Indians and Isolation

Hello all,
This is shaping up to be a great week here in the City of Salt. Lately I've been pretty successful at this living thing, so I expect disaster is on the way. Cynical me? No way. Well Onward eh?

Reviews
Speak
"I'm An Outcast." These words are intoned by the main character Melinda Sordino her first day of highschool. She clearly can't wait for it all to be over as her ex-best friend Rachel mouths "I hate you." In Laurie Halse Anderson's modern YA classic after suffering through a trauma in the summer between 8th grade and 9th Melinda has become a selective mute. Her decision to call the cops during a senior party has won her enmity and isolation. Anderson captures the mind of her main character with brutal honesty. The story is told completely thru Melinda's observations/emotions of those around her and herself. What happened to Melinda is really only part of the story, the real story is the journey that Melinda takes. I was caught up in her POV and was desperate for her to find her voice. I was also impressed by Anderson's use of nontraditional techniques both visual and storywise. In recent YA novels I've disliked when the story changes to script form but here it works. So much of this story is about how Melinda learns to communicate. This book is clearly a must-read.

Other Reviews
teenreads | Books on the Brain | The Blue Stocking Society

Scalped Vol. 4
I was so excited when this came in that I had to drop everything and read it. Scalped is the best written independent book today, No argument. Jason Aaron has created incredible characters in a horrible world. This book is not cheery. It is as violent and sad as life can be on an Indian Reservation. In this issue Aaron primarily focuses on crime boss Red Crow and his battle with the psychopathic Mr. Brass. While Crow is an amoral man there are lines that even he won't cross. Apparently there is always worse in Aaron's grim noir. While I was dissapointed somewhat by the sidelining of Dashiell Bad Horse I know that he will most likely return soon. I've come to trust in Aaron's writing and am dying for the next trade. R.M. Guera's art work continues to be amazing and directly reflects the tone of this book. Why aren't you reading this book?

Other Volume Reviews
Scalped Vol. 1, Scalped Vol. 2, Scalped Vol. 3

The Reading List
Books
My Five Cambridge Friends
Man Who Invented Christmas

Comics
Green Lantern #40

Magazine
Vanity Fair

Comic Pull List: Action Comics #877, Captain Britain And Mi 13 #13, Fables #84, Secret Six #9, Terry Moores Echo #12, Trinity #50, Umbrella Academy Dallas #6, Wolverine #73

Check Out Count: Slowly Getting Better.

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.

Sublime baby Sublime

Hello,
Folks I dare say that summer is officially on! Perhaps I will take my book to the park...Sounds pretty awesome eh?

Reviews
Scalped Vol. 1
This was the most acclaimed and talked about new comic series last year so I had to pick it up. And it did not disappoint. Set on an Indian reservation we follow a Native American lawman who is not only battling corruption but also his own demons. In this first story arc he sets up the connections between the two main characters slowly. They are irrevocably tied together by a past that involves violence and death. I was pretty enthralled and highly recommend this to those who are looking for a character study. I will warn you that this story is definitely rated R. Not for the weak. Check it out, this is the future of comics.

X-Men: Days of Future Past
I decided to review this classic story arc from Chris Claremont because I had heard it name checked in regards to Heroes. In the future the X-Men have been hunted down by Super Sentinels and are about to face nuclear war. Only four X-Men remain: Logan, Ororo, Kate and her husband Peter, and are joined by a wheel-chair bound Magneto, Franklin Richards and his girlfriend, Rachel, a telepath. There last hope is to change the future by changing the past, when the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants murder presidential candidate Robert Kelly and others. To do this, Rachel sends the mind of Kate Pryde back to the present to inhabit her body at age 13. This was revolutionary at the time and brings an end to the Byrne/Claremont run. However, reading this story I was more impressed with the action art and high-concept ideas rather than the actual writing. These issues are horribly dated in their use of dialogue, clunky exposition, and characterizations. Claremont over-writes to the point of exhaustion. There's so many thought balloons. It's tough-going. So while I enjoyed the headiness of time travel and crazy action, it'll be awhile before I pick up another older classic issue.

Fables #72
This was Part 2 of a two issue series involving Cinderella. I highly enjoyed this action-oriented arc. Who knew that Cinderella is a super-spy? She kicks serious ass. There was also a backup preview for the new "House of mystery" title coming out this week. The art was great, the story not so much. I probably won't be picking it up. Still I'd reccommend picking this up for the "Cinderella" story.

What's In My Bag
Books
Armageddon In Retrospect
Always Outnumbered, Always Outgunned

Magazines
Comics Now!

Comics
Criminal 2 #2

Check out count: Crazy

"Summertime and the livings Easy" as Sublime says. Enjoy! Book Slave.