tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-61136193340355552012024-03-14T01:42:58.363-04:00Ryan, the Librarian<b>Musings of a Librarian named Ryan who loves Comics & Graphic Novels</b>Rybrarianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12851563843345265315noreply@blogger.comBlogger169125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6113619334035555201.post-37738529885332619132013-01-29T13:59:00.001-05:002013-01-29T14:20:10.951-05:00Candid Kandor: Thoughts on "New Krypton"Sorry I haven’t been blogging very much lately. The library has been busy, and there hasn’t been much time with the whole “writing for fun thing.” But that’s just an excuse. And I promised long ago that I would stop making excuses. The truth is I’ve been playing way too much <a href="http://sto.perfectworld.com/">Star Trek Online</a> and working on <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/pretty-little-recaps/id475246642">Pretty Little Recaps</a> in my off-work time.<BR><BR>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLlYbFW0bbTwnS8xF0nXUAJhm2U-Ow5uP5pxb5n72lwwbxqaVo2-gY6xKiAPyx7p3ZirlMzAEQ-tS5RnKdhP6RjUeqLSUqIsXW9OYHzO2zucSIqbQlbmvlGGSMTpTsgRV8NLpQQyWCnjR5/s1600/kandor11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear:left; float:left;margin-right:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="400" width="215" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLlYbFW0bbTwnS8xF0nXUAJhm2U-Ow5uP5pxb5n72lwwbxqaVo2-gY6xKiAPyx7p3ZirlMzAEQ-tS5RnKdhP6RjUeqLSUqIsXW9OYHzO2zucSIqbQlbmvlGGSMTpTsgRV8NLpQQyWCnjR5/s400/kandor11.jpg" /></a></div>One thing I have been doing is reading up on <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Superman">The Man of Steel</a> for a major annotated library blog I’d like to do at one point, so I have been reading comics on a regular basis again (or as regular as I get).<BR><BR>
Over the past few weeks, I finished the <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/5141027-superman">New Krypton</a> series. I didn’t realize Superman stories could engage me so much, or that this one would in particular, but I actually really liked it. The premise is this- <a href="http://villains.wikia.com/wiki/Brainiac">Brainiac</a>, who has appeared in the Superman cannon many times and in many forms (many of his non-Lex Luthor villains have this problem: they don’t just stick to the one thing) returns to Earth and starts some trouble. Superman stands up to him, but finds a much more physically opposing Brainiac than he’s used to. This happens in <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3581328-superman">Superman: Brainiac</a>. You find out Brainiac essentially never leaves his ship (or the information he’s obsessed with collecting), he sends out “probes” to collect it and bring it back to him - hence the many different Brainiacs that Superman has fought over the years.<BR><BR>
But the real deal comes to Earth to f#$@ up humanity. And Superman has a tough time defeating him. But defeat him he does, and in the process, he reclaims the <a href="http://ifanboy.com/articles/dc-histories-the-bottle-city-of-kandor/">bottle city of Kandor</a>. The shrunken capital city of his dead world.<br>
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This is something of a hot button issue in Superman comics. In <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Man_of_Steel_(comics)">the 1986 John Byrne reboot</a> (which I still have yet to read- dear <a href="http://www.dccomics.com/">DC Comics</a> - why is this not ALWAYS in print? Why do you hate me?), an effort was made to make Superman the true last Kryptonian in existence. It’s one of the main reasons Supergirl died on <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/194479.Crisis_on_Infinite_Earths">Crisis on Infinite Earths</a> and the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phantom_Zone">Phantom Zone villains</a> weren’t dealt with for many years after. Superman is less special if there are many Supermen flying around... right? Well, Supergirl is back, and too many people love seeing “Kneel before Zod!” in print to get rid of those Phantom Zone baddies, so that reboot has pretty much been retconned.<BR><BR>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO1qM_Z2-OsYryer-YrBnHhoRcCSco5I6YFAGYT5qd3WYQkjjN6OBcK71JHXqygaz2qEJdVKMeRWaQvyWrKWq47o4pxXyzFMpQWHO7y2dTL-8c0u2I4JwAkKNwmMjJ0HXQfb-Xnpx4OB0W/s1600/Shrinking_Kandor.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear:right; float:right; margin-left:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="400" width="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO1qM_Z2-OsYryer-YrBnHhoRcCSco5I6YFAGYT5qd3WYQkjjN6OBcK71JHXqygaz2qEJdVKMeRWaQvyWrKWq47o4pxXyzFMpQWHO7y2dTL-8c0u2I4JwAkKNwmMjJ0HXQfb-Xnpx4OB0W/s400/Shrinking_Kandor.jpg" /></a></div>The idea behind the bottle city is: Brainiac managed to capture the advanced capital city of Krypton, shrink it down, and then had it as part of a crazy collection of other cities- preserving specimens and knowledge for him for all time. It’s a little creepy, and I prefer <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cS88uZgRecQ">the animated Superman</a> <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fd_rT5B3jSE">Corey Burton - type character</a> that was Kryptonian in design and simply annihilated cultures after he took what he needed. No bottles. Bottle free, really. But this comic Superman we are dealing with here loved his bottle cities. Following his defeat, Superman gets Kandor back.<BR><BR>
The story takes a weird twist when he manages to get it back to normal size. <BR><BR>
In the arctic, there are suddenly thousands of active Kryptonians living on our planet. Predictably, our government isn’t happy with this. Weirder still, the new leaders of Kandor (or ‘New Krypton’ as the eventually call it) are Supergirl’s parents, which make them related to Superman- they are his aunt and uncle. And let me just tell you guys, Superman’s aunt is a real bitch in this story. She does not like human beings and definitely does not like sharing the planet with us.<BR><BR>
The 4-part series does have holes; when Superman returns to Earth to go get an escaped Kryptonian villain, we never actually see it. It must have happened in a monthly Superman title that wasn’t part of the limited series. Zod is written as an interesting character, mainly because he’s basically policing all these people with powers and even Superman can agree- he’s kind of the best person for this job. It does get kind of nuts- they ‘reverse engineer’ Brainiac tech to make their own planet, which then has an opposite orbit to Earth- what? But the shades of grey that Superman has to deal with, as well as his unabashed joy at having a life with ‘his people’ he thought lost forever- are interesting.Rybrarianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12851563843345265315noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6113619334035555201.post-27467578965541760432012-07-05T11:46:00.003-04:002012-07-05T14:48:16.938-04:00Favorite Spider-Man Story - "Lifetheft"<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhEx5BPHqLA_mmLvUbRJ02GtIrlHegE4k65rARGajGZfkKcI3zE0ZjKtCbnS1VKEjNQCot_wdVpf0B7zDjahq2KqQac1oFSZBJIy2-QRLySnZtugO3L6DuOo2T_sgqViaHvJvG9VxtK9hZ/s1600/lifetheftcard.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="279" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhEx5BPHqLA_mmLvUbRJ02GtIrlHegE4k65rARGajGZfkKcI3zE0ZjKtCbnS1VKEjNQCot_wdVpf0B7zDjahq2KqQac1oFSZBJIy2-QRLySnZtugO3L6DuOo2T_sgqViaHvJvG9VxtK9hZ/s400/lifetheftcard.jpg" width="200" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">With the release of <a href="http://www.theamazingspiderman.com/" target="_blank">the new Amazing Spider-Man movie</a>, I’ve been thinking about one of my favorite storylines that ran through <i>Amazing Spider-Man</i> when I was in middle school. You might even call this my first monthly book since, in one of those door-to-door subscription offers, I had it shipped monthly to my house for over a year (my corner store also carried <i>Classic X-Men</i> which I bought on a regular basis and I read and bought any current issue of <i>Uncanny X-Men</i> I could get my hands on, but these were never super consistent as <i>Amazing Spider-Man</i>).</span><br />
<b id="internal-source-marker_0.11382727161981165" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The first storyline I think I ever received ran just before the Clone Saga, so I think people might not remember it as fondly as I do. The issue featured the classic Spider-Man villain The Vulture. Adrian Toomes sounds much more like a villain from <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0106179/">The X-Files</a> than a credible threat for the wallcrawler. The fun of this story is: it kind of addresses that. Sure, Toomes is smart and built himself a flying harness to do major acts of crime, but he’s old and his original harness gave him cancer. He starts the story in jail, using a makeshift harness of mostly spare radio parts to escape (kind of an awesome jailbreak scene, actually). His master plan? Pilfer the research of a scientist working out of ESU (Empire State University, where Peter Parker attends natch) who is working on a way to reverse the aging process. Toomes gets to be young again, but more importantly cure his fatal cancer as well.</span><span style="font-family: Arial; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">
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<b id="internal-source-marker_0.11382727161981165" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfkS44rKBtzF1U8QdAfdHfZAwp02huQDNVju1yyLxd2x5whkZWhF6_qN2UEu-bvQ5Jz-3QygRIPLMLHl77kpvmB2rHHSuWAbwMne6mduAb7_oHCb49Oxno5rFOWkoHh6-15pS5YgEZMCZn/s1600/lifetheft1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfkS44rKBtzF1U8QdAfdHfZAwp02huQDNVju1yyLxd2x5whkZWhF6_qN2UEu-bvQ5Jz-3QygRIPLMLHl77kpvmB2rHHSuWAbwMne6mduAb7_oHCb49Oxno5rFOWkoHh6-15pS5YgEZMCZn/s320/lifetheft1.jpg" width="211" /></a></span></b></div>
<b id="internal-source-marker_0.11382727161981165" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">This sets the scene. Spider-Man intervenes when The Vulture attempts to steal the tech, but as you may have guessed... Adrian is able to sap Spider-Man’s youth and feels even more powerful because he just chowed down on a superhuman. There’s even a cute scene where elderly Peter Parker (who deals with some real “what the hell will I do if I’m stuck this way?”esque dilemmas in just a few short panels) meets his already-supposed-to-be old Aunt May. It’s cute. But the effects turn out to be temporary, so Vulture needs to try to track down Spider-Man again for seconds.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">While all this nonsense is happening, Aunt May has been having Peter’s resurfaced parents investigated. This is what brings <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0948470/">The Amazing Spider-Man</a> movie to mind since the film also deals with Peter’s estranged parents who you surprisingly hear very little about. In the comics, they were presumed dead, but they popped back up in Amazing Spider-Man during the nineties, where their efforts to establish a relationship with a now-adult son they never knew becomes a fairly cute emotional backstory for our hero. But when they mess up an anniversary date and get a few other things wrong in conversations with May, she suspects they might be imposters. She shares this with Peter who dismisses her as a crazy old lady who is going senile.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Then he abruptly tells his parents he’s Spider-Man.</span><span style="font-family: Arial; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">
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<b id="internal-source-marker_0.11382727161981165" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWGRKcr1zWr1XYRwyfLoZALUFruQbeihzH4JFYsnMVrq8zNiJVCiQWySvPluW-X4VUurQBUN3k9N7Dm_leaXYln9UbUzQYTCo6Wv99ZFLsG7LVqB4qsVmjoWRjOi4acWT5nfyzrV5KEuoM/s1600/lifetheft2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWGRKcr1zWr1XYRwyfLoZALUFruQbeihzH4JFYsnMVrq8zNiJVCiQWySvPluW-X4VUurQBUN3k9N7Dm_leaXYln9UbUzQYTCo6Wv99ZFLsG7LVqB4qsVmjoWRjOi4acWT5nfyzrV5KEuoM/s320/lifetheft2.jpg" width="210" /></a></span></b></div>
<b id="internal-source-marker_0.11382727161981165" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">This is a comic book story, so of course May is right. His parents are indeed not his actual parents, who did in fact die like the original story says. But Peter’s in kind of a fragile place after spending the better part of an afternoon as one of the elderly, and with May possibly losing his marbles, his parents were one of the few support systems he had left. So, it’s legitimately tragic when we discover the parents are actually sophisticated synthetic automations created by The Chameleon to infiltrate Parker’s life. Think T-1000 from <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0103064/">Terminator 2</a>. I think it might have made more sense to have had them as criminals who had been altered to look like his parents, but we want a big Spider-Man fight in the end so we have to make them superpowered baddies, right?</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">But there were two of them. Peter’s fake mom, although a machine, has bonded with her “son.” Revealing his secret identity to her legitimately touched her, and despite her partner’s insistence that they report to The Chameleon with what they have learned, keeps stalling. Peter, swayed by May not dropping the fact the ‘rents are lying, finally follows them... right when they are reporting to one of his deadliest foes. Oh, and The Chameleon followed the whole Vulture debacle that was going on, so he decides to team up with him and try to find a perma-solution to that whole “live cancer free and be young forever” thing.</span><span style="font-family: Arial; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">
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<b id="internal-source-marker_0.11382727161981165" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2qdwAG10e9z9J0Zlusa6mypucIZl7mkNk8LwluUUjGP9GVrjGshRVzPoX-6Qdl3TbgzRa2pLce6ilZO-APOdZ1mjg77a-QNvUFb0tjo6Q4Z6bxooY8c9aXuBEIZobOYjsF6iF3kfusriF/s1600/lifetheft3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2qdwAG10e9z9J0Zlusa6mypucIZl7mkNk8LwluUUjGP9GVrjGshRVzPoX-6Qdl3TbgzRa2pLce6ilZO-APOdZ1mjg77a-QNvUFb0tjo6Q4Z6bxooY8c9aXuBEIZobOYjsF6iF3kfusriF/s320/lifetheft3.jpg" width="211" /></a></span></b></div>
