My latest trip to the library not only yielded me around $20 in overdue fines (damn the man!) but also a stack of about 20 tpb/graphic novels to consume. I’m going to forego lengthy blogs about each for a review snack pack of three books in particular.

#1

American Born Chinese written and illustrated by Gene Luen Yang. It was nominated for a National Book Award in 2006 for young adult literature, the first graphic novel to ever have that honor.

So - sounds pretty tasty right? Sounds like something meaty I could sink my teeth into, what with seeing it on many folks Top 10 Lists popping up all over the net.

This book was engaging, but never resonated with me on a strong emotional level. On a literary level, I appreciated the artistry and craft that went into intertwining the three different stories together. The art, with the muted color palette and clean, thick lines works well with the theme, and is especially pronounced during the Chinese mythology sequences.

Again - this didn’t catch me in any emotional core - and that could simply be my inexperience with how young-adult Asian Americans might experience America. I could get on board with the concept of being an outsider, teased and tortured by classmates, and those lovely awkward first moments trying to woo the opposite sex. There were definite laugh-out-loud moments…but there were also sections that I feel alienated from.

I would suggest this for it’s intended audience - which is young adults, and not just the Asian American ones -  but I can’t say it’s going to make any of my Top 10 lists.

#2

Faker. Written by (yet another British dude) current X-Men scribe Mike Carey and illustrated by (yet another British dude) Jock (aka Mark Simpson). It’s published by the fun and edgy DC Vertigo label.

Here is what I’ve been thinking lately: I love Marvel’s line of popular superheroes. And I love DC/Vertigo’s naughty and subversive “adult” content.

The cover art is actually what initially spurred me to pick this book up - and the name Carey splattered in the white space held a special kind of promise, as he is right in the midst of gutting my beloved mutants, I thought I’d see what kind of extracurricular shenanigans he’s been getting himself into.

For a British dude - he’s writing expertise sure can cater to my assumptions of what Minnesota college students are like. He gets that compliment right off the bat. But seriously - this is a thoroughly engaging story, and I found myself nearly consuming it in one setting. Mostly because I was stood up for an orientation, and had an hour to kill waiting around in Starbucks to see if the person really would show.

They didn’t. But I clipped cleanly through the pages and emerged on the other end.

Did it blow me away? No. Was it intriguing? Sure as hell. Was the premise inspiring or unique? Maybe. Did the plot hold my attention? You betcha.

It was everything I wanted out of a miniseries TPB. It told it’s story without a lot of fuss. It ended exactly when it meant to. The characters were a little cookie cutter, but they were college Freshmen from Minnesota afterall. I think that statement is the definition of cookie cutter.

I had some beef with our main bad-ass chick character - Liz - being ultra tough as nails. She was frightening and pathological, but in disturbed ways that ultimately served to highlight the “tough act” as merely being a facade. This neutered her character for me. We had to have some sort of origin to explain WHY she is tough. Not simply that she could be tough in any given situation cause she’s hardcore.

She also talked crap about the bi-sexual members of the house - to eliminate the speculation of her sexuality ala Whiteout.

I ended up begrudgingly liking her - she’s pretty and fun. But her psychological issues were taking their toll on my generosity by the final pages.

The art is scrumptious. Dark and moody and noir-y in all the right places. The tones reminded me a bit of another book I’ve read recently - Elk’s Run, but were light enough and varied enough to keep the contrast. I would say, similar palettes, but with a lighter touch.

And worry not. All of our sexy College students are appropriately sexy. Which is one reason I’m probably going to put The Losers on my  library queue now. At least the first few issues, to give it a go.

I would suggest Faker to folks who are thinking of branching out to different Carey joints. It’s a nice one-shot deal you aren’t obligated to devote a serious amount of time to. It’s also a pleasant window into the mind of the man currently helming Marvel’s merry band.

#3

Off Road written and illustrated by Sean Murphy. This is one that I more or less plucked off the shelf based on the publisher - Oni Press. I find myself drawn to their books because they are a somewhat independent local Portland publisher who I think deserves some love. Off Road did not let me down.

Even though I snagged it off the shelves - it had to be delivered to my attention by Dan, who recommended it to me earlier this past weekend. It took me the span of an hour to consume.

As opposed to the heavy-handed fare that I’ve read in the past week - this was a light breeze. The subject matter was lite (like Bud) and amusing. The artistry, done all in black and white was actually one of the main draws of the book. It reminds me of a bit of Chris Bachalo, but not in a style stealing way. In an entirely complimentary way, of course. Chris Bachalo and Pablo Raimondi are some of my favorite X-artists, and I can say this guy’s style is comparable to theirs. Oni knows how to attract talent.

