Tag: comics

Episode 12: The Fantasy Epic…in Space!

ohyeahthatthing

space…space…space

We’re a dozen episodes in, even it doesn’t seem like it (curse you lost episode 10 *shakes fists*), which means we’re two years into this. Commitment! Nothing else really to add here. It’s month nine of the pandemic. It’s too cold to eat lunch outside. Everything is still a mess. But at least there’s hot cider and cocoa to keep us toasty.

This episode really gets at the spirit of the podcast. Adri heard about this thing when it first came out, multiple people recommended it over the last eight years, and despite living in a house with the entire current collection of issues, she still managed to never get around to it. Honestly, there was no excuse and it was time to change that.

Plus our original idea fell through, so we had to pick something quick and easy to get our hands on. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Welp, however we got here, we finally started reading Saga (2012-), the fantasy space epic by Brian K. Vaughn and Fiona Staples. Adri certainly had Saga in the back of her mine (and her bookshelf), but Pay wasn’t as aware of the series coming into this, seeing as the last comics she read were either for work or Archie comics as a kid. But she has been trying to find more fantasy content to get into as she’s really discovering she likes parallel universes and magic in her stories.

Seriously though. They’ve been right there. For years. In good company at least.
Also is that a MaxFun Membership card you see? Heck yeah it is.

We both enjoyed the first volume, and definitely plan to keep on reading. (Adri’s already up to issue 18 and counting…) It’s everything you want a comic to be: intriguing, page-turner of a story, and eye-catching art. We seriously loved Fiona Staples’s character designs throughout the series. They are unforgettable, and can really make you go from “Aw!” to “Ew…” to “Argh!” in just a matter of pages. While we are looking forward to reading more, knowing that the series is on hiatus is a bit of a bummer. Once we get to issue fifty-four we’ll be in the same boat as every other Saga fan.

Like we said, we had originally planned to read something else, so we get into discussing why things went awry there, our current reading habits, and an unexpected tangent about movie adaptations. So it’s a long one folks. Then again, aren’t they all? Hope you’re not tired of our nonsense. There’s plenty to go ’round!

Oh and before we forget:

Told ya it’s cute.

Episode Highlights

  • What book did we originally plan to read for this episode?
  • Is Pay close to her GoodReads goal? (Spoiler alert: not really)
  • Does Adri manage to remember the word “animatic” by the end?
  • Which characters really struck a chord with us?
  • What type of movie do Adri and Pay want more of?

Further Watching/Reading

Between Things: We can read!

ohyeahthatthing

Since Pay and I only get to discuss two Things during our chats, we wanted to share a few other Things we’ve gotten to between episodes. And boy howdy, I’ve been catching up on my To-read pile. Just so happens that all these books are by rad women! As usual with OYTT, possible spoilers ahead. Let’s get to it, shall we?

Gotta love when your book matches your drinks. Spindrift, babyyyy!

One in a Million by Lindsey Kelk

Lindsey Kelk is a regular on Tights and Fights — my favorite wrestling podcast — and I kept meaning to check out her books. I picked up One in a Million from my local library (Support libraries y’all. They’re more than a building full of books, though they have plenty of that too!) and really enjoyed it. In a nutshell, it’s a modern take on My Fair Lady. Digital marketing extraordinaire Annie is tasked with making her new office mate — Sam, a historian who’s a bit of a Luddite — go from 0 to 20,000 Instagram followers in one month. It’d been a while since I read a fun romance, and this certainly scratched that itch. Plus I’m a sucker for secretly sexy nerds who own cats.

Carry On by Rainbow Rowell

(No picture because I read this on my phone like some sort of modern lady.) I’m not a fan of The Magicians, so the Lev Grossman pull quote gave me pause. But the book came recommended by someone who knows me pretty dang well, so gave it a shot. The multiple narrators took a bit to get used to…OK I’m going to cut to the chase. I wanted there to be more making out! The build up to the making out was long, and then once it happened I didn’t get as much making out as I wanted! OK, sure, the characters have to save magic and the world or whatever, but gimme some more gay kissing! Apparently this is only the first in the series, so maybe there will be more kissing in the second book? In the meantime, there’s probably some fan fiction somewhere…

Yes, I have used that library kit. Yes, I own books purely for the pretty binding.

Archival Quality by Ivy Noelle Weir & Steenz

A spooky comic about a creepy museum archive and a main character who struggles with anxiety? Sign. Me. The. Fuck. Uuuuuup. The story also deals a bit with medical history, which like a lot of history, is pretty fucked up. I’m a fan of Steenz’s art style, which is cute but not one note, and really dug it here. I’ve also been enjoying Rolled & Tolled which Steenz edits. It’s a series with great maps and pieces for your tabletop RPG, paired with great illustrators from folks I really enjoy, like Rachel Dukes. Get at it nerds!

Check out that A+ nursing home chair.

Still Reading: Feminasty by Erin Gibson

Heck yes to all of this. I loved Erin’s segments on Infomania in college, and Throwing Shade is in regular rotation on my podcast playlist. No surprise that I’m loving this book. Erin Gibson is great at serving the feminist truth with that comedy sugar. Also, she has opened my eyes to the truth about chunky-necklace-wearing ladies. For a long time I fell into the trap of believing feminist stereotypes and straw feminism, so coming to call myself a feminist has been a long journey, one I’m still on because there is still so much to learn! I’m only human, and I’m getting better at being a human every day! Another source for this journey is The Guilty Feminist, a podcast out of the UK which is a great listen for anyone who feels like they can’t be a good feminist if they aren’t perfect. None of us are perfect! Let’s be imperfect together!

Next episode drops in April. Don’t forget to subscribe and we’re always looking for new Things to try. Send those suggestions in!