Locke And Key: Spoiler Alert, I love it.

Welcome to Lovecraft cover photo source goodreads.com

Locke and Key: Welcome to Lovecraft is the first volume of the Locke and Key series. It is written by Joe Hill with artwork by Gabriel Rodriguez. It is the story of Locke family(Tyler, Bode Kinsey and their mother Nina) as they start a new life after the gruesome murder of their father. They pick up their life and move to the old family house in Lovecraft. The house just happens to be creepy and the doors are important. Also the youngest (Bode) acquires a clearly dangerous new “friend” who lives in a well.  Each member deals with the death in his or her way. We also follow his disturbed murderer teen Sam Lesser. The reason behind his death unfolds throughout the six issues as well as some of the mystery behind the house. Welcome to Lovecraft concludes in that near perfect way that connects dots and leaves more questions.

Locke and Key pretty much encapsulates why I love reading comics/graphic novels. There are some books that are difficult to warm up to due to excess of exposition. It’s a little hard to get excited read a book know you have five pages of family blood lines and descriptions of rooms to look forward to before an actual plot emerges. This is not to say that graphic novels can’t fall into this trap but it feels less likely.It is definitely not the case with this book. Locke and Key artwork, crisp dialogue and narration work together to create a very satisfying experience. Things are dark and gory but not overly so.

This would also be a good time to jump in as a reader of this award winning (2009 and 2012 winner of British Fantasy Comic/Graphic Novel and 2011 Einser Award winner for best writer) series. There are five volumes with six issues each. Very reasonable, if one were to ask me. Another selling point? Still not convinced? Well luckily for you, in 2011 a pilot was shot because this incredible series was going to be a TV series. Unfortunately, it was not to be but cross your fingers.

Here is the trailer.

 

Spoiler Free Storm of Swords Review

Like a lot of people, I didn’t know or care about the Game of Thrones world until the HBO series. I remember reading about an article on The Mary Sue about a New York Times article in which it was stated that this was ‘boy fiction.’ I didn’t read it right away because the first book seemed a little thick to read just to prove a point. I had things to do and other books to devour.  That changed after the second episode of Games of Thrones and I haven’t looked back since.

Two long books later and I finally reached the third. I have been told by everyone I know who has read it that this is the best one. These people clearly love to have their feelings messed with by George R.R. Martin. I am sitting here with about 200 pages to go and I am feeling wiped. I took a break with another book but the blue cover lured me back.  During these past few weeks or months I really don’t know at this point, I have laughed, yelled and thrown the book down. I have turned off the lights and stalked away, only to return a day or so later.

I will say this though, read it. I can’t imagine the series getting any better than this. I just cannot. I joked with De that I would do a blog post with just one word: WHY? The longer version of that post being: “WHY, SIR?”  This book makes the first two almost feel like a chore and I enjoyed the first two books.  It has some of everything (including the long drawn out descriptions of nothing that rivals Stephen King in his glory).  I won’t lie either, the racial cringe moments stand out and appear to be proud of themselves. Another one of the drawbacks could be that there are too many characters but….I can’t finish this joke without spoilers.

Again, I say read this series if you like the show, if you like epic fantasy, or if you have a bunch of free time on your hands.  Jokes about details aside, the pacing gets faster the longer you read. Tyrion’s chapters will always be the most entertaining because the character and his life master the balance of tragic humor. Martin also deserves credit for everyone else. You may not like them but you will feel their desperation in the portions written in italics. Seriously, I never thought I would care about the Onion Knight and yet I was happy to see him whenever he popped up after or before more interesting characters. Samwell also falls into this category, but he’s yards more lovable.

Enjoy Season 3!