As for the writing style - I was/am fairly on the fence. There was amusing dialogue, and the characters were like real people taken from the artist’s life. Most of the story seemed a tad contrived…and I loathe the word contrived…so it’s not a term I sling around lightly. Despite that initial complaint, I found myself swept into the story after flipping through the first few pages. Again - I blame it on the enjoyable and expressive art.

Big Complaint: It was full of man love. Which is wonderful when you are a man, looking for a man love story. There was little room for me to be anything but a casual female observer. That’s fine I suppose - what can you really expect from a book titled “Off Road.” It’s going to be a lot of beer, “your mom” jokes, and mud. But of the two or three women that appear in the book - all of them trick, debase or treat the main characters badly somehow.

It’s a pitiful display of my gender.

Which - I will overlook again, because as was previously mentioned - I knew it was man love from page one. So, if you are a dude, and you like manly things - read on.

…That’s it kiddos. I just picked up two volumes from the library I’ve been anxious to get my mitts on. One is penned by Brian Michael Bendis, and the other is written by Charles Burns. Both of them have been optioned for screenplays, cause comic writers got it like that. Stay tuned…

Much Love, Mindy C

I picked up this comic book for Dan because it was published by Dark Horse (publisher of Hellboy and BPRD to name a few ). I also remembered reading a little blurb about it in Wizard a few years ago. The cover caught my eye, and it seemed amusing in a bizarre way, which is right up Dan’s alley.

Did he love it? Of course he freaking did! We have a good enough relationship (what with the knowing each other for 5 years) that we can pick up a movie, book, comic, action figure, food item, CD, video game, etc - and know perfectly well how the other will enjoy it.

Needless to say, Dan loves The Goon, written and drawn by Eric Powell. Me - not so much in love. It’s a bit too silly and random for me. I like meaty, contenty comics but it’s not needed all the time. Comics can also be entertaining.

Dan digs the writing style and will laugh out loud about it. I paged through one book and chuckled a bit. What really attracts me is the Art, which is what initially captured my attention. It works well with the humor, and I love the characters. It’s fairly cartoon-y, but Powell brings a nice zest to it, and I would definitely read his books if I didn’t have a huge stack of other things to delve through and report about.

I’ve been trying like hell to get Dan to “guest star” in this blog, because his tastes differ from mine in the comic world. He tends to like what I like, but he also has his own personal favorites that I don’t particularly care to read. And vice versa. Anywho - he insists he cannot write (bullshit) but I figured I could do something in his stead, and plug the book that he’s reading.

Also worth noting - The Goon is being made into a computer animated film. Apparently the film will be directed by David Fincher. I’m not sure how live-action directors translate to computer-animated directors…and since that really isn’t my field, I won’t do too much speculating in this area. I like a few of David Fincher’s movies, so he’s got approval from me.

Which I think is a perfect medium for this comic. The humor is irreverent, random and a bit silly. It would be incredibly challenging to capture in live-action. I will for sure see this when it comes out, and not just because Dan will inevitably drag me to it.

I think the main element lacking for me in The Goon is a really cohesive storyline. It’s basically a series of funny one-shot stories strung together (at least in the two TPBs I read). If I could see a plot forming from all of them, it would be different. I would love to see this material made into a movie, because a plot would have to be hammered out in order for the film to work on any level. I know one exists within the structure of the series, but it would be lovely to condense the weird down into a fun 90 minute chunk.

My point, I guess - is that The Goon entertains, but never quite enlightens.

And I suppose the English major in me demands structure and some mentally engaging elements in the story in order for me to keep reading through. The Goon doesn’t satisfy on all those levels…but is worth checking out for a fun, zany trip into Powell’s weird world.

Much Love, Mindy C

As if FISA/Patriot Act and Telecom Immunity weren’t bad enough…

This holy mess rolled across my vision this morning.

It looks like Google just pissed away the privacy of MILLIONS of it’s users. And what does that mean for those folks who are recorded as viewing Viacom’s unlawfully rendered materials? Are we going to get a bill in the mail now?

I honestly cannot believe a court would order this kind of bullshit to even occur. At this point in my life, I can pretty much wave goodbye to my 4th Amendment rights, can’t I?

If you are irritated about FISA and also support Barack Obama, please contact his campaign to spread the word of your disapproval of his intent, and the Democratic party’s intent, to let this slide. No doubt Obama received some financial contribution for his decision to “flip-flop.” Which is a bit more than disconcerting at this point. Since gaining the nomination, he’s become quite the dissapointment.

But no one can be as bad as Bush.

