Comics for the Ladies

So working at amazing +Undercity Comics (Uptown Whittier) I get to talk to lots of nice folks about what's good in the comic book world. I also get to answer lots of questions, and the one of the most frequently asked questions come from our lady customers who are asking, "What are some good comics that have strong female characters, or are made for female readers?"

Unlike what the picture says, the tides are turning and women want to read good comic books that are more representative of society (which is not all male).

I love answering this question because:

1. Girls are coming into comic book stores (well at least ours) and asking about comic books and asking for recommendations!
2. The comic book industry is slowly starting to (finally) get some great female talent in writing and in art and starting to produce some great comics featuring strong female characters that aren't just written for women, but are just great comics in general. 

Comic Book of the Week 6/11/14

Finally a time for a new CBotW, but first a huge plug (it's not shameless because I'm an employee, but to be fair, I was a customer way long before I became a minion) to +Undercity Comics the best place(s) to get comics in Southern California! Ahem...Ok back to the CBotW which is Iron Fist: The Living Weapon #3. I am not so familiar with Danny Rand so I was curious to learn a bit about him, and boy was I surprised. I love reviewing (and loving) the more obscure Marvel heroes' comics. When they're good, you know that the perfect writer and artist has been married with the perfect comic. Is this such a case?

Doesn't this cover look awesome? Have a peek inside.

Comic Book of the Week 5/14/14

Today we take our first departure away from my bread and butter at Marvel and venture into IDW territory, but we do it with good reason because we're taking a look at the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (TMNT). And we're not just talking about one issue but were talking about one whole arc (which are issues 29-32)!

I first fell in love with this arc just looking at the cover art. 

Nerd Life: New Job, New Opportunities to Bless Others

So I got a new part time job and I started yesterday. And it's at...Undercity Comics! Actually at Undercity, Too which is our brand new store in Uptown Whittier. I've always wanted to work in a comic book store, and since I've been a customer for the past few years and I needed to start making money for all of my hobbies, when I was presented to the opportunity to work with the owners, I was super stoked. Praise God because Mrs. Nerd and I could always use a couple extra dollars and chiefly because I have another opportunity to glorify Christ who loves. So as a comic book lover, I will be loving on others who also love comic books. Here's the virtual tour:

The store front, which you should see at night with the LED's

Avengers Arena

I wanted to put a spotlight on a comic that originally, I deemed not worth reading. But I can now say that I stand corrected after much convincing from my friends at Undercity.

These two are worth comparing because as you can see, they are very much alike.

Wondercon 2014: Mark Waid

Today my showcase is on Eisner award winning writer for my favorite comic Mark Waid. Mark writes the stories for Daredevil and the Indestructible Hulk (which is now just "Hulk"). His autograph was the very first thing that Mrs. Nerd and I went for when we got to Wondercon on Saturday afternoon. He wasn't there on the day before but it was scheduled for him to appear Saturday so when we got to his station, he wasn't there yet, but there was already a line starting to create a fire hazard. So in anticipation for his arrival, we jumped in line and waited for about 45 minutes. 

Mark Waid and I at his signing booth. He loves his fans!

Wondercon 2014: Kelly Sue DeConnick

This year was our second year at Wondercon and since I didn't want to be such a noob (don't worry noobs, Jesus still loves you!), I was determined to get some autographs on my comics by people who have worked on my favorite comics. During day 1 (Friday) of Wondercon, I was able to meet Ms. Kelly Sue DeConnick! Kelly Sue (is it Kelly? or Kelly Sue? I'm from the south so usually when it sounds like it's said together, it's said together) has been writing one of my favorite Marvel NOW! comics, Captain Marvel, and she's really done an amazing job of making Carol Danvers (Captain Marvel) into an inspirational figure for ladies and comic book fans in general. I was super nervous since this was my first comic book signing ever, but I just tried to be super humble. And she was super nice! It was just an absolute pleasure to meet her and finally being able to put a face to the name of the writer to one of my favorite heroes in the Marvel universe just made me want to support her work more. 

Kelly Sue and I after she signed my comics and I forgot I wanted a picture so I waited in line again for this one :( such a noob.

Wondercon 2014: Day 1

Wondercon 2014 was just this past weekend for everyone living in Anaheim, and Mrs. Nerd and I were there also! Praise God it was in Anaheim this year again. It was an awesome way to spend Easter weekend and kick off spring break. I will have posts on Wondercon going up all week. Friday was mostly an exclusives buying day (companies will release swag dedicated solely for that con that you can't get anywhere else), as well as a autograph getting day (I will have a separate post on those). Enjoy!

Our bag that contained our program and badge for Wondercon

This was the day before all the madness ensued.

Comic Book of the Week 3/26/14

This weeks offering (I know it's late) comes from the new MarvelNOW! release "All New Ghost Rider"! Finally a Ghost Rider reboot. The old Ghost Rider needed a serious image change after Nicholas Cage ruined him on the big screen. Luckily we have a new Ghost Rider named Robbie Reyes and is set in East Los Angeles (East Los!), California. And just look at his new duds. Does this not scream out swag to you?

Such a cool reimagining of the Ghost Rider.

Comic Book of the Week 3/19/14

I know that Moon Knight actually came out last week, but since I didn't get to do a CBotW and I still haven't read all of my comics for this week (I'm counting on Daredevil #1 or Ms. Marvel #2 to take it for me this week), and since it's obviously very good, I knew I couldn't skip on featuring it for Comic Book of the Week.

