Tor Post: “Billy the Vampire Slayer: Slaying’s Not Just For Girls Anymore”

Hello there, everyone! In case you missed it today, I wrote an opinion piece on the new story arc coming up in Dark Horse Comics’ Buffy Season 9, an arc written by Jane Espenson and Drew Greenberg called “Billy the Vampire Slayer” about a gay, male teen who tries to take up the Slayer mantle. Wanna know what I think of the idea? I wrote a thing at Tor.com to tell you all about it!

EXCERPT:

When I first heard the announcement that Dark Horse Comics’ Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 9 was introducing a gay male slayer in October in a story arc called “Billy the Vampire Slayer,”my gut reaction was skepticism. I was miffed, even. Kind of the way I felt when I first heard of male roller derby teams. Like, you have every other corner of the world, do you have to invade the female spaces, too? There are so few stories that focus on a well-crafted female protagonists, do we need to add a guy doing the same job? But the more I thought about it, the more I realized…

…I was being a horse’s ass.

To read the full post, or to make a comment about it, CLICK HERE!

Tor Post: “Doctor Who: Asylum of the Daleks”

DOCTOR WHO IS BACK! HUZZAH! Which means I’m back to reviewing it at Tor.com. Reviews will appear every Monday, unless I get hit by a bus or something on a Sunday night. (Dear Universe: don’t let me get hit by a bus.) The Season 7 opener, “Asylum of the Daleks,” was AMAZING! Go on over to Tor.com to find out why and get in on the discussion!

EXCERPT:

Rory deserved getting slapped for holding up his 2,000 year stint as a security guard as a sign that he loved Amy “more,” because it cheapened what he did. You don’t do something out of love for someone only to hold it over their head later as proof that you’re an awesome person. That stops being love and starts being about ego. Rory has been blinded by his own insecurity for so long, and since viewers love him, so have many of them, and this often manifests itself as an irrational dislike of Amy. “Look at how she treats him! She’s so mean, and he’s so good!”

So many times, Rory’s insecurity told him that she wanted the Doctor, when really, whenever she talked about the hero that would save her, she was talking about him. She trusted and believed in Rory utterly. Amy has saved him as often as he’s saved her, and she has consistently chosen Rory over and over again even when, as in “Amy’s Choice” or “The Girl Who Waited,” choosing Rory meant sacrificing a version of her own existence. How do you measure which is more meaningful: waiting for someone for 2,000 years, or choosing the reality with Rory in it even if it means you’d be killing yourself in the process? You can’t. Amy and Rory’s relationship was never as black and white as “Rory Good, Amy Harpy,” and “Asylum of the Daleks” took a mature step forward in the handling of their relationship by examining these complexities.

To read the full review, or to leave a comment at the post, CLICK HERE!

Tor Post: “Bad Teeth, Mommy Issues, and Royal Kisses: Grimm Season 2″

Grimm is back! YAAAAAAAY!

What isn’t back are my weekly Tor.com reviews. Grimm coverage is going to be handled a little differently over there from here on out, and a little less frequently, but you can check out my write-up on the two-part season two opener of Grimm now! And I just might be keeping up my weekly reviews here at The Experience, so stay tuned…

EXCERPT:

Full disclosure: I have a thing about memory loss. With Alzheimer’s in my family, memory loss is one of the scariest things in the world to me, and when we get that glimpse in “Bad Teeth” of Juliette losing Nick in her memory, it was more frightening to me than any monster they could come up with. Having Juliette wake up and not know Nick nearly tore my heart out, and this will be one of the more interesting storylines on the show to me now. I’m interested in seeing how Juliette will change while undergoing this experience, and I’m looking forward to seeing how Nick now handles balancing his relationship with Juliette and his life as a Grimm now that he’s literally been given a blank slate with which to start over. He’d better do things right the second time around, because he screwed up the first time.

For the full review, or to comment on the post, CLICK HERE!

Tor Post: “GeekGirlCon 2012: Better the Second Time Around”

My new favorite geeky band, The Doubleclicks, featuring Molly Lewis at the GeekGirlCONcert at GeekGirlCon. Photo by Moi.

