Montreal Comiccon Highlights: 2014

by Jordan Danger

Photos by Chris Patten

MONTREAL COMICCON 2014: HIGHLIGHTS

A stunning Bishop cosplay, and moi.

This year I attended the Montreal ComicCon once again. It’s my third time at this con, and it shows no sign of slowing down. With record-setting crowds this year, the con was packed—almost overwhelmingly so—and the entire building was a-buzz with con goers. The Palais de Congres is such a great venue because it offers extensive room to chill out, so the con floor itself isn’t packed with people dragging their feet; indeed, the main mezzanine is a great place to grab some amazing cosplay shots.

COSPLAY FUN

And the cosplay was really the star of the show this con. I estimate that 1 in 4 people seem to be dressed up in some fashion; certainly I could turn in any direction at any point, and find somebody in a glorious costume. I myself attended as Jet Girl (my cosplay that debuted at Ottawa ComicCon this year) and enjoyed the thumbs-up and photo op requests from attendees.

Click Here to see our full album of Montreal Comic Con Photos. 

Cosplay really is becoming a major part of conventions, and I think this is wonderful. One can only attend so many cons before you’ve bought all the merch you really need, attended all the panels you wanted to hear, and gotten all the celebrity photos you can afford. After that, the cons can get a little stale—take it from me, who has attended every con in the area for a year straight. What doesn’t get old is the fans and the cosplay.

HIDDEN GEMS IN ARTIST’S ALLEY

Also infinitely enjoyable is Artist’s Alley. This often-overlooked part of a con’s offerings was a busy place at MTL this year. Many of the artists are repeats; for instance, I see Ron + Indy regularly, and Dr Kyla’s Emporium who makes the most wonderful crocheted characters, like my Gorn who I glued to my hula girl legs on my dash and is now the famous HulaGorn.

What’s great about Artist’s Alley is that, even when you chat with an artist you’ve already met, you get an update on their world and their work. Of course, it’s also great fun to see people having custom sketches done by industry giants like Geof Isherwood and Nick Bradshaw, two highly approachable and awesome comic book artist greats. Over the course of many cons, Nick and I have become well acquainted (and I have a sketch of Rogue on roller skates to prove it), and it can be a real treat to chat with some of the men and women who bring our favourite characters to life.

me with Nick Bradshaw, Marvel's go-to guy

It’s also great fun to discover younger talent and support them with the purchase of a print or postcard. This year, Amy Spaulding and Deena Pagliarello get my vote for ‘best in show’ with their very clever takes on iconic super women.

A GOOD GEEKY TIME

We departed the con after a giant feast of sushi from the Palais’ sushi place, then headed out, full of that bright happy geek energy you can only find at a con. It’s such a joy to live in the ‘golden triangle’ and have such easy access to everything Ottawa, Montreal, and Toronto; if you haven’t made the short trip down to Montreal for the con before, I heartily recommend you hit it up next year!

Jordan Danger is a veteran blogger, writer, and marketing consultant based in Ottawa, Ontario. She is also President and Editor in Chief of CapitalGeekGirls.com. Jordan blogs at GirlCrafted.com, a lifestyle blog about crafting life both literally and figuratively. She loves DIY projects, her dog, and Oxford comma

Remembering Robin Williams

We here at Capital Geek Girls  were greatly saddened to hear of the passing of Robin Williams. A few of the writers were able to put that sadness into words to share.

Credit: Eva Rinaldi 

MARIE VICTORIA ROBERTSON

A good friend of mine posted a very apropos quote when the news broke about Robin Williams’ passing:

“A clown needn’t be the same out of the ring as he has to be when he’s in it. If you look at photographs of clowns when they’re just being ordinary men, they’ve got quite sad faces.” –Enid Blyton, Five Go Off in a Caravan

I think that sums up exactly why this death is such a shock. My favourite Robin Williams movies were always the funny (or at least, light-hearted) ones—Hook, Aladdin, Mrs. Doubtfire, Jumanji, etc. While I was never a huge fan of his stand-up, I know so many people who just loved his manic onstage energy and I can see why. 

