Making Olympians Humans: Percy Jackson

Hey folks,
This is a bit of a delayed post due to tech problems. Apologies.

Making Olympians Humans: Percy Jackson & The Olympians The Lightning Thief
Ever since I was a kid, I've been fascinated by all things Greek Mythology. On one side I think this originates with early watchings of the 80s classic Clash of the Titans. Titans features a version of the Olympian Gods which is wonderfully human. They bicker, act stubbornly, and have no problem messing with those poor human beings. This version of the greek gods is wonderfully counter to the traditional Judaeo-christian God who is unquestionably perfect. In order to bring understanding to the unexplainable twists of fate it makes more sense that a culture would create a more humanistic almighty that reflects them. I'm just sayin'

Which brings me to Percy Jackson & The Olympians: The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan (Howse about a moratorium on long fantasy titles?) where this depiction of the Olympians bears itself out. In Percy Jackson a young man discovers that he is a demigod who has been put in the middle of a feud between Zeus and Poseidon. In order to rectify the brothers he must find Zeus's lightning bolt which has been taken to the Underworld by Hades. Of course this includes a journey across the United States, monster attacks, and encounters with other Olympians.

Now these children are obstensibly rejected by human society due to their bi-racial identity. Particularly in the case of Annabeth, Percy's friend, who was abandoned and rejected by her father. Percy is treated like a misfit troublemaker and ADHD case. These children (Percy is a pre-teen) are expected to negotiate these adult issues of identity, as well as battle monsters. In Riordan's socio-mythological construct these Olympian gods are still utterly irresponsible and petty. They leave their own illegitimate children to figure everything else themselves. Thank god for the Satyrs or these demi-god children would be lying corpses all over the United States.

Riordan does an excellent job integrating the American landscape with this greek mythological tradition. (Although this is not a completely original idea. It is a component in Neil Gaiman's American Gods.) Being knowledgable of these myths led to many a chuckle of recognition. Los Angeles becomes the entrance to the underworld whilst Las Vegas is a version of Circe's Island.

Of course this is another version of the heroes journey and I saw the Campbell-esque parallels. It up to Percy to save the day, and put an end to these stupid Olympian squabbles. This fits perfectly with the now common young adult paradigm where it is a pre-teen/child who saves the day. Of course this is so that the reader (presumably young adult) can see themselves reflected in the main characters. This has been used by storytellers since the beginning of time. In mythology it is has been true that a young boy must complete a great deed in order to become a man. As Hercules had his 7 labours, then Percy Jackson must find Zeus's lightning bolt. It is a part of showing the gods that he is worthy of their attention.

Aren't we all seeking that attention and approval? These humanistic gods are a reflection of our own human desires. If that is so than which would we prefer? A god who reflects us or a god that judges us? In greek mythology we get both, leaving this culture to turn towards their own existential self-reliance. Oddly enough this fits right in with our own American archetype of self-created success rather than reliance on fate itself. It's pretty remarkable that Riordan manages to fit these two mythological structures into a Campbell-esque journey.

Reading List 4/27-5/4/2010

Hey folks,
It is a horribly busy reading week. Kinda insane. Will I survive?

Reading List 4/27/2010-5/4/2010
Books
Percy Jackson and the Olympians
Captive Audience
My Life in France
Nights in Rodanthe

Comics
A good stack. And it's Free Comic Book Day!

Magazines
Entertainment Weekly
Wired

Can I do it? Who needs sleep? Either way there's no need to go anywhere because it's effin' snowing. That's right folks. Snow! Book Slave.

Hemingway, Seriously? : The Notebook

Hey folks,
As I've teased in a little Prelude a few weeks ago, I was compelled by a horrific interview in USA Today to read Nicholas Sparks. Now let me make this very clear: I do this of my own volition. No one has put a gun to my head. I kid. I feel that I have the ability to give everyone a chance. I try very hard not to be a snob.

So here we go. Starting with The Notebook I've decided to focus on the central love story between Noah and Allie, in regards to Spark's own idolization of Hemingway. In that USA Today interview he considers himself to be comparable to Hemingway's love stories such as Farewell to Arms.

(By the way I am consciously ignoring the other 1/3 of the book that deals with the older versions of Noah and Allie. While considerably overwrought I was actually touched by the Alzheimer's subplot. However Spark's inability to write anything realistic does the horrible toll of that disease a disservice. Alzheimer's is a scary disease and should not just be used as a plot device. But I digress...)

So here's my first installment.

Hemingway, Seriously? : The Notebook

Nicholas Sparks knows the geography of the South. It's his home region. He knows the wilderness in a Thoreau-like way. Everything about nature is good, and any urbanity is bad. In The Notebook he spends long passages making the connection between our main hero Noah and his link with all things natural. He goes out on a lake every morning so he can watch the dawn. When he wants to impress true love Allie, he takes her out on a lake to float amongst swans. Evidentally Noah is good because he exemplifies the natural environment that surrounds him. This is why he is better than Allie's other suitor who is an urbane money rich attorney.

In reality Hemingway would laugh this away for the trite characterization that it is. Hemingway wrote about nature, but only in juxtaposition to what it said about the nature of man. Hemingway was not an environmentalist. He was a Darwinist in a sense that he felt that it was a man's obligation to fight for what he cares about. A weak man spends the night crying over the fact that his true love is engaged to another man. Hemingway would beat any sensitive man with a club, and tell him he deserved it. If Sparks believes he is akin to Hemingway well then he deserves a similiar beating.

On the other hand the female lead Allie is even weaker. She is caught up in a typical triangle between two men: the true love of her youth or the man her family approves of. What will she do? Of course she'll pick the true love of her youth. Now Noah is in fact the boy that she lost her virginity to and chooses to consummate their reunification in a similiar fashion. However she has not done the same with Lon Hammond Jr-her fiance. In a bizarre way Allie's cheating with Noah is justified because well they were meant to be together all along. The passion between them is so strong that Allie just has no choice. She has no control over her rational mind or physical body. It's sad and insulting how powerless Sparks makes Allie's characterization. She is simply a woman who is ruled by emotion in the great Bronte melodrama fashion.

Which brings me to the conclusion that while Sparks refuses to link himself to "romance" that is exactly where his characterizations can be found. The central romance in The Notebook is a tame version of Bronte all over again. Forget about Hemingway. These folks aren't human or real. They are fantasies from a man who can't admit that he idealizes love and relationships.

Oddly enough I have thought about reading The Notebook before now. The book reached my consciousness because of the movie adaptation a few years ago. I checked it out on cable and thought it was good, because of what the actors brought to the story. Noah and Allie are three-dimensional in a sense that I can understand their motivations. And there are multiple levels at work in their actions. Even though the story is still trapped in Sparks overt romanticism, the actors are in small ways rebelling against the sappiness inherent in the original text.

So in the end I think Sparks could learn a lesson or two on realism from re-reading his Hemingway or watching the movie version of his own book.

Vikings. Blood. Cursing. Yes.

Hey folks,
Brian Wood has become a powerhouse of comics writing. He has written an amazing variety of books and has not sold out. No Marvel or DC, he will only work on original series. This guy has the talent and ability to do whatever he wants. His versatility is impressive. I am hooked on his series Northlanders which features vikings, blood, and cursing. Like Jason Aaron's Scalped, it's not for the weak of heart. I've already written about Northlanders here.

I recently finished Vol. 3 which is a series of 1 shots and 2-3 issue stories. As interesting as these shorter character studies were, I think I prefer this series in longer arcs. The previous volumes were more epic in scope as we focused on one saga thru 6-8 issues. It's like the subject matter requires it. However I did enjoy the return of Sven from vol. 1. It was fun to have a continuity of characters which was a first for this series.

This volume is definitely a good jump on point for new readers, which is a good commercial move for Vertigo. Vertigo has a robust business in trade paperbacks and I think that is the reason for the switch up in story format. There was also a change up in artists in these issues which must also be a catalyst for the change.