I love you, Renee Montoya

What do you get when you mix a police procedural with a graphic novel? If you’re lucky, you get Gotham Central created by Ed Brubaker, Greg Rucka and Michael Lark. The series presents the mixed feelings regarding masked ‘heroes.’ For some reason, until this novel, I never thought they would be pissed at Batman. I had always imagined that maybe they were grateful for his help. At times, my logic is faulty. In fact, what initially kept me interested was the fact that a lot of them blamed Batman for the more creative fatal twist of crime in Gotham despite being run by a Commissioner who was pretty handy with the bat signal. My heart was not completely won, however, until the “Half A Life” storyline featuring my now favorite comic book character, Renee Montoya.

“Half A Life” ran through issues 6-10 and is basically the coming out story of Renee Montoya. She is ‘outed’ at her work place and to her parents before she was ready to tell anyone. It is unclear, in fact if she was ever going to come out. She deals with the expected harsh results from the work place (despite her immediate boss being famous lesbian cop Maggie Sawyer) and the more heartbreaking results from her parents.  Oh yea, she’s kidnapped by Two Face who is in love with her during this time but that’s neither here nor there.

Gotham Central begins my fascination with Renee Montoya but not just because they featured a woman of color lesbian cop. It was because the series took the time to go into her problems with anger that eventually escalate throughout the series and result in one awesome cover. See?

Her sexual orientation was not forgotten but it was not the only thing that was ever going on with that character.  I followed her story almost immediately throughout 52 which just resulted in me loving her more. I’m an all day sucker for a character who is going through a really hard time and becomes apathetic and drunk. I just love it. They were able to do this (and other great stories in that series i.e. Booster Gold) and still bring her back up without feeling as though we glossed over some bits.

In the end, thanks to great training and after pissing off Black Adam, which can’t really be that hard, Renee Montoya becomes what her original job and department despised…a masked ‘hero.’ She is *dramatic pause* THE QUESTION. She  even had time to date and hook up with Kate Kane aka Batwoman. In the early issues of the revamped Batwoman, The Question was given her own storyline. And then…that was it. Besides her picture on a wall in an issue in Batwoman right before she dates aforementioned famous lesbian cop Maggie Sawyer.

Which leads me to THE QUESTION. Is Renee Montoya a victim of this Reboot that DC sells as a great idea? I sincerely hope not. She is great character and there is potential for more story should someone take the time to write it and treat her with the respect that Rucka did. I haven’t given up on hope. I’m pretty sure my “Please Don’t let Lafayette Be The Body in The Car” mental chanting campaign is what kept him around for latter seasons. So…I guess I’ll be using that same hope for a character that I’ve loved for years now.  “Please Don’t Renee Montoya be just a picture a wall.” Repeat 3x a day.

Once a Hero….

“Welcome to Tranquility” is a two volume, 14 issues total comic book series created by Gail Simone and Neil George in 2007.  It is the story of a small town populated by World War II era superheroes, super villains and their families. It gives you glimpse of what happens when they age instead of staying forever young as they do in the pages of popular cape stories. Throughout the series, you get family histories and past grudges. I think it’s also interesting that you see the generations of heroes and how the younger ones evolve. They are referred to as the Liberty Snots.  It takes place in the Wildstorm Universe and is complete with references to characters. I was not aware of the Wildstorm universe when I read this book and did not feel lost. So, no need to spend hours looking members of The Authority in order to “get” this series.  It is filled with, for lack of better terms, colorful and creative characters like Emoticon, a villain who only gets more interesting. Seriously, he wears his LCD screen face all of the time that displays his emotions through….EMOTICONS!

The first six series limited issue is focused on solving the death of one of the local heroes, Mr. Articulate. The sheriff must solve mystery while also dealing with a reporter and her cameraman who just happened to be around when this all went down. As most mysteries go, things are not what they appear and within six issues, Simone’s tendency to go dark happens quickly and will leave fans with a sense of satisfaction. The mixture of humor, action and drama works really well. The second volume, Welcome to Tranquility One Foot in the Grave, has much of the same positive points as the first except the payoff does not have the same impact. It would still be worth reading; however, because it does flesh out stories more.

