Another busy week, so the reviews will have to be shorter. Hopefully things will lighten up after this week...plus there's the three-day weekend coming on.
Spoilers ho!
Superman 666 - It's a plot, I tell you. Superman and Batman both reaching this magical mysterious number at nearly the same time just couldn't be a coincidence. Fortunately, this story made a lot more sense than the recent Batman 666. It turns out that there were such things a Kryptonian demons, and one particular one, nearly dead because of the dearth of Kryptonians it can feed on, decides to ensnare Superman in his cluthces, using that power to become an overlord of Hell. Walt Simonson's art accentuates the surreal quality of this story, as Superman appears to enter a dream-world and give up any self-control he might have, assuming his rightful place as an overlord for the human race, and an uncaring one as well.
Perhaps things aren't as they appear however; between a bizarre appearance of the Pahntom Stranger at The Daily Planet and Zatanna's recurring appearance in Superman's dream, there's the distinct possibility that Superman isn't really dreaming. This tension is played out extraordinarly well by Kurt Busiek, and the frightful repercussions of Superman losing his humanity are played out in a way that is not a cliche as it might have been in others' hands. Twists abound in this nice one-and-done story, setting us up for the final few chapters of Superman's challenge to the future history of mankind.
Birds of Prey 109 - Tony Bedard takes over the Birds and he pretty much nails the characterizations and the voices of the principles in the series. Black Canary is back for a guest appearance (supposedly taking place before her recent mini-series), working out her potential response to Ollie's proposal for marriage. What follows is what feels, to a set of male eyes, a fairly accruate representation of a conversation between two women who care a great deal for each other and have very little trouble expressing it. There's no game-playing here, just honest emotion. And it ends in a particularly satisfying way.
But just as important are the background characters of the Birds. In a perfectly delightful secondary storyline, Big Barda and Sin learn more about each other's cultures, with Big Barda appearing that much more human in her response to Sin's games and, later, in her response to the emergency that pops up. Every voice in the main two storylines is pitch-perfect and bodes well for future stories.
Unfortunately, the last storyline pretty much ends the Secret Six, which is a real shame. I have hopes that there will be an ongoing Catman series at least, but the events in this issue of Birdsi makes it clear that one character won't appear alive in anything ever again. I'm pretty sure that Bedard had no choice in this; after all characters of this particular persuasion are being eliminated from all the DC titles. So I'm, not really upset at Bedard for facilitating it; I just wish it didn't have to happen.
And as always, Nicola Scott's art is just stellar.
Blue Beetle 18 - This really was the title of the week. While Blue Beetle may have started out slowly, it has been growing steadily better since about the sixth issue. This week, the Teen Titans come calling, since it appears that Batman believes Beetle's story about the Reach and their invasion plans. Of course there is the generic mix-up and the accidental fight, but then they come together and fight their common foe, Lobo. If I had one gripe, it would appear that Lobo doesn't remember his recent travels with Supergirl, but beyond that, John Rogers nails what I would expect is the appropriate reaction to superheroines in belly shirts. Even stronger is the characterization that Paco and Brenda are getting, growing from generic sidekicks of Beetle to complete personalities in their own right. Rogers has created a book with all the witty banter and camaraderie of old Buffy episodes, which is a decidedly good thing. My only regret is that the art is only so-so, not helped at all by multiple artists this week. But I'm also not sure if a differnt artist wouldn't just ruin the feel that this book has. It's a delightful all-ages read, and it appears a new story-arc begins next issue. It' s a good time get in on the title if you haven't already.
Monday, August 27, 2007
War
Usually when a movie does not make an advance copy available to reviewers, it’s not a good sign. Mrs. Speculator is a big fan of Jason Statham and I like his work, and we both have enjoyed Jet Li’s work for a while as well, so we had been looking forward to the release of their latest film, War, for some weeks. However, when I couldn’t find any reviews of the film on Friday to accompany my quest for a theatre, little warning bells started going off in my head. But we persevered, finding the film, and gambled that it would be worthwhile.
And I am happy to report that it is. Although the commercials and trailers make it seem that the movie is an endless parade of fight scenes, it turns out that the movie has a lot more in common with traditional Asian theater than chop-socky movies, though there is a liberal sprinkling of martial arts action. But those fight scenes serve more to advance the plot of the movie than the other way around—and perhaps that is the real joy of the movie: there is a plot with not one but two very nice twists at the end that, with hindsight, are well set-up but are still sharp surprises for the average movie-goer.
Jason Statham plays Jack Crawford, an FBI agent who lost his partner to a legendary assassin named Rogue, who is renowned for using plastic surgery to change his face every six months. Of course, Rogue is incredibly wealthy because of his skill at his job, so it’s easy for him to change identities as well, all of which makes him a near-supernatural figure whose legend inspires awe in whoever seeks to thwart him. Of course, Rogue is played by Jet Li, who maintains that same sort of legend for martial arts fans. Three years after Crawford’s partner and family are killed, Rogue shows up again in San Francisco, playing a pivotal role in an impending gang war between the local Triad and the Yakuza. But something is off: Rogue appears to be playing both sides against each other, deliberately inciting the war, and Crawford is being personally taunted by Rogue.
Now let’s get this straight: neither Statham nor Li are renowned for the breadth of their acting range and this movie clearly does not push their boundaries. But the movie really is driven by its plot, developing slowly as we watch Rogue more often provoke other people into fighting one another than fighting for himself. And when he does fight, he is a flurry of action, rapidly dispatching his opponents instead of dragging the fight out solely for the pleasure of the audience. As Statham pursues Rogue and tries to unravel the mystery of Rogue’s actions, he engages in a little western-style fisticuffs. And, unlike recent action movies, the fight scenes and chases are choreographed so that the viewer can actually follow the action rather than feel like he has witnessed Generic Fight Scene X.
The movie also spends time dealing with the networks of all the players involved, except Rogue who repeats a number of times that he has no master and thus no network of his own. The members of the Triad, the Yakuza and Crawford’s FBI task force are given more personality and dialogue than the traditional flat characters of martial arts movies, adding sub-plots that add depth to the movie. The machinations within those networks play an important part in the outcome of the main plot, so it’s not just filler fluff. It also gives some pretty good Asian character actors some screen time.
Of course, everything builds up to the final showdown between Statham and Li with the two big reveals playing important parts in the climax. But that climax is just much an emotional climax as it is the Big Fight. In fact, the Big Fight might actually be the one between Rogue and the Yakuza head, played by long-time character actor Ryo Ishibashi.
War is an entertaining movie, as much cerebral as action-based, but not terribly cerebral. And it is not brilliant by any means, but it’s good and it is fun. It’s worth the cost of a matinee.
BUT. Look, this film is rated R for a reason. There’s a lot of coarse language, though not the worst I have ever heard. And because some of it is in another language, it gets spelled out across the bottom of the screen. There’s also nudity and violence, and violence while nude. This is not intended for anyone under 17, and I don’t care if an adult is accompanying the minor. We had two children about 12 years old in front of us, and few rows further down was a child of about six. I’m not going to rant about personal choices, and at least the kids weren’t screaming in terror, but it really just wasn’t appropriate. And yes, when I was 17, I knew what all those words meant too. Doesn’t matter.
And I am happy to report that it is. Although the commercials and trailers make it seem that the movie is an endless parade of fight scenes, it turns out that the movie has a lot more in common with traditional Asian theater than chop-socky movies, though there is a liberal sprinkling of martial arts action. But those fight scenes serve more to advance the plot of the movie than the other way around—and perhaps that is the real joy of the movie: there is a plot with not one but two very nice twists at the end that, with hindsight, are well set-up but are still sharp surprises for the average movie-goer.
Jason Statham plays Jack Crawford, an FBI agent who lost his partner to a legendary assassin named Rogue, who is renowned for using plastic surgery to change his face every six months. Of course, Rogue is incredibly wealthy because of his skill at his job, so it’s easy for him to change identities as well, all of which makes him a near-supernatural figure whose legend inspires awe in whoever seeks to thwart him. Of course, Rogue is played by Jet Li, who maintains that same sort of legend for martial arts fans. Three years after Crawford’s partner and family are killed, Rogue shows up again in San Francisco, playing a pivotal role in an impending gang war between the local Triad and the Yakuza. But something is off: Rogue appears to be playing both sides against each other, deliberately inciting the war, and Crawford is being personally taunted by Rogue.
Now let’s get this straight: neither Statham nor Li are renowned for the breadth of their acting range and this movie clearly does not push their boundaries. But the movie really is driven by its plot, developing slowly as we watch Rogue more often provoke other people into fighting one another than fighting for himself. And when he does fight, he is a flurry of action, rapidly dispatching his opponents instead of dragging the fight out solely for the pleasure of the audience. As Statham pursues Rogue and tries to unravel the mystery of Rogue’s actions, he engages in a little western-style fisticuffs. And, unlike recent action movies, the fight scenes and chases are choreographed so that the viewer can actually follow the action rather than feel like he has witnessed Generic Fight Scene X.
The movie also spends time dealing with the networks of all the players involved, except Rogue who repeats a number of times that he has no master and thus no network of his own. The members of the Triad, the Yakuza and Crawford’s FBI task force are given more personality and dialogue than the traditional flat characters of martial arts movies, adding sub-plots that add depth to the movie. The machinations within those networks play an important part in the outcome of the main plot, so it’s not just filler fluff. It also gives some pretty good Asian character actors some screen time.
Of course, everything builds up to the final showdown between Statham and Li with the two big reveals playing important parts in the climax. But that climax is just much an emotional climax as it is the Big Fight. In fact, the Big Fight might actually be the one between Rogue and the Yakuza head, played by long-time character actor Ryo Ishibashi.
War is an entertaining movie, as much cerebral as action-based, but not terribly cerebral. And it is not brilliant by any means, but it’s good and it is fun. It’s worth the cost of a matinee.
BUT. Look, this film is rated R for a reason. There’s a lot of coarse language, though not the worst I have ever heard. And because some of it is in another language, it gets spelled out across the bottom of the screen. There’s also nudity and violence, and violence while nude. This is not intended for anyone under 17, and I don’t care if an adult is accompanying the minor. We had two children about 12 years old in front of us, and few rows further down was a child of about six. I’m not going to rant about personal choices, and at least the kids weren’t screaming in terror, but it really just wasn’t appropriate. And yes, when I was 17, I knew what all those words meant too. Doesn’t matter.
