Short Review - The Suicide Squad

I don't like movie theaters much. The chairs always hurt my legs and back, so by the end of the movie I'm in enough pain that I rarely find myself enjoying the show. I know it was an incredible movie if I don't come out limping and wanting to cry. Add in the annoyance of other people and the appeal of a movie theater is almost non-existent for me. So having HBO Max and being able to see certain movies at home is a blessing. Being able to pause those movies as well is amazing. So when The Suicide Squad was released on HBO Max along with theaters, I jumped at the chance to see it.

And by "jumped" I mean I fired it up the day of release and stayed up late to finish watching it.

Initial thoughts: Over-the-top violently gory, basic plot, some really good performances and generally just fun.

POSSIBLE SPOILERS AHEAD. I'm going to try to avoid outright spoilers, but no matter how hard I try, some spoilers may possibly slip through. Please don't read any more if you want to watch the movie unspoiled.

Movie Review: Avengers: Endgame (2019)

Quick review: Lots of fun, but WAY too long.

***Spoilers ahead. You've been warned.***

Three hours. That's about an hour and a half too long for a movie for me. I'm so glad I didn't see this in a theater. I'm just going to note here, I don't like my movies to go more than 90 minutes any more. Even Aquaman was a tad too long for me, and I loved it. By contrast, this movie could have had a ton of "moments" cut from it and been just as good but more tolerable to watch. In my opinion. I'm sure other folks will completely disagree.

The movie starts in a very dark place, with the heroes having been defeated utterly by Thanos. The despair gets worse when they learn they cannot undo what's been done - Thanos made certain of that. So everyone attempts to get on with life, despite having lost literally half of every loved one in the universe. What impressed me was the way people didn't just move on and adjust. Everyone had PTSD and everyone was still suffering five years later. Even those who were most successful at moving on were still suffering. Which only makes sense. You don't lose half the population of the universe and just recover in the blink of an eye.

It was Scott who really brought it all home, though. He pops out of nowhere with a possible solution, and his sheer shock at everything that's happened makes for some interesting scenes. The bit with the kid on the bike was one of those strange moments that just worked.

The "gathering of the heroes" scenes could have been way shorter and still effective. There were a lot of moments when I just wanted to turn it off or hit fast forward. Most of the "Hulk selfie" thing could have been cut. It went on much too long. Same with the Thor scenes. Just too much.

Anyway, then there's the time travel. No matter what you do with time travel, something won't work. It's just the curse of working with paradoxes and such. And there's a massive "ug" moment in this movie when the past figures out the future and ... yeah, branching time streams. Whatever. I'd rather just not deal with it at all. In the end, that's what pulled this movie down for me. They have a massive paradox happening, and a snap of the fingers, and it's still a paradox but apparently only in a branching time stream and where does that leave Gamora? It's not like she could go back to her own time once both the quantum thingies were destroyed.

I did like the return of all the missing heroes. The portals opening made for an excellent moment. Having an army to go against Thanos' legions was nice to see.

In the end, we got a mostly fun movie with a lot of long boring moments and a massive battle scene. And an unholy mess of a paradox finish. It could have been better, but then it could have been much much worse.

Movie Review: Shazam (2019)

Quick review: I liked it. Lots of fun.

***Spoilers ahead. You've been warned.***

I admit I've never been a huge Captain Marvel fan. And by "Captain Marvel", I'm referring to the real name of Shazam. I gather it's not acceptable to refer to him that way any more because of the whole intellectual property rights thing... but if you look at the character's history, it's been nothing BUT intellectual property rights messes.

Anyway, this movie decided to have fun with the name, since he can't use his actual name anymore. And he can't say his Wizard name without changing. So instead, the character was given new names constantly throughout, which was a lot of fun at times. Although it did begin to get old toward the end of the movie.

Ah, and there's my one criticism of the movie. At a running time of 132 minutes, some of the jokes began to get stale before the end. Yes, we get it. He's a teenage boy in a man's body. You don't have to dwell on it quite that much. Fortunately, the movie didn't let it get too stale, and there were enough other jokes to almost completely make up for the stale ones. I didn't end up rolling my eyes too much.

So, with that criticism out of the way, how did I like it? I enjoyed it a lot. I'm glad I didn't see it in a theater, as I needed a break roughly halfway through, but that's a complaint about the current length of movies, and not this one in particular. With the opportunity to take a break, the movie worked perfectly for me.

When I first heard about Zachary Levi as the main character, I was... um, let's say "skeptical". There's a part of me that didn't find him quite right for the role, but it's a big multiverse and I'm willing to accept that in one of them Captain Marvel looks like this and not... what he looks like in the comics. Other than the look, I think Levi was perfection in the role. The sense of wonder of a child experiencing true power for the first time came across very nicely.

