I don’t know how I forgot this one, but in the last few weeks I also finally got around to reading Michael Chabon’s The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay, which was every bit as good as everyone says. It doesn’t hurt that I’m a comic-book geek in any case.
Speaking of comics: I’m enjoying the SMASHiness of World War Hulk, god help me. And I see Thor’s back. Wasn’t gone for very long, was he? Yawn. The Dark Tower comics are more like the books than I expected, which is a good thing. I keep obsessively re-reading Kabuki – The Alchemy by David Mack, though this one isn’t new. And in current DCdom, I’m not terribly impressed by Sinestro Corps and still not following Countdown properly. Evil Kyle is so totally not working. Also, why are they shuffling Flashes like a deck of cards? Just pick one… Any one. Joss Whedon’s Buffy Season Eight is … well, it’s okay so far. Vaguely Buffyesque, though I’m having a little difficulty recognizing people beyond the core characters. I’ll tell you what’s good, though: Mike Carey’s Crossing Midnight is really going places. I missed the entire Annihilation mega-event, and perhaps because of that I was pleasantly surprised by Annihilation Conquest: Prologue. Not least because Moondragon and the new Quasar -of all people- as a gay couple seems to actually work, and hopefully will not end with one of them getting killed and the other one crying in the rain. Arcana is rubbish. Avengers (both New and Mighty) was a little meh for a while, though I do want to try and follow the upcoming Skrull-invasion mega-event. (Why? I don’t know, I’m compelled. Anyway, it’s not like I’m buying this stuff for money or anything.) Oh, and another unexpected treat is Shazam – The Monster Society of Evil by none other than the magnificent Jeff Smith, he of Bone fame. And I actually am enjoying the extra-vile The Boys by Garth Ennis. It’s very Ennis, only more so.
Television: watched Battlestar Galactica season three. Weak overall with a few nice episodes, I thought. So… goddamn… cheesy. I seem to remember liking the early part of the season better, but it never really recovered from all the filler episodes in the middle. Unfortunately, I could give a fuck whether Adama Jr. and Starbuck end up boinking or not. And I like All Along the Watchtower as much as the next guy, but that was a rather bad cover version. That said, the finale was… an interesting choice of last-minute-twist. Tigh and the Chief are the only characters I actually like, so expect me to be voting Cylon from next season onwards.
I’ve been seeing a lot of Heroes-hate on certain feeds of my acquaintance. After watching Heroes and Battlestar Galactica back-to-back in the last few months, I have to say: man, I wish Lost was back already. Or Prison Break, or something. Or I need to start watching this Dexter thing everyone’s on about. Or Bones. People are recommending Bones. If it sucks, please, people, tell me now before I risk my fragile brain.
And speaking of risking my fragile brain, isn’t there another Harry Potter coming out or something? Ugh.
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July 19, 2007 at 20:18
Hi there. I’m glad that you mentioned the Dark Tower comic series. I did a post on this that I thought really needed to be written. And I believe that Thor was gone for more than a year, but his return was lackluster at best. A double sized issue would have been more well received and added some needed story. And as far as World War Hulk is concerned, probably Marvel’s big summer event. Certainly helps that you can read it as a stand alone story.
Lew
http://www.fln50.com
July 20, 2007 at 00:35
Bones is good but not great. It does a job as competent, entertaining TV, without any especially irritating bad acting or writing.
July 20, 2007 at 03:57
Don’t forget the other acceptable gay death — teh AIDS! (Well, well, look who’s back at blogging.)
July 20, 2007 at 08:10
Meh. I’m still following the Buffy back issues – haven’t started on Season 8 yet though I have the first 4 (or is it 5?) ready to go.
HP7 is no different from the other HPs in writing style and buildup. YMMV.
WorldWar Hulk? really? I expected to hate it and I was not disappointed.
