#sdcc this year maybe

[nalyra-dreaming]

So to recap…

* Talamasca is coming

* There was more s2 footage

* They brought in Amy Lee for the presentation

* Sam, Delainey, Assad and Eric were there, supposedly Jacob is filming, and Sam knew he couldn’t come 😭

* Our cast is cute as hell 🥰

[rogers-attic]

OH MY GOD?!???

[neil-gaiman]

One time, I was on Coronado Island during SDCC and saw you. It's probably been 12-15 years now. Since that day, sometimes when I feel out of place because maybe my style or vibe doesn't match the crowd I'm in, I think, "Stop! Be as comfortable and confident as Neil Gaiman walking around wearing all black in the California sunshine!"

This sounds very wise. I long ago learned I'm more comfortable feeling like me.

[kayshasiemens]

Rising from the dead to share this painting and then disappear again

I have spent over 90 hours of my life on this thing because I have had the brain rot for the last 2 years of my life (almost 20 if you count when I first read the comics) and it had to express itself somehow

Hope this dramatic bitch feels appreciated

(A Dream of Morpheus, handmade egg tempera on panel, 12x18 inches...if by any chance you'll be at SDCC or Gen Con, I'll be at booth 934/936 at the first one and Art Show #13 at the second one - come see the original, maybe get a print, or just yell/cry about Sandman with me?)

And here, have some more details - I had fun combining some favorite elements from both the comic and the show ♡

[dduane]

Hello,

I am currently getting excited about visiting my first WorldCon.

So I wondered if you'll attend? And if so, what's your protocoll for being accosted by strangers (aka me 🙈)?

Also, do you have any tips for a firsty? 🥺

Mel

Hi there!

Unfortunately @petermorwood and I can't make Worldcon in Glasgow this time out. We will be guesting in a week and a bit at the International Discworld Convention in Birmingham (to which we committed last year).

We were open to the possibility that we might be able to do Glasgow as well. But a combination of financial and health issues—the "health" issues meaning the arthritis in my hips and the disc trouble in my lower spine—have over the last six months made it plain that trying to do two conventions in one month wasn't going to work out. (shrug/sigh) Them's the breaks. Sorry about that: we'll miss you.

Meanwhile, you should have a great time there! And a first time at Worldcon is always a blast.

Some advice in passing:

(1) First, and maybe most important: strategize. This is quite a large event compared to other conventions you might have done (besides media megacons like SDCC or similar).

There'll be multiple programming tracks with all kinds of things going on. So take your time, spend some time examining whatever downloadable form of their program that the con may be making available, and see what interests you most.

Make a list of what you want to see. Do some ranking of items. Add a few interesting alternates in case items get changed or delayed.

(2) Once you're on site: get clear as quickly as you can on how long it will take you to get from wherever you're staying to where the programming is happening. Take note of how long it takes to get around from one part of the convention centre to another. Once you have this basic data, be aware that you'll probably need to add time to account for slow elevetors (in hotels or at the con venues) and to deal with lines that may form up outside of busy popular events.

(3) Don't forget to set aside some time to see both the dealers' room(s) and the art show. I never did get to see the art show in Dublin in 2019, which continues to drive me a bit nuts (as I have a long history of volunteering at Worldcon art shows).

(4) Keep an eye on your food and drink intake. Make sure to eat. Make sure to stay hydrated! ...It is surprisingly easy to forget to do one or both of these at a Worldcon when things start to get exciting.

There are usually places in the venue itself where you can grab a sandwich and a soft drink if you have no time for anything else. Seriously, make sure you take time to do this.

Also. if you've got the spare cash to do it: Watch out for people who need feeding but don't have the cash. Do what you can to assist them. There are routinely some folks around who've spent every penny getting to the con, and as a result have shortchanged themselves on the money they need to eat. Feeding the hungry is a good thing to do.

(5) Make sure you sleep. Cons are not pleasant when you're so tired you're hallucinatory, or microsleeping without warning and falling down stairs and escalators and things.

(6) If you like to dance, try to make it to John Scalzi's dance party! These are always memorable. John does the DJ-ing, and does a great job of it.

(7) Go outside and breathe the fresh air occasionally. While doing so, please do your best not to fall in the Clyde. :)

(8) Go to the bars, whether you plan to drink alcoholically or not. UK conventions have a long tradition of Bar Cons, where writers routinely congregate between program items, sometimes in surprising numbers. At this one in particular, since George R. R. Martin seems to not be on any panels, he has said he's going to be "in the bar" meeting people a lot: so that's something to think about.

(9) Other than that: meet people, talk to people, be excited about stuff, learn about new stuff to be excited about! That's always been the great joy of Worldcons for me.

And have a great con!

[whateverisbeautiful]

♥️Reveling in Richonne - TOWL

#1: The Hand (1.01)

The level of excitement, anxiety, joy, and anticipation I felt just before pressing play on the TOWL premiere was so high. My Richonne was finally coming back. 🥹 And man did they just snatch my heart for an entire hour with their return. I already knew seeing them again would be euphoric, but it was even more than I could have guessed. And the TOWL premiere dives right in with a very emotional, wild, and impactful first few minutes...

When deciding on a deadline for having these RIR: Towl Edition posts ready, I figured today, July 22, would be a great kickoff day since it's the anniversary of when The Ones Who Live was first announced at SDCC. 👌🏽😊

I remember where I was the day I first saw the TOWL announcement in 2022. I was in the middle of moving to a new place and saw an article pop up on my phone with a picture of Andy and Danai hand in hand at Comic-Con. I was just happy to see them.