The plot was solid, with much of the movie focusing on Billy learning about his abilities and what it means to have powers. The introduction of Sivana was nice (does John Glover only play bad dads in DC properties?) and his development was sketched out brilliantly in only a few scenes. He didn't have to chew any scenery for his character to work, which is slightly ironic because his character in the comic books is nothing BUT a scenery-chewer.

I haven't been following recent Shazam too closely in comics, but I knew about his "family" of fellow orphans. And I've seen at least one comic where they all got powers. So that bit didn't surprise me much... but it was a heckuva lot of a fun. I also liked the inclusion of the tiger. Anyone who knows the comic knows why that's important.

The Easter Eggs in this movie jumped out at me. I guess I know enough about the character to be tickled by such gems as the name of Billy's father and Darla's last name. The mid-credit sequence was clearly going to happen based on what we saw of that particular character on the Rock of Eternity. Amazing how two shots of a glass terrarium can foretell a potential plot point so perfectly.

While a sequel cannot capture the same magic as this one managed, I hope it manages it's own level of magic. With Wonder Woman, Aquaman and Shazam all turning out to be excellent films, I do hope the DC Movie Universe can manage to maintain the altitude.

A Sunday Comic Books Review

Here are reviews of the DCBS comic books that I've gotten around to reading and reviewing, sorted by the original shipping date:

• Apr 4th
• Justice League #42 - I want to like this book, but this mess of a storyline has just about driven me away.
• Green Lanterns #44 - What kind of a deal has Jess made, and what kind of price is she paying? Interesting story, but since it's mostly set-up, I'm not sure how to react just yet.
• Black Lightning: Cold Dead Hands #6 - Shapeshifters. I don't love 'em. Not a bad reversal on the situation set up in the final issue - enough clues were left to figure it out. But still, it felt a little extreme. Not a bad mini, but I'm really new to this character and (Sorry Tony) I like the TV version slightly more.
• Bombshells United #15 - Did the plot move at all in this issue? I don't think so.
• Astro City #51 - Yeah, it would be hard to explain a person who never really existed to people who lost close friends and family. That said, I think he's selling himself a bit short. His pain is as real as theirs. Still, actions speak louder than words. His actions at the end of this part of the story ought to be enough to convince anyone with a heart. I am really looking forward to the next issue.
• Apr 11th
• Titans #22 - I can't even remember why the league imprisoned Donna, but the sheer rudeness and dismissiveness makes me happy that Batman is being attacked at the end of the book. Seems like Roy and Donna are the only ones with any idea what's happening. I would like to see more members of the Titans, but eh, this seems to be wrapping up. I'm pretty sure we dropped the book once we were sure Tempest was no longer in it.
• Scooby Apocalypse #24 - What is Daphne up to? For that matter, what's gotten into Fred? And why do those two armies never reduce in size? This book is delivering on the mystery aspect.
• Doctor Strange #388 - Yeah, I'm still not sure what the heck is happening in this book. I feel like I'm only reading part of the story. Probably because it's part of some crossover. In any case, I like the dog more than the doctor.
• Back To The Future: Tales from the Time Train #4 - Not much of anything at all happens in this issue. Just lots of circling around until everyone finally gets into almost the same space. Bored now.
• Spongebob Comics #79 - This issue gets a little meta, with comics being part of the plotline. It's about standard fare, with a brief appearance of a Mermaid Man comic book, so it's a little better than average for me.
• Apr 18th
• Aquaman #35 - So Rath becomes what he depises, but hey, that's the price of power, right? Murk is what I've come to expect. A lumbering soldier whose only loyalty is to the people of Atlantis - once Aquaman makes it clear he doesn't want to be king, Murk is ok again. But how is Aquaman, even with his new allies, supposed to fight the darkest magics of Atlantis? Interesting stuff.
• Justice League #43 - Meh. This whole story was messed up from the beginning. It appears to have been trying hard to be a saga with interlocking ideas and events... the result was something best read as a trade. Issue by issue it just didn't work for me. Hopefully, the next storyline won't be so tangled and pointless.
• Action Comics #1000 - I suppose we got this because of the issue number. Well, it was ok. Aquaman shows up in a couple of group images, so that was nice. None of the stories stood out to me as spectacular, none were particularly bad. A nice anniversary issue.
• Green Lanterns #45 - Ok, this is a story that I've wanted to read since we first learned about Jessica Cruz. She's not what I expected. A hunting trip? Expertise in killing animals because she's been doing it all her life? Wow. I'm really eager to find out more. Add in a dash of Constantine, and I'm hooked.
• Bombshells United #16 - Nice finish. It kind of sorted itself out after a really confusing issue. I think you could have combined this with the last issue and lost nothing.
• Teen Titans Go #27 - Not a particularly great issue. I mean, it would make sense for insurance to be an evil plot, but at the end nothing changed. And the spring cleaning story was... just odd.
• Rough Riders: Ride or Die #3 - So by acting like someone is a bad person, you can turn them into a bad person in the afterlife? Not a pleasant issue.
• Usagi Yojimbo: The Hidden #2 - This mystery is developing nicely, with Usage and Ishida searching for answers in all the right places. Knowing the cultural problems and issues makes this story more delicious to read - there is a lot going on below the surface. I still think Usagi Yojimbo is possibly the best comic book on the shelves whenever it is published.

