“Geek” is a gendered noun. There’s a GeekGirlCon, but no GeekGuyCon: every con is GeekGuyCon, unless it specifies otherwise. You don’t say “geek guys” the way you say “geek girls”: once you’ve said “geek,” the “guy” is pretty much taken as read.

When a label is gendered, it carries all the attendant baggage. What does that mean to geeks? Well, we, as a culture, regulate masculinity very closely. It’s valuable in ways femininity isn’t, and that makes it more fragile as well. The worst words you can call a man are the ones that question his masculinity, or, worse, imply that he’s feminine. Even “girl” gets thrown around as an insult.

Take a moment to think about what that means–to women, but also to men; and particularly to the way men are taught to see women. Girls in a guy zone become a threat. They taint what they touch by association. A girl who’s into guy stuff, that’s understandable, an upgrade; but a guy into girl stuff is a broken machine.

If you start there, it’s easy to see how we might have become predisposed to looking at female-identified geeks with suspicion. They’re other. They don’t fit the narrative. They require qualifiers, not just “geeks,” but “geek girls” or “girl geeks”: already a step removed from the real deal.

So, when I say that “geek” is a gendered noun, and that its default gender is masculine, I’m saying something about how it intersects with a specific set of cultural values–and, by extension, I’m saying something about the value of masculine identity to the geek community.

Dark Horse editor Rachel Edidin has written about the “fake geek girl” phenomenon over at Comics Alliance. You really, really should go read.

Admit it: You’ve always had a nagging suspicion that you’ve been doing this “comic fan” thing all wrong, haven’t you? Well, now iFanboy’s Ryan Haupt is here to… most likely confirm that suspicion, to be honest, with his 10 Commandments of Comic Fandom:

6. Thou shall not covet thy neighbor’s stack

We all wish we could have reading libraries like our heroes Conor Kilpatrick, Jeff Reid, or Pat Loika. But in reality we probably can’t. Either we’re transient perpetual students, mom’s basement only has so much room, or the flood of 2009 destroyed the majority of our collection. At the end of the day, we should appreciate the comics we have, buy (within reason) what we want, and enjoy the spoils of our friends free from jealously.

According to Haupt’s list, I break a full half of the commandments without fear on a regular basis. I am a disaster as a comic fan, apparently.

To celebrate its one-year anniversary – and generate more proof of the wider appeal of superheroes than even superhero publishers are sometimes willing to embrace – the spectacular Girls Love Superheroes blog is having a birthday contest for new submissions:

I created the blog to show that wanting to be a superhero or loving superheroes or playing with superheroes is not just a “boy” thing. I just love getting the pictures from parents or other relatives as so many of them have wonderful stories. And how can anyone resist the pictures? And how can anyone not look at those pictures and not see that little girls are an audience waiting to be nurtured into paying consumers?I’m very proud of the blog and thrilled with the response that it got. I’m also very thankful for the web sites that have featured or promoted it including Oprah.com. But lately the pictures haven’t been coming in as much so its time to prime the pump! And with Free Comic Book Day coming up it would seem the perfect time to do it as many comic shops have kids activities or costume contests.

And to encourage the submission of said photos I am ponying up prizes! Every photo submitted from the now from the month of May will be submitted into a drawing for prizes. For every 20 pictures I get I’ll add a prize and then draw a winner in June.

Prizes include Lego Wonder Woman key chains, Mattel Infinite Heroes 3-packs and more. Submissions details can be found here. Go and submit! It’s a good blog and promoting important things.

The always wonderful DC Women Kicking Ass blog had a series of posts yesterday saying goodbye to the post-Crisis Huntress, following the revelation that the current incarnation of the character is, once again, Helena Wayne and not Helena Bertinelli (The timing was chosen to coincide with the final issue of Paul Levitz and Marcus To’s Huntress mini-series). In addition to fans remembering their favorite Helena Bertinelli scenes, the posts also included commentary from Greg Rucka and Gail Simone, who shared her reasons for loving the character:

The charge was often leveled us, when I took over Birds of Prey, that we had added the Huntress to the book to tie in with the television series that had spun off from the book’s previous incarnation. The truth is, it was my idea to bring her in. The show had already flopped, and DC was in no hurry to be more closely affiliated with the series. So they were not thrilled with the idea of bringing Helena aboard.  I made a stern case, aided by a great editor, the fierce Lysa Hawkins, for what Helena would bring to the book; her unpredictability, her untamed nature, her unmatchable will.  All of that stuff was true, but had nothing to do with why I wanted her in the book. The truth is a lot simpler.

