Girls Go To College To Get More Knowledge

One of my favorite things about comic is that they're the ideal visual medium to indulge in weird, high concept, "out-there" ideas. Movies are more hesitant to throw top-dollar effects into fresh, new stories because there's a less reliable return on investment, and TV doesn't even have access to that level of money most of the time. But comics? The strangeness of a comic is only limited by what the writer is capable of coming up with and what the artist is capable of drawing, and since comic readers are most likely fans with superheroes, there's a built-in audience for sci-fi and fantasy stories.

Comics can get weird like few other mediums can. Imagine my surprise, then, when one of the best new series of 2015 is the decidedly low-concept Giant Days, a series that follows three girls going through their first year of university...and that's it. There's no impending apocalypse or grand destiny in play, it's just them dealing with the struggles of everyday life. And you know what? It's actually pretty great; humorous, honest, heartwarming, and an absolute joy to look at.

Giant Days follows three very different girls who become friends through the circumstance of living next to each other in the dorms: drama student and drama queen Esther de Groot, home-schooled and naive Daisy Wooton, and cool-as-a-cucumber pre-med student Susan Ptolemy. Together, the trio navigate the obstacles of fall term of freshman year, including exes, crushes, rejections, chauvinism, revenge, self-discovery, illness, and - time permitting - actual school work.

Like I said, Giant Days is a relatively low-concept series, but has a bigger history to it. The series is the latest from British webcomic writer/artist John Allison, whose multiple series all take place in the same continuity. Giant Days exists alongside the comedy Bobbins, the mystery Bad Machinery, and the horror story Scary Go Round, where Esther De Groot first made her debut. There was also another, separate series called Giant Days that wound up serving as a prequel to the current series, retroactively retitled Giant Days: Year One (despite the fact that it only takes place a few weeks prior to the current series). Year One features a heightened sense of reality and grander adventures than the slice-of-life style of the current series (e.g. a Scott Pilgrim-style spontaneous fight between our heroines and a pack of predatory mean girls).

And the best part about all this? None of it is necessary reading. I dove into Giant Days knowing precisely nothing about its extensive continuity and was able to follow it without missing a step or losing the plot. There's a few panels in issue one that go over the highlights of Year One, but beyond that, you can read the story and not need to know anything about Allison's other series. The characters arrive fully formed and the writing focuses more on where they're going than where they've been.

There's still an exaggerated tone to the series, but it's more comedic than anything else, and that's one of the greatest strengths of Giant Days: it's really funny. The girls' archetypes are grounded in reality, but there's some out-there elements that move the stories in more humorous directions (e.g. Esther having a subconscious "drama field" that causes chaos around her whether she likes it or not, Susan having so many skills and trades that she stops just short of being Batman). The dialogue is snappy and clever and the characters bounce off each other and balance each other out well.

And then there's the artwork. Oh my heavens, is there the artwork. While Allison usually draws his own comics, in Giant Days he hands the duties off to Lissa Treiman. Treiman works as a storyboard artist and animator for Disney, and that style is very present in the series and used to great effect. Characters are expressive and charming and cute, movements are dynamic and cartoonish, and it all comes together to enhance the script and make the book truly shine.

Giant Days is fun, funny, clever, honest, and an absolute pleasure to look at. It was originally planned as a six-issue miniseries, but bumped up to twelve after positive sales and reviews. Sadly, this also meant Treiman is stepping down as artist due to the workload, but staying on to do covers for the back half of the series. The first half is available from BOOM! Studios in print and digital platforms. Highly recommended, check it out.

Thanks for reading and I'll see you next time!

Top 10 Episodes of Steven Universe, Season One

I've been writing some heavier stuff lately, so let's lighten things up a bit, yeah?

That was actually a rhetorical question. I pretty much just write this blog for myself. Anyway...

None of you may be aware of this, but Steven Universe is one of the best cartoons on TV right now. The brainchild of Rebecca Sugar, formerly a writer, storyboard artist, and songwriter on the Cartoon Network mega-hit Adventure Time, Steven Universe follows the adventures of our titular hero, a twelve-year-old boy and member of the Crystal Gems: a group of interdimensional warriors powered by magical  gemstones. Episodes typically focus on Steven going on missions with his sister gems - Garnet, Amethyst, and Pearl - or simply interacting with the other citizens in his hometown of Beach City, all the while dealing with ancient relics, mystic artifacts, feral monsters, and Steven's own developing magical abilities.

The series is fairly straightforward in its "magical boy" premise, but excels due to strong character writing, tight animation, a gorgeous score, frequent humor, and at times, handling surprisingly complex themes and big emotions rather well. It's a fun and exciting series and I recommend you all check it out if you like cartoons. Of course, that brings up the question "Where do I start?" The obvious answer is start at episode 1 and go from there, but if you want to know what the best of the best are, I'm here to tell you, and if you don't want to know what the best of the best are, then why are you reading this blog? So, without further adieu, here they are, the Top 10 Best Episodes of Steven Universe's first season.

10) Giant Woman

"Giant Woman" is a pretty light episode of SU, especially when compared to some later ones in the list. But it's a fun early adventure, sets up an important bit of gem mythology, and is an avenue for character exploration among main cast.

The episode begins with Steven learning about gem fusion, in which two gems combine their magical and physical traits into one super-being. It's only used in the event of an emergency and requires the two to be in sync, which is why the bickering Amethyst and Pearl never combine into their fusion form, Opal, anymore. Nevertheless, upon learning about the spectacle of fusion, Steven is determined to see a giant woman by day's end, even while he, Amethyst, and Pearl are on a mission to recover a magical beetle from the top of a tower.

"Giant Woman" is the first time the spotlight is put on Amethyst and Pearl and their relationship. Their contrasting natures are front and center, with Pearl's uptight, analytical temperament clashing with Amethyst's laid-back, rambunctious personality. The episode makes it clear that neither come out wholly right or wrong, with both going out of their way to get under the other's skin as they climb the mountain. Steven, meanwhile, is charged with "keeping the harmony" by Garnet, and while his endeavors to get the two to form Opal are obviously for his own interests, he's also trying to get two members of his family to keep from fighting. And he's doing it through song.

The song (coincidentally called "Giant Woman") is the first big musical number the series has had. There have been little ditties and tunes before now (The Cookie Cat Jingle, Greg's demo tape), but "Giant Woman" set the bar for songs in the show. The ukulele hook is simple but catchy, the lyrics are worth a laugh, and Zach Callison does a great job with the vocals (spoiler alert: everyone on this show can sing). Add that to the great score (I especially like what plays during Amethyst and Pearl's fusion dance, Amalgam, a blend of classical piano and synth beats that match the characters perfectly) and you end up with not only a solid episode, but one that sets up important plot points for the future.

9) Bubble Buddies

Like I said, a big part of the show is seeing Steven interact with the Beach City Regulars. The main two he spends time with are his dad, Greg, and his friend, Connie, and while both are great, it really seems like Connie has had the most development of the two. She's an interesting and fun character and a great counterpoint to Steven, so how perfect is it that her first spot on the list is her debut episode? You'd almost think I planned this or something.

The episode begins with Steven awkwardly trying to introduce himself to Connie and to strike up a conversation, but he keeps getting tripped up by his own nervousness. However, the perfect meet-cute falls into his lap when the latest in a string of earthquakes causes a rockslide that nearly kills Connie. Steven saves her by instinctively (and accidentally) making a force-field bubble around the two of them. It works, but Steven finds that he doesn't know how to turn it off. Unable to get back to the gems for help, Steven and Connie travel up and down the Beach City Boardwalk, looking for a way to break the bubble and finding that nothing works. Eventually, after a heart-to-heart where we learn how the two first saw each other at a parade, the bubble pops on its own, just in time for them to face the source of the mysterious quakes, a giant worm monster.

