COMICS?!

All you're getting this time.

Invincible 49: This is one of my favorite books in the superhero genre. Not because the character has such amazing powers (they're good) or the art is great (it's amazing), it's because the stories go further than just about any other superhero book out there. Nothing is sacred, and in so doing everything becomes precious. In this one, the hero learns that two of his former enemies are now his co-workers, and the talk he has with his boss about the whole thing, well I hope no one's ever had one like it. Awesome stuff.

The Sword 6: I'm a weapons enthusiast, so I was going to look twice at any book with a title like this, and so far the Luna Bros have delivered a book that satisfies me on more levels than just the shiny-pointy-thingies one. A few origin stories are told in this issue, not without forgetting the present situation. It's an intriguing story, the protagonist Dara has plenty of motivation to kick-ass, and the history behind it all is just researched enough to be real, just skewed enough to justify a rogue magical pig-sticker. Love it.


Ex Machina 35: On the week Barack Obama delivers his speech on race, Mayor Mitchell Hundred gets entwined in a convoluted race issue behind the scenes of New York. This one involves the possible ghost of a slave that was part of the group that built much of New York's historic structure. It's not a topical situation, and it doesn't affect anyone except Hundred and one of his deputy mayors, Dave Wylie, but between these two the current racial situation gets a lot of dialog. The thing I love about this is that this isn't in the section with political dramas. This IS a superhero book: the main character has special abilities and he dedicates his life to helping people. The difference here is that the hero, Mitchell Hundred, tried being a classic superhero and found he could do more good for more people by working within the government. And he does.

Fables 71: You've never read Cinderella like this. Those step-sisters would've wet themselves.

Let's Try Thing Again

So it's been over one solid year since I wrote in this blog. That's okay. I can account for my time away, and I'm confident that said time will vindicate my absence. It's past us now, so I think it's time for us to move on.


I just finished I am America (And So Can You!) by Stephen Colbert. The target audience is slightly more focused that the audience for his show on Comedy Central: It's the same audience with the additional criteria that they must be literate. So if you're expecting a break in character when he makes the transition to print move on. Nothing for you here. If you're looking for the same style as the show in print, however, I think you'll be very pleased. The formatting of the book translates many of Colbert's stylistic habits, especially his "The W0rd" segment, and through this he covers all manner of topics. It also has summaries and extra sections at the end of each chapter that border on interactive, giving it the slight air of a textbook. He's completely in character throughout the text, so he'd have no trouble if this was required reading in schools, churches, phone booths, etc. It's very entertaining... if you find the Colbert Report entertaining. Since I do, I had a fun time.

The Walking Dead by Robert Kirkman and his art posse continues to be one of my favorite monthly reads. Some claim that zombies have run their course through popular media but no one is bothering to take the genre on as deeply as he does. There's no humor like Shaun of the Dead or subtext like George A Romero's movies, what you see is what you get. The characters in the story would probably very much like there to be someone to blame or some cure a government/ corporate sector is hiding on to for fear of exposure, and they'd probably like some extra levity in their lives, but they're denied it. What they see is what they have, and it's not much. Even worse for them, and better for the readers, is that what they have never lasts long. Characters get introduced and killed, bases are found and lost, rations are grown only to be destroyed. It's a roller coaster ride if that roller coaster was designed by M.C. Escher.

I hope I can keep myself updating this blog regularly from now on, but we'll see what happens!