Graphic Novels Project Update

So... I have some good news!


I would have posted this yesterday, but I was a good kid and actually updated the blog then. And who wants two entries from me on the same day? No one, that's who. But I'm happy to report ::drumroll please:: There's is finally a title, ISBN, and release date for the graphic novel encyclopedia I spent a good portion of my life writing! Remember me complaining? Yay!!

<--- is one possible cover for it.

Critical Survey of Graphic Novels: HEROES & SUPERHEROES (978-1-58765-865-5) is the name and it retails for a whooping $295.00. You may not want to buy this one yourself, kids. But do encourage your local library to buy it, especially if it's an academic library with an art program. The release date says April, but many list it as 3/25/12.

Gobble Gobble

Again, I am guilty for not really updating. But there's not a lot to say. I'm continuing to read Past Continuous ... and I'm enjoying it. It's weird. The story is very sci-fi and not really plausible, but the protagonist is kind of a fun guy to read. I can relate to him, and he's kind of an ass, yet he's still somehow cool at the same time. There's pretty hard for an author to pull off in a young adult book, in my humble opinion.

I still have to read Peter David's Fallen Angel book I bought at NYCC. I'm wondering what to bring home for reading. I may do Laura Bennett's book, which I still have yet to read, and maybe finally will when I'm on the bus headed back to New Hampshire in a couple of weeks. Of course, I'm defeating the entire idea behind owning a nook. That fact is supposed to prevent me from bringing a bunch of books home with me. But what's wrong with two or three... right!?

Anyway, I hope everyone had a Happy Thanksgiving. I'm planning a trip to the comic store soon, so hopefully I'll be able to post some covers of things I'm reading.

What's Been Going On

I know it seems like I've been Absent Abby for the past few weeks, but I have been up to stuff:

I'm finally reading a new book (pictured right). I finished the first chapter and it's weird.

Not blogging here? 'cause I just wrote a blog for work. Sadly, it takes priority.

I've also been yelping up a storm, basically putting a new review up every day.

Also, if you miss me, I have not forsaken my Twitter account, which I update often.

I was writing a post about my experiences at the New York Comic Con, but it turned really negative really fast. I think I might just skip talking about it after all.

I haven't really gone out and bought any comics, either. I'm still reading Batgirl, Teen Titans, and Superboy from the New 52 round, but I might drop Superboy soon. Buffy has got her groove back, and X-Factor still remains my favorite. Wolverine and the X-Men actually isn't that bad, either. I'll post next time I buy stuff.

Scott Summers vs. a dinosaur

Cyclops is a babe. I bet he works out. (art by Whilce Portacio)

From a Marvel One-Shot Uncanny X-Men: The Heroic Age, Sept. 2010.

Comic Book Binge: NYCC

Coming Soon: NYCC Updates

So the New York Comic Con has came and went, and there has been very little in the way of updates on this here blog. Not to worry! I will be giving you some useless information soon, a NYCC summary, and even a Comic Book Buying Binge NYCC edition. I actually picked up a lot less comics than you might think at um, er... an entire convention that was supposed to be about comic books. It turns out? There's a lot of other non-comic related entities there now, but we'll get to that when we get to that.

Hopefully I'll have some time in November to update a few regular features. I have a new Fallen Angel TB from Peter David which I can do an 'In Review' segment for, and I'll probably be picking up a few more of the DC titles that have been rebooted. I think, out of all of them, Batgirl has become my favorite title. I've getting a lot of flak from some lady friends of mine who are sad I'm not more into Batwoman, though. I'm sad, too. But I'm really not in a rush to read it. Sometimes you just have to wait for trades.

Just wanted to let y'all now... I haven't forgotten to update! It's just been hectic lately. So I promise tons of fun stuff soon.

IN REVIEW: Astonishing X-Men / Ghost Box

It's been a super long time since I did one of my "In Review" blogs for a graphic novel title (not really, since really I just make sure they more official sounding when I blog them on the library's site proper). Usually, official library blogs tend to be uber positive and I gush over just how much I really enjoyed reading a particular trade. But... always being happy with what you read? That's unrealistic. You can't like everything. And while I didn't hate Warren Ellis' take on Astonishing X-Men titled "Ghost Box" - I wasn't the biggest fan of it, either.

Following Joss Whedon's run on an immediate Eisner-award winning book must have been hard. Especially since people loved Whedon's X-Men so much. I enjoyed the fusion of taking two things I love - things written by Joss Whedon and X-Men comic books, and having them combined, but Whedon had a lot of problems when it came to writing the overall storyarcs. Both the Cassandra Nova and ultimate Ord homeplanet storylines made little sense, and while he returned Kitty Pryde to regular X-Men stories for the first time in years, he also effectively removed her by chucking her into the infinite vastness of space. Way to be cool and suck all at the same time.

Going Supernova: The Starfire Scandal

I feel the need to comment on the recent DC Comics scandal grasping the interwebs right now, specifically concerning the first issue of Red Hood and the Outlaws. While I haven't read the book yet, it's written by Scott Lobdell, who I've gone on record as defending as a good writer on this here blog. Many people are challenging such a thing with the way that this book is being written, specifically with the depiction of former Teen Titans' member Starfire as an amnesiac sexpot who, well... has sex. And seems nonchalant about it during the issue, let's say.

I think that all this talk is silly.