While the animation in this episode isn't top notch, what sells it is the character stuff. Despite being radically different people, Steven and Connie have a wonderful dynamic together based off their mutual insecurities. Steven, who routinely travels to other dimensions and fights giant monsters, thinks he's too weird to hang out with someone as well-adjusted and intelligent as Connie. Connie, a booksmart overachiever who doesn't stay in one place too long because of her father's work, thinks she's too boring for Steven. Their friendship feels sweet and natural, and their personalities are able to come through in this episode without slowing down the plot.

Add to all of that some well-executed slapstick and Steven saving the day by outwitting the monster, and you've got a pretty strong early episode of the show.

8) The Message

So here's the thing about Steven: he's not fully a Crystal Gem. His mother, Rose Quartz, was, but she gave up her physical form to bring him into the world. His father, the very human Greg Universe, is still around, living in his van and running the local car wash. And he's another great character to add to the Beach City Regulars.

What I love about Greg are his earnestness and his insecurities. Greg is nervous and unsure about being a father, much less the father of a magical twelve-year-old. He loves Steven very much and loves hanging around with him, but feels his son is best off living with the gems in their temple on the beach. The gems, in turn, mostly view Greg as well meaning but useless, another weak human who can't (and for his own safety shouldn't) keep up with their escapades. While Greg has had some solid episodes about him, Steven, and the gems ("Laser Light Cannon", "Space Race", season 2's "Story for Steven"), "The Message" turned out to be his finest hour. Well, his finest eleven minutes or so.

The episode begins with a jam session between the Universe men that gets interrupted by the activation of a wailing stone, an ancient piece of gem technology used to send and receive messages. However, the message comes out as...well, a wail. A loud, irritating wail that the crystal gems don't know how to shut off. While they wonder who's sending the message (although the episode foreshadows the answer pretty hard), Steven comes up with an idea: have his dad fix it. Greg's career as a one-man band meant he had to know everything about producing music, including mixing and editing audio. Greg is similarly excited by the idea of being useful for once, and so he rigs his equipment up to the stone just right, starts mixing...and shorts out the car battery that was powering his gear. With the experiment a failure, the gems leave with a mix of pity and disappointment. A dejected Greg sings about his disappointment.

But, once again, Steven has an epiphany: the message isn't in audio format, it's video. With the help of the gems, Greg hooks up the wailing stone to his portable TV and the message is finally decoded: a dire warning to Garnet, Amethyst, and Pearl that the homeworld gems are returning to Earth with a vengeance, armed with technology far more advanced than their own. While Amethyst and Pearl begin panicking, Garnet insists they celebrate the small victory of receiving the message and congratulates Greg on a job well done.

The episode really does belong to Greg Universe, and actor Tom Schrapling does an outstanding job delivering his excitement at showing off his mad audio skills and his sadness at having failed so hard in front of the people he has so much respect for. Callison similarly steps up, nailing Steven's own excitement for getting his dad involved in the adventure (his first epiphany results in the very funny exclamation, "My daddy-o knows audio!"). Combine that with the return of an important character and a set-up for the explosive season finale, and you've got a funny and heartfelt episode.

7) Maximum Capacity

One of the elements that hangs heavy over SU is the absence of Rose Quartz. Because the show is from Steven's perspective, everything we know about Rose is secondhand information from the crystal gems and Greg, and they all loved her. She was fierce and courageous warrior and a caring and selfless friend. Her absence has scarred those close to her and "Maximum Capacity" is one of the episodes where this is felt the strongest.

A few days before January 1st, Greg decides that his New Years Resolution will be to finally clean out his overstuffed storage unit that's been collecting junk for twelve years. Steven brings in Amethyst to help, since she also has hoarder tendencies and has managed her accumulated junk quite well. However, not long after the work begins, Amethyst strikes gold and uncovers Greg's old tapes of their favorite sitcom, Li'l Butler. It isn't long before the two begin a VHS binge-watch that overtakes them, culminating in Greg missing the New Years celebration he'd promised to go to with Steven. Greg realizes his mistake too late and tries to leave while Amethyst tries to get him to stay and continue the binge. The argument builds and builds, until it reaches a devastating breaking point that makes Amethyst run away in tears.

"Maximum Capacity" is a study in grief, with Greg's s storage unit acting as an unsubtle metaphor about his and Amethyst's feelings about Rose; rather than dealing with their own emotional baggage, they've put it out of their minds and let it build up until it comes pouring out in a messy, damaging way. Only by letting the others help them with their baggage are they able to truly deal with it. Despite his beach bum persona, Greg is mature enough to realize when a job needs doing. It ends up being Amethyst who holds him back by enabling his immature instincts, and it's here that we find out that she resents Greg for taking Rose away from her in what turned out to be her final years. This is pretty heavy stuff for a kids show, but as always, Steven Universe handles it spot on, with honesty and empathy, and even gives us a heartwarming conclusion. That's impressive feat to accomplish in just over eleven minutes.

6) So Many Birthdays

Steven Universe is a fun show and is pretty light most of the time, but it can get pretty heavy too. More often than not it means adult themes or high emotions, but on rare occasions it can get downright terrifying. Episodes like "Frybo" and "Horror Club" have dipped into scary imagery with surprisingly effective results, but the best of these exercises came in "So Many Birthdays".

Steven learns that the crystal gems are immortal, having been on Earth for thousands of years prior to his joining them. He also learns that gem culture doesn't really celebrate birthdays. Undeterred, Steven vows to give Garnet, Amethyst, and Pearl their own birthday celebration, but finds that the gems aren't as enthralled by piñatas, party clowns, and mini-carts as he is. Worse yet, Steven begins to worry that he himself has outgrown such childish things. As Steven wanders the boardwalk in existential confusion, he begins to age, going from twelve-year-old to teenager to adult to old man in less than an hour. When the gems find out, they panic, struggling to make Steven feel young again in the hopes that it'll get him back to normal.

An earlier episode, "Cat Fingers", explored gem shapeshifting power and showed Steven struggling with them there, and while "Cat Fingers" definitely brought the scary in it's final minutes (imagine Akira, but with more fur), "So Many Birthdays" took things to another level. Seeing Steven turn into Methuselah is one thing, but seeing the gems' efforts to bring him back is another. It is downright heart-wrenching to see Amethyst lashing out at her friends, to see Garnet break her stoicism out of fear, to see Pearl with desperate tears in her eyes as she tries and fails to mimic Steven's party clown routine. I get the sense that there was supposed to be actual humor to this sequence (and to be fair, Garnet has a funny line near the end), but mostly you just feel empathy for the gems, who are watching a member of their family die and don't know how to save him.

"So Many Birthdays" demonstrates the danger that Steven's magical abilities pose to himself and how scary that really is. As far as we know, Steven is the first and only gem/human hybrid, and in a lot of ways the gems are in unknown territory with him. When that fear comes to the surface, it's turns out to be pretty effective.

5) Rose's Scabbard

Pearl was my favorite of the gems when the show started. That has since changed, but she's still a strong character. Pearl is the straight-laced, prim and proper one of the group, often trying to be the ideal warrior for the gems and the perfect mother-figure for Steven and falling short in both categories, often due to her own pride, insecurities, or short-sightedness. Still, she has love for the gems and for Steven, and will fight for them and fight with them at a moment's notice.