She was badass.

Completely, unendingly badass.

The post-Crisis Huntress was a character that I’d never really paid too much attention to, before; she appeared in a lot of books I enjoyed without my realizing it, if that makes sense, and I always attributed that to the creators of said books. But reading through the posts, I found myself realizing that I’ll miss the character as well. Maybe we’ll get to meet the New 52 Helena Bertinelli before too long, somehow…

In case you haven’t already seen this, critic and Variety writer Tom McLean explains why he has left his weekly comics habit behind after decades:

After more than a quarter century, I found reading the last big stack of Marvel and DC books I brought home at tremendous expense to be the last thing I wanted to do. Trying to read the last few of them was incredibly difficult — the art was detailed but unclear, the scripting was clever but not informative, and the stories inched along at so slow a pace, with so little happening on any given page or in any given issue, that nothing registered as being remotely interesting. Six weeks later, or however long it’s been, I not only do not miss my weekly comics shop visit but I feel somewhat relieved. I no longer have to keep track of what I have and don’t have, what the big crossover of the moment is, or how much it’s going to cost and whether I can still afford it.

None of which means I stopped reading comics or have no more interest in comics. I’ve been focusing on artwork of late, and have found myself interested in the recent bounty of classic comic strip reprints. I’m well into the first volume of IDW’s The Complete Terry and the Pirates, by Milton Caniff, and digging the hell out of it. I also have a bunch of vintage graphic novels I plan to catch up on, including digging into the rest of Alan Moore’s run on Swamp Thing and an Al Williamson Flash Gordon volume I picked up a while back but never got around to reading. I also want to dig into the Williamson and Archie Goodwin strip Secret Agent X-9, and I  still have a few holes in my run of 1960s X-Men comics to fill.

There’s a lot more in the link, but there’s something at the core of this post that makes me think of this unrelated message board thread at the CBR boards about buying comics that you don’t really want, just to keep up with everything:

I took a look at my pull list, which is stupid long, the other day and realized I am reading books I don’t even really like… just so I know everything that is happening in the MU.

One example of this is the Avengers. Frankly… I don’t like any of the current Avengers really and the story right now is freaking awful. Yet, I continue to buy it because it feels like I am missing something huge that is going on in the MU.

Another example… Generation Hope and New Mutants. Both of those books suck in my opinion but I keep reading them just because they connect to the rest of the X-men books and I want to know what is going on at all times.

Am I the only idiot that does this? I really need to stop supporting crap books just because they are “main” titles.

There’s something to this, I think, but I can’t quite put my finger on it; an idea that people who’ve been buying comics out of habit or inertia or something other than actual desire to read their purchases are, for whatever reason, realizing how much time, effort and money they’re investing in something that they don’t actually want to do, and changing their actions accordingly. This kind of thing is always happening, of course, but with both of the Big Two seemingly doubling down on line-wide pushes lately, I feel that the added pressure to pay attention and collect ‘em all – not to mention the increased frequency and price of releases – has increased the likelihood of fans saying “You know what? I’m just not liking this anymore.” Am I imagining this, or is this going to becoming a growing problem for publishers throughout the next year?

This may be the single greatest thing to happen to my generation. I’ve been waiting since 1989 for Nike to come through with the power lacing high-tops Marty McFly wore in Back to the Future II. It’s been teased a lot over the years but…the future is now. Sorta.

I give you the Nike MAG, a replica of the sneakers from Back to the Future II. One catch, they don’t actually power-lace, they only look like the real deal and light up. They also aren’t designed or intended for normal wear and use as footwear. Still interested? If you aren’t rich, you probably aren’t going to get a pair. Not because they are so expensive to produce but because these babies are incredibly limited in quantity and are being auctioned off on Ebay instead of sold in stores. Don’t yell foul just yet – the proceeds from the sales of the Nike Mags are going entirely to the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research.

