"I thought this was going to be a bestiality convention but it's just a bunch of people wearing animal suits, hugging each other."

Yes, this comment was overheard and also admitted by my fellow attendees, that “bestiality” was their first thought when they had heard of a furry convention. I mean, what do these people wearing animal suits do anyways?

Being a frequent comic convention and retired anime convention attendee, curiousity was what mainly drew me to a furry convention. Through anime, I was introduced to the concept of “furries” (girls with cat ears and whatnot) that then led me to find out about underground comics, and the whole deal about anthropomorphic/humanoid-looking animals. I mean, this is a very, very small sub-culture but evidently, quite popular to a specific group of people. And yes, Usagi Yojimbo and Ninja Turtles can be labeled as furry comics.

This particular furry con I went to mainly had a mix of animal lovers and LGBT crowd. Part of the norm to furry cons is hosting dances/raves, along with panels from writing, lectures on animals, social gatherings, art, guest writers, and so on. Though what impressed me the most was that this convention was held for five days, starting from 9 Am – 2 AM, and each day was packed with panels and other events. There was always something to do, but perhaps the most fun was just standing in the hallways and seeing the different furries, as some had very impressive animal suits.

As I went on the Saturday, which is assumed would be the most crowded day, was actually decent. There were perhaps about 100 – 200 people throughout that day, and that’s relatively small, especially if you’re seeing the same furry walk past you every 10 minutes or so. And I’m telling you, dear reader, that this convention was not only interesting but entertaining.

I immediately felt like I was going to be pinned as the outsider because there was nothing about me that conveyed I had ever been to a furry con. I also had slight anxiety that my fellow attendees would end up becoming assholes (personal fear that would have attached itself to anyone with me. I know you guys aren’t assholes), because a furry con isn’t really something you would just jump into if you’re not familiar with the social aspects of convention attendance; there is a kind of etiquette to it.

But seeing a group of people dressed in animal suits hugging each other and role-playing (grooming, curling up to take naps, trying to figure out how a shake weight works) was rather fun. This occurred to me that this was a group of people, getting together to share and enjoy something that they had in common, much like Trekkies and Comic-con goers, and they were having a great time.

Also, furry cons aren’t meant for children (13 & younger), and you might think “Well, why not? It’s a group of people dressed in animal suits. That’s completely harmless” but consider that furries who dress up aren’t doing it as a job (like at Disneyland) and aren’t trained to give your children hugs. Furthermore, part of the furry sub-culture dabbles in adult themes, and while you did see mostly people in animal suits, you also saw a bit of light S&M (leashes, collars, muzzles, etc…) floating around, but as mentioned, most furry goers know what’s appropriate/inappropriate; they aren’t out to offend anyone.

Final thoughts: Despite the all-girls high school national volleyball tournament being hosted in the next hall that was separated by black curtain dividers in the convention center, I’m glad to have attended this furry convention. This was perhaps the most friendly, stressless convention I’ve ever been to (the furries knew not to get up into people’s faces, as most might imagine like at a theme park, and would only wave if they notice you looking) and perhaps the greatest fun was seeing how some furries were very animated within their suits, as many of them didn’t speak (as it would be breaking character). Lastly, while I did pay $35 to get into the convention, I was pleased to know that most of the money goes to animal rescues and shelters, which was a great highlight to end the day.

This series freaked me out so much as a kid but I just had to read it over and over and over...

Here’s one thing most people don’t know about me – I didn’t like reading when I was growing up. Though, the only things I did like to read (which unfortunately, was not allowed within the house) were comic books and horror novels. I can understand why most parents would see these two genres as having no really substance in comparison to what’s being assigned in schools but reading is reading, no matter what the content. So comic books and horror novels were seen as reading that was only allowed during library visits, and frowned down upon if checked out.

In any event, horror novels turned me into a glutton for the macabre; I was reading CARRIE while my 5th grade classmates were talking about SWEET VALLEY HIGH or THE BOXCAR CHILDREN, though I was pretty crazy over R.L. Stine/Christopher Pike novels too. And yes, I did try to read books that my classmates were reading just so I could “fit in”, but it didn’t happen. I enjoyed letting my imagination conjur up what Carrie looked like when she was splattered with pig’s blood. But I digress; moving on.

Recently, I went into B&N looking for some horror, since I wasn’t familiar what was on shelves nowadays. I wanted to feel “updated”, pass all the Clive Barker, H.P. Lovecraft, and really, I needed to keep King away. I wanted to know what Horror was like now. And what do I find?

