Recent Reading

Last weekend I had a hard time deciding which of the too-many books in my TBR pile I wanted to start, so I ended up reading some single issues and finishing a trade instead. After that, I made a decision and managed to read a book during a busy week. Oh, and the new issue of Astro City came out. Some thoughts...

Astro City: Confession - I love what Kurt Busiek does with this six-part storyline. It's the story of Brian, who moves to Astro City after the death of his father and sets about getting involved in the world of super-heroes. He manages to get noticed and becomes Altar Boy, the sidekick of The Confessor. That's the basic plot and it sounds like a typical type of super-hero comic. It's not. Sure, we are given some scenes of The Confessor training Brian but those scenes are marginally about the nuts and bolts of fighting crime with no powers and a cape. Brian is also learning how to be a detective and about that world of super-heroes he is joining. This story deals with the nature of heroism - if you should be one when the public turns against you and if you are one even if you are something "evil." The story has an alien invasion (set up in the original six issue mini-series), a series of killings in Shadow Hill, secret revelations, and plenty of heroes, old and new. It's a great story and Brent Anderson (with Will Blyberg on inks) draws the hell out of it. As a bonus, the collection includes an issue originally done for Wizard that focuses on a lost love and timeline anomalies and is regarded as one of the best single issues of the series.

The Unwritten #49 - This is the third issue of the "Orpheus in the Underworld" story and at the conclusion the group that has been in a story version of hell reenacts the story of Orpheus in order for Tom to try and find where Leviathan came from and maybe figure out how to heal him again. This is notable for the last page, where Tom finds himself with the characters from Bill Willingham's Fables series. A sorta-crossover with that series will occur over the next few issues.

Young Avengers #5 - Jamie McKelvie's inventive layouts continue in this issue - this one features a two page spread in which the action of the various team members radiates out from the points on a pentagram that Kid Loki is using to help them fight against demons. It may not sound cool but it sure looks cool. As far as the story goes, I will be happy to get beyond this storyline and get some interaction with the whole group...characters as great as Kid Loki, Miss America Chavez, Marvel Boy, and Kate Bishop (Hawkeye) should make for great moments.

The Sixth Gun #30 - This comic would be great solely on the strength of artist Brian Hurtt and colorist Bill Crabtree. Seriously, Hurtt is demonstrating cartooning of the highest order and I can spend minutes looking at how he draws folds in a person's clothing or the backgrounds. Crabtree makes the art sing that much more; the colors just pop on my iPad. Thankfully, Cullen Bunn's story is also worth sticking around for. This issues starts a new story, in which both Becky and Drake are sick. Becky's is more of a spiritual sickness from using the Sixth Gun and she ends up in a spirit-realm with a very sarcastic stork spirit guide...which promptly gets killed. Great comics, this.

Chew #34 - Can a comic that features a person who has a cheeseburger for a head be considered darker than it once was? This answer with this comic is yes. Ever since a big death a few issues back, Tony Chu has been a different man - more focused, more serious, and more deadly. He comes face to face with the vampire here. Meanwhile, another plot brings in cheeseburger-head and it makes total sense. John Layman gives us a bunch more food-related powers as well (like a sabopictor, who paints pictures you can taste); I love the inventiveness. One more issue left in this arc, I believe.

The Wake #1 - This was a great first issue, taking place in three different times with cool ideas, solid character work, and fantastic art by Sean Murphy. There are 9 issues more to go in this Scott Snyder story and you should sign on immediately. Seriously.

Astro City #1- After all the anticipation, my favorite comic returns as an ongoing series and it was worth the wait. Busiek introduces new characters, like The Broken Man (who breaks the fourth wall and enlists the readers as helpers...but he may be insane) and American Chibi (who looks like a giant doll), and catches us up with old ones, like Ben Pullam (who has now raised his daughters and takes on a new challenge) and Samaratin (who new heroes still look up to). There are cool concepts like arcanobiology, which is the science of things that shouldn't exist) and cool moments, like when Telseth comes out of the mysterious door speaking loudly...and then apologetically turns down the volume. Anderson gives us a Kirby influence in those Telseth scenes but also has pitch perfect storytelling when the Pullam family gets together. This is the 60th issue of the series as a whole but also serves as a great introduction to new readers while being a great reintroduction to those of us who have been reading since 1995. Welcome back, Astro City. I promise to drive carefully.

High Crimes #3 - Just a quick mention of this Monkeybrain digital-only series. This series is about a man and woman in Kathmandu who help guide tourists as they climb mountain peaks and have a grave-robbing business on the side where they steal from those who died while climbing. Of course, they robbed the wrong grave and found someone they shouldn't have and now they're on the run. It's a sharp series by Christopher Sebela and Ibrahim Moustafa.

