Comics and Romance: The Final Bam!

When I started this blog series, I wasn't sure where it was headed. I just wanted to talk about one of my favorite topics and make it as enjoyable as possible for those of you reading it. I hope I succeeded in some of that. But, as I starting writing about the connection between comics and romance, I began to notice how strong that connection truly is. For me, at least it is. For some of you too, from the comments it has gotten.

This is what I hope you've gotten from all this. Comics are the beginning of wonderment for a lot of kids, boys and girls alike. Why wonderment? It's very simple. Until we get our first dose of Superman, Spider-man, or you can insert your own favorite hero, we have no idea what it feels like to imagine to fly, or run faster than a speeding bullet. We simply have no concept that those things are possible. They aren't, but in our burgeoning imaginations they become possible. Comics teaches us to dream. For some of us, those dreams become stories. Those stories go on to make us writers or readers. We want to escape as authors, as much as you do as readers.

Our escape enables you to find whole new worlds beyond this one we live in. That's a very good form of release in my book. Better than sitting in front of a TV or playing video games. Though, I have nothing against either of those. I do it quite a bit myself, but reading enables you to open your mind and visualize for yourself the wonders an author places before you. How many of us has seen a movie or TV show based on a book, and just shook our heads saying to yourself, 'that's not how I saw' and felt a little disappointment over the fact. Why does that seem to happen? Because, our imagination is greater than anything someone else can come up with.

Romance does the same thing at a different stage of our mental development. Most of us read our first book in our teens. Talk about putting an unfair level for our boyfriend or girlfriend to measure up to. Tough, it's that level that tells us what we truly want. We might settle for second best, but most of the time second best is better than what our minds dream up thanks to those books. I hate to knock my genre but it's true. We as authors paint unfair expectations on those who read our books. Why? Because, we visualize what we want. Hey, what can I say? We're delusional and write about it.

The thing is Comics and Romance are learning tools. Believe me. I've learned some things in a Romance Novel that would make a hooker blush. Despite that, we read and absorb knowledge both directly and indirectly through others. Some of it makes us who we are today, and some of it makes us the people we want to be. Not bad, for a few hours of escapism.

How does this all tie into J. Morgan? If you've read any of my books, you know I start with a definite line between good and evil. Why? Because Stan Lee did it that away. More than that, in a world where there's more grey than black and white, I wish we could tell right away who wore the black hat and the white hat. As a result, I love my heroes. They are bigger than life and most of the time, the men I want to be. Subconsciously, I guess they are a part of me, like what any writer does when crafting a character. The heroine? I wish I could say they're the women I would want to fall in love with. For the most part, they're the only woman I've ever truly fallen in love with. My wife, Jenn. I couldn't think of a better role model for my heroines. That doesn't mean they're a hundred percent her. I have the greatest honor to know and have known some amazing women. They've found their way into my heroines. So, we're talking fifty to seventy percent Jenn, and the rest I steal from my friends and family. Still, not a bad ratio. My villains, I owe to Stan Lee, and any other comic author who made it plain, the bad guy is the bad guy. You'll know him or her by the evil oozing off them. And, I guess I do have a dark side that comes out on the computer screen, instead of me going postal on the rest of the world.

Authors are the result of their environment and experiences. That being said, I guess that makes me a costume wearing superhero behind a keyboard. So what should my superhero name be? The Amazing Spider-Jmo? Uh no. Shooting stuff out of my wrists sounds narsty for some reason. The Mighty Jmo? Mmmmm… I do like big hammers and lightning bolts? No, I think for now, I'll just be Jmo and let you guys be the superheroes and superheroines. After all, to me you already are.

Hope you enjoyed this series. Now, jump into your phone booths and up, up and away. I got a deadline to not be too late on. Join me next week on The Writer Limits as we kick off SciFi September. On the Diaries, we've got something special planned. I just have to track down Morgan O. and find out what it is. Bye, for now.