<b id="internal-source-marker_0.11382727161981165" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Peter dispatches The Chameleon’s hired goons, fights The Vulture again, then faces off with his dad who becomes a goopy kill machine. Maintaining half his dad’s face, Peter predictably has trouble fighting him. “Dad” gains the upper hand, but just as he is about to deliver the killing blow, “Mom” steps in and electrocutes the f@# out of him. As she moves in to apologize to Peter, Vulture grabs her and sucks out her artificial “youth.” As she dies, she tells Peter she loves him, and he basically goes batshit crazy with grief. The Vuture is nabbed by the cops in the end, and Peter remarks how he now seems artificial himself, unable to respond or react in a human way to the world around him. His blank, black eyes are awesome.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Chameleon gets away. Spider-Man follows him in the 4-issue “Pursuit” storyline, that ran in each of the four Spider-Man titles at the time (self-titled, Amazing, Spectacular, and Web of, respectively). As a fun ending, you learn Harry Osborn, the second Green Goblin who had been dead for a number of years, set the whole thing up before he died just to mess with Peter’s head. He leaves a video for his old friend to find, basically saying “Now you know what it was like when you killed my dad.” The video then repeats “Gotcha” a bunch of times while showing the Goblin’s face on a bunch of monitors. Super creepy, but effective, and probably my favorite Spider-Man story (arc?) of all time.</span></b><br />
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<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">"Lifetheft" ran through <i>Amazing Spider-Man</i> (Vol. 1) # 386 through # 388.</span></b>Rybrarianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12851563843345265315noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6113619334035555201.post-75144359194911895332012-07-02T14:27:00.002-04:002012-07-02T14:59:07.321-04:00Teen Titans @ the Beach<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6yIXKpjRneTGZ5BUsBs1vf8Yx24BCdEtLumoTWH7F7fVYOb2tDng4HyYZtB9AS5hUyCRWCjM98Js4yk-ONTxepySEYMzgUKHTOsbnK71HjRkhA4godVjJMCPQVtfXa8B981mZ6whZO5bc/s1600/teentitansbeach+001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="400" width="235" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6yIXKpjRneTGZ5BUsBs1vf8Yx24BCdEtLumoTWH7F7fVYOb2tDng4HyYZtB9AS5hUyCRWCjM98Js4yk-ONTxepySEYMzgUKHTOsbnK71HjRkhA4godVjJMCPQVtfXa8B981mZ6whZO5bc/s400/teentitansbeach+001.jpg" /></a></div>
<CENTER><i>From Teen Titans #10</i></CENTER>Rybrarianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12851563843345265315noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6113619334035555201.post-55378470010458828872012-06-01T10:54:00.002-04:002012-06-01T11:40:50.825-04:00"Teen Wolf" Season 1 Recap<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmaOp3TU7jYrw02wH4TsFIZ6wzct7ynV8yqnLeYqL2cYBIUIa4E0thRBOXOku14avZPnHtevDND7f_VYbQ8rYKB9cE3ff1lKhDtDynbFH0BogRtCZFgQs0sQ7mugreIEnHEOKuKICarJJJ/s1600/Teen-Wolf-Scott-Mccall-100-Real-allsoppa-25678547-404-456.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmaOp3TU7jYrw02wH4TsFIZ6wzct7ynV8yqnLeYqL2cYBIUIa4E0thRBOXOku14avZPnHtevDND7f_VYbQ8rYKB9cE3ff1lKhDtDynbFH0BogRtCZFgQs0sQ7mugreIEnHEOKuKICarJJJ/s320/Teen-Wolf-Scott-Mccall-100-Real-allsoppa-25678547-404-456.jpg" width="283" /></a></div>
I wanted to like <i><a href="http://www.mtv.com/shows/teen_wolf/series.jhtml">Teen Wolf</a></i>. On paper, the idea sounded good: take the campy '80s <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000150/">Michael J. Fox</a> movie and modernize slash serialize it. Substitute the comedy of the original with teen angst. And sometimes, just sometimes, Teen Wolf manages to surprisingly work, but more often than not it falls flat on its face. Let's blame that brat blowing on the dog whistle from the <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0090142/">original movie</a>. He obviously grew up and had a hand in the current show's derailing.<br />
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But, jokes aside, the main problem with Wolf is its star, the admittedly adorable <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0692677/">Tyler Posey</a>. You might remember him as <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000182/">J-Lo</a>'s sassy wise-beyond-his-years pre-teen son in <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0252076/"><i>Maid in Manhattan</i></a>. Then again, you might not. Posey really hasn't had a big gig before this and it painfully shows. He's clumsy as Scott, the show's lead protagonist who is - you guessed it! - transformed into a werewolf in the series' first episode. One assumes Posey was cast because he spend his post-<i>Maid </i>years working out and never EVER touching carbs. And look good with his shirt off he does, but not nearly enough to save his terrible acting which is just so, so terrible.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3HfMKD5eisCNeUImGszG-eIvnQLh5cH8riIDTXRXKo7miuNfTxNz7TIgiMW54SPN3IMxc1oWuLvyFsMAmyAHRyt5XA7fPBDwS0_7Gdk8X0xNMohQAAspWCVFLOhkZKN2LV2Hz3JNHK3E7/s1600/Dylan-OBrien.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3HfMKD5eisCNeUImGszG-eIvnQLh5cH8riIDTXRXKo7miuNfTxNz7TIgiMW54SPN3IMxc1oWuLvyFsMAmyAHRyt5XA7fPBDwS0_7Gdk8X0xNMohQAAspWCVFLOhkZKN2LV2Hz3JNHK3E7/s320/Dylan-OBrien.jpg" width="245" /></a></div>
It’s not all horrible, though, so let’s take a bit of time to focus on the good. We’ll get back to the much, much bad later. One saving grace of the show is the adorkable <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm3729721/">Dylan O’Brien</a>, the cutey patatootie who plays Scott’s best friend Stiles (Ugh, I know. Characters have terrible names often in this show). Stiles, which is a nickname - to clarrify how even further I don’t like his name - was there the night Scott fell victim to the werewolf. Essentially, he pretty much knows everything that's happening with Scott when the others characters don't. This is also because Posey's Scott is often incapable of internalizing emotions, so he makes a lot of stupid faces and blurts out dialogue to Stiles with the subtlety of a jackhammer. O’Brien makes dumb faces, too, but he somehow makes it work. He’s often put in the position where, because of bad writing, he needs to recap the basic plot of an episode 3 or 4 times in <i>that same episode</i>. But true to Stiles demeanor, O’Brien seems to take it in stride, and you’re left with the sense that he’s just happy to be there. There’s something oddly comforting about that. He also had a particularly great scene with Posey in one of the early episodes when Scott is beginning to wolf out, so he’s becoming a lot more aggressive. Stiles decides to lock his friend up so he won’t hurt anyone, obviously for his own good. And you get the sense that Stiles is really torn up about it. In a show that is overacted in nearly every act, Stiles is a grounding force that makes you actually care. And the show spends nearly as much time with Stiles as it does with Scott and thankgawd because I probably would have stopped watching immediately if that wasn’t the case.<br />
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And since I’m on a roll with things I like, let’s talk about my two other favorite characters, who HAFTA be Jackson and Lydia. <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm2686262/">Colton Haynes</a>, who plays Jackson, would have been a clear choice as the show’s lead, so eff you casting director for not making that decision. He’s already been a werewolf on <i><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1599357/">The Gates</a></i> (didn’t see it, so I can’t really comment) and was one of the few members of the cast that had actually been in something people watched before this show started airing. And as Posey’s inability to act keeps making us all want to barf, Colton is surprisingly dastardly as jerkwad Jackson. When he begins a subplot about being posioned by a werewolf fingernail (Guys, I’m not making this up. Read plot synopsis of this show. They all sound made up), you sort of get interested to see what’s going to happen. And 10 minutes of him walking around in a towel, which is the REAL appeal of any <i>Teen Wolf</i> episode. In a show of Attractive Young Men, Colton is the Most Attractive. Does he even have any body fat? When you talk about abs you can grate cheese on, it’s the abs of Colton Haynes. Even his name kind of gives me a boner. Scott’s okay, he’s got that vaguely ethnic thing going on, but it also feels like he’s still developing. Stiles is hot, but relegated to dorky comic relief a lot. Jackson starts stealing every scene he’s in. He’s fun, because he’s conflict for Scott and Stiles that not entirely about the former being a werewolf (they talk about it SO MUCH!), and I always took him a breath of fresh air. I already talked about the abs... right?<br />
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Lydia, though... well she might be my favorite. She’s a plucky little thing, and the show is kind of smart to relegate her in the background most of the time. She’s Jackson’s popular girlfriend, but she’s also opportunistic, and at one point sort of sluts out and starts making out with Scott in one of the show’s most fun and unrealistic moments. She keeps up with Jackson, who as the show’s resident dick, is often not very nice to her. Their pairing, the two popular kids in a relationship of convenience, is one of the show’s more surprisingly realistic elements for me. I knew kids like that in high school, and I suspect you did, too. They’re dating, but when you spend 5 minutes in their company, you wonder if they even like each other. Lydia also has A Secret, and it turns out to be maybe lame for you but I got into it: She’s really smart, but hides it to be popular. And anyone smart and pretty will know (just caught myself looking in the mirror), you sometimes have to dumb yourself down to fit in. Lydia’s intelligence is brought up intermittadly throughout the show, never in a super overt way, and it’s an element that kind of works for me. I can believe Lydia is smart and weirdly ashamed of that a lot more than I can believe Scott is a werewolf. The show never switches focus to Lydia as it does to Jackson, and Jackson is much more magnetic maybe, but I like their scenes of snark together. Lydia also kind of has something crazy and ill-defined supernatural style happen to her at the end, and that crazy <i><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0074285/">Carrie</a></i> like scene of her in the hospital gave me the appropriate <a href="http://www.stephenking.com/index.html">Stephen King</a> chills it was supposed to. I’m excited for Lydia in <a href="http://www.mtv.com/shows/teen_wolf/series.jhtml">Season 2</a>.<br />
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Am I making this show sound good? Let’s get back to some of its more shitty elements then. First up, Derek Hale. Where do <a href="http://www.abercrombie.com/">Abercrombie</a> models go after they outlived their usefulness? One shows up on <i>Teen Wolf</i>, with No Acting Skills Whatsoever. At least that half smile thing Posey does gets you on his side as he stumbles through an episode, but Derek is one of the worst characters I’ve ever seen on a genre show (and there are A LOT of just <i>bad </i>examples). His presence just often makes no sense. He shows up to “help” Scott in his transition (which, you know, he’s already a werewolf, so... these <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0087538/">Mr. Miyagi moments</a> tend to make little sense to me), but then provides little to no information that would be useful. Scott even often outright asks him why he’s being vague, and Derek predictably doesn’t give him an answer. But there’s No. Reason. When we learn more about the Hale family, there’s also no real reason for this. We kind of know Derek didn’t kill his family, but he’s not interesting us enough for us to care about him or his dead loved ones. He shows up, takes his shirt off, and proves to everyone he works out the most. He’s the creepy uncle, and there’s an odd rapist-like vibe in his scenes with Scott that often make me uncomfortable. Posey looks good acting off him, because who wouldn’t? The real tragedy of the first season is that it didn’t end with Derek’s death. It should of, to release him and <b>THE REST OF US</b> from his curse.<br />
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<a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm3706952/">Scott’s girlfriend</a> doesn’t work, either, and she’s so forgetable that I can’t for the life of me remember her name. She’s basically a faux <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1392170/">Katniss</a>, so she will be known as Fauxniss because that now fills me with childlike glee. It’s obvious the writers slash producers knew that <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1392170/"><i>The Hunger Games</i></a> was in production, and Scott’s girlfriend becomes such a blatant ripoff at times that it makes me cringe. Her scenes with Posey never work, and as the show’s central love story (which it really, really doesn’t need) you never get invested in them dating, breaking up, and then getting back together. It is admittedly cool when she discovers he’s a werewolf towards the end in that school bus scene, but it is overshadowed by the revelation that her entire family are werewolf hunters and have been lying to her about it. What threw me for a loop was when Jackson started flirting with her, which ostensibly lasts for several episodes, and she and him have real chemistry together. You get the sense that Fauxniss might have real potential, but it never even comes close to being realized. She also could have died in the first season finale and it would have been more dramatically interesting. I would have mourned her passing more than Derek’s (I really don’t care about his character at all), but I think that given her position in the show, the characters all would have had strong, interesting reactions to losing her. Posey’s acting would have messed it up, of course, but interesting nonetheless.<br />
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<b>Notes</b><br />
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<ul>
<li>Scott's girlfriend is named "Allison Argent" and played by actress <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm3706952/">Crystal Reed</a>. Yup, I still don't care.</li>
<li>For fans of <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1405406/">The Vampire Diaries</a>, it was both weird and wonderful seeing Tyler Lockwood's parents as one of Jackson's and Lydia's parents, respectively. I feel like that was some sort of inside joke, since Tyler (played by <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1824751/">Michael Trevino</a>) is TVD's resident werewolf.</li>
<li>On second thought, I wish this was just a Tyler Lockwood spinoff. I probably qualitatively compare <i>Teen Wolf</i> to <i>The Vampire Diaries</i> without realizing it, and that's not fair. <i>Teen Wolf</i> is so baaaaaaaaaad.</li>
<li>Dylan O'Brien was apparently discovered via YouTube, a fact I read then promptly forgot. I never tracked down any of his videos. They're probably all down now, but damn. I would like to watch those.</li>
</ul>Rybrarianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12851563843345265315noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6113619334035555201.post-12782800520487511922012-05-31T09:30:00.000-04:002012-06-01T09:40:06.282-04:00Watch "Young Justice"<CENTER><a href="http://www.cartoonnetwork.com/tv_shows/youngjustice/index.html?atclk_gn=link_shw_Young-Justice:-Invasion">Have you been watching it</a>? It's <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0343314/">Teen Titans</a> 2.0. But I still like Teen Titans (don't get me wrong).
