Waw, I think for once I have two many comics right now. I certainly have enough to read at least two chapters a night, which I think is pretty cool. Anyway, I read three trades recently of varying quality.
First was Fun Home, which was a very well-written autobiography about the writer/artists relationship with her somewhat dysfunctional family, particularly her father. And not wacky dysfunctional, though not quite depressing dysfunctional. The writer paints a vivid picture of her life with her father, who seemed to be more interested in preserving their house than raising children. The narrator explains that he is now dead in what could have either been an accident or a suicide. There's no way to be certain and evidence really points toward accident, but a suicide is not out of the question since father had been somewhat ostracized by the community for being gay and supposedly having trysts with teenagers (actual evidence really points to him seeing guys in their twenties, and I don't remember it mentioned that he was actually with any teenagers).
The story jumps around in time a lot, but not in a "Hey look, I'm creative" way. It's really more of a "I'm writing based on what I know about my father and it doesn't work in a linear manner" sort of way. The father is really an enigma despite having so much character details given. This is because everyone in this world is complicated. Jerks aren't always jerks, nice people aren't always nice people. The father seemed insensitive in many ways, but he seemed to care about his family in others. But in what way he cared is unsure. There are times he seems shallow and times he seems sincere. He (and the author) always seem to bear bored expressions and I think the author is trying to show that despite some issues she has with her father, they're quite alike (especailly when they can both freely talk to each other about being gay).
Thankfully, this isn't a woe-is-me story, but the fact that the author seems to make book references in every chapter seems mildly pretentious (and I think the author sort of sees herself that way, though she sees even more annoying people who fix their own views and make half-assed assumptions about literary subtext), though it works logically and well in the context of the story, since these are books that shaped her and how she looks at the world. It's an art student thing I guess. Still, while I understand what she's saying when comparing her father to Dedalius, it strikes me as a bit overwrought. Still this is a great book and a very well told life story. But I wouldn't put it at the level of Lious Riel or Maus as a powerfully told comic biography.
Fantastic Four: Books of Doom was a big disappointment, especially after reading volume one of Sleeper a few weeks prior. In fact it didn't need the Fantastic Four title at all seeing as how the FF never show up in any signifigant way (only a few scenes with Reed Richards). The book is supposed to be the life story of the most accomplished, power and beloved tyrant ever, Dr. Doom, but Doom's rise to power is surprisingly boring. It doesn't help that the artist has a rather bland style for this supposedly grandiose story. The writer, Ed Brubaker, has done much better stuff, so I was expecting something... more poetic. This is really sort of criminal
I also get the feeling that Doom was handed a bit too much in this book. He always always struck me as more of a self-made villain rather than someone who got his power because his mother was a sorceress and some monks thought he had a destiny because he face blowed up. Now, the fact that Doom sees flawless in this story makes sense, due to the story's end, but he should also come off as more arrogant (which is one of his few flaws). His final conquest is OK but it really adds nothing new to the character. The big twist at the end seems sort of pointless as well and in no way really effects the nature of the story.
Lastly, the latest volume of Walking Dead was pretty good, but the torture part of the story rivaled Hostel in terms of unpleasantness. I find Robert Kirkman's story-telling is good, but I think that he's even better at making the reader excited about the next story. He's good with the cliffhangers and the setting up interesting subplots. It's not the execution is bad or even a let down in anyway, they just don't pack the same punch as the set ups (though the torture scene was pretty harrowing. Penis violence, even off panel, is owie). Still, great book. Reads a little too quickly though.
Wednesday, August 29, 2007
Wednesday, August 22, 2007
Light hand and get away
We messed around with fireworks the other day. F\It was fun far a while, but then we sort of got stuck with some of the less fun explosives that sort of fly off and make a small bang. The best ones are the sticks. You light them and hold them and like wands of power they release colourful fireworks. They're fun to aim at other people's cars (I didn't but two of the people in attendance sort of waged wars). There was also a cool small spinny-thing that flies up into the sky and disappears. And it's a crime that there was only one (but I got to use it)
Other than that, there isn't too much going on at the moment. My roommate is spending all of his free time locked in his room studying Japanese in order to pass this big test. Unfortunately, he's already ben told that there's no way he can pass at this point. He was a major in university, but there's a big difference between that and the real world. Hopefully, he sticks around for a little while if (or when) he fails, but on the plus side, he is translating manga for me (working on the first volume of Neuro at the moment).
