My Favorite Things with Nancy O’Toole Meservier

They might not be raindrops on roses or whiskers on kittens, but that doesn’t mean that we love them any less. Welcome back to My Favorite Things, the weekly column where we grab someone in speculative circles to gab about the greatest in geek. This week, we sit down with Nancy O’Toole Meservier, whose latest installment of her superhero/urban fantasy series, Silver and Gold, came out last week!

What does Nancy love when she’s not creating her own amazing superhero universe? Spoiler alert: a nuanced origin story of the Joker’s better half, a deep-dive into the events leading up to Picard, a game that’s fun, relaxing, and challenging, and discovering what happens when you get sucked into a match-making game set in a magic school. Interested? Read on to learn more!

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I’m a huge fan of superheroes, and lately, I’ve been especially interested in how creators are exploring Harley Quinn. Actress Margot Robbie and director Cathy Yan did an excellent job in this year’s Birds of Prey movie, but my favorite recent exploration of the character comes from the graphic novel Harleen by Stjepan Šejić. This origin story explores the life of Harleen Quinzel, an ambitious psychologist looking to study how a lack of empathy can be caused by and contribute to violence and crime. This goal leads her right to Arkham, and to the man that will be her downfall: The Joker.

The character of Harley Quinn is notoriously tricky, given the various ways she has appeared in media over the years. Is she a tough, independent woman? Or a victim, caught up in a cycle of abuse? Šejić manages to find the nuance in it all, crafting a story about a smart, complex individual with a history of relationships with unequal power dynamics. As she dives headfirst into the minds of the criminals of Gotham, her fall from grace makes sense. What also helps is the fact that Šejić’s artwork is gorgeously detailed and just sexy enough for a story of seduction without dipping into erotica. I highly recommend checking this out if you would like to learn about the woman destined to become Harley Quinn.

Speaking of books inspired by legendary characters, I recently came across a title that completely changed my opinion of tie-in fiction. What I usually like about tie-in fiction isn’t necessarily the depth of their stories but the fact that it allows me to spend more time with characters I love. Una McCormack’s The Last Best Hope, which ties into Star Trek: Picard, is on another level entirely.

If you’ve seen Star Trek: Picard, you know all about the events that lead to Jean Luc Picard to breaking ties with Starfleet. The Last Best Hope digs into the details. With the Romulan star set to supernova, Admiral Picard knows that he must do everything within his power to prepare people for the worst. Unfortunately, he faces push back from every angle. This includes the Romulans, who deny the degree of disaster on their hands, and Federation politicians who don’t see the point in lending a high level of aid to foreign planets. With clear parallels to issues we struggle with today, The Last Best Hope is a must-read for anyone interested in the Star Trek: Picard series.

Admittedly, with 2020 being a stressful year for the world, going for pure escapism is going to be a more popular choice. For that, I highly recommend picking up the Nintendo Switch game Luigi’s Mansion 3. This latest installment doesn’t require any previous experience with the Luigi’s Mansion franchise. The story begins with Luigi and his friends visiting a luxury hotel. Only when he falls asleep at night, Mario, Peach and the Toads are kidnapped by the villainous King Boo. Luigi manages to escape but will have to fight his way through every floor in the hotel if he’s to rescue his friends.

If there’s one thing Luigi’s Manion 3 has in spades, it’s charm. From its gorgeous animation to colorful cast of characters, the entire game is bursting with personality that constantly had me smiling. The gameplay is simple to pick up on. With a storyline and mechanics focused on exploration, it wasn’t long before I was happily vacuuming my way through every inch of the game, searching for spooky ghosts and treasure. But don’t let the game’s laid-back atmosphere mislead you, there are some challenging boss fights, especially the final showdown with King Boo. From start to finish, Luigi’s Mansion 3 is a game that completely won over my heart, and I am genuinely sad that I have no story left to play.

To finish things off, let’s focus on a favorite that’s brand new. I fact, it’s a show I started watching just yesterday: My Next Life as a Villainess: All Routes Lead to Doom. This is an example of an isekai (portal fantasy) anime, where a teenager is pulled from the real world into a video game. Only unlike shows like Sword Art Online and .hack//sign where the world in question is a fantasy adventure game like World of Warcraft, our heroine finds herself trapped in a dating sim set in a magic school. Forced into the role of the romantic rival, Catarina Claes, she knows that all storylines either lead to her being executed or exiled. Using her player knowledge, Catarina attempts to change the outcome of the game. Only her actions don’t always have the intended effect.

My Next Life as a Villainess does require you to accept a certain level of silliness (for example, people seem to be able to develop romantic attachments at a very young age!). Still, the results are so much fun that it’s completely worth it. The characters established here are so lovable, and the connections between them feel so genuine. Thanks to her meddling, Catarina finds herself surrounded by many potential romantic partners, and I would be pleased with her ending up with most of them! I also really appreciate the fact that her potential love interests include both male and female characters. Catarina herself is a real go-getter that isn’t afraid to take control of the situation, even if the results don’t always end up being what she expected. Admittedly, as of writing this, there are only four episodes available on Crunchyroll, but I am so pleased with what I’ve seen so far that I had to mention it.

Those are four different things I’ve recently fallen in love with. Hopefully, you’ll find a new favorite among the bunch!

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Nancy O’Toole Meservier is a vertically challenged librarian who spends her off hours writing fiction, reading, and thinking way too much about superheroes. She lives in Central Maine with two wonderful cats and one equally wonderful spouse. She is currently writing The Red and Black Series.

Check out her website for more information.

You can also find Nancy on twitter, and Goodreads.

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