shadowkat | Entries tagged with comic art

1. Currently reading? Still reading... The September House by Carissa Orlando - which for some reason or other makes me want to re-watch The Haunting of Hill House, and watch Insidious. I'm resisting. I have enough trouble sleeping as it is. Reading horror doesn't keep me awake, watching horror does.

I'm halfway through it, and so far - agree with the 3 star reviews that I've seen on Good Reads - none of which have include spoilers. There are reviews that do, but I've avoided them. It's not the sort of book I want to be spoiled on. Romance novels are among the few that I don't care whether or not I'm spoiled.

It's moved from haunted house book to a book about domestic violence, abusive relationships, and alcoholism. I looked up the author and apparently she's a psychologist who counsels folks with these issues, and decided to write a horror novel about it.

I'll stick with it - because I'm curious and I think I've figured it out and want to know if I'm right. Also I've been told there's a huge twist - which I think I figured out. It's told in first person, which usually means unreliable narrator, and all the signs are there.

But...it's not as funny as I was lead to believe. To date the only horror writer who has made me laugh was T Kingfisher. I admittedly have an off-beat sense of humor. Grady Hedrix annoyed me. And while this humor is dry, it's not quite dry in the right way?

Humor is an odd thing.

2. I'm re-reading X-Factor comics via an on sale item - X-Factor 1985-1995. It's pure nostalgia for me, because I read those books back in the 1980s and 1990s. In fact, I got hooked on X-men comics in college in 1985. A woman in my dorm had a box of them in her closet, and there was a group of people who collected and read them. We all hung out together, went to the comic book store together, and would discuss them in analytical detail. We tended to analyze the characters and relationships, mainly the relationships among the characters, their emotional and psychological arcs, why they do what they do, and defend or condemn (basically fight over) their actions.

At any rate, that was then, now I just read them on my own and don't discuss with anyone. Don't know anyone who reads them. This set or volume is interesting because it does a good job of showing the differing art and writing styles over a period of time. Recently, Tom Brevoort mentioned in his blog - how the editorial board at Marvel, himself included, wrote a treatise of sorts on what not to - or how to write/break down story, and fix what's wrong in comics.

This was what he said:
( Brevoort's memo to Editorial Staff )
And so, here I am reading X-Factor - from around 1985-1986, and the writers/artists are doing exactly what they say not to do. Sitting around tables, standing in rooms, and often it's five-six characters. There's paragraphs of dialogue. I do mean entire paragraphs. If you think I can be long-winded and verbose? These writers have exposition that can give my blogging skills a run for my money.

For example? One piece of dialogue goes into nitty gritty detail about scientific experiments that a fictional Soviet Union is conducting.
( Read more... )

3. I had a three, but I've managed to space it? I'm tired and my mind is spacey, what can I say? How about a picture of an elderly but pretty cat instead?

Neil Gaiman interviews Art Spiegelman (Wrote MAUS0

Watch on YouTube

"As a result, we ended up in a world where we're all in the spin room being spun as opposed to being taken back to see what is being done to us." [He's discussing giving into the cynicism seen in later incarnations of Mad Magazine, and not believing in anything greater than ourselves and power and control and greed. See Rudy Giuliani.)

This is a fascinating video about creating comics and the art form. It's also an amazing conversation about MAUS, comics, Mad Magazine, perception, and the Holocaust. It's worth listening to.

***
Hmm...in a related event, Whoopie got suspended from the View.

ABC Suspends Whoopie Goldberg from the View

Whoa. Not that I care about the View.
( the Whoopie fiasco )

Words matter - if you have a platform. Not if you are just talking to yourself in your own apartment. Well they do, but you're the only one who will care - and possibly the walls, and maybe any ghosts listening in.

So, I've been reading comparisons of Justice League movies, and more and more tempted to do my own. Mainly because they aren't satisfying me. I do however agree with one of the reviews/comparisons - from Slate who states that doing a back to back comparison of the Whedon Cut and Snyder Cut is akin to attending a 6 hour film class. And they should teach it in film courses. (Although Scalzi does make a good point that there are better films to do this with - such as The Magnificient Ambersons - which was a film yanked from Orson Wells, and then he did his director's cut of it. My only issue with that - is I find Wells films deathly dull. Talk about dark films, where the director is obsessively self-indulgent, and more into visual metaphors than story. I'm not a fan of Wells style of movie making, but white male film geeks adore him for some reason that I've never understood. I've debated this with so many white male film geeks over the years. Female film geeks tend to prefer people like Jane Campion. Film geeks like all geeks are a rowdy argumentative bunch that rarely agree on anything - but art is subjective.)

I've always been fascinated with subjective vs. the objective elements of the art form, and the degree to which it can validly be reviewed or critiqued. Much like a fictional novel, a painting, or any other form of art for that matter.

Film also as an art form - fascinates me. I am a frustrated film major. My favorite courses in undergrad often focused on the analysis of films, television shows, or visual medium. And I spent a lot of time as a child watching old movies on television, or going to the movies. I love movies.
I like to lose myself in them - in someone else's head for a bit.
( rather long, although not that spoilery except for links to videos, etc. )

Oh, almost forgot - the ironic thing about all of this is way back in the 1990s, Whedon got upset with how the Kuzie's ruined Buffy the Vampire Slayer. He'd sold his script to them, and they directed it, and rewrote his script - actually Donald Sutherland, Rutgher Hauer, and Paul Stuben all had a hand in it, improvising lines. Whedon was furious and incredibly upset with how they ruined his movie.

Cue about thirty years later? Whedon does the same thing to Zack Snyder's Justice League, and except the actors and Director are furious with him, along with Christopher Nolan.

1. Watched the The Old Guard tonight - the movie starring Cherliz Theron and Kiki Layne (who was in If Beale Street Could Talk - I highly recommend "If Beale Street Could Talk", if you've not seen it - it was hands down the best film I saw last year and this year to date.)

Anyhow, The Old Guard felt less like a movie and more like the pilot of a television series. It's clunky in the same way that television serial pilots are, with lots of exposition, and set-up, but a feeling that future episodes might carry more weight. And - much like pilots of television serials - it's last scene was by far the most intriguing. I think that pretty much tells you everything you need to know about the movie without getting spoiled. In other words, if it were a television series? I might stick with it for a bit. But as a movie? Eh..it's not bad, just clunky. The villains are kind of cliche. Although it is progressive with LGBTQ relationships and casting. But there's not much to the plot - lots of expository material. Go watch "If Beale Street Could Talk" and "Mad Max: Fury Road" instead.