Hope things are going well over there. Send you another quick message later.
Other than that, there isn't too much going on at the moment. My roommate is spending all of his free time locked in his room studying Japanese in order to pass this big test. Unfortunately, he's already ben told that there's no way he can pass at this point. He was a major in university, but there's a big difference between that and the real world. Hopefully, he sticks around for a little while if (or when) he fails, but on the plus side, he is translating manga for me (working on the first volume of Neuro at the moment).
Hope things are going well over there. Send you another quick message later.
Sunday, August 19, 2007
X-Men: Mutant Genesis
Ah, memories. I got my roommate to get me this book when he was in Sapporo... mostly because the store in Sapporo had slim pickens in terms of comics. Still while this comic is not terribly good, I'm glad I read it because it contains X-Men #1 (the 1990's one) which is the comic that got me into comics. It wasn't the first comic that I thought was really good, but I was attracted to the cool looking characters... and that's about it. A friend (name Francis, but not pronounced how you think it is) showed it too me (he bought several copies because of the infamous variant cover pictured below, which when put together forms a nifty cover.
But rereading it, it certainly isn't really good. Oh, the art by Jim Lee is pitch perfect and his costume designs are among the best loved (why didn't the Jim Lee Cyclops and Storm costumes show up in the X-Men Legend games?) and the man draws good super-action. But the writing is painful. It contained (at the time) what was supposed to be long time writer Chris Claremont's last story arc, but it really didn't work out all that well. There are some interesting moments but they are ruined by over-the-top wordiness. Way too much talking and posturing and characters talking about how complex and interesting they are. This makes them seem shallow and boring. I certainly have fond memories of this one but it doesn't hold up.
This story focuses on Magneto (who was a good guy only short time ago), who finds out that he was only a good guy because he was brainwashed as part of a chain of events that sounds too to be said out loud (it involves Magneto being turned into a baby, and somehow comedy was not intended). Anyhoo, he does the same thing to half the X-Men and the two halves fight and they eventually snap out of it (way too easily, by the way. Must be a crappy brainwashing machine) and I'm just bored by the whole affair. I know this is coming from a comic fan but no one can possibly talk that much whilst fighting or flying a short distance.
The story after, however, co-written by John Byrne and Jim Lee (and I think Scott Lodbell fits in there too somewhere) is a lot more fun. It too is flawed, but it's like growing up with a so-so movie. While it doesn't age well, it still pushes certain buttons. The dialog is less full of itself and more dumb action movie, the fight scenes are just plain fun, the twists are fun, the villains are badass and there's a McGuffin. You'd be surprised what a positive effect a McGuffin can have in your story if you play your hand right.
Basically, this story has the first appearance of Omega Red, who teams Matsuo, an evil Upstart (on evil gang that makes a sport of starting wars and wants to see whose manipulations can produce the highest body count) and the Fenris twins (mutant children of an evil Nazi who happens to be a Captain America villain. I swear there's like two degrees of separation in the Marvel Universe tops) to find something called the C-Synthesizer so they can... do something. Something to do with Omega Red's death factor (people around him die if they hang around him for a few minutes) but I don't remember or care to look up the details. This one got my attention for the cool character designs.
I'm sort of sad this book doesn't have the Mojo story that happens right after it. Mojo (an emperor of a TV-obsessed universe) seemed like a good villain when I was young but now he seems silly. Still, I think if he was retooled as an Fantastic Four villain he'd be better (even though they've had some of their best stories their, I never really liked the idea of the X-Men in space). Still, this little trip down memory lane was an eye opening read and an interesting little peak into my childhood. And it held up better than the Ewoks movie I was always watching as a kid.
But rereading it, it certainly isn't really good. Oh, the art by Jim Lee is pitch perfect and his costume designs are among the best loved (why didn't the Jim Lee Cyclops and Storm costumes show up in the X-Men Legend games?) and the man draws good super-action. But the writing is painful. It contained (at the time) what was supposed to be long time writer Chris Claremont's last story arc, but it really didn't work out all that well. There are some interesting moments but they are ruined by over-the-top wordiness. Way too much talking and posturing and characters talking about how complex and interesting they are. This makes them seem shallow and boring. I certainly have fond memories of this one but it doesn't hold up.