Bush and his failed policies are in the midst of destroying this country. Even the Onion knows it.

I love librarians, because they are so hard core about freedom of information. This re-affirms why this is my designated career field. If I were a librarian, I would go to jail if it meant protecting freedom of information for my patrons. No joke. I’m sick of corporations and the government lording this shit over us.

I think it might be a touch disturbing that we are celebrating our independence today, when we can’t even keep our basic, constitutional rights secure. Well, the corporations can. But the average citizen is pretty well screwed.

Much Love, Mindy C

So, I was surprised to drum up this fancy piece of information this afternoon will scanning through my RSS Feeds. I suppose that’s one thing that I’ve always loved about Portland, the city’s ability to look towards the future. And/or copy California/Seattle.

I’m not unaware of the fact that what PGE REALLY wants…is to corner the market on what they see as a potential future revenue stream. I’m also aware of the extra “burden” Priuses place on the grid. Like I’ve countered before…investing in sustainable energy sources is the best way to ensure this burden is not TOO GREAT.

It’s unfortunate the government has just put the TWO YEAR pause on building any new Solar Power Plants. Of course, the Right is blaming the Dems, and the Dems are blaming the administration. I don’t care whose fault it is…if people could just stop being fucking idiots and plan for the future a little bit, the world would be a better place. Maybe. Sort of.

Despite all the bitching and moaning of people here in Portland, I think P-Town has done a great job in preparing for a future where gas prices are $4.50 a gallon. The future is now.

We have awesome transportation systems, which are being expanded as I type. A few of the biggest projects are the MAX expansion from Clackamas to Portland State University and the Columbia River Crossing bridge expansion between Vancouver and Portland…which will hopefully include some kind of light rail option (or rapid bus transit).

Also of note is Toyota’s unveiling of plug-in hybrids set to roll out in 2010. I wish I could say that my freakin’ Prius will be paid off by then, but such is not the case. *Shrug* So, we’ll see what happens. Oh, and I guess John McCain can write out that check to the engineers at Toyota, if he really wants to embrace new technologies.

Or maybe hire this guy before he dies. Or both of them do.

Much Love, Mindy C

I was not pleased to be pestered by my husband at 6:00pm on a Friday evening to go watch a Kid’s movie with my three nephews, and entire family in tow.

“But it’s Pixar!” he pleaded, not realizing my lack of caring.

I told him fine - if we could sneak into a double feature and I could see something else afterwards, so as not to waste my money on crap I didn’t really want to see. Continuing my obsession with Comic Books/Graphic Novels turned films - I decided our second showing for the night would  be Wanted.

The next question should be - which one did you like better? If it’s not already obvious from my entry title - Wall-E was the winner of the evening.

It was charming, and I got over the creepy robot voice by the third or fourth utterance. Of course, what thrilled me most was that it was a post-apocalyptic jab at the current way we are treating our world. As a garbage heap, that we (and ya know, a shit ton of animals and whatnot) just happen to live on as well.

I loved the premise - the gentle, and not-so-gentle poking at the nature of humanity. Mostly I loved the love story (I’m turning into such a sap) and at times, I almost forgot I was watching an animated movie. Or rather, a computer generated movie.

Which is why I was initially turned off on the idea of watching it. I’m not a huge fan of robots, or computer animated films. I loved Finding Nemo and Shrek and all that rot - but so much of the time I felt like these movies were screaming, “look at me - I’m so awesomely computer generated!! I’m SOO COLORFUL AND LIFE-LIKE!!!”

Somehow - it was easier to stomach the computer generation when it wasn’t REALLY trying to simulate life. Does that even make sense?

The personalities of the robots were so engaging, along with the plot that I could easily ignore the need to be attuned to computer animation. It was a freaking delightful film, which managed to keep the rapt attention of my 5 year old nephew for 90 minutes. The two younger ones lost interest until the end action kicked up. They were more interested in playing with popcorn and harassing Grandma by that point.

Again - what I appreciated was the opportunity to be charmed by an interesting plot, without having to be reminded I was watching a computer animated film every 10 seconds.

WANTED on the other hand - reminded us every 10 minutes that we were watching a movie about guns. Guns in grocery stores, guns in cars, guns on trains, and guns on foot. Guns in toilets! Guns on rooftops! Guns in a textile mill! Would you, could you, with some ham? I do sure like guns, Sam-I-Am.

I knew what I was in for. I’d seen the trailers, heard the buzz. I suppose deep down I was angling for something a bit more compelling. I’m not sure if the graphic novel was properly translated to screen - having never read it, so it’s hard to get a good feel for the written work of Mark Millar based on this film.