The Black Country by Alex Grecian - This is the second book in Grecian's Scotland Yard Murder Squad series; the first, The Yard, came out last summer and I liked it quite a bit. This books takes Day, Hammersmith, and Kingsley out of London and into a coal-mining village in the titular Black Country. Three people have disappeared and when they arrive, they discover superstition and sickness and suspicious outsiders. Also, two interludes in Andersonville prison during the Civil War. The shift in setting gives the book a different feel from its predecessor but it still retains its page-turning proclivity. I'll be ready to read the third book in the series when it comes.

Sunday Shuffle #330

This is my transitional Sunday - the school year is over and my summer of swimming lessons starts tomorrow. Not sure how ready I am for it but that doesn't much matter, does it? Today I want to watch the French Open men's final between Nadal and Ferrer and hopefully watch the Spurs take a 2-0 lead over the heat. For now, today's ten...

1. Just Listen/Two Hours Traffic (4) - last played on 2/26/13

2. I Know These Waters Well/Apex Manor (17) - last played on 1/17/13

3. Too Hard/Kurt Vile (2) - last played on 6/3/13 (just bought this!)

4. The Shape of the Sum/I Love Math (4) - last played on 3/25/12

5. Every Single Instinct/Superchunk (14) - last played on 3/28/12

6. Snakes of Hawaii/Army Navy (5) - last played on 9/17/12

7. Holy Roller/Apex Manor (15) - last played on 3/1/12

8. Losin You/Amy Millan (5) - last played on 10/21/12

9. Paranoia in Bb Minor/The Avett Brothers (3) - last played on 2/18/12

10. Country Sad Ballad Man (Live Acoustic Version)/Blur (1) - debut

Sunday Shuffle #329

I've put up three posts since last Sunday, including two last night, so if you haven't seen them, please go back and take a look. Today is the last Sunday of the school year - four more days gets us to summer break (my wife has already started hers). Oh, and go Blackhawks and Pacers!

1. Mirror in the Dark/Twin Shadow (5) - last played on 12/20/12
2. Out Of My Hand/Michael Penn (8) - last played on 2/13/13
3. Forced To Love/Broken Social Scene (6) - last played on 3/10/13
4. Born A Woman/Nick Lowe (3) - last played on 5/1/11
5. Seventy-Four, Seventy-Five/Shearwater (7) - last played on 3/28/12
6. Girl In The War/Josh Ritter (5) - last played on 4/26/13
7. Cover Ears/The Rosebuds (7) - last played on 2/17/13
8. With Or Without You/U2 (4) - last played on 5/19/13
9. The Night Starts Here/Stars (5) - last played on 1/13/13
10. Dressy/Reigning Sound (3) - last played on 4/28/12

Monthly Mix #2: You Cannot Wrestle A Dove

Here is my May mix, filled with songs I could not get out of my head...and didn't want to...

1. Cannonball/The Breeders - Last Splash is 20 years old and just got reissued in a deluxe edition, which means I've had this song lodged in my head once again. It's still an oddball of a tune but all those elements come together to form a super-catchy song.

2. Breakers/Local Natives - This is off their new album, Hummingbird. I heard it on KEXP a few times and fell for it. The soaring "ooo"s are really hard to beat, aren't they? I have as yet to explore the rest of the album, so I don't know if this is a band I like or just a song. Well, I do like the song already, don't I? Hope it catches your ear too.

3. Sea of Love/The National - A few songs were released ahead of the new album but this was the first that truly caught my attention (and not just for the video). It's got that surging, pounding drumbeat with the bass locked in step and then when it pauses for the menacing "If I stay here/Trouble will find me" section - man, I could live in that part (also, this song embeds the album title). By the time it gets to the soaring vocals at the end, I'm totally in the bag for this song. Crank it up!

4. Weight/Mikal Cronin - I mentioned MCII in my most recent Heavy Rotation. This tuneful buzzy track leads off the album in fine fashion. I love the marriage of introspective lyrics and power pop smarts. Also the twin guitar solo (acoustic and electric) near the end is all kinds of cool.

5. Pennyroyal Tea/Nirvana - This popped into my head a week ago. No idea why other than it's one of my favorite songs by the band. Give me a Leonard Cohen afterworld, so I can sigh eternally...

6. In the City/Caveman - This is another find from KEXP. This sounds like a lost 80s track in the right way, if that makes any sense. Don't know much about the band and haven't explored further as of yet.

7. A Woman In Love (It's Not Me)/Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers - I covered this album in my Heavy Rotation post earlier this week. Such a great song with a wicked guitar solo.