I can't wait for the next volume and I urge you guys to check out this series. Book Slave.

Reading List 4/20-4/27/2010

Hey folks,
I have battled thru some tech difficulties, and a staple gun injury, to bring this week's posts to you. I won't lie, this week is kinda insane. I have too much to read, and of course I set my expectations far too high. But hey miracles do happen, right?

Reading List 4/20-4/27
Books
Fables Vol. 1 & 2
Nights in Rodanthe
Northlanders Vol. 3
Ode Less Travelled

Magazines
Wired
Rollingstone

Comics
A few new issues to catch up on.
52 #8

Some great stuff to listen to. A new favorite is a podcast titled Stuff You Missed in History Class from the HowStuffWorks website. It's fun stuff for the history nerd in all of us. Also you all should be watching The Pacific and Treme on HBO because they are fantastic. Have a great week! Book Slave.

Prelude to Hell: Nicholas Sparks

Hey folks,
Confession time: I have never read a Nicholas Sparks book. I try my best not to be a snob, but I've felt that his writing is just something that I don't have time for. Romance is not my favorite genre to begin with, and the fact that he's unmitigantly sappy, well I have decided to pass. Now just to be clear I do not have a heart of stone. But I'd rather have my love stories be realistic and witty. I have to believe in the characters in order to become invested in their emotional plight. Otherwise I just roll my eyes and move on.

However last month Sparks gave a wonderfully horrible interview in USA Today with teen darling Miley Cyrus. In this interview Sparks proceeded to do the following:
-Compare himself to Ernest Hemingway, Jane Austen, and Shakespeare.
-State: "Nobody writes stories like mine."
-Also states: "I don't write romance novels." His preferred terminology: "Love stories — it's a very different genre."
-Also: "A Farewell to Arms, by Hemingway. Good stuff. That's what I write," he says.
-Cite his own book A Walk to Remember as a seminal coming of age story. Then state that "well everyone has to say To Kill A Mockingbird" as if it were an afterthought.
-Trashes Cormac McCarthy, specifically Blood Meridian.
Well to read more, just click here.

After reading the interview I was a bit stunned. I had no idea that Nick Sparks was that big an ass. In one interview he managed to anger a major part of his audience: female authors and their readers. Seriously, why would you do that? If he doesn't want to be equated with the romance genre, then why use tragic love stories as the center to all your plots. And what's wrong with the romance genre? It's only been a major literary industry since the dawn of time. Romance readers are relentlessly loyal and will follow their writers to other genres. This phenomenon spawned the female literary movement which became known as "chick-lit." Sparks is noticeably distancing himself from a major genre that feeds into his readership. In my opinion this is a disasterous mistake.

Again I don't like making judgments based on something or someone whose work I haven't read myself. Hence, consider this a introduction to a three-part series over the next few weeks where I subject myself to the works of the son of Hemingway, Nicholas Sparks.
Enjoy! Book Slave.

Never Forget: AD New Orleans After the Deluge

Hey All,
Howse it going? Summer has exploded all over the place. However I expect it to last all of 10 minutes the way things have been here lately. Very busy in my professional work serving the public, but I still got some reading done. Enjoy!

Review: A.D. New Orleans After the Deluge
Spurred on by the amazing new HBO series Treme (which is pronounced truh-may) I finally read this great OGN. Like the rest of the nation in 2005, I was horrified and dismayed by the events of the flooding aftermath when Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast. A few years prior, I'd visited New Orleans and thoroughly enjoyed my time there . To see the utter failure of the federal government at that time was deeply disturbing. It still angers me, although I know that the city is rebuilding and that the people there are formidable.

A.D. New Orleans After the Deluge follows 7 characters as they go thru those 5 days. Neufeld is smart to pick characters from different walks of life and situations. In this way he is able to cover the event from several different angles and provide a mostly balanced commentary. The upper class doctor who serves cocktails at his own Hurricane Katrina party is contrasted with Denise who finds herself stranded at the Superdome.

However I was most moved by the story of Leo, a comic-book fan, and his girlfriend, Michelle, who will lose everything but each other. We watch as they make the wrenching decision between staying and evacuating. His agony over losing his 15000 issue comic collection is palpable. Through Leo's eyes we understand that not only did they lose a place to live but also possessions that really meant something to him.

By exploring Denise's story Neufeld has a platform to visually show the madness of the flooding. It is horrifying and unflinching in the depiction of the Superdome. Neufeld can be in-your-face in regards to the desperation and anger felt by the citizens who feel racially targeted. It is important that he doesn't shy away. In the last few years graphic novels have taken on a journalistic style which mixes a cartoony look with a strong verisimilitude. Neufeld can portray a horrific scene and it's easier to swallow than if it was a photograph of the same scene. He does stick to the usual panel like structure but is willing to experiment. He is willing to visually show the character's mental states and break the fourth wall.

This is a good read and an important record of these events in 2005. Well worth checking out.

Reading List 4/13/2010-4/20/2010

Reading List 4/13/2010-4/20/2010
Books
AD: After the Deluge
Nights In Rodanthe (It will all become clear folks, just wait)

Comics
A Heaping stack of goodness.

Magazine
Wired

Oh and just to pile it on I've got a lot of TV on DVD to watch which I'm psyched about. Thank God I can multitask. Have a great week! Book Slave.

Reading List 4/6/2010-4/13/2010

Hey All,
Here it is for the week. Very excited.

Reading List 4/6/2010-4/13/2010
Books
Will Grayson, Will Grayson
Notebook

Magazines
Rollingstone

Comics
52 #6
Wolverine #84, Wonder Woman #42, Amazing Spiderman #627, Fantastic Four #577, Batman #697, Detective Comics #863

We'll see folks. It's a busy week for me (well honestly that requires a bit of perspective). Book Slave.

For the Love of Bendis.

Hey,
Enjoy the continuation of my love affair with the work of Bendis.

For the Love of Bendis: Alias
Jessica Jones is my version of a great comics character. She is tough, cynical, and humanly flawed. On the other hand she occasionally uses her super powers and knows a few costumed folks. She is the star of Brian Michael Bendis's series Alias which ran for 28 issues. Far too short a run in my opinion. Last June I fell in love with this series after reading the first 9 issues, and now I've finished the Omnibus which contains the rest of the series.

I am kicking myself that it took me this long. This series is post-modern, humanistic, and incredible. Bendis allows Jones to occasionally go off the deep end like anyone would in her circumstance. She drinks too much, sleeps around, and gets into fights. But at the core of her character Bendis can illustrate that she is a good person seeking redemption. The girl just has some issues is all.

This series showcases everything that I love about Bendis's work. He is a master of dialogue. Jones is a detective and has to listen to her client's stories, pick out the clues, and separate the truth from the lies. Bendis, aided by dynamic layout from artist Gaydos, illustrates this in scenes which cinematically juxtapose the speaker and Jessica. We see Jessica listening in panels placed above as the client/suspect/witness is speaking. It's a great effect that showcases Bendis's talent for character's voices. Like his other series Powers, Bendis loves to write vernacular dialogue. He's not afraid to have superhero characters speak like everyone else.

In comics there tends to be a need to portray characters as larger-than-life and squeeky clean. Marvel is known for portraying more humanistic characters, but even they have characters like Captain America and Matt Murdock. Cap, Matt Murdock, and even Cyclops are often really dull because they are so straight and narrow. Now don't get me wrong, there's a time and place for that, but I'm much more interested in Bendis's characterizations. Now while Cap and Murdock do make cameos in Alias they are much more real when in scenes with Jones. Bendis also excels in scenes between Jones and her off-again-on-again lover Luke Cage. You can feel the sparks fly between them on the comic page. Poor Scott Lang-the guy didn't have a chance really.

