Review: Black Canary and Zatanna: Bloodspell

Title: Black Canary and Zatanna: Bloodspell
Author: Paul Dini
Artist: Joe Quinones
Genre: graphic novel, fantasy
Published: 27 May 2014
Pages: 144
Rating: 10 / 10
Challenges: NetGalley Reading Challenge
Full Disclosure: I received a review copy of this OGN from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Synopsis:

Black Canary. Zatanna Zatara. Two of the DC Universe's brightest stars join forces to combat a deadly new threat-a chilling supernatural foe that preys on their weaknesses and unleashes their awesome powers against each other.

A year ago, Black Canary infiltrated a gang of female criminals set to pull a dangerous heist at a Las Vegas casino. Its leader was skilled in hand-to-hand combat and with more than a passing interest in the occult, specifically black magic, one nasty customer. Rather than be taken by Canary or the law, she went to her death, vowing she would get revenge on Canary and her own former gang members. Now, a year to the day later, death stalks those gang members, and Canary must turn to her friend Zatanna to help investigate. (from GoodReads)

My Review: Compared to what's happening in the rest of the DC New 52 right now, this OGN was a much-needed breath of fresh air! The story opens with a meet-cute on the side of Mount Everest that gives readers a basic understanding of our two leads: Dinah is tough and no-nonsense, while Zatanna is unsure of herself and her abilities, but willing to take a risk. There's a sisterly vibe established here that stays with the girls throughout the rest of the story. They tease each other, but there's also a mutual trust and respect that readers can see forming from the get-go.

The "Bloodspell" referenced in the title comes from a heist that Black Canary is a part of several years after that initial meeting. Tina Spettro has brought together a group of girls to help her rob the casino of her one-time lover, and she uses black magic to ensure that they won't betray her. The heist goes sideways and Tina ends up dead, but not before an excellent and pun-filled fight between Tina and Dinah takes them all over Vegas. A year later, Dinah realizes that the other girls involved in the heist are dying under suspicious circumstances and she calls on Zatanna for help.

There are several things in this story that made me smile: the lack of pre-52 continuity (Ollie and Dina are still together!), cameos by other JLA members (Superman, Elongated Man, Hal Jordan, a pretty funny/awkward introduction to Martian Manhunter), the father-daughter dynamic, the fact that Zatanna's idea of a "road trip" includes a self-driving car, the clever uses of Zatanna's powers...I could go on, but one of the highlights is undoubtedly Joe Q's art. I loved his covers on the previous run of Captain Marvel and was really looking forward to seeing him take on interiors. I wasn't disappointed! He draws female superheros in a way that makes them look beautiful and strong without being overly porny. Dinah's muscles were believable and awesome, and both leads wear their fishnets without looking ridiculously sexy. They also seem to be genuine friends who enjoy hanging out together. It made me really miss the Stephanie Brown/Kara relationship in the old Batgirl series.

Basically, it's a light-hearted story with great cartooning from Joe Q. If you're looking for an introduction to superheros or just want to have fun with characters you love, check it out.

Other Reviews:

If you have reviewed this book as well, leave me a message in the comments and I'll link to your review.

Wednesday Comics for 25 June 2014

Batman #32: The penultimate Zero Year issue finds Batman being one-upped by the Riddler (again) before finding his hideout...and discovering that the Riddler is STILL one step ahead. There's a lot of tension building up, but considering the fact that Gotham is still standing five years in the future and all the major players are still alive, next month's conclusion seems pretty enevitable. Capullo's art is nothing short of amazing, and I'm impressed he's been able to consistently illustrate this series for so long. There's also a preview for the new Grayson series which seems interesting. 

Chew #42: I continue to love this series and everything about it. Tony is awesome and has really grown into a strong, confident agent. There are some nods to previous plot threads and hints (dire warnings?) about what is still to come. The highlight, however, will always be Rob Guillory's art:

That's a Quacken, but notice anything about the cephalopods around him? There was also a flash forward to issue 60 in one panel featuring gray-haired Tony. I'm relieved that he survives, but even more nervous about Colby's fate (especially given the "doomed weddings" book at his nuptials). Fingers crossed for a happy ending!

Justice League #31: The Forever Evil storyline is over (hooray!), but we're still dealing with the fallout. At least it's interesting! I'm really curious about Luthor's angle re: joining the Justice League, and I like the new "villain," Jessica, an unwilling barer of the Power Ring. Shazam is growing me, too, with his ping pong table obsession. 

Ms. Marvel #5: A perfect ending to this first arc, and the reveal of a villain weird enough to lead us into the next one. Kamala learns to use her powers to her advantage, and even gets a pretty cool costume (which I will be replicating for DragonCon). The family dynamic - especially the father-daughter heart-to-heart - is really touching, and a huge part of what makes this book so special. 

Serenity: Leaves on the Wind #6: The mini-series wraps up (mostly) happily, but still leaves the story open-ended enough for another volume (which, according to my sources, won't be happening any time soon). This issue seemed a bit short, but it could just be that there's so much that happened and it all jumbled a bit. Mal & co. have taken on two new crew members, and now there's a mysterious new person (a clone?) hot on their heels. I've really enjoyed getting back into the Firefly universe and am sad to see it end again, but at least we have new fodder for fanfic and the potential for another comic book series...someday. 

NYC 2014: Day Three

Today Jon and I mostly hung around Brooklyn. We went to a few comic book stores, found some interesting books, and made my traditional pilgrimage to the Way Station. We also went to the City Reliquary, which was full of interesting historical and cultural artifacts:

Brooklyn also has the best street art:

After spending the day in Brooklyn, we went to a live taping of the Comic Book Club podcast at a bar in Chinatown. I hadn't listened before, but I definitely will now! It was a lot of fun, and the guest tonight was Tom King, one of the writers on Grayson:

If you listen to the show, know that I was the only girl in the entire bar, and thus the only person clapping when the guys started asking about Dick Grayson butt shots. :)

NYC 2014: Day Two

Today Jon and I went to Midtown Comics, where we found some sweet variant covers:

I especially love the Katie Cook "Moooooo-n Knight." Most of these are by Scottie Young, so we can get them signed at Heroes Con in a couple weeks. 

