Wow. Clearly, they ran out of ideas after the crossover episode. It really feels like everyone just got sick of Jack being such a tool that they decided to spend 3 volumes making us happy to stop reading. In all starts in Vol. 7 where Jack, who now has a huge pile of gold, decides to not spend any of it. This leads Jack to come down with a bad case of dragon sickness. It's that special kind of greed that consumes your whole being. This is what happened to Thorin at the end of the Hobbit. In Jack's case, he gets fatter and fatter until he morphs into an actual dragon. Then he sits on his gold in a cave and curls up on it with just Gary to keep him company.
Meanwhile, his son, Jack Frost takes center stage in Vol. 8 as he learns to become a hero in some kind of Flash Gordon world. He kills a bunch a aliens, loses his virginity to a green alien babe, and wins a magic super sword. It's all very "meh."
So after 2 volumes of lackluster storytelling, I was quite happy to be done with this world, and boy was I obliged. The final volume follows all of our characters flocking to Jack and dying in an epic battle. Did I say epic? I meant epically stupid. Sorry for the confusion but I just got to the Battle of Pellenor Fields in The Return of the King. Now that's epic. But more on that in a later post. This? This is the writers blowing a big fat rasberry on this world, crumpling up the pages and flushing the whole thing down the toilet. You can skip these.
5/10
Thursday, September 26, 2013
Wednesday, September 18, 2013
100 by 30 Book 33 - Jack of Fables 4-6
Quick! Get one more Book post done before your Birthday! Ok, voice in my head, I don't know if your a Literal, an Elemental, or if I'm just crazy, but I will listen to you anyway. Here we go!
So I've finished the middle third of the 9 volume Jack of Fables series, and I gotta say, it's really growing on me. It helped a lot when I learned that the entire run only lasts 9 volumes, which works our pretty well. There is really only so long a series like this can last. Between the meta narrative, the unlikeable protagonist, and the all around silliness, Jack of Fables is a story built to be brief. It is getting better though. The humor is landing much more, and the world seems to be really growing into it's own sense of itself. By the end of Volume 6: The Big Book of War, the storyline has reached a Douglas Adams' level of absurdity. Vol. 4 follows Jack on his quest through the American Fable world of Americana where he finally finds a treasure big enough to be worthy of his time. It's a nice nod to the more recent world of American Folklore, complete with a magical train that you can only ride if you have your hobo bindle on a stick.
Vol. 5 is mostly an old west tale that finds Jack as a leader of a ruthless gang. This story was very good, but I couldn't shake the image of Skinner Sweet from American Vampire out of my head. I don't know if one was influenced by the other, but it felt that way to me. This book finds Jack at his most despicable. Having recently fought in the Civil War, Jack has decided that since the mundane people (real people) don't value life, then there is no reason he shouldn't kill as many of them as he feels like as if they were only ants. It's a pretty heavy story, only lightened in between the episodes as we get Jack fighting to control is own narration which has been hijacked by the literal embodiment of Narration, who is a woman who has a much more realistic opinion of Jack. We also get a few more installments of the the ongoing inner life of a now miniaturized Babe the Blue Ox. These are one page comics featuring Babe's inner thoughts as he imagines absurd persona's for himself. It's like Snoopy and the Bulwer-Lytton contestants had a baby. (if you don't know what that means, Google it, and thank me later)
Vol. 6: The Big Book of War pits Jack, the Fables from the Golden Boughs retirement home, and there captors against the most fearsome Literal of them all: Bookburner. He's a mean SOB who wants to burn all of the tales in which the Fables are featured in order to wipe them all from existence. There are a number of great fight scenes, and we get the first appearance of Dex, the Deus Ex Machina. He does pretty much what he's supposed to do. The ending sets up the great Fables Crossover which so baffled me before. (I really should re-read that)
Overall, these books are getting much better, and serve as a great side dish to the Fables world. My favorite joke? At one point, Narrator, in commenting about the quality of Jack's character, points out the the title of his book sounds really gross when you smoosh the letters of the last two words together..... Like I said, this book rarely takes itself seriously.
9/10
So I've finished the middle third of the 9 volume Jack of Fables series, and I gotta say, it's really growing on me. It helped a lot when I learned that the entire run only lasts 9 volumes, which works our pretty well. There is really only so long a series like this can last. Between the meta narrative, the unlikeable protagonist, and the all around silliness, Jack of Fables is a story built to be brief. It is getting better though. The humor is landing much more, and the world seems to be really growing into it's own sense of itself. By the end of Volume 6: The Big Book of War, the storyline has reached a Douglas Adams' level of absurdity. Vol. 4 follows Jack on his quest through the American Fable world of Americana where he finally finds a treasure big enough to be worthy of his time. It's a nice nod to the more recent world of American Folklore, complete with a magical train that you can only ride if you have your hobo bindle on a stick.