Thursday, August 23, 2007
The Body Snatchers
True confession time. One of my favorite all-time movies is Invasion of the Body Snatchers. The original one. The ‘70s one is okay and it’s interesting to see Mr. Spock doing something other than raise his eyebrows, but it’s not nearly as good as the original. Kevin McCarthy does an awesome job of bringing Miles Bennell to life as a pretty savvy guy stumbling across a mysterious epidemic in his small town. And folks, Dana Wynter blows away Brooke Adams in sheer star power. When I find something related to the movie, I’m usually pretty intrigued. Imagine my delight when I found a first edition paperback of the novel that inspired the movie, The Body Snatchers by Jack Finney.
The man who ran the booth where I found the novel was pretty excited that I was buying the book, asking me if I was familiar with the novel (I’ll pretend his excitement did not stem from the fact I was paying $40 for a paperback book). When I told him I loved the movie but had been looking off and on for the novel for a long time, he warned me that once I started it, I wouldn’t be able to put it down. And while that wasn’t entirely true, it wasn’t far from wrong either.
The first thing I noted as I read was how closely the novel hewed to the original movie (or perhaps the hewing ran in the other direction). But the second and more important observation was that Jack Finney is a hell of a fine writer. Using a first-person narrative, Finney is able to drag the reader directly into the emotional state of Miles Bennell, at first curious and then slowly overcome with dread at what he is discovering in the pastoral community of Santa Mira. Bennell also has an internal conflict that provides a stark counterpoint to his initial decisiveness: he finds himself falling in love with Becky Driscoll, but being recently divorced thinks he is damaged goods and perhaps unable to really love her as she deserves, fearing the emotional repercussions of another divorce before he’s even gotten together with her. During the course of the novel, his responses to these issues end up switching with one another, so that at the book’s crisis he is more confident of his relationship with Becky—perhaps because he comes to find that she is the only thing he is able to count on as the people in Santa Mira are replaced—and he becomes more and more resigned that he is going to fail at saving Santa Mira from the alien invasion.
Writing in first person is a prop in some ways; unless the writer is particularly bad, it’s hard not to feel something of the mental state of the narrator. Finney uses the tool well, but his strengths go beyond such facile writing. While his style is conversational and smooth, he spends a great deal of time carefully crafting his sentences and paragraphs for the most emotional impact. And his descriptive passages are tremendously powerful, homey and yet evocative at the same time. Finney’s style adds a dimension to the book that is missing from any adaptation of it that I have seen—The Body Snatchers is much more than just a thriller; it is a story of loss and its effects.
The most powerful passages of The Body Snatchers are the ones where Bennell wanders through his town, the images of its current state—dusty windows, dirty streets, empty businesses—conflicting with his happy memories of a vibrant town. It doesn’t really matter to these passages why Santa Mira has reached this state; the town could be dying because of loss of industry or any other reason that towns die off. What stands out is Bennell’s genuine sorrow which is expressed in how and what he describes rather than any explicit statement of emotion. Not only do we see the town in its current state of disrepair, we also see its potential and its history, generically but enthusiastically described with all the fondness of a lifetime resident.
And ultimately this leads to what the book is about. The first movie has long had a reputation as a “red scare” movie, as much for its plot as for its potentially terrifying ending: “They’re after all of us! Our wives…our children…they’re here already! You’re next!” The book could be taken in the same light, but that would require some twisting of the words. The real focus of The Body Snatchers is the loss, through whatever means, of the things that make us human. It’s not only the emotions that the aliens lack, it is the relationships that bind them into a network of humanity. And Bennell’s place in Santa Mira is predicated on those relationships. He recognizes people by their face and can recite their history and personality. He genuinely likes the town and its people, often expressing fondness over their peccadilloes and quirks. But even if Bennell is not replaced by an alien, what kind of life can he have when all those connections are severed from the other end? Everything he knows, the very foundation of his existence as Miles Bennell, will be removed just as surely as if his place was taken by an unfeeling vegetable life form.
Finney’s novel does go into more detail about the pods and where they are from, and, more importantly, why they do what they do. The story is told by one of he “pod people” so, of course it has a little bias to it, but Bennell quickly sniffs that out and gets to the true core of their existence. They merely do what they do to survive, independent of the species they might destroy along the way. Embedded here is an accidental sideways glance at the ecological problems our world currently faces, made especially poignant as the alien reminds Bennell about all the species man has destroyed to claim his place in the world.
An unexpected treat is that, despite how closely the book and the first movie are bound, the book ends in a method entirely different from the open-ended conclusion of the movie. The book’s conclusion seems a little artificial and may be the weakest part. But taking a step back to appreciate the source of the story, originally a serial in Collier’s and for a far less cynical audience, it makes a lot of sense.
All told, The Body Snatchers is truly a thriller that is difficult to put down and that calls seductively to be picked up whenever it is not in the reader’s hands. It may be difficult to find but it is a book that true lovers of speculative fiction need to have in their library. And a regular viewing of the original movie isn’t uncalled for too.
The man who ran the booth where I found the novel was pretty excited that I was buying the book, asking me if I was familiar with the novel (I’ll pretend his excitement did not stem from the fact I was paying $40 for a paperback book). When I told him I loved the movie but had been looking off and on for the novel for a long time, he warned me that once I started it, I wouldn’t be able to put it down. And while that wasn’t entirely true, it wasn’t far from wrong either.
The first thing I noted as I read was how closely the novel hewed to the original movie (or perhaps the hewing ran in the other direction). But the second and more important observation was that Jack Finney is a hell of a fine writer. Using a first-person narrative, Finney is able to drag the reader directly into the emotional state of Miles Bennell, at first curious and then slowly overcome with dread at what he is discovering in the pastoral community of Santa Mira. Bennell also has an internal conflict that provides a stark counterpoint to his initial decisiveness: he finds himself falling in love with Becky Driscoll, but being recently divorced thinks he is damaged goods and perhaps unable to really love her as she deserves, fearing the emotional repercussions of another divorce before he’s even gotten together with her. During the course of the novel, his responses to these issues end up switching with one another, so that at the book’s crisis he is more confident of his relationship with Becky—perhaps because he comes to find that she is the only thing he is able to count on as the people in Santa Mira are replaced—and he becomes more and more resigned that he is going to fail at saving Santa Mira from the alien invasion.
Writing in first person is a prop in some ways; unless the writer is particularly bad, it’s hard not to feel something of the mental state of the narrator. Finney uses the tool well, but his strengths go beyond such facile writing. While his style is conversational and smooth, he spends a great deal of time carefully crafting his sentences and paragraphs for the most emotional impact. And his descriptive passages are tremendously powerful, homey and yet evocative at the same time. Finney’s style adds a dimension to the book that is missing from any adaptation of it that I have seen—The Body Snatchers is much more than just a thriller; it is a story of loss and its effects.
The most powerful passages of The Body Snatchers are the ones where Bennell wanders through his town, the images of its current state—dusty windows, dirty streets, empty businesses—conflicting with his happy memories of a vibrant town. It doesn’t really matter to these passages why Santa Mira has reached this state; the town could be dying because of loss of industry or any other reason that towns die off. What stands out is Bennell’s genuine sorrow which is expressed in how and what he describes rather than any explicit statement of emotion. Not only do we see the town in its current state of disrepair, we also see its potential and its history, generically but enthusiastically described with all the fondness of a lifetime resident.
And ultimately this leads to what the book is about. The first movie has long had a reputation as a “red scare” movie, as much for its plot as for its potentially terrifying ending: “They’re after all of us! Our wives…our children…they’re here already! You’re next!” The book could be taken in the same light, but that would require some twisting of the words. The real focus of The Body Snatchers is the loss, through whatever means, of the things that make us human. It’s not only the emotions that the aliens lack, it is the relationships that bind them into a network of humanity. And Bennell’s place in Santa Mira is predicated on those relationships. He recognizes people by their face and can recite their history and personality. He genuinely likes the town and its people, often expressing fondness over their peccadilloes and quirks. But even if Bennell is not replaced by an alien, what kind of life can he have when all those connections are severed from the other end? Everything he knows, the very foundation of his existence as Miles Bennell, will be removed just as surely as if his place was taken by an unfeeling vegetable life form.
Finney’s novel does go into more detail about the pods and where they are from, and, more importantly, why they do what they do. The story is told by one of he “pod people” so, of course it has a little bias to it, but Bennell quickly sniffs that out and gets to the true core of their existence. They merely do what they do to survive, independent of the species they might destroy along the way. Embedded here is an accidental sideways glance at the ecological problems our world currently faces, made especially poignant as the alien reminds Bennell about all the species man has destroyed to claim his place in the world.
An unexpected treat is that, despite how closely the book and the first movie are bound, the book ends in a method entirely different from the open-ended conclusion of the movie. The book’s conclusion seems a little artificial and may be the weakest part. But taking a step back to appreciate the source of the story, originally a serial in Collier’s and for a far less cynical audience, it makes a lot of sense.
All told, The Body Snatchers is truly a thriller that is difficult to put down and that calls seductively to be picked up whenever it is not in the reader’s hands. It may be difficult to find but it is a book that true lovers of speculative fiction need to have in their library. And a regular viewing of the original movie isn’t uncalled for too.
Saturday, August 18, 2007
Comic musings for 15 August
Well, the writing is going pretty well and Mrs. Speculator is happy with her new computer (Alienware, damned brightest LEDs I think I've ever seen). Work is being a real pain at the moment, but I'm told that's the price of being good at what I do.
But what does any of that matter? Comics came in this week, and so all is right with the world. It's a tough call about whether that is the coolest thing in the world or that college football starts in about 10 days. Yeah, I know a lot is not right with the world at the moment, but it really isn't anything a little tailgating and a 1pm kickoff couldn't take care of. Of course, if Mrs. Speculator ask, the uber Alien conputer is the bomb.
Spoilers ho!
Black Canary 4 - I guess Black Canary can't have any strings attached to her when she marries Ollie in a few weeks. As could have been predicted during the events of the previous issue, Sin is not really dead...not even mostly dead. It was a all a gag set up by Team Arrow so that the League of Assassins would believe Sin to be dead. And of course, to sell it, they couldn't tell Canary, or else she would somehow betray them by not being terrified/pissed off/madder than a wet cat.