“It’s about time,” reads the Foundations’ website. “For 22 years they have existed only in the year 2015 on Marty McFly’s feet. Today they finally become a reality. Famed Nike designer Tinker Hatfield and footwear innovator Tiffany Beers have returned to recreate the footwear legend. Based on an original movie prop used in Back to the Future Part II, the 2011 Nike MAG shoes have been rebuilt to the exact specifications of the originals. It features an electroluminescent outsole, space-age materials and a rechargeable internal battery good for 3,000 hours.”

Starting today, 150 pairs of 2011 Nike MAG shoes will be auctioned on eBay and the fact that they aren’t quite the futuristic item we’d like them to be hasn’t dampened anyones mood. As of publishing this piece, a pair of size 11s are going for $75,100. Holy. Crap. I wouldn’t be surprised if some of these shoes went upwards of $100,000 when all is said and done. (See the full list here) UPDATE: Those size 11s have now been bumped down to $8,200 and a size 10 is in the lead with $11,100. I wonder if those bidders didn’t initially read the fine print of them not actually being power laces and they let them out of the bids.Bidding is still restricted to pre-qualified bidders only.

The Foundation is also using the Back to the Future auction to help meet the $50-million Brin Wojcicki Challenge. “Sergey Brin, co-founder of Google, and his wife Anne Wojcicki, co-founder of personal genetics company 23andMe, are matching up to $50 million in funds raised by the Foundation between now and December 31, 2012. Net proceeds from the 2011 MAG auctions on eBay will be matched, so please bid generously,” asks the Foundation. Indeed they are.

Even if the shoes won’t tie by themselves, this was still a great idea to raise money. My only problem is there aren’t any women’s sizes. Not that I could afford a pair anyway but my tiny feet aren’t fitting in a men’s 7, which is the smallest they’re offering, 13 is the largest. Guess I’ll just wait for my hoverboard. The real one Mattel.

Christopher Lloyd never ages, I swear to god.

FanExpo took place in Canada late last month. I’ve never attended myself but I know a lot of folks who have and although it takes place not too long after San Diego Comic-Con and right between Baltimore Comic Con and Dragon*Con, seems to be a pretty popular show. That being said,  Jenn, Emmy and Christine who make up The Dangerous Ladies had some interesting comments about DC’s marketing at that show via their Tumblr.

The post that sparked the thoughts on marketing was one titled “Didio & Me” where Jenn, a big DC fan, had this to say, “I had been at the DC table earlier and seen how sparse it was –– practically nothing. Just the big New 52 posters seen previously at SDCC, some white tables, the odd signing and freebies. Not even new freebies, mind, these were the same leftovers from SDCC 2009, things that actually said ‘coming in 2009, Batman and Robin!’ and stuff like that. Promotion-wise, the DC booth was a total bust. They had TV screens playing commercials for the Supernatural anime, for some reason, and the 52 commercial popped up on a cycle, but otherwise there was nothing.”

Bear in mind, this event took place on August 25, right before the relaunch and release of Justice League #1. The convention may not be a top priority for DC, especially just after SDCC, but freebies from 2009? Jenn and the others (who are the Bat-ladies above) actually spoke with Dan DiDio about this. “Last year, we had kind of ribbed Dan for the boring booth. He had promised us something really spectacular this year, so I teased him about the lackluster booth. Dan looked surprised — he hadn’t been in there yet, and didn’t know what was going on at the booth. So I told him, and expressed my surprise that DC wouldn’t capitalize on this weekend to really get people going for this new 52 thing. His response was that “Well, this is the last week of the old DCU. We’ll let it have its last hurrah before we start the new stuff next week.’” (more…)

The Avengers, Man of Steel and The Dark Knight Rises are three of the most highly anticipated movies of next year and with the advent of their filming, lots of pictures have surfaced online. Some feature the famous cast members in action, while others show them having fun in their downtime on set. Well, artist Noelle Stevenson has been following the leaks closely, specifically The Avengers, and finally shows us what it’s doing to her.

