Graphic Novel Review - 'Nubia & the Amazons' by Vita Ayala (Writer), Stephanie Williams (Writer), Alitha Martinez (Artist), Dominike Stanton (Artist), Darryl Banks (Artist), Mark Morales (Inker), Emilio López (Colourist), Allen Passalaqua (Colourist), Romulo Fajardo Jr. (Colourist), Becca Carey (Letterer)

'Nubia & the Amazons' - an imperfect but empowering and raw, rich, and pretty much epic DC comic about the Amazons on their island of Themyscira. It is diverse as hell, embossed in worldbuilding and mythology building, and has plenty of action to offset the dialogue heavy scenes. There's a new, sympathetic twist on Medusa (even though she starts off as a villain), and oh, did I mention that Nubia, big and bold and space-taking Black Amazon extraordinaire, also an LBGTQ icon, is canonically the Queen of the Amazons now?

(Diana is dead, but then, after a lot of otherworldly journeys, she got better, and now Hippolyta, who had taken her daughter's place in Man's World in her absence, is dead, but that likely won't last long, either. You know superhero comic books.)

I wanted to read more about Nubia after the fantastic 'Nubia: Real One' comic, and in 'Nubia & the Amazons', I may have found a companion piece to 'Real One'. In the recent canon, she is a hard-ass, and a badass, never giving up, never giving in, in fights or in the ways of the heart. She has compassion and understanding, too, like Diana and Hippolyta before her.

The art and writing style reminds me of the DC comics of the mid 2000s; it reminds me of 'Wonder Woman: The Circle' and 'Wonder Woman: Who is Wonder Woman?', only set almost entirely on Themyscira (flashback sequences of Nubia fighting monsters in Chicago and romancing a POC woman are in this, too). It's a worthy comic for the Amazons.

However, the volume ends on the second issue of a sequel storyline (!). There are tie-ins, crossovers, the usual comics business. It is all connected to an event, a plan for all the Amazons by DC, culminating in the series, 'Trial of the Amazons'. I have read it, and I am disappointed. It is an equal balance of good - great, even - and bad, but overall, it is a rushed, choppy mess. Maybe I should stick to some of the tie-ins and not the main even itself.

I prefer standalones, or at least comic volumes I can enjoy without having to buy and read other comics to understand what is going on. Ugh, events.

Luckily, 'Nubia & the Amazons' can be enjoyed as its own separate thing, in my opinion. A badass POC, sapphic queen protagonist, an epic, badass story, an all-female cast of characters, Medusa, and brilliant art - I am in! I will be reading another series about Nubia soon, as well as one more 'Trial of the Amazons' tie-in/prequel.

The comic loses a point, however, in that, for its accurate portrayal of Medusa as a victim in need of comfort, understanding, compassion and empathy from her fellow women, Athena gets off completely scot-free in the end for what she did to her. She even still calls her a snake! Why not call her out!? F&%*! the gods! Poseidon the rapist isn't even mentioned at that point. Bloody terrific.

Medusa is also completely forgotten about by the time 'Trial of the Amazons' progresses and wraps up. *sigh*

Well, regardless:

Long live Queen Nubia.

Final Score: 3.5/5

EDIT: I have recently read 'Wonder Girl: Homecoming' and 'Nubia: Queen of the Amazons', and I'll share my thoughts here:

I'm done.

The subtitle of 'Wonder Girl' is 'Homecoming', though it really should have been 'Abandon all common sense ye who enter here'. I hate it. Nothing makes sense, nothing flows, details, developments, and characters keep getting dropped and never mentioned again - it's a writing (and feminist) disaster. Which is a shame because before I felt I could very much like Yara Flor as a character, but in her debut, she's as much a mess as "her" stupid story, where she is used and manipulated by others constantly, and she barely possesses any agency and free will of her own. DO all the Amazons want to kill her or not, and WHY?! Why is she showcased as so astronomically and cosmically important anyway? It doesn't reflect on any future books she's in. Hack decades old clichés abound, too.

While 'Nubia: Queen of the Amazons' is better, and more entertaining, it's confusing and structurally messy, as well. Many details get forgotten about (of course). Side by side with this is the character derailment of Nubia - the flipping queen of all the Amazons - which is unforgivable; just like what happened with Yara and her squandered potential, only not as extreme.

