New comics

Batgirl 5

Cassandra Cain fights more of the blue ninja.  Entertaining enough, and my daughter is getting a kick out of this title.  

Batman: The Long Halloween: The Last Halloween 6

I’m not familiar with Enrico Marini, but he’s got a mega Matt Wagner vibe going, which I’m never going to complain about.  I stopped caring about the plot months ago.

Batman 158

I suspect it’s going to be the same for this Jeph Loeb-plotted story as well.  I wasn’t impressed with the original arc, and I certainly wasn’t clamoring for a sequel.  I’m only getting this for the Jim Lee art, and even that doesn’t have the same luster that it used to.  Hard to say if I’m going to make it through this whole story.

Wonder Woman 19

Tom King wraps up this storyline and starts the next one, foreshadowing the death of Diana and the rest of the Wonder Women.  It’s not the strongest of issues, but it’s still a good effort from King and Daniel Sampere.

Black Canary: Best of the Best 5

More of the same, which is pretty underwhelming.  Ryan Sook isn’t a bad artist by any stretch, but I think this title would have been so much better if drawn by someone capable of more dynamic action sequences.  This fight between Black Canary and Lady Shiva should be way more engaging.  Also, for two of the world’s top martial artists, there are way too many moves straight out of the WWE.  It really detracts from the supposed high stakes of the bout.

Absolute Martian Manhunter 1

I don’t think I’ve ever read anything by Deniz Camp.  The jury’s still out on this title, it’s one of those mindfuck “man’s world is falling apart around him as he starts to question the reality he’s living in” kind of things.  Javier Rodriguez is perfectly suited for this, I just hope that the story lives up to the artwork. 

Ultimate Spider-Man 15

Absolute Sandman shows up.  Not much else happens, but it’s still a lot of fun.

 

New comics

New comics!

Free for All

I picked this up because I recognized Patrick Horvath’s name from Beneath the Trees Where Nobody Sees.  This one-shot has an intriguing concept: randomly selected billionaires, chosen by lottery, must either donate half their money to the public or fight to the death to retain it.  A wonderful basis for a story, but the execution is just a touch lacking.  Still entertaining, but it focuses on the combat, while I would have liked to see more about the society in which this policy exists.

Absolute Wonder Woman 6

Mattia de Iulis is the guest artist for this two issue arc, and he’s an excellent stand in.  This continues Kelly Thompson’s streak of awesome issues in this title, digging into the origin of Diana’s arsenal of weapons.

Absolute Flash 1

Wave 2 of the Absolute line begins here.  Jeff Lemire doesn’t immediately grab my attention the way Thompson and Scott Snyder did, but things are still interesting enough for me to stick around for at least a little longer.

One World Under Doom 2

Doom continues to outmaneuver the good guys, and turns Ben Grimm back into a human.  

Fantastic Four 30

Those ramifications are handled here.  In a nice twist, Ryan North writes Ben as someone who’s gotten used to, and indeed loves, being the Thing.  After spending so many years wanting to return to normal, he’s completely turned around on the issue, understandably so.  It’s a nice character study by North.

Detective Comics 1095

A filler issue by Tom Taylor and Mikel Janin where not much happens, but at least it looks beautiful.  

Absolute Batman 6

Big, burly Bruce Wayne resolves the Black Mask situation.  This’ll be fun to re-read all at once.  I’m definitely around for more of this.

New comics

One World Under Doom 1

Ryan North begins his first (?) Marvel event.  He’s off to a good start, as Doom finally makes his move and takes over the world.  I suspect his eventual downfall will be self-inflicted, much like with Thanos all the time.  

Fantastic Four 29

Tie-in to the previous title.  Part of Doom’s plan is to give everyone a minority to hate.  The daywalking vampires from the previous Marvel event are the target here.  They’re an easy target, since they, you know, suck your blood and everything.  In order to remove the fear, Mr Fantastic develops a blood substitute that will sustain them.  It all comes a little too easy, and Cory Smith is not a league average artist.  This was one of North’s weaker efforts.  Too obvious.  

Batman: The Long Halloween: The Last Halloween 5

Love the Bill Sienkiewicz art.  Not so much with the Jeph Loeb story, but that’s nothing new.  

Batgirl 5

Cassandra Cain fights some more as she attempts to save Lady Shiva from the blue ninjas.  

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 7

The brothers’ relationships remain fractured as they fight the Foot and amongst themselves.  Juan Ferreyra’s art is still awesome.  

Detective Comics 1094

Tom Taylor and Mikel Janin are a wonderful team for one of DC’s flagship books.  Taylor makes Damian Wayne not-annoying, which is a nigh-impossible task.  He’s such a good writer.

Black Canary: Best of the Best 4

This month’s in-fight flashback shows us how Dinah and Ollie first meet.  Their meet cute is more of a meet-kicking-the-crap-out-Ollie.  I said that I like Tom King’s more linear stories, but this one’s too slight for me so far.  I expect more complexity from a King story, and there’s none of that here.

Absolute Wonder Woman 5

Man, do I love this title.  It’s beautiful, epic, touching, and overall breathtaking.  At the end of the day, the Tetracide is just another big monster, but Kelly Thompson and Hayden Sherman manage to make it the scariest thing in the world.  

This and the next title are why I love comics.  

Wonder Woman 18 

Sometimes you just need to see the hero be so much better than the bad guy.  Diana’s ROFL stomping of everyone in front of her is so satisfying, given everything that’s happened to her so far.  It’s completely earned, which is what makes it work.