This story focuses on Magneto (who was a good guy only short time ago), who finds out that he was only a good guy because he was brainwashed as part of a chain of events that sounds too to be said out loud (it involves Magneto being turned into a baby, and somehow comedy was not intended). Anyhoo, he does the same thing to half the X-Men and the two halves fight and they eventually snap out of it (way too easily, by the way. Must be a crappy brainwashing machine) and I'm just bored by the whole affair. I know this is coming from a comic fan but no one can possibly talk that much whilst fighting or flying a short distance.
The story after, however, co-written by John Byrne and Jim Lee (and I think Scott Lodbell fits in there too somewhere) is a lot more fun. It too is flawed, but it's like growing up with a so-so movie. While it doesn't age well, it still pushes certain buttons. The dialog is less full of itself and more dumb action movie, the fight scenes are just plain fun, the twists are fun, the villains are badass and there's a McGuffin. You'd be surprised what a positive effect a McGuffin can have in your story if you play your hand right.
Basically, this story has the first appearance of Omega Red, who teams Matsuo, an evil Upstart (on evil gang that makes a sport of starting wars and wants to see whose manipulations can produce the highest body count) and the Fenris twins (mutant children of an evil Nazi who happens to be a Captain America villain. I swear there's like two degrees of separation in the Marvel Universe tops) to find something called the C-Synthesizer so they can... do something. Something to do with Omega Red's death factor (people around him die if they hang around him for a few minutes) but I don't remember or care to look up the details. This one got my attention for the cool character designs.
I'm sort of sad this book doesn't have the Mojo story that happens right after it. Mojo (an emperor of a TV-obsessed universe) seemed like a good villain when I was young but now he seems silly. Still, I think if he was retooled as an Fantastic Four villain he'd be better (even though they've had some of their best stories their, I never really liked the idea of the X-Men in space). Still, this little trip down memory lane was an eye opening read and an interesting little peak into my childhood. And it held up better than the Ewoks movie I was always watching as a kid.
Wednesday, August 15, 2007
She Touched Me in a Special Way
Hey I got a girl's number recently. It's quite sweet story. I was riding my bike across the street when I saw her. She was in her car. And when I saw her, I was struck.
By her car.
Hard.
Luckily I was completely fine, but still we called the police in to make sure everything was cool. We exchanged numbers so I could contact her in case something came up. Too bad she already had a boyfriend (or a brother) and doesn't speak English. She seemed sweet.
The next day (and apparently she works in Posful, the building I work in) she brought me some sweet mini-croissants and a sports drink. People tend to give gifts for things like this. Perhaps I've struck a goldmine. A painful, painful goldmine. OK, maybe not. But hey, free Pocari Sweat.
I love telling this story. Don't want to tell my Mom though. She going to get pissed that I wasn't wearing a helmet. People just don't seem to wear them here, so I don't want to offend anybody.
By her car.
Hard.
Luckily I was completely fine, but still we called the police in to make sure everything was cool. We exchanged numbers so I could contact her in case something came up. Too bad she already had a boyfriend (or a brother) and doesn't speak English. She seemed sweet.
The next day (and apparently she works in Posful, the building I work in) she brought me some sweet mini-croissants and a sports drink. People tend to give gifts for things like this. Perhaps I've struck a goldmine. A painful, painful goldmine. OK, maybe not. But hey, free Pocari Sweat.
I love telling this story. Don't want to tell my Mom though. She going to get pissed that I wasn't wearing a helmet. People just don't seem to wear them here, so I don't want to offend anybody.
Monday, August 13, 2007
Eyes Wide Shut
Eyes Wide Shut is one of those movies that everyone was talking about at the time, yet no one was really talking about the film itself. Like Angel Heart* and Disclosure** people were more interested in talking about behind the scenes crap and "social issues" than talk about the film itself. I had heard a lot about it but not too much about it's real content. When that happens, I start to think that the film is in fact contentless, like many of Tom Cruise's films (has anyone had the misfortune of seeing cocktail? It's like events are occurring but somehow nothing is happening).
Luckily, I was wrong. I mean, I know I like Stanley Kubrick, but I was afraid that I would be bored to tears, seeing as how so many "erotic thrillers" seem to be boring as sin and surprisingly unerotic. I didn't find this film too erotic, but I found it too be smart and engaging, though a bit frustrating. I don't know why. It's not because there are unanswered questions, because that is in fact the film's strength. It is not the acting (though that's nothing special). I guess it's that the events after the night feel a bit... underwhelming after the night.
