11.19.08
Ah, the holiday season is upon us and I already have my gift. It seems I have Giardiasis. What’s that? Well you could click here for an in-depth description, or I could just tell you that it’s an intestinal parasite that I caught through eating/drinking something infected with feces (that’s pooh to you). I’m not sure when I got this microscopic invasion as I’ve suffered from all sorts of stomach ailments for years (feel free to search this blog for tales of everything from bleeding ulcers to e-coli adventures), so any symptoms have been written off as more of the same. It was only caught through my annual upper endoscope, as I like to check yearly to see if I’m dieing. I swear, looking at my medical records you’d think I was the most unhygienic person around. Currently, I’m on a generic form of Flagyl to kill off my little visitors, which has done more to upset my stomach than the disease. It’s stuff like this that makes me wonder what plethora of ailments I still have that I’m ignorant of.
keywords: medical mishaps
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11.15.08
Scott Meyer’s collection of “How To” comics had me rolling a number of times. Y’see, Meyer “gets” one of the real strengths of the comics medium: that words and pictures can work against one another to comedic effect. While the text of these cartoons takes the serious tone of actual Help books, the images undermine any serviceability that the words might imply. And Meyer’s deadpan delivery only adds to the ludicrous fun. You won’t learn anything from this book of Basic Instructions, but you’ll still be a better person for having read it.
keywords: Dark Horse Comics
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11.14.08
I’m a fan of William Messner-Loebs from way back, so I’m delighted to see that IDW is compiling his creator-owned series, which follows the adventures of Wolverine MacAlistaire, an early Nineteenth Century frontiersman. Loebs weaves fact and fiction to create a manic world of misfits struggling to survive beyond the edge of civilization. In the latter third of this volume, Loebs depicts the shenanigans at the Fort Miami settlement as the Native Americans decide to fight back against the white man. This storyline was an intriguing account of historical events, but I found myself missing MacAlistaire. For me, he’s the true draw of Journey, as he encounters overwhelming situations and answers them with an ingenuity born of hardship and experience. Loebs’ black and white artwork is quirky: his elongated figures and faces express genuine anxiety or glee; and his page layouts—while not always successful—show a singular vision and creativity. This first volume collects issues #1-16 of the series, so it’s a pretty hefty tome. Unfortunately, the covers aren’t reproduced (a real pet peeve of mine with these kind of collections), and the inner page edges get a little lost in the binding. Still, I’m looking forward to vol. 2.
keywords: IDW Comics
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11.13.08
One of my cousins was married (again) on the island of Nantucket. The ceremony was beautiful as is the island itself. The island has great historical value in terms of the whaling industry and the abolition movement. The problem was that the wedding took place off-season and—having nothing to do—I was bored out of my mind. A day was all I could take, but I was there for a long weekend. What do people do in resort communities when the resort part comes to an end?
keywords: vacation
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11.12.08
Again.
Beyonce as Wonder Woman…
What the fuck? If Warner Bros. even considers this…after that disaster known as Catwoman…then the movie deserves to go down the shitter and be made fun of by Aaron McGruder! In fact, Warner Bros. should ask McGruder if this is a good idea or not. Yes. Ask him.
I don’t mind small changes made to characters. Shit. If Gwen Stacy had been black, I’d be like, whatever. In the case of Catwoman, I didn’t even care (for one, Berry is hottt), except for the fact that the movie just sucked. I thought Sharon Stone was becoming Clayface, but no, therefore no redemption for an aweful film that strayed from the character’s roots in the Batman mythos.
I proudly voted for Obama, who is biracial, not BLACK, as so many people like to say. I’m talking to you, News Media. And if he was second generation off the boat from the heart of Africa black, I’d have voted for him anyway.
Why not pick a fucking Greek actess to play a Greek character? Even the consideration of Beyonce makes me think that WB is going to stray for the origin so much so that the film version of the character won’t be recognizable to the comics fans, and we know what happens then.