If you get the chance you need to read this book in hardcover omnibus because it showcases the beauty of Michael Gaydos's art. It is amazing and dynamic. I really love his use of panel design which is wildly cinematic. Oftentimes he'll cut conversations just like a film with a combination of close-ups and reaction shots. He's also willing to change it up, especially in the multi-media collage of Rebecca's journal. Now granted sometimes I did get lost and read the panels wrong. In this book that's just a give-in because Gaydos is intent on showcasing an independent spirit. Also I want to shout out Mark Bagley's art in the flashbacks. It was perfect to show Jones's origin in a traditional style considering she's being ret-conned into Marvel continuity.

(BTW I'm not really a continuity nerd, so I loved the idea that she went to school with Peter Parker. It's hilarious that Bendis links her to the very beginning of the Marvel Universe. Her crush on Peter Parker is cute.)

By finally giving the readers Jones's back story with The Purple Man, Bendis shows Johns-like mastery of revitalizing C-grade characters. In Bendis's hands a ridiculous character becomes a nightmare man. Considering how messed up Jessica is, it had to be something psychological. In the past the Purple Man has often been portrayed as foolish. Here he's a dangerous awful man. I understand that Purple Man is also used in Bendis's Daredevil run. If his characterization in this series is any indication, then I've got to read that. Like Now.

It's a crime that Alias ends so soon. Although I love how it ends, I would trade anything to bring it back.

March: Well That Happened.

Hey All,
It's that time again. March was a busy month, however there was not a lot reading books. Which worries me because I've got goals to reach. I did manage to get out of town for the first time in ever (actually 2005, yeah I never travel) and that was a good time. I walk into April revitalized. Let's see how long that lasts.

March Wrap-Up

• Academy Awards 2010. Hosts for 2011: Tina Fey and RDJ. Please.
• Graphic Novel-wise I learned about Brit-pop, frailty of superheroes, and the magic of Nostalgia.
• The Pacific on HBO blew my mind. And has made me cry every time.
  
• Went to the land of tragic hipsterism. Portland Baby!
• Was able to listen to Natalie Merchant sing music from her new album.
• Visited the book mecca Powell's.
• Sarah Vowell kills me! (with her humor)
• Finally read Seamus Heaney.
• 2nd Year Anniversary of Hard Boiled Book Club! Murakami! Alcohol!

Stats Wise

• Total Read=5
• Total for the Year=19
• Avg. per month=6.1
• From Library=3
• Books I Own=2
• Graphic Novels=3
• Fiction=1
• Poetry=1

Previews, Things to Come

• Finish The Savage Detectives (No really. I will. This time.)
• Julia Child!
• Finish the Alias Omnibus, Unwritten,
• Blackest Night finishes up. Will it blow me away? Wait and see.
• Spring?
• I'll learn some binding techniques, and then feel like a fraud teaching others.
  

And then there's this (Insert shameless self-promotion):
If you reside in the SLC area, please come. I'll be leading the discussion and it will be epic!
Have a great weekend! Book Slave.

Murakami & Anniversaries

Hey all,
On Tuesday night I was able attend the 2 year anniversary of The Hard Boiled Book Club at Sam Weller's Books. I'm one of the few who remember when the book club first started in March 2008. At the time I worked with the moderator Zach Sampinos and figured it would be interesting. Unfortunately at the time I had to work on Tuesday nights so I wasn't able to attend, which bummed me out. However 5 months later my scheduled changed and Tuesday nights opened up. I've been going monthly ever since because it's a good time as well as stretching what I read fiction-wise.

As part of the celebrations there were libations and prizes. Unfortunately I was an utter failure at the Murakami trivia, but I still gained a book as a pity prize. I've definitely been shamed enough that I'll be prepared next time. Zach definitely needs to come up with a plan B if we all suck at the quiz. He was noticeably flummoxed and I don't think it was the booze.

A fun time was had by all as we talked about The Elephant Vanishes by Harucki Murakami, which is a group of short stories featuring the mystical and surreal. I've been apprehensive because I was worried about the translation into English, but I think his dream-like writing style allows for a lack of specification. In fact the majority of the male characters in these stories are literally floating through their lives. They are unemployed, newly-single, working at dead-end jobs, or trying to figure out how an elephant disappeared. The timelessness of their lives lends more to character's going through there own internal emotional pondering. Murakami seems not to be interested in plot at all. Rather he's interested in character studies and rich interior monologue.

As lyrical as his prose is, what I enjoyed the most about this collection was the fact that I had no idea what would happen next. The moment I thought a story would take an awful turn, it never did. I was surprised again and again which is fantastic. Like the concept of a vanishing elephant Murakami is able to see outside the box. I'll admit that it's not going to be everyone's cup of tea, but I'm willing to try one of his novels. I'm certainly intrigued.

Reading List 3/30/2010-4/6/2010

Hey,
Here's a hopeful week's reading plan.

Reading List
Books
Savage Detectives (Playing Catch up after vacation)
Alias Omnibus

Comics
52 #5 (for that other blog)
Some Comics Catch Up

Magazines
Four Four Two

Also I am a lucky girl because I get to watch the new Emma adaptation which I enjoyed immensely. Also I'll get to see some 12 Angry Men so I can compare it to the play version I saw last month. Good times.

Have a great week! Book Slave.

Quotes from the Vowell

Hey folks,
I have been psyched all week to see Sarah Vowell. She is the closing speaker here at the conference I am attending in the magical world of Portland. Long-time readers of this blogs will remember that I love Sarah Vowell. Here's some quick links to posts that share my heart-filled enjoyment of Vowell and her work:
-Here's a video clip of her on Letterman talking about Wordy Shipmates
-My review of Assassination Vacation

In her speech she pretty much was her funny, irreverent, nerdy self. She read sections from Vacation and Wordy Shipmates, as well as previewing her next book about the history of Hawaii. It sounds fascinating and I can't wait. So here's some great lines that I, and the audience, enjoyed that I've parsed out for you all.

"It turns out I’m an imperialist"
"I end up identifying with the people I set out to loathe."
"The thing I like about books is learning about people who are unlike you."
"I don't know if there's an archivist vs. librarian turf war."
"Libraries are homes to truth."
"The bible is full of anecdotes that prime the pump of treason."
"Go forth and peddle your truth and smut."

Obviously it was very entertaining to see her speak in person and a fitting end to my conference odyssey. Next week we'll be back to book reviews and comics.
Have a great weekend! Book Slave.

Dispatches from a Reading Traveller.

Hello,
To state the obvious, Powell's Bookstore in Portland Oregon is everything that an independent bookstore should be. Walking around in there today made me miss my former employer Sam Weller's. However Powell's is much more successful and better managed by far. While I marveled at their vast inventory, ultimately I was captured by the little touches of originality that always appear in stores like this. There I was able to find a book that had slipped through my fingers long ago. This is the book:


I snatched it up and will be adding it to the TBR pile. Otherwise I showed a lot of restraint and just marveled at what they have. Every book lover owes it to themselves to visit Powell's. It's a book mecca not to be missed.

Portland & Some Merchant

Hey,
Sorry that posts have been scarce this week. I am in the magical world of tragic hipsters: Portland, Oregon! For a few days the weather was awesome, but then it fell apart and became horrible. I'm here to attend a librarian conference with people from all over the country. I will try a few short bits now, and a wrap-up of the experience.

On the first day we were graced by a concert by Natalie Merchant featuring material from her new album. Just the very concept of the album Leave Your Sleep already had me interested: Merchant adapted works of poetry, primarily from pre-1920s. Being a poetry nut this was made for me. I enjoyed the material, particularly an adaptation involving a work by E.E. Cumming. However I will say that unless your interested in something unique, offbeat, even quirky, then I don't see Leave Your Sleep being more than an "arty" blip. Music culture has changed so immensely sing Merchant's real hey-dey in the 90s that I don't see this album getting much attention.

In essence she was playing to the right audience, librarians, who ate it up with a spoon. This included myself, but then again I think that Merchant is an auteur who doesn't really care about being the top of the charts. It's not like she does duets with Miley Cyrus. So this new album will play to a very small niche. I still enjoyed her performance and will be seeking out her album when it's released.

