The PoP! Fangirl of the Month – March 2010

The PoP! Stars scour all of teh internetz in search of the most Fabulous Females of Fandom. Please keep it in your pants.

I was first “introduced” to this wonderful woman through Twitter, and after meeting her at the 2009 San Diego Comic-Con, I knew she would be perfect as a PoP! Fangirl of the Month. She’s beautiful, intelligent and absolutely charming. Plus, her day job is comics. Let’s get to know Babs, shall we?

Name: Sara Lima
AKA/Handle: I had a screen name for years, “BatgirlBabs,” because of (you guessed it) Barbara Gordon’s Batgirl. When I started working for Comic Vine, I dropped the “Batgirl” to make it shorter. She was my favorite female comic book character for a really long time, and the central character in one of my favorite comic book series, Batgirl: Year One written by Chuck Dixon.
Birthday: December 23, 1985
Location: I was born in Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brasil, and moved to New York City when I was 6 years old. I currently live in San Francisco, California.
College/University and Concentration/Major: University of Connecticut and my major was Political Science with a concentration in International Relations.
Current Occupation: Currently, I am the Assistant Editor of ComicVine.com.
Marital Status: Single!
Turn-Ons: A cape and cowl, Namor ankle wings… Kidding! Ambition! Ambition is sexy! I love a guy who can challenge me and make me want to better myself. You know a guy is great if he makes you want to better yourself. A guy who is motivated and inspired is probably the biggest turn-on. I heart book smarts.
Turn-Offs: Poor hygiene, definitely. If you want to date me, be sure to take a shower first. That and laziness! That’s the worst.
Favorite Comics: My favorite comic series is probably all of Jeph Loeb’s run on Batman back in the ’90s. ‘Long Halloween,’ ‘Dark Victory,’ etc. Even his Catwoman: When in Rome. I really loved those stories. Going further back, I also really enjoyed Doug Moench and Kelley Jones’ run on Batman. I love Fables; I devoured those trades in one weekend. More recently, however, is probably Andy Diggle’s current run on Daredevil. I have definitely found a new love for that character thanks to Diggle’s perfect characterization of Matt Murdock.
Favorite Writers: Favorite writers?! I have so many! In comic books alone: Bill Willingham’s Fables are phenomenal. Mark Waid writes, quite possibly, the best cape books! I love Warren Ellis, especially Supergod. I love Paul Dini, Jeph Loeb, Andy Diggle. Geoff Johns is doing a fantastic job with reinventing Green Lantern right now. I love Greg Rucka on Wonder Woman; Phil Hester, Gail Simone, Mark Millar on Civil War; and of course, you’re not a true comic fan if you don’t have Alan Moore on your list.
Favorite Artists: I think as far as artists go, Jim Lee, Todd McFarlane and Michael Turner definitely set the standard for the artistic styles we see today. However, I think my absolute favorite artists are guys that have a distinctly different style like Tim Sale, Bruce Timm and Dustin Nguyen. My ALL TIME favorite artist, though, is Caravaggio, and he never did any comic art…
Favorite Movies: My favorite movie of all time has to be Roman Holiday starring Gregory Peck and Audrey Hepburn. Casablanca, Double Indemnity, Gilda, Annie Hall, The Departed, The Godfather, Enter the Dragon. I love foreign films as well like Love Me If You Dare and Amelie. Other films include The Royal Tenenbaums, V for Vendetta (even though I know a lot of people didn’t like it), Batman (Tim Burton), and both Christopher Nolan Batman films.
Favorite TV Shows: TV should be funny: The Daily Show with John Stewart, 30 Rock, The Office, Always Sunny in Philadelphia.
Favorite Video Games: Assassin’s Creed II! I am in *love* with Ezio, almost as much as gamer-boys are in love with Miranda (Mass Effect 2). Prince of Persia (first and third), Arkham Asylum, Mass Effect. I really like platform games, and my original favorite series was Tomb Raider. I remember wanting to be Lara Croft as a little girl.
Favorite Music: I love a lot of different music. I listen to some jazz (Miles Davis, Charlie Parker, Ella Fitzgerald); I like U2, Phoenix, the Killers. I listen to some hip-hop; I like Jay-Z, Common, Black Star: Mos Def, Talib Kweli. I listen to some Brazilian music, too. I’ll confess my love for Lady Gaga! I don’t care!
Favorite Books: All time favorite books are The Lemon Tree, written by Sandy Tolan, and Arab and Jew: Wounded Spirits in a Promised Land by David K. Shipler

PoP!: Now that we have some basic information out of the way, let’s get down to business. What makes you a Fangirl?

