Joker, Manga, and Girls on Fridges

Hello,
Howse it hanging cyberworld? I hope you've all had a great week. I was consumed all weekend by movies (I am a cinemaniac) but I did still manage to get some reading in. I enjoyed the Oscar ceremony, all though there sure was a lot of singing and dancing. But I loved Hugh, we're on a first name basis, and his enthusiasm.

Tonight I went to my Book Club. This month we moved upstairs and sat in our own high back chairs at a table. It was a nice change. We were somewhat secluded and literally surrounded by books. Unfortunately there is one guy who came tonight who likes to dominate the group. He kinda looks and talks like Seth Rogen, so I'll refer to him as Seth. Seth likes to talk, tell personal stories, and compare everything to David Foster Wallace. Seth gets a bit on my nerves, but then again maybe I get on other people's nerves. I don't know. Anyway this is the second time he's appeared in 6 months, so I guess we'll see him next in August. Otherwise it was a good time. I invite y'all to come down, all the info can be found here. There's a review of the Book Club book The Girl on the Fridge below.

Reviews
The Joker
This original graphic novel came out last fall but I haven't picked it up until now. Cynical folk would say that DC is trying to capitalize on the popularity of the Joker post-Dark Knight. However I highly doubt that writer Brian Azzarello and artist Lee Bermejo care at all about making any commercial product. This book is as dirty, grimy, and sick as Gotham City itself. The art/writing style is wonderfully noir as we follow how small time crook Jonny Frost latches onto The Joker. See Joker just got out of Arkham and now he wants to reclaim his crime kingdom. I really enjoyed this book. Azzarello is the perfect choice to write this noir/psychological examination. This reminded me of a controversial issue of Batman that also focused on the crazy mindset of Joker. Joker is a man who sees himself as death, so he's not afraid of dying. His unpredictability makes him the craziest supervillian in comics. Check this out.

Other Reviews
Comics Bulletin | ICv2 | Comic Book Resources

Death Note Vol. 1
After last week's Monster I thought I'd try another manga. While Death Note does have some fantasy elements, I was struck again by the realistic story-telling. The fantastical elements include a notebook where if you write someone's name in it and picture there face they'll die. A teenage student named Light finds a Death Note, as the notebook is called, and decides to kill all the criminals. In his mind he'll create a Utopia of which he'll take over as ruler. Again there is strong questions of morality like I saw in Monster. I was impressed by the discussion of whether Light's intentions are really righteous or self-serving. Also there's a strong chase element as Light eludes the NPG, Japanese FBI, and master detective L. Det. L is a mysterious figure whom we never see their face, just literally the letter L from a computer. This was very enjoyable and smart, I think I'll read some more.

Other Reviews
Pop Culture Shock | IGN | about.com

Girl on the Fridge
I highly enjoyed this collection of short stories from Etgar Keret. He is an Israeli author who focuses on very short vignettes and character portraits. The book reads very quickly as the longest story is 6 pages, and most stories average 2 pages. Keret's stories contain a mix of humor, poignancy, and fantastical elements. In fact they are so short that I lost track of some of the stories in the middle. It is admirable how lean Keret's writing is, he doesn't spare a word. In 600 words he can say more than some author's do in 600 pages. So check this out, I'll definitely be trying some of his other collections.

Other Reviews
New York Times | Pop Matters | Book Forum

The Reading List
Books
Doubt
Poems of Robert Graves

Magazine
Vanity Fair

Comic
Captain Britain and the M13

Check Out Count: Eh.

Comic Pull List: Dynamo 5 #20, Garth Ennis Battlefields Dear Billy #2, Green Lantern #38, Mouse Guard Winter 1152 #5, New Avengers #50, Runaways 3 #7, Superman #685, Trinity #39, Umbrella Academy Dallas #4, Wonder Woman #29

Have a great week! Book Slave.