What I’m Reading Now: “The Book of Human Insects” by Osamu Tezuka

Posted on September 23, 2011 | Leave a comment

When the lovely Laura Shatzkin at Vertical, Inc. offered me a copy of The Book of Human Insects by the “grandfather” of Japanese comics, Osamu Tezuka (Astro Boy), I nearly soiled my ill-fitting pants in anticipation. Then, I took some deep breaths, cleaned myself up, and asked her to send it to me. I sat staring at the mailbox for a full two days.

And now, I have it in my clutches – as you may know, I’m a huge Tezuka fan, specifically for his work on Buddha. Can’t WAIT to break it open!

The book description:

Osamu Tezuka’s The Book of Human Insects is a dark and haunting story of a young woman who has plagiarized, blackmailed, stolen, and replicated the works of others in her quest for success and public adoration. As she climbs higher and higher – from acclaimed stage actress, to award-winning architect, and, finally, to the recipient of the Akutagawa Prize for Japan’s best new writer — Toshiko Tomura will stop at nothing, not even murder, to get what she wants.

The Book of Human Insects was originally serialized in the 1970s. But Tezuka’s disturbing, seductive vision of a world where only those willing to sell their souls to the masses can achieve their dreams, will resonate today more than ever. Contemporary culture is shaped by reality shows, tabloids, and gossip blogs. We have become obsessed with celebrity, and readily accept it as a substitute for true talent and any semblance of artistic integrity.

With his unerring skill at understanding the psychological and emotional underpinnings of behavior, Osamu Tezuka anticipated this cult of fame by forty years. In his wickedly entertaining tale – now available in English for the first time – he uses his sharpest scalpel to peel back the layers and reveal the essence of our humanity.

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Posted in Books, Comics, Japanpop

Social Media for Comics: 5 Tips for Promoting on Facebook

Posted on August 3, 2011 | 3 Comments

Illustration by HogBoy (http://moadesign.net)

It’s that elusive juggernaut of social networking called Facebook – a mystery to some, a second home to others (ahem, me) – but equally, ultimately, a fantastic platform for promotion.

Continued from my last Social Media for Comics article, 5 Tips for Promoting Your Comics on Twitter, here are a few tips on how best to use Facebook to promote your work and nurture your online relationships for biz betterment. Keep in mind that this is assuming you understand the bare bones of the site and how it works, but don’t really know some of the etiquette that comes along with using it for promotional endeavors.

5 Tips for Promoting on Facebook

1. Have a personal profile and a fan page – NOT a fan group.

“Groups” on Facebook used to be OK, way back in the good ol’ days before people couldn’t just add you into them at their whim, without your permission. They were invite-only. For me personally, it’s a huge source of contention and I immediately delete myself from those groups with a sudden distaste for whoever placed me in it. I shake my fist at you, groups!

This is in addition to your personal profile. I recommend keeping a public personal profile (you can always have another private page for just your close friends and family). This will allow you to accumulate fans and friends to invite to your fan page – notice how on the fan page it gives you the option to “Suggest to Friends” – this makes it easier to invite people with the click of a button. One personal page and one fan page will allow you to cover all the bases: a friendly face for your fans AND a place to promote your business.

I also recommend having at least one actual photo of yourself in your profile photos – people who only have artwork as their photos kind of creep me out, and minimizes the feeling of comfortable, personal interaction online (which is, in fact, possible!).

Here’s a fantastic step-by-step guide on “How to Build the Perfect Facebook Fan Page” on Techipedia.com.
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Posted in Comics, Social Media

Healthy/Geeky: The Astonishing Super-Powered Mediterranean Quinoa Salad

Posted on July 6, 2011 | Leave a comment

Quinoa (pronounced keen-wa, as in, “It was really keen-wa when Johnny took me to the soda shoppe. I think he’s going to give me his Varsity jacket!”) is any superhero’s best friend – it’s a complete protein, and considered one of the healthiest foods on the planet, cultivated by Incan tribes in the Andes Mountains of South America. I’m pretty sure Hoth or Caprica doesn’t have anything comparable (duh, look at the climate on Hoth, you idiot!). I’m also pretty sure there was an Indiana Jones movie about the quest for the ancient Quinoa grain of the dark Incan mountain.

And so, my secret recipe – for this nearly perfect, completely vegetarian meal (great to bring to cookouts!), with tons of protein, healthy veggies and fats, and a little cheese thrown in there for good measure. Enjoy, healthy geekies!
 