So, we get this really bizarre scene when Ollie tells Canary about the plan and tells her he understands that they won't be getting married. Sadly, we know that's a load of crap, since there are like 50 gajillion wedding specials planned (none of which actually indicating that the nuptials really take place), so writer Tony Bedard writes some truly twisted and perhaps overly stereotypical female logic to explain why Canary accepts the proposal. Apparently, Ollie's willingness to sacrifice his possible marriage to her in order to save Sin is symbolic enough that Canary believes he is no longer the selfish bastard he was before he died. The more I think about this, the less convoluted it is, but it strikes me as one of those things that you see in movies but when tried in real life never works.
But what is a little more troubling to me is how the Sin character has sort of been tossed away for what I feel to be no real good reason. Gail Simone's arc that introduced her and then built up the relationship was really strong (at least for the Canary half; the Shiva part not so much). Within Sin was the potential to add dimension to Black Canary, and it feels awkwardly like the writers have forced her to trade one family for another. It could be the case that the relationship will be allowed to grow, though doing so over the Pacific Ocean will not be easy. It just feels very contrived and unnecessary. I hope that I shall be proven wrong following the wedding. (But it's being written by Judd Winnick, so don't hold your breath.)
Booster Gold 1 - I'm hoping this title will be an exploration of the 52 multiverses but it sure isn't starting starting out that way. It would appear that Booster is set to become "DC's unknown champion of time" and it took some real convincing to get him there. Booster is not renowned for his subtlety, but Geoff Johns and Jeff Katz may be wielding slightly too heavy a stick. After the events of 52, it would be nice for Booster to be a little more mature. I guess we'll have to see if the "rapport" between Booster and SKeets will ever parallel that between L-Ron and Max Lord in the heyday of the JLI.
At least we now know that "Rip Hunter" is not a real name, and the rationale for using it is interesting. It appears that time still has some holes in it, some unexpected twists that Booster is going to have to fix. And of course there is the malignant someone who is interested in stopping the repair, and Rip has changed his name in order to hide his real identity and remain safe from temporal incursions that would change his life.
Johns and Katz push the right buttons, making this promising and worth picking up for a while. Dan Jurgens's art has never looked more classic, and it really is nice to see him working regularly again (I say this as though he's done many issues; let's just hope). And it turns out that the upcoming one-shots featuring the new "Challengers of the Unknown" will be visiting some of those multiverses, even if they have the most ridiculously long titles in the history of comics: COUNTDOWN PRESENTS: THE SEARCH FOR RAY PALMER: GOTHAM BY GASLIGHT. I suppose my preceeding the title with another colon was no help. Proctologist comic fans rejoice!
Let me get back to the actual issue by pointing out I enjoyed the tension of Booster trying to return to the Justice League. His ultimate refusal to accept the invitation played out exactly right, exposing the humane side of Booster, a side we get to see more often in the coming months. Similarly, his fondness for Blue Beetle is played fairly well, though if he said Beetle's name a few more times it would have appeared an obsession, and the title may end up there. Of course, Booster would be Booster if he wasn't a jerk sometimes, but he's no Lobo. Johns and Katz will just have to be careful on this measure.
Action 854 - Hey, Krypto's Back! And wouldn't you know it--among his superpowers, the ability to explain where he's been for the past year is missing.
The real focus of this story is the growth of Jimmy Olsen and his powers. Somehow he has suddenly remembered another secret identity, but this time it is Superman. I would've expected a different reaction from Jimmy once he realizes who Superman is--anger, disbelief, something--but he just takes it in his stride and goeson about his quest, to join the Justice League (apparently the League is looking for members and no one knew it). After thinking his way through a potential fight rather than laying the smack down on a fairly harmless foe, Superman agrees to give Mr. Action a shot at joining the JLA.
Enh.
Did I mention Krypto's back? I'm sure this is all going to lead to some fascinating revelation about the nature of Countdown. Enh.
Flash 231 - Mark Waid's writing the Flash! And it's Wally! And Acuna's drawing it...oh, wait, that's not so great. I was finally able to stomach his art with Uncle Sam and the Freedom Fighters and maybe I'll get to that point again. To be honest, there are some very nice panels of the Wests' home life, but his style just doesn't seem to be suited to action sequences. I'll suspend final judgement for a few more issues, but I'm not optimistic.
However, Waid returns in fine form, still nailing the voices of these characters. The addition of two kids who appear to be about the age of 8 or 9 while being little more than a year old is troubling, evoking memories of the sometimes clumsily handled Impulse. (Let me be clear, I liked Impulse. But in the wrong hands, he was just annoying. Fortunately Waid's hands were some of the right ones.) The children's powers are speed-based, but don't involve running really fast--Jai accelerates the molecules in his muscles to become what appears to be a steroid freak midget with the strnegth to match, while Iris is able to vibrate through substances (withou them blowing up, it should be added). And Linda's scenes are just perfect. So, while this issue is mostly set-up for the stories to come, a reintroduction of sorts, it's still a better issue in many ways than anything with the word "Flash" in the title for the past year. Gads, what might have happened had WAid been writing *that*?
Justice League of America 12 - I am only including this to do a sort of verbal head-scratching. DC continuity seems all twisted around the Justice League, if only for two reasons. First, Hawkgirl only just got rid of her curse and was going to try to work things out with Carter...and now she's in bed with Roy? (And we had to walk in on it???) And one of the barely glimpsed narrators of the story is Aquaman. No, not the current Aquaman, but the one we all want to come back. I got no explanation for this, unless it is some twisted plot-device I can't explain. Martian Manhunter is clearly speaking to the Aquaman who helped him form the Justice League, calling on their shared memories, even if he is wearing the new Aquaman's armored costume. I hope this one gets explained fairly soon, but Iadmot to really looking forward to the new JLA writer.
But what does any of that matter? Comics came in this week, and so all is right with the world. It's a tough call about whether that is the coolest thing in the world or that college football starts in about 10 days. Yeah, I know a lot is not right with the world at the moment, but it really isn't anything a little tailgating and a 1pm kickoff couldn't take care of. Of course, if Mrs. Speculator ask, the uber Alien conputer is the bomb.
Spoilers ho!
Black Canary 4 - I guess Black Canary can't have any strings attached to her when she marries Ollie in a few weeks. As could have been predicted during the events of the previous issue, Sin is not really dead...not even mostly dead. It was a all a gag set up by Team Arrow so that the League of Assassins would believe Sin to be dead. And of course, to sell it, they couldn't tell Canary, or else she would somehow betray them by not being terrified/pissed off/madder than a wet cat.
So, we get this really bizarre scene when Ollie tells Canary about the plan and tells her he understands that they won't be getting married. Sadly, we know that's a load of crap, since there are like 50 gajillion wedding specials planned (none of which actually indicating that the nuptials really take place), so writer Tony Bedard writes some truly twisted and perhaps overly stereotypical female logic to explain why Canary accepts the proposal. Apparently, Ollie's willingness to sacrifice his possible marriage to her in order to save Sin is symbolic enough that Canary believes he is no longer the selfish bastard he was before he died. The more I think about this, the less convoluted it is, but it strikes me as one of those things that you see in movies but when tried in real life never works.
But what is a little more troubling to me is how the Sin character has sort of been tossed away for what I feel to be no real good reason. Gail Simone's arc that introduced her and then built up the relationship was really strong (at least for the Canary half; the Shiva part not so much). Within Sin was the potential to add dimension to Black Canary, and it feels awkwardly like the writers have forced her to trade one family for another. It could be the case that the relationship will be allowed to grow, though doing so over the Pacific Ocean will not be easy. It just feels very contrived and unnecessary. I hope that I shall be proven wrong following the wedding. (But it's being written by Judd Winnick, so don't hold your breath.)
Booster Gold 1 - I'm hoping this title will be an exploration of the 52 multiverses but it sure isn't starting starting out that way. It would appear that Booster is set to become "DC's unknown champion of time" and it took some real convincing to get him there. Booster is not renowned for his subtlety, but Geoff Johns and Jeff Katz may be wielding slightly too heavy a stick. After the events of 52, it would be nice for Booster to be a little more mature. I guess we'll have to see if the "rapport" between Booster and SKeets will ever parallel that between L-Ron and Max Lord in the heyday of the JLI.
At least we now know that "Rip Hunter" is not a real name, and the rationale for using it is interesting. It appears that time still has some holes in it, some unexpected twists that Booster is going to have to fix. And of course there is the malignant someone who is interested in stopping the repair, and Rip has changed his name in order to hide his real identity and remain safe from temporal incursions that would change his life.
Johns and Katz push the right buttons, making this promising and worth picking up for a while. Dan Jurgens's art has never looked more classic, and it really is nice to see him working regularly again (I say this as though he's done many issues; let's just hope). And it turns out that the upcoming one-shots featuring the new "Challengers of the Unknown" will be visiting some of those multiverses, even if they have the most ridiculously long titles in the history of comics: COUNTDOWN PRESENTS: THE SEARCH FOR RAY PALMER: GOTHAM BY GASLIGHT. I suppose my preceeding the title with another colon was no help. Proctologist comic fans rejoice!
Let me get back to the actual issue by pointing out I enjoyed the tension of Booster trying to return to the Justice League. His ultimate refusal to accept the invitation played out exactly right, exposing the humane side of Booster, a side we get to see more often in the coming months. Similarly, his fondness for Blue Beetle is played fairly well, though if he said Beetle's name a few more times it would have appeared an obsession, and the title may end up there. Of course, Booster would be Booster if he wasn't a jerk sometimes, but he's no Lobo. Johns and Katz will just have to be careful on this measure.
Action 854 - Hey, Krypto's Back! And wouldn't you know it--among his superpowers, the ability to explain where he's been for the past year is missing.
The real focus of this story is the growth of Jimmy Olsen and his powers. Somehow he has suddenly remembered another secret identity, but this time it is Superman. I would've expected a different reaction from Jimmy once he realizes who Superman is--anger, disbelief, something--but he just takes it in his stride and goeson about his quest, to join the Justice League (apparently the League is looking for members and no one knew it). After thinking his way through a potential fight rather than laying the smack down on a fairly harmless foe, Superman agrees to give Mr. Action a shot at joining the JLA.
Enh.
Did I mention Krypto's back? I'm sure this is all going to lead to some fascinating revelation about the nature of Countdown. Enh.
Flash 231 - Mark Waid's writing the Flash! And it's Wally! And Acuna's drawing it...oh, wait, that's not so great. I was finally able to stomach his art with Uncle Sam and the Freedom Fighters and maybe I'll get to that point again. To be honest, there are some very nice panels of the Wests' home life, but his style just doesn't seem to be suited to action sequences. I'll suspend final judgement for a few more issues, but I'm not optimistic.
