Philip's Book & Movie Lists

2008-05-11T13:47:00.000-07:00

Video Games Rock On

It's been forever since I mentioned video games here, so before I go into the books from the past couple of weeks, I'm going to talk about what I've been playing over the past few months.

First up is Animal Crossing: Wild World. I have played this game every single day since last November. It's a "work" game since you have to do chores to pay off your debt, but it is cute beyond all words, and since it for the DC, it is simple to do those chores while doing something else (usually watching TV). Lots of fun, or I wouldn't still be playing after six months. Since I'm talking about Animal Crossing, I have to link to this touching cartoon about the original game. Warning: it may make you cry.
I got through the storyline of Super Mario Galaxy. There is more to do, but I got distracted by
Super Paper Mario. What can I say? I like Mario games.
After I finished that, I started Resident Evil, which I bought shortly after getting my GameCube. I tried the game then but got stuck pretty early on and gave up. This time I have made a lot more progress. I'm enjoying the game. It is very creepy. However, it's looking like I'll be putting zombie-killing on hold for a while, because I have been distracted by
Guitar Hero Encore: Rocks the 80's. We got this yesterday as a stop-gap measure. See, last weekend, we visited a couple of friends & played Rock Band with them. It was a blast, and we will definitely be getting our own copy. But not right now. So to keep us tided over for the month or so until we can, we'll be rocking out to the music of the 80's.

And now: Books!

Hikaru No Go, v. 10: Lifeline by Yumi Hotta & Takeshi Obata. More manga.
Kid Gravity by Landry Walker & Eric Jones. Cute but slight comics aimed at kids. After I read this, I donated it to Teena's classroom.
Wyrms by Orson Scott Card, Jake Black, Adriano Batista & Vitor Ishimura. This graphic novel read more like a Cliff's Notes version than an adaptation. I haven't read the original, but it really felt compressed & condensed. I could tell what what going on, but there was clearly a lot of stuff that had been left out. The adaptation would have been better served if it had lasted more than six issues. (Checked out of the library.)
Abadazad, vol. 1: The Road to Inconceivable by J.M. DeMatteis & Mike Ploog. Excellent kid's book that mixes ordinary text with comics. As I mentioned the last time I read something by DeMatteis, he can be hit or miss with me. This was definitely a hit. Full of heart. I can see his mysticism at play here, but it doesn't overwhelm the story, and it works wonderfully.
Blue Beetle, vol. 3: Reach for the Stars by John Rogers, Rafael Albuquerque, et al. Well done superheroics.
Abadazad, vol. 2: The Dream Thief by J.M. DeMatteis & Mike Ploog. The second book in the series, and as of right now, the last one published in the US. I hope the rest of the series gets published soon.
The Last Musketeer by Jason. Odd but fun. (Library.)
Supergirl and the Legion of Superheroes: Strange Visitor from Another Century by Mark Waid & Barry Kitson. (Library.)
North World by Lars Brown. The story of a slacker, made more interesting with the introduction of some fantasy elements.
Cromartie High School, vol. 5 by Eiji Nonaka. More weirdness. (Library.)
Showcase Presents Superman, vol. 3 by various. More Silver-Age wackiness. Man, I love Curt Swan's rendition of Superman.
Wonder Woman, vol. 4: Destiny Calling by George Perez, et al.
Scalped, vol. 1: Indian Country by Jason Aaron & R.M. Guera. Crime fiction set on a reservation. (Library.)
From the Desk of Warren Ellis, vol. 1: 1995-1998. A few weeks back I picked up this hardcover edition for less than $5, but I was disappointed to discover that the hard covers are rather offset by the terrible quality of the paper inside. Why would you go to the bother of putting out a deluxe hardcover edition of a book if you're going to print the insides on toilet paper?
Batman/Grendel by Matt Wagner. It's nice to see Wagner's older Grendel work collected.
The Super Scary Monster Show featuring Little Gloomy by Landry Walker & Eric Jones. Cute, funny comics about monsters.
newuniversal: Everything Went White by Warren Ellis & Salvador Larroca. A great revamping of what was a pretty lousy idea (at least as originally presented by Marvel back in the 80's).
Marvel Adventures Avengers, vol. 5: Some Assembly Required by Ty Templeton, et al.
Marvel Adventures Spider-Man, vol. 9: Fiercest Foes by Fred Van Lente & Cory Hamscher. Fun kid's comics.
X-Men: First Class - Mutant Mayhem by Jeff Parker, Roger Cruz, et al. Fun, and not necessarily aimed at kids.
The New Mutants Classic, vol. 3 by Chris Claremont & Bill Sienkiewicz. Claremont's writing tics are all on display here, and I've got much less tolerance for teenage angst than I did when I was a teenager (when these comics were originally published), but Sienkiewicz's art still holds up. I love his style.
Jenny Finn: Doom Messiah by Mike Mignola, Troy Nixey, & Farel Dalrymple. Lovecraftian horror.
Faker by Mike Carey & Jock. Carey's another writer who is hit or miss with me. This wasn't bad, exactly. But it didn't work all that well either.

2008-05-04T19:37:00.000-07:00

Feeling Lazy

So no update this week. (It was another light week anyway.) But I will link to Larry Marder's photos of Teena's hand-made Beanworld shirt.