I don't think any of the writers at DC have been keeping up with this new storyline, this new chapter, of Wonder Woman and the Amazons well. Medusa remains a tiny blip on the radar, not a character. I'm sad to say I won't read any more Wondy titles, unless I can be sure that anyone at DC knows what they're doing at this point. It is a shame, for everything to do with 'Trial of the Amazons' had huge, shining potential. Still not sure about 'Future State'. It's exhausting, keeping up with all these storylines - for the readers and the writers and artists.

Graphic Novel Review - 'Catwoman: Lonely City' by Cliff Chiang

A brilliant standalone 'Catwoman' comic. You don't need to have any prior knowledge of Catwoman/Selina Kyle in other comics in order to read, understand and enjoy this, it is that good. It is like an 'Elseworlds', "What if?" type of DC (Black Label) comic.

Stylish, sophisticated, sombre, sexy, hard-hitting, relevant and political, 'Catwoman: Lonely City' is the type of story Selina Kyle would be proud of. Here, she is fifty-five years old, and not quite out of her prime (and certainly not her pride) yet. She has just been released from prison for supposedly murdering Batman ten years previously.

Batman/Bruce Wayne is dead, and so are Joker, Commissioner Gordon, and Dick Grayson (Tim Drake and Harley Quinn, too, assumably, though it's never outright stated), from the worst night in Gotham's history, Fool's Night.

Now, Harvey Dent/Two-Face is the mayor of Gotham, and he has outlawed masked vigilantes and is enforcing a brutal, militarised police force- the Batcops - and even a fucking tank, to "keep peace and order" in Gotham for the first time ever. The wheelchair-bound Councilwoman Barbara Gordon is running against him for the election in a few weeks.

With tensions with everyone remaining tight with nerves already, Selina, forever a master of thievery and heists, is determined to find out one last secret of Bruce's, begun with his literal dying breath. What is "Orpheus"? The answer is in his Batcave, which nobody has been able to locate, access and penetrate since his death.

Along the way in helping Selina achieve her goal of infiltrating the Batcave are a number of Batman rogues gallery cameos, including the Penguin, and predominantly Killer Croc, Ogbeast/Rowena and her family, the Riddler, his daughter Edie (an admirer of Catwoman and potentially her protegee), Poison Ivy (who is a plus-size woman here, and a beans and plants entrepreneur, awesome), and Etrigan. At some point, Klarion the Witch Boy appears, and even Zatanna makes a funny but relevant two-panel cameo.

Oh, another cameo, for one page: Dr. Leslie Thompkins.

Green Lantern's ring is in this, as well. Selina uses it once.

It is a very all-encompassing comic.

It's high stakes - and high heists - all around.

'Catwoman: Lonely City' was created by Cliff Chiang, who did almost every aspect of it himself. Imagine all the hard work that went into making it, by a single person. What amazing art, writing, editing, and pacing. You deserve all the awards, Cliff.

The comic has been likened by many to Catwoman's version of 'The Dark Knight Returns', and I can definitely see it. There are similarities, but this book makes its own mark, its own identity. For one, it has a far stronger female presence, female companionship, compassion, and humanity than in Frank Miller's works. Good work in the POC rep and acknowledging that Selina is half-Hispanic, too. Speaking of female bonding, Selina's strained yet growing relationship with Barbara is very well written. Her interactions and development with Ivy needed a little more work, and panel time, though; as is the case with her relationship with young Edie.

Also, before 'Lonely City', has anyone ever shipped Catwoman and Riddler? That seemed strange and arbitrary.

And is Barbara now in a relationship with a woman, Josie Mac, and has a young son, Wayne, with her? I'm a bit confused about that. She is a staunch LBGTQ rights political candidate, too.

(Poison Ivy also makes out with a woman in one panel.)

'Catwoman: Lonely City' does have a bit of everything. It is a serious, dramatic, heartbreaking story, but it doesn't take itself too seriously, for there are moments of levity in a lot of pages. Ultimately, it is about Catwoman moving on from her grief - learning "Don't look back" (the Orpheus metaphor is apt) when it comes to her lost love Bruce - and learning to trust others, and not be alone anymore. Like she was in her harsh prison environment for ten years. She'll learn to love and work with others again. To see beauty and sparkles in life again, like jewels, like city lights at night.