Vol. 5 is mostly an old west tale that finds Jack as a leader of a ruthless gang. This story was very good, but I couldn't shake the image of Skinner Sweet from American Vampire out of my head. I don't know if one was influenced by the other, but it felt that way to me. This book finds Jack at his most despicable. Having recently fought in the Civil War, Jack has decided that since the mundane people (real people) don't value life, then there is no reason he shouldn't kill as many of them as he feels like as if they were only ants. It's a pretty heavy story, only lightened in between the episodes as we get Jack fighting to control is own narration which has been hijacked by the literal embodiment of Narration, who is a woman who has a much more realistic opinion of Jack. We also get a few more installments of the the ongoing inner life of a now miniaturized Babe the Blue Ox. These are one page comics featuring Babe's inner thoughts as he imagines absurd persona's for himself. It's like Snoopy and the Bulwer-Lytton contestants had a baby. (if you don't know what that means, Google it, and thank me later)
Vol. 6: The Big Book of War pits Jack, the Fables from the Golden Boughs retirement home, and there captors against the most fearsome Literal of them all: Bookburner. He's a mean SOB who wants to burn all of the tales in which the Fables are featured in order to wipe them all from existence. There are a number of great fight scenes, and we get the first appearance of Dex, the Deus Ex Machina. He does pretty much what he's supposed to do. The ending sets up the great Fables Crossover which so baffled me before. (I really should re-read that)
Overall, these books are getting much better, and serve as a great side dish to the Fables world. My favorite joke? At one point, Narrator, in commenting about the quality of Jack's character, points out the the title of his book sounds really gross when you smoosh the letters of the last two words together..... Like I said, this book rarely takes itself seriously.
9/10
Tuesday, September 17, 2013
100 by 30 Book 32 - Fables 14-16
Hey guess what? These books are still amazing. You should know that by now. I wouldn't put myself through reading 16 volumes of this series if it wasn't one of the coolest things I've ever read. That said, I'm gonna keep this one short because I still have another book to write about that I also finished a week ago.
Fables Vol. 14-16 covers the brief aftermath of the great Fables Crossover (which I should probably reread at some point now that I have a frame of reference)followed by the attempts to save the Fables from Mr. Dark. He makes The Countless legions that Gepetto once controlled look like a basket of puppies, so It is going to take something truly spectacular to take him out. As Plans are formed we get the long awaited return of sidelined major characters, several major characters leave for good (most likely), and we get a new antagonist with a much more personal grudge against our heroes.
Over a 100 issues in, Bill Willingham continues to find way to keep the world as fresh and as compelling as ever. We've been through a number of huge wars and changes in the Fables universe lately, and the fallout from this recent crisis seems to point towards smaller and more personal conflicts in the near future, not to mention the ever increasing number of power vacuums. The characters continue to evolve and change in a natural progression that keeps things fresh without ever feeling unfamiliar.
My Favorite moments tend to be the lighthearted ones. In Vol. 16: Superteam, Pinnochio decides to create a super hero squad out of the fables, complete with stupid nicknames and spandex. It's like watching a self aware assembling of the X-Men, and it's awesome.
So there you have it, and now, BACK TO READING! (or watching breaking bad)
Fables Vol. 14-16 covers the brief aftermath of the great Fables Crossover (which I should probably reread at some point now that I have a frame of reference)followed by the attempts to save the Fables from Mr. Dark. He makes The Countless legions that Gepetto once controlled look like a basket of puppies, so It is going to take something truly spectacular to take him out. As Plans are formed we get the long awaited return of sidelined major characters, several major characters leave for good (most likely), and we get a new antagonist with a much more personal grudge against our heroes.
Over a 100 issues in, Bill Willingham continues to find way to keep the world as fresh and as compelling as ever. We've been through a number of huge wars and changes in the Fables universe lately, and the fallout from this recent crisis seems to point towards smaller and more personal conflicts in the near future, not to mention the ever increasing number of power vacuums. The characters continue to evolve and change in a natural progression that keeps things fresh without ever feeling unfamiliar.
My Favorite moments tend to be the lighthearted ones. In Vol. 16: Superteam, Pinnochio decides to create a super hero squad out of the fables, complete with stupid nicknames and spandex. It's like watching a self aware assembling of the X-Men, and it's awesome.
So there you have it, and now, BACK TO READING! (or watching breaking bad)
Wednesday, September 11, 2013
100 by 30 Book 31 - Batman & Robin, Batgirl
Today we continue with my new found love for DC's New 52!