2008-04-27T17:41:00.000-07:00

An Even Lighter Week

Went to Stumptown Comics Fest earlier today. It was a lot of fun, especially Larry Marder's panel, in which he announced that Beanworld would be returning soon.

Making Comics by Scott McCloud. McCloud's most recent non-fiction book about comics. It seemed a little weird, reading this when I don't really have any intention to create comics, but it's still an interesting & excellently crafted book, even from my perspective as only a comics reader.
The Kurosagi Corpse Delivery Service, vol. 6 by Eiji Otsuka & Housui Yamazaki. More Japanese horror comics. (Checked out of the library.)
The New Avengers, vol. 6: Revolution by Brian Michael Bendis, Leinil Yu, and Alex Maleev. Meh. (Library.)
Finder, book 1: Sin-Eater by Carla Speed McNeil. McNeil has collected the first Finder storyline (previously available as two trade paperbacks), along with a previously uncollected issue, into a hardcover. So that gave me an excuse to re-read this fantastic story. She does an absolutely amazing job of world-building. Wonderful stuff, highly recommended.

2008-04-20T16:32:00.000-07:00

Light Week

Astronauts in Trouble: Live from the Moon by Larry Young, Charlie Adlard, & Matt Smith.
Understanding Comics by Scott McCloud. It has been years since I read this, but it really holds up well. Excellent study of the comics medium.
Monster, vol. 13: The Escape by Naoki Urasawa. The thriller continues. (Checked out of the library.)
New X-Men - Academy X, vol. 2: Haunted by Nunzio DeFilippis, Christina Weir, et al. (Library.)
Annihilation: Conquest, book 1 by various. (Library.)
PS238, vol. 4: Not Another Learning Experience! by Aaron Williams. Fantastic superhero stories set in a grade school. (Borrowed from Teena.)

2008-04-13T18:03:00.000-07:00

Books, books, books

The King by Rich Koslowski. When I checked this out of the library a couple of years ago, I was impressed, so I bought a copy.
Phoenix, vol. 11: Sun, pt. 2 by Osamu Tezuka. The wrap-up to the final Phoenix story Tezuka finished before his death. Excellent.
Phoenix, vol. 12: Early Works by Osamu Tezuka. The final volume in the series.
Bob the Angry Flower: Dog Killer by Stephen Notley. Collection of comic strips. (Checked out of the library.)
The Punisher, vol. 8: Widowmaker by Garth Ennis & Lan Medina. (Library.)
Cromartie High School, vol. 4 by Eiji Nonaka. So very strange, but I like it. (Library.)
DMZ, vol. 4: Friendly Fire by Brian Wood, Riccardo Burchielli, & Nathan Fox. This series continues to impress.
The Drifting Classroom, vol. 10 by Kazuo Umezu. After all the awful, horrible things that have happened to these kids, I'm surprised any are left alive. (Library.)
ClanDestine Classic by Alan Davis. Davis's writing is fine, but nothing to get excited over. His art, on the other hand, really works for me.
Dungeon Parade, vol. 2: Day of the Toads by Joann Sfar, Lewis Trondheim, & Manu Larcenet. I really enjoy these fantasy stories, but each volume is a little too pricey for the content. If they were cheaper, I'd probably buy them. (Library.)
Sandman Mystery Theatre, vol. 6: The Hourman & The Python by Matt Wagner, Steven T. Seagle, Guy Davis, & Warren Pleece. I wish Vertigo would put out more collections of their early publications.
American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang. Another library discovery that impressed me enough to buy my own copy. Excellent story about the experience of Chinese-Americans.
Kissing Chaos, vol. 1 by Arthur Dela Cruz.
X-Men: First Class: Tomorrow's Brightest by Jeff Parker & Roger Cruz. Very cool stories set in the early days of the X-Men, long before the days of overly-complicated back-stories & Rob Liefeld.
Yarns and Shanties (and Other Nautical Baloney) by Jim Toomey. Comic strips. (Borrowed from Teena.)

2008-04-06T15:18:00.000-07:00

Another Sunday, Another Post

First, I'd like to thank anybody who has used the links from my posts to buy stuff from Amazon. Thanks to you kind folk, I recently received an $11 gift certificate to Amazon.

Phoenix, vol. 7: Civil War, pt. 1 by Osamu Tezuka. Still working my way through this series. I tend to prefer the volumes set in Japan's past rather than the ones set in the future. This is one of the former, and is quite good.
Phoenix, vol. 8: Civil War, pt. 2 by Osamu Tezuka.
Phoenix, vol. 9: Strange Beings/Life by Osamu Tezuka.
Phoenix, vol. 10: Sun, pt. 1 by Osamu Tezuka. The first part of the biggest and most ambitious Phoenix story, this book ties the a story set in the past with one set in the future.
Paris by Andi Watson. This is pretty good, but I'm not sure what Watson was trying to do here, so I'm not sure he succeeded.
Marvel Adventures Spider-Man, vol. 8: Forces of Nature by Peter David & Pop Mhan.
X-Factor, vol. 4: Heart of Ice by Peter David, Koi Pham, & Pablo Raimondi.
Fullmetal Alchemist, vol. 16 by Hiromu Arakawa.
Ghost Rider: Trail of Tears by Garth Ennis & Clayton Crain. I wanted to like this story, and the writing is fine. But the art is dark & muddy, and it is often hard to tell what is going on or even who is speaking.
The Stardust Kid by J.M. DeMatteis & Mike Ploog. While I normally like DeMatteis's writing, when he's in mystical mode, his work becomes hit or miss for me. It can be very good, but sometimes it's not. In this case, I can tell it's good, but it doesn't resonate with me, and it falls flat.

