10 Years

Don't have much to say about the 10th anniversary, but we shouldn't forget.

Anyway, on to books:

313. Call of the Wild: A Mutts Treasury by Patrick McDonnell. Such a wonderful comic. Sweet and gentle unlike anything else on the comics page, but not cloying or saccharine.
314. Avengers: The Coming of the Beast by Steve Englehart, Tony Isabella, George Tuska and Don Heck. I really wonder who at Marvel decides what comics get fancy hardcover collections. This one consists of the first four Avengers issues where the Beast is a member and 2 unrelated fill-in issues from shortly thereafter. Different creative teams too. Why do these issues warrant a $20 hardcover? (Checked out of the library.)
315. Casanova, vol. 2: Gula by Matt Fraction and Fabio Moon. Man, I love this comic. Weird and surreal and fantastic. So glad that new issues are being published again.
316. Rin-Ne, vol. 6 by Rumiko Takahashi. I'm sure I've mentioned this on every previous volume: Takahashi's formula is very apparent here, but it's still entertaining. (Library.)
317. Fantastic Four, vol. 3 by Jonathan Hickman & Neil Edwards. More super-science concepts. (Library.)
318. Doctor Strange: Into the Dark Dimension by Roger Stern, Paul Smith, et al. Another of the fancy hardcovers I was talking about above, but this time it's a coherent storyline (although I suspect the final issue reprinted here may have been included just to pad the page count). I really enjoy Stern's writing and wish there were more collections of his work.
319. DC Comics Presents: JLA - Heaven's Ladder by Mark Waid & Bryan Hitch. One of the things DC seems to be using these DC Comics Presents for is to bring back into print stories that were originally published as overpriced hardcover original graphic novels. I'm glad they are now cheaper.
320. B.P.R.D. Hell on Earth, vol. 1: New World by Mike Mignola, John Arcudi & Guy Davis.
     Still a remarkable series. Still going strong.
321. Gen 13: Best of a Bad Lot by Gail Simone & Talent Caldwell. Reboot of the Wildstorm property. Probably moot with DC's latest relaunch, but still a good story.
322. Usagi Yojimbo, vol. 25: Fox Hunt by Stan Sakai.
     Now this is an achievement. Sakai has been creating this comic for nearly 25 years, and it is as good as it has ever been. He just keeps honing his craft. Excellent comics. One of the best being published.

Movies:

• Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs. Teena and I had our niece over for a visit, so we watched a kid's movie. This was better than we had expected. Not filled with lazy jokes, which was a pleasant surprise.

Happy Labor Day!

Three day weekend means a Monday post.

Today is a nice reminder that the U.S. hasn't always been so hostile to the common worker. I'm just glad that Labor Day is old enough that there is little chance of it being rescinded. (Although who knows? As this page shows, the Right has stopped pretending not to be outraged that the poor have the audacity to think they should have a say in their own governance.

Anyway, on to the past weeks books:

308. Ghost Story by Jim Butcher.
     
     The latest Dresden Files novel. Where do you go when your protagonist ends the previous book by being shot in the chest and falling into the icy waters of Lake Michigan? Well, the title should give you a hint. Looking forward to the next book next year.
309. The Warlord: The Saga by Mike Grell, Joe Prado & Chad Hardin. Grell returns to a character he wrote and drew for a good deal of the 70s.
310. Incognito, vol. 2: Bad Influences by Ed Brubaker & Sean Phillips.
     Pulp-inspired super-villainy. Can't wait to see where the story goes next.
311. Rasl: Pocket Book One by Jeff Smith. Smith's latest book is very different from Bone, but is just as good. (Although I will admit I am starting to get a little burned out on stories that use Tesla as a source for whatever science McGuffin they need.)
312. Dan Dare Omnibus by Garth Ennis & Gary Erskine.

