June 2021 Update

Wow! I watched so much TV and film this month! In between my work hours, it's pretty impressive. I had almost no reading time. 

I've also had my first vaccination. Brilliant all around!

And how could I forget - Happy Pride Month everyone!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So here is the list of all that I watched in mad weather June (what I really liked or loved will be highlighted in pink):

Films:

Love & Basketball, The Breakfast Club, 10 Things I Hate About You, Adventures in Babysitting (1987), Pretty in Pink, Risky Business, Jerry Maguire, Anita and Me, Room, Milk, Drop Dead Gorgeous, Dirty Dancing, Bridesmaids, The Wind Rises, Molly's Game (these latter four are also on Netflix), Footloose (1984), Say Anything..., Josie and the Pussycats, and The Last Airbender (unfortunately, lol).

Films on Netflix:

The Mitchells vs. the Machines, Thunder Force, The Old Guard, The DUFF, Wish Dragon, and Sailor Moon Eternal.

TV on Netflix:

Carole & Tuesday, Shadow and Bone, and Sweet Tooth. I also rewatched Avatar: The Last Airbender and The Legend of Korra.

Cinema:

Cruella (my first cinema experience in over a year, and it was an enjoyable outing, a pleasant surprise, especially with a friend. Yes, I have a social life, somewhat)

Book rereads:

The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl: Squirrel Meets World - Read review here.

Alanna: The First Adventure - Read review here.

Seriously, Happy Pride Month Everyone! 

I look forward to another month of news. Stay positive, caring, careful and safe.

Graphic Novel Review - 'The Girl from the Sea' by Molly Knox Ostertag

An adorable, wonderful graphic novel. It's fantasy and contemporary coming-of-age, a winning amalgamation.

'The Girl from the Sea' is an LBGTQ retelling of the mythology of selkies (I don't come across enough of those in the media, which is a shame, because they should be given as much attention as mermaids and unicorns). There are not just seal girls and baby seals here to entice you.

Morgan Kwon is an ordinary teenage girl who is into fashion, lives by the seaside, and has a close-knit group of girl friends. Except she is far from happy and content: there's her parents' divorce, her younger brother acting out, and she is drifting apart from her friends and family, due to a secret. A secret she fears sets her apart from her "normal" best friends, and makes her too "weird". A secret she plans to reveal years down the line when she is considerably freer and more independent; and far away from her depressing and stifling old life and into a new one where no one knows her, and where she feels comfortable being her full self.

Then those plans are wrecked when a mysterious selkie, Keltie, who'd appeared once before in Morgan's childhood, returns to save her life - to save her from drowning, in more ways than one.

Morgan is reluctant to know the wide-eyed, childlike and optimistic Keltie, and to believe that she really is a selkie. But soon, the two fall head over heels in love with each other, and spend nearly all of their time together, secretly. Morgan keeps Keltie's bubble-and-moonlight-woven sealskin to herself, and she feels she can finally be herself and happy.

But is avoiding the people in her "realer" and human life, who do love her, what she wants? What she needs? Is changing her plans, revealing her secret - coming out of the closet - prematurely, the way forward for her after all, to show that her family and friends still love and support her no matter what?

Keltie has her own secret agenda, too, of the environmental kind. But this is Morgan's story, as pure as a pearl.

Truly heartfelt, heartwrenching, and so darn emotional; ringing true for most teenagers: that is 'The Girl from the Sea' in a seashell. The selkie mythology being used as a metaphor for growing up, accepting change, accepting your true self, and letting go, is very clever and beautiful. The art is colourful, animated and gorgeous. The characters feel authentic. There's great diversity rep, as well, and not just in terms of race and sexual orientation - Keltie is hardly a skinny selkie! She's a chipper and healthy seal girl, fitting into her ethereal skins snugly!

It is a lovely and touching story, worthy of an animated film adaptation.

A lot of LBGTQ graphic novels are like that, aren't they? Especially from #ownvoices authors. I'm glad to have read quite a few of them in Pride Month. Let there be more, until they become visible and undeniable in the mainstream. It is criminal that they don't receive enough attention to warrant adaptation for mass audiences. They're fantastically told stories, needing to be told, and needing to be listened to.

And who doesn't love seals!? BABY. SEALS!?

Final Score: 4.5/5

Graphic Novel Review - 'Josie and the Pussycats Vol. 1' by Marguerite Bennett (Writer), Cameron DeOrdio (Writer), Audrey Mok (Artist)

2023 EDIT:

Reread: A few things bug the heck out of me about it, but damn it if 'Josie and the Pussycats Vol. 1' isn't one of the funniest comics I've ever read. I love and understand the humour more now. It's wacky, fun, and cute - plain and simple. As bright and filling as the best candy.

