Saturday, December 25, 2004

Santa Heads.

The Town that Hung Santa Claus.

Jim Lee's present to the Riggs. Congrats, Robin!

Mike Sterling's Greetings.

The Comic Treadmill presents the twelve days of Christmas.

Polite Dissent's Entire Advent Calendar.

A William Gibson Christmas.

The 1914 Christmas Truce.

And lastly, I can't resist this headline: Penguins escape huge earthquake.

by Tegan at 11:47 AM Seattle time - Permalink   

Time for more nominees for the Best Comic Book of 2004 according to Bloggity-Blog-Blog-Blog.

Just an extra note. These aren't always books published in 2004... the only guarantee I make is that I first read them in 2004. So there might be a few books in here that make you scratch your head and say, "huh? I thought that was published a long time ago!" Yeah, possibly. For instance, I read Persepolis in the first few days of the new year, then read the second book as soon as it arrived at the local library. Both of them have the potential to be nominees.

Moving on to March and April, another three books get four and a half starfish: Jax Epoch and the Quicken Forbidden: Borrowed Magic, PS238 #6, and Aquaman #17. I continued to enjoy Abadazad for the remaining issues that came out, but I won't put those on the nomination list. I was also introduced to a number of excellent books like Demo, Noble Causes, Electric Girl, and Whiteout, and continued to enjoy Amazing Spider-Man. However, despite all the excellent books from these months, I think I'll just stick with the initial three.

Jax Epoch and the Quicken Forbidden: Borrowed Magic is an amazing start to an epic featuring a strong, if a bit flawed, woman. The story moves around into different dimensions and isn't entirely linear, but it's an excellent book that made me want to immediately read more. This one became an instant treasure.

PS238 #6 was the first issue that wasn't better than the previous one. That's really an amazing run. This issue featured two competing heroes, and was hilarious. Hey, I said it wasn't better than the previous one... but it was still amazingly good. Reading PS238 is kind of like eating comfort food. It's just perfect. And it reads well on rereads, too.

Aquaman #17 shows Will Pfeifer hitting his full stride on the book, with Gleason's artwork in perfect unison with the story. I wrote a ton about the book when I rapid reviewed it, and it holds up under rereads later. I tend to really like books that allow readers to go back and reread and get more out of it.

Ok, enough for today. I'm going to be around family the rest of the day. Happy Christmas.

by Tegan at 11:00 AM Seattle time - Permalink   

Friday, December 24, 2004

So, it's time to start gathering nominees for the Best Comic Book of 2004 according to Bloggity-Blog-Blog-Blog.

I decided that this year, I'm not going to limit myself to books that I rated at four and a half starfish. My reviews are rapid first impressions, and my opinions of books sometimes change in the weeks/months since I first read them. So I'm going to flit through all the shipping lists and look for books that stood out in my mind even after some time had passed, along with the ones I loved when I first read them.

Let's start with January and February. The three books that got my highest rating in those months were Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood, Aquaman #14, and PS238 #5. They make the nomination list automatically. Looking through the shipping lists, the next one that jumps out at me is Abadazad #1, which was a wonderful start to a series cut short. I'd also like to send a shout out to Common Grounds, which won't make the nomination list (sorry Troy), but definitely deserves some extra attention.

Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood covers the life of Marjane Satapi from about 1979 until 1984 as she grew up in Iran. The artwork is only detailed enough to tell the story, and yet conveys volumes. This is a book that I think ought to be required reading for anyone who wants to talk about politics of the Middle East. It's a wonderful book, and highly recommended.

Aquaman #14 was a fill-in issue from John Ostrander, and echoes my all-time favorite Aquaman story (Aquaman #13, Dec 1992 by Shaun McLaughlin) in which a young boy with AIDS goes on a journey of discovery while trying to find Aquaman. In this issue, a reporter hunts for the public's opinion of Aquaman, and finds a little more than he bargains for. While I'd hate every issue of Aquaman to be about people in the DCU's opinion of him, this was a very good issue.

