My FanMail Subscription Box Review: August

lady geekery
Hey there, everyone! I wanted to do a little review about the FanMail box I got this month. For about a year now I've been a Lootcrate subscriber, and although Lootcrate occasionally has some really cool items that I love, I usually find myself giving most of my monthly items to my boyfriend instead of keeping them for myself. A couple weeks ago I came across FanMail on instagram and immediately subscribed after reading their description. The founders, Rose and Jenny, have created a box that consists of items from all kinds of various fandoms, from Harry Potter to LOTR to Supernatural and more. There is a little bit of everything! Best of all, this box is geared toward women, so it includes thing like Sorcerers Stone scented soap or a triforce necklace. FanMail also includes items that are handmade by etsy sellers, so that is awesome as well. Every month has a different theme, similar to Lootcrate. This months theme was Super Sheroes!



The packaging was totally adorable. There is a FanMail logo on the box next to the shipping address, but being the impatient and crazy person that I am, I ripped the box open before stopping to take a picture. The items were all kept safe and secure, so that is great news!



The first item was DC's Black Canary #1. This book is being written by the same person writing the new Batgirl of Burnside, and it's equally as awesome! In this reboot, Dinah is the lead singer of a rock band called Black Canary. Things get weird on tour, and they have to evade some very creepy foes. The book is already on issue 3, which you can pick up along with issue 2 at your local store if you're interested in checking it out! I love that they sent a 1st issue comic book because people that otherwise maybe wouldn't be reading comics get to experience it and see if they like it and then pick it up from there. Cue "A Whole New World" from Aladdin to play right now!



The second item was this beautiful Batman v Superman necklace! It came in a small red box, so the chain didn't get tangled and the charm doesn't have any scratches. Although it does has a little bubble thingy on the left side for some reason. Still very pretty, though! If you haven't seen it yet, this necklace is the symbol from the Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice movie posters. Although it doesn't come out till March of 2016, I am already a little too excited to wear this to the premier.



Item number three is a Funko pop vinyl of Agent May from Marvel's Agents of Shield tv show! Okay so, I've never seen it, but I right now I really wish I had so I could appreciate this a little more. I've heard that the show is excellent, but I simply haven't sat down and made time to watch it yet. Have any of you seen it? What do you think? Please comment below and let me know if it's definitely worth watching! Anyhow, it's awesome of FanMail to send a pop in their box! My collection is probably a little over a hundred, and many other people collect pops too, so clearly Rose and Jenny know what's POPular, wink wink. Oh boy, someone take my keyboard away. The pop vinyl's box is perfect, as well as it's paint job, which leads me to believe they picked out which ones to send to subscribers by hand. I will probably bestow this upon a friend who loves this show, but this is still a totally sweet item!



Okay, gotta' be honest here. This was the only item that I was kind of unimpressed with. It's a basic rubber bracelet that says "Wonder Woman" and has two red stars on the sides. We used to sell this exact same one at Hot Topic 3 years ago when I worked there. Nothing wrong with Hot Topic, but I was hoping for a slightly more original or unique item!



The fourth item is probably the coolest! These are actually little magnetic bookmarks, made by Beedoo on etsy. They fold over the page of your book, and a small magnet grasps onto your page and holds your place! The characters from left to right are Thor, Storm, and Spider Gwen. I'd have to say, Gwen is my personal favorite out of all three! I especially love this item because I've actually been on the hunt for small bookmarks that won't damage the pages of my comics. And PRESTO! These are delivered to my doorstep and all my page-losing-problems are solved.



So the fifth and final item is a set of pins representing some of the most kick-butt super sheroes I can think of: Black Widow, Ms.Marvel, Raven, and Batgirl! The pins are large and printed with excellent quality. I don't expect any of these to be randomly falling off my bag or breaking any time soon. I still have so much fun putting pins and patches on all my bags, so these babies will all definitely be getting put to good use.
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If you want to subscribe to FanMail you can check out their website right here! The cost is about 25$ a month, when you include shipping and handling. Almost all subscription boxes are about that much, so it's not bad at all for all of the items you are getting! I just love getting subscription boxes in the mail because it's like buying yourself a little present, but everything is a surprise and is picked out but little elves who know exactly what you like! If you guys have any subscription boxes that you love, please comment and tell me about them. I'd love to discover and join more!