This sounds like it’ll be as good as the rumors of a Flash movie, in which the character doesn’t run fast, and do all the cool high speed things most versions of the comics Flash do, but instead travels in a time machine. What…the…Fuck? Here is a character inspired by the Greek God Hermes, and you’re gonna stray from that awesome inspiration. Die, you idiots, die. Damn. Make the Flash black. I don’t care. Why don’t I care? Because his skin color and ethnicity does not in any way play a major part in the fucking origin of the fucking character.
keywords: DC Comics - Wonder Woman
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Luke is a third child, which means he can be executed by the government if he is discovered. His life (if you could call it that) changes when he discovers another third child belonging to a neighbor. It’s a very frightening look at an oppressive future for such a short book. I’m looking forward to continuing with the series.
keywords: YA Lit
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11.11.08
Titus is a typical child. His parents picked out his attributes pre-birth, he chats with friends via the transmitter hooked into his brain, and consumes whatever the corporations advertise directly into his head. It’s a twisted look into a future all too possible and all to horrible.
keywords: YA Lit
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11.10.08
Steve is sixteen and on trial for accessory to murder. He tells his story and that of the trial in diary and film script format. It’s a quick read due to its enticing story and a delivery that’s somewhere between prose and graphic novel. I really liked it.
keywords: YA Lit
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11.09.08
PeeWee is a tomboy in rural Indiana, just prior to WWI. Jake is her idolized older brother and together they plan to build a car to race for prize money. Enter a group of sophisticated librarians to help them along and you have the recipe for one of Peck’s classic historical novels. It’s a fun read, but I was hoping for a more librarian oriented plot.
keywords: YA Lit
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11.04.08
Stanley Yelnats is a boy under a curse, which is why he’s wound up in a juvenile prison camp digging holes all day every day for a crime he didn’t commit. Can he break the curse and change his luck? You have to read this delightful tale to find out.
keywords: YA Lit
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11.03.08
Billie Jo has the misfortune to live in the dust bowl of Oklahoma during the Great Depression. To make matters worse, she is partially responsible for killing her mother and brother in an accident that leaves her crippled. Written in broken prose to imitate natural speaking patterns, this Newbery winning story is powerful and enticing. Compared to those times, I can’t understand why we’re all complaining about the problems of today.
keywords: Newbery - YA Lit
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11.02.08
An amazing tale of an elderly Alaskan Eskimo who gets caught in his own animal trap and has to survive the elements until help (hopefully) arrives. Interesting side note, Smelcer is the last Ahtna Athabaskan Indian to speak their language.
keywords: YA Lit
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11.01.08
Not since Anne Rice has there been such a popular and lame vampire tale. Meyer writes as a girl her age would: obsessed with a boy’s appearance. Seriously, can a single page go by without Edward being described as having god-like beauty? On the plus side Meyer truly captures the high-school experience of meaningless events having great importance. On the negative side, I’m truly concerned about the message this tales sends to young girls. It’s OK to be in a relationship with someone who can—and often mentions that he just might—do her serious physical harm because he’s so into her. But that’s all right, she knows he loves her.
keywords: vampire - YA Lit
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10.31.08
The reason for the initials is so that readers wouldn’t realize that this tale of a blue-collar gang of greasers, two of whom get involved in a murder, was a girl. A sixteen-year-old girl to be precise! I should have realized it as all the men are described as gorgeous and the women are barely acknowledged. A great story and a great accomplishment. How come I can’t write anything half as good at twice the age?
keywords: YA Lit
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Click to enlarge.
Happy Hallowed E’en!
Drawing Board
But wait! There is more…
keywords: Cheap Shots - drawing board
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10.30.08
Jolly is 17, has two kids, and is barely surviving. She needs the help of LaVaughn, who is just a kid herself, trying to earn enough money to someday make it to college. Broken into lines that imitate natural speaking patterns, this tale is powerful and gripping. The two young women have much to learn from each other and so can the reader.
keywords: YA Lit
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10.29.08
Buddy is a clever, good natured, orphaned run-away who is searching for his father. Set in 1936, Buddy deals with racism, the depression, and jazz. A fun read about a great kid.
keywords: YA Lit
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While it is a little difficult to get into this tale of a Korean immigrant, her submissive mother, and highly abusive father, due to the progression of the narration’s voice from child to young adult, it is worth the read. Be warned that the abusive scenes are a little hard to deal with, but it won the Printz award for a reason.
keywords: Printz - YA Lit
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10.28.08
The sports writer pens a great tale of Alfred who turns to boxing as a means of coping with the crime, drugs, and gangs that infest his world. Will Alfred have what it takes to make it to the top? What exactly is he trying to prove—and to whom?
keywords: YA Lit
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