Stevenson, also known to her fans as Ginger Haze on Tumblr, has a penchant for highlighting the way fans (herself in particular, but I can totally relate) perceive our favorite film or literary characters. Here we have delightfully ridiculous depictions of Loki and Thor, Tony Stark and Captain America, Hawkeye and Black Widow and of course, the artist herself.

Stevenson also showed us what she saw in her mind after viewing video and shots of Chris Evans and Chris Hemsworth filming this scene together recently.

Seriously though, the footage was almost exactly like that.

I love all of Stevenson’s work but I must also direct you to her recent series having fun with X-Men: First Class and, if you’re a Lord of the Rings fan you should also check out her Broship of the Rings. Keep them coming Noelle, you aren’t alone in your superhero world views.

A few months ago we showed you a letter column from one Frank Miller about Amazing Spider-Man from 1977. Now, another letter to Marvel has surfaced, this time from A Song of Ice and Fire series author George R .R. Martin.

The image comes to us courtesy of Coheed and Cambria singer and comic creator Claudio Sanchez who tweeted it today. The letter, published in Avengers #12, was the fantasy author showing his profound love for Fantastic Four #32 and Avengers #9. “I have finally come to the decision to have both mounted in bronze and set on a pedestal in the center of my living room,” he wrote.

The issue of the Avengers was written by Stan Lee with art by Don Heck in 1964, both of whom Martin thought were extremely talented. “What a story! It was beyond words; the fast-paced action, solid characterization, and that terrific ending all gave it that extra oomph an catapulted it into the great class. Stan old boy, you can put another notch in your pen for this materpiece,” he wrote, “And that art! I’ve always like Don Heck’s work but on this occasion he outdid himself.”

And even though Martin enjoyed the issue of FF, he was very particular about which villains should and should not continue on in the series. “I feel that the only foes of the F.F. has worthy of becoming regulars are Namor, Doc Doom, the Hulk and the Rd Ghost. A few others, like the Hate Monger and the Molecule Man, were great in their first appearance but still not worthy of returns, as a comeback would destroy the effect of the first tale,” he wrote, “Some others like the Thinker, the Puppet Master, the Moleman and Diablo have definitely deserved eternal exile…please, whatever else you do, do not bring back these chaps.”

Come on, tell us how you really feel George! I love when these things surface. Martin was all of 16 when he wrote to the letter column, just one year before he won an Alley Award for ”Powerman vs. The Blue Barrier,” his own superhero story and 47 years before his series would be adapted to the HBO series Game of Thrones. With all his success maybe he did manage to bronze the issues. I’m betting not but I’m sure he still owns them, he’s a long-time Marvel fan and collector of Silver Age comics.

via Agent M Loves Tacos

Sarah Velez raises an unexpected question: Should fans boycott Action Comics #1 to teach publishers a lesson?:

I love Morrison’s work.  Love superhero comics.  Enjoy a good superman as much as anyone.But deep down we all know this reboot of Superman is a lot about creating a new origin so DC can keep some of the character that they screwed Siegel and Shuster out of.

It is ethically dubious to contribute money to the Time/Warner corporation in the services of crafting a version of Superman that they can continue to own, despite all of the crap they’ve pulled on the true creators of Superman…

And the thing is, I’m more mad about Marvel’s treatment of Jack Kirby and his family than anything DC has done.  But at some point it gets a little too weird reading books that are made out of the death and misery of the Supergods of our medium.  Some of these books are like the blood diamonds of book publishing at this point.  Shouldn’t we as a readership stand up and demand that these companies prove to us that the creators of these characters are being taken care of properly, before giving them our money?  Some sort of seal they could put in the books that let you know this book’s creators were did not die poor and crazy while you raked in billions in movie money on their ashes.

I feel bad about even adovcating this given the state the industry is in right now.  And given that I think Geoff Johns is a really great human being, and someone who has shown me nothing but kindness personally.

But the Gene Colon stuff, and the Jack Kirby stuff—fucking kills me.  These guys are MY JLA.  And what was done to them/is being done to them, is on some Darkseid shit.

So what do you think?  Boycott?

