The Good, the Bad, and the Meh

July 21, 2018July 21, 2018 / jdcunegan / Leave a comment

I’m not at San Diego Comic Con this weekend (some day…), but I’m interested, as always, in the announcements that come from it and surround it in the days before and after the event. This year, three particular announcements/trailer drops have caught my attention — one because of sheer excitement, one because it just looks terrible, and one that — surprisingly — has left me feeling… almost nothing.

Because I try to be a positive guy, let’s start with the good.

Batwoman is coming to TV!

Yes, I know it’s The CW. Yes, I know people have issues with The CW. Yes, I Batwoman_(52_11) realize Supergirl really went sideways when it moved from CBS to The CW. I don’t care. This is Batwoman. By far, my favorite character in the entire Bat-verse. Kate Kane will make her TV debut in a big Arrowverse crossover, before ultimately starring in her own series.

Judging by the character description and the casting call alone, TV’s Kate Kane will be similar to her comic book counterpart, which is a pretty big deal. Batwoman is one of the most prominent LGBT superheroes, an open lesbian who’s also Jewish. Her backstory includes kidnapping, murder, and Kate wanting to serve in the military when Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell was still a thing.

If the show keeps all of that, and early indications are it will, this series has the chance to be something big. And hey, I’ll care about DC’s TV universe for the first time since Supergirl was still good, so there’s that.

Now the bad… did you see that trailer for Titans? Yeesh…

DC’s no stranger to dark and gritty for the sake of being dark and gritty. But dark and gritty without a point, coupled with long-beloved characters acting out of character, is a recipe for disaster. Titans, a series DC is hoping propels its DC Universe streaming service to popularity, appears to be well on the way to that.

I’m not overly familiar with the Teen Titans’ comic book version, but I do remember the insanely popular Cartoon Network series from the early and mid 2000s. This feels nothing like that, so if you’re looking to Titans for that nostalgia fix… well, you might wanna look elsewhere.

Look, dark and gritty can be excellent — the Daredevil series on Netflix and Christopher Nolan’s Batman movies proved that. But there has to be a point, a philosophy behind it. And “Robin stabbing thugs in the neck and saying ‘fuck Batman'” is not a philosophy.

Hard pass.

Also, Friday saw the announcement that the long-rumored Buffy the Vampire Slayer reboot would be happening, and that Joss Whedon would be involved. Details are scarce at the moment, but the article I linked above did mention that the new Slayer (no word on if she would be Buffy or someone else) would be African-American and that the new cast would reflect our diverse society.

Cue the all-too-predictable outrage over that.

I’m not sure how I feel about this. The above article calls it a reboot, but the description sounds more like a continuation of the Buffyverse, if not necessarily the character. If that’s what this is, then I’m slightly more interested. But if this is in fact a new version of Buffy Summers… I’ve already been on that journey, and as great and formative as it was (you all know how important Buffy and Angel are to me), I don’t need to relive it.

Then again, I don’t need to. If this is, in fact, a true reboot, maybe it can be for a new generation what the original was for my generation. This is a lesson the 2016 Ghostbusters film taught me. I enjoyed that movie, but as someone who grew up on the original, I realized this new version wasn’t for me. It was for today’s youth.

And that’s okay.

My reflex is to be automatically against this reboot, and I admit it’s mostly a “get off my lawn” sort of thing. But the fact is, if this reboot happens, the original will still be there; it’s not like my seven season DVDs will disappear the second the new Buffy airs. And if it’s good, and it inspires a younger generation, then all the better.

I hope it succeeds. But unless it’s a continuation of the lore that simply leans on the Buffy name for familiarity’s sake, I probably won’t be tuning in.

But Batwoman? I’m there, day one.

Bounty has been nominated for a TopShelf magazine Indie Book Award!

Official Seal It’s a big deal for my debut novel to even be nominated — and there are plenty of perks therein — but if by some stroke of luck I actually win, then there’s no end to the awesomeness that would ensue. Mostly I’m just jacked that someone thought enough of my work to nominate it. That’s pretty damn cool.

Anyway, check it out!

About J.D. Cunegan
J.D. Cunegan is known for his unique writing style, a mixture of murder mystery and superhero epic that introduces the reader to his comic book-inspired storytelling and fast-paced prose. A 2006 graduate of Old Dominion University, Cunegan has an extensive background in journalism, a lengthy career in media relations, and a lifelong love for writing. Cunegan lives in Hampton, Virginia, and next to books, his big passion in life in auto racing. When not hunched in front of a keyboard or with his nose stuck in a book, Cunegan can probably be found at a race track or watching a race on TV.

Check out Cunegan’s work here.

On Joss Whedon and Feminism

August 20, 2017August 20, 2017 / jdcunegan / 2 Comments

Be careful who you anoint as a hero.

On Sunday, Kai Cole — Joss Whedon’s ex-wife (who you may recall from Much Ado About Nothing and her hand in “Once More With Feeling,” the Buffy the Vampire Slayer musical episode) — penned an article detailing Whedon’s mistreatment of her over the years and how he’s basically a big, fat hypocrite for riding his faux feminist credentials to fame and larger projects.

First thing: I have no reason not to believe Cole. The only reason to summarily dismiss her article is to further perpetuate Whedon’s undeserved reputation and/or further advance the very patriarchy we were led to believe Whedon was against.

Now, the main point…

This doesn’t surprise me, because honestly, I never bought into the narrative of Joss Whedon, Feminist God (TM). Sure, I enjoyed a lot of his work; I’ve spoken on that at length on this page before. But to elevate a white cisgender male to such a status was always destined to be a fool’s errand.

Spoiler alert: white men — even the well-meaning ones — are poor role models.