But yes - the main character (whose name I couldn’t be bothered to remember) and I never agreed well with one another, once all the guns started a-flashin. He was compelling initially, and amusing throughout much of the first 30-45 minutes. But then it was all plot and well, you know…guns. So - cool. Car chases, train chases, foot chases, explosions and slow motion amazing-ness abounded. There was over-the-top swearing and at least two ridiculous sex scenes. Color me entertained.

But in the end - it was a movie about Assassins. And I give two shits about assassins. They could all die and I would shrug. They are amoral (or maybe immoral) characters, and it’s really hard to care about people who have no qualms with killing other people. Sure, they live by some hokey-assed code. Most of the time.

Wanted satisfied my need to see a reasonably attractive Scottish man (James Mcavoy) fake his way through an American accent for 90 minutes and fire a lot of guns. But whether the film will resonate with me beyond this weekend, that is slim to none.

I do want to take a moment to pause and ask…what the fuck is with the United States and British/Scottish actors and writers lately? Are we that pathetic that out of our millions of teeming masses across this country, we cannot produce actors or writers with enough talent, so we must fish overseas? Not that I’m belittling the talent of these folks…just noticing a trend. Many prominent English/Scottish comic book writers, as well as actors popping up lately and finding great success in the states.

One more Wanted comment - I might have liked the film better if not for Angelina Jolie. She creeps me out with her snake eyes, crazy big lips and un-naturally skinny upper arms. My lip curls every time she graces the screen. What I can appreciate is that she is top-dog on the billing, because we all know that it’s tough out there in Hollywood for bad-ass chicks at the moment.

Overall, I enjoyed the evening…except for eating too much popcorn and drinking way too much Cherry Coke.

Much Love, Mindy C

I’m back. Took a mini-vacation during the spring and summer term break, cause I really needed it. Spent a lot of that time compiling super geeky fan-vids. I would link to them, but I’m too embarrassed. I’d rather leave them to the seeming anonymity of random youtubers. I’ll give you a few hints though - they feature X-Men characters and romantic relationships.

But here I am, with full intentions to post new-ish content. You can start to rejoice immediately.

I’ll review “new” books again, I promise. Today, I feel like kicking back and showing some love to a TPB that I’ve read more than once. This is a book that I own, and am proud to have as part of my collection. I swear, this has absolutely nothing to do with my fanvids. *knowing wink*

Here we are now: Phoenix Endsong.

Dan gave this to me for my birthday last year. I have a feeling this book was relatively unknown to me until I started searching for phoenix tattoo designs. You simply cannot google the words “phoenix” and “jean grey” without hitting on an image from this absolutely, insanely GORGEOUS book.

If you haven’t read this, you should. I wouldn’t suggest it for anyone new to the X-Universe, because it’s laden with references to previous incarnations of The Phoenix and her relationships. It’s also closely following the Grant Morrison New X-Men run, which is not my personal favorite. Not as great as everyone says, to my knowledge. Bringing in the Ice Queen as a main character and eliminating Gambit and Rogue will never win me over as a fan. I dig the realistic approach to the series, but I get tired of…revamps to these characters. Reboots to the X-Men team. These folks already have 10 different realities. Difficult to keep their stories and lives straight…with years and years of history to account for. I understand the concepts behind reboots, but…ok…I am yammering now.

Anywho - the story behind why these characters are together, and who some of them are was not immediately clear to me, and probably wouldn’t be to the first time reader, either. But the beauty (oh, and there is a lot of beauty) of the book, is if you have even a functional knowledge of  the Jean Grey/Phoenix mythology, you can love and mostly understand this book. I chose to ignore Quentin Quire and the Stepford Cuckoos. And Emma Frost and Cyclops mackin’ on one another. Too creepy. *shudder* I don’t dig that shite in any timeline.

Right - but Phoenix Endsong, despite mucking about in some version of the X-Men reality I don’t particularly care for - is a stand alone (for the purpose of the love of this book, I’m ignoring Phoenix Warsong). You can read it, and enjoy it, and it doesn’t try to completely alter the direction of any series. No veiled criticism there - I promise.

The writing is kept minimal, yet effective and we have Greg Pak to thank for that. He is kind and generous enough to let the writing and imagery co-mingle together and enhance one another. I would say the image frequently surpasses the writing. Good lord there are some stunning panels in this book. I sometimes open it up and just page through it for the visuals. All that credit goes to Greg Land .

I just discovered via the lovely tangles of the interweb, that Land has been accused of directly tracing certain poses from photos that he used for “reference.” There are a few examples I found through some light scouting…and some pretty severe net charges of plagiarism and foul play. Just google “Greg Land” and “trace” to see for yourself.