Book Reviews: Badass Heroines

comic books
Over the past several years, women have begun making their presence more known in the comic book world. Something that is about creativity, story telling, and general fun and entertainment should not be an exclusive club, and it no longer is! I mean, there is still a ways to go, especially for women seeking jobs in the industry, but in general it's a much more welcoming place for women now. Representation is absolutely important, and seeing books with female main characters kicking butt gaining such popularity is just exciting as heck! There are so many more titles now that feature women not in a sexualized way, but as actual complex characters with their own voices. Many of them are also are being written by women! So the stories sound authentic and new, and are the much needed breath of fresh air that the industry needed. Young female characters are not as often being written by middle aged men! Hooray! This is a new era welcoming in a new audience of readers. Not only women, but new readers of all ages are discovering comic books now because of all of the exciting changes, innovative stories, diversity, and revitalization of stale characters. Chances are being taken. Change is a good thing, and that doesn't mean traditional superhero comics are no longer good. It simply means that the comic book world is slowly but surely expanding, and growing in new ways. Anyhow, let's talk about some awesome books about awesome ladies! Because that's what this post is really about!

Rat Queens is probably one of my absolute favorite books right now, and will probably stay that way! It's published by Image and currently there are two trade volumes out, which together include issues 1-10 and you can buy them at most book stores. Issue 11 just came out on August 19th, so issue 12 will be out around the same time next month and I am way stoked! First thing you're probably wondering is "so are they rats?" and the answer, my friends, is no! The Rat Queens are a group of female mercenaries that venture on missions to make money and to win back the favor of their city, Palisade. The Queens tend to party hard, get rowdy, and cause general mayhem, but they have hearts of gold. All of the Queens have had troubled backgrounds that have led them to join the group. The characters are all unique and complex in their own way, and nothing about them is stereotypical. Each of them brings different strengths and weaknesses to their group. The story also deals with themes like being shunned for your differences, as well as spiritual exploration and self discovery. It's the first comic book I've ever read that contains a transgender character, which is pretty awesome. It's also super freakin' funny and contains a whole lot of cursing, which is excellent in my opinion! The Queens feel like real, complicated people, with real relationships and emotions. They are a band of misfits, but they support the heck out of eachother. And they do it in sweet armor with giant swords and wands. What more could you ask for!?




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Remember when I mentioned that breath of fresh air that the industry needed? Well Batgirl Of Burnside is exactly that! This DC book has one trade volume on the shelves, which jumps into Batgirl's new story and gathers issues 35-40. The most current issue is 43, which came out on August 26th, but you can probably find the past couple issues at your local store as well! This book gives us a totally modern and new look at Batgirl, aka Barbara Gordon. She's a 21 year old genius with a photographic memory and badass fighting skills. Having just moved out of her old apartment and now living with her friend Frankie in Burnside, Barbara has to face a ton of new challenges in her new area. Challenges like meeting a cute and smart guy on campus, or challenges like defeating robot obsessed twins with explosives on motorcycles. Batgirl's struggles arent super different from our own, at least most of the time. She doesn't exactly have the easiest time keeping her identity secret from her friends, while simultaneously trying to finish her thesis project and also protecting Burnside from perilous evil. In this book, Barbara uses modern technology like texting, facebook, or dating apps to her advantage in an awesomely realistic way. Batgirl of Burnside has been very successful and it's because it's relatable to new audiences in a lot of ways, without compromising excellent storytelling and art. With a company that does a lot of the same thing over and over, it's nice to see them taking risks and doing something new!