I'll try to post more, Have a great week! Book Slave.

Reading List 3/23-3/30/2010

Hey All,
Here's the plan, it's a little less than usual because I'll spend most of the week either travelling, conferencing or walking about.

Reading List 3/23-3/30/2010
Books
The Elephant Vanishes (Book Club! My first Murakami!)
The Zinester's Guide to Portland
Maybe Savage Detectives (if it can fit)

Magazine
Four Four Two

And that's all folks! Have a great week! Book Slave.

Erin Go Bragh: Seamus Heaney

Hey,
So I've been holding off reading Seamus Heaney for far too long. I originally first heard of Heaney when I read his version of Beowulf for my classics lit course. His work with that adaptation was epic but still capture the violence and bloodiness of old school mythological heroics. It's the standard now and should be read by everyone.

Here's some background on Seamus Heaney:
*Heaney was born in 1939 in Northern Ireland.
*He won a scholarship to a catholic boarding school. While he was away his 4 year old brother Christopher was killed in a roadside accident.
*He ended up studying and lecturing at Queen's University in Belfast.
*He started publishing poetry in 1962, with his first book being published in 1965.
*In 1995 he was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature.
*In 1996 Beowulf: A New Translation is published to great success.

Now really these are just facts. What I find interesting about Heaney is that although he grew up in Northern Ireland he sees himself as Irish rather than British. In fact he asked to be removed from the Penguin Book of Contemporary British Poetry by writing:

"Be advised, my passport's green / No glass of ours was ever raised / To toast the Queen."

The civil war in Northern Ireland was particularly contentious during the 1960s and 70s when bombs and death became commonplace. His poetry is not often overtly political or militant, and is far more concerned with profound observations of the small details of the everyday, far beyond contingent political concerns. He also focuses on history and tries to put the Irish heritage into a larger context of an agricultural society. He also focuses on the tension of the Ulster Industrial Revolution and the tension that it causes between these two dueling developing cultures.

I decided that this St. Pat's I would finally pull down my Seamus Heaney Selected Poems 1966-1987. I was captured by two poems early in this collection: "Digging" and "Mid-Term Break."

I particularly enjoyed "Digging" for how it linked his agricultural roots to his current work as a writer. He cannot match “men like them” with a spade, but he sees that the pen is (for him) mightier, and with it he will dig into his past and celebrate them. Heaney challenges the stereotype of the "paddy with the spade." He sees the dignity, work ethic, and expertise of the agricultural Irishmen. This poem also showcases Heaney's early use of onomatopoeia (where the sound resembles or suggests meaning) in “rasping”, “gravelly”, “sloppily”, “squelch” and “slap”.

Another stand out of Heaney's early work is "Mid-Term Break" which was published in 1966. This work is about the accidental death of his infant brother and the families reaction. He is embarassed and uncomfortable at first with his father's weakness in grieving. In a gender reversal it is his mother's anger that keeps her from crying. Neither parent acts in ways that young Heaney (who was in his teens at the time) expects them too. As a young man he's caught between what he expects and what actually occurs in tragic circumstance. Later he is alone with his brother's corpse and can act naturally. A transferred epithet changes a "bruise" to a poppy that the "sleeping" boy "wears" as if he could take it off. Heaney likens the bruise to the poppy, a flower linked with death and soothing of pain (opiates come from poppies). At the end of the poem Heaney is able to grieve honestly as he poignantly writes in the last line that the size of the coffin is the measure of the child's life.

This poem also has a clear formal structure which makes it a contrast to "Digging." In "Digging" Heaney uses an informal stanza structure where each line is only as long as it needs to be. There's no rhythm or iambic pentameter at work, whereas "Mid-Term Break" is in 3 line stanzas. "Break" has occasional rhymes with the last two lines forming a couplet. "Digging" has none, which seems to emphasize the more rural subject matter. The loose iambic rhymes of "Break" seem to bring out the sadness of the loss of a child. Heaney showcases his skill by being able to utilize all the aspects at his disposal in order to bring his themes home.

Reading List 3/16/2010-3/23/2010

Hey all,
Here's the plan before I head off to Portland next week. (BTW I'll never tire of saying that.)

Reading List 3/16/2010-3/23/2010
Books
Collected Seamus Heaney
Rocketeer
Dubliners (Perennial re-read every St. Patrick's Day)
A few pages of Savage Detectives if I can fit it in.

Comics
A whole heaping stack. Gotta get it done before next week.

Magazines
Paste
Entertainment Weekly

There's a lot to do. I only hope that I can get done what's listed here, otherwise some tough choices will need to be made. Painful sacrifices, to be sure.

Have a great week! Book Slave.

Amazing! Thrilling Exploits! Glorious Nostalgia!

Retro Fun: The Rocketeer
At the end of the year I heard all this praise for a new hardcover collection of the series The Rocketeer. Apparently it had some amazing coloring work and was just a fun retro read. So when I saw it come through at the library I snatched it up.

My only knowledge of this character was from the movie that came out in 1991. I saw it in theaters during that summer, and remember liking it. I've revisited it a few times over the years since and I still think it's highly enjoyable. The film stars a young Billy Campbell, Alan Arkin, and Jennifer Connelly. Timothy Dalton does a fine job playing an Errol Flynn type actor, although at the time that I saw it originally I only knew him as James Bond. It's just goofy retro fun, and as long as you don't take any of it seriously, then sit back and enjoy.

However because of my limited knowledge I just thought that the Rocketeer was one of those old radio characters like The Shadow. Reading The Rocketeer: The Complete Adventures I discovered that this character was created in 1982 by Dave Stevens. The comic series first ran in 1988 but then only sporadic since then. Stevens died in 2009 after a battle with leukemia.

Stevens meant Rocketeer to be a homage to the past pre-war heroes like Doc Savage and The Shadow. His art style is a complete reflection of that. I loved the painterly style and rejection of realism. There is a definite intent to use the art deco edges on the covers, but inside the pages all the characters have a glossy rounded sheen. Cliff is a scrappy guy, not your usual superman type hero. He is often his own worse enemy. I think that Cliff is caught up in that whole 30s-era pilot persona. He's cocky, romantic, and not afraid to throw a punch. Headstrong to a fault, he's just crazy enough to strap a rocket to his back.

(Side Note: Cliff Secord looks exactly like Yorick Brown of Y the Last Man. Of course without the monkey and gendercide. It was a little distracting and strange considering the series were released almost 20 years apart. Go ahead compare them, it's eerie.)

Secord's girlfriend Betty is a straight-up pinup. Obviously Stevens meant her to be Betty Page, whom he was friends with. It was nice to see a woman who was voluptuous but also loyal to her man. It doesn't feel exploitative because Stevens imbues her character with a genuineness. She is caught between love and money. I loved the panel where having been rejected by Cliff, she tells his New York buddy "You said you had a job for him...Make him take it!" It shows that she does care for Cliff, but also understands that he's self-destructive sometimes. Stevens really creates a sense of the old-time 30s romance between them.

In the end this was a wonderful surprise that I suggest to comic readers who like fun. Have a great week! Book Slave.

Luck o' the Irish

Hello All,
Hope you are all having a great spring-like week. In the City of Salt it has been magical, but every bone in my body tells me that this can't last. I desperately want it to stay awesome since it is St. Patrick's Day weekend. The family and myself will be sitting early tomorrow morning for the parade which is always fun. I've got a steady diet of Irish tunes ready on the Ipod. I'm good to go and excited.

I've always wanted to read more Irish literature, but I've never delved in. Modern Irish stories tend to have a great mix of earthy humor and horrible tragedy. Obviously this is born of their history which is wonderfully rich and interesting. The closest I've come was reading Breakfast On Pluto which I enjoyed. I've already got The Sea and The Gathering sitting on my shelf, but I'm also interested in Roddy Doyle and Sebastian Barry. Again there's just not enough time, ever.