The proof of Whedon’s lack of feminist bonafides is clear as day for anyone willing to see it. There was how he treated actress Charisma Carpenter when she became pregnant leading up to season 4 of Angel. There was a reported storyline for a potential season 2 of Firefly that involved Inara, Reavers, rape, and potential suicide. There was the entire premise behind Dollhouse (a show that was fantastic at times, but the premise was… yeeeeah).

The fact that Whedon is friends with Adam “Tea Party shitlord” Baldwin.

The fact that Avengers: Age of Ultron featured a contrived romance between Bruce and Natasha (written as a way to keep Bruce from losing control) and that Natasha considered herself a “monster” because of her inability to have children. Claim studio interference all you want, but Whedon was that film’s writer and director — and he had the name and the geek cred to push back against the studio if he really wanted.

And come on, did you see the snippets of that Wonder Woman script he penned several years ago? Let’s all be glad that’s not the version that wound up on the screen — and hope he doesn’t screw up Batgirl (though he probably will).

The fact is… people claimed Whedon to be a feminist icon because in 1997, he helmed a genre TV show with a female lead when such shows were still a rarity. And he just… ran with it.

Some of his work will always be important to me — how Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel saved my life cannot be erased by any of this — but to sit there and hold up a white male geek as an icon for feminism when there are so many better role models — female, of color, of different sexual orientations and genders — speaks to everything wrong with geek culture and America as a whole.

Generally speaking, a white male is overly vocal about how much of a feminist he is likely isn’t much of a feminist.

My opinion of Whedon was a human being has taken a hit, but not as much as some other people because I didn’t believe the hype. I’ll always love Buffy, Angel, and Firefly, but I think it’s time we start being more careful and more aware of who we put on pedestals — and start demanding receipts from those who boast about just how good an ally they are.

An Ode to Buffy the Vampire Slayer

March 30, 2017March 30, 2017 / jdcunegan / Leave a comment

So it’s come to my attention that Buffy the Vampire Slayer — and by extension, the Buffyverse as a whole — is now 20 years old.

First of all, no. I’m not that old.

Am I?

Alright, I am…

Secondly, this seems like an appropriate moment for me to sing the virtues of the Buffyverse, not just on its merits as a fictional universe that spawned two fantastic television shows and lives on in a series of hit-or-miss comic books, but as a creative entity that is almost singlehandedly responsible for where I am today.

To explain, a trip down Memory Lane…

When I was in college, I hit a rough patch. Between 2003 and 2004, my life turned to a dark place… so dark that I was almost a shell of myself. I was barely attending class, I wasn’t spending time with friends, I wasn’t really doing much of anything. I certainly wasn’t writing, and that fact didn’t bother me in the slightest. The days were just passing by, and I cared little for what they brought with them.

But in a fit of boredom one night, I didn’t change the channel after Smallville went off the air… and next thing I knew, I was watching this vampire (with a soul) setting up shop in a law firm, along with his friends — one of whom was a green-skinned demon with better fashion sense than I’ll ever hope to have. And even though I had no idea what was going on… I was hooked.

If you haven’t figured it out by now, I was late to the Buffy party. Or maybe it was a shindig. Or was it a hootenanny?

Anyway…

You can thank/blame the movie for that. I saw the 1992 film when I was a kid, and I hated it. So when I heard they were gonna make a TV show based on that property, my first — and only — thought was, “Ugh, pass.” Even as friends kept trying to get me to watch the show, I refused… there was no way in hell I was watching that show.

To this day, I still get the I told you so‘s.

Anyway, I’m hooked. First Angel, then Buffy. I’m devouring these two shows as quickly as the DVD boxset releases will allow me (Netflix and Hulu weren’t quite a thing yet). I fell in love with these characters, I devoured whatever content I could find online. I spoiled the hell out of myself on everything, and yet seeing it unfold on the screen was still an incredibly powerful, moving experience.

I’d never had a TV show make me cry before. These two shows did — repeatedly.

But most importantly… I began living again. I started looking forward to doing stuff. I started going to class more. I began slowly dipping my toe back into the social waters. I eventually got up the courage to start going to therapy. And, slowly but surely, I began writing again.

It started off innocently enough; a friend had invited me to join an online Buffy RPG (or “online writing community,” as we called it) called Birthright. It was set years after the end of both shows, and the vast majority of the cast featured original characters, and it was one of the best experiences of my life. I started off with a Watcher in mourning, and before I knew it, I was juggling six characters.

Eventually, Birthright turned into City Limits. New location, new storyline, same great writing and community. Those of you who have read Blood Ties might recall hearing about this community from the Acknowledgments section, and I mention that without this experience, I’m probably not here today with three published books to my name and several more on the way.

That’s not hyperbole. Without the Buffyverse, without the creative kick in the ass Joss Whedon and company inadvertently gave me, I eventually gathered the courage and desire needed to resurrect my long-neglected stories. I’m not quite sure what it was about Buffy and Angel that reignited my creative spark, but they did, and I am forever grateful.

That’s not to say I worship at the altar of Whedon; he’s not the feminist god people make him out to be (seriously, read up on what he did to Charisma Carpenter during Angel season 4), and his work isn’t as unassailable as some might suggest (Agents of SHIELD bored me to death and Avengers: Age of Ultron was one big bag of WTF), but without the shows for which he is best known (Honorable Mention to Firefly), I probably don’t start creating again.

I try to infuse a little of the Buffyverse in everything I write anymore, as my homage to one of popular culture’s most enduring properties and the fictional universe that, on its own, is responsible for the fact that I’m even here typing this. Two decades later, these shows are still personal favorites, and though I’ve seen plenty of great TV shows over the years, nothing has compared to — or inspired me as much as — Buffy and Angel.

(PS: If you’re a Buffy fan and you’re not watching this YouTube channel… you’re missing out.)