My favorite part of this series is the town sheriff. She is Sheriff Thomasina “Tommy” Lindo and she is the main character. Her grandfather was a superhero, The Black Glider. This was one of the biggest draws for me because she’s an African-American woman in law enforcement and in the lead. I won’t lie, seeing an African-American not being Fox from Wanted, tends to get me excited. Besides that, however, she also feels like a real character and not a magical flawless wise Negro character that teaches everyone a lesson about something.  I am usually nervous when white authors take on the task of writing black characters but I don’t remember cringing once. She doesn’t possess any superpowers, just quick thinking and quirky sayings. I also enjoyed reading storylines with her sister, Seresa Lindo. She gets more interesting the second volume.

So, in conclusion, pretty good idea to read this series. It’s short so there’s no long-term commitment and if you find that you get exhausted from learning the history of well-established characters and multiple universes then this is a nice vacation.

Saga: Quite possibly the best 2.99 you’ll spend on a regular basis.

My journey to Saga by Brian K. Vaughn and Fiona Staples was slow. The first thing I heard about Saga was the upset of Dave Dorman over the breast feeding on the cover. That link is not safe for work. It showcases Dorman’s cover art work which I guess can be seen as less offensive than breastfeeding    if you’re Dave Dorman. I was interested for two minutes and then went back to my life. Months later, I picked up my first issues of previews because Saga’s cover was the cover (and news on Fairest was featured). By the time I bought Saga, I was able to get the first two chapters. I have no regrets and so begins the review.

The issues are labeled Chapters and this is the first lovely aspect of the comic series. I am a person who invests in monthly comic issues because it’s rare that I can wait for them to bound in a trade paper back. There are times I feel as though for 2.99 (3.99 for Ultimate Spiderman) I should get quality and quantity. For the most part, I feel though I’ve read something great but the issues are so thin. Saga does not have this problem. These chapters really feel like a chapter in a book. There is some thickness to them and it’s glorious. This matters to me and it might matter to you. I shall have no problem adding this to my hold list.

However delightful, the thickness is not the only reason I’d recommend you pick up this series. It is the classic star-crossed, Romeo and Juliet type situation of two lovers from warring sides of the universe. I’m sure that’s what Shakespeare would have gone for if he thought of it first. Marko and Alana are on the run with their baby who occasionally narrates for you. Now, that is pretty much enough to catch my interest. This series goes further. In two chapters, the universe of Saga is detailed without too much exposition. There is n  The focus isn’t solely on the husband and wife team that shouldn’t be happening. There’s a war hero, a couple of free lancers, a cat that can tell if you’re lying and so much more. I feel as though Vaughn had fun with this new world and whatever weird thing he could have that didn’t suck, went into the book. Also, two words for you: Naked Robots. Just saying.

And the artwork. Fiona Staples did a fantastic job. Everything is sharply drawn and the cover was not offensive. My favorite mixture of gorgeous horror can be found in the character The Stalk. The coloring is fabulous. I just love the way this looks. I am looking forward to reading and just taking in this whole series. So far, Image Comics is winning me.

Books I hugged in 2011

I am a fan of end of the year lists and books so I combined the two. There are also links to the summaries from goodreads because I’m bound to miss something while describing why I love these books.1. Big Machine by Victor Lavalle. I have briefly talked about this book before on here. It is amazing. It’s the story of Ricky Rice’s amazing, funny, beautiful in an effed up way life. The action starts when he is invited to join a super secret society that listens for “The Voice.” He is brought together with other random people and the only thing they have in common is that they are all in some way screw ups. At times it reads like a weird X-Men story but then the curtain lifts and the story transitions. It’s pretty great and I loved it.  Good Reads Link