2008-03-30T16:08:00.000-07:00

Back

Sgt. Frog, vols. 1-3 by Mine Yoshizaki. Kinda cute, but not really all that interesting.
Past Lies by Nunzio DeFilippis, Christina Weir, & Christopher Mitten. Detective story with a (possibly) supernatural edge. In some ways, this reminded me of Veronica Mars, but that's because the main character is a young woman working as a private eye in southern California.
Tank Girl: The Gifting by Alan Martin & Ashley Wood. I'm not sure why I expected anything different, but this was remarkably like the original Tank Girl comics, just with a different artist. (Checked out of the library.)
Rex Mundi, Book 4: Crown & Sword by Arvid Nelson & Juan Ferreyra. The latest volume in this alternate history series. (Library.)
Marvel Adventures Iron Man, vol. 2: Iron Armory by Fret Van Lente, et al.
One Piece, vol. 12: The Legend Begins by Eiichiro Oda.
The Mourning Star by Kazimir Strzepek. Post-apocalyptic graphic novel set in a fantasy world. I picked this up on Alex's recommendation. Pretty good stuff.
The Tomb by Christina Weir, Nunzio DeFillipis. The writing is very good here, but sometimes the art isn't up to par when it comes to storytelling or making sure the reader knows who is who.
Ultimate Spider-Man, vol. 9 by Brian Michael Bendis & Mark Bagely. It's been a while since the last one of these, and I had forgotten just how good this can be. It really is an excellent comic.
The Long Road Home: One Step at a Time by G.B. Trudeau. A collection of Doonesbury strips about BD's rehabilitation after losing a leg in Iraq.
MW by Osamu Tezuka. This is much darker than I'm used to from Tezuka, and I'm not quite sure what to make of this story about a sociopath's search for a stash of nerve gas.
Showcase Presents: Metal Men by Robert Kanigher & Ross Andru. I don't know if I can describe the insanity of the stories in this book. In one, a chemist has a huge plastic man-shaped container made so that, when an experiment goes wrong, he can empty the chemicals into it as a reminder of his failures. Of course, when the container is filled, it comes to life & runs amok. In another, Tin has been captured by the robot queen of another planet because she has fallen in love with him. Unfortunately, Tin is much smaller than she is, so she force-feeds him giant fruit that causes him to grow to her size (and also changes his demeanor from meek to callous). I don't know what Kanigher was smoking (or perhaps what meds he should have been on), but I'm glad he did (or didn't), because the madness of these stories is glorious. On the other hand, the casual misogyny on display here is pretty hard to take.
Phoenix, vol. 1: Dawn by Osamu Tezuka. I had been checking these out from the library, but then I decided that they were good enough that I wanted to own them. I also decided to wait until the whole entire series was available before reading them. Volume 12 was recently published, so here I go.
Phoenix, vol. 2: Future by Osamu Tezuka.
Phoenix, vol. 3: Yamato/Space by Osamu Tezuka.
Phoenix, vol. 4: Karma by Osamu Tezuka. This volume is fantastic. It's the story of a woodcutter and a bandit in feudal Japan, and it is very moving. Absolutely fantastic. Highly recommended.
Phoenix, vol. 5: Resurrection by Osamu Tezuka.
Phoenix, vol. 6: Nostalgia by Osamu Tezuka. This one I didn't like so much. It's odd and rambling, and it feels rather pointless. A lot of it feels like filler.
Princess at Midnight by Andi Watson. The latest of Watson's comics aimed at kids.

2008-03-23T18:57:00.000-07:00

Busy Weekend

I'm tired and will catch up next week.

2008-03-16T16:10:00.000-07:00

Another Sunday

Green Lantern, vol. 2: Revenge of the Green Lanterns by Geoff Johns, Carlos Pacheco, Ethan Van Scriver, & Ivan Reis. (Checked out of the library.)
Phonogram: Rue Britannia by Kieron Gillen & Jamie McKelvie. This was pretty good, but I suspect I would have enjoyed it a lot more if I had ever been into a music scene. I like music a lot, I've got a fairly large music collection (something over 1000 CDs), but I've never identified with a particular genre or been into clubbing. If I had, this book would have resonated more.
Yotsuba & !, vol. 5 by Kiyohiko Azuma. More cuteness, including the wonder that is Cardbo the cardboard robot. (Library.)
The Order, vol. 1: The Next Right Thing by Matt Fraction & Barry Kitson. Not nearly as crazy as some of Fraction's other work, but still good, solid superheroics.
Little Lulu, v. 16: A Handy Kid by John Stanley & Irving Trip. Teena has been making an effort lately to build up the graphic novel part of her classroom library, and I bought this with an eye towards donating it to the cause. However, as good as these comics are, they occasionally feature aspects of childhood that were acceptable in children's entertainment 50 years ago but are no longer. Things like children sneaking puffs on a cigar or parents spanking children.
Vogelein, vol. 2: Old Ghosts by Jane Irwin. (Library.)
Star Wars: Legacy, vol. 2: Shards by John Ostrander, Colin Wilson, Jan Duursema, et al.
Fallen Angel, vol. 4: Heroine Addiction by Peter David, J.K. Woodward, et al.
Miki Falls, vol. 1: Spring by Mark Crilley. I picked this up because I really enjoyed Crilley's Akiko stories. This is an attempt to capture some of the manga market, and it is good. I liked the characterization & the art. I have some trouble with the premise of the macguffin, but it doesn't bother me enough that I won't pick up the other volumes when I can.
One Piece, vol. 11: The Meanest Man in the East by Eiichiro Oda.
Hikaru No Go, vol. 9: The Pro Test Begins by Yumi Hotta & Takeshi Obata.

