.
It's not racist if I suggest it's true for everybody, right?
I’m speaking from personal experience when I say of any black
man who conks today, or any white-wigged black woman, that if
they gave the brains in their heads just half as much attention
as they do their hair, they would be a thousand times better off.
.png)
2011-05-19
2011-05-17
2011-05-16
mobettabooks
.
Jeeves! Wooster! Scott Pilgrim! Charlie Brown! Asterios Polyp! What a collection for you today, folks!
041) Scott Pilgrim's Finest Hour by Bryan Lee O'Malley, finished May 14 while laying down trying to get the kids to nap
040) Scott Pilgrim Versus The Unverse by Bryan Lee O'Malley, finished May 14 two days
039) Scott Pilgrim Gets It Together by Bryan Lee O'Malley, finished May 13 since the last one
I'm happy to say that, in the end, the books (which really form one whole novel together COMBO POWER!) add some complexity and nuance that the movie, excellent though it was, didn't quite have. Don't get me wrong --- the movie was terrific, but compared to what the books pulled off, taken as a unit, well, here's my point: you should really read the books. They're about the most fun I've ever had reading comics and they have so much heart.
And it sells the Twentysomething Culture in a way that, for the first time, made it look good to me, and wish I'd spent a bit more time being a goof in my younger years. Not to the point of having regrets, mind you, but now I see why that life has a pull.
Anyway. They're great books. Check them out.
038) Scott Pilgrim & The Infinite Sadness by Bryan Lee O'Malley, finished May 12 end of the day
This is where the books and the movie begin to fully diverge. Still highly enjoyable and the metahumor hit harder. For more on Scott Pilgrim. see below. In the meantime, here's the song that inspired the books:
===========================================================
037) The Code of the Woosters by P.G. Wodehouse, finished May 11
My second Jeeves and Wooster book (the first --- can you believe Wodehouse wrote over 100 novels?) --- and another bounty of wit. Douglas Adams considered Wodehouse one of English's great geniuses and although I'm not prepared to go that far, I'm happy to argue you won't be disappointed. Pick up one today.
a couple weeks probably
===========================================================
036) Scott Pilgrim Versus The World by Bryan Lee O'Malley, finished May 4
035) Scott Pilgrim's Precious Little Life by Bryan Lee O'Malley, finished May 3
I've really come to grasp the usefulness of some manga techniques (eg, changing a characters total appearance in response to their emotional state) over the last ten years, but Scott Pilgrim really locked me in. As for the movie, which I love, what casting! (Did you know they made cartoons, too? This totally happened in volume two.)
Why oh why did I not ask the library for all six volumes at once? What a fool I was. (Requesting now.....)
about an hour each over two days, the latter while walking to and from jury duty
===========================================================
034) The Complete Peanuts 1975-1976 by Charles M. Schulz, finished May 1
I'm moving at a more leisurely pace these days, but that's because I hate not having fresh Peanuts waiting for me on the nightstand. It's such a joy, owning these books. And when I've read the last I'll start again from the beginning.
This time I got to read the strip that ran on my birth day and, I'm sad to say, it wasn't killer.
Also, my reading has been changed by thinking about 3eanuts. Which is pretty great but gets in the way. (Unlike Gw/oG which actaully makes Garfield enjoyable.)
some months
===========================================================
033) Asterios Polyp by David Mazzucchelli finished approximately April 27
I ended this book stunned. Unable to do anything but breathe loudly and not cry. What a beautiful book. So glad the clip in Best American Comics made me library it. But I need to get my own copy to read and read again. This is Jimmy Corrigan-good, folks. Take this one panel:
So much is conveyed here. She how calm she is, yet how much tension is revealed just in her wrist. He's being flippant but we the reader see the emotion in his wife while he flits across the surface in ignorance.
And this is a more realistic panel. What happens next in visual metaphor is just as stunning, as the characters separate into the separate identities they once had.
Mazzucchelli is the artist of the excellent City of Glass adaptation and the famed Batman: Year One (both of which, sadly, I apparently read too long ago to have reviewed; coulda sworn they were here, but I canna find them --- both worth reading and probably I should read them again).
Promise me you'll find and read this book. It's stunning. I don't want to say masterpiece until I've read it a couple more times, but I'm tempted all the same. What a piece of art.
a few days
===========================================================
Previously in 2011 . . . . :
Jeeves! Wooster! Scott Pilgrim! Charlie Brown! Asterios Polyp! What a collection for you today, folks!
041) Scott Pilgrim's Finest Hour by Bryan Lee O'Malley, finished May 14 while laying down trying to get the kids to nap
040) Scott Pilgrim Versus The Unverse by Bryan Lee O'Malley, finished May 14 two days
039) Scott Pilgrim Gets It Together by Bryan Lee O'Malley, finished May 13 since the last one
I'm happy to say that, in the end, the books (which really form one whole novel together COMBO POWER!) add some complexity and nuance that the movie, excellent though it was, didn't quite have. Don't get me wrong --- the movie was terrific, but compared to what the books pulled off, taken as a unit, well, here's my point: you should really read the books. They're about the most fun I've ever had reading comics and they have so much heart.
And it sells the Twentysomething Culture in a way that, for the first time, made it look good to me, and wish I'd spent a bit more time being a goof in my younger years. Not to the point of having regrets, mind you, but now I see why that life has a pull.
Anyway. They're great books. Check them out.
038) Scott Pilgrim & The Infinite Sadness by Bryan Lee O'Malley, finished May 12 end of the day
This is where the books and the movie begin to fully diverge. Still highly enjoyable and the metahumor hit harder. For more on Scott Pilgrim. see below. In the meantime, here's the song that inspired the books:
===========================================================
037) The Code of the Woosters by P.G. Wodehouse, finished May 11
My second Jeeves and Wooster book (the first --- can you believe Wodehouse wrote over 100 novels?) --- and another bounty of wit. Douglas Adams considered Wodehouse one of English's great geniuses and although I'm not prepared to go that far, I'm happy to argue you won't be disappointed. Pick up one today.
a couple weeks probably
===========================================================
036) Scott Pilgrim Versus The World by Bryan Lee O'Malley, finished May 4
035) Scott Pilgrim's Precious Little Life by Bryan Lee O'Malley, finished May 3
I've really come to grasp the usefulness of some manga techniques (eg, changing a characters total appearance in response to their emotional state) over the last ten years, but Scott Pilgrim really locked me in. As for the movie, which I love, what casting! (Did you know they made cartoons, too? This totally happened in volume two.)
Why oh why did I not ask the library for all six volumes at once? What a fool I was. (Requesting now.....)
about an hour each over two days, the latter while walking to and from jury duty
===========================================================
034) The Complete Peanuts 1975-1976 by Charles M. Schulz, finished May 1
I'm moving at a more leisurely pace these days, but that's because I hate not having fresh Peanuts waiting for me on the nightstand. It's such a joy, owning these books. And when I've read the last I'll start again from the beginning.
This time I got to read the strip that ran on my birth day and, I'm sad to say, it wasn't killer.
