For the love of superheroes and free alcohol.

Hello folks,
I hope you are all having a great week. Where I am the weather keeps messing with us all. One moment it's sunny, the next it's snowing. What the hell man? Again I just want to know what's coming, that's all I ask.

Book Club tonight was another lively discussion. This was also fueled by free alcohol, for which I was very grateful. Thanks Zach! I was very glad to see some old friends and also meet some cool new people. I've been going to this club for six months and it's always been fun. I know that soon the club will have to move to a new space sometime within the next few months. I hope that it's still in reasonable proximity, so I can go. We'll just have to see.

Also I wanted to remind folks that PBS has started airing BBC's Little Dorrit. I watched Part One last weekend and found it very intriquing. There are a lot of different characters and threads, but man it's going to be 5 parts long. I can't wait to see how all the threads come together. If you missed it PBS is airing Part One online this week. I'd suggest checking it out, here.

Anyway Onward!

Reviews
Astro City Vol. 1
I highly enjoyed this first trade. Kurt Busiek loves superheroes. That comes out loud and clear in this series which is a deconstruction/celebration of the comic mythos. Like Alan Moore's Watchmen, Astro City showcases a world where superheroes exist. Each issue tells a stand alone story from one POV. However Busiek rather than showing the dark side focuses on the positive, paying homage to the comics of the silver age. This is a great companion to Marvels, which was also written/drawn by the team of Busiek & Ross. As much as I love the grim reality of Watchmen it is great to soar in the world of Astro City.

Other Reviews
Mervi's Book Reviews

Bodega Dreams
This was my book club book this month. I definitely wouldn't have picked it up myself. It took me about half-way thru the book for me to understand what Quinonez is getting at. This book is clearly meant to be a microcosm of the two groups trying to take over Spanish Harlem. On one side you have the rigidness of the Pentecostal/christian religious influence of Blanca's church and on the other side the evil capitalism of Willie Bodega. Chino, the protagonist, is caught in the middle of the two sides. He believes in Bodega's dream of the rise of a Puerto-Rican professional class, but knows that Bodega is far from altruistic. Chino sees the world as a place where nothing is completely free. There is always a catch or a favor owed for any good deed. I was impressed by Quinonez's ability to capture the world of Spanish Harlem. There is a clear distinct use of language that is necessary to understand the educational hierarchy. The more "street" that you are the more the dialogue becomes colloquial, where as professionals like Nazarrio speak in clear English. If there is a fault with this book is that it is very traditional in it's narrative. I think it would have benefited from more experimentation like South by South Bronx. Perhaps a use of First person, instead of flashback, would have lended the story more urgency. As it is I thought the ending was quite a good twist and felt it was well set up all along. I'm interested to see where Quinonez goes next.

Other Reviews
Salon Books | Entertainment Weekly

All Star Superman Vol. 2
Grant Morrison defies definition. In one book he can write one of the craziest stories you've ever read, see Kill Your Boyfriend and the Invisibles series, and then in another he can write the most traditional superhero book ever. In this series he writes the clearest, best version of Superman I've read on the page. In the All-Star Superman series Kal-el is not interested in dominating the human race, he believes in all the good that we are capable of. It's pure classic silver age comics. I particularly loved the Bizarro style issue, where Superman desperately tries to co-opt the most infuriating comic race ever. One should also take notice of the amazing art by Frank Quitely. Check out this series, it will fill you with joy.

Past Reviews: All Star Superman Vol. 1

Other Reviews
Ifanboy | blogcritics

The Reading List
Books
Penelopiad
The 12 Caesars

Comics
Trinity #43

Magazine
Time

Check Out Count: Far too High.

Comic Pull List: Buffy The Vampire Slayer #24, Deadpool #9, Flash Rebirth #1, Trinity #44

Have a great week! Book Slave.

Baby Baby Baby We're out of time...

Hello Y'all,
How are you doing? Awesome I hope. Apologies for the lateness, but this gal had a big day yesterday. After such a success I felt compelled to go out and howl at the moon. Good things seem to be following this gentle writer around these days. Let's see how long it lasts eh?

Reviews
Super Spy
I had read Matt Kindt's Two Sisters a few years ago. I somewhat enjoyed it due to the art style and subject, but found the story confused. With this in mind I picked up the sorta-sequel Super Spy. This graphic novel follows a group of spies during World War 2 which includes the main character Elle, who was featured in Two Sisters. It is difficult to describe the non-linear narrative style employed here but I loved it. The reader is as confused as the main characters are; Kindt is using the narrative style to reflect the crazy world of these spies. It is also the little details and spycraft that Kindt slips in that was wonderful. Highly reccommend checking this out.

Other Reviews
shuffleboil | ComicMix | Daily Cross Hatch

Scalped Vol. 3
This is volume 3 of this amazing series written by Jason Aaron. Quite frankly I think that this is one of the best comic series being written today. Dashell Badhorse is confronted by his troubled relationship with his mother when he finds out she's dead. Using flashback and parallels Aaron fleshes out these complex characters in a realistic way. These characters are so damaged. Again if you love human stories, why are you not reading this?

Past Reviews
Scalped Vol.1 | Scalped Vol. 2

All Star Superman Vol. 1
My tear through the canon of Grant Morrison continues with this volume. I was surprised by how faithful and earnest Morrison's take on the iconography of Superman. He portrays Clark Kent/Superman as someone with a solid morality. Then Morrison challenges the fact that Superman cannot save everyone. Having that weight on his shoulders is the backbone of Superman's inner conflict. It is amazing that Morrison sees this so clearly and does not engage in his general anarchy. I was shocked by Morrison's traditional and conventional take.

Other Reviews
Specusphere | blogcritics| BookLove

The Reading List
Books
Dispatches from the Edge
Dark Tower: Long Road Home

Magazine
Four Four Two

Comics
Trinity

Comic Pull List: Batman Cacophony #1, Captain Britain And Mi 13 #7, Detective Comics #850, Fables #78, Green Arrow Black Canary #14, Spider-Man Loves Mary Jane Season 2 #4, Stand Captain Trips #3, Trinity #24, Wolverine #69

Check Out Count: Hold Heavy.

Have a great week! Book Slave.