I have always been fascinated by the creative process of making movies, video games and television shows. Whether they’re live-action or animated, I will spend hours watching videos and reading about concept and production design, especially for science fiction and fantasy projects. 

Some of this may be my interest in art. Still, just as much may stem from the era I grew up in — the 1970s and 80s — when science fiction and fantasy began to break out of the previous eras of low-budget productions with goofy costumes, poor special effects, and papier-mache sets. If there were any notable progenitors for all this, it was probably the original Star Trek (1966-1969) and Stanley Kubrick’s 1968 film 2001: A Space Odyssey. Both demonstrated that science fiction could be sophisticated, mature, and thought-provoking. Both explored themes dealing with social change, environmental concerns, and the complexities of human nature. And both took their art design and production values more seriously, striving to create (more) distinct and believable narratives about the human exploration of space. While Star Trek’s artistic design, in particular, may look dated to modern eyes, in 1966, it raised the bar for television production values despite the limited budget of a weekly series. The very design of the U.S.S. Enterprise — a dramatic and intentional departure from the cigars-with-fins spacecraft of the previous decades — made the vessel one of the most recognizable in popular culture.

From this point, there was no turning back. Audiences might still have to endure a bad script or poor acting, but they would not endure bad production design as patiently. For example, to this day, my son is more wildly critical of a science fiction show or movie that looks bad than one that is bad… This is perhaps why we’ve never seen eye-to-eye on which Star Wars movies are the superior product. 

If you also appreciate the art of production design, I have curated some of the best books that capture the process, from concept sketches to fabrication and everything in between. 

RELATED FEATURES: Did Moonraker Forecast Our Future in Space? | Welcome to the Jundland Wastes | Workshop of Wonders | Paradise on Middle Earth | Redemption for Star Wars (Redux) | My Most Forbidden Book | 

Ten years ago, the Marvel Cinematic Universe was still new. Interesting. Exciting. Tenuous.

By March 2015, the MCU holy trinity had been established consisting of Iron Man, Thor and Captain America. But within the mix of their stories , which spanned generations and galaxies, there were numerous supporting characters who were just as fascinating. One of the best was Peggy Carter, played by Hayley Atwell. 

Introduced in Captain America: The First Avenger (2011), Peggy was an agent for the top-secret Allied intelligence agency, the Strategic Scientific Reserve (SSR). She was central to Project Rebirth, an experiment to create American super soldiers which ultimately transformed Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) into Captain America. Not only did Peggy champion Steve for the experiment, she ultimately became his friend, his love interest and — through the intricacies of time travel and storytelling I won't recount here — his wife and mother of his children.  

But at first, it looked like Peggy's character was one and done. After all,  Steve is presumed lost and killed at the end of The First Avenger and Marvel fans presumed that was the last they'd see of Peggy, too. But fate intervened in 2013 with a short film called Marvel One-Shot: Agent Carter. The film was a glimpse into Peggy's life after the war as she wrestled with her grief and being a woman in the male dominated espionage game. The One-Shot became so popular that it was turned into a weekly television series called Agent Carter in 2015. 

Although the show was praised for its snappy dialogue and astute character development, it only lasted two seasons due to low ratings. One particularly baffling review called the show "fascinating but boring."  But really, I think Agent Carter was probably ahead of its time. Having a female-led period piece  that dealt with issues such as feminism, race, grief and sexism within the framework of Cold War espionage tinged with science fiction was probably pretty challenging for American audiences ten years ago. This is especially true when you consider that Peggy had no super powers whatsoever. Her strength came from intelligence, ingenuity and creativity. Hell, in one episode she took out a goon twice her size by weaponizing a stapler!

Sigh.

Regardless, Peggy Carter remains a fan favorite in the MCU and has even found new life as "Captain Carter" in some of the franchise's alternate universes. So, in honor of Peggy, Marvel's greatest non-super superhero, I'm presenting a collection of books, videos and collectables about her — or characters and stories similar to hers.

Stay calm and carry on!

Can you believe it's been a decade since not-so-openly gay Simon Spier made the choice — one way or another — to exit the closet? While coming out stories are nothing new, Becky Albertalli's best-seller Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda created a YA sensation which led to a theatrical version called Love, Simon; and a three-season television show spin-off called Love, Victor. 

You can celebrate the ten-year anniversary of the book with a stunning DELUXE LIMITED PAPERBACK EDITION from HarperCollins, while supplies last. This 400 page edition includes gorgeous specs, making the package as beautiful as the read, and features new bonus content from Becky herself, including emails between Simon and Blue and Oreo recipes from Simon! ORDER HERE.

​If you haven't had the pleasure of reading the book, I'm posting my original review from 2016 below: 

I’ve had the opportunity to review a few books featuring LGBTQ youth which, as you might expect, have ranged from bad to excellent. Some young adult authors are clearly adding gay characters to their books because, I surmise, they feel it’s expected by modern teen and Millennial readers who are historically open-minded on the subject. While tokenism is annoying, it appears to be a waning trend as more and more YA authors like John Green, David Levithan, Maggie Stiefvater and Stephen Chbosky provide us with authentic LGBTQ characters. Now you can add Becky Albertalli happily, gleefully to this list.  

