ScatteredThoughtsandRogueWords is so happy to have J.L. Merrow with us today to talk about her latest release, It’s All Geek To Me!
Holding out for a hero
Hi, I’m JL (Jamie) Merrow, and I’m here today as part of the “It’s All Geek to Me blog tour. It’s great to be here on Scattered Thoughts & Rogue Words.
Giveaway: all commenters on the blog tour will be entered into a draw to win an ebook of their choice from my backlist, plus a $10 Amazon gift certificate. A winner will be chosen randomly on Monday, 17th February, 2014. Good luck!
Today, I want to talk about superheroes.
They roll up, capes billowing dramatically in the wind (or not, if they’ve watched The Incredibles) and save the day with their superpowered abilities.
The first superheroes, if we take the term to mean “masked, costumed fighter for justice” were, arguably, The Scarlet Pimpernel (1903) and Zorro (1919). It wasn’t until the advent of Superman (1938), however, that superheroes were truly “super” – ie, with powers/abilities beyond those of ordinary humans.
Nowadays, there are a whole host of superheroes—some with superpowers conferred on them by various means, such as lab accident, alien origin, or good old-fashioned magic, and some who rely on fiendishly clever technology to gain the upper hand. Some, like Hawkeye in the Avengers, are Just That Good.
When I was writing It’s All Geek to Me, I had to make a decision early on. Jez and Rhys talk about several superheroes—so would they be “real” ones, from Marvel or DC canon and the like, or would I make up my own?
Which turned out to be not a decision at all. Make up my own superheroes? I was on that like white on rice. That stuff is fun. But it turns out, it’s not as easy as you’d think, at least if your knowledge of superheroes comes mostly from the ones who’ve appeared in movies and on TV. I had to discard several first attempts after Googling them and finding they’d already been done. I eventually came up with the following:
The Amazing Translucio: this is the guy Jez and Rhys initially bond over. I was aiming for someone with a daft non-power and it struck me that the ability to turn not invisible, but translucent, would be pretty naff.
Arachnogirl: no prizes for guessing where I got that idea from. She may or may not be a comment on the tradition of viewing female superheroes with the adolescent male gaze (As a geek friend said: “You’ve captured the most important female superpower: breasts.)
There are a few others in the story, too, with more or less recognisable antecedents. But I think I’ll let you find out about those for yourselves. 😉
Question: Do you have a favourite superhero? What is it you particularly love about him/her?
Or is there a superhero who doesn’t exist (what do you mean, none of them actually exist? Of course they do!) but you wish did? Come to that, if you were a superhero, who would you be?
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JL Merrow is that rare beast, an English person who refuses to drink tea. She writes across genres, with a preference for contemporary gay romance, and is frequently accused of humour. Her novel Slam! won the 2013 Rainbow Award for Best LGBT Romantic Comedy.
- She is a member of the UK GLBTQ Fiction Meet organising team.
- Find JL Merrow online www.jlmerrow.com,
- on Twitter as @jlmerrow, and on
- Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/jl.merrow
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It’s All Geek to Me
Jez is on a mission of mercy: to replace a tragically deceased comic book for his injured best mate, Tel. Venturing into the temple of geekdom itself, the Hidden Asteroid bookstore in London, Jez is bowled over by the guy behind the counter.
Rhys is the poster boy for hot geeks: tall, gorgeous, and totally cool. Jez is desperate to impress Rhys, but lacking in confidence after a bad break-up, so he bluffs his way through the comic book jargon—then dashes back to the hospital to beg Tel to teach him how to speak Geek.
Tel’s happy to oblige, and Jez is over the moon when Rhys asks him out. He’s even more thrilled when they discover a shared love of rugby, something he won’t have to fake for Rhys. The question is, how long can Jez keep up the deception—and what will happen when Rhys realizes he’s going out with Fake Geek Guy?
You can read an excerpt/purchase It’s All Geek to Me at Riptide Publishing. And don’t forget to leave a comment for the giveaway!
Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words 
I still love Super Grover…he has been accused of being an ineffectual superhero in pop culture (I think Sesame Street did that on purpose, to show kids that they can solve their own problems), but that’s not fair. He’s so helpful, rocks a coal scuttle with style, and is [stomp] cute, too!
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LOL! Trix, I had to google Super Grover – I don’t think we got Sesame Street over here when I was younger! He’s certainly cute, but I’m not sure he’s the one I’d call if a building was about to collapse on me! 😉
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I’m kind of old school – I love Batman because he really doesn’t have a superpower (other than brooding lol), but he’s got lots of cool gadgets. And he’s so angsty and kind of bad, even tho it’s for a good reason. Love those bad boys 🙂
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Oh, yes – you’ve got to love those tortured brooding types! And yay! for gadgets. I have to say, that was one thing I didn’t like about The Incredibles – the way it looked down on the guy using gadgets instead of innate superpowers.
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Hawkeye and the Green Arrow – love a man that can use a bow and arrow! 🙂
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Oh, yes – love Hawkeye and the Green Arrow. Or do I mean Jeremy Renner’s arms, and Stephen Amell’s broodiness? 😉
But yes, anyone can shoot a gun. Being a superhero with a bow and arrow takes real talent. 😀
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Yeah Hawkeye is my love………maybe because he is Renner in the movies?
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I always loved The Hulk and Wonder Woman too
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I love the Hulk. I remember watching the TV series with Lou Ferrigno – am I dating myself here? 😉
I never totally warmed to Wonder Woman, I’m afraid – possibly for the same reasons Captain America is my least favourite Avenger. I like a little darkness in my heroes, so Black Widow is my top female hero. 🙂
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Good to see another vote for Hawkeye! But I do think he’s a great character, as well as all the, erm, more superficial qualities! 😉
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I forgot about Spider-Man I thought he was pretty cool.
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I love the water, so Aquaman was my fav as a kid.
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Aquaman is another one I’m unfamiliar with, but he looks pretty cool! I wonder if he and Abe Sapien (from Hellboy) would get along? 🙂
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I love the water, so Aquaman was my fav.
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Love Black Widow and Hellboy too.
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The romance between Hellboy and Liz in the films is just so sweet! And I’m really looking forward to seeing Black Widow with the Winter Soldier in the next Captain America movie. 🙂
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I have never been that into superheroes – pretty much take it or leave it. Though the last decade+ of movies are entertaining enough for me to check my brain at the door and just enjoy the show. But still you’ll never see me argue for batman vs. superman or whatever…
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Well, if we all liked the same stuff, the world would be pretty boring!
Thanks for commenting. 🙂
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I think you might be surprised at the range of superheroes included in graphic novels . Some are definitely far outside the box of the ones you might be thinking of. Japanese anime, German everything is there waiting to be explored.
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Hellboy! He’s got that whole “bad boy trying to be good… and failing” thing that is just adorable. 🙂
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Yep – poor Hellboy: he’s really fighting against the odds – he can’t even attempt to blend in, with his looks, so it must be a constant battle to remember why he’s even trying to be good.
(And wasn’t baby!Hellboy in the movie just sooo adorable?) 😀
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I’m shocked that you don’t drink tea *gasp* 🙂 Thanks for providing these awesome giveaways. Crossing my fingers. I just finished reading the amazing “Bad Idea”, which was actually my best idea in a while and might be Damon Suede’s masterpiece. So I’d be totally up for some heroes!!! My favorite hero is Green Lantern! It’s all about imagination with him ❤ Whatever the mind can come up with is possible. I love that concept so much!!!
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