For lunch, we went to this Southern fusion place, Vynl, that Jon found. I had the truffle mac & cheese, which was delicious, but my favorite thing was the ladies' bathroom:

That Beyoncé mosaic was right over the toilet! They also played nothing but Beyoncé in there. Jon said the men's room was the same, but with Michael Jackson. 

After lunch we walked to Hell's Kitchen for the event that was the impetus or our trip: The Colbert Report taping! We stood in line for several hours, but it worth it because we sat in the front row. We're going to watch tonight to see if we show up. 

Dinner was at a great ramen/dim sum place owned by a former Chinese child actor. :) Tomorrow: Brooklyn!

Wednesday Comics for 21 May 2014

Batman and Robin #31: Batman teams up with Frankenstein('s monster) to track down Ra's and recover Damien's body. After a brief misunderstanding with some yetis (?), the issue ends on a "cliffhanger" that I'm betting will turn out to be the resurrection of Damien. These team-up books are starting to wear thin; I wish they'd just bring him back already and be done with it. 

Batwoman #31: This issue feels really short (probably due to the Superman preview), but a lot happens. Batwoman wraps up the Wolf Spider case. The Spider gets away, but we get definite confirmation as to his real identity (which was obvious from the start, IMHO). We also get a brief glimpse of a woman whom I'm guessing will be the next big bad. This was a pretty solid issue - excellent fight scene and some nice characterization with Kate and Mags, although it seems like they might be heading for trouble in their relationship. Why can't DC let its heroes be happy?

Forever Evil #7: This ending took FOREVER (ha!) to get here, but it was pretty satisfying when all is said and done. There's some interesting character work with Lex (his bromance with Bizarro is the stuff ships sail on), and the Crime Syndicate gets (mostly) taken care of. 

Justice League #30: I'm pretty sure this is the only series still milking the "Forever Evil" nonsense. Lex attempts to join the League, but Superman puts his foot down. Poor Clark is having a hard time concentrating because he normally filters out ambient chatter...unless people mention Lex Luthor. Which they're doing constantly. That was my favorite bit from the book. The rest was okay; I'm curious to see if Lex blackmails Bruce to get on the team or what. 

Lola XOXO #2: The storytelling was a little confusing in this issue. We met a lot of new characters, including some carnies who were forced to fight wild animals (how very Ancient Rome) and Edgar, Lola's new boss. The art is still amazing (Siya's sketchy style is perfect for the post-apocalyptic setting), but I'm wondering where the story is going. Looking forward to issue three!

Saga #19: Oh, man. I love this story so much. There was a major time jump, so now we have Hazel as an adorable toddler hiding out on a neutral planet with her crazy family. The art is gorgeous as usual (the opening page is quite...interesting), and the characters are as dynamic and lovable as ever. BUT the issue ends on a pretty heavy cliffhanger that I'm hoping is just a big fake-out, ala Lying Cat's death. 

Wonder Woman #31: Some big things are happening, and I'm so glad this book doesn't tie in to the events going on in the rest of the DCU. Diana is still adjusting to being a god and queen, Hades is gone (dead?), and the Amazons are learning how to deal with a man on the island. It's all leading to an epic battle, and I can't wait to see oh it turns out. I'm really going to miss this creative team. 

Wednesday Comics for 7 and 14 May 2014

I've been sick for two weeks now, so I skipped a week at the comic book store. These are the books I picked up for both the 7th and 14th of May.

Action Comics #31: This issue is part of the Doomed storyline that I'm not reading, but it's pretty easy to figure out what's happened so far. Superman has been infected by Doomsday, and it's slowly changing him. It's a good issue, even if I'm not going to continue the crossover. Plus: Krypto makes an appearance!

Aquaman and the Others #2: I picked up the first issue because Aquaman has been one of my favorite new 52 comics. The Others (a group of superheroes who also posess Atlantean weapons) have shown up a few times and I thought they would be interesting. This issue was okay, but I don't think I'm going to continue reading. It doesn't tie in to the Aquaman storyline; if anything there are allusions to Futures End (which I am emphatically NOT READING, despite its featuring Grifter).

Batgirl #31: Barbara finally goes to visit Ricky, who reveals something pretty shocking (but completely understandable, given the circumstances). As she's leaving the hospital, Babs gets a call from her roommate, Alysia, who's being attacked by the creepiest Batgirl villain ever. I really enjoyed this issue, especially Ragdoll. He seems like a fun addition to the Batgirl rogues gallery, and I hope to see him again. There's some shadowy conspiracy stuff going on with Nightfall that I care less about, but at least it seems like it's building toward something significant. 

Batman Eternal #5: My store was sold out by the time I got there, but it's been ordered so I should get it soon. 

Batman Eternal #6: Batman teams up with the Spectre and Batwing to take on the mystical forces surrounding Arkham. I was disappointed to get away from the Stephanie Brown and Harper Row storylines, but it's interesting to see different heroes working together. Less interesting is the inclusion of the Joker's Daughter, but I'll keep reading anyway. 

Black Widow #6: Natasha manages to capture the guy she was going after last issue, but there's an issue when she gets him back to SHIELD. I loved seeing Nat and Maria bonding. There's a bonus Hawkguy appearance and Liho gets invited into the apartment! Noto's art is gorgeous as always. His pencils perfectly capture the action sequences.

Captain Marvel #3: Carol and the Guardians of the Galaxy get control of Carol's shop away from Tic. Carol returns Tic to her planet and gets a pretty awesome smack down when she offers her services. I like that we're getting away from Earth and exoring the cosmic side of the Marvel universe. I also liked seeing Carol getting shot down, because I feel like a lot of times superheroes just assume they can "save the day" without really thinking through as to what that entails. It was a clever bit of writing on Kelly Sue's part. 

Fathom: Kiani #3: Kiani deals with the aftermath of the explosion and an unexpected friend shows up! There are still a ton of questions to answer, so I'm a little skeptical of getting a complete wrap-up in next month's final issue for this volume. Especially given what happens to Luzhin in the final panel...