Batman & Robin vol. 1 - In case you haven't been following Batman in a few years, at some point Bruce Wayne had a child with Talia Al Gul (you know, the woman in Dark Knight Rises who literally stabbed him in the back) named Damien. Damien Wayne is now 10 years old and has spent the past 7 or so years being trained to become a master assassin. Now in the custody of Bruce Wayne, he must learn to control himself while taking on the role of the new Robin. There is plenty of action in this story, but it is first and foremost a story about a father and son trying to learn to connect with each other. Damien has never known parental kindness, and Bruce isn't exactly soft and cuddly either. It creates a truly fascinating dynamic because for the first time, Batman can't just be a cold mentor. He has to learn to be a father. It's funny that I picked this book at this time because it happened to coincide with the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode I just watched where Worf has to take custody of his son. The stories have some striking similarities, and it was a nice complimentary experience. Anyway, the first volume ends with Bruce finally trying to open up to his son and we learn that he and Damien are both struggling to control the same instinct to kill. And there's a puppy, so that's always fun. 9/10
Batgirl - Vol 1 & 2: Batman is great for dark psychological brooding, but Barbara Gordon's Batgirl has him beat in the personal trauma department. While Bruce was a helpless child when his parents died, Barbara was already a superhero on the day she answered her door only to be gut-shot through the spine by the Joker. The circumstances of her becoming paralyzed are so disturbing to me that I haven't been able to make myself read The Killing Joke. Somehow, Barbara survives, and even continues to fight crime as a member of the Birds of Prey. As Oracle, she uses her genius intellect and eidetic memory to provide technical and tactical support to her fellow crime fighters. But this is not and Oracle book, it's called Batgirl. We learn early on that Barbara has regained the ability to walk thanks to a new medical procedure, which I'm sure was explained in greater detail somewhere else, but I don't really need to know the details. The point is A) Batgirl is back but B) there's a chance the procedure won't be permanent. Now we have a woman who has survived unspeakable horror and the loss of her legs, regained her power, but still has to deal with the scars.
Her first big test is a man who has decided to kill miraculous survivors. Turns out his whole family was killed and he somehow survived. The survivor's guilt drives him insane and he decides to kill anyone who has beaten the odds when they should have died. Her next foe is a woman who survived a brutal attack ending in 3 shots from a .38. She lost everything, but gained the ability to control minds with the trigger phrase "338". In all of the best Gotham stories, the villains are a reflection of our hero, and I really love what they have done with Batgirl. While not many of us saw our billionaire parents gunned down in front of us, it's much easier to relate to a character in there mid-twenties who is trying to overcome a tragic setback. Be it medical, financial, or criminal, we all know someone or have seen the stories of good people brought low through horrific circumstances beyond their control. So while Batman's struggles seem enormous and mythic, Batgirl's problems are smaller and more personal. She's also a fantastic character. She's smart, funny, confident, but has some serious stuff to work through. Oh, and she doesn't need a man, which is nice. We get an acknowledgement that she harbors a secret crush on Dick Grayson, but it's a fleeting moment. It's a part of who she is, but it's only a part, and right now, she has much bigger issues to face than romance. Things like finding an apartment and a room mate, not getting killed, and dealing with her estranged mother suddenly showing up on her doorstep tend to push romance to the back burner. It's an exquisitely written book and so far my favorite title in the New 52 lineup.
10/10
Small side note: Batwoman makes a brief cameo in this story, and it's one of my favorite cameos I've seen. For the first time, it became very, very clear to me that she's no one to mess with. Batgirl, Nightwing, and the other sidekicks and members of Batman's team all have a certain charm and sense of humor. Batwoman is more along the lines of Bruce Wayne. She also doesn't work with any of them and is a trained soldier, meaning she doesn't necessarily hold to the whole "no killing" rule. She's a wild card in Gotham, and the more I see her show up, the more interesting she becomes. It's a shame the writers for that book have just resigned due to DC's meddling in their story...