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The last clip I posted got 86'd, so enjoy Lobo beating the crap out of Wonder Girl and Batgirl.</CENTER>Rybrarianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12851563843345265315noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6113619334035555201.post-25797420827333320062012-04-03T12:48:00.009-04:002012-04-04T15:39:02.937-04:00What's Your Issue? Spotlight on Teen Titans #7I’m starting to have problems remembering what actually happens after I read issue of <span style="font-style:italic;">Teen Titans</span>. There’s very little forward motion. I’m not sure that’s a problem, since the artwork and characterization are two things I enjoy more than the actual plot. But I can see why this might not be everybody’s favorite comic book.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtL10T9F4dAPJWjb66twswrtteRZmK8VpKwfH8w-a2cGDCySmqT9DdENkumJ1y5x1h6tpWAXC-mPuhdw7GhttWedHRc7YM9uC4XfV5KLrP0RDOIY5UHiQTrBpGhexOyho9_QQ2McfRegGN/s1600/01teentitans.jpeg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 208px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtL10T9F4dAPJWjb66twswrtteRZmK8VpKwfH8w-a2cGDCySmqT9DdENkumJ1y5x1h6tpWAXC-mPuhdw7GhttWedHRc7YM9uC4XfV5KLrP0RDOIY5UHiQTrBpGhexOyho9_QQ2McfRegGN/s320/01teentitans.jpeg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5727630887379719218" /></a>That said, this issue did have a real clear point. If you also read issues of Superboy (and you know I do!), he was captured at the end of his last issue by N.O.W.H.E.R.E. Which, despite being a “nefarious organization” is also … super not fun to type. I hope the Titans stomp them out soon! But I’m getting ahead of myself. So Superboy is captured, and we see Wonder Girl at the end of that issue breaking in to rescue him. This issue fleshes out that revelation, with Tim (ahem) I mean, Red Robin convincing the rest of the team to go in after him. Only everyone remembers two issues back when he tried to kill all of them. Even Skitter who doesn’t have a normal brain isn’t in a big rush to leap to action. So Tim is all, well... I’m going anyway. See you jerks later. Then everybody feels bad and follows him. Putting aside the ridiculousness of that situation, it does give it a distinct teen feel to this book. Tim is obviously the one in charge who’s got his crap together. Why wouldn’t the rest of them go wherever he goes?<br /><a name='more'></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUsgtOijXvBUMW3VGXBs6CL5uPQ7jXCyMI7xq_8xEtc0iJ_rRCz4WcTpTqefDVHrMZ5wGQUhEgaBpBi2uwat_yBVuVkvjuSPsYLy8QPOVsMVbdkWgt8FJVvYoVrMBqQm5o0VjZwVIvCS0Q/s1600/02teentitans.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 208px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUsgtOijXvBUMW3VGXBs6CL5uPQ7jXCyMI7xq_8xEtc0iJ_rRCz4WcTpTqefDVHrMZ5wGQUhEgaBpBi2uwat_yBVuVkvjuSPsYLy8QPOVsMVbdkWgt8FJVvYoVrMBqQm5o0VjZwVIvCS0Q/s320/02teentitans.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5727631063807553234" /></a>So they break into the base. In an odd timing issue, Wonder Girl (don’t call her that!) has already fought Ravager which... how? How can the end of a Superboy issue point to a Titans issue which points to the next Superboy issue having happened already? Oh damn. Just give myself a massive headache. Moving on. Rose Wilson is defeated. Now Cassie is fighting some dude with parasitic tendrils coming out the back of him. It’s super gross. <br /><br />Bunker, with Skitter his new BFF in tow, back up Kid Flash with the actual rescuing of Superboy. He’s initially pretty confused about why the team he tried to kill is attempting to free him, but after awhile he just decides to go with it. And who wouldn’t? When a nefarious organization is hellbent on killing you, and then a team of teen heroes you tried to kill saves you, it’s time to saddle up and get the hell out of dodge.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUjId6pwebSXPS9uptecgpwPXYZ0tx8lgE0IjOTK8s33YFX-Ee6S7hsT10zJWX1rVFnkMrCkabsW1IL4Wg3e22fk78N4NT87riDp-e6AB1u7yLnoX3GC9OfrcYQ7a5Is9zFyRUJBWNQWIS/s1600/03teentitans4sure.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 203px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUjId6pwebSXPS9uptecgpwPXYZ0tx8lgE0IjOTK8s33YFX-Ee6S7hsT10zJWX1rVFnkMrCkabsW1IL4Wg3e22fk78N4NT87riDp-e6AB1u7yLnoX3GC9OfrcYQ7a5Is9zFyRUJBWNQWIS/s320/03teentitans4sure.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5727631586039386834" /></a>The real interesting part comes when Red Robin, who has sequestered himself from the others, breaks into the mainframe and begins downloading information on other teen superheroes. Solstice appears and immediately recognizes that Tim knew a lot more about what was going on in the facility- including that kids were being tortured and experimented on- then the rest of the team realized. Tim takes a very “Batman” approach to it, explaining that in order to get to this point sacrifices had to be made, yadda yadda yadda. Solstice calls him on his crap; saving lives should have been his primary focus. The fact that it wasn’t, and that she has been left in this weird crackly floating form is a testament to his intense Not Caring. It’s a short number of panels, but both characters kind of make their point. You also realize that while a lot of the other characters act like kids, Red Robin and Solstice are the arguably most mature members of the team. It’s also nice to see some conflict on a philosophical level. More of this, please.<br /><br />I'm pretty happy with Teen Titans. I'm a little miffed that the penciler might be changing soon, but I'll reserve judgement until it happens. Definitely pick this issue up if you get the chance.Rybrarianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12851563843345265315noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6113619334035555201.post-32980730355330177082012-03-26T10:00:00.011-04:002012-03-26T10:32:37.018-04:00What's Your Issue? Spotlight on X-Factor #233We're <a href="http://ryanthelibrarian.blogspot.com/2012/02/whats-your-issue-x-factor-231.html">back to Peter David's <span style="font-style:italic;">X-Factor</span> this week</a>. Honestly!? This issue kind of exemplifies why I always champion <span style="font-style:italic;">X-Factor</span> as one of my favorite comics. They can change things up in an organic, interesting way and somehow make me not only like it, but like it even more.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDfQio8IAKvwD3jGpyQMtl-nUuaiKxsu_0clG2XllWs2IhEGXApYXxKafx0X53F9RUM53m278cfrVnWRZg9zlvGQwuELvJFCYgeTUK-gCiQco0R87DUUh9eiO8pSTmIXBWEAry5YmR3dNv/s1600/X-Factor_Vol_1_233_Textless.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 211px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDfQio8IAKvwD3jGpyQMtl-nUuaiKxsu_0clG2XllWs2IhEGXApYXxKafx0X53F9RUM53m278cfrVnWRZg9zlvGQwuELvJFCYgeTUK-gCiQco0R87DUUh9eiO8pSTmIXBWEAry5YmR3dNv/s320/X-Factor_Vol_1_233_Textless.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5724210266505444274" /></a>After Jamie Madrox is resurrected after his night of 1,000 deaths, him and Layla Miller embrace in a way that might make you blush. That was last issue. In this issue? It becomes apparent that Layla has become Jamie's new slam piece. And no, there's no nicer way I could have put that. As Madrox often does, he's having a whole internal debate about how wrong the whole thing was and blah, blah, blah. Jamie has been attracted to Layla ever since he went to the future and she was older babe. He needs to get over himself about this, and finally deal with his gross emotional problems. To her credit, Layla is having kind of the same thoughts re: regret. But she's a little bit more honest here, admits the whole Guido-no soul thing, and ... yeah, I'll admit it. I kind of want them to get together. And let's give it up to <a href="http://www.peterdavid.net">Peter David</a> who somehow made me feel not icky about that. It's weird how Layla is becoming my favorite.<br /><br />Where's the team? Madrox asks. This is when Layla alludes to a change in leadership.<br /><a name='more'></a><br />Then, suddenly! It's like an <span style="font-style:italic;">X-Factor</span> book from 1995. Except, for some reason, <a href="http://ryanthelibrarian.blogspot.com/2010/09/character-spotlight-shatterstar.html"><span style="font-weight:bold;">Shatterstar</span></a> is now on the team. Which? ... Awesome. Thanks for answering those fan letters with editorial decisions, <a href="www.marvel.com">Marvel</a>. I didn't actually write any fan letters but, man, now I wish I did. I would have been vindicated here. What makes this book a fun throwback? Val Cooper is directing the team to a terrorist situation (I'm guessing somewhere in the Bible belt? I could look it up, but lazzzzzy!). Havok is now team leader, directing everybody to be their best. <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yDcEKo4V7fA">Creepy Dollhouse voice, "I try to be my best!"</a> The initial plan is a good one; use Theresa's modulating voice to soothe the terrorists into dropping their weapons. The one catch? She's never really tried it on groups of people before, especially groups as large as this one. I like exploring the dynamic of their powers. It's fun.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLLu-9iefobPYK6zgx_Mr-S0YAseZwwvFoe-P2F1vfI4arPlWMJiR0Ew45A0-S1oxyqqBffb_9__HUnvEHluuYamAB9caE4ghWyPziynCEkkqGVlx3XPM500qw3qRFsVC7hJIkj5kG_Ojv/s1600/leader_havok.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 391px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLLu-9iefobPYK6zgx_Mr-S0YAseZwwvFoe-P2F1vfI4arPlWMJiR0Ew45A0-S1oxyqqBffb_9__HUnvEHluuYamAB9caE4ghWyPziynCEkkqGVlx3XPM500qw3qRFsVC7hJIkj5kG_Ojv/s400/leader_havok.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5724210060355074338" /></a>But their plan works. People start dropping their weapons. But, one of the terrorists is deaf. In order for Theresa's voice to control you, you need to be able to hear it. I also liked that terrorists in comics too can be handicapable. He gets some people to snap out of it (it's not real mind control, so it is intensely easy to shrug off her voice I guess), and the team launches into action. Rictor gets to use his powers in a fun moment. Rahne is wolfing out and going after stragglers. The real fun comes when someone sets off a bomb, then Havok has Monet launch it into the air, and then he detonates it with a plasma burst. When the terrorists try to shoot the team up in protest, Lorna appears and stops all the bullets. Cool.<br /><br />There's a brief discussion between Val and Havok with some of the other team members chiming in about Madrox. Havok seems much less of a jerkface than he used to be and kind of misses his old multiple buddy. But I think Alex needs to remember than Jamie didn't talk for a long time then seemingly died from the Legacy Virus. The Multiple Man of the 2000's is much more chatty, and I feel like they might butt heads. All of this is speculation; this issue is just to present not only a fun action sequence, but that the team can function without Jamie's leadership at the helm of someone else. I mean, readers could have guessed that before now (Jamie has been absent before), but it's quite another thing to see it actually happening. Can't wait for the next issue though.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbzGhA-lfLJSfTsHlvPWZGlDx7WzLBs3d2CvkxWlzzHBqlUZ8w5mLUL76ptxdwtoOn0TIeLFqfZs7vkzPVkuROjo7sVOWZTGV-6I5y8_vzRwvUr8h96dw4SQA3KCpZH8CNCkKGkj_vKSEo/s1600/xfactor-233c.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 166px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbzGhA-lfLJSfTsHlvPWZGlDx7WzLBs3d2CvkxWlzzHBqlUZ8w5mLUL76ptxdwtoOn0TIeLFqfZs7vkzPVkuROjo7sVOWZTGV-6I5y8_vzRwvUr8h96dw4SQA3KCpZH8CNCkKGkj_vKSEo/s320/xfactor-233c.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5724210551479881538" /></a>Rybrarianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12851563843345265315noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6113619334035555201.post-24322132612954799572012-03-16T12:42:00.012-04:002012-03-16T15:34:18.169-04:00What's Your Issue? Spotlight on Superboy #7I have something kind of dirty to admit this week... I actually kind of enjoyed reading “Superboy.” When I read the initial solicitations, I had a feeling like it might play out this way. I also think since this might be the only time such an event happens, I should probably review this issue.