Lumberjanes #2: This series keeps getting weirder. In this issue, the girls go canoing on a river. Ripley (who is my favorite, honestly) freaks everyone out with tales of river monsters. Mal especially has reservations about the trip. Of course the girls run into strange creatures and have an adventure. I love this series so much already - it's what I imagine Girl Scouting to be like in Night Vale. 

Wednesday Comics for 30 April 2014

Batgirl Annual #2: This was an interesting team-up of sorts between Batgirl and Poison Ivy. Piggy-backing off an old Bird of Prey story (featuring my beloved Starling, so you know it's from a while ago), this issue had Babs becoming increasingly frustrated with Ivy, whose health deteriorated with the change in seasons (and who tried to kill the BoP). I'm not a huge Ivy fan, but I liked this characterization of her: she's plant-based, so it makes sense that her health would fade as the seasons change. I also loved getting to see pre-betrayal Starling and look forward to the day that whole mess gets retconned. It probably would've worked better as a BoP annual, but it was a nice break and insight into one of the DCU hero-villains with whom I'm less familiar. 

Batman Eternal #4: The best issue of this weekly yet! Of course, it's co-written by John Layman and pencilled by Dustin Nguyen, which probably explains my bias. Batgirl is not dealing with her father's imprisonment very well, which leads to a confrontation with Batman (she even punches him - twice!) and to her beating up Pyg's henchmen. I'm worried for Gordon; it doesn't seem like being locked in Blackgate with a bunch of criminals he put on there will lead to a long, happy life for him. More importantly, Stephanie is still on the run from her father and may have placed her trust in the wrong person. 

Batwoman Annual #1: This was awful. I usually love Batwoman, but this annual was a confusing mess. It apparently wrapped up events from six issues ago, but all it did was make me wonder what on earth was going on. The art was not as good as normal, either. Overall I just found this disappointing, especially compared with what I've been getting from this series. 

Chew #41: Chew is consistently the funniest, most innovative comic I read every month. This issue is no exception! Tony, Amelia, and Colby head to Vegas for an FDA convention. Tony gets called in to work a case...the morning after his drunken, Elvis-officiated wedding! I loved seeing Tony work this case with Amelia tagging along because he's evolved so much as a character. It's great to see him really step up into the hero role, but I worry about what Layman has in store for him. Guillory's art is great, as usual. I especially enjoyed this splash page:

That's a tattoo of Ian Malcolm on that unisaurus's belly. There are so many great visual jokes!

Flash Annual #3: The plot of this issue alternates between present-day Barry, who is still trying to recover from the aftermath of Forever Evil, and future Barry, who is trying fighting Gorilla Grodd and trying to come back in time to kill his past self. There were two different artists on this issue which was a nice visual cue to help differentiate between timelines. Story-wise, we're building to a Flash vs. Flash showdown, and we also get the New 52 Wally West!  

Serenity: Leaves on the Wind #4: Another great issue! The gang teams up with some new faces to infiltrate a medical base and save some young women who (like River) were being used in experiments. We also check in on Zoe, who's still trapped on a prison planet but will probably get rescued by Mal and crew soon. Georges' art is beautiful - he manages to capture the actors perfectly without resulting to photorealism (which can be creepy and distracting). 

Wednesday Comics for 23 April 2014

My reviews from last week were deleted (I was trying to post from my phone and forgot to save when I finished - trust, I won't make that mistake again!), so I'm skipping ahead to the books I got on April 23rd.

Aquaman #30: My shop didn't get any copies of this, unfortunately, but hopefully I'll get one next week.

Batman Eternal #3: The triumphant return of the sinkable Stephanie Brown! Her father, the Cluemaster, is trying to kill her and she realizes that he's probably involved in all the shady stuff going down. And the police have a totally new, totally corrupt commissioner whose philosophy about capes is that they need to sort out their own business...even if it means losing a few innocent citizens in the process. I love that the action is really starting to get going, but I'm mostly excited about seeing Steph in a book again. <3 

Danger Girl: May Day #1: This issue seemed really short. A cargo ship is invaded by a group of pirates. When the lifeless body of Natalia is brought on board, the pirate leader, April, decides to revive her. Natalia has no memories of her former life, but it looks like April is going to change that. This was a decent first issue, but by the time I got invested in it, it was over. 

Dead Boy Detectives #5: Charles and Edwin return home with Crystal, who has decided to set up a detective agency in her backyard. Edwin finds their first case immediately: a young girl and her maid are trapped, upside down, in a room in the house of the local crazy cat lady. I loved this because it's the first issue of a two-part story (I like breaking up longer arcs with shorter ones), it featured cats, and the rules of being a ghost get explained. 

Fathom: Kiani #2: Kiani doesn't trust Luzhin, but since he's also a Blue (and claims to know where her sister is), she pretends to trust him. I was honestly hoping for more of Kiani and Dante (I liked seeing her interact with a human - the hug is adorable!), but she's a soldier rather than a baby-sitter so I can understand the necessity. I don't understand why she agreed to work with Luzhin, though. He doesn't give her proof of Anika's life so much as show her the technology they used to locate her. And when he hooks her up to a bunch of equipment, her power levels spike and she blows up the entire complex. So, not a super-trustworthy guy.

The Flash #30: The Flash was one of my surprise favorites when the New 52 launched. I wasn't a big fan of the scarlet speedster in his previous incarnations, but the story and art of the new series blew me away and I was hooked. I was a little worried about having a new creative come on board, but I'm a big fan of Venditti and Jensen and have complete faith in where they're taking my now-beloved Barry. This issue focused on Barry getting checked out by the force psych in order to get cleared for active duty (having survived the Crime Syndicate...somehow...) interspersed with him leaving mid-evaluation to clean up the city and save people. It was a fun re-introduction to the story for new readers and gave us an intriguing new storyline in form of future Flash.

