LGN Cosplays: Expo Prep

Getting ready for the Edmonton Comic and Entertainment Expo? Putting together your newest costume creation? Trying something new? In search of ideas, tips, and tricks? LGN is bringing in some of our costume-creative members to present cosplay tutorials just for you! Tutorials will range from styling wigs, make up application, sewing skills, and more.

Need some tips for manipulating wigs? Curious about installing LED lights in armour or props? We will have Naytay Cosplay showing you some of her mad skills!

Wigs and LEDs too much for your cosplay wants? Miss Chezza Cosplay will be giving you tips for "Closet Cosplay" that works with items you probably already own or can purchase on a budget!

Don't miss this free event on Thursday at 7pm! One of many things to look forward to is Kitnip Cosplay is going to demo making this arm piece from Star Wars The Old Republic!

Join us on Thursday September 3rd, 7pm at Happy Harbor Comics (10729 104 Avenue) You don't want to miss this chance to get the tips and tricks from these ladies! 

It was a warm night in the YEG as the LGN ladies descended upon Pub 1905 for some drawing and crafting. During the first ever LGNYEG Drink N Draw, Ladies sat down for a few drinks, delicious nosh, and drawing. The conversation was very explorative about what kinds of art they like to create, what kinds of pens they use when they draw, and the ever crackling topic of pop culture. A few ladies brought nifty crafts such as cross stitching and wood block carving. We even had a few card gaming.

Some participants tweeted in some nice images from the event:
- https://twitter.com/MissSerena/status/573732304834588672

- https://twitter.com/steph_pb/status/573684734288510976

- https://twitter.com/smoonie/status/573682208206012416/photo/1

And on Instagram:
- https://twitter.com/CandidGamera/status/573698042827837440

Along with sketches and doodles, a few friends of LGN decided to crash the party. Former Happy Harbor A-I-R Daniel Schneider (@Smashed_head) who was sketching a She-Hulk and local artist Johnni Kok (@JohnniKok) flatting colors on his laptop.

All in all, the night was filled with sketches, drinks, and ladies talking shop. A great way to spend a Thursday night.

COMING UP NEXT: 

April 2nd will be LADY GEEKs uNITE's first ever BOOK CLUB featuring SHE-HULK Volume 1 Law and Disorder. Want to get into comics or get back into comics? Want to read something new to you? Want to see what this big green lawyer is all about? Join us by reading SHE HULK volume 1 before the meeting and on Thursday April 2nd we will discuss the book. We are offering 20% off SHE-HULK Volume 1 for ladies attending our first meeting. Stop by Happy Harbor and pick up the book and let the staff know you're attending the first ever LGN Book Club!

What’s SHE HULK about? “With a new practice, a new paralegal and a mounting number of super villains she's racking up as personal enemies, She Hulk might have bitten off a little more than she can chew…but she just calls that a Tuesday.

Coming soon to the LGN meeting near you!

Wondering what's coming up next for LADY GEEKs uNITE? Wonder no longer! 

We are rolling out two NEW events in March and April so you better not miss out. 

After all the creative buzz in the room after our screening of She Makes Comics (January Meeting) we are going to have LGN's first Drink and Draw at PUB 1905 (10525 Jasper Ave). Happy Harbor Comic will be busy setting up for the annual Gilbert Bouchard Memorial Art Show (please be sure to check the installation out March 7th - 19th) Bring whatever you need to draw, write, doodle, or create! This will be an 18+ Event because it's being held at a Pub. So, come on down, have a pint, collaborate or work individually, and just have a good time.
Drink and Draw Facebook event is here RSVP if you can please!

Next, we will be hosting our first ever book club! Join us on April 2nd to discuss SHE HULK Vol. 1 Law and Disorder. 
Want to get into comics or get back into comics? Want to read something new to you? Want to see what this big green lawyer is all about? Join us by reading SHE HULK volume 1 before the meeting and on Thursday April 2nd we will discuss the book. We are offering 20% off SHE-HULK Volume 1 for ladies attending our first meeting. Stop by Happy Harbor and pick up the book and let the staff know you're attending the first ever LGN Book Club!

What’s SHE HULK about? “With a new practice, a new paralegal and a mounting number of super villains she's racking up as personal enemies, She Hulk might have bitten off a little more than she can chew…but she just calls that a Tuesday.