2008-03-09T16:13:00.000-07:00

I Hate Daylight Savings

Bumperboy Loses His Marbles by Debbie Huey. Another book for Teena's classroom.
Embroideries by Marjane Satrapi. (Checked out of the library.)
Due by Michele Petrucci.
Superman: Secret Identity by Kurt Busiek & Stuart Immonen. I was very lucky to find a copy of this book at cover price. It appears to be out of print, and that's a huge shame, because it's wonderful. Busiek extends the superhero metaphor beyond adolescent power fantasies and explores how it can be a metaphor for young adulthood, fatherhood, and late middle age. This book is fantastic. It's on a par with Busiek's work in Astro City. I think part of the reason it was allowed to go out of print is that Busiek was inspired by Superboy Prime (as presented in his original appearances during the '80s). Since in the mainstream DC universe that character has been turned into a whiny emo villain (one that embodies nearly everything I think is wrong with current superhero comics), the powers that be probably don't want to remind people that he once represented something else.
Welcome to Tranquility, vol. 1 by Gail Simone & Neil Googe. A great story about a retirement community for superheroes. (Library.)
Astro Boy, vol. 23 by Osamu Tezuka.
Thunderbolt Jaxon by Dave Gibbons & John Higgins. (Library.)
Thor Visionaries: Walter Simonson, vol. 5 by Walter Simonson & Sal Buscema. The final volume of Simonson's wonderful run on Thor.
Gumby: The Collected Edition by Bob Burden & Rick Geary. Wacky, goofy stuff. I especially like the part where Gumby is captured & hypnotized by an evil circus troupe. They try to figure out what to do with him until the ringmaster decides that, since Gumby is made out of clay, to write some Hebrew letters on his forehead and pass him off as a golem.
Iron Man: Hypervelocity by Adam Warren & Brian Denham. Tech porn. (Library.)
Supervillain Team-Up: Modok's 11 by Fred Van Lente & Francis Portela. I love the idea of a heist carried out by a team of supervillains, and this did not disappoint.
Bleach, vol. 22: Conquistadores by Tite Kubo.
Owly: The Way Home & The Bittersweet Summer by Andy Runton. Another book for Teena's classroom.
Power Pack: Pack Attack! by Marc Sumerak & GuriHiru. I bought this myself, but after I read it I donated it to Teena's classroom library.
Gyo: The Death-Stench Creeps, vol. 1 by Junji Ito.
Gyo: The Death-Stench Creeps, vol. 2 by Junji Ito. Disgusting, creepy horror story from the creator of Uzumaki.

2008-03-02T16:28:00.000-08:00

Sunday Update

The Kurosagi Corpse Delivery Service, vol. 5 by Eiji Otsuka & Housui Yamazaki. More Japanese horror. (Checked out of the library.)
Manga Shakespeare: Hamlet adapted by Emma Vieceli. If done well, this could have been fantastic. But I can't see any reason for doing this manga-style except that manga is popular right now. Plus the art just isn't all that good. And the text has been drastically cut. It's been years since I've read the play, but I could tell that great chunks of the text had been left out. I'm glad I bought this on sale & didn't pay much for it.
Age of Bronze, vol. 3A: Betrayal, part 1 by Eric Shanower. Now, this is good. Shanower does a stunning job of integrating many different versions of the story of the Trojan War into his own version. It's got an enormous cast, but he makes each character distinct, both visually & in characterization. A wonderful, wonderful comic. I just wish it came out more frequently.
Chicken with Plums by Marjane Satrapi. Good, but depressing tale of the last days of Satrapi's uncle's life. (Library.)
Iron West by Doug TenNapel. Cowboys & robots. (Library.)
Hikaru no Go, vol. 8: The Pro Test Preliminaries, Day Four by Yumi Hotta & Takeshi Obata.
Crossing Midnight, vol. 2: A Map of Midnight by Mike Carey, Jim Fern, & Eric Nguyen. I'm really enjoying these collections, so I feel a little guilty because apparently the individual issues haven't sold well enough & the series is being canceled. Dammit.
Cover Girl by Andrew Crosby, Kevin Church, & Mateus Santolouco. I enjoyed this, but it feels like it originated as a movie pitch: a young actor going nowhere witnesses a car accident & rescues a woman from the wreckage, the fame from that jump starts his career, but now people are trying to kill him, so the studio hires a bodyguard, and the sparks fly between him & her.
The Dreaming, vol. 1 by Queenie Chan. Moody, spooky story set in an Australian boarding school. I reread this volume & the next because the final volume was recently published.
The Dreaming, vol. 2 by Queenie Chan.
The Dreaming, vol. 3 by Queenie Chan. I found the ending a little disappointing, but overall I liked the series.
Casanova, vol. 1: Luxuria by Matt Fraction & Gabriel Ba. Imagine a young Mick Jagger starring in a Jerry Cornelius version of a James Bond novel. This is something like that. Very cool, very fun stuff, filled with weird & twisted ideas.
Bumperboy and the Loud, Loud Mountain by Debbie Huey. Extremely cute kid's book that we discovered thanks to Alex. Teena bought this for her classroom, and I borrowed it from her before she took it to school.