Also, my reading has been changed by thinking about 3eanuts. Which is pretty great but gets in the way. (Unlike Gw/oG which actaully makes Garfield enjoyable.)
some months
===========================================================
033) Asterios Polyp by David Mazzucchelli finished approximately April 27
I ended this book stunned. Unable to do anything but breathe loudly and not cry. What a beautiful book. So glad the clip in Best American Comics made me library it. But I need to get my own copy to read and read again. This is Jimmy Corrigan-good, folks. Take this one panel:
So much is conveyed here. She how calm she is, yet how much tension is revealed just in her wrist. He's being flippant but we the reader see the emotion in his wife while he flits across the surface in ignorance.
And this is a more realistic panel. What happens next in visual metaphor is just as stunning, as the characters separate into the separate identities they once had.
Mazzucchelli is the artist of the excellent City of Glass adaptation and the famed Batman: Year One (both of which, sadly, I apparently read too long ago to have reviewed; coulda sworn they were here, but I canna find them --- both worth reading and probably I should read them again).
Promise me you'll find and read this book. It's stunning. I don't want to say masterpiece until I've read it a couple more times, but I'm tempted all the same. What a piece of art.
a few days
===========================================================
Previously in 2011 . . . . :
32
032) Golden Gate by Seth Vikram, finished April 20
27-31
031) Batman: Year 100 by Paul Pope, finished April 18
030) The Polysyllabic Spree by Nick Hornby, finished April 9
029) iZombie: Dead to the World by Chris Roberson and Mike Allred, finished April 2
028) A Sense of Order and Other Stories by Jack Harrell, finished April 1
027) Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead by Tom Stoppard, finished March 30
26
026) The Black Dogs by Ian McEwan, finished March 21
23-25
025) Stitches by David Small, finished March 20
024) Arkham Asylum: Madness
023) Hamlet by William Shakespeare, finished March 18
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
2011-05-11
Book 32: Golden Gate by Seth Vikram
.
032) Golden Gate by Seth Vikram, finished April 20
When I first started reading this book nearly three years ago, I though I would discuss its scansion and other like litty thoughts, but just click on this and you can do all that yourself:
That's what the whole book looks like. Two to a page, all the way through. Also, the dedication and author bio and the table on contents are in the same form. (Note: i just opened the book randomly and scanned. I still haven't bothered to look and see which two pages I've just given you.)
So, first, the book is an experiment. Reading about how he decided to do it (blame Pushkin) makes me less judgmental, but really, as a whole, he pulled it off so why complain?
It's not, however, that good of a book. It has to wax meta at times as Seth apologizes for the absurdity of the book's form etc etc but as a whole, it's some okay interrelated stories stuck together in 1980s San Francisco (with all the youguessedits that entails). Without the format its simply a subpar novel. So when you pick this up, it has to be because you are inherently interested in the form for its own sake.
(Vikram is a bit gimmicky, of course. His second novel is, by some estimates, the longest book in the English language. Which isn't to say it's not good [it had better be] just that he likes his books to be capital-d Different.)
One thing about this book is that it is much shorter than it appears. With all that white space, you can tear through it pretty quickly (I did most of my reading in just a couple sittings). And the characters occasionally show glimmers of depth and it's not that bad, really, but claiming it's great is, I think, to make an error. I imagine the praise it received upon release was mostly wowery that such a book existed. I doubt many who loved it then would feel the same way now (though I'm ready to be proven wrong).
I would like to love a novel in verse, but it won't be this one. Besides the slightness of the story and the unevenness of the verse, it commits many New York Novel sins (although, of course, this time the City That Cool People Know is San Francisco), is moralistic and preachy, and, in the final analysis, just didn't do it for me. But you may like it. Who knows.
===========================================================
Previously in 2011 . . . . :
032) Golden Gate by Seth Vikram, finished April 20
- nearly three years
When I first started reading this book nearly three years ago, I though I would discuss its scansion and other like litty thoughts, but just click on this and you can do all that yourself:
That's what the whole book looks like. Two to a page, all the way through. Also, the dedication and author bio and the table on contents are in the same form. (Note: i just opened the book randomly and scanned. I still haven't bothered to look and see which two pages I've just given you.)
It's not, however, that good of a book. It has to wax meta at times as Seth apologizes for the absurdity of the book's form etc etc but as a whole, it's some okay interrelated stories stuck together in 1980s San Francisco (with all the youguessedits that entails). Without the format its simply a subpar novel. So when you pick this up, it has to be because you are inherently interested in the form for its own sake.
(Vikram is a bit gimmicky, of course. His second novel is, by some estimates, the longest book in the English language. Which isn't to say it's not good [it had better be] just that he likes his books to be capital-d Different.)
One thing about this book is that it is much shorter than it appears. With all that white space, you can tear through it pretty quickly (I did most of my reading in just a couple sittings). And the characters occasionally show glimmers of depth and it's not that bad, really, but claiming it's great is, I think, to make an error. I imagine the praise it received upon release was mostly wowery that such a book existed. I doubt many who loved it then would feel the same way now (though I'm ready to be proven wrong).
I would like to love a novel in verse, but it won't be this one. Besides the slightness of the story and the unevenness of the verse, it commits many New York Novel sins (although, of course, this time the City That Cool People Know is San Francisco), is moralistic and preachy, and, in the final analysis, just didn't do it for me. But you may like it. Who knows.
===========================================================
Previously in 2011 . . . . :
27-31
031) Batman: Year 100 by Paul Pope, finished April 18
030) The Polysyllabic Spree by Nick Hornby, finished April 9
029) iZombie: Dead to the World by Chris Roberson and Mike Allred, finished April 2
028) A Sense of Order and Other Stories by Jack Harrell, finished April 1
027) Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead by Tom Stoppard, finished March 30
26
026) The Black Dogs by Ian McEwan, finished March 21
23-25
025) Stitches by David Small, finished March 20
024) Arkham Asylum: Madness
023) Hamlet by William Shakespeare, finished March 18
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
2011-05-07
Svithe: On rocking the bow tie
.
Somehow (I think it may be a certain scientist's fault), wearing bow ties has become du jour among my ward's Young Men. Then, last Sunday, at stake priesthood meeting (Holy crap but is this post Mormon-jargon heavy; I apologize.), the stake president spoke of his law school days when his home teachers (there I go again) taught him how to tie a bow tie. In honor of this, he announced he would now wear a bow tie on fast Sunday every month in which he had finished his home teaching the month previous (do you follow?)
Perfect storm.
So now the Young Men are arranging fabric and sewing machines to a) make their own ties and b) actual ties that tie which they will c) learn to tie.
That they may wear them.
Presumably on fast Sunday. Presumably in recognition of having done their home teaching.
This is some pretty sly leadership. Well played. Well played.
Somehow (I think it may be a certain scientist's fault), wearing bow ties has become du jour among my ward's Young Men. Then, last Sunday, at stake priesthood meeting (Holy crap but is this post Mormon-jargon heavy; I apologize.), the stake president spoke of his law school days when his home teachers (there I go again) taught him how to tie a bow tie. In honor of this, he announced he would now wear a bow tie on fast Sunday every month in which he had finished his home teaching the month previous (do you follow?)