Catch-up time for movies:

• Cowboys vs. Aliens. Actually saw this back at the beginning of August, but forgot to post about it then. Enjoyed the movie itself fine enough. Unfortunately, our experience was ruined by a jerk who got to the theater after previews had started, sat right next to Teena and spent the entire movie texting.
• Mystery Science Theater 3000: Gamera vs. Zigra. It's really strange to see a kaiju (giant monster like Gamera or Godzilla) speaking in one of these movies.
• Doctor Who: Enlightenment. Wraps up the story arc of Turlough's introduction.
• RiffTrax Live: Jack the Giant Killer. Old kids' movie with some respectable stop-motion animation effects and a bizarre story.
• The Heroic Trio Kung Fu super-heroics.
• RiffTrax: Shorts to Go. One of the latest collections of short films and joke-filled commentaries.
• RiffTrax: Olde Tyme Shorts Roundup. The other latest collection.
• Doctor Who: The Seeds of Death. The Second Doctor vs. invading Martians.
• The Film Crew: The Giant of Marathon. A Steve Reeves movie that isn't about Hercules. Amazingly, he still plays an incredibly strong ancient Greek.
• Big Trouble in Little China. This movie is so much fun. I love the description of Kurt Russell's character as "A sidekick who thinks he's the lead." It fits perfectly.
• RiffTrax: Shortstoberfest. Still more short films.

Quite a Backlog

280. Stephen King's The Stand: No Man's Land by Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa & Mike Perkins.
     
     Continuing the adaptation of the novel. Just one volume to go, I think. (Borrowed from Teena.)
     
281. Conan, vol. 9: Free Companions by Timothy Truman, Tomas Giorello, et al. (Checked out of the library.)
     
282. Conan, vol. 10: Iron Shadows in the Moon and Other Stories by Timothy Truman, Tomas Giorello, et al. I have been reading a fair number of Conan comics lately. (Library.)
     
283. Welcome to Tranquility: One Foot in the Grave by Gail Simone & Horacio Domingues. I hope we get a chance to see more Welcome to Tranquility stories now that DC is folding the WildStorm universe into the main DC Universe.
     
284. Children at Play: A Cul de Sac Collection by Richard Thompson.
     
     I've really been enjoying this comic strip and need to look for any further collections.
     
285. Avengers - West Coast Avengers: Family Ties by Steve Englehart, Al Migrom, et al. If Marvel had published an Essential West Coast Avengers book, I'd have been all over that, but instead by putting out an overpriced hardcover, I gave it a pass until I could get it from the library. Fun, but the writing is extremely clunky in places. (Library.)
     
286. Shadowland: Thunderbolts by Jeff Parker, Kev Walker & Declan Shalvey. It's so great when a writer does a good job of tying an ongoing series into the latest cross-over, as Parker does here. I'd prefer fewer cross-overs, but they sell, so we will keep seeing them. (Library.)
     
287. Wolverine and Jubilee: Curse of the Mutants by Kathryn Immonen & Phil Noto. Immonen's writing is growing on me. (Library.)
     
288. Ruse, vol. 1: Enter the Detective by Mark Waid & Butch Guice. Found a used copy of this old CrossGen collection and decided to pick it up. I always enjoy a good Sherlock Holmes pastiche.
     
289. The Midwich Cuckoos by John Wyndham. I've been thinking about reading this ever since I started reading FreakAngels (which was inspired by this), but kept putting it off until I discovered that Teena had a copy. I may need to check out the film version (Village of the Damned) next. (Borrowed from Teena.)
     
290. Star Trek: Crew by John Byrne. Exploring the early career of Majel Barrett's pre-Nurse Chapel character. (Library.)
     
291. The Sixth Gun, vol. 1: Cold, Dead Fingers by Cullen Bunn & Brian Hurtt.
     
     I enjoyed this horror-western so much when I got it from the library I had to pick up a copy of my own.
     
292. DC Comics Presents: Teen Titans by Mike Allred, et al.
     
293. The Sixth Gun, vol. 2: Crossroads by Cullen Bunn & Brian Hurtt
     
     Still loving this. I have realized in recent years that I quite enjoy westerns. And if they have fantastic elements, so much the better.
     
294. The Tooth by Cullen Bunn, Shawn Lee, and Matt Kindt. This is designed to look a lot like a Marvel monster comic from the 70s. (Library.)
     
295. Yeah! by Peter Bagge & Gilbert Hernandez. Fun, all-ages comic about a girl band who is famous all across the galaxy, but not on their home planet of Earth. (Library.)
     
