Cheryl Lynn isn't quite sure who she is, but she's pretty sure of what she wants to be. A warrior woman. A bad-ass mamajama. Perhaps an earth goddess extraordinaire. She spends her days abusing keyboards and screaming at computer screens while she waits for her cult following to finally show up.

She changes her mind more often than extras in rap videos change thongs.

Remember: save to your own server, sweets!

Reading Stormwatch: PHD Vol. 1.

Writing A script.

Hearing I Found Lovin'.

Watching Lone Wolf & Cub.

Building Nothing.

Eating Steak.

Drinking Iced Tea.

Buying Vitamins.

Thinking "Must get organized!"

Playing The Sims 3.

Adoring Cute animals.

Saying Just enough.

Abhorring Mean-spiritedness.

Feeling Hopeful.

Hoping To be determined.

Wednesday, July 01, 2009

Updates!

I actually got off my lazy butt and updated one of the subsites, y'all! Yeah, I'm stunned too.

The Sigil

ETA: There could be some triggery stuff in there. Just a warning.

Cheryl Lynn @ 11:52 PM EST | Link

Tuesday, June 30, 2009

What a wonderful world.

Megan Fox has caught a heck of a lot of heat over her statements about Wonder Woman. Well, I have to be honest. I don't like Wonder Woman much either. Oh, I love what the character stands for. Three cheers for Girl Power and all that jazz. Heck, I've worn the t-shirt, placed a plastic tiara on my head at a jauntily askew angle, and I've even tried the famous twirl. But read the comic? Nah, son. Not interested. Diana is boring.

I've tried to figure out why I find this character so dull. It certainly isn't because of the creative teams who have worked on Wonder Woman. The comic series has had a host of talented writers and artists creating stories about the character. Hell, the series has a talented writer and artist working on it right now. I know this because I've seen and thoroughly enjoyed their work on other books. And yet...Diana is still boring.

But you know who isn't boring?



Who know who isn't boring either?



So, what gives? I'll tell you. But anyone working at DC should ignore this and any other complaints that anyone may have about Wonder Woman since the company sells a perfectly good number of Wonder Woman comics each month and there is no reason to go changing the status quo just because a few people aren't digging a certain character. After all, I love Batman, and that's all that matters.

To me, Diana is boring because she is the perfect politician. Diligent. Reasonable. Even tempered. Elegant. Prudent. Wise. An ambassador that the citizens of any realm would be proud to send out into the world to represent them. And that's lovely. And that's also something I have no interest in reading about. Because I find it dull.

I want to read about a character that's a warrior and an explorer, not an ambassador and soldier. I want to read about a character that is gregarious and a bit wild. A character that wants to sample all of the delights that new worlds have to offer. I want Ares with tits. I want a Viking with a uterus. Damn it, this is an Amazon, people!

And this is why DC cannot and should not give me the Wonder Woman that I want to read about. Because that Wonder Woman loves battles and sisterhood and wine and sex. And she comes from a land where the women are more like boisterous Roman gladiators than eloquent Roman senators. And that character can't sell t-shirts to little girls.

And no one reading Wonder Woman right now wants to see Wonder Woman roping Power Girl into a wild night on the town. Or gleefully leaping into the fray. Or loudly proclaiming Batman to be nearly as dull and as pompous as Odysseus. I am the only person who would like that. And you shouldn't go around changing cultural icons anyway.

So now what? Absolutely nothing. Over thirty thousand people are picking up Wonder Woman each month. And they're happy. And hey, isn't that enough for the bottom line?

Cheryl Lynn @ 01:24 PM EST | Link

Monday, June 29, 2009

FCBD Part 3.

Finally, a review of an actual Free Comic Book Day selection! I knew I'd get around to one eventually. About time, huh? Next up at bat, Love and Capes #10. I hadn't expected to like this comic. In fact, it had to be shoved into my hands by one of the employees of the local comic shop. I told him I'd give it a fair shot, but in my mind? I was skeptical. Judging from the title and the cover, it appeared to be one of those ridiculous comics men think women would enjoy. I had visions of super-shopping expeditions featuring ditzy heroines and corny jokes about cosmic versions of PMS.

Thankfully, the book is not like that. Superhero stereotypes, not gender stereotypes, are targeted by the author's humor. So, how does a comic that focuses on romantic relationships manage to avoid gender stereotypes? By not ascribing one particular activity or personality trait to members of just one sex. Men are heroic. Women are heroic. Women have discussions about their relationships and emotions. Men have discussions about their relationships and emotions. It's as simple as that.

The book has a charming and easygoing quality that's alluring. And there's a definite comfort in curling up with a comic full of classic romantic banter wrapped in a blanket of well-worn superhero tropes. That sounds like a bit of a left-handed compliment, but I assure you, it's not. There is something both innocent and nostalgic about this comic that makes it very appealing. And safe to leave on your living room coffee table.

Cheryl Lynn @ 02:27 AM EST | Link

Sunday, June 28, 2009

Rhythm & Barbecue.

"Mr. Spriggs Bar B Q Commercial"
--found via Media Assassin

ETA: I'm not even posting this to crack on it, y'all. This. Is. Awesome.

Cheryl Lynn @ 12:01 AM EST | Link

Saturday, June 27, 2009

Surge of adrenaline!

I talked about this over at DeadBroWalking and Torchbearers and then totally dropped the ball over here. Well, time to pick up that ball and run with it!

The bad news is that one of the few comic series to consistently make me smile has barreled its way toward its conclusion. The good news is that the graphic novel is on its way. The Adrenaline TPB will be hitting store shelves quite soon. If you're part of the Wednesday crowd, now would probably be a very good time to bug your retailer for a copy. If you order all your stuff online like I do, congratulations! You can get a free sketch and a discount at DCBS!

