|
| Thursday, September 9, 2010 02:27 PM |
| Book Report - A Neil Gaiman Library Book Roundup |
 by Fëanor |
The Day I Swapped My Dad for Two Goldfish
This is an exceedingly silly and fun children's book, written by Neil Gaiman and illustrated by his co-conspirator from way back, Dave McKean. It's about... well, the title's pretty self-explanatory, actually. A young boy wants his friend's two goldfish, so he offers to swap something for them. When his buddy will accept nothing else, he offers his Dad. The friend agrees. But when Mom gets home, she disagrees quite strongly, and off the boy has to go to undo the swap. Unfortunately, a number of other swaps have gone on in the meantime, so it takes a while for him to work his way back up the chain to his Dad. I really enjoy the very matter-of-fact way the book approaches the quite ridiculous events that take place. Not everybody can write effectively from the perspective of a child, but Gaiman does it here. It's a wonderful little book, and even though the Dad in it doesn't seem like the best Dad ever, he's still rather lovable in his own way, and it's nice when he gets settled back on his couch with his paper again.
The Graveyard Book
(There are some spoilers in here, I'm afraid, especially in the last paragraph. You've been warned.)
I had a hard time getting into this book. I read the opening and then put it down for a few weeks, unsure if I'd ever finish it. Maybe the part about a little baby's entirely family getting murdered, and him toddling off alone to live in a graveyard and be raised by ghosts and a vampire upset me a bit. (This is supposed to be a children's book, right??) But eventually I decided to give it another shot, and by the time I got to the chapter about the ghoul-gate - a sequence that's scary and imaginative and funny and Lovecraftian all at once - I was really and truly hooked. It doesn't happen that often when I'm reading other people's books, but for some reason pretty often when I'm reading Neil Gaiman's books, I finish a passage and become so filled with envious rage that I hurl curses at Mr. Gaiman. Obviously this book is no exception. I believe it happened after I read the first page, actually, and again later when I read the subtle, deft, and deeply moving way he handled the evolution of the relationship between Nobody and Miss Lupescu. I don't know what it is about Gaiman in particular that makes me react this way. Maybe it's because he writes the kinds of books I wish I could write - clever and funny and fantastical and wise and sad and revelatory. Anyway, I hate him and love him for it.
This book is a coming-of-age story about a boy who grows up side by side with death, with the threat of death hanging over him all the while, and by the end realizes it's finally time for him to live. A friend of mine has pointed out to me in the past that a lot of Gaiman's stories have very similar plots, so I couldn't help but be hyper-aware of the various similarities between this book, American Gods, and Sandman. The meeting of the Jacks of All Trades reminded me of Sandman's serial killer convention, for example. But the fact that the main character turns out to have super powers, is in conflict with a secret and ancient society of evil, and is the object of a prophecy - well, that's not even a Gaiman cliche, that's just a cliche. Still, it's a cliche I like, and one Gaiman handles well. Besides, there's enough freshness and creativity here that it doesn't really matter if some other parts are a bit dusty. Gaiman includes a vampire, a werewolf, and a mummy in the book, but treats them in very different ways than such creatures are usually treated. I don't believe the word "vampire" appears in the book at all; the werewolf considers herself a Hound of God; and the mummy has wings and carries a lucky pig.