It's still far from perfect, but I recommend it all the same. For Catwoman fans, DC fans and readers, comics fans, superhero fans, and superheroine fans.

Yes, it may be a bit political, and it may have a bit of an agenda, but so what? So it should. What's 'The Dark Knight Returns' to you, then? Just because the protagonist is female - and most rare, an older, POC female protagonist - that doesn't automatically make it "political", like that's a bad thing anyway, for some reason. It's 2023: Stop this "I see only two genders - male and political" bullshit mindset right now. Just have fun reading a fun comic book, and get over yourself.

'Catwoman: Lonely City' - the best 'Catwoman' comic ever made, hands down.

(I feel I should win a prize for managing not to make any cat puns throughout this review.)

Final Score: 4/5

Graphic Novel Review - 'Harley Quinn: 30 Years of the Maid of Mischief' by Various

Thirty years.

Of this amazing pop culture icon.

Really, what can I say that I haven't already, a hundred times, about the Clown Queen of Crime, Gotham's Grand Duchess of Destruction, The Dicey Dame of Pain, the doctor and psychiatrist of mayhem, the ultimate antiheroine, the goof, the genius, the beauty, the tragedy, the abuse survivor, the fascinating feminist icon, the eclectic, eccentric Harlequin of absurdity, madness... and hope and freedom?

The Maid of Mischief?

The "happy accident" (quote Paul Dini)? The "lightning in a bottle" (quote Jordie Bellaire)?

The comic stories collected in 'Harley Quinn: 30 Years of the Maid of Mischief' are all entertaining, barely a dud in sight.

The first issue, 'Batgirl: Day One - Act One: Ladies Night', one of Harley's first comic appearances spun off from 'Batman: The Animated Series' (oh, and RIP, Kevin Conroy, best Batman ever), has Harley in a hideous red domino mask for some reason, and she's not in it much. But it's still good, with plenty of Batgirl and Catwoman and Poison Ivy action. There are more of Harley's earlier, and hilarious, cartoony adventures and antics, until we get to some of the official DC comics canon issues.

'The Bet', which I read in another 'Harley Quinn' collection, is included. Ditto 'Kind of Like Family', which I swear is in every 'Harley' comic collection ever. 'Fixer-Upper' from 'Harley Quinn Black + White + Red' is inserted near the end.

The 'Gotham City Sirens' stuff is very good, very well written, and harrowing and tragic. However, it also further cements one of my reasons for not liking the 'Gotham City Sirens' series: there is no female camaraderie. No support between women. Or at least, it's the Harley and Ivy show, and Catwoman is treated like an intruder. No one trusts each other. I know they're technically villains, but they should still show that they like each other every now and then.

Even the Amanda Conner and Jimmy Palmiotti comics I found to be genuinely super funny here, for the most part. There're a lot of them, and inevitably the humour is hit-and-miss, but they are fabulously entertaining (I surprisingly don't mind the gross-out, toilet humour - what sorcery is this!? Who am I!?). They're colourful, and can be cute. I adore 'Killin' Time', the New Years special. And look out for Power Girl!

There's a big, long-ass genie story (we're still on the Conner & Palmiotti content) - let Harley's chaos reign on a cosmic level! The Vegas issue - 'Diva Las Vegas' - is mad, balls-to-the-walls fun, and it made me think of things I wish to put on my bucket list (such as spraying whipped cream on a ripped guy's nipples).

*ahem*, moving on:

Harley also gets her surprise birthday party in 'Birthday Blues', which is the only good birthday in her life (courtesy of Ivy, of course), and it's so nice to see Harley, Ivy and Catwoman be happy friends together for a change!

As well as this collection being a funhouse for not only Harley, but for Batgirl, Catwoman, and Ivy, these guys drop in, too: Swamp Thing, practically all of Batman's rogues gallery, and a new character, Punchline, who is like a goth Harley. She's obsessed with the Joker, and is in an abusive relationship with him...

...


...


...


Okeydokey. Dark, shadow counterpart and all that.

I personally prefer Crush (daughter of Lobo) myself, in the new punk rock, gothic DC girl department.

Oh and last but definitely, assuredly not least, is a Stjepan Šejić issue, 'Submissive'. It's as great as you'd expect, if too short, and it ends on a teasing, queerbaiting cliffhanger.

