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It started, not unlike that Lindsay Lohan song, as just a rumor.

Everyone wanted to kill my buzz—no one wanted me to have any excitement over a rumor. Every time I posted about it someone would say something like, “I hope you know it’s just a rumor” or “Don’t write about a rumor.”

But, I was excited. Very excited. Maybe too excited.

Because, again, it was just a rumor.

So, relax, Ian.

The bad news first: we can almost bank on never seeing the handsome handsome Andrew Garfield as Spider-Man again. Which is a shame because I think he’s a really great Peter Parker. He and Emma Stone are the Gwen and Peter we deserved.

However

 (spoilers ahead)

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Amazing Spider-Man 2 was a complete fucking abortion of a movie. It was almost as bad as all three of the Tobey Maguire movies combined. Electro belonged in Batman & Robin as one of Mr. Freeze’s henchmen. Rhino belonged in a really shitty cartoon—and Green Goblin should’ve been the villain throughout the whole movie. That being said—I cried like a baby when Gwen fell to her death (I TOLD YOU THERE WERE SPOILERS WHY ARE YOU STILL READING IF YOU DIDN’T KNOW).

So, remember how the Sony leak told us that Marvel and Sony had been in negotiations for Spider-Man to appear in Captain America: Civil War? Then we were to believe that Spider-Man might actually appear in the Marvel movies—just not the one we had hoped/expected. He was rumored to make his appearance in Avengers: Infinity War Part 1. Which would’ve made sense since the storyline for The Infinity Gauntlet is basically Thanos killing every hero—so, Marvel would need a lot of heroes for Thanos to kill/to eventually defeat him.

But, it’s just a rumor, Ian. Stop being so excited.

Well.

That was then.

This is now.

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Marvel has officially announced that Spider-Man will become part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Sony and Marvel have hugged it out/realized they both can make lots of money by working together and now Spider-Man will appear in Marvel movies and Marvel owned characters will appear in Spider-Man movies. The new deal is that Sony will “finance, distribute, own and have final creative control of the Spider-Man films,” while the next Spider-Man movie (scheduled for 2017) will, “be co-produced by Kevin Feige and his expert team at Marvel and Amy Pascal, who oversaw the franchise launch for the studio 13 years ago.”

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Marvel has even announced a new updated schedule for their films (in which they moved Spider-Man to the front-ish of the line).

My only hope is we don’t get another Spider-Man origin story. The rumors are that he will make his first appearance in Captain America: Civil War (aka one of my most favorite Marvel storylines of all-time)—and I really hope it’s true. I also would love if we got Miles Morales instead of Peter Parker. I don’t need to see Uncle Ben die (again) nor do I need to hear anyone say anything about power and responsibility (again).

Miles Morales as Spider-Man would help bring much needed diversity to the Marvel Cinematic Universe and make for a fun ::ahem:: NEW take on the Spider-Man story. Miles is one of the best-written teenage superheroes in Marvel comics (rivaled only by nation treasure The Young Avengers). And, yes, he’s from the Ultimate Universe but so is the Nick Fury from the movies (who they changed in the 616 Marvel Comics Universe only recently).

Long story short: I’m feeling great about the future of Marvel movies right now.

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TAKE THAT, EVERYONE WHO WAS A NEGATIVE FAN-PERSON AND ROLLED THEIR EYES AT MY EXCITEMENT.

This also means we get all the Spider-family characters in the Marvel Cinematic Universe: Silk, Spider-Gwen, Spider-Woman (who I'm not 100% sure was owned by Sony before), Venom, Carnage, Spider-girl, etc. We could possibly see Agent Vemon actually join the Guardians of the Galaxy! We could even see my personal fave, Anya Corazon/Spider-Girl/Arana, on the big screen taking part in an Avengers mission!

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Is everyone as excited as I am? Who would YOU want to see playing the new Spider-Man? And which version of Spidey would you want to see on the big screen?

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Facebook: Ian Carlos Photography

Twitter: @ianxcarlos

It's Valentine's, and to ring in the holiday, I'm welcoming back an old 'queero! SuperQueeros: all that's lesbian, gay, bisexual, transexual, transgender, and queer in comics today!

Wolverines #6

Earth 2 World's End #19
Last we left Green Lantern, his boyfriend was in mortal peril and the Spirit of Apokolips was about to kill the Green, the source of all his power!

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STARRING: Emily Dahlke, Joseph W. Rodriguez, Megan O’Leary and John Russell

HUNTER GATHERERS is a pitch black comedy that begins with one couple’s annual dinner get-together with best friends. The evening begins with an animal sacrifice that quickly descends into more sex, violence, deception, wrestling, and dancing than at previous parties. It’s an ominously comic evening where the line between civilized and primal man is blurred, and where not everyone will survive long enough to enjoy the brownies for dessert.

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For the thirteenth episode of it's tenth season, Supernatural went back to it's roots with a good old-fashioned monster of the week episode. Well, not really old fashioned, but you'll get the drift.

We open on two youngsters cruising in a pick up. This is the cold open so we know one of them is going to die, and instantly hope it's the douce bag guy who has been drinking and is now driving and is a jerk to his girlfriend. His navigation system on his phone (called Trini, no Siri becuase copyright probably). In what becomes one of the scarier scenes in recent memory, a seemingly possessed Trini leads the kids not to tacos but to a desserted road, where is comands the girlfriend to get out of the car then drives the truck of a cliff with douchebag trapped inside. Whoops.

Back in the bunker of angst, Dean has completely shifted from healthy living to eating everything in sight, including a croissant-cookie hybrid that rightly horrifies Sam. Despite news that Cas (YES!) has discovered riverboat gambling and may be closing in on Cain, Dean would rather just take on the case of the car that drove itself off a bridge. Cue the boys touching down amid the youngsters of Kasem college to investigate.

The boys quickly track down the girlfriend we met earlier who tells them that the car did seem to drive itself, and it actually belonged to Billy's brother, who was angry with Billy and was killed in the Middle East. The boys head off to the impound to salt and burn the pick up, assuming that's what the vengeful spirit has latched onto. (Aside - torching a car, especially one which might still have gas in the tank, seems...a little unwise.) We know though that the ghost is not vanquished because it's only been fifteen minutes and the scene cuts to two college girls discussing whther to pass class by studying or sleeping with the TA. Sleeping-with-the-TA roomie stays behind to take selfies while Delilah, the responsible one, heads off to the library. Perfect time for a mysterious instant message telling her she's a liar, and the wrier knows anout "810." This freaks out room mate who tries to shut off the computer, but it starts flashing 810 across the screen. In a scene a silly as the first death as scary, a power cord levitates and kills the room mate. Of course the least believeable thing here is that the cord is not a tangled mess as all power cords are meant to be.

The boys are there the next day to invetigate, talk to Delilah the studious red head, who definitely seems to be lying about something, and of course snag the dead roomie's laptop. They retreat to the cafeteria where dea proceeds to eat literally everything available while Sam searches for clues, including through her deleted internet history.

While Dean contemples how he is going to scrub his Grindr profile from cyberspace, Sam discovers the mysterious conversation mentioning 810 from the night before. In a good intuitive leap the buys guess 810 could be an adress, and go check out the the 810s in town. At the sight the see a woman in a trench coat (all uses of trench coats and plaid on people that are not Sam or Dean must be nored becuase of subtext reasons) throwing away flowers from the foot of her mailbox. After flashing their fake badges, the boys get the woman, Corey, to divulge that her husband of less than a year, Andrew, was killed in a car accident at that spot and a girl with red hair continue to leave flowers there.