2008-02-23T12:19:00.000-08:00

I'm Back

My War With Brian by Ted Rall. Rall recounts his high school experience.
The Drifting Classroom, vol. 9 by Kazuo Umezu. (Checked out of the library.)
Marvel Adventures Fantastic Four, vol. 7: Silver Surfer Fred Van Lente & Cory Hamscher. More kids' comics that are more enjoyable than most of what Marvel is producing nowadays.
Hikaru No Go, vol. 7: The Young Lions Tournament by Yumi Hotta & Takeshi Obata. More manga about Go.
Essengial Man-Thing, vol. 1 by Steve Gerber, Val Mayerik, Mike Ploog, et al. I knew, when I heard that Steve Gerber had died, that it was time to read this collection of one of his signature characters.
The Marquis: Intermezzo by Guy Davis.
Star Wars: A Pop-Up Guide to the Galaxy by Matthew Reinhart. Teena found a very good deal on this & got it for me as a gift. It's very cool, with amazingly elaborate pop-ups.
Tales from the Crypt #2: Can You Fear Me Now? by various. A not very good attempt to recreate the formula & feel of EC's horror comics. (Library.)
Amulet, book 1: The Stonekeeper by Kazu Kibuishi. This is aimed at kids, but it's quite good, and I'm looking forward to the next volume (whenever that may come). (Borrowed from Teena.)
The Iron Wagon by Jason. A comics adaptation of a Scandinavian mystery novel that has never been translated into English. (Library.)
Dragon Head, vol. 9 by Minetaro Mochizuki. This horror series is heading to its climax. (Library.)
Yotsuba & !, vol. 4 by Kiyohiko Azuma. More cuteness. (Library.)
Batman: False Faces by Brian K. Vaughan, et al. A collection of Vaughan's early work for DC. Some of it's pretty good, and some of it isn't.
Fantastic Four: Books of Doom by Ed Brubaker & Pablo Raimondi. Back in late 2006, when I checked the hardback edition out of the library, I had completely forgotten that I had ordered the paperback edition from my comic shop, so I was quite surprised when it showed up a week or two after I read the library book. That's why I sat on this book for over a year before reading it.
Fantastic Four: The End by Alan Davis.
Doom Patrol, vol. 6: Planet Love by Grant Morrison, Richard Case, Stan Woch, et al. Less wild & more of a downer than the previous volumes, this is still a great comic and a good conclusion to Morrison's run on Doom Patrol. I just wish the Flex Mentallo mini-series had been included, since it seems unlikely it will ever get its own collection.
Superman: The Amazing Transformations of Jimmy Olsen by various. Silver Age stories about Jimmy Olson being changed into various weird forms, including a wolfman, a genie, and a giant turtle man. If this quote: "Great Scott! Why is Jimmy stuffing that volcano crater with a battleship? What on Earth is his huge, twisted turtle-mind up to?" does not make you want to read this book, nothing I could possibly say here would change your mind.
Will and Abe's Guide to the Universe by Matt, Will, and Abe Groening. I no longer read it regularly, but Groening's "Life in Hell" comic strip hasn't been all that good since The Simpsons began. Except for the strips where he documents things his sons have said. This collection contains nothing but those strips, and it's fantastic.

2008-02-19T08:56:00.000-08:00

A Longer Delay

I'm lazy.

2008-02-17T22:26:00.000-08:00

A Slight Delay

Since I don't have to be at work Monday, there will be a slight delay in the update this week. See you tomorrow.

2008-02-13T22:54:00.000-08:00

2008-02-10T21:06:00.000-08:00

Late in the day update

Knights of the Dinner Table Bundle of Trouble, vol. 12 by Jolly Blackburn, et al.
The Marquis: Danse Macabre by Guy Davis. Set in an alternate 18th century, this is the story of a man who can sense demons. But when he hunts them down, is he doing God's work, or is he simply mad? Or is there something more sinister going on?
Emma, vol. 2 by Kaoru Mori. Romance manga about a Victorian maid and a gentleman. (Checked out of the library.)
Tales of the New Gods by various. Short stories by various creators, using Jack Kirby's Fourth World characters.
Hulk Visionaries: Peter David, vol. 5 by Peter David, Dale Keown, Jeff Purves, et al. This series of reprints has finally gotten to the part of David's run on the Hulk where the art matches the writing. There's some excellent stuff here, and there's more to come in future volumes.
Monster, vol. 12: The Rose Mansion by Naoki Urasawa. The hunt for the serial killer continues. (Library.)
Manhunter, vol. 4: Unleashed by Marc Andreyko, Javier Pina, et al. Until this excellent series returns from hiatus, this will be the last we see of it. Which is a shame, because it's great.
Fight for Tomorrow by Brian Wood & Denys Cowan. Emo martial arts.
Satchel Paige: Striking Out Jim Crow by James Sturm & Rich Tommaso. This book gives the impression that it's a biography of Paige, but it's actually about the life of a sharecropper in the early half of the 20th century. It's still an excellent book.
The Punisher Presents: Barracuda by Garth Ennis & Goran Parlov. Completely over-the-top. (Library.)
Showcase Presents: Green Lantern, vol. 2 by Gardner Fox, John Broome, & Gil Kane. I started this quite a while back, but just finished it today. I love Kane's artwork, but there's only so much Silver Age writing I can take at once.