PS238 #5 continued the impossible record of my giving every issue of this book my highest rating. In fact, this issue came very close to earning the impossible five full starfish. In this one, Tyler and a few friends go wandering the school at night and discover a mystery right in the heart of their home, as well as a ghost of some sort... they think. This is a thread that will continue, most recently in the latest issue. If you like superheroes and are not getting this book, you are missing out. And this issue? Yeah, I just had to go reread it. It's still one of the best stories I've read all year.

Abadazad #1 is mostly here as a tribute to what this series ought to have become. The best, the coolest, the most awesome all-ages book to come along in ages, with artwork by the incomparable Mike Ploog, writing by J.M. DeMatteis... it was the book with the best potential to come along in ages, and I found myself rooting for the recovery of CrossGen only to see more issues of Abadazad.

More nominees coming tomorrow. In the meantime, I wish everyone a happy Christmas.

by Tegan at 8:26 AM Seattle time - Permalink   

Thursday, December 23, 2004

While watching the History Channel special on the Seven Wonders of the World, I thought of what I want to leave behind when I leave this world. Not a lot, really. I'd like a very nice, very durable, plaque on a large stone with my name and dates and some fitting epitaph. I'm sure I'll think of something fitting if I live long enough. Behind the plaque, in a small and extremely secure chamber, I'd like to leave behind a small DNA sample of some sort. Yeah, I don't know how to make it last, but that's what I'd like. My body I'd like cremated, and maybe scattered in the ocean. Frankly, I've seen far too many horror movies to want to leave behind a rotting corpse. Preferably, I would share my plaque with hubby-Eric, and my ashes would be scattered with his.

by Tegan at 8:02 PM Seattle time - Permalink   

Retail at Christmastime is not fun. My feet hurt, my head aches, and I can never tell if that person who wants a refund (we only do exchanges, no refunds) is scamming us or genuinely needs to get her money back. I do my best to make everyone's holiday great: I've been on the phone with stores all over Seattle trying to find presents for customers who came too late to get the ones we had in stock up until yesterday. While we get a much better class of customer in our store than regular retail (I shudder to think of the poor saps working at Toys R Us this time of year), we still get a rude person once in awhile. And it takes just about everything I have to hold it all together and be polite after dealing with just one person who is miserable and wants to share the misery.

Only five more hours, though. Noon to five tomorrow.

At least I enjoy this job far more than my previous one.

by Tegan at 6:21 PM Seattle time - Permalink   

Wednesday, December 22, 2004

Conan #11: "The God in The Bowl": It's fascinating to see Conan getting steadily more impatient with his captors. It was also interesting to see where Conan finally snapped. He was much more patient than I expected him to be. I was slightly disappointed that the mystery wasn't really solved by the main players, but it was a good story anyway.

Green Arrow #45: "New Blood Part Six: Coming Out": It doesn't quite feel like I'm being preached to. At least, not after the first few pages. But it certainly risks going too far that way. It seemed like this one should have resolved the story, but I'm just left wondering if there is any more to it.

Green Lantern: Rebirth #3: "Yellow": Huh. Too many spoilers in this one for me to give a true reaction. Let me just say that this isn't what I was expecting... but is a neat little solution, even if it is a little... unlikely. Or maybe I'm thinking it's just convenient. Almost too convenient. Still, it might work. I look forward to seeing what all the Green Lantern fans think of this one. Mildly recommended.

JLA: Classified #2: "Master of Light": Confusing and Morrison-y, but fairly cool anyway. I like the Squire, and wouldn't mind seeing more of her adventures. I like the artwork, especially the use of iconic imagery to represent the league. Very nice, if hard to swallow in some ways.

Solo #2: Richard Corben: I didn't know anything about Corben, so I wasn't sure what to expect from this issue. Well, creepiness and gore. Only one story is set in the DCU proper, but these are pretty good overall. Nicely creepy and strange. Not really my cup of tea, but certainly pretty good overall.