He was funny, and he made so, so many people happy. There is something incredibly sad about a comedy icon fighting such severe depression that he felt suicide was his only way to find peace. How could someone who so easily brightened everyone’s lives be feeling so much darkness himself?

We can only hope he finally found his peace. His memory and his movies will always be with us.

LEE A FARRUGA

I had just spent an enjoyable evening with my girls and husband watching mindless television. I decided to check my computer for emails and updates. What I found was the news about Robin Williams – and I cried – a lot.

I grew up with his comedy and his quick wit. He made me laugh so very much. Mork and Mindy was one of my absolute favorite shows growing up. I was 13 years old. It had a huge impact on me. I have always stuck to his comedic roles likes Mrs. Doubtfire and The Birdcage. I have never been able to watch any of his serious work. Why? Because I knew he battled demons that I didn't want to see in his serious face.

Because I see it every time my husband has a dark day due to the same demon or my youngest has a down time because she's inherited her dad's depression. I know the constant fight that's involved. I know Robin Williams fought the good fight for all his 63 years. I cried because he lost the fight. Depression won.

 

I don't generally swear but... Fuck Depression!

COURTNEY LOCKHART

In her official statement, Susan Schneider asked that we not focus on her late husband’s death. Instead, we should focus on “the countless moments of joy and laughter he gave to millions.” 

So here goes: 

When I was a kid, It was Aladdin sing-a-longs in the car, Hook screenings with my cousins, and learning the Batty Rap at recess with my best friend- I still remember most of the words to all of these to this day.

When I was a teenager, It was watching Live on Broadway for the 23rd time in my buddy’s basement. We threatened to hold an intervention to get him to watch something else, but never did.

When I was in school it was watching Awakenings to discuss ethics, What Dreams May Come in philosophy class and Flubber on the field trip coach bus. 

As an adult, it was listening to him discuss his humanity, flaws and struggles on various podcasts and talk shows, then watching my young nieces and nephew discover the magic of his movies for the first time. 

Unlike most artists that I have mourned, Robin Williams didn’t represent a singular phase of my life. His talent and brilliance were a constant. The idea that he is gone is difficult to process and it just doesn’t seem fair. 

EMILY PLUNKETT

This one hurts.

Beyond the fact that it’s Robin Williams that passed – like, THE Robin Williams who has made us piss our pants laughing for the past 40 odd years – I cannot get over the fact that we lost another soul to depression. 

As much as we didn’t know him personally, we knew his work.  For children of the ‘90’s and beyond, he is Mrs. Doubtfire, Alan Parrish, Peter Banning and the Genie. Mork, Adrian Cronauer, Patch, Sean Maguire to fans of his generation and his plethora of critically acclaimed awards.  When an artist encompasses so much of our pop culture spectrum, we feel the loss.  The world is crying right now.  I know this because my social media feeds have exploded with tributes from fans and personal friends of the actor.  

What I noticed immediately is that all the posts I’ve read are filled with reminders that we should never take depression for granted.  And I couldn’t agree more.  I’ve been there.  I know that pain and have come back from the brink; and now the whole world is reminded on such a deeply personal level that the pain of depression is so powerful and encompassing.  Williams probably knew what he had as a husband and a loving father, whose last post to Instagram was a photo of himself and his daughter as a child.  But when you’re in that much pain, it all flies out the window, and internal lies of depression takes over. 

It’s so real for so many of us, and yet it takes the death of an international superstar for us to have this conversation. 

Let us hope that this heartbreak will lead to more who suffer from mental illness and depression to seek help and for the discussion of suicide to break free of its taboo so that we don’t have to lose another beautiful spirit.  After all, the next spirit the world loses won’t be famous, but someone will have loved it as much as the world loved Robin Williams; and the cycle of heartbreak will repeat

THEA NIKOLIC

I am deeply saddened by this loss of a great talent. He was a man a tremendous abilities that the world will sorely miss.