Sara Lima: I don’t know if “fangirl” is really a “thing” anymore. I think a few years ago “fangirls” was a term used for girls that loved comic books and anything to do with geek culture. I think the fact that more and more women are expressing interest in the industry makes “fangirls” kind of cliché. I’m just a regular girl that happens to love some of the same things boys do.

We here at PoP! use “fangirl” in the most respectful way possible. That being said, how and when did you become a Fangirl, or “regular girl who happens to love some of the same things boys do” (see, “fangirl” is easier!)?

I guess I have always been one!

Do you have a favorite childhood geek-memory?

Having a crush on Batman’s voice in Batman: The Animated Series and then getting the chance to interview Kevin Conroy. That was a very funny interview; I could not stop giggling!

PoP! loves Conroy, too! What are your current Fangirl obsessions?

Ezio Auditore de Firenze! Also, I’ve been on a Bruce Lee kick lately.

What non-nerd interests do you have?

I love going to museums; it’s one of my favorite ways to spend my days off. I also like to paint, write, read. Ice hockey is my favorite sport. I LOVE the New York Rangers! I adore college basketball, probably because I went to UConn. I also love watching World Cup Soccer (it’s the Brazilian in me, can you blame me?). I love to dance! I did ballet a long time ago, and I love to samba. I made a list of all the different things I have never done and I am gradually working to cross each and every one of them off.

What has been your biggest Geek-Out Moment?

Probably the Kevin Conroy interview I conducted at SDCC last July

How has being a Fangirl affected other aspects of your life?

I honestly think it makes it very hard to date guys! Most of the guys I have met are turned off by the fact that I can reference specific issue numbers and comic creators! Ha. Where are all these boys that say they love girls who are into comics and video games?!

What would be your advice to the Fanboy wanting to win over the Fangirl of his dreams?

Be sincere and honest and yourself. I hate a guy who just agrees with everything I say for the sake of agreeing. I’m not into fancy dinners and cliché romantic dates. Take me to do something I’ve never done before!

How did you get involved with Comic Vine?

Last February I attended New York Comic-Con and conducted some freelance interviews for them. Soon, I started blogging for them for fun, and eventually they asked me to come on full time!

When I met you at SDCC, you were looking fabulous as Wonder Woman. What other characters have you dressed as? Do you consider yourself to be a “cosplayer”?

Thank you for the compliment! I really don’t consider myself a “cosplayer.” I think people that “cosplay” make their own costumes and go to conventions to show off outfits they worked really hard to make. I really admire them, but I will readily admit that I have close to zero sewing capabilities and even less patience! I love to dress up on occasion, but I have only done so twice. Once as Wonder Woman (which you saw) and then as Catwoman at New York Comic-Con 2008.

You’re stranded on a deserted island. You can have one action figure, one trade paperback, one video game, one DVD and one CD. What are they?

This question is hard because it really depends on the mood I am in. My Cassie Cain DC direct action figure is the most badass by far! One trade is tough, probably Fables… or Kingdom Come… I can’t choose! Assassin’s Creed II, definitely. As for DVD, probably Batman Begins, and CD I think Lady Gaga (don’t hate!) or Jay Z’s Blueprint 3.

Thank you, Sara! Where can folks go to learn more about you on the interwebz?

http://www.comicvine.com/myvine/babs/

Filed Under: Fangirl of the Month

Tags: Babs, Batgirl, Batman, Batman: The Animated Series, Catwoman, Comic Vine, comics, Fables, Geoff Johns, Kevin Conroy, NYCC, Sara Lima, SDCC, Wonder Woman