2. I'm irritable.

Also, NYC has made me dislike bicyclists. I'm perfectly fine with bicyclists anywhere else. It's just here that I'd like to strangle them. Or poke them with a large stick while they ride by me on the sidewalk. That's right, in my neighborhood, people are riding their bikes on pedestrian paths, sidewalks, etc. The only relief from the nasty fiends is Greenwood Cemetery - which prohibits bike riding. It's the only place in the city that prohibits the riding of bikes. Ah...

3. Flirting with various forums on Comic Con.

Whedon appears to have left it. Not quite sure why - can't find anything discussing it and it was sudden. Either that - or they don't want to let me attend it for some reason, but I'm neither that egotistical nor paranoid. I mean why would anyone care if I attended? I lurk. And I'm not a journalist. I'm nobody. I think he asked that they remove it. But Nathan Fillon may have him drop in on his Q&A, so that's possible. Fillon's is also more doable - it's on Sunday. I kind of want to do Cherliz Theron - Badass Heroine - and a Q&A on her career. I like Cherliz Theron. She plays tough characters. It should be noted that I've never done a comic-con in my life. And I dislike Zoom. So, we'll see if this works.

OOOhhh, I found something really really cool - Star Trek Universe It has the creator of Rick and Morty, and the casts of Discovery and Picard on it. The Discovery Cast will do a scene read-through. ( https://comiccon2020.sched.com/list/descriptions )

1. Been struggling with despair lately...so I found this quote in the middle of the comic book that I was reading tonight...to be rather comforting.

"For many years we've been trying in our own bumbling way, to illustrate that love is a far greater force ,a far greater power than hate. Now we don't mean you're expected to go around like a pirouetting Pollyanna, tossing posies at everyone who passes by, but we do want to make a point. Let's consider three men: Buddha, Christ, and Moses...men of peace, whose thoughts and deeds have influenced countless millions throughout the ages -- and whose presence still is felt in every corner of the earth. Buddha, Christ and Moses...men of good will, men of tolerance, and especially men of love. Now, consider the practioners of hate who have sullied the pages of history. Who still venerates their words? Where is homage still paid to their memory? What banners still are raised to their cause? The power of love - and the power of hate. Which is most truly enduring? When you tend to despair ...let the answer sustain you." - Stan Lee (from May 1969).

Just finished House of X - #4 -- and,( major plot spoilers including character deaths )

As an aside, Jay of "Jay & Miles X-Plain the X-men" stated in a recent podcast that while she liked Hickman a lot, she was disappointed that Marvel hadn't hired a marginalized writer to write about a team of marginalized super powered characters.
That once again they went with the straight white dude. Well, to be fair, most of Marvel is straight white dudes. That's the problem with the comic industry -- it's dominated by straight white dudes. Inroads have been made and things are slowly changing but it takes time. That said? Sometimes a straight white dude can surprise you and write a damn moving story about women and marginalized but empowered characters who aren't white.

2. Still reading a romance novel about a Jewel Thief and Bow Street Runner, which is interesting, but poorly executed. There are so many typos. I don't think they are intentional, these feel like word gaps, where one's brain is jumping ahead of the fingers and the fingers just skip over certain words. There are also a few grammatical errors and weird syntax -- such as the wrong pronoun. I think these are editing mistakes -- which makes me wonder about the line editors, and if she had to do it all herself. My sympathies. I made typographical errors too. Word to the wise -- it's frigging hard to publish a book without these errors -- unless you have another pair of eyes go over it a few times. Also the computer doesn't always help with it's spell-grammar checking, it will tell you to remove words that you should keep in there.

Anyhow, the errors are distracting. Also too much time is spent on back story, other relationships, etc and not enough on the romance. Which is an interesting tactic for a romance novel. In some respects, I found it refreshing that I got more scenes of Juliette and her brother, Bran, who she was raised with, than with the hero. Or more scenes with the hero and his fellow runners. Or more about what it is to be a thief.
Juliette and the hero, Grant, seem to have a strong physical attraction and a similar taste for high adrenaline activities...but outside of that they barely know each other or talk. Every time they are together -- they want to well kiss passionately. (They haven't done much else, yet. Which is surprising. We're well past the 80% mark.)

It's an enjoyable quick read, but nothing to rave over. I'd rec the comic books I'm reading over it at the moment.

Got suckered by SmartBitches into purchasing A Curious Beginning (Veronica Speedwell Mysteries #1) by Deanna Rayburn which is on sale for .99 cents at Amazon Kindle.

After burying her spinster aunt, orphaned Veronica Speedwell is free to resume her world travels in pursuit of scientific inquiry—and the occasional romantic dalliance. As familiar with hunting butterflies as with fending off admirers, Veronica intends to embark upon the journey of a lifetime.

But fate has other plans when Veronica thwarts her own attempted abduction with the help of an enigmatic German baron, who offers her sanctuary in the care of his friend Stoker, a reclusive and bad-tempered natural historian. But before the baron can reveal what he knows of the plot against her, he is found murdered—leaving Veronica and Stoker on the run from an elusive assailant as wary partners in search of the villainous truth.

I can use my credits -- for the items I've returned. I returned "In Her Defense by Juliana Keyes" today after giving up on it, I'd made it through three-four chapters or approximately forty pages, when I realized, I hate this book. Good bye.
So back it went. You can do this with Amazon -- but alas, you have to be quick about it. They will not allow you to return books that you've had for several weeks. Or over a week or several days. So, I can't return the Twitty book, although I may go back to it at some point. I didn't hate that book -- just wasn't in the mood.

(In Her Defense is the book I was whinging about in last night's post.)

In other book news, I just finished the Neil Gaiman/Colleen Doran graphic novel Snow, Glass, Apples -- which is graphic novel adaptation of Gaiman's chapbook short story retelling of the Snow White fairy tale. The art takes center stage in this one and it is brilliant, also Gaiman's tale is haunting and horrifying/witty in Gaiman's signature style.

