Comicsgirl

New Hampshire’s Small Pond Productions will present a new musical based on Jimmy Gownley’s awesome Amelia Rules! next weekend. I am jealous and I hope reviews/photos show up online afterwards (or even closer to the opening day).

I’ve wondered why there’s not more crossover between comics and stage. Certainly, there is some, like Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa, who writes for both. I just think, despite appearances, the two mediums have a lot in common — both play with language and pacing and do a little with a lot (and often, more with what isn’t there than what is).

But then, I was an English major so it’s in my nature to think about these things.

I’ve linked to Project Rooftop several times in the past (but it’s so much fun!) but the site’s recent Wonder Woman Wardrobe War contest winners are so much fun.

I was never really a Wonder Woman fan — when I read superhero comics, I was mostly reading Marvel stuff — but the character is unquestionably an icon. Even when they stray from the traditional, these designs show how thrilling and creative costumes for her can be. With all the bad costumes for female characters (too scanty and revealing or sometimes just plain ugly) that comic book fans have suffered through, it’s delightful to see things like this.

Now only if some of these concepts would make it into the actual comics …

I didn’t mean to vanish for so long, I had some things in every day life to catch up with.

I didn’t watch The Simpsons comic book episode because I gave up on The Simpsons years ago and I work nights so no prime-time TV for me. The AV Club offers a nice recap which makes me think I didn’t miss much.

Year’s best for comics lists are popping up (nevermind the year isn’t over yet). Publishers Weekly has one (about a third of the way down the page) and it’s a good list, although if I have to read anything else about Adrian Tomine’s Shortcomings, I’m going to end up throwing something. I know there are others (I thought Amazon had one) but I don’t remember them right now. Ooops.

There is a great interview with Marjane Satrapi in the most recent issue of Bust magazine (who awesomely gives a lot of coverage to women making comics, it seems). I am quite excited to see the film version of Persepolis, but sadly, it’s probably going to be next year before I see it.

I’m sure there are more things I meant to discuss. Maybe I will remember them when life gets less hectic.

In response to the third question here (second page), advice columnist Amy Dickinson recommends Gene Yang’s American Born Chinese to a mother wanting to know how to balance her Chinese heritage with raising her son in the U.S. While the book has received plenty of press from all over, it’s still fun to see it mentioned normal, run-of-the-mill context as an advice column.

Lynda Barry, Alison Bechdel and Chris Ware will be discussing graphic novels Friday, Nov. 9, as a part of the PEN/Faulkner Reading Series in Washington, D.C. Tickets are $15. Sounds like a good time to me.