However, Waid returns in fine form, still nailing the voices of these characters. The addition of two kids who appear to be about the age of 8 or 9 while being little more than a year old is troubling, evoking memories of the sometimes clumsily handled Impulse. (Let me be clear, I liked Impulse. But in the wrong hands, he was just annoying. Fortunately Waid's hands were some of the right ones.) The children's powers are speed-based, but don't involve running really fast--Jai accelerates the molecules in his muscles to become what appears to be a steroid freak midget with the strnegth to match, while Iris is able to vibrate through substances (withou them blowing up, it should be added). And Linda's scenes are just perfect. So, while this issue is mostly set-up for the stories to come, a reintroduction of sorts, it's still a better issue in many ways than anything with the word "Flash" in the title for the past year. Gads, what might have happened had WAid been writing *that*?
Justice League of America 12 - I am only including this to do a sort of verbal head-scratching. DC continuity seems all twisted around the Justice League, if only for two reasons. First, Hawkgirl only just got rid of her curse and was going to try to work things out with Carter...and now she's in bed with Roy? (And we had to walk in on it???) And one of the barely glimpsed narrators of the story is Aquaman. No, not the current Aquaman, but the one we all want to come back. I got no explanation for this, unless it is some twisted plot-device I can't explain. Martian Manhunter is clearly speaking to the Aquaman who helped him form the Justice League, calling on their shared memories, even if he is wearing the new Aquaman's armored costume. I hope this one gets explained fairly soon, but Iadmot to really looking forward to the new JLA writer.
Monday, August 13, 2007
Comic musings for 8 August
It was a fairly large stack of comics this week, made that much more weighty after a number of purchases based on a panel at Comic-con. Basically, the Kirby tribute panel got my head to reeling and I decided I just had to go find more Kirby than the scraps and leavings I already have. So I went to the local comic store (Foundation's Edge, if you're in the Triangle) and placed a special order. This week, I received, on top of my usual weekly comics, Eternals by Neil Gaiman and John Romita Jr., and the Kamandi Archive and The Fourth World Omnibus, Volume 1 by Jack Kirby. I've barely cracked open the Eternals and am looking forward to real Kirby I got, but it's going ot hav eto wiat a while.
Perhaps I can do a little reviewing of them when I get through them, but work things, home things, and a little side-project I am working on are going to be taking up a lot of time in the next two weeks. The side-project? I'm writing a book...well, doing a series of interviews with Mark Schultz, creator of Xenozoic Tales and publishing them in the Modern Master series from Two Morrows. I found out over San Diego that my deadlines got smooshed in by a month and I really need to finish the transcription and first edits in the next week or ten days. "Week" would be better I think. So, we'll see how the blogging goes in that time.
So, for some reviews of last week's comics:
Spoilers ho!
Green Lantern 22 - You know? Not much happens. There's a pause in the "Sinestro Corps War" amd a lot of plot points made. We look in on the new head of the Manhunters, Cyborg Superman, and his...mentor the Anti-Monitor. Parallax shows all of his teeth; I mean that literally. We get to see the rows and rows of teeth he has. Superboy Prime says "Heh." And Hal and his team make it to the keeper of the Book of Parallax, who we have seen in Green Lantern Corps in a back-up series of late. But really, nothing of real imortance happens; the plot doesn't get moved along and we just count off another issue in the as-yet undetermined length of the War. Maybe in a few months we'll look back on this issue as the one where we were given big hints about what was to come, but I doubt it.
Batman 667 - If you haven't picked up on this perception yet, I'm a geek. I actually catalogued and then bought every appearance of the International Club of Heroes. I think I had a fondness for the Knight and Squire, although the Gaucho was pretty cool too. And now Grant Morrison has brought them back, aged and cynical (except for the irrepressible Squire). Batman, of course, steals the limelight of the murder mystery that takes place instead of the expected meeting, but that's only because J.H. Williams III just kicks butt and takes names with his art and layouts for this issue. And unlike the last issue of Batman, this one is surprisingly coherent and a joy to read, especially if you are a fan of the old ICH. There's a heck of a cliff-hanger too, though I swear the antagonist looks very very familiar in profile. And if it is who I think it is, I'll not be happy.
JLA Classified 41 - The end of the "Kid Amazo" arc, and it just stank. The JLA figures out that not only has Kid Amazo duplicated their powers but that he has also duplicated their personalities. On the one hand, that would seem to me to just lead to multiple-personality disorder rather than any sort of coherent being. On the other hand, I'm not sure why the JLA showing their internal conflicts would cause Kid Amazo to embody those conflicts to the point of his own destruction. If there were inherent conflicts, they should have begun maifesting far sooner than they did, and we should have probably seen some indications that such was the case before now. And then there was the whole scene when Kid Amazo discovers this his former girlfriend is also the genetic basis for his human half. I have no idea how this revelation advances the plot, but it is very Oedipal and really just distracting to the point of the story. And it didn't work as a sad counterpoint on the last page of the comic either. All in all, a really disappointing conclusion to a story that had a lot of potential.
Black Adam 1 - That Black Adam, he sure is a lout. Peter Tomasi is writing this post-52 story with Black Adam acting as he did before Isis arrived in his life. No minion is too small to be sacrificed to Teth-Adam's greater good, but also as before, his plans are not so single-minded as they appear. He is not just bent on death and destruction, but he has a plan, involving a Lazarus pit. But you have to wonder if he has thought this cunning plan all the way through--does he really think the person he raises from the Lazarus pit is going to be very happy with the methods used to *reach* the Lazarus pit? Well, we have five more issues to find out. Doug Mahnke's art really works for me in this issue, and I usually struggle to appreciate the work he is doing. I'm going to keep reading this even though we already have a pretty good idea how this is going to turn out based on the recent events in Countdown. I guess the fun is going to be in how we get there.
Notes
Not much to say here except that Newsarama has been running a series of character synopses of old-time Timely character that are going to be used in an upcoming minieries from Marvel. I suppose a lot of the heroes from that time were pretty stupid, but I am having trouble with these guys. They're just ridiculously stupid. The Laughing Mask? The Blue Blade--a guy in a pair of blue shorts, a blue cape and a blue hat (waving around a big blade (yes, I intentionally left out the shirt and I am not the only one apparently)? Czptain Wonder and his long sleeved shirt and attached cowl...and Speedos? Does that machine gun he carries meant to make up for his deficiencies elsewhere? I can't believe they are going to try to make a series out of thiese folks. I honestly hope that most of them are unhappy about their chosen career paths and costumes. I suspect when all is said and done, Marvel's own recent Agents of Atlas will be remembered far more fondly than this disaster waiting to happen.
If you have not seen, Mike Wieringo passed away this past weekend, tragically and far too young. From eveything I have heard and seen, he was a good gentle man. The comics community has been diminished with his loss.
Perhaps I can do a little reviewing of them when I get through them, but work things, home things, and a little side-project I am working on are going to be taking up a lot of time in the next two weeks. The side-project? I'm writing a book...well, doing a series of interviews with Mark Schultz, creator of Xenozoic Tales and publishing them in the Modern Master series from Two Morrows. I found out over San Diego that my deadlines got smooshed in by a month and I really need to finish the transcription and first edits in the next week or ten days. "Week" would be better I think. So, we'll see how the blogging goes in that time.
So, for some reviews of last week's comics:
Spoilers ho!
Green Lantern 22 - You know? Not much happens. There's a pause in the "Sinestro Corps War" amd a lot of plot points made. We look in on the new head of the Manhunters, Cyborg Superman, and his...mentor the Anti-Monitor. Parallax shows all of his teeth; I mean that literally. We get to see the rows and rows of teeth he has. Superboy Prime says "Heh." And Hal and his team make it to the keeper of the Book of Parallax, who we have seen in Green Lantern Corps in a back-up series of late. But really, nothing of real imortance happens; the plot doesn't get moved along and we just count off another issue in the as-yet undetermined length of the War. Maybe in a few months we'll look back on this issue as the one where we were given big hints about what was to come, but I doubt it.
Batman 667 - If you haven't picked up on this perception yet, I'm a geek. I actually catalogued and then bought every appearance of the International Club of Heroes. I think I had a fondness for the Knight and Squire, although the Gaucho was pretty cool too. And now Grant Morrison has brought them back, aged and cynical (except for the irrepressible Squire). Batman, of course, steals the limelight of the murder mystery that takes place instead of the expected meeting, but that's only because J.H. Williams III just kicks butt and takes names with his art and layouts for this issue. And unlike the last issue of Batman, this one is surprisingly coherent and a joy to read, especially if you are a fan of the old ICH. There's a heck of a cliff-hanger too, though I swear the antagonist looks very very familiar in profile. And if it is who I think it is, I'll not be happy.
JLA Classified 41 - The end of the "Kid Amazo" arc, and it just stank. The JLA figures out that not only has Kid Amazo duplicated their powers but that he has also duplicated their personalities. On the one hand, that would seem to me to just lead to multiple-personality disorder rather than any sort of coherent being. On the other hand, I'm not sure why the JLA showing their internal conflicts would cause Kid Amazo to embody those conflicts to the point of his own destruction. If there were inherent conflicts, they should have begun maifesting far sooner than they did, and we should have probably seen some indications that such was the case before now. And then there was the whole scene when Kid Amazo discovers this his former girlfriend is also the genetic basis for his human half. I have no idea how this revelation advances the plot, but it is very Oedipal and really just distracting to the point of the story. And it didn't work as a sad counterpoint on the last page of the comic either. All in all, a really disappointing conclusion to a story that had a lot of potential.
Black Adam 1 - That Black Adam, he sure is a lout. Peter Tomasi is writing this post-52 story with Black Adam acting as he did before Isis arrived in his life. No minion is too small to be sacrificed to Teth-Adam's greater good, but also as before, his plans are not so single-minded as they appear. He is not just bent on death and destruction, but he has a plan, involving a Lazarus pit. But you have to wonder if he has thought this cunning plan all the way through--does he really think the person he raises from the Lazarus pit is going to be very happy with the methods used to *reach* the Lazarus pit? Well, we have five more issues to find out. Doug Mahnke's art really works for me in this issue, and I usually struggle to appreciate the work he is doing. I'm going to keep reading this even though we already have a pretty good idea how this is going to turn out based on the recent events in Countdown. I guess the fun is going to be in how we get there.