I may have went overboard with this review. But I had fun writing it; matching how much fun I had reading 'Harley Quinn: 30 Years of the Maid of Mischief'. This anniversary collection truly is a celebration of the icon. The authors of the stories clearly love her as much as the rest of her fans do. They respect her, and understand the many, many fascinating facets to her character.

It's eclectic, erratic, versatile, and, well, fun. There's no other word to describe it. With the addition of the strong female presence throughout - Batgirl, Ivy, Catwoman, and others - it is a huge, feminist hit.

Happy thirtieth, Harley!

May you last as long as all the DC greats. You deserve it.

Final Score: 4/5

Book Review - 'Love, Violet' by Charlotte Sullivan Wild (Writer), Charlene Chua (Illustrator)

'Love, Violet' - Such a sweet, charming LBGTQ children's picture book about a first crush. It's so nice and pretty. Soft yet sparkly.

It's all about the journey of Violet, a shy little girl who goes though the nerve-racking process of asking out her crush, Mira, so they could go on adventures together. On big playdates that're as cute as they are, both individually and as a pair. Mira, the coolest, most confident girl in school, is friendly and may like Violet already, but Violet is so shy! She doesn't know how to go about navigating her first crush. She wants to express her feelings to Mira the "right" way, via a homemade Valentine's Day card.

How will that go? Read to find out!

It's a treasure, to be sure. To be had.

Final Score: 4/5

Graphic Novel Review - 'Death (Death of the Endless #1-2) (The Deluxe Edition)' by Neil Gaiman (Writer), Various Artists

My first read, my first review of 2023 (my mad-dozens of rereviews and edits don't count).

2023.

Marking ten years since I started writing book reviews. Since I started blogging.

Well, to commemorate such a momentous, shocking, overwhelming, scary and wonderful occasion, what better way to do it than with a review of a book that embodies some of the best of my reading years; some of the best of my reading experiences, moulded and crafted into one singular, significant book?

A graphic novel, a fantasy, a female protagonist - a gothic, kind, funny (and literally universal) female protagonist - and stories all about life and death, love and sadness, dreams and nightmares, sweetness and horror, tragedies and catharsis, mythology and human madness, Gothica and motifs:

'Death'.

'Death (The Deluxe Edition)' - a collection of stories from 'The Sandman' series by Neil Gaiman.

How did I come by it?

My story time:

It was just before New Years. I came across this collection by chance in my local library, when I looked at the very small graphic novel section on a half-hearted whim. Nearly a decade earlier I had also read a copy of the first 'The Sandman' volume, 'Preludes & Nocturnes', from the same library, and... it wasn't for me, so I looked no further into Neil Gaiman's classic and critically acclaimed DC comics series. However, like practically everyone else, I thought the character of Death, personified as a friendly goth girl with a twinkle in her eye who will listen and talk to and have conversations with you as she eases you into the afterlife - a big sister literally and in every other sense - was pretty cool, at least. So, years later, as it happens, when I saw a collected edition of comic stories all about her, I thought, "Why not?".

I borrowed 'Death', read it on January 1st 2023, liked it very much, returned it, and then planned to buy my own copy from Amazon... when again by chance a hardcover copy was in my local pop culture shop! It hadn't been there before, I'm sure. What are the odds?!

Now I own this glorious, magnificent, star-sung, star-stung, star-sewn, star-blinkered, haunting, harrowing, and gothic classic graphic novel masterpiece (part of the DC Black Label now, but still). And here I thought that the only thing of Gaiman's I like nowadays is 'Coraline'; the stories in 'Death' (also known as 'Death of the Endless') really showcase his talents, as a master storyteller. Even his gimmicks are put to good, interesting, and satisfying use.

Of course, the star of the whole show is Death herself - the series actually makes you excited to see Death! - but the reader ends up seriously liking almost every other character; so well developed, well paced, meticulously cared for, and fully fleshed out these tales, these cleverly-crafted yarns, are.

'The Sound of Her Wings' (I read it before in 'Preludes & Nocturnes', and I'm glad it's in here), 'Façade', 'A Winter's Tale', 'The High Cost of Living', 'The Wheel', 'The Time of Your Life', 'Death and Venice', and after a string of great, great cover art of Death herself, there is 'Death Talks About Life', where she gives you a pro-safe sex PSA. I am not the least bit joking. It is a fantastic, funny as hell, and important and relevant PSA. Wouldn't you listen to Death? About AIDS, STDs, and safe sex? About anything? It would be smart to do so.