See this film is split into two parts: one night and the following day. The night half the starts the film is almost a dreamlike world, a sort of twilight between asleep and awake. It's an odyssey and the main character played by Cruise starts traveling down a strange sexual road. It begins when his wife (stoned to the gills, if that's possible) admits that she almost threw everything for one night of passion with a navy guy (if he were to offer). The film's performances didn't grab me too much except for that one scene, which I thought was very powerful and sort of hypnotic (even Tom looks hypno-zonked). It started out the usual uninteresting "frustrated couple fighting" scene and went somewhere rather interesting. The way she admits that the fact that her wanted to cheat on him made her realize how much she treasured him was an interesting angle.
Anyhoo, before he can react to the bombshell, Dr. Bill Harford (Tom's character) is called to check on a patient who just died. Bill begins his journey, deciding to just sort of walk around, letting things happen to him. He never seems to initiate anything... at first. There are two interesting things about Dr. Harford. One is that he seems to justify anything he does by saying "I'm a doctor". It's a bit of a joke and while Roger Ebert says that he seems to be trying to show he exists with it, I see it as Harford naively thinking that being a doctor acts as some sort of warrant to do what he want. He really treats it like a skeleton key, and it actually works, even when it shouldn't (like at a costume shop)
The other thing is that almost every character reacts to him sexually. My guess is that Harford's character has some invisible sexual aura that he emits and doesn't seem to know about (but has had it long enough that he's used to the reactions he gets). To my recollection, he never actually flat out says no to any woman (or man) who shows interest, even when they're going far with their flirtation. Still, Harford spends the whole movie unlaid.
Anyway, Harford spends the rest of the night sort of walking no where in particular and getting into tiny adventures until a friend tells him about a weird kinky place he plays piano for. He ends up sneaking his way in, and finds a strange sexual underworld. Not evil or anything, just a bit decadent and strange,with a sense of ritual and almost religious significance. Eventually, he's caught, but before he's punished he finds himself spared (from what?) in another strange turn of events.
The second half of the movie is far less dreamlike and is sort of about the harsh light of day, as Harford investigates what happened. It's still good and a logical following thematically and plot wise, but I dunno, I just got the feeling that after the intriguing midpoint show stopper in the mansion, the rest seemed less intriguing. I do like how the events of the previous night has two theories behind it and both seem plausible (is it some crazy cult, or some boys club? Are they murderous or just cowards who are into smoke and mirrors? Are they Illuminati or Skull and Bones), but I feel that I wasn't as drawn in anymore.
Still, a much better movie that I expected after all the hub-bub.
* A good but flawed film
** Which I haven't seen but since it has Demi Moore and Michael Douglas it was probably shit. I'm not commenting on their acting ability, I'm just saying they tend to star in shitty movies. Also, there's something about Douglas that makes me want to keep hitting him and never stop.
Luckily, I was wrong. I mean, I know I like Stanley Kubrick, but I was afraid that I would be bored to tears, seeing as how so many "erotic thrillers" seem to be boring as sin and surprisingly unerotic. I didn't find this film too erotic, but I found it too be smart and engaging, though a bit frustrating. I don't know why. It's not because there are unanswered questions, because that is in fact the film's strength. It is not the acting (though that's nothing special). I guess it's that the events after the night feel a bit... underwhelming after the night.
See this film is split into two parts: one night and the following day. The night half the starts the film is almost a dreamlike world, a sort of twilight between asleep and awake. It's an odyssey and the main character played by Cruise starts traveling down a strange sexual road. It begins when his wife (stoned to the gills, if that's possible) admits that she almost threw everything for one night of passion with a navy guy (if he were to offer). The film's performances didn't grab me too much except for that one scene, which I thought was very powerful and sort of hypnotic (even Tom looks hypno-zonked). It started out the usual uninteresting "frustrated couple fighting" scene and went somewhere rather interesting. The way she admits that the fact that her wanted to cheat on him made her realize how much she treasured him was an interesting angle.