New comics

New comics!

Jupiter’s Legacy: Finale 5

Maybe this will be better once I re-read the entire saga in one go, but right now, this ended with poor art, an unsatisfying ending to an impossible situation, and a reminder that Mark Millar is nowhere near his prime anymore.

Absolute Superman 5

Jason Aaron and Rafa Sandoval show us the final moments of Krypton.  Kal-El’s escape is tinged with extra tragedy in this version, as his parents almost make it off the planet safely, only to die at the last moment.  Still the weakest of the three Absolute titles, but I’ll stick around for a little longer.  (The next three Absolute comics are being launched soon, and I’ll try all of those out too.)

DC vs Vampires: World War V 7

Darkseid forces both the vampire and human armies into retreat as the next phase of the war begins.  Otto Schmidt’s usually wonderful art is getting scratchier and scratchier, to the point where basic readability is in grave peril.

Battle Action v3 3

Johnny Red continues his flying adventures.  The backup story stars a great white shark with a harpoon conveniently embedded in his mouth such that it can be used as an offensive weapon.  He takes on an equally murderous orca in a batshit fight that I could never have imagined.  I’m not at all surprised that John McCrea was employed to draw it.

Ultimate Spider-Man 14

I did not expect Harry Osborn to take a bullet through the head here.  If Jonathan Hickman chooses to keep him dead, I wonder if Gwen Stacy will take her husband’s place as Green Goblin.  That’d be a fun twist that I’d like to see.

Aliens vs Avengers 3

This is more like the Hickman that I know.  Batshit crazy ideas, undisciplined writing, and unintentional humor that I can’t believe I’m reading.  Not in a good way.  

Am I supposed to take this seriously?

This thing has flown off the rails, and I’m not even sure it’s fun anymore.

Taking Chance

Taking Chance

Credit to Instagram’s algorithm for introducing me to this movie.  It’s a wonderfully understated film starring Kevin Bacon, playing a Marine escorting a fallen Marine home to his family.  It’s based on a true story written by Lt Col Michael Strobl.  

The film focuses on every minute detail of the process and ceremony that goes into cleaning, dressing, transporting, and burying the remains of a serviceperson who has died in combat.  The armed forces make it a point to ensure that everything is performed with a solemnity and dignity that is inspiring to watch.  It’s the least that can be done for those who sacrifice for their country.

I really enjoyed watching this movie, and I wouldn’t be surprised if it becomes one of those movies that I find myself going back to every so often.  

Regret watching: No

Would watch again: Yes

Would buy on DVD: Yes

Rating: Good

Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow, The Bookshop

Some books:

Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow

My high school best friend recommended this novel by Gabrielle Zevin.  It’s about two childhood friends who start making video games together, forming their own studio after creating a hit in college.  

The book is really about relationships, and the special bond between certain people that only comes along a few times in your life.  Zevin’s extremely successful in evoking that and other sense memories in me - that feeling in college where everything is new and exciting, and each person you meet is an untapped well of potential friendship that can last the rest of your life.  

Zevin also has a take on the death of a loved one that spoke to me:
“After five years, she could finally hear Marx’s name and not feel like weeping. She had once read in a book about consciousness that over the years, the human brain makes an AI version of your loved ones. The brain collects data, and within your brain, you host a virtual version of that person. Upon the person’s death, your brain still believes the virtual person exists, because, in a sense, the person still does. After a while, though, the memory fades, and each year, you are left with an increasingly diminished version of the AI you had made when the person was alive. She could feel herself forgetting all the details of Marx—the sound of his voice, the feeling of his fingers and the way they gestured, his precise temperature, his scent on clothing…”

Regret reading: No

Would read again: No

Would buy: No

Rating: Pretty good

The Bookshop: A History of the American Bookstore

I love histories about random things that interest me.  This book by Evan Friss is a prime example.  Friss takes the reader through a history of bookstores through America’s growth, each chapter focusing on a particular store at a particular point in time.  It’s a delightful account of the huge role bookstores have played in this country for 250 years.  There’s nothing I love more than browsing at a bookshop, and this book is a celebration for everyone who does.

Regret reading: No

Would read again: No

Would buy: No

Rating: Nice

India vs Pakistan, Court of Gold

The Greatest Rivalry: India vs Pakistan

A three-part Netflix documentary about the rivalry between the two countries’ cricket teams.  I love documentaries about sports that I don’t watch, and this is no exception.  I learned a little bit more about an area of the world that I’m not that informed about, and isn’t that the point?  And it’s always nice to see how sports can unite those with differences.

Regret watching: No. 

Would watch again: Yes

Would buy on DVD: No

Rating: Pretty good

Court of Gold

Netflix documentary about the 2024 Olympics basketball tournament, focusing on the US, Serbian, Canadian, and French teams.  Perhaps it’s because it just happened, but I didn’t learn anything new with this.  Despite the behind-the-scenes access, there was nothing special about watching the players practice.  Everything was too polished in the interviews, and the filmmakers avoided all of the conflict.  (They only tangentially acknowledged the drama around Jayson Tatum’s reduced playing time, for example.)  

TLDR: If I want to revisit this tournament, I’ll just watch this again.  (Which I have.  Many times.)

Regret watching: No. 

Would watch again: No

Would buy on DVD: No

Rating: Didn’t suck