Fifty Shades of Fiction Culpability

                As Fifty Shades of Gray gets ready to hit theaters, many in the BDSM community are outraged.  BDSM is a variety of erotic actions which are often characterized by bondage/discipline, domination/submissive, sadism/masochism.  These practices are often fulfilled through roleplay, restraint and other partner interactions.  The community itself actually subsists through a larger variety of erotic actions which are usually seen as “counter culture.”  The interesting part about BDSM is while it explores the darker and more deviant side of our sexuality, it also has extremely strict rules and guidelines; which lead me back to the Fifty Shades of Gray outrage.  The community of BDSM finds that sexual acts are a supreme form of passion and sexual freedom, but many see the book series as counter to their cause.  Researchers at Ohio State University have even argued that the relationship between the two main characters is indeed not BDSM, but actually partner abuse.  So it begs the question, should publishers warn readers about the pitfalls of romanticizing fiction?

                While I have not read the book series myself, I have noticed that this trend of romanticizing abusive relationships before when Twilight first came out.  While Twilight is supposed to be an innocuous, teen melodrama about eternal love, many felt that the book misrepresented a healthy relationship.  Psychology Today wrote an article about the abusive tendencies and characteristics of the two main characters in Twilight.  A lot of people feel that Twilight gives young girls the wrong impression about what love is and what a healthy relationship is, which will in turn lead to them gravitating towards abusive relationships.  I have to agree, from what I have read and seen, there is something very stalker/relationship hostage going on in the series.                 

We can see in today’s romances there is a severe dissolution from the “princess relationship” we were all once raised on.   Many women in their twenties and thirties were raised on the “Disney Princess” concept; we would all find our princes and live happily ever after.  Except, princes have castles and riches beyond all else, and that is not how the real world works.  Yet, with the climbing divorce rate, we can see how these stories we were raised on really colored our perceptions. 

                By no means am I bashing either book/movie.  We have a right to read, watch, and write whatever we like.  I have even enjoyed some of Anne Rampling’s stories and picked up a few “trashy” romance novels before.  However, the key is to remember they are fiction.  But in a world of low self-esteem, it is very easy for a girl to be entranced by the idea of being Bella or Anastasia.  After all, who would not want complete and utter attention of a male, especially when they wield power of money and immortality?  We are all capable of being sucked in to these fictional worlds.  So it begs the question, should there be some sort of caveat?  What I really mean to say is, that in a world of fiction, not true stories, do publishers and the authors need to be held accountable for the ideas that they set forth?  Whether it is a caveat lector (let the reader beware) or links to get help, young women need to know abuse is not okay.

                “The ideas set forth in Fifty Shades of Gray are wholly a work of fiction and fantasy.  We understand that this work may be seen as misconstruing to the BDSM community and it is not our intent to undermine them.  We understand that the community feels strongly about their process, and wants everyone to feel safe in their practices. If you are interested in these communities the links provided can be valuable resources in enjoying BDSM or other sexual practices.” 

                Of course, valuable links would follow the statement.  The thought originally crossed my mind with an old copy of The DaVinci Code and the game Assassin’s Creed.  Both are works of fiction based on the real events and things around the world.  They both take fiction and mix it with reality to the point that people forget that it is not real.  Yet both had simple forewords reminding people that they were works of fiction which were based on some realistic information; however, they should not be taken to heart.  It was simple and clean, but it was an honest reminder.  Sometimes we take things to heart.

                In the end, the book industry may never feel the need for such caveats.  There is a certain expectation that the reader will not fall into the trap that the main characters do.  However, relationship abuse is very real and is not BDSM.  If you are interested in BDSM there is a site called BDSM for dummies; it is a great way to arm yourself with the proper knowledge of erotic interactions.  That being said, if you would like to know more about abusive relationships or think you may be in one please check out the National Domestic Violence Hotline or Help Guide.   In the end, be smart when you read and realize that there are no relationships like Bella’s or Anastasia’s in the real world.  They are fictions and should be treated as such.  Caveat Lector.

The Fall of Gotham: Fox's Dark Horse

                As fall fast approaches, DC comics have four shows on prime time television.  Though, you would not think that seeing the underwhelming press that Gotham is getting.   The campaign for Gotham primarily is online through social media, Fox, and The Gotham Chronicle; apparently the iconic Gotham Gazette was already claimed.  Perhaps, they are unsure what to do with the show, and hope for it to ride the coattails of The Flash, The Arrow and Constantine.  But, it really does have the potential to be the fall’s dark horse.