Perfect storm.
So now the Young Men are arranging fabric and sewing machines to a) make their own ties and b) actual ties that tie which they will c) learn to tie.
That they may wear them.
Presumably on fast Sunday. Presumably in recognition of having done their home teaching.
This is some pretty sly leadership. Well played. Well played.
2011-05-02
Stretching for the famous fish
.
Not just any famous fish, of course. I don't want you to think I'm that kind of ichthyophile. I mean the divine fish.
As a diehard ichthyolotrist, when I say stretching I mean it in the theological sense of killing the enemy squid and stretching its innards over coat-hangers that they may rot in the sun sending a sweet succor into the sky. The tricky part is timing it properly so the fumes break free of the atmosphere at the right time of night to pass through Pisces. (It's a religion that requires a lot of physics and math and stuff.)
Stretching for the famous fish is inherently satisfying though. As the fish says, I never said the stench would be worth it, just that it would keep the crazies off your back.
And that's all I've ever really wanted.
Not just any famous fish, of course. I don't want you to think I'm that kind of ichthyophile. I mean the divine fish.
As a diehard ichthyolotrist, when I say stretching I mean it in the theological sense of killing the enemy squid and stretching its innards over coat-hangers that they may rot in the sun sending a sweet succor into the sky. The tricky part is timing it properly so the fumes break free of the atmosphere at the right time of night to pass through Pisces. (It's a religion that requires a lot of physics and math and stuff.)
Stretching for the famous fish is inherently satisfying though. As the fish says, I never said the stench would be worth it, just that it would keep the crazies off your back.
And that's all I've ever really wanted.
On Osama Obliterated
.
September 11, 2001 was so long ago that it's hard to define how I feel about some Navy Seals finally taking out the badguy Teancum-style. I'm glad, yes. I feel it was an appropriate use of deadly force.
I heard the news this morning on my clockradio, but then I accidentally turned it off and slept for another thirty or forty minutes and when I woke up I was unsure whether or not it had really happened.
I wonder how Americans celebrating at the White House and Ground Zero is being played on news stations across the world. I wonder if al Qaeda will successfully pull a retaliation in the next couple weeks. I wonder how long till we're all familiar with conspiracy theorists' claims that Osama's Alive! and living in Jamaica! with a hooker!. I wonder if this will help us get our troops out of the Middle East any quicker.
I think it's cool that Obama called Bush before going on tv. I think it's cool all the Bush administration folk are being cool. I hope the positivity lasts a full week.
I hope that the military's efforts to prove that the body was Osama's and the at-sea burial all have more of the desired outcomes than unexpected bad outcomes. I hope he doesn't become The Martyr.
Where will be be in another 116 months?
September 11, 2001 was so long ago that it's hard to define how I feel about some Navy Seals finally taking out the badguy Teancum-style. I'm glad, yes. I feel it was an appropriate use of deadly force.
I heard the news this morning on my clockradio, but then I accidentally turned it off and slept for another thirty or forty minutes and when I woke up I was unsure whether or not it had really happened.
I wonder how Americans celebrating at the White House and Ground Zero is being played on news stations across the world. I wonder if al Qaeda will successfully pull a retaliation in the next couple weeks. I wonder how long till we're all familiar with conspiracy theorists' claims that Osama's Alive! and living in Jamaica! with a hooker!. I wonder if this will help us get our troops out of the Middle East any quicker.
I think it's cool that Obama called Bush before going on tv. I think it's cool all the Bush administration folk are being cool. I hope the positivity lasts a full week.
I hope that the military's efforts to prove that the body was Osama's and the at-sea burial all have more of the desired outcomes than unexpected bad outcomes. I hope he doesn't become The Martyr.
Where will be be in another 116 months?
2011-04-29
Senior picnic
.
Went to the senior picnic today. Shared food with fellow teachers and many students. Good stuff. Made the last out in the faculty's 8-5 win over the students (I scored both times I was up and now have grass stains all over my last pair of jeans).
But all that oil and running mean now, at the end of the day, I feel nigh unto death.
Oh, the joys of growing older.
I actually started feeling it acutely yesterday, when Randall told me that The Little Mermaid came out closer to the first moon landing than the present day.
Soon we shall die.
Went to the senior picnic today. Shared food with fellow teachers and many students. Good stuff. Made the last out in the faculty's 8-5 win over the students (I scored both times I was up and now have grass stains all over my last pair of jeans).
But all that oil and running mean now, at the end of the day, I feel nigh unto death.
Oh, the joys of growing older.
I actually started feeling it acutely yesterday, when Randall told me that The Little Mermaid came out closer to the first moon landing than the present day.
Soon we shall die.
2011-04-25
REPRINT
The Ambiguity of Excellence: Kazu Kibuishi's Daisy Kutter
.
As promised, here is the second review no longer available at the Fantasy Magazine website.
.
The first Daisy Kutter book, The Last Train, was pressed into my wife's hands by a good friend and I finally read it yesterday. I knew very little about the book before reading it other than the gushing praise it has inspired For example, on AICN, Superhero described this book as "perfect representation of sequential art . . . . the pinnacle of characterization, storytelling and art" (cite).
So I liked it. Yes. How could I not? I love Kibuishi's art, I love Daisy --- she's beautiful and spunky and wry. I love steampunk and these are some nice robots. In terms of timeline, it's more future-set Cowboy Bebop than steampunk-retro Wild Wild West(1999), but tonewise it is very near classic westerns--only with robots. The first page is a deliberate nod to one of the greatest old cowboy films, High Noon. But when the clock hits noon, the eponymous hero is not engaged in battle; instead she sighs.
She's a gunfighter--one of the great train robbers--and she is retired.
The Last Train is the story of how she gets back into the game.
Daisy's old boyfriend and partner-in-crime is now the sheriff, and he keeps offering her a deputy position to supplement her storekeeper's income, but that's one step to far into respectability. But being stuck in the middle is not a comfortable location for Daisy and when an offer comes to rob a train, then comes again, well, she can only say no so many times. Especially when the man offering the job owns the train. And especially after he wins her store from her in a game of Texas Hold 'em. Preserved integrity and desperation --- hard to fight that.
Daisy's world is peopled with goofy robots and threatening mechs and men in small round glasses and dusty saloons and giant shotguns and steam locomotives. And though Daisy can dodge bullets as well as James Bond, her compatriots are not so lucky. And as the nefarious plot behind the job comes clear, she will have to rely not only on her own stellar skills, but also upon those she cares for, leading her not only to a satisfactory conclusion to the job, but an emotional reconnection to other people as well.
But wherefore all the gushing over The Last Train? Don't get me wrong: I liked this book and I would be happy to read more about Daisy Kutter, but what are people finding in this story that makes them rank it among the greatest comics ever written? I don't see it, can't find it, don't know.
Let's consider other universally praised comics, comics such as Maus or Watchmen.
Maus I can't quibble with. I find it to be a pure example of comics potential as an artform. Watchmen, however --- I'm back on the fence.
With the release of the movie earlier this year, I reread Watchmen and found it better than my memory regarded it. And it's clear to me why we find it excellent.