Another St. Pat's day tradition for me is a re-read of the Dubliners which I wrote about here. This year I also want to tackle an Irish poet which I've been meaning to read for some time named Seamus Heaney. Years ago I picked up his Collected Poems and a study guide of lit criticism on his work. I first heard about Heaney in regards to his excellent adaptation of Beowulf. His version of the epic poem is a very earthy, natural translation which I enjoyed reading for school. I highly recommend it. But I really wanted to read some of his modern poetry and now feels like the time. So look for some Heaney talk next week.

Have a great weekend! Book Slave.

Reading List 3/9/2010-3/16/2010

Hey,
Here's the plan for this week. Let's see what happens.

Reading List
Books
More Savage Detectives
Rocketeer

Magazines
Four Four Two

Comics
52 #2 (for more on this check out here)
Wonder Woman #41, Superman #697, Wolverine #83, Amazing Spider-man #622, Incognito #5 & #6

Also I have some wonderful music to listen to. The Britpop obsession continues.
Have a great week! Book Slave.

Nobody's Perfect. Even superheroes.

Hey,
Here's a short review, old school style.

Nobody's Perfect: Infinite Crisis

Infinite Crisis (IC) is a sequel to the legendary Crisis on Infinite Earths (CIE) from 1985. CIE was DC's attempt to clear up it's already convoluted continuity. Trust me there's been plenty of discussion on that event as it is. But the most important thing to remember about CIE is that it wiped out DC's multiverse, trimming down the universe to just Earth-1. Then in IC Batman, Superman and Wonderwoman are at odds with each other. These pillars of the DC Universe have each made choices that are ethically sketchy. It is because of the judgment that is laid down in IC by Alexander Luthor, Superboy Prime, and Kal-L, that these three take a year off.

I have been incredibly intimidated to read anything with Crisis in it's title. Final Crisis had been a very difficult read, and I was worried that Infinite Crisis would be the same. I was very wrong. I have a new motto: In Geoff Johns We Trust. He has the incredible ability of making Silver-Age retro concepts and making them accessible. Here he takes central characters from the original CIE and makes them understandable, even though I haven't read CIE. Superboy Prime is a great villian. He reminds me of every whiny teenager that I deal with on a daily basis. Unfortunately Superboy Prime could punch my head off.

Johns is great at taking superhero characters and giving them human vulnerabilities. I really enjoyed how he resolved the inner conflict of Batman's paranoia. Of course he would isolate himself and not trust anyone. Batman doesn't want to be vulnerable ever and the OMAC crises is the result. Wonder Woman has become a killer, and Superman has to fight his counterpart Kal-L from Earth 2. It's great to see these pillars of the DC Universe given the chance to fight for their existence while realizing that it's okay to be imperfect.

Of course this series requires a much more in-depth analysis but I don't feel like I have enough experience to do it justice. So here's some links where you can find more on Infinite Crisis:
Infinite Crisis
Annotated Infinite Crises
Newsarama
And I really suggest listening to the 7 episodes of coverage by Comic Geek Speak.
And I talk more about Infinite Crisis over at my new blog here that is focusing on the series 52. Have a great week! Book Slave.

Music is Magic: Phonogram vol. 1

Hey,
I hope you are all having a great week. I am doing well myself. So let's get into it shall we?

Music is Magic: Phonogram vol. 1: Rue Britannia
Ron Richards at Ifanboy has been championing this book for so long that the moment I saw it was available I snatched it up. Now I usually don't like series that are "magic-heavy." That sounds contradictory because I read stuff about superheroes and I think magicians are cool. However I really disliked The Invisibles because I had no idea what was going on. Morrison seemed to like to thrown in weird stuff with no explanation. This is not true of Phonogram which has enough of a grounding in reality that I never felt lost.

I think this is helped by Jamie McKelvie's art, which is cartoony but realistic at the same time. McKelvie's style isn't flashy or muscley. It oddly reminded me of the same art-style as Brian Michael Bendis when he chooses to draw. This is particularly evident in sequences where one character tells a story directly to the reader. Note the example on the left. His panel design ranges from traditional grid to splash page to pop art. McKelvie likes the Warhol-style homage which considering the subject matter, Britpop music, it leads to some pretty pages. Unfortunately there isn't any sense of movement inside the panels. The static-ness of the image is frustrating in action sequences as well as confusing in the more fantastical sequences. I will say that enjoyed the look of the characters. They are all people that I recognize from real life which fits this story.

This volume of Phonogram follows a mage named David Kohl who uses Britpop music to interpret magic. Kohl's mind is slipping as he deals with the death (and possible resurrection) of his patron Mod goddess Britannia. If that sounded a little too strange for you, then I'd stay away. I was captured by the first few issues which had great dialogue and very specific references to the Britpop scene of the early 90s. Dave Kohl is the kind of jerk that you hate and love at the same time. He's a douchebag that I found myself rooting for.

I will admit that I got lost in the middle issues as the story took more of a fantastical turn. Kohl gets lost in his own mindscape and so did I. This would be okay, except it didn't match the realism of the first few issues. I was already invested in the more real characters, that I don't care about psychological pseudo-exploration. Thank god that the book moves back to characters that have more realistic consequences. Otherwise I probably would have dropped the book.

The music references are very specific and I was grateful for the glossary in the back of my trade. However I still understood the theme of the book without being a major Britpop fan. It's a commentary on music fandom, and how it can have magical properties. I love the idea of goddesses and mythological beings out dancing at the club. It's a cool notion.

Have a great weekend! Book Slave.

Reading List 3/2/2010-3/9/2010

Reading List 3/2/2010-3/9/2010
Here we go. Bring it on.

Books
The Savage Detectives-Up to pg. 139 w/Bibliolatrist
Rocketeer
Powers: Who killed Retro Girl?

Comics
Walking Dead #60-69
Some other single issue comics goodness.

Magazines
Four Four Two

Have a great week! Book Slave.

It's Already Over: February Wrap-up

Hey all,
Here's a wrap up for February. Last month was immensely busy, and it looks like March will be as well. Any one want be a patron to a blogger who just wants to sit, read, and writer? Any takers?

February Wrap Up
*I got sick, after 2 weeks of vacation. Arghhh!
*Read and Loved both The Way He Lived & Once Was Lost. Met in person and Interconnected with the authors of those books Emily Wing Smith and Sara Zarr.
*Celebrated Keats on a fake holiday.
*Read and Enjoyed: Chew, Sleeper Season 2, FC: Rogues Revenge, Superman: Red Son.
*Caught Up on Walking Dead
*Learned from Reading Comics.
*Won a dvd at book club.

Stats Wise
Total Read=9
Total for the Year=14
Avg. per month=7

From Library=9
Books I Own=0

Not good for the TBR pile, but at least my library patrons will get a chance.

Fiction=3
Graphic Novels=6

Not bad. 1/3 of the books I read this month were Fiction. Oftentimes I can allow Graphic Novels to dominate what I read because they are quick and fun. However I do have to do reader's advisory on fiction as well.

Previews, Things to Come
*Readalong of The Savage Detectives w/Bibliolatrist.
*Read Murakami for the first time!
*2 Year anniversary of Hard Boiled Book Club. Alcohol will be served.
*Starman Vol. 4, Alias Omnibus, Rocketeer!
*Julia Child. I want to be her.
*I'm going to Portland. Yeah baby yeah.

Have a great week! Book Slave.

Mark Millar, You Crazy: Superman Red Son

Hey,
Time for something crazy. It's Millar time baby!

Elseworlds: Re-envisioning Superman
Last weekend I finally read Mark Millar's mini-series Superman: Red Son. I've been waiting for it to get reprinted in a nice new format, so I was excited to get my grubby hands on the new hardcover Deluxe Edition. In typical Millar fashion he takes an icon and turns it on it's head in a shocking fashion. Superman: Red Son is an Elseworlds tale where Superman is born in the Ukraine, rather than Smallville. He grows up as a devout member of the communist party, is co-opted by Stalin, and becomes a totalitarian dictator.