Notes
Not much to say here except that Newsarama has been running a series of character synopses of old-time Timely character that are going to be used in an upcoming minieries from Marvel. I suppose a lot of the heroes from that time were pretty stupid, but I am having trouble with these guys. They're just ridiculously stupid. The Laughing Mask? The Blue Blade--a guy in a pair of blue shorts, a blue cape and a blue hat (waving around a big blade (yes, I intentionally left out the shirt and I am not the only one apparently)? Czptain Wonder and his long sleeved shirt and attached cowl...and Speedos? Does that machine gun he carries meant to make up for his deficiencies elsewhere? I can't believe they are going to try to make a series out of thiese folks. I honestly hope that most of them are unhappy about their chosen career paths and costumes. I suspect when all is said and done, Marvel's own recent Agents of Atlas will be remembered far more fondly than this disaster waiting to happen.
If you have not seen, Mike Wieringo passed away this past weekend, tragically and far too young. From eveything I have heard and seen, he was a good gentle man. The comics community has been diminished with his loss.
The Ghost Brigades
It sounds like it could be military science-fiction but it really isn’t. It could also have been space opera, but it doesn’t quite go that far either. The Ghost Brigades does contain some interesting science-fiction concepts wrapped up in a discussion of responsibility and free will, coming together as a fairly interesting read without a lot of surprises.
I should point out that this novel by John Scalzi is actually the sequel to Old Man’s War, but you don’t have to read the first book to enjoy the second. All the background the reader might need is delivered via conversation among the characters, sometimes a little heavy-handedly, to be honest, but then exposition is sometimes the hardest part of a novel to write. The Colonial Union is Earth’s space military, in place to defend Earth’s colonies from the close to 600 species within its sphere of influence. The Special Forces branch of this military is made up of cloned humans who are genetically modified to have enhanced senses and reactions, as well as having a portable computer implanted in their brains for training and communication purposes. This is fairly standard science fiction fare, but Scalzi goes a step further by having the clones being born at the peak of their physical maturity—forced accelerated maturation, so that it does not take 18 years to develop a good soldier. The portable computer, called the BrainPal, teaches the soldier everything it needs to know, and within two weeks of birth, soldiers can take the field.
Into this world comes news that a human scientist has turned traitor, going over to the side of an alliance of three enemy races. Due to the sloppiness of the scientist (and it’s never really a good sign when the character later remarks to himself how stupid his act was), he leaves behind an experimental recording of his consciousness, which the military scientists decide to pour into a militarized clone of the scientist himself. Thus is born Jared Dirac, clone of Charles Boutin, whom authorities hope will not only remember why his donor-parent went rogue, but where he is and what he is specifically doing.
As Dirac goes through training and his first few battles, Scalzi does a nice job of developing the military life that the Special Forces must use. Dirac also has interactions with “realborn,” humans who are normal. The differences in their lives and upbringing are brought into relief through conversations between them as well as the fairly exacting details of Dirac’s career. This is the part of the novel that most resembles military science fiction, but only in the way that Heinlein’s Starship Troopers would be considered military SF: more time is spent in the barracks than in battle. Scalzi is more interested in the interaction of these modified humans with humans and with each other than to talk about the specific strategies of a space battle or an attack against an alien race. This has the interesting effect of pointing out Dirac’s humanity by discussing and exhibiting how inhuman he and others consider him to be.
But when Dirac painfully regains the first memory of Boutin’s life, the focus of the novel changes to an examination of who this character really is—is he Boutin, complete with his memories and responses, or is he Dirac going through some highly specialized training? Even his superiors are unsure of him, well aware of his potential for going rogue himself. What’s worse, Dirac now knows his true nature and also doesn’t know what to consider himself.
Scalzi has set up a fairly integrated and complete future human society. We don’t have the advantage of knowing what non-military life for humans is like. He has also established an interesting network of alien races, and when Dirac finally meets Boutin face-to-face, wonderfully pokes holes in the culture he has worked so hard to establish. Here also is perhaps the biggest weakness of The Ghost Brigades: Boutin’s rationale for his actions does not stand up in the face of logic. A renowned scientist would likely have thought more clearly through his reasoning for turning traitor—and for a man who claims to love his daughter as much as he does, her well-being never seems to be very important to Boutin.
Ultimately, as may be expected, Dirac and Boutin face off, with a result that is fairly predictable. On the one hand, I would have liked the effect of the conclusion to have had more effect on the other characters in the story as they the legacy and example of Dirac and Boutin. The events that follow the climax are important, though; just not personal enough. And they probably also help to set up the third book in the series. I just find it unfortunate that we spend the majority of the book examining the humanity of the main character only to have that purpose swept aside by the resolution of the conflict.
Outside of this flaw, The Ghost Brigades is an enjoyable read, positing a very believable future and using that setting to ask important questions concerning the nature of being human, questions that carry beyond the confines of the book. Ultimately, it’s an optimistic book about individuals, but like Heinlein, it questions the motives of humans when they get together into groups requiring politics. Also like Heinlein, the book is written in a deceptively simple style, putting the questions and conversation about the characters in place through their interaction without huge expository monologues. It’s a solid effort, and I look forward to reading more of Scalzi down the road.
I should point out that this novel by John Scalzi is actually the sequel to Old Man’s War, but you don’t have to read the first book to enjoy the second. All the background the reader might need is delivered via conversation among the characters, sometimes a little heavy-handedly, to be honest, but then exposition is sometimes the hardest part of a novel to write. The Colonial Union is Earth’s space military, in place to defend Earth’s colonies from the close to 600 species within its sphere of influence. The Special Forces branch of this military is made up of cloned humans who are genetically modified to have enhanced senses and reactions, as well as having a portable computer implanted in their brains for training and communication purposes. This is fairly standard science fiction fare, but Scalzi goes a step further by having the clones being born at the peak of their physical maturity—forced accelerated maturation, so that it does not take 18 years to develop a good soldier. The portable computer, called the BrainPal, teaches the soldier everything it needs to know, and within two weeks of birth, soldiers can take the field.
Into this world comes news that a human scientist has turned traitor, going over to the side of an alliance of three enemy races. Due to the sloppiness of the scientist (and it’s never really a good sign when the character later remarks to himself how stupid his act was), he leaves behind an experimental recording of his consciousness, which the military scientists decide to pour into a militarized clone of the scientist himself. Thus is born Jared Dirac, clone of Charles Boutin, whom authorities hope will not only remember why his donor-parent went rogue, but where he is and what he is specifically doing.
As Dirac goes through training and his first few battles, Scalzi does a nice job of developing the military life that the Special Forces must use. Dirac also has interactions with “realborn,” humans who are normal. The differences in their lives and upbringing are brought into relief through conversations between them as well as the fairly exacting details of Dirac’s career. This is the part of the novel that most resembles military science fiction, but only in the way that Heinlein’s Starship Troopers would be considered military SF: more time is spent in the barracks than in battle. Scalzi is more interested in the interaction of these modified humans with humans and with each other than to talk about the specific strategies of a space battle or an attack against an alien race. This has the interesting effect of pointing out Dirac’s humanity by discussing and exhibiting how inhuman he and others consider him to be.
But when Dirac painfully regains the first memory of Boutin’s life, the focus of the novel changes to an examination of who this character really is—is he Boutin, complete with his memories and responses, or is he Dirac going through some highly specialized training? Even his superiors are unsure of him, well aware of his potential for going rogue himself. What’s worse, Dirac now knows his true nature and also doesn’t know what to consider himself.
Scalzi has set up a fairly integrated and complete future human society. We don’t have the advantage of knowing what non-military life for humans is like. He has also established an interesting network of alien races, and when Dirac finally meets Boutin face-to-face, wonderfully pokes holes in the culture he has worked so hard to establish. Here also is perhaps the biggest weakness of The Ghost Brigades: Boutin’s rationale for his actions does not stand up in the face of logic. A renowned scientist would likely have thought more clearly through his reasoning for turning traitor—and for a man who claims to love his daughter as much as he does, her well-being never seems to be very important to Boutin.
Ultimately, as may be expected, Dirac and Boutin face off, with a result that is fairly predictable. On the one hand, I would have liked the effect of the conclusion to have had more effect on the other characters in the story as they the legacy and example of Dirac and Boutin. The events that follow the climax are important, though; just not personal enough. And they probably also help to set up the third book in the series. I just find it unfortunate that we spend the majority of the book examining the humanity of the main character only to have that purpose swept aside by the resolution of the conflict.
Outside of this flaw, The Ghost Brigades is an enjoyable read, positing a very believable future and using that setting to ask important questions concerning the nature of being human, questions that carry beyond the confines of the book. Ultimately, it’s an optimistic book about individuals, but like Heinlein, it questions the motives of humans when they get together into groups requiring politics. Also like Heinlein, the book is written in a deceptively simple style, putting the questions and conversation about the characters in place through their interaction without huge expository monologues. It’s a solid effort, and I look forward to reading more of Scalzi down the road.
Stardust
The second movie Mrs. Speculator and I took in this weekend was the fantasy Stardust. After the huge success of movies in the Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter series, small fantasies like Stardust are just going to have a difficult time succeeding in the marketplace. It’s unfortunate, because Stardust is a delightful movie, thoughtfully written and directed, never intending to be as awe-inspiring as those much larger movies and thus unlikely to receive as much attention as those grander films.
Of course, biased as I am, I would point out that part of the great success of Stardust lies in the story by Neil Gaiman. While he didn’t work on the screenplay, it was his work that created the foundation for the entire movie. Like most things Gaiman, there are a number of plot threads that are revealed in the course of the movie, all of which are tied up nicely by its end. The characters are filled out in the course of the picture, moving away from what could have been particularly flat roles into lively people. And best of all, there is humor, in the plot, in the characters’ interaction, in the very basis of the characters themselves.
Young Tristan Thorne is in love with Victoria, a young woman who is flighty and fickle. She is to announce her engagement to Tristan’s nemesis, Humphrey, but agrees to become engaged to Tristan if Tristan can return a fallen star to her within a week. No matter to Tristan that the star they have watched fall appears to have landed on the other side of the wall that stands outside his village, a wall that separates England from Stormhold, a kingdom where magic works and princes and witches also conspire to gather the fallen star. Through magic means, Tristan arrives at the star first, astonished to discover that the star is actually a young woman. Undaunted, however, Tristan begins the return trek to his mundane village, unaware of the pursuit of those witches and princes.