Maybe it’s just me…but I’ve seen enough shitty comic book art, to not complain much when something looks pretty. The anger is that he is “stealing” the art work of others  - yes, those poor starving playboy photographers. The examples did not show much of his work being stolen from other comic book artists, just that he “reuses” some poses from his own work, and makes the characters look like porn stars and/or celebrities. Personally, I don’t see what’s wrong with that. I’ve seen Jim Lee drawings of Gambit that totally made him look like Jean Claude Van Damme but nobody cried foul in the 90’s. Probably because it was harder to compare images back then. Ah, the wonders of Google image search.

My argument: popular/mainstream comic books make everyone look like supermodels and porn stars. Especially women. I read somewhere that comic books are porn for pre-teens. And that is surely the case. I think lately there’s been a trend away from that, but let’s not forget the root of all superheroes: spandex/latex and bulging parts. Comics are largely about the glory and beauty of the human body.

Granted - some of the examples used to out Land as a tracer are pretty convincingly not original. But…if these same folks put the effort into digging through the entire pantheon of comic-dom, I’m sure they would find artists reusing poses and drawing their characters to look like celebrities, or even like one another. Again, let me reference Jim Lee. All his men and women pretty much looked the same to me. *shrug* And his version of Rogue could have doubled as Dolly Parton on more than one occasion.

As someone who has read and re-read Phoenix Endsong, I can’t say that I found a lot of inconsistencies with how the characters were drawn. If Land was tracing or light-boxing as some have proposed, he would have done that with the entire book. It also doesn’t work because the scenery he draws is incredibly gorgeous as well. If he really sucked so badly at drawing, and could ONLY trace, it would be pretty obvious. It just doesn’t look like the hand of a serial tracer to me. And the idea that someone would expend all that time and energy in tracing…it would probably be more time consuming than free-handing an original, having to fit a traced image into a scene. Especially for a character who appears multiple times in the same book.

I think it’s a lot of over-blown geek sniping. It’s especially telling when most of the people freaking out are “poor starving artists” trying to break into comics themselves.

One other beef…some of these characters - like Spiderman, Thor, Captain America, and Scarlet Witch are over 50 years old. If you’ve seen them in one pose, you’ve seen them in a dozen just like it. Spiderman swinging on his web-vine…Oooh, that’s original.

Also - if particular artists reuse poses and facial expressions and lines and movements…I think that’s called a style.

I like Greg Land’s style. It’s emotional and dramatic. The comic book characters look like real people, with dynamic facial expressions. It’s attention grabbing, and worked perfectly for the Endsong story - which is basically comparable to an opera or a piece of theatre or even cinema.

Sooo - now I’m a little bummed out that this artist is called a plagiarist, because I had been thinking about reading more books he’s drawn (ahem, traced). I’m still a bit skeptical about all that…

Anyways - Endsong is an enjoyable chapter in the on-going Phoenix saga. Even if you don’t want to drop the dough on it, check it out from the library or borrow a copy from a friend.

I might even loan you mine. Maybe.

Much Love, Mindy C

You’ll have to pardon me - my level of tolerance and wit is WAY WAY down as I face the many curve-balls life has been throwing lately. My bank account balance being the most amusing one I can think of off the top of my head.

Perhaps it is a symptom of being too well-informed, but here are some things really kicking my mental ass straight from the headlines:

- Flooding in the Mid-Land. What this means? Further crippling of the world-wide food shortage. $1.5 billion in repairs. Tens/hundreds of thousands of people displaced. The Red Cross is operating on a ZERO BUDGET and Bush can’t be persuaded to do much until later this week. He’s too busy with…

- Offshore Drilling Legislation. It always boggles my mind how people will do ANYTHING not to have to make a change. Instead of using time/resources to develop alternative energy sources, we will bleed the well fucking DRY to avoid the inevitable. Will this lower gas prices? Sure, for a time. Except - it will take 10 FUCKING YEARS to build the infrastructure. Of course - Bush is blaming it on the Democrats. Again. Cause that makes sense.

Will it lower gas prices back down to a reasonable level? Maybe. Probably not. The future is now - in a year $4.00 will seem like a distant dream. But no one seems to care…certainly not our Commander in Chief. Our Congress. Our Senate. What the fuck are these yahoos doing? While the American people are suffering through the worst economic crisis we’ve faced in 20 years? Not much. No legislation seems to be getting through. Mark my words - it will be ANWR next. At this point - who cares? If we go to hell in a hand basket, we’ve no one to blame but ourselves for preferring immediate gratification over long term and sustainable infrastructure.