The very red head, Delilh the dead girl's room mate, is now freaking out to another douchey guy -  frat brother in STD (yes really) who knew Billy the dead guy from the opening. Two of their friends are dead and of course Delilah wants to come clean about the myterious crime that sheKyle and their dead friends committed. Kyle is too busy getting sexy chat notiffications to care so Delilah leaves. Perect time for a sexy then creepy message from a terrifying voice telling him to look at the time - 8:10. And then Kyle's wireless speakers suddenly get so loud that they make his ears explode and they kill him. Can't say the show isn't creative in their death scenes!

The boys find Delilah who confesses to no one's suprise that she and her friends caused the car accident that killed Andrew, and she's the last on the vengeful ghost's list. The wonder if he's traveling through eletric wires, but that doesn't fit with the truck. Sam heads off to investigate the scene of Andrew's death and Dean stays with poor Delilah. He's comforting, in a Dean way.

Actually, they do have a nice heart to heart, where Delilah confesses that the guilt of causing Andrew's death is crippling for her. Dean, of course, intimately understands this guilt. He copes through whiskey and denial, but tells her that the best she can do it to make amends, not with flowers, but with honesty and doing good. Awww. Meanwhile, Sam is at the scene and realizes that Andrew died at the foot of a wifi tower. Andrew is haunting the wifi, which is how he got into the phone, computer and speakers.

Insted of kiling the internet, Dean and delilah settle for breaking all their electronics and heading for the basement to protect her (reception sucks there anyway). Sam heads over to chat with Corey, the wife, to see if she can be of help. She shocks Sam by confessing she knows her husnand is a ghost. It turns out they've been communicating n line for months. Having a part of him is better than nothing, Corey reasons, and she doesn't want to give up. But recently Andrew changed, became angrier and darker...and apparently started killing people.

He's doing that at the very oment, as he has chased Dean and Delilah to the basement and hoped past their salt lines through a phone that was stuck in a couch. Dean tries to reason with him, exlaining from experience that there is a choice here between peace and pain, all he has to do it let go of his need for revenge. Andrew isn't very moved by this...until (thanks to a wel times 911 text from Dean), Sam facetimes Corey onto the phone so Andrew can see her. She lovingly pleads with him to let go and move on, and once again, love reaches through anger to save the day. (Foreshadowing, what foreshadowing?)

The next day the boys drop Delilah off to make her peace with Corey. Dean too has come to realize that he's rather chose peace over pain. He's not going to look for a cure for the mark any more, even though Sam protests that Cas is so close to finding one. Dean says that he's not giving up, but he's going to keep doing what he was mant to do - help people - until he can't any more and then he'll go down swinging.

Highlights:

Dean doesn't get social media, though apparently he did just learn to poke on facebook. But he's still snarky with Sam when he knws something Sam doesn't.

The kids in the car in their flashback were listening to "Take me to Church" which is a song the Supernatural fandom has long obsessed over, since it's the most Dean (and Destiel) song ever.

Julie the dead roomie actually saying "hashtag blessed."

Shipping News:

Yes, after nothing much last week we have our tin hats back on and we're back! There was that whole thing where a character who was intro introduced dressed like Cas, was able to save her beloved from remaining a terrifying rage monster with the power of love (same way Cain was saved...) which had me squee-ing. Also the fact Cas is apparently scouring the country to find a cure for his boyfriend, no matter the cost gave me warm fuzzies.

Come back next week for the return of Cain! 

You’d think that maybe the first same-sex kiss in the MCU would’ve been between Victoria Hand and Isabelle Hartley, reuniting after it’s revealed that Tori had only been pretending to be dead.  You’d think that the first queer kiss would mean something for the company and the direction the cinematic universe is headed.

You’d be wrong.  And I’d be wrong.  We’d all be, as Chowder once said, “Wrong, horribly, horribly wrong!”

And with the decision at Marvel to push back Black Panther and Captain Marvel for yet another (likely) white Spider-Man origin story, something’s got to give.  You know, dear reader, that here at GeeksOut, we’re all about queer representation in the media.  It’s in our ‘about’ section.

But this wasn’t representation.  This was shock value.  And someone needs to talk about how poorly the MCU has decided to treat queer women.

First, we have Victoria Hand.  I’ve spoken about Victoria at length in Agents of SHADE, so I’ll just summarize with this: there is no reason for her to actually be dead.  There are a million and one ways that she could have been faking, that she could’ve tricked or been testing Grant, but the writers don’t seem to think that matters.  They would rather have something to dangle over Ward’s head than have a living, breathing queer woman.

Then, of course, we have Isabelle Hartley.  Touted as having a much larger role in the show, queer icon Lucy Lawless was cast as a character that only appeared once in comics to be Victoria Hand’s girlfriend.

She was killed off in the first episode of season two.  The writers of the show mentioned never bringing up Tori or Izzy’s sexual orientation because they “didn’t want to be know as [the people] that killed two lesbians.”

Well, guys.  Who’s going to tell them?

Which brings us to last night, to our same-sex kiss on Agent Carter.  A point about Dottie, before I continue:

• She has been, from an early age, brainwashed.  And not just brainwashed in the abuse sense, as we’ve discussed in SHADE (though I’m sure there was plenty of it.)  I’m talking about real sci-fi style brainwashing.  And the show, as of right now, seems content to make her the villain.  It’s unlikely, at this point, that Dottie’s going to see any justice.  We can hope that Peggy may continue to be sympathetic to her, to what happened, but it’s unlikely.  And let’s keep in mind before we discuss that brainwashing like that is ‘irreversible’ that Natasha Romanoff is doing just fine with her free will. 

There’s a couple ways to look at this kiss.  On the one hand, there’s a more positive way to spin it in terms of representation.  Given that Dottie has literally been bred into being a living weapon, she would obviously know countless ways to render a person unconscious.  She chose to apply Peggy’s lipstick and kiss Peggy on the mouth.  This could mean that some part of Dottie, some part that is allowed the slightest choice, has affection for Peggy.  That she kissed Peggy because there is a part of her that actually wanted to.  If we explore this, then fine.  I’ll give it to the MCU.  Let Dottie’s affections for Peggy be a stepping stone to undoing her brainwashing.  That would be amazing.

Which is why I get the feeling that it’s not going to happen.  See, one of Agent Carter’s key flaws has been its overall avoidance of major minority politics of the time.  There are no center characters of color, which keeps the show from having to have a discussion of race.  So do I really trust them to have a discussion of queerness in the 40s with only two episodes left in the season?

Of course not.

And here’s the sad thing: Dottie could very well be a queer character.  But at this point, if she is, it’s going to stick her directly in the ‘queer predator’ category that most bi and homosexual female characters find themselves in.  Let’s not forget that in Agents of SHIELD, Victoria Hand was set up to be the Clairvoyant at the end of episode 16, a ruse that continued halfway into episode 17.

This is a problem.  The audience, as a whole, is still willing to see queer women as inherently bad.  So it makes them easy villains.  It means the quickest way to ensure the audience knows you’re dealing with a lady villain is to make her interested in the same sex.

I will stop to mention that, again, Victoria’s queerness was never mentioned on the show.  But of course, the writers were fully aware of it.  And if you watch the queer coding in both her ‘villainy’ (“we’re having a coming out”) and then the way that John Garrett is queer coded when he’s revealed as the actual Clairvoyant, you get a very clear picture of how queerness is still used to make a villain seem more evil.

It’s lazy writing.  It’s offensive writing.  And it’s not another tally that Agent Carter needs on its ledger.

We have two episodes left in the season, so I do understand that this may be jumping the gun a bit.  But with the poor track record proceeding it, I don’t have reason to have a lot of faith in Agent Carter or the MCU.  And that’s a huge shame.

Recently, controversy broke on the League of Legends scene over a new ruling made by Garena, the popular arena game’s exclusive distributor in Southeast Asia, Taiwan, and the Philippines.  Planning a monthly all-women League tournament named The Iron Solari, with the next leg set to take place on February 22, the company seemed to be taking steps towards embracing diversity in the League community.  However, this apparent attempt at inclusion was mired by a February 3rd ruling limiting the extent to which LGBT women could participate in the tournament.