At long last, my write-up on GeekGirlCon 2012 is up at Tor.com! This con really only has gotten better in its second year. Read on to find out how!

EXCERPT:

Driving from L.A. to Seattle and back is hard. So hard, that I needed a couple of days to recuperate. (i.e. Totally pass out and nap for three days, then re-learn English.) Now that I’m back on solid foods and putting sentences together again, I’m happy to report that GeekGirlCon has done nothing but improve and thrive in its second year. Remember last year, when I told you that GeekGirlCon was the most important con of the year? Well, it still is, for many of the same reasons. Same warm, friendly, welcoming atmosphere. Same lack of judgement no matter how you identify, whom you’re dating/married to, or whether or not you have children. Same wonderful spotlight on female contributions to genre storytelling, the sciences, and fandom. But there have been some changes this year, too, which have improved the con immensely, expanding on its mission statement and offering attendees even more.

To read the full write-up, or to comment on the post, CLICK HERE!

Tor Post: “Technology Isn’t the Bad Guy – H+: The Digital Series”

One of the benefits of being in my line of work is getting to sit down and talk with nifty people about the cool stuff in which they’re involved. One such chat was with Alexis Denisof (of Buffy/Angel/Dollhouse fame) about his latest project, a web series from Warner Bros and Bryan Singer called H+: The Digital Series.

I lucked into another interview with one of the series’ producers, Jason Taylor, when he happened to start chatting with me in the press room about my laptop before I even knew who he was. I was having an issue with my laptop, and we started talking tech. Then I asked him if he was a fellow reporter, and what was his outlet. He said, “No. I run Bryan Singer’s production company. My name is Jason.”

*GULP*

Anyway, check out the result of my SDCC press pass and willingness to strike up conversations with strangers over at Tor.com!

Excerpt:

We joke about it all the time. One day, we’re all just gonna have chips in our heads and we won’t need things like TV or computers anymore. But what if that actually happened?

That’s the starting point for a new web series produced by Warner Bros. and Bryan Singer called H+: The Digital Series, which launches next week. Although, “web series” is a bit of a limited term. Web experience, more like, as H+ is going to be hugely interactive, allowing viewers to watch episodes out of order, edit them together differently, and create their own experience of the world, much like the characters are able to do with their web experiences in the context of the show.

I had the chance to speak with H+ star, Alexis Denisof (Angel, Dollhouse), and producer, Jason Taylor (Bryan Singer’s Bad Hat Harry Productions), about this unique and exciting sci-fi project.

To read the whole article, or comment on the post, CLICK HERE!

Tor Post: “The Nerd Machine: What Geek Culture Should Be”

Zachary Levi hosts a “Conversations for a Cause” panel at SDCC 2012.

When I was at SDCC, I also had the pleasure of going to my first NERD HQ, first just to hang out, then for the Grimm signing and Q&A event, and I loved it! Check out my latest piece at Tor.com about Zachary Levi’s awesome collective of nerds!

Excerpt:

A big part of that warm, friendly vibe was due to Levi. I’ve never watched Chuck (though I plan on remedying that immediately), so I wasn’t really familiar with him before seeing him host a panel at NERD HQ, and I was impressed by how genuine and humble he is. He engages with fans as equals, and seems honored to be in a position to both deliver a unique experience and bring those fans together. The staff follows Levi’s lead, and that sense of community is reflected in everything they do. The fans give the love right back, taking pride in things like their latest Nerd Machine purchases, or their NERD number (the earlier you joined the Nerdvolution, the lower your number – Levi’s is 1), fostering a welcoming, friendly environment for each other.

For the full article, or to comment on the post, CLICK HERE!

Tor Post: #SDCC 2012 Cosplay Round-Up

Photo of one of my photogs of choice – Ms. Emily Heyer modelling her SDCC press badge, because I love forcing people into cheesy poses. That’s why SHE’S the photographer, and I’m the writer.