Nothing. That’s right. Nothing. Not even one shelf with the words “HORROR” labled on it. But if memory serves me right, Borders had a dinky horror section next to the numerous shelves of paranormal fiction, though what struck me silly was that there were so many more Western books compared to the Horror.

I really don’t know what to say except – what happened? Is the horror genre now going to consist of anthologies and let subgenres like paranormal romance take over novel by novel? Has the definition of the horror genre changed?

Well, maybe the genre has become outdated. I mean, other media (yes, let’s briefly talk about film) isn’t really helping the genre, with all those straight-to-dvd releases and with those once every so often 5% on rottentomatoes in theaters. But we can’t necessarily compare films and novels; a novel is much harder to scare a reader because it’s only the written word and not typical Horror tropes (I think “Ironic Nursery Tune” and “Killer Rising Behind” make me roll my eyes the most).

So what do you consider to be Horror, or does all the subgenres make up the entire horror genre?

Except, most of them are beyond suckage; it’s to the point where it becomes stuck in your esophagus and slowly expands, cutting your air flow off little by little until you slip into a deep, dark sleep.

I mean, they’re all just so disappointing.

But, I do love Nolan’s DARK KNIGHT series. The guy knows how to tell a story and I’m not saying it’s an easy task to re-tell something that’s been told over and over and over again. Same goes with RISE OF THE PLANET OF THE APES; straight forward story telling but also very captivating story telling especially throughout the CGI scenes when there’s no dialogue at all between the apes.

So, why can’t other films do the same? Well, to be more specific – where does writing rate on the priority scale when it comes to films? I know that’s a very unfair and still a very vague question, but I just want to know who green lights stories like SPIDER-MAN 3, FANTASTIC FOUR 2, and CONAN.

When it comes to reboots, I tend to think about the film in an alternatate universe way – there are something things in the film that are familiar yet new elements are introduced. Sometimes these new elements can be accepted smoothly but most of the time, are jammed into your throat that you must gurgle on throughout the rest of the film. And perhaps this may be because of the writing.

Seriously, when you hear another movie getting the reboot treatment, are you genuinely excited?

I didn’t have any strong feelings for Mark Millar (he’s the one who wrote WANTED and KICK-ASS, and do read WANTED if you liked/hated the movie) and had a feeling what he produced spoke to the general masses, rather than a specific audience, thus his work becoming movies. But with THE ULTIMATES, wow.

This comic was the first time I read something that had blend into “the real world”. It’s not hard to see that Nick Fury was purposely drawn to resemble Samuel L. Jackson, which of course, made Jackson sign up for all movies, and there’s a lot of reference to real locations, people, and pop culture that was going on in 2002. Don’t get me wrong; I know this comic isn’t the first to bleed itself into the real world, but the way that this story is constructed makes the reading interesting and fun because it’s clearly made that THE ULTIMATES is practically our world, but with superheroes.

And the characters are much more filled in within the comic. The HULK, IRON MAN, and THOR movies have been cranked out, so all that’s left is Captain America. However, I do want to point out that every character in the comic plays a crucial role. You still have Ant/Giant-Man, Wasp, Hawkeye (really lame he was only thrown into THOR just to introduce the character), and the twins Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch (though I don’t think they’ll make it into the movie; there’s a bit of ‘twincest’ going on with them and if *that* doesn’t get you interested in reading the comic, I don’t know what will).

And I do want to highly recommend that you don’t read THE ULTIMATES 3. Just don’t. THE ULTIMATES 2 is decent though of course, may not be as great as the first, but don’t even touch 3.

So if you thought the movies were great, definitely pick up THE ULTIMATES. Obviously THE AVENGERS movie is taking another direction, specifically into the Cosmic Cube/Red Skull storyline, so the comic isn’t going to ruin anything for you. And The Hulk has a very fun, childish personality compared to the movies.

By now dear reader, you should know I love any kind of raw, gritty, dirty, dirty, dirty(more so in that violent way than XXX, mind you) comics as I’ve mentioned a taste for them in this post a few months back.

Ennis still reigns as my favorite writer and I love anything Burrows does. So when this CROSSED series came out, you can say it was like a fantasy come true for me. There’s no way you can get away with not actually reading this series since the most important aspects are within the text but of course, you’re most likely to focus on the images first as they’re quite beautifully graphic. Overall, this is a series that’s to be read a few times around and at nine issues, it’s a satisfying length.

