Mermaid Treasures 3

Methinks it's time for another mermaid. This cutiepie in a champagne glass was bought in Vegas in 2004, right after I attended the San Diego ComicCon. She's a Christmas decoration, but she hangs from the door of my mermaid room all year round. Love her colouring and her sparkly spangly tail.

The New Breed of Sexy

Gone are the days when the smart, bespectacled, feisty females were pushed into wallflower status by the jocks who just went for the visual packaging. To check out what I'm talking about, read the following article on AlterNet by Vanessa Richmond– Nerdy Girls Have Attained Sexy Status. It says that,  

... until now female geeks' sex appeal has been roughly equivalent to that of Napoleon Dynamite. Wikipedia describes the nerd girl as a stock character who wear eye glasses, dresses unfashionably, wears pigtails (and other little girl items like mary-jane shoes and knee high socks), is shy and socially inept and either overweight or gangly. More recently, they sometimes have a passion for social justice (see Simpson, Lisa) are feminist or post-feminist (see Granger, Hermione) or come up with the piece of knowledge that enables the plot to be resolved (see Velma from Scooby Doo). And sometimes, just sometimes, they get a makeover and become kind pretty albeit in an awkward way (see Willow from Buffy the Vampire Slayer).

Now, as it stands Lisa, Hermione and Willow were my favourite characters in the above cited television shows and books. I wonder why? Doh! You see, by rights I should have claimed nerd-status for myself during my high school days because I fitted most of the criteria cited above. The only thing that stopped me was the fact that the word "nerd" wasn't really popularised until the 1984 release of Revenge of the Nerds, and that came out just as my high school days were at an end. In hindsight, I wasn't treated as a nerd by my school mates, but strangely enough by some of the teachers who seemed to resent the fact that I was smart (mostly because I had a good memory). In fact, there were two male teachers in particular who rather unjustly decided to rob me of two deserved scholastic prizes and reward them to the second place getter – a girl who was prettier than me by the standards of the day. 

The first situation was in Year 11 Biology. There were two classes and I had a female Science teacher – Mrs C. The male teacher – Mr W – headed the other class. Even though we were assessed all year round, the placements in a subject were determined by the final end of year exam. I had worked hard but in the end was beaten by half a mark. I received something like 77 and the other girl received 77.5. I was disappointed when the results were announced to the class, but accepting of them, as she seemed to have beaten me fair and square. However, when Mrs C went over the exam questions and answers, I discovered that one of the multiple choice answers that had been marked incorrect, was in fact right. I went to the teacher and asked her to look at my paper. Indeed, there was nothing on the paper to indicate I had altered my answer or cheated, and she gave me the mark on the spot. When she reported to Mr W that I had rightfully won first place in Biology I could see him seething. He then promptly announced that the other girl's mark of 77.5 was as good as 78 and as it was only half a mark difference we were going to share the prize and come in as equal first in Biology that year. I was quite sickened by this turn of affairs because I know he would never have looked on me as favourably if our positions were reversed. So I had to swallow my protest and my pride and take it on the chin.

The following year which was the HSC year (Higher School Certificate) I took a one-point unit called General Studies, which basically meant you had to write a bunch of essays on cultural and political events. During our half yearly exam, the same girl beat me by two marks. During the moderator exam (which is the final big test prior to the HSC) I beat her by about five marks. The moderator was the exam that was used by the prize committee to determine the place getters for the year, as the HSC marks wouldn't have come out to January of the following year which was too late for the prize giving ceremony. Despite the fact that I had legitimately come in first, I was shocked to discover that the 'male' teacher Mr D had decided to award first prize to the same pretty girl. When I challenged him on it he muttered some weak excuse and said that he thought she would beat me in the HSC and that was why he had nominated her. After the HSC results came out the following year, I discovered I had beated her by six marks!

There were two other similar events that happened to me at high school, which revealed a pattern of unfairness and injustice. Now ... as an ex-hypnotherapist, in principle I totally advocate the idea that we should let things go and by jove, I spent many years cleaning out my emotional closet so I could attempt to flourish as a balanced human being. But this is one area that still niggles at me ... am I bitter and twisted and angry about this? Yes and no. I can still reconnect to the feelings of anger, resentment, and rejection of a 17 and 18 year old based on the injustice of those decisions. These teachers were prejudiced and they were wrong and I suppose they prepared me to learn the lesson that sometimes we come up against people who treat us unfairly in life. The irony of all this (and please don't think I am bragging – I am merely making a dramatic point) is that I was the school captain during my last year, as well as the Dux of my final year.