Batman & Robin vol. 1 - In case you haven't been following Batman in a few years, at some point Bruce Wayne had a child with Talia Al Gul (you know, the woman in Dark Knight Rises who literally stabbed him in the back) named Damien. Damien Wayne is now 10 years old and has spent the past 7 or so years being trained to become a master assassin. Now in the custody of Bruce Wayne, he must learn to control himself while taking on the role of the new Robin. There is plenty of action in this story, but it is first and foremost a story about a father and son trying to learn to connect with each other. Damien has never known parental kindness, and Bruce isn't exactly soft and cuddly either. It creates a truly fascinating dynamic because for the first time, Batman can't just be a cold mentor. He has to learn to be a father. It's funny that I picked this book at this time because it happened to coincide with the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode I just watched where Worf has to take custody of his son. The stories have some striking similarities, and it was a nice complimentary experience. Anyway, the first volume ends with Bruce finally trying to open up to his son and we learn that he and Damien are both struggling to control the same instinct to kill. And there's a puppy, so that's always fun. 9/10
Batgirl - Vol 1 & 2: Batman is great for dark psychological brooding, but Barbara Gordon's Batgirl has him beat in the personal trauma department. While Bruce was a helpless child when his parents died, Barbara was already a superhero on the day she answered her door only to be gut-shot through the spine by the Joker. The circumstances of her becoming paralyzed are so disturbing to me that I haven't been able to make myself read The Killing Joke. Somehow, Barbara survives, and even continues to fight crime as a member of the Birds of Prey. As Oracle, she uses her genius intellect and eidetic memory to provide technical and tactical support to her fellow crime fighters. But this is not and Oracle book, it's called Batgirl. We learn early on that Barbara has regained the ability to walk thanks to a new medical procedure, which I'm sure was explained in greater detail somewhere else, but I don't really need to know the details. The point is A) Batgirl is back but B) there's a chance the procedure won't be permanent. Now we have a woman who has survived unspeakable horror and the loss of her legs, regained her power, but still has to deal with the scars.
Her first big test is a man who has decided to kill miraculous survivors. Turns out his whole family was killed and he somehow survived. The survivor's guilt drives him insane and he decides to kill anyone who has beaten the odds when they should have died. Her next foe is a woman who survived a brutal attack ending in 3 shots from a .38. She lost everything, but gained the ability to control minds with the trigger phrase "338". In all of the best Gotham stories, the villains are a reflection of our hero, and I really love what they have done with Batgirl. While not many of us saw our billionaire parents gunned down in front of us, it's much easier to relate to a character in there mid-twenties who is trying to overcome a tragic setback. Be it medical, financial, or criminal, we all know someone or have seen the stories of good people brought low through horrific circumstances beyond their control. So while Batman's struggles seem enormous and mythic, Batgirl's problems are smaller and more personal. She's also a fantastic character. She's smart, funny, confident, but has some serious stuff to work through. Oh, and she doesn't need a man, which is nice. We get an acknowledgement that she harbors a secret crush on Dick Grayson, but it's a fleeting moment. It's a part of who she is, but it's only a part, and right now, she has much bigger issues to face than romance. Things like finding an apartment and a room mate, not getting killed, and dealing with her estranged mother suddenly showing up on her doorstep tend to push romance to the back burner. It's an exquisitely written book and so far my favorite title in the New 52 lineup.
10/10
Small side note: Batwoman makes a brief cameo in this story, and it's one of my favorite cameos I've seen. For the first time, it became very, very clear to me that she's no one to mess with. Batgirl, Nightwing, and the other sidekicks and members of Batman's team all have a certain charm and sense of humor. Batwoman is more along the lines of Bruce Wayne. She also doesn't work with any of them and is a trained soldier, meaning she doesn't necessarily hold to the whole "no killing" rule. She's a wild card in Gotham, and the more I see her show up, the more interesting she becomes. It's a shame the writers for that book have just resigned due to DC's meddling in their story...
Monday, September 9, 2013
100 by 30 Book 30 - Captain America - He's not quite dead!
Today I'll be going over the continuing adventures of Captain America as covered in Road To Reborn, Reborn, and Two Americas. The books, written by Ed Brubaker, continue the masterful character studies of the previous volumes. James "Bucky" Barnes is learning to fill his roll as the new Captain America, Sharon Carter continues to live with the guilt of knowing she was brainwashed into firing the shots that killed her lover, and things continue to get really complicated. Sharon remembers that she was pregnant with Steve Rogers' child, who was then stabbed in utero by Sin, Red Skull's daughter (Yes, in utero murder happened in a Captain America book well before it was shoehorned into an episode of Game of Thrones.) Anyway, this realization gets her to start trying to recover any other memories she may have lost and at the end we learn that (SPOILER!) the gun the killed Captain America was no ordinary gun! So while the characters remain endlessly compelling, the storyline is getting a little ridiculous. Which leads us to:
Captain America: Reborn! So, before we get into this, I have some thoughts about bringing Steve Rogers back from the dead. (please keep in mind that most of my knowledge of early Captain America comes from cultural Osmosis/that one time I looked it up on Wikipedia) So, we should all know that Captain America was created during WWII. He's the super hero who punched out Hitler and killed Nazi's. Yes, killed, he's a soldier, not Batman. He was great, then we hit Vietnam and Captain America loses his relevance. He starts to represent American Imperialism, which bums out the nerds and hippies. Then some weird stuff happens, we find out that the Captain America of the late 40's-50's was a drugged up super fan, the real Captain America becomes the Nomad because he doesn't believe in his country anymore...it's bad. Finally we have Ed Brubaker's run, which redefines Steve Rogers as the man who represents the best of what America has always tried to be. He fights for the ideals of America, regardless of whether or not the folks in Washington D.C. agree. So Steve Rogers dying was a big deal. George W. Bush was in office, we were in two endless wars, a lot of people were pretty bummed. Cut to 2009, we're in the worst of the recession, still in 2 wars, but we have a new president, and we're trying to believe again. Whether you agreed with it or not, people were looking to be inspired, looking for a message of hope and a better America. It is in this climate the Steve Rogers returns. All of our superheroes were getting pretty complicated and we needed and honest to God Hero back. So how do you bring back a dude who was shot 4 times at point blank range with no super armor or Wolverine healing powers?!
