Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy – Fiction’s Fearless Females

By: Michael Miller at MyComicRelief.wordpress.com

JustDread-full’s Note: Every year, a handful of bloggers and I celebrate International Women’s Day by blogging about fearless women in fictional stories during the month of March. Traditionally, I’ve only featured my contribution to the blogathon on my blog, mostly because my blog tends to have a narrow focus. But, “tends to” is the operative phrase, here: I realized that I’ve posted about music, politics, and non-horror books in the past, so why not feature excellent, thoughtful, thematic content by other blogs on my own blog, even if the content isn’t directly related to the horror genre? So, this month, you’ll see a lot of posts from other bloggers about fearless women in fiction, starting with a post from an awesome writer, and one of my best friends, Michael Miller. Enjoy his post, and get ready for more features about fearless women throughout the month!

It’s International Women’s Day and for the fourth year in a row I’ve teamed up with some fellow bloggers – Kalie of Just Dread-full, Jeff of The Imperial Talker, and Nancy and Kathleen of Graphic Novelty2 – to celebrate some of our favorite female characters in all of fiction.  This year I was having trouble deciding on who to write about.  I wanted to rewatch Harley Quinn on HBO Max and read Tee Franklin’s Harley Quinn the Animated Series: The Eat. BANG! Kill. Tour but should I write about Harley Quinn or Poison Ivy?  Then it hit me!  The entire show (and comic which serves as Season 2.5) is anchored in their relationship.  I would be hard pressed to write about one without writing about the other.  Plus, for a series celebrating “fearlessness,” it’s within their friendship where Harley and Ivy find and demonstrate the most incredible courage.  Standing beside each other, they (ultimately) own and face their greatest fears.  So I’m writing about Harley and Ivy and the type of friendship we should all be so lucky to have.

Given the focus of this piece it’ll have major spoilers for S1&2 of Harley Quinn as well as light spoilers for Tee Franklin’s (as brilliant as it is beautiful) Harley Quinn the Animated Series: The Eat. BANG! Kill. Tour.

Continue reading “Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy – Fiction’s Fearless Females”

Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy – Fiction’s Fearless Females

A Very Deadpool Nightmare on Elm Street

with Michael Miller

Well, Michael and I sat down to write our second genre mash-up.  Instead of placing the original Ghostbusters in The Shining’s Overlook Hotel, we chose to work with the hugely popular, always hilarious Deadpool and placed him in the dreams of Nancy Thompson, main character of Nightmare on Elm Street, to help banish the infamous Freddy Krueger.  We have yet to determine what our third series installment will be, but since this was, again, very fun to write, we’re very much planning on creating more!  If you’d like to check out our first genre mash-up on The Shining and The Ghosbusters, feel free!

Continue reading “A Very Deadpool Nightmare on Elm Street”

A Very Deadpool Nightmare on Elm Street

“The Screaming Citadel” Screams Star Wars at its Scariest — Issues 1 & 2

screaming citadel 1
Dr. Aphra – The Screaming Citadel

It’s finally happened: I’m writing about Star Wars on my horror blog.  Given the alarmingly high degree of my boyfriend’s nerdiness, this installment was inevitable for some time, but the possibility has finally come to fruition two and a half years after I first met Michael.  Now, don’t get me wrong: Michael has given Star Wars a horror twist on this blog before with his examination of horror tropes in the popular animated series The Clone WarsBut I guess because I prefer to be nestled safely in the typical renditions of my favorite genre, I’ve never branched out the same way.  And then, it happened, one fateful night (which was really last night).  Michael mentioned that a comic series bent toward the horror genre had been released. The Screaming Citadel series is a five-issue exploration of what happens when you merge Star Wars with the disturbing and the macabre.  Michael generously purchased the first two series installments for me earlier this evening, which I have proceeded to read with considerable enjoyment.  Continue reading ““The Screaming Citadel” Screams Star Wars at its Scariest — Issues 1 & 2″

“The Screaming Citadel” Screams Star Wars at its Scariest — Issues 1 & 2

Point Counterpoint: The Pros and Cons of Ghostbusting

Ghostbusters II 1Some time ago, I started a series called “Point Counterpoint.”  In the first installment, Michael and his brother debated one another about the importance of grooming in a zombie apocalypse.  The series then waned, as I had difficulty contriving another debatable issue and became interested in other things.  Happily, however, “Point Counterpoint” has returned!  In this installment, my boyfriend, Michael, of My Comic Relief, explains why he would love to be a ghostbuster and would be ideally suited for it.  I then explore the ethics of ghostbusting and why I find the practice problematic.  Lend us your thoughts in the comment section!

Continue reading “Point Counterpoint: The Pros and Cons of Ghostbusting”

Point Counterpoint: The Pros and Cons of Ghostbusting

There’s Just Somethin’ About That Guy: My Fascination with The Joker

joker 2
Photo Credit – The Dark Knight

It’s happened to all of us: we meet that person who’s inexplicably captivating.  I admit, I’ve been enamored by people now and then after little more than a brief introduction.  But, usually those people are charming, witty, sometimes attractive, seemingly kind, and so forth.  Usually such people are not white-faced demons with flaming green hair and a pointed desire to “watch the world burn,” as they say in The Dark Knight.  And yet, I know now it’s not impossible to be fascinated by just such a person.  Much like psychiatrist Harleen Quinzel, who tragically transforms into Harley Quinn, the villainous Joker who sits opposite to the Batman captivates me, though, unlike Harley Quinn, I am (thankfully) not madly in love with him.

Continue reading “There’s Just Somethin’ About That Guy: My Fascination with The Joker”

There’s Just Somethin’ About That Guy: My Fascination with The Joker