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEism8MFF8L63NCWEUvxqhf9cBPiNbx-ocU8I4td-PZmPNzlG8vmygkujEQptS9Ini9-O0Xi0tN7wpWomClNi21scKISq90_up3knbu6WR80CO44PdQ63PKDzu58RMO7I8M-6irVgdYVs14e/s1600/supercover1.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 208px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEism8MFF8L63NCWEUvxqhf9cBPiNbx-ocU8I4td-PZmPNzlG8vmygkujEQptS9Ini9-O0Xi0tN7wpWomClNi21scKISq90_up3knbu6WR80CO44PdQ63PKDzu58RMO7I8M-6irVgdYVs14e/s320/supercover1.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5720577845473459138" /></a>When last we left The Superboy, he was barreling his way to a secret N.O.W.H.E.R.E. facility. He beat the snot out of the new combined forces of the Teen Titans, then confronted Rose Wilson and a bunch of the agents on his way to deliver a smackdown to his current handlers slash creators. Why it has suddenly occurred to him to attack the evil organization, I can’t tell you. I think it would have been a better idea to trash the place when you first woke up or when you’re red headed doctor hottie became super strong and went berserk. But I guess The Superboy isn’t very bright. Or we can blame it on his newly cloned brain still learning how things work. I don’t really know (or care?) but Superboy’s motivations should be clearly established so we as readers can get behind him. It’s pretty hard to relate to a character who seems very resistant to establishing emotional connections and has no clearly established purpose. I feel a little bit like I’m reading about a teenage version of The Hulk who hasn’t turned green yet.<br /><br />I’m getting off topic. Let’s talk about The Superboy’s progress. He’s finally inside the facility now. The director of security guy - he reminds me a lot of The Guardian from Project Cadmus from the “Death of Superman” era - tries to stop him with a crapload of security dudes. They have guns that can down a tank (really!? Because even in comic book terms, I kind of don’t believe them) and they have the element of surprise. They blast him, but Superboy tosses them around like ragdolls anyway. It’s interesting to note that he gets hurt here. He also doesn’t immediately recover; it seems to really have a negative impact on him. There’s also this really strange moment where reality shifts, I guess because another character is in N.O.W.H.E.R.E. either manipulating the enviornment or altering The Superboy’s perceptions. Still, it’s a weird few panels that don’t really go with the rest of the issues. Dear editors at DC Comics: If you’re not going to show this character who is doing this thing or explain why he’s doing, I don’t really care.<br /><a name='more'></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1LVJEOpqsoVhPhNQ9Kp2IMjswfmflCgGRghWTN6GU12Hyzc2Px1T5JunHHyoRxaaqPoR9q6N4S5nkssRE8kpaz19dRj-yMTvQ7j1uHa578aMf-RUMUlUe0qHdVMaaq7DMxNZmHwfsQl94/s1600/superboy3.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 308px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1LVJEOpqsoVhPhNQ9Kp2IMjswfmflCgGRghWTN6GU12Hyzc2Px1T5JunHHyoRxaaqPoR9q6N4S5nkssRE8kpaz19dRj-yMTvQ7j1uHa578aMf-RUMUlUe0qHdVMaaq7DMxNZmHwfsQl94/s400/superboy3.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5720578167723103842" /></a><br />Superboy gets to a mainframe or power reactor or something that will cause mass amounts of damage. He makes a comment that he wants to get their attention. Um, done? Isn’t he where they direct a large amount of their resources to? I would guess making him cost the organization lots of money. They are probably following his activities pretty damn closely. Anyway, this is where Rose Wilson reemerges. You get the general sense that despite her not having flashy powers, she’s going to kick the snot out of Superboy. And she does. And it is righteous. She manages to distract him long enough for him to lower his automatic defenses; he basically keeps up a telekinetic shield most of them to deflect most attacks slash make him mostly invulnerable. During the fight, he drops that, Rose guesses he does, then throws a FRIGGING SWORD RIGHT THROUGH HIM! Superboy doesn’t even have time to quip. She killed you, dude.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi053VLY6z0BBjjMM8UJZZjWSa1X90K0nrL810DvUITBwKhpALldHHaCUai2wjTi8bZzFMpQd8Pgr9vhpPoujT3BXGxMyYDTDh9yzrZTv3yZawgBBOH-ihvW4N0THEJ2BqJ9YojlcNWYThq/s1600/superboypage2.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 208px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi053VLY6z0BBjjMM8UJZZjWSa1X90K0nrL810DvUITBwKhpALldHHaCUai2wjTi8bZzFMpQd8Pgr9vhpPoujT3BXGxMyYDTDh9yzrZTv3yZawgBBOH-ihvW4N0THEJ2BqJ9YojlcNWYThq/s320/superboypage2.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5720577319121080370" /></a>But being a title that hasn’t been cancelled yet, he doesn’t die. N.O.W.H.E.R.E. scientists manage to revive him. They trap him in this wacky contraption that limits his telekinetic powers. He becomes conscious and they don’t realize it yet. I think they talk about killing or dissecting him? I got distracted at the end, because the Titans fight... it’s not over? There’s a certain girl with a golden lasso who just broke into the complex for a rematch. EXCITING!<br /><br />The art flows much better in this issue. It looks a little less cartoonish, and I’m not a fan of the sort of Anime-like portrayal Superboy and some of the other characters have been getting in certain moments. The edges are just a little too soft sometimes, especially on all the characters faces. But action sequences are the thing I complain about the least in Superboy since it started, and this issue is just zip boom pop with action sequences. I’ve been like the title a lot more since Superboy went up against the Titans, so I’m glad the books are being tied into each other more.<br /><br />In other news, I didn’t buy Wolverine and the X-Men this week. I am going to be cheap and not spend the extra dollar for nothing. I’m going to officially wait for trades now. I might start picking up Batwoman again. If you’re a fan, please talk me into it in the comments below.Rybrarianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12851563843345265315noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6113619334035555201.post-34729207737354357962012-03-14T17:11:00.013-04:002012-03-14T17:38:39.540-04:00March Comics RoundupI have a few odds and ends that are worth highlighting this month. Here goes.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmcn5AW84h3CdCEuqTRVFlSZhFRJaXCweWLwDylrVMu6g22WKKa9NvpLhOyZ_qlkNS7ALD_457a6jKt9PNxZqMcEoYi-9qWKRlUbkjTqFSOYY54emSwNRuV_uL7fw-veCgRipJrujmmf38/s1600/CCV1-HC-cover.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 216px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmcn5AW84h3CdCEuqTRVFlSZhFRJaXCweWLwDylrVMu6g22WKKa9NvpLhOyZ_qlkNS7ALD_457a6jKt9PNxZqMcEoYi-9qWKRlUbkjTqFSOYY54emSwNRuV_uL7fw-veCgRipJrujmmf38/s320/CCV1-HC-cover.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5719865189335642114" /></a><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4789072.Ryan_Donovan">Fans of my Goodreads page</a> will note that the <a href="http://salempress.com/Store/samples/critical_survey_gn_heroes/critical_survey_gn_heroes.htm">Salem Press Graphic Novel encyclopedia</a> I contributed to is out next month. If you are a library and have money or are independently wealthy, feel free to <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Critical-Survey-Graphic-Novels-Superheroes/dp/1587658658/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1331760017&sr=8-2">purchase the book here</a>. I'm excited it's finally out. It's also worth noting that <a href="https://twitter.com/#!/dccomics">DC Comics just tweeted</a> about <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12280666-flashpoint">a Flashpoint giveaway that you can view here</a>. <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/show/20863-flashpoint-the-world-of-flashpoint-featuring-batman">Enter to Win</a>. You know I just did.<br /><br />This month I read both <a href="http://www.librarything.com/work/11633395">Wolverine & Jubilee</a> and <a href="http://www.librarything.com/work/10268932">vol. 2 of Gotham City Sirens</a> (the latter which I bought at <a href="http://bergenstreetcomics.com/">Bergen Street Comics</a> - I finally visited!). I recommend both books, and will probably be providing extended reviews of both of them for my new gig on <a href="http://graphicnovelreporter.com/">Graphic Novel Reporter</a> reviewing things that I read. You can read <a href="http://graphicnovelreporter.com/content/courtney-crumrin-vol-1-night-things-special-edition-review">my first review on the special edition of Oni Press' Courtney Crumrin here</a>.<br /><br />If you don't think I update my blog enough, be sure to <a href="http://buffy9472.yelp.com">check me out on Yelp</a>. I've been catching up on my back log lately. While I still don't review a place every day, I've been updating my reviews a lot more there. I hope to eventually get down to the <a href="http://www.yelp.com/biz/midtown-comics-downtown-new-york">Midtown Comics in NYC's financial district</a> soon since I still have yet to go. I have <a href="http://www.yelp.com/list/its-almost-comic-al-new-york">a cool list of NYC comic shops you can read about there</a>.<br /><br />Wednesday also means 'new comic day.' Here's the issues I bought for this week:<br /><br /><CENTER><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy7y4ng0mUOKbCPvf_6J986sKb-dU85Zvom5qI8ApPSeUOI6hJSYdR25TWH4IhgkdIrVdzM4O5t9BLF1c1rZafgfl5G7fXyfb7LKxr2PhpE1NvIQQLaIN21Z9qQ6DDg2GD8qsVbGrGCQGb/s1600/Batgirl_Vol_4_7_Textless.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 130px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy7y4ng0mUOKbCPvf_6J986sKb-dU85Zvom5qI8ApPSeUOI6hJSYdR25TWH4IhgkdIrVdzM4O5t9BLF1c1rZafgfl5G7fXyfb7LKxr2PhpE1NvIQQLaIN21Z9qQ6DDg2GD8qsVbGrGCQGb/s200/Batgirl_Vol_4_7_Textless.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5719869643715717938" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2UN0U9GWDZFxUd5gX9aCLq0eZ_SDwytvjqFgv4lnw_xOIW78e4Ah4K_bMbunGSTDG4X9V7HAHmdQ2X8Gy9w_3MIbvBEtkcymV2-QTEyeEXfHnUoTXKHueD6In3vgajPOmrlHFKepnRn2k/s1600/buffy7b.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 132px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2UN0U9GWDZFxUd5gX9aCLq0eZ_SDwytvjqFgv4lnw_xOIW78e4Ah4K_bMbunGSTDG4X9V7HAHmdQ2X8Gy9w_3MIbvBEtkcymV2-QTEyeEXfHnUoTXKHueD6In3vgajPOmrlHFKepnRn2k/s200/buffy7b.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5719869766353293330" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinkRUBk-XLYwNA0kHgUx8Y5OFW_eL1_oWOAYUmM2bVvam4knDbeE7LGiXXJpNFIbi0kYLmoxHIzQxLdzuSHTIEnfSLLHE8R8QYCtq6fys5QDOjYmFZeZzLOuKj5DwGJrhUhUMvTkP0nl1f/s1600/superboy-7-lobdell-silva-lean-davis-dc-comics.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 129px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinkRUBk-XLYwNA0kHgUx8Y5OFW_eL1_oWOAYUmM2bVvam4knDbeE7LGiXXJpNFIbi0kYLmoxHIzQxLdzuSHTIEnfSLLHE8R8QYCtq6fys5QDOjYmFZeZzLOuKj5DwGJrhUhUMvTkP0nl1f/s200/superboy-7-lobdell-silva-lean-davis-dc-comics.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5719869708323430530" /></a></CENTER>Rybrarianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12851563843345265315noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6113619334035555201.post-40442321813789545602012-03-09T19:41:00.018-05:002012-03-09T20:24:48.231-05:00What's Your Issue? Avengers Academy #27Full disclosure: Actually. Let's take a minute after that statement. Every time I blog lately I feel like I'm revealing some sort of seedy insight into my comic buying habits. You guys might soon know me better than I know myself...<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie92LZIYrR2t0CLi7G6RbNYsc8qzLOec2H-ic-tf0pusWPZ7H-OdS-p9Hr_u__GbNKaDCkOLanMtIujUfOhJBT_FtrptjOg_TJoURegTJQr7Qs5bVzMHJO5XRj8cEsugncHHe_QaqpaAls/s1600/AVNACA2010027_cov.