Soulfire #4: Mal gets jealous when an angel shows up to act as the beacon to the cult of Gabriel's Voice. P.J. and Benoist discover who's been trying to hurt them. Grace gets closer to her new friend Vanyss. All three storylines are heating up, and there's a pretty major twist in the final page that I probably should've seen coming. The art is gorgeous, as usual. I especially love the designs of Michael and Vanyss. 

Wednesday Comics for 9 April 2014

This was a light week for me; I only picked up 5 books! (I have a copy of Lumberjanes waiting for me at Criminal Records when I go to Atlanta this weekend, too!) Next week is not looking as wallet-friendly...

Batgirl #30

Babs deals with the death of Dick Grayson by fighting an urban legend unwittingly unleashed by some drunk teenagers. It's equal parts horror movie and sad farewell, with a nod to the supernatural elements from the Silver storyline and an ending that foreshadows more trouble for Gotham. I'm not a fan of the horror genre, so this wasn't my favorite Batgirl issue. I also didn't buy the really subdued mourning Babs was doing over her recently horribly killed ex-boyfriend. On the other hand, it could be that in the New 52 Dick and Babs never had a romantic relationship. Either way, I expected more, especially after Babs's reaction to Damien's death. 

Batman Eternal #1

I'm a little (extremely) disappointed Stephanie Brown didn't show up. Batman and Gordon team up to fight Professor Pyg and Gordon inadvertently causes a fatal subway accident. The stuff with GCPD and all its crooked cops could be interesting, but I'm really just holding out for Steph. 

Captain Marvel #2

Carol is an Avenger in space! She meets up with the Guardians of the Galaxy and hijinks ensue. This was my first experience with the Guardians and it was pretty fun. I'm definitely looking forward to the movie (I suspect that's the reason for the crossover) and enjoyed getting to see Carol interact with Rocket. 

Side note: I'm loving all the pet-friendly Marvel comics! 

Nightcrawler #1

I love Nightcrawler, but I haven't been keeping up with the X-books. Apparently he died a while ago? But now he's back with no explanation. It's waved away as an "X-man thing." I'm not complaining: trying to explain HOW he came back would probably be annoyingly nonsensical. It's much better to just celebrate his return. The issue opens with Kurt adjusting to his new world at the Jean Grey School by fighting Logan in the Danger Room. He's been recruited by Storm to teach at the School, but that gets put on hold when he visits Amanda (and a bunch of chibi-Nightcrawlers he calls his bamfs, which really confused me). She gets attacked by a giant robot guy, and they decide to work together to figure out why. I'll admit, I wasn't expecting much; my last experience with Claremont was Gen13 and was a huge disappointment. This first issue was a lot of fun, and I enjoyed the art. The chibi-Nightcrawlers are especially delightful!

Lola XOXO #1

This was a surprise for me; I didn't realize it was coming out today, but my shop is pretty good about ordering all the Aspen titles for me. The art is gorgeous! The titular Lola is a young woman living in a post-apocalyptic America. She was separated from her parents as a child just before the attacks that turned America into a wasteland. After years of living in relative safety, she decides to strike out on her own and find her parents. Lola is impetuous and apparently able to fend for herself, so I'm looking forward to seeing where this series goes. Plus, the Siya Oum art! So pretty. 

Pick of the week goes to: Nightcrawler #1! Pretty much for this panel alone:

Thursday Three: Comics!

What is Thursday 3? It's a new weekly meme, hosted by Tasha, in which we will be discussing our love/hate relationship with our current read.

Here is how Thursday 3 works:

Take your current read, or book you previously finished, and tell me the following 3 things about it.

Character from the book you LOVE (This can be a character you want as your BFF or someone you want to take home to meet the parents)

Character from the book you HATE (This character does not have to be the villian, just someone you disliked)

Your overall LOVE/HATE of the book. (If you haven't decided your feelings for the book yet, or if you prefer, just provide a snippet from the book containing either the word "LOVE" or "HATE")

I wasn't going to post a Thursday Three today because I'm still reading A Feast for Crows (I read the other ASOIAF books in 2-3 days, if that gives you an idea of my feelings towards this book), but the I realized I could write a post about the comics I picked up today instead! I'm really digging the new DC 52 - today's haul included Aquaman #4, The Flash #4, The Guild: Zaboo, Batman #4, and Voodoo #4.

Character I LOVE: Zaboo! He's played by Sandeep Parikh on the web series The Guild, and the comic was written by Sandeep and Felicia Day, the creator and writer of the show. The character is lovable and exasperating, and I think the comic did a great job of showing how he got that way.

Character I HATE: the law enforcement in Coastal City! Seriously, Aquaman just saved a bunch of people - give the man some respect! At least Aquaman got a dog out of the ordeal.*

My overall LOVE/HATE of the book: I love all the comics I picked up today (why bother reading them otherwise?), but I have to admit that I'm most surprised by my affection for Aquaman. He used to be the biggest punching bag in the DCU, but between his shark-telepathy in last week's issue of Justice League and his sensitivity in this week's issue of Aquaman, he's really growing on me and quickly becoming one of my favorite heroes.

* When I told my boyfriend about Aquaman's new pet, he suggested the name "Run," so that he could be referred to as "sea-dog Run." Ah, puns.

Review: Fables #12: The Dark Ages

Title: Fables #12: The Dark Ages
Author: Bill Willingham
Illustrators: Mark Buckingham, Peter Gross, Andrew Pepoy, Michael Allred, David Hahn
Genre: Graphic Novel, Sci-Fi/Fantasy
Published: August 2009
Collects Issues: 76 - 82
Pages: 192
Rating: 9 / 10
Challenges: Graphic Novels Challenge, A to Z Reading Challenge
Awards: Fables has won 12 Eisner Awards so far

Synopsis (from the back cover):

The great war between Fabletown and the mighty empire of the Adversary is over, and the victorious free Fables have brought their defeated enemy back from the Homelands to join them in exile. Their celebrations, however, are destined to be short-lived. As it turns out, not even beloved storybook heroes can escape the law of unintended consequences. In the post-war chaos of the Adversary's former realm, a terrible force is about to be unleashed - an evil that threatens not just Fabletown but the entire mundane world.