In this version, the Queen is the hero, Snow White is the monster -- although the book raises many unanswered questions at the end. What I found rather innovative and also, when I thought about it - of course, that makes total sense, why hasn't anyone else come up with this? ( spoiler )

The narrative is completely in the Queen's point of view. And it is just a narrative, no dialogue.

Illustrator and comic book artist Colleen Doran's art is beautiful and different. She applies the techniques of Harry Clark.

( interview with Colleen Doran )

Artists influence each other, as my brother used to tell me, art is in the interaction with the material and what others bring to it and take away from it. The biggest compliment you can pay any artist is when you borrow their techniques, or characters or world to play with on your own -- it means on some level they hit you at your core.

I'm very visual -- I think in pictures. ( Read more... )

1. So, I've had a day. Which wasn't helped by being soaked by the deluge on the way home. It was pouring so hard, that after two blocks, having an umbrella didn't appear to matter. Hopefully tomorrow will be better.

2. Currently reading..(I'll look it up for you) The Cooking Gene: A Journey Through African-American Culinary History in the Old South by Michael W. Twitty

It's basically a memoir by an gay African-American chef -- who explores his African-American ancestory and heritage through cooking. So part cookbook, part memoir.

I'm about 20% in -- or 50 pages.

Reading it has made me think about my own cooking or culinary heritage such as it is. Mainly the writer makes the assumption that we all have one, or all African-Americans can trace theirs through it. (I beg to differ, I happen to know a lot of African-Americans who do not cook nor want to. What is about human beings that we have a tendency to think everyone shares our views, perspective, and skill or tastes? )
( Read more... )

It's strange but in my fifties, I'm beginning to see myself and others more clearly somehow. And I'm less concerned that others share or even understand my skills or tastes. It's as if I no longer feel the need for approval or validation. Or care.
It's weirdly freeing.

For instance, I realized recently that I don't enjoy cooking that much. ( Read more... )

3. Finished Powers of X #2 by Jonathan Hickman and RB Silva. The art, once again, is quite good. But there is an awful lot of expository world-building and hard science fiction detail in this book. It feels at times like reading Doris Lessing's Sci-Fi Opus.. Canopus in Argos which I couldn't get through. This is just a comic and breaks things up a bit. Canopus in Argos was a huge book...and pages and pages of it.

There's a nifty pair of quotes at the end of the comic -

Stan Lee - February 1969 - " Where do you nuts get your ideas?" " That question is asked of Yours Truly at lectures, interviews, and bull sessions more often than any other..... The point is, ideas are no problem. Here in the Bullpen, we can't talk to each other for five minutes without coming up with a zillion new thoughts and angles. The big hangup is getting the time to develop the ideas...to polish them and refine them until we feel they'll have maximum impact -- until we know they'll be an integral part of the ubiquuitous Marvel universe! Everyone has ideas -- you, I, the gang in the mail room- even our competitors, bless-em. What really counts is what you DO with them. We believe that almost any idea can be worthwhile if it's presented with integrity, taste, and imagination. For, an idea is like a guitar -- it doesn't mean a thing unless you know how to use it!"

This is followed by the quote: " You must see by now,there is no you and I, there is only us. We are together, or we are nothing." - Xavier

I had to read several bits twice. ( Read more... )

1. For those who want to get a look-see at what Jonathan Hickman is doing with the X-men, in Powers of X -- go HERE -- Scans Daily posted a sizable sample.

Fascinating comic -- for those who like this sort of thing. A lot of people don't.

ETA: What's weird is the nit-picking against it. Screen rant decided that the retcon didn't work based on a story arc that I honestly don't even remember. ( Read more... )

2. Finished two books..one, sigh, did not work. It was a contemporary romance and honestly, I do not know why I keep trying to read these books -- they always disappoint me. This is why I'm writing my own contemporary romance novel -- which I beginning to hate at the moment, because the dumb thing won't let me go, and I'd much rather continue with my sci-fi novels.

Anyhow...it's called The Tycoon by Molly O'Keefe , part of a series, different writers writing different novels. So clearly they were given template characters to write about, and it shows. Mainly a set-up to write erotic fiction. Although I wouldn't say it was that erotic, boring yes, erotic, no.

The beginning or first 65% of it, was pretty good. I liked the hero, Clayton, quite a bit. He was interesting -- even if he seems a bit contradictory and doesn't make a lot of sense. The heroine on the other hand...worked fine up to a point, until she really didn't and I began to want to smack her upside the head.

But mainly the plot didn't quite work -- nor did the central conflict -- which threw me out of the story. And made me dislike the wrong characters.

( full spoilery review here )

The other book, a graphic novel or a collection of comics in graphic novel format, The Mighty Thor - Vol #1 - Thunder in Her Viens by Jason Aaron was as good as recommended. ( Read more... )

Right now, I'm reading The Cooking Gene...A Journey Through the Culinary Arts of the Old South which is part memoir, part history lesson. I'd tried it previously and couldn't get into it, but after it was rec'd by Mammacunluna on facebook, I chose to give it another try.

3. Was talking to the co-worker across the aisle about Endgame and the Marvel verse.
She's the one who told me to find mindless fluff to watch last night..I'm not sure General Hospital counts? ( Read more... )

Well, the House of X comics or Jonathan Hickman's re-imagining of the X-men, is getting deserved rave reviews across the board.

As I've reviewed on Good Reads:

( review )

What's interesting about Hickman's comics is how he changes how you read or view comics. The format, the structure, and the story. In other words, he breaks the rules and forces the reader to focus and concentrate more on the text. Quick reads these aren't.

In addition he's creating some of the most interesting female characters that I've seen in comics in quite some time, not only interesting but feminist -- and no longer mere support for a male lead. Moira McTaggart -- who up until now was basically Xavier's love interest and associate, or Scean Cassidy's. Is now a mutant and a powerful one -- who has affected timelines. She's brilliant and able to keep the knowledge of each previous time line from the moment she's born into the next one. We have a scene in this comic between Destiny, Mystique and Moira that meets the Bechdel test.

And in the process asking some interesting questions. One of the most innovative comics that I've read. If you are a lover of the graphic novel medium, and like things like Umbrella Academy, or off-the-beaten track -- you might want to give these a shot. Will state that you do not have to know anything about the X-men to enjoy them.

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.)