                Gotham loosely chronicles the youth of Bruce Wayne from when his parents die.  However, this is not just another Batman origins story.  Instead it focuses on the origin story of the characters of Gotham and Gotham itself.  More focused on the figure of Office Gordon, Gotham chronicles the descent into darkness.  After all, haven’t you ever wondered—how did Gotham get so bad?   Crime is rampant in the city, yet millionaires… ahem, billionaires stay there and live nearby.  The iconic Arkham game series even decided that Gotham was so far gone that they may as well make part of it a prison than deal with it. 

                Why does Gotham have staying power?  If the show is done right, it will answer the questions we have always had.  Like, why does Bruce Wayne stay?  There has always been something slightly unbelievable about Batman.  As a young boy his parents are murdered before him and vows to avenge them, which is fine.  But some twenty years later and he is a caped super hero; how?  Why?  The paltry answers of: he wants to avenge his parents or he wants to make sure it never happens again, do not fly.  Perhaps in the original Batman series where he was a detective it made sense; he grew up to become a detective wanting to solve the crimes of the city.  But, as a multi-billion dollar CEO, it seems flimsy.  He was still removed from the everyday crime and poverty.  It would have hurt, sure, but been the impetus to become a super hero?   What else happened?  Why didn’t he go off to a boarding school?  I hear Andover and Exeter are nice schools for the rich and elite.  Alfred loved Bruce as a son, why was that not enough to heal over his wounds?   I have always felt the story needed more answers. 

                Most importantly, why does Batman want to save a city which is falling into decay, when it has given him nothing but pain?  It would seem that there is much more to the story that is untold.  Produce/Writer Bruno Heller aims to tell these stories from the corruption of Gotham to the origins of its greatest villains through the eyes of James Gordon.  In the first season we will meet the newest DC character, Fish Mooney, played by Jada Pinkett Smith, a crime kingpin on the rise.  Along with her, other iconic villains such as Oswald Cobblepot, Selina Kyle, Edward Nygma and Ivy Pepper will all begin their origin stories in the first season.  Ivy Pepper is the new name of Pamela Isley, aka Poison Ivy.  Other famous characters such as Flass (Arnold John) Barbara Kean, and Crispus Allen will be in the first season, though the extent of their actual characterization is unknown.  Although there is no mention of the traditional Joe Chill who originally murdered Bruce’s parents. 

                The show has promise to be a good alternative drama and bring to life the beginnings of Batman.  And perhaps, we will finally understand why Gotham fell.

Original Sin 5.1: Thor and Loki: The Tenth Realm

                Original Sin: Thor and Loki is actually part of a larger collection (Original Sin) published in 2014 by Marvel.  Naturally, in this one, they focus primarily on the dealings with Thor and Loki.  The main story of Original Sin, written by Jason Aaron and Mike Deodata, deals with Nick Fury and the Avengers investigating the deal of Uata the Watcher.  Each of the Avengers sees something different when they are confronted by the eye of the murdered Uata. 

                In Original Sin 5.1, we see the consequences of what Thor sees in Uata’s eye.  And what Thor sees is he has an elder sister.  However, Frigga imparts that his sister, Aldrif,  is dead murdered during Asguard’s war with angels from the Tenth Realm.  Apparently, as far as lore goes, the tenth realm known as Heven, once sat upon Yggdrasil, but when their daughter was murdered Odin ripped the realm from the fabric of the Universe and banished it.  You would think, he could have lead off with that.  The tenth realm is a female based warrior society of flying angels, pretty Valkyrie like. 

                Cue the typical Loki and Thor dynamic and hijinks.  In this one, Loki is actually quite young; affectionately dubbed “young Loki.”  He’s quite the bit of the brooding teen, but still the same sly trickster with the brains behind the duo.  He lacks the more sinister side portrayed in older versions of Loki, for now.  The duo sets off for the tenth realm using Loki’s brains and Thor’s brawn, against Frigga’s wishes.  And of course, they find very, very angry Angels who have been waiting to escape their dimensional prison.  You can imagine what happens next.

                Two issues in and Angela has not made much of an appearance.  She is referred to several times as the wingless one or assassin, favored by the Queen of Angels.  She does make a little appearance at the beginning of number two with some of our galaxy hoping guardians.  The series holds promise for more, but the comics are built for being a trade paperback.  There is definitely more to come though. 

                Overall, Original Sin 5.1 is a must read.  Not only is it a solid story with nice elements, but the art is beautifully done. Marvel is promising more for Angela the Assasin in the next few years.  There are rumors that she will play a part in series of Thor becoming unworthy.  It is an interesting thought, because as it plays out technically Angela is the eldest child of Odin and Brigga.  There is more than meets the eye in Original Sin, including the mysterious presence of an elder Loki imprisoned by Frigga, Odin missing, and why young Loki is brooding in a café.

