Tosh is the New Captain Jack! or Gay: "So that's what a Jedi is"

Please direct your attention to the awesome interview with Aaron Ashmore and Warehouse 13 creator Jack Kenny from Out magazine. Why you ask? Because Aaron's character, a new addition to the cast of the two-year-old SyFy original series, is a human lie detector... and a 'mo! (I'm assuming that his powers developed because of all his experience lying about his sexuality at WASP-y church functions.)

Aaron's character, Steve Jinks, combines everything I love about the cast of Torchwood into one character: he's got the social conservative-ness of Tosh, the hotness of Owen, and the man-on-man potential of Jack! (Which is basically Ianto, now that I think about it...) But unlike all those other characters, Steve is played by a twin. And Aaron says this in the interview:

"I don't think Steve's into muscles. He's more laid back. I picture him with someone similar to himself."

They say that there's not a lot of room for romance in Warehouse 13. You know what's not a romance? Awkward twin-ttractions between, say, two clones or a boy and his alternate-dimension double. Yes sir, I think the future looks bright for everyone involved. Especially slash writers.

Drawing Words & Writing Pictures - A Scarlet Betch Perpetual Nomad

Here at scarletbetch.com we love comics: we love readin' 'em, we love betchin' about 'em, and we love makin' 'em! But whereas we have years (yeeeaaaars!) of experience with the reading and the betching, making comics is something that we've only recently started dabbling in. Which is why we thought it would be an excellent experience to work through a book on how to make comics!

For the next 15 weeks Jason and I will be sketching our way through Jessica Abel & Matt Madden's Drawing Words & Writing Comics. The book has a term for a regularly-meeting group of people working through the book together -- they call it a "Nomad". Jason and I figured, since we'll already be nomads meeting on Skype, why don't we record it and post it to our youtube channel so that anyone on the 'net from now to the year Infinity A.D. can be a part of our Nomad?

We'll be aiming to do a chapter a week, at which point we'll post a discussion of the chapter and share our homework assignments. As a cyberspace co-nomad we'd love for you to give feedback on any work we feature, and we'd love to give feedback on any work you'd let us feature!

Expect our first video early next week, and if you'd like to pick up the book and read the first chapter, feel free to share your homework assignments with us at our e-mail address or on Google Docs!

SuperQueeros! for July 29th, 2011

It's ladies week, DC week, and the week that we learn that everything ends ...unless it doesn't! With DCnU on the horizon it looks like some storylines got a little bit... extended:

Wonder Woman #612

It's the end of the Wonder Woman reboot! ...Except that it continues for the next two months after this. Clearly the DCnU shake up is going to use New Wonder Woman (it's basically doing for the rest of the DCU what JMS did for Diana a year ago. What a trend-setting hipster... ;) ), so she's got to drag her feet until the rest of the world catches up with her. As a result i have no idea what's supposed to happen in this issue. It's billed as The Ultimate End in solicits, but next month pits Old Wondie vs. New Wondie and the month after that shows a victorious New Wonder Woman on the cover. So we know where all this is headed, but who the villain is, why the JMS-reboot happened... these are all questions that will soon be answered! Finally!!!

Batman Incorporated #7

More Batwoman! Morrison's Batwoman is a lot more happy-go-lucky than Rucka's, but I like that she gets to cut loose in BI, since she'll be going up against ghosts and angst when her solo title starts this fall. This month sees Kate teaming up with the Hood and sees me buying this issue of BI and any previous months that have included the read-headed righter of wrongs and managed to fly under my radar!

Gotham City Sirens #23

The end of this title seems a little better synced with the DCnU re-launch. Harley is hellbent on breaking her boy out of Arkham, and it's up to her friends, enemies, and everything in between to make sure the Master of Mental doesn't see the light of freedom! Ivy, and especially Selina, are going to have to decide which side they're on, and whether that team includes each other or even Harley!

Scarlet Betch Episode 51: Green Lanterns and Guests!

Hey Betches!

We're back with a special surprise! We welcome special guest commentator and wikipedia afficionado... Sarah! We say hello to all our new friends at Gay-nerds.com and reviw the latest summer super-hero film, Green Lantern (aka that movie with Ryan Reynolds' abs).

Stay tuned for more coverage this week of recent comics that came out in the past few weeks and our thoughts!

Let us know what you think! Plus, any comics you think we missed in our coverage let us know! Send us a tweet @ScarletBetch or by email at scarletbetch@gmail.com

SuperQueeros! for June 22nd, 2011

I just passed my latest actuarial exam yesterday (woo!) and crunch time these past few days didn't leave me much time to blog. But here’s what’s new today!

Hack/Slash #5

Did you know that this book is about a nubile monster slayer and her muscle-bound, silent, Frankenstein/bodyguard/father-figure? And that she's bi??? I so did not see that coming (this is my sarcasm face)! But until I'm corrected (See Tarot, Witch of the Black Rose), I'm going to assume that Hack (the eponymous bi character. Good name, right? [this is my earnest face. I like a strong name for a female character!]) is a complete and fully formed character honestly exploring/experiencing her sexuality. I've heard good things about this book, namely that it's about upending the standard victim/killer formula of slasher films. If anyone has read a bit of it, let us know what you think!