The Astonishing Super-Powered, Protein-Packed Mediterranean Quinoa Salad

(adapted from a recipe by Coulter)

Ingredients

  • 2 cups vegetable broth or stock
  • 1 tbs garlic salt/powder (or to taste)
  • 1.5 cups uncooked quinoa (I like Bob’s Red Mill Organic Grain Quinoa)
  • 1 medium yellow or red onion, diced
  • 1 large red, orange or yellow bell pepper, diced (mix up the colors! you can also use jarred roasted red peppers if you prefer)
  • 1 medium cucumber, diced
  • 1/2 cup chopped kalamata olives
  • 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
  • 1/4 cup chopped fresh or dried chives
  • 1/2 lemon
  • 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar*
  • 1/4 cup olive oil*

*a salad dressing will also work for this instead of the vinegar and oil – balsamic vinaigrette or a red wine and vinegar dressing is best, and you’ll only need a few tablespoons – the flavor goes a long way!

Directions

  1. Start by sauteeing the onions and garlic salt/powder in some light olive oil in the large saucepan you’ll use to cook the quinoa. Once pleasantly browned, pour in the vegetable broth and bring to a boil. Stir in the quinoa, reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until the quinoa is tender and the water has been absorbed, 15 to 20 minutes. You won’t need to stir it, but keep an eye on it that it doesn’t get too dry.
  2. Once the quinoa is finished cooking, dump it into a large mixing bowl, where you’ll want to immediately, gently, stir in the crumbled feta cheese (so it gets a little melty over the grains – nomnomnom!), balsamic vinegar, olive oil. De-seed the lemon and squeeze the juice over the quinoa mixture – stir everything, then let sit for 5-10 minutes, depending on how patient you are!
  3. Once a bit cooler, the fresh veggies go in – stir in the bell pepper, cucumber, olives, chives, until evenly mixed. Serve warm or, I prefer letting it sit in the fridge overnight to get cool and flavorful.

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Posted in Healthy/Geeky, Lay Off Me I'm Starving

Geekspeak for Dating

Posted on June 30, 2011 | 4 Comments

As a perpetually single nerd girl, I sometimes, albeit rarely, find myself on dates with men who aren’t geeks. I know, I know, it’s breaking the code – but I try to keep an open mind, an open heart, open gams. I mean…open…path to the soul? What?

Thankfully, I’m currently dating someone who understands what it means when something like, “in heat, am I” or “teehee! it’s just like playing Atari!” comes out of my mouth…but some of you ladies may not be so lucky. Here are a few scenarios where you can use your geekspeak knowledge to your advantage. Listen and learn, nerf herders.
 
Use Your Geekspeak to: Have a Private Laugh at Your Date’s Expense

Example:

Him: “So yeah, my job covers a lot of turf in toxicity lawuits; scoping out land, discussing fracking (hydraulic fracturing) issues…”

Me *spits out drink*: “Did you just say frakking issues?”
 
Use Your Geekspeak for: Rejection

Example:

Me: Thanks so much for the date…I would kiss you goodbye, but I have the same mutant powers as Rogue and I wouldn’t want to kill you!

Him: *blank stare*

Me: *walks away*
 
Use Your Geekspeak for: Talking Dirty

*pointing at ladyparts* Here’s the Death Star…you be Han Solo. Like the pew pew pew! Get it??
 
Use Your Geekspeak for: Picking Up Someone at the Bar

I really like those pants you’re wearing (then, include a spoken hashtag aside: #theywouldlookbetteronmyfaceimeanmyfloor).
 
Now I want to hear from YOU – post your Dating Geekspeak scenarios in the comments section below!

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Posted in Geeked Out

What about the Hot Nerd Guys? (a thought on the “Hot Geek Girl” debate)

Posted on May 6, 2011 | 4 Comments

No...no, I didn't.

The “hot geek girl” debate is taking the interwebs by storm, spurred by a poorly-researched rant made by blogger Zooey Mae on The Synthesis, titled “Having Tits and Liking Spider-Man Isn’t Shocking Anymore” about one of the industry’s favorite geek girl bloggers, Jill Pantozzi. From there, a whirlwind of well-versed responses: on Newsarama by Jill herself; Bleeding Cool, The Beat by Heidi MacDonald, and others.

As someone who just this past weekend moderated a “Female Creators” panel at the Boston Comic Con, I heard a lot of this similar debate – not specifically about “hot” women, but women’s presence in the Nerdom in general (one audience member’s reaction here).

