Geek | ChinaShop

Comic Books Geek In a ChinaShop: Tony Trov and Johnny Zito Prove That Philly is a Comics Force to be Reckoned With!

May 17, 2011 - 10:28 am

Tony Trov and Johnny Zito have been garnering attention for their collaborative efforts in comics since their Harvey Award-nominated webcomic Black Cherry Bombshells, which was first published by DC under their Zuda Comics imprint back in 2008 and won Zuda’s competition that year for Best Comic. Now, with Bombshells, The LaMorte Sisters, D.O.G.S of Mars (which is being developed into a film by High Treason Pictures), and the recently-released Moon Girl (Red 5 Comics) out in the world, their company, South Fellini seems to be setting the stage for global domination.

I had the chance to speak with Philadelphia natives Trov and Zito about their plethora of projects, why they are so drawn to female protagonists, and how sometimes, starting a company is entirely dependent on finding the merchandise first.

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Geek Geek in a ChinaShop: Jessica Mills Holds Us In An Awkward Embrace

by Teresa Jusino

March 21, 2011 - 12:17 pm

If you haven’t been watching Awkward Embraces, you’ve been missing out on one of the best shows to come along in any medium. Yeah, you heard me. It’s that good, and that funny. Awkward Embraces tells the story of three friends – Jessica, Candis, and Lyndsey – and their dating misadventures. It’s a simple concept, but what makes the webseries special is not only the incredible chemistry between the three leads and the sharp writing, but the fact that the lead character is an honest representation of a geek girl.

Awkward, but charming; naive about relationships, but willing to learn; beautiful with a real body, not the anorexic “beauty” too often favored in Hollywood; Jessica is a joy to watch because she feels like a real person. She also feels like a real female geek, dropping Star Trek references as easily as she breathes; feeling the desperate need to explain why her Star Wars t-shirt is funny even when it’s clear the person she’s speaking to won’t get it, or care. When I saw the episode where Jessica loses herself in talking about “Darmok,” her favorite Star Trek: The Next Generation episode, I squealed loudly thinking, “That’s my favorite episode, too!!” What every woman I’ve introduced to Awkward Embraces, geek or not, has said to me after watching is “Oh my God! This sounds like me and my friends!”

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Geek Geek In a ChinaShop: Whedonistas at the Waystation!

by Teresa Jusino

March 15, 2011 - 2:32 pm

Racheline Maltese, Priscilla Spencer and I, contributors all to the anthology Whedonistas: A Celebration of the Worlds of Joss Whedon and the Women Who Love Them (Mad Norwegian Press), took over the fabulous Brooklyn Waystation in NYC for a Big Damn Reading, celebrating the release of Whedonistas, which goes on sale today!

For geeks in the New York area, Brooklyn Waystation is a place you should know. It’s a steampunk bar with a TARDIS bathroom. No, really. I went to the bathroom and ended up in 17th Century France.

Kidding. About France, not about the TARDIS bathroom. That part’s true. But it’s a wonderfully designed, geek-friendly place that plays host to any number of events during the week like Steampunk Style parties, live music, variety acts… and readings like ours.

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Geek The Best of 2010…according to Teresa Jusino

by Teresa Jusino

December 27, 2010 - 10:06 am

TERESA JUSINO’S GEEK IN A CHINASHOP TOP 5

Best TV Show: Caprica
Caprica was one of the exceptional shows on television this year. A well-written, flawlessly acted, thought-provoking show that provided a showcase for social and ethnic minorities in a way that isn’t common in Hollywood. Sadly, Caprica was canceled before its first season even finished airing. But don’t fret! Those of you who haven’t been watching can already get the first half of Season 1 on DVD, and Season 1.5, which contains the rest of the season, including the five as-yet unaired episodes, was released December 20th! Just in time for a last minute gift purchase for the sci-fi fans in your life! The final five Caprica episodes will air in a marathon on SyFy January 4th at 6PM ET.

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Geek GEEK IN A CHINASHOP: May the Force Be With Katie

by Teresa Jusino

December 9, 2010 - 1:27 pm

Now, more than ever, a Geek Girl movement is thoroughly under way. Books like Chicks Dig Time Lords, panels like “Geek Girls Exist” at San Diego Comic Con, and upcoming events like Geek Girl Con in Seattle all spotlight the fact that not only do women and girls genuinely enjoy things like sci-fi and fantasy independent of the men in their lives, but that they have valuable contributions to make to the creation of sci-fi/fantasy stories, as well as to their respective fandoms.

It’s easy to dismiss such efforts as unnecessary in 2010. After all, do we really need another “Women in Sci-Fi” panel? Aren’t we past all that? Couldn’t women just be included in things where gender isn’t the primary focus? Well, no. Not yet. If you ever wonder why the current rise of the “Geek Girl” movement is so important, one only need look at stories like that of Katie, a 7 year old Star Wars fan in Illinois who was teased in school for carrying a Star Wars water bottle.

