TV this week:
- Batman: The Brave and the Bold: "Crisis 22,300 Miles Above Earth!" - The JSA with the JLA all having a happy little party together. I really quite enjoyed this one. Good stuff, including Aquaman.
- Batman: The Brave and the Bold: "Four Star Spectacular!" - I'm not all that impressed with this one. Four short stories, and at least a couple of them were more-or-less crap. Not pleased.
- Batman: The Brave and the Bold: "Mitefall!" - Well. Huh. Not that I mind a Batmite story, but the abrupt appearance of another goofy character was a bit of a surprise. The in-joke with Aquaman's voice was irritatingly amusing. So. That's the end? Pity. It was a good run.
- Young Justice: "Revelation" - An interesting story about the importance of the team. This version of the Joker is really quite horrific, but then I think we knew that already.
- Young Justice: "Humanity" - Good to know that Red Tornado isn't the mole, but what does that mean for the rest of the team?
- Young Justice: "Failsafe" - Holy Moley, as Captain Marvel might say. That was totally unexpected and stunning. And yet it made a great deal of sense. The whole team went a little crazy there. Wow.
- Young Justice: "Disordered" - I'm glad that the events of the previous episode weren't ignored in this one. The experience that they went through definitely would affect them, possibly change them, and it only makes sense for them to still be smarting. Add the Forever People to it, and whee!
- Young Justice: "Secrets" - And there is Secret, finally. Not in the same excellent form as in the comic, but at least she's there. And Harm as well. This was a great episode, particularly the inclusion of Zatanna. The Halloween party subplot was fun as well, but the appearance of Secret was one I was really looking forward to seeing.
This week's movie was The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones Chapter 11: Oganga, The Giver and Taker of Life (Dec 1916-Jan 1917) - Indy and Remy have to travel across brutal African landscapes, battling disease and hunger. This was a terribly brutal, and yet that's just how it might have been. I was impressed by the strength of the supporting cast in this one. The entire thing was really touching, and as good as half the movies available out there that are supposed to be features. Some really good moments of cinematic drama as well. And seeing Indy really question the war and its goals so completely also was a nice moment.
- Nov 9th
- Mister Terrific #3 - Still uneven and strange. All the beats are there, all the story points, it all fits together... and yet it doesn't.
- Green Lantern #3 - I do not like Sinestro, but this makes him almost seem sympathetic, right up until that final panel. Even then, it appears to not be Sinestro's fault. Hmmm.
- Resurrection Man #3 - I don't recall ever liking the Body Doubles in the original series so many years ago, but I have to admit they are kind of fun in this revival.
- All New Batman the Brave and the Bold #13 - Lots of Robin in this one. A slightly surprise ending, but not really. I mean, it IS Batman.
- Nov 16th
- Green Lantern Corps #3 - Scary nasty guys, powerful guy risking everything... this was actually a surprisingly good issue of a series I didn't think I was enjoying. Good.
- Justice League #3 - I hate hate hate this visual representation of Aquaman. Sideburns are dreadful, jewelry is tacky, chain is boring. I want my Aquaman. How can this version of Aquaman be from the same writer of the regular series?
- Young Justice #10 - Not enough Aqualad. I liked the resolution, though. Nice twists at the end.
- Northlanders #46 - Brutal, again. I'm going to have to reread the Icelandic Trilogy, or at least this part of it, when it's done.
- Sergio Aragones Funnies #5 - I loved the piano story. Very Sergio. And the autobiographical stuff is always cool. Awesome book, with plenty to make you go back and keep examining the backgrounds. Heck, the cover alone is worth an hour, minimum.
- Nov 23rd
- Dark Horse Presents #6 - Ok, not the whole book. I only really got this for the Beasts of Burden story, like I got #4. And it was worth it, darn it. I loved what the tale was meant to do, and how it succeeded. The final panel just totally cracks me up. I want another Beasts of Burden series!
- Usagi Yojimbo #142 - I wonder about Usagi's dedication at times, but no one can doubt that he saved the day for that clan in this one.I really enjoyed this story, and every time I wonder if every story in his universe has been told, there's another tale. I'm always looking forward to the next issue of this book.
- Aquaman #3 - I'm not sure what to make of Mr. Shin, but it could be a neat addition to the mythos of Aquaman. I do like the look of this version. He's literally out of place, and trying to be what people expect him to be. He only relaxes when he's with Mera. Very nice work on the art
- Green Lantern New Guardians #3 - Lots of fighting, not a lot of progress.
- Doctor Who #11 - I'm not really fond of the art, but the story was fun enough. I love the kiss. Heh. Poor Rory.
- DMZ #71 - Wow. I wasn't sure what I'd be seeing in this one, but there it is. Someone has to take the fall, and Matty is man enough to do it. One more issue, right? Wow.
- Nov 30th
- Dorothy and the Wizard in Oz #3 - I don't really remember all the details from the book, but the Wizard pulled some fast ones on the Mangaboos there, didn't he? As we got to the next land, I vaguely recalled some of the bits, and I'm looking forward to seeing how they play out in this version.
- Tiny Titans #46 - Aqua-Ohs! Yay! And a mysterious lady who is obviously poking fun at something to do with the new 52, right? Right.
- Fables #111 - Oooh, so we have a North Wind. And a non-flying monkey in a lot of trouble. And I'm really wishing we could afford all the trades so I could catch up with this series. I think I mostly know what's going on now, but there is more background I want to read.
- Green Lantern The Animated Series #0 - It seems odd to me to start out a new Green Lantern version with Red Lanterns... but then, I'm old. Nifty. All the strange things I think because I'm so old now compared to modern fans. *sigh*
This week's comic book related review is DC Super-Pets: Heroes of the High Seas by J.E. Bright and Art Baltazar. When a whirlpool threatens Atlantis, Aquaman and his pets go to the rescue. The fact that this has Ark in it made me squee madly. ARK! Aquaman's Golden Age sidekick! Yes, Topo and Storm are awesome, but they included Ark! I like the silly Black Manta pets, too. Reminds me a bit of Ursula's pets in the Little Mermaid. As for the story and all, this appears to be an excellent book for young readers. It's almost a chapter book, but with plenty of illustrations. The spacing on the text is wide and comfortable. A good thing for an Aquaman fan to have, and a good book for young readers in general.
My library book this week was The Monstrumologist: Isle of Blood. Will Henry and his strange master seek out the ultimate monster. I was not really surprised that this book had a lot of the same issues as the second book. Will's narrative is no longer straightforward horror, but he's talking about growing up, mentally and in other ways. The story is pretty gruesome, but I thought it was amazing anyway. A very neat adventure. Another thrill with this third volume was the framing story within the framing story. In the main framing story, Yancey talks about trying to track down the real Will Henry, but within the story Will Henry also frames the tale with his own introduction. Altogether a very interesting story, and I'm looking forward to the next volume.
Agatha Christie this week was Curtain: Poirot's Last Case, published in 1975. Hastings rejoins Poirot at the site of their first case together in England for Poirot's final battle against evil. Oh wow. Oh my goodness. That was ... not what I expected from Poirot at all. And yet, so very much like him. Almost exactly like him. It's one of those things that is totally unexpected and yet completely consistent. Wow.
1 comments:
Joseph Wambaugh's "The Choirboys" was #1 on the best seller list. Then Agatha Christie died, "Curtain" was published posthumously, and went to #1, bumping Wambaugh's novel down to #2. In a Playboy interview, he said that if Agatha wanted the #1 spot that bad, she could have it.
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