Well, between the Red Bull and the Eurythmics, I seem to be doing better. Or else I’m just typing gibberish, like Uncle Duke used to do in the middle of trips. I guess I’ll find out later on …
Review code format: writing (3-1, faboo to mediocre), art (3-1), suitability for jumping on as a new reader (3-1), suitability for hooking a a non-comics reader (3-1), and eagerly waiting the collected TBP (Y/N).
The Infinity Gauntlet (Marvel) [3/3/-/1/-]
Okay, this may be a reach, or just a guilty pleasure, but I have a real fondness for this ’91 Jim Starlin cosmic duke-it-out. Maybe it’s the art by George Perez and Ron Lim. Maybe it’s because I really like Starlin’s rendition of Thanos. Maybe it’s because it was the first of the recent series of Starlin-Thanos-cosmic-brouhaha events, which have taken on a desperately repetitive nature over the last decade.
Whatever the reason, the whole Thanos gets omnipotent power and then dukes it out with both Earth’s mightiest heroes and the various Marvel cosmic critters schtick still feels fresh here — as does the revelation that Thanos is ultimately self-destructive and loses omnipotence every time he gets hold of it. Regardless, this book — and it’s two antecedents, The Rebirth of Thanos and The Thanos Quest — are just a blast to read eveyr now and again. Big summer cross-overs of this sort seem to have fallen out of favor, and perhaps just as well, but this was one of the better ones.
The Adventures of Barry Ween, Boy Genius (Oni) [3/3/-/3/-]
Imagine Calvin (of & Hobbes fame) mixed with Dexter (of Dexter’s Lab) and Cartman (of South Park), and you’d end up with Barry Ween, foul-mouthed uberkind. When he’s not trying to close transdimensional portals he’s inadvertently opened in the basement, or unlizardifying his friend Jeremy, he’s busy making sure nobody screws with his friends. The four collection books in the series are just drop-dead hilarious (and, occasionally, poignant) courtesy of the writing and cartooning of Judd Winick. I can’t recommend them highly enough.
Buck Godot (Starblaze) [3/3/-/3/-]
Phil Foglio mixes Mike Hammer with his own brand of SF hilarity — coupled with fairly extensive backstory. There are two 80s-era volumes, and there’s supposed to be a new one out based on the mini-series of a few years back. Foglio’s always a kick to read, and these books are no exception — well-worth digging up at a used bookstore somewhere.
I have been IMing with MT Fierce and I just quoted Buffy to her from The Graduation Episode Pt 2:
“Fire bad. Tree pretty.”
That about sums it up for me.
Heh. I would take a self-portrait, but the picture transfer to the PC is irksome enough that I don’t want to try to pull it off right now.
Good Morning!! Rise and shine scout campers! It is hot here too. But no electrical problems – just an Edison bill that is 110% higher than last year! Ouch!! (that’s higher in kw use – the actural bill is about 3x$- a major donation to SCE) How does it feel to be “still awake” when someone else is getting up?? I used to meet Cammie in the hall when I got up and she was going to bed.
Will try to check in again – if I can tear myself away from Spider.
G
Heh. Thanks. I’m doing okay, knowing I’ve got another hour. As to being still awake as others rise — it reminds me of pulling all-nighters down in the study lounge … something that, mercifully, I’ve not had to do for many years.
The basic test for Golden Age readership, I’ve found, is if someone can handle the book’s final punchline without totally losing interest. It’s one of those lines that’s patently absurd, but is absolutley neccesary and central to the style and period of comics that Golden Age is concerned with. My appreciation for thsi title increased dramticaly after I read Chabon’s Adventures of Kavalier and Clay.
Hmmm. An interesting thought. (Runs upstairs and checks the “the book’s final punchline.”) Okay, not quite sure what you mean by that — though I can imagine that K&C (which I’ve not read yet, but which is recommended by a number of folks) would enhance one’s appreciation for the material.
Well, setting all spoilers aside, the punch like is “…with the BRAIN of ADOLPH HITLER!!” It’s ludicrous. It’s totally inane and silly. What I felt K&C brought to it was se recognition that it can be silly and absurd, even in the period, but still be evocative work within the context of the tale.
And, I’m not sure where else to mention this, but your 3/2/2/3/Y rating scale is sheer brilliance. And, with enough practice, you’ll be able to reel off rating numbers with the confusing air of CCG card stats, confusing all those around you. Wait, I’m not sure that’s a feature. . . .
But, serioulsy, great work.
Ah. That punchline. Well, heck, yeah. I see what you mean.
Though, on a tangential note, I found it interesting in watching Justice League last night they had no problem showing Adolph Hitler. (I was about to say that they were hinky about showing swastikas, and instead had the present-day and past Nazis with this odd swastikaesque symbol — except that I just realized it’s a stylized “S” for (Vandal) Savage. Huh.)
I guess, just like dragging Hitler into a USENET argument, dragging him into a storyline adds a certain pulp/Golden Age air to things. Except, perhaps, in Fallen Angel.
As to the rating scale — well, I knew it would be a bit confusing (which is why I templated the explanation text and included it in every post). If you search back through my comics category, you’ll find any number of variations on it, but I think I’ve got it pretty well set.
I decided to include the jump-on and new-reader rankings as part of it, for the first time, because they’re both valuable, I thought — especially in the context of the Blogathon, where strangers might be coming to visit. I think I’ll keep them on, though.
I’m not happy about the number of categories. If I were a cleverer coder, I’d have some little graphic sidebar box where I could easily label things in colors, label what each meant, etc. I’ll have to ponder it.
The jump on and trade ranks are incredibly helpful, especialy because they eliminate two mandator sentences that have to fit into every review.
I’m thinking of replacing the “Waiting for the Trade?” Y/N with a trinary answer (1=no, 2=yeah, but I’m quitting the monthly, 3=yeah, but I can’t wait that long, so I’m staying subscribed). 🙂
1 = no
2 = yeah
3 = tied and failed? tried and died.