"Rose's Scabbard" is another episode about Steven's late mother, but this time filter's it through Pearl's lens. After the titular scabbard is found by Lion (side note: Steven has a magical pet lion who used to belong to Rose and who none of the other gems knew about before Steven took ownership of him), Pearl starts telling Steven about being his mother's confidant, the only one who knew all of her secrets. She decides to let Steven in on these secrets, only to discover that he's already learned about them through his interactions with Lion. What's more, Steven knows that Lion actually has the sword that goes in the scabbard (additional side not: Lion has a pocket dimension in his mane that has some of Rose's stuff in it). Pearl doesn't take the fact that Rose kept secrets from her well, throwing a tantrum in front of the other gems and Steven before running away in tears. Steven follows after her, which leads to a pretty touching heart-to-heart about Pearl's relationship with Rose and with Steven.

There's a lot to read into with the episode: the nature of Steven having Rose's gem, whether Steven is in some way a reincarnation of his mother, the possible lesbian subtext to Pearl's devotion to Rose, the question of how many secrets Rose kept and where exactly Lion came from in the first place. Mostly, however, this episode does for Pearl what "Maximum Capacity" did for Amethyst: let's them explore their grief. While Amethyst avoided her emotional pain through fun and leisure, Pearl tried to do the logical thing: accept the loss of her friend, celebrate their time together, and move on. However, once more, Pearl's emotions get the better of her and she can't help feeling betrayed by Rose and saddened by her loss all over again. It's only through letting Steven see her pain and help her is she able to get through it.

Pearl is a character with a lot of contradictions; she's intelligent and analytical, but prone to emotional outbursts. She's sweet and nurturing to Steven, but condescending and dismissive to most everyone else. She's designed like a ballerina, but fights like a samurai. There's a lot to Pearl, and not all of it's pretty, but she's a compelling, interesting, and even likable character all the same.

4) Alone Together

It's another Steven and Connie episode, and really, you can't get more Steven and Connie this one.

The episode starts with the gems trying to teach Steven to fuse with them. Fusion is activated through dancing together, and requires not only physical synchronicity, but emotional as well. However, Steven just can't seem to get it to work with the gems. After the lesson ends, he goes to the beach with Connie to talk about his issues. Connie reveals she's never danced with anyone, and Steven invites her to dance with him, because he is a sweetheart and they are god damn adorable together. You might be able to guess what happens next.

Yep, Steven and Connie fuse. Their new form, dubbed 'Stevonnie' by Amethyst, is given instructions from Garnet: they are an experience, and they should make it a good one. Stevonnie spends their night running free in Beach City before getting invited to a rave by one of the local teenagers. They go, but find that it's not all its cracked up to be when they not only draw stares from everyone in attendance, but get repeatedly hit on by a self-important douchebag.

Everything about this episode is on point. The animation of the dancing is sharp and creative and really highlights each individual character. The music is clever and catchy and very emotionally effecting (my personal favorite is the euphoric Twilight Run). AJ Michalka does a great job voicing Stevonnie; her deeper register works for our androgynous lead and she's able to sell it when Steven and Connie are having a conversation through their shared form. It all comes together to make an already interesting premise stronger and more effective.

A lot of recent SU episodes have focused on smaller-scale conflicts; less life-or-death struggles, and more emotional difficulties of everyday life - just augmented with magic. "Alone Together" is a prime example of how effective these episodes can be. There's no MacGuffin that needs finding, no monster that needs defeating, no magical gizmo that's being misused; it's just an examination of what fusion means to someone who's new to it, and it works. Stevonnie has fun together, sure, but they also argue with themselves, suffer each other's anxieties, and ultimately realize that they're better off as separate people. It's a smaller episode, but it's an emotionally satisfying one all the same.

3) The Return/Jailbreak

You may have noticed that I haven't talked about Garnet much up until now. That's because, while Garnet is my favorite of the crystal gems, she works best when she's not in the spotlight. Garnet's leading characteristic is her stoicism, but underneath that is wisdom, warmth, love, and tremendous strength. She doesn't speak often, but when she does, it means something (or it's just funny. Garnet get's the best dialogue). Contrarily, episodes that focus on her like "Arcade Mania", "Garnet's Universe", and "Future Vision" aren't always the best ones. However, she got her finest moment in the explosive two-part season finale of SU, and boy was it something to behold.

After the crystal gem's long-distance confrontations with her, the homeworld gem scientist Peridot comes to Earth, bringing with her the captive Lapis Lazuli (who we'll get to later) and her escort/bodyguard, Jasper. Before they land, Beach City is evacuated, including Steven, who rides with Greg in his van. Greg tells him the full story of how the gems originally came to Earth to plunder it for resources, until Rose Quartz and her fellow rebels fought against the homeworld and were branded traitors. Those precious few that survived only did so because of Rose's shield, and were abandoned on our world as a result. Steven realizes that the crystal gems need him like they needed Rose and demands Greg let him return. Greg says no at first, and you can really feel his desperation at not wanting to see his son run into danger after already losing the woman he loved. Eventually, however, Greg relents, and Steven returns to the beach in time to see the homeworlders make landfall.

Initially, Jasper is dismissive of our ragtag bunch, but soon realizes that Rose's gem is among them and mistakenly believes that Steven is Rose in disguise. When Garnet tries to protect him, Japer uses her advanced weaponry to dissipate her, leaving behind only her gems. "The Return" ends with Jasper knocking Steven out.

As Part 2 begins, Steven wakes up in a prison cell aboard Peridot's ship. He quickly learns that while the energy wall in front of him is designed to stop gems, the half-human Steven can slip through unharmed. He soon finds three more prisoners on the ship: Ruby, a stranger who runs away as soon as she's free; Lapis, who refuses Steven's help out of fear of Jasper and Peridot; and Sapphire, who quickly leads Steven to find Ruby. The two reunite, come together, and start fusing, ultimately forming...Garnet! Yep, Garnet's a fusion, a theory that had been bounced around by SU fans for a while but is confirmed here. And yes, she is the result of a same-sex coupling. There's no ambiguity about that here.

Garnet sends Steven to free Amethyst and Pearl while she has a rematch with Jasper. But she doesn't just fight her. She fights her IN SONG. And it is GLORIOUS.

Everything about "Stronger Than You" is perfect. The beat? Energetic and effortlessly cool. The vocals? Estelle absolutely kills it. The lyrics? A powerful testament to Garnet's euphoria at being back together. "Stronger Than You" is the best song in Steven Universe, bar none, and given the songs we've already heard, that's saying something.

One might think this would be enough to end an episode on, but we don't stop there. After Garnet's fight causes the ship to crash back on Beach City, Jasper decides she needs to fuse in order to win, and finds Lapis before she can flee. Despite Steven's protests, Lapis agrees to fuse with Jasper, forming the giant Malachite...until Lapis uses her water powers to drag both her and Jasper to the bottom of the ocean and keep them there.

"The Return" and "Jailbreak" are about as epic as Steven Universe gets. It's the continuation of a conflict that could very well end with the destruction of the planet, it effectively demonstrates the power and the threat of modern gem technology and how ineffective our heroes are against it, and it features one of the few honest-to-goodness fight scenes we've ever seen on the show. What's more, it remembers to include strong character bits, including the revelation of Garnet's origins and strong moments for Greg and Lapis, who I really hope we see more of soon. Jasper and Peridot make for effective villains, acting as dark mirrors to Garnet's strength and Pearl's intellect, and the episode makes it clear that their threat is far from finished.

These episodes took Steven Universe to a whole other level, and are as fitting a season finale as we could have asked for. That, plus that song is REALLY that good.