According to the ruling, each team could only have one gay or transgender woman among their ranks for the entirety of the tournament, threatening a one year ban on all team members for any that would break the rule.  The ban also prevented swapping out one LGBT team member for another in between matches, and promised punishment if it were later discovered that more than one person per team happened to be LGBT, potentially threatening anyone who might come out in the future, as well as their teammates, with a ban.  As the ruling stated, “Each team will be allowed to have a maximum of one (1) Gay/Transgendered woman for the entirety of the tournament day...Any team who has violated the above provision, regardless if intentional or otherwise, whether discovered during the day of the event or some time after, will have all their team members sanctioned with a 1-year ban on all Garena-organized events, including subsequent Iron Solari Tournament.”

In addition to the restrictions above, the language of the ruling implied that gay or transgender women are not female, including lines such as “the female members as well as the Lesbian, Gay, Transgendered women member,” though this could be a translation error.

The logic behind the restriction seems to be based on the shaky premise that, concerning professional gaming, gay and trans women are somehow naturally advantaged over straight and cisgender women.  Garena explains in the ruling, "for any competitions, we seriously look at ensuring there's a fair level playing field for all participants.  And there are arguments and concerns from other participants who disputes that Lesbian, Gay, Transgendered Women members may probably have some unfair advantage."

In response to the discriminatory ruling, League’s American based developers, Riot Studios, assured the community of their intent to rectify the situation, announcing over Twitter that “LGBT players are welcome at official LoL tourneys. We're working with partners to ensure consistency with our values across all regions.”

It seems as if Riot has come through on their promise, as Garena released an updated statement February 4th abolishing the controversial ruling.  It reads “Our initial ruling on LGBT player restrictions within the Iron Solari League has created a lot of good discussion and debate over the past 24 hours. After discussing the ruling with our partners and re-examining our approach, we have decided to remove these restrictions completely. This means that any player who self-identifies as female will be allowed to participate. We sincerely apologize for any offense we caused to the LGBT and gaming communities.”

Garena continues to claim that the tournament was an attempt to “promote diversity in the competitive gaming community” and that they are striving to “develop an inclusive gaming environment for all.”

A Review
By
David Rondinelli

Massive is an appropriate title for this anthology collection that feature’s several of Japan’s most talented artists on the subject. I managed to find Massive on display smiling up at me in the confines of the Gay and Lesbian interest table. Like stumbling upon buried treasure, it was fun to find the book in a mainstream store like Barnes and Noble.

With a cover featuring artwork by many of the book’s contributors, Massive is not only big on style, but massive in content. The artwork is eye catching, but the book also boasts a series of essays by the creative director, Graham Kolbeins who photographed many of the artists, Anne Ishii the translator and co-editor, and out cover designer Chip Kidd who has played a prolific role in bringing book design and manga to prominence in modern publishing. 

There are 9 stories featured, each beginning with photographs of the artist, an introduction and accompanying interview. This is really the best part of the book. The interviews pull back the curtain on this tightly veiled community of men who are still marginalized within their society. This is a land that offers everything under the rising sun in terms of creative content, but still lacks in areas such as gay marriage, non-discrimination at work and open acceptance amongst family. The interviews offer a well-rounded look at what it is like to be gay and a comic creator in Japan.

The artists themselves are diverse in theme, but the style remains the same. Massive’s main approach is to sexualize a certain body type that is of hairy, burly, and hyper masculine men. Here we are treated to everything from competitive jump ropers, mischievous monks and leaders of warring Yakuza clans all getting it on in a string of uncensored shenanigans.

The same creative team that brought Massive to the forefront was also responsible for The Passion of Gengoroh Tagame. Tagame is not only one of the contributors to Massive, but also the gate keeper to many of the other artists and a forefather of gay manga.  

This book is much lighter in tone than Passion, which might help ease new readers into a genre that has been known to have brutal imagery. The diversity in subject matter is colorful and shows the diversity of gay comics from Japan.

The stand out artists in this volume are cover man Jiraiya, Gai Mizuki, Seizoh Ebisubashi and Takeshi Matsu. It would be amazing to see more of their work translated. Some of the best stories offer the erotic mixed with a healthy dose of cleverness. In Takeshi Matsu’s Kannai’s Dilemma we see a young man who draws sketches and then holds his sketch book up near the men around him making them look as if they are posing in various erotic stances. There is a hint of a possible romance between the protagonist and one of the guys that poses for him, which is sweet. Gai Mizuki’s Fantasy and Jump Rope is about two athletes training with jump ropes that lead to a sexual encounter reveals them to actually be the play things of a mad scientist who has them locked on lab tables a la Matrix style. Caveman Guu by Jiraiya proves to add a mix of humor to the sexual onslaughts of a pre-historic man who rides on a pet bear.

The pros and cons of the book vary. The sex portrayed in the book is standard and tame considering how extreme this genre can get. Most of the scenario’s are porn standards: jocks, athletes, muscle daddies, blue collar workers, mafia bosses, muscle men and men in uniform show the porn universals amongst people no matter what country they are from.

I’m not sure if the stories chosen were done so with the specific intention of appealing to American audiences, which might account for the above themes, but the major con is the use of heterosexual men being put in situations where they must engage in gay sex. It isn’t a theme all that offensive, but it does seem to shed a light on a collective mind frame of gay men from well…anywhere. True the book is presenting a fantasy, but the objects of desire in the book, the hyper masculine, the burley, what is shown to “beautiful” can’t actually be gay. What is discouraging is to read that the men in several of the stories deny having a gay orientation and even go so far as to say things like, “But… I’m not into that kind of thing,” or “You some kind of faggot,” and perhaps the most blatant “I’m in hell.” Let’s hope that the future of this genre will see a celebration of men who actually love other men instead of being forced into it. However, this is the same country that brought us lolicon and tentacle porn, so it isn’t too surprising, especially since American porn is guilty of the similiar themes concerning sexual orientation.  

Still, Massive is a great exploration into the adult side of comics that offers more than just the titillating. The stylish cover design is a good move on the book’s producers, as it doesn’t isolate the audience and one doesn’t feel embarrassed bringing it to the check-out counter. The artist interviews make the book fascinating, multi-dimensional and even educational. It sheds light on the history of the industry, which makes it great for comic historians and people interested in the evolution of the gay community in Japan and well, sex too. Chip Kidd, Anne Ishii, and Graham Kolbeins have hit an untapped market that could make for wonderful branding opportunities, which is already well on its way with Massive-Goods.com.

Be sure to check back for part 2 and 3 of this 3 part series on gay manga. There will be accompanying interviews with translator Anne Ishii and Creative Director Graham Kolbeins who will go into more detail about Massive and gay comics in Japan.

Be sure to also check out the book and all of Massive-Goods products at Massive-Goods.com. 

Magic: The Gathering has the distinction of being the first trading card game ever produced, and in the twenty-two years since its inception, has grown to 16 core sets and 66 expansion sets that add up to (approximately) twelve thousand cards, and has attracted (again, approximately) twelve million players.

So, phew! That's a long history. And a lot of fans.

The current expansion set, the second in the Khans of Tarkir block, is Fate Reforged. Its story is set a thousand years ago on the war-torn plane of Tarkir, where the dragons that are now extinct are still alive and menacing, and the five clans are at war.

This block might be significant for being the one that brought back the keyword "morph," but it's also significant because within this cycle is a character whose own metamorphosis is a part of her story.

In it, we welcome the first transgender character in MTG: Alesha, Who Smiles at Death.