​Albertalli’s Simon vs the Homo Sapiens Agenda is perhaps more accurately a gay romance than a coming out story. The titular character is a 16-year-old high school student who has largely come to terms with his sexuality but is still dragging his feet about coming clean with friends and family. In fact, the only person he’s shared his sexuality with is an unknown classmate nicknamed “Blue” whom he met through his school’s Tumblr page and communicates with entirely through Gmail. The honest missives he shares with Blue are slowly giving Simon more confidence, even though their relationship is inherently dishonest. After all, it's a romance which exists only in a virtual world where people can be anyone they want or anyone you want them to be. Both boys are reluctant to break this spell by revealing themselves to the other.

Yet their carefully cultivated secrecy is endangered when a schoolmate named Martin accidentally intercepts their email exchanges and blackmails Simon into helping him win over a female classmate. When this arrangement doesn’t go as planned, Martin outs Simon on the same Tumblr page where he and Blue met. Rather than caving to this attempted humiliation, Simon owns the truth and with his gay identity now revealed, becomes even more determined to meet Blue in person.

If I have one big criticism of this book, it’s that Simon’s very public outing does not result in any substantial trauma. Although there are a handful of homophobic incidents following the revelation, Simon’s family, friends and teachers are overwhelmingly supportive. While I have no problem showing gay teens receiving the moral and emotional support they deserve, Albertalli notes on multiple occasions that the book’s setting of the Deep South is perhaps not the best place for a young man to come out.  But since Simon doesn’t seem to have any real fear of being ostracized, and in fact doesn’t experience any serious prejudice, Simon vs the Homo Sapiens Agenda sends some mixed signals on this particular subject.

Regardless, the book is proudly optimistic and ultimately resolves itself as a sweet story about a boy’s first love. For gay teens struggling to find themselves, whether they live in the Deep South or not, it’s important for them to have hope through the written word. In this respect, Simon vs the Homo Sapiens Agenda fits the bill nicely.

​RELATED: My Books  |  LGBTQ Collection

OTHER REVIEWS IN THIS SERIES: Raven | Beast Boy | Beast Boy Loves Raven | Robin | Starfire

Starfire is the latest volume in the Teen Titans series by Kami Garcia and illustrated by Gabriel Picolo.

Kori is a college student studying astronomy. She lives in California with her older sister, Kira, younger brother and mother. The sisters are close — but also very different. While Kira is vivacious and outgoing, Kori is an introvert, a condition made worse by Ehlers–Danlos Syndrome ​(EDS), a painful connective tissue disorder that cause her joints to swell. 

Their mother is absent most of the time, preoccupied with her pending marriage to rich douchebag Lynch Fairweather, owner of Edge Pharmaceuticals. Kira is equally besotted by Lynch's nephew, Tate, and Kori doesn't like either one of them. Despite this, she allows Kira and Tate to talk her into participating in an Edge study about new treatments for EDS. While touring the Edge facility, Kori meets and befriends Victor Stone, a.k.a. Cyborg.  Victor also has misgivings about the Fairweathers and helps uncover that the Edge  EDS "study" is actually the an attempt to gauge the extent of Kira and Kori's superpowers at the behest of H.I.V.E.

Yes, this is the same H.I.V.E. from the previous books — the shadowy agency who employs Slade Wilson and imprisoned and tortured Rachel and Garfield in Beast Boy Loves Raven. 

​Kira refuses to listen to Kori's revelations, but Kori finds kindred spirits when the Titans (Dick, Damian, Max, Garfield and Raven) show up with news that Slade Wilson is hunting her.  After coming together, the new team decides it's time to take the fight to H.I.V.E. 
​
One of the things I really appreciate about Kami Garcia's take on the Teen Titans is addressing superpowers as sometimes being medical or mental health challenges as well. This has been done a few times in the DC Universe, most notably with Tom King's Heroes in Crisis, which took a deep dive into how having the responsibility of superpowers can impact one's emotional well-being.

In Starfire, Kori's superpowers manifest originally as a disability. Yet she learns to see her challenges as part of her identity (in the same way Rachel did with her demonic pedigree, Logan did with his amino acid deficiency and Damien did with his abusive background and rage issues). Despite their varied backgrounds and problems, they manage to come together.

I don't know when the next volume comes out, but it looks like we'll actually see the Teen Titans as an organized super team!

RELATED: Comics Collections | Teen Titans Fans Collection | Damian Wayne Collection | Nightwing, Batman and Adoption Problem |  Nightwing Collection

The young prince Damian Wayne was raised to be the heir to the fearsome League of Assassins — to follow in the footsteps of his deadly mother, Talia, and the Demon's Head himself, his grandfather Ra's al Ghul.

