Going Old School Review-style

Hey folks,
This is an old school review post but don't hold that against it. Enjoy!

Reviews
Scalped vol. 5
This series continues to be the gold standard for comics. Writer Jason Aaron has no qualms about showing the dirty ugly side of these characters. The world of Scalped is a horrible uncompromising place. Chalk it up to Aaron's skillful writing and characterizations that the reader is still enthralled by something so bleak. It's great stuff. If I had any complaints about this volume it is that it felt like a lot of setup for the next arc. I want the series to return to putting Dashiell Badhorse back at the center of the story. But I still enjoyed it and can't wait for the next volume.

Other Reviews
The Outhousers | Broken Frontier
Past Reviews: Scalped Vol. 1, Scalped Vol. 2, Scalped Vol. 3, Scalped Vol. 4

Brokeback Mountain: Story to Screenplay
This is a great tool for anyone who is interested in the transformation of prose to screenplay. It includes the original short story by Annie Proulx, screenplay by Diana Ossana and Larry McMurtry, as well as essays about the process. Now since the film adaptation was so successful I do feel an air of self-congratulatoriness is on display here. For once I'd like to read one of these books where the adaptation was really bad. But that will never happen. Anyway the original short story by Proulx is worth reading in an of itself. It is amazing that in 30 pages of spare, rough prose Proulx manages to break your heart. I live in the western states and I've known men like Ennis. She captures his stoicism and grit. As she states in her essay, included here, that Brokeback Mountain is a story of "emotional deprivation." And it hurts more to live without feeling completely; that's why Ennis's life is tragic. McMurtry/Ossana capture and expand upon Proulx's foundation. The screenplay adaptation by these writers is expert and worth reading for any aspiring screenwriter.

Bio Info: Brokeback Mountain

Starman Omnibus Vol. 3
This incredible series continues to be awesome. Here we start off with an amazing 4 issue mini-series about my favorite character The Shade. This mini is worth the omnibus alone, I loved it. Robinson deepens Shade's history which features a 200 year old feud. I cannot heap enough praise on this mini. But then Robinson continues to do a great job with these characters. They are all well-rounded and real even though they are also superheroes. Talking of superheroes I especially enjoyed how Robinson gave several nods to the silver age heroes. Jack Knight gets to work with Batman, have dinner with the Justice Society, and learn about his dad's tragic love affair with Black Canary. It's great that Robinson has such a love for the golden age and the DC Universe, however Starman stays grounded in Opal City. We don't see him in Gotham or Metropolis. The continuity is easy to keep track of and the story stays character-centric. I would have liked a bit more Jack Knight, rather than so much about the side characters. But when the characters are so rich it's hard to complain.

Past Reviews: Starman Omnibus Vol. 1, Starman Omnibus Vol. 2

Have a great week! Book Slave.