#SayNoToHYDRACap

It is true what they say:

"With great power comes great responsibility."

Marvel Comics knows this;

after all, it's a classic Spider-Man line, isn't it?

On the other hand, it is also true that

power corrupts, and that

absolute power corrupts absolutely.

Marvel Comics

has just proven that never

has a truer word been spoken.

I write this

Regarding the recent controversy

Surrounding the release of a new comic featuring

Steve Rogers as Captain America

(which, as you might have heard,

he has not been in a while.)

This is all well and good, only...

Plot twist.

According to the writers of this issue--

(Imagine I am reading this out loud.

My voice is heavy with sarcasm.)

--anyway, according to the writers of this issue,

Steven Grant Rogers, Captain America,

is HYDRA. And always has been.

Wow.

First of all, how dare you?

How dare you take something that was

written by Jewish writers to oppose Hitler

(in a time when it was not wise to oppose Hitler)

and say, "oh, yeah, he's been a 

Nazi all along"?

"We've been dropping hints for a while--"

No, you haven't. Please.

Spare me.

Second of all, how dare you?

Captain America, the paragon of freedom,

the very embodiment of America--

not what it is, but what it should be.

Not a perfect soldier, but a good man.

How dare you take Steve Rogers

(kind Steve Rogers, humble Steve Rogers,

selfless Steve Rogers, good Steve Rogers)

and turn him into a white supremacist?

Third of all, how dare you?

How, might I ask,

am I going to explain to my little cousin

(she idolizes Cap; who doesn't really?)

how will I explain to her that the hero

she looks up to,

the person she wants to be

 when she grows up,

is a Nazi?

How dare you?

Fourth of all, how dare you?

This travesty is akin to

Bucky Barnes saying that

he consented to brainwashing.

It is like taking MCU T'challa

and forcing him to say that

his father deserved to die,

it is as if Tony Stark

set aside the suit

because,  he says, the world doesn't 

deserve protection.

It is like Natalia Romanova

confessing, a smile on her lips,

that she enjoyed the murder she was forced to commit.

(as if she would ever. no, no, Natasha could never. would never.

likewise: never could Captain America be HYDRA)

It is worse.

This is taking every Holocaust survivor,

and every Holocaust survivor's descendants,

and slapping them.

Telling them that they deserved it.

How dare you?

(This has been, lovely readers, a poem inspired by shock and disbelief and deep, deep rage.)

~Willow

Willow Liveblogs Watching Son of Batman

Hey everybody, it's Willow!

So I've recently gotten into DC Comics... (I know. Citali's first reaction was "You're cheating on Marvel!" No. No, I'm not. You can like both.) and since a movie called Son of Batman was on Netflix and I had nothing better to do, I watched/am watching it. Well, by the time this post is done I'll be done watching it... but I'm liveblogging it. Son of Batman, I'm guessing, is going to be a Damian Wayne origin story, because... duh. Apologies in advance for the all caps and squeeing.

(liveblog:  to post commentary about (an event) online while the event is taking place, typically in the form of frequent short blog updates)

Here we go!

W: Oh, hey, look, it's the **League of Assassins** in **Nanda Parbat**. I have to admit,  Nanda Parbat looks better here than it does in live-action, on Arrow.

W: Who's the old guy Talia calls "brother"?

W: Oh... okay then. Someone's attacking the League. Shouldn't world-class assassins be harder to take down? 

W: Oh, it's Deathstroke! Cool.

W: Daaang, Damian! This kid is, like, ten, and he just stuck a sword through a guy's eye.

W: Aaaand the League is dead. Welp. Looks like Ra's [al Ghul] is dead too.

W: They're going to Gotham! Where Batman is! I wonder why? *sarcasm*

W: Hi, Bruce! *waves* Talia just saved his black-clad butt, BTW. Nice.

W: So Talia had time to change into a fancy dress and Bruce is still in his Batman costume? Hmm.

W: Yes, Bruce, you have a son. Gasp! Also: Damian is a brat and I love it. "Don't look so surprised, father. I thought you'd be taller."

W: Damian is tiny; how does he know how to drive?

W: Alfred Pennyworth is my jam. Sarcasm sounds the coolest in a British accent... wait a second. Wait a second. He just said "Master Dick." Does that mean... *gasp*

W: Ruh-roh, Deathstroke's back. Man-Bats, seriously? Oh noes, Talia!

W: Back to Gotham. Damian is chasing a dude named Ubu. Scratch that, beating up a dude named Ubu. Oop, he's trying to kill him...

W: YESSSSS!!! DICK GRAYSON DICK GRAYSON DICK GRAYSON YESSSSS!!!

W: *snorts* "Bruce, chill. What's he gonna do, swim there?" Yes. Yes, he is. Nightwing, I love you, but you really don't know Damian Wayne.

W: Climactic fight scene, Talia takes a bullet, yadda yadda yadda... more Man-Bats. Lovely.

W: Batman + his batarangs to the rescue! He just overloaded a bunch of overgrown Frankenbats with sonar.

W: Talia's with Bruce, and Damian's left to fight Slade.

W: DAMIAN VS DEATHSTROKE!!! This is a Very Good Fight Scene, and dang, Damian, you've got skillz! 

W: Seriously, though, kid can't be more than ten, and not only is he fending off Deathstroke, but he wins. The. Fight. Damian Wayne, everybody.

W: He won't kill Slade... why? "I am my father's son"? Damian, you literally just met the guy.

W: Talia knew Bruce would come save her? Please. This was a good movie if not for the awful characterization of Talia. She's the daughter of Ra's al Ghul? She drugged Batman once? She can handle herself.