New Mutants #26

A new arc, a new direction, and a new team! Since the last issue ended with Cannonball, Karma, Face, and Magik all either in jail or the hospital, signs aren't looking good for their inclusion on the new team. So flip through the issue before you buy it: I love the New Mutants, but I only buy New Mutants when Karma's on the team.

Justice League of America #58

Obsidian's crossover with the JLA continues! Eclipso's still being a douche, so Todd's going to infiltrate the enemy camp and bring the smack down from within! And what with the whole DCnU not showing any of the JSA, I'm a little nervous that this'll be the last Obsidian story for a long, long time...

Scarlet Betch Episode 50: Scarlet Crisis! Epic Sized!

Hey Betches!

It's our 50th episode! Thank you to everyone of you viewers who have kept with us from the beginning. You helped us move from an audio podcast to video podcast and sat through all those hours of us gabbing about our favorite fictional spandex wearing heroes!

In this episode, we chat about the new Kevin Keller mini-series, Birds of Prey (and the lesbi-tension between The Question and Huntress), The DC Relaunch aka DCnU (and wtf is going on with Oracle/Batgirl/Babs, also what happens to all our fav queer DC characters?!), X-men Legacy: Age of X Aftermath, X-men First Class, and much much more!!!

Let us know what you think! Plus, any comics you think we missed in our coverage let us know! Send us a tweet @ScarletBetch or by email at scarletbetch@gmail.com

SuperQueeros! for June 15th, 2011

I forgot I hadn't finished Superqueeros yet! Here's who we got:

Alpha Flight #1

Wooo!!! The first official Alpha Flight issue! More Northstar! More Kyle! More Canooks! This is a Fear Itself tie-in, so I assume that the team is going to be fighting a generic muscle bunny with a super-hammer and a grumpy disposition. Cool? The coolest. Either way, Jean-Paul = <3 #getit

Daken: Dark Wolverine #10

It all starts (again) here! Daken is in the hands of new scribe Rob Williams and he's moved to the West Coast in his bid for WORLD DOMINATION. What surprises does this new chapter have in store? How will Williams compare with Liu? From the preview it looks like he's going to be a little more verbal than Marjorie, and I think that could be a very good thing. #newdirection #jumpingonpoint

Hellblazer #280

The DCnU has reminded me that Bling! isn't the only grumpy bisexual in the comic-verse: John Constantine of Hellblazer is the classic world-weary noir character, albeit with an dash of the arcane and a queer twist. This issue sees his niece coming to kill him and take his place visit. I wonder what will happen?

X-Factor #221

Did you read last issue?! The art was crap, but the cameo at the end??? AWESOME! And this issue... kind of drops that whole thing in two pages. And then 'Star stares at Rahne naked? This issue had better go somewhere amazing because the first few pages took me from crazy to disappointing to confused. I mean, nekkid preggers ladiez, FTW!, but the last two panels on page four make it seem SO RANDOM. I guess I'll just chalk it up to 'Star being all cute and test-tube-baby-raised-to-be-a-gladiator. I still love this book, no matter how bad the art gets or how random the nude wolf-ladies. <3

Cameos:

X-Men #13

A preview I saw showed Anole. I'm not terribly interested in this storyline (yay, more lies?) but it at least seems to be good about including the whole of the X-community.

Scarlet Betch Episode 49: Giant-sized Betch!

Hey Betches!

We're back for another week of reviewing the latest in queer comic book news. We chat about Alpha Flight 0.1 issue (yay Canadians! Yay Northstar's first kiss!), Uncanny X-Force (and how much we dislike Dark Angel, but how much we like Age of Apocalypse!), X-Factor, Wonder Woman (and the big bad reveal!), Power Rangers (and their bizarre catch phrases), and our thoughts on DCnU!

Let us know what you think! Plus, any comics you think we missed in our coverage let us know! Send us a tweet @ScarletBetch or by email at scarletbetch@gmail.com

Even More Kevin Keller Pages!

Evidently that preview that went out to the gay blogs was the middle of Kevin Keller #1. Another preview, this time of the first 5 pages, has just popped up at comicbookresources.com. I've reposted them after the jump!

Read more »

Batwoman #1 Confirmed for DCNu Relaunch

When DC announced last week that it was relaunching their entire comic book line up with new #1 titles, the fan community erupted in speculation. Many of us in the fan community who are more diversity/social justice-minded know that these kinds of events have a tendency to reduce diversity rather than increase it, and many feared the worse for the various successes at diversifying the DC Universe which had been won in recent years. Among these speculations, many thought that the oft delay-plagued and highly anticipated Batwoman title (penned and drawn by phenomenal artist J.H. Williams) would surely be victim of this continuity reboot, as the prospect of having a Batman with a similarly aged Batwoman seemed dubious and inconsistent with the character's re-launched history.

Read more »

Kevin Keller Preview Hits the Web!

After the jump, check out the preview of Kevin Keller #1 I swiped from afterelton.com!