In this alternate world we also get glimpses of Lois, Lex, and Jimmy. Millar has a great time playing around with characterizations. He does an amazing job in just 3 issues of hitting every part of the Superman mythology. The characterization I enjoyed the most was "Lex Luthor, obsessive mad scientist." It was fun to see Lex portrayed as a "Reed Richard"-type with Brainiac at his side. They even managed to get in Batman, Green Lantern, and Wonder Woman. And it all works together seamlessly. Millar understands the Superman mythos, and he loves the characters. There is no sign of Millar's signature shock moments like you see in Wanted and Kick Ass. He wouldn't dare soil these characters. Even when Superman becomes a dictator, his actions are still in character. He does what he thinks will be best for his people, even though slowly he's crossing the line into villainy.

Making him communist adds a philosophical edge that bends his relationship with Lex Luthor. In this world Luthor has the support of the American government in his vendetta against Superman. His hubris and intelligence are working to stop the enemy of the United States. Millar is able to subvert our expectations by turning the reader against Superman. In the Orwell-esque communist state that Superman rules, he is not universally loved. Of course Superman's idealism can be twisted and morphed into something evil if he is not put in check by other superheroes. In the Justice League Superman has to answer to Batman, Wonder Woman, and even the Flash.

Though in this scenario Superman is forced into unlimited political power and it's not where he should be. Superman protects the earth by doing good deeds, serving as a symbol, and then letting people alone. Superman does not force his will onto the people that he protects. Millar does a great job showing the consequences of when Superman is co-opted by a particular ideology. On a metatextual level Millar is showing his disdain for whenever that occurs amongst politicians, pundits, or idealogues.

I highly reccommend checking this out in the deluxe hardcover so you can enjoy the art from Dave Johnson. Johnson, who is known these days for the covers of 100 Bullets, draws amazing interior pages. I loved every rendering of these classic characters in a completely different context. It's just as good as the recent work of Gary Frank and Frank Quitely.

Check this out. You won't forget it. Book Slave.

Zombies, Yes More Zombies.

Hello,
Playing a little catchup on trade reviews before the end of the month.

Continuing to be Awesome: Walking Dead vol. 9 & 10

I've caught up on my Walking Dead trades that continue the story after the shocking ending of vol. 8. Don't worry I wouldn't dare spoil this series for you all. Kirkman continues to be relentless with the tension and action in this book. No character is safe. This series takes me back to Y the Last Man and it's crazy cliff hangers. The reader is placed into the same mentality as this group of survivors. And it's great.

One of the major things I noticed about this series was how quickly I blew through these trades. Seriously I read these two trades which were 12 issues total in an hour. It was that literally that fast. Now this is not simply because of the graphic novel medium, which admittedly can be a quicker read sometimes. Other graphic novels can take much longer to get thru. And it's not a question of art vs. word balloons because Kirkman is not afraid to write the occasional "talking head" issue. I really think it's the continuous threat of violence that these character's exist under.

Also praise should be shown to the art team. Artist Charlie Adlard, who took over from original artist Tony Moore, does a great job setting up the chaos of this world. There always seems to be a zombie somewhere in the frame whenever our characters venture beyond their camp. Vol. 9 introduced the idea of a "zombie herd" which was terrifying due to it's stupifying power. These zombies are for the most part mindless but if there's thousands of them then they can overwhelm you by complete force. There is no way that our protagonist's can make it past these zombie things. Also Adlard is not afraid to use unique angles and splash pages to show the action. My favorite panel would have to be the page which showed Michonne killing a zombie with a sword from the back of the head, through the mouth, from the perspective of look up from below. It was awesome and sick.

Now I'm down to issues on this series so I look forward to being able to follow it month-to-month. Book Slave.

"You think you deserve this pain, but you don't."

Hey Cyber-world,
This Tuesday was very exciting for me. Some good things happened. You have to hold onto days like that when sometimes you might feel persecuted by fate.

Then Zach Sampinos chooses to surprise you. If you have ever met him, he is a quiet guy, but I tell you don't underestimate him. As moderator of the Hard Boiled Book Club, this week he had a Miranda July Trivia Competition with prizes. Luckily, completely by chance, I had done some googling of July online this afternoon. So guess who rocked the Trivia competition? Yes it was moi. I won a copy of Me You and Everyone We Know on DVD, which was very spiffy. In 2005 I fell in love with the film which she wrote, directed, and starred. It was a wonderful surprise. Again folks if you live in the SLC area and are looking for a fun book club (with occasional prizes!) I urge you to drop on by. Details can be found here.

This month's book club centered around Miranda July's No One Belongs Here More Than You. This was actually a re-read for me. I initially read it when it was released in 2007 because I'm interested by July's mix of emotional truth and offbeat sensibilities. She is an artist who has a very original view of the world that is rooted in her entire being. This bleeds through in all her work. It doesn't feel calculated or posed. Call me naive but I think it's for real.

This time around I was impressed more by the raw honesty that permeates this collection of short stories. Every page is full of complex emotional truth that can be overwhelming and somewhat depressing. The main theme of these stories is the need to be loved, even if it's not in a healthy relationship. There's also a fair share of self-deception and solipsism in her characters. As some of the fellow book-clubbers pointed out the characters were often unlikeable or fair too quirky. I think that this is by design. July writes in a stream of consciousness, first person narrative style that emphasizes the characters self-centered mentalities. I believe that July's message is that it is because of this selfishness that the characters cannot build the relationships that will make them happy and loved. These characters are not supposed to be successful due to their own emotional self-destruction.

Noticeably my favorite characters were the least selfish. Particularly the lead characters in "Swim Team" "Something that Needs Nothing" and "The Sister" find power after laying open their own hearts. I think that July is at her best when she allows her characters to be awkward and vulnerable without being solipsistic. Miranda July's characters are so unafraid to be human, it hurts. But from the pain, magic emerges, and in that magic is the essence of what it means to be human. Again I honestly feel that their is real human emotion on every page.

Have a great week! Book Slave.

Reading List 2/23/2010-3/2/2010

Hello,
Here's what I hope to read this week. How will I finish up this month?

Reading List
Books
The Savage Detectives-First 75 pgs. (this is part of a readalong)
Alias Omnibus
Phonogram vol. 1

Comics
Green Arrow & Black Canary #29, Action Comics #886, Amazing Spider-Man #620, Batman & Robin #3 & 4

Magazines
Four Four Two

Also just to be very self-promotional if you live in the SLC area: On Saturday 2/27 @ 1 pm, Main SLCPL on Level 2. I & colleague Mary Anne Heider will be leading a group discussion of Y the Last Man vol. 1 & 2. So come on down. We'll have a great time discussing this seminal comic series.

Have a great week! Book Slave.

I shot a man in Reno.

Hey,
More comic thoughts. Well it is what I've been reading lately.

Sometimes it's hard to be a villian: Rogues Revenge & Sleeper Vol. 2

Every great writer (and reader for that matter) will tell you that a hero is only as good as his villain. This is especially true in comics. In the modern era writers such as Alan Moore and Frank Miller have taken the medium to a new level by blurring the line. Recently I picked up two books that expertly examined the psychology of villiany by featuring the bad guys at the center.

Out of the grand chaotic mess that was Final Crisis emerged a small gem of a mini-series called Rogues Revenge. This side trip from the main story focuses on the Rogues from Geoff Johns's run on The Flash. Led by Captain Cold this Rogue team is dealing with the crazy havoc being wrought by Libra. They also are feeling the consequences of their gang murder of Martian Manhunter. Of course this team of villains has it's own share of dysfunctionality.

Geoff Johns is one of the best writer's in comics. That's just a fact. This series was so much fun. He deftly makes Captain Cold a badass, while still revealing his humanity. I was particularly impressed by how Johns brought in Cold's relationship with his sister Golden Glider. Johns understands that even the bad guys are still human beings with human emotions. He finds a way to make them interesting and complex. I'd be remiss if I didn't mention the fantastic art from Scott Kollins. His pencils are very clear and sharp. He sticks to the traditional panel style but has a great depth of field and detail. It's not photo-realistic though, but it still looks like comics.