- ALMOST 300 Reported Cases of Tomato Salmonella Poisoning. OK - no one is dying, right? Not a huge deal - just affecting 29 states and hundreds of people, only 43 of which have been hospitalized. But it is a source of frustration that in a time of world wide food crisis, we can’t even depend on our Food to Be Safe. We need enough of it, and we need it to be safe. Not too difficult a task, right? Wrong. Food Safety is huge. If I’m paying 8 dollars for some fucking tomatoes, they better be safe (I exaggerate the price, mostly).

- HELLO JOB CUTS. Not only is this horrid news in these shite economic times, but coming fast on the heels of this article about Executive/CEO salaries…it just seems like we’re living in bizarro world here. Please - tell me if I’m wrong. I’d love to be wrong.

- Bomb Bomb Iran. The United States is eeking closer to renewing it’s dependency on nuclear energy. France already loves the shit out of nuclear power. But Iran, in the final stages of enacting it’s own energy policies, is facing the frightened squealing of the West, who are insistent that this power will be harnessed to make a bomb - and “de-stabilize the region.” Ooookay. Did anyone tell them that Nuclear Power itself is incredibly unstable? Guess not. And, sorry, but so the fuck what if Iran has nukes? We have MORE of them. If they blew one of our major cities up, we could level the entire Middle East in the push of a button. Frankly, with the state of the world…I would say we are all about due for an Apocalypse anyways.

I hate to end it like that. And there is more, there is always more. But lately, it just seems like shit piled ontop of shit. I guess I can take a bit of comfort in the Habeas Corpus ruling…but considering that it’s taken 6 years to extend these poor bastards basic human rights, I mean, how sad is that? It’s so pathetic it’s also depressing. Don’t get me wrong - it’s great news. But compared to what these folks have endured for years…it further confirms that our country is in horrid shape right now.

Ok - I’m done. I relent. Please, for the love of God, enjoy your afternoon.

Much Love, Mindy C

What’s with graphic novels and magicians/escapists anyway? This is the third comic book (or novel about comic books) that I’ve read in the past few months dealing with escape artists.

Am I missing something?

But I digress, what I’m here to do is review Jar of Fools written and drawn by Jason Lutes.

There is a test that I do at the library before deciding to add a book to the stack of comic books/graphic novels I take home with me. First I check the title and creator. Then I read the back cover for a quick synopsis of the story. Then I open and scan the art.

If the art is shit - too cartoony, too much color, not enough, etc, I close it and put it back on the shelf. I love comics because of their genius mix of art and words and story. But at the same time, if the art doesn’t fit with my particular tastes, or with the story…there is no point in my continuing to read on. If it were just a book, with only the words printed on the page, and I could paint the story in my mind whatever way I wanted…that would be one thing.

But comic books eliminate that step, and therefore, they must always be agreeable to the reader in some way, or they will be shuffled back to the shelf

I’m happy to report - that WAS NOT my experience with Jar of Fools. I was compelled by the title, as well as the back cover synopsis, and was pleased to find the art to be only somewhat cartoony, in a style that I could easily overlook for the sake of the plot. The art style also makes sense given that the content originally appeared as a weekly comic strip.

Here’s a sample. It’s not awful - the faces are legible, it’s fairly detailed, and Lutes makes good use of the black and white. It tells the story, but not much more. I think that’s the point - there is a definite emphasis on sparsity in this book, and that comes across in the art.

The basic plot is that the main character, Ernie Weiss (similar to Ehrich Weiss or Harry Houdini) is having a hard time dealing with the suicide of his escapist brother, and is consequently ruining his own life. He breaks up with his girlfriend, gets fired from his job as a magician, and ends up broke and penniless. And that’s just the first few pages of the book. The real fun starts when the mentor character of Al Flosso shows up - an elderly magician intent on escaping from his convalescent home.

A con-man and his daughter also appear in the first half, and then the ex-girlfriend is introduced. Eventually, these folks all come together and form a delightful band of outcasts. But, as any bleak story about down-on-their-luck vagrants has the potential to do, Jar of Fools takes the reader to the very bottom. There are some moments of grace, humor and warm fuzzies, but the general consensus is - it’s a tough world, with more lumps of coal than shiney new ponies. So don’t get your hopes up too much.

Which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. I would dislike comics if they were sunshine and lollipops all the time. In fact, something that I enjoyed about Jar of Fools was it’s ability to let me emotionally connect with it’s characters. So much so - I was irritated when the book came to an end and I couldn’t follow them any further.

I suppose I would have liked to be led a bit deeper into their lives. To see if maybe something good was going to come from their shared experiences.

