daysleeper’s blog

prefer solo books

nobody@vox.com(daysleeper) — Sat, 28 Jun 2008 09:20:48 -0500

I've noticed a new trend in my comic book reading. I prefer books with a lead character versus team books. With the exception of Fables, my top five books are all solo books. Here is my list followed by some reasons why I like reading the various titles.

Superman
All Star Superman
Fables
Scalped
Red Sonja
Witchblade
Captain America
Green Lantern Corps
Fantastic Four
Wolverine

I love what Ed Brubaker is doing with Captain America. He writes an excellent espionage book with the best moments of Captain America history intertwined. For example, Sharon discovering that the Grand Director is still alive made me smile all day long. Yes, I remember the Grand Director fondly. He appeared in one of the very first Captain America books that I ever read and is one of the earliest books in my collection.

I need to stop caring about the Fantastic Four. I am not sure what Mark Millar was hoping to achieve with his first arc on the title, but I was less than impressed. At best I was disinterested.

I will miss Grant Morrison's take on the last son of Krypton. Each and every issue of his run was perfect. Not only was the lead character done with style, but the supporting cast also shone brightly be it Lois Lane or Steve Lombard.

The writing talent of Jason Aaron is my primary reason for liking both Scalped and Wolverine.

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german turkish rain

nobody@vox.com(daysleeper) — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 12:28:55 -0500

After another night of violent thunderstorms that caused my power to go out twice ever so briefly, I spent the quiet morning watching an excellent German film about Turkish immigrants called Head-On. I had seen an earlier film from the same director and liked it. That other film had the actor who was the boyfriend in Run Lola Run. His presence in the movie was my primary reason for wanting to see it and I was pleased to find out that it was quite good. In July was a cross country comedy of sorts that started in Germany and ended in Turkey. Once again with Head-On the story begins in Germany and ends in Turkey, but there is far less comedy in Head-On than in In July. Instead of comedy, we the viewer are given a tragic romance that trumps anything made by Hollywood.

As to why Turks are drawn to Germany is never fully explained in the movie, but there must be a somewhat large Turkish community there for whatever reason.

...

Back in 1998, Kurt Busiek was the man who made me enjoy reading comic books again. Most of the 1990's had been filled with dull stories and awful art. The terrible output made it easy for me to stay away from the shops and reading comic books in general. Then one day I came across an issue of a book called Avengers Forever and I remembered why comic books can be so good. Kurt's writing and Carlos Pacheco on art created a story that used characters that I not only loved, but used them in a way that was fresh and interesting. My passion for an abandoned hobby had been rekindled.

Later when I found out that Kurt had created a title with his own characters called Astro City, I knew that I had to read it. As of today I only own fourteen issues of the series, but each one is a classic on on its own. Great character insight and homages to other established characters impress me every time. Astro City: The Dark Age Book One provided a nice way to wind down before I took a nap this morning.

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weird western tales

nobody@vox.com(daysleeper) — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 09:18:30 -0500

More often than not when people hear the term comic books, the first association that they make with that phrase is super heroes, be it Spider-Man, Superman or Batman. That is understandable, but that is not the whole truth. Yes, today super heroes do dominate the comic book market, but even when I started reading them back in the 1970's there was a wide variety of genre choices and super heroes was just one of them. There were war comics. There were western comics. There were even comics that were meant just to be funny such as Archie and Sad Sack.

One of the first titles that I ever read was called Weird Western Tales and introduced a new character called Scalphunter, a white man who as a child had been raised by Native Americans when his family was killed. Then as a grown man he was never fully accepted by either group. This man, Brian Savage, had to be one of the most complex fictional characters that I had ever encountered in my early comic book reading. So with that in mind I was extremely relieved to find when earlier today reading another issue from that era, the stories still rang true and have great emotional impact for me as an adult. Brian Savage was a man like no other and that made him interesting if not a hero among men.

Oddly enough one of my favorite titles being produced today is Scalped, yet another book centered on Native Americans, except the stories take place today and not in the years after The American Civil War. In some ways, Dashiell Bad Horse is a worthy successor to Brian Savage. Both men are caught in violent worlds yet strive for peace of some sort.