General Thoughts Review: Titans (DC Universe Show)

When I subscribed to DC Universe, one of the reasons was this show. I wasn't sure if I would like an "adult" take on the team, but once I saw Koriand'r in preview images and publicity shots, I really wanted to see what direction this version would take. There was also the tiniest of chances Aquaman or Aqualad might eventually get mentioned...

Overall, I like the tone of the show. I think the actors are all excellent and the gritty realism is... gritty enough. Everyone is considerably more violent than I like, but that's probably my only criticism. And I knew going in that it would be violent.

Rachel's story is nicely laid out and played out, right up until the final cliffhanging ending. Garfield's appearances were appropriately done, although I keep expecting him to learn how to change into something else. Dick is done well, also. He's got a good heart, but he's been scarred and honed as a weapon. The others who show up are fantastic - Donna, Dawn and Hank all add a lot, as did the Doom Patrol itself. I did NOT like Jason Todd, but then I'm not sure I'm supposed to like him.

Villains were also decent. The Nuclear Family was horribly creepy, as were the agents seeking Rachel. Add in Kory's feud with police and we've got an epic in the making. The Dick Grayson facing his past episode was probably the weakest of the entire series, but the bad guy was still bad enough and it worked, even if it did detract from the overall arc.

The season was fun, if overly violent for my tastes. I'd be cautious showing this to a child, but teens or older with a sense of wonder would enjoy it.

General Thoughts Review: Constantine (TV Show)

I really had no interest in watching the Constantine TV series when it aired in 2014. I don't much care about the character. Yes, I've read some of the comics and... well, I just wasn't all that impressed. He was not something I thought I would like.

When Matt Ryan reprised his role on Arrow, I really enjoyed the appearance and found that, for the first time ever, I had a glimmer of interest in the character. Then Ryan showed up on Legends of Tomorrow and... well. He convinced me. He inhabits the role so completely and so well that I actually enjoy the character. I enjoy his journey (which is compelling, but I found boringly written in the comics I've read). His facial expressions and ability to clearly show that he cares a lot - while pretending to be a callous a-hole - just MAKE the character for me.

Anyway, I was convinced by his appearances on Arrow and Legends of Tomorrow that his own series was worth checking out. Fortunately, my subscription to DC Universe comes with the whole series. So I binged it.

I really enjoyed the series. If the supporting cast had as much charisma as Ryan, I think it would still be running. As it is, the other characters were not enough to make up for some slightly weak scripts. Ryan did a valiant job of carrying the show on his shoulders, but despite his performances it wasn't enough to push this from a decent show to something that everyone who saw it would want to keep watching.

For me the best episode was early in the series, when John has to hunt down an old phonograph record that has the sounds of a jazz musician being pulled to hell. It was intense all the way through and introduced the season's apparent Big Bad. It also showed that Constantine's heart is completely in the right place, regardless of what he does.

I very much disliked the final scene of the show, although I could see it coming to some extent.

The series left a few hanging plot threads, and I'm not sure whether the animated specials clear any of them up. I do know that John's moment of despair in Legends of Tomorrow is NOT the same one as in the series (Newcastle) which makes me curious whether there's an in-series reason for that. I would guess the real-life reason would be the number of people who were known to be present in Newcastle who would have have to be rehired as actors in the "John erases his mistake and breaks all of time" episode.

So, overall, I really enjoyed Constantine and I'm glad Ryan is able to continue playing the character in Legends.

Review: Doctor Who - The Ghost Monument

If you've never read the short story, "Oh, Whistle, and I'll Come to You, My Lad" by M.R.James, then you are missing a certain cultural depth of this Doctor Who episode. I would love to know if the writer was consciously invoking that classic horror tale. In any case, the lingering shots on the sheets of apparent fabric made me think of the M.R.James, and when they eventually did their stuff, I definitely felt the chill that echoed from my first reading of the short story.

Ahem.

The plot itself was fine, a little on the standard side. We all know about rallies and winners and such, and this episode definitely used that plot to give our expanded cast of characters more time to develop. This was very much a story about growing the characters with some quick action mingled with introspective moments and nice scenery. Overall, I thought it worked.

I noticed the reference to the previous baddie, and I'm not sure whether I'm happy or annoyed that there is apparently going to be another extended arc. If that's what's developing.