2. The Broken Kingdoms by N.K. Jemisin. This is the second book in The Inheritance Trilogy. I actually liked it better than the first and I loved the first. Oree Shoth is a blind artist who does something nice for an ungrateful homeless houseguest and becomes caught up in a bigger scheme when godlings start dropping dead. She discovers secrets about herself, her guests and how the world works. It’s intriguing and really nicely paced. Good Reads Link

3. Soulless by Gail Carriger. I love this entire series but I think the first book will always be my favorite. It’s a supernatural steam punky old timey alternative history romp with romance mixed in for fun. Alexia is preternatural Italian spinster in polite British society where none of those attributes make her popular. I had never heard of being soulless (which is what Alexia is) so I was intrigued. I mean supernatural beings turn human by touching her. That’s interesting. In the first story, vampires are dying mysteriously and she is blamed. With the help of an annoyed Lord Macon (alpha werewolf), Professor Lyall (beta werewolf) and the campiest gayest vampire I’ve ever read Lord Akeldama, she sets out to solve the mystery. It’s fantastic fun. Good Reads Link

4. The Hunger Games Series by Suzanne Collins. I won’t bore with details because you’ve read this site. Before seeing the movie, I suggest you read the books….even if you have read Battle Royale. Good Reads Link 

5. Game of Thrones by George R. R. Martin. This one took me by suprise. I was surprised that I loved the television series and I was surprised that I loved the first book. It’s epically long and a list of characters that really worked my soap opera watching training. There are dragons, old religions, betrayal and tons of other ingredients that make this book a fantastic choice. Good Reads Link

6. The Night Listener by Armistead Maupin. I was not sure about this book as I had “Tales of the City” fatigue. However, this story of a dramatic lonely writer who just broke up with his boyfriend and befriends a boy who is dying of AIDS related complications through his radio show? Genius. Good Reads Link
7.  Anansi Boys by Neil Gaiman. Well for starters it’s Neil Gaiman and that increases the chances of me liking the book. Second, this book is delightful. It follows the adventures of the somewhat boring but very put upon son of a trickster god after the death of aforementioned god. Yea. Delightful.  Good Reads Link
8. Welcome To Tranquility Vol. 1 by Gail Simone. If I had to pick my favorite “I just found out about this graphic novel series” of 2011 that isn’t The Walking Dead? Welcome To Tranquility would win hands down. It’s a murder mystery that takes place in *drumroll* a town filled with ‘retired’ superheroes from the past. My favorite part is Sheriff Lindo. She is amazing.  Good Reads Link

And that’s it. I probably would have loved more books but this was year I got addicted to Netflix. Feel free to comment with books I should be reading in 2012.

Have You Read Fables Yet?

The buzz around “Grimm” and “Once Upon a Time” should come as no surprise. Our love of adapting well known stories is hardly anything new.  Gregory Maguire has been doing it since at least the mid 1990s. Before Ron Pearlman was making you uneasy as Clay Morrow, he was Beast in the television series “Beauty and The Beast from 1987 to 1990. In fact, most of Disney’s ‘fairy tales’ are adaptions and I know I couldn’t have been the only excited 12 year old watching Brandy as Cinderella. Another stunning example comes from one my favorite graphic novel series “Fables.”

“Fables” follows the ‘real’ lives of our beloved fable/fairy tale characters living in exile from their homelands. They have been living among us in this realm for centuries without our knowledge of their identity. A majority of them live in Fabletown, a town in New York accessible only to Fables. There is also a farm for characters whose presence would be hard to explain to Mundy (non Fables, humans…us) society. This schism in the community becomes a ongoing topic that never quite goes away because even though the farm is pleasant, it still feels like a prison. In fact, a few Fables are sent there as punishment. The series covers popular Fables such as Snow White and lesser known ones such as her sister Rose Red alike.
Due to the subject matter, Willingham has a great deal to work with and so far he has done a great job. He successfully makes what could be an old trick feel new. While the series is definitely humorous, it is not without its darkness. After all, not all fables were singing birds and beautiful princesses.  The series starts with not so subtle hints that ‘happily ever after’ isn’t how the lives of Fables usually play out. For instance, there is an arguement between Snow White and Beauty (I love being able to say that) and she brings up the seven dwarfs. Snow White’s reaction clearly indicates that what happened was horrible and not up for discussion. It and other stories are discussed more in 1001 Nights of Snowfall, a prequel. This is just one twist to the stories most people grew up loving. There are some stranger ones, such as the truth about Goldilocks.