This Week's Haul: Lent Edition

Hello everyone~! It's time for another haul post. If you do not know, last Wednesday was Ash Wednesday which would start the period of Lent for Catholics and some Protestants. Lent is basically the 40 days leading to Jesus' crucifixion and resurrection. Our church started a fasting relay and yesterday was my day, and it was hard. One way I was able to get my mind off of food was this haul!

Pretty excited about the new Moon Knight comic and the SD 00 Raiser!

Comic Book of the Week 3/05/14

Finally, a Spider-Man comic~! Spider-Man has been one of my favorite superheroes since I was a little kid and I first saw Todd McFarlane's Spider-Man. Well this week we feature Superior Spider-Man #28. This is a horrible jumping on point for new readers (at least start from issue 27 for the current arc) because you'll want to know why everyone is referring to Spider-Man as Otto Octavius, and what happened to Peter Parker!!?? But this is still a great arc, and The Superior Spider-Man will be ending soon, so you should at least do some wikipedia-ing on what has been going on for the last year of Spider-Man.

Is this the end of the Superior Spider-Man? Let's hope so.

Guardians of the Galaxy Trailer…You're Falling in Love With Them

The Guardians of the Galaxy are here! And they are hooked on a feeling, high on believing that you're in love with them. Yes the song in the trailer by Blue Swede is oddly appropriate for this ragtag band of cosmic misfits that no one in the Marvel Universe or OUR universe for that matter seems to know. 

Comic Book of the Week for 2/12/14

Before I talk about today's CBotW, I just wanted to let everyone know that…WonderCon is back in Anaheim this April and the badges came out Friday~! If you've never been to a comic convention you should buy your badges ($50) and go to WonderCon at the Anaheim Convention Center!

Also I originally intended to publish this post Saturday, but there was a family emergency and my gramps is in the hospital. Sorry for the lapse, and your prayers are much appreciated.

Okay, today's comic book of the week features another new comic book from the Marvel NOW! line. She-Hulk #1 is out this week and if this is the caliber comic that this issue portends to be, were in for an hilarious ride a-la Hawkeye.

Don't let the awesome cover art fool you, this is a quirky, hilarious comic.

Comic Book of the Week 2/07/14

So this week's CBotW is actually TWO comics! Because Marvel is starting the "Marvel NOW!" line, there are a lot of new comics coming out and this week we have a couple comics, one for a new take on an old villain, and the other, one of my personal favorites since I was a child.

Comic Book of the Week for 1/22/14

This week's comic comes from Jason Aaron's "Wolverine and the X-Men" issue 40! It's another comic book that I have been wanting to rave about for awhile…and now I have featured almost every X-Men comic book on CBotW. So if you remember that there was a schism in the X-Men (aptly named "Schism"), and Wolverine took over the east coast Jean Grey School of Higher Learning while Cyclops walked away with the uncanny half of the X-Men and started another school at the old Weapon-X facility. Wolverine and the X-Men features the adventures of the new generation of mutants being trained by X-Men faculty members and Wolverine as the headmaster. Things between Wolverine and Cyclops have been shaky since Cyclops under the influence of the Phoenix Force killed Professor Xavier (A vs. X saga).

It's too bad this series is ending soon, but all the more reason to catch up on a great read!

Comic Book of the Week for 1/15/14

This week's comic is one I have been waiting to praise for a very long time (2011, when this volume first started), Daredevil #34. This comic is written by Mark Waid with artwork by Chris Samnee and was the recipient of 2012's Eisner Award which is very prestigious in the comic book world. Since its beginning it has been without a stray month my very favorite monthly pull.

The cover of Daredevil #34

Batman: Hush

Today I would like to showcase a comic book that I bought recently in my Black Friday post: Batman: Hush (the complete story arc). This book contains Batman issues 608-619. The art is done by Jim Lee who is one of my favorite comic book artists, and Jeph Loeb on the writing. This was a comic book that I always knew was on my "must read" list so I was thrilled when I found it on Black Friday sale at Undercity.

Batman: Hush should be a must read for everyone into comics or Batman.

Thanksgiving Vacation and a Nerd's Black Friday

Hello fellow nerds! Hope that everyone had a great Thanksgiving! Mrs. Nerd and I had a wonderful Thanksgiving getaway to Vegas (which would explain why I haven't posted until today)! Since most of our family was out of town, we were able to go on a much needed getaway. Sometimes, especially as a married couple you have to know how to walk away from everything for a little bit (even extended family) and just concentrate on the marriage. This semester has been really tough with Mrs. Nerd going back to work and school, and my school, ministry and the occasional health complication. So getting out of town, getting some rest and relaxation, and time to just talk about life and God with the Mrs was super nice.

Comic Book of the Week for 11/13/13

This week's comic book is All-New X-Men #18. If you haven't read All New X-Men up to this point, now might be a good time to jump on. All New X-Men follows the adventures of the  time displaced original X-Men. After the events of X-Men Schism and A vs. X, the X-Men end up in two factions. One side led by Wolverine who still upholds the ideals of Charles Xavier, and the other side led by Cyclops who after changing his mind about mutant and humankind co-existing, teams up with Magneto, takes hold of the Phoenix force and kills Charles Xavier. Crazy right? Refer to the two arcs mentioned above for more details. Beast of the present hopes to alter the future by bringing the past and original X-Men from the past into the present to show the original Cyclops how his future turns out in hopes to change him, and also to convince the present Cyclops to return to who he once was.