Despite the vast expanse of worlds and seemingly limitless array of characters who inhabit them, there has been a surprising lack of diversity in the story space. (There has even been a lack in diversity on the tournament circuit, but that trail was blazed in part by trans woman Feline Longmore in 2012). The MTG Multiverse is mostly masculine, male, and heteronormative, and there is plenty of space for more queer characters.

Up until now, there have only been two other cards confirmed as queer. The expansion set Theros, released in 2013, included the androgyne Ashiok, Nightmare Weaver (on a card described as absurdly powerful), as well as The Guardians of Meletis, which included the first overt reference to a same-sex relationship in the MTG canon (although that card was not a particularly powerful one). But Alesha is another story. And you can build a Tiny Leader deck around her (if you know what that means, and are into that sort of thing).

Although the card was released on January 23, 2015, Alesha came out as trans five days later. Every Wednesday, on DailyMTG.com, the Uncharted Realms column features a new short story written by a member of the MTG creative team, which allows fans to learn about the characters in more detail.

Alesha's gender identity is not mentioned in the flavor text of the card itself, but rather in The Truth of Names by James Wyatt, where the mentioning is subtle yet definite. Alesha named herself at age sixteen (and the origin of the name was an unexpected creative choice), and three years later, the mononymous warrior is Khan of the Mardu Clan, leading her horde of humans, orcs, and goblins against an attack of lightning-breathing dragons.

In the illustration, handsomely rendered by Montreal-based artist Anastasia Ovchinnikova, Alesha's armor is not particularly sexed or gendered—she wears neither bikini armor nor thigh-high platform boots—and she wields a blade "as long and as wide as her arm." In the story, her gender identity is not central to her characterization. In fact, it's simply a factual detail of who she is. And that may be the most significant thing about it. 

Alesha knows who she is and is unafraid to express herself—as a warrior, or as a leader who has been brazenly misgendered by a fellow Mardu (who himself seems to have some issues). But being trans doesn't define Alesha. Her strength and strength of character do. She smiles at death because she's ferocious and graceful.

There was no fanfare from Wizards of the Coast about this characterization. But there have been a lot of corrosive comments online, most of which take the form of challenging why such a detail of a fictional character's history even matters.

And why should we care?

Because back on the plane known simply as The Real World, where trading cards are printed and fantasy stories are written, a trans woman was murdered—in San Francisco, a city that's famous for its diversity and for its acceptance of LGBT people. And even still, the initial police and media reports misgendered her.

And because this was the fourth murder of a trans woman to have occurred in the United States since the release date of Fate Reforged. And one of those murders occurred since I started writing this piece. To some, I'm sure these things may seem entirely unrelated. But to me, a trans woman and a geek, the brutality of the world we live in underscores the importance of positive, inspiring portrayals of trans people as people, even in the unreal worlds we escape to and play in.

On Friday February 20th, All Geeks challenges you to The Arena. Come and play in the tournament of video, board and card games against our cosplay villains. Champions can claim drink tickets, gift certificates and big prizes. The games begin at 10pm sharp. 

Following the tournament, our villains will perform a variety show of drag, burlesque and circus acts. Co-hosted by Adam Guerino and Keisha Howard featuring Fox E Kim, Joe Lewis, Dizzy Lizzy and Electra Cute. Villains will be inspired by Project Violacea as part of their #CreateNotComplain campaign. Participants are encouraged to create characters to join the storyline but are welcome to attend with or without cosplay.

All Geeks is a geek-inclusive collective that has been throwing cosplay variety shows together at Berlin Nightclub since July 2014 with the gay geek social group Geeks Out, the female-centric tech, fashion, and gaming group Sugar Gamers, and the queer, live performance production effort Outloud Chicago.

Guests are invited to wear cosplay for reduced cover before midnight. If their costume is fantasy/sci fi (and not just a “Live Long and Prosper” t-shirt) they’re in for $2 off before midnight! And if they’re feeling even more bold, they can walk the cosplay runway and win big prizes!

Follow the party with the hashtag #AllGeeks on twitter/instagram.

Friday February 20th, 10p, Berlin Nightclub, 954 W Belmont. Includes an after party with Cosmix Fridays: Electronica/Indie dance music with DJ Greg Haus til 4am!

Welcome to part 2 of Take Off Your Top: The Trend with Marvel’s Shirtless Heroes! If you missed part one of this article, swing on over and give it a looksy.

Last article, I focused on the different groups of men who are depicted as topless in the Marvel Universe—the Brute, the Beast, the Brawn, and the Baddie—and some possible reasons behind the trend. Concerning the last category, there seems to be a direct correlation between where a character falls on the good/bad spectrum and how much clothing they wear. I believe that nowhere is this case stronger than in characters who switch from one side of the spectrum to the other. Whether these characters are reformed villains, temporarily brainwashed, or simply undercover, when the line is crossed from good into evil, more chest is exposed. Now whether this is to make the audience connect with the savagery of the character, his unpredictable nature, her imposing force, or something a bit more visceral, there is a definite trend.

And while this fashion does not necessarily hold true for 100% of the characters, more than enough fit the bill to at least arouse suspicion. Allow me to make my case.

Let’s look at some examples:

• Daimon Hellstorm
  • (Allegiance: Constantly Shifting)

From Marvel’s dark, horror-inspired period, Daimon Hellstorm—the Son of Satan—has never been fully on the heroic side of the spectrum; often his allegiances are in question due to his demonic background. For most of his career, he spent his time fighting his evil urges; however, he relapsed from time to time. When Hellstorm is paired up with his on-again-off-again team, the Defenders, he is usually seen covered up; however, when he gives in to darker urges—like in the current on-going series Avengers Undercover—he is shirtless and fancy free, showing off his pentagram chest marking to further emphasize his evil leanings.

• Drax
  • (Allegiance: From Bad to Good-ish)

This burly, green destroyer has reached recent notoriety in The Guardians of the Galaxy film and comics. Formerly a villain, Drax has drifted into the murky realm of anti-hero. His actions are questionable, at best, and even he views himself as a weapon to be aimed at an opponent—someone who gets the job done in the quickest and most efficient way. Since Drax has almost as much blood on his hands as a hero that he did as a villain, he needs to cue the audience in to the fact that “this man is dangerous” by bearing the costume of The Baddie: a bare chest.

• Namor
  • (Allegiance: From Bad to Good-ish to Bad)

Namor has always been an interesting case: tasked with ruling his kingdom, many of his morally questionable decisions have been in service of the greater good of his people. However, there have been many times that Namor has sparred with heroes throughout the decades, particularly the Fantastic Four.

In the 2000s, Marvel decided to purposefully rebrand Namor as a mutant, even going so far as to have him join the X-Men. While with the merry mutants, Namor added a lot of clothing to his costume (yet still exposing some chest to reference his moral ambiguity).

Later, Namor was possessed by a fraction of the Phoenix Force and became cosmically powered. Of course, the power began to corrupt him, as is evident by his go-go boy inspired leatherware and bare chest. All I’m saying, is I’m not complaining…

• Thor
  • (Allegiance: From Good to Bad-ish)

The Son of Odin has always been a noble champion for the cause of justice, even when those causes put his at odds with his father. However, after Marvel’s latest big event—Original Sin—Thor somehow becomes “unworthy”. While the causes have yet to be revealed, the repercussions are that Thor can no longer wield his hammer which powers him.

The hammer has found another bearer in the new female Thor, and, what costume have they given our hunky blonde bad boy? Leather pants and a red cape. No shirt.

• Hulk
  • (Allegiance: Questionable)

I saved the Hulk for last because, given how many iterations of the Hulk there have been, there is a lot of material to draw from. While the green goliath (well…usually green) can definitely fit into the Brawn category, I feel like he is also the perfect example of a character that falls into the “moral ambiguity” category like Drax.