But everything changed when his father, the Batman (Bruce Wayne), reclaimed him and brought him back to Gotham City.

The young prince Damian Wayne was raised to be the heir to the fearsome League of Assassins--to follow in the footsteps of his deadly mother, Talia, and the Demon's Head himself, his grandfather Ra's al Ghul. But everything changed when his father, the Batman, reclaimed him and brought him back to Gotham City.

As Robin, young Damian suddenly discovered he was merely one of a number of princes, preceded in the role by his brothers Richard Grayson (Nightwing), Jason Todd (Red Hood), and  Timothy Drake (Red Robin)... and Damian doesn't care to be merely anything.

But when his father is forced to leave the city on urgent business, and a rash of abductions is accompanied by whispers of a demon stalking Gotham's dark alleys, Damian will find himself battling alongside his adoptive brothers--and in the process, learning what the mantle of Robin really means!

​Visionary writer/artist Juni Ba makes his mark on the timeless story of Batman and Robin, synthesizing the characters' complex history into an accessible and heartrending fairy tale! Ba's lyrical text and highly stylized artwork may not be what a lot of DC Comics fans are used to, but trust me, it a wonderful diversion. 

If you're not familiar with Juni Ba's work, you can learn more about this award-winning writer and artist on his website or see his books below.  

RELATED FEATURES: Damian Wayne Collection  |  Batman Collection  |  Nightwing Collection  |  Tim Drake Collection  | Nightwing, Batman and Adoption Problems 

OTHER REVIEWS IN THIS SERIES: Raven | Beast Boy | Beast Boy Loves Raven | Robin | Starfire

​Beast Boy Loves Raven is the third installment in the reimagined and compelling Teen Titans series by Kami Garcia. While the first two books were, for lack of a better term, origin stories, #3 begins the formation of the Teen Titans team.

Raven and Beast Boy have stumbled upon each other in Nashville, Tennessee. Both have been lured there by a need to solve some persistent mysteries about their personal histories and burgeoning powers — and an ominous mercenary named Slade claims to have the answers they seek. 

Much of the book deals with the burgeoning relationship between Raven and Gar as they tour Nashville and anxiously wait for Slade to show. Over several days, their relationship slowly takes on a romantic component. This is not an easy development for either character. Raven was burned in Raven by a handsome basketball player named Tommy who turned out to be one of Slade's agents assigned to gather intelligence on her. Gar, on the other hand, is sweet but horribly awkward.  Plus, he doesn't want Raven to know he can unintentionally transform into a wild animal under certain circumstances. 

Two other characters of the future Titans team get play time in this edition. The first is Max, Raven's foster sister, who was introduced in book #1, and who has secretly followed her to Tennessee. The second is Damian Wayne, the fourth Robin and biological son of Bruce Wayne, a.k.a. Batman. Damian has also been enticed to Tennessee by Slade, but thanks to his natural paranoia he doesn't fall so easily for the man's line of attractive patter...

When Raven and Gar are abducted when they head off to meet Slade, Damian's suspicions are confirmed.  He and Max track the pair to a hidden laboratory in the woods where they are being tortured by a scientist named Adeline Kane. Kane is trying to provoke them to use their powers — and she apparently has designs on other young people with super powers.
​
This sets up the next phase of the series... where we will undoubtedly begin to see these characters getting control of their powers and new team members being introduced.

​Teen Titans: Beast Boy Loves Raven is my favorite book in the series so far. Not just because Raven and Gar are awesome characters, but because we're beginning to see the team dynamic that Teen Titans' fans so know and love. I'm also looking forward the the next book, Robin. I'm a huge Damian Wayne fan and he promises to provide some chaos to the mix!

RELATED: Comics Collections | Teen Titans Fans Collection

If you're like me, you spend your work week looking forward to those weekend game and movie nights. Not only are they an opportunity to catch up with friends and family, but you can immerse yourself in different worlds, play out impossible adventures, and build great memories.

But if you and your group(s) are still sustaining yourselves on bags of Doritos and six-packs of Mountain Dew, it may be time to step up your game and actually make creative cooking and baking part of the experience.

For years now, my game and movie partners and I have made our culinary choices part of the overall experience. Toward that end, I've compiled some genre-specific collections of cookbooks below to help you explore new dishes to treat your palette. 

Here are some other related suggestions to enhance your pre-activity meals:

• Coordinate the food to reflect the theme of the night's movie, game or book.
• Take turns choosing the entrée and have your partners coordinate their sides and desserts accordingly.
• Skip an entrée altogether and make one night all about appetizers.
• Create a taco, baked potato or burger bar!
• Cook the food together before any other activities even begin.
• Break out of your comfort zone by trying something really unusual... like cooking authentic medieval dishes before you watch Lord of the Rings.
• Don't forget the drinks! Libations — both alcoholic and non-alcoholic — can add another creative element. Many of the books shown below include drink recipes.
• Add creative table settings, centerpieces or music!

Watch my social media channels for additional tips like these! 

RELATED: Hogwart's Holiday