8. Kiss Off/Violent Femmes - The last song on the new National record references this song, so I had to start listening again. If you only have one record, this is the one you should have. I almost titled this mix "I Forget What Eight Was For" but I didn't. Mistake?

9. Gone For Good/The Shins - Instead, I went with a line from this fantastic song.

10. Diane Young/Vampire Weekend - I'm really enjoying their new album and it should show up in the next Heavy Rotation. This is catchy as hell.

11. Neil Jung/Teenage Fanclub - I couldn't resist putting this back-to-back with the previous song. I've talked about this band before and this song is a prime example of their melodic guitar rock/power pop. Another great guitar solo.

12. Be Your Man/Ivan & Alyosha - The lead track from another album I discussed on the latest Heavy Rotation. Listening to this will give you an idea of what to expect from the record.

13. Your Life Your Call/Junip - I like the hypnotic rhythm of this one, from a band I've heard of but had never heard. This is from their new album. You know, a few years ago I wouldn't have given this song much of a chance. Glad I'm showing growth in my musical taste and letting a good song in, no matter what the sound.

14. Testament To Youth In Verse/The New Pornographers - This is a Dan Bejar song from Electric Version, from the last of the Heavy Rotation albums. In fact, I think it's my favorite Bejar New Pornos track of all of them. Let those bells ring no...

15. Get Lucky/Daft Punk - Remember what I was saying about being more open to types of music? This song fits that bill. This is 21st century disco and I love it completely. I'm using the radio edit because that's what I heard over and over on YouTube and was able to play on Spotify. Hope you're chair-dancing like I am!

Mega-Post #3

It's been quite a while since I posted something that was a Sunday Shuffle, Heavy Rotation, or Monthly Mix, which means it's well past time to get caught up with my pop culture intake...

BAKER'S DOZEN

Yes, I've read 13 books since last time I wrote about books. I'll try to keep my comments short...

A Storm of Swords by George R.R. Martin - I took just over three weeks to read this, though I did read a couple others during that time as well. The first half of the book does great character work and the second half is full of big event after big event and made me leave any other reading aside. It's my favorite book of the series so far and the first half or so is being adapted into the current season of Game of Thrones, which I also recommend.

Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell - On the surface, I should have liked this a lot. It's a romance set in the 80s and the titular characters are into the things I was into - I was the same age during that time period. And yet, I didn't fall for it. Don't know why, exactly.

The Ghost Brigades by John Scalzi - This is the second book in the Old Man's War universe and focuses on a character we met in the first. It's military SF with lots of interesting aliens and politics and character work. What else could you want?

Start Here edited by Jeff O'Neal and Rebecca Joines Schinsky - This is an outgrowth of the Book Riot website, of which I am a fan. The idea here is to give readers potential pathways into authors they haven't read yet but want to. I really disagreed with the writer who covered Jane Austen but on the whole found this pleasant bedtime reading for about 10 days. It also added to my want-to-read list.

The Last Colony by John Scalzi - I pretty much went right into the next book in the Old Man's War series and liked this one even better. It brought together characters from both books and I liked the look at starting a colony against the backdrop of political machinations by humans and aliens alike. There's some good humor here as well. I need to get to the fourth book soon.

Criminal Enterprise by Owen Laukkanen - This is the second Stevens and Windermere book (I really like the first, The Professionals, when I read it last year). This one deals with the current financial crisis and is full of action, cat-and-mouse, and character work. I burned through it in just two days and have no regrets.

Woods Runner by Gary Paulsen - I got to run a couple book clubs with the 5th graders at work and one of the groups read this. It's about a teenager whose parents get kidnapped and he gets caught up in the Revolutionary War. Each chapter has a short lead-in with facts about the time period. I had some interesting discussions with the group and enjoyed the experience of reading this with them.

The Batboy by Mike Lupica - I read this with the other group in book club. I've been watching Lupica on The Sports Reporters every Sunday morning for the past 15 years or more, so I enjoy when I get to read one of his novels (read a different one with a book club a couple years ago); they remind me of the sports fiction I consumed when I was in that 4th to 6th grade range. This one is about baseball and absent fathers and hero worship and I liked it a lot. One of the boys loved it, which is even better.

You by Austin Grossman - I loved Grossman's Soon I Will Be Invincible (as well as his twin brother Lev's Magicians series), so this new novel was a no-brainer. It's about a video game company in the late 90s and a guy just getting back into it. His friends from high school were early pioneers and this book is a look back at early gaming and where the industry went from there. I enjoyed it but I didn't love it on the level of Ready Player One, which takes a broader approach to the subject of video games.