As I write this blog post I feel exposed, as if I am revealing part of my deeper inner darker side to you that hasn't successfully let these things go. The fact that I kept my old report cards as proof that what I say now is truthful, suggests that I have certainly not made peace with the situation. The fact that I have revealed this information in a public forum also suggests that there is part of my character still craving some kind of restitution in the form of an apology or acknowledgement that wrong was done to my detriment. So I beg your indulgence, for as much as I am an ex-therapist and have a modicum of self awareness, and as much as I have worked on myself, I am still very much a flawed human. And having said that, I have found a use for these old feelings – they can be channeled into storytelling and they are what propel me and other fiction writers to find truth in characterisation and motivation.

Am I going to stew on it forever? Well no. These old feelings stir up every now with a prompt or a catalyst such as the Richmond article, but the energy of those feelings dissipated somewhat because of two things that have happened to me in the interim. I haven't got complete closure, but I don't dwell on these issues either.  

Last year I reconnected with an school mate called Joe who was the maths whizz in our year. We chatted and laughed on the phone about what we remembered about each other and he said he remembered me as being particularly competitive. When I asked him whether he knew why, he said no and then I explained what had happened on these two occasions, as well as two others which I have not talked about here. He went quiet and said he didn't know and that it all made sense. That conversation brought me a modicum of comfort.

The second event which hastened me on the path to healing happened at an informal Year 10 (or as it was known then – 4th Form) reunion. Some of the people who attended didn't continue on to complete the last two years of high school. I met up with a lovely guy Dirk who I hadn't seen in over 20 years. We gave each other a big hug and after he introduced me to his wife, we had a long chat about what we'd been doing. Later on in the ladies room, his wife came up to me and said, "You know, Julie ... Dirk just said the loveliest thing about you. He said you were so smart at school that you were sexy!"

I went silent. I became very self-conscious and just didn't know how to respond, but she did it for me "That..." she leaned in and whispered, "is the nicest compliment I have ever heard him give anyone". 

Well maybe it's time to claim the moniker. I am now officially a "nerd' and having said that ... well you know the rest. Go and read the article!

The Mermaid Calendar

The Mermaid Calendar was not a planned purchase, and the only cues I had to help me make my decision to buy were the cover and the title. 

I like mermaids, and thought this would be a collection of mermaids from different sources. However, the calendar is actually a collection of photos by creator Jason Gold. Generally for me, mermaid photos usually lack interest, as the magic is not as present as when the mermaid is portrayed via a painting.

Jason's mermaids are nicely photographed, making them look like unobserved snapshots – the type you'd expect taken from a boat in the same way you'd take shots of dolphins. As the mermaid is treated as a real subject in these works, the shots of the mermaids are not always that attractive because they are more integrated into the shot like a wildlife photograph, without the posed glamour. This device works well to present the mermaids as real.

In the entire calendar, there is only one clear face shot of a mermaid, so the emphasis is not the mermaid's face and beauty, but more on the essence of the full mermaid form. About 50% of the mermaids presented have tails that look too PhotoShopped to be real, which I feel takes away from the mermaid/wildlife aspect of the shoots. However, when the mermaid tail is correctly realized to look real and part of the photo, then the mermaid and photo become convincing as if we are viewing a real captured sighting.

It's a lovely calendar to have, and I'm glad to have it, but it's not the calendar I thought I was purchasing from the Amazon presentation page. I love it as a reference source, but it won't be put on display or used, as I found it to be a bit too bland for my mermaid tastes.

Bow to the Queenie

Aussie manga artist, the classy Queenie Chan has just collaborated with suspense and horror writer Dean Koontz to release a new graphic novel In Odd We Trust, based on Koontz's Odd Thomas character – a short-order cook who can see the dead and solve murders. To find out more about the story and art, as well as the creative process check out this Publishers' Weekly interview with Queenie. We just scoured our iPhoto files and found this pic of Queenie who attended the Black Mermaid Brunch we hosted in August last year. The purpose of the brunch was to introduce Australian comics creators and publishers to mainstream book publishers and agents. From left to right in the photo: Karen and Ben Howard from Phosphorescent Comics, Queenie Chan, and artist/comics publishing consultant W Chew Chan (no relation to the Q). You can catch Queenie at the 2008 San Diego ComicCon.