Well, turns out you turn the gun into a Billy Pilgrim device. You remember Billy from Slaughter House Five? He was unstuck in time. Turns out the Vonnegut Ex Machina gun caused Steve to become unstuck in time as well. So now he has to float around in the time-space continuum while Hank Pym and Mr. Fantastic blah blah blah random science words blah blah blah something about a constant blah blah blah Captain America is back! Oh wait, he's actually been brought back to be the body of the Red Skull who is living in a Krang suit or something but now he's inside Captain America's body and there's a huge fight with a bunch of super MODOK's...It get pretty hard to follow to be honest. In the end Steve is back. Yay! Although the resurrection was pretty ludicrous, I gotta admit it was pretty great to see the moral compass of the Marvel Universe return. So now everything's back to normal right?
Wrong! In Two Americas, we learn that Steve Rogers is done being Captain America for a while. Turns out reliving WWII makes you adverse to violence. Who knew? So while he settles down for a while with Sharon Carter (the niece of the woman he fell in love with 70 years earlier!) Bucky Barnes will hold on to the shield for a while. Which is good because 1950s Captain America is back and he's an angry angry Tea Party supporter. He wants his old America back and it's time for a revolution dammit! So now New Captain America and crazy fake Captain America square off against each other. Crazy Cap has recruited an army of right wing cuckoo birds while New Cap has the Falcon (who can talk to real birds). It's a much more streamlined story that the previous two books, with the spy movie style really shinning through again. My only real complaint is that the character of the Falcon, who's been in all of the books previously, is really underwritten. As major presence, and one of the few black characters (besides Obama, yeah, Obama's in the book) he really does more that serve as a plot device/exposition dispenser. Where's his inner life? Where's his gorgeous but complicated love interest? I'm sure he gets his moments in other story lines, but here he is sorely underwritten. Overall though, you could find much much worse reading material. I'm mean, at least it's not Twilight, right?
8/10
Captain America: Reborn! So, before we get into this, I have some thoughts about bringing Steve Rogers back from the dead. (please keep in mind that most of my knowledge of early Captain America comes from cultural Osmosis/that one time I looked it up on Wikipedia) So, we should all know that Captain America was created during WWII. He's the super hero who punched out Hitler and killed Nazi's. Yes, killed, he's a soldier, not Batman. He was great, then we hit Vietnam and Captain America loses his relevance. He starts to represent American Imperialism, which bums out the nerds and hippies. Then some weird stuff happens, we find out that the Captain America of the late 40's-50's was a drugged up super fan, the real Captain America becomes the Nomad because he doesn't believe in his country anymore...it's bad. Finally we have Ed Brubaker's run, which redefines Steve Rogers as the man who represents the best of what America has always tried to be. He fights for the ideals of America, regardless of whether or not the folks in Washington D.C. agree. So Steve Rogers dying was a big deal. George W. Bush was in office, we were in two endless wars, a lot of people were pretty bummed. Cut to 2009, we're in the worst of the recession, still in 2 wars, but we have a new president, and we're trying to believe again. Whether you agreed with it or not, people were looking to be inspired, looking for a message of hope and a better America. It is in this climate the Steve Rogers returns. All of our superheroes were getting pretty complicated and we needed and honest to God Hero back. So how do you bring back a dude who was shot 4 times at point blank range with no super armor or Wolverine healing powers?!
Well, turns out you turn the gun into a Billy Pilgrim device. You remember Billy from Slaughter House Five? He was unstuck in time. Turns out the Vonnegut Ex Machina gun caused Steve to become unstuck in time as well. So now he has to float around in the time-space continuum while Hank Pym and Mr. Fantastic blah blah blah random science words blah blah blah something about a constant blah blah blah Captain America is back! Oh wait, he's actually been brought back to be the body of the Red Skull who is living in a Krang suit or something but now he's inside Captain America's body and there's a huge fight with a bunch of super MODOK's...It get pretty hard to follow to be honest. In the end Steve is back. Yay! Although the resurrection was pretty ludicrous, I gotta admit it was pretty great to see the moral compass of the Marvel Universe return. So now everything's back to normal right?