London Falling by Paul Cornell - A group of London police gain the Sight, which allows them to notice the supernatural elements that have always been present. They need to take down an ancient witch and also save soccer players (it makes sense in the book). This took a while to come together but once it did, I enjoyed it well enough. I suspect the second book in the series will be even better, with all the exposition out of the way. We'll see.

The River of No Return by Bee Ridgway - Time travel and a love story - a combination that makes me pay attention. And yet, this book never quite followed through on that promise for me. The main problem is that it is mostly characters talking about what happens or explaining about the rules for time travel. I like a little more action than that, usually (and I'm not talking about sex, which is here). So, I liked it but thought I might love it. Ah well.

The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey - This books takes place in the aftermath of an alien invasion, which killed much of the planet's population. It focuses on a couple teenagers who are trying to cope and figure out a way to survive (hint: movies have gotten it wrong). The book picks up steam as it goes along and characters converge (and you figure out who some of them are), culminating in a epic action sequence. There's more than action here too; in fact, it's a fairly psychological book. I really liked it.

Top of the Rock by Warren Littlefield with T.R. Pearson - I heard an interview with Littlefield, who shepherded NBC through its Must See TV era, on a fairly recent Bullseye (as always, I'm well behind on my podcast listening) and decided I should read his book. It's an oral history of the time period with plenty of behind-the-scenes information about shows like Cheers, Seinfeld, Friends, and ER. An interested history and a fast read.

That makes 25 books read in 5 months. If I keep up this pace, I could end up reading 60 this year. Not bad.

I'VE MADE A HUGE TINY MISTAKE

If you don't recognize my title, it comes from Arrested Development. That show has recently returned after being off the air for 7 years. This time around the show is on Netflix and they released all 15 episodes at once. I decided that I wanted to go back and rewatch the series from the beginning since it had been a number of years since I'd watched. I remembered quite a bit (weird chicken dances, Tobias trying to be in the Blue Man Group and all the jokes that went with it, no touching, and all the rest) but I admit to not remembering that much of Season 3. I've been laughing a lot while going back through the episodes. My only mistake was not starting earlier - the new episodes have been up for about a week and I'm still not ready for them yet (closing in, though, with only 7 to go).

A GOOD EXIT

While the previous show is back after an absence, The Office has exited for good, probably a couple seasons too late. While the current season started out with some promise, it sagged in the middle. There were bits that were funny and some nice movement with character relationships like Jim and Dwight and Oscar and Angela but it clearly wasn't the same show anymore. The last handful of episodes, however, were of a quality that I really enjoyed. The series finale was very well done and is one of the best finales that I can recall. The show was great for a long time and I will miss spending time with the Dunder Mifflin crew.

SO LONG, STARMAN

Speaking of exits, I never read the last few issues of Starman as they were being published. They came out around the time I switched to trades the very first time and they got lost in the shuffle. Over the last few months, I read the final two volumes of Starman Omnibus. They included the bigger stories of Jack going to space in search of Will Payton, a previous Starman; the "Grand Guignol" storyline where Opal City was cut off by a villain who had been hiding within The Shade; and the fallout from that story - Ted's death, a trip to 1951, and so on. For much of the 90s, it was my favorite DC comic and it was great to go back and reread those stories and finally finish the series. James Robinson really used a lot of cool DC characters in this book, so much so that I lamented all over again that DC rebooted and threw all that history away. The issues contained in the two volumes also feature Peter Snejbjerg on art; I love his the more cartoony look he brought to the book. This was and is good comics.

ASTRO CITY ANTICIPATION

In my last Mega-Post, I mentioned that Astro City was once again coming back as an ongoing series and how excited I was. I had also stated my plan to reread the entire series before its return. At the time, I had 87 days. As of today, I have 4. I've only managed to read the first collection and am in the middle of reading Astro City: Confession right now. If Starman was my favorite DC comic during the 90s, this comic was probably my favorite, hands down. Kurt Busiek introduces so many characters and drops hints on others - you just want to read stories about all of them. The stories go beyond plot heavy super-hero fare as well. There is depth here, both in single issues and in longer stories like "Confession." I won't wait to read the new series when the first issue arrives on Wednesday but I will probably keep up with my reread as the summer goes on.

SCREEN SEQUELS

Iron Man 3 - Robert Downey Jr. has certainly owned the role of Iron Man over the last 6 years, hasn't he? Even beaten down and on the run like he is for much of this movie, he is certainly a lot of fun to watch. The middle with the kid in Tennessee was fantastic and I like how the movie balanced the dark with that lightness.  Also, how great was Ben Kingsley? The franchise is left in a state of uncertainty at the end too but I'm okay with that. I liked this one and it was certainly better than the second even if it didn't match the glorious rush that was the first.