296. Locke & Key, vol. 4: Keys to the Kingdom by Joe Hill & Gabriel Rodriguez. While I am still enjoying it, I really wish the protagonists could catch a break. The antagonist always seems two or three steps ahead of them. (Borrowed from Teena.)
     
297. Penny Arcade, vol. 7: Be Good, Little Puppy by Jerry Holkins & Mike Krahulik. All of the Penny Arcade strips from 2006. I started reading the site regularly sometime around then, so I actually remembered some of these. (Borrowed from Teena.)
     
298. Bat Lash: Guns and Roses by Sergio Aragones, Peter Brandvold, and John Severin. Straight western here. I love Severin's art. It really grabs me, and is perfectly suited to cowboy stories.
     
299. DC Comics Presents: Shazam! #1 by Jerry Ordway & Peter Krause. I'm not sure how DC picks which comics get reprinted in these inexpensive collections, but there are some good choices.
     
300. DC Comics Presents: Shazam! #2 by Jerry Ordway. Fun stuff.
     
301. Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?: Dust to Dust, vol. 1 by Chris Roberson & Robert Adler. Authorized prequel to Dick's novel. (Library.)
     
302. Counter X, vol. 3: X-Man by Warren Ellis, Steven Grant & Ariel Olivetti. Found a cheap copy of this, so I picked it up. Enjoyed this quite a bit more than the other Counter X collections.
     
303. Star Trek: The Next Generation: The Manga: Boukenshin, vol. 1 by various. Boy, that's a lot of colons in the title. STTNG comics featuring manga-influenced art. One story is written by David Gerrold and another is by Diane Duane
     
304. John Byrne's Next Men, vol. 1: Scattered. Byrne returns to his creator-owned characters after 15 years. This feels pretty self-indulgent, even by Byrne's recent standards. (And that's saying something.) Glad I didn't pay for this. (Library.)
     
305. Order of the Stick: Snips, Snails and Dragon Tales by Rich Burlew. Odds and ends that don't fit in with the larger Order of the Stick storyline.
     
306. Stop and Smell the Roses: A Mutts Treasury by Patrick McDonnell.
     
     The best word I have found to describe this comic strip is sweet. It's very gentle. Not necessarily funny everyday, but always beautiful art.
     
307. Girl Genius, vol. 10: Agatha Heterodyne and the Guardian Muse by Phil and Kaja Foglio. I read the webcomic faithfully, but the collections help show that the storyline isn't as bogged down in minutiae as it sometimes appears reading only 3 pages a week. And as always, the art is fantastic.

There have been several movies in the past couple of weeks, but I just got through a bunch of books, so they can wait until next week.

Skip Week

I have family here to visit today, so no real update this week.

Time to Catch Up

265. The Boys, vol. 8: Highland Laddie by Garth Ennis & John McCrea. This volume really goes a long way to humanizing this series. (Checked out of the library.)
     
266. League of Extraordinary Gentlemen: The Black Dossier by Alan Moore & Kevin O'Neill.
     
     I finally got around to re-reading this so I could read the following book:
     
267. Impossible Territories: The Unofficial Companion to the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen: The Black Dossier by Jess Nevins. Annotation to the references in the above book, plus an interview with Alan Moore. I admire the effort Nevins puts into researching these annotations.
     
268. PunisherMax: Bullseye by Jason Aaron & Steve Dillon. (Library.)
     
269. Cul de Sac by Richard Thompson.
     
     A great, new newspaper comic strip. Very funny, and covering different territory than the many other strips about suburban kids. Highly recommended.
     
270. Fables, vol. 15: Rose Red by Bill Willingham, Mark Buckingham, et al. Moving things along. (Library.)
     
271. Dracula: The Company of Monsters, vol. 1 by Kurt Busiek, Daryl Gregory, Scott Godlewski & Damian Couceiro. (Library)
     
272. Dracula: The Company of Monsters, vol. 2 by Kurt Busiek, Daryl Gregory, Scott Godlewski & Damian Couciero. The best vampire story I've read in a long, long time. Can't wait for volume 3 to come out. (Library.)
     
273. Captain America: The Fighting Avenger by Brian Clevinger, Gurihiru. Tie-in with the movie (which I haven't seen.) (Library.)
     