If you, or someone you know, are battling depression or anxiety you can call the Distress Centre of Ottawa and Region at 613-238-3311.

San Diego Comic-Con Highlights

SAN DIEGO COMIC-CON HIGHLIGHTS
By Emily Towsley

Now that the International Comi-Con is starting to wind down, it’s time to take a look at some of the things that happened at the “nerd prom” that not all of us got to attend. The lucky few that did, let it be noted that I am extremely jealous of you. However, that even you oh lucky one, probably missed a few things. So let’s get down to business. 

COSPLAY AND CONSENT
In a previous article I outlined the issues female cosplayers have been documented having at conventions. Over 1 in 4 women polled have admitted to being harassed about their attire at a convention. This year at SDCC,  an anti-harassment policy was included in the handbook, and attendees were assured there would be security on hand and swift responses to reports. The Verdict? Still out. Since Comic-Con is just wrapping up, we haven’t heard much about the present state of harassment at San Diego. But, I am still very impressed that their anti-harassment policy made it to the handbook. I am especially glad that this problem is finally being addressed as a problem, not just something girls should “dress less slutty” to avoid. 

VENDORS 

Besides the awesomely beautiful items that were SDCC exclusives, the LA weekly reported some distinct trends that emerged in the buying patterns of our fellow nerds – Jon Snow’s Direwolf Ghost as Funko sculpture was a popular item, as were the anniversary items for Alien, Ghostbusters and Hello Kitty. Even though most vendors limit the amount of items each person can buy in order to eliminate too many resellers, some of the more popular booths ran out of their inventory early in the day. The most prepared fans camped out before the doors even opened in order to get their prized items. For that Direwolf, I completely understand. 

ANNOUNCEMENTS
There were so many, here is a link  to a list with a run-down of every category. I'll share a few here, but be warned- possible SPOILER alerts ahead.

Game of Thrones held a panel, and led with an amazing bloopers reel! Whether you’re as big of a fan of GOT as I am or not, seeing these seriously intimidating robed characters goof off on screen is definitely a good time. George R.R Martin will not be writing an episode this season, or possibly even visiting the set, as he is seriously buckling down on his novel writing.  While Martin’s presence will undoubtedly be missed,  the Thrones family will be growing by 9 this year including legendary character actor Jonathan Pryce, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine alum Alexander Siddig, and Academy Award Nominee Keisha Castle-Hughes. 

Marvel Comics expanded on their previous announcement that Thor puts down his hammer, and a woman is to take the role next. "This all goes back to when I launched Thor: God of Thunder, it's all been leading up to the moment where Thor can't pick up his hammer. I wanted someone to pick up that hammer, and not be just for a moment or a scene, but for the foreseeable future” said Aaron Daughterman about the future changes, “The idea is to follow her as she carries his hammer, and not just picks it up to whack somebody for a couple of pages.”  During the Marvel Cinematic panel Saturday night, the crowd was treated to the first clips from Avengers: Age of Ultron as well as a July 28th 2017 release date for Guardians of the Galaxy 2. 

Warner Brothers and DC Comics held several panels to show off their big and small screen accomplishments. A teaser trailer for Batman V Superman was overshadowed by the premiere of the first official images of Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman.  On the TV side,   the Arrow teaser trailer was recut between Friday and Saturday to reveal that Ra’s al Ghul will be making his way to the CW this fall.  

As the news continues to roll in about the SDCC panels and the overall atmosphere of the Con, I’ll continue to read it – and daydream about the day when I too can go to “nerd prom”. Until then my nerd-lettes, that’s a wrap! 

Emily Towsley, can be found either teasing her cat, or philosophizing with a customer over coffee in her second-life as a barista. Messages of support regarding her addiction to Netflix, and news of vintage teacup sales can be left on her twitter. (https://twitter.com/emtowsley) Her spare time is spent reading copious amounts of books, (https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/7246432-milie) or working on her latest blog. (http://spineonline.ca/emily-towsley/) 

We've Got Eyes At San Diego Comiccon 2014!