1. Tried Little Drummer Girl again -- this is the BBC/AMC mini-series adaptation. I had actually read the book and seen the movie. So I know the story more or less. And each time I try the mini-series, which my brother loved, it puts me to sleep. My brother's taste is odd though...( Read more... )

It could be a mood thing. I may just not be in the mood for convoluted spy/terrorist thrillers?

Speaking of? Tried the first episode of The Americans as well -- all seasons are currently streaming on Amazon Prime. And I went to sleep during it as well.

2. Did watch first two episodes of Deadwood on HBO, and surprisingly enough it held my interest. Although it is hard to hear or understand what the characters are saying and they certainly talk a lot. Very talky show. Low on action, high on dialogue, also they like to feed corpses to the pigs (which is what turned my mother off). Didn't bother me that much...mainly because they look fake, and I don't know the corpses, so hard to care. But honestly -- feeding corpses to pigs -- means you do not want to eat those pigs, so they are sort of worthless. Not that I would eat them anyhow -- I tend to avoid pork -- mainly because pigs will eat anything.

I'm decided to watch it -- because co-worker convinced me that it basically had most of the same cast and creative team as Justified. And Timothy Oliphant was more or less playing the same role. He's right. Except I think Justified was better written, also far less violent, mainly because it was on F/X and this is on HBO.

The first episode, by the way, is better than the second. The second was a bit talky and slow. And I agree Ian McShane is the best thing in it.

3. Also made it through the first two episodes of The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina S2 -- which is decidedly better than S1, to date. It's a bit darker. I do with they'd make the Dark Lord look pretty as opposed to a dessicated goat monster, who looks like he was made with cheap twigs from the costume department. He's hard to take seriously. Looks a wee bit too much like a humorous take Riverdale's The Gargoyle King (who was far creepier). Richard Coyle's head priest is creepier than the Dark Lord. Also, I have troubles believing that a fallen Angel would look like that.

It would be more interesting if Nick Scratch were what he really looks like and the other is a costume. But I don't see that happening.

The mythology of Sabrina much like the mythology of well all of the other Berlanti shows doesn't quite work. Every once and a while, I think, okay, what? That makes no sense. And yes, I can handwave with the best of them...but what? That's silly and makes no sense and I'm lost.

This is not a show you want to think about too hard. Just saying.

That said, from a socio-political perspective -- it has some rather intriguing themes regarding gender dynamics. And does work, if you ignore the mythology and some of the plot points. ( Spoilers )

4. Saw the Netflix film Always be My Maybe -- yes, I opted for the trendy Asian rom-com over the trendy gross-out horror movie.
( spoilers )

5. Boom!Studios Buffy Comic #5 -- the artist changed, and he's not as good as the prior artist, and really the art was the only thing I liked about the comics. So I think I'm finally done with them.

This issue did not work for me. You know there's a problem when you prefer fanfic which you can read for free. And I have read some extremely good and extremely bad fanfic from the Buffy verse. This is mediocre fanfic - which means it's not even bad enough to be amusing. And yes, it is fanfic -- approved fanfic by the rights holders, but I think we've already established that the right's holders don't necessarily have the best taste.

6. May have to re-read the Un-Canny X-men comics under Rosenberg. Issue 19 sort of flips the entire series he wrote on its ear. Or is a huge plot-twisty reveal. Also we get the return of Emma Frost, who is the best villian turned hero outside of Magneto. She is sort of the female version of Magneto, except with the ability to manipulate minds.

1. I'm avoiding reviews of The Dark Phoenix in the same manner I avoided reviews of Avengers: Endgame. I plan on seeing it regardless. I saw X-Men: Apocalypse and liked it better than the critics did. Was it great, no. It's a loose adaptation of superhero comics..I have low expectations. The only good X-men films to date is "X-men: Days of Future Past" and "Logan". Everything else... is ...well better than most of the DC films, and definitely better than any Marvel flick prior to Iron Man.

So, low expectations. But will see anyhow. I saw X-men: Last Stand in the movie theater, as long as it is better than X-men Last Stand and Origins: Wolverine, we'll be fine. Those are the worst two films of the franchise, although to be fair you'd have to go a long way to beat out the Fantastic Four films which were atrocious. If there was a superhero franchise that needed to be successfully rebooted? It's the Fantastic Four.

I also am leery of it -- since it went from a three movie trilogy to one movie, and was re-shot after Disney was about to re-acquire the rights.

2. Was discussing Trek with a co-worker who is a serious fan. So serious that he is spending $20 a month to get it on CBS All Access. He said it's good, one of the better Treks. We discussed all the Treks. Neither of us are cult Trekkies -- in that we don't write fanfic, wear the costumes or go to the cons. But we've seen most of the episodes and series. At the end of the day, he told me in true Spock fashion to live long and prosper.

3. Truly Funny Review of the GodZilla Movie -- they gave it an F+ but said it was a fun bad movie. (Which to be honest is true of all Godzilla films, sort of the point of the films actually.)

I love how they mention that all the monsters are radioactive...see, if you know anything about Japanese Cinema, and if you grew up watching these films then gradually moved over to Japanese Anime, and have a knack for picking up patterns in things -- you'd realize all of this is how the Japanese internalized and handled surviving not one but two atomic bombs.

Did I mention that I grew up watching Godzilla movies on the Saturday Creature Feature Maintainee and on the Afternoon Afterschool Movie?( Read more... )

4. Finished watching the second episode of Songland which I liked better than the first, but this may be because I prefer the music of W.il.iam and the Black Eyed Peas to John Legend. (I'm not a huge fan of the belted pop song. It's rare that I like it -- why? It sounds cheesy.)

Although in this case much like Legend's they picked the song that I would not have picked. The song I loved this week and stopped to listen to was..
( Boxes by Josh Logan )

5. Picked up more comics...and read one of them.

Uncanny X-men #19 (2018) -- where we finally get to see Emma Frost's reaction to Scott Summers being alive and back, her Scott, not the boy from the past.
Unfortunately the art is crappy in this issue. Come back Salvadore Larroca or please get Adam Kubert of While Porticia or someone?

This is the problem with comics...the artists change constantly. The writer tends to stay constant, but the artists jump in and out. I remember when Joss Whedon took on the X-men, he insisted that he keep the same writer throughout his run. Mainly because that was his complaint as a reader -- he loved Grant Morrison's run until the art got wonky and they kept changing the artists. This can be jarring.