Another thing I love about Fables? It doesn’t sit still. Fables, written by Bill Willingham, began in 2002 and is on its 110 issue. During this time, the series has done a few spin offs and specials including two major  Cinderella  mini series (Cinderella: From Fabletown with Love and Cinderella: Fables are Forever) and Jack of Fables which ran for 50 issues ending March 2011. In 2009, Fables released an illustrated novel “Peter & Max: A Fables Novel.” In 2006, the aforementioned prequel “1001 Nights of Snowfall” was released. Fables Vol. 13 is a crossover between Fables and Jack of Fables. Its 100th issue was slim trade paperback with a fun game. What also enhances the series is the great artwork. The main artists listed are: Mark Buckingham, Lan Medina, Craig Hamilton, and Steve Leialoha. The covers are beautiful and the characters are well drawn.

So if you know a fan of shows like Once Upon a Time, Grimm, and books like Wicked I would definitely recommend you show her or him this series. I think those who enjoy Grimms’ Fairy tales and the stories of Hans Christen Anderson would also get a kick out of this. The feeling I had when reading this was something like the feeling I had when I found the original version of The Little Mermaid except better. I’m not saying one is better than the other, but that type of information was more fun as an adult.

Young, Gifted And Spiderman

    At this point, New Ultimate Spiderman’s race is no longer news. I think even the trolls have gone to bed on it. I admit that making Spiderman a POC was the only way to get me into anything Spiderman related after seeing Spiderman 3. I prepped myself by reading Peter Parker’s death arc and I was pleasantly surprised. There was humor, grief and a crying Fury.   I believe the funeral and the aftermath of his death were handled well and I anticipated starting the new series. I am now on issue three of the series and I can honestly say it’s interesting and solid. I haven’t been this interested in a series about teens since Runaways.

          There are so many things to like about this comic. The story begins before Peter Parker’s death. In the introduction to new Ultimate Spiderman, we see that Miles does eventually take on the role but it’s good to see how that happens. We get to see Miles the kid and his family first before Miles new Spiderman. The comic gives a little mystery to his family background during a conversation between Miles and his father about his uncle. Miles is essentially a good kid in a difficult situation. He is not only leaving home for a chance at furthering his educational experience but he also has to deal with mutant like powers in anti-mutant world. Luckily, Miles has a geek for a best friend. This is good for at least 2 reasons: 1. He provides comic relief when Miles gets moody. 2. Ganke is equipped to be Miles’ fanboy guide into the superhero world.

          Perhaps, the best part for me is his reluctance to be Spiderman. There is no training montage (yet) and he isn’t cocky. I have a hard time believing he’ll be an annoying hotshot kid who has to learn fear and the need for safety the hard way. Miles is sincerely likable and appears to have a grasp on the consequences of even appearing meta human. I really hope I don’t eat those words later. Three issues in and this Marvel comic has earned a solid place on my pull list despite the 3.99.

ULTIMATE COMICS SPIDER-MAN

Written by BRIAN MICHAEL BENDIS

Penciled by SARA PICHELLI

“Pay No Attention To That Man Behind the Curtain?”