I'm a fan of Adrenaline because I have and always will be a fan of multi-cultural casts of characters. But thankfully, that's not too hard to come by these days. Diversity is no stranger to many creative properties. However, I like the fact that Adrenaline sidesteps many of the well-worn tropes that tend to pop up in other works. The suave and seductive adventurer of the group? Asian. That's something you don't usually see in books from this side of the Pacific. The female characters? Just as strong and as capable and as suitably dressed as the male ones. And of course, when the main black female character hasn't swapped races by the end of the series, that's usually a good sign as well.

I have a soft spot for the series, but...



Check it out for yourself by reading the first issue for free over at Wowio.

Cheryl Lynn @ 11:38 AM EST | Link

Top 10.

You've just won the lottery. Name your first ten nerd purchases.

"Star Fantasy" by Julie Bell. (NSFW)

The Life and Times of Martha Washington in the 21st Century.

The "Chocolate" Booty Babe doll. (NSFW)

A Kindle DX.

Jorge Longaron's entire Friday Foster run scanned and placed on a DVD.

An illuminated sign of my name built to look like the Jem logo.

Hellboy's Right Hand of Doom.

GTA 3 and GTA: Vice City Kubrick box sets.

A friggin' hotel room for Dragon*con!

A DeLorean.

ETA: I was up on DeLoreans before Kanye, thank you very much!

Cheryl Lynn @ 02:03 AM EST | Link

Friday, June 26, 2009

Generation gap.

"The United Church of Canada: Joints"
--found via kiss my black ads

Well, now I know why my mother accused me of being a pothead.

Let me back up. My mother came to visit me a while back. Upon the first phone call I received when she arrived back home, she accused me of smoking pot. I, of course, was horrified. I've never smoked pot in my life! How dare she accuse me? Well, my mother was adamant that she had seen several joints in my garbage can. Since she didn't want to embarrass me then and there, she simply covered them with a tissue. Anyway, she didn't believe me when I told her I was drug-free. She gave me a long lecture about drugs and then told me she loved me unconditionally.

Oh, was I pissed.

Well, the first damn thing I did once I got off the phone was spend an hour sifting though disgusting garbage and calling friends to see who the hell had the nerve to bring pot into my apartment. Did I find any joints? Of course not. Had anyone brought marijuana to my place? Nope.

And now, months later, I see this ad and it hits me. My mother thought the rolled up tissues in my garbage can were joints! When I'm nervous, I have a tendency to roll things—candy wrappers, tissue paper, plastic labels.

Here's where the title of the post comes in. I have never in my life seen marijuana rolled that way. Who the hell smokes joints that look like that? Old people? Rich people? That looks ridiculous! Wouldn't that burn away in like three seconds? How could you even get high?

Now, I've never smoked pot, but I sure as hell have seen it being smoked. And it has always looked like this:



I can't wait till I have kids so I can accuse them of doing coke because they haven't dusted their mirrors regularly.

Cheryl Lynn @ 02:31 PM EST | Link

Only 50?

He had decades of good music left in him. Shame.

Cheryl Lynn @ 12:14 AM EST | Link

Wednesday, June 24, 2009

Mythbusters.

The Web #1
--------------------
Written by Angela Robinson
Art by Roger Robinson & Hilary Barta
Cover by Stanley Lau



Teen Titans #75
--------------------
Written by Felicia D. Henderson
Art by Joe Bennett & Jack Jadson
Cover by Joe Bennett & Jack Jadson

I know that many people wonder why this is a big deal. Why should the hiring of two Black women as writers by DC be of any importance? After all, a writer is a writer is a writer, right? And we've yet to see if either of these women will produce compelling comics.

Well, I'll tell you. This is an enormous step forward, because the hiring of writers Angela Robinson and Felicia D. Henderson by DC and the hiring of writer Marjorie Liu by Marvel show, finally and publicly, in 2009, that women of color have equal access to be considered for writing jobs at the two largest companies in the comic book industry. Women of color in America are finally being allowed to shape humanity's modern myths—the stories and characters that have been handed to us and that we will hand down to future generations.

And that? Is a pretty damn big deal.

Cheryl Lynn @ 12:28 AM EST | Link

Tuesday, June 23, 2009

Power up.

Empowered #4 Back Cover


Empowered #5 Front Cover

See a difference in Sistah Spooky? I do. Believe me, I adore this series and I came up with all sorts of reasons for the difference. It's because she is being highlighted by Emp's power signature. It's a printing error. She's not that much lighter. I hate the character anyway. It's a bad scan. Her change in looks is due to an alien-spawned body image conspiracy. I grasped at any possibility to keep me from dropping this series. Because I don't want to drop this series. I love this series. I supported this series. Hard.

But each time I ventured over to Amazon to order the latest volume, I'd look at that cover and feel a mild queasiness in the pit of my stomach. And it's the same feeling I got back when I was buying Immortal Iron Fist. It’s the feeling that I'm paying to be disrespected. That I'm handing my money over to someone who thinks that my skin color is a problem to be quietly eliminated from the canvas or screen. It's the feeling that I'm selling myself short.

And I've got to go with that feeling.

It's not about calling for a boycott. I wish Warren and Dark Horse nothing but success. It's about me not wanting to buy something that makes me feel bad. I can feel bad for free.

I know D is a fan of Warren's and a fan of Empowered, so I'll probably use him as a scout to see if one of the possible explanations I told myself when I was contemplating buying this volume of the series is the actual truth. In fact, I'm crossing my fingers hard and desperately hoping for this to be the case. But until then?

I just can't.

Cheryl Lynn @ 02:14 PM EST | Link