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Okay, I honestly cannot properly express in words how completely head-over-heels in love I am with Kamala Khan, also known as Ms.Marvel! This is (obviously) a Marvel book and there are currently three volumes out in trade, which all together contain issues 1-15. Issue 17 just came out on August 6th, so you'll probably be able to find that and 16 in stores. Kamala's heritage and religion are the first things talked about in this book, which is important and wonderful. Her parents are from Pakistan, but are now living in New Jersey, which is where Kamala has lived her entire life. Her parents are incredibly strict and watchful, which makes her new life as a superhero all the more difficult. Kamala has always been very insecure about her differences, but her new powers quickly teach her that your differences make you stronger and you shouldn't be ashamed to be who you are. She sticks firmly to her beliefs and follows her own moral compass, despite what anyone else says; not handsome boys, other kids at school, or even supervillains. And did I mention she's a huge nerd addicted to "World of Battlecraft", has a stuffed sloth in her room, and writes Avengers Fanfic?! Yes. This book is super quirky, funny, and relatable to younger crowds, with a similar feel to Batgirl of Burnside. Except Kamala is even younger, only 16, and has never even kissed a boy or had a sip of alcohol (er, until the night she becomes a superhero, no spoilers!) so I would say this title could appeal to even younger crowds as well. It's just so refreshing seeing a woman of color as a main character with such a strong personality and bold confidence in the face of adversity. Once she starts believing in herself and thinking she can kick butt just the way she is, she kicks ALL the butts...and it's spectacular.



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Here are just a few more wonderful new and ongoing books with female writers, artists, colorists and of course, characters! Ah, what a time to be alive! Most of the books above are by Boom! studios, which employs a whole bunch of female creators and publishes a ton of amazing books. I will make full reviews about most of these books soon. This post may be focused on women in the comic book world, but remember: comics are for everyone! Discover what you love and don't let anybody make you feel like you're not allowed to enjoy it.

Welcome to the Comics and Cats Club!

my life
Hi, there! This is my first official post on Comics and Cats, which is pretty exciting. I am way stoked to start posting about books, cats, my adventures, clothes, and general awesome-ness on a regular basis! I figured I'd start with a little tour of my humble abode. This is where the nerd magic happens, people. My room is kind of like my personal masterpiece and most definitely my place to escape from the harsh realities of the outside world. I'm kind of running out of space for toys on my shelves, so a lot of them are (sadly) shoved under the bed in boxes or stored up in my closet! In a couple months, I'm planning on moving in with my partner in crime, James, and then we'll have a ton more room to display all of our various collections! Posters, art prints, statues, the whole deal. I will obviously do another room/apartment tour once that happens! For now, this is where I spend most of my time and keep all of my various knick knacks.

Those rainbow 75th anniversary Batman pop vinyls are one my favorite collections in my room! I also have a full set of lantern rings between them, if you look closely. That giant soot sprite pillow is from etsy and you can find it right here! The totoro pillow actually used to be a purse, but it broke. So I stuffed it and turned it into a pillow!

My little Studio Ghibli collection hangs out on my windowsill. Y'know those little candies that the soot sprites love in Spirited Away? Well, they're called Konpeito and they're very traditional and popular in Japan! I bought a bag from this seller for 3$! That Princess Mononoke pop vinyl was DIY. I made it using a blank pop mold,crayola air dry clay, acrylic paint, and faux fur! I even made her mask but Luna kept trying to eat it, so I had to stash it away.

So I have a thing for pop vinyls. Can you tell? I have way too many, so I interchange them ever couple months. Those Han and Leia silhouettes at the top of my wall are DIY, as well! Just printed them out on photo paper and bought the frames at Michaels. Always use photo paper for projects like that, because it doesn't start deteriorating the way normal printer paper does behind glass! You can also see some of my vintage Disney comics on my top shelf. My favorite is the Mickey Mouse club one because the colors are so unique. Little kids with blue and pink hair and pastel clothes!And have any of you been reading any of the new Star Wars Marvel comics? If not, you should, because they're excellent! The Leia and Lando one's are my personal favs.

Check out my little R2 luggage peeking out of the closet. It only holds about 5 things but I insist on bringing it on every trip anyway! It even has a button that makes little beep-boop noises. It's still in stock on the Disney Store site! Another one of my most favorite parts of my room is the haunted mansion stretching portrait hanging above my record player. And yes, ahem, I made it myself too! Super simple. Found the long, ornate-looking frame at Home Goods, saved an image of her, photoshopped it into 3 segments, and printed them out separately and then pieced them together with tape on the back. You cant tell unless you get super close up. I just love feeling like I have a little piece of one of my favorite Disney attractions here in my room.
That's really most of my little living space! I hope you all enjoyed this little introduction/walk about.