I liked Angstrom and had what I assume is the expected negative reaction to Epzo. The actors for both were fantastic, and gave their stories nicely while still acting like people at the end of a difficult race, still trying to win. The ending was... I'm not going to say predictable, but it certainly didn't win any awards for originality. I guess I was hoping for something a little more amazing.

And lastly... the TARDIS. I wasn't sure if we would spend the entire season searching for it, so seeing the tease of it at the beginning didn't actually tell me much. The ending and entry into the timeship was nicely done - it felt almost like a callback to Ian's "It's a Police Box!" reaction. The interior... well, I'll have to really see it in action to make a decision on whether or not I like it.

The verdict: I enjoyed it. Looking forward to the next episode (which I hope to watch tonight).

Review: Doctor Who - The Woman Who Fell to Earth

First up, I don't blame the production crew for this, but the presentation by BBC America was simply AWFUL. There were more ads than show during the second half, and there were short spoilery segments inserted in the ads that made you think the show was back, but no - it was just another ad FOR THE SHOW YOU ARE WATCHING with spoilers for future events, just in case you wanted to enjoy the episode as it was written.

Eric and I watched the simulcast, so we didn't see all the ridiculous interviews in the middle of the show, but we also didn't see the closing credits or the trailer. In fact, I don't recall hearing the Doctor Who theme at all during the airing, although I heard the X-Files theme a number of times due to ads *GRRRRR*.

In short, if you want to watch and enjoy Doctor Who, apparently BBC America is the LAST place you should go to find it. The presentation sucked. It was horrible.

That said, the brilliance of the episode barely managed to shine through BBC America's mangled showing.

First thoughts, I was completely convinced by the end of the episode that we were seeing the Doctor. In fact, about the moment she started working on the sonic I felt myself accepting her. I accepted her more quickly than I accepted either Matt Smith or Peter Capaldi. Both of them I required a second episode to feel the connection, she got it in one.

The supporting cast is good, although the absolute best character of the bunch is the one we won't be seeing traveling with the Doctor. It felt like they gelled as a team more quickly than any other cast, and I liked how each of them brought their strengths to the adventure.

The story itself was a tiny bit slow, I think. I'm not sure, because it could've just been the constant interruption by endless commercials instead of the pacing of the episode itself. Hard to tell when there are literally more commercials than show. But I think the plot took a little overlong to develop into action. Thinking back, I'm not sure what could have been changed, though, so perhaps I was just completely thrown off by the awful ads.

I liked the overall concept, although I feel like this would have been something already discovered by one of the various Doctor-spawned groups protecting the planet. Then again, if it's not a common event - eh, hard to say. The humanoid alien didn't seem all that menacing to me, but the initial alien on the train was extremely creepy.

The ending was not at all what I was expecting. I really thought this would be a third-Doctor exiled on Earth type of run, so I was a little shocked to see what happened. Pleased, but shocked. I did manage to avoid almost every single spoiler leading up to the premiere, so if that was already common knowledge, I successfully managed to avoid it.

In all, I enjoyed this episode quite a bit, despite BBC America's best efforts to destroy it. I'm looking forward to the next episode.

Movie Review - Coco

Coco by Pixar.

Well, I wasn't sure what to expect from this movie. I mean, it won some awards, got a lot of attention and was clearly very well done. I'd even heard good things about it from locals who have Mexico in their family history. But I'd purposefully avoided any major spoilers because I knew I would eventually see it, so I wasn't really sure what it was about.

I also came into the movie with only a vague understanding of the Day of the Dead. In short, it's the one day the souls of the dead can return to earth to visit their loved ones from the Land of the Dead - a sort of limbo. In the movie, they can only cross over if they are remembered by their living families on an ofrenda. Offerings at the grave or on the ofrenda can be taken by the souls of the dead back to the Land of the Dead to be used. It's made clear in the movie that the more offerings provided by people in the living world, the wealthier the soul in the Land of the Dead. I don't know how closely this mirrors the true beliefs, but it was fascinating to see in the movie.

Another twist happens when people are forgotten. Families are kept in the Land of the Dead by stories passed down from generation to generation. So as long as someone who knew a person in life told a story about that person to someone else who is alive, the soul stays in the Land of the Dead. As people are forgotten and even the passed down stories vanish from living memory, the souls leave the Land of the Dead - and not even the inhabitants of that land know where they go.

This is all very important to the plot, but it's also a fascinating mythology that could lead me into a prolonged discussion on religious beliefs and how souls continue - but I think I'm going to pass on that discussion and instead focus on the movie.

The animation was gorgeous. At the first view of the Land of the Dead made both hubby-Eric and I wish for a big screen television. The whole thing was a feast for the eyes, from the humble shoe-makers' workshops to the most elegant party to the cenote.