2) On the Run

Remember when I said Pearl was my favorite of the gems right off the bat? Well Amethyst was my least favorite. This isn't to say that I didn't like the character, but she was the most straightforward and simple of our three leads. Pearl was someone who had high aspirations that she couldn't entirely meet, Garnet was mysterious and stoic and played things close to the chest, and Amethyst was the wild child, the playmate, the energetic rascal who got under people's nerves but was ultimately well-meaning and harmless. I got the sense that we'd learn more about her as the series progressed, and boy did Steven Universe deliver on that front.

As the gems begin their efforts to sabotage Peridot's evaluation of Earth, Steven gets his first brief lesson about the homeworld gem conflict, how the homeworlders wanted to do something bad to Earth and how our trio of heroines can't live with their own kind anymore. Steven equates this to The No-Home Boys, a children's book series that's basically a mash-up of The Hardy Boys and The Boxcar Children. Amethyst, clearly uncomfortable with the discussion of the homeworlder's work on Earth, suggests she and Steven leave the temple and become hobos themselves, which Steven thinks will be a fun adventure. Do their escapades begin with a song? You bet it does!

However, shortly after hopping aboard a train to ride the rails of Hobohemia, Steven finds the wayfarer lifestyle isn't all its cracked up to be and decides he wants to go home. Amethyst, contrarily, decides to show Steven her home. It turns out Amethyst isn't from the homeworld like Garnet and Pearl, but was actually made on Earth in a so-called 'kindergarten'. Pearl shows up soon after to scold Amethyst for bringing Steven to a place with such a dark history. Amethyst does not take it well.

In one instant, every negative feeling, every moment of self-hatred and pent-up anger, comes erupting out of Amethyst as she fights against Pearl to make her leave. They stop soon enough, but by then the damage is done and all of Amethyst's doubts and fears have come to light. In the end, it's not Steven, but Pearl who reaches out to her sister gem, reassuring her that she never saw the kindergarten as a part of who Amethyst is, and that regardless of their fights, she still loves her no matter what.

Like I said, this is Amethyst's time to shine and she makes the most of it. Michaela Dietz can voice Amethyst's banter with ease and does a great job in her first real solo singing role on the show, but she really shines in the final act. Her performance is positively gut-wrenching as Amethyst reveals how much she hates being reminded of her origins. Likewise, Deedee Magno Hall brings a level of warmth and empathy to Pearl that we don't really see too often, and Callison plays up the distress of Steven seeing his family fight. It's a showcase for the actors and they do not miss a beat going to such emotional places.

Amethyst has always often felt like the outside among the gems. She's the most human of them; she eats food and sleeps despite not needing to do either, she's more bemused by Earthlings whereas the others are dismissive of them, and she's the most outwardly flawed - immature, impulsive, stubborn, and chaotic. "On the Run" gets to the roots of who Amethyst is, both literally and figuratively, and sheds a new light on her in a very powerful, very effecting episode. 

1) Mirror Gem/Ocean Gem

"The Return" and "Jailbreak" were the finale of SU's inaugural season, but it's story really started with the midseason two-parter, "Mirror Gem" and "Ocean Gem". These two episodes did more than just shine a light on a character, feature a new magic trick or mystical MacGuffin, or just see Steven go on a mission. "Mirror Gem" and "Ocean Gem" were game-changers, turning Steven Universe from a fun little adventure story into a grander serial, taking the mythology and mystery built up over the last twenty-four episodes and turning it into a bigger, grander story. It was the next level of Steven Universe, and that's why it's number one.

Part one begins with the rather troubling revelation that the reason we never see Steven go to school is that he doesn't go and indeed may never have been. This calls into question Greg and the gems as parents, but we'll put that aside from now and focus on the plot. Pearl takes it upon herself to educate Steven on gem history, using a magic hand mirror that can record anything it sees. However, the mirror is old and worn out and the gem powering it is cracked, and it doesn't work. Pearl gives up and Steven decides to take the mirror and go enjoy his new summer vacation.

However, Steven learns that not only is the mirror functional, but has a consciousness, and spends the day conversing with him using recorded images of his interactions with the Beach City regulars. When Steven decides to show the gems, the mirror is reluctant, and refuses to work in the gems' presence. Steven convinces it to talk to him in front of the gems, which makes them unusually nervous. Garnet tries to take the mirror, but it makes it clear it doesn't want to go and Steven doesn't give it up, running out of the temple with it. As Steven hides from the crystal gems, the mirror tells him to remove the gem on the back of the mirror. Steven does, releasing the captured Lapis Lazuli, who thanks Steven for his help, but attacks the crystal gems for keeping her prisoner in the mirror. She invites Steven to return to the homeworld with her, but when Steven doesn't say yes, Lapis leaves him and disappears into the ocean.

Part two starts the next morning, where said ocean has disappeared and Lapis, with her water-controlling powers, is clearly responsible. The Beach City Regulars demand answers, since the local economy depends on tourists visiting the beach in summer, and Steven takes it upon himself to talk to Lapis and sort this mess out. The crystal gems say they'll go with him, with Greg, Connie, and Lion also coming along to help out in any way they can.

As they make their way through what was once the Atlantic, Pearl explains to Steven that this isn't the first time they've fought gems. In fact, every monster they've fought so far has been a gem who's lost control of their physical form, and it's Garnet, Amethyst, and Pearl who deal with them and keep them under wraps until they can get sorted out. This adds a new layer to the show's mythology, especially after having seen "On the Run". Are the monsters flawed or incomplete gems that were grown out of the kindergarten? Are they capable of being reformed or doomed to madness forever? Are the crystal gems really helping them by keeping them locked in bubbles in the depths of the temple? These questions run through Steven's mind as they get nearer to Lapis.

Team crystal gem finally reaches Lapis, who's turned the ocean into a tower into space. Lapis creates water duplicates of the gems to fight them and it's actually pretty intense. Seeing our heroines getting outmatched is one thing, but seeing Steven, Connie, and even Greg join the fight is another. It all culminates in a deciding moment when Steven activates his gem weapon in earnest for the first time, and decides to go up the ocean tower and see Lapis.

Lapis tells Steven that his friends don't really care about other gems, they only care about the Earth. She also reveals that she's just trying to go home, using the ocean to create a path to the homeworld (a plan which she recognizes won't work) because her gem is cracked and she can't go herself. Steven reveals he has healing powers (an earlier episode revealed Steven inherited his mother's healing tears in the form of healing saliva) and fixes Lapis' gem. Lapis thanks Steven, grows a literal pair of water-wings, and flies off into the stars. The tower falls to pieces, the ocean returns to normal, and the team goes back home, with the crystal gems wondering what Lapis' departure will mean for them in the future.

Lapis Lazuli's arrival sets up a lot of important elements that would become important as the series went on: mainly the gem civil war and the adversarial relationship between the crystal gems and others of their species. It also was a showcase for some great action. Seeing our heroes fight their aquatic doppelgängers was something special, especially with the rare sight of seeing the humans get involved. There's also humor to be found in this two-parter, like seeing Mayor Bill Dewey's desperate attempt to refill the ocean with a garden hose, or local teenager Lars' obsession with scoring with summer babes (much to the annoyance of his friend and admirer Sadie). The best, of course, comes from Garnet.

However, what I love most about "Mirror Gem" and "Ocean Gem" is how it ends. As entertaining as the fight is, it doesn't solve anything. It just gets people (and vans) hurt. The conflict ends when Steven reaches out to Lapis as a friend. He doesn't antagonize her, he doesn't chastise her, he empathizes with her. He understands her desire to go home and explains that his home needs the ocean to survive. This is where Steven Universe really excels; problems aren't always solved through action or violence. More often than not, real progress is achieved by working together, by leaning on family and friends, and yes, by coming to a common understanding with enemies. Steven's greatest strength isn't a magic shield or shapeshifting powers or healing spit; it's his ability to make friends and to make people be friends. And that's something you don't see very often.