Hulk is, and always has been considered, a so-called hero. However, he has also always been a wild card. If the Avengers film is any indication, having a Hulk on your side was seen as the equivalent of a WMD in stretchy purple pants. He isn’t something to be reasoned with: he is something to be unleashed.

Often, the destruction that he causes as a by-product of his battles can be even more damaging than what the villain was intending. Due to his unpredictable nature, a secret group of heroes even once decided that the world would be better off with Hulk, and banished him deep into outer space.

Even the transformation of Bruce Banner into the Hulk—something reminiscent of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde—has Banner tearing out of his clothes to become a more dangerous (and less trustworthy) character. But the Hulk has not always been unreasoning; several of the incarnations have been decidedly less destructive and (coincidence?) clothed.

The first, introduced in 1986, was Joe Fixit, the Gray Hulk. Working in a Las Vegas casino as an enforcer or sorts, Joe was characterized by his blue three-piece suit. While Joe was not fully aligned with the heroes (he was more focused on his own agenda), he was purposefully absent from many of the destructive events that would have captured the Hulk’s attention.

In 1991, a unified Hulk form dubbed the Professor emerged. Choosing to work with the heroic group the Pantheon (even leading it at one point), the version of Hulk was much more intentional about doing good deeds and making restitutions for his previous wrongdoings. His costume, while simple, was a pair of pants and a form-fitting muscle shirt.

The current storyline—Omega Hulk—has yet another clothed incarnation of the Hulk calling himself Doc Green. While his motivations have yet to be fully determined, Doc Green is going around the world curing gamma-powered individuals of their powers. In his interactions with these individuals, however, he does not jump to violence as a first option of resolving conflict.

Now some might argue that these three characters had another thing in common besides clothing; an increased intellect. And while that may be the case, brainpower is not the deciding factor on whether or not to wear clothing. Let me drop one more gamma bomb on you: The Maestro. Fully intelligent, fully evil, fully shirtless.

First shown in an alternate future in 1993, the Maestro is a fully intelligent version of the Hulk who decided to use that intellect to his advantage: systematically and methodically killing every hero in the world that could oppose him. After he demolished the opposition, Maestro took his throne as ruler of the world. And while some appearances have Maestro sporting a cape or other trophies that he purloined from fallen heroes, all appearances have had him showing chest.

And to beat a dead horse, what’s the difference between Hulk and Abomination? Not much as far as costume; yet, Abomination is smarter.

So you may be asking, why is he reading into this topic so much? Why can’t he just sit, stare, and drool like the rest of us? Because I think it says something about ourselves as Americans and our hang-ups with body issues. It says that, at some level, we are still nervous, afraid, or revulsed by the male body. It says that, although it’s absolutely fine to have our heroines like this

our male heroes better not be the same. It speaks to the tired adage of our “men being men and our women being women” and the inane idea that showing off a well-toned body blurs the line too far between.

And, it impacts our community—a group that has embraced this liminal space of loose gender and identity definitions. Think about any protest a person has had to a gay pride parade: I can guarantee that they mentioned something about the way that people dressed and directly jumped to the conclusion that dressing in such a provocative manner was shoving our lifestyle down their throats.

I am a high school teacher. One thing that I like to regularly discuss with my kids is the idea of gender roles and expectations: Who sets them? Why are they there? Why do people feel the need to adhere to them?

To illustrate the point, I took one class to the Hawkeye Initiative website—a page where artists take poses that female characters are put in and show the inherent ridiculousness of those poses by inserting a male character in her place.  Here was the photo I stopped on:

One of the students—a freshman boy—audibly gagged and began saying how incredibly disgusting it was. When I questioned him on why he would say that, he just kept saying “It’s just gross. It’s so nasty!” After a few of his classmates jumped in to question him, he finally gave up the argument with a line I’ll never forget: “I wouldn’t let that hero save me.”

So I, for one, would like to see this trend stopped. I would like to for artists, authors, and publishers alike to begin to broaden their horizons when it comes to masculinity and what makes a male hero a man or not. I would like to see a generation of children raised to believe that their bodies are not something uncivilized, brutish, or evil. I would like to see people embracing their forms—in whichever shapes they may come—without having to question the inherent “goodness” or “rightness” of their actions. I would like to see a future where little boys don’t react in disgust to a hero who’s showing a little skin.

And, ya know, I also wouldn’t mind seeing more good looking men in comics. ;)

What thoughts do you have on the topic? Jump into the debate in the comments section!

Dare2Draw with Special Guest Artist Carl Potts!

Hosted By Simon Fraser and Mina Sanwald!

Carl will be talking to us about the Art of Visual Storytelling and doing some critiques, so bring your portfolios!

• Bring your sketchbooks for an evening of live drawing

• Contests & Give-aways

• Demonstrations, Q&A and mingling with other cartoonists

• Our signature "Quick Draw" Contest and "The Re-Load"

• At the historical The Art Students League of New York

Featuring 90 minutes of dynamic figure drawing, with live-action models & props and our signature Dare2Draw “Quick Draw” Contests, with all art done on Blue Line Pro boards. The pro art is auctioned for artists-in-need.

Tickets: http://goo.gl/Lo9Hpv

____________________________________________

*We’ll be giving away some awesome stuff provided by our Sponsors*

***Conveniently located near all trains---easy to get to***

* 2 Dynamic Action Models

* Good lighting and plenty of table space

* Special Mentoring Guest Artists

* Artist demos

* Networking with other artists and artist groups

* 30-Minute "Quick Draw" Contest

* "Quick Draw" Sketchbook Re-load Contest

* Awesome prizes

* Discounts from sponsors

* Art posted on Dare2Draw Website

* Portfolio reviews

* Free Wi-Fi

* Opportunity to promote your own work and websites

…and much, much more...

****Characters for The "Quick Draw" Contest will be revealed 24 hrs. before the D2D event on twitter: @Dare2Draw

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-The Dare2Draw Studios Team

Lumberjanes #11

Wolverines #7

Author James poses with his labor of love in front of Salem, MA's Bewitched statue.

          In 1977, age of shag carpets and disco dancing, eight year old Adam-Michael James first caught an episode of the classic TV series Bewitched, starring Elizabeth Montgomery as Samantha, a witch married to Dick York’s mortal, easily flummoxed husband Darren.  He immediately fell under its spell (if you’ll pardon the expression).  In this pre-VCR era, he even found a clever way to capture the episodes for posterity, making audio recordings with his trusty tape recorder.  “My dad finally showed me how to use it myself,” James laughs.  “He got tired of me always asking him for help.”

            Last year James took his Bewitched obsession to a new level with The Bewitched Continuum, a hefty tome published to mark the series’ fiftieth anniversary (and an in-the-works NBC reboot centered on Samantha’s granddaughter).  More than a mere episode guide, the book examines the show’s universe of magic, and its frequent inconsistencies.  The genesis of the book came over twenty years ago when he read The Nitpicker’s Guide for Next Generation Trekkers, which piqued his interest in continuity.  With Bewitched’s premiere on DVD last year, “I started noticing [inconsistencies].  In one episode they say you can’t use your powers when you go back in time, but in another they go to the seventeenth century and you can.”  James attributes this to the time in which the show was made; while today’s fantasy TV works hard at “world building” and employs show bibles, Bewitched had no such overarching direction.  And while Bewitched inspired lots of tribute literature over the years, James noted that “nothing really talked about the fiction.”

           Enter the Continuum, which catalogues the good, the bad, and the inconsistent in all 256 episodes, plus season overviews, photo galleries, and an overflowing cauldron of appendices: James covers everything from "Firsts and Lasts" to magical transformations to recurring actors and beyond, as only a diehard devotee could.