The mark of a great writer isn't so much what he says, but what he doesn't say, and Gaiman proves that here. Besides his obvious facility for showing and not telling, he leaves out details about his characters and their world in a manner that's intriguing and effective. The epic final battle between good and evil, for instance, happens almost entirely off-stage. We never really find out what the Honor Guard is all about, and who exactly they guard - apart from Nobody, of course. Silas - his past, his powers - is pretty much a complete mystery. And of course, we know nothing about Bod's future. This is the story of him growing up; what he finds when he goes out into the world and starts living his life is unknown. On the one hand, I'd rather like to read a sequel to this book where we learn what becomes of him. But on the other hand, I'd almost rather be left with that final image of him, walking out of the gates of the graveyard and into his bright future, with anything and everything ahead of him. It's bitter and sweet and lovely. Just as bitter, but also very realistic and very right, is the fact that Bod doesn't end up living happily ever after with the girl he befriended when they were both little children. When they meet again after all those years, you start thinking, "Of course, they were made for each other!" But despite all the death and magic in it, this is a book about real life - the beautiful and lovely parts, and also the parts that hurt like hell. Which is why it hurts and is beautiful in equal measure. |
|
|
|
| Thursday, September 9, 2010 12:13 PM |
| Recyclotron |
 by Fëanor |
Fëanor pours the entire internet into the Recyclotron, and only the best links come out the other end for you to enjoy.
- Another fun clip from Red.
- I've mostly gotten tired of the endless top 10 lists on the web, but I rather enjoyed this list of the top 10 evil geeks in the movies.
- A couple of fun Captain Marvel illustrations.
- Rather amusing computer-animated short that tells the story of why Jabba put that price on Han Solo's head in the first place.
- Using SCIENCE to compare apples and oranges. It can be done!
- Andrew Garfield has been cast as Spider-Man in the reboot, and he is truly fucking honored. Meanwhile, Hilary Duff may be Gwen Stacy.
- Clint Eastwood says he was offered the role of Superman in his youth, but turned it down because it wasn't for him. Also, he reveals his favorite comic book character: The Sub-Mariner. Nice pick!
- Trailers! Here's a new one for Monsters. Looks like it could be fun. And here's a trailer for a completely different kind of sci-fi movie: Never Let Me Go. That one looks fascinating, and brutal.
- I already mentioned this on my Twitter, but it's so exciting I'm linking it again here: Ron Howard and his team are adapting Stephen King's amazing Dark Tower novels as a trilogy of movies and a TV series. It sounds crazy and new and awesome.
- Set pics from Captain America and X-Men: First Class. They feature, respectively, Cap and Emma Frost in costume. Exciting!
- Previous previews of the Tron Legacy soundtrack were apparently fake and unofficial, but this is apparently official and totally for real. (Via)
- A NSFW gallery of witch pin-ups. Enjoy!
- I posted a while back that Natalie Portman might save Alfonso Cuaron's Gravity, but apparently it was just a rumor. Bummer.
- Supposed Ghost Rider 2 plot details. For some reason I'm still hopeful this will be a good movie.
- Fun bear-, moose-, and jackalope-related art.
- Awesome bumper stickers for parents of gamer children. I will have to make sure Griff earns one or more of these.
- Martin Freeman, who plays Watson on BBC's Sherlock, might play Bilbo in The Hobbit. Assuming they ever really make that movie. Sigh.
- Bruce Campbell's concept for The Expendables of horror sounds kind of brilliant.
- Very cool surreal paintings.
- Cosplay! Gotta love it.
- Very cool poster for Moon.
- A Simpson-ized version of the Black Knight. Exceedingly geeky!
|
|
|
|
|
| Tagged (?): Animals (Not), Art (Not), Captain America (Not), Cartoons (Not), Celebrities (Not), Comedy (Not), Comic books (Not), Cosplay (Not), Costumes (Not), Food (Not), Ghost Rider (Not), Links (Not), Lists (Not), Monty Python (Not), Movies (Not), Music (Not), News (Not), Photography (Not), Recyclotron (Not), Science (Not), Simpsons (Not), Spider-Man (Not), Star Wars (Not), Stephen King (Not), Superman (Not), The Dark Tower (Not), Tolkien (Not), Tron (Not), Tron Legacy (Not), TV (Not), Video (Not), Video games (Not), X-Men (Not) |
|
|
| Wednesday, September 8, 2010 10:48 AM |
| The Hulk Thought of the Day |
 by Hulk |
Hulk just have to say, comic about Hulk versus Buddha highly inaccurate. Hulk make tree fall in forest when no puny human there to hear! Hulk leave puny human only one hand for clapping! Hulk strongest one there is! |
|
|
|
| Tuesday, September 7, 2010 02:16 PM |
| Recyclotron |
| by Fëanor |
Fëanor pours the entire internet into the Recyclotron, and only the best links come out the other end for you to enjoy.