I’m glad the topic’s being discussed – I’m always psyched to see girls getting geek cred, and I love reading the comments spurned by these opinionated pieces. All this talk about the legitimacy of “hot nerdy girls” (how could hot girls really be nerds? are they just pretending, so as to get attention? etc, etc.) had me thinking, though – what about the guys?

Helloooo nurse!

Guys that are into comic books, toys, video games and other stereotypically geeky past-times have generally been dismissed as either socially inept, overweight, unattractive, and deserving of a good shove into a metal locker. But as I lurked the aisles of the Con this weekend, I had a most stunning realization – there were a LOT of good-looking, clean-looking dudes there. Guys I would even DATE (see: because I’m shallow; also see: and by date, I mean do).

Okay, so what about these weight bench-hitting, Star Wars t-shirt-wielding menfolk? Because geek culture is becoming more mainstream, are these hot dudes now springing for their true interests in public, plastic lightsabers flailing? Is this what’s going on with the “hot nerd chick” thing, too? Or are the hot nerd guys coming to the Con to pick up “hot nerd chicks”? So many questions. So much psychology. So much of “I don’t really care.”

Here’s one thing I DO care about: are geek guys throwing so much hate at these “hot nerd guys” the way women are at the “hot nerd girls”?

As Kate Cotler on Bleeding Cool wrote (and was quoted on The Beat, also), which is too good not to re-post: Being a geek girl is challenging: Not only do we have to contend with the fact that pop-culture tends to objectify and marginalize women, often reducing geek girls to being a pair of tits and an ass in a Sailor Moon or Catholic schoolgirl outfit – but, we have to also contend with girl-on-girl hate crimes such as this one… The competitive, bitchy, mean girl antics of those who aren’t secure enough in their own geeky glory to resist lashing out at those who are makes it twenty times harder for women to succeed in a male dominated culture.

I’m curious as to whether or not this type of discrimination happens in man-world, too – or if we women are just doomed by the overwhelming presence of estrogen. *starts weeping*

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Posted in Comics, Geeked Out, Rambles

Healthy/Geeky: Adri + Yoda’s Jedi Power Smoothie

Posted on April 26, 2011 | 2 Comments

Since I moved back to Massachusetts about 7 months ago, I’ve had to say peace out to my Brooklyn frequents of the past few years and create some new weekly haunts. Which wasn’t hard, considering there are a couple of nearby spots worth infesting: Jerry’s Comics & Collectibles, and Rawbert’s Organic Garden Café – an all raw, all vegan restaurant - in Beverly, MA.

My favorite after-workout orders are the kale chips and their Yoda’s Jedi Power Smoothie, which I OBVIOUSLY first ordered for its name – but then became hooked. When I order it now, I’ve modified it to be more diet-friendly (I’m trying to keep below a certain number of calories) but the whole thing is super-healthy.

The best part? The smoothie is GREEN. Judge it by its color, do you? This smoothie’s ally is DELICIOUSNESS!

So, if you can’t make it to Rawbert’s Organic Garden and want to try out this sweet and fluffy high-protein, high-fiber smoothie, here’s the recipe to whip one up yourself…with The Force. Or, you know, your blender or Cuisinart-thingy.

Adri + Yoda’s Jedi Power Smoothie
(Modified from Rawbert’s Organic Garden in Beverly, MA’s recipe) 

Ingredients

1 medium banana (frozen preferable)

1- 1/2 cup berries of choice (Goji berries, strawberries, raspberries, etc.)

2 teaspoons agave nectar

1 teaspoon Spirulina or Spirulina Protein Powder (What’s Spirulina?)

1-2 tablespoons of sprouted buckwheat, wheat germ or flax seed

Water and ice to desired consistency

Directions

Blend in a blender, you dummy! (said in the voice of Dr. Steve Brule)

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Posted in Healthy/Geeky, Lay Off Me I'm Starving

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Gonna Moderate the HECK out of Some Panels at the BOSTON COMIC CON!

Posted on April 19, 2011 | 1 Comment

It’s official, folks – I’ve been invited to moderate two AMAZING panels at the Boston Comic Con next weekend, April 30th-May 1 at the Hynes Convention Center! Not only am I flattered, but I’m super-psyched to get the chance to chat with some creators I truly admire.

I’ll be moderating the Female Creators Panel with Ming Doyle, Sara Richard, Stephanie Buscema, and Allison Sohn on Saturday, April 30 from 11:30A.M.-12:15.PM and the Spotlight on Terry Moore from 6:00P.M.-6:45P.M that same day – so get yo’ questions ready!

Here’s the full lineup for the Con:

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Posted in Comics, Events and Parties

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