"Mirror Gem" and "Ocean Gem" had everything you could want in a Steven Universe story: humor, heart, action, strong character beats, interesting mythology, great animation, gorgeous artwork, and a beautiful score. True, there wasn't a song in these episodes, but there was enough going on that one wasn't necessary. "Mirror Gem" and "Ocean Gem" have the best this show has to offer, and that's why it's the number one episode of Steven Universe.

So that's my list. If you have any ideas to voice, other episodes you like, or any questions, feel free to voice them in the comments. If you'd like to get more into Steven Universe, track down the episodes and start watching. I highly recommend them. Thanks for reading and I'll see you next time.

Free Speech, Censorship, and the Calgary Expo

Those of you who know me know I'm a gamer. I've been playing video games since I was a kid and loving them for just as long, if not longer. I'm also a feminist because I believe in the equal treatment of men and women. And I believe in freedom of speech as an inalienable right that everyone should have access to. These are things that I like and that I agree with.

Also, I hate GamerGate.

I really, really, REALLY hate GamerGate.

Like, I can't properly put into words how I feel about GamerGate because I try to refrain from swearing on this blog, but I really do HAAAAAATE it.

For those of you who don't know what GamerGate is, I won't give you the whole story of it because I don't have the time or energy. Suffice it to say, GamerGate is a movement based around roughly a million different things. Some say it's about ethics in games journalism, some say it's free speech/anti-censorship, or about a campaign of harassment and rape/death threats against Zoey Quinn, Anita Sarkeesian, Brianna Wu, and anyone else who speaks against them, or it's about claiming the identity of "gamer" while distancing themselves from the aforementioned harassers. Really though, the face of GamerGate is one of harassment, antifeminism, elitism, entitlement, and exclusion, and I absolutely hate it. Not the people involved, mind you, but the collective idea that is GamerGate, because I believe video games are awesome and gaming should be accessible and welcoming to everyone.

Recently, GamerGate was in the news again for being completely atrocious, surprising no one. Honey Badger Radio, a group affiliated with GG, procured a booth at the Calgary Comics & Entertainment Expo through crowdfunding in order to sell merchandise and preach the word of anti-censorship and men's rights activism (a cause that is precisely as stupid as it sounds).

Now while the idea of a successful MRA's crowdfunding campaign makes me want to vomit, I can't deny that they have the right to sell their wares and say their piece, provided they don't step outside the boundaries of the CCEE's very strict and very clear anti-harassment policy.

However, that's not what happened.

On Thursday, during the expo's "Women Into Comics" panel, audience members indentifying themselves as MRA's associated with Honey Badger Radio started asking about gender and representation in comics. Rather than be a constructive space for discussing these issues, the panel was hijacked by the audience members so they could berate the panelists and say their piece about their beliefs. Because this behavior violated the CCEE's exhibitor agreement, Honey Badger Radio was asked to leave and their booth was taken down.

Now a normal person might see this as a simple case of someone breaking the rules and being punished for it. Unfortunately, the GamerGate mentality is one of victimhood; that their right to play video games unimpeded is constantly hanging by a thread, and that feminists and social justices warriors are coming for it with a pair of scissors. And so GGers took to the internet, accusing the Expo of being anti-free speech, pro-censorship, and even calling them mysoginists for ejecting women who disagreed with them.

Let's ignore for now that Honey Badger Radio broke the rules laid out in the exhibitor's agreement. Let's ignore the hypocrisy of a movement famous trying to keep gaming a male-dominated space now calling someone else mysoginists. Let's instead look at what may be the most laughable thing about this whole endeavor: GamerGate does not know what free speech and censorship mean.

I can't be the only one who finds that funny. I really can't. Let's break down what exactly those words do and don't mean.

Free speech guarantees that you have the right speak; that you can say what you want without going to jail, and that's a good thing. It does NOT mean that you have to be heard. It does NOT mean that you have to be agreed with. Most importantly, however, it does NOT exempt you from any repercussions of your speech. You know what basic law is older than freedom of speech? That actions. Have. Consequences.

If the above story wasn't enough of an example, here's another one. Say you go into work and call your boss a dickhead. Thanks to freedom of speech, you have the right to say that and you won't be thrown in prison. However, it doesn't mean your boss won't fire you for saying that. Like it or not, you don't exist in a vacuum and your actions have an impact on everybody involved, including yourself.

Now, let's move on to censorship. One of the criticisms often leveled against Anita Sarkeesian (a feminist critic whose web series "Tropes vs. Women in Video Games," which examines the archetypal roles of female characters in gaming, has been met with more than a little ire since its announcement) is that she's trying to censor games. You see, in the GamerGate mentality, "criticism" is tantamount to "wanting to control the games industry and purge them of anything she doesn't like at the cost of artistic quality and freedom". God knows what would happen if they found out about Roger Ebert and his campaign to censor the film industry.

Sarkeesian has been compared to Jack Thompson, an activist and (now-disbarred) attorney who campaigned against sex and violence in video games. The difference between them is simple: Thompson really did want to censor games, fighting for laws that would force game developers to remove objectionable content. Sarkeesian, meanwhile, is doing her job as a critic. She critiques. Despite the assumptions of GGers, she doesn't hate video games (I can't imagine she'd put this much time and effort into a series about them if she did), nor is her series solely about bashing them; rather, "Tropes" is about just that: tropes. It's about identifying these recurring storytelling elements that have sexist content, explaining why they're sexist, and imploring game developers (and anyone else watching) not to use them. What's more, Sarkeesian emphasizes that it's perfectly fine to enjoy something while still being aware of any problematic or objectionable content it might have. "Tropes" isn't about tearing games down; it's about asking games to be better. Because games SHOULD be better.

Video games have come a long way since their inception. Changes in society, technology, and culture have allowed games to evolve from a simple toy to their own artistic medium, full of all the beauty and inspiration as any other. In my life, I've grown and learned because of playing video games. I bonded with characters who were just streams of code on a TV screen in "Mass Effect". I learned the pros and cons of Objectivist philosophy in "Bioshock". I laughed my ass off in "Portal". I was on the edge of my seat in "Heavy Rain". Some of the best music I've ever heard came from "The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time". Some of the most beautiful visuals I've ever seen came from "God of War". And "inFamous: Second Son" allowed me to fulfill my lifelong ambition of going to Seattle's Pacific Science Center and climbing around on the statutes like a spider monkey.

Video games are an amazing medium, but that doesn't mean they're perfect. For all it's world building and adventure, "Ocarina of Time" still leans on the outdated 'damsel in distress' trope to tell its story. For all its viscerally fun action, "God of War" has those sex mini-games that are really crass and juvenile. And while it's cool that you can choose your character's gender in "Mass Effect", it's still a little problematic that advertising for the series almost universally emphasizes the male version of Commander Shepard.

The mentality of GamerGate is that games are good the way they are and that any statements to the contrary are outliers trying to limit gamer's speech and hijack the medium for their own agenda. As Honey Badger Radio wrote of their crowdfunding campaign, "Once [at CCEE], we will start distributing the totalitarian message that nerd and gamer culture is...perfectly wonderful just as it is and should be left alone to go it's own way." The problem is that this is simply not true. If it were, critics wouldn't have any complaints at all. What GamerGate doesn't understand is that people who take issue with objectionable content aren't trying to control what games or their players can do, or remove their detractors from the equation entirely. This isn't about free speech and this isn't about censorship. We just want better games. And you should too.