            But what is it about Bewitched that still inspires such devotion and attention to detail half a century after its premiere?  “On a surface level, I liked the magic,” James recalls.  “But I’ve analyzed it over the years and I think it comes down to: you’re watching ordinary people do extraordinary things.  Bewitched gives you this feeling that people can do anything.”

            That extends to gay fans like James, who have always made up a large swath of the show’s fan base.  The author points out that the show reflected the decade’s Civil Rights Movement by tackling issues of prejudice, tolerance, and equality.  “It didn’t address gays specifically because that wasn’t possible at that time,” James feels.  “But it was all there . . . [the idea that] everybody’s equal.  We know that this is a place where we’re gonna be accepted.” 

            The presence of Samantha’s flashy, acerbic mom Endora (Agnes Moorehead) and eccentric Uncle Arthur (gay comedian Paul Lynde) didn’t hurt, either.  Moorehead comes off as a female drag queen, while Lynde, who appeared in just 12 episodes but is fondly remembered by fans, “just wasn’t afraid to be himself.  He’s not stereotypical or flaming.  He has this wonderful quirky quality about him.  He let us know that we’re funny—that we can be funny.”

            In the series’ lead Samantha, gays found another strong female character to get behind.  The show may be a bit dated now, but in depicting a woman pushing against the constraints of an uptight, conservative society, it paved the way for the heroines and heroes we still geek out over today.

            The Bewitched Continuum is available on amazon.com and through the author’s website, adammichaeljames.com.

Agnes Moorehead and Elizabeth Montgomery on Bewitched (1964-72)

While millions of god-fearing Americans are barricaded in their homes due to the impending Snow-pocalypse, I’d like to remind you all of something: Pat Robertson was right.

For years, this brave soldier of the cross (and others like him) has been touting his message (unpopular though it may be) that God is systematically punishing America because of her lax view towards gays and gay marriage.

Hurricane Katrina. Hurricane Sandy. The Indonesian Earthquake and Tsunami. All of these have been wake-up calls to remind us that that “God is love” schlock is just the liberal-hippy-leftist agenda at work.

No no, my friends and patriots, God is not love: God is pissed.

And why so many weather related punishments when God could simply give us a good smiting (yeah, smite us harder, O Lord, HARDER)? This investigative reporter has unearthed the awful truth: God is trying to prove who actually controls the weather. Just as Pharoah’s court magicians tried to mimic the plagues in Egypt and God had to lay down a holy smack down to those pretenders, the same is happening today.

In Marvel Comics in 1975, Len Wein and Dave Cockrum introduced a character named Storm into Giant Sized X-Men #1. This pagan, topless, woman was living in Africa, pretending to be a goddess when she was found and recruited into the group of Al Qaeda-like terrorists known as the X-Men. Rather than renouncing her blasphemous ways, Storm has slipped into this role several times, putting herself higher than the Lord Almighty Himself.

Ever the Whore of Babylon that she is, Storm will usually appear half-dressed to lure unsuspecting Christians to their infernal demise. She has even been known by the moniker the “Weather Witch” on occasion, a name—no doubt—that symbolizes her unholy pact with the Evil one himself. And we all know what happened to Haiti when it made a deal with the Devil.

Also, in recent years, rumor had it that Storm had married and bedded an animal, specifically a Black Panther. Whatever disgusting practices went on will be left up to the reader’s sanctified imaginations, but I don’t think I need to remind you all that bestiality is a sin (and the next inevitable battle that the Leftist Marxists will fight after the country falls to gay marriage).

Now, granted, Wein and Cockrum will surely be spit-roasted in hell by a tag team of Satan and Saddam Hussein, but why is the rest of American suffering for the sins of two reprobates?

Two words: The. Gays.

                                                        Shanel &  Larry Smith as Storm     

As usual, the filthy American sodomites (God save their despicable souls) have latched on to anything unholy to revel in their own debauchery. Cults of Storm worship have been popping up across America (especially along the cities of the East and West coasts), resulting in cross-dressing, wild orgies, and—I’m sure—child sacrifices to their bedecked goddess. Why, even season six of RuPaul’s Drag Race—a hub of homosexual indecency—picked up on elements of this false-goddess worship (note the dark-skinned/light-haired costumed “female” with a Black Panther). Shortly thereafter, many were tempted by the allure of the Meteorological Mistress and sank into the quagmire of sin.

So let me tell you, saints, we should have listened. We should have listened to the great prophets like Jerry Falwell, Fred Phelps, and Pat Robertson, who tried to warn us of the insidious fairy menace. We should have cast them from our midst. If we were really serious about our Bible, we would have stoned them to save ourselves. Now, their love of a strong, female, protagonist has led us all to this snowy fate.

Repent!  Repent and maybe our good Lord will once again shine His sunny countenance upon us all.

Before we get started, anyone want to get out? I’m quoting Captain America because I am about to defend Jupiter Ascending like Steve Rogers defends freedom. Here’s your fair warning. If you’re still here, you should also know that I’m not coming from the perspective of ‘it’s so bad, it’s good.’ I genuinely, un-ironically, liked the movie. I think the vast majority of criticism and trash talking of the film is unfair, misapplied and reeks of double standards. I am a proud Ascendant (what the fandom has adopted as the fan name) and I am going to go HARD.

If you haven’t seen the movie (YET), you are probably wondering what the hell it’s about. Maybe you’ve seen some posters of Mila Kunis looking gorgeous in a runway-ready gown with some truly enviable hair at your local theater (see image above), or you saw the trailer somewhere. So you know it somehow involves space, Channing Tatum and Mila Kunis. You may not even know that “Jupiter” is the name of Kunis’ character. In a nut shell, the film is about a poor Russian immigrant who discovers that by virtue of nature being a Game of Thrones-like lottery game, she has “won” and is the exact genetic copy of one of the universe’s most powerful queens. The children of this queen are some of the most powerful people in the galaxy because they have a monopoly on the most lucrative industry in the cosmos: the buying and selling of time (read: immortality) via a substance which is “farmed” from humans. See, it turns out that Earth is just a farm and we humans are just crops waiting to be “harvested”. Luckily for us, Jupiter Jones, as the sort of reincarnated form of the queen, owns the rights to the planet. Her children aren’t so happy about that. Kidnapping and assassination attempts ensue. As does rescue by awesome space cops, Channing Tatum and Sean Bean—a human/wolf hybrid and a human/bee hybrid. Jupiter has to stay alive, meet some really extended family, figure out who she can trust, claim her title and, for the first time in her life, be Somebody and make the hardest and most important decisions of her life (which all OUR lives depend on).

Got that? Great! Now let’s consider some of the most common criticisms one-by-one:

1. The plot is stupid/doesn’t make any sense

I find this one to be odd. The plot makes sense from the premise set up by the film and the in-movie explanations of the universe supports it. This is especially true if you are a genre fan. Particularly of epic science fiction or fantasy. You should be used to stories that require a lot of set-up, have detailed and complicated backstories AND require active viewing. If you are a fan of Star Wars, Dune, Game of Thrones, Lord of the Rings etc., you have no room to talk about complicated/crazy plots. Things DO move fast in the movie and there is a lot of information thrown at Jupiter in quick succession. Fair enough. But that’s the point. She, and we, are thrust into a situation where everyone else has all the necessary information and she is desperately trying to play catch-up because her life literally depends on it. You have to pay attention and remember details. I’ve now seen the movie twice and it took the second viewing to feel like I really had a handle on it. 

2. Jupiter Jones is a standard damsel in distress

Does Jupiter need rescuing? Yes. Does that necessarily make her a damsel in distress? No. Anyone in Jupiter’s position would need rescuing. Jupiter understands very little about the world she has just been thrown into. She has to rely on other people to explain stuff to her and to get her out of jams. Sometimes. She also makes mistakes and sometimes trusts the wrong people, like we ALL do. But Jupiter Jones is also brave and resourceful and a quick study. She makes decisions and accepts the consequences of them; she does the right thing because it’s right, not because it’s easy, and she’s strongly moral and assertive. She’s a fully rounded character who reacts the way most of us would react in her place.

