More better books

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025) Stitches by David Small, finished March 20


First: this book was good. Very good. So good you can't really point at any part of it and say At This Moment It Is Imperfectly Crafted. The art is elegant and emotional and perfect. The story is arranged just so. And all the reviews agree this is pretty much the best book ever. (You can read some from the beginning of the book here.)

Yet for me it never really came together. It was too perfect, you know what I mean? Like a perfectly produced pop album. Flawless. And in the end a little dull. Disappointing.

It may be that my expectations were just too high and if I read it again in a couple years I'll feel differently. It may even mature in my memory --- this has happened to books before.

We shall see

two or three days



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024) Arkham Asylum: Madness by Sam Kieth, finished January 19 or 20 depending on when midnight happened exactly


Sam Keith's style here is a heightened version of what he did with Maxx and although he, in the afterword, calls the effort a failure, I disagree. The miss of ultracartoony with photorealistic worked quite nicely for me. And although the story of the woman who loses part of her soul working at Arkham Asylum didn't quite gel, it came close and was admirably ambitious. Plus, the Joker is a nice mix of playful old and purely evil new.

a few days

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023) Hamlet by William Shakespeare, finished March 18


I mean --- it's good and I like it, but, sigh, I really need to read it less frequently.

under two weeks



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Previously in 2011 . . . . :

21-22
022) Red Rocket 7 by Mike Allred, finished March 10
021) Missile Mouse: Rescue on Tankium3 by Jake Parker, finished March 10

20
020) The Hotel Cat by Esther Averill, finished February 28


18-19
019) Wonderland by Tommy Kovac and Sonny Liew, finished February 21
018) Redcoat by Kohl Glass (MS POLICY), finished February 18

14-17
017) Best American Comics 2010 edited by Neil Gaiman, finished February 12
016) Little Bee by Chris Cleave, finished February 10
015) Travels with Charley by John Steinbeck, finished February 2
014) Cursed Pirate Girl: The Collected Edition Vol. I by Jeremy Bastian, finished January 31

13-9
013) Sweet Tooth: In Captivity by Jeff Lemire, finished January 30
012) Sweet Tooth: Out of the Woods by Jeff Lemire, finished January 30
011) Essex County: The Country Nurse by Jeff Lemire, finished January 30
010) Essex County: Ghost Stories by Jeff Lemire, finished January 29
009) Essex County: Tales from the Farm by Jeff Lemire, finished January 29

8
008) Magdalene by Morah Jovan, finished January 27

7-6
007) Knightfall Part Two: Who Rules the Night by a slew of DC folk, finished January 23
006) Bayou by Jeremy Love, finished January 17

5-1
005) Mr. Monster by Dan Wells, finished January 10
004) The Red Badge of Courage by Stephen Crane, finished January 6
003) The Mystery of the Dinosaur Graveyard by Mary Adrian, finished January 5
002) Batman - Judge Dredd: Judgment on Gotham by John Wagner and Alan Grant and Simon Bisley, with lettering by the famous Todd Klein; finished January 4
001) Batman: Venom by Dennis O'Neil et al, finished January 2