Although comics are not a new artform, serious consideration of comics is new. And so we take our standards from the most similar art we see --- that other paper-and-glue art, literature. And Watchmen looks very much like what we want literature to look like.
When Time Magazine selected Watchmen as one of their top 100 novels, the reviewer, Lev Grossman, said this:
Watchmen is a graphic novel—a book-length comic book with ambitions above its station—starring a ragbag of bizarre, damaged, retired superheroes: the paunchy, melancholic Nite Owl; the raving doomsayer Rorschach; the blue, glowing, near-omnipotent, no-longer-human Doctor Manhattan. Though their heyday is past, these former crime-fighters are drawn back into action by the murder of a former teammate, The Comedian, which turns out to be the leading edge of a much wider, more disturbing conspiracy. Told with ruthless psychological realism, in fugal, overlapping plotlines and gorgeous, cinematic panels rich with repeating motifs, Watchmen is a heart-pounding, heartbreaking read and a watershed in the evolution of a young medium.
Ignoring the snide remark "ambitions above its station," note the traits of a great novel --- "ruthless psychological realism . . . overlapping plotlines . . . repeating motifs" --- then take a glance at the other 99 books on the list to see that what Watchmen did right was to taste like Orwell and Heller and Woolf. And, come to think of it, so does Maus. And so does Jimmy Corrigan. And, now that we can step back and look at it as a whole, so does Peanuts.
But the people singing the praises of The Last Train aren't the same people who spend the rest of their time debating whether Lolita or Infinite Jest is the greatest novel ever, then congratulating themselves for letting a four-color superhero comic into their club.
The people who love The Last Train are people who have developed a reply to What Makes Great Comics based on their reading of comics.
Now I love comics, but I must be honest and admit that I'm trained to assign worth in storytelling according to the centuries-long traditions developed in literature.
But maybe that's a mistake. Maybe comics deserves its own set of standards to be judged by. We don't judge Picasso in comparison to Beethoven; why should we judge Kibuishi by the standards of Hemingway?
Maybe it's time we, I, stop.
2011-04-21
The cessation of reading (not yet)
.
031) Batman: Year 100 by Paul Pope, finished April 18
I've been wanting read this since about the time I started wanting to read Joker; this book, I'm happy to report, was not disappointing. Linda Barry wanted to excerpt this book in Best American Comics, but DC wouldn't let her (?!?). A shame. It was good.
Batman in a future dystopia.
And let me tell you, when Chris Nolan finishes his run, I hope they consider adapting this to film. It runs a bit like an origin story, but still works with the character's past. Perfect for the next film.
Think about it, Warner. Just think about it.
The rest of you can read it now.
an afternoon
===========================================================
030) The Polysyllabic Spree by Nick Hornby, finished April 9
I've never read Nick Hornby before. I own two of his books (1 and 2) but haven't read either. I thought the movie of High Fidelity was pretty good, while About a Boy is one of my all-time favorite flicks. And yet somehow I had never read him.
But then McSweeney's had a promotion where I could get this book for free and so I did and I read it with great joy. The book is a collection of columns for The Believer and absolute fun to read. Hornby documents the books he buys vs the books he reads --- plus clips from some of his favorites such as David Copperfield.
There's an excellent chance this free book will lead to me subscribing to The Belieiver. So well played, McSweeney's. Well played.
In the meantime, I'm considering the temptation of picking up the remaining volumes of collected columns.
not enough weeks
===========================================================
029) iZombie: Dead to the World by Chris Roberson and Mike Allred, finished April 2
I love this new take on zombies and vampires and ghosts and so forth. An interesting set of rules, likable characters (sort of like the Scooby-Doo gang, only the heroes are also the monsters in this case). I like Allred's art in any case, but this is a particularly good use of his mad skillz. Like many Volume Ones, I can't really say for sure how this will pan out, but at present it's good and you should give it a shot. Volume Two's expected in September and since I'll be there, you may as well be too.
one day
===========================================================
028) A Sense of Order and Other Stories by Jack Harrell, finished April 1
Jack's book won an AML Award and I can't say I'm surprised. He's a dandy writer and this is a great book. But not as great as I wanted it to be. I'll say more in my pending AMV review.
maybe three weeks
===========================================================
027) Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead by Tom Stoppard, finished March 30
I've not read this since discovering Stoppard while in high school. Since then all I've done is watched the movie several times. How does it hold up? Well enough, though I'm kind of over the whole genre. These days I would rather see the flick (or performed live? I've never had the pleasure) than read it, I'm afraid.
three days
===========================================================
Previously in 2011 . . . . :
031) Batman: Year 100 by Paul Pope, finished April 18
I've been wanting read this since about the time I started wanting to read Joker; this book, I'm happy to report, was not disappointing. Linda Barry wanted to excerpt this book in Best American Comics, but DC wouldn't let her (?!?). A shame. It was good.
Batman in a future dystopia.
And let me tell you, when Chris Nolan finishes his run, I hope they consider adapting this to film. It runs a bit like an origin story, but still works with the character's past. Perfect for the next film.
Think about it, Warner. Just think about it.
The rest of you can read it now.
an afternoon
===========================================================
030) The Polysyllabic Spree by Nick Hornby, finished April 9
I've never read Nick Hornby before. I own two of his books (1 and 2) but haven't read either. I thought the movie of High Fidelity was pretty good, while About a Boy is one of my all-time favorite flicks. And yet somehow I had never read him.
But then McSweeney's had a promotion where I could get this book for free and so I did and I read it with great joy. The book is a collection of columns for The Believer and absolute fun to read. Hornby documents the books he buys vs the books he reads --- plus clips from some of his favorites such as David Copperfield.
There's an excellent chance this free book will lead to me subscribing to The Belieiver. So well played, McSweeney's. Well played.
In the meantime, I'm considering the temptation of picking up the remaining volumes of collected columns.
not enough weeks
===========================================================
029) iZombie: Dead to the World by Chris Roberson and Mike Allred, finished April 2
I love this new take on zombies and vampires and ghosts and so forth. An interesting set of rules, likable characters (sort of like the Scooby-Doo gang, only the heroes are also the monsters in this case). I like Allred's art in any case, but this is a particularly good use of his mad skillz. Like many Volume Ones, I can't really say for sure how this will pan out, but at present it's good and you should give it a shot. Volume Two's expected in September and since I'll be there, you may as well be too.
one day
===========================================================
028) A Sense of Order and Other Stories by Jack Harrell, finished April 1
Jack's book won an AML Award and I can't say I'm surprised. He's a dandy writer and this is a great book. But not as great as I wanted it to be. I'll say more in my pending AMV review.
maybe three weeks
===========================================================
027) Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead by Tom Stoppard, finished March 30
I've not read this since discovering Stoppard while in high school. Since then all I've done is watched the movie several times. How does it hold up? Well enough, though I'm kind of over the whole genre. These days I would rather see the flick (or performed live? I've never had the pleasure) than read it, I'm afraid.
three days
===========================================================
Previously in 2011 . . . . :
26
026) The Black Dogs by Ian McEwan, finished March 21
23-25
025) Stitches by David Small, finished March 20
024) Arkham Asylum: Madness
023) Hamlet by William Shakespeare, finished March 18
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
2011-04-13
Ancillary happenstance
.