CAPITAL GEEK GIRLS HAS EYES AT SAN DIEGO COMICCON

Ladies and lady-supporting gents, we’ve got eyes live on the ground at San Diego Comiccon all convention-long. CGG supporter and Instagram nut, @comic_stalker, is photographing the con live for us all week and weekend. Be sure to watch our twitter and facebook feeds for the photos as they come in. So far, it looks like a wild, crowded, magical place full off way too many bodies and soooo much merch.

If YOU are at San Diego Comiccon this weekend, share your pics with us via twitter at @capitalgeekgirl and we’ll retweet them!

And remember: drink lots of water, wear comfortable shoes, and don’t take any bull from anyone, geek girls!

Geek Girl Fun: Roller Derby, Geek Documentary, & Fringe Festival Stuff!

by Jordan Danger

BEST BET FOR GEEK GIRL FUN THIS WEEK: ROLLER DERBY SAVED MY SOUL IN OTTAWA
(FOR THE REST OF YOU, THE DOCUMENTARY SHE'S MAKING WILL KEEP YOU ENTERTAINED.)

Many of you may have heard about a little indie play called Roller Derby Saved My Soul. Writer and actor of the one-woman show, Nancy Kenny, created and performed this show much to the joy of many roller derby enthusiasts, and she’s back at it again.

Kenny is currently raising money for a nationwide tour of Fringe festivals as she and a crew are heading out on the road to film a documentary called On the Fringe, detailing the life and experiences of the people who spend their summers participating in Fringe festivals. It’s a unique concept, and a cool one to be sure. Kenny is working hard towards raising the necessary $10,000 to make this documentary, and you can check out her Indiegogo campaign here.

What this means for Ottawa folk is that this Friday, May 30 2014, you can catch a one-night encore of Kenny’s cool show, Roller Derby Saved My Soul. Kenny’s piece is a narrative of one girl’s experience with roller derby, and how much it makes her feel like a superhero. As a former derby player myself, I can tell you this isn’t far from the truth.

ROLLER DERBY SAVED MY SOUL

STARRING NANCY KENNY

FRIDAY MAY 30 2014

ARTS COURT THEATRE, OTTAWA ONTARIO

TICKETS: $15-25

More info here.

Kenny and her show are heavily decorated with awards and highly critically acclaimed. Whether or not you’re familiar with derby, this show shouldn’t be missed. And of course, we love to support geek girls in all areas, so please do contribute to Kenny’s Indiegogo campaign if you can! The documentary project is gathering strong support, not the least of which is the loan of a Volkswagen Passat for Kenny & crew to travel around the country this summer, donated by an independent Ottawa dealership, Hunt Club Volkswagen. So extra snaps for Hunt Club VW for supporting geek girls and girl filmmakers!

You can check out all sorts of info about the show, the documentary, etc etc etc at the info below. You’ll see a couple of our CGG writers at the show on Friday, so be sure to say hi!

About the documentary: www.onthefringedoc.com

About the Roller Derby Saved My Soul: www.rollerderbysavedmysoul.com

On the Fringe Indiegogo campaign: http://igg.me/at/OntheFringe/x/4757376

One Night Only information and tickets: http://www.eventbrite.com/e/fundraiser-roller-derby-saved-my-soul-in-ottawa-for-one-night-only-tickets-11077050757

About Aventus Films: www.aventusfilms.com

About May Can Theatre: http://maycantheatre.webs.com! 

Hunt Club Volkswagen: http://huntclubvw.com/?lng=2

The "I Hate Fangirls" Shirt Debate: why are YOU mad?

by Jordan Danger

THE 'I HATE FANGIRLS' SHIRT AT WONDERCON: WHAT'S THE REAL ISSUE?

So this past weekend at WonderCon, a shortsighted (and in my opinion, PR nightmare of a) company called Tankhead Custom Tees was selling this shirt:

It’s offensive, right? Well, a lot of people thought so. Whenever something like that happens though, where people are getting riled up, I like to ask, what is the core issue here?