July 20, 2007 at 09:41
drac: Dude. WWH: what is not to like? It is TEH SMASH. It’s like The Punisher Kills The Marvel Universe, only magnified (if also sanitized by needing to stay in continuity, more’s the pity) by the SMASHY. It looks like the most fun mega-event in years, frankly. I’m always just a tad bored by the grand-cosmic-Secret-Infinite-War-Crisis stuff because everything is just so freaking… cosmic all the time. I can’t think of anything more outright pleasurable than a series in which Hulk SMASHES everybody. And gets to call everybody “puny”, and all such delights of the Hulk mythos.
Of course, if you do not enjoy the SMASH then it may not be your cup of tea. Also, there are Buffy back issues? I thought the Whedon comic starts from Season Eight, as a direct sequel to the television show. (And it’s four issues, I think -at least, I’ve only got four.)
As for HP7: well… meh. I’ll read it at some point because I’m a completist, of course. I just can’t face suffering through the discomfort of reading such a bloody enormous PDF, so I’ll wait until someone who owns the book finishes reading it. I’m not expecting miracles. Frankly, it would all be improved no end if the Hulk were to show up and SMASH puny Potter.
imani: Hullo there. Yes, I’m back. We can only hope that nobody gets AIDS or gets raped by lobotomized super-villains -no, wait, that’s the Other Comics Company. I’d like to see Moondragon and Quasar be Marvel’s Apollo and Midnighter, but I suppose it’s likelier that it’s just a gimmick. I didn’t know you were into comics, by the way. (Or maybe you’re not and that was a general comment on the fate of gay characters in pop culture?)
elric: I can’t tell if that’s a positive recommendation or not. *grin* I might start watching it in sheer desperation. Though I really should go to the store and root through some of the stuff I’ve always wanted to watch but never got around to, like Rome. Further recommendations are sought from folks like yourself who watch more television than I do. We discovered the other evening that we have broken the TV that came with the new house by not switching it on for several months. And I haven’t bought any DVDs in months, either…
bluecollar49: the Thor reboot was pretty lacklustre, wasn’t it? Odd-looking art too, especially with the face. I sort of liked what they did with Ultimate Thor, though -it seemed to inject some sense of the numinous back into the character, this sense of grand events off-screen, just hinted at. As for Dark Tower: yeah, it’s translating really well from book to comic. I’m not as huge a fan of the series as you are: I actually haven’t read anything after Wolves of the Calla -the one with the Dr. Doom robots, heh. Must finish the series, now that the comic has rekindled my interest in knowing how it all works out.
July 23, 2007 at 12:36
Bones is alright, it depends on what you’re after really. I’ll watch anything with pretty pictures. I’m shameless. Kinda like Drac with music.
I’m on a West Wing binge of late… I don’t get half of it, but the dialogue is uber witty.
The hordes seem to be all up in arms about Ugly Betty and How I Met Your Mother. It’s comedy, so it will induce knee-jerk laughter but I don’t know if it’s your thing? Also, comedy wise, Earl & Weeds tickle me senseless, but then again, I’ll watch anything. Like Drac with music.
July 24, 2007 at 04:42
“Like Drac with music” is clearly on the way to being a catchphrase. I’ll give Bones a go. I’m having the DVDs thrust upon me, anyway.
I’ve seen the first season of How I Met Your Mother, I think. It was okay, but largely forgettable. The whole future-history gimmick is tiresome, and while I get that the female lead is supposed to be adorably quirky, I just found her tiring. It has Willow in it, though -always a redeeming feature.
July 25, 2007 at 01:50
It was a general comment, I’m afraid. I haven’t read a comic book since I was 12 and had a crush on a boy who loved Spiderman. (I was into Wonder Woman for a while.)
July 25, 2007 at 04:44
You’re missing out on a vast swathe of (mostly) gloriously trashy pop culture. *grin* Which, when you put it like that, doesn’t sound very tempting…
Of course, here I am talking to you about comic books and you’ve been blogging about Milton, Flaubert and Joyce, kind of thing… there goes my lit-cred.