I have and I shall and then when I'm done I'll do it again.
Opening doors and pushing drafts and closing the windows too late.
Standing and stretching and stewing.
Fantastic followers in threatening configurations.
Open stance and high holds.
Arguments fall like rain and I started the day already wet.
Typing makes these things happen.
I have and I shall and then when I'm done I'll do it again.
Opening doors and pushing drafts and closing the windows too late.
Standing and stretching and stewing.
Fantastic followers in threatening configurations.
Open stance and high holds.
Arguments fall like rain and I started the day already wet.
Typing makes these things happen.
2011-04-06
The A's starters are off to a great start, but they're still losing almost everything.
(In other news, I've been a Pirates fan waaay too long to take their strong start at all seriously.)
.
My boys are incredible baseball nuts (A's fans, to be specific). We don't have tv so I bought an antennae for my laptop and now we get about 50 stations mostly in HD, but you know what? They don't broadcast baseball. Maybe one game a week and those are just the game selected for national play. So maybe two A's games all year. The only way to watch the A's is on Comcast. Which angers me to no small degree. I am burning effigies of Bud Selig nightly.
I figure (since progeny notwithstanding I am not a particularly sporty guy) that there are people within view of this post who may know a hack or other Alternate Path to Baseball.
If so, I beg you to share your wisdom.
Thanks.
My boys are incredible baseball nuts (A's fans, to be specific). We don't have tv so I bought an antennae for my laptop and now we get about 50 stations mostly in HD, but you know what? They don't broadcast baseball. Maybe one game a week and those are just the game selected for national play. So maybe two A's games all year. The only way to watch the A's is on Comcast. Which angers me to no small degree. I am burning effigies of Bud Selig nightly.
I figure (since progeny notwithstanding I am not a particularly sporty guy) that there are people within view of this post who may know a hack or other Alternate Path to Baseball.
If so, I beg you to share your wisdom.
Thanks.
2011-04-04
Proud Papa
.
The Big O played his first Single A game this weekend. This is the level where kids get to start pitching. How it works is the kid pitcher pitches until a) he throws four balls (at which time a coach takes over --- no walks at this level), b) he throws three strikes (at which time the batter is out), or c) he hits the batter (at which point the batter gets to go to first).
Since it was the first game of the season, coaches pitched the first two innings anyway. Then the Big O pitched the third inning (and only the third inning --- the kids rotate to a new position every inning).
The Big O posted some remarkable numbers in his first inning as a pitcher:
The other number are obvious, I suppose. Striking out every batter you face means 0 H, 0 HRA etc etc etc.
Let's just say his pNERD is high, shall we?
The Big O played his first Single A game this weekend. This is the level where kids get to start pitching. How it works is the kid pitcher pitches until a) he throws four balls (at which time a coach takes over --- no walks at this level), b) he throws three strikes (at which time the batter is out), or c) he hits the batter (at which point the batter gets to go to first).
Since it was the first game of the season, coaches pitched the first two innings anyway. Then the Big O pitched the third inning (and only the third inning --- the kids rotate to a new position every inning).
The Big O posted some remarkable numbers in his first inning as a pitcher:
- 0.00 ER
- Three strikeouts with three batters
- The only little league pitcher of the game never to require the coach taking over
- I wasn't counting but probably only about 12 or 15 pitches
The other number are obvious, I suppose. Striking out every batter you face means 0 H, 0 HRA etc etc etc.
Let's just say his pNERD is high, shall we?
2011-04-01
Out for GC weekend (maybe)
.
It's a good thing I went and saw Questions of the Heart on opening night as I just found out I'll be away from my computer over the weekend. Lady Steed and I will be in Salt Lake of all places (would've rather gone last week to get MY AML AWARD, but so it goes). It being Utah I imagine I'll still be able to catch conference (the person I'm meeting with has to be there anyway, so I'm sure we'll be free and catch it on KSL or something), but my Svithetacular! notes will almost certainly not go up on time this Conference. (But that will be the first time since 2005 that I did not post immediately so I think I've earned some karma on this point. Back off.)
See you next week!
It's a good thing I went and saw Questions of the Heart on opening night as I just found out I'll be away from my computer over the weekend. Lady Steed and I will be in Salt Lake of all places (would've rather gone last week to get MY AML AWARD, but so it goes). It being Utah I imagine I'll still be able to catch conference (the person I'm meeting with has to be there anyway, so I'm sure we'll be free and catch it on KSL or something), but my Svithetacular! notes will almost certainly not go up on time this Conference. (But that will be the first time since 2005 that I did not post immediately so I think I've earned some karma on this point. Back off.)
See you next week!
2011-03-28
I got an AML Award!
.
You may not have ever heard of them, but I have always wanted an AML Award. I wouldn't mind a Pulitzer or a National Book Award or a Daytime Emmy, but of all the literary/art awards in the world, the one I had most set my sights on was an AML Award. Someday, sometime, I would write a book or something that would capture the AML's attention and net me an award. Someday
And then, to my great surprise, last week I received this email (first paragraph only):
I was terribly excited. I yelled and jumped in the hallway and pumped my first in the air --- things I'm not sure my normally demure self has ever done before.
Is this silly? I don't care. I won an AML Award. I'm such a fan I wrote the Wikipedia page.
I have not received a copy of the full citation yet, nor have I heard back from the artist I sent in my stead to pick up the award. (Last week plane tickets were particularly expensive and, as it ended up, I was in bed sick all weekend anyway.) I have heard back from Master Fob who represented me at the reading that night where he heard, among other things, "how elusive [I] are, that they're beginning to wonder whether [I'm] a real person."
Since I haven't heard back from my proxy acceptor yet, I don't know if he ended up reading my thanks (I told him to do so only if it seemed appropriate), but for the record, here's what I sent him out of my illness-addled mind:
You may not have ever heard of them, but I have always wanted an AML Award. I wouldn't mind a Pulitzer or a National Book Award or a Daytime Emmy, but of all the literary/art awards in the world, the one I had most set my sights on was an AML Award. Someday, sometime, I would write a book or something that would capture the AML's attention and net me an award. Someday
And then, to my great surprise, last week I received this email (first paragraph only):
You have been selected for an award by the Association for Mormon Letters for your invaluable work in editing the September 2010 edition of Sunstone : Mormon Experience, Scholarship, Issues and ... COMICS!
I was terribly excited. I yelled and jumped in the hallway and pumped my first in the air --- things I'm not sure my normally demure self has ever done before.
Is this silly? I don't care. I won an AML Award. I'm such a fan I wrote the Wikipedia page.
I have not received a copy of the full citation yet, nor have I heard back from the artist I sent in my stead to pick up the award. (Last week plane tickets were particularly expensive and, as it ended up, I was in bed sick all weekend anyway.) I have heard back from Master Fob who represented me at the reading that night where he heard, among other things, "how elusive [I] are, that they're beginning to wonder whether [I'm] a real person."