Is it that the shirt denigrates fangirls? The tee producer says that a ‘fangirl’ is a specific type of geek, loathed by all. Here’s their official explanation, actually, after the fallout that happened after WonderCon:

So I thought to myself, why IS this shirt so offensive, if there's a boy version, too? 

Can't we all just agree that we all seem to dislike each other, and move on? But somewhere in this shirt was definitely something offensive. What exactly was the problem?

So I thought about the shirt (which, taking the 'fangirls' word out of it, is kind of clever), and made some substitutions to see if it would still be something that causes torches to be lit and fists to be waved:

How often do we see the redneck community denigrated in our humour? Pretty darn often. My guess is, though, that no viral internet outrage would have ensued over this shirt. (Comment on this post and share your opinion, though. Seriously.)

I really despise poodles, so this was an easy one to think up. Because dog breed fanatics are just as fanatical as the most stalwart comic book fan. (Trust me, I'm a pug fangirl of the highest order.) As a pug fan, I obviously think all other dog breeds and their fans are out to lunch. However, aside from being only funny to people who PVR the Westminster Dog Show, this shirt is also unlikely to incite rage across the Web.

Oh MAN, who doesn't hate tailgaters, right? I suppose someone who tailgates because they have poor depth perception could be offended. Or someone who was rushing to the hospital with their pregnant wife in labour and had to tailgate that one time...still, unlikely to get me punched in the face.

So then I thought about more words, like:

'black people'

'autistic people'

'poor people'

'Italians'

...and the reality is, I couldn't make mock-ups of these words on the tee because I couldn't handle the thought that someone might copy the images and spread them across the internet and actually mean what the shirts would say.

So the line on the 'piss people off and sound like an asshole' meter seems to be when the shirt attacks a human group based on their attributes, culture, ability, etc. Basically, anything that someone would be bullied for in grade six.

Okay, but then how come I can totally see THIS shirt being sold at many of the queer women's festivals I've been to, and no one would freak out....

My point right here is that there's a weird 'offensiveness blindness' that happens when men are the brunt of the exact same joke as a woman. Comment below if you've got thoughts on that, but please for the love of Stan Lee, don't rely on the same tired argument that men have all the privilege. I think it's more complex than that. Give me something new to think about.

ANYWAY, I wondered if the Tankhead Tee people were fully aware of what the problem was here (using the word 'hate' in conjuction with reference to an isolated minority). They didn't seem to understand why this would be hurtful. I wanted a way to illustrate for Tankhead how it feels to be the brunt of people's discriminatory hatred--something they'd understand. So this is what I came up with:

I hope they see that, and I hope they have a little moment where the lightbulb comes on. "Ohhhhh, it DOES suck to have a tee shirt making fun of you." And hey, if they say they're offended, I'll just respond with, "You're being over-sensitive. CLEARLY I was referring only specifically to one kind of Tankhead, and it's not YOU. I swear."

Okay, so assuming I have your attention now, Tankhead, I'd like to propose some uses for your clever catchphrase that are pretty universally agreed upon:

Preach it, sister.

It's like Hunger Games with math.

RIGHT?!

Needs no explanation.

Come on, WE'RE ALL THINKING IT.

I'd really like to hear what people think about this tee shirt mess. Comment below, won't you please? I hope we can hear from supporters AND non-supporters of the shirt. I'd also like to hear which of the above alternate designs you think should be in production.

Jordan Danger is a veteran blogger, writer, and marketing consultant based in Ottawa, Ontario. She is also President and Editor of CapitalGeekGirls.com. Jordan blogs at GirlCrafted.com, a lifestyle blog about crafting life both literally and figuratively. She loves DIY projects, her dog, and Oxford commas.