Final Score: 3.5/5

Original Review:

I knew absolutely nothing about 'Josie and the Pussycats' before reading this comic. I didn't even know it had anything to do with Archie comics. I was vaguely aware of the 70s cartoon being a Hanna-Barbera property. Heck, it's only very recently that I saw the 2001 live action film. But 'Josie and the Pussycats Vol. 1' by Marguerite Bennett, silly, bizarre and all over the place as it is, is such a fun, funny and colourful experience. I have a notion that it reflects the nearly-sixty-year-old franchise well.

Sure, its jokes mainly consist of pop culture references - which in anything are too often slapped on in place of actual jokes, and are below rock bottom in terms of laziness in comedy - and puns and non sequiturs... but strangely, I think they work. But I can understand why they might not work for others; humour is subjective. One joke, which I won't ruin by revealing it here, revolving around a very recent pop culture reference even made me burst out laughing! It's just so random, it caught me off guard, and yet it fits quite well in context! There are also plenty of fourth wall breaks, which suit the tone of the comic to a T. Its abundance of self-awareness and understated wokeness doesn't hurt it, either.

The artwork is flipping gorgeous, and for all its humour, there are character arcs for each of the three Pussycats (especially Josie and Val, and ditzy Melody is cute and funny in her own right), that become more apparent towards the end of the comic. The character development goes surprisingly deep - it's introspective, and it effectively teaches lessons about life and people. The comic can hit you in the heart and head, as well as tickle your funny bone. I really appreciate it for doing that. Life isn't all wackiness, stupidity, and cartoony fun, after all.

Plus, I love cats, and you bet this comic has them! It makes up for the fact that I can't hear the band music in this solely visual medium.

'Josie and the Pussycats Vol. 1' - its main objective is to have fun and teach morals without getting too after-school special about it! (That's one of the many examples of self-aware humour). Like all 'Josie' properties, it isn't going to win any awards, but it's not supposed to. It isn't among the best feminist works out there, but as candy for the brain and heart, it's great for making you feel like a kid again, so who cares? It is its own thing: a wacky comedy that's female led, with more well-written depth than anyone would expect. It is what a lot of people would read comic books for: to have a fun time.

That's credit, right? That's worth something, right?

Ah, who cares? It's cute and hilarious!

Final Score: 3.5/5

Graphic Novel Review - 'Batwoman by Greg Rucka and J.H. Williams III' by Greg Rucka (Writer), J.H. Williams III (Artist), Jock (Artist)

A classic 'Batwoman' comic, with beautiful artwork and queer representation. Kate Kane is such a strong and complex character and heroine; human and fully realised. If only 'Elegy' were longer and had more of Alice! I want to see her more!

The ending story of this collection is brilliant as well - without revealing anything (you must experience it for yourself), I'll say that it really shows how far Batwoman has come, and that she succeeds Batman in a lot of ways. Open paths for queer woman superheroes! For new, updated, positive rep!

Read my review of another 'Batwoman' comic for more of my thoughts on this unique member of the Bat Family.

Final Score: 4/5

Graphic Novel Review - 'Batwoman: Haunted Tides' by J.H. Williams III, W. Haden Blackman, Amy Reeder, Trevor McCarthy

It was about time I owned a 'Batwoman' comic. A prominent mainstream LBGTQ superheroine like Batwoman deserves as much recognition and praise as possible (I also like the TV series - more rep like in that, please!). She deserves her iconic status. Something like 'Haunted Tides' seemed like a good place to start my education. I'll get to another 'Batwoman' book once it arrives at my doorstep.

I really enjoyed reading this one. I enjoyed the characters and their individual arcs, the action, the mystery, the plot, the structure, the pace, and, surprisingly, the horror and violence (it is quite graphic, be warned). It is very "dark and edgy" and OTT, but there is still a lot of care put into telling the story, with interesting and sympathetic characters. Oddly enough, they do feel human and hopeful, amidst all the tragedy, chaos, blood, dismemberments, supernatural shit, and child death (yes, there's instances of that as well; again, be warned).

'Batwoman: Haunted Tides', collecting the first two volumes of J.H. Williams III's original run, is not bad for a New 52 title, and wow does that feel like such a long time ago; it's practically ancient history now.

