Tough Like a Girl #21 – Trekker: Rites of Passage

3 responses to “Tough Like a Girl #21 – Trekker: Rites of Passage”

1. Hi Lis and Nathaniel,

   Thanks for covering Trekker: Rites of Passage on your show and we appreciate you playing our RaD promo during the episode. A fair review is always the right thing and there’s no need to apologize for being honest about the things you didn’t enjoy about the book.

   We probably shouldn’t have given you Rites of Passage as the first book to read in the series because it is very much in the middle of lots of character development and world building which caused some confusion for you both.

   At this point in the Trekker storyline, Mercy is just beginning to realize that she’s falling in love with her longtime best friend Molly, so the relationship hasn’t fully developed which is why it isn’t mentioned overtly. The first full kiss between the two is soon after this story and is followed by a very open relationship between the two characters afterwards.

   Another element that you’re in the middle of in this story is Mercy’s association with Jason Bolt who is an agent for the organization Rigel. Mercy has been pulled into other events by Jason Bolt in the past and her strong negative reaction to this mission is because it comes from him.

   We were very happy to hear that you both enjoyed the art. We love Ron Randall’s art and were glad that you did too.

   Thanks again for giving the book your time and attention.

   Take care, Darrin

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2. For all the times that I’ve enjoyed listening to Ruth and Darrin guest-host on other podcasts, I’m ashamed to say that I haven’t made the time to listen to their Trekker Talk podcast. Therefore, I appreciate that you covered Rites of Passage here.

   My daughter does love Star Wars. So, a space saga with a strong female protagonist might fall right into her wheelhouse. I’ll have to see if our library system carries the first volume in the series. This looks to be a little more mature than her usual graphic novel fare. As a result, I’ll probably preview this one myself. Though, I’d also be curious to hear your suggestions regarding the reader age range for this particular book.

   Thanks, again.

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3. Hi Nathaniel and Lis!

   Interesting “almost crossover” with Trekker Talk from this episode. I was overdue trying Trekker, but lucked into a Comixology sale so I got and read this novel. Absolutely agree about the artwork. Ron is a wonderful craftsman, so that was a delight.

   I guess some of your nitpicks didn’t bother me as much, like “Mercy thinks the cyborgs are dangerous, but she takes them out handily.” My take was more that Mercy is a chronic cynic, so from her perspective, we see the worst take possible. Now, is that Ron’s intention as the writer, or me buying into the narrative of the story too much? Probably the latter. It’s not me trying to sway you, and I get your points. In the end, I enjoyed this story a lot and will have to read some more Trekker. (Thank you, Darren and Ruth. Your enthusiasm has converted me.)

   This particular book reminded me of a couple other series that might qualify for this show that I would *not* recommend for my girls until they’re older. I’m curious if you’re considering them:

   “Copperhead” by Jay Faerber and Scott Godlewski from Image. A traditional western tale, but on an alien planet and the new sheriff in town is a single mom.

   “The Wake” by Scott Snyder and Sean Murphy from Vertigo. Two storylines in the present and the future, with an oceanographer, deep sea creatures, and the future of humanity.

   Oh no, my thinly-veiled attempt at suggesting EVEN MORE books for your show didn’t fool you for a minute, did it. Heh. Heh-heh. HehehehehehHAHAHAHAHAHA!!

   Sorry. Don’t know where that came from.

   Always a delightful show. See you next episode, same Punch-time, same Punch-channel.

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