My review: I was a bit worried about how Willingham et al would keep the Fables story going after ending the big bad war in War and Pieces. My fears turned out to be completely unjustified, as this was an amazing (albeit sad) book and perfectly set up the next great arc in the Fables saga.

Fair warning: SPOILERS to follow. I'll try not to give away the big ones, though.

The book opens with Geppetto being escorted around Fabletown by Pinocchio, who's trying to get him adjusted to life after ruling the Empire. Not everyone is happy with the newest Fabletown resident, but I thought it was interesting to hear Geppetto's side of the story. He believed he was acting for the greater good, so sacrificing a few thousand lives was worth it, because in the long run he saved billions, or so he claims... Now that the Fables have taken him out of power, he believes the other worlds will suffer even more.

Geppetto's warnings seem to have merit, though, as back in a recently-freed-from-the-Emperor-land a pair of marauders unknowingly release a very powerful new enemy. This new adversary wants revenge on the Fables for taking away his magic and using it themselves, and he means business. The Fables are forced to evacuate The Woodland and move upstate to the Farm after the magic spells holding their community together begin to crumble. Baba Yaga comes back, and although she didn't get to do much in this book I'm curious to see what havoc she'll wreck in the next one. Even Frau Totenkinder is scared!

The main purpose of this book seemed to be setting up the new big bad and the next event in the Fables series: The Great Fables Crossover (with Jack of Fables, an offshoot of this series that I also really enjoy)*. The other big part of the story was the death of a character (one of my personal favorites) that brought up questions of what happens to the Fables when they die. We've seen some come back (there are always three little pigs, for example, and Snow White managed to survive a gunshot to the head), so I'm hoping this character will reappear at some point, too. But it was still an emotional arc and really made me question just how great a surgeon Dr. Swineheart is. He seemed like a bit of a pompous jerk, actually, but that could've just been me projecting because of the way he was treating said beloved character.

There was also a smaller mini-story that dealt with Mowgli returning to a jungle world with Bigby's brothers that was a bit more light-hearted and I nice diversion from the darkness in the rest of the book. Oh, and Flycatcher's back! That was one of my grumbles with volume 11, so it was nice to have him back...even if he is still clueless about his relationship with Red Riding Hood.

If you've reviewed this book as well, leave a message in the comments and I'll link to your review.

* I read Fables and Jack of Fables in trade format, so I haven't had a chance to read the crossover stuff yet. My friends who have read it were less than thrilled with the resolution, but I'm still looking forward to it. Unfortunately, it won't be out in trade format until NEXT FEBRUARY. Sigh.

Lots o' Links: Comic-Con Wrap-Up Edition

I had so much fun putting together last week's Blog Post BINGO post that I've decided to do it again! This time, it's a collection of links I've been reading about Comic-Con 2009. I couldn't go, so I'm living through the lucky thousands that did.

* First up, the trailer for the new Alice in Wonderland. It's not coming out 'til next year, but I cannot wait:

Alice in Wonderland (2010) at IGN.com

(via BWE)

* SCI FI Wire has a recap of the Chuck panel. And Jeffster performed!

* Scott Allie discusses the future of Dark Horse Comics. The highlights? More Joss Whedon comics! Including a Dr. Horrible one-shot, a Serenity mini-series focusing on Shepherd Book, a Serenity one-shot written by Patton Oswalt, and a Guild comic written by Felicia Day. Yay!

* I'm not sure how I feel about this movie, but here's three clips from the upcoming The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus:


(via Wired)

* Also from Wired, my girl crush Kristen Bell talks about her role in Astro Boy.

* BoingBoing Gadgets has photos of various toys for sale. There are a bunch in this Flickr pool, too.

* And finally, The Park Bench has a recap of the event from a first-timer: Preview Night, Day One, Day Two, Day Three (make sure you check out the video she links to in that one, especially if you're a Doctor Who/Torchwood fan...rowr), and Day Four

I really want to go next year. Who's coming with me? :)

Weekly Geeks: Tuesday's Quote

Today's quote comes from Watchmen, by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons:

Laurie Juspeczyk: Hey, you remember that guy? The one who pretended to be a supervillain so he could get beaten up?
Dan Dreiberg: Oh, You mean Captain Carnage. Ha ha ha! He was one for the books.
Laurie: You're telling me! I remember, I caught him coming out of this jeweller's. I didn't know what his racket was. I start hitting him and I think "Jeez! He's breathing funny! Does he have asthma?
Dan: Ha Ha Ha. He tried that with me, only I'd heard about him, so I just walked away. He follows me down the street - broad daylight, right? He's saying "PUNISH me!" I'm saying "No! Get lost!"
Laurie: Ha Ha Ha. What ever happened to him?
Dan: Well, he pulled it on Rorschach, and Rorschach dropped him down an elevator shaft.
Laurie: PHAAA HA HA HA! Oh, God, I'm sorry, that isn't funny, Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha!
Dan: Ha Ha Ha! No, I guess it's not...
Laurie: Ahuh. Ahuhuhuh...Jeez, y'know, that felt Good. There don't seem to be that many laughs around these days.
Dan: Well, what do you expect? The Comedian is Dead.