- They're going to make a horror movie about an evil Paul Bunyan called... Bunyan. It will star Joe Estevez of Werewolf fame (yes, the MST3K movie), and it will come out next year. Amazing.
- io9 has collected the early reviews for Darren Aronofsky's Black Swan. Some are criticizing the movie for its backward ways, but others are praising it. Hmm...
- Terry Gilliam might convert Time Bandits to 3D. He wouldn't be changing anything in the film, just putting it in 3D. I'd watch that!
- Apparently Sam Prekop of The Sea and Cake has a new album! I was excited about this, until I read the Onion A.V. Club's review, and found out it's basically just a lot of random noise. Not sure I really need to hear that.
- The Onion A.V. Club also has an interesting review of Metroid: Other M. The fact that it's sort of on rails is actually attractive to me, as I don't really have time for a game that makes me do a lot of wandering and exploring, but a lot of the other things they mention here don't sound very fun. Still, I'm intrigued. I mean, it's Metroid!
- Apparently they really are going to make a Doctor Strange movie and Stan Lee is going to have a cameo in it. Cool!
- The new (3D, natch) Judge Dredd film will be called simply Dredd and will star Karl Urban as the title character and Olivia Thirlby as his psychic partner.
- Ridley Scott has a few fascinating details about his Alien prequel. Also, Gemma Arterton may star.
- Dude built an impressive working replica of the motorcycle in Excitebike.
- Pizza soda and bacon soda? I'd try 'em.
- Pretty great 8-bit track with appropriate 8-bit video accompaniment.
- A pic from Duncan Jones' Source Code! It's not particularly enlightening or thrilling, but it's a pic from the film, nonetheless.
- LEGO TARDIS! Very nice. I feel like the claim that it's functional is probably an exaggeration, though.
- Masters of the Universe as a medieval religious icon.
- Love the Metroid print.
- Wizard Alley.
- Angelina Jolie leaving Alfonso Cuaron's Gravity almost killed the movie, but supposedly Natalie Portman might save the day by taking over for her.
- An interesting preview of Epic Mickey.
- D'oh. Sounds like Terry Gilliam's Don Quixote movie is dead in the water again, due to the financing falling through.
- Official sonic screwdriver Wii Remote??!!? Give to me! Now!
|
|
|
|
|
| Tagged (?): Aliens (Not), Art (Not), Automobiles (Not), Bacon (Not), Celebrities (Not), Craft (Not), Disney (Not), Doctor Who (Not), Dr. Strange (Not), Drink (Not), LEGO (Not), Links (Not), Masters of the Universe (Not), Metroid (Not), Movies (Not), MST3K (Not), Music (Not), News (Not), Photography (Not), Recyclotron (Not), Toys (Not), Video (Not), Video games (Not), Wii (Not) |
|
|
| Friday, September 3, 2010 02:04 PM |
| The Hulk Thought of the Day |
| by Hulk |
Hulk not able to take hurricane seriously when hurricane named "Earl." Not that Hulk usually take hurricanes seriously. But still. |
|
|
|
| Friday, September 3, 2010 12:30 PM |
| Recyclotron |
| by Fëanor |
Fëanor pours the entire internet into the Recyclotron, and only the best links come out the other end for you to enjoy.
