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Hello!
Am I really writing this newsletter on New Years Eve? I am. My dear readers, it distresses me to inform you that I am a bit of a New Year's Eve Scrooge.
Despite my curmudgeonly New Years attitude, I succumbed to peer pressure and wrote a little thing about how my past year was, which as I realized while writing it–pretty good! I’ve kept a whole bunch of plants alive, and what else can you ask for? Oh, I also read a whole bunch of books, but I do that every year.
Oh, we’ve missed marking Christmas here too, haven’t we? I had a good one! I am an enthusiastic lover of Christmas, because I really enjoy giving gifts. There’s something about the hunt to find just the right thing for someone, something that will genuinely make them smile, that I love (the love of recommending books and fics comes from the same place). The giving is always a bigger thing for me than the getting, but this year I found myself smiling in genuine delight an awful lot, too. It’s a pleasure to be so well known and loved by the people I know and love.
For example, Santa Claus left me a book about feminism, socks with Hokusai’s Great Wave on them, and a tiny BB-8 hot wheels car in my stocking. Well done, Santa.
Whether you celebrate Christmas or not, I hope you day was as lovely as mine.
Notable Breakfast
Christmas morning, with traditional casserole, cinnamon roll, and fruit.
Dog Thing
This is Laura, and she is Vista’s favourite person, after my mom. She always immediately gets on the ground with her, which allows Vista to do her favourite thing–writhe all over her like a furry black eel. Laura moves to Chicago today, so we’ve been hording moments.
Mixed Media
It’s Star Wars. You knew it would be Star Wars.
I’ve seen The Force Awakens three times now (all within a week). I loved it. This will be a spoiler-free review, I assure you. I won’t even show you anything other than my good buddy BB-8.
The Force Awakens is familiar, in the way that you want a Star Wars film to be familiar. I grew up watching the original trilogy, and they’re comforting to me. Force Awakens is comforting in that way–it takes us to a place we know, hits the beats we understand. Some have argued that it’s retelling the same story, but it honestly did not bother me a bit. The important thing that it does is create a backdrop against which all of the new characters shine.
And boy, do they shine. I was already excited about John Boyega’s involvement in the film based on his performance in the phenomenal Attack the Block (if you haven’t seen it, drop everything and do so), and it’s no secret that Oscar Isaac is talented as heck, but Daisy Ridley was an unknown, and she kills it. She is the backbone of the film, and bears that weight effortlessly.
I’m not someone who gets really excited about villains, but Adam Driver’s Kylo Ren is incredible. Completely different from what I expected, and wonderfully so. Oh, and Lupita Nyong’o, while she plays a motion-captured CGI character, infuses her with the perfect amount of heart and humor. I hope we see more of her.
But really, Ridley’s Rey and Boyega’s Finn are the freshest, most exciting additions to the Star Wars universe in a long time, and have succeeded in making me even more excited for the next two episodes in this trilogy than I was already inclined to be.
My one piece of advice to you is this: see the movie twice. The first time I watched, I was so caught up in the anticipation of when my favourite characters were going to show up that I had trouble focusing on the story. The second time, that was gone, and the story really shined.
Also: I’ve been listening to the Force Awakens score, which is largely the familiar John Williams Star Wars sound, but Rey’s Theme is the stand-out. I read Sorcerer to the Crown by Zen Cho, about a former African slave who becomes the sorcerer of the highest rank in a Regency-era England where magic coexists alongside concerns of class and nobility. It was an excellent way to look at race, gender, and fantasy all at once. I loved it. I read Before the Awakening by Greg Rucka, which is a trio of background stories about Finn, Rey, and Poe. Rucka also wrote the Shattered Empire Star Wars prequel comic, and this book fits with that one very nicely. I saw both Maze Runner movies, and found them to be largely not-good, but fun to shout at with a friend. I saw The Hateful Eight, and found that I liked what Tarantino was trying to do with it more than what he actually did.
I Read Comics for a Living
I’ve been eagerly anticipating the first issue of Patsy Walker aka Hellcat, Marvel’s first book about a female hero which is both written and drawn by women (Kate Leth and Brittney Williams, respectfully), for months. We last saw Patsy working as an investigator in She-Hulk’s law firm, and this book kicks off with her losing that job and deciding that what she needs to do is help other heroes like her–people with powers which would be super useful in specific jobs–find that right employment. It is delightful. Leth and Williams are perfectly suited for Patsy, and I hope we see this series for a long time.
Also good:
Weirdworld #1 takes the familiar crazy place we were introduced to in the Secret Wars Weirdworld miniseries (this even has art by the same person–Marvel’s resident wizard Mike Del Mundo) and puts a brand-new protagonist in it. Becca Rodriguez was on an airplane when it suddenly was pulled into the skies above Weirdworld, and promptly crashed. I love Becca, and I already love the person they’ve paired her up with.
Moon Girl And Devil Dinosaur #2 As good as Moon Girl & Devil Dino #1 was, #2 was even better. Lunella spends most of it being carted around by Devil, trying to explain her plight to his uncaring dino ears. If you don’t reach the end of this issue loving both of them intensely, I don’t know what to tell ya, man.
Saga #32 One of Saga’s biggest strengths is how effortlessly it juggles a diverse cast of characters all over the galaxy, but this issue takes it back to where it started–Alana and Marko, together and on the run. They have a mission now–finding their daughter–and they’re tackling it with a shared single-minded determination.
Black Magick #3 This continues to be a stand-out great book, Rucka’s marriage of hard crime and new age witchcraft blend perfectly. Scott’s art is like nothing else in comic right now.
All New Wolverine #3 Sometimes a comic comes along about a character who you’ve known for ages, and never particularly cared about, and changes the way you see them entirely. For a lot of people that comic was Hawkeye for Clint Barton. For me, it’s All-New Wolverine and X-23.
Anxiety Pyjamas
ASOS All Over Space Print Pajama Set
I got these for Christmas, and they are as wonderful as they seem.
Fics I Shouted About
Recovery Begins by Defira Star Wars TFA, Poe/Finn & Finn/Rey. This is my fave Force Awakens fic I’ve yet read. It hits all the notes I’m looking for–injured Finn feeling out his way, Poe starry-eyed and upbeat, Jess Pava around being a general badass, and Rey still undoubtedly the center of Finn’s world.
Fed by Fables by alestar Philadelphia Story, Dinah Lord & Mike Connor, future fic. This is when it’s handy to have fic-reading friends with good taste, because I never would have found this without one of them. Little Dinah Lord (yes, from the 1940 Philadelphia Story) is mostly grown up and writing sci-fi stories. This is the correspondence between her and Mike about writing, and it is sparkling and perfect.
i didn’t just come here to dance (if you know what i mean) by wayonwayout Star Wars TFA, Poe/Finn/Rey. This has everything: dancing, feelings, space fights, group hugs.
Ugly Sweaters and Mistletoe by mikkimouse Teen Wolf, Sterek, AU. Stiles and Derek are the only two dummies in ugly sweaters at the fancy dress Christmas party.
Lastly
This newsletter has broken my previous word count record! (Sorry!!)
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