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 210px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie92LZIYrR2t0CLi7G6RbNYsc8qzLOec2H-ic-tf0pusWPZ7H-OdS-p9Hr_u__GbNKaDCkOLanMtIujUfOhJBT_FtrptjOg_TJoURegTJQr7Qs5bVzMHJO5XRj8cEsugncHHe_QaqpaAls/s320/AVNACA2010027_cov.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5718069926263791330" /></a>The only thing I was going to admit, re: above "full disclosure" is that I'm not a regular reader of Avengers Academy. I've heard good things about it, but with Young Avengers and every other attempt to modernize the Avengers team and turn it into a franchise? No thanks. I know <a href="http://marvel.com/">Marvel</a> has a big movie planned, and yes... Joss Whedon is writing it so I'm super excited. But the idea of creating a bunch of kiddie Avengers has been done several times in the past few years with generally disasterous results. And by that I mean boring! I'd rather have a comic that takes place in an alternate reality where all the Avengers are kids again ala <a href="http://en.memory-alpha.org/wiki/Rascals_(episode)">that one rad Star Trek: TNG episode</a>. Oh wait noIwouldn't because honestly I hatestorieslikethatsomuch!<br /><br />Anyhoo, it's gotten a few good reviews on <a href="http://www.comicbookresources.com/">Comic Book Resources</a> (I recommend their reviews section if you are mulling over buying a title, as I often do. Again with the buying habits!). I know that it's gotten a little bit of press for having gay characters in it, but again... if they're characters I don't really know or care about, there's not much sense in reading the stories. I picked up this issue as probably most people did, because a lil' old team called The Runaways happen to be guest starring. Recently, they popped up in the Daken comic. I think that they are now reduced to being guest stars in books that need them to boost sales. Despite this being a very clear sales gimmick, I'm game. I love them, and I'll read whatever they are in. Well played, <a href="http://marvel.com/">Marvel</a>.<br /><a name='more'></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin5nmi2USqhZb0ggs4aj8v03g1COtKnTEZTa2DsY57wwaZg2Qn2_InnfAOLZ6CShz_fnGxS1EbOaKQriv3omXEFwHYsSGMsldOgYhNaib1aF-m0DKoywMrDlxT5Td5n3kYQPNnO-JhBeCy/s1600/IAmAnAvenger_AvengersAcademy_06.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 208px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin5nmi2USqhZb0ggs4aj8v03g1COtKnTEZTa2DsY57wwaZg2Qn2_InnfAOLZ6CShz_fnGxS1EbOaKQriv3omXEFwHYsSGMsldOgYhNaib1aF-m0DKoywMrDlxT5Td5n3kYQPNnO-JhBeCy/s320/IAmAnAvenger_AvengersAcademy_06.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5718069664985216322" /></a>So let's not even really talk about the kids from Avengers. Except maybe Julie Power, who is Lightspeed, who is also noticeable for being in an early arc of The Runaways when pretty much every editor in <a href="http://marvel.com/">Marvel</a> forgot about her. There's also an updated Power Pack comic I think, so I'm not sure why Julie is old if the Power Pack is still around. Anyway, she's clearly my favorite out of that group, and is pretty well featured in this particular issue. So there's that. Julie wants to help this kid who just came out as gay, but he holds a press conference to announce it to the world for publicity. Julie tries to tell him that this is a bad idea, that he can't discover who he really is in the spotlight, but the kid is kind of a jerk and shrugs her off as being lame. I'm more on Julie's side for this argument, but only just barely.<br /><br />Nico is casting a spell among the press conference attendees to cloak her team. We discover that this is because Chase's mental link with Old Lace has returned, despite the dinosaur dying at the end of the last (and horrible!) Runaways arc. Also, the fact that Chase is alive and not in a coma or anything is weird, but in the Daken issues they make a reference to him getting hit by a car and then he "got better." I guess it's as good a reason as any to undo a crappy plot move. The Runaways being the Runaways, they of course somehow end up in a fight that they pretty much start winning. Bonus points to Victor who manages to control a Sentinel that's after him, 'cause <span style="font-style:italic;">yeah! he can do that!</span> Sentinels on campus must have already been explained.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeo-rzfvrFcClkmJvLcs2vGXDqSdVDMkm4brkbKiBcchyphenhyphensBpINrDlXrr_iZ3AJGyS7YTLBScVMWccTMp-q-JuQUdMUuTU5dqqnRWtTx_12Ezhb7gHxLD9AkZn0M0R5m08zEp53DWF2soje/s1600/avengers-academy-the-lie.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 302px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeo-rzfvrFcClkmJvLcs2vGXDqSdVDMkm4brkbKiBcchyphenhyphensBpINrDlXrr_iZ3AJGyS7YTLBScVMWccTMp-q-JuQUdMUuTU5dqqnRWtTx_12Ezhb7gHxLD9AkZn0M0R5m08zEp53DWF2soje/s320/avengers-academy-the-lie.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5718070343683732226" /></a>Henry Pym and Tigra are there, I guess as like den mothers? And they are together? Whatever. As the teams sort of socialize and get to know each other (with generally cute results. Who doesn't want Karolina to start dating again!?), the adults note that Molly and Klara are like, <span style="font-style:italic;">really young</span>. They decide they are going to take them away. Which, um... didn't the Avengers also already try that? For one of the smartest guys in the universe, Pym is pretty dense here. The kids will probably <span style="font-style:italic;">run away</span>, and Molly has kind of proven to be better off with the other kids than without them. And Klara? Is from like 100 years ago. They should focus more on getting back to her proper <span style="font-style:italic;">time</span>, not to new foster parents. Her last parental situation turned out to be an indentured marriage, which... ew. I'm sure she's not in a rush to repeat that.<br /><br />Despite the convoluted nature of the storyline, I like that this story gets Old Lace back on the team. It keeps the story of her death, but Nico sends her to a place where she's restored miraculously. Yeah, I guess that could happen. Magic and all. As the Daken story undid Chase's apparent demise, it's nice that the editors are undoing everything that was just a horrible decision by the writers-who-didn't-know-what-they-were-doing in the final arc. It hardly feels like The Runaways without Old Lace, and using the Avengers member with a connection to prehistoric things was a nice way to tie them into the book. I'll obviously pick up the book next month to see how this mini-arc plays out, but it's hardly worth shelling out money every month for a title with characters who don't seem too interesting.Rybrarianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12851563843345265315noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6113619334035555201.post-22921437557012143622012-03-05T18:58:00.009-05:002012-03-05T19:23:01.756-05:00What's Your Issue? Spotlight on Angel & Faith #7Sorry for the delay in getting this blog out, kiddies. Things have been much busy in the Life of Ryan. But I did buy a new comic last week, and it turned out to be <span style="font-style:italic;">Angel & Faith</span> #7. So let's talk about it.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVywsO57b0aUiiX2tCrYvQuawP9aUhPuQ1NsVq8_F7BctF-3YEeYHB3Opc748jbhfVTssR16J_as6Mw4gvYGE8-MvJ-iL7jbPoOd_29XhY2XjdgbEH8gTry7vtueqrSOsXBEXY5VJS6RiD/s1600/angelfaith01.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 229px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVywsO57b0aUiiX2tCrYvQuawP9aUhPuQ1NsVq8_F7BctF-3YEeYHB3Opc748jbhfVTssR16J_as6Mw4gvYGE8-MvJ-iL7jbPoOd_29XhY2XjdgbEH8gTry7vtueqrSOsXBEXY5VJS6RiD/s320/angelfaith01.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5716571728017792386" /></a>Yes, I'll admit it. I've been buying <span style="font-style:italic;">Angel & Faith</span>... but I haven't exactly been reading it every week. I got the first issue signed by Christos Gage and Rebekah Isaacs at the <a href="http://www.newyorkcomiccon.com/">New York Comic Con</a>, so I read that. I liked it, but didn't exactly love it. People raved about it, so I guess I let expectations get the better of me. I was also largely disappointed by some of the quality of the IDW Angel stuff, especially when it wasn't being written by John Byrne or Peter David. Some of that got real bad real fast, and DO NOT argue with me. Because I am clearly right and you are clearly wrong.<br /><br />So I didn't even realize when I started reading <span style="font-style:italic;">Angel & Faith #7</span> that this was the second part of the "Daddy Issues" arc. Because I read the solicitations and because I'm actually buying the damn things I realized that Harmony had showed up recently, and that Drusilla was set to. These are two of my favorite characters from the Buffy universe ever so I was kind of ridiculously excited for a competent writer to tackle both of them. I thought I might get to the Harmony issue last month, but let's start here with Drusilla's. <br /><a name='more'></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxRn0YBhmpyDBH4wHfx2BkilqCmKJ_kZWLQ0bxmcO1Uxz4eEPmbeoYo7qi8g1kn3MDMrxYOd-s2R0nsIAZGn1TeW5zns8Jf_IpQgZ4f1kJZpdnBHvSEeGzNJKsjldAdoRNzhtrOX9BVeDt/s1600/angelfaith03.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 207px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxRn0YBhmpyDBH4wHfx2BkilqCmKJ_kZWLQ0bxmcO1Uxz4eEPmbeoYo7qi8g1kn3MDMrxYOd-s2R0nsIAZGn1TeW5zns8Jf_IpQgZ4f1kJZpdnBHvSEeGzNJKsjldAdoRNzhtrOX9BVeDt/s320/angelfaith03.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5716572318924801314" /></a>Thanks to something called a "Larophage Demon" which is, I'll admit, pretty damn cool looking, Drusilla has been rendered sane. Which also gives her awesome Victorian-styled dress sense. She looks fantastic with long gloves and a dress with a train so long she needs underlings to hold it up. The issue beings with a recount and panels of Angel actually killing her family, something that was supposed to be so brutal and horrific they could never actually portray it on television. Lots of Angel ripping hearts out, if you're curious. The demon managed to take away Drusilla's guilt and horrible feelings because it literally feeds off negative emotions to survive. She's lured Angel to her so that her new pet can do the same for him. The fact that taking away or suppressing Angel's "negative" feelings might negate his soul is never actually brought up. I will say that Drusilla seems like a much nicer lady. Probably good Gage opted to make her sane. Most writers can's capture Drusilla's odd way of speaking and physical mannerisms that really only work when she's on screen. <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpOelB7eB94wF5ZZhhnboIqH18HQHg8Y9tHWncl9KrlldDJ7DKxGXN-c4IssegElPbWc1PYi3-Nlb0BCnYjriqO4TffbzMVtFLOtNfbyg0gN9m0oJyB3DIq84HeeY7TpeqVtpwHxisro07/s1600/angelfaith02.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 208px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpOelB7eB94wF5ZZhhnboIqH18HQHg8Y9tHWncl9KrlldDJ7DKxGXN-c4IssegElPbWc1PYi3-Nlb0BCnYjriqO4TffbzMVtFLOtNfbyg0gN9m0oJyB3DIq84HeeY7TpeqVtpwHxisro07/s320/angelfaith02.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5716572631088537922" /></a>As a coherent character with an agenda, she reads nicer than I would have expected when you explain why she's like this now and how she got there. Her logic behind feeding her demon with willing humans who want to take their pain away, then using these also willing humans to feed herself off their blood, is a good one. Angel finds fault that some people are going crazy as a result; Faith says, if they're willing, they really don't need the two "heroes" to step in and save them. After all, Drusilla and the Larophage are the saviors to them.<br /><br />What works for me: Drusilla's odd effect on Angel is felt here. I don't really think you could ever have Angel ultimately kill Dru because he feels so guilty about creating her in the first place. There's also that evil part of him that's just so damn proud of how conniving and sadistic she can be. There's the issue in this issue that she hasn't really done anything wrong. What doesn't work for me: Drusilla's "sight" seems a little forced. It's brought up twice, and the second time doesn't really make a lot of sense. If a sane Drusilla knew Angel would reject her "cure" for his guilt, why does she keep showing up and pressing the issue? I guess this point is moot, but it stands to reason she'd quit while she was ahead.