Movie Reviews

Like millions of other people this weekend, I attended the opening night of the Watchmen movie. As a fan of the graphic novel, I have been waiting for this for FOREVER, and I was not disappointed. Quick synopsis of the movie, for anyone who's been living under a rock:

Watchmen is set in an alternate 1985 America in which costumed superheroes are part of the fabric of everyday society, and the "Doomsday Clock" - which charts the USA's tension with the Soviet Union - is permanently set at five minutes to midnight. When one of his former colleagues is murdered, the washed up but no less determined masked vigilante Rorschach sets out to uncover a plot to kill and discredit all past and present superheroes. As he reconnects with his former crime-fighting legion - a ragtag group of retired superheroes, only one of whom has true powers - Rorschach glimpses a wide-ranging and disturbing conspiracy with links to their shared past and catastrophic consequences for the future. Their mission is to watch over humanity... but who is watching the Watchmen? - from imdb

There's a lot going on in the graphic novel, and the movie managed to capture almost everything perfectly. There were a few changes (the ending was a big one, but I liked it), but the majority of the story translates really well. I was especially happy with the characters. Rorschach, my personal favorite, is just amazingly deranged, and Dan/Nite Owl is lovably shlubby. Other things I liked: the music (Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah," Bob Dylan's "The Times They Are A Changin'," Jimi Hendrix's "All Along the Watchtower," and Nena's "99 Luftballons"), the opening title sequence, and Bubastis. The only thing I didn't really like is the fight sequences. One of the most amazing things about these characters is that they don't have superpowers - they just work out a lot and have no fear. In the movie, it seemed like they have speed and super-strength, which confused my movie-going friends who hadn't read the comic yet. But that was a minor quibble, really, when compared with the rest of the movie. It's a bit long (almost 3 hours), but worth every second. I can't wait for the DVD to come out, because I know I missed a bunch of stuff in the background (I caught the graffiti welcoming Vietnam as the 51st state, but I'm sure there was more) and I'm looking forward to watching the movie again.



Another movie that I saw recently and really enjoyed was Coraline. I've been meaning to write this review for forever. I had already planned on seeing the movie just because it looked amazing, but watching and reviewing it is part of my Dream King Challenge. Synopsis from the back of the book:

When Coraline explores her new home, she steps through a door and into another house just like her own...except that it's different. It's a marvelous adventure until Coraline discovers that there's also another mother and another father in the house. They want Coraline to stay with them and be their little girl. They want to keep her forever.

Coraline must use all of her wits and every ounce of courage in order to save herself and return home.

Coraline is a visually stunning movie. It was filmed using stop-motion animation and 3D, and everything (including the tiny, hand-knitted sweaters!) was created by hand. It remains (mostly) faithful to the Gaiman book that it's based on: Coraline is feisty and the Other Mother is appropriately creepy. The biggest change (at least, the one that bothered me the most) is the introduction of Wybie, Coraline's neighbor in her new house. He's an okay guy, and I can't really say why I disliked him without giving away the ending. But that minor detail aside, this is an amazing movie. I loved the 3D, especially when Coraline opens the doorway to the Other house. The other characters (mother, father, cat, and crazy neighbors) are all great. It's a semi-scary movie, but I'm sure even little kids would be delighted by it. I found it completely charming, and highly recommend it.

Free Comic Books!

Tying in with the release of Sword of My Mouth, Jim Monroe is offering his graphic novel Therefore Repent as a free download:

What if the religious right… are actually right?

Without warning, multitudes of Christians float bodily up into the sky.

For the immoral majority, life goes on pretty much as usual.

Except that after the Rapture, magic works — for those willing to risk demonic mutations.

And an angelic army appears to have been deployed to mop up the sinners.

But through it all, outsiders Raven and Mummy face the possibility of a bigger problem than the end of the world: the end of their relationship.

And Marvel has a preview of the first five pages of the new Pride and Prejudice comic book (!!!!) available for your viewing pleasure here.

Review: Fables #11: War and Pieces

Title: Fables #11: War and Pieces
Author: Bill Willingham
Illustrators: Mark Buckingham, Steve Leialoha, Niko Henrichon, Andrew Pepoy
Genre: Graphic Novel, Sci-Fi/Fantasy
Published: 19 November 2008
Collects Issues: 70 - 75
Pages: 177
Rating: 9 / 10
Challenges: Graphic Novels Challenge, Winter Reading Challenge, Sci-Fi Experience, A to Z Reading Challenge
Awards: Fables has won 14 Eisner Awards so far

Synopsis (from the back cover):

Fables Attack! The final battle between the free Fables of the mundane world and the Empire occupying their former Homelands is about to begin, and the scrappy storybook heroes have already managed to even the odds considerably. With his previously unstoppable wooden soldiers neutralized, the Adversary is about to get his first taste of high technology in the form of steel-jacketed bullets and laser-guided bombs. But the ruler who conquered a hundred different worlds didn't do it by fighting clean - and he's still got a surprise or two left to spring on the residents of Fabletown

My review: This was the first book I read in 2009, and I don't think I could have made a better choice. In War and Pieces, the war against the Adversary reaches it conclusion, and I found it very satisfying. The story starts out with Cinderella's clandestine mission to get the upper hand on the Empire; watching Cindy in super-spy mode made me wish she had her own spin-off. It would be just like Alias! And seeing Beauty's confused/enraged reaction to Cindy getting her own mission ("SHE-ONLY-SELLS-SHOES!") is priceless.

The war itself is told through Blue's perspective, and I really felt sympathy for him in this book. He's melancholy because he's been rejected by Rose Red (he has the worst luck with women!) and because being in the war reminds him of the past. He's a key figure, though, because he's able to use the Witching Cloak to keep the front lines supplied and to keep all the bases up-to-date. There's also a scene towards the end that had echoes of Blue-as-Neville in the final Harry Potter book, which made me love him even more.

There's so much to enjoy in this book. The conclusion of the "War with the Empire" story arc, of course, but also the return of some characters and plot points we hadn't seen in a while (Briar Rose turns out to be pretty important, and the zephyrs and magic beanstalk also have parts to play in the war). Prince Charming actually turns out okay in the end, which was pretty amazing. Flycatcher is mentioned but never seen, but after giving him his own story arc I guess that's forgivable.

I highly recommend this book to everyone - Fables is one of my favorite comic books, and this is a an impressive end to a long-running storyline. I'm glad the creators opted not to finish the Fables series with the end of the war, because I love the world they've created and I'm looking forward to more.

Other reviews:
BoingBoing
Fyrefly
Nymeth

If you've reviewed this book as well, leave a message in the comments and I'll link to your review.