The conversation gets weirder when she takes it to Millarworld, where she explains why Action would be the book to boycott – “That’s probably the holiest of holy books in the Superhero genre. Not sure of the taste level in rebooting something like Action Comics, or even Detective Comics, as long as they have been running” – and then adds a completely unexpected dimension: (more…)

You all know I had some strong thoughts over DC’s decision to take Barbara Gordon out of the chair and return her to Batgirl duty. Well, it’s long past due Babs had a chance to speak for herself. Here are her semi-sensored thoughts on the DC relaunch…

That’s comedy gold right there.

Barbara Gordon is really Teal Sherer. You may know her better as Venom, the vicious video game vixen from Felicia Day’s web series The Guild. Sherer, like Oracle, is a paraplegic, having broken her spine in a car accident when she was fourteen. So as you can imagine, just like I do, she has a very strong connection to the DC comics character and also like the character and myself, Sherer doesn’t let her disability get in her way. Or stop her from making hilarious videos.

Check out the trailer for Sherer’s “My Gimpy Life,” which premiered at the ITV Festival earlier this month.

Geek hosts Blair Herter and Jessica Chobot took their relationship to the next step over the weekend and got engaged with a little help from Wonder Woman and Jim Lee.

The pair simultaneously made the announcement via their Twitter feeds with Herter tweeting, “In a lifetime of affirmation, this was the best “Yes” I’ve heard. Luckiest guy alive.” With his statement, the X-Play host also posted this picture…

Herter, knowing his girlfriend was a huge Wonder Woman fan, had DC artist and co-publisher Jim Lee create this piece specifically to ask for her hand in marriage. Chobot retweeted the picture with this note, “YES!!!!! @blairherter and a ginormous thank you to @JimLee00 for the incredible art! We’ll treasure it always!” And Herter echoed her sentiments on the one-of-a-kind piece, “Massive massive thanks to @jimlee00 for the art. It will always be our most treasured piece.”

The IGN Strategize host then tweeted a picture of her unique engagement ring.

As you can see, the ring is Wonder Woman inspired, and was designed by Herter himself according to Chobot. You can see the lasso/star detail on the left but I can’t quite make out the details on the other side. Either way, it’s gorgeous.

No word on whether or not the proposal was a surprise but Chobot’s last tweet before the announcement was that her and Herter were going on a mini-vacation to San Diego for “sunshine and tattoos,” so it may well have been. Herter thanked everyone for their heartfelt congratulations on the engagement and said, “I promise our future Intergalactic Space Ninja offspring will protect your families against the robots.”

Congratulations to Herter and Chobot and here’s to a comic-themed wedding!

For all the people you hear blabbing about going to San Diego Comic-Con next week there’s tons more who aren’t. It’s a good thing lots of places are putting together parties and events for those not going to the con. Once such event was organized by Geek Girl On The Street’s Kate Kotler. It’s happening THIS Friday and it’s called “Heroes in Disguise: a San-Diego Comic-Con Pre-Party & Hero Initiative Benefit.” The press release is below.

Heroes in Disguise: a San Diego Comic-Con Pre-Party & Hero Initiative Benefit

Challengers Comics
http://www.challengerscomics.com/
1845 N. Western Avenue
Chicago, IL 60647

Pop culture webzine Geek Girl on the Street (geekgirlonthestreet.com) and Chicago’s own Challengers Comics (http://www.challengerscomics.com/) will be honoring the Hero Initiative  with a pre-San Diego Comic-Con party and fundraiser on Friday, July 15 at the Western Avenue comic book shop. This event will feature:

• Complimentary cocktails provided by Desiree Vodka from Tipton Spirits
• Complimentary snacks provided by Geek Girl on the Street
• VIP Schwag (click link for complete list of schwag) packaged in reusable tote bags donated by Yelp, schwag items include pieces donated by EdenFantasys, FilmCatcher, Geek Girl on the Street, Luxury Lane Soaps, ThinkGeek and Threadless
• Three Tier Raffle/Auction (click link for current list of raffle items) featuring original artwork by Thom Zahler and Jeffery Brown, autographed books from Lynda Barry, Robert Kirkman and others, a Tauntaun sleeping bag donated by ThinkGeek (valued at $100) and a publishers package of books donated by Oni Press + among other great items.
• ALL PROCEEDS GO TO BENEFIT THE HERO INITIATIVE.