3. The movie is like the fanfiction of a 14 year old girl brought to life with 100 million dollars

But, like....and? I mean, if you’re trying to say that like it’s a bad thing or convince me that this is not something you have not-so-secretly longed for in your heart of hearts, then we need to talk. First of all, why do you hate joy? Do you not like fun? Or pretty things? Or pretty people? Or movies involving all three of these things? Can you get help for this? Second, this is not about fanfiction on the big screen. This is about fanfiction on screen centered on the FEMALE GAZE/Experience. This is a girl fantasy with a girl at the center and now suddenly people care about “story integrity in sci-fi movies” (question: Am I alluding to another sexist faux movement)? Like we all haven’t spent decades watching bro-centered sci-fi/fantasy/escapist movies? Movies like: Star Wars, The Avengers, Transformers, Star Trek, Lord of the Rings, G.I. Joe, The Fast and the Furious and so on into literal eternity. There are no criticisms about Jupiter Ascending that aren’t also true of a LOT of films that get way less shade and hate thrown at them, but are also much worse.

4. The film is derivative and a mish-mash of lots of other films/shows/ideas

Again….and? So is everything, but with much less imagination and ambition. Pop culture doesn’t exist in a vacuum. Everything is influenced by something else. Keep in mind that Jupiter Ascending isn’t based on a book or TV show. It’s an original idea that is chock full of ideas and inspiration from everywhere and the movie brings all these ideas together pretty successfully. We’re talking Dune, Gattaca, Soylent Green, The 5^th Element, The Wizard of Oz, Repo: The Genetic Opera, the work of Bruce Sterling, Doctor Who, The X-Files, Planet of the Apes, Star Wars…and those are just the ones my friend and I noticed on our first viewing! It’s admirable. People are forever complaining about how Hollywood has no new ideas and why, oh why, must yet another beloved property be remade and childhoods “raped” (I’m looking at you, Ghostbuster and Annie “fans”), yet here’s an original idea that’s fun, has heart, fully-rounded characters, diversity, ambition, and looks ah-mazing. Like, what more do you want??

Okay, real talk. Why should YOU go see Jupiter Ascending?

• It’s so much fun. SO. MUCH. FUN.
• GREAT action sequences. Like, whoa.
• It’s probably one of the most beautiful films I’ve ever seen. Seriously.
• If you like costume porn, go see this film. Gorgeous “this makes me want to weep” costuming.
• Lots of diversity. Awesome ladies everywhere and a universe full of people of color.
• I see the film as a strong critique of capitalism, imperialism and an interesting subversion of the white savior trope by filtering it through the immigrant experience.
• I immediately wanted to know more about the wider world of the movie. I want to read or see the prequel. This is good and immersive world building.
• The film isn’t perfect and it has some legit issues which can and should be discussed, but we should applaud a film that literally shoots for the stars. We want more films that aim high. Films that ask us to “expand your universe”—one of the Jupiter Ascending taglines. Films that appeal to our adolescent selves before we were told what was okay to like and what is “quality” versus what is (supposed) crap.
• And maybe the most important reason: It is okay to like a film like this. A film centered around a girl who’s an undocumented immigrant who hates her life, then finds out that she is one of the most important people in a galaxy filled with fanfic tropes (wing!fic! Human/animal hybrids! Space royalty!), sweeping operatic scores and sumptuous looking clothes, hair and people, a definite queer aesthetic and vibe. A movie you know you are not supposed to like. Watch it anyway. Like it anyway. Treat yo self. Because you deserve Jupiter Ascending. We all do. 

https://www.facebook.com/flexnightclub

Kick winter to the curb as we peal off those parkas and release the Super Studs within! Join us at our NEW VENUE! From the myths of old that gave us Hercules, Jason, Perseus, and Achilles, Skin Tight USA has moved to The Atlas Social Club! Located in the heart of Hell's Kitchen, this event will feature a NEW 8 pm - 10 pm Superhero Happy Hour w/ 2 MASSIVE raffles worth over $200, followed directly by a sexy Go-Go boy filled Skin Tight USA Dance party! Join us on February 28th, for second party of 2015! The night features the super sexy visual beats of VJ Max Rodriguez, super salacious feats by Mischief Matthew, Sexy Superhero Go-Go boys, and Hot bartenders serving you the most Salacious Supercharged Cocktails around, perfect to bring any hero to their knees.

Skin Tight USA
Saturday, February 28, 2015
8 pm -10 pm : Superhero Happy Hour w/ Raffles
10 pm - Close : Go-Go Boys & Skin Tight USA Dance Party
21+ | $8 Cape Check & Rental
W/ Mischief Matthew & VJ Max Rodriguez

ATLAS Social Club
753 9th Ave (50/51)
New York, New York
(212) 262-8527

2 Raffles During the Super Hero Happy Hour! Cape/Coat/Clothing check lets you don a Super suit/singlet or store your civilian identity. Safe storage and changing space provided. The raffle bags include donations from our sponsors: N2N, Treasure Island Media, Titan media, Class comics, Instigator Magazine, 665 Leather, NY Leather man,Spandexman.com, Slick It UP, and More!

All gear encouraged, but none needed to attend.

Someone hold me. Or better yet someone go hold Dean Winchester tight and give him a blanket and a hot chocolate. And by someone I mean Cas. What an episode, guys. the fandom is still reeling, and I'm right there with them. Plese share the pain.

We open in a prison, where a death row inmate is taunting a gaurd, perhaps hoping for an execution two week early. The guard does not rise to the bait, but someone else does. In an entrance on par with Death in "Two Minutes to Midnight" or Castiel's first intorduction, Cain, the Father of Murder himself (play brilliantly once again by Tim Omundson) strolls into the prison and pops into Tommy's cell. Tomy is unserstandably concerned when Cain introduces himself and mentions he knows Tommy has killed nine people and is there to ounish and save Tommy. then he does the thing where he stabs Tommy with a giagantic knife and teleports away, leaving only one drop of blood.

The Winchesters are quickly on the case of an imate disappearing from his cell like magic. (Fun fact: Sammy is a true crime buff!) The guards have no information about the disappearance for the fake FBI, but they do have some video of the unknown intruder who waltzed into the prison. They can't identify the man in the video but Dean would know that beard anywhere. Time to call the boyfriend to update him.

Cas of course is not answering his phone. He's too busy toturing a demon and giving mad eyebrow game to get Cain's whereabouts. The toture is super effective and Cas gets some info, which means stabby death time for Mr. Demon. 

Meanwhile in Hell (there will never be a time when that is not my favorite thing to write), Crowley is dealing with another unruly demon making excuse for poor performance, The King is about to show some mercy, when Rowena butts in with both embaracing stories about chubby baby fergus and a suggestion the demon should ne flayed alive. Surprisingly, Crowly goes with mommy's idea and Rowena could not be more pleased.

Sam and Dean are picking up some grub when Cas finally makes contact. They fill him in on Cain grabbing Tommy, and the fact Tommy's father recently disappeared too and Cas fills them in that those guys, are dead. You see, Cas is standing is a huge field of graves and he'd tell the boys more except Cain choses that moment to show up, with an ominous (and let's be honest, pretty sexy) "Hello, Castiel."

Cas discovers from Cain that old Mr. Murder is killing again...and he's killing his own decendants! It's a genocide of all of those tainted by his original sin of the first murder. Yeah, that does mean a lot of people, in fact 1 in 10 of everyone. Cain's got time and the mark must be fed. (And yes, Sam and Dean are among those decendants). But why focus on that when our beautiful blue-eyed boys can talk about Dean! Cain insists there is no cure for the Mark, but not to worry, he'll come for Dean in due time. Now, threaten to slaughter half the planet was one thing, but threatening Castiel's bae? Uh uh. Angel blade activate! Cain won't fight Cas though, he just vanishes.