Since I haven't heard back from my proxy acceptor yet, I don't know if he ended up reading my thanks (I told him to do so only if it seemed appropriate), but for the record, here's what I sent him out of my illness-addled mind:
- First, I am terribly horribly genuinely excited to receive an AML Award. I carried a dopey grin on my face for the two days between receiving the email from Mr Clark and getting laid up in bed sleeping sixteen hours a day with a jaw swollen up like a lopsided chipmunk. I told my wife it was better than winning, say, a Pulitzer because with a Pulitzer there would have been some buzz ahead of time so I couldn't possibly be as surprised and thus ecstatic as I am now.
- In addition to thanking AML for recognizing comics as a viable medium and the work of the artists in the Sunstone comics issue, obviously I need to thank Sunstone (and editor Stephen Carter in particular) for giving me the opportunity to anthologize these artists' work. I had been planning a comics anthology for a couple years with idea of publishing it through my press, Peculiar Pages, but I knew that comics are complicated and expensive and I just didn't have the wherewithal to pull it off. But now, with Sunstone's help, that herculean task has been done once. I'm hopeful it can be done again.
- Of course, recognizing the existence of Mormon comics is just a first step. Just as recognizing the existence of Mormon poetry, scholarship, fiction and cinema were first steps. Now we need to grow our production and our audience. This will happen. Comics are burgeoning in the national mainstream and I have every reason to expect Mormon comics will follow. How will it happen? I don't know. I'm just excited to be present at the beginning of this train ride. And I'm grateful for this award, because it makes me believe you're all buying tickets. Let's go get 'em punched and head on down the line.
- Dibs on a window seat.
2011-03-24
Stories in Sunstone 162 (March 2011)
.
First, as an aside, I know I know --- I haven't reviewed any Dialogue fiction since getting an online subscription. I know. I intend to.
"The Prophet Claude" by Jack Harrell
This is half of a longer story in Jack's new collection and so I am not a fair judge of what it might be like to come to this story without knowing what's missing. (Incidentally, nothing's really missing in terms of chronology --- there's a pov missing.) So while I do like this title better (the original's: "A Prophet's Story"), I find the story significantly impaired by what is lost.
Again, if I did not know what is lost, I might feel differently.
That said, it's a fascinating look at God moving into someone's life.
And the accompanying art by Galen is quite nice. Perfect for the story.
You know, I sorta discovered her. Thank me.
Borderlands by Eric Samuelsen
Eric's work is always brilliant of course, but I may have an issue with this play. I can't decide.
The conceit is a bunch of Mormons struggling with the faith for various reasons converge on a used-car lot and have conversations. The dialogue is naturalistic and fun and well written. My issue comes with the gay character. Not the gay character himself, but the reactions he receives from the other characters.
These people who are adept at viewing the world in shades of gray suddenly, when confronted with homosekshuality, suddenly become blackandwhitists? Ridiculous.
But, then, the more I thought about it, the more I wondered. In fact, maybe this is true. Maybe I am blinded by geography---?
Speaking of Sunstone, I was at their symposium last weekend (to present on Mormon comics) in Cupertino and the final plenary session was on being gay and Mormon and the confluence of those two communities and I was startled to realize that all the efforts my stake has been making to get these communities together and refriended may not be Typical. This was emphasized later when speaking with a woman lamenting that her Bay Area stake would never reach out and attempt some healing as the Oakland Stake has done.
I don't get this. As Christians, the one place our gay brothers and sisters should feel welcomed is With Us. That this may not be happening troubles me deeply. And that Borderlands may in fact be accurate in its depiction makes me sad.
Anyway, it's a good play. Not his best but truly lovely. If you're in Utah, it's playing soon. Like, next week.
First, as an aside, I know I know --- I haven't reviewed any Dialogue fiction since getting an online subscription. I know. I intend to.
"The Prophet Claude" by Jack Harrell
This is half of a longer story in Jack's new collection and so I am not a fair judge of what it might be like to come to this story without knowing what's missing. (Incidentally, nothing's really missing in terms of chronology --- there's a pov missing.) So while I do like this title better (the original's: "A Prophet's Story"), I find the story significantly impaired by what is lost.
Again, if I did not know what is lost, I might feel differently.
That said, it's a fascinating look at God moving into someone's life.
And the accompanying art by Galen is quite nice. Perfect for the story.
You know, I sorta discovered her. Thank me.
Borderlands by Eric Samuelsen
Eric's work is always brilliant of course, but I may have an issue with this play. I can't decide.
The conceit is a bunch of Mormons struggling with the faith for various reasons converge on a used-car lot and have conversations. The dialogue is naturalistic and fun and well written. My issue comes with the gay character. Not the gay character himself, but the reactions he receives from the other characters.
These people who are adept at viewing the world in shades of gray suddenly, when confronted with homosekshuality, suddenly become blackandwhitists? Ridiculous.
But, then, the more I thought about it, the more I wondered. In fact, maybe this is true. Maybe I am blinded by geography---?
Speaking of Sunstone, I was at their symposium last weekend (to present on Mormon comics) in Cupertino and the final plenary session was on being gay and Mormon and the confluence of those two communities and I was startled to realize that all the efforts my stake has been making to get these communities together and refriended may not be Typical. This was emphasized later when speaking with a woman lamenting that her Bay Area stake would never reach out and attempt some healing as the Oakland Stake has done.
I don't get this. As Christians, the one place our gay brothers and sisters should feel welcomed is With Us. That this may not be happening troubles me deeply. And that Borderlands may in fact be accurate in its depiction makes me sad.
Anyway, it's a good play. Not his best but truly lovely. If you're in Utah, it's playing soon. Like, next week.
2011-03-23
THE AMAZING STUNT READER PRESENTS
THE BLACK DOGS BY IAN MCEWAN
.
026) The Black Dogs by Ian McEwan, finished March 21
monthish
LADIES AND GENTLEMEN! BOYS AND GIRLS! FRIENDS OF ALL AGES! BEHOLD THE AMAZING WONDER READER! HE READS UPSIDE DOWN! HE READS WHILE WALKING! HE'S . . . . THMAZING THE WONDER READER!
People are amazed by the simplest things. I'm always getting people coming up to me amazed that I can read and walk at the same time. And students are consistently astounded when I read from the book on their desk which is, wait for it, UPSIDE DOWN from my vantage.
It's not that hard, people.
For a while now I've been meaning to ironically read an entire book upside down while walking. I had the thought it might be sensible to pick something in large print and as our local library had The Black Dogs in large print and because I've been wanting to read one of McEwan's more uncanny books, I chose this.
In the end, large print might not have been any easier. McEwan doesn't have the simplest vocabulary and this book is loaded with French to boot. Also --- the length of his paragraphs! And the lack of decent margins! And the crappy choice of font!
And I broke down on reading the whole thing while walking when stuck at a school activity with nothing to do but sit and read with occasional interruptions for two hours.
But I did read the entire thing with the book upside down and I would estimate 80-90% while walking.
TA-DA!
The book itself was okay. Not nearly as good as Atonement or Chesil Beach although it does share certain thematic elements.
I found the book's entire premise fine, but McEwan takes so long to get to the story every character is fixated on from page one that I wanted to strangle him. Although aesthetically it actually works out fine, it does make his narrator seem like a dope.