2008-02-03T18:57:00.000-08:00

And Now Back to Books

John Constantine, Hellblazer: Bloodlines by Garth Ennis, Will Simpson, et al. Most (all?) of the last uncollected issues from Ennis's run on this title.
Crooked Little Vein by Warren Ellis. Ellis's first novel. I quite liked this. It felt somewhat reminiscent of The Illumintus! Trilogy, but with the weirdness level turned down to only slightly beyond what is beyond the realm of possibility.
Fantastic Four Visionaries: John Byrne, vol. 7 by John Byrne, et al. Closing in on the end of Byrne's run on the FF.
Parasyte, vol. 1 by Hitoshi Iwaki. Japanese horror, with a touch of humor. (Checked out of the library.)
Monster Month: Thirty-one New Discoveries from the World's Foremost Cryptozoologist by Prof. Ichbonnsen, with illustrations by Sven Bonnichsen. Last Thursday, Teena & I went to the book release party for this tome. We had a lot of fun and picked up a copy of the book, which I quite enjoyed. Lots of daring-do & fascinating creatures.
I'm Ready for My Movie Contract by Darby Conley. The latest Get Fuzzy collection.

Well, that didn't take too long, so I guess I'll finish catching up on movies.

The Film Crew: The Giant of Marathon. A Steve Reeves movie where he doesn't play Hercules. This is what 300 should have been.
Mystery Science Theater 3000: Mr. B's Lost Shorts. A collection of short films compiled from MST3K episodes, including one of the funniest things I've ever seen: "Mr. B Natural."
MST3K: Attack of the Giant Leeches.
The Office, season 1. After hearing about this series for so long, I finally broke down & checked this out of the library. We loved it. However, when we took a look at the original British version, we didn't like it nearly as much. It just seemed too mean. I guess we're just American wimps.
Delicatessen. A post-apocalyptic comedy that's surprisingly light considering it deals with cannibalism.
Doctor Who: City of Death. Great adventure. Tom Baker & Lalla Ward work together wonderfully, and the script has lots of funny moments. Excellent all the way around.
Treasure Island. Until Michael showed this to me, I had never seen this. It's amazing to think that at one point, Disney made live-action films worth seeing.
The West Wing: The Complete First Season. A damn fine show.
Cinematic Titanic: The Oozing Skull. Most of the MST3K alumni who aren't involved in The Film Crew are involved in Cinematic Titanic, which is the same premise yet again: cracking jokes at bad movies. Can't say as I'm tired of it yet.
Avatar The Last Airbender, Book 1: Water, vol. 1. We liked this more than we expected to. We'll be getting future volumes from the library.
Short Cuts.
MST3K: Teenagers from Outer Space.
There Will Be Blood. Impressive all the way around. Beautifully shot, fantastic music, and an outstanding performance by Daniel Day-Lewis.

2008-02-02T15:28:00.000-08:00

Five Months

Has it really been five months since I listed movies & DVDs? Damn. It's well past time I did something about that. Just don't expect in-depth analysis.

Penn & Teller - Bullshit!: The Complete Third Season.
The Film Crew: Killers from Space. MST3K-like commentary on an old, bad movie.
Penn & Teller - Bullshit!: The Complete Fourth Season.
Mystery Science Theater 3000: Ring of Terror.
Final Fantasy Unlimited, v. 1. Four episodes of an anime series loosely based on the Final Fantasy video games. Weird and not very good.
The H.P. Lovecraft Film Festival: Shorts Block 1.
Shorts Block 2.
Cthulhu. Filmed in Astoria.
Shorts Block 3.
The Thing. I saw this at the very first HPLFF, and again at the most recent one. It is a great movie.
Wishbaby.
Nobody. Dark, noir-ish film involving a time-loop.
The Twelve Chairs. A Mel Brooks film set in the early years of the Soviet Union.
The Simpsons: The Complete Sixth Season.
Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead.
The Maltese Falcon. Oh, what a fantastic movie.
Neil Gaiman's A Short Film about John Bolton. I think the ending could have been better, but still quite good.
Rope.
Doctor Who: Genesis of the Daleks.
The Simpsons: The Complete Eighth Season.
Doctor Who: Keeper of Traken.
Jeeves & Wooster: The Complete First Season. Stephen Fry & Hugh Laurie in the title roles. Very funny. Delightful, except for the decision to adapt a story that involved Bertie putting on black-face.
Yellow Submarine.
Jeeves & Wooster: The Complete Second Season.
Futurama: Bender's Big Score. Too many call-backs to the tv series, but otherwise excellent.
Jeeves & Wooster: The Complete Third Season.
Nobody's Fool.
The Golden Compass. Visually stunning, & excellent casting, but it felt rushed. I think there is simply too much plot to cram into the movie's run time, so characterization & context got sacrificed.
Jeeves & Wooster: The Complete Fourth Season. Several of the stories in this season were preposterous, even by the standards of Bertie Wooster stories.
Samurai Jack, Season 4.
MST3K: Santa Claus.
MST3K: Santa Claus Conquers the Martians.
Duck Soup. My favorite Marx Brothers movie.
Scrooged.
Love Actually. I adore this movie.
X-Men: Last Stand. Simply terrible. The best thing this movie has going for it is Kelsey Grammar as Hank McCoy.
Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street. Eh. I much prefer the version with Angela Lansbury.
The Bourne Supremacy.
The Bourne Ultimatum. We also watched the first Bourne movie while we were at Teena's parents', but I didn't pay all that close attention, so I'm not listing it here.
It's a Wonderful Life. This was an amateur stage production we saw while in southern California. It was quite good; the only problem I had with it was that the director never told the actors not to mug to the audience when they didn't have lines. There were times I wanted to slap the guy playing Clarence.
The Philadelphia Story. How can you not love a movie staring Cary Grant, Katharine Hepburn, and Jimmy Stewart?