I don't know why they shift artists in and out but keep the same writer throughout.
Sometimes a writer/artist will form a bond and stick throughout. Such as Lee and Kirby, and Claremount and Kirby, and Claremount and Lee. But often that's not the case.

Ugh.

Also, another shout out about the book? We get a reprint of Stan Lee's soap box from 1968, where he does a lengthy speech about bigotry and racism, and how important it is to route that out. That we can't overlook it or tolerate it. That we shouldn't judge people on race or religion, but as individuals. It's a lovely speech, but he's not quite there yet on gender. Sigh. But still, close.

It's why I fell in love with the X-men and Marvel verse -- because the writers were progressive and very anti-racism and pro-human rights. A lot of great political commentary can be found in superhero comic books. Stan Lee was a progressive writer and fought racism with his pen. Maybe not always well, but he tried.

The story? It's interesting. ( Read more... )

Also picked up the latest issue of the Buffy comics and I think they changed artists on me. Why? The artist was good. The writer and plotter -- needed help. Don't change artists...bad comic book producers. Bad.

And I fear the writer/producers of this thing are shameful Bangle shippers and about to give me the adventures of Buffy/Angel against the world. No. No. Boom!Comics is making me miss the Dark Horse version.

So why'd I pick it up? Curiosity? And a desire to see if I'm right? Also...I wanted to see how Xander turns out as a vampire. Plus it's cheap.

1. Read the latest issue of Boom Studios Buffy Comics Reboot - this is allegedly the final of the four issue arc for this year. No clue if they will continue after it?

Anyhow....my thoughts? It's steadily gone downhill, writing wise. To the point in which I've just about decided to give up on it.

( spoilers )
I'm not sure what the writer is doing exactly, but I've read better fanfic (well that sort of goes without saying when it comes to the comics or any novelization of the series.) Why? Because whomever is approving the rights for these things -- doesn't perceive the series in the same way that I do, obviously. Nor has the same taste, which is saying a lot, considering how broad my taste actually is.

The problem is that the writer is not telling the story directly. She skips time.
Relies too heavily on the readers pre-existing knowledge of the series and characters (much like fanfic writers do, actually), which would be fine -- if the characters were closer in their behavior to those in the series (they aren't). And the story followed the canon, it doesn't. You can't veer that far away from canon and just skip to the fun parts in your story, without any build up. It's jarring.
Don't do this people. It's lazy writing. It's bad enough that you are playing in someone else's sandbox with their toys and getting paid for it, without forgetting to build up to your major plot points in a satisfying way.

I don't care what happens to these characters. They bear little resemblance to the one's I knew. And I have not had time to invest in their relationship with each other, to care what happens. You can't push the reader into the center of the action without some character development -- even if the characters are based (and rather loosely in this case) a television series.

If it weren't for the great art, I'd have given up a while ago. The art is the best that I've seen for the Buffy comics. It's very complimentary to the actors -- they actually look better here than they did on screen. I know, go figure.

But the writing is getting worse with each issue. Some of the dialogue is cringe-inducing. Buffy actually says the words "Jeez, Louise" - eh, no.

And while the art is great for the most part, Joyce and Drusilla do not bear any resemblance to the actors who played them. Nor for that matter does Robin Wood, but that appeared to be deliberate.

Rating? Not worth your time or the price of admission. Skip.

2. It probably would have helped if I hadn't been reading the X-men comics at the same time. In particular Matthew Rosenberg's take on Un-Canny X-men, which is superb and pretty much does all the things a good serial writer should do -- further the characters arcs, address their relationships with each other, and provide action that helps examine social issues and those relationships/emotional arcs concurrently.

I read Uncanny X-men #16 prior to the Buffy Comic, and night and day. My only quibble with Un-Canny is the art, which was uneven. It's the reverse of the Buffy comic -- great writing, very uneven art, yet still a much better comic.

They do a few unexpected things here -- which help examine what it means to be a leader and the toll it takes on people. In this issue, Cyclops has begun to question his leadership -- and decides to step down. He's basically tired of second-guessing himself all the time, and worse having everyone else do it too. He's also trying to hold his team together, and keep everyone alive. He's been trying to keep everyone alive for a while now, and failing miserably. He's lost more people than he cares to count, and most of them, people he loved a great deal. The guy is basically wallowing in grief and self-doubt. But luckily he has company -- Logan, Alex, Dani Moonstar, Shan, Rahn, Hope Summers, Banshee, Johnno, Illyana, Jamie Maddrox, are all along for the ride.
( spoilers )

1. Made it to the DMV for my "Enhanced Driver's License" (I worked damn hard in high school to get a driver's license, I refuse not to have that as well as the Id, regardless of whether or not I plan on actually driving -- reminds me a bit of my long inactive law license actually. Coworker: Do you even remember how to drive after twenty years? ME: No. (but all the DMV requires is that I take an eye exam. Hah! Although that would explain why driving in NYC is hazardous to one's health.)). Didn't take that long and wasn't as painful as expected. Although they are terribly inefficient.
( Read more... )

What do you need for an Enhanced ID?

1. Proof of Birth (either birth certificate or Passport, I just made the deadline, my passport expires next month)
2. Proof of State Residency (two documents -- utility bill, paycheck stub, and NY Driver's License
3. Social Security Card
4. Form filled out and completed

Oh well. Apparently if you want to renew an enhanced ID/Driver's License, you can mail it in the next round. They make you take an eye exam - regardless of whether you state you wear corrective lenses.
I guess they want to make sure you're not blind.

I also managed to cancel my doctor's appointment. Since I could not get a hold of the office -- I did it by text message and email. Their phone line kept telling me that the office was closed. And I could not leave a message. It was annoying. I finally called another number to see if my appointment was truly cancelled -- the other number confirmed it. Very weird and aggravating.

2. Reading Meme

Just finished reading - some really good comic books (and a horrible one, but hey that's comics.)