|
|
|
|
|
| Tagged (?): Animals (Not), Art (Not), Books (Not), Celebrities (Not), Comic books (Not), Craft (Not), Dogs (Not), Fringe (Not), Ghostbusters (Not), Internet (Not), LEGO (Not), Links (Not), LOLDogs (Not), Lovecraft (Not), Movies (Not), News (Not), Photography (Not), Recyclotron (Not), Sports (Not), Tolkien (Not), Toys (Not), TV (Not) |
|
|
| Thursday, September 2, 2010 11:54 AM |
| The Hulk Thought of the Day |
| by Hulk |
Hulk had no idea so many puny humans gave a crap about 90210 until today. Hulk never understand puny humans. |
|
|
|
| Thursday, September 2, 2010 11:34 AM |
| (Last updated on Thursday, September 2, 2010 12:15 PM) | | Recyclotron |
| by Fëanor |
Fëanor pours the entire internet into the Recyclotron, and only the best links come out the other end for you to enjoy.
UPDATE 1:
- I wasn't going to mention this, because it's kind of old news, but just in case you haven't discovered it yet, behold the genius and awesomeness of Axe Cop. It's a sci-fi/fantasy/action web comic written by a 5-year-old and drawn by his 29-year-old brother. It is pure, wild, unfettered imagination - insane, hilarious, and fantastic. There are many, many episodes already, so it's taking me a while to catch up, but somehow it just keeps getting better with every episode I read. Check it out.
UPDATE 2:
- The guy who played the French master thief in the Ocean's movies is playing a real master thief in this movie. Looks good. (I don't remember where I got the link.)
|
|
|
|
|
| Tagged (?): Art (Not), Battlestar Galactica (Not), Caprica (Not), Celebrities (Not), Comedy (Not), Comic books (Not), Fringe (Not), Harry Potter (Not), Links (Not), Mashups (Not), Movies (Not), Neil Gaiman (Not), News (Not), Recyclotron (Not), TV (Not), Zombies (Not) |
|
|
| Wednesday, September 1, 2010 03:26 PM |
| The Take |
 by Fëanor |
Fëanor's (semi-)weekly comic book review post.
This post covers new releases from the week of 8/25, plus a trade paperback from the library. Beware spoilers!
Back issues and old data
Batwoman: Elegy
This is a hardcover collection poppy was good enough to get out of the library for me. It collects material from Detective Comics #854-#860, the first story arc from that book where Batwoman was the main character. The writing is by Greg Rucka and the art is by J.H. Williams III. I reviewed Detective Comics #854 when it originally came out, and I was unimpressed. I dropped the book. But I kept hearing great things about Greg Rucka's Batwoman, and I wondered if maybe I should have given it more of a chance. Well, now I finally have, and I am officially upgrading my initial "unimpressed" reaction to "impressed." Kate Kane is a complex and fascinating character, flawed and broken, with a deep, dark backstory that slowly comes out during the course of this book. Her main enemies throughout are devotees of the religion of crime. But she finds she also has allies among those same devotees - one sect of the religion seeks to help her, while another seeks to destroy her. Both see her as the fulfillment of some sort of prophecy, and Gotham as a kind of Mecca. But the shattering revelation of the true identity of the religion's new leader sends Kate into a tailspin and digs up terrible memories from her past that she thought were buried for good.
What really brings the book to the next level is the wildly imaginative, incredibly beautiful, intricately constructed art of J.H. Williams III (which is made even more impressive thanks to the as-always fantastic colors of Dave Stewart). Seriously, this stuff is like a gauntlet thrown down, challenging every other artist to live up to its brilliance. It takes the traditional format and layout of comic book art, blows it apart, and puts it back together in an entirely new way. Early on I thought the mirroring trick he was using - where he positioned panels and characters in similar locations and poses across from each other on the page - was just a cool thing he was doing for coolness' sake, but later in the book I realized it was also conveying meaning - it was a subtle foreshadowing of the secret at the heart of the story. I mean, that's just crazy brilliant.
I might try to track down the next Batwoman story arc. Some research has revealed that Williams was dropped as artist for that arc, which is a shame, but I'd still be interested to see what happened to Kate next.