<br /><br />A tad unnecessary to bring Faith's dad back, but looks like it will play into the arc nicely. I'm sorry I wasn't more excited about this. It's a GREAT read, so super recommended!Rybrarianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12851563843345265315noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6113619334035555201.post-11531137230123928322012-02-25T13:15:00.021-05:002012-02-25T14:39:39.663-05:00What's Your Issue? Spotlight on Teen Titans #6<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9bTrCLLxdjuJe__xF_FSRNZOGVfPkPic2Eo7BINYlCVFuoU0ErtZk2B6Y8yfQf-zqrI237QQhwTqdINqAnCnLXK-NumZKf1R9x4czAgysEciEpgcasK3bW9wNAQddGVbMmYXKElK1sN6J/s1600/21131_400x600.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9bTrCLLxdjuJe__xF_FSRNZOGVfPkPic2Eo7BINYlCVFuoU0ErtZk2B6Y8yfQf-zqrI237QQhwTqdINqAnCnLXK-NumZKf1R9x4czAgysEciEpgcasK3bW9wNAQddGVbMmYXKElK1sN6J/s320/21131_400x600.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5713146938306169122" /></a>Are you reading <span style="font-style:italic;">Teen Titans</span>? <br /><br />Scott Lobdell is writing it, and his work on <span style="font-style:italic;">X-Men</span> (and later <span style="font-style:italic;">Uncanny X-Men</span>) was nothing short of prolific. Don't believe me? Go back and read <a href="http://marvel.wikia.com/Uncanny_X-Men_Vol_1_340">that story about Iceman's racist dad getting beaten up for defending his mutant son</a>. And Lobdell was writing that s@# before it got trendy.<br /><br />In <span style="font-style:italic;">Titans</span>, he's made the bold move to feature Red Robin (the Tim Drake version, natch), Wonder Girl, and Kid Flash on the team. But he's also created a host of brand new characters who are actually pretty interesting. There's Skitter, an insect-like girl who shows very little rational, coherent thought in her "bug state" (more on her this issue). Solstice; who is apparently made up of some sort of blue light in a black smoke girl form. And finally Bunker; a carefree Mexican gay character who can create purple energy constructs. For example, he likes to form "brick hands" when punching people. We still don't know much about the newbies. This issue is a direct follow up from <a href="http://cdn.ifanboy.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/Teen-Titans_Full_5-665x1024.jpg">the Superboy attack in #5</a>, with the team slowly regaining consciousness. The immediate danger? Kid Flash was vibrated so fast by "The Superboy" (I like how they put the "The" they put in front of his name in this and other issues) that he is now in danger of vibrating out of existence.<br /><a name='more'></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWJ6gpNj1TxstoCeTOm1cUdcxboy9ksbNyx28B6lKstn6pjk54iSAkVihfvNwb4FWaUjm32ssU92_PppI4F38r8qFBXB9qQxJc-ZoIFq4a-D4zrLuINZhBeqyJZCT9U4T19YBzzR_sWJ1j/s1600/tumblr_lztx7aUXGy1r2v9ujo2_r1_1280.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 288px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWJ6gpNj1TxstoCeTOm1cUdcxboy9ksbNyx28B6lKstn6pjk54iSAkVihfvNwb4FWaUjm32ssU92_PppI4F38r8qFBXB9qQxJc-ZoIFq4a-D4zrLuINZhBeqyJZCT9U4T19YBzzR_sWJ1j/s320/tumblr_lztx7aUXGy1r2v9ujo2_r1_1280.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5713147153216809794" /></a>The team go visit Virgil Hawkins, who you may remember as <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a7C84g8ia1M">the animated superhero Static</a>. I will level with you. I don't like Static. He has the same basic powers as Magneto, but is somehow lamer with none of <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IdAmkx8eAos">the villainous flair</a>. But this issue? I like him. Because he doesn't wear a superhero costume for one, and because they kind of portray him as this absent minded teen genius. I also just like the fact that him and Tim Drake are friends (Virgil designed his wings). And even though Kid Flash and the rest of the Titans wind up there, it's really only because the Justice League isn't really answering his calls. They don't really explain Tim's relationship with Batman at all so far, but a <span style="font-style:italic;">Titans </span>story should never really be about that I guess. I'm curious just because it hasn't really come up before, and it's not really addressed here. <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDL_TNFSQ5Lc2651jxagLNC43MSJnn_E6OUudTyCgHmOSpaIM4evvVSaqH7X-b4Fr5fXUYzEoP3dWAPML0yNJB-Wl6Xne5_keSEu6ZdXJPy1H32kqu1nei_hs08YImLmoWBX2FMTZ-KcUH/s1600/TT610.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 179px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDL_TNFSQ5Lc2651jxagLNC43MSJnn_E6OUudTyCgHmOSpaIM4evvVSaqH7X-b4Fr5fXUYzEoP3dWAPML0yNJB-Wl6Xne5_keSEu6ZdXJPy1H32kqu1nei_hs08YImLmoWBX2FMTZ-KcUH/s320/TT610.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5713147910285738738" /></a><CENTER><FONT SIZE="-2"><I>Also, I might have a crush on Kid Flash. Check out his cute little muscles.</I></FONT></CENTER><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWE5SKGrqjzENryfcIFnKE1pUOeY2-INPy5M2ctje9554ZpoXFYbWPz7W2GYMeIGuqoPgW6yOjpF7woGZPsWxJp2GGy4rl6LB9FdZfsxaxYpc_O3eT9-b0Km5eEerB9bYEf9OD7j3snCsI/s1600/skitter.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 253px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWE5SKGrqjzENryfcIFnKE1pUOeY2-INPy5M2ctje9554ZpoXFYbWPz7W2GYMeIGuqoPgW6yOjpF7woGZPsWxJp2GGy4rl6LB9FdZfsxaxYpc_O3eT9-b0Km5eEerB9bYEf9OD7j3snCsI/s320/skitter.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5713147568169357938" /></a>Anyway, Solstice stays by Kid Flash's side (awww!) during his <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-eSN8Cwit_s&ob=av3e">bad vibrations</a>. Tim and Virgil work to crack the case of the mysteriously vibrating boy. Meanwhile, a creepy teen villain with no discernible mouth "senses" the team and reaches out to Skitter's mind. He's able to take control because of her lack of psionic defenses or WHATEVER it is in comic book speak. When Skitter skitters off, Wonder Girl and Bunker go after her. They eventually confront the villain. He comes dangerously close to killing Wonder Girl (arguably the heavy hitter on the team right now) because he can paralyze people, but Bunker's energy constructs are made from his mind, so he's able to knock that sucker out. Bunker is just adorable. Seriously, it's hard not to have fun reading him because he's having so much fun in every issue he appears. In true 90's fashion, the issue ends with Kid Flash getting a new costume to resolve his vibration problem. <br /><br />These issues might work much better in trades (little action ends up taking place issue-to-issue) but I don't have the same buyer's regret that I do from reading Lobdell's <span style="font-style:italic;">Superboy</span>. Brett Booth's art is just so darn pretty. I look forward to it every month in a way no other comic is doing for me right now. In conclusion, read <span style="font-style:italic;">Teen Titans</span>.Rybrarianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12851563843345265315noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6113619334035555201.post-29313920248547093572012-02-13T16:37:00.006-05:002012-02-25T14:26:33.223-05:00Comic Vlog Attempt<CENTER><strong>This video is pretty bad, but I figured I would give a comic vlog a try.</strong><br /><br /><iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/Fep_G9yelmI" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></Center><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">NOTE: </span><I>You need to now comment with your YouTube user name to access this video.</I>Rybrarianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12851563843345265315noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6113619334035555201.post-77888673510345542342012-02-12T13:48:00.011-05:002012-02-12T16:19:06.700-05:00What's Your Issue? Spotlight on Batgirl #6A new week brings new comics. Since <a href="http://ryanthelibrarian.blogspot.com/2012/02/whats-your-issue-x-factor-231.html">X-Factor</a> was a <a href="http://marvel.com/">Marvel</a> title, I figured let's switch things up with a <a href="http://www.dccomics.com/dccomics/">DC 'New 52'</a>. Since Batgirl is slightly more fun than <a href="http://www.dccomics.com/dccomics/comics/?cm=21065">Superboy this week</a>, that's what I'm going to talk about. Deal with it.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb6-dKWe6pb6_i4fMLvm413a3PtA1Odt_3QlB22gwW5sxbzC3-kIbYws_n7oz5Po9JleTRChs7izP3J3uMI79deh84uY86FXPzchPaZp9bp8Sgvw_A2i9mvUJYrlwir2SclJRMFdeGFo6m/s1600/batgirl_06_aksjdhfas6dfas7d986fasg.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 206px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb6-dKWe6pb6_i4fMLvm413a3PtA1Odt_3QlB22gwW5sxbzC3-kIbYws_n7oz5Po9JleTRChs7izP3J3uMI79deh84uY86FXPzchPaZp9bp8Sgvw_A2i9mvUJYrlwir2SclJRMFdeGFo6m/s320/batgirl_06_aksjdhfas6dfas7d986fasg.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5708336251816817970" /></a>Batgirl #6 is a direct let's-pick-up-right-at-the-end of Batgirl #5 issue. There's a new villain with multi-colored hairdos named Gretel that can appearantly mind control people. I guessed that it was just men last issue, and that's pretty much confirmed here. Anyway, she took control of Bruce Wayne's limo driver who I think had a gun for some reason, so Batgirl swoops in to save him. Only... Bruce Wayne is mindcontrolled, too. And he's <strong>motherf@$#ing Batman</strong>. <br /><br />So Barbara is about to face off against Bruce, who has a crowbar and an angry expression. She doesn't want to hurt him, but is also worried she might lose to him in a fight regardless. He keeps repeating '338' - a signature of all of Gretel's victims. Batgirl does a pretty good job fending him off. She's also remembering Bruce's support after <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/96358.Batman">she got shot by The Joker</a>, so we get some insight into their rebooted relationship. They weren't close before that, but looks like he had her back and they became buds after. I guess to get Batman to like you, just get shot. Anyway, Batgirl is winning... then she gets slammed on the head by Bruce's personal assistant. This was <em>awesome </em>because I totally didn't expect it. Then that female cop shows up who hates Batgirl <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Batgirl-Vol-1-Darkest-Reflection/dp/1401234755/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1329075788&sr=8-1">from the first 4 issues</a> and I think pistol whips her. <br /><br />The whole issue was very violent, <em>obviously</em>.<br /><a name='more'></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigC0894zWG1TBVpaB3vJoQ_EjMKvplSuP5s8HbpG-G2ni_sCjR5IHQKOJYyH1E9ccXgRT89YrwcrB-FZ391T4VKOZPi6HhRK5JcaPAMObHH5mc1tKpnTvQEMmli5yIPD9WSqZTeYzHOITK/s1600/batgirl6thegroup014.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 208px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigC0894zWG1TBVpaB3vJoQ_EjMKvplSuP5s8HbpG-G2ni_sCjR5IHQKOJYyH1E9ccXgRT89YrwcrB-FZ391T4VKOZPi6HhRK5JcaPAMObHH5mc1tKpnTvQEMmli5yIPD9WSqZTeYzHOITK/s320/batgirl6thegroup014.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5708336391531315058" /></a>Gretel skeedadles off-frame, and only Batgirl really notices. Bruce confides to her in a "<em>we're close enough to whisper</em>" moment that he's "mostly" faking the mind control, meaning Gretel must have gotten through somewhat. He needed to save face for his assistant and any other witnesses, but now that the battle is kind of over and he's regained his wits fully, well... <strong>mother f@#%3ing Batman is gonna help a girl out</strong>. I don't think the issue really resolves how he's not mindcontrolled anymore. I guess that's explained away as, "well, he never fully was to begin with." But still. <br /><br />There's a nice scene at Barbara's apartment (becoming my favorite panels in the issues to wait for) where her recently returned mother is baking like a madwoman. As a side effect, also kind of driving her roommate nuts. Barbara hasn't warmed to her mother any more since the last issue, and can't be that enthusiastic when she's facing a seemingly unstoppable crazy chick who can mind control people. I like how she goes to her room and sneaks some muffins anyway since, as she puts, "I'm not made of stone." She calls Batman and they decide to team up to take this Gretel lady down. Bruce is going to be bait. Gentleman in distress?