And then I looked down at the article’s headline and saw they were there to announce that there would be a Rick and Michonne miniseries. 🤩 I was already overjoyed by that, but then, my joy just skyrocketed even more when I saw that they were coming back specifically for a miniseries focused on Rick and Michonne’s “epic love story” with Andy, Danai, and Scott as co-creators and executive producers. 😍

I knew we were about to have an absolute feast with this show our captains cooked up - and feast we most certainly did. This 6 episode miniseries is a six-course meal. 🍽

And I think TOWL is excellent on its own and has a lot of widespread appeal but when I’ve seen people say The Ones Who Live felt like it was particularly for the Richonne fans, there’s also a very clear explanation for that: the show was made by three Richonne fans. Scott, Andy, and Danai…they’re us. 😋

And I am so grateful to them for the beautiful gift that is The Ones Who Live. 😌

So this first post is a bit longer because I gotta come out the gate extra and even offer up some thoughts on the TWD clips that they included just before the premiere starts. I really liked how it sets up TOWL and highlights the power of Richonne’s relationship. 

They start by showing the iconic pilot shot of Rick on his horse riding along the barren side of a freeway as we hear his voice say, “We tell ourselves we are the walking dead.”

And then they include the iconic shot of Michonne’s TWD entrance from season 2.

They then show a clip from season 6, just a few episodes before Richonne would be canon. In the clip, Michonne is on the patio with Rick (and his elevator eyes) as she helps him see, “We’re in here together.”

I love this because in reminding Rick that they’re alive and breathing right here and now and have the room to make ASZ home it shows how Michonne was the one who helped change Rick’s motto from “We’re the walking dead” to “We’re the ones who live.” It’s one of the many ways she changed his life. 😌

They show some Say Yes moments, and you know I love that Richonne episode down. Seeing them use clips from the beloved 7.12, I remember just marveling over how years ago we were so excited just to get a single episode focused on Richonne and now we were gearing up to watch a whole miniseries dedicated to them. 🥰 Never getting over that blessing.

Rick says, “We’re gonna lose people, maybe even each other” as the clip ushers in its first gut punch of the hour by showing Rick and Michonne at their son Carl’s side after he reveals he’s been bit. 🥺

They also show Rick telling Michonne “You can lose me” in the Say Yes van and her saying “No.” We’ll talk about it more in a later post, but just as many of us suspected - Richonne cannot in fact lose each other and live on the same. While losing each other is and was physically possible, in every other way losing each other made them lose the most crucial parts of themselves.

Then they show Rick in his final TWD ep, preparing to blow up the bridge as his voiceover tells Michonne “If it’s me who doesn’t make it, you’re gonna have to lead the others forward because you’re the one who can.”

We see Michonne scream his name as Rick blows up the bridge and then they show our sweet older Judith as Rick says “Making a future for Judith, it’ll be worth it.” And I always love that 9.05 shot of Judith because of how it incorporates Rick, Carl, and Michonne with the holster, hat, and sword on her back. She along with RJ is an embodiment of their legacy and the future Richonne believed in.

Then they show Michonne slaying a walker as she says “We can make it. I’m not giving up.” And it just all really hammers home the resilience of Richonne and their love and partnership. They’ve been through so much, built so much, and lost so much, but they still stand because of each other and the family they created. 

After they give us some CRM insight with clips of Jadis (😒), they show scenes of Michonne and Judith’s last conversation where they both decide Michonne will go and look for The Brave Man. I’m glad they included that because some viewers really tend to forget that Judith urged her mom to go look for her dad and Michonne left not as an act of abandonment, but as the ultimate act of love for her family.

The TWD clips ends with Michonne saying “Okay baby girl I’m gonna try” and Judith saying “Go get him.” I love that even with everyone else thinking they were crazy, Michonne and Judith never stopped believing Rick was out there. (And RJ was believing too. 🥹 But I'm getting way ahead of myself lol)

And then --- the show we’ve all been waiting for begins and the TOWL premiere has a devastatingly poignant teaser. 🥺

I like how The Ones Who Live's opener connects to the last of the TWD clips because Michonne tells her baby girl she’s gonna try and then we hear Rick’s voice start the show by saying, “I tried. Please know I tried.”

It moves me how much Rick and Michonne have been trying for each other while apart. And it’s crushing to hear Rick say 'tried' in the past tense as he now debates no longer trying anymore since he's learned he can’t be with his family again or else risk putting them in harm's way.

After years of waiting to finally see what Rick has been up to all this time, they immediately let us know it has been an excruciatingly painful existence for him without his family. 😢

gif cred: @perryabbott

I like how the shot opens with Rick facing away from the camera as he stares out the window at a cold industrial view. Rick facing away from us almost gives this sense that we know him but we also don’t fully know him anymore. He’s been through a lot we haven’t seen.

The vintage TV delivers news of a massive attack in the background and similar to the destruction on the television, Rick also feels destroyed by the CRM and at his lowest here. 

gif cred: @nerd4music

Then I love how before we even see Rick's face, we see him holding one of his phone sketches of Michonne. This show did a great job of immediately setting up the way Richonne’s love would be at the center of every scene in this story.

This shot of Michonne on the phone let you know instantly that the love between Richonne is still so alive and important to Rick and the miniseries. It’s also painful because it’s like Rick is finally accepting that those little drawings really could be the last he ever gets to “see” her after fighting so hard to believe he would see her again for real one day. 

And it’s very symbolic to have him look at Michonne on the phone and then see his own reflection in it. They’re one. It’s also significant that the first we see of Rick’s face is through a reflection. Again he’s him, but he’s not fully him rn. Just a reflection. And the part of him he misses most is his other half - Michonne. 

gif cred: @richonne4life

One of the tragic aspects of these two soulmates being separated for so long is that Rick and Michonne were not the type of couple who needed absence to make the heart grow fonder. Like they didn’t need to lose each other to realize how special their love was. When they were together they were fully aware of the gift their relationship was in their lives and they treasured their love deeply and out loud.