Thumbs Up
New releases
Astonishing X-Men #35
It's been a while since I laughed as much reading a comic as I did reading this comic. Oh my lord do I love the way Warren Ellis writes the X-Men - because he writes them as a pack of brilliant, bickering bad-asses. This issue opens with Cyclops setting a bunch of monsters on fire and then plowing the blackbird through an escape hatch that is way too small for it. The X-Men then burst out of the exploding craft with their metaphorical guns blazing. "X-Men are go," indeed. Then there's the scene where Armor and Wolverine do a fastball special, against Wolverine's will. Then finally the Big Bad is revealed, and he's pretty interesting. A "real" mutant coming face-to-face with our pretty, hero mutants, hating them for the reverse reason that normal people hated mutants. It's a fascinating concept which I imagine more could be done with in the future. It's a bit of an anticlimax when he just kind of backs down, but I'm not sure how else it could have ended, really. The final scene, when Logan punches him and everybody gets pissed, is just hilarious. "You say potato, I say crazy old man with a wheelchair of death!" Oh my lord. Thank you, Mr. Ellis.
Thumbs Up
Batman #702
Have I mentioned lately how much I love Grant Morrison? Because, damn I love Grant Morrison. This issue is the second part of "The Missing Chapter" of Batman R.I.P. It goes back over some of the central events of Batman R.I.P. and Final Crisis, filling in some gaps and adding a new narrative track throughout that is basically The Last Will and Testament of Batman, spoken by him into a tape recorder in the distant past (his own future) in the hopes that somehow Superman, with his godlike powers, will eventually be able to reconstruct it (which, naturally, he does). This gives Morrison the chance to go into more detail about the magic bullet that killed Orion, how Batman turned it back on Orion's murderer, and what Darkseid did to him then. It's amazingly brilliant and imaginative stuff. The bullet, it turns out, isn't just any bullet - it's The Bullet. It's "bulletness" given form. It's every bullet ever. In fact, it's the bullet that killed Batman's parents. That image in the background of young Bruce standing over the graves of Martha and Thomas Wayne as Batman faces off against Darkseid with the gun in his hand? Wow.
Just as The Bullet is the Platonic Ideal of bullets, Darkseid is the Platonic Ideal of villains - The Wolf, The Dragon, The Tyrant. But how do you kill a myth? Answer: with a new myth - "a myth where Ultimate Evil turns its gaze on humanity and humanity gazes right back and says... 'Gotcha.'"
Which should be the moment of Batman's triumph! But Darkseid has something special in store for him: the Omega Sanction - "The death that gives and gives forever! Omega 'tailor-makes' an unbeatable 'life trap' just for you! It uses 'history' to do it!" Darkseid's strike alters all of time to create a trap for Batman from which even Batman can't escape, because his life itself is the trap. "Wounded by the Hunter, Darkseid's Dying Fall made the Hole in Things. The Hole in Things is Darkseid-shaped.... Time is the Omega Sanction." Holy shit. So what can Batman do now? "Don't forget. Survive." He tells himself, "I should have known when I chose to walk this path. It never ends."
That's Batman. That's who Batman is. The Hunter, the Survivor, fighting an endless war. A mortal man with the will and the guts and the smarts to strike down the God of Evil. Yes, yes, yes.
Thumbs Up
Captain America #609
Bucky is goaded by his enemy into going off half-cocked, running off alone, and falling into a sinister trap?! I didn't see that coming! But seriously, folks, even if the story structure's a little tired, this is still a reasonably effective and engaging tale, and I like the drama of the final showdown taking place on the island where Cap and Bucky were nearly killed by the original Baron Zemo all those years ago. Oh, and now for your Nomad backup story update: it's getting lame again.