Why NYCC and con goers are both to blame for the scalped tickets.

To say that ReedPOP’s New York Comic Con (NYCC) has had a bumpy start this year is an understatement.  Still months before the convention has started there has been a cloud hanging over the Javitz Center.  This year’s ticket sales were plagued with scalpers, time outs and a general state of misinformation; not to mention what appeared to be hackers, but that was neither confirmed nor denied.  And then there was how ReedPOP handled the whole issue: polite aversion.  ReedPOP’s Lance Fensterman did offer an apology after both ticketing issues happened, but they never addressed what truly happened.  The ticket system was exploited heavily.  Where ReedPOP promised that fans could only buy six tickets at a time, VIP and 4-Day passes were gone within moments of the noon EST opening.  On my window, it offered me the chance to buy up to twenty tickets.  The thing is that ReedPOP says that a very small portion of tickets were actually claimed by scalpers, about 3% of the tickets, but it seems that the constant stream of tickets on EBay and Craig’s List would prove otherwise.  At one point, a single seller had over twenty lots of tickets selling at $1000 a pass; that is ten times the original selling amount.  There is evidently a flaw in the system.  However, ReedPOP is not the only one to blame. 

                In many ways, I cannot fault ReedPOP.  They are a convention that is expanding faster than they know what to do with.  While they are experts in conventions and festivals, NYCC has grown in leaps and bounds in a very short time.  It even feels that the Javitz Center might have to find ways to expand to hold the convention very soon.  Despite the growing pains, last year’s NYCC ran rather smoothly all things considered.

                Last week, thousands of NYCC fans waited on lines across Manhattan to get a second chance at the tickets they want.  In some places, they found that they were not selling the passes originally advertised or the tickets had been pre-ordered.  Fans immediately took to Facebook groups to complain about the villainous ReedPOP and the conspiracy.  They also took to the internet to do something else:  buy tickets at jacked up prices and feed the scalpers they hated so much.  Now usually I am with the fans and try to keep big business in check, but this is not their fault.  ReedPOP’s job is over and done, these are the smaller companies now.

                The biggest thing people have not realized is tickets are limited.  With conventions “mainstreaming” and drawing in fans that are no longer part of geekdom, tickets are becoming a rare commodity.  There has been a real “my right” thing going on.  Fans are complaining that they have “always gotten tickets” and have been going since NYCC was a little convention.  So why do you deserve a ticket more than someone else?  This is my second year going to NYCC, how is your want to go stronger than mine?  Honestly, it isn’t.           

Nobody has a right to anything, but this idea of demand is what is killing NYCC.  Supply and demand is the basic principle that scalpers work on.  They see a very limited supply and an overwhelming demand.   Now added to the extremely low price that ReedPOP offers NYCC tickets at ($95 for a 4day pass), scalpers see a huge market.  However, the scalpers would not have any business if people did not buy the tickets.  The willingness to pay a certain amount is the BIGGEST factor in these scalped tickets paying.  Their markups are also not based off fairy tales and myths either; these are actual numbers that people are buying them at.  That is right; you have to blame your fellow convention goers for buying tickets at such extreme price mark ups. 

Judging by the mass ticket scalping, it is very evident that fans are willing to pay.  And apparently, they are willing to pay a lot.  So what can be done to fix the problem?  Well simply put, NYCC could adopt a similar system to San Diego Comic Con International (SDCC).  Convention goers of SDCC have to create a unique member ID even before they buy tickets, based on their license and email address.  Each of these unique ID’s has to be verified and can only have one ticket.  While one person can buy several tickets, each ticket must be attached to a unique member.  It is a lot of trouble, but not only does it insure a lack of scalping but also an extra security protocol.  No anonymity there.

A few months earlier, I had suggested something similar in several NYCC Facebook groups.  I suggested that each ticket had to have an ID attached to it when they were purchased.  It was simple; every ticket had to have a unique ID.  My idea was met with attack.  Convention goers felt like that was too NSA for them.  They also seemed to want the chance to go sell their tickets if they could not make it at the last moment.  Hmmm, yeah last minute alright.  Which is funny because now that the tickets are all sold out, people are suddenly “unable to attend” in many Facebook groups.               

Recently, a Change.org petition went out for ReedPOP to change the way they sell tickets.  Perhaps it is for the good, but fans also need to realize that they are aiding the issue.  Buying scalped tickets will just keep the scalpers selling them.  Without the demand, they cannot sell.  Just saying, this is simple business here.  ReedPOP does need to change many of its policies over the next year.  They need to make their fans know that they are listening.  The bad PR will begin to cause fans to go to other conventions and leave ReedPOP with a bad name.