Hero Squared X-Tra Sized Special #1: "Over The Looking Glass": Another review book from Atomeka Press, and the first one from them that I really enjoyed. I had a suspicion that I would like it when I saw the writers, Keith Giffen and J.M.DeMatteis. That alone was enough to make me want to read it, but add in some solid artwork and you've got a keeper. Recommended.

Still to review: Samurai Executioner Volume 2. I probably won't read it until after Christmas.

by Tegan at 8:02 PM Seattle time - Permalink   

Fred compares his Spongebob fandom to my Aquaman fandom... which isn't quite fair. Spongebob is much younger than Aquaman, and even Spongebob himself is an Aquaman fan (sort of). And they are in different realms of media. Anyway, go read Fred's defense of Spongebob.

And one other thing about Spongebob. I really wish they would release a "Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy" DVD. Not the daring duo's adventures, no, just the episodes of Spongebob that the pair show up in. Those are the episodes I most want to see, and to have in my collection.

It may be possible to take stem cells without killing the embryo. Can you imagine... if the embryo later grows into a person, to know that your cells saved lives, before you were even born? Wow. I hope this procedure gets enough funding to determine if it will work.

Movies in Lego. A little hard to read, as it's in German, but pretty cool nonetheless.

If they cancel your project, write it anyway, and become a phenom with Mac. This is the story I told you to check out, Eric. Via Various and Sundry.

Solar Power array goes live in Germany. Enough energy to power 9000 homes, with no pollution.

Beaucoup Kevin is giving away a comic book, too. There's one I might consider entering. Hmmm. Nah. Via Dorian.

And lastly, while you are in the giving spirit, I urge you to give a little to Breast Cancer research, and help me with my fund-raising efforts for the Three Day Walk while you are at it. Thanks.

by Tegan at 10:30 AM Seattle time - Permalink   

Tuesday, December 21, 2004

Marvel Age Fantastic Four #9: "The End of the Fantastic Four": Ah, Namor! This was a nice little quest book, with a fun beginning, middle, and... well, ending. This book is cute and interesting.

Plastic Man #13: "The Most Evil Book of All Time": Um. Right.

Birds of Prey #77: "Hero Hunters Part Two: Harvest": Spooky new villain, nicely flowing story, good cliff-hanger. This new style Birds might be fun. Still too soon to tell for sure, but I'm looking forward to reading more.

Identity Crisis #7: "The Hero's Life": Seems like people either liked this finish a little, or hated it passionately. I'm in the "liked a little" camp, I guess. It wasn't the earth-shaking adventure DC promised, and I had more than a few difficulties buying the motive of the villain. In short, I don't. It was a dumb reason, and didn't really add much. The second half of the book, with everyone dealing with aftermaths, just bored me. So, um, maybe I'm in the hated it group. I can't really tell. I feel like I didn't read a book that was really worth reading, but at least the art was generally good.

Girl Genius #13: I want the next issue NOW. And the issue after that... and the issue after that... and the issue after that... The only problem with this book is that it doesn't come out more often. This is definitely an issue I'm going to want to go back through page by page and revisit each step of the way for fun stuff in the backgrounds. Recommended.

Lemony Snicket's Series of Unfortunate Events: A fortunate event, a friend's kind offer, let me see this movie before it hit the second-run theaters. It appeared at first that the movie was going to be an unfortunate event, as when the lights went down, the screen remained black for awhile, then showed test patterns (upside-down) for awhile, then went black again... then the house lights came back up. But that was the only glitch in the theater, and we weren't quite certain it wasn't intentional. The movie itself? Fantastic. Truly wonderful. It does NOT follow the books religiously, but instead does something far more important... it gets the spirit of the books exactly right. The sets and costumes reflect the uncertain location/era of the story, and the music is just perfectly enhancing. There were a few false notes, mostly in the characterizations of minor characters (the judge came off much worse than in the first book), but since the spirit was so close to the books, I found that easy to forgive. This is not for young children, and as usual, the books are better than the movie based on them, but honestly, I have to recommend this one. Very fun.