Wrong! In Two Americas, we learn that Steve Rogers is done being Captain America for a while. Turns out reliving WWII makes you adverse to violence. Who knew? So while he settles down for a while with Sharon Carter (the niece of the woman he fell in love with 70 years earlier!) Bucky Barnes will hold on to the shield for a while. Which is good because 1950s Captain America is back and he's an angry angry Tea Party supporter. He wants his old America back and it's time for a revolution dammit! So now New Captain America and crazy fake Captain America square off against each other. Crazy Cap has recruited an army of right wing cuckoo birds while New Cap has the Falcon (who can talk to real birds). It's a much more streamlined story that the previous two books, with the spy movie style really shinning through again. My only real complaint is that the character of the Falcon, who's been in all of the books previously, is really underwritten. As major presence, and one of the few black characters (besides Obama, yeah, Obama's in the book) he really does more that serve as a plot device/exposition dispenser. Where's his inner life? Where's his gorgeous but complicated love interest? I'm sure he gets his moments in other story lines, but here he is sorely underwritten. Overall though, you could find much much worse reading material. I'm mean, at least it's not Twilight, right?
8/10
Wednesday, September 4, 2013
100 by 30 books 28-29 - Marvel Civil War and The Death of Captain America
I never intended to be reading so many comics but I've fallen behind schedule and need to play catch up a bit. Also, Holy Crap there are some really amazing stories happening in comics right now!!!
Today I have to combine 6 graphic novels into one post (counting as 2 books)because they kind of all lead into each other. Up first: Civil War - Iron Man, Civil War - Captain America, and The Death of Captain America: Vol. 1. For those you aren't familiar with the Marvel Civil War, I will give you the shortest explanation I can. It starts when a group of young, untrained superheroes start a fight with some powerful super villains in a highly populated area. Things go all the last 30 minutes of The Man of Steel and the next thing we know, half of Stamford, CT has been obliterated, including an elementary school. This event triggers the passing of the Superhuman Registration Act, essentially forcing all superheroes to reveal their secret identities to the government and sign up for formal training. Iron Man and Captain America are on opposite side of the issue, tempers flair, and soon all the heroes are fighting each other. This event was covered in over a dozen books and is a high point of storytelling in the Marvel Universe.
In the 2 Civil War books included here, we get the best scene in the whole saga. A simple one on one conversation between Captain American and Iron Man. Both men make very compelling arguments for their side. Tony Stark is a recovering alcoholic who understands that having heroes trained and held accountable can prevent disaster. Steve Rogers knows that the government can be compromised and that having a database of heroes secret identities can lead to super villains knowing where to find and how to hurt or kill costumed heroes and the ones they love. The great thing about Marvel is their ability to mix the fantastic with the personal. The issues raised in these stories are directly correlated to many of the big questions we face in our own lives. What do we do about gun control? Where is the line between safety and the violation of individual liberty?
The Civil War ends when Captain America surrenders in order to prevent further blood shed. He is then assassinated on his way into a federal courthouse. Thus begins an amazing spy story that is as thought provoking as it is thrilling. The story revolves around Nick Fury, no longer in charge of S.H.I.E.L.D.; Sharon Carter, the niece of Peggy Carter and Cap. America's current girlfriend; and Bucky Barnes, Cap's lifelong friend and the former Winter Soldier. The plot winds and twists with revelations and double crosses as the United States reacts to it's favorite hero dying while charged with treason. While our heroes investigate, a third political party is formed and America's security is placed increasingly in the hands of private security firms. The story continues in Vol. 2 & 3, and has a pretty spectacular ending. I hesitate to say anymore because you really should read this for yourself.
Finally, we have Captain America - The Man With No Face. In the wake of Steve Rogers death, Bucky Barnes is chosen to be the new Captain America. The problem is, he spent most of his life as a brainwashed Russian Assassin known as the Winter Soldier. He is haunted by the memories of his past and isn't sure that he is the man deserving to wear the shield. With the help of Black Widow (she kinda knows how he feels after all), he begins to find himself and learns to fit into his knew role. In the meantime, he has to defeat an enemy from his past who knows that he used to be the Winter Soldier.
Overall, this is some truly spectacular storytelling. If you like spies, broken down people, and some pretty great action sequences, you owe it to yourself to check this out.
10/10
Today I have to combine 6 graphic novels into one post (counting as 2 books)because they kind of all lead into each other. Up first: Civil War - Iron Man, Civil War - Captain America, and The Death of Captain America: Vol. 1. For those you aren't familiar with the Marvel Civil War, I will give you the shortest explanation I can. It starts when a group of young, untrained superheroes start a fight with some powerful super villains in a highly populated area. Things go all the last 30 minutes of The Man of Steel and the next thing we know, half of Stamford, CT has been obliterated, including an elementary school. This event triggers the passing of the Superhuman Registration Act, essentially forcing all superheroes to reveal their secret identities to the government and sign up for formal training. Iron Man and Captain America are on opposite side of the issue, tempers flair, and soon all the heroes are fighting each other. This event was covered in over a dozen books and is a high point of storytelling in the Marvel Universe.
In the 2 Civil War books included here, we get the best scene in the whole saga. A simple one on one conversation between Captain American and Iron Man. Both men make very compelling arguments for their side. Tony Stark is a recovering alcoholic who understands that having heroes trained and held accountable can prevent disaster. Steve Rogers knows that the government can be compromised and that having a database of heroes secret identities can lead to super villains knowing where to find and how to hurt or kill costumed heroes and the ones they love. The great thing about Marvel is their ability to mix the fantastic with the personal. The issues raised in these stories are directly correlated to many of the big questions we face in our own lives. What do we do about gun control? Where is the line between safety and the violation of individual liberty?
The Civil War ends when Captain America surrenders in order to prevent further blood shed. He is then assassinated on his way into a federal courthouse. Thus begins an amazing spy story that is as thought provoking as it is thrilling. The story revolves around Nick Fury, no longer in charge of S.H.I.E.L.D.; Sharon Carter, the niece of Peggy Carter and Cap. America's current girlfriend; and Bucky Barnes, Cap's lifelong friend and the former Winter Soldier. The plot winds and twists with revelations and double crosses as the United States reacts to it's favorite hero dying while charged with treason. While our heroes investigate, a third political party is formed and America's security is placed increasingly in the hands of private security firms. The story continues in Vol. 2 & 3, and has a pretty spectacular ending. I hesitate to say anymore because you really should read this for yourself.
Finally, we have Captain America - The Man With No Face. In the wake of Steve Rogers death, Bucky Barnes is chosen to be the new Captain America. The problem is, he spent most of his life as a brainwashed Russian Assassin known as the Winter Soldier. He is haunted by the memories of his past and isn't sure that he is the man deserving to wear the shield. With the help of Black Widow (she kinda knows how he feels after all), he begins to find himself and learns to fit into his knew role. In the meantime, he has to defeat an enemy from his past who knows that he used to be the Winter Soldier.
Overall, this is some truly spectacular storytelling. If you like spies, broken down people, and some pretty great action sequences, you owe it to yourself to check this out.
10/10
Monday, September 2, 2013
100 by 30 Book 27 - Tolkien a stroll
The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, Book 4
So remember how all kinds of cool stuff just happened? The momentum of the story was really building at the end of the last book with Gandalf and Pippin galloping as fast as possible to Minas Tirath. Then we get book 4. Here's what happens in book 4:
Chapter 1 - Sam and Frodo walk in circles for a while, then they meet Gollum, and they walk some more.
Chapter 2 - Sam, Frodo, and Gollum walk in circles through a swamp for like 20 pages. That's it.
Chapter 3 - They have made it through the swamp and need to spend 30 pages starring at the Gate of Mordor. Seriously, they don't even walk in circles, they just sit in the sand and do nothing. Well, that's not totally fair. After 60 or so pages of insufferable boredom, we get a little bit of intrigue when Frodo threatens to put on the ring and use it to make Gollum kill himself if he doesn't help them find a way into Mordor. This is how the ring works if you missed it in the movies. It's designed to dominate others. It's a pretty harrowing moment in the books as we really get to see a darkness show itself in Frodo.
Then we get, you guessed it, MORE WALKING! Just moseying through the woods, not doing much. Finally, we get introduced to Faramir and his group of soldiers. If you've only seen the movies, you know nothing about Faramir. In the movies he is basically portrayed as the lesser son, desperate for approval. In the books, we get an extremely accomplished captain of exceptional quality. He understands that his country is not in good shape. It has been so long since truly great men have ruled that people have stopped admiring the things which armies protect (people, knowledge, art) and have become obsessed with the act of war itself. Knowledge is no longer valued as highly as prowess on the battlefield. His brother and father are part of the problem and Faramir knows this. He doesn't crave their approval like a sad little boy. Instead he recognizes the dangers of becoming obsessed with great and glorious military deeds. It's for this reason that he is able to reject the ring. He has no desire to dominate others, and he knows that such an object would only further the corruption of his people. Sam thinks that Faramir has something of a wizard in him, meaning that he is wise on the level of Gandalf or Elrond.
So Faramir continues to be awesome and lets Frodo, Sam, and Gollum go because he's not a stupid child, and our trio continues their journey south and East. They make their way up the stairs above the castle of the Ring Wraiths, and no, Frodo never tells Sam to go home because he's corrupted by Gollum and the ring. Frodo isn't a moron. He and Sam are well aware that Gollum can never be fully trusted and they even discuss their belief that he will try to betray them at some point. They have to continue to follow him at least until they get to Modor though, so they follow him into the tunnel where Shelob lives. Shelob is a giant spider, but no movie can fully convey how evil this spider is. She's the last living spawn of a creature so evil, Sauron's boss unleashed it to destroy the undying lands of Valinor. She lives only to consume and excrete darkness, and no hero has ever survived an encounter with Shelob, or even wounded her. So when Sam gets her to impale herself on Sting, it's kind of a big deal. The Orcs who find Frodo see her blood everywhere and it freaks them the hell out. It would be like somebody successfully stabbing and critically wounding the Hulk (the big green rage monster, not the middle aged wrestler).
The book ends with Sam being locked out of the Orc guard tower where Frodo has been taken prisoner. So in the end, we do get some pretty epic moments in this book, but first we have to get through 150 pages or so of almost nothing. If you are reading the LotR for the first time, you can probably skip most of this book and you won't be confused.
Faramir and Shelob - 9/10
Everything else - 0/10 because reading about people wandering in circles through a desolate landscape is exactly has boring as it sounds.
So remember how all kinds of cool stuff just happened? The momentum of the story was really building at the end of the last book with Gandalf and Pippin galloping as fast as possible to Minas Tirath. Then we get book 4. Here's what happens in book 4:
Chapter 1 - Sam and Frodo walk in circles for a while, then they meet Gollum, and they walk some more.
Chapter 2 - Sam, Frodo, and Gollum walk in circles through a swamp for like 20 pages. That's it.
Chapter 3 - They have made it through the swamp and need to spend 30 pages starring at the Gate of Mordor. Seriously, they don't even walk in circles, they just sit in the sand and do nothing. Well, that's not totally fair. After 60 or so pages of insufferable boredom, we get a little bit of intrigue when Frodo threatens to put on the ring and use it to make Gollum kill himself if he doesn't help them find a way into Mordor. This is how the ring works if you missed it in the movies. It's designed to dominate others. It's a pretty harrowing moment in the books as we really get to see a darkness show itself in Frodo.
Then we get, you guessed it, MORE WALKING! Just moseying through the woods, not doing much. Finally, we get introduced to Faramir and his group of soldiers. If you've only seen the movies, you know nothing about Faramir. In the movies he is basically portrayed as the lesser son, desperate for approval. In the books, we get an extremely accomplished captain of exceptional quality. He understands that his country is not in good shape. It has been so long since truly great men have ruled that people have stopped admiring the things which armies protect (people, knowledge, art) and have become obsessed with the act of war itself. Knowledge is no longer valued as highly as prowess on the battlefield. His brother and father are part of the problem and Faramir knows this. He doesn't crave their approval like a sad little boy. Instead he recognizes the dangers of becoming obsessed with great and glorious military deeds. It's for this reason that he is able to reject the ring. He has no desire to dominate others, and he knows that such an object would only further the corruption of his people. Sam thinks that Faramir has something of a wizard in him, meaning that he is wise on the level of Gandalf or Elrond.
So Faramir continues to be awesome and lets Frodo, Sam, and Gollum go because he's not a stupid child, and our trio continues their journey south and East. They make their way up the stairs above the castle of the Ring Wraiths, and no, Frodo never tells Sam to go home because he's corrupted by Gollum and the ring. Frodo isn't a moron. He and Sam are well aware that Gollum can never be fully trusted and they even discuss their belief that he will try to betray them at some point. They have to continue to follow him at least until they get to Modor though, so they follow him into the tunnel where Shelob lives. Shelob is a giant spider, but no movie can fully convey how evil this spider is. She's the last living spawn of a creature so evil, Sauron's boss unleashed it to destroy the undying lands of Valinor. She lives only to consume and excrete darkness, and no hero has ever survived an encounter with Shelob, or even wounded her. So when Sam gets her to impale herself on Sting, it's kind of a big deal. The Orcs who find Frodo see her blood everywhere and it freaks them the hell out. It would be like somebody successfully stabbing and critically wounding the Hulk (the big green rage monster, not the middle aged wrestler).
The book ends with Sam being locked out of the Orc guard tower where Frodo has been taken prisoner. So in the end, we do get some pretty epic moments in this book, but first we have to get through 150 pages or so of almost nothing. If you are reading the LotR for the first time, you can probably skip most of this book and you won't be confused.
Faramir and Shelob - 9/10
Everything else - 0/10 because reading about people wandering in circles through a desolate landscape is exactly has boring as it sounds.
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