* Buffy the Vampire Slayer #1 by Jordie Bellaire and artist Dan Mora -- this is BOOM STUDIOS reboot, after they acquired the rights to the series from Dark Horse.
( Read more... )

*Uncanny X-men Annual 1 - Return of Cyclops by Ed Brisson and Carlos Gomez

Much better than expected. ( Read more... )

* Jean Grey - arc about teen Jean on her quest regarding the Phoenix

( Read more... )

Uncanny X-men Dissembled -- this is the series that leads up to Uncanny X-men Annual 1 - Return of Cyclops.
( Read more... )

[Note -- this is my first read of the comics. I'm not re-reading them. I know I'm behind everyone else. But I despised the last five issues of Season 8 Comics, and the first six issues of the Season 9 comics. So gave up. Then accidentally hit upon some excellent panels from Season 10, and thought okay, will give them a second shot. So word to the wise, if you want to read these? Skip Season 9 Vol. 1 Freefall, Season 9 Vol. 3 - Guarded, the Last Six Comics of S8, and go from there. Also grab the last two volumes of Angel & Faith S10 -- which are a great character back-study of Giles, and also provide much fodder for the Angel/Spike and Spike/Faith relationships. Since Angel doesn't evolve at all in the comics, he remains the least interesting character in them. I get why they did that, but, it's a tired trope and the writers really need to shake the character up a bit.]

Review of Buffy Season 10 Comics.

With a few weak spots here and there, these are by far the best comics of the series. They do a marvelous job of building two key relationships, Dawn and Xander, and Spike and Buffy. Also a rather good job of continuing to evolve Giles, Andrew, and Willow. Andrew FINALLY is established as gay.
We also get some closure with Jonathan and Anya.

The weak spots are mostly in regards to art. Meghan does a good job with pretty much everyone but Spike, who has the same nose as my Dad. I found this odd. And her art is heavier lined, more cartoonish in character and not quite as smooth as Rebecca Isaacs. I wish Rebecca could have done all of it. I agree with Whedon that changing artists can be jarring.

Xander -- if you are a Xander fan this season is a must. His character is by far the most developed that it has been in the series. And the writers have apparently infused his character with some of Nick Brendan's actual issues. Various issues delve into Xander's anger management issues -- and how his issues with anger have caused problems in his relationships. He also spends a lot of time discussing these issues with Anya's Ghost (which admittedly got repetitive after a bit), and Spike.
The Xander/Spike scenes are by far the best.

Spike -- for the most part is well-utilized in this season. While he spends most of his time with Buffy, working out their issues and building their relationship, we do get bits with Harmony, Xander, and Dawn.

[Also Angel, who makes an appearance, and would be a heck of a lot more interesting if the character had evolved. The writer's justification is that Angel is immortal and his status really hasn't changed all the much. He's either cursed with a soul, or not. I actually think one of the weaknesses here is that the Angel character can't evolve or change -- for both the television series and the comics. I think something major has to happen to motivate Angel to do something -- instead of letting forces around him manipulate him, or manipulating those around him to appease those forces and obtain their approval. He's also so self-centered, he honestly sees everyone's behavior as a reflection of his own, and is somewhat deluded regarding his own. Shame he can't see his own reflection.Anyhow, he's barely in it, and his purposes seems to be to shake up Willow, Buffy and Spike a bit.]

The writers do a marvelous job of building Spike/Buffy as a relationship here -- they address what happened in Season 6 and 7 pretty much in depth between the two characters. Along with all of their issues and the fans issues regarding them. Finally we get a discussion of both the BDSM sexual relationship and the attempted sexual assault. It's well-handled. Kudos. We also have Buffy address with Spike her prior involvements with Angel and Riley and why neither worked. Along with Spike addressing his with Harmony and Drusilla -- and why they didn't work, and how bad he felt about Harmony. (Although Harmony doesn't care -- being a soulless vampire, she's moved on to using Clem like a whipping dog.)

Buffy -- is also well-done. It really delves into Buffy taking responsibility for her role in the verse, as the holder of the magic book. Also responsibility for her inter-personal relationships, instead of just running away from them.

Dawn -- the powers of the key are finally explored. And Dawn is given a chance to grow up a bit more.

The plot is okay, it gets a little convoluted in places -- and the main villain appears to be D'Hoffryn, which is an interesting choice. The most frightening villain is the Soul Glutton, who also appears to be a social commentary on well vegetarianism? There's a lot of social commentary in here, although not as blatant as in the previous series.

Overall, a good read. I highly recommend.

I skipped Angel&Faith, mainly because I'm not interested in any of the characters. It's not worth the money. These cost between nothing (if you can borrow) to $16.99. The Angel & Faith are pricier actually.

[Note to Buffy fandom folks -- if you wish to link to my Buffy centric posts, you may. Just not the ones with personal content intermixed. A couple of caveats though, I'm not interested in fighting with shippers. No tolerance for it. The following is my perception of the comics. I'm sure others vary. I won't fight with fellow fans on it. No patience for it. If you hate the comics, think comics are beneath you, or hate any of the characters? Go away. Shoo. No patience for that either. Been feeling crappy lately. Please be respectful of my blood pressure. Thank you muchly. ;-)]

So I've been making my way through the Season 9, Buffy and Angel comics. Not reading all of them.
Skipped over a couple. But, the ones I read were surprisingly good. Exceeded expectations. After the disappointment of S8, I had left the comics far behind. But found a few panels online by accident a week or so ago, and got sucked back in.

The writing and art has improved.

1. Buffy S9 - Welcome to the Team - Vol. #4 focuses on Buffy being approached by Illyria and Koh along with the Magic Council guarding the Deeper Well, to fight Severin, and more importantly protect the Well from Severin.

( spoilers )

2. Buffy S9 - The Core -- focuses on Buffy and Willow trying to save Dawn, while Xander attempts it as well with Severin and Simone, resulting in a potential apocalypse. There are some interesting sight gags in here and metaphors. ( spoilers )

3. Angel and Faith Season 9, Vol. 4 and Vol 5 address the same ideas but in a different way. I actually liked these two stories better, the writing is more on target, as is the art. (Chris Gage and Rebekka Issacs. Note the actors get to approve their likenesses in the comics. Isaacs notes how she had to provide a sketch for Marsters approval. And in one of the Q&A's someone asked that and yes, they do, if they were contract players and it is a clause in the contract. They also get a percentage of the royalties on anything carrying their likeness. Which is why you got to be a bit careful about making money off of fanart.)