Farscape [2-08]: Dream a Little Dream: Zhaan has recurring nightmares of what happened when Moya had to leave half the crew behind. This was apparently slated to be the season opener, but it was decided that it was too weak to start the season off. I understand that thinking. There's also the fact that the original story, without the framing sequence, would have been as frustrating as it gets for the viewers who wanted a resolution to the cliffhanger from last season. It's a bit of a pity they didn't run with it anyway, as this show tends to break boundaries. As a mid-season episode, it doesn't have nearly the impact it would have had if it had started the season.

by Tegan at 6:54 PM Seattle time - Permalink   

Monday, December 20, 2004

Eh, it's a good time to revisit mycathatesyou.com. The Girl Genius list pointed me to this cat, which I enjoyed, so go enjoy the whole site, if you dare. (naughty language warning).

Don't miss the PVP Christmas.

Links to Penny Postcards, including a bunch from Seattle. I particularly liked part of Seattle from an aeroplane, though the waterfront at night looks good, too.

Kaja Foglio writes of many things, including, but not limited to: the crud that will not die, being married to a famous artist, the Girl Genius movie, Cheyenne and Savannah doing Rocky and Bullwinkle, and L Frank Baum.

Rachel Hartman moves into another phase of motherhood.

Harry Potter release date to be announced extremely soon. Maybe even before I post this, who knows?

Mike Sterling is giving away Swamp Thing, so be sure to let him know why you want it. I have a book to give away, too, but I think I'll wait until after Christmas.

Fascinating article on applying sabermetrics to football.

You can order M&M's printed with messages.

by Tegan at 10:00 PM Seattle time - Permalink   

Star Trek Key Collection Vol 2: This collection reads MUCH more like Star Trek than the first one. And there are some nice bits in here too, but it's still very goofy and charmingly unTreklike. And why was Scotty so hard from the artist to get a likeness of? He looks completely wrong in the early stories, then halfway through the book finally turns into the Scotty we know and love. Your tolerance for goofiness needs to be high, but this is a fun book if you can stand it.

Comic Book Digest #3: Again, this is a great book for the price, but the featured previews just don't interest me at all. Of the many previews in this issue, the only one I had any interest in was Lions, Tigers and Bears. And this issue supposedly focuses on "All-Ages" books, although I would dispute some of those choices. Not that they aren't kid-friendly, just that they aren't reader-friendly in general. And I have to admit, there is a constant feeling that this is a Mike S Miller vanity book, and he only puts in other stories to get people like me to buy it.

by Tegan at 7:46 PM Seattle time - Permalink   

Sunday, December 19, 2004

Smallville [4-10]: Scare: I kept thinking that they were really going to do it, really introduce the Scarecrow into the Smallville universe. Well, they may not have introduced the villain himself, but there's his method of attack. Overall, not too bad. It's very good of Clark to offer himself up as the cure.

Justice League Unlimited [3-11]: Wake the Dead: Hmmm... if Aquaman was as nasty in front of Mera as he was to Hawkgirl, he'd need another hook for another missing body part. I'm relatively sure that it wasn't pure sexism, but rather an attempt to goad Hawkgirl out of her funk and into action. That's my reading, at least. Of course, this wasn't Aquaman's story. I hardly believe the end, either... no body, no death... but I suppose it was touching enough. Too many loose ends, though. I want to know what happened to the kids from the beginning of the story.

The Incredibles: I almost wish I could say I didn't like this movie, because then I could make jokes about a Fantastic Four ripoff fighting Heat Miser from "The Year Without A Santa Claus". Unhappily for bad jokes, this was a great movie, so I can't make any jokes about the FF adopting Impulse from the DCU. So I'll go with the normal route instead. This was a great movie, lots of fun. The elements of the movie were taken from all over, from the JSA refusing to remove their masks to the recent Powers issues in which superheroes are illegal. It was a really strong movie from a superhero fan's point of view. Especially chilling was the scene showing the heroes who had already fought against Syndrome's robots. This will be a great one to rewatch on DVD.

by Tegan at 7:30 PM Seattle time - Permalink