What's Your Issue? Spotlight on Superboy #7

I 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.

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.

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.

Playing Comic Book Catch Up

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: Teen Titans #4, Wolverine and the X-Men #3, and X-Factor #229.

Very surprised I managed to miss an issue of X-Factor. The cover looks familiar, but probably because Peter David blogged about it being a clever cover when it hit the internet a few months ago. Also, if you aren't reading Wolverine and the X-Men, start. It's a slam dunk every issue, and #4 out this month with a teenage Apocalypse is pretty rad.



I won't apologize for liking the new Teen Titans book. I just won't.

Adult Books Can be Fun, too

I don't often talk a lot about the books I read for Kirkus Reviews. I do like to say I review for them since I've picked up the gig. It might have to do with how they pay me, and I tend to like people who do that. But I don't review youth fiction titles for them, which in the past has been more of my niche. I've moved on to the world of adult nonfiction, and the section I write for - 'Lifestyles' - tends to deal with more 'popular topics' like parenting, philosophy, social media, and college acceptance.

Not all of the books I've read have been bad. Granted, some have been stinkers... but nonfiction can be kind of stuffy regardless of how well written it is or it isn't most of them time. A rare exception is the book I'm reading now titled Raised by the Church. The novel recounts Edward Rohs' experience growing up in the 1950s and 1960s in NYC in a series of Catholic orphanages. He also spent part of the time in Long Island. I've always wanted to read more about New York City seeing as how I live here now, but don't often find the excuse.

Not only does Edward's story get told, but he also gives a brief historical overview of everything from the number of and reasons why there were so many orphans in the early twentieth century to a comprehensive background of the order of nuns who were primarily responsible for raising him. It might be the Catholic schoolboy in me, but his story is just hard to put down. I actually almost missed my stop on the subway today reading it... and I'm not even halfway done. It comes out in a few months, but I definitely recommend reading it.

There will also be a book release party for the title in NYC during November.

It's 'Weird Science' All Over Again...

So, after sucking it up and finally staying up late to get my reading on, I finally feel a little bit better about my workload. I am currently reading ONE book (at the start of the week, it was 3). This one had a the latest of all the review deadlines - until August 1st - so I really got to make sure I get this one done in a short amount of time. I was initially worried when I read the description...

It's about two boys building a robot. A girl robot. With all the dumb jokes you can imagine.

Finally reading the book? It's not as bad as I thought. In fact, it's surprisingly readable. It's a lot like "Swim the Fly" in two ways - one, boys are going to primarily like it and two, it fits nicely into that 10-13 age range for kids when I never know what to suggest for them to read. Fifty pages in, they've already found the robot (in one father's lab, naturally) and the she-bot has escaped their house to go run amok.

Bonus points on how they download their Facebook interests into the robot's hard drive.

There's a nice little website for the book here. But really... did the author Paul E. Watson see Weird Science? Or that episode of 'Batman Beyond' that Shiri Appleby did a voice for? This idea has been done for. I'm still going to read his book, and probably give it a nicer review than it deserves. But... c'mon. REALLY!?

Sizzlin' Smokin' Summer

Sorry for the lack of updates, kids.

I've been busy at work attempting to blog at least once a week. While I think this makes the quality of my blogs take a little bit of a nosedive, it has been kind of fun to set this up as sort of a weekly challenge for myself. I'm planning on doing keeping pace with this until the end of August. That's when I'll be done with my weekly blog "series." The best part? The background research is watching old television shows.

I have also been busy reviewing books like a MoFo. This includes the rather lazy post a few weeks ago where I just up some covers of books I was in the process of reviewing. I've gotten through those, and now have two new ones from School Library Journal (including the one who's cover you are seeing). I can't see "Geek Wisdom" is one of my favorite books, but it does have nerdy footnotes at the bottom of every page, and there was one on Spider-Man I enjoyed.

Sadly, with my review duties at Kirkus and my attempts to finish up work on the Salem Press/EBSCO "Graphic Novels" reference project (I'm writing about WONDER WOMAN this time, which is actually a lot more fun than it probably sounds) I have kind of a busy summer in store for myself. That means this blog? Going to get neglected. Hopefully in the fall (or if I just find myself with oodles of time), I'll get back to updating on a regular basis. I want to be better, I swear. Maybe. Probably.

The Trouble With Chickens

I briefly tried to think up a better title for this blog than just ganking the title of the book I want to talk about, but... well, that's an awesome title I feel the need to honor.

I've found myself flush with LibraryThing Early Reviewer books lately. I'm winning about one a month from the pile now after long lull of de nada. I've had mixed success with actually receiving these titles; because I was listing my home address and not my work one, HarperCollins foolishly sent a book to me UPS. If you read my yelp reviews, you know I hateHateHATE going to pick stuff up at the UPS Center, which is in the Bronx and right next to where I used to work. But I had Monday off and decided, what the hey? I should go out there and get my book. I didn't pay for it or anything, so I probably shouldn't complain.

I'm about halfway through The Trouble with Chickens. I don't think I'd ever describe a children's book as having noir elements; this book totally does. J.J. isn't just a rescue dog; he's a dog detective sniffing out the clues. I think this book could do for kids what the movie Brick did (or was supposed to do) for teens; it can introduce kids into this old element of a true mystery. You don't know what's going to happen and it's the not knowing that's the really interesting part. I could finish the book in one sitting, but I'm almost considering putting it off tomorrow... just to save if those two little chickens get saved in the end. I have a feeling like they just might make it. Also, you got to love a book I can not only read in a day, but pretty much read in an hour. Why don't I read more childrens books, I ask you? I might just have to start.