Thumbs Sideways
Fringe: Tales From the Fringe #3
Both stories in this anthology title are good this month! The first one is sort of an origin story for Astrid; an invention for a class leads her to investigate an apparent murder which turns out to be more and less than it seemed. (Warning: big spoilers ahead.) I doubt the FBI actually goes to this much trouble to test if somebody has the potential to be an agent (if so, we have easier, cheaper, and less time-intensive options for assessing people's job fitness at the company where I work; call me, FBI, and I can hook you up with a sales rep!), but it's still a fun story, and it's great to see Astrid get the spotlight for once. The second story is sort of a high-speed heist, loaded with clever trickery, double-crosses, and brutal ultra-violence. And the nature of "the weapon" that everybody is fighting over is creepy indeed, and is made creepier by the fact that its nature and origin are not explained. Well done!
Thumbs Up
Gravel #20
"Bible Jack" is turning out to be a seriously formidable enemy. He hits Gravel really hard in this issue, taking away nearly everything he has, including his favorite pub! I mean, that's harsh. (Warning: big spoilers ahead.) I was surprised and a little disappointed to see all of the new characters that were slowly being developed and introduced over the past however many issues, and whom we'd barely gotten to know yet, just get wiped out in a handful of pages. I mean, what's up with that? Of course, there's always the chance Gravel's pulling some elaborate trick and they're actually all still alive, but I kind of doubt it. Anyway, I'm looking forward to the big showdown that will no doubt take place in the next issue.
Thumbs Up |
|
|
|
| Wednesday, September 1, 2010 10:12 AM |
| Recyclotron |
| by Fëanor |
Fëanor pours the entire internet into the Recyclotron, and only the best links come out the other end for you to enjoy.
|
|
|
|
|
| Tagged (?): Animals (Not), Art (Not), Comedy (Not), Craft (Not), Flash (Not), Ghostbusters (Not), Links (Not), Movies (Not), Music (Not), Photography (Not), Recyclotron (Not), Star Wars (Not), Terminator (Not), Video (Not) |
|
|
|
About
Welcome to the blog of Jim Genzano, writer, geek, and web developer. For a more detailed run-down of who I am and what goes on here, read this.
Recent Entries
Recent Comments
Feanor: "Huh. Strange. Yeah, I thought the show was uneven, but smart and different, with the potential to be ..."
on Recyclotron S.Tarzan: "Yeah. The weird thing is that they extended the cast contracts to November (which effectively postpo ..."
on Recyclotron Feanor: "Ah, I posted before I saw your second comment. November seems a little late, but okay!"
on Recyclotron Feanor: "Hmm. Well, I will try to remain optimistic, but it seems weird that there's been no announcement yet ..."
on Recyclotron S.Tarzan: "I should add that apparently Syfy is going to make a decision about Caprica season two by November o ..."
on Recyclotron S.Tarzan: ""Also, I assume this means Caprica is dead in the water, which is sad."
No, not necessarily. Ron Mo ..."
on Recyclotron poppy: "Which is exactly why I loved it so much! Hysterical."
on On the Viewer - Recent Film Roundup Feanor: "Exactly!"
on Recyclotron Mike V.: "Coen Brothers remawha who what why? John Wayne True Grit? Remake? Huh?"
on Recyclotron Feanor: "Heh. Yep, pretty much."
on On the Viewer - Recent Film Roundup
Most Popular Entries
- It's a Boy!!
(23 thumbs up, 14 comments)
- Hey, So...
(13 thumbs up, 15 comments)
- Griffin
(13 thumbs up, 0 comments)
- That new feature I was talking about...
(9 thumbs up, 3 comments)
- The Hulk Thought of the Day
(7 thumbs up, 0 comments)
- I Did It - Sort Of
(6 thumbs up, 4 comments)
- Re-Potterizing: Progress Report 5
(5 thumbs up, 3 comments)
- Birthday Wishes
(5 thumbs up, 2 comments)
- Ocean City Daytrip
(5 thumbs up, 2 comments)
- The Hulk Thought of the Day
(5 thumbs up, 2 comments)
Entry Archive
Tags
RSS Feeds
- Main feed:
- Comments:
- You can also click any tag to find feeds that include just posts with that tag.
|