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other things done

nobody@vox.com(daysleeper) — Sat, 31 May 2008 19:09:34 -0500

That list that I just posted moments ago is so incomplete in my mind. Yes, I did do all of those things, but so many other things are missing. For example, none of the comic books and or magazines that I read during the month are included. A quick look at my records shows that my comic book database grew by about forty issues this month. Nor did I list any of the new songs that I added to my music collection. Listening to music is a great part of my life and a handful of new albums came to my attention this month. Then there are the various television programs that I watched at home and movies I saw in the theater. I guess what I want to say is that the month was busier than what was posted. At least it felt extremely busy to me and I suspect that June will be just as active if not more packed with happenings.

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the black glove

nobody@vox.com(daysleeper) — Thu, 29 May 2008 11:21:41 -0500

With his Batman R.I.P. story, Grant Morrison has made me interested in reading Batman again. When Morrison first came onto the book probably more than a year ago, I was there eager to see what he could bring to the famous detective. I was quickly more than a little disappointed. I love Talia al Ghul, but bringing her back with a child in tow that belongs to Bruce and her was not something that I found that entertaining to read. Damian was an irritant if anything and I soon left the book. Now I am back and I am curious to see if Grant can keep my attention this time.

I can't quite say what appeals to me the most about this latest story. I like the fact that Bruce has a love interest and that it is someone other than Selina or Talia. Since I am not a Batman expert, I am not sure if this is a new character or not, but as of now I like Jezebel Jet. If she is a new character, Grant seems to be following in the tradition of Stan Lee who also loved alliteration when it came to naming characters. From what I have seen and read she seems very human and if anything is needed in Batman' life is someone human. Both Bruce Wayne and Batman are such remote characters that they border on the dull.

Now with Jezebel in Bruce's life we have someone who is willing to stand up to him and tell him that he needs to get over the death of his parents. I confess that I screamed yes under my breath when she said those lines to him. In all the years of reading about Batman, his motivation always struck me as somewhat weak. Yes, it was traumatic, but why relive that moment over and over again. Isn't the human mind capable of healing such scars?

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dare i hope

nobody@vox.com(daysleeper) — Thu, 15 May 2008 12:38:13 -0500

Still sweaty from a late morning bike ride and a casual walk around my subdivision where I took some photos, I feel good. Everything is beginning to turn green around here and there is a second showing this Saturday for my old condo. This showing is for someone who liked the place last year, but did not have an offer on their place then. Oh, dare I hope that an offer will be made on my place now? If I could sell the place now, then I could enjoy the summer without that being in the back of my mind all of the time.

Last night I had a wonderful geek moment and spread about three months worth of comic book across the floor of the office. Naturally as I sorted through them to make sure that they were in my database, I took some time to read more than a few of them again. Personal favorites include Fables, Legion of Super-Heroes, Red Sonja, Scalped and of course Superman. I am looking forward to James Robinson taking over the writing chores on Superman. His creation Starman years ago brought me much reading pleasure.

Two groups of Canadian geese seem to like the open field across from my place and I have no idea why. What I do know is that I hear them honking every morning.

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lost survivor brother

nobody@vox.com(daysleeper) — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 17:03:51 -0500

At four o'clock this morning, I was witness to what had to be the first spectacular thunderstorm of the year. The forecast had predicted strong storms, but so often that seems to be an exaggeration, but that was not the case this time. More than a few times there was an all encompassing flash quickly followed by ground shaking thunder. It was a serious storm that lingered over my house for at least an hour. Since sleep was out of the question and I couldn't seem to concentrate on what I wanted to read, I counted the lag between the flash and the thunder to pass the time. Sometimes simple rituals from childhood are the most comforting.

Lately I have been reading some of Marvel Comics efforts from the late 1970's and early 80's. For me this is when I started reading comics and because of that initial exposure feel more than a slight affection for this era. Yes, many of the characters and stories feel very dated today, but that doesn't stop me from enjoying them. There is no denying that both Luke Cage and Danny Rand were products of 70's fads. Luke came out of the blaxploitation films such as Shaft and Danny was a nod to the martial arts craze at the time. Pairing these two characters together in a detective for hire scenario made for some great reading. I can't say that I was an avid follower of the title Power Man and Iron Fist when it was fresh on the stands, but this gives me a wonderful vein of stories to tap today.