WOWIO Watch

Received a heads up from both US and Australian sources abut stirrings – or rather lack of – on the WOWIO front. For those of you unfamiliar with the name, WOWIO is an ebook distribution site for books and comic book properties. The website has up to now been offering free digital content to subscribers in the US. Publishers and creators whose work has appeared on this site have received regular royalty payments based on downloads of their respective works. The current WOWIO website has gone offline to be replaced with a message that says: "WOWIO is going global" and a promise to go live again in mid-July. An Aussie contact who was well-represented on the website said they received an email yesterday saying that WOWIO was currently in negotiation with a purchaser. Our contact also mentioned they had not had problems with late payments. Our advice is to wait and see who buys out the company, check out the new operating plan and most importantly read the fine print in the intellectual property rights component of the agreement, and then decide whether or not it's in your best interest to do business with them.

Wicked Ways

Was lucky to catch Wicked at the George Gershwin Theatre on Broadway last year with Colleen Doran as my theatre partner. Great production – would have loved to have seen Kristin Chenoweth – whom I'd last seen scene-stealing on West Wing – in the role of Glinda. Lovely energy about her. I'd also liked to have seen Idina Menzel playing and singing Elphaba. Glad to know she's transitioning to screen – I spotted her in Enchanted, playing Patrick Dempsey's character's fiancée. I loved how the Wicked story was reframed from the Wicked Witch of the West's perspective. Going out on a limb and declaring myself to be a philistine here but I much preferred the musical to the original source material which was just too dark and depressing for me (although I do acknowledge the book to be a literary achievement). Anyway, the Aussie production is getting its first outing in Melbourne at the Regent Theatre from 6 July 2008. To read more about the gorgeousness of the costumes go to this Melbourne Age article. Thanks to Sonja for the tip. And by the way, which witch do you see first in the theatrical poster – the black one or the white one? For me it's the former.

Supanova Saturday

Been Supanovaring this past weekend at Sydney Olympic Park. Turned up at about midday and took a look around the Dome pavillion. Not really interested in the cosplay or the wrestling, but really interested in the creators. Had a great chat to Nicola Scott (DC's Birds of Prey) who is looking particularly fine, and who is as thrilled as we are about the casting of beautiful and brainy Aussie model Megan Gale as Wonder Woman in the upcoming George Miller directed film Justice League based on the DC comic series. Caught up with Jason Paulos of Rat Race Comics and picked up his latest Eeek! anthology of "sixteen tales of groovy horror to chill you to the marrow!' Chatted with Marcelo Baez of Diabla fame who Jozef and I voted as having the friendliest smile and most welcoming manner in the entire convention. His sci-fi and children's stuff is exceptional – check out Little Hammer Studios. Tad Pietrzykowski of The Dark Nebula – one of the most dedicated and hardworking writers we've come across – took great delight in exhibiting his new range of graphic novels with sales coming thick and fast on the first day of the event. Caught up with cartoonist Steve Panozzo from the Australian Cartoonists Association who was as energetic and enthusiastic about his craft as we have ever seen. Got off to a shaky start with the seminar session for creators on Book Proposals for Mainstream Publishers which Julie was presenting with literary agent Brian Cook, only because we had to swap venues just as the session was about to begin and we lost about 15 minutes of speaking time under an already heavy time constraint. However, the second room was even better than the first – nice lighting, more intimate and classier. Thanks to the wonderful Tim McEwen who got us organised (for the record Tim we'd love this room for whatever ASA Comics/Graphic Novels Portfolio session we have on offer in 2009). Julie did her very first Powerpoint Presentation which worked quite nicely (next time the audience will get some more fancier special effects!) The audience was great but we ran out of time for questions so if you want to ask any or want a copy of the notes, please email us at: blackmermaid@blackmermaid.com. No time for schmoozing after the presentation as we stayed and watched the Will Eisner doco, which heightened our respect for the master himself and his contemporaries and has prompted us to seek out more of his work. Good day on the whole.