I'm still not over the stories in this collection. They are... wow. Intimate. Personal. Creative. Moving. Full of symbolism, and deep, intricate life lessons. It's hard to pick a favourite. I can't recommend them enough, even to people who don't read comics normally. They've been acclaimed for decades, and remain beloved for a reason.

Beautiful. Not perfect, not always satisfying (like with 'Death and Venice'), but that's life and death, isn't it? A true opal/onyx stone of story crafting nonetheless. I love the references to Ancient Egypt and Egyptian mythology, as well. The prominence of LGBTQ content is a huge plus.

It's enough to make you no longer fear death. And live. Just live.

Keep living your life to the fullest.



"You get what anybody gets. You get a lifetime."



Artemis Crescent, on her ten year anniversary.

Happy hundreds of moons to me!


Final Score: 4/5

Disney+ Update

I have been subscribed to the streaming service, Disney+, or Disney Plus, since July this year. I never planned to - I didn't want to financially support Disney in any way if I could help it - but one day my mobile phone service company offered me three months free subscription, in an email with a code, for being such a gosh darn good customer. I thought, hey, why not? No point in passing up a chance for free viewing of movies and TV.

I've watched hundreds of films since, and have viewed seven series'. Even when my first free three months were up, I stayed on Disney+. I've decided I'm going to continue using it until The Owl House reaches its end. Then after that streaming service cancelation, I may go back to Netflix, because I'm a cheapskate like that.

For my final blogpost of 2022, I will talk about the TV shows I saw on Disney+, in the order I subsequently viewed them. It would take far too long to list the films watched, even my favourites. So an easy, breezy TV discussion it is, to close the year out.

Disney+ Shows

Ms. Marvel - This, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, and the Black Panther movies are the most diverse the MCU has to offer. I hadn't seen any of the other MCU series' before Ms. Marvel (it's all too much, and I want to have a life), but thankfully I didn't need to. It helped that I was already familiar with everything to do with it from the comics.

It is a fun little miniseries about Pakistani Muslim American teenager Kamala Khan, who is a major superhero dork (Marvel heroes are a real fact of life in the universe this fanfic writer and artist inhabits, making everything doubly fun, doubly nerdy, doubly pop culture heavy), and who gains superpowers herself. It's cute, as well as diverse and educational - that's the takeaway from Ms. Marvel.

I also like that Kamala's parents are more likeable and less stereotypical than in the comics. They're real, three-dimensional people, and slight spoiler but I don't care, they learn of Kamala's identity as a superhero, and they accept and support her! They keep their memories, to boot! Suck it, Marvel comics!

However, the miniseries is rushed and a little nonsensical towards the end, and it is too short at six episodes. The dealbreaker: it ends on a massive cliffhanger, and you are expected to watch another, separate MCU series in the future for the continuation of Ms.Marvel's storyline. Yeah, no thanks.

I know your game, Marvel Studios, and I am done with you.

Runaways, season 1 - Very meh.

I wanted to see Runaways for Nico Minoru, and while she and the other Runaway kids are good, in reality they're barely in their own show! Far too much time is spent on the villain parents.

I understand: it is done to make the audience sympathise more with them than what is given to them in the comics, and it gives them further development and characterisation in the first season before the shit hits the fan.

However, I think that the main reason it is done is because the writers were more comfortable writing adults than teenagers, and because the adults were better and more experienced actors and so were easier to work with. But it's not what the audience wants from Runaways!

I wanted to see cool superpowered kids; I don't care about the evil, been-there-done-that TV adult characters. Some of them don't deserve sympathy. The kids don't even run away - they don't become the titular Runaways - until the last episode - that's ten episodes in!

I was done at season 1, I'm afraid, being both bored and frustrated with the show. I also didn't like where they were going with an LBGTQ character, and the main (and only) LBGTQ couple.

Gravity Falls - A fun, creative and immersive spooky mystery cartoon. It is easy to see why it is so popular and influential. It's charming, and never fails to be entertaining, with an unforgettable cast of characters.