So being apart has only heightened what Rick and Michonne already knew full well which is that they are the love of each other's lives. They’re everything to each other. They knew it back then. And they know it still now, even after being away from each other longer than they’ve been together. 

It’s such a big deal for Rick to look at this phone in this moment as he contemplates ending it. I noticed that anytime Rick thinks he’s about to die, he thinks of Michonne. It's as though he’s eager for his last moment of life and his last thought to be of her so that he can end on some semblance of a positive note.

When he’s on the bridge in TWD 9.05, Michonne is his last hallucination. When he later chops off his hand and fades out of consciousness he dreams of her. And here when he contemplates dying by his own hand, he looks at this image of her just before. It makes me think of that TikTok that went viral about a man saying his last breath will be his wife’s name. That is definitely Rick’s mindset and I love that Richonne’s love runs that deep. 

Rick looks out with tears in his eyes - just sadness personified - and then he stares at the shard of glass in his hand, contemplative, before putting the glass to his neck. The acting Andy does in this moment is incredibly powerful and painful. I know award shows disappointingly tend to completely sleep on the performances from the TWD cast but truly to me he secured every award nomination just within his first few seconds of being on screen.

There’s something so viscerally vulnerable about this moment as Rick stares at the glass really wondering if after everything he’s been through and overcome, it’s really come to this - meeting his demise by his own hand with a little piece of glass.

Plus with how resilient Rick is, it’s like we see this massive internal fight to go against everything in him that’s a survivor and actively choose to stop surviving once and for all.

My heart just instantly broke from this teaser because while yes we know Rick won’t go through with it, to know that he was even in the headspace of this makes me hurt for him deeply. To think he was ready to potentially just go out, alone, depressed, never seeing his family again and them never knowing he was out there, feeling like a failure. It’s extremely dark.

gif cred: @vidco

Throughout his time on TWD, Rick’s journey has been as much a mental battle as it has been an external battle and as we saw in the TWD pilot, Rick is extremely perseverant but without his family, he is not opposed to just ending it.

And now, he's tried so hard for so many years to get back to Michonne and Judith, he stayed alive off the memory of family and the hope of being with family again - But once he realized it was no longer an option unless he risked putting the ones he loves in immense danger, that was it for him. In this moment he no longer sees the point in living if he has to live without his wife and daughter. 🥺

I found it powerfully poignant to have a show called The Ones Who Live begin by having Rick about to take his life. It shows that for Rick, there’s an asterisk on that motto because he feels he’s only 'the one who lives' if he gets to live with Michonne. It’s either ‘the ones who live together’ or nothing at all for Rick. 

So he nearly goes through with this attempt. Even draws some blood on his neck...but then he stops. Thank goodness. 🙏🏽 He sucks his teeth and sighs as he stares at the shard of glass looking defeated but also resolved that he can’t go through with it. Not like this.

Through this teaser, we instantly get his state of mind. He can’t end it all but he’s been in so much pain that it feels like the only way through is to die. It’s utterly tragic. 🥺

And I truly feel like part of why Rick couldn’t go through with it is because he and Michonne genuinely are one. So his life is not just his to take.

So long as Michonne is still out there and her heart is still beating then his heart still has to beat too, even if he has to die in other ways to somehow go on without her. We’ll also learn more about why he doesn’t go through with it in his heartbreakingly romantic last letter to Michonne, but we’ll get there. 👌🏽

So then we see the back of Rick again as he ends the night accepting his dreary fate to live but truly as the walking dead from now on. And I really like how the show explores the dark and damaging side of having to tell yourself you’re the walking dead. As well as the dark side of being 'the one who lives' even when everything in you wants to quit living because now you have to live without those you love.

When Rick gave the speech about his grandpa and them being the Walking Dead in TWD 5.10, Daryl responded saying, “We ain’t them.” Rick agreed with that because so long as you have family you aren’t the Walking Dead.

But that’s the thing - Rick hasn’t had his family for years and so he really did have to become the Walking Dead. But as he’ll say at the end of the series (jumping way ahead again, I know lol) he thought he was alone, but he wasn’t. His kids and wife especially were still believing in him and still loving him out there.

I like to think that just like Michonne could feel Rick out there with all the love he was emitting from afar toward her, Rick too could feel all the love she was emitting to him and it kept him here a bit longer. And thank goodness for that because my beloved Rick Grimes' story deserves a bright positive ending, not one this dark and depressing, after everything he's been through. 

As the teaser ends and Rick stares into the CRM void, I like the score. The music almost feels like a menacing weighed-down heartbeat which is fitting.

And then there's the beautiful title sequence, which I adore the music and every Richonne image during the theme song. I like how it starts with Rick and Michonne in each other's arms from season 8, letting you know that while the teaser was very dark, there is light coming and that light is called Richonne.

(Also, I really wanted Rick to see Michonne in her corset armor during the show but since he didn’t, I’m glad there’s at least a gorgeous image of the two of them together during the theme song that includes her in the armor.)

I also liked the way the first ep just shows Rick under the title since it’s a Rick-centric episode and then the second episode has just Michonne under the title for the Michonne-centric episode. All and all, this whole opener was a very impactful way to kick off the show and set the tone for what Rick has been through and become in the years he's been away.