Which leads to this next thought: STOP MAKING DAMN CONTINUATIONS!!!!!

You want to know why the first arch was fantastic? Because Ennis wrote it and Burrows illustrated it. Now in the second arch and third one which has just started up, we have writers and artists *trying* to mimic Ennis’ writing and Burrows’ style. I know that’s a little harsh, but I honestly could not think otherwise since the writing felt so forced to follow Ennis’ style and the art just seemed like it was suppose to be in another series that should have been no where near CROSSED. Ennis/Burrows is a hard thing to follow up, and obviously it doesn’t work since the continuations really don’t have much substance within them. I didn’t care for the new characters at all and whatever shock factor the continuations tried to convey were just predictable and boring.

Yes, boring.  The continuations made me see it’s actually possible that crazed, raping, man slaughtering zombies can be boring.

Nevertheless, the continuations are still entertaining as I did find myself reading them out of curiosity, mainly to compare how well these new writers and artists compare against Ennis/Burrows. And obviously, don’t expect anything as remotely great as the first arch. If there are plans to drag this series out, I hope Ennis/Burrows decide to get back on board.

Written by Dan Slott, penciled by Ryan Sook, inks by Sook, Wade Von Grawbadger and Jim Royal

Ah, Arkham Asylum, home to the Gotham City crazies. Ever so often, there would be a release of something based on Arkham Asylum (hell, the video game(s) are ridiculously entertaining), and I thought it was about time to review my absolute favorite story about Arkham Asylum: LIVING HELL.

Perhaps the only reason why I adore this graphic novel is because the villains are the main focus. This also explains why I love THE BATMAN: ANIMATED SERIES that aired back in the 90′s. At least 80% of the show focused on the villains; I also found it surprising just how tragic most of the villains’ stories were (watch the Clayface episodes and you’ll know what I mean). But I digress.

LIVING HELL is exceptionally fun. You have your usual villains making appearances: Joker, Two-Face, Mad Hatter, Scarecrow, Killer Croc, Poison Ivy, etc…but also new villains are introduced which mixes up the rouge’s gallery a bit.

The story follows Warren “The Great White Shark” White who manages to dodge getting sent to prison and instead, gets transferred to Arkham Asylum as he pleads mentally insane for his crime of embezzling millions. White obviously has no idea what Arkham Asylum holds until he gets there and White is coined by all the inmates as “the worst person I’ve ever met” as this line in itself is rather ironic and funny:

As for the new villains introduced, and just to name a few: Jane Doe takes on the identity of those she kills; Death Rattle is a man who speaks to the dead (and he’s got a touch of subtle humor), and Humpty Dumpty is an obese, childish savant who is obsessed with putting back together broken objects.

Of course, Batman does make an appearance in a couple panels. However, I think you’d be more interested in following White’s story. I mean, you can’t really get out of Arkham Asylum and not be crazy. And obviously, the villains and seeing the inside of the asylum are very much worth picking up this graphic novel for a read.

Out of all honesty, I love that my main character can be FEMALE. I did a trail run through MASS EFFECT as the default male main character, just to get a feel of the game, and I realized that this really wasn’t the kind of action RPG game I imagined it to be. It was actually *fun* since I didn’t feel like it was a task just to get through one arch or do the side quests. What really kept me going was the story, and on the second time around playing this game, I decided to create my own female main character and gave her a romantic arch (she also had some sexy time with a couple of aliens on the side). I made her a Renegade (bad-ass) at 80% and a Paragon (stickin’ to the rules) at around 20%, and this is all because of the decisions I have my character make (do I want to punch this guy in the face or tell him everything will be okay?) and the Renegade path just seemed much more entertaining.

I also thought I’d never say this but MASS EFFECT really makes me want to play the game over multiple times. I’m pretty damn curious to see how my choices unfolds different aspects of the story (you can transfer your main character from the first game into the second, and whatever ending you created for the first game will come directly into play with the second game). And I perhaps care a little too much about how my main character turns out and the interaction she has with the supporting crew. I’ve been finding myself hitting the “Save” button the most in this game just so I can explore my options and decide which one I like best in order to progress the game.

The dialogue is fantastic, the story is interesting, and the game play itself keeps things exciting. The supporting crew also proves to be fun, and I immediately found myself grouping them into the “Dislike” and “Like” pile just based on their personalities (my main objective is to nail the most charming alien in my crew; isn’t that silly?). At times, I feel like I’m playing a sim game, and I suppose the reason why MASS EFFECT is so satisfying is because there are a lot of components all wrapped into this lovely game.

