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

Captain America: Brave New World

Captain America: Brave New World

Oh my god.  Let’s get started:

• This is just a sloppy movie.  Plot and logic holes abound, and there appears to have been no effort to patch them up.  Or just use patchwork exposition to help you get from point A to point G.  

• Isaiah Bradley was separated from the other four brainwashed guys because he needed to be kept alive for plot reasons.

• No way Sam Wilson, who didn’t start being Captain America until he was 42, get to be such a good hand-to-hand fighter.  And no super soldier serum-less guy can throw the shield like that.  Or hit missiles with it.  Or surf on a missile.  Or take stab wounds to the chest with no problem.  Or survive a fight against a Hulk.

• If Red Hulk is so bulletproof, how are those wing shards able to pierce his skin?  Are they made of vibranium?  

• Why is the President of the United States giving combat orders on a Navy vessel?

• “Can you help us identify these pills?”  :”Sure, I know a guy.  But he needs 24 hours.”

• So I guess if the President you’ve sworn to protect turns into a Hulk, you’re immediately allowed to try to kill him?

• Those taser sticks are completely useless if they can’t take out a regular person.

• Since when did the White House have so many buildings surrounding it?

• Danny Ramirez makes zero impact as Falcon.  I have no desire to see him again in anything, and really hope he’s not on the upcoming Avengers team.

• Shira Haas as the unnamed Sabra could have been interesting, but she was given nothing to do.  She could have been cut from the movie and not been missed.  

• Harrison Ford is obviously iconic, but he’s too old for this shit.  I kept worrying that he was going to break something.

• Liv Tyler’s cameo is such a waste of everyone’s time; it had no dramatic impact, and could have been so much more meaningful.

• Same with Samuel Sterns.  He could have been a compelling villain, but instead his plot raises more questions than anything else.

• How did he accomplish any of his plot?  How did he program the phones to flash?  How was he able to pipe that song wherever he wanted?  Why was he so pissed at Ross for not releasing him when he could walk out of his prison with such ease?  How did he sneak onto the military base to kill that soldier dude?  Why did he give himself up again?

• The humor wasn’t funny.  At all.  That riff on the Ocean’s 11 speech was cringeworthy.  (The “did the speechwriters write that for you” bit with Bucky.)  The sad excuse for banter at the end w/ new Falcon.  (And that was the best way you could come up with to end the movie?)  

• Something that always bothered me: Sam Wilson originally got the Falcon wings while he was in the military.  So why hasn’t the US government come out with an army of Falcons?  And if he’s still on active duty, how is Joaquin Torres able to go off gallivanting w/ Sam.

• What a pointless tag.  “The multiverse is coming.”

That’s all I have in me.  While not as overtly bad as Quantumania, this movie is insultingly lazy.  It doesn’t try to be fun, interesting, thought-provoking, or anything worthy of my time.  It’s a filler movie.

Regret watching: No.  (It’s a Marvel movie.  I’m still going to watch it.)
Would watch again: No

Would buy on DVD: No

Rating: Stupid

Updated MCU rankings

1. Avengers: Endgame

2. Captain America: Civil War

3. Captain America: Winter Soldier

4. Spider-Man: No Way Home

5. Avengers: Infinity War

6. Shang-Chi

7. Avengers: Age of Ultron

8. Ant-Man/Wasp

9. Avengers

10. Spider-Man: Homecoming

11. Captain America

12. Dr Strange 2

13. Thor: Love and Thunder

14. Spider-Man: Far From Home

15. Iron Man 2

16. Black Widow

17. Black Panther

18. Iron Man

19. Ant-Man

20. Dr Strange

21. Deadpool & Wolverine

22. Iron Man 3

23. Thor 3

24. Captain Marvel

25. Thor

26. Thor 2

27. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever

28. Guardians of the Galaxy

29. Guardians of the Galaxy 2

30. Guardians of the Galaxy 3

31. Hulk

32. Eternals

33. Captain America: Brave New World

34. Ant-Man/Wasp: Quantumania

The Reckoning

The Reckoning

David Halberstam writes about the US and Japanese auto industries over the course of the twentieth century.  It’s interesting from a historical standpoint, but it lacks a strong narrative.  Halberstam provides biographies for a myriad of professionals, but never really ties them together.  Stories start and finish without any real payoff.  That’s life, I suppose, but it doesn’t make for the most captivating of books.  

TLDR: Japan invested in technology and innovation, outpacing a complacent American auto industry that ignored the market and got caught looking the wrong way when the oil crisis hit.  

Regret reading: No

Would read again: No

Would buy: No

Rating: Fine

New comics

New comics!

DC vs Vampires: World War V: Darkness and Light 1

A one-shot that fleshes out vampire Wonder Woman and Green Lantern Alfred.  The highlight is how Guy Gardner keeps himself alive after being ripped in half.  It’s a level of creativity from Matthew Rosenberg that’s so fun to sink into.  

It’s Jeff: The Jeff-verse 1

More of the same from Kelly Thompson and Gurihiru.  My daughter gets a kick out of these.  

Jupiter’s Legacy: Finale 4

You’d think a five-issue miniseries that took 3 years to produce would have a consistent art team.  But Lee Carter is the third artist in four issues, and in a style totally different from Tommy Lee Edwards.  I can’t remember anything that’s gone on before, and inertia is the only thing keeping me around.  

Once again, Mark Millar has no problem with the wholesale slaughter of main characters.

Absolute Batman 5

This issue suffers so much from poor storytelling.  Nick Dragotta has been splendid on this title, but there are a number of instances here where I have no idea what’s going on, and the story is much weaker for it.  

But the scene where he skewers the dude on his back had me vocalizing in shock and delight.

Absolute Superman 4

Minimal focus on Kal-El and his parents results in a less interesting issue.  This world dominated by a heartless, cruel corporation, complete with vicious stormtroopers, is pretty cookie cutter, and I don’t need to spend too much time with it.

Batgirl 4

Still a good action comic, but I wish I cared more about the plot and Cassandra’s relationship with Lady Shiva.  It should be a no-brainer, but Tate Brombal doesn’t manage to pull it off.  

Batman: Off-World 6

Same thing with this title.  I feel like I should like this more than I do.

New comics

New comics!  With this I’ll actually be caught up for once.

Caravaggio

Milo Manara’s take on the life of the famed artist.  The art is stunning, no surprise there, and the gallery of Caravaggio’s work at the end is much appreciated.  The story is so-so, but when it looks this good…I’ll get the second one when it comes out, I think.  But if I miss it, I won’t be too bent of shape about it either.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 6

After a string of top-notch artists, Juan Ferreyra takes over as regular penciller.  I haven’t seen his work before, but I’m very impressed.  He draws kinetic, exciting action scenes, and it’s good to see Jason Aaron’s main plot start in earnest.  

One Hand 1-5/Six Fingers 1-5

These parallel miniseries were on a lot of end-of-year best-of lists, so I thought I’d check them out.  It’s about a serial killer and the cop trying to catch him, a tale as old as time.  It’s a moody, surreal mix of Blade Runner, Matrix, and Seven, and it largely succeeds.  It got a little too weird for me at the end, but I think another read would only improve the experience.  I’ll see how it goes when I revisit this, whenever that may be.