Book club Facebook event click here! RVSP if you can please!

Crafts? SNOW problem!

LADY GEEKs uNITE braved the freshly fallen dump of snow and we had a great turn out for our craft night.

Oodles of craft supplies were provided by us organizers and attendees as well! So, first of all a big thanks to everyone who made it out and also to those who shared their nifty supplies.

All kinds of geekery exploded on to unique hand made valentines day cards. Many of the LGN members made cards for their children, significant others, best friends, coworkers, and even for themselves.

Photo from @MissSerena 

Stay tuned, next month we relocate because the Happy Harbor Gilbert Bouchard Memorial Art show will be getting installed, very exciting! So, we will post details about our March 5th meeting soon! 

LGN at HEXAGON CAFE

On a warm Tuesday night, LGN's finest came out for a bit of board gaming at the modernly appointed Hexagon Cafe. 

LGNYEG set up a board gaming event at the Hexagon Board Gaming Cafe on Whyte Avenue in hopes to bring together intermediate players and beginners to the world of board gaming. The food and drink was spot on with piping hot meat pies and frothy good cappuccinos. The Hex staff were personable, helpful, and involved in teaching some of the first comers the game Monster Boss. Other LGNers set up a round of Lords of Waterdeep and Dominion. Some were beginners to the games, others were well versed and wanted to play with new people. It seemed that with a packed house, the environment to play was everywhere and made for a wonderful full night of gaming.

Planning for a night out with friends? Why not try the Hexagon Cafe for a bit of gaming. For a few hours, it's still cheaper than a movie.

http://www.thehexcafe.com

LGN Presents: She Makes Comics

She Makes Comics

For our January meeting we screened the documentary She Makes Comics. She Makes Comics is the result of a successful Kickstarter campaign that documents the little-known history of women working in the comic book industry. It takes us from the inception of comic books, when girls were actually the majority of the audience, to the turbulent 60’s and 70’s, all the way to today. The interviews were fascinating and inspiring; in fact after the meeting many LGN members were feeling the creative vibes and we have started to talk about a group project.

Exciting stuff! Click on the link for more information about She Makes Comics! 

December Craft Market

December Craft Market with LADY GEEKs uNITE!

On December 8, 2014 LGN hosted a unique geek driven craft market. Ladies sold things like dinosaur accessories, superhero mugs and scarves, buttons and greeting cards, and tasty baked goods.

We also had a few packages from BioWare and Laila Aslund to raffle off if attendees donated to the Edmonton Food Bank. We just about filled the entire donation box that evening! Thank you to everyone who donated!

Since we got such a positive response at the event you can bet that we will be bringing the craft market back! Right now our plan is for a summer time garage sale in our rear parking lot. Stay tuned for details!

 

 

BYOBG August 7th

BYOBG with LGNYEG!

(Bring Your Own Board Game with LADY GEEKs uNITE) too much with the abbreviations?

August 7^th we, the lady geeks, converged at Happy Harbor for hours of board game shenanigans! We encouraged people to try games that were new to them with one or two other experienced players. Groups broke off and the games began: the classic Settlers of Catan had players cursing the dice and the surplus of bricks, the sorrowful yet hysterical card game Gloom was perfectly miserable, Pirate Flux seemed to be addictive and had players itching for more, and Smallworld took a little more set up and learning but was a success once everyone got going.

Sylvia Moon also provided a diverse sampling of Indie Comics she has collected over the years from conventions as well as Happy Harbor Comics local comics section..

INDIE COMICS, WHAT DO?

Artist Alleys, creator booths, small time vendors; all places to find indie comics. Indie comics bring a new taste to the reading palette which can be inviting if you've only been downing fatty junk food superhero comics. Indie comics have no specific genre, they can be about anything and paced at any speed. Creators of indie comics are doing it for themselves, your direct contribution to their endeavour is a bigger gesture to the local comic community than buying another New 52 title. These stories are personal, they take you on journeys into the scene of where ever the indie comic came from, the collected thoughts and manifests of artists, the experimenting they tried. They give you a humanist perspective because these comics are made with love, with no other intention but to tell the author's story. If these reasons alone are not enticing enough to try finding indie comics at the next convention you attend, maybe you're journey into comics is not as deep as you wanted it to be. Indie comics make great additions to collections because maybe that indie comic you picked up from an artist will be the next big read. They're affordable, fun, and unique. 