My last SDCC-related post is up at Tor.com! It’s the SDCC 2012 Cosplay Round-Up with some fabulous photos by Emily Heyer (follow her on Twitter at @GotThatMoxie).

Excerpt:

SDCC is geekdom’s largest showcase, so it’s no wonder that cosplayers prepare elaborate costumes all year so that they can bring their “A” games to Comic-Con. That said, this being my first-ever SDCC, I was surprised by how few costumes there were. Cosplay round-ups past have made it seem like there’d be costumes galore, so I was surprised by how few and far between the costumes seemed as I walked around the convention center and San Diego. Perhaps someone else who went can comment below and tell me how this year compared to previous years as far as number of costumes at the con? In any case, there was still plenty to catch my eye. This was Comic-Con after all, and tons of people arrived ready to make a splash!

For photos galore, and to comment on the SDCC cosplay this year, CLICK HERE.

Tor Post: “The Joss Whedon SDCC Firefly Talk You Might Have Missed”

Adam Baldwin, Alan Tudyk, Tim Minear, Sean Maher, Nathan Fillian, and Joss Whedon. (Summer Glau is next to Whedon on the floor, but that tattooed dude got in front of me so I couldn’t maneuver! A photographer, I am not.)

We’re in the home stretch of SDCC posts, Ladies and Gentlemen! Karin Kross over at Tor.com did a great write-up of the Firefly 10th Anniversary SDCC panel in Ballroom 20. I, however, was lucky enough to get into the Firefly 10th Anniversary press conference immediately afterward, where I got to hear a little more in-depth discussion about Firefly and what it means to the creators and cast.

Excerpt:

One of the more interesting quotes of the day came from Whedon, when a reporter, who brought up Star Trek as a more hopeful look at our future and Firefly as a less utopian one, asked him what he thinks Firefly says to us about our future. “We’re doomed? [laughs] I don’t have any faith in mankind, but I love my friends desperately, and the faith that I have is in their ability to band together when things are appalling and protect each other. That is the definition and biological reason for family. And created family is what I believe in. And so, no, I don’t think we’re gonna solve the problems and have the Federation…”

For the complete article, or to comment on the post, CLICK HERE.

Tor Post: “SDCC: The Grimm Experience”

David Giuntoli, Bitsie Tulloch, Silas Weir Mitchell, Bree Turner, Russell Hornsby, Reggie Lee, and Sasha Roiz at the SDCC 2012 Grimm Panel. Photo by Emily Heyer. (@GotThatMoxie on Twitter)

As a proud Grimmster, the best part of my San Diego Comic-Con experience was the Saturday, which ended up being Grimm Day! Check out my piece over at Tor.com about all the fabulous offerings NBC provided for fans at SDCC to promote Season 2 of Grimm!

Excerpt:

FIRST ACT OF SEASON TWO OMGWTFHOLYCRAP! — Those in attendance at the Grimm SDCC panel were treated to the first act of the first episode of Season 2. I’m not going to spoil anything (even though plenty of other sites have — you want spoilers, you can go look for them), but I will say that the episode looks amazeballs. There are new saber-tooth tiger wesen that are really vicious; we find out not only more about Nick’s mom, but about what happened to his father; and there’s a violent encounter between Nick’s mom and Monroe! Also, there’s Captain Renard in casual wear looking suspicious even as he’s being really helpful, because that’s just what he does now.

For the full write-up on all the Grimm fan events at SDCC, or to comment on the post, CLICK HERE!

Tor Post – New Genre TV at SDCC: “Beauty and the Beast” and “Elementary”

I know, I know – it’s been a while. I’ve been traveling up a storm! First, I spent three weeks in New York, then I spent most of a week in San Diego for Comic-Con, so there’s been zero time to blog. Don’t worry, there will definitely be posts about New York and SDCC! Lots to tell and lots of pictures to show!

But right now, there’s my write-up at Tor.com of two of the genre shows I got to see previewed at SDCC: Beauty and the Beast and Elementary. One of them was really good, the other one was crap.

Wanna know which was which? CLICK HERE for the full post!