Basically, a young couple honeymooning in postwar France runs into two black dogs. From the experience one becomes a mystic while the other remains strictly rational. Conflict ensues.
Yeah.
Did I mention I read this book upside down?
026) The Black Dogs by Ian McEwan, finished March 21
monthish
LADIES AND GENTLEMEN! BOYS AND GIRLS! FRIENDS OF ALL AGES! BEHOLD THE AMAZING WONDER READER! HE READS UPSIDE DOWN! HE READS WHILE WALKING! HE'S . . . . THMAZING THE WONDER READER!
People are amazed by the simplest things. I'm always getting people coming up to me amazed that I can read and walk at the same time. And students are consistently astounded when I read from the book on their desk which is, wait for it, UPSIDE DOWN from my vantage.
It's not that hard, people.
For a while now I've been meaning to ironically read an entire book upside down while walking. I had the thought it might be sensible to pick something in large print and as our local library had The Black Dogs in large print and because I've been wanting to read one of McEwan's more uncanny books, I chose this.
In the end, large print might not have been any easier. McEwan doesn't have the simplest vocabulary and this book is loaded with French to boot. Also --- the length of his paragraphs! And the lack of decent margins! And the crappy choice of font!
And I broke down on reading the whole thing while walking when stuck at a school activity with nothing to do but sit and read with occasional interruptions for two hours.
But I did read the entire thing with the book upside down and I would estimate 80-90% while walking.
TA-DA!
The book itself was okay. Not nearly as good as Atonement or Chesil Beach although it does share certain thematic elements.
I found the book's entire premise fine, but McEwan takes so long to get to the story every character is fixated on from page one that I wanted to strangle him. Although aesthetically it actually works out fine, it does make his narrator seem like a dope.
Basically, a young couple honeymooning in postwar France runs into two black dogs. From the experience one becomes a mystic while the other remains strictly rational. Conflict ensues.
Yeah.
Did I mention I read this book upside down?
2011-03-21
More better books
.
===========================================================
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
===========================================================
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
===========================================================
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
===========================================================
==================================
===========================================================
Previously in 2011 . . . . :
===========================================================
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
===========================================================
024) Arkham Asylum: Madness
by Sam Kieth, finished January 19 or 20 depending on when midnight happened exactlySam 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
===========================================================
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
===========================================================
==================================
===========================================================
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
2011-03-15
2011-03-13
Light So Shine (part two)
an elders quorum lesson
(svithe)
.
[last week I shared what my eq lesson would be about; this week I'm sharing the death-of-discussion-prevention quotes I handed out (not that that's ever a problem) (because it's not)]
.
[last week I shared what my eq lesson would be about; this week I'm sharing the death-of-discussion-prevention quotes I handed out (not that that's ever a problem) (because it's not)]
.
ROBERT D HALES on Being a Lighthouse
Growing up on Long Island, in New York, I understood how vital light was to those traveling in the darkness on the open sea. How dangerous is a fallen lighthouse! How devastating is a lighthouse whose light has failed!
We who have the gift of the Holy Ghost must be true to its promptings so we can be a light to others.
“Let your light so shine before men,” said the Lord, “that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.”
We never know who may be depending on us. And, as the Savior said, we “know not but what they will return and repent, and come unto me with full purpose of heart, and I shall heal them; and ye shall be the means of bringing salvation unto them.”
RUSSELL M NELSON on Using Our Laserbeam Eyes for Good
Each member can be an example of the believers. Brethren, as followers of Jesus Christ, each of you can live in accord with His teachings. You can have “a pure heart and clean hands”; you can have “the image of God engraven upon your [countenance].” Your good works will be evident to others. The light of the Lord can beam from your eyes. With that radiance, you had better prepare for questions. The Apostle Peter so counseled, “Be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you.”
Let your response be warm and joyful. And let your response be relevant to that individual. Remember, he or she is also a child of God, that very God who dearly wants that person to qualify for eternal life and return to Him one day. You may be the very one to open the door to his or her salvation and understanding of the doctrine of Christ.
After your initial response, be ready to take the next step.
ELAINE S DALTON on Why the All the Boys Like Mormon Girls
I can see a day when the world will look to you and say: “Who are you? Who are these young women who radiate this light? Why are you so happy? Why do you know your direction in such a confusing world?” And you will arise and stand on your feet and say with conviction: “We are daughters of our Heavenly Father, who loves us, and we love Him. We will ‘stand as witnesses of God at all times and in all things, and in all places.’ ”
GORDON B HINCKLEY on How Cool Is the Priesthood?
God has bestowed upon us a gift [the priesthood] most precious and wonderful. It carries with it the authority to govern the Church, to administer in its affairs, to speak with authority in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, to act as His dedicated servants, to bless the sick, to bless our families and many others. It serves as a guide by which to live our lives. In its fulness, its authority reaches beyond the veil of death into the eternities God has bestowed upon us a gift most precious and wonderful. It carries with it the authority to govern the Church, to administer in its affairs, to speak with authority in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, to act as His dedicated servants, to bless the sick, to bless our families and many others. It serves as a guide by which to live our lives. In its fulness, its authority reaches beyond the veil of death into the eternities that lie ahead.
There is nothing else to compare with it in all this world. Safeguard it, cherish it, love it, live worthy of it.There is nothing else to compare with it in all this world. Safeguard it, cherish it, love it, live worthy of it.
QUENTIN L COOK on Everything’s Great, So Be Very Afraid!
Our day has been described as “a time of plenty and an age of doubt.” [Roger B. Porter] Basic belief in the power and authority of God is not only questioned but also denigrated. How under these circumstances can we promote values in a way that will resonate with the nonbelievers and the apathetic and help abate the spiraling descent into violence and evil?
This question is of monumental importance. . . .
My personal experience of living and interacting with people all over the world has caused me to be optimistic. I believe that light and truth will be preserved in our time. . . . As Church leaders, we have met with leaders of other faiths and have found that there is a common moral foundation that transcends theological differences and unites us in our aspirations for a better society.
We also find the majority of people are still respectful of basic moral values. But make no mistake: there are also people who are determined to both destroy faith and reject any religious influence in society. Other evil people exploit, manipulate, and tear down society with drugs, pornography, sexual exploitation, human trafficking, robbery, and dishonest business practices. The power and influence of these people is very large even if they are relatively small in number.
D&C 88:11-13 on How Our Eyeballs Engender Photosynthesis
And the light which shineth, which giveth you light, is through him who enlighteneth your eyes, which is the same light that quickeneth your understandings; which light proceedeth forth from the presence of God to fill the immensity of space—the light which is in all things, which giveth life to all things, which is the law by which all things are governed, even the power of God who sitteth upon his throne, who is in the bosom of eternity, who is in the midst of all things.
GORDON B HINCKLEY on All the Money We Spend Printing Pamphlets
“The most effective tract we will carry will be the goodness of our own lives.
THE HANDBOOK on Why We Have Callings Anyway
Leaders can best teach others how to be “true followers” by their personal example. This pattern—being a faithful disciple in order to help others become faithful disciples—is the purpose behind every calling in the Church.