Well, I'm not caught up yet, but that does take me to the end of 2007, so I think I'll stop for now.

2008-01-27T18:12:00.000-08:00

Lots of books and a late start

Bound By Law?: Tales from the Public Domain by Keith Aoki, James Boyle, & Jennifer Jenkins. Information about copyright law & the public domain, especially as it applies to documentary filmmakers, presented in comics format.
Buddh, vol. 5: Deer Park by Osamu Tezuka.
John Constantine, Hellblazer: Stations of the Cross by Mike Carey, Marcelo Frusin, Leonardo Manco, et al. Horror comics.
Buddha, vol. 6: Ananda by Osamu Tezuka.
Laika by Nick Abadzis. A very touching story about the first animal put into orbit. (Checked out of the library.)
Buddha, vol. 7: Prince Ajatasattu by Osamu Tezuka.
Buddha, vol. 8: Jatavana by Osamu Tezuka. I have to say that this entire series is simply amazing. A fantastic story, well told. My highest recommendation.
B.P.R.D., vol. 7: Garden of Souls by Mike Mignola, John Arcudi, & Guy Davis. More thrilling adventures. Plus more information about Abe's past.
The Tarot Cafe, vol. 1 by Sang-Sun Park.
The Surrogates by Robert Venditti & Brett Weldele. Impressive science fiction graphic novel. I've heard that it's being made into a movie.
JLA: Kid Amazo by Peter Milligan & Carlos D'Anda. I was disappointed in this. I know Milligan can do better. It felt like he was writing down to the audience. If he hadn't written smart & clever superhero comics in the past, I'd say he hold superhero fans in contempt. Maybe his opinion of the fan-base has changed since he wrote X-Statix. Not recommended.
Azumanga Daioh Omnibus by Kiyohiko Azuma. Cute, sometimes baffling, comics about a group of high-school friends. (Library.)
Thunderbolts: Faith in Monsters by Warren Ellis & Mike Deodato Jr. There's quite a bit of nastiness here, but what else would you expect from Ellis writing super-villains posing as heroes? Good stuff.
Bookhunter by Jason Shiga. Man, graphic novels about librarians have started springing up lately. (See also: Rex Libris and Unshelved) (Library.)
Powers, vol. 11: Secret Identity by Brian Michael Bendis & Michael Avon Oeming.
Terrabella Smoot and the Unsung Monsters by Jon "Bean" Hastings. Kid's book.

2008-01-20T16:53:00.000-08:00

Still don't feel like writing much

Shadowpact, vol. 2: Cursed by Bill Willingham, Tom Derenick, et al.
Charley's War: Blue's Story by Pat Mills & Joe Colquhoun. (Checked out of the library.)
NextWave: Agents of H.A.T.E., vol. 2: I Kick Your Face by Warren Ellis & Stuart Immonen. So much fun. Mindless action & funny jokes. Highly recommended.
Buddha, vol. 1: Kapilavastu by Osamu Tezuka. As you my recall, I checked the hardback editions of the books in this series out of the library. I've had all eight volumes in paperback for a while now, but I kept putting off reading them because it seemed like an intimidating task. I had forgotten how good these books are. They are quick reads and amazingly written. Tezuka was a master.
Buddha, vol. 2: The Four Encounters by Osamu Tezuka.
Fullmetal Alchemist, vol. 15 by Hiromu Arwakawa.
Buddha, vol. 3: Devadatta by Osamu Tezuka.
Buddha, vol. 4: The Forest of Uruvela by Osamu Tezuka.
DramaCon, vol. 3 by Svetlana Chmakova. (Library.)
The Journal of Ride Theory Omnibus edited by Dan Howland. This is a print on demand collection of a 'zine put out by a guy I used to work with. JoRT was about amusement parks, particularly Disneyland. Our recent trip to southern California got me thinking about this, and I ordered it from Lulu. Very entertaining.

2008-01-13T18:01:00.000-08:00

Another Short Entry

I just haven't felt like typing lately, so I don't have much to say about the following books.