“When you give whatever you can spare to HERO, you must not think of it as just a donation. Think of it, instead, as a small payback to talented and deserving comicbook creators, now down on their luck, who have brought all of us so much reading pleasure for so many years. It’s far more than charity. Its a way for all of us to say — ‘Thanks.’”

—Stan Lee, former president and chairman of Marvel Comics and creator of Spider-Man, Fantastic Four, X-Men, and many other notable comic series

Most comic book writers and illustrators would agree that it’s a labor of love that drives them to create, not a goldmine, and for every new creator who signs a deal with DC or Marvel, there are exponentially more who can barely cover the cost of a booth at their local comic convention. The Hero Initiative (http://www.heroinitiative.org/) began in 2000 to create a “financial safety net” for comic book writers and artists to aid in covering basic needs and cost of living: A not-for-profit lead by gracious benefactors from within the comic industry, The Hero Initiative offers a chance to give back to the people who have given comic book lovers so much enjoyment over the years, and even provides an avenue back into paying work for unemployed comic creators.

Updates on this event will be posted to Geekgirlonthestreet.com as they come in.

Once a week I sift through the millions of Etsy listings to find the best in geek chic for Blog@ readers. Last week I gave you a Grab Bag assortment of geeky items from the crafting website but this week is something closer to my heart – Harry Potter. J.K. Rowling’s über-successful book series has already come to a close but this week sees the final installment of the film franchise. And boy am I bringing tissues with me to the theater. Even though the end will be sad, Harry Potter will remain awesome in my eyes forever. Here is a special extended edition of Etsy Made Me Do It. Accio crafts!

One of the biggest parts of going to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft & Wizardry is getting sorted into one of the four Houses. User TheTrendySparrow lets you choose for yourself! (Something Harry was able to do) Here is a Slytherin Keepsake Trinket box measuring 6 1/4″ x 3″ x 3 1/2″ with Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff also available for $17 each. A larger Gryffindor box is also for sale for $27 or a Golden Snitch box for $22.

The crazy words Rowling created for her magical spells have become imbedded in my brain. Why not wear them? These Harry Potter Custom Word or Charm Necklace Silver or Gold are certainly one way to do it! User chloe24k will send you one of your choice for $24.

Although each House has their own crest, Hogwarts itself has one that combines all four. You can show your school pride with this Harry Potter Antiqued Looking Crest Wall Art Print. User pixturethis created a collage of 8.5″ x 11″ prints, 9 of them making a minimum size of 25.5″ x 33″ wall hanging overall. The collection comes framed, $45.

The films have spawned countless amounts of fan art through the years but some of my favorites have been fan-made posters. These Vintage Harry Potter Movie Poster Collection are some of the best I’ve seen. But then again, I’m a sucker for the minimalist approach. The posters are 11×17 and user balancedpersonality has a set of 7 for $90. He also has them each sold separately in his shop for $15.  (more…)

It was bound to happen and I have to say I’m damn excited for it. George R.R. Martin’s Game of Thrones series is being adapted to comics and there’s a very big name attached to the books.

The hugely popular book series was recently adapted to television on HBO and has created a whole new set of fans. Now Bantam Books, an imprint of the Random House, have announced that artists Alex Ross and Mike S. Miller will act as the cover artists for the comic adaptation which was revealed to be in the works earlier this year. Dynamite Entertainment is planning on publishing the monthly title come September and the books will be adapted and scripted for the comic page by writer Daniel Abraham will art by Tommy Patterson.

The issues will be collected in graphic novel format under the Bantam imprint. Senior Editor at Random House Anne Groell had this to say about the project in a press release sent out today, “It has been fifteen years since I first edited A Game of Thrones, and it is a genuine joy to be revisiting and adapting this landmark novel into a format that suits it so perfectly. George’s writing has always been highly visual, painting rich, detailed and striking images in the reader’s minds and hearts. And now seeing such a talented group of artists bringing that so vividly to life is truly exciting. I couldn’t be more pleased with everything I have seen so far–and I can’t wait for what is yet to come!”