While Johns is the perfect writer for the Flash, on the other side of the aisle Brubaker is the best noir writer in comics. I read Season 1 at the end of last year and loved it. You can find that review here. So I could not wait for Season 2 and it didn't disappoint. This series was fantastic. Brubaker masterly mixes the noir and superhero genre. He's not afraid to have his main characters do vicious evil acts. Sleeper centers around Holden Carver, a man who comes into contact with an alien substance and develops a resistance to pain. He is also able to absorb pain from others and then redirect it out towards his enemy. Carver is then recruited to go deep undercover with evil mastermind Tao, where he begins to lose perspective. By the beginning of Season 2 Carver is able to reconnect with his handler Lynch but he has turned double agent and is now morally lost.

This is all incredibly compelling because Brubaker is fearless. In fact my favorite character is Holden's girlfriend Miss Misery. I loved the issue where the reader follows Misery as she goes on a horrible tear through the city just killing people left and right. Miss Misery thrives off committing evil acts, otherwise she gets physically ill. If she is not evil, then she's an invalid. It's a fascinating irony that Brubaker explores. Sleeper is all about these kind of moral quandaries. As a reader I constantly questioned what I would do in the same situation. In this world the line between right and wrong is completely blurred. The dark ending is inevitable and expected, but still satisfying.

The art of Sean Phillips adds to the dark tone of this story. His muted colors are wonderfully noir. He also allows the color red to pop out from the page which emphasizes the horror of the violence in this world. Phillips never shies away from the blood and sex that is inherent in this book. Phillips is an incredible artist whose work I already admired from his work on Brubaker's Criminal. Noir and crime is definitely Phillips's wheelhouse.

Have a great week! Book Slave.

Interconnect with Me.

Hey all,
It is crazy times at chez Book Slave. A lot going on but watch out you're gonna have a great deal to read as we crash into the end of this month. Why does February always seem so short?

I want to throw a shout out to author Emily Wing Smith whose book The Way He Lived I reviewed here. She was nice enough to say hello, shake my hand, and put up with my slobbering praise at an author event in my library. Later on I discovered that she had posted a link to my review on her own author blog which I appreciated immensely. Again I reiterate that I meant every word of praise and can't wait for her next book. On a similiar note I also had a fun time talking to Sara Zarr, author of Once Was Lost, and she was great. Having seen her speak several times it's wonderful that she is still excited to connect with her readers.

I think that this is indicative of author's in the young adult genre. I see a notable enthusiasm whenever I attend an author's event. Why is that? It's clearly to match the reaction of their audience. Despite protestations to the contrary, teenagers are voracious readers. If they get hooked into a series young adults want to read them all. This is especially true of young females, more so than young males. Now I'm no literacy expert but I work with young adults all the time in my job. It seems to me that any young adult, no matter how snotty, will be hooked by a great engaging story. (Well really isn't that the case with anyone? but I digress...)

I've noticed though that those in the YA field are more apt to embrace any way that they can connect with their audience. Twitter is full of crazy wonderful authors such as Maureen Johnson and John Green (one of the famous vlogbrothers, already a youtube sensation) who love to interact. Often these authors have personal blogs which balance information, promotion, and some personal insight. This can only increase connectivity with the so-called Net Generation who have adopted the internet as social media. The pioneer of all this is Neil Gaiman. He has written a blog for 9 years now. 9 years! He often answers questions, posts pictures of his dogs, and sometimes shares what he's working on. Clearly he understands and enjoys being able to share with his audience.

The closeness that the internet provides is a natural progression for a genre that is all about emotions. The YA genre has evolved away from easy moral lessons or cutesy humor. (Well maybe not in Meg Cabot books...) Being a teenager is about discovering your identity, being powerless, and learning that life is not always fair. This does not always lead to cheery subject matter. The best books of this genre in my opinion, such as Speak, have intense raised stakes. The protagonist's reward is often an emotional revelation that's a source of empowerment. The internet allows for a sort of empowerment that is becoming unlimited. That's what the new social media is all about.

Either way I think that it's great for teens who are interested in writing to have an opportunity to meet there favorite author. Definitely before the cold cruel world of cynicism smacks down their dreams. By reaching out and embracing their audience, authors are more likely to mold potential talent and gain readers for life.

Some Comic Talk.

Hey,
So I finally caught up on the most recent part of my comic pile. Here's some thoughts on those issues, as well as some Things I've Learned. Enjoy!

Comic Pile: Things I've Learned and Other Thoughts

1. New Avengers #61-Bucky should stay Captain America. Spider-man has no chance with Spider-Woman but I love to hear him try. Bendis needs to stay on this book Forever.

2. Fantastic Four #575-Jonathan Hickman has put the fantastic back in this book. This is becoming a consistent favorite due to it's great storytelling, characterizations, and "big idea" concepts.

3. Detective Comics #861-Jock is the perfect replacement for J.H. Williams III. Like Williams, Jock continues to use innovative sequential art in a way that only comics can do. Take a look at the strip to the left. Do you see Batman in each panel? I wouldn't have if someone didn't point it out to me but he's there. It's also great to still have Batwoman in the title because I love how dynamic she is as a character. Rucka is known for his ability to write strong messed up females who feel compelled to fight against evil. Can't wait for the next issue.

4. Green Lantern #50- What to say? It's still awesome. Doug Mahnke is killing it on the art. Fantastic splash pages and Black Lantern zombies are as good as Ivan Reis's work in Blackest Night. In fact I think Mahnke would have been great on Flash: Rebirth, and he would have gotten it out on time.

5. Blackest Night #4,5,6-As much as I'm loving this event I also see that this a very nihilistic books. Frankly it's more than just a zombie horror story. Geoff Johns is examining the nature of death in comics. It's hard to disagree with the Black Lanterns argument that death should be final. Although comic heroes like Batman, Superman, and the Flash have all overcome and come back. Due to these characters iconic status as a reader I always expect that they'll save the day. Superman always finds a way. However it could be argued that this takes away any suspense in the comic genre. So it's never about will he save the day but how...

Johns is deftly questioning this dynamic, however in a very dark scary way. These heroes keep trying to battle the evil zombie versions of there friends, family, and adversaries. And these Black Lanterns gain power thru emotional response so they say the most vicious things to get a reaction. So the only way to defeat them is by being an unemotional killer who tears these Black Lanterns apart. Is this really how we want our heroes to be? I'm not sure where Geoff Johns is going with this. And we're on issue #6 of 8! Still can't wait but I want to see some light at the end of this tunnel.

Oh comics. *sigh* Now it's time to attack the older issues. Book Slave.

Reading List 2/16/2010-2

Here we go.

Books
It's time to catch up on some trades so:
Walking Dead vol. 9 & 10
Phonogram vol. 1
Powers HC
No One Belongs Here More Than You: Stories-Book Club Pick (and I'm psyched!)

Comics
New Avengers #61, Fantastic Four #575, Green Lantern #50, Detective Comics #861, Blackest Night #4, 5, 6. (Yep I'm always playing comics catchup.)

Magazines
Four Four Two

Also I've gotten into Vidcasts, so add that on top of the far too many podcasts that I already listen to. Wish me luck. Book Slave.

Indie Spotlight: Chew

Hey,
Here's a spotlight on a fun new series.

Indie Spotlight: Chew Vol. 1

I've been waiting for this series to come out in trade since last summer. If you keep up on comics like I do then you've already heard of Chew. It was the surprise indie smash of last summer from writer John Layman and artist Rob Guillory. Chew follows Detective Tony Chu who is a cibopath, a person who receives the history of anything he eats. Imagine the horror of biting into a hamburger and feeling the cow being slaughtered that you've just imbibed. Now you know a small portion of the hell that Tony Chu feels every time he sits down to eat.


