Indulge my Nerd-ness once again, if you will -- I'm totally digging on season 2 of SyFy Channel's Helix.  I've always been vocal about my nerd tendencies and a love of genre TV/movies/books, and I thought I'd share a bit of fan art I recently created, inspired by Helix's episodes so far. I also wanted to say a big THANKS to all the fellow fans (and even the actors and producers/writers!) who have been sharing and saying such nice things about the piece over Twitter -- glad people have liked it so much!

Apropos of absolutely nothing: here is a draw-ring.  I've never made it a secret that I'm a total TV Nerd, especially for genre/sci-fi series. Because honestly, REALITY IS BORING. Let's have ghosts, monsters, angels, demons, and an Apocalypse in a pear tree. I love the American-Revolutionary-War-goes-mystical series Sleepy Hollow, which recently introduced a new character, Orion the avenging, zealot-like angel, and I equally love Supernatural, a long-running show that Brock best describes as Flyover-State X-Files, which has featured longtime angel and Team Free Will cheerleader, Castiel. 

There's really not much else to say other than, if you watch both the shows, you'll totally get it. If not, I'm sorry I broke your mindgrape with this. And yes, this is what happens when I'm waiting for feedback between work emails. Productive, right?

Jaunty Fine Print: Illustration by Denise Sakaki

More Firefly Tenth Anniversary nerdery is afoot! I said I'd be doing a whole gorram month of Firefly-themed posts, and I meant it! Consider it a long overdue ode to the best damn sci-fi/western series ever (because there were so many before it...?), and simply because it's so close to the Magpie's heart. And I didn't have a blog in 2002. Ten years ago, the show would have been hitting a middle-point of its 14 episode run, vying for viewers during a month already fraught with holiday breaks, but still celebrating its survival of the initial Octagon of September network premieres. Much like settlers on a lonely plain, the show wouldn't survive the winter of December 2002, with its last episodes going unaired, but thankfully available on DVD, where it would see its full glory realized, post-mortem.

One of the main reasons why Firefly's cult status thrives after a decade is its writing. It was funny and with the typical Joss Whedon quirkiness, but it could turn suddenly and become sinister. And then before you know it, you're a little misty eyed because some personal nerve was touched. It was always about people and the need for camaraderie, set against the bleak, cold expanse of space. But space could be a comfort as well, a welcome escape, much like the open, unexplored plains of a young America. So, in that sense, Westerns and Sci-Fi aren't such strange bedfellows. And we'll just ignore that Cowboys and Aliens movie ever existed, shall we...? 

I collected my favorite quotes from one of my favorite Big Damn Hero, Capt. Mal Reynolds, which I think perfectly captures the mix of humor and heart behind Firefly. Don't ask why, but I decided to illustrate him as a little LEGO figure, because Big Damn Hero translated perfectly to Little Damn Piece of Plastic. So let us give thanks to our favorite Big Damn Heroes, and the fact that Firefly continues to Keep on Flying in the hearts of fans, even after ten years.     

Jaunty Fine Print: graphic by Denise Sakaki, quotes from the series Firefly and film, Serenity

The Magpie has flown the coop and taken a jaunt to the Penny Arcade Expo (PAX) this weekend, in support of her game-playing/making Better Half, and the whole Runic Games team. In celebration of the Power of Geek, this nerdy birdy wishes to share her j'adoration of artist, Joanna Mulder, and her site, Joannarchy, as well as her recently-opened Etsy shop. Her gorgeous renderings make naughty catwomen purr for a saucer of milk and she's got t-shirts to inspire Wookies everywhere to run out and join the circus. Her website is full of amazing art, and the store offers nerd gear that appeals to the most discerning Trekker, looking for the latest accoutrements. Live long and prosper, Joannarchy, and thanks to all the cool people I met at PAX this weekend!