            I recently read Frank Miller’s article during which he rages against the machine. There was no surprise in my reaction because of Miller’s reputation of being…’that guy.’ I didn’t take his argument seriously because it felt like I was reading a blog by Eric Cartman. I did, however, find five minutes to write a response that I believe is equal in merit to his blog post:

“I’m tired of these old men “occupying” basic cable and improving ratings for shows like Matlock, Heat of the Night, and Walker Texas Ranger. We as this generation need to stand up and demand reruns of Murphy Brown. Fuck these old guys with their retirement money from the plant and hero worship of John Wayne. We need to band together and refuse to find the remote for them until they learn the lesson. So, in conclusion, should I want to watch tv in the middle of the week day then I should have the option to watch Murphy Brown and not be overrun with old guys fighting crime.”

                                                              *steps off soapbox*

            Anyway, this whole article raises another issue with me. My greatest reading related fear is still suddenly running out of books to read but now thanks to social media, I have one that is just as great. I fear finding out that this person’s personal views AND personality are intolerant. I fear loving a series and then finding that author’s twitter page. Oh, I’ll press the follow button and wish really hard that they’ll @ me because I’m a fangirl through and through. However, the fear does not go away. Whenever I read the letters portion of a comic book, I am waiting for the writer of this thing that I read for two hours straight to be an ass. There are some people I refuse to look up because I’m already pretty sure I’m not going to like what I’ll find. Call me craven but I just want to finish the series before I know.  For me this is not what ended my reading of Frank Miller. It had nothing to do with his personal opinions or his infamous mistreatment of female characters–I simply lost interest. Again, in this day and age, I feel lucky whenever I am allowed that option.

            And so now I turn the question to you. When  authors gets in public and proves to be racist, sexist, classist, homophobic or Frank Miller, do you stop reading them? Do their personal views somehow taint their writings for you afterwards? Can you separate the work from the author? How often is it worth the effort?

Collecting Short Stories!

Short stories weren’t always my cup of tea. To be perfectly honest, they felt like a waste of time. I was the type of reader who felt that if I was going to take my precious time and read your work, then you should give a few hundred pages to invest in your characters. To be fair, I was young and read a lot of Steven King at once. A lot. Once I got over a portion of the general sense of arrogance and entitlement a bookworm gathers since childhood, I was able to see the value of short stories. Apparently, they are pretty great. This list is short and comprised of collections of short stories that have stood out for me over the years. I will probably remember more and/or come across more collections of short stories as the years go on. I look forward to that.

1. Homemade Love by J. California Cooper- There’s a running theme in her short stories. Basically colorful characters and moral lessons. It doesn’t sound like it’d be highly entertaining but she makes it work.

2. Drinking Coffee Elsewhere by Z.Z. Packer- The cover looks a little boring. You’d be best served not to let that get to you. I enjoyed her sense of humor and her characters.

3. All Aunt Hagar’s Children by Edward P. Jones- I could try to describe why I love this collection but all I’ve got going in my head is “sooo awesome. so very very awesome.” Do you enjoy stories about black people in DC set in different decades? Do you enjoy awesome strip down yet deeply beautiful stories that make you feel like you’ve done something with your life after you read them? Then pick up this book. *drops the mic*

*picks mic back up to continue list*

4. That Thing Around Your Neck by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie- Compelling. She has a way in at least two stories of writing that feels as though there is a person giving you a guide to what happened. I enjoyed every story.

5. In Love and In Trouble by Alice Walker- I feel like writing “Color Purple Black Woman Read it” and moving on but that makes little to no sense. Listen, if you like Alice Walker then you’ll like this collection. It’s like you get Alice Walker in shorter form.

6. The Portable Promiseland by Toure-Yep. I included him on this list. Why? I was literally jumping out of my seat and I have replaced this book at least 2x in the past years. I don’t usually do that. Did he annoy me on twitter? Yes. Some of it is personal (there’s an exchange about Ugly Betty) and some of it was issues most people had him with (you already know your Toure issues). None of that, however, takes away the joy I felt in reading these stories. The stories about Soul City and citizens read like folklore and I loved it. I still love it. I believe I emailed him right after I read it (this or Soul City) just to let him I loved it.