Not one of my personal favourites, for a few reasons - actually more than that; for a 2012 product it contains its problematic elements and head tilting moments - but I still recommend anyone seeing Gravity Falls at least once; see if they don't find it addictive and rewatchable. I wouldn't say no to rewatching it.

Amphibia - It starts off directionless, unfocused and slow - the first season is 80% filler, and is very episodic and slice-of-life - but I kept going, and my word, Amphibia has to be one of THE most bingeable shows ever made. I was hooked and excited to find out more with each episode.

The characters are so endearingly flawed and well developed - the character development is the key to this cartoon's success; as well as its magical worldbuilding and boundless creativity. Its storylines are surprising and unpredictable, even shocking. The first season's finale, up to the third and final season and the entire series finale, is an emotional roller coaster. It's a breathtaking journey. The second season is the best.

It really goes to show how far animation "for kids" has come in our modern era. It's not just about comedy anymore: story and characters are prioritised first. Animation creators' passion and care are being put forward, placed front and center, and their shows are shining as a result.

Sure, a few things in Amphibia annoy me and make me want to tear my hair out, but in general, I kind of love Amphibia; and as many people know by now, I am not easy to please. In fact I love it so much I bought the companion book, Marcy's Journal - A Guide to Amphibia, my review of which can be read here.

At the heart of everything in the series is the complicated, growing friendship bond between Anne Boonchuy, Sasha Waybright, and Marcy Wu. They are very flawed characters, coming to terms with their individual issues and insecurities, and how those affect others, but they are only thirteen, and they have a lot more growing to do. Heck, Anne, the protagonist and who-cares-if-she's-a-Mary-Sue-that-does-not-actually-apply-here-shut-up-and-have-fun-watching-her ultimate heroine, is like a Thai teenage girl Homer Simpson, and I mean that in the best way possible.

Amphibia is also one of the few pieces of media I've seen which is aware of the existence of, and explicitly deals with, toxic friendships. Despite this, all three young girls end up coming out on top, and I adore each of them equally, for their (mostly) careful growth and development. In this sense, they are realistic, because of their flaws: all this is in spite of the Isekai fantasy setting, the action heroics, and the Magical Girl/Super Saiyan homage (yeah, it moves on from the froggy slice-of-life show it was for the majority of its first season).

A Super Saiyan homage and action with young teen girls! It's everything I've ever wanted in a cartoon! 

Anne, Sasha and Marcy are not to be dismissed as merely cartoon characters. I love everyone in Amphibia, and I love the people who made it. Hm. Maybe I will rewatch it soon, and drink up its bingey, addictive flavour again.

Epic fantasy and complex female friendships FTW!

Phineas and Ferb - Something I missed during the dark era of animation (the mid-to-late 2000s) in every channel, not just Disney, and which I did not bother with (I was well into my anime phase by then).

Girl am I glad to have finally caught up with it. Not only do I now understand the memes surrounding Phineas and Ferb, but I got to binge it and experience it whole (movies and specials included) as the fun, creative, and hugely funny series it is.

It is also reason no. 2467 why I don't trust anyone who says they don't like musicals - every eleven-minute episode contains two or more musical numbers, and practically every one of them is a bop. So creative and enjoyable, and the passion put into it by the creators is loud and clear.

Additionally, Phineas and Ferb utilises celebrity voices - both regular and cameo -  far better than The Simpsons ever did.

Recommended? Certainly.

The Owl House - Still great. Still a favourite.

Beautiful, tantalising, wondrously creative, emotional, subversive, self-aware, sensitive, kind, lovely, delightful, and very, very funny. Luz Noceda and Amity Blight are currently the best, and cutest, LBGTQ+ couple on TV.

The Legend of Korra walked (so did Amphibia, to an extent, even when it wasn't explicit) so The Owl House could run. LBGTQ+ goodness - enbies included - yes, enbies, plural - regardless of Disney's overall intent, and despite its shifting and failing reluctance and drawbacks (mainly in making the series too short and releasing episodes and seasons in parts, and sporadically). You can't stop progress, Disney.

I can't wait for the ending, the completion of The Owl House.

She-Hulk: Attorney at Law - Yeah, no.

While I understand what it was trying to do - pay homage to John Byrne's fourth wall breaking era of She-Hulk comics in the eighties and early nineties - She-Hulk: Attorney at Law is a mess.