Stop looking at my boobs when I'm kicking yo butt

Comic book heroines have got it rough. I'll be the first to admit that. They work in a male dominated field. They've got over 75 years of sexist stereotyping to overcome. Lastly, they're written mostly by men. Still, they've come a long way since the only role model girls had was Lois Lane screaming for Superman to save her month after month.

Wonder Woman became one of the first strong powerful heroines unleashed on the comic world. Unfortunately, there's some back story and issues to go along with Princess Diana's early days. I'm not going into all that, because it has no bearing on this discourse. The important thing is that she is still going strong. DC Comics came out with a string of super heroines to compliment WW. Unfortunately, they were all knockoffs of established characters like Superman and Batman. So, we end up with Supergirl and Batgirl. Even though both were grown women, they got tagged 'girl' for their troubles. I'm not saying they didn't kick butt, because they did, just in a Fifties and Sixties type of way. It would take almost another twenty years before these great characters would evolve past the 'Girl' moniker and become truly strong women in their own right.

When Marvel broke onto the scene in the Sixties, they were no better. Sue Storm spent most of the decade calling on Reed and the rest of the FF to save her. The Avengers had the Wasp, who seemed more interested in shopping than actually fighting crime. Jean Grey from the X-Men appeared to be around for the guys to moon over. I could go on, but you get the point. The heroines were nothing more than window dressing to draw in female readership without much in the way of substance.

The Seventies changed that. Marvel amped up the X-Men with Giant Sized X-Men #1. Jean Grey slowly started her evolution into Phoenix. Storm became an aloof powerhouse. We also saw the birth of Spider-Woman who would later become quite important to the new millennium of the Marvel universe. The Eighties brought us The Savage She-Hulk. While both were Marvel attempts to protect copyrights, both characters showed that inner and outer strength could work in comics. Then Frank Miller introduced one of the most important female characters of all time, Elektra. A woman out for vengeance over the murder of her father, she proved the perfect embodiment of a powerful woman who didn't take crap and could stand on her own two feet without a man coming to the rescue. That Daredevil was hopelessly in love with her only heightened Miller's run with the character. He proved that you could have a romantic twist in comics without making the woman some damsel in distress.

That didn't mean female super heroes weren't still the subject of boob-ogling costumes, not to mention impossibly large and perky boobs to begin with. We are still talking about comics. The Eighties did give us some amazing female writers to begin the revolution of women coming into their own. Louise Simonson started off as an editor on several Marvel titles before becoming a writer on New Mutants, X-Factor and a host of other titles.  Ann Nocenti became the acclaimed and often controversial writer of Daredevil, introducing another strong female antagonist for Matt Murdock in the form of Typhoid Mary. She also created fan favorite, Longshot. Wendy Pini introduced the wonderful world of Elfquest to an eager comic audience. They aren't the only female creators to make a difference but as personal favorites I couldn't pass up going on and on about them.

Some others I'd like to briefly touch on. Gail Simone went to work on DC's beleaguered female characters and breathed new life into Wonder Woman, and the Birds of Prey, a series combining the talents of Oracle (the original Batgirl), Black Canary and Huntress, Batman's daughter?--not sure who she is now with DC's constant revamping of their comics. Colleen Doran has worked on creator owned series as well as DC and Marvel titles. Amanda Connor, Jill Thompson, Nancy Collins, Elaine Lee, these are all women who have taken the reins of comics and made them their own.  Serena Valentino's utterly delightful Gloom Cookie is among some of my favorite guilty pleasures of all time. In case you're asking yourself, if Jmo is hinting for you to check some of these writers and artists out, the answer is yes. Comics aren't just superheroes anymore. It's science fiction, horror, and yes, romance. These women have taken comics in directions you wouldn't believe.

Now, how does all that tie into Romance? Simply put, our mother's and grandmother's Romance novels painted women as wilting violets in need of men swinging in to save them, just like early comics did. Now, we have heroines that stand toe to toe with their heroes and refuse to be put in a corner until the dust settles. Why do we love these new heroines? Because, women weren't made to sit back and let men handle things. They were made as equals to complete men, and with the ability to surpass them. To portray them as anything but equals is a disservice to both sexes. With male readership, and writership--yeah it's a word, I just made it up--on the rise, men must feel the same way.

