From the sick bed... Or Madly Watching All The Things

Being sick sucks.

It's kind of  obvious but I feel I just had to put it out there on behalf of .... well everyone really.  There is though one shining light when one is sick.  When you're at the moment between being not quite capable of standing on two feet without the room swaying from side to side and wishing for death to swallow you up and take you now.

You know the moment.  The one where you can lay on the couch, all snugly with tissues, water and medication nearby and just veg out in front of the television.

It is, as they say, the perfect moment to catch up on all the things you've been missing out on or to indulge in something you love.

Fargo

Dark, comic, and violent, Fargo is The show that everyone is talking about.  And no wonder. Because it is seriously good.

There's murder and blackmail and ruthless hit men and people with funny names.  And it's all set in Minnesota.  In the middle of winter.  Where the temperature can drop to minus 20.

Minus 20

Just a tad chilly then.

So it's the perfect show to curl up on the couch and watch with a hot drink, maybe even a hot toddy.

Penny Dreadful

Seriously dark and twisted Penny Dreadful is just my kind of show.

It also features some famous characters from literature such as Dr Frankenstein and Dorian Gray.  It also features the amazing and always lovely Eva Green.

Who I adore.

That she wasn't nominated for an Emmy or a Golden Globe for her portrayal of the haunted and gutsy Vanessa is a tragedy.

Black Sails

Pirates.

Do I really need to say anything else?

Okay maybe just a little more.

Pirates.  Hunting for treasure. Led by Toby Stephens who is kind of swoon worthy in the bad boy way.

Pretty much sums it up.  It's also pretty damn good. Because Pirates.

Did I mention pirates?

Arrow

I'd be the first to admit that Arrow isn't a great show.  But that's okay because it is a good show.  One that keeps getting better and better with each season.

It's a superhero show. So there's costumes and some kick ass fighting and training scenes.  There is also the awesome Felicity Smoak.  IT girl extraordinaire who is geeky and funny and all-round wonderful.  And there's Olicity moments.  Which as far as I'm concerned is the only OTP (One True Pairing)

And if that doesn't work for you well there's always Stephen Amell's abs.  Which almost deserve a show of there own.

Pure indulgence.

Perception

Quirky, intelligent, entertaining.  These are just a few words that I would use to describe this show.

And it's glorious.  And it's all due to Eric McCormack's (he of Will and Grace fame) portrayal of Dr Daniel Pierce, a neuroscience professor who helps the FBI while at the same time battling his own mental health issue, paranoid schizophrenia.

He's also an fascinating lecturer. So much so that I almost wish his classes were real just so I could attend them.

Pretty incredible for a fictional character.

Angel

I know that I have mentioned this show in the past.  But regularly marathoning my favourite shows is just something that I do.  And this is one that I have been marathoning recently.

Weirdly enough Angel isn't my favourite character.  Instead I adore Fred and Wesley (who becomes a total badass) and of course, Spike.

It also made me cry.  Like buckets.  Because Joss Whedon is a cruel, cruel man.  If you watch season 5 you'll know what I mean.

KAPOW! SHAZAM! Comics But Not As You Know Them

Surprising enough, I've never been much of a comic book fan.  I just never saw their appeal.  Recently though I have been making an effort to try out more of this much misunderstood, and sometimes maligned, way of reading.

And I'm so glad I did because comics have come along way from the ones I remember as a kid.  The art work alone in some of them is truly amazing, and beautiful.  And in many ways they have helped me appreciate stories that never held all that much of an allure for me.

Which is really the point, don't you think?

If something gets you to enjoy, even love a story, then I'm all for it.

Personally I can't wait to discover more great comic delights.  Of course knowing me it will probably just end up as yet another addiction...

Romeo and Juliet : the war / reimagined by Stan Lee and Terry Dougas.

A recommendation from my fellow blogger Tosca, this is Romeo and Juliet as you've never seen them before.