You may never find a more ardent defender and champion of female-led media than me, no matter how generally shat upon by the internet it very often is, mostly because of typical misogyny. But as much as I loathe to agree with popular consensus in a world which still desperately needs more female-led films and TV, even I can't defend the She-Hulk TV series. In this area, I suck as a lawyer as much as Shulkie in the series does.

It is almost depressingly bad, with how unfunny, random, and just plain packed it is with wasted potential. I was cringing hard from the first episode, and it doesn't get any better from there. It is not a feminist superheroine show - hard to believe it came out this year! - for it actually posits that the absolute worst thing a woman can be is single in her thirties.

Wow. Thanks, Marvel Studios. I feel so seen. And respected.

And of course straight women are the default and center of attention; it is the MCU, after all.

It's like a sitcom, an especially bad sitcom, and I hate most sitcoms anyway, so it was doomed from the start for me. It doesn't only fail at comedy, but action, as well, which barely exists. Hell, the title is only, like, 30% true: there is hardly any lawyering and courtroom scenes in She-Hulk: Attorney at Law. SO MUCH TIME IS SPENT ON JENNIFER WALTERS' BORING LOVE LIFE. TO THE POINT WHERE AN ENTIRE EPISODE IS DEDICATED TO HER DOING NOTHING BUT CONSTANTLY CHECKING HER PHONE AFTER SHE IS GHOSTED! YOU'RE A LAWYER AND A HULK - GET SOME DIGNITY, WOMAN! NOBODY CARES ABOUT YOUR DATING AND SEXCAPADES!

She and others are always drinking and getting drunk, too. How thrilling. How exciting. I am so engaged. 

There is no structure, no plan, no real ending!

She-Hulk is the cheapest thing the MCU has ever done (I can tell even though I have seen two out of eight+ of its series', it is that bad), which is madness - insanity I say! - when the MCU is the most financially successful media franchise globally, dammit (rivalled only by video game companies). That a studio raking in billions and billions in profit would put out a product this stingy and insultingly crap just goes to show how much of a fucked up con and a load of bollocks capitalism is.

Even though She-Hulk: Attorney at Law was, as far as I can tell, mostly if not wholly written by women, it nonetheless feels like it was manned by focus group tested thirteen-year-old boys in the early 2010s.

On top of it all, while the show is nine episodes long, upon thinking back and reflecting on it, it feels like it only contains three episodes. So utterly devoid of substance it is.

I want to forget about it, now and forever. What a waste of time and potential.

I adore She-Hulk! She's one of my favourite superheroines in Marvel comics. Why was she treated in such a demeaning, undermining, sexist, stupid, childish and humdrum manner by the MCU?!

She-Hulk: Attorney at Law made me be officially done with the MCU, and Marvel as a whole. I. Am. Done. I quit. Sayonara. Auf Wiedersehen. Bye.

Happy New Year, everyone. I love you all.

For a further send off to cap off 2022, here are the links to my Worst Books list, and my Best Books list.

I also just remembered that next year - January, unless I'm mistaken - marks the tenth anniversary of my Artemis Crescent - Fantasy Feminist blog! Ten years since I started book blogging!

Wonder how I'll celebrate it...

Best Books of 2022

Link to my Worst Books of 2022 here.

Like with my previous list, no rereads will be included.

Okay, let's go!:

Top 12 Guilty Pleasures of 2022

Something I've never done before - a guilty pleasure read list, as I've had a surprising number of them in 2022. Be they enjoyably bad or merely enjoyable yet obviously flawed in many ways, these are my sweet loves, warts and all. Starting from my least guilty to my guiltiest read, here they are:

12. She-Hulk: Jen, Again by Rainbow Rowell (Writer), Roge Antonio (Artist), Luca Maresca (Artist), Rico Renzi (Colourist) - Review link here.

11. Long Live the Pumpkin Queen (Disney's Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas) by Shea Ernshaw - Review link here.

10. The Fearless Defenders, Vol. 1: Doom Maidens by Cullen Bunn (Writer), Will Sliney (Artist), Veronica Gandini (Colourist) - Review link here.

9. Star: Birth of a Dragon by Kelly Thompson (Writer), Javier Pina (Artist), Filipe Andrade (Artist), Jay Leisten (Artist), Jesus Aburtov (Colour Artist), Chris O'Halloran (Colour Artist) - Review link here.