W: End of the movie. Bad guys defeated, of course. Talia's going to rebuild the League, but Bruce wants Damian to stay with him and be Robin. Why? He's a (talented, but still) brat. And Talia just lets him take her son? *flips table*

W: Well, here we are.

The movie was pretty good.

• Damian kicked butt and was wonderfully bratty and arrogant.
• Alfred was appropriately dry and sarcastic, which I loved.
• Dick Grayson. 'Nuff said.
• That last Damian/Deathstroke fight scene was *perfect*.

However...

• Talia al Ghul should be a *villain*, not a *love interest*.
• The League was taken down too easily.
• This movie needed more Dick Grayson. I want that Dick/Damian fight scene!
• Where's Tim Drake? Or Jason Todd, for that matter? They're never mentioned.

That's the end of my liveblog. See you next time!

Na na na na na na na na na na na na na na na na, BATMAN!

~Willow

(Sorry, I had to.)

Alphas vs. I'd Tell You I Love You, But Then I'd Have To Kill You

Chick-lit is not a genre I usually venture into. Girl wars, shopping, boyfriends? Not for me. Some of my best girl friends are Willow and other fellow readers, the wars I campaign are between dragons or demigods or mages, I shop at the library, and my boyfriends... well, I guess maybe my favorite ships from books. However, recently, I read not one, but two books in this genre: Alphas by Lisi Harrison and I'd Tell You I Love You, But Then I'd Have To Kill You by Ally Carter. 

Both books are the first books in their series: Alphas and Gallagher Girls. I've read books in other series by both authors: The Clique series by Lisi Harrison and the Heist Society series by Ally Carter. Both books are about talented, powerful girls going to specialized schools, and both cover a semester at that school.

First, Alphas. Three main characters all are attending Alpha Academy, a specialized, exclusive school run by a rich but quirky woman, Shira Brazille. Skye is a dancer who wants to prove herself, especially to her mom; Allie is actually impersonating a celebrity whose invitation she mistakenly recieved; and Charlie sacrificed two people she loved to be able to have this chance at Alphas, but she knows Shira's true cruel nature. Over the semester at the Academy, Shira bans the girls from socializing with boys (which is what some of the girls really wanted at the Academy) and begins sending home anyone who doesn't measure up to her arbitrary standards -- and it's rumored she has an inside spy.

Three stars! 

Alphas didn't have that much of a plot. Most of the action, until the end, was character development, the girls chasing and/or rejecting boys, or backstory. However, character-wise, Alphas was amazing. All three of the main characters were equally developed. While they all fit into the general boy-crazy teenage girl stereotype (which I dislike, by the way), each was different, with different goals. Overall, I think Alphas deserves three stars. While the characters were interesting, the world and the plot weren't too well outlined or clear, and in general, the genre isn't my thing.

The second book I read was I'd Tell You I Love You, But Then I'd Have To Kill You. This story has only one main character, Cammie Morgan, daughter of a famous spy who's the headmistress of Gallagher Academy, an private undercover school for spy girls. It's Cammie's sophomore year, when she starts the hardest spy subject at Gallagher: Covert Operations, or real spy fieldwork. However, when Cammie meets Josh, a normal, non-spy boy, her spy skills are put to the test keeping their relationship intact. With her friends tough Bex, genius Liz, and unexpected-confidante Macey, Cammie has to both ace spy school and keep Josh from knowing who she really is. 

The idea of a snooty private school being the cover for a school for genius spies was an amazing, if slightly cheesy, stroke of world-building (in my opinion). The book did have some humor, since it was narrated in first person by Cammie. Action scenes were well written and not chaotic, and the characters of the girls were a little bit one-sided but they all worked together. Macey and Cammie were by far the best. At the same time, the plot was completely focused around Cammie's lying and her relationship/obsession with Josh. Even the relationship seemed to kind of start and then plateau. Finally, the ending felt unclear and abrupt to me. So overall, this book deserves also three stars.

Three stars! 

Comparison of the two: Both worlds were different from the "real world," and Gallagher Academy was definitely more interesting and well-described than Alphas Academy. Both sets of girl characters were awesome, though the Alphas were less one-sided. Neither plot was amazing: one was unclear, one didn't move except at the beginning and end. As far as the boy relationships in each: Shira's sons were more interesting and did more, while Josh was extremely flat (even considering he's supposed to be the normal boy). However, Cammie's relationship moved more clearly than the Alphas'.

Because of the characters and the worlds (and, okay, maybe because of the relationships I'm supporting), I might continue reading each series. However, neither book really blew me away: I liked them, didn't love them.

Happy reading and/or venturing into new genres and/or being an alpha spy!
~Citali

The First Booklist!

Hey! Willow here. This is my first time writing a booklist, so bear with me, ok? Thanks. You guys are the best.

So here's the deal. Every time we post a booklist, it'll be based on a specific theme or topic. We'll make a list of our top ten books that pertain to that topic. They'll be listed in no particular order. If a book on the list is part of a series, we'll include the name of the series.

Right, so here we go! Today's topic is Mystery and Espionage. Ready, set, list!

1. Spy School by Stuart Gibbs (Spy School)
2. Heist Society by Ally Carter (Heist Society)
3. The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart (The Mysterious Benedict Society)
4. Codename Zero by Chris Rylander (Codename Conspiracy)
5. Belly Up by Stuart Gibbs (FunJungle)
6. Al Capone Does My Shirts by Gennifer Choldenko (Tales of Alcatraz)
7. When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead 
8. Holes by Louis Sachar
9. Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer (Artemis Fowl)
10. The Maze of Bones by Rick Riordan (39 Clues)

That's it for now. Happy reading!

~Willow