Comics!

I love comics. You love comics. We love comics. We should read these comics together!

Avengers versus X-Men by Brian Michael Bendis, Jason Aaron, Ed Brubaker, Jonathan Hickman, Matt Fraction. Olivier Coipel, John Romita Jr., and Adam Kubert
There are a lot of names listed up there. And I was not exactly impressed with Avengers: X-Sanction. There’s a lot that could go very wrong with this event. But try as I might to manage me expectations, I am so friggin’ excited about Avengers versus X-Men. I like the concept. I love that the Phoenix Force, and Hope Summers, will be central to the story. And I’m hoping, wishing, and praying that just maybe Jean Grey will come back (and punch Cyclops).

Saga by Brian K. Vaughn and Fiona Staples
I know this is on a lot of people’s “looking forward to” lists. Brian K. Vaughn’s return to comics really is something everyone should be excited about. But I have to say, I’m equally if not more excited about Fiona Staples’ art on the new series from Image. I was introduced to her work on 2010’s Mystery Society and have eagerly been waiting to see more from her.

Womanthology by 150+ awesome ladies
The Kickstarter campaign for this book raised its goal of $20,000 in less than 19 hours and passed $100,000 before the campaign ended two weeks later. It’s the most successful comics project in Kickstarter history. Womanthology will showcase the works of female creators of every age and experience level. I think it’s a brilliant celebration of women and comics, and I’m very excited to pick this up at my local shop.

Cow Boy by Nate Cosby and Chris Eliopoulos
I can’t wait for you guys to read this book. I’ve probably over-hyped it a bit, but Cow Boy is truly something special. A 10-year old bounty hunter in the Old West, Boyd Linney will break your heart with his dogged determination and cold righteousness.

Time of the Dapper Men by Jim McCann and Janet K. Lee
I adored Return of the Dapper Men. I can’t wait to get back to the magical, whimsical world Jim McCann and Janet K. Lee created in the first volume. It’s also been wonderful to watch Lee’s storytelling grow over the past couple years. I’m sure we’ll see some breathtaking work from her in Time of the Dapper Men.

Books!

Sometimes I read books that DON’T have pictures in them. And I like them! Crazy, I know. Clearly this is all jennIRL’s fault.

Railsea by China Mieville
Mieville has been churning out epic story after epic story over the last few years. And this May will see the release of his latest. I have (and started) The City and the City, which I’m told is the best gateway drug for his novels, but haven’t actually finished it. I’m hoping 2012 is the year I get hooked by his science fiction goodness.

Sorry Please Thank You: Stories by Charles Yu
I recently finished How to Live Safely in a Science Fictional Universe, which is wonderfully sad and poignant. Charlie Yu has this great, unconventional style of storytelling and I’m looking forward to see what his new collection of short stories will look like.

Angelmaker by Nick Harkaway
Have you read The Gone-Away World yet? No? Go read it. Right now. I’ll wait.

….

WASN’T THAT AMAZING?!!!!! But seriously, The Gone-Away World is definitely in my Top 5 Favorite books. An amazingly well-crafted story covering a miriad of genres, Nick Harkaway knocked it out of the park with his debut novel. Early buzz is that Angelmaker is even better.

Curling!

If you don’t already know, I do that wacky sport from the Olympics called Curling. You know, the one with the brooms and the ice that was on CNBC til all hours of the morning during the Winter Games that you couldn’t look away from. Yeah, I do that. And I’m pretty good. I’m planning on doing four bonspiels (or tournaments) this year. Among them are my first women’s bonspiel and hopefully, if the stars align properly, the Ice Cup in Akureyri, Iceland. I’ll also be doing our club’s Scottish-themed Robert Burns “Thrifty” Bonspiel in a couple weeks and the GNCC’s Mixed 5-and-Under Bonspiel, the Kayser.

Conventions!

Con season is just around the corner. So I’m working on balancing my curling schedule with the upcoming comic conventions. As always, I’ll be at my hometown show, New York Comic-Con. I’m planning on attending my first Heroes-Con for their 30th Anniversary, as well as GeekGirlCon once that gets settled. Depending on scheduling and my budget, I’m hoping to squeeze in Emerald City Con last minute and possibly the enigmatic MorrisonCon (provided we get a date and location in the near future). But I am super, extra excited to be headed to Chicago in April for C2E2, which was my favorite show last year. Twitter is all abuzz with chatter and planning. I’ve already booked my room and airfare and lined up my roommates for the weekend. I can’t wait to catch up with everyone. It’s gonna be SO. AWESOME.

Kitten!

It’s not like I have plans for Mighty Minerva the Wonder Cat. But I needed a fifth header and I LOVE KITTENS! I am sure Minnie will continue to be adorably awesome throughout 2012.