All the chatter from certain parts of the audience who thought Rick would move on and even have a new family in the Civic Republic was immediately dispelled because those speculations were always a ridiculous misunderstanding of the character. He found his everything in Michonne so of course he’s still as in love with her now as he was the day we last saw them together in season 9. Just like Michonne still stayed in love with him.

I love that they both refused to move on from each other and operated as in love as ever. And because they held onto that love, even when it felt like all was lost, that love was able to return to them. 👌🏽

So next, we get into some action as we’re taken to 5 years after the bridge. We see Rick and his iconic walk as he stands in the forest with other consignees. And it was such a joy to see him back on screen and know we were finally going to get the continuation of his story. 🙌🏽

gif cred: @vidco

Rick holds a CRM hatchet, which also feels symbolic because it’s similar to one of his signature TWD weapons, but it’s marked by the CRM showing they’ve in many ways attempted to claim him. 

Rick is also the only consignee with a leash, clearly illustrating that he’s a lil different than the rest. He’s the one who doesn’t want to be here and will try to escape if given the chance and the CRM knows this about him. Along with attempting to claim him, this leash makes it feel like the CRM is also attempting to tame him like he's a defiant animal.

gif cred: @nerd4music

As Rick looks around and takes a breath you can tell he’s fully made up his mind about what he’s about to do with his most extreme escape attempt yet.

gif cred: @andy-clutterbuck

Rick runs to take out walkers and again seeing him back in action is such a sight for sore eyes. He’s still got it. 👌🏽 However, because he looks all healthy and strong I think some can miss that Rick is still very much in mental disarray from battling the psychological torment of being taken and trapped all these years. Like he might look normal and fine (and I do mean that in all the ways 😇) but he's not mentally healthy right now.

(Side note: I really love the look of this whole night scene with the deep blues and fiery reds. The budget was doing its thing in TOWL. 👏🏽🔥)

gif cred: @nerd4music

So Rick runs far enough that the leash pulls him to the ground. A soldier yells at him and he says “Sorry. Trying to find my axe.” Look at our cute little liar. 😋

And then the show gets right into the wildness by having Rick put a belt around his arm and proceed to chop off his own hand. It’s insane😳.

It's also very reminiscent of when Negan nearly made Rick chop off Carl’s arm in the season 7 premiere. Chopping his own hand off in these woods was more doable for Rick than had he had to chop off Carl’s arm because it’s his family he cares about far more than himself.

As Rick prepares to do the chop he repeats “This is how” as in this is how he gets home. It hurts my heart that he feels this is the only way.🥺

But it's really moving to see that he’s willing to do something this intense to get back to his love. Also, this is 5 years after the bridge, so this means that even a half a decade later Rick was still as determined as ever to break free and get back to Michonne.

The people I watch with and I had a whole discussion on whether chopping the hand the way he did was daftly executed by the show considering it’s such an extreme thing to do in this situation where Rick was never going to successfully get away bleeding out like that with CRM soldiers so close by.

But my argument was that the 'ill-thought-out' element of this escape plan is part of the point.

For 5 years atp, Rick has been isolated from all love and warmth and is deteriorating mentally day by day. In this extremely damaged state, he’s not thinking straight, and cutting off his hand is a last-ditch effort that shows he will try absolutely anything, sound or unsound, to get back to Michonne and Judith.

Yes, he possibly could have just cut off the thumb or hacked at the leash but the extreme approach Rick took also conveys that he’s not all there right now and he’s as desperate as he’s ever been to finally break free and go home. It also informs us that his more sane escape attempts haven't worked and so now Rick Grimes is willing to try the insane stuff to get back to his family.

Think about the mindset he has to be in to go against natural human instinct and chop off his own hand. It’s crazy, but it immediately lets us know that even the most impractical solutions are now what it’s come to for him. 

gif cred: @nat111love

So basically, if it seems super reckless for him to do it this way, that’s the intention imo. He’s so worn down and off mentally from his debilitating circumstances that he’ll do anything whether it’s the wise thing or not, he doesn’t care anymore. Anything to get back to her.

The traditional saying is 'asking for her hand in marriage,' but here we see Rick, the ultimate lover boy, be like 'What if I literally give my hand for my marriage.' If there’s one thing TOWL made perfectly clear it’s that Rick and Michonne have crazy love. 💯

And while yes his escape plan could have been more thought through, my baby Rick did show some smart thinking by putting the ax in the fire to make the chop easier so you gotta give him that. 😌👌🏽

After he cuts off his hand this horror music plays as Rick proceeds to make a run for it. He has to lean behind a tree dazed as he bleeds profusely.

It’s crazy because the last time we saw Rick in a full episode of TWD he was bleeding out and now here he is intensely injured again and going through the wringer. I was so eager for whenever this man would finally get some much-deserved rest. 

gif cred: @twdfranchise

Rick then has the strength to take out a walker and cauterize the wound by plunging his arm into the fire inside it. This whole thing was an effective way to show early that one; Rick is built different and two; this man will endure literally anything to get home. And home is very much not a place but his wife and daughter.

So then he tries to make a run for it as CRM soldiers near closer and I honestly think with this being his fourth escape attempt this was really a “go home or die trying" attempt. Like I think Rick knew that dying tonight was a very real possibility.

The soldiers knock Rick down and he lays on the ground defeated and drained as he stares at the burning corpse of a walker that’s certainly meant to reflect how he feels as well. Almost like the burning desire to go home has officially consumed him and taken him out.

Feeling like a corpse himself, Rick fades out of consciousness as soldiers approach. And then we get to enter Rick’s lovely mind and see where he goes when at his wit's end.

