snowynight

Supergirl: Cosmic Adventures in the 8th Grade is an all age limited series about Supergirl as a junior high superheroine. It's bright, colourful with good art. The story is fun, with a sense of wonder and wacky adventure. The characters are very lovable. 

Our titular superheroine Supergirl crashes on Earth (and lands on Lex Luthor) after arguing with parents and meets her cousin Superman for first time. Superman sends her to a junior high school to pass as a human, where she makes friends with Lena Luthor, the younger sister of Lex Luthor. 

The story is safe for children readers, but it appeals beyond that. Supergirl has to face cultural difference, bullying and difficulties with adapting to a new environment, but she remains optimistic and brave. Lena believes that aliens and superheroes are evil thanks to Lex. She is a weird mad scientist, but she's also loyal and willing to change. The enemies and adventure they face include aliens, time travel and clones, and of course saving the world. 

Steve Rogers grew up in Brooklyn during the Great Depression, a scrawny kid protected from neighborhood bullies by his best friend "Bucky" Barnes. He was determined to join the WWII war effort because he was horrified by newsreel footage of the Nazis in Europe, only to be rejected again and again. Finally he was given a chance to be the first American super soldier. He was presumed dead when he fell into the sea successfully stopping a Nazis bomb in mid-air. Then he was discovered in modern time and was invited to join the Ultimates superhero team.

Steve 's a man out of his time, waking up in a strange world and lost almost all his links with his time, and he wasn't exactly received with a warm welcome here. He has a quick temper, stubborn and is as harsh as his New York accent, but he's also willing to sacrifice his life for the country. He's courageous and loyal to his friends. Fundamentally he's a good and smart person, but he has lost enough that he was wary about people. He loves his country and is idealistic about it, but he's not  mindless about it. He has flaws and an idiosyncratic moral, but he always try to do the good things. And I love him for that.

1) I'm joining ladiesbigbang because it allows multicategory submission, the word limit for fic is low (10K) My ideas are:

Marvel Adventures/Robin Hood with Storm as Robin Hood/Zorro figure. I have 6K of it though it probably needs to be completely rewritten

A resources list/primer to introduce my favourite Marvel comics female characters

A Supernatural-que AU with Misty and Colleen kicking ass and killing monsters

Once upon a time, I see an article discussing that it will be great with a law-and-order like miniseries about Misty as detective, Colleen as psychologist, Angel del Toro as PI, Black Cat as bounty hunter, She-Hulk as DA and Night Nurse as ME. Because I'm foolish, I can't find the link any more. With a bit adjustment, I would like this to happen. ETA: I find it now: Law and Order: MU

2) Getting tired of waiting for Marvel's endless events to end, I decide to branch out to read more comics with woman kicking ass.
So far I try:
Girl Genius: The subject of Girl Genius (gaslight fantasy, mad scientists) caters to me, but I need sometime to adapt to the art (Sorry to Girl genius readers)
White Out: I quickly loves the protagonist Carrie, and there's a mystery! Very promising.
Queen & Country: I love realistic spy fiction. I have only read 2 issues bu it looks good now.
Hereville: How Mirka Got Her Sword: Fiddlers on the Roof meets Harry Potter with a 12-year-old Orthodox Jewish girl determined to kill trolls. Charming.
I'm looking forward to I kill Giants


Links:
Look at pretty!
X-Man first Class Erik meta (spoiler for the whole movie)
Hero Worship: Finding the Next Smallville I would like a Night Nurse show.
Simone Peterson Hruda: Reflections on Black Women in Engineering via the Women in Science blog.
List of comics written by women
Geekinspiration of fictional kind
Copyright, freedom and fashion in Johanna Blakely: Lessons from fashion’s free culture.
Feminist comics for kids: I usually find that comics for kids are of a higher quality.

Finally I get the copy of Secret Identities: the Asian American Superhero Anthology from the library. A 200 page Asian American superhero anthology written by Asian American talent, it incorporates actual historical events such as the wartime incarceration of Japanese American in WWII and Asian American issues. The book is divided into six sessions and contains forty long stories.

Session one: War and Remembrance
This session focuses on the experiences of Japanese Americans in WWII , the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and the legacy of Asian American soldiers of conscience. 9066 shows an unidentified Nisei superhero captured by his peers and interned along with fellow Japanese Americans after the Pearl Harbour Incident. Heroes Without a Country chronicles a nisei super hero squad analogue to the legendary nisei 100th Battalion/442nd Regimental Combat Team. They shows the fragility of civil right and legal protection in a time of war and the suffering brought by racism. The Citizen is about a soldier of conscience frozen after protesting about the war crimes. I am quite curious to know what would happen after.
James is my favourite story, showing the media stereotyping and  the marginalization of Asian Americans

Section Two: When Worlds Collide
They came from a faraway place, to a new world, burdened by the expectations of their parents that they might become something special; they, too are strangers in a strange land, bearing fundamental differences that sometimes isolate them—sometimes empower them—and sometimes, make them wish they were the same as everyone else. It is the story of Superman, but also the story of Asian Americans.
In Trinity, three strangers met and found an connection. It shows how a military presence can alter a society and I really want to know what happens after. “No Exit” is a fantastical reimagining of the arrival of Islam to America. The xenophobia and injustice the ministers face are enraging

Session Three: Girl Power
This session focuses on female Asian American experience. "You Are What You Eat" is supposed to be about a struggle with eating disorder but I think it doesn't do enough to convey it. The end that weight loss is supposed to be a reward kind of disappoints. I'd rather it be more fat-positive. Sampler is about a working class girl who finds that she can 'sample' residue power from superheroes' costumes and I think it is the most interesting. A Day at CostumeCo is interesting in depicting a city that nearly everyone has superpower. However, it hits my embarrassment squick, sadly.

Section Four: Many Masks
The concept arts are really inspiring, and I would like to know more about the chracters. What will be Jia 's plan
with her intelligence and knowledge at hand? What challenges will Gaze meet? How does the girl who can fly feel what she is flying? I'd rather prefer no fridging of women in Agent Orange though.

Over all it is a great book on Asian Americans' story and superheroes. I really want to see more representation of Asian Americans in mainstream media.

Junot Diaz - The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao
Oscar Wao wants to be a Dominican Tolkien, but more than that he wants love. Unfourtunately there are a lot of obstacles, not least including a family curse. It is story about a Dominican family, of history, love, obsession, and tragedy. It is sometimes sad, but never without a sense of wry humour.

Onmyoji
Set in the Heian period, a time when "humans, ghosts and demons dwelt in the same city, sometimes even under the same roof", it chronicles the exploits of Abe no Seimei, the Onmyoji and his friend Minamoto no Hiromasa. The atmosphere is mesmerising, and I really love the mysterious Seimei and sincere Hiromasa.

"Secret Identities: The Asian American Superhero Anthology" is an exploration of Asian American history and identity through the medium of superhero comics, of both interests me. It finally arrived at the public library system. I can't wait to get my hands on it.