I’m still working on MASS EFFECT 2, as the story has done a bit of a topsy-turvy on my main character, so I’m still feeling out how I want her to work through it. In short, this is a game you just have to experience for yourself. I’m pretty big with watching Let’s Play videos, but you definitely cannot just watch someone else play MASS EFFECT since the most entertaining aspect is choosing your own dialogue/adventure you want your main character to have.

Starring - Goldie Hawn, Meryl Streep, Bruce Willis Directed by Robert Zemeckis

For those of you who got turned off by THE CABLE GUY, why don’t you give this slapstick dark comedy a try. I heard a lot of mixed reviews about this film as well (no character depth, relied too heavily on special effects) but you have to admit, the special effects were pretty damn good for a 1992 film.

Though personally, I think what really shines are the actors. I mean, we’re pretty much over the whole CGI thing by now but back then, it was starting to be a really big deal. So what made me want to watch this film again (and again and again…) is just how spiteful these characters can be. Also, I really liked the fantasy element within this story and how it was neatly explained; this turns out to be just a very straight forward movie.

We’ve got heavy hitters in this film and I thought it was just fun watching them turning in the end and going for each others’ throats. And after seeing sooooo many action flicks with Bruce Willis in them, I kind of liked him playing a character who gets pushed around and screams like a girl. I had a feeling he was the character you wanted to root for, but it didn’t necessarily come out during the beginning of the movie. However, you do really want to see Willis’ character push through in the end, especially imagining what the rest of his like would be like with Goldie Hawn and Meryl Steep’s characters.

Hawn is just creeping looking in this film because of her extremely pale eyes (natural or contacts?) but she’s one foxy and classy lady. And of course, Ms. Streep is always entertaining. These two women had great chemistry and makes me wonder if I’ll ever find my nemesis that I’ll hate well into my 50′s.

And I do agree with critics, this movie does lack a deeper look into the relationships that the characters have, but you get the gist of it. This is very much a movie to show people who want to be entertained plus always ask questions like “Wait, what’s going on now? What is she doing? Where is he going” during the movie because I highly doubt anyone will be confused as to what is happening in this film.

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I’m Kellie! I usually blog about books and writing (usually YA and fantasy) but I’m loving the chance to write about just general geekery. I’m a geek of varying colours myself. From Buffy to Big Bang Theory to Battlestar, I love it all. I’m just getting started on my own blog, but I would love some company over there. If your inspired to check me out I’m @ books.4ish.net

In the last couple years there has been a major trend in the world of graphic novels. Reviving old TV shows, now in comic form. Yay! I first took notice when I heard about ‘Buffy’ Season 8. I am a huuugggeee Joss Whedon nerd, so I jumped at the chance to revisit the old Sunnydale crew in whatever way I could, but what I found wasn’t quite what I expected.

Now, before I get started let me say that I do appreciate what Joss and crew were going for here and that they were very true to their characters, but beyond that… well, it almost hurt to read. Everything was amplified by ten due to unlimited possibilities. Where an episode of the tv show could only afford a poorly animated ventriloquist dummy, the comic could do almost anything from centaurs to epic explosions and there was no end in sight. While it was still technically ‘Buffy’, the spirit of the thing had changed. That’s what you risk when you change format I guess. Sometimes it’s a success like with ‘Firefly’ and ‘Serenity’. Other times, you wish you’d just never opened the book and kept the question of ‘What happens next?’ in your imagination where it’s supposed to be. To be fair, the delightful Mr. Whedon has addressed this issue and plans to go back to the core of the Buffy universe for the season 9 comics, but the chain reaction has already started and there’s no going back now. Other great fantasy TV is going the comic route and I’ve gotta say, it’s bringing me down.

‘Charmed’ ran for 8 seasons before ending off on a very “and they all lived happily ever after” note, which for me was great, I still cry at the final scene every time I watch it. The three sisters got to essentially retire from fighting evil and focus on having the normal lives they always wanted, hurrah. Except, wait, no they didn’t! They’ve been brought back for a ninth season, Graphic Novel style, and now their happy retirements are once again demon infested. Bah!

Not to say it’s all bad. Another one of Joss Whedon’s shows ‘Firefly’ did a small stint in the comic world and I thought the issues in ‘Better Days’ were perfect. The adventures are close to those you remember from the show and it almost feels like you got to peak into some lost episode. That! Is what I think these types of graphic novels should be aiming for. It took place between the show and the film so you know nothing drastic could happen but it feels like your visiting some old friends and really your just happy to see them.