The story was strong as well. Miguel wants to be a musician more than anything else, but his family banned music from their household after Miguel's great-great-grandfather ran off to be a musician and abandoned his wife and the four-year-old Coco. In his intense desire to win a talent show, Miguel commits a crime against the dead and becomes cursed. At that point, the fun really starts.

The plot is peppered with foreshadowing, so I usually caught the next plot twist before it happened. I did get a bit confused about the rules of the Land of Dead, and in fact wondered about it until a closer look made me understand. (SPOILERS ROT-13) Zvthry unq gb trg onpx gb Pbpb orsber fur sbetbg ure sngure fb fur jbhyq cnff gur fgbevrf bs uvz nybat gb gur snzvyl. Bapr fur fcbxr gur gnyrf bs ure sngure gb gurz, ur ab ybatre jnf sbetbggra. Rira jura Pbpb qvrf, uvf fgbel jnf gbyq, naq ur jnf noyr gb fgnl jvgu uvf snzvyl va gur Ynaq bs gur Qrnq naq ivfvg gur yvivat snzvyl jura gurl erfgberq uvf cubgb gb gur bseraqn. Fb rira gubhtu Pbpb vf jvgu uvz ng gur raq, ur'f fgvyy noyr gb ivfvg orpnhfr gurl erzrzore uvz naq xabj uvf fgbel. Sbe njuvyr V gubhtug gung bapr gur ynfg yvivat crefba jub xarj lbh qvrq, lbh jbhyq yrnir gur Ynaq bs gur Qrnq. Gung'f pyrneyl abg gur pnfr. (SPOILERS)

It's a great movie with a strong message about family and love. And the importance of remembering what came before. I really enjoyed it and found myself leaking about the eyes when it was over. Hubby-Eric and I plan to watch it again, this time in Spanish. It deserves a solid five starfish for being tightly plotted and extremely well executed.

Book Review - Hope Never Dies

Hope Never Dies: An Obama Biden Mystery by Andrew Shaffer.

I don't remember exactly where I first saw this book announced, but I immediately put it on hold at the library (digital copy). The copy came in and I hadn't had a chance to download it when I went to my folks' house for a weekend. To my vast amusement, my mom handed me the physical copy of the book almost as I walked in the door. I read it over the couple of days I was there.

This book was exactly what I expected. I wanted something funny, goofy with a little bit of sincerity and the joy of the Obama/Biden memes. It hit every note, sometimes a little louder than anticipated, but always consistent. I enjoyed it thoroughly.

This is not high art. Don't expect anything particularly political, either. This is a book about friendship and trains. As such, it works in ways I didn't expect to see. Some serious issues are addressed, but they are touched upon lightly.

My main criticism, which is hardly worth mentioning, is that the events couldn't possibly happen the way they did. There are some shenanigans involving the Secret Service that were slightly unfair to those men. If you can suspend your disbelief, though - and think of it as a really extended Obama/Biden meme - it still manages to work.

Favorite scene: Biker bar (SPOILERS ROT-13) jura Bonzn ragref naq gur ovxref nyy fgbc naq erfcrpg uvz, fnlvat "ur'f gur thl jub tbg Ova Ynqra". V whfg nobhg fcvg bhg zl qevax, naq V jnfa'g qevaxvat ng gur gvzr. (SPOILERS) I also like Biden's reaction to that particular situation - indignation followed by a little whiff of gratitude.

Biden, who is the narrator of the story, comes across as a very nice man who is trying his best to handle retirement from an extremely stressful job, only he's a wee bit jealous of his younger former running mate who is running around with lots of celebrities. The book takes the concept of Obama and Biden's friendship to a whole new level - making it seem like they were best friends in office and not just politicians with similar goals.

Lastly, this is a FAST read. I got through it in two days while doing lots of other things. It has short chapters, an interesting plot, numerous twists and likable main characters. Definitely worth a read IF you already enjoy the Obama/Biden memes. If you don't - well, life's short but it's a fun little book. I'll give it four out of five starfish, with the caveat that it's definitely not something everyone is going to enjoy.

Movie Review - Aquaman: Rage of Atlantis

Aquaman: Rage of Atlantis

Ok, I confess. Despite being quite a LEGO fan, and a big fan of DC Comics, I kind of don't like the DC LEGO movies and games much.

I got turned off from the games early when I bought one that refused to play on my computer without completely resetting EVERYTHING on the computer (every screen resolution setting, every color setting, every keyboard setting). In short, it was poorly made and I never was able to get it to run, so I swore I'd never buy another LEGO game again. I still haven't.

That said, I enjoyed the original LEGO movie, but haven't sought out any LEGO movies since. I haven't seen the Batman LEGO or anything else. This is literally the second LEGO movie I've seen.

So, naturally, I was a little bit nervous about this.