Those characters are played with joy and verve. Michelle Pfeiffer romps through her role as Lamia, a witch who seeks the star in order to use her heart to create a potion of eternal youth. Every time she uses her magic, she ages further and so she moves from stunning to haggish in the course of the movie. Also in the hunt are the two surviving princes of Stormhold, Primus and Septimus, whose father has set for them the challenge of returning the star to the palace in order to claim leadership of Stormhold. They are also accompanied by the ghosts of their five dead brothers, a rousing chorus of the dead, who offer insight and humor to the whole proceeding.
Stardust also has Robert deNiro, who nearly steals the entire movie as Captain Shakespeare, a rogue-ish captain who has plenty of his own secrets and a very unassuming crew. Along the way back to Tristan’s village, he and Yvaine (the star, played by Claire Danes) fall in love, with a few promptings from Shakespeare. Of course, no love story is truly complete until the lovers have a near-tragic misunderstanding, resulting in Yvaine’s capture by Lamia.
Imagine The Princess Bride with all of its characters and humor, and you will have a nice approximation of the feel of Stardust, only with more magic and twists in the plot. Stardust doesn’t have the zingy one-liners of The Princess Bride; its humor is more situational and dialogue-based. Nor does it have the epic scale of The Lord of the Rings, despite having a few establishing shots that could come from the same school. Stardust is a modern-day fairy tale, and comfortable in its scale. It’s funny and warm-hearted, and well worth the effort to catch before it escapes from mainstream theatres.
Of course, biased as I am, I would point out that part of the great success of Stardust lies in the story by Neil Gaiman. While he didn’t work on the screenplay, it was his work that created the foundation for the entire movie. Like most things Gaiman, there are a number of plot threads that are revealed in the course of the movie, all of which are tied up nicely by its end. The characters are filled out in the course of the picture, moving away from what could have been particularly flat roles into lively people. And best of all, there is humor, in the plot, in the characters’ interaction, in the very basis of the characters themselves.
Young Tristan Thorne is in love with Victoria, a young woman who is flighty and fickle. She is to announce her engagement to Tristan’s nemesis, Humphrey, but agrees to become engaged to Tristan if Tristan can return a fallen star to her within a week. No matter to Tristan that the star they have watched fall appears to have landed on the other side of the wall that stands outside his village, a wall that separates England from Stormhold, a kingdom where magic works and princes and witches also conspire to gather the fallen star. Through magic means, Tristan arrives at the star first, astonished to discover that the star is actually a young woman. Undaunted, however, Tristan begins the return trek to his mundane village, unaware of the pursuit of those witches and princes.
Those characters are played with joy and verve. Michelle Pfeiffer romps through her role as Lamia, a witch who seeks the star in order to use her heart to create a potion of eternal youth. Every time she uses her magic, she ages further and so she moves from stunning to haggish in the course of the movie. Also in the hunt are the two surviving princes of Stormhold, Primus and Septimus, whose father has set for them the challenge of returning the star to the palace in order to claim leadership of Stormhold. They are also accompanied by the ghosts of their five dead brothers, a rousing chorus of the dead, who offer insight and humor to the whole proceeding.
Stardust also has Robert deNiro, who nearly steals the entire movie as Captain Shakespeare, a rogue-ish captain who has plenty of his own secrets and a very unassuming crew. Along the way back to Tristan’s village, he and Yvaine (the star, played by Claire Danes) fall in love, with a few promptings from Shakespeare. Of course, no love story is truly complete until the lovers have a near-tragic misunderstanding, resulting in Yvaine’s capture by Lamia.
Imagine The Princess Bride with all of its characters and humor, and you will have a nice approximation of the feel of Stardust, only with more magic and twists in the plot. Stardust doesn’t have the zingy one-liners of The Princess Bride; its humor is more situational and dialogue-based. Nor does it have the epic scale of The Lord of the Rings, despite having a few establishing shots that could come from the same school. Stardust is a modern-day fairy tale, and comfortable in its scale. It’s funny and warm-hearted, and well worth the effort to catch before it escapes from mainstream theatres.
The Bourne Ultimatum
It was a movie-going weekend for me and Mrs. Speculator. We decided to do a little catch-up on Saturday, and went to see two movies at our favorite cinema (followed up by a visit to Cloos’ Coney Island, which is always a good thing). The first movie we saw was The Bourne Ultimatum, which, as I think about it, didn’t really have an ultimatum associated with it.
Given the action movies of this summer so far, Ultimatum has a lot of competition to measure up to; unfortunately, I don’t think it succeeds. While the movie was going on, I was wrapped up in the few chases and few fights there were and following Jason Bourne out of the maze that his life has become. But after the movie was done, I wondered to myself “what just happened?” And sadly, the only conclusion I could come to was “not very much.”
I’m reminded of the Lensman series of books by E. E. Smith, wherein each successive book has the hero going up against a villain, struggling but at the end finding a way to overcome them, then finding out that the villain was only the next level in a vast conspiracy. And so the cycle repeats itself for each novel. The first Bourne movie was thrilling because of the different kind of story it told—a trained assassin wanting to get out and finding out about the vast conspiracy he was involved in, including the process that set him with his new identity and abilities. In some ways, Jason Bourne was a super-hero, able to do what normal people could not imagine, able to face any challenge, and when all was done, with the ability to step back into a secret identity and hide from curious eyes. Also, director Paul Greengrass did some interesting things cinematically and Matt Damon played the unhappy assassin stoically and with a lot of stylish flair in his lack of typical action hero theatrics. But this is the third movie in the series, and nothing has changed. Bourne is still unhappy and he keeps working his way to the next biggest conspiracy. But the tactics of those that pursue him have not changed at all; they keep throwing “assets” at him (other assassins trained in the way that he has been trained) and he keeps eluding them and all the multinational police force that are trying to capture him.
This particular movie is also depressing in its cynicism about…well, about everything. For instance, at one point the CIA takes over the CCTV cameras in a major London train station to track Bourne as he attempts to meet with a contact. I realize that the CIA is perhaps the worst boogieman in American cinema, capable of corrupting anything they touch, but I have a lot of trouble accepting that the British government would have allowed a back door that allowed American operatives to hijack their tools. Bourne is also able to travel to pretty much any country he wants, which calls into question all of the security measures in place since 9/11. Most telling is that the bad guys in this segment of the trilogy have reinstituted the program that created Bourne in the first place and are using their newly formed assassins to kill American citizens. Of course, this is not what really concerns Bourne, but it serves as the lynchpin for the comeuppance that the CIA so richly deserves in this movie.
Also depressing was the acting by what should have been an excellent supporting cast. David Straithairn plays Noah Vosen, the corrupted CIA official that Bourne ultimately goes up against, but the role is so restraining that he really is not allowed to act. He only ever has to react to the things that Bourne does in the field and act sneaky, but his character is so ridiculously flat that it’s hard to really hate him. He clearly is just another cog in the machine that Bourne is fighting and easily replaceable by any other person who believes in country over ethics. Joan Allen reprises her role as Pam Landy, the CIA project manager who was chasing Bourne in the second movie, this time brought in to help Vosen when he realizes who he is up against. Ultimately, Landy turns against the CIA when she discovers the plot Bourne has accidentally blown the lid off of, but this act of turning is very wooden and without any emotion at all. N fact, coming to the aid of Bourne, as she does by the end of the film, feels like a real reversal in the character, but the change in personality happens near instantaneously. I guess we can believe that her distress at Vosen’s nonchalance at doing anything he feels his job requires is enough to change her affiliation, but there is no struggle for her. And again, the role is very shallow and not really worth an actress of Allen’s skill.
The cinematography is the same as the first two movies: non-stop action jump-cutting through the best action scenes, so that it is impossible to follow exactly what happens. And by the end of the movie, it doesn’t really matter—Bourne exposes another level of the corrupt agency he has worked for then gets away. There is no real indication that the corruption is totally uncovered—the previous movies all seemed to come some sort of resting place before the next larger web scoops up Bourne. Nothing here indicates that the conspiracies don’t continue, and I would argue that the pattern of the series pretty much guarantees that the conspiracies go on.
So when I thought back on the movie, I was left wondering what the point was. Nothing we haven’t already seen before happens—just different people getting in the way of Bourne’s quest for “truth.” And while the inertia of the ride was enough to sustain it while sitting in the theatre, I really walked away feeling pretty empty and disappointed.
Given the action movies of this summer so far, Ultimatum has a lot of competition to measure up to; unfortunately, I don’t think it succeeds. While the movie was going on, I was wrapped up in the few chases and few fights there were and following Jason Bourne out of the maze that his life has become. But after the movie was done, I wondered to myself “what just happened?” And sadly, the only conclusion I could come to was “not very much.”
I’m reminded of the Lensman series of books by E. E. Smith, wherein each successive book has the hero going up against a villain, struggling but at the end finding a way to overcome them, then finding out that the villain was only the next level in a vast conspiracy. And so the cycle repeats itself for each novel. The first Bourne movie was thrilling because of the different kind of story it told—a trained assassin wanting to get out and finding out about the vast conspiracy he was involved in, including the process that set him with his new identity and abilities. In some ways, Jason Bourne was a super-hero, able to do what normal people could not imagine, able to face any challenge, and when all was done, with the ability to step back into a secret identity and hide from curious eyes. Also, director Paul Greengrass did some interesting things cinematically and Matt Damon played the unhappy assassin stoically and with a lot of stylish flair in his lack of typical action hero theatrics. But this is the third movie in the series, and nothing has changed. Bourne is still unhappy and he keeps working his way to the next biggest conspiracy. But the tactics of those that pursue him have not changed at all; they keep throwing “assets” at him (other assassins trained in the way that he has been trained) and he keeps eluding them and all the multinational police force that are trying to capture him.
This particular movie is also depressing in its cynicism about…well, about everything. For instance, at one point the CIA takes over the CCTV cameras in a major London train station to track Bourne as he attempts to meet with a contact. I realize that the CIA is perhaps the worst boogieman in American cinema, capable of corrupting anything they touch, but I have a lot of trouble accepting that the British government would have allowed a back door that allowed American operatives to hijack their tools. Bourne is also able to travel to pretty much any country he wants, which calls into question all of the security measures in place since 9/11. Most telling is that the bad guys in this segment of the trilogy have reinstituted the program that created Bourne in the first place and are using their newly formed assassins to kill American citizens. Of course, this is not what really concerns Bourne, but it serves as the lynchpin for the comeuppance that the CIA so richly deserves in this movie.
