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Not too long ago, geekdom was seen only as the realm of the uber-nerd; a place for overweight, under-socialized weirdos to indulge their love of comic books and video games away from the rest of the world. The essence of that is still true — fandoms are all about a shared love of fictional worlds. But we’ve come a long way from the image of the ‘Comic Book Guy’ in recent years as geek culture has become a mainstream global phenomenon.

Photo by Louis from Pexels

Rising star Jason Momoa has come a long way since his first Baywatch appearance in 1999—through several less-than-memorable action roles (and a few great ones), to his breakout role in Game of Thrones, and now on to series with more depth (such as Frontier) and even a major blockbuster franchise (in the DCEU). However, when people think of the Hawaiian actor, they tend to think of big brutes—barbarians, assassins, horselords and tattooed thugs. It’s a part that he plays well, and at over 6’3” with undeniably rippling muscles and wonderfully villainous facial hair, it’s easy to understand why Momoa generally finds himself up for this kind of part. However, that doesn’t mean that he doesn’t have any literary roles under his belt. In fact, many of his big scary barbarian characters are actually lifted from the pages of books and comics, proving that just because a film is a literary adaptation, that doesn’t mean that the characters have to be book-lovers themselves.

From first to last, we count down Momoa’s literary roles over the years, as well as those to come.

[Movie still from Now You See Me 2, Lionsgate]

Daniel Radcliffe has come a long way since the days of Harry Potter. The young actor has moved on from the franchise that made him, experimenting with on-stage nudity in Equus, small screen drama/comedy in A Young Doctor’s Notebook, action in Now You See Me 2, and especially horror, with movies such as Horns and Victor Frankenstein.

As well as becoming known as an accomplished actor, Radcliffe has also gained something of a reputation for being a whole lot of fun off-screen, as well. He has pranked paparrazi by wearing the same outfit every day, to make photos useless. He’s rapped on late night television, played sticky balls with Jimmy Fallon and talked about naked bongo playing. It’s not surprising, then, that he’s had some great moments at comic conventions, as well—and we’ve wrapped up some of our favorites.

[Photo by Ed Rojas on Unsplash]

Summer’s here, and for comic book nerds, that means one thing: convention season! The big kahuna, San Diego Comic-Con, takes place at the end of July, but it’s far from the only event that brings together comics, movies, TV, and gaming under one roof. There’s something different at every con, but there are a few things that tend to span every single event. The sales floor, where fans can actually buy comics (as well as merchandise and collectibles). Artists’ alley and the autograph area, where fans can meet the creators and actors they love and get autographs and even photos with them. And the panels, where actors and creators entertain an audience with live discussions on everything from geek media to their upcoming season.

[Photo by Morgan Sessions on Unsplash]

This Independence Day, we’re celebrating historical fiction with a female focus—a perfect match up to follow the success of Wonder Woman this summer, and to celebrate the 4^th of July with fireworks and a good book. There has been plenty of historical fiction written about the American Revolution, of course. As one of the most significant events in US history, it’s not surprising that this tale has been told time and time again. In 2017, we’re shifting our focus away from the men normally pictured in Revolution literature and toward the often untold stories of the women that surrounded them. From camp followers to slaves, wives to rebels, these novels are the perfect way to celebrate a Feminist Fourth – and then enjoy the BBQs with a new perspective on what we are celebrating.

In a time so long ago begins our play,

In a star-crossed galaxy, far far away.

So ends the prologue to William Shakespeare’s Star Wars: Verily, A New Hope, the first of three plays re-telling the epic Star Wars story in the style of the Bard. Followed by The Empire Striketh Back and The Jedi Doth Return, these plays by Ian Doescher combine the magic of iambic pentameter with the beloved space opera of George Lucas – and are a perfect read for this May 4^th! (Or how about organizing a staged reading, lightsabers at the ready?) Brave (Jedi) Knights and evil (Sith) Lords duke it out in elegant verse, while a love story combines with a comedy of mistaken family identity and tragic revelations for a story right up the Bard’s alley.