I was right to worry. I cringed pretty much constantly through the entire first half of the movie. I mean, the jokes were BAD. The water divination scenes had me in physical pain. The whole initial fight with Lobo made me want to throw things at the television. The only comfort was that all the heroes were being treated poorly throughout, so while Aquaman was getting pounded (literally) by bad puns and worse, at least the others didn't look all that much more competent.

Halfway through the movie the redemption arc started, and while it wasn't worth enduring some of the previous indignities, it was enough to save the movie for me. Yeah, Aquaman is a silly character if you aren't looking at every aspect of his world, but he is powerful.

What I found more interesting is that this movie was not focused on Aquaman. It was a split narrative between Aquaman's arc and Jessica Cruz. She, arguably, got the better of the deal, since she started out as a new-ish hero with massive uncertainties while Aquaman was supposedly an established king and hero. Cruz got a lot of screen time with some great examinations of her as a hero. It's a pity her entire back-story couldn't be told, because it's frankly the single most interesting back-story of a Green Lantern I've ever read (short version: Cruz witnessed friends being murdered, became a recluse due to severe anxiety, was sought out by the Earth-3 Power Ring, eventually earned an actual GL ring, then shared the GL duties of Earth's sector with Simon Baz).

Another notable character in the movie was Lobo, the Main Man himself. His arc tied into all the others in a cutesy way that I felt worked pretty well. I loved hearing his theme song. Except for the initial fight with Aquaman, I liked his appearances.

Then, of course, we have Mera. She was lovely in this, and showed again just how kick-butt Aquaman's queen truly is. I would lay my bets on her to win any fight against any of the characters introduced in the movie, and was only disappointed that she didn't get a chance to kick a certain someone's Puddle Prince butt.

So, overall, I give this a four out of five starfish rating. Not perfect, but pretty fun as long as you aren't going in expecting high art.

Really Short Review - Atlantis Chronicles Hardcover

Considering that I never thought I'd see this book in my lifetime, I pre-ordered it with a great deal of joy.

And it's GORGEOUS.

The story is a wonderful epic, the art has been reproduced fantastically and the small amount of supplemental material was interesting to read. It did justice to the work, which was my biggest concern. And now the book is available for more readers to check out.

Aquaman fans ought to go get it. People who like interesting comic book art ought to go get it. People who are interested in one amazing interpretation of the backstory of DC's Atlantis definitely should get it.

The Atlantis Chronicles

Comic Review: Family Pets

Family Pets #1.

I got this as a free issue from Comixology, alerted to it by Zenoscope's PR department.

See, Zenoscope is starting an Oz series, which naturally means I managed to connect Zenoscope Public Relations with Eric so he could do a little cross-promotion on his Wizard of Oz site and blog. ZPR has sent us review copies, in PDF form, of a bunch of their titles. I haven't had much time, and I don't really enjoy the oversexed versions of fairy tales in the Zenoscope books, so I haven't read most of them.

But Zenoscope is branching out, and put up a preview on Comixology that they directed us to check out. The book is aimed at a general audience and looked intriguing, so I went ahead and read it. And I liked it.

It's about a girl whose parents died in an accident who wishes something strange and wonderful would happen to her. And suddenly, something strange and wonderful happens to her, in the form of ... well, spoilers, but pretty cool magic all around. She isn't quite as keen on the adventure once it happens, of course, but that's where the story gets really interesting. Love the supporting characters, enjoyed the artwork, and found the premise compelling enough I want to read the next issue. That's a win in my book.

Now I just need to figure out how to get my hands on the print copies, assuming there are print copies available. Maybe wait for a trade? Hrmmm...

Review - Hellboy Volume 11

Hellboy Volume 11: The Bride of Hell and Others by Mike Mignola and various others.

Release date: October 12, 2011, pre-order now! I got an advance copy via NetGalley.

This is a collection of previously published material. It includes "Hellboy in Mexico," "Hellboy: Double Feature of Evil," "Hellboy: The Bride of Hell," "Hellboy: The Sleeping and the Dead," "Hellboy: The Whittier Legacy," and "Hellboy: Buster Oakley Gets His Wish". All were written by Mike Mignola, with a variety of artists on the visual chores. Each story is prefaced with an introduction by Mignola that tells where he got the idea for the story and when it was originally published.

If you aren't familiar with Hellboy, don't worry. It isn't really hard to figure out. Each story is capable of standing on its own or contributing to a collection like this. All you really need to know is that, despite his appearance, Hellboy is a good guy. And, again, it's made obvious early on.

The stories are nicely varied in this collection, giving a decent overview of the Hellboy universe. The Mexico story was both funny and tragic. The Double Feature had a terribly freaky framing sequence with a couple of nice little stories. The Bride story was the usual misdirection and a character that was actually fairly sympathetic, although evil. The Sleeping story added a LOT to the Hellboy world, and if you know much about that world, you'll understand what I mean. The Whittier story was probably the weakest of the lot, with a bunch of frenzied activity in a handful of pages that wasn't as easy to follow as the other tales. Buster Oakley was just plain hilarious. My favorite story was probably the first, as the mix of sadness and fun just worked for me.