Thanks for reading. I'll see you next time.

Sources: The Mary Sue, Kotaku

Top 14 Characters of 2014

It's a new year, and with every new year comes a stream of "Best of" lists, recounting what people liked about the last year. I figure that I like writing about stuff I watched or read, so I'd throw my hat in the ring, since my opinion matters and all. However, rather than narrow my focus (or lack thereof, as it were) to one medium like movies or TV or comics, I thought it'd be fun to focus in on various characters I liked, using them as a way to discuss products and projects that meant a lot to me this past year. I also decided to order them alphabetically, rather go through the arbitrary process of ranking them from best to worst. So, without further adieu, here are my Top 14 Characters of 2014, starting with...

The Artisans

from Red Sonja

"They could have lived lives of endless surplus. They chose friendship, instead. I knew they were remarkable. I didn't know I would grow to love them."

I generally don't give a damn about Red Sonja. I never got into the works of Robert E. Howard and probably never will, and that's okay. I get the appeal of the character and have no doubt that interesting stories could be told with her, but there aren't many things that can going to get me to read a Red Sonja comic book.

Having Gail Simone write it is, however, one of those things.

The current Red Sonja series is a blast; a down-and-dirty, swords-and-sorcery title that's funny, endearing, and action-packed, and the series's second arc is a showcase for the best of it. When a dying pharaoh announces he plans to have one last party before he kicks the bucket, he commissions the She-Devil with a Sword to recruit the world's greatest cook, animal tamer, courtesan, swordsman, stargazer, and dancer as the entertainment for the grandest sendoff Hyrkania has ever seen.

The artisans, naturally, bring out sides of Sonja that we don't see often. There's comedy in her inability to relate to Gribaldi the cook, her pride is questioned in a duel against Osric the swordsman, and she finds common ground in the heretical astrologist Plaitius. However, the strongest story came from Aneka the courtesan, who brought out Sonja's more feminine side and had her questioning where she would be if circumstances hadn't forced her to become a warrior.

Simone has since said that this arc is one of the best she's ever written, and I'm inclined to agree. The Artisans are some of the most fun and offbeat characters I've seen in a fantasy story, and I sincerely hope we see more of them in the series.

Barry Allen

from The Flash

"My name is Barry Allen and I'm the fastest man alive. A friend recently gave me the idea for a new name and something tells me it's gonna catch on."

I've written about the CW's Arrow before on this blog, but here's the quickie recap: I like the show, I'm interested in the story, but it's kind of a mess; a melodramatic action program that takes itself way too seriously, even though it's about a Robin Hood cosplayer fighting masked mercenaries with his much more interesting sidekicks, cool black dude and sexy hacker.

Thank heavens, then, for The Flash, a light, upbeat, optimistic, and most importantly, FUN series. It's a show that acknowledges that the fastest man alive and his rogues gallery are inherently ridiculous, and decides to have fun with it without sacrificing the drama. And at the center of it all is the scarlet speedster himself, Barry Allen.

Unlike big brother Oliver Queen, Barry is lighthearted and relaxed, aware of the dangers and responsibilities of having powers, but still acknowledging how cool it is to be quicker than quick. Actor Grant Gustin plays Barry to perfection: he's shy, he's easygoing, and, of course, he's fun. Yes, his scenes with love interest Iris can be tiresome, but he's still the ecstatic everyman who holds the show together.

The Flash is the best superhero show on TV right now, and I'm very happy that it exists.

Earl Tubb

from Southern Bastards

Earl: That lightnin' hit that tree for a reason. Whatever happens next, I'm glad it did.

Esaw: What?

Earl: I said I'm gettin' mighty tired of whoopin' your ass, boy!

2014 was a real strong year for comics, or at least it was for independent publisher Image Comics. Creator-owned books like Sex Criminals, Saga, Pretty Deadly, Lazarus, Deadly Class, and some others that will show up later on the list all rode high, and among those fantastic titles was the chicken-fried crime drama from Jasons Aaron and Latour, Southern Bastards, and the main character of its first arc, Earl Tubb.

Earl is an unconventional type of hero: an over-the-hill ex-soldier who left small town Alabama forty years prior and never looked back. He returns home to settle a few affairs, but seeing how its been taken over by football coach and brutal criminal Euless Boss spurs Earl into taking action to save the soul of his town. His initial story ends in an unexpected way as we learn more about Earl's reason for leaving Craw County and what becomes of his challenge to Coach Boss.

While the writing from Aaron is what defines Earl and his conflicted feelings about his home, attention must be paid to Latour's design of the character. Earl looks like his face is carved from stone, but it's still plenty expressive, showing his intensity, his kindness, and more than anything, his weariness with his life and with Craw.

Earl Tubb's story is the story of Craw County, and I'm looking forward to where it goes next.

Monsieur Gustave H.
from The Grand Budapest Hotel

"You see, there are still faint glimmers of civilization left in this barbaric slaughterhouse that was once known as humanity. Indeed that's what we provide in our own modest, humble, insignificant... oh, fuck it."


The Grand Budapest Hotel may be my favorite film of the year, which is saying something in a year that featured Captain America: The Winter Soldier, The Lego Movie, and Gone Girl. Still, it's a quirky feature with a lot of comedy and a lot of heart, and holding it all together is the concierge of the titular hotel, Monsieur Gustave H.

M. Gustave is an odd sort, not only because of the immense pride he puts into maintaining the hotel, but in his every affectation. Gustave is always straight-laced and always mannered, creating an upper-class persona so precise that it has to be manufactured. It's in these moments, between the generous spritzes of perfume and the poetry readings during dinner, that we see who the concierge really is: a once-poor boy who now rubs elbows with the European aristocracy and HAS to act like it. That contrast is interesting enough, but he comes truly alive thanks to the wholehearted commitment and impeccable timing of actor Ralph Fiennes.

M. Gustave seemed to keep the Grand Budapest alive and running through expertise, professionalism, and sheer force of will. He was a clever chap and force to be reckoned with, and one of the best performances I saw this year.

Kamala Khan

from Ms. Marvel

"Why am I the only one who gets signed out of health class? Why do I have to bring pakoras to school for lunch? Why am I stuck with the weird holidays? Everybody else gets to be normal. Why can't I?

Marvel Comics has done interesting things with it's Marvel NOW! and All-New Marvel NOW! line of books. Classic characters have been reinvented in new ways, such has having the mantle of Ghost Rider being passed to a Latino teenager, moving Daredevil from New York to San Francisco or giving Rocket Raccoon his own solo title. However, perhaps their biggest publicity move was taking the name "Ms. Marvel" and giving it to someone entirely new and different: Kamala Khan, a Pakistani American teenager from Jersey City.

What works about Kamala is that every detail makes her different than most of the reading audience, but still makes her identifiable and relatable. She has a hobby nobody around her seems to get (superhero fandom), she has stern but loving parents, and most of all, she feels weird and alienated from her peers...just like everyone else. Kamala really is the Peter Parker for the 21st Century, a nerdy everyperson who falls ass-backwards into superpowers and struggles in learning how to use them for good, and it's exactly that struggle that makes her interesting.

It's very telling that Kamala's first instinct with her shapeshifting powers is to act as her favorite superhero, Captain Marvel, only to later decide that she's better off saving New Jersey as herself. Kamala is best when she's being Kamala, and we wouldn't have it any other way.

Lester Nygaard
from Fargo

"I’m not sure what it is that you’ve had against me since day one, but I’m not the person you think I am, this kind of monster."


