Wed Reading Meme..and other things

1. What I Just Finished Reading

Just finished Powers of X by Jonathan Hickman and R.B Silva, which frankly blew me away. It's chapter 2 in Hickman's reboot of the X-men. Which really can be read without any knowledge of the X-men verse whatsoever.

I really went in with low expectations. The last six years of X-men comics have been abysmal, with bits of genuis here and there. Brian Michael Bendis run on the comics was rather interesting, until he ran out of steam, and Marvel decided to dump the X-men in favor of the Inhumans. So the plotting sort went into the ground and then some. If any series was in desperate need of reviving or rebooting, it was the X-men.

But it's not like they haven't rebooted it before as most fans will attest. And often horribly, and often repetitively.

Hickman doesn't do that. Instead he goes off in a completely different direction lifting the series to literary levels in the process. It may be too soon to get excited, this is only chapter 2 in the series. But, it's written in such an innovative narrative style, and drawn in one, that I can't help but get excited about it. A comic done well -- is a beautiful thing.

And...as I wrote on Good Reads? Frigging hell, that was a good read.

If I were to refer a science fiction fan to one superhero or Marvel comic -- I'd refer them to House of X and Powers of X, which are basically, Chapter 1, then Chapter 2 in a series. Also you don't need to know the back story of the X-men at all -- it works on its own as an interesting speculative science fiction series. ( Read more... )

2. What I'm reading now?


We Sold Our Souls by Grady Hendrix -- which is starting to piss me off. While reading it on the train ride home, my blood pressure was slowly sky-rocketing.

I've been staying away from anything that pisses me off. (I'm not sure I need to explain why, do I?)

The story is about Kris (Aka Christine, she goes by Kris) who basically got screwed out of her music, her liviliehood and any career in music by a bunch of boys, who signed a lucrative contract -- so the front-man could steal her work and make a killing elsewhere. It's a horror novel, or tongue firmly in cheek horror novel, about a hard-driving metal band. Kris reminds me a bit of Joan Jett, except if she took up with a bunch of boys instead of cool gals. The writer doesn't appear to like men very much -- and he is one, so...that's interesting. I've been noticing a trend lately with a lot of male writers -- is as if their reaction to the current state of affairs is prominent loathing of the straight male gender.

(Eh, I know and work with a lot of cool men, so I think they need to lighten up, and stop generalizing. Treat people as individuals, not part of a group.)
( plot spoilers )

The Mighty Thor by Jason Aaron and R. Dautman is, by stark contrast, wickedly good. It's a political thriller, fantasy, and story about cancer and female empowerment all rolled up in one. Once again the guys are not shown in the best of lights. Fellas? You aren't that bad.

Loki is rather interesting in this version -- and I'm beginning to understand the Loki/Jane Foster fanfic after reading the first two-three chapters of it. Loki fights Jane as a woman. And tells her that he wants to do something other than just fight this time around, she, of course doesn't trust him as far as she can throw him. (With good reason, he's kidnapped her numerous times and tried to kill her. Once threatened to fee her to a pet tiger.)

The art is quite good. Good art is key in these books. To all comics writers and editors everywhere -- do not skimp on the art, and make sure it works with the writer.

3. What I'm reading next?

Since I'm getting fed up with "We Sold Our Souls" -- seriously, I've no clue what the ladies/reviewers on SmartBitches.com are smoking. They keep recing books that look great and they say are great, but just annoy me. Anyhow -- since I'm getting fed up with this book -- I may borrow "Little Fires Everywhere" from the Library...assuming I can get it from the Library. I don't really want to buy it. I got enough books.
I need to start borrowing them, which is what I'm doing with a lot of comics on comicxology.

4. Unrelated to the above and the subject..but on my mind. My teeth hurt. ( Read more... )

5. I told Chidi today that I wanted to take a writer's retreat to Montreal (by train). (But alas, the Universe won't let me, since it doesn't appear to exist. There are retreats in Banff and Toronto, but I don't want to go there.)

Chidi: Are you a writer?
Me: Yes.
Chidi: What do you write?
Me: Fiction.
Chidi: Why don't you share it?
ME: I do share it. I published a novel and everything.
Chidi: You did? (he's shocked. And looks it up after I give him the title, etc. Chidi is momentarily impressed then racing off to an unrelated topic. Speaking to Chidi is akin to speaking to my mother -- he jumps from one unrelated track to another, it's hard to keep up...the man has the attention span of a puppy. I wanted to say gnat, but honestly do we know how long a gnat's attention span is? No we do not.)