And y’all, these first two TOWL scenes to analyze were pretty hefty, dark, and depressing, so it’s time we get to something lighter and happier to dive into. And what’s better and brighter than Rick’s beautiful dream world with his beautiful dream girl? 😌👌🏽🌟

[ac0531]

Did an analysis and got some of the most interesting things Aaron said during this interview!!

“Whatever it unlocks, do you have to be connected or master some arcanum to unlock that? Anyways, I will say that there is a big reveal about the key of Aaravos in season 6”- Aaron

“We have many plans for Terry’s character. He’s a main character and we’ll see a lot of him in seasons 6 and 7. In terms of the meeting story between Terry and Claudia, yes we do have a story in mind but I don’t know how it’s going to get told. Sometimes we’ve talked about a book 3 and a half that’s sort of Claudia’s story that’s focused on the two years Claudia is moving around Xadia trying to solve the problem of saving Viren. You’d also have the story of Rayla hunting for Viren and you might have them cross paths, but yeah during that time you’d see her (Claudia) meet Terry- so we’ve talked about Book 3 and a half as maybe a novel or maybe a movie between season 3 and 4.”- Aaron

“That’s another story we’d love to tell at some point. That story sort of involved her rise from her being an orphan to her becoming the queen of Katolis- part of that story also connects to Aaravos and what happened a few hundred years ago. There is more story after season 7 that is important and I’m actually going to talk about it at SDCC.”- Aaron!

“You’ll learn more about Leola in season 6 and the questions you’ve asked will be answered very clearly.”- Aaron (Goji asked “Who is Leola, if she has a connection to Aaravos and if she’ll play a role in season 6”)

“The two examples that came to mind in your list are one: the symbol on the coins which is also the symbol on the book, and yes it connects to old deep magic and you will see a bit more of that in the coming season.”- Aaron

“And then the second thing you mentioned was the staffs in the starscraper, so I’ll share something a little meaty which is that is where they came from, so the question would be- how did it go from there to Viren? I know we’ve seen the scene with Ziard talking about the staff and it being a gift from a great one but yeah, that (the starscraper) is where it’s from.”- Aaron

“A lot of the origin story on who and why (Aaravos backstory) are going to be revealed in season 6.”- Aaron

“Who is he? What does he want? How has he come to be in a situation where he has somehow been involved in magic passing from Startouch elves and you know the elves and dragons to the humans- what is his involvement in that? Some of those questions will be answered in season 6”- Aaron

[dailycass-cain]

Can you tell us more about Gabrych and the end of the 2000 run? Why was it cancelled?

Near the end of the comic book event "Infinite Crisis", Batgirl Vol. 1 was axed. This was not due to low sales (several DC Comics at the time were selling worse and continued on when the relaunch "One Year Later" program was to hit) but for a rather sexist reason.

Back in 2010, the inker for Batgirl Vol. 1, Jesse Delperdang, posted on Deviantart the real reason the series was canceled, "canceled to make room for the coming Batwoman."

That "coming Batwoman" was an ongoing series by Devin Grayson, and would never see the light of day (DC got cold feet when the character got more publicity than they realized and decided to retool the character (which we got with Greg Rucka and J.H. Williams III over in Detective Comics a few years later).

Because more than "one female bat comic" was one too many. Not only that but just last year Dan DiDio posted on Facebook the original outline he had for "OYL" regarding Cass:

Of course, DiDio always changed his mind and instead, we got the racist caricature in OYL. Nor would this be the last time DiDio would change his thoughts on what to do with Cass (2009, 2011, and 2016. Each a can of worms of themselves).

So that's why Batgirl Vol. 1 was canceled, due to sexism.

As for Gabrych, he continued to work with DC until an Omega Men mini in 2006-2007 and began to go back to his life outside DC Comics. He did come back to write a 2010 graphic novel Frogtown for the Vertigo label.

The thing is, DC Editorial under DiDio was a nasty business. Sometimes you followed the edicts or didn't and walked altogether (Kelley Puckett for a brief run with Supergirl Vol. 5 in 2008 and Dylan Horrocks with the "War Games" event when he and Grayson objected to Stephanie Brown being brutally murdered and DC taking away Babs from the comic too). Or you got nasty pricks in editing to deal with like Eddie Berganza (a noted DiDio toadie). It was just a toxic culture altogether, and I'm glad it is over when DiDio got fired in early 2020.

Two have left comics altogether (Puckett & Gabrych) and Horrocks is doing indie comic work in his native New Zealand, but avoiding the Big 2 after the "War Games" experience.

The sad truth is, if you write a Batgirl ongoing there's a 75% chance you're gonna get out of the industry. Literally, there's only a handful of Batgirl writers who've done stories on the ongoings and not left.

We just got Bryan Q. Miller back to DC in a few months (they're also reprinting the Batgirl Vol. 3 run he did), and that's probably cause most of the old regime left (see an SDCC 2020 Batgirls panel he was on with Sarah Kuhn and others where he goes onto a tale regarding his clashes with the heads over Cass).

Puckett did do a new foreword to his Batman Adventures run which got an Omnibus recently. So MAYBE there's hope for him too.

I hope I answered your question to the fullest on why Batgirl Vol. 1 ended and why Gabrych left the industry.

[love-takes-work]

Finally framed my latest 2024 signed SU poster and put it up on my ginormous SU wall.

Most of these are SDCC posters with sketches. The 2020 one is the poster that would have been handed out at the movie event if Covid hadn't happened. Obviously the 2024 one is the recent virtual signing. I do not have signed versions of the posters from 2015 or 2018 at this time. Maybe one day I will find them! I do hope to one day find an older poster than the 2013 one because I have seen an older design.