THE HANDBOOK on What We Ought to Be Like—at Least, According to Jesus
Because Church leaders have been called by the Lord through His appointed servants, they represent Him and His Church. As representatives of the Savior, leaders look to Him as their example. He said: “What manner of men ought ye to be? Verily I say unto you, even as I am” (3 Nephi 27:27).
THE HANDBOOK on the Proper Manners of Ministration
The purpose of ministering is to help others become true followers of Jesus Christ. Ministering to others includes:
◼ Remembering their names and becoming acquainted with them (see Moroni 6:4).
◼ Loving them without judging them (see John 13:34–35).
◼ Watching over them and strengthening their faith “one by one,” as the Savior did (3 Nephi 11:15; 17:21).
◼ Establishing sincere friendship with them and visiting them in their homes and elsewhere (see D&C 20:47).
THE HANDBOOK on How One Person Can Work Up a Riot of Reverence
Leaders can help cultivate a reverent atmosphere at Church gatherings. In sacrament meetings, stake conferences, and similar meetings, leaders set an example of reverence as they sit on the stand. Leaders also encourage reverence by arranging for worshipful music and inspiring talks. Teachers can encourage reverence in classrooms by preparing inspiring lessons, arranging the rooms in advance, using appropriate pictures and music, and greeting class members in a peaceful, loving way. Worship services and Church classes are enhanced when the entire ward makes an effort to be reverent.
THE HANDBOOK on How Much Exactly the Church Wants You Online
Members are encouraged to be examples of their faith at all times and in all places, including on the Internet. If they use blogs, social networks, and other Internet technologies, they are encouraged to strengthen others and help them become aware of that which is useful, good, and praiseworthy. When appropriate, members are encouraged to mention the Church and to link to and share approved Church materials.
When members use the Internet for purposes other than Church callings, they should understand that the message they give is personal. They should not give the impression that they represent or are sponsored by the Church.
THE HANDBOOK on How Your Job Affects Your Temple Worthiness
Members’ Occupations, Professions, and Affiliations
Baptism into the Church, priesthood ordinations, and the issuing of temple recommends are based on the personal worthiness of each individual as established by a careful interview by that person’s local priesthood leaders. Members of the Church should endeavor to be involved in activities and employment upon which they can in good conscience ask the blessings of the Lord and which are consistent with the principles of the gospel and the teachings of the Savior.\
THE HANDBOOK on How We’ll Hang Out with the Amish
Much that is inspiring, noble, and worthy of the highest respect is found in many other faiths. Missionaries and other members must be sensitive and respectful toward the beliefs of others and avoid giving offense. Stake and mission presidents who have questions about relationships with non-Christian faiths should contact a member of the Presidency of the Seventy or the Area Presidency. Other local leaders who have such questions should contact the stake or mission president.
THE HANDBOOK on Taking Over the Government
As citizens, Church members are encouraged to participate in political and governmental affairs, including involvement in the political party of their choice. Members are also urged to be actively engaged in worthy causes to improve their communities and make them wholesome places in which to live and rear families.
In accordance with the laws of their respective governments, members are encouraged to register to vote, to study issues and candidates carefully, and to vote for individuals whom they believe will act with integrity and sound judgment. Latter-day Saints have a special obligation to seek out, vote for, and uphold leaders who are honest, good, and wise (see D&C 98:10).
While affirming the right of expression on political and social issues, the Church is neutral regarding political parties, political platforms, and candidates for political office. The Church does not endorse any political party or candidate. Nor does it advise members how to vote. However, in some exceptional instances the Church will take a position on specific legislation, particularly when it concludes that moral issues are involved. Only the First Presidency can speak for the Church or commit the Church to support or oppose specific legislation or to seek to intervene in judicial matters. Otherwise, stake presidents and other local leaders should not organize members to participate in political matters or attempt to influence how they participate.
Church members are encouraged to consider serving in elected or appointed public offices in local and national government. Candidates for public office should not imply that their candidacy is endorsed by the Church or its leaders. Church leaders and members should also avoid statements or conduct that might be interpreted as Church endorsement of any political party, platform, policy, or candidate.
Members are encouraged to support measures that strengthen the moral fabric of society, particularly those designed to maintain and strengthen the family as the fundamental unit of society.
THE HANDBOOK on “Don’t Call Me Shirley”
As the Church grows across boundaries, cultures, and languages, the use of its revealed name, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (see D&C 115:4), is increasingly important in the responsibility of the Church and its members to proclaim the name of the Savior throughout all the world. Accordingly, references to the Church should include its full name whenever possible. Following an initial reference to the full name of the Church, the contractions “the Church” or “the Church of Jesus Christ” are acceptable.
THE HANDBOOK on the Asking of Questions
The only authorized research agency of the Church is the Research Information Division of the Correlation Department. Representatives of this department use questionnaires and interviews to obtain information on issues of concern to General Authorities. When Church-authorized researchers contact members, they provide the Church’s toll-free number and a contact name at headquarters. In addition, they always allow the respondent the option of not answering any or all of the questions on a survey.
BRIGHAM YOUNG on How Much We Need to Worry about Learning Things from Gentiles
Our religion will not clash with or contradict the facts of science in any particular. You may take geology, for instance, and it is true science; not that I would say for a moment that all the conclusions and deductions of its professors are true, but its leading principles are; they are facts—they are eternal; and to assert that the Lord made this earth out of nothing is preposterous and impossible [see Abraham 3:24; D&C 131:7]. God never made something out of nothing; it is not in the economy or law by which the worlds were, are, or will exist. There is an eternity before us, and it is full of matter; and if we but understand enough of the Lord and his ways we would say that he took of this matter and organized this earth from it. How long it has been organized it is not for me to say, and I do not care anything about it. … If we understood the process of creation there would be no mystery about it, it would be all reasonable and plain, for there is no mystery except to the ignorant. This we know by what we have learned naturally since we have had a being on the earth.
WILLARD RICHARDS on Pending World Healing
I attended by request, the Female Relief Society, whose object is the relief of the poor, the destitute, the widow and the orphan, and for the exercise of all benevolent purposes. … There was a very numerous attendance at the organization of the society, and also at the subsequent meetings, of some of our most intelligent, humane, philanthropic and respectable ladies; and we are well assured from a knowledge of those pure principles of benevolence that flow spontaneously from their humane and philanthropic bosoms, that with the resources they will have at command, they will fly to the relief of the stranger; they will pour in oil and wine to the wounded heart of the distressed; they will dry up the tears of the orphan and make the widow’s heart to rejoice.
Our women have always been signalized for their acts of benevolence and kindness; … in the midst of their persecution, when the bread has been torn from their helpless offspring by their cruel oppressors, they have always been ready to open their doors to the weary traveler, to divide their scant pittance with the hungry, and from their robbed and impoverished wardrobes, to divide with the more needy and destitute; and now that they are living upon a more genial soil, and among a less barbarous people, and possess facilities that they have not heretofore enjoyed, we feel convinced that with their concentrated efforts, the condition of the suffering poor, of the stranger and the fatherless will be ameliorated.
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