Iron Man 3 Movie Review

Last night I watched Marvel Studios latest film, Iron Man 3 with a group of friends and my partner. Let's skip straight to the bit everyone seems to want to know: No, the post-credits scene isn't integral to any future films, but it is funny....shwarma funny.

Shane Black directs this monster of a film, and the directorial differences between Jon Favreau (the director of the previous two films) and Shane are distinct yet similar in tone. Without spoiling to much in this review, the action scenes, along with some great character work by the cast make this a movie you won't want to look away from, even if you have a strong urge to pee. Which will suck for those with weak bladders, because this movie is great, but still clocks in at over two hours long.

Narrated by Robert Downey, Jr. in-character as Tony Stark, the film kicks off years before the first film, and ties a few events together, throwing a couple of new comic-concepts into the mix including AIM and the Extremis enhancile and giving us a nice set up for the rest of the film, as well as reminding us Tony can be a bit of dick.

I'll attempt to avoid most major plot points, but I can't review this film without mentioning in passing what a brilliant play on expectations this film delivers with the Mandarin. Ben Kingsley turns in a surprising performance, as do Guy Pearce, James Badge Dale and Rebecca Hall. As a matter of fact, the casting in this film is virtually flawless, and considering this film has an extended period featuring Tony interacting with a child actor (Ty Simpkins), that's impressive.

This film toys with some very dark stuff for a Marvel film, but manages to effectively dance along the edge, throwing in some well timed humor when things get too grim. Concerned with breaking Tony Stark down to his core, this third film really nails some home truths about who he is, with the occasional glimpse of something amiss behind his face and eccentricities. Apparently the events of The Avengers has taken it's toll.

All in all, highly recommended. This film wont change your life, but it's still darn good fun to watch and you'll be riveted to your seat. Until Stan stops making cameos, I remain

frogoat

Tales of Who's Past: Barbara

I wonder if anyone outside of classic series Doctor Who fans really cares about dusty old black-and-white companions. But Barbara was the first (along with Ian) the very first, and that makes her-to my mind at least-the archetype, the blueprint, the sounding board for all the companions since. And what a fine example of a companion she is.

In the beginning, before we had a codifier for what the series should be, we had a primordial soup of ideas and roles to fill. But the characters, the actors, grew and changed. Barbara is iconic. Barbara was strong and feisty before it was a thing. Barbara is the first person to ever put the Doctor in his place ( The Edge of Destruction, fact fans). That's right, Barbara, the humble history teacher of Coal Hill School, gave the First Doctor a stern talking to, arguably changing the Doctor's character forever, more so than any other companion has ever managed.

Barbara Wright didn't have it easy through the shows first two years. Surviving savage cavemen, the first person in the series ever to encounter a Dalek, meeting Marco Polo and Kublai Khan, questing for the Keys of Marinus (including being...erm...menaced by a mountain man), then arriving in an Aztec temple in Mexico....

Barbara's stand out performance comes in The Aztecs, where she takes center stage, being mistaken for Yetaxa, a god in human form. Attempting to change the course of history for the better (another first), only for things to turn out as written leaves Barbara shaken.

And on and on, Barbara stands out as not just a cypher, but as a well rounded character, with a shining performance from Jacqueline Hill, falling in love across time and space, lost and scared, but always so brave and so determined. Barbara isn't just one kind of companion, she represents all kinds of companions, she showed us what a companion could be and for that, I'll always be grateful.

Until all of history is changed ('Not one line'), I remain

frogoat

The End..For Now?!

I felt it with Avengers: The Initiative. I felt it with She-Hulk. I felt it with Captain Britain and MI:13. I felt it with Exiles. I felt it with Young Avengers. I felt it with S.W.O.R.D. I felt it when Runaways abruptly came to an end mid-story...how come no one has asked Mrs Immonen what she had planned there anyway? SPOILERS, SWEETIE! I felt it with Slingers. I felt it with Avengers Academy. And I most definitely felt it when Spider-Girl ended. Cancellation.

This was a great series. Check it out!

Usually it's low sales, sometimes a creative team want's to finish the story, maybe the series get's demoted to a mini, or the publisher decides the concept either doesn't work or interferes with their company wide event.
Low sales can be caused by a number of things, the most obvious often sited reason-according to the internets being 'it sucks'. Other, more quantifiable reasons include problems with character, lack of a 'hook' to make it stand out in the crowd or a lack/overabundance/badly handled drama or action.