“It’s a real privilege and a treat to be involved with reinterpreting Game of Thrones,” says writer Daniel Abraham. “It’s a brilliant piece of work, and watching the strength of that story come into a visual medium is fantastic.”

“George R. R. Martin’s Game of Thrones is the best book series I’ve ever read,” says cover artist Mike Miller. “Not just in the fantasy genre, but in ANY genre. Just as I hear people saying Game of Thrones is the best series on TV, I’m sure they’ll be saying the same about the comic book. You can’t find a better writer anywhere than George, and I was very excited to get the opportunity to draw covers for the comic book adaptation.”

The television show was picked up for a second season after the first episode aired back in April. No word yet on the official air date of season two but you can bet fans of both the book series and television show will be seeking this comic out to help tide them over.

What I really wanted to title this column was, Etsy Made Me Do It: Game of Mother F’n Thrones. Because, well, that’s how good it is. Once a week I sift through the millions of Etsy listings to find the best in geek chic for Blog@ readers. Last week, in honor of the film, I shined the Emerald light on you with Green Lantern crafts. This week I’m busting with Game of Thrones giddyness post-finale (don’t worry,  no spoilers). In all honesty, for a show/book series with such a devoted following I thought I’d find a lot more items then I did. Anyway, I still found some fun ones, here they are for your sword-wielding, armor-wearing pleasure.

What girl wouldn’t want to be Khaleesi after watching Game of Thrones Jason Momoa for more than five minutes? Unfortunately that title belongs to Daenerys Targaryen and not myself but I can fantasize all I want while wearing this Khaleesi Copper Pendant. Also available in aluminum or brass from user spiffingjewelry for $24.

So, I’ve yet to read the George. R.R. Martin books the HBO series is based on but…apparently winter is coming…sometime…eventually. That’s why I got a kick out of this Winter Is Coming shirt from user CutItUp. Available in several colors and sizes, $15. Or perhaps you are ready to swear your loyalty to the Night’s Watch. In that case, you might want this seller’s Night’s Watch Oath shirt for $20.

Show your house allegiance by flying the House Targaryen banner! User valchiria created this gorgeous piece with brocades and red gems. Other houses to come but this one will cost you a pretty penny, $150.

Somehow I always manage to find these. It’s a Daenerys Targaryan fleece doll! Eight inches tall from user SKULLbunz for $25. A perfect likeness to actress Emilia Clarke, don’t you think?

I can’t even believe this exists. It’s a Severed Horse Head Catnip Toy. I love cats and I love horses, this is hysterical but I couldn’t bring myself to buy it. User bixbies writes, “Your cat will love waking up next to this horse head.” One of my top 5 least favorite parts of the HBO series thankyouverymuch! If you’re so inclined, it’s $7.

In all fairness, while these were fun to find and look at, HBO has done a pretty good job at creating merchandise for the show themselves. Check it out. I’ll take one dragon egg necklace, please. (Seriously Etsy users, get crackin’ on more GoT stuff!)

As always, bear in mind, since Etsy is a craft website and not a commercial, mass-market dealer, items are almost always one-of-a-kind or in very limited availability. When you see something you like, buy it. It may not be there the next time you surf round. (Yes, it’s a very dangerous site for your wallet.) Also, since most items are created individually, many sellers are willing to customize something specifically to suit your needs. Just ask!

For some reason I can’t picture Frank Miller any way other than how he is today. Perhaps that’s why I find it so entertaining to read a young Frank Miller showing his love for Spider-Man in this letter column from back in the day.

This piece of history was pulled by Jeff Lester from Savage Critic. The note comes from the letter column in Amazing Spider-Man #169 from 1977. That would make Mr. Miller just twenty-years-old at the time of writing it. Granted, the fan-love is directed at the art in the book, which makes sense coming from an artist. Part of me wishes he was exclaiming his devotion to Peter Parker himself though. Now that would have been something to read. Of course, it wouldn’t be too long before Miller would get a chance to draw Spider-Man himself, taking on Spectacular Spider-Man in 1979 for Marvel.

Pretty cool, no? Keep an eye on today’s letter pages, you never know who will turn out to be the next famous comic artist in the business.