274. DC Comics Presents: The Metal Men by Keith Giffen, J.M. DeMatteis, & Kevin Maguire. Light-hearted treatment of one of DC's more absurd super-hero groups.
     
275. Captain America: American Nightmare by Mark Waid, Andy Kubert, et al. Comics from the 90s. (Library.)
     
276. Northlanders vol. 4: The Plague Widow by Brian Wood & Leandro Fernandez. Another story of vikings. (Library.)
     
277. Stephen King's The Dark Tower: The Gunslinger: The Little Sisters of Eluria by Robin Furth, Peter David & Luke Ross. Looks like these sell well enough that they will end up adapting the entire Dark Tower series.(Borrowed from Teena.)
     
278. The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen: Century, vol. 2: 1969 by Alan Moore & Kevin O'Neill.
     
     What we have seen of Century so far has been darker than previous LoEG stories. I'm hoping volume 3 ends on an up note.
     
279. Conan, vol. 8: Black Colossus by Timothy Truman & Tomas Giorello. (Library.)

A fair number of movies since I last posted a real update:

• Doctor Who: Mawdryn Undead. Turlough's introduction. Interesting to see a companion who isn't as altruistic as usual.
  
• Doctor Who: Terminus. I hadn't been getting Doctor Who discs in sequence from NetFlix, but because these two stories and the following one have a character arc for Turlough, I broke with tradition.
  
• Mystery Science Theater 3000: Gamera. Yay for Japanese monster movies and Americans poking fun at them.
  
• MST3K: Gamera vs. Barugon.
  
• MST3K: Gamera vs. Gaos.
  
• MST3K: Gamera vs. Guiron. Of the 5 Gamera movies in the latest MST3K box set, Teena and I had seen only 2. We've got one movie to go, and it is one of the ones we had not previously seen.
  

Vacation Post

I did not get many books read during my week off, so this is the only post this week. I will catch up next time.

I'm Back

Here is the promised post.

255. Marvel Adventures Spider-Man & the Avengers by Paul Tobin, et al. More great all-ages comics.
     
256. S.H.I.E.L.D.: Architects of Forever by Jonathan Hickman & Dustin Weaver. A secret history of the Marvel Universe. Revealing that S.H.I.E.L.D., the super-spy organization has been defending Earth for centuries. (Checked out of the library.)
     
257. Marvel Adventures Fantastic Four: Doomed If You Don't by Paul Tobin & David Hahn.
     
258. War of Kings: Road to War of Kings by Christover Yost, Dustin Weaver, et al. Preliminaries to Marvel's cosmic cross-over. (Library.)
     
259. Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 4: Realm of Kings by Dan Abnett, Andy Lanning, Brad Walker, & Wesley Craig. The more Abnett & Lanning I read, the more I enjoy their work. (Library.)
     
260. Legion Lost by Dan Abnett, Andy Lanning, Olivier Copiel, & Pascal Alixe. Collection of a series that came out at a time when I wasn't reading Legion of Super-Heroes comics. So I knew almost nothing about this. It's very good. (Library.)
     
261. Richard Stark's Parker, Book 2: The Outfit adapted by Darwyn Cooke.
     
     I enjoyed the first book, but this one blew me away, especially the section in the middle of the book where a bunch of heists are described, each in a different art style. I'm definitely on board for the next book.
     
262. Citizen Rex by Mario & Gilbert Hernandez. Science fiction weirdness. (Library.)
     
263. The Nobody by Jeff Lemire.
     
     The Invisible Man set in small-town America. (Library.)
     
264. Batman: The Bat and the Beast by Peter Milligan and Andy Clarke. Milligan can be hit or miss for me, especially when writing corporate characters. Fortunately, this is one of the hits. Batman in Moscow.

No movies since last time, but Teena and I did go to

• Trek in the Park: Mirror, Mirror on Saturday. This is getting more & more popular. We were there 2 hours early, but we still ended up having to sit behind the "stage." Fortunately, we were still able to see most of the action. Also, while we were in the sun when we arrived, the shadows moved over us by the time the show started. Lots of fun. Looking forward to the show next year (even if we have to show up 3 or 4 hours early).