Anyway, I hadn't done a reading update in awhile. If you follow my Goodreads, I usually post what I'm reviewing for Kirkus and SLJ. My reviews were randomly due this week. I was all productive and finished them, so I actually had time to read something new (and possibly even play catch up, if I'm so inclined). I do recommend The Trouble With Chickens, though. It's a really adorable read.

Some New Books for the New Year

Remember me? Just like the little girl from that movie Poltergeist, I'm baaaaaaaaaaack.

The good news? I've actually been reading.

School Library Journal, in its infinite wisdom, has been sending me a bunch of non-graphic novel titles to review. While one of my previous reviews was indeed published this month, check out my first fiction review for their magazine since 2009. At the moment, and to the right of this paragraph, you can see the nonfiction book I'm currently working my way through for professional review purposes. This book, a follow up to the YA semi-hit Tweak from a few years ago is... well, I'm not actually loving the story. And it's not in my crotchety old man it-glorifies-drugs way. I'm just finding the prose kind of all over the place; it's kind of trying to be a love story, but the protagonist is so self-involved and introspective that it really isn't about two people at all. Also, he's not exactly a character you can either identify with or even like. I mean, I'm a third of the way through the story. I'm invested to finish. But still. This is why I don't recommend to anyone that you should continue to read titles you aren't enjoying. I forgot how horrible that can be. I've been kind of lucky up until this point; SLJ has been sending me things I actually like. Law of averages though. Not every book can be as good as the last.

The Epic End of October Updates & Stuff

I'm proud of you guys for sticking with me during all my Buffy posts. I know not everyone was into it... but admit it. Some of you were. I threw in an X-Men and Batman title for balance, just in case Buffy was not your thing. I had a good time at New York Comic-Con 2010. For those that attended my panel, or didn't but wanted to, I did want to provide the handout for anyone that didn't get a copy. What's coming up in 2010, you ask? I am going to tackle a big collection in X-Men: Fall of the Mutants during the next few weeks that will be divided into three parts (Uncanny X-Men, X-Factor, and New Mutants respectively). The majority of my Vintage posts are done. I only have a few titles left to review, none of which will really be "vintage." Two were even published in the last year. I feel like it's the end of an era, so I've been thinking a lot about what direction this little blog should go in for 2011.

Here's a little image preview of a few covers from upcoming year-end entries:

CURRENT: Countdown by Deborah Wiles

Every so often, a book comes along and all I want to do is sit down and read it cover-to-cover. Once you start reading it, you know it's something special, and there just won't be anything more fun that finishing it.

Countdown by Deborah Wiles is one of those books. At least, for me. Set in 1962, this is the title that managed to get me excited about young adult fiction all over again. It focuses on Franny, a young 11 year old girl who, along with all the assorted family drama, is literally facing the end of the world. The Cuban Missle Crises looms on the horizon. Her father is in the Air Force and she lives just off an army base. I'm about a third of the way through the book- Chris Cavas, Franny's long lost neighbor, has just returned to the street she lives on. She's in love with him. And I'm in love with this book.

School Library Journal recently published one of my reviews for all those graphic novels they've been sending me. For the record, I do not get paid for writing them (people have been asking me that a lot). Getting published is it's own reward. That said, if you would like to pay me for reviewing your book here, you know there's a comments section below.

If you are looking for something to read this month, I recommend picking up Philip Roth's The Human Stain. I hear there is a really cool online book discussion group focusing on it this month. Hey! Who's that running that discussion? I feel like I know him...

Reading Updates... and More!

So I just got a promotion at the library. It was no big deal though. They basically had to give it to me. Scott called them "loyalty raises" because you automatically get them at a certain point. My review actually made me mad. I didn't exceed the 'satisfactory' base at any point (even though there was a box higher to check) and in things like taking care of the building when I'm in charge and programming ideas, I definitely feel I do more than I should. I would have liked them to at least acknowledge that. I guess I should be happy I make slightly more money than before. And ya know, hang on to that.

FINALLY finished the first in "The Waking" series. I read it fast for me, but not as fast as I usually read Chris Golden's books (for instance, read 'Baltimore' A LOT faster last year). Finally moved on to "The Doom Machine" (isn't that just the best name?), followed possibly by "Happyface" or "How to Say Goodbye in Robot" or, possibly, both. In that order I think, because "Happyface" sounds slightly more interesting when I read the summery descriptions just now.

All in all, still kind of difficult to get back into the reading. "The Doom Machine" has been a good book so far, since it's very much like a modern day "My Teacher is an Alien" - with space travel and whatnot. It's bringing me back to those 3rd grade, 4th grade days when I actually picked up a book and read it for fun. They story is involving, too. I'm now officially shooting for one book a month, since I might actually be able to accomplish that.

Other random notes-

-Went to go see Transformers 2 tonight. Not as bad as everyone says it is. I mean, what were you expecting, people? A film worthy of an Oscar? I was entertained.
-I love Blick. There's one in NYC- near Bleecker St. They gave me a discount on my bulk glue order today. And future discounts for being a librarian. Love you guys.
-There's something called "Doctor Swatch" day where I guess you can go to a Swatch store and get yours fixed for free. Must. Go. to. That.
-Bought Jay Brannan tickets today. Hopefully, he'll want to go with me.

The End.