I may have been somewhat hostile to the anime series Bleach when I first saw it, but all of that has changed now. Having seen the first sixteen episodes and a handful from much later in the series, I have grown to love it more than other series I have seen. I might even put it in my top five list behind Ergo Proxy and RahXephon. Both of the main characters, Ichigo and Rukia, have well rounded personalities and their interaction is so fun to watch. Then there is the strong supporting cast that keeps growing and growing with each episode. I can see why the series has lasted for so many years and I like having something so elaborate to keep my interest.

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is this spring

nobody@vox.com(daysleeper) — Sat, 05 Apr 2008 20:29:05 -0500

After work this morning, I was able to walk outside without wearing a coat or jacket. This is something that I have not been able to do in weeks if not months. The sun was shining bright and no clouds could be seen in the sky. All but a few traces of snow surviving in the shade had disappeared leaving any and all debris on the ground visible. It was an odd contrast. The ground looked ugly and dead, but the air and the sky were perfect. It was nice. Maybe winter has finally exited the stage.

I can not remember when I first became aware of the man Jack Kirby and his impact on the comic book industry, but I do know that his style is unmistakable. Bold, block like faces and arms that punch out through the panels filled with abstract shapes are what come to my mind. His legacy at Marvel came to my attention first and over time I have come to know most of his DC creations. Personal favorites of mine include Scott Free and Barda. Visually the two of them are classic in my mind and I also appreciate their tragic and triumphant relationship. However, not every character in the Kirby stable has been seen firsthand by me, so I was happy to have a chance to read the Kamandi Countdown Special that DC recently put together.

Now having read the first issue of Kamandi, I can say that it is very Kirby. A world where civilization has fallen into ruins and animals have learned to talk is something very much in his style and speaks to his strengths as an artist. I can not say that I was instantly hooked by what I read, but I can appreciate his effort to create something outside the normal super hero genre. Plus at the time, I am certain that it was very eccentric if not ground breaking.

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three year run

nobody@vox.com(daysleeper) — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 03:08:20 -0500

Having almost completed three years on the title, Ed Brubaker continues to impress me with his writing on Captain America. Oh, there are times when I miss Steve Rogers, but what had been his supporting cast is just as interesting as he was when he was the central character. James Barnes and Natasha make a great team and I hope that Steve does not make a miraculous return from the grave any time soon. Another strength of the book is the solid artwork of Steve Epting and Butch Guice.

I know that I have said this many times, but I love the middle of the night. Three in the morning is probably when I think the best in the course of the day. Overall things are quiet and I can finally put my thoughts in order. There are no distractions and without the sun around, one can not mistake my pondering for daydreaming.

A somewhat depressing thought crossed my mind earlier this week. I will not be going on vacation until July. Sigh. Three months feels like a long time of nothing but work in my life. I have been trying to keep my mind focused on things other than work, but sometimes I just get caught up in the day to day existence. Suddenly all that I do is eat, sleep and work. I find that pattern to be very dehumanizing and I can not understand how people can accept that way of life as normal. Yes, I should not complain. When I step back, my life is good. I have a wife and family who love me. I have a job that allows me to pay for two mortgages and not reduce me to eating sandwiches three times a day. I am healthy and I have time to do things that I enjoy.

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alas poor yorick

nobody@vox.com(daysleeper) — Wed, 20 Feb 2008 06:41:08 -0600

My monthly shipment from Mile High Comics arrived in the mail yesterday and inside said package was the final issue of Y The Last Man by Brian K. Vaughan and Pia Guerra. Now having read it, I have to say that I was satisfied with the ending. Various threads from the story were tied up and final farewells were said to key characters. Said issue contained a few more deaths, but they were offstage and that was fine with me. Personally, I do not think that there was any way the book could have hit me harder than when 355 died. Reading the issue where she was shot and killed almost made me cry. It was that emotional of a moment and I truly felt for Yorick.

For years the story of the last man on Earth and his adventures around the world was one of the first titles that I read each month. I will miss his humor and pop culture references. I will miss his interaction with women from around the globe, some of who hate him, some of who fear him and a few who love him. The book could not have been better written and drawn. Brian and Pia gave so much of themselves in the book and I thank them for their efforts.

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