Some types of indie comics are:

- Ashcan: a short comic printed on standard size paper, folded, with a few staples in the middle

- Booklet: similar to the ashcan but much longer

- Coil bind: with either a plastic coil or metal coil, looks like a scribbler/notebook

- Perfect bind: glued spine, just like a paperback book

So the next time you see an artist with a comic book, give it a flip and maybe you'll see a comic worth reading sans the hype department.

Thank you to everyone who came out and played games with us! We’ll do it again sometime!

Coming Up Next for LADY GEEKs uNITE…

Come and enjoy a free screening of Sailor Moon Crystal on September 4^th at 7pm. The beloved story of the celestial Sailor Scouts has been rebooted to follow the source material, the original manga, more closely. Using modern animation the series is being brought to life once again for fans and new audiences to experience. Many adults have fond memories of these heroines who were each unique in personality, strengths, and weaknesses but each relatable on some level to everyone, especially young girls. This free screening is open to life long lady geek fans, lady geeks who have never heard of Sailor Moon before, and junior lady geeks that want to attend with a parent. As always, lady geeks can bring a guest along if they wish! See you in September: Moon Prism Power! 

Our Story Thus Far...

To my dear geeks,

I want to tell the tale of LADY GEEKs uNITE

Welcome lady geeks of all types, varieties, and perspectives! What is LADY GEEKs uNITE? It’s the monthly, though not strictly so, meeting of the women and gender queer that are interested in things called geek.  Taking place at Happy Harbor Comics you can join us on the first Thursday of every month. We would like you to know that we do welcome all; men can attend as a guest of a lady! Before we get carried away I will give you some backstory:

Once upon a time… There was a fair lady named Kate Leth, a comic book retailer and creator, she was inspired to open up her world of geek with other ladies like herself. So, Kate set out to connect with the other women that worked in comic shops and thus the group called The Valkyries was born. Through the wonders of the Internet hundreds of women in, not only North America, but also the world have joined The Valkyries. The group has created a space for the women working in comic shops a place to praise comic we love, share ideas and thoughts about the industry and retail, bitch about the problems we’ve encountered working in comics, and help each other with tips and tricks of the comic book trade.  The geek gatherings we call Comic Cons or Expos The Valkyries have even moved the conversation offline and been able to meet up.

The next chapter of our story introduces The Valkyries inspired event: ladies nights! The idea is to create a welcoming, safe, non-judgmental environment for women and gender queer to come and enjoy comics and all things geek! Now there are many comic shops that host ladies nights and they’re gaining steam. More and more women are coming out and engaging with other women into comics, reading new stories, and sharing their own stories. Why is this so exciting? On a personal level I am excited because being into lots of things geek I have faced, as many other have, a lot of barriers just trying to enjoy comics, games, and more from those that either don’t believe there is a place for women in geek culture or have unwarranted expectations of women in geek culture. Another reason it’s exciting is in this very established and “set in it’s ways” industry it’s refreshing to have new voices to continue to enrich geek culture in positive ways.

Screening of Red Sand

Our story thus far has taken us from lively discussions about our favorite stories, what comic book or newspaper comic strip got us into comics, conventions, and experiences we’ve had engaging in geek culture. Our highest attended meeting was the screening of Red Sand, the Mass Effect fan film, with special guest Mark Meer, the voice of Commander Shepard and local improviser and actor. We had an off-site meeting at Table Top Café for hours of lively board gaming madness. Most recently, we have a special Q&A with four comic creators: J. Torres a prolific writer for DC and driving force behind the Canadian comic project True Patriot, Scott Chantler creator of the widely acclaimed Two Generals, Adrian Alphona the artist on Marvel’s Runaways and Ms. Marvel, and Scott Kowalchuk artist of Down Set Fight! It was a great forum for discussion and encouraging hearing these male creators speak very enthusiastically about more women becoming involved in the comics industry by being creators themselves, retailers, or just fans of the story telling comics offer.  

Special Guest Mark Meer

So, if all of that sounds AWESOME to YOU we look forward to seeing you soon for LADY GEEKs uNITE! (we also have cake by Sarah: Kitch Chick 

Sylvia Douglas - Valkyrie and Lady Geek Wrangler

On behalf of Andrea Brown, Sylvia Moon, and LADY GEEKs uNITE