Also depressing was the acting by what should have been an excellent supporting cast. David Straithairn plays Noah Vosen, the corrupted CIA official that Bourne ultimately goes up against, but the role is so restraining that he really is not allowed to act. He only ever has to react to the things that Bourne does in the field and act sneaky, but his character is so ridiculously flat that it’s hard to really hate him. He clearly is just another cog in the machine that Bourne is fighting and easily replaceable by any other person who believes in country over ethics. Joan Allen reprises her role as Pam Landy, the CIA project manager who was chasing Bourne in the second movie, this time brought in to help Vosen when he realizes who he is up against. Ultimately, Landy turns against the CIA when she discovers the plot Bourne has accidentally blown the lid off of, but this act of turning is very wooden and without any emotion at all. N fact, coming to the aid of Bourne, as she does by the end of the film, feels like a real reversal in the character, but the change in personality happens near instantaneously. I guess we can believe that her distress at Vosen’s nonchalance at doing anything he feels his job requires is enough to change her affiliation, but there is no struggle for her. And again, the role is very shallow and not really worth an actress of Allen’s skill.
The cinematography is the same as the first two movies: non-stop action jump-cutting through the best action scenes, so that it is impossible to follow exactly what happens. And by the end of the movie, it doesn’t really matter—Bourne exposes another level of the corrupt agency he has worked for then gets away. There is no real indication that the corruption is totally uncovered—the previous movies all seemed to come some sort of resting place before the next larger web scoops up Bourne. Nothing here indicates that the conspiracies don’t continue, and I would argue that the pattern of the series pretty much guarantees that the conspiracies go on.
So when I thought back on the movie, I was left wondering what the point was. Nothing we haven’t already seen before happens—just different people getting in the way of Bourne’s quest for “truth.” And while the inertia of the ride was enough to sustain it while sitting in the theatre, I really walked away feeling pretty empty and disappointed.
Tuesday, August 7, 2007
San Diego Comic Review
Here is a synopsis of the highlights for comics from 25 July and 1 August. There's a few more than usual, so I'm not going to be going into as much depth as I might normally do.
Spoilers ho!
Batman 666 - Of course, the iconic number requires some special story-telling, but this one is a bit confusing and perhaps not entirely within continuity. I hate to keep sounding off about this, except I feel that DC is pushing all of its titles with continuity and the readers are supposed to be extra aware of it, as Things Change. But this story involves the third Batman, namely, Bruce and Talia's son Damian, as he fights another twisted Batman. Moments of this were delightful, such as when the new rogues' gallery is introduced, filled with characters who sound like they have been Bat-villains for decades. And I just shiver at the stories that could be told to gt a still handicaped Barbara Gordon to become police commissioner. But the main conflict that drives this book, Damian versus the "son of Satan" just doesn't have enough story around it to make it any more interesting than a random fight between two characters we've never heard of. Damian's monologue about having sold his soul to the devil to become Batman was interesting, but oddly disjointed from the fight scene taking place. And if ever folks were concerned about a grim and gritty Batman, this issue would fulfill their worst nightmares. Some of the panels of Andy Kubert's art just gorgeous. But I'd really like to see how we got to this historic moment, though I doubt we ever will, and so the title really does read like picking up a random homage to Batman out of a quarter bin.
Detective 835 - Meanwhile, over in the other Bat-title, Scarecrow is reborn. It seems Jonathan Crane realizes that without his fear gas, he's just a gimmick. So he sets out to strike real fear into the citizens of Gotham. I like removing the gimmick some, making Scarecrow "grow up" and realize his potential. Fortunately the story is in two parts (unlike ost of the other stories in Dini's run on Detective), so there will be more time for Dini to separate Scarecrow from the Joker in his motives and modus operandi. There has to be something more to the new Scarecrow than random psychotic murders that leave the victims looking like scarecrows in their own right, and the pattern of leaving real scarecrows in other locations, thus blurring the line between game and real death, goes some way to do this. But Batman already has a psychotic killer for an arch-nemesis, and something more must be done to make the Scarecrow different from him. But Dini has earned all the trust I can give a writer: we'll see how this one plays out...and I expect it to play out well.
Teen Titans 49 - Two optimistic things to offer up from this issue. On the more granular level, the new line-up doesn't appear to be as disfunctional as I might have believed. Robin, Kid Devil, Ravager, and Miss Martian do a fine job of holding their own against a detachment of Amazons attacking a prisoner train. At a higher level, Adam Beechen does a nice job with his first issue as the sole writer of Titans. Conflict is both internal and external for the characters as they deal with some of the fall-out of this summer's stupidest crossover. Miss Martian especially turns out to be a delight, though Ravager also grows some personality along the way. And I sure didn't see the extra-special moment between Wonder Girl and Robin at the end, though the smarmy last panel could have been left out. Some of Barrionuevo's panels just stink, but there are others that are quite good. I'm not sure how it works out to be so uneven, but it needs levelling in the positive direction.
Nightwing 135 - Dick Grayson is never in costume for this issue, as he spends nearly the entirety of it being tortured by the new Vigilante. In a lot of ways this issue doesn't make any sense, something of a downer for what has been the best run on Nightwing for some time. Given the history we have learned up to this point and the flashbacks in this issue itself, Vigilante has no reason to believe that Dick Grayson is in any way tied up with the return of a villain. That Dick was abused by this villain in his teens, some time ago, should give Vigilante no reason to think Dick has thrown in with him now. If for some reason Vigilante suspected that Grayson is Nightwing, he sure wouldn't torture him as he does. So, while the issue gives the reader a chance to get more back-story from the flashbacks, I'm not sure it's information we really need to have, or if it is, if this is the best way to have delivered it. Still better than what we have seen in the past few years from Nightwing, but a let-down nonetheless.
All New Atom 14 - I'm throwing this one out for only two reasons. First of all, this is where Jason Todd, Nightwing, Atom, Bob the Monitor first get the name "Challengers of the Unknown." It really works for them, but this story violently disagrees with the continuity presented in Countdown. That really does drive me nuts, again, because Countdown is heavily reliant on continuity as it resets it, so much so that I would expect stories coming out of it would be held to it. Not so with this issue. The second cool thing was the visit to "heaven" and anotehr appearance of Ted Kord along with a lot of dead DC heroes and villains. Of course, they aren't really who they appear to be, but there is a lot of fun on the fight scenes and conversations, as Gail Simone really nails the voices. The continuing adventures of these characters as they search for Ray Palmer could be interesting, but I admit to expecting the exploration of the new multiverse would be taking plaec in Booster Gold. This issue is a lot of fun and remains one of the bright points to come out of One Year Later.
Hawkgirl 66 - Well, they did it. The Hawks have finally broken the curse put upon them by Hath-Set. Unfortunately, the millstone is removed only in the final issue of the title, so that the repercussions of their new relationship can't be explored. Hawkgirl and Hawkman are in two different titles, so I don't know where, if anywhere, the ramifications can be examined, which really is a shame. It's unfortunate how much this book suffered after One Year Later, and not just for the poor art decisions. Along those lines, Renato Arlem's art in this issue is quite fine, enough to make me wish the issues would continue with him as a regular artist.
Supergirl and the Legion of Super-heroes 32 - A few weeks ago, I sang the praises of Dennis Calero and his art in a single issue of Hawkgirl. He is doing the art for this and the next four issues of Legion, and while it is not as stong as it was in that issue, I still like it. Faces are expressive and the play of shadows is quite nice. The story itself is the first in the search for Cosmic Boy and new writer Tony Bedard seems to be deft at the build-up issues. The real test will come along as he must pay off on the build-up, but thisis a promising start. (I should add here, as a sort of truth in advertising, I got to meet and talk to Dennis Calero in San Diego as he did a sketch of Hawkgirl for Mrs. Speculator. He is an incredibly nice and humble man. I wish him the best and hope he gets an ongoing title soon).
Welcome to Tranquility 9 - Zombies on the loose! Actually, this issue was something of a let-down aftre the fine issues up to this point, but only because Gail SImone writes pretty much a standard zombie story. IT has its moments, like when Roxy from Gen13 shows up unexpectedly and nearly steals all the scenesshe is in, but otherwise, this is pretty straightforward fare. I have to believe that this just set-up for the rest of the story to come. But what I really liked about this issue was the back-up story describing the origin of a new character, Coyote Kid. Simone does a Wildstorm take on Jonah Hex, except that the Kid is immortal, making him perhaps just that much meaner and more kick-ass than Jonah Hex. Between the subject matter and the art, this story is a departure from the standard fare of Tranquility and quite good. I can easily see the Kid carrying his own title, but only if it uses this artist, Carrie Strachan, or someone like her. This is serious and mature stuff, adn the playful caricatures of Neil Googe, the regular Tranquility artist just won't cut it. So, given I expect the Kid to help finish up the story begun in the main part of this issue, there seems to be more good times ahead for this title. (Just, please, consider more Coyote Kid elsewhere!)
Jonah Hex 22 - Speaking of the ultimate cowboy bounty hunter, I just wanted to point out the bizarre conversation in this issue between Hex and Thomas Edison. Yeah, the Thomas Edison. It's a little surreal, as Hex's Luddite nature comes out, and it really feels like the issue was written around the singular idea of the two of them talking, because otherwise not much at all happens. A little bit of a let-down after the most recent issues, and it really just makes me want to go see The Prestige again.
Spoilers ho!
Batman 666 - Of course, the iconic number requires some special story-telling, but this one is a bit confusing and perhaps not entirely within continuity. I hate to keep sounding off about this, except I feel that DC is pushing all of its titles with continuity and the readers are supposed to be extra aware of it, as Things Change. But this story involves the third Batman, namely, Bruce and Talia's son Damian, as he fights another twisted Batman. Moments of this were delightful, such as when the new rogues' gallery is introduced, filled with characters who sound like they have been Bat-villains for decades. And I just shiver at the stories that could be told to gt a still handicaped Barbara Gordon to become police commissioner. But the main conflict that drives this book, Damian versus the "son of Satan" just doesn't have enough story around it to make it any more interesting than a random fight between two characters we've never heard of. Damian's monologue about having sold his soul to the devil to become Batman was interesting, but oddly disjointed from the fight scene taking place. And if ever folks were concerned about a grim and gritty Batman, this issue would fulfill their worst nightmares. Some of the panels of Andy Kubert's art just gorgeous. But I'd really like to see how we got to this historic moment, though I doubt we ever will, and so the title really does read like picking up a random homage to Batman out of a quarter bin.