I could fill in the blanks myself. Create the rest of their lives from my imagination. But, what’s the point. The ending left me feeling more depressed than uplifted.

It’s a raw story - not because it’s violent, explicit or anything of the like. It’s because the pain of the characters is so amplified on the page. You can watch the disintegration of Ernie through his facial hair and cheek lines. A handsome but scruffy young man ages into someone haggard and gaunt by the final panel. With no indication of any reprieve.

Apparently, this book has received critical praise from the likes of Chris Ware, author/illustrator of Jimmy Corrigan, the Smartest Kid on Earth. which doesn’t surprise me, because both he and Lutes are catering to the same depressive emotional audience.

A Sidenote about Chris Ware: I was cruising the shelves for my summer textbooks yesterday, and happened upon the shelf that contained all the materials for the Spring 08 installment of “Graphic Novels as Literature.” Standard lit fair - Satrapi, Ware, Speigelman…and Lutes. I have read or own almost all the authors and books offered in the course. But I have to say - Jimmy Corrigan is my least favorite of them all. It’s dense, impenetrable, intricate, and utterly devastating to read. It’s ten times the depression I felt after the last panel of Jar of Fools. For the craft and attention to detail - Corrigan can’t be beat. But it’s not FUN to read. Jar of Fools felt a little more fun. But not by much.

Wrapping Things Up: There was also some commentary about how magician’s really have no more place in today’s culture. I’m not sure if that’s entirely true. I think there are different kinds of magicians now - rather than just stage performers. There are many people engaged in the art of illusion in all walks of life. Politics, movies, comic books, etc. Sadly, I don’t see many lucrative opportunities for performing magicians. Unless your name is Sigfried and you reside in Las Vegas.

And the idea that our society has become harder to fool…I’m not so sure that’s a bad thing. It’s distressing to think that old customs are dying out, but I would much rather live in a skeptical society, than in one where everything uttered or seen is taken at face value. Of course, I wish people were more skeptical of the news, politicians, etc.

It would be nice if we all believed a little more in magic.

Much Love, Mindy C

PS - Interesting introduction by Sherman Alexie. That was a pleasant surprise, one I didn’t notice until after I’d read the book.

I watched The Incredible Hulk last night - with the expectation that I never envisioned Edward Norton as Bruce Banner (but to be honest, I don’t do much envisioning of Bruce Banner period) and also understanding that Iron Man was good, but not my personal favorite comic book movie. Basically - the expectations were low-ish, but hopeful.

So - what did I think? I can honestly say…I liked it better than The Hulk 2003 and Iron Man . The Incredible Hulk is a movie that women and men can equally enjoy - what with the love interest and the explosions. It didn’t seem especially geared towards one sex or the other. In fact, the two other women I watched the movie with liked it as well.

And mind you - these are women who have ZERO interest in comic books, or comic book movies. They don’t even think Edward Norton is hot. BTW - I do. Not all the time - but Mr. Norton is capable of giving intensely hot looks. Especially with the insane Hulk green eyes.

I was totally hooked within the first five minutes of the film. The opening-credit backstory actually worked well, allowing the audience to jump right in the middle of the plot without feeling totally lost. This movie needed to get the viewers hooked immediately, to purge any thoughts regarding the 2003 version.

Another surprise: I enjoyed the acting of Liv Tyler in the role of Betty Ross. Betty is a character I’m not familiar with, but according to her Marvel Database page, she seems to be a woman who is easily controlled and manipulated by her father. She has an intense love for Hulk, which ultimately ends in her death from Gamma Radiation poisoning.

Much like Pepper Potts, Betty Ross received a 21st Century makeover, except Ross gets a better shake…she’s a legitimate scientist, has the balls to take on a giant green man, and eventually stands up to her General Father. I dug Tyler as Ross - she’s absolutely gorgeous, has some meat on her bones, and a genuine sincerity to her acting that is appealing.

I don’t want to give away too much of the plot, because I strongly encourage folks to see this film, especially on the big screen. The basic idea is that the US Government - specifically General Thaddeus Ross is trying to track down Bruce Banner in order to cultivate and study The Hulk which lives inside him. Banner is embroiled in the search for a cure, being aided by a mystery person in the United States. General Ross enlists the help of a man named Blonsky to track Hulk, and this dude eventually becomes injected with the Gamma Radiation and mutates into The Abomination. Then it’s up to Hulk to take down Blonsky…and you can see how the rest of it all plays out.