I was introduced to Hellboy many years ago by my hairdresser, and I started to love the character almost immediately. Readers unfamiliar with him may find him hard to like, but I promise you won't have trouble understanding the stories. If you already enjoy Hellboy, this is a must get. If you haven't met him yet, it's not a terrible place to start. Definitely recommended.

Review - Green River Killer: A True Detective Story

Green River Killer: A True Detective Story by Jeff Jensen and Jonathan Case.

Release date: September 28, 2011, pre-order now! I got an advance copy via NetGalley.

My interest in this is fairly obvious. I grew up in the area where the Green River Killer stalked, and I heard about the killer during times of my life when it hit pretty hard. When they announced his capture, I posted an entry in my blog about it that summed up my feelings. It was unreal. It would always be unreal. For me, the Green River Killer was a bogeyman that haunted the background of my world. And his capture never seemed to satisfy the need I had for closure. So I went into this book hoping it would wash away some of that childhood terror for me.

This book mostly follows Tom Jensen, the father of the writer and a member of the Green River Killer Task Force. Tom's life is sketched out in jumps through time, and then we get to the capture of the Killer and his plea bargain deal. My biggest issue with the book was the scattered nature of the timeline. The whole thing was flashback after flashback. It could have worked, but for some reason it managed to confused me more than once. The worst problem is how the prologue starts with the Killer, then the first chapter jumps to Tom. For a page or two I thought we were reading about the Killer's early life. That made Tom a disturbing character from the outset, something I really don't think the writer was going for. That was pretty much my only complaint though. The jumps through time made this a hard book to follow in places but the information and feeling in it... well, that was important.

Particularly the emotion. We get to see Tom as a man who has worked hard to bring this killer to justice, and we get to see him finally face off against the murderer and ask him the questions that we all wanted to ask. We see him break down, like any sane person would, when finally confronted with what the killer truly was. And we see his exhaustion and sense of relief when his part in the whole thing was finally over.

Did this book exorcise the nightmares? Perhaps. I see the killer more as a very sick man than a supernatural being of terror. I see how regular people reacted to him, and struggled to find and stop him.

For the record, I have no problem with the killer spending his life behind bars instead of dying. Dying is easy, and a much kinder fate than he deserves. Let him live to be 100 with no hope of release.

Review - Moon Shot

Moon Shot: The Inside Story of America's Apollo Moon Landings by Jay Barbree, Alan Shepard, and Deke Slayton.

I got an advance copy via NetGalley.

I've always loved the stories of how America made it to the moon, and I wanted to love this book. But it is fatally flawed. The whole first half reads more like a jock bragging about his exploits than an inside history of one of the greatest technological achievements of mankind. Perhaps the flaw is actually in the men who lived that history, but this book makes them into unlikable hotshots. The second half covers the events, but jumps through major events to get to some of the less significant ones.

From a sheer historical perspective, the book does deliver on some of its promise. The timeline of events is clear enough, the little anecdotes sometimes add but often detract from the narrative. The made-up conversations are enough to make you want to throw the thing across the room. It's a loose and wild book. If you like reading about astronaut antics in a strange half-PR style, this book is for you. If you just want information and facts, go somewhere else.

The book tends to focus on the two astronauts that are listed as co-authors. While that's not a bad thing because they were both heavily involved in the space program until the end of Apollo, it also seems to dismiss some of the other accomplishments or at least gloss over them. Don't get me wrong, they are mentioned, talked about, given space. But, for example, leading up to Apollo 13 the focus of the book is on Deke and Alan's medical issues and Alan being on the next mission, rather than the men of Apollo 13. I can understand why, but that makes this less a book about the trip to the moon than a book about Alan and Deke's involvement in the lunar program.

I really wanted to love this book. It isn't a bad read, but it's not good enough for me to call it great.

Review - Baltimore Volume 1: The Plague Ships

Baltimore Volume 1: The Plague Ships by Mike Mignola and Christopher Golden.

I got an advance copy via NetGalley.

If you aren't familiar with Mike Mignola's work, the blocky art can be a real turn off. I was turned off when I first encountered Mignola's artwork on an Aquaman cover many years ago. But since then I've read a bit more of his work, and come to appreciate his style and what it conveys. This book has that style, a deep feeling of horror and beauty at once. It works extremely well for this book.

Lord Baltimore is on the hunt, following a major vampire who is responsible for the plague that ended the Great War. This book details his visit to a town where he is helped by a woman who wants to escape the boredom and sense of waiting for death. Despite his warnings, she follows him, and learns exactly who and what he is.

