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Thoughts on Jirel of Joiry
Mention the words ‘Strong Female Character’ and immediately a visage of a tigress fills your head. She is powerful and fearless, unbeatable in combat, sexually alluring, takes no nonsense from anyone, and can best any man in any masculine pursuit. It’s a trope solidified over decades of repetition on the silver screen and the printed…
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Aero #1 Review
When Marvel announced its trifecta of Chinese superheroes, I braced myself to be disappointed. In recent times, Marvel has continually delivered comic series emphasising social justice in lieu of storytelling, and I was sure these comics would continue in that grand tradition. Looking at Aero #1, I do declare I was wrong. It was worse. Easy…
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Why I Write
Much of modern entertainment is a garbage fire. Many male characters are weak, wimpy and wishy-washy. They exist not as men in their own right, but simply to make the designed Strong Female Character look even more powerful when contrasted against their incompetence. Shounen protagonists inevitably run away screaming at the first signs of romance and emotional…
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To Break an Arrow with a Bared Throat
“This is a forty-pound arrow,” the trainer said. “It will stop a grizzly bear.” As he spoke, he held up the arrow. The wooden shaft was as long as a man’s arm, terminating in an iron point that gleamed dully in the light. “You will break this arrow with your throat.” A palpable silence fell…
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Judge of the Wastes Part 3
The bandits returned in force. Beyond the distant sands, a chorus of high-pitched roars filled the noon air. They grew louder and louder, closer and closer, gathering in force and numbers. Then, boiling out of a mirage, five buggies charged the camp at top speed. Two minutes out, two of them broke away, circling around…
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Judge of the Wastes Part 2
Robert had spoken true. Gideon had scarcely believed it himself. He had gone a hair’s breadth from turning back, until he sighted the river. A calm, shallow stream lined by patches of tough grass and hardy shrubs. Chastising himself for his lack of faith, he headed upriver until he found the hill. Lying on the…