This a world of big imaginative ideas. Layman doesn't shy away from creating an entirely new world and characters, but this isn't a superhero or horror book. Another interesting layer to this comic is that in this world poultry has been outlawed due to a bird flu epidemic. And as with all illegal substances that people really enjoy there's an underground blackmarket. Because of this the FDA has become the most powerful crime agency. So Tony Chu is recruited due to his cibopathy and detection skills in the first issue.

John Layman sets up these characters and world with such a great sense of humor and imagination. Tony Chu is smart and funny in a way that detectives should be. He isn't a gritty cynical cop yet. This trade pairs him with a mentor who is also wonderfully original and savvy. Chu has a unique super power but it makes him a miserable person. These first issues are about him discovering how to use these powers and what his morality is.

Now this should be boring and predictable but it's not. A major part of that is due to the art-style of Rob Guillory. He has a cartoony and hyper-exaggerated style that lends it an original look. I think this book would be a terrible experience if it was realistic. The cartoony look helps emphasize the humor and downplay the gross-out factor. It reminds me a lot of Humberto Ramos, who is another artist that started at Image. Guillory also does a great job with action which is essential since this is a crime comic, sorta.

I highly reccommend checking out this new book and I can't wait for the next arc.

A Little Keats On This Fake Holiday

Hello,
On this horrid fake holiday, commonly known as Valentine's Day, my thoughts turned to my fave doomed romance of the moment: John Keats and Fanny Brawne. These two met in November 1818, when she was 18 and he was 22, and fell in love while walking the Hampstead Heath. Three years later he was dead from tuberculosis. I've cracked a copy of their letters and they are amazing.


Now I love poetry because it forces you slow down and luxuriate in the experience. Poetry is not read to be figured out like a math problem. It is about how words can create a sensual experience. It's meant to provoke an emotional response. This is becoming more and more important in an age where we are feeling more disconnected. If you have to buy a Hallmark card to express your feelings towards another person, well then...

Alright I'll stop, but here's a gift to my small readership. Enjoy.

Bright Star

Bright star, would I were steadfast as thou art —
Not in lone splendour hung aloft the night
And watching, with eternal lids apart,
Like Nature's patient, sleepless Eremite,
The moving waters at their priestlike task
Of pure ablution round earth's human shores,
Or gazing on the new soft-fallen mask
Of snow upon the mountains and the moors —
No — yet still steadfast, still unchangeable,
Pillow'd upon my fair love's ripening breast,
To feel for ever its soft fall and swell,
Awake for ever in a sweet unrest,
Still, still to hear her tender-taken breath,
And so live ever — or else swoon to death.
--John Keats, written in 1819, first published 1838

Now that's love.

Have a fine week! Book Slave.

Emotional Truth: The Way He Lived & Once Was Lost

Hello,
This is the start of some "review" entries for the next few. Any of you gentle readers who have missed some of my thoughts about fiction, well you're in for a treat.

Emotional Truth: The Way He Lived & Once Was Lost
I've been struggling to write this review for days. It's difficult to revisit the experience of reading Emily Wing Smith's The Way He Lived. There was a moment in the first 25 pages when I realized that I couldn't read this book in public. It was hard enough to keep myself emotionally composed at home-no need for me to break down while riding the bus. The Way He Lived is that kind of book.

Smith's debut novel interweaves six characters who are affected by the death of a young man in their community. Joel Espen died from dehydration while on a cub scout trip to the Grand Canyon. Smith uses multiple character voices to show the terrible void left behind by this loss. I was struck immediately by the emotional rawness of Smith's characters. The author has a real connection with the feelings of these characters. Going beyond the usual 5 stages of grief, Smith is able to find complex emotions in unexpected ways. Miles's anger is linked to Adlen's frustration, even though these characters would never be connected in real life. In turn Claire, Joel's sister, is able to help Norah move on from her secret crush on Joel.

It was not a mistake that at the same time I read The Way He Lived I also read Sara Zarr's Once Was Lost. These two books deal with the existential angst of teenage lives. Lost deals with this dilemma directly as the lead character is already loaded with her own religious baggage. Samara Taylor, nicknamed Sam, is a daughter of a pastor in her community. It is just expected that she should have an unshakable faith. However she has begun to doubt, which mirrors the experience of many teenagers. Both Zarr and Smith are able to capture the doubts and angst of their teenage characters with a heartbreaking acuteness.

The realism of these character's voice reminded me of Laurie Halse Anderson's Speak which I reviewed here. Speak is also written in first person point of view as the main character Melinda tries to sort out her own emotional trauma. This narrative technique allows for a degree of emotional truth that has elevated the genre. These teenage characters deal with tragic events but are able to find an inner strength. My cynical heart shrinks away from the corniness of that description, but the author's ability to make us relate to these characters is important. I desperately wanted Melinda to succeed, to overcome and find her voice.

I felt the same way about Sam in Lost. Zarr has a great ability to capture female characters that are conflicted about the superficial lives they see around them. Sam realizes the failure of her parents which is a pretty common revelation for teens. However Zarr is able to parallel this realization with a loss of religious faith. It's not hard to see the narrative construction at work, however the originality lies in the plot. Sam's existential angst is pushed over the edge by the kidnapping of a young girl in their community. Zarr allows for the religious questions that this situation would bring up as seen through the POV of her teenage lead character. Although Sam is not related directly to the missing girl, she realistically is conflicted by the tragedy. Again I feel that this is due to Zarr's ability, like Anderson and Smith, to accurately capture emotional truth.

Like Melinda in Speak, I desperately wanted the characters in The Way He Lived and Once was Lost to overcome their problems. As a reader I need to be emotionally invested in their success. I want to root for them. It's a testimony to Sara Zarr and Emily Wing Smith that I still cannot let go of these characters.

Reading List 2/9/2010-2/16/2010

Reading List 2/9/2010-2/16/2010
Here we go!

Books
Eating the Dinosaur
Chew Vol. 1

Comics
OMG comic goodness!

Magazines
Four Four Two

Also on the music front: I have had the fantastic Johnny Cash compilation set of Love, God, & Murder that I need to listen to.

Also I have in my possession Bright Star on DVD. Cannot wait to see this again. Some Keats is always good for what ails you & I am still somewhat in recovery from last week's bout of plague.

Have a great week! Book Slave.

It's too late...

Hey,
So where'd I go? Well folks last week, ironically after two weeks of vacation, I got terribly sick. Really sick. Like my brain felt like a brick in my skull. I abandoned you all for a week, however I am now on the mend. I can actually form thoughts and connect words. So I'll be back with a vengeance this week. You'll see. Book Slave.

As January Bites the Dust...

Hey folks,
I thought that I would start doing a bit of a wrap-up at the end of each month. And then a preview for the upcoming month. Enjoy!

January Wrap-up
*Started off w/a massive wrap-up for the past year.
*Some stats. I love stats, although ironically I never took a statistics class. Huh.
*Read some great graphic novels involving Batman, Sleeper, and a Giant. (BTW if you don't check out Matt Kindt that you are doing yourself a disservice.)
*Made a suggestion considering the new Spider-Man reboot.
*I learned that my life would be far worse if there was a zombie outbreak.
*I still love Cranford. And can ramble on about Jane Austen.
*Book Club + Jesus's Son=Epic Wonderfulness.
*J.D. Salinger died.
*Stephen Fry In America is must-see TV.

Book-wise Stats
Total Books=7
Completely true. However The Walking Dead Compendium was the equivalent of 8 trades so I counted it as such.

This included:
Fiction=1
Non-Fiction=2
Graphic Novels=4

Borrowed from Library=6
TBR pile=1

Previews, Coming Attractions, Things to Come
*Chuck Klosterman talking about time travel.
*Sherlock Holmes!
*More Comic goodness.
*Meeting Sara Zarr and Ann Dee Ellis.
*Return of Sleeper.
*My thoughts on the new Masterpiece Classic version of Emma.
*Launch of the new graphic novel book club @ SLCPL.
*Well...I guess we'll just have to see eh?

Have a great week! Book Slave.