Graphic Novels Challenge

Click here for the main page.
Rules:

1. Choose a level of participation:
Minor: Read 6
Major: Read 12
Masters: Read 18
Doctorate: Read 24

2. Challenge begins Jan 1, 2009 and ends Dec 31, 2009. You may join at any point during the year.

3. Can I Overlap? Titles may overlap with any challenges and your list can change at any time.

4. Join the Blog!

Of course I'll be doing the Doctorate level. :) Here's my list so far:
1. V for Vendetta, Alan Moore
2. 300, Frank Miller
3. The Hard Goodbye, Frank Miller
4. A Dame to Kill For, Frank Miller
5. The Big Fat Kill, Frank Miller
6. That Yellow Bastard, Frank Miller
7. Family Values, Frank Miller
8. The Doll's House, Neil Gaiman
9. Dream Country, Neil Gaiman
10. Season of Mists, Neil Gaiman
11. A Dream of You, Neil Gaiman
12. Fables and Reflections, Neil Gaiman
13. Brief Lives, Neil Gaiman
14. World's End, Neil Gaiman
15. The Kindly Ones, Neil Gaiman
16. The Wake, Neil Gaiman
17. A People's History of American Empire, Howard Zinn
18. Palestine, Joe Sacco
19. Death: The Time of Your Life, Neil Gaiman
20. Death: The High Cost of Living, Neil Gaiman
21. Blue Monday: Thieves Like Us, Chynna Clugston
22. Stephen Colbert's Tek Jansen, John Layman
23. Coraline: The Graphic Novel, Neil Gaiman
24. The Dangerous Alphabet, Neil Gaiman

I should just call this the "Neil Gaiman (and some guys) Graphic Novel Challenge."

Read and Reviewed:
1. Fables #11: War and Pieces

Weekly Geeks #25: Holiday Gift-Giving Guide

This week's WG challenge: a books-based Weekly Geeks Gift Giving Guide!

1. Think about the books that you and people in your life love. It’s best to use more obscure books, because we’ve all heard plenty about the more popular ones.

2. Come up with categories, based on relationship, personality, or whatever else you like. I think this is easier to do once you have your books in mind; you can then just assign categories to those books.

3. Post your own gift giving guide! Add short blurbs about the books, just enough so that your readers can determine if it’d be a good gift for people on their list. Don’t forget to come back and sign Mr Linky.

4. Visit other Weekly Geeks, and if you like their guides, maybe add links to the bottom of your own.

I know it's late, but I was really excited about this WG theme and wanted to share my ideas. Here goes...

For that friend who made sure you were registered to vote and then pestered you endlessly about how great Obama is:
Anything by Christopher Buckley. The man is a genius at Washington satire. His most famous novel is undoubtedly Thank You For Smoking, which was made into a pretty awesome movie starring Aaron Eckhart (pre-Batman). He has plenty of other great books, too.

In Boomsday, Washington spin doctor and nighttime blogger Cassandra Devine comes up with an unusual way to help defray health care costs. Supreme Courtship, Buckley's newest novel, has a reality show judge being appointed to the Supreme Court. Little Green Men examines what happens when a Beltway insider finds himself abducted by aliens. And for the feminist, Florence of Arabia, in which the youngest wife of an Arabian prince decides to use TV to help women all over the Middle East gain their freedom and independence. Optional: print out a few pages of The HuffPo and use them as gift wrap.

For the reluctant reader:
The 39 Clues #1: The Maze of Bones, #2: One False Note (available for pre-order; it comes out next week), and Card Pack #1

This is a pretty smart idea. The 39 Clues is a mystery series about Dan and Amy Cahill, siblings who have been chosen to find the Cahill fortune. But they're not alone! Several different descendants are also on the trail, and readers can play along. Each book (there will be 10 in the series) comes with 6 collectible trading cards (350 are available in all) which can be registered on The 39 Clues website to help unlock puzzles, games, and more clues. There are special prizes for each country, so no one has an advantage. There are also Card Packs, which have 16 random cards (there are 56 total in this first series), including at least one rare or ultra-rare in each pack. Sounds confusing? Your Pokemon- or Naruto-obsessed son/little brother will understand, and have a field day with it.

For the Jimmy Buffet fan/environmentalist:

I've sung the praises of Carl Hiaasen before, and I'm going to do it again. The man is funny, and his love for Florida is evident in his novels. His YA novels (Hoot, Flush, and the soon-to-be-released Scat) are perfect for middle schoolers, and there's sure to be something in his other novels for the adults in your life. If you live in the UK and enjoy musical theater, why not buy a copy of Lucky You and include tickets to the show as a bookmark? Actually, a great way to package any of these would be to get a metal bucket and stuff it with one of the books, a copy of Songs You Know By Heart, and a few Coronas. Your beach bum friends will thank you.


For the comic book lover:
Everyone loves Fables, but there's another Vertigo comic that's equally amazing: Y: The Last Man. In the near future, a plague kills off every animal on earth with a Y chromosome. Yorrick Brown, English major and amateur magician, is the only male on the planet to survive, along with helper-monkey-in-training Ampersand. The books follow his adventures to find his missing fiance and to discover how he survived the plague.

Other graphic novels: Watchmen (read it before you see the movie!), or, for those who are already fans, Watching the Watchmen. Fans of Neil Gaiman's Sandman series will get a kick out of The Little Endless Storybook, The Dead Boy Detectives, or Death: At Death's Door.

Some other random ideas:
My family is making gifts this year. I've bought a few books for gifts, but the majority of my shopping will be spent finding supplies for these:
Cake in a Mug - put all the dry ingredients in a plastic baggie, include the instructions, and gift it with a thrift store mug. Instant yum!

If you're crafty, Lion Brand Yarn has some really cute amigurumi patterns up on its site. I made this penguin for a friend of mine in no time. There are tons of other free amigurumi patterns available, plus projects for kids and ideas for pets.

I'm also a big fan of mixtapes - er, mixCDs now, I guess. My Secret Santa gifts this year will include my awesome holiday mix, which features Christmas songs by Atlanta area bands. A good place to find music is last.fm: search for the type of music you want, and it lets you listen to full-length songs. It also has some some free mp3 downloads, which is nice. Sign up for an account, and it learns your musical taste and starts recommending stuff to you. Pretty sweet.