It can be a bit crowded, with a lot going on as the series progresses. It also takes place after Batwoman/Kate Kane's origin story, and after a crucial, defining tragic event in her life, despite this supposedly being a "reboot". This is one of the many common problems that the New 52 comics had - DC didn't reboot its superheroes for new audiences, it lazily, vaguely retreaded old stories, sometimes skipping them altogether, and expected its audience to already be aware of them, if in passing. Not so fresh, is it?

Similar to the more recent 'Batgirl' comics, particularly in the New 52 (and in the New 52 overall, let's be honest), after reading this comic I'm left wondering if Batwoman had actually achieved anything by the end. She's very cool and capable, but how often is she allowed to get the big jobs done? She isn't an antiheroine, and even then that shouldn't be warped into incompetence! It might be because this is a continuous story run, but DC, please, I'm begging you: let superheroes succeed in saving people and stopping evil plots already! Let them be, you know, heroes! Otherwise what are they doing? Why are they here? What is the point?

This run of 'Batwoman' has well written relationship drama - such as Kate Kane with her lover Detective Maggie Sawyer, and Kate with her family and the devastatingly complicated issues there - however. Personal/civilian baggage works just as well as the super heroics in 'Haunted Tides', if not more so.

Additionally, DC BUT ESPECIALLY IN ITS NEW 52 RUN is too obsessed with Batman. He doesn't have to appear in every DC comic, even ones featuring Bat-Family members. Give Bruce a break, for the love of Diana! (not in that way, dear frak no) He's had more comics, TV shows, films, video games and fan works, official and unofficial, to his name than every fictional character ever, I swear. He is the ultimate Mary Sue, at this point.

But 'Batwoman: Haunted Tides' is fun, for its edgelordy storyline. The queer rep is solid - strong stuff - and the POC rep is... passable, I think, at this moment in time. The POC characters do seem to be relegated to either victims or villains, though.

The artwork is awesome, bold, exceptionally detailed, and sometimes effectively stylistic. There is nary a fanservice panel in sight; whenever nude women are drawn while they are undressing, it is done tastefully, at least by the standards of the New 52 and DC comics in general - a cesspool environment of toxic masculinity that it is, or was. Even that one lesbian sex scene in the first volume isn't explicit; it's drawn in very light colours, mostly white, with the bedcovers over the two women. It is contrasted with a plot-relevant, raw and bloody fight scene, which it overlaps: it conveys very well the heroes' personal life pleasures and escape vs their neglecting their duties and inadvertently letting loved ones nearly get killed.

So give it a chance, give it a go. I can't wait to read another 'Batwoman' title - a more classic, turning point comic, next time.

Final Score: 3.5/5

Graphic Novel Review - 'The Tea Dragon Tapestry' by Kay O'Neill

I have waited for well over a year, but I finally got it.

'The Tea Dragon Tapestry' - a lovely sequel and conclusion to 'The Tea Dragon' trilogy - a trilogy of breathtakingly gorgeous and wholesome fantasy comics.

'The Tea Dragon Tapestry' is about grief, growing up, finding oneself again, finding that passions and purposes never disappear, finding that past memories are never truly lost, family connections, found families, friendship, generational connections and peace, and upholding traditions and crafts - while making something your own and being true to yourself. And helping loved ones deal with their own matters - self-care and caring for others are equally important.

Above all, I think it is about patience. Healing - from any kind of pain, trauma, and emotional distress and confusion - takes time, and is not instantaneous. Space is also needed, and love and comfort when it is ready to be received.

Greta and Minette each grow and develop in their own individual ways, on their own individual paths. To see them grow physically, emotionally, mentally and spiritually into passionate, hardworking and aspiring young women is amazing. The other fantastic characters, like Hesekiel and Erik, and Greta's parents (yes she has a father!), share the spotlight in a bountiful substance. Rinn and Aedan from 'The Tea Dragon Festival' show up as well! I'd hoped to see them again and I was not disappointed in their awesome appearance and contribution to the story!

A new character is the old blacksmith Kleitos, who is a giant anthropomorphic cow/bull creature, and an impressive, larger-than-life badass on every page, every panel, he appears in (I love the creative and often fantastical designs of every character! They are each diverse, in the many, many different forms that that word's meaning can take! Kay O'Neill is a genius). Kleitos is a friend of Hesekiel and Erik's, and is on his own personal journey of trying to find his lost passion and place in the world again; to simply remember. Greta could help rekindle that remembered love for the old soul. She will be going places working as his apprentice, that's for sure.