<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0EeNz1uBaw4CdDfI_w6sPNkXmRjzG-jeIlmoDm18crpRzzwE_zpW02q5kHp-zFvXrnp_HA_RGDyY2BucWH2tR-UQxJNUaZZLcW8gzrB2djEfA6ozwGhPjvBrmYVK2u-CmiU3649oYB6vA/s1600/batgirl6thegroup021.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 208px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0EeNz1uBaw4CdDfI_w6sPNkXmRjzG-jeIlmoDm18crpRzzwE_zpW02q5kHp-zFvXrnp_HA_RGDyY2BucWH2tR-UQxJNUaZZLcW8gzrB2djEfA6ozwGhPjvBrmYVK2u-CmiU3649oYB6vA/s320/batgirl6thegroup021.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5708336536136076178" /></a>I forgot to even tell you why Gretel is targeting Bruce. Is that even important? Do you even care? I guess he's trying to clean up Gotham with urban renewal / development projects. He starts giving a speech about how his dad loved Gotham and he does, too and blah blah blah. Batgirl is on the lookout for a weird hair color or mindcontrolled people... when she realizes <em>all the cops on duty have been whammied</em>. She saves Bruce just in the nick of time. She spots Gretel on the rafters, Bruce is already in Batman garb (which Batgirl even points out was ridiculously fast. It was. It was very implausible. Good catch, Babs), and they "race" up to confront her.<br /><br />There's a whole thing about Gretel's origin. About how she's a journalist, got discovered by the mob she was investigating, and then murdered. She's ambitious and alone, and Barbara draws a parallel. Which... why? She has Bruce. She has her Dad. She even has Dick, kinda. Grayson, this is. She's far too down on herself at that moment. Anyway, Gretel tries to kill herself. This was her endgame all along. Batgirl saves her, but it's more a sad moment than anything else. Sure Gretel killed the people responsible for destroying her life... but her life is still destoyed. There's no coming back from that crazy.<br /><br />A solid issue. Worth the purchase, but I'm glad the Gretel arc only lasted 2 issues.Rybrarianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12851563843345265315noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6113619334035555201.post-38816705728294559832012-02-03T17:27:00.014-05:002012-02-03T21:14:29.422-05:00What's Your Issue? Spotlight on X-Factor #231Welcome to my new weird semi-regular segment, <span style="font-weight:bold;">What's Your Issue?</span> where I review individual comic issues because I just read 'em and have no one to talk to about 'em. For our first installment, we're talking about <em>X-Factor</em> #231 which came out this week.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg54R5QuUuXI1q6IK6vNDBtYeoNZO2yX7zhtVJX2SyxJjJbLanSJjBl4F_hGS5crYKFitYejBggplPvoS6ZP6kxfoiyR7AElE5CH1abtzOizipuk66Mkcv3lqflmf9rXgLqk7bNU3Avt-qW/s1600/X-Factor_231-674x1024.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 210px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg54R5QuUuXI1q6IK6vNDBtYeoNZO2yX7zhtVJX2SyxJjJbLanSJjBl4F_hGS5crYKFitYejBggplPvoS6ZP6kxfoiyR7AElE5CH1abtzOizipuk66Mkcv3lqflmf9rXgLqk7bNU3Avt-qW/s320/X-Factor_231-674x1024.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5705043392317198290" /></a>The issue opens with Multiple Man Jamie Madrox still in the same alternate world we left off in; a dual set of Sentinel-size Iron Men are about to put him out of his reality hoping misery (which will probably just send him to another world anyway, as this keeps happening when he "dies"). A scan by of one of the Iron Men reveals that Madrox is somehow out of phase or out of sync with their world, so they decide to take him to their "boss." If you guess that to be Tony Stark, then you've read yourself some <a href="marvel.com">Marvel Comics</a> in the past few decades.<br /><br />The older Tryp has gained a new ally (a shadowy red-eyed figure) to help rescue Madrox from Stark's tower. Jamie is in rare form while being taken to Tony's office, giving off a lot of one-liners and zingers that make it really the best part of the comic. Tony and him have a conversation where it's revealed he was in space when Wanda reset reality, only removing most of the humans from the world instead of most of the mutants (as she did in regular continuity). They are interrupted when Tryp's friend busts in, a franken-like amalgam of Steve Rogers and Deathlok. Basically, it sums up the awesome cover.<br /><a name='more'></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihTeHagZXDdBvpDs2vgJNnSX_PwsQP2DksTzqoo8x60SDcT1McIPJMqKZDJnmO0YXIkMo7yFFCVYRp8OcuOR3Tib1z1t3Ev6XwIDTvHjwkXB_VU_kV6brZbj7tJiMAA-oP0UAquJng8ffa/s1600/XFACT2005231_int_LR-4.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 210px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihTeHagZXDdBvpDs2vgJNnSX_PwsQP2DksTzqoo8x60SDcT1McIPJMqKZDJnmO0YXIkMo7yFFCVYRp8OcuOR3Tib1z1t3Ev6XwIDTvHjwkXB_VU_kV6brZbj7tJiMAA-oP0UAquJng8ffa/s320/XFACT2005231_int_LR-4.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5705043572891747890" /></a>A superhero slugfest ensues, with really the Captain Deathlok dude dominating in my opinion. The secretary is killed by him in short order, only to have it revealed that she's some sort of killer robot who starts attacking him. Awesome. Tryp and Madrox try to talk, but the latter is slammed out a window, duplicates from impact, and then the dupe can fly so the pair are saved... until he's reabsorbed and Jamie falls to his death anyway. He wakes up in a new Dr. Strange/magic-esque world.<br /><br /><strong>They Keep Killing Madrox</strong> has proven to be pretty entertaining, even though I don't really know where they're going with this. I guess it'll all come to a head next month when <a href="peterdavid.net">Peter David</a> reveals the ultimate point for Jamie moving through parallel worlds. I guess reality is breaking apart slowly, if Tryp can be believed, and Madrox is getting a "preview" of this. It's been an oddly fun story, even though I'm still behind and haven't read the first part. I like issues that highlight the team dynamic in <em>X-Factor</em> more than solo characters, so I hope the book gets back to that soon.Rybrarianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12851563843345265315noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6113619334035555201.post-35507258758721844202012-02-01T08:27:00.007-05:002012-02-01T08:53:16.886-05:00SLJ Cover - October 2009Ever since I created the "sidebar" on my blog of 'quicklinks' to my book reviews for <a href="http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/">School Library Journal</a>, I have been looking online for the cover of the very first issue I was featured in. This was way back when in October 2009. The cover is nearly impossible to get, it turns out. SLJ is great about keeping all the covers up, online, and easy to find... but only after it became 2010.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWF65ADJqkGXnHOQZb7F4gAkdq7wSrooT3ILKaOzUB-Ldn84qy9MnCpRjIXsqTJAKyWo2j3lFlYJUA-gTB69X1efBD_9oXZnHss3xJvMUc4dE2tqDBwYR91SheELtOoyAMheoF0C1u8eKu/s1600/schoollibjournal+002.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 299px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWF65ADJqkGXnHOQZb7F4gAkdq7wSrooT3ILKaOzUB-Ldn84qy9MnCpRjIXsqTJAKyWo2j3lFlYJUA-gTB69X1efBD_9oXZnHss3xJvMUc4dE2tqDBwYR91SheELtOoyAMheoF0C1u8eKu/s400/schoollibjournal+002.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5704160358033048866" /></a>Turns out, my problem wasn't that difficult to solve. Sort of. A quick trip to the <a href="http://www.nypl.org/locations/schwarzman/periodicals-room">New York Public Library Periodicals Room</a> a couple of weeks ago and boom! Cover in hand. Sorry the cover isn't in color, but I was so proud of getting my hands on an issue, photocopying, and scanning it in, I just had to share it with y'all here. I consider this a personal library victory. Hope you enjoy it!Rybrarianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12851563843345265315noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6113619334035555201.post-3293396682007479952012-01-31T00:48:00.014-05:002012-01-31T01:10:08.963-05:00Playing Comic Book Catch Up<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPMwiXbgXr0t5he4GEJYA8QyoX_YU4C2j7YpmlwJO6O1rpDxRKAA36Ra7BUWhL0yv76b-CyD0W3k06prX8IVmucMIH_CNqpk_jdNk7YEpP9cH5IcvCHi0W-sFeeSNHVfpAazF7zltTcfic/s1600/X-Factor229.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 132px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPMwiXbgXr0t5he4GEJYA8QyoX_YU4C2j7YpmlwJO6O1rpDxRKAA36Ra7BUWhL0yv76b-CyD0W3k06prX8IVmucMIH_CNqpk_jdNk7YEpP9cH5IcvCHi0W-sFeeSNHVfpAazF7zltTcfic/s200/X-Factor229.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5703672573728524882" /></a><br />So, as a result of the holiday season and subsequent return-to-work haze, I missed a few monthly titles I now need to spend some time this week tracking down. After doing a quick inventory in my apartment, I discovered the following titles from last month are missing: <span style="font-style:italic;">Teen Titans</span> #4, <span style="font-style:italic;">Wolverine and the X-Men</span> #3, and <span style="font-style:italic;">X-Factor</span> #229.<br /><br />Very surprised I managed to miss an issue of <span style="font-style:italic;">X-Factor</span>. The cover looks familiar, but probably because <a href="http://www.peterdavid.net/index.php/2011/11/21/cover-for-x-factor-229/">Peter David blogged about it being a clever cover when it hit the internet a few months ago</a>. Also, if you aren't reading <span style="font-style:italic;">Wolverine and the X-Men</span>, start. It's a slam dunk every issue, and #4 out this month with a teenage Apocalypse is pretty rad.<br /><br /><CENTER><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCX9VkKS1sb3-3YJH75exMX2KPV2nb3Ay1zlcb66LwqkCsa8dHUOMNkxy_dgBQ50zupckzPGTbH0eXn0LSTeTlI3hqj2I5W_HbzsQsJ_lqwXPNNOQIC75DqMzlD7dN-ZHfBihjVD28gZPo/s1600/2140287-teen_titans__2011_4th_series__04_super.jpeg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 206px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCX9VkKS1sb3-3YJH75exMX2KPV2nb3Ay1zlcb66LwqkCsa8dHUOMNkxy_dgBQ50zupckzPGTbH0eXn0LSTeTlI3hqj2I5W_HbzsQsJ_lqwXPNNOQIC75DqMzlD7dN-ZHfBihjVD28gZPo/s320/2140287-teen_titans__2011_4th_series__04_super.jpeg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5703672425542359746" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii7tvSIhMN_SH8BDPbIXg1siofxENoSZ3cozb6VZ3ZPPCCSwCnyJa0bLUh1uAsKx5dVfRy3KGXbR0IhV_LqEjgYwb98Bz7WJIMzMR8a5YrCcXAPDH2enSQKvQ2xFobhnXuWGVaJd-tHjJG/s1600/Wolverine-and-the-X-Men_3.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 210px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii7tvSIhMN_SH8BDPbIXg1siofxENoSZ3cozb6VZ3ZPPCCSwCnyJa0bLUh1uAsKx5dVfRy3KGXbR0IhV_LqEjgYwb98Bz7WJIMzMR8a5YrCcXAPDH2enSQKvQ2xFobhnXuWGVaJd-tHjJG/s320/Wolverine-and-the-X-Men_3.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5703671952098909298" /></a> </CENTER><br />I won't apologize for liking the new <span style="font-style:italic;">Teen Titans</span> book. I just won't.Rybrarianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12851563843345265315noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6113619334035555201.post-51088551795497392362012-01-20T16:42:00.005-05:002012-01-20T16:55:40.391-05:00Out of Print Graphic Novels<CENTER>Here's a bunch of out-of-print graphic novels currently sitting in my office.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaoO1uelt3XPi18XYDFSRdUOTFr2VKQ6pjFKe_8BfWK9PuCxwKWiivUaF2rSzYqTrprszEmwQn4MUbkY32Py8KtIr8bUGf3JUBGpuuPDE7pMxbxrjrmRzvTSM_jOzjsW5A-Ks9mgQ32wC5/s1600/ebook_oop.