Okay, that's my soapbox moment for the week. I hope you enjoyed my comics and women history lesson as much as I did actually researching it. If you knew me, you'd know how much I hate research. Join me next week on The Writer Limits, as I examine creating the perfect story thanks to reading way too many comics with a cautionary tale I like to call Stan Lee rotted my brain. While you're there you can catch up on this series by reading my views on the Spandex Conspiracy.

The Writer Limits

 

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Peter Parker is a Man Ho!

Peter Parker is a man ho! Some people might call that statement outrageous, but if you look at his track record you can see two very important things. One, he has no clue when it comes to women. Secondly and the most important, he has done untold damage to the sex lives of geeks for over 35 years. Hey don't give me that shocked look. I know from which I speak. I was once one of those geeks. Sure, when you read a comic and see him juggling hot blondes and redheads like nobody's business, you can't help but think that this guy has it going on. Forget about the whole superpowers thing. Who wants the proportionate strength of a spider, be able to stick to walls, and shoot webs out of your wrists? Let's not even go into what that stuff really looks like. What we need to do is see if old Pete's palms are hairy like a spider's. That's what we need to be doing. Seriously!

But, I digress into the realm of a Kevin Smith movie. I'm here to talk about Peter's love life.  Let's go back to the very beginning. Peter Parker was a nerd. That's the only way to describe it. Nothing wrong with that. All of my friends started off in the throws of nerdom. Then, bam! He get's super powers and everything changes. If we can trust Tobey McGuire, he also gets six pack abs. I believe those were CGIed, in case you were wondering. That's when the problems with this story really begin.

Instead of Unc Ben telling Peter with great power comes great responsibility, he should have told him that he needed to keep it in his pants. So where does all this man hoing start. If we trace it back to his high school days, we have to say it began with Liz Allen, his high school crush. Sure, it really didn't lead anywhere, but she was just a practice run for him. An aside, Liz would go on to marry Harry Osborn, Peter's best friend and just would justso happen to go on to become the second Green Goblin. From there he would have flirty run-ins with Betty Bryant, J. Jonah Jameson's secretary at the Daily Bugle. Being a bit older than our teenage photographer, Betty didn't succumb to his spidery ways but she did dip in the well a couple of times. Once she came to her senses, she married Ned Leeds, who goes on to become Hobgoblin.  That's two ladies in the Parker harem. Anyone find it strange that one taste of spider-love makes them go running into the arms of super villains? I'm not saying he's a menace, but J. Jonah might be on the right track.

They were just a couple minor setbacks on his rollercoaster of love. One fateful day, his life would be irrevocably changed. Face it, tigers. He hit the jackpot. Well, as close as he could come in the form of Mary Jane Watson. I'm a bit partial to redheads as a result of this one. She presented the perfect foil to Peter. Ms. Watson saw through the façade. For one thing, she was smart enough to realize he was Spider-man, while everyone else wondered where Peter got off to every time Spidey showed up. Come on, people. Buy a clue. She was also able to resist the Parker charm for close to 200 issues of continuity. If she had gone on to give in to his nerdish advances way back around issue 42 the rest of this rambling missive might not have clogged up your mental passages.

Another result of Mary Jane playing hard to get was Gwen Stacy. If anyone knows anything about comics you know what happens. If you don't, stay tuned for more exciting revelations! Gwen might be considered Peter's first true love. The love of his life. But, really aren't all first loves the love of your life? For awhile, the women of New York were safe from this shameless lothario. Love swept him up in its embrace and with all the tenderness of a Greek tragedy ran him over like a freight train with only one casualty. The one thing Peter had always feared came true. One of his arch villains took the life of someone he cared for. Issues 121-122 of The Amazing Spider-man, the Green Goblin, after remembering Spider-man's secret identity goes after Gwen to prove to Peter that no one is untouchable. Faced with the choice of saving Gwen or a bunch of kids, he tries to do both. Unlike the movie, the comic Spidey wasn't up to the challenge.