Detective 835 - Meanwhile, over in the other Bat-title, Scarecrow is reborn. It seems Jonathan Crane realizes that without his fear gas, he's just a gimmick. So he sets out to strike real fear into the citizens of Gotham. I like removing the gimmick some, making Scarecrow "grow up" and realize his potential. Fortunately the story is in two parts (unlike ost of the other stories in Dini's run on Detective), so there will be more time for Dini to separate Scarecrow from the Joker in his motives and modus operandi. There has to be something more to the new Scarecrow than random psychotic murders that leave the victims looking like scarecrows in their own right, and the pattern of leaving real scarecrows in other locations, thus blurring the line between game and real death, goes some way to do this. But Batman already has a psychotic killer for an arch-nemesis, and something more must be done to make the Scarecrow different from him. But Dini has earned all the trust I can give a writer: we'll see how this one plays out...and I expect it to play out well.
Teen Titans 49 - Two optimistic things to offer up from this issue. On the more granular level, the new line-up doesn't appear to be as disfunctional as I might have believed. Robin, Kid Devil, Ravager, and Miss Martian do a fine job of holding their own against a detachment of Amazons attacking a prisoner train. At a higher level, Adam Beechen does a nice job with his first issue as the sole writer of Titans. Conflict is both internal and external for the characters as they deal with some of the fall-out of this summer's stupidest crossover. Miss Martian especially turns out to be a delight, though Ravager also grows some personality along the way. And I sure didn't see the extra-special moment between Wonder Girl and Robin at the end, though the smarmy last panel could have been left out. Some of Barrionuevo's panels just stink, but there are others that are quite good. I'm not sure how it works out to be so uneven, but it needs levelling in the positive direction.
Nightwing 135 - Dick Grayson is never in costume for this issue, as he spends nearly the entirety of it being tortured by the new Vigilante. In a lot of ways this issue doesn't make any sense, something of a downer for what has been the best run on Nightwing for some time. Given the history we have learned up to this point and the flashbacks in this issue itself, Vigilante has no reason to believe that Dick Grayson is in any way tied up with the return of a villain. That Dick was abused by this villain in his teens, some time ago, should give Vigilante no reason to think Dick has thrown in with him now. If for some reason Vigilante suspected that Grayson is Nightwing, he sure wouldn't torture him as he does. So, while the issue gives the reader a chance to get more back-story from the flashbacks, I'm not sure it's information we really need to have, or if it is, if this is the best way to have delivered it. Still better than what we have seen in the past few years from Nightwing, but a let-down nonetheless.
All New Atom 14 - I'm throwing this one out for only two reasons. First of all, this is where Jason Todd, Nightwing, Atom, Bob the Monitor first get the name "Challengers of the Unknown." It really works for them, but this story violently disagrees with the continuity presented in Countdown. That really does drive me nuts, again, because Countdown is heavily reliant on continuity as it resets it, so much so that I would expect stories coming out of it would be held to it. Not so with this issue. The second cool thing was the visit to "heaven" and anotehr appearance of Ted Kord along with a lot of dead DC heroes and villains. Of course, they aren't really who they appear to be, but there is a lot of fun on the fight scenes and conversations, as Gail Simone really nails the voices. The continuing adventures of these characters as they search for Ray Palmer could be interesting, but I admit to expecting the exploration of the new multiverse would be taking plaec in Booster Gold. This issue is a lot of fun and remains one of the bright points to come out of One Year Later.
Hawkgirl 66 - Well, they did it. The Hawks have finally broken the curse put upon them by Hath-Set. Unfortunately, the millstone is removed only in the final issue of the title, so that the repercussions of their new relationship can't be explored. Hawkgirl and Hawkman are in two different titles, so I don't know where, if anywhere, the ramifications can be examined, which really is a shame. It's unfortunate how much this book suffered after One Year Later, and not just for the poor art decisions. Along those lines, Renato Arlem's art in this issue is quite fine, enough to make me wish the issues would continue with him as a regular artist.
Supergirl and the Legion of Super-heroes 32 - A few weeks ago, I sang the praises of Dennis Calero and his art in a single issue of Hawkgirl. He is doing the art for this and the next four issues of Legion, and while it is not as stong as it was in that issue, I still like it. Faces are expressive and the play of shadows is quite nice. The story itself is the first in the search for Cosmic Boy and new writer Tony Bedard seems to be deft at the build-up issues. The real test will come along as he must pay off on the build-up, but thisis a promising start. (I should add here, as a sort of truth in advertising, I got to meet and talk to Dennis Calero in San Diego as he did a sketch of Hawkgirl for Mrs. Speculator. He is an incredibly nice and humble man. I wish him the best and hope he gets an ongoing title soon).
Welcome to Tranquility 9 - Zombies on the loose! Actually, this issue was something of a let-down aftre the fine issues up to this point, but only because Gail SImone writes pretty much a standard zombie story. IT has its moments, like when Roxy from Gen13 shows up unexpectedly and nearly steals all the scenesshe is in, but otherwise, this is pretty straightforward fare. I have to believe that this just set-up for the rest of the story to come. But what I really liked about this issue was the back-up story describing the origin of a new character, Coyote Kid. Simone does a Wildstorm take on Jonah Hex, except that the Kid is immortal, making him perhaps just that much meaner and more kick-ass than Jonah Hex. Between the subject matter and the art, this story is a departure from the standard fare of Tranquility and quite good. I can easily see the Kid carrying his own title, but only if it uses this artist, Carrie Strachan, or someone like her. This is serious and mature stuff, adn the playful caricatures of Neil Googe, the regular Tranquility artist just won't cut it. So, given I expect the Kid to help finish up the story begun in the main part of this issue, there seems to be more good times ahead for this title. (Just, please, consider more Coyote Kid elsewhere!)
Jonah Hex 22 - Speaking of the ultimate cowboy bounty hunter, I just wanted to point out the bizarre conversation in this issue between Hex and Thomas Edison. Yeah, the Thomas Edison. It's a little surreal, as Hex's Luddite nature comes out, and it really feels like the issue was written around the singular idea of the two of them talking, because otherwise not much at all happens. A little bit of a let-down after the most recent issues, and it really just makes me want to go see The Prestige again.
Saturday, August 4, 2007
San Diego Book Review
For the week I was in San Diego, I read two and a half books, so I thought I would give some quick thoughts on the two books I finished. I'll go back to longer reviews when I fnish the one I am currently working through.
The Andromeda Strain - When I started this book, my memory had been that Crichton was really good at writing characters and the plot was driven by this. This was based primarily on my reading of Jurassic Park close to fifteen years ago when it came out. Unfortunately, that recollection did not hold up very well in light of Andromeda. The characters are kinda flat, and what drives the story is way cool 1960s cutting edge technology that hasn't survived the past forty years particularly well. The story still is compelling, especially given the foul-ups that keep the mystery from being solved as quickly as would have been useful and the lack of communication that adds a sense of heightened peril when the protagonists move along in their methodical process, not knowing that the safety they feel is not real at all.
Two things of interest--I'd like to see this story retold with modern technology; I think it could survive fairly easily, because the failures that plague the investigation are human failures rather than technological ones. Secondly, this is the first book I can recall whose movie was actually better than the book. I think this is primarily because the characters are allowed to be more fully rounded in the movie, as well as the technology not being nearly so clunky looking on the screen as it was in the book.
Camouflage - In what is almost a throwback to the golden or silver ago of science fiction, Joe Haldeman has created the story of aliens unknowably more powerful than humans moving about the Earth. The story doesn't really have much depth to it, but it is entertaining nonetheless, in the way of evaluating human culture from a distinctly third-person point of view. I had worked out the impending big plot twist about halfway through the book, so when it was revealed, I wasn't terribly surprised.
What really succeeds in the book is the characterization of the changeling alien, able to take all manners of forms, making its way through the course of human history. As could be expected from the golden-age tone of the novel, the alien slowly becomes more and more human, resulting in a secondary plot twist that could be (and has been) the primary source of many good strong science fiction stories. There is also some feeling of personal investment in the description of the Bataan Death March, lurid and sad in its telling. But the protagonist alien survives its experiences there with a more clear insight of the race it has infiltrated.
Unfortunately, the other threads that make up this story are not so nearly well developed as that of the protagonist, and Haldeman's use of short concise chapters up to the point where he doesn't any more adds to the fogginess of those other plot elements. And when, suddenly, the chapters are far longer, it feels a little bit like the reader is involved with a different story altogether.
Nonetheless, it is a strong novel, especially for its resonances with earlier ages of writing, and ultimately a good bit of fun.
The Andromeda Strain - When I started this book, my memory had been that Crichton was really good at writing characters and the plot was driven by this. This was based primarily on my reading of Jurassic Park close to fifteen years ago when it came out. Unfortunately, that recollection did not hold up very well in light of Andromeda. The characters are kinda flat, and what drives the story is way cool 1960s cutting edge technology that hasn't survived the past forty years particularly well. The story still is compelling, especially given the foul-ups that keep the mystery from being solved as quickly as would have been useful and the lack of communication that adds a sense of heightened peril when the protagonists move along in their methodical process, not knowing that the safety they feel is not real at all.
Two things of interest--I'd like to see this story retold with modern technology; I think it could survive fairly easily, because the failures that plague the investigation are human failures rather than technological ones. Secondly, this is the first book I can recall whose movie was actually better than the book. I think this is primarily because the characters are allowed to be more fully rounded in the movie, as well as the technology not being nearly so clunky looking on the screen as it was in the book.
Camouflage - In what is almost a throwback to the golden or silver ago of science fiction, Joe Haldeman has created the story of aliens unknowably more powerful than humans moving about the Earth. The story doesn't really have much depth to it, but it is entertaining nonetheless, in the way of evaluating human culture from a distinctly third-person point of view. I had worked out the impending big plot twist about halfway through the book, so when it was revealed, I wasn't terribly surprised.
What really succeeds in the book is the characterization of the changeling alien, able to take all manners of forms, making its way through the course of human history. As could be expected from the golden-age tone of the novel, the alien slowly becomes more and more human, resulting in a secondary plot twist that could be (and has been) the primary source of many good strong science fiction stories. There is also some feeling of personal investment in the description of the Bataan Death March, lurid and sad in its telling. But the protagonist alien survives its experiences there with a more clear insight of the race it has infiltrated.
Unfortunately, the other threads that make up this story are not so nearly well developed as that of the protagonist, and Haldeman's use of short concise chapters up to the point where he doesn't any more adds to the fogginess of those other plot elements. And when, suddenly, the chapters are far longer, it feels a little bit like the reader is involved with a different story altogether.
Nonetheless, it is a strong novel, especially for its resonances with earlier ages of writing, and ultimately a good bit of fun.
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