Star Trek: Into Darkness - I thought this was great. I know reviews have been mixed but I don't share the reservations that some had about the echoes of Star Trek's past contained within the movie. I liked those echoes, I liked the performances, I liked what the filmmakers did with Kirk and Spock's relationship, I liked the McCoy one-liners and the steely Sulu resolve. Okay, maybe a character was a little unnecessary but that's a minor quibble. I wholeheartedly recommend this one.

Heavy Rotation #21

It's been about a month since I put up the last one but this covers the period from then up until the last week or so, when some new albums have started to take over...

Mikal Cronin/MCII - This album starts out with some tinkling piano then some acoustic guitar then a sharp lyric wedded to a melody that will stick with you before finally bringing on the guitar fuzz. How great is that? Even greater is that the rest of the songs employ those tools (plus some saxophone here, some strings there, and a couple Ty Segall guitar solos on top) to create an album that you don't want to miss. I just can't get enough.

Ivan & Alyosha/All The Times We Had - I used to think that this band did dance pop music ala MGMT. I was incorrect in my assumption. Instead, they are purveyors of pure pop music, descending from The Beatles as all such bands do. So, we get hummable melodies and harmonies and ballads and rock songs and lyrics that rise above the banal. And, like good albums of this genre, it gets better with every listen. And you should...listen, that is.

The New Pornographers/Electric Version - This was my first New Pornos album but it's the band's second. I don't remember what convinced me to give it a try but it was most likely a review. Of course, I'm glad I did give it a try because I love not only the band's music but also the solo albums and other projects of its members (Neko Case, A.C. Newman, and Dan Bejar in Destroyer, for example). "From Blown Speakers" gave my best-of-2003 mix its title and that's a decision I still stand by - the song is a crunchy ode to music sounding magical from those titular speakers with massed vocals riding over top. "Testament To Youth In Verse" is a fantastic Bejar contribution with power pop snarl leading to a section where vocal parts are added with each iteration of the words. That's just 2 of the 13 songs that will aurally please you.

Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers/Hard Promises - When the weather gets nice enough to drive around with the windows down, I turn to Tom Petty. This album came out over 30 years ago and is considered classic rock but it doesn't sound dated. Instead, this is rock music that's still alive - how can it not be with Mike Campbell wailing away on guitar solos? The album starts with an all-time T.P. classic in "The Waiting" and then delivers 9 more great songs that might not be on a best-of but add up to a great album. Remember what I said about wailing Campbell guitar solos? See "A Woman In Love (It's Not Me)." Want a great duet with Stevie Nicks? See "The Insider." Interested in some Benmont Tench organ? See "Letting You Go." You like music? Listen to this.

The Shins/Chutes Too Narrow - I don't know what it is about albums from 2003 but I seem to be going back to them lately (The Wrens last time around and The New Pornos and this now). You know, this album sounds pretty good with the windows down too. James Mercer's elliptical lyrics and the sunny pop tunes with echoes of the 60s just fit together like a glove. When an album opens with "Called to see/If your back is still aligned/And your sheets/Are growing grass in the corners of your bed" in "Kissing the Lipless," I'm in. Pretty sure "Pink Bullets" was on that best-of-2003 mix too - how could I resist "Since then it's been a book you read in reverse/So you understand less as the pages turn/Or a movie so crass and awkwardly cast/Even I could be the star?" By the time I get to "Gone For Good," the penultimate song on the album, and get hit with "You wanted to jump and dance/But you sat on your hands and lost your only chance?" Resistance is futile.

Sunday Shuffle #328

I'm working on a couple other posts, which I will hopefully have up in the next couple days. Meanwhile, I'm enjoying the fact that this is the middle of a 3-day weekend. Hope you're having a good weekend too...

1. Better To Be/Liam Finn (15) - last played on 5/18/13
2. Tokyo/Telekinesis (17) - last played on 4/1/13
3. My Revenge/Julie Ocean (8) - last played on 3/24/13
4. Animated Airplanes Over Germany/Superchunk (7) - last played on 3/28/12
5. The Only Piece That You Get/Superchunk (14) - last played on 3/28/12
6. From Ghost Town/Robert Forster (5) - last played on 5/12/13
7. Better Times Are Coming Our Way/Cracker (5) - last played on 11/20/11
8. My Body Is a Cage/Arcade Fire (7) - last played on 3/5/13
9. Market Girl/Headlights (6) - last played on 1/20/13
10. Atmosphere/Velvet Crush (10) - last played on 12/2/12