Read more »

SuperQueeros! for June 8th, 2011

This is both one of the most meager weeks in terms of queer comic book characters and one of the most anticipated! Because this is the week that we get...

Veronica #207 (Veronica Presents KEVIN KELLER #1)

FINALLY!! IT'S HERE!!! Who knows what it's about, and who cares? Kevin is back in Riverdale and he'll be sticking around for the next four months! But seriously, there's no information on the plot of this issue. Everything I find basically just says "Kevin is back! People are very excited! You should buy it!" And I definitely will because, duh, it's Kevin Keller, the Chris Colfer of comic books, but it's reduced me to talking about how much I am going to buy the heck out of this issue instead of waxing sophomoronic on anything of substance. Good marketing strategy, Archie Comics! #buyit

Birds of Prey #13

Also this week, Renee continues to help out the Birds of Prey as they work to escape Junior, the tortured, sidekick-sized version of Ragdoll. Groovy, eh? Also there's a big maze and "Oracle's death". I'm pretty sure they just did that? And it was a figure of speech? Like, she's not actually dead, just even further off the grid. Whatevs. Ever since DC announced their impending reboot I've been feeling that it's futile to invest any more emotions into the struggles of these characters. Like, okay, sure, you can kill Oracle, that's awesome-sauce because she's about to get reset to 15 years old in two months and won't even remember dying this one time. And the Question is just going to be a dude again, right? Ugh.

The short version? This is your last chance for some Montoya action, so pick it up!

New Avengers #13

So Mockingbird is near death and stuff. And Nick Fury's secret history that they retconned revealed last month is going to save her? Cool beans. Also, the "new head of H.A.M.M.E.R. is revealed" and am I too naive to hope that it's Victoria? Because that would be awesome! Either that or it should be Maria Hill with Victoria as her second. That would be splendidly tense!

Scarlet Betch Episode 48: Super Soap Operas!

Hey Betches!

We're back for another week of reviewing the latest in queer comic book news. We chat about Astonishing X-men (the storyline with Armor... we don't read the other one), Daken: Dark Wolverine 0.1, X-men: Legacy (aka Rogue has daddy issues, also yay Frenzy and her butch haircut!), and Generation Hope (hoorah for Laurie's speed mode!).

Let us know what you think! Plus, any comics you think we missed in our coverage let us know! Send us a tweet @ScarletBetch or by email at scarletbetch@gmail.com

SuperQueeros! for June 1st, 2011

So, I figured because Monday was a holiday that comics wouldn't ship until tomorrow. But everywhere I check on the internet either doesn't mention a schedule change or says that comics are shipping today so... to the Queer-mobile!

Secret Six #34

They're back from H-E-double-hockey-sticks and the solicit says that Bane is being all emo/psychotic and question-y and his relationship with Scandal will be put to the test! But I read solicits every month for this book and let me tell you, they are often totally misleading. Rest assured that Scandal will appear in this book with lines and involvement in the story. And it'll probably be a good tale at that!

X-Factor #220

This is the Wolfsbane pregnancy issue! Plus, if you read the preview, it has what will forever be my second favorite Shatterstar panel of all time! Also there will be a story about a monster that kills church-goers? Eh, we're all reading it for soap-operatic-action, and it looks like Rahne and 'Star are going to finally bond... right before her womb is ripped open by a hell beast/cute baby! Hopefully Shatterstar will decapitate something!!!

CAMEOS:

X-Men #12

So it's that "First to Last" story that's a crossover between First Class and adjective-less? I'm not terribly intrigued by the premise, mostly because it seems ret-con-y and dull. Who knows, maybe it'll be awesome, but neither of the two realities are alternate ones so I'll be awaiting the wiki page. But Northstar totally makes a cameo! SWEEEEET!!!

House of Mystery #38

Did you see, did you see??? Tursig was a patron in the bar last issue!!! Which makes me hopeful that Lotus Blossom is about to go head to head with our favorite gay goblin soon! (There will probably be more heads involved in that "head to head" match-up, but I'll only be focused on Tursig. ;-P )

UPDATE: There wasn't any Tursig this issue (that I saw) but there was a little bit of Tel in Adventure Comics!

GREEKS WITH AMBIGUOUS SEXUALITIES: Yes. This is now a category of comic book.

Wonder Woman #611

Second to last issue!! We get answers, we get final showdown,... we get old Diana back???? This arc went from 'WTF??" to "Balls-mazing!!!" in one or two issues and hasn't let up since. All signs point to these last two issues being the biggest Wonder Woman moment since Maxwell Lord looked over his shoulder!

Herc #4

IMO this series is still finding its footing, but I'd be more interested in helping it if they restored some of Herc's invulnerability so he could go back to his old costume. Because, seriously, another fully-clothed dude fighting an Underworld succubus in an evening gown (here played by Hecate)? Yeah, I've read this story before.

Wolverine/Hercules: Myths, Monsters, and Mutants #4 of 4

Here we go! A holdover from the old status quo, this Wolvie/Herc crossover brings the Ruffians fighting a giant Sarlacc-type sea monster! Hero in a skimpy outfit and a villainous beast a cross between traditionally male and female imagery? Yup, this issue brings in the queerness!