[Image descriptions: 1. framed 2024 Steven Universe virtual signing poster, signed "to ivy" with a sketch of Lion, up on a wall. 2. and 3. are framed and unframed versions of the same. 4. nine 11 x 17 Steven Universe signing sheets and posters in frames, up on a wall. 5. Same as 4. with the years 2013 through 2020, plus 2024, superimposed on them]

[genericpuff]

Not sure how much good this'll properly do, but turns out Stephanie K. Smith (the LO showrunner) did a Q&A with Girl Wonder Podcast in January. Curious what your thoughts on it given everything that's happened with the comic's conclusion :p

I honestly don't remember if I did touch on that here, but I do remember listening to it when it was first up on Girl Wonder's Patreon and man... they really have no new information to give, the whole thing was just a lot of chit-chat about personal experiences and, of course, more promises that the show is "definitely happening" despite having absolutely nothing to show for it.

Apparently (?) the Q&A that's happening tonight in the official LO Discord will come with new information about the show, but I'm really not holding my breath at this point. Again, at best, even if we're all wrong and assuming the worst that the show isn't happening, they're doing an AWFUL job at keeping people hyped for it. Like you're telling me that Rachel and the TV production team have had ALL these opportunities to talk about the show and give us new information - at NYCC, SDCC, the interview between the showrunner and Girl Wonder, the interview clips that have been released over the last week on IG, etc. - and haven't taken advantage of those opportunities... but a heavily-moderated Discord Q&A is gonna finally drop the details that people have been waiting for for five years?

I mean shit, speaking of assuming the worst, who wants to bet she's doing it in a Discord Q&A because she knows she either has bad news or she's NOT ALLOWED TO TALK ABOUT WHAT SHE'S GONNA SAY so she's doing it in the Discord to keep it more on the "down low"? Assuming she even talks about the show at all? People are definitely gonna be asking about it, even her own fans are losing hope in it at this point and that's not good.

That's my bad faith assumption. My good faith assumption is just that they're doing a really awful job at hyping people up. I don't understand why Rachel keeps saying she's "not allowed to say anything", that makes no sense from a PR standpoint. Even Marvel used the PR strat of using actors like Tom Holland to "accidentally" reveal hints and 'spoilers' for their upcoming films because it gets people talking. "I'm not allowed to say anything" this late in the game, to me, just reads as "We have nothing to show for the last 5 years but we don't want people to panic / leave."

But who knows, maybe the Discord Q&A will turn out to be some kind of actual productive reveal of the show? Again, not holding my breath, but at this point it would be a real game changer to have the show get revealed for real that would even make me shut the fuck up LOL

[kaitlikescereal]

I realized I never posted this but

When I went to the VA signing at SDCC, the person in front of me was in a convo with Ali Hillis, so Zach Mendez and I started chatting

He leaned forward and asked "so, are you a big fan of the games?"

I said "yeah! Ive been a huge fan since Inquisition came out, I've been so impatient for ten years."

He drops his voice to a whisper and says "ok, so. Should I play the other games before I play this one?"

And I kind of laughed but he looked so earnest. And I said "well, maybe at least inquisition. But, you know, you're in the game. You know what context you need going into it more than I do"

And he leaned back and was like "oh.....oh yeah..."

And we laughed about it but like

I was not expecting Actual Golden Retriever Zach Mendez

[confirmeddead]

My thoughts on the SDCC season 3 Vampire Lestat teaser 🩸

Really excited about the format! I knew they’d switch it up from what we saw in Dubai and this is literally what I was hoping it would be. I think I mentioned it in my season 3 greenlit post that I wanted it to be Daniel interviewing him in various cities as he toured. Lestat is too unpredictable to want to sit and recount his story in such a stale way ala Louis in Dubai.

I *think* this is just a teaser that gives the vibes on what we can expect, I don’t think these are actual clips from the season. This had to have been filmed recently given Sam’s fresh balayage 😂 (I KNEW he’d done it for a reason…) and I DO think filming will begin this year and go into next year.

Daniel being part of the interview was, of course, expected. He was so excited to write a sequel, release vamp sex toys, etc. Of course he said yes to Lestat (I think Lestat went to him because TVL was Lestat wanting to tell his story- so this is all agreed to and on his terms).

The dynamic between Daniel and Lestat will be so fun. Sam said somewhere that of course they’d fight but they’d also get along. Daniel is a wise-cracking, experienced person. He’s been through a lot and I’m sure Lestat will like going back and forth with him.

So no cast reveals! I can’t think when they’ll reveal the big three (Gabrielle, Marius, and Akasha) but I’m hoping it’s not just a press release. These are MAJOR vampire chronicles characters, I need them to be revealed in front of fans! New York Comic Con is in October 2024. While I’d like for them to be filming by then, maybe this could happen right before filming begins? Idk

I won’t pretend to have any idea what they’ll do with Louis 😭 it won’t be anything from the books, of course, because he was barely in TVL.

With how much a fanboy Rolin is for TVL (like, totally valid), I don’t expect a lot of present-day Armand. Of course we will see him in the 18th century! Okay idk why I made this into a theory post but I’ll cut it out.

This teaser was really, really good. TVL was when I started loving Lestat as a character and everything about him (his past, his family) made him make a lot of sense to me. He’s so chaotic and Sam is gonna kill it. If this becomes a Vampire Lestat stan account, don’t say I didn’t warn you (but Armand/Assad will always be my #1 🩷)

[hyperions-light]

I keep seeing links to/discussion about that video where some of the BW crew is talking about Zevran circulating, and while I do think it's disappointing that one of the devs does not seem to know who he is/remember him, I feel like the response is maybe a little out of proportion, considering the two people who say they "don't remember him," and he "looks like he has Daddy Issues," almost certainly don't work for Bioware.