Alan Moore's Yuggoth Cultures & Other Growths by Moore, et al. Miscellanea from Moore & a Lovecraftian story written by Antony Johnston.
Batman: Turning Points by various. An exploration of Batman's relationship with Commissioner Gordon throughout the years.
Mean by Steven Weissman. A collection of early Yikes! cartoons. (Checked out of the library.)
Piracy, vol. 2 by various. Reprint of EC comics from the 1950s.
The Legion of Super-Heroes: The Great Darkness Saga by Paul Levitz & Keith Giffen. I've been meaning to re-read this for a while to see if it still holds up. I remember really enjoying these comics when I was a kid. And, while I don't find it as exciting as I once did, it's still entertaining. But probably only for people who are already LSH fans.
The Legion of Super-Heroes: Eye for an Eye by Paul Levitz, Keith Giffen, Steve Lightly, & Joe Orlando. Not quite as strong as the previous book, but still good.
Postcards: True Stories that Never Happened edited by Jason Rodriguez. An interesting concept for an anthology. The editor bought used postcards from junk shops & antique stores and gave them to writers & artists to use as story seeds. (Library.)
Jack of Fables, vol. 2: Jack of Hearts by Bill Willingham, Matthew Sturges, Tony Akins, Steve Leialoha, & Andrew Pepoy. The main character in this series may be thoroughly selfish & unpleasant, but the stories about him are entertaining.
Astro Boy, vol. 21 by Osamu Tezuka.

2008-01-06T18:57:00.000-08:00

The End of 2007

I feel I should mention that part of the reason my entries have been pretty sparse lately is that I've been spending a lot of time playing Super Mario Galaxy. (Of course, the main reason is that I'm lazy.)

Glister, #3: Glister and the Faerie Host by Andi Watson. Cute fantasy stuff.
Munden's Bar by various. A collection of back-up stories from GrimJack. There's some twisted stuff here. Twisted, but good.

The Beginning of 2008

The Mammoth Book of Best New Manga 2 edited by Ilya. Or, to give it a somewhat more accurate title, The Mammoth Book of Best New International, Manga-Influenced Comics. There's some pretty good stuff here, but nothing all that special. (Checked out of the library.)
Action Philosophers! Giant-Sized Thing, vol. 3 by Fred Van Lente & Ryan Dunlavey. More philosophy explained in understandable terms & funny drawings.
The Hood: Blood from Stones by Brian K. Vaughan & Kyle Hotz. Relatively early work from Vaughan about a small-time thug who stumbles across some magic clothes & how he tries use them to move up in the world.
Wyrd: The Reluctant Warrior by Jim Starlin. Not bad.
Blue Bettle: Road Trip by John Rogers, Keith Giffen, Cully Hamner, & Rafael Albuquerque. I really enjoy this comic. It's lots of fun. I guess I should be buying the individual issues rather than just picking up the collections, but money is limited.
Queen Bee by Chynna Clugston.

One of these days I should write about the games I've been playing. And I'm way behind on listing movies I've seen. Plus there's the trip to Disneyland. And I'm still intending to put down my thoughts on the latest League of Extraordinary Gentlemen book. And I want to explain why I think the writers of Lost grew up reading Legion of Super-Heroes comics.

2007-12-30T21:07:00.000-08:00

Short, Short Entry

Q-Ko-Chan: The Earth Invader Girl, vol. 1 by Ueda Hajime. Strange manga from the creator of FLCL.

And that's the only book I finished in the past week. That's because we spent the week visiting Teena's parents for Christmas. We had a great time, especially the trip to Disneyland. More later.

2007-12-23T10:16:00.000-08:00

Bare-Bones Entry

John Woo's 7 Brothers, vol. 1: Sons of Heaven, Son of Hell by John Woo, Garth Ennis, & Keevan Kang. (Checked out of the library.)
Jingle Belle: Dash Away All by Paul Dini & Jose Garibaldi.
Criminal, vol. 2: Lawless by Ed Brubaker & Sean Phillips
Starchild: Mythopolis II, vol. 1 by James A. Owen.
Unique by Dean Motter & Dennis Calero.
Batman: Year 100 by Paul Pope.
Space Usagi by Stan Sakai.
Narbonic, vol. 5 by Shaenon Garrity.
Showcase Presents: Legion of Super Heroes, vol. 1 by various.

2007-12-16T18:10:00.000-08:00

I don't have a clever title for this entry (not that I ever do)

Warren Ellis' Blackgas by Warren Ellis, Max Fiumara, & Ryan Waterhouse. Zombies.
Baltimore, or, The Steadfast Tin Soldier and the Vampire by Mike Mignola & Christopher Golden. It took me a little while to get into this horror novel, but once I did, I enjoyed it quite a bit. (Checked out of the library.)
Megatokyo, vol. 3 by Fred Gallagher. Can't think of anything to say about this series that I haven't said before.
Scott Pilgrim, vol. 4: Scott Pilgrim Gets It Together by Bryan Lee O'Malley. More game-logic and slacker adventures. Fun stuff.
Bow Wow Bugs a Bug by Mark Newgarden & Megan Montague Cash. Kid's book. (Library.)
The Escapists by Brian K. Vaughan, Steve Rolston, Jason Shawn Alexander, Philip Bond, & Eduardo Barreto. I never did really warm up to Michael Chabon Presents the Amazing Adventures of the Escapist, the anthology that pretended to reprint stories from the long & varied publishing history of the Escapist, the comic book character from The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay. The conceit just never worked. The stories just couldn't live up to the descriptions from the novel. However this story, about three friends who try to make a go of publishing new Escapist comics, works wonderfully. I loved this. Highly recommended.
Knights of the Dinner Table Bundle of Trouble, vol. 23 by Jolly Blackburn, et al.