The new viral marketing campaign for Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight Rises began recently and Facebook may be the latest location.

Previously, the first shot of Tom Hardy as Bane popped up when the Twitter account, @TheFireRises, posted a link that sent fans to the films website. Now, three new videos have shown up on TheFireRises YouTube account, one of which holds a subliminal link that leads you to this Facebook Fan Page. The page features the same black image we see as the avatar on the YouTube and Twitter accounts but also holds the shot above. Could this be Gotham’s next D.A.?

The videos are the usual dramatic yet flashy incitement techniques. The first shows Anthony Michael Hall as part of a GCN broadcast talking about a breakout at Arkham Asylum plus police sounds. The second is a lot harder to make out. There’s people in orange prison uniforms being walked through a room with black bags over their heads and a lot of loud chanting. The last one shows…a lot of stuff on fire and more of the same chanting.

Whether the YouTube and/or Facebook channels turn out to be fake done by a fan, it’s still an interesting look. But if Warner Bros. reserved the Twitter account under that name, wouldn’t it stand to reason the other would have been reserved too? My only doubt is the Facebook page name is written out as The-Fire-Rises rather than TheFireRises but that could easily be a Facebook thing. Plus, last time they did this they didn’t go the usual routes and were a lot more cryptic. What do you guys think? Are you going to follow along with the viral campaign?

Has anyone spotted anything they think is legit?

Once a week I sift through the millions of Etsy listings to find the best in geek chic for Blog@ readers. And this time I’m going literal. Last week I put your brains to work with science! This week it’s all about letting your geek flag fly. Why? Because someone on Facebook told me tomorrow is Geek Pride Day.

Made up holiday? Absolutely! And also, according to Wikipedia, *ahem* “It shares the same day as three other science-fiction fan ‘holidays’ – Towel Day, for fans of the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy Trilogy by Douglas Adams, Star Wars Day, and the Glorious 25 May, for fans of Terry Pratchett’s Discworld.” And yes, I know May 4 is considered Star Wars Day too, May 25 is the day the original film hit theaters. Regardless, wanna let the world know what’s what? Try some of these on for size.

Geek Bookends for any type of literature you enjoy. Especially if it’s comic books. This set from user KnobCreekMetalArts run for $19.99 and are made from solid steel.

Geek isn’t the only label to wear proudly, nerd and dork are also terms to be employed. I should know, I go by The Nerdy Bird. Anyway, this Nerd/Dork cup and saucer set are reworked English Meaken coffee cups. From user trixiedelicious for $40.

If you prefer to let people know who you are all through the day, why not try this Laser Cut Geek Necklace from user Morphologica. Also check out the Dork variation as well. Both are $29.50 and are available in several colors.

I thought this Nerd Necklace was cute and simple. Made from sterling silver, user Underoakstudios says it’s, “Better than a pocket protector and knowing knowing Data’s “Ode to Spot” by heart for establishing nerd street cred.” $40

And last but not least, for a little Geek Contemplation comes this work of wooden art. User banished made this from 3/4″ solid maple and it measures 1 5/8″ x 4 3/16″. Yours for $12, or, if you prefer, the larger Nerd sign by WilliamDohman for $42 made from recycled plywood.

As always, bear in mind, since Etsy is a craft website and not a commercial, mass-market dealer, items are almost always one-of-a-kind or in very limited availability. When you see something you like, buy it. It may not be there the next time you surf round. (Yes, it’s a very dangerous site for your wallet.) Also, since most items are created individually, many sellers are willing to customize something specifically to suit your needs. Just ask!

In a very cool graphic showcase, one YouTube user has taken a slew of Batman’s symbol designs through the years and morphed them from one to the next. Beware: U2′s “Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me” from Batman Forever plays in the background.

User Antupainamku includes the details of each symbol which for some are film or television credits while others are specific comic book cover or interior designs. The first comes via Detective Comics 1942, “Batman with Robin, The Boy Wonder,” the last comes from “Superman & Batman vs Alien & Predator” from DC and Dark Horse in 2007. It’s far from complete of course but definitely cool to see a good chunk of them put together.