So, I guess the question you have to ask yourself is how badly staying in touch with some of your beloved characters is to you? Are you willing to see everything you knew about a series come crumbling down around you at the hands of (usually) the same people who brought it to you in the first place? Not that it will necessarily be the case, but it’s a risk you take. For me, I’ll probably keep on reading them and continue to regret it, but I’m weird like that.

With that said, I want to get into why this pairing works for me with two examples: Dramione (DracoxHermione from HARRY POTTER) and Seiftis (SeiferxQuistis from FINAL FANTASY 8).

(Yes, this does expose me as a fanfiction reader; I do admit, I love reading the occasional fanfiction as there are some rather good ones out there, particularly when it comes to pairings.)

So, a Dramione. I can understand why Rowling didn’t want this pairing to happen, as I recalled she continued to tell fans that Draco and Hermione were NEVER going to be a couple, EVER. I don’t think she even considered this idea and perhaps it’s because of Hermione’s personality. Hermione’s fiercely loyal to her friends and a person would have to gain her trust and respect through very, very hard work as she obviously trusts Harry and Ron with her life. That’s not something to take lightly. And even so, she’ll probably still be watching you out from the corner of her eye.

With Draco, some may say he’s misguided or pressured into being who he is due to his upbringing, but let’s be real, he’s comfortable being on the dark side. Sure, we see him hesitate and is somewhat torn between what’s right and wrong when he’s pushed to kill others, but he’s not one to suddenly change his entire person even though he knows what he’s doing *could* be wrong. The guy has dignity; self-preservation may be one of his traits, but I’d think he’d rather be with a Hufflepuff than a Mud-Blood.

Which leads to why I feel a Dramione works well. There’s the idea that Draco and Hermione are attracted to each other because they’re such polar opposites, and they would be throwing away everything as to what makes other people respect and admire them, all for a fling. Yes, I said “fling”, because these characters are so cemented in their beliefs, not one of them is going to suddenly change just to be with the other. They also don’t have a common goal which is perhaps why this relationship could never be planted in the first place. But as mentioned, the complexity going on within these two characters do make a pretty good fantasy pairing, as Draco’s much more than the “dark, unattainable jerk that all girls want to tame” and Hermione definitely is more than “the bookish, selfless, mature girl”. This might be better explained with SeiferxQuistis.

Again, we have two characters who are complex in their own way (really, Squall is a dink and Rinoa is such a child; those two are perfect for each other). Seifer has this driving force behind him, either wanting to become the best or just wants to make Squall’s life miserable (the dude dated Rinoa before Squall got to her *keh heh*), though being head-strong and a “lone wolf” gets him into trouble. But as far as I can tell, Seifer is a great antagonist and it’s not hard to see why he’s so much more of a compelling character than Squall. Being a hot-head, Seifer fails a mission so he’s not promoted (whereas Squall succeeds), so Seifer ends up trying to discover his own path which leads him to be brainwashed and walk the dark side. But of course, the dark side is defeated and Seifer comes to his senses, perhaps to now reflect on why friends and not being alone is important. Whereas Squall just…doesn’t really change at all throughout this 4 disk game. Moving on.

Quistis is very, very much the only woman among the cast of females within this game. She’s the same age (18) as Squall and Seifer and she just so happens to be their instructor. Quistis comes off as a strong female character, probably due to her authoritative status and her maturity. But early on in the game, she gets demoted since she lacked leadership skills, but imagine what she put herself through to become an instructor at such a young age. She probably only had herself to rely on and pretty much shoved away everything else that was on her road to becoming an instructor. So what she sees in Squall (it’s probably the whole childhood thing), I can’t understand. However, just because Quistis may seem like a strong character, she’s also very much a woman as she tried to talk to Squall about her demotion, but he just tells her to shove it and not bother him with her problems. What a guy.

So why the Seiftis? These two characters, Seifer with his “I’m a bad-ass and I know you want to try and change me” and Quistis, a bit like Hermione, with her respect for authority and love for her friends, are again, polar opposite but they also have pretty big personal problems. Quistis accomplished her dreams but failed as Seifer too, accomplished his dream of become a knight (but for the dark side) and was defeated. Now we have something in common with these two characters, which could open up a few doors to getting a relationship started.