The story is set in a Europe just after WWI has been ended by disease. Worse than a normal disease, some of the dead rise to kill the living. That's the horror part. Or at least a portion of the horror. There's much much more to it. Baltimore is an anti-hero with very good reasons for doing what he is doing. His unwitting follower sees more than any sane human would want to see. And there is lots of action in the form of fighting monsters and lots of atmosphere and build up to the fighting of the monsters.

If you like horror at all, this is worth a look. You should also seek out the Free Comic Book Day short story that also features Lord Baltimore, as it will tell you even more about what's happening in this world. I'm not a huge horror fan, but I think I'll be keeping an eye out for this series as it continues. It's just really well done.

Review - All Different Kinds of Free

All Different Kinds of Free by Jessica McCann.

I got an advance copy via NetGalley.

Margaret Morgan is a free black woman living with her husband and children in Pennsylvania. But her life is shattered when the family that owned her parents decides to kidnap her and her children into slavery. This book backs away from the Supreme Court ruling of Prigg v. Pennsylvania and looks instead at the woman in the center of the case, and what being sold into slavery meant for her.

I wanted to like this book. I had fears from the start that I wasn't going to like what happened in it, but I wanted to enjoy the book itself. Jessica McCann is a good storyteller, and the action moves at a good pace, but there are a few issues with the writing itself that made it hard for me to get through. The story jumped from viewpoint to viewpoint a little jaggedly in the beginning, and the writing level is slightly simplistic for such a powerful message. The grammar is a bit choppy, as well, but that might be deliberate. For a first novel, this isn't bad. For such an important and ignored story, it's just ok.

My biggest issue with the book was that I thought I knew what the ending would be, based on the historical record, and so was bracing myself for it... but it never really came. And while the tragedy throughout the book certainly lived up to the pain, it never really felt like it bleed through to the reader. Horror after horror, but it just didn't leave an impact. And while I cheered at the end, it felt a little too tacked on to be real. If I sound ambivalent about this book, that's because I am.

In the end, just remember that this book is a fictional guess at one way Margaret's life might have gone. To be honest, I'd really like a follow-up from a serious researcher of a historian who can find out what really happened to Margaret Morgan. The author made an attempt, but I would like someone else to give it a try. Sadly, that information may not exist.

Review - The Last Dragon

The Last Dragon by Jane Yolen and Rebecca Guay.

Release date: October 11, 2011, pre-order now! I got my advance copy via NetGalley.

It's hard to say whether I've read more "dragons are the enemy" or "dragons are our friends" books over my lifetime. Coming into this one, I wasn't sure which it would be, but it became clear enough quickly enough.

I was completely entranced by this book. Draw into the story by the artwork, I felt myself carried along by the story right until the end. The characters are fantastic, described in a few words and with just a few lines of dialogue then filled out with the art into recognizable people. Within a few pages I was feeling comfortable and at home in the village. The art successfully treads that thin line between being too fanciful to work in a graphic story and too explicit to work as fantasy. I was delighted throughout, and only wished that I had the hardcover in front of me instead of a pre-publication PDF so I could fully enjoy the double-page spreads.

There are moments when the action jolts from one scene to the next, or a character seems to know more than she ought. But those are few, and the fantastic artwork pretty much covers for any slight flaws in the writing, just as the strong writing covers for any slight flaws in the art. This is an exquisite work, and one that I would be honored to have on my bookshelf.

Review - Aliens on Vacation

Aliens on Vacation by Clete Smith with illustrations by Christian Slade.

Release date: May 3, 2011, pre-order now! I got my advance copy via NetGalley.

Scrub is a twelve-year-old from Florida who has been exiled to Washington State for the summer to live with his grandmother at her bed-and-breakfast in a small town. He's missing basketball and his best friend, and it doesn't help that his grandmother is both a hippie and an outer space fan. He thinks he's about to deal with a lot of Trekkies, but the Tourists he meets in Forest Grove are considerably stranger than even he could have expected.

The book is told in the first-person from David "Scrub" Elliott's point-of-view, and it manages to develop him as a character very well, much of it from his reactions to the people he meets. The rest of the cast is seen through his eyes and so are colored by his reactions to them, an appropriate style for this type of book. The reading level is pre-teen or younger and the artwork by Christian Slade on each chapter heading makes for an attractive read, as well. There are a lot of references that adults will appreciate far more than children, making this a good read for any age.

As a Seattle native with a great love of my state, I was tickled by the jokes about Washington and the references to other places, including Canada. I was able to figure out approximately where the fictional town of Forest Grove must be located, and enjoyed when a former hometown of mine got a namecheck.

This is a good book for children of all ages to enjoy, suitable for family reading time or a solo read. Fans of science fiction will probably enjoy it a lot, but people who generally don't read fantastic fiction will likely find it palatable as well. It is the first book in a proposed series, but manages to stand alone very nicely. I'm looking forward to seeking out any sequels, personally. Worth a read.