[Books] Lady Penelope's Lifestyle Secrets

When we decided to drop by this year's Summer Komikon, we only had a single title in mind. I never would have imagined myself to end up going home with a book as ridiculously pink as this one. And really, this book is super pink and it's not like it's a small pocketbook-sized affair either.

But how could I say no to the one and only Lady Penelope? Sure, compared to modern entertainment standards she may look a little creepy, but that's ultimately sort of a marionette kind of thing. Within the context of the show, she's quite gorgeous and her beauty easily shines through.

So I wasn't entirely sure what to expect from a book that proclaimed to reveal her lifestyle secrets, but one thing led to another and I found myself holding a copy of this little book, Lady Penelope's Lifestyle Secrets. I'm enough of a Thunderbirds fan to appreciate the subject matter plus it was pretty clear that this was not the sort of book one would encounter all that often, especially in this part of the world.

[Cartoons] Steven Universe In Too Deep Promo

So one of the biggest challenges of being a Steven Universe fan is the fact that the show goes on highly irregular breaks due to whatever reasons Cartoon Network can come up with. Thus we go for months at a time mid-season without new episodes and then suddenly the show drops what have come to be known as "Steven Bombs," which involve new episodes released daily for a week or so. And then it's back to silence.




Cartoon Network has finally released the first promo for what is being called the "In Too Deep" event where we're going to get a bunch of new episodes all at once again.

Eagle-eyed fans will recognize parts of the trailer from the big Malechite vs Alexandrite clip leaked back in February.



Needless to say, this (apparently) third season of the show promises to kick things off with quite bang and I can hardly wait to find out what's in store for Steven and the rest of the Crystal Gems.

[Books] Battletech: Assumption of Risk

I don't know why, but it always feels to me that Michael A. Stackpole has been involved in writing about many of the most pivotal moments in Battletech history. He got to write about the ascent of Kai Allard-Liao on Solaris and of course he documented the the Clan Invasion. So yeah, a lot of fun stuff.

Assumption of Risk is still pretty important in the grander scheme of things, but I'll be the first to admit that it wasn't necessarily a pivotal book. It has some interesting bits and some nice foreshadowing for future events, but the Inner Sphere does roll along well enough without us needing to know precisely what happened here.

And the ending was surprisingly important, but not necessarily epic or particularly remarkable. It felt a little confusing that way, but I suppose it all worked out for the better. On the whole, this felt like a book about the second-stringer, in a manner of speaking. These are important stories but involving those who aren't necessarily commanding the Great Houses. And that's where its charm lies.

[Comics] Enjoying ComiXology Fully

I'm a bit of a comiXology junkie. I never outgrew my love for comics, but I also recognized that I didn't have the time to check my local comic book store on a regular basis in order to get new issues nor did I still have the patience to store vast quantities of comic book issues. On the one hand, I shifted more to collecting trade paperbacks that are easier to shelve and then I got started on digital comics.

I think the best thing about comiXology apart from a great reading experience across multiple devices are the many, many sales that make getting comics really affordable. Sure, $1.99 for back issues is already a pretty good deal, but it gets better when they run sales that drop prices to about $0.99 per issue. And then it makes it easier to invest in more titles and possibly try out new titles because the prices are so low. I've gotten to try out a variety of new titles thanks to comiXology, which is great exposure to more writers and some beautiful.

Marvel runs sales on Mondays and Fridays, so that's always something to look forward to. There's a big chance of at least one DC sales every month and the same goes for other publishers. Holidays are a great excuse for dropping prices on a new family of titles and all that good stuff.

Explore comiXology. You're bound to find something that you like. And if it's too pricey, then check back weekly to see what might pique your interest in the sale bins. Just don't forget the Marvel sales that bookend the work week. There's always fun stuff to explore there for sure.

[Theater] Stepping Out: The Musical (Repertory Philippines)

Over the years, we've made it a habit to support the regular season of Repertory Philippines. Whether it involves just booking the first three plays individually or committing to a full season pass including the musicals, the goal is to see what they have to offer for the year and celebrate the diversity of theater. Repertory is a theater company with a very rich history and it always saddens me when we find their shows not quite filled to the brim in terms of sold tickets. They remain one of the theater options in the city and one of the steady avenues for watching straight plays and not just musicals.

However in recent years we've seen them stage a musical as part of their regular 3-production season as a way to balance things out a little more. At first I didn't think much of Stepping Out: The Musical when I secured the tickets because the name of the show was unfamiliar to me and I generally avoid looking up the productions online in order to avoid spoilers.

So it was funny that once we arrived at the venue and saw the show collateral, I had to admit it all seemed vaguely familiar. But of course this only make more sense to me during the show itself.