How does he deal with his loss? For twenty issues or so, he locks his heart away. For non comic readers twenty issues or so equals three weeks in real time. Real time? I'm a comic geek, so real time applies. Then he was off chasing anything with a ponytail and silk underwear. College gave him the perfect opportunity to search out his next victims. Deb Whitman, another go with the married Betty, a couple run-ins with MJ, and I refuse to go into the new continuum started because of Marvel feeling the need to rewrite his past.

Okay, this is the point we reach Peter's second love, unless you count MJ, who hung around through all this. Felicia Hardy, the Black Cat, appears first as a villain then as a love interest who keeps him on his toes for a nice long time. There's a lot of does she, will she, but the break up finally happens because sweet little Peter Parker can't take the fact that she loves Spidey more than him. Well, duh! Who wouldn't? This of course results in another chorus of poor unfortunates skipping through his web of love.

Finally, Peter convinces Mary Jane that he is her one true love. She already knew this of course but her common sense had saved her up until this point. In Annual 21, the deed was done, and Mr. and Mrs. Peter Parker were born. If this had been a novel of the romance variety, we could have inserted a tidy happily ever after in at this point, but comics like soap operas seldom give you what you want. Instead we ended up with almost twenty years of angst, super villain attacks and a costume becoming a super villain, not to mention clones out the ying yang. It's enough to make ya stop reading comics, which I did. Well, not comics but Spider-man, so I avoided the whole clone thing, even though it keeps popping back up. Whether I want it to or not.

Now, I promised not to mention the continuum thing but let's touch on it briefly. Aunt May is dying because Peter revealed his secret identity to the world. To save her life Mary Jane trades her and Pete's love to the devil for a do over. Now, none of the above stuff ever happened, and he's free to sleaze his way through the Marvel Universe all over again. Shesh. And, you think romance novels have got the market cornered on angst and tragic happily ever afters.

What's the point of all this? Besides Peter Parker is a man whore? Partly. Mainly, it's that comics and romance novels have a lot in common. Both throw a hero and heroine into impossible situations that naturally bring them closer together in such a way that the reader can't help but stick around to the bitter end. With comics, it just takes a little longer. Now, I have to go. The new Spider-man just came in, and Morbius, the living vampire, the Lizard and Peter Parker have all planned dates with Carly, the hot CSI detective. I can't wait to see how Pete is going to wow her by taking her to Burger King before swinging away without paying.

Join me next week, as I examine more comic connections to romance with a little story I like to call, So, how do they fit all that in that little spandex?  It'll be at my shared blog The Writer Limits so make sure to stay tuned to that same Bat channel.

Things that go bump in the night – Horror vs Paranormal

When I was a little girl I was convinced there was a vampire under the bed.  No joke. The darned thing used to poke me through the mattress. I was six years old and used to pull the covers up over my neck thinking that would keep the darn little creature away from my neck. Silly me. Mom wouldn't let me use garlic.

What convinced me I had a vampire under the bed was watching a show called Creature Double Feature.  That show had it all – vampires, werewolves, zombies, mummies, and even Godzilla. Creature Double Feature was all about horror. The creatures were out to scare you. I got the chills watching those little nasties in action. And that's what horror is all about – giving you the chills. The Spooks. The Shivers.

You know what gives me the spooks? Bugs.  Spiders. Little Creepy things. They inspire horror. You can find some of my horror tales at my port on Writing.com at: http://www.writing.com/main/portfolio/item_id/966516-Horror-Short-Stories

My favorite stories are Grave of the Devil, the Secret Pyramid, and The Scorpion Temple.

Paranormal Romance? That's a different "beast" altogether. Sure there are vampires, werewolves, zombies, shifters, etc… but there's no intent to give you shivers – it's all about giving you the warm and fuzzies and making you believe in the power of love.

Our hero (or heroine) may suffer from lycanthropy or deal with a lust for blood, but their desire to control their condition and seek love is the crux of their journey. Romance is about HEA. Horror has no HEA.