On reunions and death, part 2

I wasn't going to check my Reader, but then I decided that checking my "comics" tag would be really helpful, because who doesn't love comics? I know they usually help cheer me up. And I really needed to clear out a few of those 300+ items.

So...this was the most recent Penny Arcade comic.

Not that I'm planning revenge or anything, but it made me smile.

On reunions and death

I apologize in advance for the depressing, reflective nature of this post. It's been a while since I've felt the need to go all emo!kid on a blogpost. This weekend has been bittersweet for me. Yesterday, my mom picked me up after school and we drove down to Statesboro for GaSoU's homecoming. Mom was the only person I could find who would come with me, and I didn't mind because she's one of my favorite people in the world. I graduated five years ago, and the only reason I wanted to go back this year was because the Honors Program had arranged for a reception, and I knew (courtesy of facebook) that a lot of my college friends would be there. There was really one in particular that I really wanted to see, though: Holly*. She was one of my best friends for those four years. We lived in the same dorm when I was a freshman and she was a sophomore, and we ended up taking the same Spanish class first semester. I still remember having to introduce her to the rest of the class that first day - it was one of those silly "getting to know you" things teachers do, but because we were in an intermediate Spanish class, it had to be en Español. The majority of my happy memories from college are tied to Holly: going to Waffle House in the middle of the night to write Harry Potter fanfic, driving to Savannah and singing the "Once More with Feeling" soundtrack in harmony, doing callbacks to Rocky Horror Picture Show at the Russell Union...not to mention all the English classes, Jennifer Nettles concerts, and UHP stuff we did together. We had our rough patches, to be sure, but I always thought we'd be friends forever.

When I graduated, Holly was one of the few people I made an effort to keep in touch with. It got difficult: she rarely responded to my IMs, was too busy to e-mail or phone, and I guess we both drifted apart. I'd try to call and renew contact every year or so, but always with the distinct impression that she didn't really care that much. Then, last year, I joined facebook. Holly sought me out and sent me a friend request, and asked me to join a few groups she had started. Encouraged, I wrote on her wall and waited for the friendship to pick back up.

It didn't.

Which is pretty heartbreaking. I mean, why bother friending someone if you're not going to...you know...be their friend?

Flash-forward to last month. I received an e-mail from the UHP alumni relations, telling me about the reunion/reception. I also got an invitation through facebook, thanks to another "friend from college" that I haven't actually had contact with since accepting their friend request. I spent a frantic week trying to find someone, anyone, to go with me - the drive to Statesboro is boring at the best of times; in the current economic climate, it would be downright painful - before managing to talk my mom into it. Knowing that Holly would be there (along with several other people that I hadn't seen in five years) and believing that I would finally get a chance to talk to her about what she had been up to made me giddily eager for the night to begin.

We got there late and ended up having to spend the first hour or so at a table full of strangers. But then, finally, we were told to mingle and given an opportunity to walk around. I spotted Holly across the room with a group of mutual friends, and practically made a beeline for her.

(You can see where this is heading, right?)

She ignored me completely. I think she might have given me one of those "O hai" head-nod-jerks, but that was about it. And then the whole group - a group of people that I once considered my closest friends in the world - left. The night wasn't a complete bust: I did get a chance to hang out with some other friends, and had a great time with them, but it wasn't the same.

This morning, I asked Mom if we could go for a walk around campus. It's changed so radically since I was in school! Most of the buildings that I really wanted to look at were closed, but we did get into the completely renovated library. And guess who we ran into?

Some teeny, tiny part of me hoped that maybe the night before had been a fluke; maybe they didn't realize that they had totally snubbed me. Surely fate had brought us together (again) so that I could reconcile with my former friends. Right?

Nope. Mom made some excuse and left, giving me a chance to talk without her around. But that didn't matter. I tagged along, feeling like an outsider and trying to make conversation. I asked Holly about her post-collegiate life and was rewarded with a smile and a very succinct answer. I probably only stayed with them for five minutes, but it felt like five incredibly awkward hours. Only one person - Jennifer*, the sweetest person in our group, then and (it would appear) now - made an effort to talk to me. When Jennifer mentioned that she needed to go back downstairs to meet some other people, I said my goodbyes and left with her. I told her, on the elevator ride back, how much I had been looking forward to seeing everyone. She offered no explanation for their behavior and I, not wanted to offend, didn't press. She seemed sympathetic, though, and asked me to keep in touch.

The minute we got back into the car, I unloaded my frustration and hurt on Mom. She gave me the usual Mom-like advice, which was nice but didn't really help. The whole experience saddened me, but it also made me thankful for the friends that I have and still keep up with.

But wait, there's more!

One place I insisted on visiting was the old comic book store. I spent so much time and money in that place, it was like a second home to me. As it turned out, the original store had been sold and closed down, but luckily Mom agreed to help me find the new location. She waited out in the car while I went in, promising not to buy anything.

Unfortunately, this was the first thing that caught my eye:


A tribute to Michael Turner. My favorite comic book artist. A man I actually met in the flesh and totally fangirled over. An incredibly beautiful, talented, and strong human being. He died over the summer, and until I walked in that store, I had no idea. Once I got over the shock, I actually started crying. IN THE COMIC BOOK STORE. And then I had to buy the book, and go out and explain to Mom exactly why I had bought a book when I said I wasn't going to, and of course she understood. I opened it up a few times on the trip back and started reading it, but I kept having to stop because it upset me so much. It seems strange to be so emotional about the death of someone I didn't even know (especially four months after the fact) but I think it was that plus the disappointment of (not really) seeing my friends that did it.

So, that's my really pathetic weekend. Now I'm off to my sister's; we're going to a wedding tomorrow. I have 300+ items waiting for me in my Google Reader, several book reviews and a NaNoWriMo novel to work on. Not to mention a lesson plan about To Kill a Mockingbird to create. If you've stuck with my rambling for this long, thanks. Writing is so cathartic; I really didn't want to have to drive with this weighing so heavily on my mind. Hopefully tomorrow will be better - maybe I'll catch the bouquet or something equally horrifying. :)

* Names have been changed, blah blah blah...