Explanation below the cut bc it got long. Speculation/possible spoilers for DATV.

If you look at the post that EA made about their SDCC panel they say it will be moderated by someone named Lucy James, who works for Gamespot. You can see her with her nameplate in front of her (although it's hard to make out) in the picture that BW posted to their blog. Watching the video back, I think she's the person sitting across from the four BW people. If you look her up, you can see she makes videos with the Managing Editor of Gamespot, Tamoor Hussain, who I think is a decent guess for the person holding the ipad.

The background of the video makes it likely that this was filmed at the Fandom Party event that took place at SDCC this year, so if we look at the people who BW confirmed they sent to the convention, the other people here are Ali Hillis (blond woman), who is a VA and plays Lace Harding. I wouldn't expect her to know/have opinions about DA:O characters.

The person next to her is likely Ashley Barlow (check the panel photos against the video), the BW Creative Performance Director, who says the thing about the red flags. That's the most disappointing/concerning to me, because it means Zev probably isn't in the game (again), since she likely would have directed the performance.

The top row is Corinne Busche and John Epler, the Game Director and Creative Director respectively. You can see them clearly in the companions video IGN put out last week and cross reference them with the SDCC video. Busche seems to be familiar with him, and Epler says nothing.

I agree it was shitty of them to make those comments about the only romanceable POC in DAO, and I'm sad we're probably not going to see him again. I'm not trying to say anyone shouldn't be upset, but it seems like people might be confused about which people in the clip are BW devs. Just made the post to clarify any confusion; not going to argue with people in the comments over it.

[illwynd]

You mentioned months back people were calling you a “variant” because of the thing you were cosplaying. (Wasn’t it the YA version of Kid Loki?) And it instantly reminded me of how whenever I cosplay Fem Loki, people at cons always, always call me Sylvie and it’s annoying. 🙃

It was basically any comics Loki, since I have quite a few that I do (AoA, kid, Siege, Trials, etc.) and got that reaction with all of them, even Lokis that have no parallel in the show. And it was fucking CONSTANT. I was so sick of hearing that word by the end of the day. And yeah, this isn't entirely a new problem, since for some reason people have always insisted upon calling anyone who appears afab in a Loki costume "Lady Loki" even when like. they are clearly not going for that and are portraying a comics-accurate guy Loki impeccably. So you have my sympathies. If anyone called me Sylvie I would lose my shit utterly and insist on dueling them in a Denny's parking lot.

This year I almost couldn't bring myself to cosplay Loki at sdcc at all because the situation was so dire last time that it made it un-fun to even be there, and I tried to prepare by making a little "Loki Spotting Field Guide" flyer to educate people about the different comics versions and why not every Loki cosplayer they see is a goddamn variant.

But I'm happy to report that the problem was much less severe this time. There were still people who said it, but maybe only a quarter as many as last year, and those ones were more willing to be corrected and didn't automatically get huffy when I said "Nah, I'm no variant, I'm an original." People even seemed thrilled by my (kinda snarky) flyer.

I guess that is the plus side of the show sucking too bad to have much staying power. Gods willing, everyone will have forgotten that nonsense entirely in another year or two and we won't have to deal with it anymore.

[mai-komagata]

about the "snw can't do vulcans" take

One thing I've seen over and over said in the reactions to the sdcc 2024 clip is that "SNW doesn't know how to write vulcans/has a very bioessentialist take on vulcans".... And that *specifically* Henry Alonso Myers cannot write vulcans (even though we have no idea who wrote the clip episode, afaik, i might have missed it, my bad if so). Which I find completely baffling. Every vulcan in SNW has been wildly different than any other background vulcan we have seen in the entire run of the series. 

(For one, they aren't giving every vulcan a logical bowlcut. Every other series pretty much insists their haircut is mandated by Surak or something -- even the visual language around them is different. Even though both T'pau and T'pring have interesting hair in TOS, as does amanda, who lives the vulcan way. i digress. i just love vulcans displaying personal expression). But yeah, what vulcans do we see in SNW? I'm gonna skip over spock because people have very strong opinions over 60 years about what makes a good spock characterization that has nothing to do with characterizing vulcans in general. First, T'Pring. Huge improvement in what we see in TOS. She isn't coldhearted. She loves spock. She gets annoyed by her mom and has struggles of her own. She is kickass at her job. She can match Spock in getting out of hijinks with logical thinking. She is smart and pragmatic. She wears beautiful clothes and is interested in building a strong relationship, and is willing to engage in human culture. We also have T'pring's mom. She is on the other end of the spectrum. She is very into traditional values even when it will make her angry and illogical. She is into proper appearances and doesn't go in for indulgence. She is a bit cruel, too, not just because of her prejudices to spock, but to her daughter and her husband. Then we have T'Prings dad. What a joy of a character. He is nothing like a stereotypical vulcan. He wants to try new things. He is fascinated by tastes and experiences. In many ways, though, he embodies IDIC and compassion much better. He also has a childish joy to him. We also have a V'tosh Katur prisoner in Spock Amok. He is extremely prejudiced of spock -- showing that dislike of humans isn't a prejudice linked to the teachings of Surak, but something orthogonal to that. He is extremely punchable and gets punched. its great. We have a background character that works with T'pring. She is there for a brief scene, but i loved that they resisted the temptation to put her in a "vulcan haircut" and gave her something distinct. We have Sybok, who is dating a non-binary pirate. I love that for him, great addition to his character.