At the smae time in hell, Rowena is trying to convince Crowley to help her go after a rival witch, admitting that of course she is manipulating him, she's his mother. We allso get the best name for Crowley I've ever heard.

In the bunker, Cas has filled in the boys on Cain's bloody crusade. It turns out Cain is wiping out families, and Tommy had a son, Austin, who is the likely next taget. Terribly, this means that Dean has his mission: they know where Cain will be and Dean is gonna do what he has to do: kill Cain. Eeeep. Understandably, Cas and Dean are a bit concerned about this plan, especially since it means using the first blade, and they don't know what that will do to the elder Winchester. But Dean is determined, especially since Cain made Dean promise too kill him back when he was not so crazy. Dean of course blames himself for everything Cain has done as well.

Time for a booty blade call to Crowley, where Dean lies to him, saying Crowley is on Cain's kill list. Rowena, smart cookie she is, call Crowley on the dumbness of how he jumps the moment the Winchesters say so. She reminds Crowley Dean is a threat to Crowley's life and reputation. Again, she's not wrong.

At a creepy dark farm in Ohio, Team Free Will has located Austin. They formulate a plan to trap Cain, though Sam doesn't like using the child as bait. Crowley shows up just in time to offer his two cents, and make the helpful suggestion that he won't give Dean the blade until Cain is trapped. As they wait for Cain, Dean confesses, heartbreakingly, to Sam that, as he said last week, he is a peace with going down swinging, but he didn't think it would be so soon.  And he's scared...

Oh it hurts.

Mmoments later, Cain does show up for Austin, but Cas is there to defend the boy. Well, he tries at lest. All his grace does it make Cain's fabulous hair waft in the breeze. Cain throws Cas aside and stalks into a barn where he stabs Austin. Except it's a spell, helpfully borrowed from Rowena and provided by Crowley.  Cain is caught in a devil's trap, just long enough for Sam and Crowley to send in the big guns: Dean.

Before Dean takes the blade and enters thunderdome, he has a final pep talk with his team. Dean reassures Sam and Cas that he want's them outside, so he doesn't have to worry about hurting them, and anyway, he'll need all three of them to help take down whatever comes out of the fight, wither him or Cain. Crowley hands him the blade and, though he reassures everyone he's good and will return the blade, he looks like a man going to his execution. Uh oh.

Now, it's time for Dean vs. Cain. The scene is so good, I'm fighting not to just paste all the dialog. Dean tries to reason with Cain, but it's pointless. Cain is sure humanity is better off with fewer Tommys and Deans. Words don't seem to be working so, it's time to fight. Dean and Cain throw down and it's pretty dang epic. Dean, Cain notes is holding back at first, hoping he can hold on to him humanity if he doesn't go full rage monster. But there is onno holding back the mark, only remission and relapse. Then it is on. Cain goads Dean, telling him how he knew Dean would come, and it's all part of the plan to get Cain what he truly wanted - the blade back in his hand. Uh oh. And why does he want to blade - to save Dean. Becuase you see, Dean is on Cain's path only backward. First he'll kill his demon friend, Crowley, and then he'll kill Castiel...

And then he'l kill Sam. The one murder Dean would never survive. In one final act of courage before Cain cuts his throat, Dean grabs Cain's other giant knife and CUTS OFF CAIN'S HAND, blade and all. He begs Cain to tell him that he'll stop and Dean doesn't have to do this. But Cain will never stop. With an anguished cry, Dean kills the very first killer.

Dean emerges from the barn down to his crew looking devestated. Sam, Cas and Crowley are terrified for a moment as Crowley asks for the blade back, but Dean surrenders it willingly...To CAS! He confesses his lies to Crowley who leaves is a huff and then falls, broken, into a Sam hug. Like I said, everyone needs a hug.

Back in hell Crowley arrives to find Rowena packing. She's giving up on him too, as he is no longer a useful tool (poor Crowley). She was proud of him once but now he's the WInchester's bitch.

Back at the bunker, Sam tells poor broken Dean that what Dean did - killing Cain and giving up the blade - was amazing, and maybe it's a reason to hope. And maybe a cure will come around. At that moment, Cas happens to come around, saying the blade is now safe. Dean goes off to sleep (after a loving shouldr pat to Cas), leaving Sam alone to confess to Cas that things are not OK.

Cut to black.

Other Highlights:

There is no other, the whole episode was perfection. Robert Brens continues to be one of my favorite Supernatural writers.

Shipping News:

Oh, there was Cas' unfailing devotion to Dean, the fact he was ready to fight Cain for Dean alone, the fact DEAN TRUSTED CAS WITH THE BLADE, the shoulder pats and the longing looks and oh my god theirloveissopurekillmenow. So, you know, cool.

And now it's a four week hiaatus until new episodes return on Mrch 18th! I'll be here MArch 19 with the recap!

Yesterday, this fun interactive pokemon game was released for free on the the 3DS

The most ingenious thing about the first ALIEN isn’t its creature design but the equal screen time given to the Nostromo crew. Sigourney Weaver is no more heavily featured early on than Veronica Cartwright or Yaphett Koto. She emerges as the hero. No one in sci-fi history can match the feminine masculinity or masculine femininity or just plain-old gay energy of Sigourney in the first movie. If Kate McKinnon got cast in the new one and did a version of her Bieber schtick, maybe she could dethrone her. Maybe.

Ever since James Cameron militarized the series and brought Ellen Ripley out of the spookhouse shadows, the films have been plagued by an overabundance of testosterone and poppycock. Cock and poppycock, if you will. Time after time, the reins have been handed over to men (Joss Whedon, Damon Lindelof, and now Neill Blomkamp) who place mythology, blow-em-ups, or Grander Meaning over creating a mood and letting a simple thing be simple.

Blomkamp (he of District 9, Elysium, and the upcoming Chappie) officially announced he will write and direct the new ALIEN. Staying true to New Hollywood Law, they are scared to death to call it a sequel or a remake or a reboot but rather vaguely labeling it “another one.” This was the same frustrating tack taken by the don’t-call-it-a-prequel PROMETHEUS. I didn’t understand it then as a marketing strategy, and I don’t understand it now. They weren’t fooling anybody. And the result was such runny porridge, it left fans frustrated with its lack of commitment and casual moviegoers baffled by its ending (which is meaningless unless you know it’s a callback to ALIEN).

There’s scuttlebutt of taking ALIEN back to its roots with this new one. However, if you wish to take the series to its roots, don’t take it back to ALIEN. Take it back to prewar England.

Ridley Scott’s first film is famously Agatha Christie’s “And Then There Were None” on a spaceship. In Christie’s book, ten people meet in an old house and realize there’s a killer amongst them intent on picking them off one by one. A single setting. A small cast. A killer lurking in the shadows, waiting to strike at any time. Christie’s book and Scott’s first ALIEN are about literally nothing else. And they are stronger, more frightening stories because of it.

Essayists have written about ALIEN’s imagery being about the fear of feminine sexuality, and they’re not wrong. But it is only imagery. The subtext isn’t part of the plot, and our Mr. Blomkamp isn’t known for his separation of subtext and text.

I have an enormous beef with his movies because of that very awareness that you are being manipulated. Sci-Fi that is hyperaware of its own messaging will over-stimulate the mind but ignore the nervous system. Imagine if Christie tried to make her story about the mystery AND the final decline of the British feudal system.

I hold out hope that a filmmaker as smart as Blomkamp might instead turn his intellect to questions of what gets under our skin.