Finishing up some loose ends. Also poetry.

.

032) Old Boy, Vol. 8 by Garon Tsuchiya & Nobuaki Minegishi, finished February 18

So when last we read Old Boy, I was demanding a huge payoff. Did I get it in this final volume.

. . . yes. Yes, I guess I did.

The weird thing is that it really wasn't a huge payoff. It was pretty dang small, in fact, really, by objective measures. But somehow that proved to be more honest than something huge.

Also weird was that I accepted the late addition of hypnosis to this story. That's not something I would normally go for.

I am curious about the movie, though. All it's famed violence---I'm not sure where it came from. I'm imagining it's a rather loose adaptation....

nighttime



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031) Ms. Marvel Vol. 6: Civil War II by G. Willow Wilson et al, finished February 18

More Ms Marvel!

Now that Ms Marvel is an established and important character, and thus being integrated into the greater Marvel universe, she's getting less fun to read. Certain storylines in this volume are overrushed, presumably in order to stay in sync with other titles, leaving character development and moral-dilemma development underbaked and insufficient.

Kamala's trip to Pakistan was similarly overrushed---and thus the growth she undergoes as a character didn't quite ring true.

And certain characters---notably Spider-Man, Nova, and a random woman I didn't realize until right now was her sister-in-law in new clothes---just came out of nowhere without introduction to those of us following only one title.

This is the problem with the large universes of Marvel and DC. The more committed you are to a title, the more your realize that title is not so committed to you. It's just trying to lead you into a more expensive comics habit.

Sigh.

Anyway. This volume, notwithstanding all these complaints, was also good.

evening



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030) White Sand by Brandon Sanderson & Rik Hoskin & Julius Gopez, finished February 18

What a blasted mess this thing it. It's boring for one thing. The plot is a clustertrump of events and happenstance. The dialogue only aspires to B-movie quality. The organization of panels is at times utterly bewildering. And the art is that mid-90s style where everyone looks like they were made of dried clay then hit with hammers. I really can think of nothing to recommend it or why I would look forward to further volumes.

boooo

fifteen or sixteen days



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029) Honest Engine by Kyle Dargan, finished February 17

Like a lot of the poetry collections I've been reading lately, Honest Engine got a bit dull for me towards the end. I wonder if there just aren't many poets who can excite me for a full 80–100 pages? This may reflect poorly on me.

This collection has a couple themes. Race in America. The brutality of men towards women even in consensual relationships. The death of a beloved grandmother. These ideas circle each other, biting and snapping, but not in an attempt to win. The collection is beautifully written, but it feels consigned. It is resigned to sadness and inefficacy.

But sadness coupled with an inability to change the world is very in right now.

Besides: best poem about fellatio I've ever read.

a couple weeks or a bit more

Previously in 2017

24 – 28

028) Best American Comics 2016 edited by Roz Chast, finished February 16
027) Old Boy, Vol. 7 by Garon Tsuchiya & Nobuaki Minegishi, finished February 16
026) Old Boy, Vol. 6 by Garon Tsuchiya & Nobuaki Minegishi, finished February 12
025) Old Boy, Vol. 5 by Garon Tsuchiya & Nobuaki Minegishi, finished February 11
024) Old Boy, Vol. 4 by Garon Tsuchiya & Nobuaki Minegishi, finished February 10

19 – 23

023) Ms. Marvel Vol. 5: Super Famous by G. Willow Wilson & Takeshi Miyazawa, finished February 9
022) Ms. Marvel Vol. 4: Last Days by G. Willow Wilson & Adrian Alphona, finished February 7
021) Ms. Marvel Vol. 3: Crushed by G. Willow Wilson & Takeshi Miyazawa & Elmo Bondoc, finished February 7
020) Ms. Marvel Volume 2: Generation Why by G. Willow Wilson & Jacob Wyatt & Adrian Alphona, finished February 6
019) Ms. Marvel Volume 1: No Normal by G. Willow Wilson & Adrian Alphona, finished February 5

14 – 18

018) Curses by Kevin Huizenga, finished February 4
017) Precious Rascals by Anthony Holden, finished January 31
015 & 016) Anthem by Ayn Rand, finished January 31
014) Old Boy, Vol. 3 by Garon Tsuchiya and Nobuaki Minegishi, finished January 30

9 – 13

013) On Jupiter Place by Nicholas Christopher, finished January 30
012) Old Boy, Vol. 2 by Garon Tsuchiya and Nobuaki Minegishi, finished January 29
011) Old Boy, Vol. 1 by Garon Tsuchiya and Nobuaki Minegishi, finished January 28
010) Summerlost by Ally Condie, finished January 27
009) Heat Wake by Jason Zuzga, finished January 24

4 – 8

008) How the End Begins by Cynthia Cruz, finished January 19
007) Delinquent Palaces by Danielle Chapman, finished January 19
006) Pilot by pd mallamo, finished January 19
005) Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel, finished January 16
004) I Hate Fairyland Volume 1: Madly Ever After by Skottie Young et al, finished January 14

1 – 3

003) The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss, finished January 12
002) F in Exams: The Very Best Totally Wrong Test Answers by Richard Benson, finished January 10
001) States of Deseret by William Morris, finished January 10

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