Combining beautiful illustrations with a classic story and giving it a sci-fi twist.  Just wonderful.

Batman. Volume 1, The court of owls / Scott Snyder, writer.

In the argument of who you prefer Batman versus Superman, Batman has always been the one for me.

Mysterious, broody with a touch of bad boy and unlike Superman he has to rely on his own 'very human' abilities.  There's no flying or x-ray vision with this superhero and that's just how I like it.

Pacific Rim. Tales from year zero / writer, Travis Beacham.

Aliens from outer space. Earth under attack.  War machines. Yeah I am so there.

Even better there's a film coming out.  So double yay.

Until then check out this comic to see what all the fuss is about.

Star Trek the next generation / Doctor Who. Assimilation / [written by Scott & David Tipton with Tony Lee.

The moment I found out that someone had done a Doctor Who/Star Trek The Next Generation crossover I just had to check it out.

Because seriously this is so awesome and for a fanfic lover like me the ultimate kind of story..

If you've never read a crossover's before then you're in for a treat and if you're anything like me will probably want to hunt down every kind of crossover you can find.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer : the long way home / script, Joss Whedon.

I'm a Buffy fan so it will come as no surprise that I've read all the Buffy comics.

Because why not? Or better yet, why haven't you?  Especially if you a Buffy fan and wanted to know what happened after Season seven.

This series of comics carries on from where the TV show ended and will give you all the answers you've been craving and even better it's written by Buffy creator Joss Whedon.

Spike: the complete series / written by Brian Lynch

Buffy. Vampires. Bad boys...

I'm sensing a theme here but really can you blame me when the bad boy in question is none other than Spike.  He was (and is) the ultimate bad boy with a British accent (God aren't they the best), dressed all in black who underneath it all was really a hero.

Personally I would chosen him over Angel any day.  Buffy was a fool.

Winter Soldier / writer, Ed Brubaker

Men in tights?

Sorry doesn't really do it for me.

Men in black. With guns no less.  Well that's a whole different story.

Move over Captain America and hello Winter soldier.  Now this is my kind of superhero.

Now all I need to find is western comic with guns and cowboy hats and bad boys - who look super hot - because why the hell not.  So if you have any recommendations let me know.

Why is Supergirl in a miniskirt? My thoughts on women in comic books.

Now before I get angry comments from comic book enthusiasts. I will openly admit that I'm not ultimate nerd level on comic books. I do however work in a library so everyone just be cool.

I was browsing the library shelves the other day in the adult comic book section and I noticed that almost every depiction of women on the cover of the comic books was borderline ridiculous. Everywhere I looked there were cartoon boobies, cartoon thighs and cartoon butts. I couldn't help but wonder why the hell they're all dressed like that, I mean is it really necessary for Supergirl to be in a miniskirt? 

First of all let's talk about practicality. Say you're hypothetically fighting an evil Nazi spymaster as Wonder Woman often did. Are you really going to wear high heels? Of course not! You've got a job to do, ain't nobody got time for that! Don't even get me started on her playsuit. There is no amount of fashion tape in the world that's going to keep those knockers in. I guess my real question is this: Are women in comic books just there to be sexualised or do they have a real purpose? 

I will say that from my experience a lot of female characters in comic books are tough and intelligent women and we are defiantly moving away from them being just the love interests and side kicks but isn't it time that we were at least a little realistic about what a woman actually is? Can't we have female super heroes who are  intelligent and awesome without being ridiculously over sexualised? I'm all for a bit of leg meat now and again but there comes a point when they're just there for the sake of their bodies and nothing else. 

Now I'm not necessarily pointing fault at libraries for this even though we are the ones stocking these books so yeah, I'll admit it's partially on us but I really don't think there are a huge amount of books available that feature women who aren't nearly naked.

I'd love to see more comic books featuring women who are a tad more practically dressed while being smart and generally kicking ass. Either that or we need a little more of this: