Prom Dates From Hell by Rosemary Clement-Moore is a delightful book about high school, friends, bullies, and ancient Babylonian Demons trying to destroy the world. Our hero is one Maggie Quinn. She isn't popular but doesn't care because she actually has friends already. She's smart, very funny, and has recently had to come to terms with the fact that she gets visions. After helping to stop a vicious bullying incident at her high school, the perpetrators slowly begin suffering unexplained catastrophes. It's up to Maggie, D&D Lisa, Baywatch Brian, and Justin the supernatural nerd to solve the case and save the day.
I thought the characters were very well fleshed out and quite relateable. Maggie reminded me of a lot of the female friends I've had over the years, and the author does a great job capturing what it's like to go through high school when you have a functioning social life but no one accuses you and your friends of being the cool kids. The book is a fun read, and I would definitely recommend it to fans of shows like Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Speaking of which, I just finished rewatching the series and I will be moving on the season 8, which helpfully exists in graphic novel form. Talk to you then!
8.5/10
Sunday, March 9, 2014
Tuesday, February 25, 2014
My First Wrestling Show
This past Sunday, I attended my first pro wrestling event, WWE's Elimination Chamber Pay-per view. So what is is like to see live pro wrestling? Here are a few of the things I learned.
1. WWE really is Family Friendly - I started to get back into wrestling a few months ago. One of the reasons I'd stopped watching over a decade ago was the crassness of the Attitude era. When WCW folded, there was no longer a show I could sit and watch with my dad without feeling really uncomfortable. Sex jokes and blood did not make for family entertainment. The WWE of today is decidedly a PG affair. The jokes are silly, the action is gore-free, and their is a circus-like atmosphere, which includes $9 cotton candy, and "clown" segments with backstage videos of wrestlers playing with toys or wrestlers heckling the crowd on the mic. "Bad News" Barrett is basically a one man Statler and woldorf complete with a podium that rises into the rafters.
2. The crowd matters - A live wrestling show is one of the few forms of entertainment where heckling and crowd interaction are an essential part of the experience. In real sports, if you boo Santa, ESPN will complain about that city having no class. In WWE, Chanting that the good guy sucks is half the fun. It's like the Rocky Horror Show with drop kicks and body slams.
3. The Spanish announcer's table has the life expectancy of a Red Shirt on Star Trek - Odds are, when it comes time to throw some poor guy through a table, the Spanish announce table is the first to go. This night was no exception. During the six man tag match, two 6'7", 300+ lb guys through a 6'1" 220lb guy through that table. It was awesome. Seeing a guy fall through a poorly constructed table never gets old.
3. The crowd is an interesting mix - The WWE promotes itself as scripted entertainment, and yet I still sat next to a woman who believed everything she was seeing was real. This also meant that she got rather upset when I began cheering for the bad guys. The crowd is an odd mix of kids and adults who believe in everything they see and the folks who enjoy it as the entertainment spectacle that it is, with the later making up the majority of the crowd.
4. The performers are amazing athletes - I knew that wrestlers had to be world class athletes to pull off the stunts they do without killing each other. Seeing it live, I gained an immense appreciation of the precision timing it takes to execute some of these moves. I got to see back flips all over the place, suicide dives onto the ground, and perfectly timed uppercuts, slams and kick-ass finishing moves. It was like a master class of fight choreography. It also helps when your opponent is willing to take actual blows from you. They're also Strong as hell. You can't fake suplexing one guy while he holds onto a third. It's also not easy to catch 250lbs of muscle flying at you from 9 feet in the air. These guys are absolutely professional athletes who also know how to put on a show.
5. John Cena isn't that bad - John Cena is the current top good guy in WWE. He looks like a hulked up Mark Wahlberg and is always talking about hustle, integrity, and never giving up. He's a boy scout to the point of annoyance and the crowd is constantly split between those who love him and those who hate him. (the "let's go Cena!"/"Cena Sucks!" chant is very popular) Since I haven't spent the last 10 years watching this guy, I don't have much of an opinion on his in ring skills. It wasn't until I saw a fan with cerebral palsy wearing a Never Give Up hat that I saw that Cena's value is bigger than the ring. John Cena has granted over 400 wishes for the Make-a-Wish foundation. I'm not always thrilled with him as a wrestler, but he seems to be doing his part to be a great role model, and a hero figure that people can cheer for (even if he kinda sucks)
Overall, I had an absolute blast at this show and I was surprised at how accessible WWE has become. If they come to your town, I'd say give it a shot, you might have a blast too. It's silly, it's breathtaking, and just a darn good time.
Side note: Bray Wyat may be the greatest character since The Undertaker. The guy plays a freaky redneck cult leader with two bearded behemoths as acolytes, one of whom is about 7 feet tall and wears a green jumpsuit and lamb mask. It's creepy as hell and holy cow can they put on a show. Bray's 'Sister Abigail' finishing move is one of the coolest finishers I've even seen. I can't wait to see where this guy goes.
1. WWE really is Family Friendly - I started to get back into wrestling a few months ago. One of the reasons I'd stopped watching over a decade ago was the crassness of the Attitude era. When WCW folded, there was no longer a show I could sit and watch with my dad without feeling really uncomfortable. Sex jokes and blood did not make for family entertainment. The WWE of today is decidedly a PG affair. The jokes are silly, the action is gore-free, and their is a circus-like atmosphere, which includes $9 cotton candy, and "clown" segments with backstage videos of wrestlers playing with toys or wrestlers heckling the crowd on the mic. "Bad News" Barrett is basically a one man Statler and woldorf complete with a podium that rises into the rafters.
2. The crowd matters - A live wrestling show is one of the few forms of entertainment where heckling and crowd interaction are an essential part of the experience. In real sports, if you boo Santa, ESPN will complain about that city having no class. In WWE, Chanting that the good guy sucks is half the fun. It's like the Rocky Horror Show with drop kicks and body slams.
3. The Spanish announcer's table has the life expectancy of a Red Shirt on Star Trek - Odds are, when it comes time to throw some poor guy through a table, the Spanish announce table is the first to go. This night was no exception. During the six man tag match, two 6'7", 300+ lb guys through a 6'1" 220lb guy through that table. It was awesome. Seeing a guy fall through a poorly constructed table never gets old.
3. The crowd is an interesting mix - The WWE promotes itself as scripted entertainment, and yet I still sat next to a woman who believed everything she was seeing was real. This also meant that she got rather upset when I began cheering for the bad guys. The crowd is an odd mix of kids and adults who believe in everything they see and the folks who enjoy it as the entertainment spectacle that it is, with the later making up the majority of the crowd.
4. The performers are amazing athletes - I knew that wrestlers had to be world class athletes to pull off the stunts they do without killing each other. Seeing it live, I gained an immense appreciation of the precision timing it takes to execute some of these moves. I got to see back flips all over the place, suicide dives onto the ground, and perfectly timed uppercuts, slams and kick-ass finishing moves. It was like a master class of fight choreography. It also helps when your opponent is willing to take actual blows from you. They're also Strong as hell. You can't fake suplexing one guy while he holds onto a third. It's also not easy to catch 250lbs of muscle flying at you from 9 feet in the air. These guys are absolutely professional athletes who also know how to put on a show.
5. John Cena isn't that bad - John Cena is the current top good guy in WWE. He looks like a hulked up Mark Wahlberg and is always talking about hustle, integrity, and never giving up. He's a boy scout to the point of annoyance and the crowd is constantly split between those who love him and those who hate him. (the "let's go Cena!"/"Cena Sucks!" chant is very popular) Since I haven't spent the last 10 years watching this guy, I don't have much of an opinion on his in ring skills. It wasn't until I saw a fan with cerebral palsy wearing a Never Give Up hat that I saw that Cena's value is bigger than the ring. John Cena has granted over 400 wishes for the Make-a-Wish foundation. I'm not always thrilled with him as a wrestler, but he seems to be doing his part to be a great role model, and a hero figure that people can cheer for (even if he kinda sucks)
Overall, I had an absolute blast at this show and I was surprised at how accessible WWE has become. If they come to your town, I'd say give it a shot, you might have a blast too. It's silly, it's breathtaking, and just a darn good time.
Side note: Bray Wyat may be the greatest character since The Undertaker. The guy plays a freaky redneck cult leader with two bearded behemoths as acolytes, one of whom is about 7 feet tall and wears a green jumpsuit and lamb mask. It's creepy as hell and holy cow can they put on a show. Bray's 'Sister Abigail' finishing move is one of the coolest finishers I've even seen. I can't wait to see where this guy goes.
Thursday, February 20, 2014
100 by 30 book 50 - Green Lantern, Justice League, and Supergirl
*huff* *puff* you guys, I *huff* did it. I made it halfway through my challenge. Holy crap, 100 books is a lot for someone who reads as slow as I do. Also, focusing on books makes my pop culture ADD very cranky. Sometimes a guy just wants to sit down and gorge on 30-40 hours of Buffy and Angel and then kill everything that moves on my Playstation. Then the guilt comes back and I get back down to business. Will I make my goal?! Stay tuned to find out. I have 7 months to get through 50 books. This means I have the challenge of finding engaging books that aren't 800+ pages. Or lots and lots of graphic novels. I'll try to keep mixing it up though. I have made a promise to read White Oleander at some point.... But on to today's offerings!
I will go ahead and just review all three of these together. After the last entry, I was trying to figure out if I even liked graphic novels anymore. Fortunately, these three titles proved that the comic book form still has a lot to offer. Unlike say, Justice League Dark, Green Lantern and friends demonstrate that having a few relateable and grounded characters make all the difference. Hal Jordan and Sinestro's uneasy alliance makes for great storytelling. Just beneath the Buddy-cop bickering lies the very real threat that Sinestro could turn on Hal and any point. Having a point of reference give the story license to go in all the crazy directions that it does because you remain invested in the development of the characters.
The Justice League reboot tells an origin of the team that finds a way to highlight the different strengths of all the members and make them all individuals as well. Superman is the boyscout, Green Lantern is the jock, The Flash is the teacher's pet, Cyborg is the rookie, Batman is the paranoid survivalist, Wonder Woman is the foreign exchange student, and Aquaman is that kid who you thought was quiet and weird until he gets an army of sharks to kill the crap out of everything. We don't need these guys to be deep, but we do need them to be easy to tell apart. The new Justice League title is very successful at building this team dynamic. It's a nice vision of what a Justice League movie could be if Warner Brothers Studios wasn't run by morons.
Finally, we get a fish-out-of-water adventure in the form of Supergirl. Superman's older cousin was put in stasis when Krypton blew up. She crashes on Earth not having aged a day and is understandably dubious when a full grown Kryptonian claims to be her baby cousin. All kinds of shenanigans follow and we once again see an adventure story done right.
That's it for now, see you when I muster the motivation to write again.
All three books 9/10
I will go ahead and just review all three of these together. After the last entry, I was trying to figure out if I even liked graphic novels anymore. Fortunately, these three titles proved that the comic book form still has a lot to offer. Unlike say, Justice League Dark, Green Lantern and friends demonstrate that having a few relateable and grounded characters make all the difference. Hal Jordan and Sinestro's uneasy alliance makes for great storytelling. Just beneath the Buddy-cop bickering lies the very real threat that Sinestro could turn on Hal and any point. Having a point of reference give the story license to go in all the crazy directions that it does because you remain invested in the development of the characters.
The Justice League reboot tells an origin of the team that finds a way to highlight the different strengths of all the members and make them all individuals as well. Superman is the boyscout, Green Lantern is the jock, The Flash is the teacher's pet, Cyborg is the rookie, Batman is the paranoid survivalist, Wonder Woman is the foreign exchange student, and Aquaman is that kid who you thought was quiet and weird until he gets an army of sharks to kill the crap out of everything. We don't need these guys to be deep, but we do need them to be easy to tell apart. The new Justice League title is very successful at building this team dynamic. It's a nice vision of what a Justice League movie could be if Warner Brothers Studios wasn't run by morons.
Finally, we get a fish-out-of-water adventure in the form of Supergirl. Superman's older cousin was put in stasis when Krypton blew up. She crashes on Earth not having aged a day and is understandably dubious when a full grown Kryptonian claims to be her baby cousin. All kinds of shenanigans follow and we once again see an adventure story done right.
That's it for now, see you when I muster the motivation to write again.
All three books 9/10
Sunday, February 9, 2014
100 by 30 book 49 - Justice League Dark & Dail "H" for Hero
Today we take a short and disappointing tour of the weirder edges of the DC Universe.
DIAL 'H' FOR HERO- This book has such an inventive premise that I expected great things. The book follows a big fat loser who discovers that every time he dials the word H-E-R-O into the payphone in the alley, he is transformed into a different, bizarre super hero. The different heroes are delightfully silly. I especially loved the Iron Snail and Cock-a-Hoop (which is a chicken with a hula hoop for a body) Unfortunately, the fun ends with the premise. I forgot the plot almost as soon as I finished and the characters leave no lasting impression. It's a shame for a hero that should be a gold mine for humorous situations to be so dull.
5/10
Justice League Dark, vol. 1 & 2 - Hey what if all of the magic/supernatural- based characters in the DC universe got together to fight evil? Wouldn't that be super dark and kick-ass? It should be. But it isn't. This is the Hugh Jackman's Van Helsing of Comic books. We have another great premise that fails to live up to even the lowest expectations. Characters join and leave the group with barely an introduction, and the ones that do stick around don't make much of an impression on you. The main character ends up being John Constantine. (Keanu Reeves played him in the movie, even though he can't speak in a British dialect and James Marsters was available and would have been perfect.) John is a British warlock/antihero. He's the closest thing to interesting here and I'm willing to bet that his solo stories are actually engaging. The interchangeable cast is a big problem though. With people dropping in and out all the time, it feels like the writers are actively struggling to find something interesting to do with a bunch of weirdo misfits. It's a shame no one has ever created any cool plots with a team like that, except for Buffy, Angel, X-Men, Avengers, Firefly and the countless others that I missed. I've never been so bored reading fantasy fiction in my life. So you can skip these.
3/10
DIAL 'H' FOR HERO- This book has such an inventive premise that I expected great things. The book follows a big fat loser who discovers that every time he dials the word H-E-R-O into the payphone in the alley, he is transformed into a different, bizarre super hero. The different heroes are delightfully silly. I especially loved the Iron Snail and Cock-a-Hoop (which is a chicken with a hula hoop for a body) Unfortunately, the fun ends with the premise. I forgot the plot almost as soon as I finished and the characters leave no lasting impression. It's a shame for a hero that should be a gold mine for humorous situations to be so dull.
5/10
Justice League Dark, vol. 1 & 2 - Hey what if all of the magic/supernatural- based characters in the DC universe got together to fight evil? Wouldn't that be super dark and kick-ass? It should be. But it isn't. This is the Hugh Jackman's Van Helsing of Comic books. We have another great premise that fails to live up to even the lowest expectations. Characters join and leave the group with barely an introduction, and the ones that do stick around don't make much of an impression on you. The main character ends up being John Constantine. (Keanu Reeves played him in the movie, even though he can't speak in a British dialect and James Marsters was available and would have been perfect.) John is a British warlock/antihero. He's the closest thing to interesting here and I'm willing to bet that his solo stories are actually engaging. The interchangeable cast is a big problem though. With people dropping in and out all the time, it feels like the writers are actively struggling to find something interesting to do with a bunch of weirdo misfits. It's a shame no one has ever created any cool plots with a team like that, except for Buffy, Angel, X-Men, Avengers, Firefly and the countless others that I missed. I've never been so bored reading fantasy fiction in my life. So you can skip these.
3/10
Sunday, February 2, 2014
100 by 30 Book 48 - Assassination Vacation by Sarah Vowell
So the Superbowl is super lame this year, so why not read my blog instead. That should kill a few minutes. Speaking of killing, I recently read Assassination Vacation by Sarah Vowell (AKA Violet from The Incredibles). The book follows Vowell as she drags various friends and family members to an assortment of historical sites related to the assassinations of Lincoln, Garfield, and McKinley. The book is divided into 3 sections, one for each president, and covers a lot of obscure factoids that I never knew. In one of my favorite moments, Sarah, in her own dry way, leads us on an evaluation of the laugh line in the play that Lincoln was watching when he got shot. Yep, turns out Boothe waited for a laugh line so the audience would cover the sound of the gun. On one hand, that's really messed up. On the other hand, as Vowell points out, Lincoln got to die with a smile on his face. On the other other hand, the joke is terrible and doesn't translate to modern times.
This is just one of the many helpful things you will learn on this delightfully wry and rambling tour of some of the darkest moments of our nations history. If you are only going to read one book about presidential assassinations while relaxing on the beach in Mexico, make it this one.
9/10
This is just one of the many helpful things you will learn on this delightfully wry and rambling tour of some of the darkest moments of our nations history. If you are only going to read one book about presidential assassinations while relaxing on the beach in Mexico, make it this one.
9/10
Saturday, January 25, 2014
2013 Mixtape
I know it's a few weeks late, but I always like to give myself a little time to let the previous 12 months of music sink in before I create my playlist of my favorite songs of the year. Basic rules are these:
1. playlist can be no longer than 80 min so it can fit on a single cd
2. No repeating artists on the same mixtape (except in the case of guest artists or extremely awesome albums)
3. These are songs that I love and still enjoy at the end of the year. Therefore overplayed songs get bumped from the list. Sorry Avicii.
4. Don't be afraid of guilty pleasure songs (you'll see what I mean below)
5. Songs must be from the year in Question. No holdovers from the precious year allowed.
So here it is, The official 2013 mixtape according to The Scattered Approach
1. Lady You Shot Me - HarMar Superstar
The coolest thing to ever be associated with the HarMar Mall
2. Strictly Reserved for You (feat. Menahan Street Band) - Charles Bradley
Somebody introduce this guy to Sharon Jones stat so they can make a duet album and I can die happy.
3. Dance Apocalyptic - Janelle Monae
Best R&B/Soul Artist under the age of 40
4. Royals - Lorde
Yes it's overplayed. No, I'm not sick of it yet.
5. Cut My Hair - Luca Vasta
Thank you Amazon for highlighting this song
6. It Is The Way You Name Your Ship - Gogol Bordello
This song makes me want to drink whiskey, sing, and fight at the same time....
7. Rollin' Over - Skinny Lister
...While this song make me want to drink beer, sing, and dance in a circle at the same time.
8. Follow Your Arrow - Kacey Musgraves
I heard it was a good year for female country artists.
9. You Ain't Dolly (And You Ain't Porter) - Ashley Monroe
Why yes, yes it was.
10. Timber - Pitbull feat. Ke$ha
What can I say, I'm a sucker for a sick Harmonica riff. Anyone who's been around me when Outkast's "Rosa Parks" comes on can attest to that.
11. Acapella - Karmin
I also love pop music that is tongue in cheek.
12. Wild - Jessie J feat. Big Sean
How is Jessie J not the biggest pop star in the world?! She's got one of the best pop voices I've ever heard.
13. Remix (I Like The) - New Kids on the Block
Yeah, I do love a NKOTB song. So What? It makes me wanna dance like the girl in the video.
14. Harlem - New Politics
Kudos to my wife for introducing me to this awesome indie rock anthem. I defy you not to jump around to this song.
15. Pumping Blood - NONONO
Another great track my wife found. Either she's upped her game or I'm slipping. Probably both.
16. Holy Roller - Thao & The Get Down Stay Down
It's songs like this that make me grateful for NPR's free SXSW samplers.
17. Open - Rhye
Nope, that's not Sade. It's a dude singing this song. Which somehow makes it even more awesome.
18. Dark Horse - Katy Perry feat. Juicy J
This is by far the best song on her new album, and much better for dancing than "ROAR"
19. Rhyme or Reason - Eminem
You either love or hate Eminem at this point. Personally, I thought this was his most exciting album yet, and this is one of several stand out tracks on a stellar album. This song gets my vote simply for the shout out to Yoda over a Zombies sample.
20. New - Paul McCartney
With each new release, I realize I was very wrong about Sir Paul. The man is a genius and living legend. And this song makes me happy. Like, Muppets levels of joy.
21. Plastic Cup - Low
Low gets the nod for honorary haunting bummer of a song, unseating both The National and Arcade Fire to win this spot.
22. I Hope You're the End of My Story - Pistol Annies
I always get sentimental at the end of these lists, and thankfully Pistol Annies provided me with this gorgeous love song to end the 2013 mix
So That's the list. Let me know what gems I missed this year.
1. playlist can be no longer than 80 min so it can fit on a single cd
2. No repeating artists on the same mixtape (except in the case of guest artists or extremely awesome albums)
3. These are songs that I love and still enjoy at the end of the year. Therefore overplayed songs get bumped from the list. Sorry Avicii.
4. Don't be afraid of guilty pleasure songs (you'll see what I mean below)
5. Songs must be from the year in Question. No holdovers from the precious year allowed.
So here it is, The official 2013 mixtape according to The Scattered Approach
1. Lady You Shot Me - HarMar Superstar
The coolest thing to ever be associated with the HarMar Mall
2. Strictly Reserved for You (feat. Menahan Street Band) - Charles Bradley
Somebody introduce this guy to Sharon Jones stat so they can make a duet album and I can die happy.
3. Dance Apocalyptic - Janelle Monae
Best R&B/Soul Artist under the age of 40
4. Royals - Lorde
Yes it's overplayed. No, I'm not sick of it yet.
5. Cut My Hair - Luca Vasta
Thank you Amazon for highlighting this song
6. It Is The Way You Name Your Ship - Gogol Bordello
This song makes me want to drink whiskey, sing, and fight at the same time....
7. Rollin' Over - Skinny Lister
...While this song make me want to drink beer, sing, and dance in a circle at the same time.
8. Follow Your Arrow - Kacey Musgraves
I heard it was a good year for female country artists.
9. You Ain't Dolly (And You Ain't Porter) - Ashley Monroe
Why yes, yes it was.
10. Timber - Pitbull feat. Ke$ha
What can I say, I'm a sucker for a sick Harmonica riff. Anyone who's been around me when Outkast's "Rosa Parks" comes on can attest to that.
11. Acapella - Karmin
I also love pop music that is tongue in cheek.
12. Wild - Jessie J feat. Big Sean
How is Jessie J not the biggest pop star in the world?! She's got one of the best pop voices I've ever heard.
13. Remix (I Like The) - New Kids on the Block
Yeah, I do love a NKOTB song. So What? It makes me wanna dance like the girl in the video.
14. Harlem - New Politics
Kudos to my wife for introducing me to this awesome indie rock anthem. I defy you not to jump around to this song.
15. Pumping Blood - NONONO
Another great track my wife found. Either she's upped her game or I'm slipping. Probably both.
16. Holy Roller - Thao & The Get Down Stay Down
It's songs like this that make me grateful for NPR's free SXSW samplers.
17. Open - Rhye
Nope, that's not Sade. It's a dude singing this song. Which somehow makes it even more awesome.
18. Dark Horse - Katy Perry feat. Juicy J
This is by far the best song on her new album, and much better for dancing than "ROAR"
19. Rhyme or Reason - Eminem
You either love or hate Eminem at this point. Personally, I thought this was his most exciting album yet, and this is one of several stand out tracks on a stellar album. This song gets my vote simply for the shout out to Yoda over a Zombies sample.
20. New - Paul McCartney
With each new release, I realize I was very wrong about Sir Paul. The man is a genius and living legend. And this song makes me happy. Like, Muppets levels of joy.
21. Plastic Cup - Low
Low gets the nod for honorary haunting bummer of a song, unseating both The National and Arcade Fire to win this spot.
22. I Hope You're the End of My Story - Pistol Annies
I always get sentimental at the end of these lists, and thankfully Pistol Annies provided me with this gorgeous love song to end the 2013 mix
So That's the list. Let me know what gems I missed this year.
Thursday, January 23, 2014
100 by 30 Book 47 - Allegiant
MASSIVE SPOILERS FOR ENTIRE DIVERGENT TRILOGY BELOW!!!!
Well, That's one way to end a trilogy. The third and final installment is by far the weakest and basically undoes everything I loved about the first two. The books faults lie largely in execution and not in the plot details itself. I got a lot to say, so let's get started.
1. Page 1 of Allegiant essentially spoils the plot of the book if you have half a brain. The book starts by doing something that didn't happen in the first two books: the narration is divided between our two main characters. Given that the first two books showed an impressive lust for killing off major characters, separating the narrative basically shouts to the reader, "HEY! HEY YOU! THE MAIN CHARACTER IS GOING TO DIE!" Yes, it's true. Tris dies toward the end of this book. Don't worry, it's not sad, just dumb. I'll come back to this in a minute.
2. The division of the narrative hurts the plot and exposes Veronica Roth as a mediocre author. After following Tris' story for the first two books, suddenly having to follow two first person narratives becomes very jarring. This issue is compounded by the fact that the writing style does not vary between Tris and Four. There were a number of times where I had to return to the start of the chapter just to figure out whose story I was following. Because the two characters could not be separated, I suddenly lost my interest in Tris as a character. She lost all uniqueness and I no longer cared about her motives. Likewise for Four. It's very difficult to suddenly get inside the head of a character we've been viewing from the outside for the first 800 pages of the saga, especially when we find out that the inside life of said character is identical to the outside life we've been seeing. Seriously, the guy turns out to be saying everything he thinks at all times. So now we've wasted half the book with a pointless narrative that does nothing to further the plot in a meaningful way. We split the narrative and learn nothing new.
3. The story covers too much plot in too little time - The world of the first 2 books is a self-contained distopia. The revelation at the end of book 2 that the city is just an experiment run by the outside world explodes the universe that the story is built around. While the expansion is exciting and give the book plenty of places to go, Veronica Roth's book tries to expand too fast. The enlargement of the world would sustain several more books in the series. Instead, we get a very rushed introduction to this new world and all the political forces and characters in it. David, the new main antagonist, is introduced mainly has a former love interest for Tris' mother. We simply don't get enough of his motives or back story to keep the narrative engaging.
We are also introduced to all new cultural dynamics that we are expected to have a stake in, but we don't really get a proper examination of the difference between the genetically damaged and genetically pure people, nor do we get a sense of the motives behind hiding human history. The themes become very muddled because non of the characters or themes are fleshed out enough to give the impression of a real world.
4. The story exacerbates issues with the first two books - The speedy pacing of the first two books worked well because we were following one character's chaotic journey through a world falling apart. The worm's eye view gave an impression of greater things beyond Tris' understanding. In Allegiant, the split narrative shows us that, no, nothing is really happening behind the scenes. The books never get at anything below the surface of the events. Suddenly, the pacing of the first two books feels sloppy and rushed as well.
5. Tris' sacrifice has no impact - Tris has a very complicated relationship with her brother. In the end, she sacrifices her life to save him, but we never get a satisfying explanation for his actions. Bad or good, we never really understand why he did what he did. Because the relationship isn't well defined, her choice to sacrifice herself is muddled and loses impact.
The way she dies also raises more questions than it answers. First, she is the first person to survive the death serum, which begs the question, "why is she so powerful." This is essentially a supernatural act by all the rules established in the series. Instead of some sort of explanation for this amazing feat, she is promptly shot to death right afterwards, denying the audience any reasoning for the feat. It would be like Neo surviving the gunshot at the end of the Matrix only to have his head chopped off 30 seconds later. It's ineffectual storytelling.
I don't think this book was completely useless, but it did feel like the first draft of a better story. It think the death of Tris could have been much more effective if Veronica Roth had saved the splitting of the narrative until after her death. Also, recognize when you have enough material for an long running series and don't cram a bunch of half-assed garbage into the third book just so you can stick with the trilogy format. Probably don't read this book though. Enjoy the first two and pretend the third book was never finished.
3/10
Well, That's one way to end a trilogy. The third and final installment is by far the weakest and basically undoes everything I loved about the first two. The books faults lie largely in execution and not in the plot details itself. I got a lot to say, so let's get started.
1. Page 1 of Allegiant essentially spoils the plot of the book if you have half a brain. The book starts by doing something that didn't happen in the first two books: the narration is divided between our two main characters. Given that the first two books showed an impressive lust for killing off major characters, separating the narrative basically shouts to the reader, "HEY! HEY YOU! THE MAIN CHARACTER IS GOING TO DIE!" Yes, it's true. Tris dies toward the end of this book. Don't worry, it's not sad, just dumb. I'll come back to this in a minute.
2. The division of the narrative hurts the plot and exposes Veronica Roth as a mediocre author. After following Tris' story for the first two books, suddenly having to follow two first person narratives becomes very jarring. This issue is compounded by the fact that the writing style does not vary between Tris and Four. There were a number of times where I had to return to the start of the chapter just to figure out whose story I was following. Because the two characters could not be separated, I suddenly lost my interest in Tris as a character. She lost all uniqueness and I no longer cared about her motives. Likewise for Four. It's very difficult to suddenly get inside the head of a character we've been viewing from the outside for the first 800 pages of the saga, especially when we find out that the inside life of said character is identical to the outside life we've been seeing. Seriously, the guy turns out to be saying everything he thinks at all times. So now we've wasted half the book with a pointless narrative that does nothing to further the plot in a meaningful way. We split the narrative and learn nothing new.
3. The story covers too much plot in too little time - The world of the first 2 books is a self-contained distopia. The revelation at the end of book 2 that the city is just an experiment run by the outside world explodes the universe that the story is built around. While the expansion is exciting and give the book plenty of places to go, Veronica Roth's book tries to expand too fast. The enlargement of the world would sustain several more books in the series. Instead, we get a very rushed introduction to this new world and all the political forces and characters in it. David, the new main antagonist, is introduced mainly has a former love interest for Tris' mother. We simply don't get enough of his motives or back story to keep the narrative engaging.
We are also introduced to all new cultural dynamics that we are expected to have a stake in, but we don't really get a proper examination of the difference between the genetically damaged and genetically pure people, nor do we get a sense of the motives behind hiding human history. The themes become very muddled because non of the characters or themes are fleshed out enough to give the impression of a real world.
4. The story exacerbates issues with the first two books - The speedy pacing of the first two books worked well because we were following one character's chaotic journey through a world falling apart. The worm's eye view gave an impression of greater things beyond Tris' understanding. In Allegiant, the split narrative shows us that, no, nothing is really happening behind the scenes. The books never get at anything below the surface of the events. Suddenly, the pacing of the first two books feels sloppy and rushed as well.
5. Tris' sacrifice has no impact - Tris has a very complicated relationship with her brother. In the end, she sacrifices her life to save him, but we never get a satisfying explanation for his actions. Bad or good, we never really understand why he did what he did. Because the relationship isn't well defined, her choice to sacrifice herself is muddled and loses impact.
The way she dies also raises more questions than it answers. First, she is the first person to survive the death serum, which begs the question, "why is she so powerful." This is essentially a supernatural act by all the rules established in the series. Instead of some sort of explanation for this amazing feat, she is promptly shot to death right afterwards, denying the audience any reasoning for the feat. It would be like Neo surviving the gunshot at the end of the Matrix only to have his head chopped off 30 seconds later. It's ineffectual storytelling.
I don't think this book was completely useless, but it did feel like the first draft of a better story. It think the death of Tris could have been much more effective if Veronica Roth had saved the splitting of the narrative until after her death. Also, recognize when you have enough material for an long running series and don't cram a bunch of half-assed garbage into the third book just so you can stick with the trilogy format. Probably don't read this book though. Enjoy the first two and pretend the third book was never finished.
3/10
Thursday, January 2, 2014
100 by 30 Book 46 - Insurgent by Veronica Roth
Honestly, I finished this book in 2 days. Unfortunately, I read it so fast the whole thing is a bit of a blur. I remember I liked it though. MASSIVE BOOK 1 SPOILERS TO FOLLOW:
You've been warned.
OK, Here we go. Book 2 kicks off right after the genocide of Tris' former faction including the murder of both her parents. She's also pretty upset that she shot one of her best friends in the face while he was brainwashed. (told you there'd be spoilers)
For most of the book, Tris is suffering from some pretty severe PTSD. She becomes borderline suicidal as she attempts to stop the Erudite from either killing everyone or controlling them with mind altering injections. We also learn that the divergent population is being specifically targeted because of their resistance to these injections. I really liked the way the author showed the psychological toll the events are taking on Tris. The book spends a lot of time dealing with survivor's guilt and assorted trauma and it is really well done. It takes a pretty harrowing sequence of events to get her to stop trying to get herself killed.
That doesn't stop a whole crap ton of other people from dying though. I feel like author Veronica Roth is trying to set a record for the number of dead significant characters in a book series. We're into the dozens already and it's only been two books. Red Shirts have a better survival rate. With the breathtaking pace and the high mortality rate, it is sometimes hard to stop and consider the ideas being presented, many of which are worth pondering. The entertainment level is so high though that rereading is highly likely, so I'll think about the big ideas then.
Oh, and the book ends on a massive cliff hanger. I kind of saw something like that coming, but it was pretty great anyway.
9/10
You've been warned.
OK, Here we go. Book 2 kicks off right after the genocide of Tris' former faction including the murder of both her parents. She's also pretty upset that she shot one of her best friends in the face while he was brainwashed. (told you there'd be spoilers)
For most of the book, Tris is suffering from some pretty severe PTSD. She becomes borderline suicidal as she attempts to stop the Erudite from either killing everyone or controlling them with mind altering injections. We also learn that the divergent population is being specifically targeted because of their resistance to these injections. I really liked the way the author showed the psychological toll the events are taking on Tris. The book spends a lot of time dealing with survivor's guilt and assorted trauma and it is really well done. It takes a pretty harrowing sequence of events to get her to stop trying to get herself killed.
That doesn't stop a whole crap ton of other people from dying though. I feel like author Veronica Roth is trying to set a record for the number of dead significant characters in a book series. We're into the dozens already and it's only been two books. Red Shirts have a better survival rate. With the breathtaking pace and the high mortality rate, it is sometimes hard to stop and consider the ideas being presented, many of which are worth pondering. The entertainment level is so high though that rereading is highly likely, so I'll think about the big ideas then.
Oh, and the book ends on a massive cliff hanger. I kind of saw something like that coming, but it was pretty great anyway.
9/10
Tuesday, December 31, 2013
100 by 30 book 45 - Divergent by Veronica Roth
/I'm on a Roll. I know It doesn't seem like it because I took two weeks off between blogs posts, but I've actually been going through books so fast that I didn't want to stop and write about them. Up Next, in rapid succession, the Divergent Trilogy. Let's get Started.
Divergent is the first book in a dystopian young adult sci-fi trilogy. It reminds me of a cross between harry potter and the hunger games, but with more shocking violence.
Beatrice Prior lives in the remains of Chicago several hundred years in the future. In an effort to create a peaceful society, people are sorted into one of 5 factions with differing emotional traits. To save you from having to look up the $10 words author Veronica Roth uses, here are the factions: selfless, peaceful, honest, brave, & Intelligent. There is also the factionless, which is a group of homeless people who can't conform.
Beatrice has been raised to be a member of the selfless faction but during her attribute test, she discovers that she is "divergent", meaning that she is fit for multiple factions. Turns out that's bad. Like, the type of thing that can get you executed bad. So she decides to switch factions and join the brave faction where it will be easier to hide. What follows is a pretty horrific initiation process that results in some of the most brutal moments I've read in teen fiction, which include characters being driven to suicide, sneak attack eye stabbings, and a late night sexual assault. Don't worry though, there is a cute guy to lighten the mood. Oh wait, he's pretty messed up too. Ok, he's not that bad, and I do appreciate that we don't have to deal with a love triangle.
The pacing of this book is lightning fast and we go from 0-100 mph faster than any series I've read. The book ends with a series of events normally reserved for the third book in a series. This is Red Wedding type stuff. It's brutal and captivating, and you need to read this book.
9/10
Divergent is the first book in a dystopian young adult sci-fi trilogy. It reminds me of a cross between harry potter and the hunger games, but with more shocking violence.
Beatrice Prior lives in the remains of Chicago several hundred years in the future. In an effort to create a peaceful society, people are sorted into one of 5 factions with differing emotional traits. To save you from having to look up the $10 words author Veronica Roth uses, here are the factions: selfless, peaceful, honest, brave, & Intelligent. There is also the factionless, which is a group of homeless people who can't conform.
Beatrice has been raised to be a member of the selfless faction but during her attribute test, she discovers that she is "divergent", meaning that she is fit for multiple factions. Turns out that's bad. Like, the type of thing that can get you executed bad. So she decides to switch factions and join the brave faction where it will be easier to hide. What follows is a pretty horrific initiation process that results in some of the most brutal moments I've read in teen fiction, which include characters being driven to suicide, sneak attack eye stabbings, and a late night sexual assault. Don't worry though, there is a cute guy to lighten the mood. Oh wait, he's pretty messed up too. Ok, he's not that bad, and I do appreciate that we don't have to deal with a love triangle.
The pacing of this book is lightning fast and we go from 0-100 mph faster than any series I've read. The book ends with a series of events normally reserved for the third book in a series. This is Red Wedding type stuff. It's brutal and captivating, and you need to read this book.
9/10
Friday, December 20, 2013
Um, Sweetie, are you watching Wrestling?
A few weeks ago I was sitting home with a case of bronchitis and an allergy attack. My brain felt like it was being squished and I couldn't breathe so hot either. Basically, I needed to just lay on the couch and zone out for few days. It's the kind of sick where you can't really sleep, but your brain can't focus on much either. What is a guy to do to pass the time??? Well, I had just listened to an episode of the Dork Forest podcast (it's awesome, you should check it out) where the dorkdom of the day was professional wrestling. Listening to a pair of 40-something dudes talk about their love of Pro-wrestling brought back the memories of watching WCW with my dad back in grade school. So I thought to myself, "what the hell?" and I began watching old Royal Rumble matches on YouTube while I waiting for my brain to start working again.....
20+ Royal Rumbles later, and now I find myself inexplicably fascinated with the product. When I was a young boy, I knew wrestling was "fake" and that was part of the fun. We'd put each other in the "submission" holds and laugh at how ineffective they were. Since the word fake was applied, I could enjoy it as pure fantasy. Fast forward 15 or so years and I find myself with a new appreciation for what these athletes put themselves through. Yes, pro-wrestling is entertainment, not sport, but it takes world-class athletes to make it work. When you look at the shear number of former wrestlers who died prematurely or have to live with crippling health issues, you realize that this isn't as "fake" as people would like you to believe.
Perhaps the saddest story involves one of my favorite wrestlers when I was young. Chris Benoit was one of the most exhilarating performers I've ever seen. He was 2 tons of ferocity in a 170lb body. Then, one day he murdered he wife and child. He sat around the house for a day or so before hanging himself. When they did the autopsy, they discovered that Benoit had the brain degeneration normally reserved for people in their late 80s. He suffered the same kind of repeated concussions that have become a scourge to the NFL. Netfix also has a nice selection of career retrospectives of former wrestling legends. The common theme through most of them is the severe amount of physical harm these performers endure. What you also see though, is a sense that these performers seem to feel that the sacrifice is worth it to put on shows that thrill audiences.
So what about the shows, you ask? How can I be drawn to something so barbaric and silly? Well, I'm not totally sure. I do know that the few people I know of who also like wrestling are thoughtful, highly intelligent people, and not the stereotypical rednecks and jocks the program is commonly associated with. Wrestling seems to be a fascinating mix of some of my favorite forms of entertainment. You have theatrical characters and set pieces, storylines that would fit at home in your standard action movie, death defying stunts, and this weird mix of truth and misdirection. The best wrestling is a master class in improvisation as the wrestlers weave enough truth into their storylines so that you aren't always sure when or how you are being lied to. Indeed, the most exciting performers are simply playing larger than life versions of themselves. Stone Cold Steve Austin, The Rock, Mick Foley, CM Punk and others are all revealing sides of themselves to create their characters and giving them a sense of authenticity that draws you to them. I also like the way that Wrestling airs some of it's real dirty laundry and weaves it into the main storyline. CM Punk is famous for a promo he did in 2011 where he basically broke the 4th wall and said a lot of things that fans were feeling. It was by all appearances, a "shoot"(when the performer goes off script) and it is still electrifying to watch. While honesty on the mic is good, the in-ring product is at it's best when the opponents have great chemistry and trust. A truly great match involves performers working together to tell a story, and you can't do that if you don't trust your partner. For those of you who are actors, you know the difference between having a scene with a generous performer who connects with you and one who barely notices that your are there.
I love the way Pro wrestling can create sport as we wish it could be. One of the first Pay-per view events after the death of Eddie Guerrero was the 2006 Royal Rumble. As a sign of respect, one of his best friends, Rey Mysterio entered the 30 man elimination match to Eddie's old entrance music in a low rider. He said before hand that he was dedicating his performance to the memory of his friend. Rey went 60 minutes in the ring and won the event. Knowing it was all per-determined didn't stop me from throwing my fists in the air and cheering when he won. It was like a live version of Rudy and showcased the best that wrestling has to offer.
I also enjoy the way that some injuries are handled. Steve Austin suffered a severe neck injury during a botched piledriver in a match with Owen Hart. He continued to perform with the injury until surgery became essential. Rather than simply letting the biggest name in the game leave quietly for a year, they worked his absence into a storyline and had him get run over by a car while leaving the arena. As a Packer fan, I can say that that plot development is much more satisfying than say, watching your star quarterback go down in the first drive of a game and then the team craps all over the field for the next 5 weeks before learning to play football again. I'm sure Colts Fans can relate after enduring the "Suck for Luck" season. Wouldn't it have been more fun to have Jim Irsay run Peyton Manning down with is limo as a way to avoid signing him to a new contract?
Lastly, I appreciate the way the nature of Pro-wrestling allows legends to come back for one more moment in the sun. The best examples of this are in the Royal Rumble matches. The match starts with two wrestlers with a new wrestler being added every 90 seconds. Wrestlers are eliminated by being thrown over the top rope and both feet touching the floor. The last man standing after all 30 wrestlers enter wins. With so much happening, it's a great time for an old favorite to come out and hear the roar of the crowd, throw a few punches and get eliminated before breaking a hip. Seeing guys like "Hacksaw" Jim Dugan or Jake "the Snake" Roberts come out for a few more minutes of glory is kind of awesome. It's almost like bringing Joe Montana back for a series just to see him throw one more touchdown. In the back of my mind, I know that Jake Roberts is going to have to go right back to the trailer he lives in by my wife's grandma once the show is done, but I'm also happy that he gets a reminder that he hasn't been completely forgotten. You can say what you want about the Rock vs. Hulk Hogan at wrestle mania, but I like getting to see the guys who didn't get that big get one more standing ovation. And a paycheck. I saw The Wrestler. I know they need the paycheck too.
Thanks for bearing with me through this whole post. As a thank-you, here are a couple of my personal favorite moments to look up on You tube/netflix.
Honorable mention: 2000 Royal Rumble, Rikishi shows everybody that big men can dance. It's very silly.
Best match if you like your wrestling PG: 2006 Royal Rumble with Rey Mysterio
Best Match if you like your wrestling Extreme: Mankind Vs. Undertaker Hell in the Cell Match. Mankind survives one of the most horrifying stunts I've ever seen, and then finishes the match with his tooth sticking out of his nose. Yes, you read that right. It's as amazing and thrilling as it is gut-wrenching. Also, my dog is scared of the Undertaker's entrance music.
There are many many more matches that I'm sure my more knowledgeable friends could point you to, but these are the ones that made me need to see more. Now if I could just find a free ticket to the upcoming Elimination Chamber at the Target Center...
20+ Royal Rumbles later, and now I find myself inexplicably fascinated with the product. When I was a young boy, I knew wrestling was "fake" and that was part of the fun. We'd put each other in the "submission" holds and laugh at how ineffective they were. Since the word fake was applied, I could enjoy it as pure fantasy. Fast forward 15 or so years and I find myself with a new appreciation for what these athletes put themselves through. Yes, pro-wrestling is entertainment, not sport, but it takes world-class athletes to make it work. When you look at the shear number of former wrestlers who died prematurely or have to live with crippling health issues, you realize that this isn't as "fake" as people would like you to believe.
Perhaps the saddest story involves one of my favorite wrestlers when I was young. Chris Benoit was one of the most exhilarating performers I've ever seen. He was 2 tons of ferocity in a 170lb body. Then, one day he murdered he wife and child. He sat around the house for a day or so before hanging himself. When they did the autopsy, they discovered that Benoit had the brain degeneration normally reserved for people in their late 80s. He suffered the same kind of repeated concussions that have become a scourge to the NFL. Netfix also has a nice selection of career retrospectives of former wrestling legends. The common theme through most of them is the severe amount of physical harm these performers endure. What you also see though, is a sense that these performers seem to feel that the sacrifice is worth it to put on shows that thrill audiences.
So what about the shows, you ask? How can I be drawn to something so barbaric and silly? Well, I'm not totally sure. I do know that the few people I know of who also like wrestling are thoughtful, highly intelligent people, and not the stereotypical rednecks and jocks the program is commonly associated with. Wrestling seems to be a fascinating mix of some of my favorite forms of entertainment. You have theatrical characters and set pieces, storylines that would fit at home in your standard action movie, death defying stunts, and this weird mix of truth and misdirection. The best wrestling is a master class in improvisation as the wrestlers weave enough truth into their storylines so that you aren't always sure when or how you are being lied to. Indeed, the most exciting performers are simply playing larger than life versions of themselves. Stone Cold Steve Austin, The Rock, Mick Foley, CM Punk and others are all revealing sides of themselves to create their characters and giving them a sense of authenticity that draws you to them. I also like the way that Wrestling airs some of it's real dirty laundry and weaves it into the main storyline. CM Punk is famous for a promo he did in 2011 where he basically broke the 4th wall and said a lot of things that fans were feeling. It was by all appearances, a "shoot"(when the performer goes off script) and it is still electrifying to watch. While honesty on the mic is good, the in-ring product is at it's best when the opponents have great chemistry and trust. A truly great match involves performers working together to tell a story, and you can't do that if you don't trust your partner. For those of you who are actors, you know the difference between having a scene with a generous performer who connects with you and one who barely notices that your are there.
I love the way Pro wrestling can create sport as we wish it could be. One of the first Pay-per view events after the death of Eddie Guerrero was the 2006 Royal Rumble. As a sign of respect, one of his best friends, Rey Mysterio entered the 30 man elimination match to Eddie's old entrance music in a low rider. He said before hand that he was dedicating his performance to the memory of his friend. Rey went 60 minutes in the ring and won the event. Knowing it was all per-determined didn't stop me from throwing my fists in the air and cheering when he won. It was like a live version of Rudy and showcased the best that wrestling has to offer.
I also enjoy the way that some injuries are handled. Steve Austin suffered a severe neck injury during a botched piledriver in a match with Owen Hart. He continued to perform with the injury until surgery became essential. Rather than simply letting the biggest name in the game leave quietly for a year, they worked his absence into a storyline and had him get run over by a car while leaving the arena. As a Packer fan, I can say that that plot development is much more satisfying than say, watching your star quarterback go down in the first drive of a game and then the team craps all over the field for the next 5 weeks before learning to play football again. I'm sure Colts Fans can relate after enduring the "Suck for Luck" season. Wouldn't it have been more fun to have Jim Irsay run Peyton Manning down with is limo as a way to avoid signing him to a new contract?
Lastly, I appreciate the way the nature of Pro-wrestling allows legends to come back for one more moment in the sun. The best examples of this are in the Royal Rumble matches. The match starts with two wrestlers with a new wrestler being added every 90 seconds. Wrestlers are eliminated by being thrown over the top rope and both feet touching the floor. The last man standing after all 30 wrestlers enter wins. With so much happening, it's a great time for an old favorite to come out and hear the roar of the crowd, throw a few punches and get eliminated before breaking a hip. Seeing guys like "Hacksaw" Jim Dugan or Jake "the Snake" Roberts come out for a few more minutes of glory is kind of awesome. It's almost like bringing Joe Montana back for a series just to see him throw one more touchdown. In the back of my mind, I know that Jake Roberts is going to have to go right back to the trailer he lives in by my wife's grandma once the show is done, but I'm also happy that he gets a reminder that he hasn't been completely forgotten. You can say what you want about the Rock vs. Hulk Hogan at wrestle mania, but I like getting to see the guys who didn't get that big get one more standing ovation. And a paycheck. I saw The Wrestler. I know they need the paycheck too.
Thanks for bearing with me through this whole post. As a thank-you, here are a couple of my personal favorite moments to look up on You tube/netflix.
Honorable mention: 2000 Royal Rumble, Rikishi shows everybody that big men can dance. It's very silly.
Best match if you like your wrestling PG: 2006 Royal Rumble with Rey Mysterio
Best Match if you like your wrestling Extreme: Mankind Vs. Undertaker Hell in the Cell Match. Mankind survives one of the most horrifying stunts I've ever seen, and then finishes the match with his tooth sticking out of his nose. Yes, you read that right. It's as amazing and thrilling as it is gut-wrenching. Also, my dog is scared of the Undertaker's entrance music.
There are many many more matches that I'm sure my more knowledgeable friends could point you to, but these are the ones that made me need to see more. Now if I could just find a free ticket to the upcoming Elimination Chamber at the Target Center...
100 by 30 Book 44 - The She-Hulk Diaries by Marta Acosta
What do you get when you mix chick-lit with the Marvel Universe? A surprisingly fun and breezy tale of lawsuits, genetic manipulation, and the never ending quest to find the right love of your life. The She-Hulk Diaries follows a half year in the life of Jennifer Walters / She-Hulk.
For those you aren't familiar with Bruce Banner's Cousin, here's the quick rundown: Jennifer Walters was an up and coming hot shot attorney when some bad thing happened to her. Bruce donated his blood to save her life and she gained a version of his Hulk powers. Unlike Hulk, She-Hulk is a smart, sexy fully expressive character. Since she has her own personality, Jennifer is basically sharing her body with her room mate. Since She-Hulk is indestructible, she tends to live on the wild side, enjoying all night parties, and often making the kind of choices normally reserved for former Disney child stars. Despite their prowess in the courtroom, Jennifer/She-Hulk are being evicted from the Avengers' mansion due to several extra-curricular incidents involving millions of dollars of property damage.
The book is told through the eyes of Jennifer as she tries to get her life back on track in the new year. When it comes time for her to Hulk-out, we get a sense of what it feels like to watch someone else control your body. Jennifer and "Shulky" have a fun sisterly dynamic with Jennifer trying to keep Shulky from appearing on TMZ, Shulky tries to get Jennifer to let loose a little more. It works well as character development, and the notes they leave to each other offer a nice dose of humor.
The main conflict involves a bio-engineering lawsuit where Jennifer is suing the best friend of a former fling of hers and said fling happens to be engaged to here new boss. We get lots of insults, snide comments, and smoldering glances. We also get a sexy Swedish scientist who might not be all that he seems.
While the book is decidedly a light read, I have to say I found it to be rather charming in it's own way. If I'm gonna read a silly romance book, I do prefer a story with smart, self-reliant female characters who can take care of themselves. It also helps if I get a nice dose of super-powered awesomeness.
7/10
For those you aren't familiar with Bruce Banner's Cousin, here's the quick rundown: Jennifer Walters was an up and coming hot shot attorney when some bad thing happened to her. Bruce donated his blood to save her life and she gained a version of his Hulk powers. Unlike Hulk, She-Hulk is a smart, sexy fully expressive character. Since she has her own personality, Jennifer is basically sharing her body with her room mate. Since She-Hulk is indestructible, she tends to live on the wild side, enjoying all night parties, and often making the kind of choices normally reserved for former Disney child stars. Despite their prowess in the courtroom, Jennifer/She-Hulk are being evicted from the Avengers' mansion due to several extra-curricular incidents involving millions of dollars of property damage.
The book is told through the eyes of Jennifer as she tries to get her life back on track in the new year. When it comes time for her to Hulk-out, we get a sense of what it feels like to watch someone else control your body. Jennifer and "Shulky" have a fun sisterly dynamic with Jennifer trying to keep Shulky from appearing on TMZ, Shulky tries to get Jennifer to let loose a little more. It works well as character development, and the notes they leave to each other offer a nice dose of humor.
The main conflict involves a bio-engineering lawsuit where Jennifer is suing the best friend of a former fling of hers and said fling happens to be engaged to here new boss. We get lots of insults, snide comments, and smoldering glances. We also get a sexy Swedish scientist who might not be all that he seems.
While the book is decidedly a light read, I have to say I found it to be rather charming in it's own way. If I'm gonna read a silly romance book, I do prefer a story with smart, self-reliant female characters who can take care of themselves. It also helps if I get a nice dose of super-powered awesomeness.
7/10
Thursday, December 5, 2013
100 by 30 Book 43 - The Lord of the Rings: The Appendices...'cuz you weren't going to read it.
Yes I am counting the Appendices to the Lord of the Rings as a whole book. First of all, it's well over a hundred pages. Secondly, someone had to see what was in there so they could explain to you why the Hobbit is being stretched into 3 films. And finally, because holy crap is this some dull reading.
We'll get to the good stuff in a minute, but we need to spend a little time covering what constitutes about two thirds of the Appendices first. Here are the three topics that take up the majority of this book:
1. genealogy - You remember that whole section of the bible where they just list names? Imagine that with sillier names.
2. pronunciation guide and a history of languages - This is your go-to spot for an in depth look at how to pronounce the different languages in Middle Earth and why. It's also good for curing insomnia. This is your next step once you've mastered Klingon.
3. Calendars - How much time do you think someone could devote to explaining how months and weeks work? one, maybe two paragraphs? Try about 20+ pages of the most banal minutiae you can think of. I don't understand how this even got published for public viewing. Does the 8th Amendment mean nothing?!
While the above list contains nothing I would recommend anyone to read ever, it does shed light on just how specific Tolkien was in creating Middle Earth. From that perspective, it's almost admirable. Crazy, but admirable. Like a street preacher in Minneapolis in February, you gotta award points for commitment.
So what else is in the appendices? Quite a bit actually. We get a very nice overview of the history of the race of men, including a brief recounting of the fall of the ancient island of Numenor. For those of you who don't know, Numenor was more or less a Middle Earth version of the Atlantis myth. Everyone who lived there was super smart and awesome and lived for hundreds of years. But their long lives and massive power only made them long to have the power and immortality of the elves. So with a little coaxing from Sauron, they made the Valar (angels or demigod-like beings)very mad and Numenor was destroyed. Those who Survived sailed to Middle Earth and Founded the nations of Gondor in the South, and Arnor in the North (which included the Shire). They ruled over the more common men who lived their and things were good for a bit. Then Sauron returned and he was super mad because he got all messed up when Numenor was destroyed and he couldn't look pretty anymore. Then there was that whole thing about the rings that you saw in the prologue to the Fellowship of the Ring and Sauron goes bye bye for a few thousand years.
In the meantime, there's like, millions of battles with the bad guys from the East and South. Then the Witch King (that bad dude who got stabbed in the face by that girl in the 3rd movie) sets up his fortress in Angmar (In the north west, above the shire) and just kills everybody for a long time until the northern Kingdom is destroyed. He's finally chased away or something, and that's how Aragorn's people where reduced from kings to rangers. Other highlights cover the founding of Rohan, the decline of Gondor, the corruption of Sauroman, and the full story of Arwen and Aragorn. There is a lot of fascinating stuff
to browse through here.
As for the Hobbit stuff. We get a nice history of the dwarves. We learn that it was the awakening of the Balrog in Moria that caused the dwarves to move to the Lonely Mountain in the first place. Some of the dwarves moved to the mountains in the far north, which brought the attention of the dragons, which isn't a good thing, so they moved back to the Lonely Mountain and things were great for awhile. Then that Smaug thing happened. The basic history of what happened next is covered in the first Hobbit film. More importantly, we learn why Gandalf even got involved in the first place. Gandalf knew an evil was stirring, and he also knew that there was no power in the North to withstand an assault if Sauron should return. The Dwarves living in the Iron Hills were cut off from any allies by the desolation of Smaug and the dragon himself. Gandalf was aiding Thorin in hopes that the dragon might be destroyed and the north might be restored, thereby strengthening the defense of Middle Earth while simultaneously removing a formidable foe and potential ally of Sauron. The plan went better than anticipated as the battle of five armies destroyed a huge legion of orcs as well. The North was then able to successfully defeat the armies Sauron threw at them during the War of the Ring.
We also get a simple statement that Gandalf led a successful assault on Sauron's fortress of Dol Guldur in Southern Mirkwood forest. In the original Hobbit book, Gandalf just leaves without much warning. When we finally see him again at the end of the book he's all, "Yeah, sorry about leaving, had to gather a bunch of my super friends together to drive the Necromancer out of Mirkwood." Which always made me angry. Fighting a Necromancer sounds awesome and badass and way cooler than dwarves under siege because their king has gone cukoo for Cocoa Puffs (in this analogy, Cocoa Puffs=more gold than you can shake a stick at). This is a major, major event in the history of Middle Earth, and we've never been presented with an adequate telling of the battle of Dol Guldur. Until now. And, because it's the sort of event that demands setting up and fleshing out, that's why you need 3 Hobbit movies. So quit your whinning, pee before the movie starts, and enjoy some more dwarf songs!
We'll get to the good stuff in a minute, but we need to spend a little time covering what constitutes about two thirds of the Appendices first. Here are the three topics that take up the majority of this book:
1. genealogy - You remember that whole section of the bible where they just list names? Imagine that with sillier names.
2. pronunciation guide and a history of languages - This is your go-to spot for an in depth look at how to pronounce the different languages in Middle Earth and why. It's also good for curing insomnia. This is your next step once you've mastered Klingon.
3. Calendars - How much time do you think someone could devote to explaining how months and weeks work? one, maybe two paragraphs? Try about 20+ pages of the most banal minutiae you can think of. I don't understand how this even got published for public viewing. Does the 8th Amendment mean nothing?!
While the above list contains nothing I would recommend anyone to read ever, it does shed light on just how specific Tolkien was in creating Middle Earth. From that perspective, it's almost admirable. Crazy, but admirable. Like a street preacher in Minneapolis in February, you gotta award points for commitment.
So what else is in the appendices? Quite a bit actually. We get a very nice overview of the history of the race of men, including a brief recounting of the fall of the ancient island of Numenor. For those of you who don't know, Numenor was more or less a Middle Earth version of the Atlantis myth. Everyone who lived there was super smart and awesome and lived for hundreds of years. But their long lives and massive power only made them long to have the power and immortality of the elves. So with a little coaxing from Sauron, they made the Valar (angels or demigod-like beings)very mad and Numenor was destroyed. Those who Survived sailed to Middle Earth and Founded the nations of Gondor in the South, and Arnor in the North (which included the Shire). They ruled over the more common men who lived their and things were good for a bit. Then Sauron returned and he was super mad because he got all messed up when Numenor was destroyed and he couldn't look pretty anymore. Then there was that whole thing about the rings that you saw in the prologue to the Fellowship of the Ring and Sauron goes bye bye for a few thousand years.
In the meantime, there's like, millions of battles with the bad guys from the East and South. Then the Witch King (that bad dude who got stabbed in the face by that girl in the 3rd movie) sets up his fortress in Angmar (In the north west, above the shire) and just kills everybody for a long time until the northern Kingdom is destroyed. He's finally chased away or something, and that's how Aragorn's people where reduced from kings to rangers. Other highlights cover the founding of Rohan, the decline of Gondor, the corruption of Sauroman, and the full story of Arwen and Aragorn. There is a lot of fascinating stuff
to browse through here.
As for the Hobbit stuff. We get a nice history of the dwarves. We learn that it was the awakening of the Balrog in Moria that caused the dwarves to move to the Lonely Mountain in the first place. Some of the dwarves moved to the mountains in the far north, which brought the attention of the dragons, which isn't a good thing, so they moved back to the Lonely Mountain and things were great for awhile. Then that Smaug thing happened. The basic history of what happened next is covered in the first Hobbit film. More importantly, we learn why Gandalf even got involved in the first place. Gandalf knew an evil was stirring, and he also knew that there was no power in the North to withstand an assault if Sauron should return. The Dwarves living in the Iron Hills were cut off from any allies by the desolation of Smaug and the dragon himself. Gandalf was aiding Thorin in hopes that the dragon might be destroyed and the north might be restored, thereby strengthening the defense of Middle Earth while simultaneously removing a formidable foe and potential ally of Sauron. The plan went better than anticipated as the battle of five armies destroyed a huge legion of orcs as well. The North was then able to successfully defeat the armies Sauron threw at them during the War of the Ring.
We also get a simple statement that Gandalf led a successful assault on Sauron's fortress of Dol Guldur in Southern Mirkwood forest. In the original Hobbit book, Gandalf just leaves without much warning. When we finally see him again at the end of the book he's all, "Yeah, sorry about leaving, had to gather a bunch of my super friends together to drive the Necromancer out of Mirkwood." Which always made me angry. Fighting a Necromancer sounds awesome and badass and way cooler than dwarves under siege because their king has gone cukoo for Cocoa Puffs (in this analogy, Cocoa Puffs=more gold than you can shake a stick at). This is a major, major event in the history of Middle Earth, and we've never been presented with an adequate telling of the battle of Dol Guldur. Until now. And, because it's the sort of event that demands setting up and fleshing out, that's why you need 3 Hobbit movies. So quit your whinning, pee before the movie starts, and enjoy some more dwarf songs!
Wednesday, November 20, 2013
100 by 30 book 42 - The Lord of the Rings: Book 6 - and you thought the movie had too many endings
Whoohoo! I finished the whole Lord of the Rings! It's pretty darn good. The final book kicks off with Sam rescuing Frodo, then destroying the ring. It's all pretty much exactly the way it happens in the movie. The destruction of the ring and the downfall of Sauron only takes less than half of the final book. So what else is there? You know how everyone bitched and moaned about how long the final movie took to end? Well, that was the cliff's notes ending. The book has a long extended sequence of Eowyn and Faramir falling in love while they wait for the troops to return. They we go tree hunting, Aragorn gets married, and they we hang out in Gondor for a good long while. Eventually, we start to leave for the Shire, but we stop at every major location along the way on a Middle Earth fairwell tour. "Goodbye Rohan! Goodbye Lothlorien! Goodbye Sauorman and Treebeard! Goodbye Elrond and Bilbo! Goodbye Sauroman again!
When our four hobbits do get back to the Shire, it has been taken over by thugs and hooligans. The trees are being cut down and the shire folk are being crushed under the oppressive new regime. Luckily, our 4 heroes are up to the challenge. with a little help from their friends, the kill a whole bunch of the bad guys dead save the Shire. This is totally missing from the movies. It was one of my favorite parts of the book. This chapter seems to serve several important purposes. First, the Shirefolk are forced to realize how precious their way of life really was. They then get a chance to find out how strong they really are.
Most importantly though, this sequence gives us a chance for Sam, Merry, Pippin, and Frodo to show how much they've grown. For the past 950 pages they've been a major part of the story, but they've had to share the stage with some of the most powerful forces in the world. Here, we get to see that Merry and Pippin have evolved from comedic sidekicks to expert strategists capable of leading an army. Sam, who defeated Shelob in single combat, has become a fearless warrior. And Frodo has become a war weary hobbit who only wants peace. Frodo's exhaustion with violence and death adds a nice layer of depth to what is otherwise a thrilling final adventure. Instead of simply cheering as the hobbits revolt against their oppressors, we are forced to realize the cost of so much death and destruction. Frodo does everything in his power to prevent more bloodshed and fails.
I wonder if Tolkien was using this final battle as a way to better demonstrate Faramir's thoughts on war in Book 4 where he says, "I do not love the bright sword for its sharpness, nor the arrow for its swiftness, nor the warrior for his glory. I love only that which they defend." It is easy to enjoy the battles in Gondor and Rohan because we barely know the people of those lands apart from a few major characters. But the Shire represents home. It is a community in which we've been introduced to many of the characters and we want to protect them. Frodo's need for peace if possible keeps the focus on using force only as a final resort to defend that which he loves. It's a final reminder that the focus of the Lord of the Rings isn't magnificent battles, but the struggle to preserve that which is most precious. It's about the peoples and homelands our heroes defend, not the defense itself.
Sam is the fulfillment of that goal. He heals the Shire and makes it a place fit to raise a family. That last moment isn't the grand departure of Frodo and the elves, it's a small moment of Sam returning to his wife and children. And it's perfect.
The ending. The ending is perfect. The Journey to get there is fabulous, but it has some slow spots.
8/10
And sometimes you wonder if the author is just writing to amuse himself. I mean, how long do we really need to talk about Gimli
and Legolas bro-ing out in the glittering caves and the old forest?
And why do we have to stop every 20 feet to say goodbye to everyone?! Seriously, it's the novel equivalent of trying to leave a family party during the holidays.
And when you think it's finally over, there's like this whole other thing that happens, which is great and all but come on! We dropped the jewelry in the lava pit like 4 hours ago, let's wrap it up already! I don't care what your excuse is! Hire the dang eagles to take you home! What? Yes they will. Don't give me that "It's all about the journey crap." We had the journey and the adventure, what else do you need to know? When I go on vacation, I don't get back and spend 20% of the story telling you how I got home. No, the most you'll get out of me is "We flew back. it was nice." Why couldn't JRR do that?
Ok. I'm done now. For real this time. :)
When our four hobbits do get back to the Shire, it has been taken over by thugs and hooligans. The trees are being cut down and the shire folk are being crushed under the oppressive new regime. Luckily, our 4 heroes are up to the challenge. with a little help from their friends, the kill a whole bunch of the bad guys dead save the Shire. This is totally missing from the movies. It was one of my favorite parts of the book. This chapter seems to serve several important purposes. First, the Shirefolk are forced to realize how precious their way of life really was. They then get a chance to find out how strong they really are.
Most importantly though, this sequence gives us a chance for Sam, Merry, Pippin, and Frodo to show how much they've grown. For the past 950 pages they've been a major part of the story, but they've had to share the stage with some of the most powerful forces in the world. Here, we get to see that Merry and Pippin have evolved from comedic sidekicks to expert strategists capable of leading an army. Sam, who defeated Shelob in single combat, has become a fearless warrior. And Frodo has become a war weary hobbit who only wants peace. Frodo's exhaustion with violence and death adds a nice layer of depth to what is otherwise a thrilling final adventure. Instead of simply cheering as the hobbits revolt against their oppressors, we are forced to realize the cost of so much death and destruction. Frodo does everything in his power to prevent more bloodshed and fails.
I wonder if Tolkien was using this final battle as a way to better demonstrate Faramir's thoughts on war in Book 4 where he says, "I do not love the bright sword for its sharpness, nor the arrow for its swiftness, nor the warrior for his glory. I love only that which they defend." It is easy to enjoy the battles in Gondor and Rohan because we barely know the people of those lands apart from a few major characters. But the Shire represents home. It is a community in which we've been introduced to many of the characters and we want to protect them. Frodo's need for peace if possible keeps the focus on using force only as a final resort to defend that which he loves. It's a final reminder that the focus of the Lord of the Rings isn't magnificent battles, but the struggle to preserve that which is most precious. It's about the peoples and homelands our heroes defend, not the defense itself.
Sam is the fulfillment of that goal. He heals the Shire and makes it a place fit to raise a family. That last moment isn't the grand departure of Frodo and the elves, it's a small moment of Sam returning to his wife and children. And it's perfect.
The ending. The ending is perfect. The Journey to get there is fabulous, but it has some slow spots.
8/10
And sometimes you wonder if the author is just writing to amuse himself. I mean, how long do we really need to talk about Gimli
and Legolas bro-ing out in the glittering caves and the old forest?
And why do we have to stop every 20 feet to say goodbye to everyone?! Seriously, it's the novel equivalent of trying to leave a family party during the holidays.
And when you think it's finally over, there's like this whole other thing that happens, which is great and all but come on! We dropped the jewelry in the lava pit like 4 hours ago, let's wrap it up already! I don't care what your excuse is! Hire the dang eagles to take you home! What? Yes they will. Don't give me that "It's all about the journey crap." We had the journey and the adventure, what else do you need to know? When I go on vacation, I don't get back and spend 20% of the story telling you how I got home. No, the most you'll get out of me is "We flew back. it was nice." Why couldn't JRR do that?
Ok. I'm done now. For real this time. :)
Tuesday, November 12, 2013
100 by 30 book 41 - Birds of Prey, Batwing, Batman & Robin
We'll try to keep this short and sweet today. I'm behind on blogging and we need to get back to some novels.
Birds of Prey - This is an all female team of vigilantes based in Gotham City. This line up includes ex-assassin Starling, Meta-human Black Canary, the Japanese samurai Katana (whose dead husband's soul lives in her sword), and Poison Ivy. It's a pretty fun mixed of messed-up antiheroes trying to be do gooders AND keep the body count to a minimum. Their penchant for headshots and decapitations is enough to keep former member Batgirl far away. It's a wild and weird book with some intriguing B-level heroes.
7/10
Batwing - Holy blood and guts Batman! As part of Bruce Wayne's Batman, Inc. initiative, he travels to the Democratic Republic of the Congo to recruit David Zavimbe to be the "Batman of Africa." He is a former child Soldier turned Police Officer, and Batman hooks him up with an Iron Man/Batman hybrid Costume. The book embraces our image of Africa as a barely functioning society and introduces us to a truly horrific villain known as Massacre. Basically, He's an African version of Jason from the Friday the 13th series. Blood, guts, and body parts are everywhere. It's an interesting book at times, but mostly leans to heavily on stereotypes while attempting to be topical. You can skip this one.
5/10
Batman & Robin: Vol. 2 - More Father/Son drama for Bruce and his little Damian. All the previous Robins make appearances in this one, and we get an interesting look at Bruce's legacy as a mentor. As always, Dick Grayson shows that his the best. It's a nice continuation of the story, and the characters are much better than anything in Batwing.
7/10
Birds of Prey - This is an all female team of vigilantes based in Gotham City. This line up includes ex-assassin Starling, Meta-human Black Canary, the Japanese samurai Katana (whose dead husband's soul lives in her sword), and Poison Ivy. It's a pretty fun mixed of messed-up antiheroes trying to be do gooders AND keep the body count to a minimum. Their penchant for headshots and decapitations is enough to keep former member Batgirl far away. It's a wild and weird book with some intriguing B-level heroes.
7/10
Batwing - Holy blood and guts Batman! As part of Bruce Wayne's Batman, Inc. initiative, he travels to the Democratic Republic of the Congo to recruit David Zavimbe to be the "Batman of Africa." He is a former child Soldier turned Police Officer, and Batman hooks him up with an Iron Man/Batman hybrid Costume. The book embraces our image of Africa as a barely functioning society and introduces us to a truly horrific villain known as Massacre. Basically, He's an African version of Jason from the Friday the 13th series. Blood, guts, and body parts are everywhere. It's an interesting book at times, but mostly leans to heavily on stereotypes while attempting to be topical. You can skip this one.
5/10
Batman & Robin: Vol. 2 - More Father/Son drama for Bruce and his little Damian. All the previous Robins make appearances in this one, and we get an interesting look at Bruce's legacy as a mentor. As always, Dick Grayson shows that his the best. It's a nice continuation of the story, and the characters are much better than anything in Batwing.
7/10
Thursday, October 31, 2013
100 by 30 Book 40 - Superman, Green Lantern Corps, and Action Comics #1
So today we have two variations on Superman, both trying to answer the question: How do we make Superman interesting?
Superman #1 - What Price Tomorrow - This was the first Superman I read. Turns out, it takes place 5 years after Action Comics #1. Superman has saved Metropolis a number of times now & the Daily Planet has been purchased by the DC Universe equivalent of FOX News Corp. Suddenly, Superman's every action becomes fodder for the wild speculation and crap journalism that is the 24 hour news cycle. At the same time, superman is being attacked by a series of aliens that only key on him. The damage caused in these battles leads to a legitimate question: Is Superman a net positive or negative presence for Metropolis. Sure, he can do almost anything, but does his power draw more danger to Metropolis than it detracts? It an interesting question to ask, but this book isn't really interested in answering it. What could have been an interesting study in what happens when the wack job pundits have a legitimate argument instead becomes just a red herring as Superman saves the day and convinces the jerks that he his good. It's a kind of wish fulfillment that most comics seem to shy away from these days in favor of a more adult discussion, but hey, if you're going to have a comic unreasonably positive and uplifting, I suppose it should be Superman. (side note: actively tries not to destroy and entire Metropolitan area. Something Zach Snyder should take note of.)
6/10
Action Comic #1 - This is the book that launched the whole New 52! for DC. I cover Superman's early days, before he has his whole costume, and before he became ludicrously overpowered. It's nice to have a superman who can't fly. The book also features Lex Luthor. Lex is a fantastic character because most everything he does makes logical sense. He's may be an rich asshole, but he isn't necessarily wrong. He is troubled by the idea of a super powered being from another planet. A powerful alien species could bring devastation to the planet, even Stephen Hawking has said as much. Anytime throughout history that a nonnative organism is transplanted to a new environment, chaos results. Be it Europeans bringing smallpox to the Americas or Asian Carp infesting the Great Lakes, foreign species have the potential of unanticipated devastation. Intentions aside, Superman represents a possible threat to the existence of the human race. Therefore, Lex Luthor is a man determined to find an antidote to the Man of Steel. Lex actually has a lot in common with Bruce Wayne/Batman in that way. Superman is essentially a sentient WMD, and Lex is searching for the kill switch. The dramatic tension come from the fact that Superman is always striving to be good, so we root for him. If he were ever to become conflicted in the way that less powerful heroes tend to be, Lex suddenly becomes the one with the right idea. It's a Superman book though, and ultimately Lex taints everything he touches while Superman wins the day. This is a much better story than Superman #1, but I think I'm done with the Man of Steel for now.
7/10
Which brings me to: Green Lantern Corps #1 - So it turns out that the rebooted Green Lantern Universe is pretty awesome. With the demotion of Hal Jordan, two more human Green Lanterns have been selected to take his Place, Guy Gardner and John Stewart. The story opens with Guy interviewing for an assistant HS Football coaching job, and John trying to get work as an architect. Since their status as a Green Lantern is public knowledge, neither of them is having much success. Apparently people would rather not work around a guy who draws attention from intergalactic war criminals. So off they fly to Oa, and wouldn't you know it, some bad guys are in town, destroying entire worlds. The Guardians who control the Lanterns grew the lanterns in the soil of a secret world. The race of people who tended this power became infused with it and now are basically walking Green Lanterns themselves and they are NOT happy. The Guardians, wary of the growing power of their free labor force, decided to strip the planet of all of the green lantern power cells and leave the planet to die. Then lots of cool stuff goes down, including using imprisoned Yellow Lanterns as a WMD. The tone of the story is a sort of Dirty Dozen in space. I don't understand why this title is so compelling, but it is awesome!
9/10
Superman #1 - What Price Tomorrow - This was the first Superman I read. Turns out, it takes place 5 years after Action Comics #1. Superman has saved Metropolis a number of times now & the Daily Planet has been purchased by the DC Universe equivalent of FOX News Corp. Suddenly, Superman's every action becomes fodder for the wild speculation and crap journalism that is the 24 hour news cycle. At the same time, superman is being attacked by a series of aliens that only key on him. The damage caused in these battles leads to a legitimate question: Is Superman a net positive or negative presence for Metropolis. Sure, he can do almost anything, but does his power draw more danger to Metropolis than it detracts? It an interesting question to ask, but this book isn't really interested in answering it. What could have been an interesting study in what happens when the wack job pundits have a legitimate argument instead becomes just a red herring as Superman saves the day and convinces the jerks that he his good. It's a kind of wish fulfillment that most comics seem to shy away from these days in favor of a more adult discussion, but hey, if you're going to have a comic unreasonably positive and uplifting, I suppose it should be Superman. (side note: actively tries not to destroy and entire Metropolitan area. Something Zach Snyder should take note of.)
6/10
Action Comic #1 - This is the book that launched the whole New 52! for DC. I cover Superman's early days, before he has his whole costume, and before he became ludicrously overpowered. It's nice to have a superman who can't fly. The book also features Lex Luthor. Lex is a fantastic character because most everything he does makes logical sense. He's may be an rich asshole, but he isn't necessarily wrong. He is troubled by the idea of a super powered being from another planet. A powerful alien species could bring devastation to the planet, even Stephen Hawking has said as much. Anytime throughout history that a nonnative organism is transplanted to a new environment, chaos results. Be it Europeans bringing smallpox to the Americas or Asian Carp infesting the Great Lakes, foreign species have the potential of unanticipated devastation. Intentions aside, Superman represents a possible threat to the existence of the human race. Therefore, Lex Luthor is a man determined to find an antidote to the Man of Steel. Lex actually has a lot in common with Bruce Wayne/Batman in that way. Superman is essentially a sentient WMD, and Lex is searching for the kill switch. The dramatic tension come from the fact that Superman is always striving to be good, so we root for him. If he were ever to become conflicted in the way that less powerful heroes tend to be, Lex suddenly becomes the one with the right idea. It's a Superman book though, and ultimately Lex taints everything he touches while Superman wins the day. This is a much better story than Superman #1, but I think I'm done with the Man of Steel for now.
7/10
Which brings me to: Green Lantern Corps #1 - So it turns out that the rebooted Green Lantern Universe is pretty awesome. With the demotion of Hal Jordan, two more human Green Lanterns have been selected to take his Place, Guy Gardner and John Stewart. The story opens with Guy interviewing for an assistant HS Football coaching job, and John trying to get work as an architect. Since their status as a Green Lantern is public knowledge, neither of them is having much success. Apparently people would rather not work around a guy who draws attention from intergalactic war criminals. So off they fly to Oa, and wouldn't you know it, some bad guys are in town, destroying entire worlds. The Guardians who control the Lanterns grew the lanterns in the soil of a secret world. The race of people who tended this power became infused with it and now are basically walking Green Lanterns themselves and they are NOT happy. The Guardians, wary of the growing power of their free labor force, decided to strip the planet of all of the green lantern power cells and leave the planet to die. Then lots of cool stuff goes down, including using imprisoned Yellow Lanterns as a WMD. The tone of the story is a sort of Dirty Dozen in space. I don't understand why this title is so compelling, but it is awesome!
9/10
Tuesday, October 22, 2013
100 by 30 Book 39 - Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, and The Flash
Back to some more entries in DC's New 52! I had actually never read an issue of Flash or Wonder Woman before and my understanding of Green Lantern was limited to one volume I read several years ago and the Ryan Reynolds movie. These 3 books all contain rather ludicrous fantasy elements, but I had varying degrees of suspension of disbelief.
First up, Green Lantern: Sinestro. This one was far and away my favorite. While the mythology of the universe is ridiculous, this book had the best written characters. Turns out that I will go along with just about anything if you can give me some interesting characters to follow. In this volume, Hal Jordan has been booted from the Green Lantern Corps for being a reckless dick and his arch-nemesis, Sinestro, has been reinstated as a Green Lantern. Sinestro finds that his homeworld has been enslaved by the yellow lantern corps that he created. Long story short, he enlists Hal Jordan's help in saving his home planet. Throughout the adventure we learn what we've always suspected: Hal sucks at using the Green Lantern power to it's full potential. Where Hal makes his fists bigger or creates a green gun, Sinestro creates more power rings to give to his imprisoned people, thereby creating and army of Green Lanterns in an instant. It's a pretty great, well-paced space adventure.
8/10
Then we get to Wonder Woman. Having seen the great things done so far with Catwoman, Batwoman, and Batgirl, I was excited to see what DC would do with their most iconic female hero. Not much actually. She runs around a lot trying to save people, finds out that she is actually the illegitimate daughter of Zeus, and sees a Jealous Hera kill pretty much everyone she knows. The book relies too much on our knowledge of Greek mythology without bringing much of anything new to the table. It was like a comic version of the new Clash of the Titans movie: watchable, but hardly worth your time.
5/10
So I bought in to magic space police and greek myths in the modern world, but how did I do with a guy who can run really fast? I kinda hated it. The Flash is the alter ego of Barry Allen, who makes Clark Kent look cool and interesting. He got his powers by being doused in chemicals and struck by lightning at the same time....let that sink in for a second....yup, way dumber than magic space rings. Anyway, he can also vibrate himself at just the right frequency that he can pass through objects and he shoots vortexes from his hands. Then story revolves around The Flash realizing that he builds up too much "speed force" when he runs and his accidently creating little wormholes everywhere. It's preposterous, even for a super hero book, and I'm sick of writing about it.
2/10
First up, Green Lantern: Sinestro. This one was far and away my favorite. While the mythology of the universe is ridiculous, this book had the best written characters. Turns out that I will go along with just about anything if you can give me some interesting characters to follow. In this volume, Hal Jordan has been booted from the Green Lantern Corps for being a reckless dick and his arch-nemesis, Sinestro, has been reinstated as a Green Lantern. Sinestro finds that his homeworld has been enslaved by the yellow lantern corps that he created. Long story short, he enlists Hal Jordan's help in saving his home planet. Throughout the adventure we learn what we've always suspected: Hal sucks at using the Green Lantern power to it's full potential. Where Hal makes his fists bigger or creates a green gun, Sinestro creates more power rings to give to his imprisoned people, thereby creating and army of Green Lanterns in an instant. It's a pretty great, well-paced space adventure.
8/10
Then we get to Wonder Woman. Having seen the great things done so far with Catwoman, Batwoman, and Batgirl, I was excited to see what DC would do with their most iconic female hero. Not much actually. She runs around a lot trying to save people, finds out that she is actually the illegitimate daughter of Zeus, and sees a Jealous Hera kill pretty much everyone she knows. The book relies too much on our knowledge of Greek mythology without bringing much of anything new to the table. It was like a comic version of the new Clash of the Titans movie: watchable, but hardly worth your time.
5/10
So I bought in to magic space police and greek myths in the modern world, but how did I do with a guy who can run really fast? I kinda hated it. The Flash is the alter ego of Barry Allen, who makes Clark Kent look cool and interesting. He got his powers by being doused in chemicals and struck by lightning at the same time....let that sink in for a second....yup, way dumber than magic space rings. Anyway, he can also vibrate himself at just the right frequency that he can pass through objects and he shoots vortexes from his hands. Then story revolves around The Flash realizing that he builds up too much "speed force" when he runs and his accidently creating little wormholes everywhere. It's preposterous, even for a super hero book, and I'm sick of writing about it.
2/10
Tuesday, October 15, 2013
100 by 30 Book 38 - iZombie 1-3
I decided I needed a change of pace, so I tried the lighthearted iZombie series. Our hero, Gwen is a zombie. Fortunately, she can maintain her humanity as long as she eats one brain a month. She also works as a grave digger at an eco friendly graveyard in Eugene, OR, giving her a steady supply of brains. The catch? She also ingests the memories of the person whose brain she's eating. With the help of her friend Ellie the ghost, and Spot the were-terrier she gets to play detective and complete the last wishes of her dinner. Then things get more and more complicated. We get mummies, poltergeists, secret societies, undead government agents, and a talking chimpanzee.
The mythology of the world is built around the idea that every living being has two souls: an oversoul and an undersoul (ego and id, basically) It's a handy way to explain all of the different kinds of monsters in the world, and the most interesting aspect of the series. As far as the storytelling goes though, the book has a lot of flaws. The pacing is uneven, and the book quickly adds exponentially more questions than it answers. It feels like a fun idea without a proper through line. This is waiting room reading at best so far.
6/10.
The mythology of the world is built around the idea that every living being has two souls: an oversoul and an undersoul (ego and id, basically) It's a handy way to explain all of the different kinds of monsters in the world, and the most interesting aspect of the series. As far as the storytelling goes though, the book has a lot of flaws. The pacing is uneven, and the book quickly adds exponentially more questions than it answers. It feels like a fun idea without a proper through line. This is waiting room reading at best so far.
6/10.
Thursday, October 10, 2013
100 by 30 Book 36 & 37 - Fables: Sidequests
Got some actual, honest to god novels coming soon, but schedule is pretty busy for the next few weeks, so more graphics novels for now: Today we learn about the lives of our side characters in the Fables world, and then move the main plot along just a bit.
Cinderella: From Fabletown with Love
What's cooler than James Bond? Cinderlla, that's who. To almost everyone in Fabletown, she's a ditsy jet-setter who can't even be bothered to run her shoe store between 5 star vacations. Only a select few know that for the passed 200 years she's perfected the art of being a kick ass spy. In this story, she is searching for the source of illegal magical goods being sold in the mundy (Nerd translation: Mundy=Muggle) world. On the way she teams up with Aladdin as they defeat death traps, beat up the goons, and have the requisite fling in the sack. It's great!
Cinderella: Fables Are Forever
What would a Bond homage be without a Fable version of the cold war? In this edition, Cindy has to track down an infamous assassin known as "the Silver Slipper" in the Shadow Fabletown in Russia. Have you figured out who the assassin is yet? No? I recently wrote all about her? That's right! It's Dorothy. From Oz. Naturally, there's lots of girl fights, and awesome spy vs. spy stuff. And a really awkward one night stand. All in all, this is a great twist on the spy genre and I look forward to future adventures.
Fables: Werewolves of the Heartland
Bigby Wolf on a solo adventure in Iowa! Ok, so maybe not worthy of an exclamation point, but if your looking for lots and lots of gore, this is a tale for you. In the search for the new Fabletown, Bigby stumbles across Storyville, IA which just happens to be populated solely with werewolves that he accidentally created. This is a slim story, but that actions scenes are pretty great so It's not a total waste of time.
Fairest: Vol. 1, Wide Awake
In a promising new side series, we get to learn the hidden stories of some of our other famous princesses. Up first, Aurora. The tale picks up as Sleeping Beauty is finally awakened after being used as a WMD in the war against the Adversary. Ali Baba has the honors of waking her with true love's kiss. But is it her that he was in love with??? We also get the Fables version of Sleeping Beauty's origin story, which includes much more terrifying fairies, and a bottle imp who ranks high as one of the most obnoxious characters ever. Don't worry though, because things are gonna get AWESOME in....
Fairest: Vol. 2, The Hidden Kingdom
This is a super dark story about one of the more tragic characters in the Fables universe: Repunzel. First off, her magic hair grows 4" per hour, meaning she needs 3 haircuts per day and can't be out in public for more than 45 minutes by herself. Then we learn that she has had two children stolen away from her at birth. Her Search for her long lost children leads her to the Hidden Kingdom of Japanese Fables. Lot's of messed up stuff happens and we learn how this one time, Repunzel turned into a Japanese hair demon a la The Ring and killed all of the stuff everywhere. It's awesome! Oh, and in the coda, they drop a bombshell about Beast's wife Beauty that I won't reveal here. Just check it out.
Fables Vol. 17: Inherit the Wind
Lastly, we get a new volume in the main plotline. The events of the previous book have necessitated choosing a new North Wind, and Bigby and Snow's children are the prime candidates. Also, the 3 other winds have arrived and are plotting to set up a puppet King of the North that they can control. Meanwhile, a revolution is brewing in Oz, the Fables are returning to the Farm, Rose Red is lining up a new job, and a new threat is lying in wait for the Fables when they return to New York. There is a lot of great setup here, and by now, I trust Bill Willingham to pay things off in spades.
Cinderella: From Fabletown with Love
What's cooler than James Bond? Cinderlla, that's who. To almost everyone in Fabletown, she's a ditsy jet-setter who can't even be bothered to run her shoe store between 5 star vacations. Only a select few know that for the passed 200 years she's perfected the art of being a kick ass spy. In this story, she is searching for the source of illegal magical goods being sold in the mundy (Nerd translation: Mundy=Muggle) world. On the way she teams up with Aladdin as they defeat death traps, beat up the goons, and have the requisite fling in the sack. It's great!
Cinderella: Fables Are Forever
What would a Bond homage be without a Fable version of the cold war? In this edition, Cindy has to track down an infamous assassin known as "the Silver Slipper" in the Shadow Fabletown in Russia. Have you figured out who the assassin is yet? No? I recently wrote all about her? That's right! It's Dorothy. From Oz. Naturally, there's lots of girl fights, and awesome spy vs. spy stuff. And a really awkward one night stand. All in all, this is a great twist on the spy genre and I look forward to future adventures.
Fables: Werewolves of the Heartland
Bigby Wolf on a solo adventure in Iowa! Ok, so maybe not worthy of an exclamation point, but if your looking for lots and lots of gore, this is a tale for you. In the search for the new Fabletown, Bigby stumbles across Storyville, IA which just happens to be populated solely with werewolves that he accidentally created. This is a slim story, but that actions scenes are pretty great so It's not a total waste of time.
Fairest: Vol. 1, Wide Awake
In a promising new side series, we get to learn the hidden stories of some of our other famous princesses. Up first, Aurora. The tale picks up as Sleeping Beauty is finally awakened after being used as a WMD in the war against the Adversary. Ali Baba has the honors of waking her with true love's kiss. But is it her that he was in love with??? We also get the Fables version of Sleeping Beauty's origin story, which includes much more terrifying fairies, and a bottle imp who ranks high as one of the most obnoxious characters ever. Don't worry though, because things are gonna get AWESOME in....
Fairest: Vol. 2, The Hidden Kingdom
This is a super dark story about one of the more tragic characters in the Fables universe: Repunzel. First off, her magic hair grows 4" per hour, meaning she needs 3 haircuts per day and can't be out in public for more than 45 minutes by herself. Then we learn that she has had two children stolen away from her at birth. Her Search for her long lost children leads her to the Hidden Kingdom of Japanese Fables. Lot's of messed up stuff happens and we learn how this one time, Repunzel turned into a Japanese hair demon a la The Ring and killed all of the stuff everywhere. It's awesome! Oh, and in the coda, they drop a bombshell about Beast's wife Beauty that I won't reveal here. Just check it out.
Fables Vol. 17: Inherit the Wind
Lastly, we get a new volume in the main plotline. The events of the previous book have necessitated choosing a new North Wind, and Bigby and Snow's children are the prime candidates. Also, the 3 other winds have arrived and are plotting to set up a puppet King of the North that they can control. Meanwhile, a revolution is brewing in Oz, the Fables are returning to the Farm, Rose Red is lining up a new job, and a new threat is lying in wait for the Fables when they return to New York. There is a lot of great setup here, and by now, I trust Bill Willingham to pay things off in spades.
Wednesday, October 2, 2013
100 by 30 book 35 - LotR book 5 - epic moments of epicness
The Lord of the Rings, book 5 - The Return of the King, part 1
Book 5 covers the events from Gandalf's Arrival in Minas Tirith through the beginning of the last stand outside the gates of Mordor. It doesn't include anything about Sam and Frodo. Which makes a huge difference when the mouth of Sauron shows Aragon Frodo's mithril vest. The last time we saw Sam and Frodo, Frodo was captured and Sam was locked out of the tower where he is being held. So as far as the reader knows, middle earth is screwed. The book ends with the apparent death of Pippin and every other major character. So take that George R.R. Martin, Tolkien was being dark and messed up first!
Backing up a bit, this is the book where the nations of Middle Earth totally kick ass without the deus ex machina of a zombie ghost army. In fact, the ghosts that Aragorn raises to fight for him are released as soon as they help him take over the pirate ships. See, the ghost army was a nice asset but the reason Aragorn needed to take the paths of the dead was because he saw the threat of the ships in the south. They were going to cut off access to Minas Tirith for Gondor's allies in the south, just as Sauron sent a small army to block the aid of Rohan. It's not a bad strategy. Unfortunately for Sauron, the riders of Rohan are shown a secret trail by the men of the forest, and Aragorn continues to be a hundred times more awesome than he was in the movies.
I understand the movies needing to trim characters, and I'm sure it was easier for movie audiences to follow one faceless horde of ghosts than to follow the numerous allies that Aragorn is able to bring to Gondor's aid, but Peter Jackson really screwed the pooch on getting Aragorn right. He's not a relateable, brooding character who isn't sure of himself; He's heir to the greatest kingdom in middle earth and is descended from the guys who beat the crap out of Sauron in hand to hand combat. He's so terrifically capable of getting things done that his very existence scares the Dark Lord into rushing his plans and losing focus on finding the ring. Make no mistake, Sauron is afraid of Aragorn, NOT the stupid sword that cut his finger off! You want a character you can relate to? Good, that's what the hobbits are there for. Stop turning Aragorn into a moody teenager.
The one other thing that makes me sad about the movies (which are still awesome) is the use of those zombie ghosts. As cool as it looks, and as much time and money it saved not having to design armor for the numerous men who ride to war with Aragorn, it steals the victory from our characters. In the book, the story is about the people of middle earth coming together with each doing their part. The ghosts' part is to commandeer the ships, since they can fly over water and stuff. Then the armies come together and defeat the forces of Mordor by their own strength and valor. It shows that Middle Earth is not as weak as Sauron thought and gives the reader hope. The ghosts take that all away. It makes sense for the movie, but it still feels like cheating. The story is about the characters, not ghosts and a magic sword.
Anyway, this book is freaking awesome! Tolkein does a masterful job of slowly building the tension until you can hardly stand it, then he delivers with the best battle scene I have ever read. It's epic in scale, but takes time with smaller, character moments like Eowyn and Merry killing the Witch King of Angmar. (fun story, he could only be killed by Eowyn once Merry stabbed him with the sword he found in the tomb of the Barrow wight in book 1 because of very nerdy and awesome reasons I won't go into here)
My favorite non battle moment of the whole book though, is Aragorn losing his patience with the crabby old herbalist in the house of healing after the battle. If you've ever been in a desperate hurry only to have some moron waste your time with useless blather instead of just getting the thing you need, you can relate. This is the way Aragorn should be relateable, he hates dealing with fools as much as the rest of us.
Well, we've made it through some breathtaking action and ended on a doosey of a cliff hanger, so I'm sure book 6 will move just as swift and not waste our time with endless descriptions of walking through a wasteland, right? right?
10/10
Book 5 covers the events from Gandalf's Arrival in Minas Tirith through the beginning of the last stand outside the gates of Mordor. It doesn't include anything about Sam and Frodo. Which makes a huge difference when the mouth of Sauron shows Aragon Frodo's mithril vest. The last time we saw Sam and Frodo, Frodo was captured and Sam was locked out of the tower where he is being held. So as far as the reader knows, middle earth is screwed. The book ends with the apparent death of Pippin and every other major character. So take that George R.R. Martin, Tolkien was being dark and messed up first!
Backing up a bit, this is the book where the nations of Middle Earth totally kick ass without the deus ex machina of a zombie ghost army. In fact, the ghosts that Aragorn raises to fight for him are released as soon as they help him take over the pirate ships. See, the ghost army was a nice asset but the reason Aragorn needed to take the paths of the dead was because he saw the threat of the ships in the south. They were going to cut off access to Minas Tirith for Gondor's allies in the south, just as Sauron sent a small army to block the aid of Rohan. It's not a bad strategy. Unfortunately for Sauron, the riders of Rohan are shown a secret trail by the men of the forest, and Aragorn continues to be a hundred times more awesome than he was in the movies.
I understand the movies needing to trim characters, and I'm sure it was easier for movie audiences to follow one faceless horde of ghosts than to follow the numerous allies that Aragorn is able to bring to Gondor's aid, but Peter Jackson really screwed the pooch on getting Aragorn right. He's not a relateable, brooding character who isn't sure of himself; He's heir to the greatest kingdom in middle earth and is descended from the guys who beat the crap out of Sauron in hand to hand combat. He's so terrifically capable of getting things done that his very existence scares the Dark Lord into rushing his plans and losing focus on finding the ring. Make no mistake, Sauron is afraid of Aragorn, NOT the stupid sword that cut his finger off! You want a character you can relate to? Good, that's what the hobbits are there for. Stop turning Aragorn into a moody teenager.
The one other thing that makes me sad about the movies (which are still awesome) is the use of those zombie ghosts. As cool as it looks, and as much time and money it saved not having to design armor for the numerous men who ride to war with Aragorn, it steals the victory from our characters. In the book, the story is about the people of middle earth coming together with each doing their part. The ghosts' part is to commandeer the ships, since they can fly over water and stuff. Then the armies come together and defeat the forces of Mordor by their own strength and valor. It shows that Middle Earth is not as weak as Sauron thought and gives the reader hope. The ghosts take that all away. It makes sense for the movie, but it still feels like cheating. The story is about the characters, not ghosts and a magic sword.
Anyway, this book is freaking awesome! Tolkein does a masterful job of slowly building the tension until you can hardly stand it, then he delivers with the best battle scene I have ever read. It's epic in scale, but takes time with smaller, character moments like Eowyn and Merry killing the Witch King of Angmar. (fun story, he could only be killed by Eowyn once Merry stabbed him with the sword he found in the tomb of the Barrow wight in book 1 because of very nerdy and awesome reasons I won't go into here)
My favorite non battle moment of the whole book though, is Aragorn losing his patience with the crabby old herbalist in the house of healing after the battle. If you've ever been in a desperate hurry only to have some moron waste your time with useless blather instead of just getting the thing you need, you can relate. This is the way Aragorn should be relateable, he hates dealing with fools as much as the rest of us.
Well, we've made it through some breathtaking action and ended on a doosey of a cliff hanger, so I'm sure book 6 will move just as swift and not waste our time with endless descriptions of walking through a wasteland, right? right?
10/10
Thursday, September 26, 2013
100 by 30 book 34 Jack of Fables 7-9
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
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
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