What I appreciate about Marvel Studios, is their ability to take a realistic approach to comic book movies. They’ve done away with a lot of the cheese-factor in the costumes and super-explosive color. What I’ve come to terms with over the last few years, is the idea that some elements of comic books (ie, costumes) do not translate well on the screen. Especially for non-comic fans who might become comic movie fans. After three rounds of X-Men movies, wherein I only spied my favorite characters in black leather…I’m fairly certain that brightly colored costumes (re: Fantastic Four) are never going to make a great screen impression. It’s cool, I get it. Yellow spandex, while great looking on inked page, distracts from a legitimate character on celluloid.

DC is also heading in that direction with it’s Batman series…although the thing that I don’t think resonates well with their films yet, is that both Batman and Superman seem to take place in worlds separate from our own. With Spiderman, Iron Man, X-Men and The Incredible Hulk…I always felt a strong sense of these events taking place in the real world. Mostly because they do. There aren’t a lot of bogus made up cities and towns in the Marvel Universe, which I think aids in their credibility.

Something I’ve enjoyed is that comic films of late also haven’t been afraid to take themselves seriously, offering legitimate content, while still poking a bit of fun at their source material (mocking purple pants, etc). Iron Man, to that end, seemed to offer a bit more fun than content. I liked The Incredible Hulk because I feel like Banner has a few more layers than Stark. But to be fair - Iron Man was an origin flick, whereas Hulk got to bypass that due to it’s delightful intro sequence, and a preceeding film.

But that’s enough ranting.

Also Great: The fun inside jokes like “Hulk Smash” - nods to future villians and characters - S.H.I.E.L.D. references, and of course the well publicized Tony Stark cameo. It’s worth mentioning that Hulk had some nice hair. The longer-indie look really made him more palatable than the 2003 version. Hulk with short hair looks like a doofus.

Not so great: The Hulk roared a lot. And there were at least two separate sequences where Betty Ross confronted the Hulk…it lost it’s strength the second time around.

I’m psyched for the DVD Release, because of this little gem.

Delightful head nods to the screenwriters, Zak Penn and Edward Norton, and the director Louis Leterrier. The work of all the folks on this film has interested me in reading a few Hulk comics, because now I feel that I might be missing out on an intriguing character. I’m pleased that I took the time to watch this, and I’ll definitely update if I do end up enjoying The Hulk as a comic book character.

I’ll say it again: Totally stoked for The Dark Knight and Hellboy 2: The Golden Army coming out in July.

Much Love, Mindy C

Chicken with Plums is the red-headed step child of Persepolis - a 2006 release written, drawn and inked by Marjane Satrapi.

My first assumption without reading another review to determine what the public at large thinks - is that most people will start out saying “This isn’t nearly as good as Persepolis.”

Well sure - but this is also an amusing, surprising and bittersweet love story unfolding mostly over the course of six days, in which the main character Nasser Ali Khan has decided that his life is no longer worth living, and so he plots to die in his bed.

The reader is led to believe that this decision is the result of his broken tar - symbolizing the breaking of his musical and artistic passion. But there is obviously something more going on, and a morose love story unfolds the deeper Nasser Ali is drawn into his depression and impending death.

One of the few criticisms I have of the book - is that I wished for a little more back story to Nasser earlier on. He’s a sad sack character, and hard to get on board with emotionally. I didn’t really start caring about him until he had his first flashback and emotional impulse towards his favorite daughter. He treated his own son harshly - didn’t appear to love his wife - or even give much thought to how his death might impact his family.

Of course - it all makes sense by the end of the story - earlier scenes come full circle, and all the secrets of Nasser Ali are revealed.

I found myself enjoying the book much more on a second read, with the possession of the complete story. I suppose that is it’s beauty, but I was more than a little put out having to suffer along with Nasser through the first 2/3rds.

The artistry is gorgeous - I really dig the way Satrapi uses her black and white inking - the black is so heavy, that instead of black outlining - the absent white spaces create the outlines. The white is the absence, instead of the black.

She also does fun stuff with patterns and lines, and her illustrations always remind me of wood-carvings.

Her work is very distinctive, and I do enjoy her style.

There’s not much else to say - it’s an easy read - nothing too emotionally searing or complicated. There is plenty of Satrapi’s trademark humor and wisdom to be had. That being said - I would recommend this regardless of the author.

However - because it is the distant cousin of Persepolis, it will be accused of NOT BEING Persepolis. Well, not everything an artist makes is meant to rock the world. But there’s something to be said for being able to tell an intriguing story with imaginative visuals.

Another compliment for Satrapi - she has an uncanny ability to make a simple family story into a romantic, if depressing, fable. And while we all must come to terms with the fact that it’s not her most famous work - it’s still well worth the read.

Much Love, Mindy C