Everyone is growing up and gaining new experiences and memories, exploring things all the time; whilst never forgetting their roots, their old friends and family.

The art is as beautiful as ever, as is the dialogue; too many precious examples of which to list here.

However, as good as it is, 'The Tea Dragon Tapestry', in my opinion, can come across as a bit underwhelming and meandering for a final book in such a spectacular series. Shockingly, I didn't care a large amount for the Tea Dragons themselves this time round. They don't contribute much to the story, or they receive little page time. I guess I couldn't feel the grief that the characters felt, when the reader never gets to know at all the people who were lost - it's a slight disconnect. Don't expect there to be any actual festival in the book, either, like the cover suggests. Any celebration that happens is very humble and downplayed (at least there is a tapestry of sorts in the story, both literally and metaphorically).

And maybe I was expecting too much of Greta and Minette being together: they spend the majority of the book apart, dealing with things in their own lives. Though when they are together it is absolutely adorable and beyond nice. They support and care for each other profoundly. But there isn't much indication that they are a romantic pair, or that they will become one in the future, similar to their mentors Hesekiel and Erik. It would have worked as an old-moving-on-to-the-new-generation parallel. It would have made the series even more poetic and flowing.

Oh well. After waiting for so long and worrying that the comic will never be released, perhaps I'd let my expectations rise too high, over an extended period of time. I'd ended up anticipating falsely what I was sure would be set in stone. Of course I'd set myself up for a tiny spec of disappointment.

Or are Greta and Minette yet another example of queerbaiting in the media? But the 'Tea Dragon' series has excellent LBGTQ rep otherwise (and nonbinary rep in Rinn, and their platonic bond with Aedan), which is completely, wholesomely, wholeheartedly normalised. And deep, loving relationships between women, platonic or not, are important to portray in anything.

I still adore 'The Tea Dragon Tapestry'. Read my reviews of the previous 'Tea Dragon' books below for more:


'The Tea Dragon Society'


'The Tea Dragon Festival'



Plus, for more of my thoughts on Kay O'Neill's work, read my reviews of these:


'Princess Princess Ever After'


'Aquicorn Cove'



Thank you, Kay O'Neill, for this beautiful, lovable, uplifting, life affirming coming-of-age journey.

Final Score: 4/5

Book Review - 'Julia's House for Lost Creatures' by Ben Hatke

'Julia's House for Lost Creatures' is a sweet and simple little children's fantasy picture book, that is perhaps more complex than it appears.

It may perhaps incorporate issues such as: loneliness, as you move from place to place, and keep meeting new people, throughout your life; not to mention how so many different people living together - who have been made homeless and have nowhere else to go - can contribute to certain housekeeping tasks and chores, and earn their keep. All for a sustainable, clean, tidy, warm, happy home and environment for everyone. Adaptability, change, pragmatism, using your strengths, working together and asking for help are good things. Life isn't so empty and hollow if you care enough to work together selflessly on what needs to be done, and to get along.

Or it could be that it really is just a book about a girl who lives in a moving house on a giant tortoise, who invites lost and homeless patched up kitties, trolls, folletti (specifically gnome-like people), goblins, dragons, ghosts, giant snails, mermaids, fairies, Pokémon designs, crows, ducks, clockwork people, and other Miyazaki creatures to live with her. Everything works out through a plan and hard work.

Julia is adorable. She is such a smart, pragmatic and caring person. She loves reading, listening to music, and making signs. While there is no chore and task she cannot complete, she enjoys the cosy life, if not always the quiet and loneliness. She is reliable in sorting out a problem, and is great at being in charge.

But I wonder, who is Julia? Where did she come from? How old is she? She looks very young to be living on her own to begin with. Has she always lived in the moving house? Has she always been like a house mother? Does she take care of the giant tortoise as well as the other creatures? Are the lovely pictures and other bric-a-brac in her living room - quaintly representing different historical eras - signs of her past? Her family? Do her beloved record player and vinyl records have anything to do with them? Wait, signs? She makes signs (also a postbox with her name on it) for the outside of her house - are the details inside her house the more subtle signs of her past? Wait, wait, is she a time traveller? A collector? Is Julia really as normal as she appears?

From what I've read of the sequels, it seems that none of these questions will be answered remotely. The other books will be more or less the same as this one. Very ambiguous.

Or am I wrong? Feel free to correct me if I am.

'Julia's House for Lost Creatures' - cute, lovely, cosy and quaint, though it does end sorta abruptly in its short length. It truly is fit to be adapted and expanded into a Miyazaki film.

Final Score: 4/5