Because Star Wars is “for boys.” Apparently.

Katie’s mother, Carrie Goldman, wrote a blog for ChicagoNow about the general topic of bullying and related it specifically to the teasing Katie was getting as early as first grade. When the news of Katie being teased for her Star Wars paraphenalia hit the internet, the geeky troops were rallied and the story was spread everywhere. Soon, Katie and her mother were being interviewed on national news programs and online for outlets like The Huffington Post. #MayTheForceBeWithKatie became a popular hashtag on Twitter, and a Facebook group was started for what has become Wear Star Wars/Share Star Wars Day, which is tomorrow, December 10th!

I had the chance to speak with Ms. Goldman about being a parent to the most well-known Star Wars fan under 10, how Katie’s been doing now that she’s been adopted by the geek community, and how she hopes Katie’s story will help others.

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Comic Books COMICS: Droppin’ the ZombieBomb!

by Teresa Jusino

December 8, 2010 - 12:09 pm

A clear sign that the geeks have inherited the Earth, and that mainstream culture is embracing genres like horror, sci-fi, and fantasy is the prevelance of zombies in pop culture. From The Walking Dead to 28 Days Later (I’ll let you all debate whether you think the things in that movie actually qualify as zombies), from Pride and Prejudice and Zombies to World War Z, zombies are everywhere, and it isn’t only geeks who are signing up to prepare for the zombie apocalypse. As Adam Miller of Terminal Press points out, “Well, the thing about it is that I don’t think it’s so much a fad anymore. I think it’s really become its own genre. It think it’s like The Western. I don’t think it’s going anywhere.”

Adam Miller and Rich Woodall honor the zombie genre through an anthology series they edit for Terminal Press called ZombieBomb! Currently on its third issue, ZombieBomb! assembles a broad range of talented artists and writers to create new zombie stories for each issue. What makes this zombie anthology special is the diversity of the storytelling brought to the zombie-loving public by artists with diverse backrounds – it boasts comics professionals, children’s book illustrators, photographers, and even a heavy metal musician! – which allows the books to offer stories in a range of styles from different points of view.

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Fashion Holiday Lacquer: Buyers Guide 2010

by Carrie Tucker

November 29, 2010 - 1:07 pm

Like most anything even vaguely fashion-related, when it comes to nail polish, you’ve got those for whom it’s just a passing pleasure, and then you’ve got the fanatics. They have blogs about nails where they preview the new collections; they line up outside Chanel to get the Khakis. They’ll tell you all about their disappointment in NARS’s failure to bring back Midnight Express in the first round of vintage re-releases, and how ecstatic they are that it’s in this season’s line-up. They talk about “3 Free” and brush strokes and polish brands so indie you wonder if they’re made up.

I, sadly, fall into that latter category. Yes, I’m saying it loud and saying it proud: I am a nail nerd.

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Contributors GEEK ACTIVISM: The Nerdy Bird Uses Her Powers to Fight for the MDA

by Teresa Jusino

November 16, 2010 - 10:59 am

Pantozzi cosplays as a Red Lantern

Geeks know how to mobilize. Contrary to what you might think, they don’t just mobilize to save failing television shows. Sometimes, they use their vast social networking skills to mobilize for good. Sometimes, they mobilize to change the world. I hope to regularly spotlight those geeky activists here at ChinaShop to show the world what I already know; that the Geek Community is made up of some of the most caring and heroic people on the planet!

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Fashion GEEK FASHION: Connect to your Caprican Roots!

by Teresa Jusino

November 11, 2010 - 11:42 am

It’s been over two millenia since the Colonials and the Cylons first inhabited our world, becoming the catalysts for humanity as we know it, but we continue to discover more about our past. As recently as January 2009, scientists have uncovered a lot of information about life on the colonies before the first Cylon War. In addition to the discovery of the connection between the ancient holoband and cylons as we know them, we’ve also learned a great deal about what they wore and how they lived. This week, a relic was discovered in an archeological dig in Tunisia, a briefcase that contained, among other things, a fashion magazine called Caprican Woman that was surprisingly well-preserved. The cover tells us that it is the “Tauron Issue”, and one of the photo spreads contrasts the differences in women’s fashion on Caprica and Tauron. Below, you’ll find a scan of the surviving pages of the photo spread.

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Fashion Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab

by Teresa Jusino

September 20, 2010 - 11:35 am

It is a truth universally acknowledged that geek girls who game, watch sci-fi, or read fantasy novels must not be be concerned with anything that’s traditionally girly. Well, it might be universally acknowledged, but that doesn’t make it true. Thank the Lords of Kobol for companies like Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab, who provide perfumes and other fragrance essentials with a distinct appeal for today’s discriminating geek.

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