Blog Posts – Page 160 – The Skiffy and Fanty Show

My Superpower: Che Gilson

Skiffy Fanty / October 30, 2014

My Superpower: Matthew David Goodwin (Latino/a Rising)

Skiffy Fanty / October 28, 2014

My Superpower is a regular guest column on the Skiffy and Fanty blog where authors and creators tell us about one weird skill, neat trick, highly specialized cybernetic upgrade, or other superpower they have, and how it helped (or hindered!) their creative process as they built their project. Today we welcome Matthew David Goodwin to talk about how the power of passionate social justice relates to Latino/a Rising. —————————————————– If I had to be a superhero, it would be the Batman kind of superhero. When thrown against a wall, I would break. When cut, I would bleed. Hopelessly human. But I’m much more sympathetic to the 1960’s campy version of Batman than the Batman of late. I wouldn’t erase the dark undertones, just splash them with color. Sometimes it’s hard to know what Batman’s superpowers actually are. One is hidden (his passion) and the other is disguised as an accessory (the weirdly enormous bright yellow utility belt). But together, his passion and utility belt make up for his lack of superhuman strength. Like Batman, I’m drawn into my work with a passion for social justice. I worked many years in the Latino/a community in various non-profit organizations dealing with migration, domestic violence, and worker rights. When I went to study for my doctorate in literature, I wanted to find a way to discuss the complex experiences of Latinos/as in the United States. And I found that science fiction and fantasy is a potent way to express issues of race, gender, and migration. And it is the best way for my daughter to imagine herself as part of the future.

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Guns, Stock, and Tael: Sword of the Bright Lady by M.C. Planck

Skiffy Fanty / October 23, 2014

Jared Diamond’s seminal work, Guns, Germs and Steel, posited that those three advantages are what allowed the Europeans to come out on top of the 15th century world and go on to dominate the globe in the next several centuries. European diseases decimated the New World, and European steel and guns gave them sway over Africa, Asia and the Americas. The reasons why Europe had those advantages and were able to leverage them is the heart of that book. The idea of introducing gunpowder to worlds that don’t have it is one that crops up now and again in genre. Gunpowder is an invention that is a game changer, and yet, it is not one that requires a lot of technology to manage. It’s really a historical accident that it was invented in China and only when it came to Europe became seriously used for warfare. With the technology and materials available to them, there is nothing that wouldn’t allow gunpowder to be used as far back as the Roman Empire or even earlier. The roleplaying game Fvlminata provides a RPG world where gunpowder was invented by Rome in the first century AD. The Island in the Sea of Time series by S.M. Stirling has the time-stranded Nantucketers introduce gunpowder to the late Bronze Age, with civilizations everywhere wanting a piece of that action — and being able to use it, however primitively.

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My Superpower: KJ Kabza

Skiffy Fanty / October 20, 2014

My Superpower is a regular guest column on the Skiffy and Fanty blog where authors and creators tell us about one weird skill, neat trick, highly specialized cybernetic upgrade, or other superpower they have, and how it helped (or hindered!) their creative process as they built their project. Today we welcome KJ Kabza to talk about how the power of Neurotic Attention to Detail relates to Under Stars. —————————————————– For many hours a day, I look through dense scientific papers and find where all the Oxford commas aren’t. I’m a copyeditor. This has developed in me a super-powered, refined, neurotic attention to detail. If you have misplaced your keys somewhere in your house, I will find them. I will also notice your dusty surfaces, crooked pictures, and the zit you’re self-conscious about (sorry). I’m also a fiction writer. My ability to zero in keeps my writing clean, my prosody present, and my stories… short. Before I’ve even started writing, I’ve seen where the tingly nerve center of a narrative lies, and you can’t unsee a thing like that. Novels, to this day, I can’t yet write, but if you want a world in 7,000 words? Aye aye. My second collection of short fiction, Under Stars, showcases my hummingbird-like zoom-in abilities and my albatross-like ability to cover a hell of a lot of ground. My tightly-written stories are far-ranging and unlike each other (or so I’m told), leaving reviewers to stutter, “Fascinating, unique, imaginative” and “Does not end as you’d expect.“

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Indy Genre: Dead Snow 2: Red vs. Dead

Skiffy Fanty / October 18, 2014

Nazi zombies. If those two words don’t make you perk up your ears like a great dane that just heard the treat bag rattle, then this movie is not going to be for you. But if you feel as if your life could be immeasurably improved by the application of the aforementioned Nazi zombies plus copious amounts of gore and a not inconsiderable amount of vomit? Welcome home, my friends. (Warning, this review will contain spoilers for the original Dead Snow.)

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Z Nation and “A Chick Thing”

Skiffy Fanty / October 17, 2014

While I was counting down the hours before the return of The Walking Dead, I took the opportunity to write down some thoughts about Z Nation. Sure, it’s no Walking Dead, but it does have its moments. ————————— Last weekend, my sister visited, and, among other activities, she took a break from her TV-less lifestyle. After I got to show her the wonderful “Manhattan,” she found that SyFy was starting a four-episode marathon of “Z Nation.” I had previously caught the last 20 minutes of that show’s premiere, been annoyed by a stupid decision to needlessly pursue a zombie into a clutter-filled deathtrap, and decided just to wait a few weeks for TWD. But my sister wanted to try Z Nation, so we watched for a couple of episodes, and I kept it on after she went to bed.