There is Vice Admiral Pasalk, in Una's trial, which Spock hates from his time working with his dad. He is a stickler for the law, but also a vindictive MF, willing to punish Batel despite her doing her job to the best of her abilities despite her personal reservations. There is a Vulcan judge on the panel, who *is* willing to judge in Una's favor, proving that all vulcans aren't voting/thinking in lockstep when adjudicating law, as well. Finally, there is the Vulcan who rejected Chapel's application and then tries to get her back when he hears she met the Kevorkhians -- this vulcan does have the traditional vulcan hairstyle, lol. He is probably the most stereotypically vulcan of the bunch. But yeah... I'm not sure where people are getting that SNW writes/depicts cookie-cutter biologically race determined vulcans when it has written more different types of vulcans than any series other than Enterprise (and that was over the course of 4 seasons...). and I will note most of these vulcans are in episodes Henry Alonso Myers wrote. (although as one of the showrunners along with Akiva Goldsman, they are involved in all the episodes to some capacity). Maybe because they don't like how it characterizes Spock in particular? But Spock is not all Vulcans. Spock is Spock. And I don't even mean it because spock is half-vulcan. I mean it because Spock is one of the most famous characters in the western canon. Everyone has opinions on spock. That has nothing to do with how the show treats Vulcans as a whole. Not to mention the huge amount of things they have sprinkled in about Vulcan culture from all the shows and things they elaborate on, including lots of references to kalifee, the use of telepathy to show connection between family members, sensory differences in smell, temperature, taste, etc, descriptions of their prison system based on rehabilitation, courtship rituals, etc. There have been more interesting takes on mind melds than i have seen on any star trek show. They repeatedly emphasize that Vulcans have strong emotions and what they need to do to control it. 

Anyway -- this is why I'm not gonna assume the writers of SNW suddenly got amnesia and forgot everything they knew about Vulcans based on a 5 minute clip. (as with everything, i'll caveat, i could be wrong, and its a bad episode --- but just because it is a bad episode it doesn't invalidate everything they did with vulcans so far. have i mentioned i want to adopt tpring's dad?). ------------

Non-vulcan specific opinions i've also seen and don't want to make a separate post of: Couldn't they use surgery instead of this serum?: I don't know! neither do you, because we haven't seen the episode. I wonder if wherever they are going on mission requires a more thorough camouflage. Or maybe it has something to do with the research Chapel has been doing since s1 e1. I'm very intrigued as to what they possibly could be doing with a lirpa on a mission. Ok but why does snw have so many genetic modification plotlines: Because that is a question SNW has chosen to engage in in a sci-fi manner, through characters like La'an, Chapel, and Una. like it is one of the big recurring themes in the story -- is all genetic therapy doomed to eugenic applications? Is genetic therapy desirable? what things will it be used for? Are the answers we considered 60 years ago the same as they are today, with the advent of CRISPR and adult stem cell treatments? That the serum represents what vulcans are "really like": We don't know why they are in communication with the kerkhovians, who have previously been shown to be uncaring and bureaucratically inflexible aliens. Why are we assuming their serum is what "biological vulcans" really are like, when we know they screwed it up with 1. how long it lasts and 2. with whether it would work on a lanthanite. And previously they screwed up in assuming spock would want to be fully human, and that spock being spock was a mistake. (they are explicitly shown as bad/intransigent aliens in Charades. they aren't neutral helpful aliens, they are unreliable narrators in that way). That newbie Vulcans should just be Romulans: Well, no, Romulans *also* have their own culture, just because it is not the teachings of Surak doesn't mean Romulans also don't have their own inflexible codes of honor, duty, etc that *they* have adopted in order to regulate their society, which are more similar than different from Vulcans. Romulans aren't pre-reform Vulcans. I'm not even sure there is such a thing as "one type" of pre-reform Vulcan. We've never seen pre-reform Vulcans. Surak didn't emerge in a vacuum. Lots to explore here, and would love to explore the implications after seeing the episode. Why is racism against spock genetic: maybe their literalness/pedanticness/lack of a filter is something that comes more naturally. Romulans do have a sect built entirely around Radical Candor, and Vulcans famously "do not lie." Maybe overcoming being overly literal when its not charitable is part of the lesson they learn/struggle with. Also, there are plenty of biological reasons one might suddenly lack a filter/not be thinking clearly/acting out of character that could come with the serum. 

There was something else I meant to be doing instead of this. (sleeping, maybe?).... But im just bursting with so much speculation from the clip. My brain has just been spinning with theories. 

[ca-suffit]

If you haven’t watched it already please watch Sam, Delainey and Assad’s SDCC interview with MTV. Sam talks about how the cast has met certain fans and how they know their names. He also mentioned ( and I’m paraphrasing) that sometimes listening to fans is a good thing. Maybe it’s me but it sounded as though certain fans are starting to get to him. Those comments reminded me of how the cast of TWD was treated by certain fans during the height of the shows popularity. Some fans went above and beyond to stalk cast members, harass them and tag them in some of the most vile and racist tweets if they were people of color. Allegedly one cast member attempted suicide. He was being harassed for years after his character story arc ended.

Also, Sam spoke highly of Jacob in that interview. I hate how certain fans act as though because in the books Louis has a reduced presence in the books for a while that the show will follow suit. The writers changed quite a bit in the last two seasons. Considering how Louis was listening into all those ancient vamps (during the season finale) talking about him I hope that his character won’t be sidelined. If he is that would be a huge mistake on AMC’s part.

I didn't pick up those same vibes at all but that's not to say u can't feel what u felt in response to it. idk details of TWD stuff but in general this kind of thing is always p scary in the stories it has. I'm glad I'm not famous tbh, this is a lot even if it's good stuff.

I think the cast and crew has been p vocal in a lot of ways about louis (and claudia) remaining around in big roles, so I'm trusting that rn.