Anyhow, this story focuses on two things, similar in a way to the Buffy comics. It focuses on resurrecting Giles, as Buffy is trying to save Dawn, and in preventing someone from unleashing a magical plague using the magic they are trying to use to save Giles.
( Spoilers )

The over-arching them of the Angel series is the same as the Buffy one, it's our connections to each other that matter. It is also the them of the Spike Limited Series. The families we build, the friends we make, the people we care for and about, this matters.

A comforting sentiment in troubling times.

Anyhow as you can see from the above, I was pleasantly surprised by these books and devoured them in one or two sittings. Loved them to pieces. Highly recommend.

Although it does help if you like all the characters and like the Spuffy ship.

Current Mood: blah

Due to popular demand (okay eight people, between two journals, but in my journal that equals popular demand, also it's not like anyone's counting), I'm doing a review/recap of the last three issues of the Spike comics. Luckily for me, I actually enjoyed these comics and the message. And yes, there may be some sniping at the Buffy comics...but I'll try really really hard to refrain.

The theme of these comics hits close to home for both me and I suspect for the writer...who lost his cushy gig writing Spike comics last year. I can relate.

Spike voice over in issue 8 - the last issue:

Took on the Vegas Mission because I was sick of playing second banana, sick of being along for the ride. I wanted to steer the coaster. But no one steers the coaster. No one is in control of anything. Innocents become dangerous. Heroes can turn on a dime. Sometimes, evil can do an about-face and want to help. People come into your life. People leave. Everything's changing. Everything's always changing. Bottom line. The only thing any one of us is in charge of is ourselves.

Simple message. And my current mantra. Okay not all of it. Everything after the word coaster. It's what has gotten me through the tough times. And it to a degree defines this incarnation of the Spike character and what I love most about him. Or may explain why I adore him to pieces - that mantra above. The post-modern existentialist hero. The character who looks fate in the eye, and give him the finger. My fate is my own. I own my choices. The legacy I leave are the choices I've made, for good or ill. I control no one but me. And that's enough.

( Spike Part 6 - How Spike Lost his Soul and Dru Gained Her's )

( issue 7 - Spike comics, how did Buffy find out Spike's still alive and does she really know? And how Spike got his soul back. )

( Part 8, Stranger Things or Issue 8 of the Spike Comics, or How Spike got the Bug Ship and what Spike has been up to during most of the Buffy comics - ie. wrapping things up and linking them to the Dark Horse comics. )

Okay, I don't know about you. But I'm tired. That took a while. Longer than I'd intended. And a bit too extensive. Basically I read the last three issues of the Spike comics for you, so you don't have to. [ETA: There's a ton of typos, I keep trying to fix them, but I don't think I got them all. So apologies.]

Crossposts: http://shadowkat67.livejournal.com/651989.html

I picked up issue 3 of the Spike comics. I got the Urru cover, they had one issue of the Jenny cover left - priced at 10$, which I passed on. Because, really don't care that much.
The issue I bought was $3.99 (yes, the Spike comics are one dollar more than the Buffy ones...which is odd. But also explains a lot. They also sell out really quickly, while the Buffy comics don't sell out at all - not because one is more popular, so much as the comic stores order more of one than the other.)

At the store - the two comic book shop gals, the tall thin one who likes me and the plump goth gal with multiple body piercings and purple hair who hates me were discussing She Hulk. Or rather how oddly she had been drawn and potential casting for a film version. They said she was too busty, She Hulk isn't busty, she's more athletic in build, more like Cate Blanchett - who they think would be fantastic in the role. (Hey if Iron Man can be Robert Downey, Jr, The Hulk - Edward Norton, why can't She Hulk by Cate Blanchett?)

Found what they said to be interesting - since it is an excellent commentary on how poorly men draw the female form in comic books.Nicola Zanni apparently has taken over for Franco Urru until Stephen Mooney can take over full time. And well, if you didn't like how Franco Urru drew Drusilla or women, you're going to hate what Nicola does, let's put it this way - at least Urru's Drusilla sort of resembled Drusilla. Nicola's doesn't. Like most male comic book artists - he sucks at drawing women realistically. Dru doesn't look like Dru at all. Actually she looks a bit like...Beck or maybe Gwen. Nicola makes Jeanty like Micheangelo (not that Micheangelo ever drew comic books) in comparison. Oh well, at least he's doing the whole thing, as opposed to half of it like in issue 2 - which confused me. Note to comic book editors - switching artists in an action comic book without warning is jarring to the reader. Don't do it. (IDW likes to do it a lot. At least with First Night - they did it to show different points of view. Here, they do it because Urru jumped ship, which I'm beginning to think I should do as well.)

( critical comparison of Spike comics to Buffy comics both regarding art and writing - depicting what is wrong with both comics and why both aren't working for me at the moment - warning, I'm a bit critical of Whedon here, so if you are at all sensitive to such things, you may want to skip - this is basically me trying to figure out why both comic arcs don't work for me. )

Yeah, I know I went off on tangent. Back to the review...not much to say really.

( Spoilers for the Spike comics in a relatively snarky fashion )

That's the plot. I could I suppose try to figure out what theme Lynch is going for, but I seriously doubt Lynch is that deep. I think he's basically exploring Spike by way of the character John Constantine from the Hellblazer series. And having a bit of fun with it. The dialogue is funny in places and the story makes sense and engages you. It's not great, but it's not bad either.

Don't really know whether to recommend the series or not, mostly because I'm not sure I'm going to stick with it. Most likely will if only to see what Lynch plans on doing with Dru and Willow (the next major guest star to pop up in the comics).

It's probably worth noting that I appear to be rapidly losing interest in the comics, the Angel/Buffy verse and all things Whedon related. I'm getting bored. I don't know why exactly. Been struggling to figure it out. Maybe it's just that I'm tired of the same old, same old? Want something new, something that surprises me, and entertains, as opposed to merely disappoints and feels like well watching the same old magic trick even though the magician promises it won't be.