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 149px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaoO1uelt3XPi18XYDFSRdUOTFr2VKQ6pjFKe_8BfWK9PuCxwKWiivUaF2rSzYqTrprszEmwQn4MUbkY32Py8KtIr8bUGf3JUBGpuuPDE7pMxbxrjrmRzvTSM_jOzjsW5A-Ks9mgQ32wC5/s320/ebook_oop.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5699834358883321394" /></a>Many of these might be given out this year for <a href="http://www.freecomicbookday.com/Home/1/1/27/992">Free Comic Book Day</a></CENTER>Rybrarianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12851563843345265315noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6113619334035555201.post-15934050241058680362012-01-13T00:44:00.006-05:002012-01-13T00:53:41.839-05:00Raised by the Church: Growing Up in New York City’s Catholic Orphanages / Edward Rohs<span style="font-style:italic;">A frank and informative look at one man’s experience growing up in parochial orphanages in and around New York during the 1950’s and 1960’s.</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqYeiYC5cJ99yCo_N3qzDsyDUbPTjtn5zA8wptnNkkDkp6EcjZqz24cmUStVIDYIC-kb78xm7X060-pFqAFFDK_LR2-F6gUcAb0uaEtapJ6qeiTyRJxy63UrUrpSo0zwYr3Dv0m8N_JPzx/s1600/raised.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 181px; height: 280px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqYeiYC5cJ99yCo_N3qzDsyDUbPTjtn5zA8wptnNkkDkp6EcjZqz24cmUStVIDYIC-kb78xm7X060-pFqAFFDK_LR2-F6gUcAb0uaEtapJ6qeiTyRJxy63UrUrpSo0zwYr3Dv0m8N_JPzx/s400/raised.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5636840928987277730" /></a>Edward Rohs doesn’t remember his parents. They gave him up when before he could form any familiar recollection of them. Instead, his childhood was spent under the care of both the Sisters of Mercy and the Marianist Brothers, moving from one institution to the next as he aged out of each one. Along with fellow author Judith Estrine, Rohs gives a brief overview of the history of orphans in and around New York City before recounting his own experiences as one. He also provides backgrounds on the religious orders that helped raise him, including the rather fascinating tale of how the Sisters of Mercy came to New York from Ireland and ended up in Brooklyn. Rohs’ story is both thoughtful and shocking as he recounts everything from a stressful incident of racism at an institutional football game to his molestation by a religious man from a visiting order. His matter-of-fact style and glass half-is-full approach to writing makes it hard for readers not to empathize with his situation. The titles does falter, however, as he begins to list all his jobs accomplishments as an adult. This doesn’t seem to keep in line with his earlier purpose; recounting his experiences both prior to and post his institutional life.<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">An interesting and thought-provoking book that is sure to to grab the attention of anyone interested in orphans and early New York City life.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Raised by the Church</span> by Edward Rohs with Judith Estrine. <span style="font-weight:bold;">ISBN: 978-0823240227</span>Rybrarianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12851563843345265315noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6113619334035555201.post-10538054827394252132012-01-06T11:06:00.007-05:002012-01-06T11:24:21.253-05:00Resolutions & StuffIt's a new year! And it has been for six days! So I'm not going to do that whole thing where I wish you you a Happy You-Know-What, then you roll your eyes because... well, I'm way too late for the whole thing to matter. You can also tell it's a new year, since Facebook is planning on changing their interface again with a new 'Timeline' that is sure to give us all a heachache we won't soon forget.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVE5sdBsheQ64pOSVmKErOTJ4_io_LFV8dNFc5Zx3KteVzutObmHJBcUhSQp_KJlJd8GkhuEZqIkZnQrN-7SzQa-kkGJ8RdCTlGutQQdi90Zyh5kDedxLahuvwkC2LCfBeYZ6DxgIhOuG8/s1600/4e265b0b.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 267px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVE5sdBsheQ64pOSVmKErOTJ4_io_LFV8dNFc5Zx3KteVzutObmHJBcUhSQp_KJlJd8GkhuEZqIkZnQrN-7SzQa-kkGJ8RdCTlGutQQdi90Zyh5kDedxLahuvwkC2LCfBeYZ6DxgIhOuG8/s400/4e265b0b.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5694554976796955666" /></a>I have two different books to read in the next two weeks, so I'll be busy with my face buried in those respective paperbacks. It's also kind of worth noting that the mid-season TV lineup has started again, at least with <a href="http://abcfamily.go.com/shows/pretty-little-liars/">Pretty Little Liars</a> and <a href="http://www.cwtv.com/shows/the-vampire-diaries">The Vampire Diaries</a>. With the former, <a href="http://queerfortheory.wordpress.com/">Rose Y.</a> and I have resumed our podcast, so you can literally download us on iTunes (if you want). That is going to blow my mind. Every. Single. Time.<br /><br />In serendipitous news, I did discover an ultimately unpublished review I thought that was lost forever for the Edward Rohs' book <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Raised-Church-Growing-Catholic-Orphanages/dp/0823240223"><em>Raised by the Church</em></a>. I'm hoping to post that in the next few days as a seperate review entry since otherwise, it never actually would see the light of day. I gave the book to my friend Alex who had a very emotional reaction to it. The book is good; it's a kind of sad tale, but touching nonetheless. And it really did give me a sense of how New York City was (especially Brooklyn) in a time long before I moved here. It's completely worth reading, and is written in a really accessible way.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/">School Library Journal</a> is supposed to update their website today with new reviews. I have a sneaking suspicion that one of two pending reviews I have are up there, but we will have to wait until the end of the day to see. If you want the most up-to-date information on this development, be sure to hit up my Twitter feed <a href="http://twitter.com/rybrarian">@rybrarian</a>.Rybrarianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12851563843345265315noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6113619334035555201.post-50479071899033225652011-12-21T21:45:00.000-05:002011-12-21T21:45:00.097-05:00Year in Review: Top 10 & UpdatesSo, even though I am still computer-less and fancy free, I have been hard at work bringing you something I know you've all been on the edge of your seats for. Since it's beginning to look a lot like Christmas, you probably guessed it's time for my annual: <a href="http://www.angelfire.com/magic/vampireeat/rdonovan2011_biblio.pdf">Top 10 YA Books of 2011</a> list. It has become an annual tradition since I did an okay version last year and my definitively awesome list in 2009. This was in large part due to teachers requesting fiction titles in list form when I worked in the Bronx, especially titles I booktalked when I visited their schools. Since I don't do that any more, it's emerged more as a way to rank titles I review for <a href="http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/"><strong>School Library Journal</strong></a> and feature titles that I read for non-review purposes (this year, that included <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8513992-the-doomsday-box"><em>The Doomsday Box</em></a> which I got from <a href="http://www.librarything.com/">LibraryThing</a> and <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9578361-a-scary-scene-in-a-scary-movie"><em>A Scary Scene in a Scary Movie</em></a> from a teacher I knew from the Bronx).Rybrarianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12851563843345265315noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6113619334035555201.post-85119688988510234602011-12-05T13:28:00.002-05:002011-12-05T13:42:42.729-05:00Best Scene in Anything Ever<CENTER><em>There are three flowers in a vase...</em><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhue-DYYAr_UawmjuyE03mvHMNpRG4PXWzk_Kye1adhFFsabE9p7rPX6vm3pmQGW6cBLP5aX9-aSYK8Y9O6XSWK0-VLWgCE-shyphenhyphenSQTt_vcP6sovFHcmT8BwVEE9_BEDQ42Q8gSDCB0s3wEV/s1600/dollhouse-tv-series-1x06-man-on-the-street-screencaps-mq-17.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhue-DYYAr_UawmjuyE03mvHMNpRG4PXWzk_Kye1adhFFsabE9p7rPX6vm3pmQGW6cBLP5aX9-aSYK8Y9O6XSWK0-VLWgCE-shyphenhyphenSQTt_vcP6sovFHcmT8BwVEE9_BEDQ42Q8gSDCB0s3wEV/s400/dollhouse-tv-series-1x06-man-on-the-street-screencaps-mq-17.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5682713638783585058" /></a><em>The first flower is yellow.</em></CENTER>Rybrarianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12851563843345265315noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6113619334035555201.post-31991243934838615502011-12-01T12:51:00.004-05:002011-12-01T12:56:23.942-05:00Holiday Break<CENTER><strong>My computer broke the day before yesterday. I'm angry like Ramona Flowers.</strong><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisOLWdUs0FW6kjnbjKbkQmOeNm35ZjOwKsE-4Dn0dyVxsfKoCXn3fG37VLN8K9qFm2QYsPSHQhGXPJOt0tsdebL1v2PG0TDEh1h9f4_t1OpLRkD1dh6TrIl-I-zq0WkTL41RzuuoroY1dT/s1600/ramona_cut.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 265px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisOLWdUs0FW6kjnbjKbkQmOeNm35ZjOwKsE-4Dn0dyVxsfKoCXn3fG37VLN8K9qFm2QYsPSHQhGXPJOt0tsdebL1v2PG0TDEh1h9f4_t1OpLRkD1dh6TrIl-I-zq0WkTL41RzuuoroY1dT/s400/ramona_cut.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5681219324025223730" /></a><strong>Suffice it to say, there will be a lack of updates for the foreseeable future.</strong></CENTER>Rybrarianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12851563843345265315noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6113619334035555201.post-23604230296574385392011-11-29T00:44:00.005-05:002011-11-29T00:49:01.493-05:00Moving on UpCome hell or high water, I'm going to be moving at some point next year. As a result, I've been going through lots of stuff in my apartment and putting them, both mentally and physically in the 'keep/not keep' piles. Books are always the first thing I do this with, and as a result, I've either been donating my books to the library or moving them to a work shelf for safe keeping. So this is what I have left-<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRdJQ68tSrXSrIXoiDX2lr80Abz_GwwHSIE7q-OAGdf48SfPe_kzxAJca8R0ykpTLM37DYAjn15W9T_j5yEGA0gLDcqPYog2rqJsCUZ6TQVoZ9Xx7zlcubcpvrnb9eNYFQNQdku55XXDew/s1600/books.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 142px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRdJQ68tSrXSrIXoiDX2lr80Abz_GwwHSIE7q-OAGdf48SfPe_kzxAJca8R0ykpTLM37DYAjn15W9T_j5yEGA0gLDcqPYog2rqJsCUZ6TQVoZ9Xx7zlcubcpvrnb9eNYFQNQdku55XXDew/s320/books.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5680289673378480850" /></a>Pretty soon, they won't even be there. I'll be moving at least 3 or 4 before the Christmas break, and one of those books is an X-Mas present for my dad. Pretty eclectic group left, huh?<br /><br />Anyway, I'm both sad and excited about it. SO WHY NOT BLOG IT!?Rybrarianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12851563843345265315noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6113619334035555201.post-33995587231669227202011-11-27T15:04:00.005-05:002011-11-27T15:08:03.523-05:00Fast as a Kid Flash<CENTER><span style="font-weight:bold;">From <span style="font-style:italic;">Teen Titans #2</span>. Art by Brett Booth.</span></CENTER><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWMCbkmYB070V7H_rE__1jWrC5OIJZGf0vVeUCn6L55J5j7KKGvQQ5TC1CTVbVSTWW8L80TEVSRLYb00JoPrfUHJ4v3ykEJZq9yZZTmTzadI8pfNxKE2o4k0-r-VUZXsyFSFEbcKswDqnn/s1600/dccomic+001.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 260px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWMCbkmYB070V7H_rE__1jWrC5OIJZGf0vVeUCn6L55J5j7KKGvQQ5TC1CTVbVSTWW8L80TEVSRLYb00JoPrfUHJ4v3ykEJZq9yZZTmTzadI8pfNxKE2o4k0-r-VUZXsyFSFEbcKswDqnn/s400/dccomic+001.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5679769314795137490" /></a>Rybrarianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12851563843345265315noreply@blogger.com0