlike most humor you see on Facebook these days. It’s about ‘Star Wars,’ a legendary and beloved franchise that’s grown beyond geek culture into something globally recognized. Even if you don’t speak English, you can watch the bulk of this video and get the humor. Looking through the comments on this video, many people say they’re not “into Star Wars” but they still love it because of her infectious, pure joy.
4. She’s doing this for herself. It wasn’t meant to entertain anyone, other than a few friends on Facebook. Making yourself laugh is the first step not only toward honest reactions but also a great way to spark spontaneity and take your humor to the next level.

Now go out there and find your own inner happy Chewbacca. Or click the link below if you’re the only person who hasn’t seen the video yet.

https://www.facebook.com/plugins/video.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FcandaceSpayne%2Fvideos%2Fvb.1245618915%2F10209653193067040%2F%3Ftype%3D3&show_text=1&width=560

6 Free Gift Ideas for the Writer in Your Life

Money may be tight, but there’s still a lot you can do for the writer in the family. Use these ideas to supplement the main holiday gift, or make the entire season an esteem-boosting dream come true for your favorite author-in-residence.

Make a space. If your writer has been balancing the laptop on unstable knees while perched on the couch or waiting after dinner to steal a little tabletop real estate, make some room for a desk. Rearrange the furniture and create an area just for your wordsmith. No cash required, just a little ingenuity. Erma Bombeck wrote her columns on a door balanced on cinder blocks. Make it yourself if you have some spare lumber and know your way around a hammer. If you don’t have anything suitable, check Freecycle.org or a local free-and-trade Facebook group. Who cares if it’s particleboard? It will be a little slice of Heaven for someone with a vivid imagination. Like a writer. Extra points if you can round up a few office supplies too, like a mug from the kitchen to hold a few pens or a couple of file folders from the dollar store.

Help with research. Go the traditional handmade coupon route with redeemable certificates for an hour’s worth of web engine searches, or, if you know what kind of material your writer needs, clip or print articles and interesting tidbits year-round and give them occasionally in a brightly decorated folder. Extra points for rounding out a coupon book with an afternoon of child care when deadlines threaten, a few mandatory days off, a walk in the park when the plot is stuck or (if said writer is your sweetie) a sexy coupon good for a little afternoon delight. After all, everyone needs a good Googling now and again (bow-chicka-wow-wow!)

Ask to read some work. Then read it. Take your time. If he or she wants a critique, fine. Find one good thing for every bit that needs attention. Writers work in solitude, and they always end up asking people to read their stories, articles, poems and posts. Sometimes they feel awkward about it. If you volunteer to read for them, it’s like showering them with sunshine. Your attention and interest in a writer’s scribblings will make his or her day complete. Extra points for family members: collect your writer’s clips after they are published. A scrapbook made up of articles or stories not only show how far a writer has progressed, it demonstrates that you care. What better gift is there, really?

Make a goalbook or planner. No matter what the genre, writers live and die by the deadline. Make 2016 easier by creating a planner to keep your writer organized. (Hint: if you have kids, this is a great family activity.)

Dig up a 3-ring binder, a hole-punch and some card stock or construction paper for dividers. Print out a calendar for each month or go all the way and print out every week. (Microsoft Publisher will print calendars, and there are tons of free, personal-use calendars on the Net.) Also print out several blank pages with headings like “Goals”, “To-Do” and “Ideas”. Make sure each month has plenty of space to scribble notes, and separate each monthly section with the card stock. Include quotes from his or her favorite authors or other motivational sayings. Decorate accordingly. Just takes a couple of hours and some creativity to make your writer weep like a reality show contestant.

Download some e-books. I have a lot of friends who are e-book authors, so let me put this out there: if you can buy an e-book or two (many cost less than three bucks) then please do so. If that’s out of the budget, welcome to the world of free e-books. Project Gutenberg has always been my go-to for great, zero-cash reads because you can find so many irresistible and esoteric books besides the classics everyone claims they read in school. Feedbooks and Smashwords are also great resources, and the University of Chicago Press offers an occasional free e-book through their newsletter. Open Culture and the Internet Archive is another slam-dunk for reading material, including manga and comic books.

Don’t have a smartphone, e-reader or tablet? No worries. You can download books in a variety of formats at Gutenberg and make a file folder on the computer for your giftee. Amazon, Kobo and B&N also offer freebies if you have their particular reader software. Remember, stay legit with your downloading, because good karma is the gift that keeps on giving.

Throw an office party. Working from home is wonderful, because the dress code runs from casual (Scooby Doo PJs) to extra summer casual (powdering their butt so they don’t stick to the chair). There is one thing writers miss out on, though, and that is the office party. Throw a tiny shindig by your writer’s desk. Bake some cookies, put up a few decorations. Let your writer talk all he or she wants about work: editors, publishers, magazines, etc., and don’t tune it out. Invite a couple of friends or family members over if you want, but it’s more fun when it’s intimate. Keeping it to yourselves also avoids those nasty “crazy people” rumors, too. You’ll be surprised how much it will perk up a writer’s spirits just to talk, laugh and have their own little holiday ritual.