Best Geek News Sources

by Courtney Lockhart 

BEST PLACES TO GET YOUR GEEK NEWS

We here at Capital Geek Girls strive to be an informative, entertaining source for geek news and reviews. But we are still a fairly new site and can only do so much. Want to help us do more? SPONSOR!(http://capitalgeekgirls.blogspot.ca/p/pr-sponsors.html)

Ok, Shameless plug over.

So as I was saying, we know we can’t be your source for all things geeky YET.  In the meantime, I’ve spent the last few weeks combing the corners of the web for some of the best sites out there to not only keep you in the loop, but also entertained.

IT’S OFFICIAL: THE TRADES.

The internet lives off rumours and speculation.  The best way to tell if your dream actually has come true is to check a few major hollywood publications. Entertainment Weekly (http://www.ew.com/ew/)  Variety (http://variety.com) and The Hollywood Reporter (http://www.hollywoodreporter.com) are upping their coverage  of nerd stuff on a daily basis. Want to know even faster? Follow them on twitter to get headline news before the articles are even written.  The downside to following the trades is they may not hold the news to the level of reverence you would like.  With so many deals going down everyday, Star Wars casting may only get two paragraphs instead of two pages.

ALL IN THE FAMILY: GAWKER MEDIA

While Nick Denton’s blog empire is more well known these days for trying to buy Rob Ford’s crack tape and Lena Dunham’s un-photoshopped Vogue photos, there is a huge amount of nerd news published under its banner daily.  Five of the nine pages making up their holdings lean distinctively geeky. IO9 (http://io9.com) covers science, sci-fi and futurism  while Lifehacker (http://lifehacker.com) reviews the latest software and advice to make your current life a little easier. Kotaku (http://kotaku.com) covers the latest video game news, Gizmodo (http://gizmodo.com) discusses the gadgets you play them on and Valleywag (http://valleywag.gawker.com) gossips about the people who make it all possible.  Like the trade publications, occasionally you’ll find that a reporter is covering a topic they don’t particularly care about and it shows in the writing. The discussion threads and comment sections are quite articulate and make this one of the few places where it is not only safe, but encouraging, to read the lower half of the internet.

 

FEAST FOR THE EYES AND EARS: NERDIST INDUSTRIES

Do you miss G4 and Attack of the Show? Then I highly recommend hanging around nerdist.com . Chris Hardwick’s ever growing digital juggernaut not only includes podcasts, articles and comedy videos, but a five days a week news program on YouTube starring former IGN talent Jessica Chobot.  All Nerdist projects share a vibe of positive and constructive criticism that is a refreshing change from some sites constant doom predictions. But, Nerdist News (http://www.nerdist.com/category/nerdist-news-2/)  as a show can seem rushed with a run time of 5 minutes a day. 

EVERYONE’S A CRITIC: NEWS AND REVIEWS SITES

This is the most popular genre of news site I found and it was extremely difficult to only pick a couple to recommend. This style of reporting took over starting in 1996 with Harry Knowles’ Ain’t it Cool News (http://www.aintitcool.com) a site that mainly focuses on geek film news. If you like your news with a heavy dose of snark, head over to Topless Robot (http://www.toplessrobot.com) a site that completely preaches to the choir with regular columns like ‘I read your fan fiction’ and ‘Impressive Acts of Nerdery’.  One of my personal favourites, Den of Geek (http://www.denofgeek.com) not only covers the latest news  and releases but delves into the back canon of amazing work already available. They are nearing the end of an excellent  series  about the most underrated movies of 2000-present that has definitely  expanded my Netflix watch list.  Last but certainly not least is The Mary Sue (http://www.themarysue.com) a great site  that advertises itself as a “Guide to Geek Girl Culture.” It does a great job of covering a variety of topics to show geek girl is as broad a definition as geek itself.

Did we miss one of your favourites? Let us know in the comments!

Courtney Lockhart lives in the west end of Ottawa with her husband and step-cat.  She is polishing her skills to pursue one of her dream careers as either a costume drama character, Torchwood operative or executive assistant to a billionaire vigilante. You can follow her daily mission to DFTBA on Twitter @corastacy.