After writing all that? Want to explain one thing - we're going to see this differently guys. Appreciation of entertainment is subjective not objective and it often tends to be emotional. Arguing about such things as personal taste is a bit like telling someone who hates Granny Smith apples (because they are too tart) and loves Golden Delicious (because they are sweet) that they are wrong and Granny Smith have more substance and should be the apples to use in pie. (Actually I think the popular opinion is McIntosh). Also we think differently - what bugs me in the comics, probably doesn't bug someone else. You shouldn't judge someone's tastes primarily on whether or not they love or hate the Buffy comics or a particular novel for that matter. That's silly. People love or hate what they love or hate. This is basically my round-about way of telling you that just because I have issues with the things, doesn't mean I expect you to. Just not really all that interested in arguing about it. Find the prospect a tad head-ache inducing to be honest. So if you vehementally disagree with me, let's just politely agree to respectfully disagree. Save us both some needless blood pressure spikage (comics just aren't worth it...but I don't think politics are either...human rights however, a whole other story.).;-)

Reading The Hunger Games now - about twenty pages in, I think - hard to tell on the Kindle - it says 2% not how many pages. But it is engrossing and I rather like Katniss. Quite a bit in fact. I see Natalie Portman from Luc Besson's The Professional or maybe someone like that. Someone tough as nails. Trying to think of a young actress who fits that...maybe Chloe Mertz from Kickass - although she may be too young. By the way - so far? Hunger Games is a lot better written than Twilight. You can tell Suzanne Collins actually has some training in the craft and experience. She doesn't over do on the adverbs (I really wanted to kick Meyers for that). And the characters feel real and not over-done. In some respects it reminds me of the novel I loved when I was that age - The Girl Who Owned A City -which I bought at a school book fair and adored. (I loved school book fairs as a child - best thing ever. Yes, bookworm. Ecletic and moody book worm, who reads every genre on the planet. I dabble in them all, expert in none.)

To anyone who read this before I edited, my apologies - edited Sunday, 21,2010.

[Am somewhat behind on my reviews, I know. And technically speaking I already did a non-spoilery capsule review for this comic. But, it's been a long time that a comic book surprised me like this one did. Wasn't really expecting all that much, to be honest, considering that to date...the Angel comics have largely been a disappointment. So, I'm doing this review a bit differently. I'm using visual aids. The review is more of a meta and filled to the brim with spoilers. I also wrote way too late last night, so it was unproofed and quite rough when posted. Yeah, I know what's new? This morning...I overslept, so missed church and instead listened to a podcast on befriending regret, the podcast made me think of this post -because that is what is driving Illyria and indeed many of the characters in Angel and in any noir universe - they are filled with regrets of the things they've done and the things they should have done.]

Illyria is written by Scott Tipton and Mariah Huehner, who also serves as editor, with Elena Casagrande as the artist, and Walter Trono and Illaria Traversi on inks and colors. This is a rarity, we have a female character from a noir series written and drawn by women. So we are seeing her and to a degree the trope and series she is from through female eyes, not just male. While Kelley Armstrong did write for the Angel comics, the artists and editors were male. And in the Buffy comics - the editor, interior artist, executive producer were male - even on the arcs written by Espenson.

I note this because the comic book industry tends to be a boys club. Women rarely break in to it.
And when they do, it is hard to stay in it. No field is harder to break in to than action comics or superhero/noir comics. As a result, female characters are often drawn and written as male fantasy figures. This is also the reason that many women do not like comics, or degrade the art form - seeing it as something for adolescent males only. Being a gal who likes guy stuff..well not all guy stuff - the appeal of cars and American Football continue to bewilder me - has been an interesting experience.

One other thing to note about Illyria before I go begin my meta - the reason I've decided to use visual aids is unlike the other artists who do the Angel IDW and Buffy DH comics - Casagrande actually uses her art to show not tell us what lies inside her character. It's the first time I've seen anyone do this effectively in the IDW or Dark Horse comics, with the possible exception of Joan Chen in Always Darkest...

[*in the acknowledgments...the editors thank Joss Whedon and Fox World Publishing for their invaluable assistance (not "rights"), make of that what you will. It's in small print on the inside cover.]

( Illyria...Haunted by memories not her own and regrets that are alien to her )

Odd heading I know. But bear with me. Today, I listened to a moving sermon...so moving a good portion of the congregation was in tears. It was more a story than a sermon. A story about a family who was split apart by disagreement, and had not spoken in 20 years, but when the parents learned their son was sick and dying, they came as if by miracle. They put aside their differences. And the storyteller began the story simply with these words from a Biblical text - Amos 03 - "Can two walk together, unless they disagree?"

[Disclaimer: Please note that everything in this review is opinion only. I do not consider myself or the writers of this series an authority on any of the characters inside it. The people who created the characters to my knowledge have neither read these comics nor had a hand in creating them. These comics have no more weight on how the characters should be perceived than meta, fanfic, or drabbles written by fans. They are in my opinion - published fanfic much like The Wide Sagasso Sea is published fanfic or Ahab's Wife...albeit in a different medium. Nor do these comics in any way reflect my own views of the characters - of which I've written countless meta that can be found elsewhere on my lj - if you care to look. Arguments stating the words "authority" or "fact" or "canon" continue to bewilder me dear reader. This is basically a review of how I see the comic, take it as you will.]

Angel Issue 38 is not a bad comic book. It's actually an interesting read. It's about family. A family that disagrees and is contentious. When they are fighting the big bad, they are all on the same team, it's when they aren't in the midst of a physical battle that things...well they fall apart and the team drifts apart to go in separate directions. This issue examines from Angel's point of view, the relationships between Angel and Connor, and Angel and Spike - that's the main focus, which may explain why I sort of liked it - because those were my favorite relationships for Angel in the series, that and Darla.

( spoilers and general disclaimers apply )

Crossposts: http://shadowkat67.livejournal.com/585121.html

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Spontaneous Musings

from a curious soul

Entries tagged with comic art

Books and well, a cat.

Stuff I found ...

Justice League Films Comparison - The Importance of Tonal Shifts

Movies and San Diego Comic Con...

Reading meme

Book Review...and well books in general

Reading meme and other things..

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House of X - #2 Review

Wed Reading Meme..and other things

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Fannish stuff...or at least I think it is..it may not be..

Buffy and X-men comic reviews

Wed Reading Meme & the NY DMV - Brooklyn Division

Buffy Comics Season 10 - Review (First Time Review)

Buffy Comics S9 and Angel & Faith S9 Reviews

Spike Comic Review - issues 6-8 - Tying up Loose Ends

Spike comic review and Buffy comics - too many artists/writers spoil the plot...

Review of Illyria Comic - issue 1 - Haunted.

Angel Issue 38 - Can Two Walk Together, unless they disagree?

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