My paranormal romance, Danube in Candlelight, which released in NOV 2011 is now a finalist in the 2012 Reader's Favorite Contest in the Romance, Sci-Fi/Fantasy category. What would you do if you found out your father was a werewolf? Morgan Duma has her world turned upside down when she discovers her father's secret. She explores the lupine elements of heritage, growing reckless, but will her recklessness driver her to become a wolf herself?

REVIEWS:

5 Stars, Reader's Favorite:

This story is the closest I have ever come to reading a book that feels like a movie!

4 Hearts, Sizzling Hot Book Reviews:

Once again, Stephanie Burkhart has touched my imagination and with her writing brings 1922 Hungary to life. Danube in Candlelight is a very romantic, yet spicy read. This is a must read if you enjoy the paranormal werewolf stories or even if you merely enjoy a great romance.

3.5 Stars, The Hope Chest Reviews:

Danube in Candlelight was a pleasant, easy read. Ms. Burkhart has created an interesting world with a mythology that is a little different than any other werewolf stories I've read to date, and the historical settings make them more intriguing to me than many contemporary paranormal stories.

5 Lips, Two Lips Reviews

I found the setting for Danube in Candlelight intriguing. The 1920 period Ms. Burkhart chose for this story lends it a wonderfully dynamic tempo.   The discerning reader will not want to miss reading Danube in Candlelight; I highly recommend it.

Book Trailer on You Tube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dgzUIHCRN0I

 

Enjoy this Excerpt:

"Morgan, our fathers' condition has a host of positive traits -- heightened senses, for example, but the best trait is the healing factor."

"I understand, Adam. That healing factor will help my mother recover from her awful injuries, but it comes with a tradeoff -- she's going to become a werewolf."

"Is it better she become addicted to morphine? That addiction is a beast in itself. Which would you prefer she'd become? The soldiers hooked on morphine have vacant eyes, and their hands tremble for their next fix. Do you want that for your mother? Fighting something she can't win against, or do you want her dealing with a manageable condition? Both our fathers are good men. They've managed it."

Morgan pursed her lips. Adam's tone was laced in objectivity and confidence, offering her a plausible reason for her father's actions. Morgan didn't want a shell of skin and bones that resembled her mother -- she wanted her mother well, both emotionally and physically. Why had she been so selfish not to see that?

"It doesn't bother you that you have these traits?"

"I'm comfortable with who I am."

Morgan spun around, pressing the length of her body against Adam, curving her hand around the nape of his neck, and bringing his lips to hers. Their mouths met in a searing kiss full of desire. Want. Warmth. Pleasure replaced Morgan's emotional pain, and she deepened the kiss between them by sweeping her tongue into his mouth.

Adam groaned, wrapped his hands around her waist, and tugged her closer. Morgan continued the kiss, nipping his lower lip with her teeth. A blast of heat from his body washed over her like an ocean wave, sending pleasure spiraling through her. God, she had never felt so wonderful.

He threaded his hand through her hair and then yanked her head back. His mouth fell to her neck. Shivers of delight followed the hard, demanding kisses he placed on her skin.

"Adam, God, don't stop..."

He did just that. He withdrew his hand from her hair, sliding it down the side of her body to rest at her waist. She looked into his golden eyes blazing with the flames of desire. Adam drew in a deep breath.

"Damn, Morgan, I am a man, and I have more control than that."

She placed her hand over his heart. "You enjoyed it. Don't deny it."

PUBLISHER'S BUY LINK

AMAZON KINDLE BUY LINK

BARNES & NOBLE NOOK BUY LINK

ALL ROMANCE EBOOKS 

FIND ME ON THE WEB AT:

WEBSITE:

http://www.stephanieburkhart.com

TWITTER:

http://twitter.com/StephBurkhart

FACEBOOK:

https://www.facebook.com/StephanieBurkhartAuthor

GOOD READS:

http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4031660.Stephanie_Burkhart

YOU TUBE CHANNEL:

http://www.youtube.com/user/botrina?feature=mhee

Summer Reading Trail

Have you discovered the Summer Reading Trail yet? No? Check it out! There are many free reads featured, and the list changes each month. Some of the reads are entire books, some are chapters.