FX's Fargo was the best series that you should have watched but probably didn't. Based on the Oscar-winning movie of the same name, Fargo was a funny, dramatic, tense, dark, and ultimately earnest crime story about two criminals and the officers working to bring them to justice. One of these criminals was the cowardly Lester Nygaard.

When Lester is first introduced, he's downright pitiable; working a dull job as an insurance salesman, still harassed by his high school bully, overshadowed by his brother, and henpecked by his wife. However, a few unfortunate words and regrettable actions send Lester down a path of deception and murder, as he tries to dodge agents from a criminal syndicate and stay under the radar of the Bemidji PD.

A big part of what makes Lester work is the actor chosen to play him: Martin Freeman. Freeman has built a career on playing the relatable everyman, thrust into larger-than-life situations. Whether he's Tim Canterbury, Arthur Dent, John Watson, or Bilbo Baggins, we as the audience count on Freeman to be our eyes and ears into whatever strange world we're entering. Fargo takes that assumption and flips it on its head. Lester begins as the relatable everyman, but his foray into criminality ends up consuming him, so much so that by season's end you hope against all odds that he be punished for his transgressions. It's a clever subversion of audience expectation and a real showcase for Martin Freeman, who really brings Lester's machinations to life, all while nailing the midwestern accent.

Lester Nygaard's ten-episode story gave us an interesting and concise villain's journey, a fall from grace the likes of which I doubt we'll see again anytime soon.

Maybe season 2.

Lorne Malvo
from Fargo

"You problem is you spent your whole life thinking there are rules. There aren't. We used to be gorillas. All we had is what we could take and defend. Truth is you're more of a man today than you were yesterday."

That's right, Fargo gets two characters on the list. Why? Because it's Fargo, that's why!

If there's anything Fargo (the movie) lacked, it was an ideological villain. Police chief Marge Gunderson may have been an icon of basic human decency, but the movie's antagonists were a collection of petty criminals and shortsighted, selfish people, hardly fitting matches for such a force of goodness in the world. Fargo (the show) sought to correct this through its central antagonist, Lorne Malvo.

Malvo's is largely a mystery, a hired gun and contract killer whose work apparently spans the country. What we do know is his belief system: Malvo is a nihilist who believes human beings are inherently selfish, violent, and wicked, and he does his best to subtly bring these traits out in anyone he crosses. Malvo is an agent of chaos who can start an argument or silence naysayers with only a few words, and Billy Bob Thornton does an exquisite job bringing his charisma and menace to life. However, there's something almost tragic to Malvo, a self-inflicted loneliness his contempt for humanity causes. The only time he ever really connects to another person is when he's pushing Lester to embrace his inner villain, a gesture which he comes to regret as the story progresses.

Lorne Malvo was more than just a villain; he might have been the devil himself, made flesh and sent to Minnesota just to mess things up. He was clever, he was terrifying, he was engaging, and he'll be hard to top come our next trip to Fargo.

Luci
from The Wicked + the Divine

"You're the girl I took backstage at the little sun god's performance, aren't you? Now I know you must feel terribly teased we didn't consummate our flirtation, but this screen makes it somewhat tricky. Intangible cunnilingus is beyond even my abilities. That said, I've never tried. They do say I have a wicked tongue..."

Let's go from one devil to another, although this one's a bit more literal.

In the world of Kieron Gillen and Jamie McKelvie's new series from Image Comics, there exists a phenomenon called Resurgence. Every ninety years or so, twelve gods and goddesses from various pantheons return to the mortal plane in human form. They are adored or despised for a period of two years before dying out. In the modern era, the twelve have come together to form a London-based coalition of musicians appropriate called "the Pantheon". Among these twelve is the First of the Fallen, the Adversary, the Old Serpent, the Prince of Darkness (or Princess, as it were), Luci.

With a David Bowie-esque wardrobe and a love of sex, drugs, and rock n' roll, Luci was instantly the most interesting and subversive member of the Pantheon, unpredictable and willing to use her godlike powers in public. However, her brash actions end up landing her in jail when she appears to murder a judge, despite her claiming innocence. For the Pantheon's biggest fan, Laura, the question remains: who was the real killer? Or is Luci just telling a lie, as the devil has been known to do?

Luci's eye-rolling snark made her a fun character, but it's the humanity underneath that makes her. Despite her...let's say, "hedonistic" lifestyle, she resents being typecast as the villain, and that no one will ever really trust her in the brief time she'll spend on this Earth. Luci may act aloof, sarcastic, and above it all, but in the end she is, tragically, human.

Is Luci a goddess amongst men? Is she a human elevated to a higher plane? Is she something in between? In the end, she's a soul trying to find her own piece of happiness on this Earth. In the end, she's just like us.

The Lumberjanes

from Lumberjanes

"FRIENDSHIP TO THE MAX!!"

If you told me last year that one of my favorite comic books would be an all-ages series with an all-female cast, I would've said "Yeah, that sounds like something that could happen."

I've already talked about this series on this blog. You can read the full version here. Suffice it to say that I love these lasses. I love their reckless optimism and the capability they have to back it up. I love the uniqueness of the characters and how they each bring something special to the table. I love Jo's intelligence, April's strength, Molly's creativity, Mal's pragmatism, and Riley's boundless energy. I love that the series can get bizarre and serious at times without losing it's sense of humor or adventure. I love these girls and I love the book they're in.

Lumberjanes was originally intended to be an 8-issue miniseries, but thanks to support from fans and good sales numbers, it's now an ongoing. That's a rare feat in the comic book industry, and especially rare in a book not published by the Big Two or Image. Clearly, the continuing adventures of the girls of Roanoke cabin has struck a nerve with readers, and thanks to that, we'll be seeing more of their adventures in the future.

Moon Knight

from Moon Knight

"I've died before. It was boring, so I stood up."

Moon Knight is an odd sort of character, someone whom Marvel Comics hasn't quite known what to do with. Once a soldier-of-fortune, Marc Spector was betrayed by his partner and left for dead at an Egyptian archaeological dig. He was saved by Khonshu, the Egyptian god of the moon, on the condition that he act as the deity's avatar on Earth. Spector agreed, and upon returning to life and returning to America, used his mercenary money to equip himself with a new identity and crimefighting technology, and became the Moon Knight, protector of those who travel at night.

Moony's has starred in a few series since his debut in 1975, and while he's remained a fixture in the Marvel Universe, he's never exactly stuck out as a solo figure. That is, until his own All-New Marvel NOW! series from Warren Ellis, Declan Shalvey, and Jordie Bellaire. The series puts Spector back in the streets of New York to take on threats from the uncommon (e.g. a vengeance-fueled sniper, a rival vigilante) to the weird (punk rock ghosts, a mushroom-powered dream walker) to the human (gangsters and kidnappers), all the while dressed to the nines in a fancy new suit. Ellis also explains away Spector's multiple personalities without outright dismissing them, and gives Moony an arsenal of mystical weapons and technological marvels.

Ellis and Shalvey left the book after issue six, handing the reigns over to Brian Wood and Greg Smallwood. However, the two left behind six one-and-done stories of a mad mercenary's adventures in the Big Apple, filled with creative events and fantastic artwork. It's weird, it's trippy, and it's definitely worth a read.

Rocket Raccoon
from Guardians of the Galaxy

"He thinks I'm some stupid thing! He does! Well I didn't ask to get made! I didn't ask to be torn apart and put back together over and over and turned into some little monster!...he called me vermin! She called me rodent! Let's see if you can laugh after fix or six shots to your frickin' face!"