8. She-Hulk by Peter David Omnibus by Various - Review link here.

7. Over My Dead Body by Sweeney Boo - Review link here.

6. Batgirls Vol. 1: One Way or Another by Becky Cloonan (Writer), Michael W. Conrad (Writer), Jorge Corona (Artist), Sarah Stern (Colourist), Ivan Plascencia (Colourist) - Review link here.

5. The Fearless Defenders, Vol. 2: The Most Fabulous Fighting Team of All by Cullen Bunn (Writer), Stephanie Hans (Artist), Will Sliney (Artist) - Review link here.

4. Shazam Family Giant: Make Mine Mary Marvel by Mini Komix - Review link here.

3. Astonishing X-Men: Kitty Pryde - Shadow & Flame by Akira Yoshida (Writer), Paul Smith (Artist), Joe Rubenstein (Inker), Chris Walker (Colourist), Christina Strain (Colourist) - Review link here.

2. Crush & Lobo by Mariko Tamaki (Writer), Amancay Nahuelpan (Artist), Tamra Bonvillain (Colour Artist), Nick Filardi (Colour Artist), Ariana Maher (Letterer) - Review link here.

1. X-Men Vol. 1: Primer by Brian Wood (Writer), Olivier Coipel (Artist), David López (Artist), Various Inkers and Colourists - Review link here.

Onto the very best of the best; the books that made me the happiest and most hopeful this year:

Top 24 Best Books of 2022

24. The Little Match Girl Strikes Back by Emma Carroll, Lauren Child (Illustrator) - Review link here.

23. Creepy Cat, Vol. 1 by Cotton Valent - Review link here.

22. Flamer by Mike Curato - Review link here.

21. Sweetie Vol. 1 by Sean Dillon (Writer/Artist), Steven Petrivelli (Cowriter) - Review link here.

20. Katie the Catsitter by Colleen A.F. Venable (Writer), Stephanie Yue (Artist), Braden Lamb (Colourist) - Review link here.

19. Harley Quinn Black + White + Red by Various - Review link here.

18. Wash Day Diaries by Jamila Rowser (Writer), Robyn Smith (Artist) - Review link here.

17. The Mighty Thor: Goddess of Thunder! (Little Golden Book) (Marvel) by Courtney Carbone (Writer), Hollie Mengert (Illustrator) - Review link here.

16. She-Hulk Omnibus (She-Hulk (2004) #1-12) by Dan Slott (Writer), Juan Bobillo (Artist), Paul Pelletier (Artist), Various - Review link here.

15. Living with Viola by Rosena Fung - Review link here.

14. Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree - Review link here.

13. Doughnuts and Doom by Balazs Lorinczi - Review link here.

12. Baba Yaga's Assistant by Marika McCoola (Writer), Emily Carroll (Artist) - Review link here.

11. The Little Wooden Robot and the Log Princess by Tom Gauld - Review link here.

10. Swan Lake: Quest for the Kingdoms by Rey Terciero (Writer), Megan Kearney (Artist) - Review link here.

9. Not My Problem by Ciara Smyth - Review link here.

8. One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston - Review link here.

7. Captain Marvel (Little Golden Book) (Marvel) by John Sazaklis (Writer), Penelope R. Gaylord (Illustrator) - Review link here.

6. The Heartstopper Yearbook by Alice Oseman - Review link here.

5. Barb the Brave by Dan Abdo and Jason Patterson - Review link here.

4. Marcy's Journal - A Guide to Amphibia by Adam Colás (Writer), Matthew Braly (Writer, Creator), Catharina Sukiman (Illustrator), Tokyopop (Producer) - Review link here.

3. Wolfwalkers: The Graphic Novel by Tomm Moore (Creator), Ross Stewart (Creator), Sam Sattin (Adaptation) - Review link here.

2. Thirsty Mermaids by Kat Leyh - Review link here.

1. Eyes that Kiss in the Corners by Joanna Ho (Writer), Dung Ho (Illustrator) - Review link here.

So that's my 2022 year of reading, ending on a positive note. I'm sure I will read plenty more in 2023. I've already got loads and loads of comics I plan to buy. I am a reader at heart, after all. I can't escape or deny who I am.

Happy New Year everyone, and I mean it. Keep hoping and caring. Keep trying. It will get better.