I have two books on the list: Cowboys Dream Too (A Morgan O'Reilly book) and Rachel Dahlrumple (by Shea McMaster). Both have the full first chapter posted. In a few days, when the calendar rolls over to July, the titles will swap out. If you haven't read the books, and you're curious, jump on it! 


Come July Jmo will also have a book on the reading list, so make sure you check back, possibly while chillin' over the 4th. 

Blog Hop Winners!

Without further ado, we present the winners of the Sexy Summer Solstice Just Romance Me Blog Hop!

Grand prize, NOOK GlowLight:
Missy C.


Other Prizes:

Theresa J.
Stacia D. Kelly: $25 Amazon Gift Certificate

Lisa J.
Nina Pierce: $15 Ellora's Cave Gift Card

KEK219
Shapeshifter Seductions Authors: Talbot's Peak Calendar & assorted ebooks off backlist

Kathy G. <== Email me with your snail mail! (morgan at morganqoreilly.com)
Morgan Q. O'Reilly: Morgan O'Reilly tote bag and pen
Graylin Fox: Signed copy of Your Biggest Fan

Renee B.
T.L. Schaefer: Choice from backlist
Rhonda L. Print: Guardian e-book
Maddy Barone: Free download of Wolf Tracker

Cathy M.
Olivia Brynn: Choice from backlist
Alianne Donnelly: Download of Bastien
Trina M. Lee: Choice from backlist

Catherine
Casey Crow: Dance with a Millionaire
Rosanna Leo: Up in Flames
Casea Major: One Knight in Brooklyn

Juana E.
Lauren Fraser: Choice from backlist
Monette Michaels: Cold Day In Hell e-book
Annie Nicholas: Omegas in Love, Book 4 of The Vanguards

Tiffany C.
Bronwen Evans: eBook copy of To Dare the Duke of Dangerfield Regency Romance
Paige Tyler: Choice from backlist
Virginia Cavanaugh: Mixing Business with Pleasure

Stacie D.
Desiree Holt: Two ebooks of reader's choice
Alanna Coca: Choice from backlist

Amanda W.
Alix the Weaver: Winner's choice of ebook
Kayelle Allen: Surrender Love

And from The Morgan Diaries Blog side drawing, Catherine Lee, you win a copy of J.Morgan's Bite Marks Book One: Bite the One You're With

Congratulations everyone and thanks for playing along!

Blog Hop Day 5

Yes, sadly, we're at the end of the blog hop, but we're also down to the top ten movies on our list of all time favorite Romantic movies. Know that we argued long and hard over this. I still have bruises over most of my body and in places no man should have bruises. Morgan O. fights dirty in case you didn't know.

Be quiet before that soprano lilt to your voice becomes permanent, Jmo. Because, I'm still thinking Murphy's Romance needs to be in the top ten, but our other choices didn't allow it. 

Do you mind putting down the cattle prod? Pretty Please. I agreed Murphy's Romance was the closest thing we had to a tie for ten. However, you know as well as I do, Dennis Quaid in his prime trumps James Garner after his prime. 

So--drum roll please--without further ado,we present the Greatest Morgan Romance Movies of all time!!!!!!

10. The Big Easy
9. Romancing the Stone
8. Bridget Jones' Diary
7. The Ghost and Mrs Muir 

6. African Queen
5. My Big Fat Greek Wedding
4. Notting Hill
3. Princess Bride
2. The Quiet Man
1. Casablanca

Thanks for playing along with us. Be sure to coast through to the end and get signed up for the grand drawing. One luck winner will get a Nook loaded with ebooks, and of course, something fabulous from me, a Morgan O'Reilly tote bag and pen. Very cool stuff! Jmo has a book in there as well.  Join our blog and stay in tune with what's newest and greatest in the world of the Morgans. It's sure to be entertaining!