Marvel Studios proved itself unstoppable in 2014, not only by turning its own universe on its head in Captain America: The Winter Soldier, but also by headlining a movie featuring the unlikely friendship between a talking tree and gun-toting raccoon. Lo and behold, Guardians of the Galaxy became one of the biggest hits of the year, and Star-Lord, Gamora, Drax, Groot, and Rocket Raccoon became household names.

Rocket in particular struck a chord with me, a character partially named after a Beatles song and who could've easily been a joke wound up being the heart and soul of the feature. For all his bluster, his violence, his prickly demeanor, and his resentment towards the rest of the universe, there's a weakness to Rocket. He's insecure about his victimization and self-hating over what's become of him. However, his loyalty to his friends and his kinship with Groot shine through, and make him, ironically, one of the most human characters in the galaxy.

Thanks to Bradley Cooper, Sean Gunn, James Gunn, Nicole Perlman, and a team of the best special effects artists in the world, we got to see a character unlike anything ever seen before, and for that I'm grateful and looking forward to what does in the sequel.

Suzanne "Crazy Eyes" Warren
from Orange is the New Black

"I know something about loving people who aren't smart enough to be loved back. I have a little secret I can tell you: They don't deserve it!"

I've always had more interest in supporting characters than main ones. Maybe I feel an odd kinship with people who don't often get the spotlight, maybe I just like someone who doesn't (conciously or otherwise) insist on being the center of attention. Whatever the reason, I like them. Orange is the New Black seems to agree with my feelings, since in its second season, the drama surrounding series main Piper Chapman paled in quality compared to the mounting gang war going on between the made women of Litchfield Correctional. And caught up all of it was poor little Suzanne "Crazy Eyes" Warren.

Crazy Eyes began her tenure on OitNB pretty much as a punchline. For Piper, she was another threat to face in prison, but unlike well-connected head chef "Red" Reznikov, sleazy CO George Mendez, or homophobic and misogynistic counselor Mr. Healy, Crazy Eyes was just a nuisance. She immediately pegs Piper as her new prison wife and reacts to Piper's rejection by peeing in her bunk. However, as the season progressed, odd details about Crazy Eyes emerged: her love of Shakespeare, her being adopted by white parents, and her desire to perform onstage despite her crippling stage fright. A later episode has her asking Piper why everyone calls her by her nickname, and it's heartbreaking.

Season 2 builds on that groundwork by adding actress Uzo Aduba to the main cast, giving her a flashback episode, and making her an integral part of the storyline. When drug kingpin Vee Parker returns to Litchfield, she immediately starts a new tobacco-smuggling enterprise and enlists the aid of the other black inmates, with Suzanne as her first recruit. Vee's motherly affectation instantly charms Suzanne and her need for affection, and she spends the season as Vee's backup, muscle, and surrogate daughter. Her trust in Vee is so deep that it's all the more heart-wrenching when she's betrayed by her.

Suzann Warren proved that with the right combination of writing and acting, even the most inconsequential character can become a great source of insight and drama. While she may not have always been tactful, Suzanne is a kind, loving, and fiercely loyal person. Orange is the New Black touts that "Every sentence is a story", and Suzanne's is one of a flawed person who can still express the best of humanity.

The Twelfth Doctor
from Doctor Who

"Ooooh that's good, I'm Scottish! Scottish! I am...Scottish! I can complain about things, I can really complain about things now."

In his fifty plus years of wandering space and time, the Doctor has worn many faces and many identities. He's been an old man, an oddball, an action man, a bohemian, a nice guy, an egotist, a manipulator, an adventurer, a soldier, a veteran, a professor, and a clown. So with his eleventh (technically thirteenth) regeneration, what is the Doctor now? A curmudgeon. And he's great.

Peter Capaldi's Twelfth Doctor seems almost like an overcorrection for the past nine years of the show. Doctors from the revived series Christopher Eccleston, David Tennant, and Matt Smith were all defined by their youthful energy (particularly Smith, who at 25-years was the youngest actor to play the role). Capaldi brings the Doctor back to his roots with a decidedly older incarnation, still full of vim and vigor but less prone to romance with companions and bouts of dancing.

There's also a certain cynicism Twelve has that the more optimistic Doctors lacked. He's doesn't waste his time giving false hope or trying to save doomed victims and rationalizes it as pragmatism, almost like he's sacrificing one to save many (even though he isn't really). More than that, Twelve doubts himself. While he's still condescending to most other races in the universe, Twelve recognizes the flaws in his own personality and the mistakes he's made. That's the question that hovers over this Doctor: Is he so devoted to fixing those mistakes that he's willing to make a few more to correct them? In trying to do good, is he (pardon the pun) alienating himself from his friends and his adopted homeworld?

And yet there's still positivity to him. His affection for his companion Clara Oswald is absolutely genuine (When Clara tries and fails to use dirty tactics to elicit his help in raising her dead boyfriend, he agrees to help anyway, saying "Do you think I care so little for you that betraying me would make any difference?"), he still does anything he can to save as many people as he can, and he even still has moments of childish glee to him (e.g. dueling Robin Hood with a spoon, flying Santa's sleigh on Christmas night) (boy, this season was big on the Doctor meeting fictional characters, ennit?).

Twelve was something both old and new altogether. He may a tougher exterior then we're used to, what with his bitter Scottish accent and his "attack eyebrows", but at his core, he's the same doctor we've known and loved for years, and I'm looking forward to seeing what becomes of him in the series to come.

Zaheer
from The Legend of Korra

"Maybe I forgot to mention something to you: I don't believe in queens. You think freedom is something you can give or take on a whim? To your people, freedom is just as essential as air, and without it there is no life. There is only darkness."

Avatar: The Last Airbender was one of the best animated series of all time, a sweeping epic full of fantastic characters, a rich and complex world, dynamite action, and memorable villains. It's sequel series, The Legend of Korra...isn't. Don't get me wrong, it's not bad, but coming off of Airbender, it's clear where the best of Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko's writing went. Still, there's a lot to like about Korra, particularly in its latter two seasons. One of those things is the big bad of season three, Zaheer.

Zaheer brought a lot of new to the world of Avatar. He was the first villainous airbender in the franchise, and showed just how deadly someone with those powers could be (the above quote comes as he literally pulls the air out of a woman's lungs). More than that, Zaheer was the first time I believed a villain in Avatar was sincere in their beliefs. Airbender's villains, the Fire Nation royal family, were imperialists hoping to live up to a legacy of conquest. Korra's inaugural bad guy Amon wanted to rid the world of superpowers so everyone could be equal, save himself, who would keep his own abilities. Sophomore villain Unalaq wanted to turn the world into a theocracy with himself as pope. All of them were interesting (except Unalaq), but I always thought their ideals were a smokescreen for their goals of attaining power.

But Zaheer was different. He was an anarchist, believing that the world suffered because of the pettiness and selfishness of leaders and monarchs, and frankly, he had a point. Whether it was oppression from Fire Lord Ozai, the machinations of Earth Queen Hou-Ting, or the incompetence of Republic President Raiko, a lot of the world's leaders hadn't done a good job of taking care of it. However, Zaheer also believed that it was the Avatar's duty to maintain balance through deposing leaders, and when Korra refused to side with him, she was to be deposed as well.

Aided by some gorgeous animation and a grounded, menacing performance from Henry Rollins, Zaheer became the best villain in Legend of Korra and high watermark for the franchise as a whole. He was a fierce warrior and a firm believer, and a fascinating character to see fight the good guys.

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And there's my list. Here's to 2014 and an even better 2015. Thanks for reading and I'll see you next time!