Anyhoo, before he can react to the bombshell, Dr. Bill Harford (Tom's character) is called to check on a patient who just died. Bill begins his journey, deciding to just sort of walk around, letting things happen to him. He never seems to initiate anything... at first. There are two interesting things about Dr. Harford. One is that he seems to justify anything he does by saying "I'm a doctor". It's a bit of a joke and while Roger Ebert says that he seems to be trying to show he exists with it, I see it as Harford naively thinking that being a doctor acts as some sort of warrant to do what he want. He really treats it like a skeleton key, and it actually works, even when it shouldn't (like at a costume shop)
The other thing is that almost every character reacts to him sexually. My guess is that Harford's character has some invisible sexual aura that he emits and doesn't seem to know about (but has had it long enough that he's used to the reactions he gets). To my recollection, he never actually flat out says no to any woman (or man) who shows interest, even when they're going far with their flirtation. Still, Harford spends the whole movie unlaid.
Anyway, Harford spends the rest of the night sort of walking no where in particular and getting into tiny adventures until a friend tells him about a weird kinky place he plays piano for. He ends up sneaking his way in, and finds a strange sexual underworld. Not evil or anything, just a bit decadent and strange,with a sense of ritual and almost religious significance. Eventually, he's caught, but before he's punished he finds himself spared (from what?) in another strange turn of events.
The second half of the movie is far less dreamlike and is sort of about the harsh light of day, as Harford investigates what happened. It's still good and a logical following thematically and plot wise, but I dunno, I just got the feeling that after the intriguing midpoint show stopper in the mansion, the rest seemed less intriguing. I do like how the events of the previous night has two theories behind it and both seem plausible (is it some crazy cult, or some boys club? Are they murderous or just cowards who are into smoke and mirrors? Are they Illuminati or Skull and Bones), but I feel that I wasn't as drawn in anymore.
Still, a much better movie that I expected after all the hub-bub.
* A good but flawed film
** Which I haven't seen but since it has Demi Moore and Michael Douglas it was probably shit. I'm not commenting on their acting ability, I'm just saying they tend to star in shitty movies. Also, there's something about Douglas that makes me want to keep hitting him and never stop.
Sunday, August 12, 2007
A Title
I haven't really said anything lately, but things have indeed happen. We're in the middle of a heat wave over here and it's driving me nuts. And I hate being driven nuts.
I got a new roommate who despite being a goth is a rather nice guy. He seems a little to nervous at times and seems to think that I can answer his questions (I'm not terribly smart, guy). Though I certainly am not interested in the Gothy stuff he likes, he seems interested in my comics, so as you can assume, I'm happy to oblige. We actually have two new coworkers and he also seems like a nice guy, but I'm getting the impression that NOVA will soon be run by nerds. That's because my current boss will be leaving rather soon (in September) and we'll be without a true boss figure for a while. Frankly, that seems a little strange since I don't see anyone there being true leadership material. No offense to my coworkers, of course.
I'm also still contemplating what I'm going to do once my year is up. Shall I go back to university to get a masters in TESL. Perhaps I'll tech somewhere in Europe. Perhaps I'll stay in Japan. I really don't know, and I really should decide sometime soon. I. JUST. DON'T. KNOW.
In all honesty, I'm in a bit of a rut, so I'm going to try to type some random stuff in this thing at least every other night. I'll probably keep things short though. Maybe not this short but still... short. I'll write again soon. (It's too hot to do anything that isn't just lying down and sweating.
I got a new roommate who despite being a goth is a rather nice guy. He seems a little to nervous at times and seems to think that I can answer his questions (I'm not terribly smart, guy). Though I certainly am not interested in the Gothy stuff he likes, he seems interested in my comics, so as you can assume, I'm happy to oblige. We actually have two new coworkers and he also seems like a nice guy, but I'm getting the impression that NOVA will soon be run by nerds. That's because my current boss will be leaving rather soon (in September) and we'll be without a true boss figure for a while. Frankly, that seems a little strange since I don't see anyone there being true leadership material. No offense to my coworkers, of course.
I'm also still contemplating what I'm going to do once my year is up. Shall I go back to university to get a masters in TESL. Perhaps I'll tech somewhere in Europe. Perhaps I'll stay in Japan. I really don't know, and I really should decide sometime soon. I. JUST. DON'T. KNOW.
In all honesty, I'm in a bit of a rut, so I'm going to try to type some random stuff in this thing at least every other night. I'll probably keep things short though. Maybe not this short but still... short. I'll write again soon. (It's too hot to do anything that isn't just lying down and sweating.
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