But, if the book is a critical darling and is well reviewed consistently, then why isn't it selling? This past decade is a good place to look: when a 'Big Event' title is released, with all it's myriad tie-in's and connected mini-series, chances are, people are going to by the Event stuff, because, hey! it's a big deal, apparently. It's got the hype, the marketing, the big characters and the already-proven writer and artist team. Your favorite soon-to-be-cancelled title or soon-to-be-forgotten character frankly don't stand a chance.

Six issues and cancelled. Seriously?!

The only good thing you can hope for when your little gem of a title bites the dust is a guest appearance in another title, perhaps a supporting role in one of those other team books....people like those Avengers, right?! Who knows, maybe one day we'll see a resurgence and we'll get a reboot, a relaunch, a fresh take. Question is, will it have the same magic or will it fail and leave you cold while simultaneously ending any chance of a revival for another long stretch, maybe forever....

Until I see a relaunch of all these and more, I remain

frogoat

MC2 Eras

You can kind of look at the entirety of the MC2 Universe's publication history in terms of  two major eras. I'll break it down by year for the most part. Shall we begin?

The First Wave

1998-1999: You've got the first year, with the original three titles; Spider-Girl, A-Next and  J2 with 12 issues released apiece, as well as Spider-Girl #0, a reprint of the original What if #105 tale.

A-Next #1

 1999-2000: The second year saw A-Next and J2 replaced by the short-lived Fantastic Five and Wild Thing, lasting for only 5 issues apiece (and a special Wild Thing #0 released through Wizard magazine) before cancellation. The Spider-Girl title was kept around as a sort of home-base title for the others to orbit around, an idea which was both fortunate and ironic considering the brief publishing history of the other titles.

Fantastic Five (volume 1) #1

2000-2001: The third 'year' for MC2 brought only two mini series, but hey, they were some darn good 3-issue-apiece mini series; The Buzz and Darkdevil.  Let's call these first three years the first wave of MC2 titles. After this, Spider-Girl would be the only comic carrying the MC2 banner for a very long time...
 

Darkdevil #1

The Second Wave

Fast forward to 2005: Nearly 8 years into the MC2 imprint's run we had one more show of faith from Marvel. It was called Last Hero Standing, it was a 5 issue mini series and it was a revolution. Not only did we get a new MC2 comic, we got all of the previous characters, we got old favorites returning and most importantly....we got the second wave of MC2 series.

Last Hero Standing #1

2006-2007: The original Spider-Girl series reached a momentous Marvel milestone with issue #100 and was, finally cancelled...for a whole month before being relaunched as The Amazing Spider-Girl. Add to this a sequel-of-sorts to Last Hero Standing with Last Planet Standing (Galactus is in this one!).

2007-2008: Amazing Spider-Girl would continue with a compliment of mini series: Avengers Next (giving the A-Next crew a second volume) and Fantastic Five (you guess it, another second volume) both featuring fun art by the criminally underrated Ron Lim working with Scott Koblish.

Avengers Next #1

2008-2009: More Amazing Spider-Girl and yet another mini series, this time focusing on a single character: American Dream. Amazing Spider-Girl ends with issue #30 only to escape cancellation again, instead seeing publication in Amazing Spider-Man Family. It's noteworthy that Spider-Girl becomes Marvel's first digital exclusive comic at this point too, as May's adventures (collectively dubbed 'Spectacular Spider-Girl' online) appear on Marvel's Digital Comics Unlimited service prior to being physically published in 'Family'.

American Dream: Beyond Courage TPB

2009-2010: Spider-Girl tales soon transferred to Web of Spider-Man, as well as continuing in the online service. By this point, I think a lot of fans became pretty apprehensive about the future of the character. Being published in your own title is one thing. Being a back up feature is a completely different thing.

2010-2011: Just when everything looked dire, Marvel announced a new ongoing series for everyone's favorite web-stunner: Spectacular Spider-Girl. There was much rejoicing. Then they changed their minds; now it was a 4-issue mini series. Then the unthinkable happened: Spider-Girl: The End was announced. Then within a month of this devastating news, a new Spider-Girl series was announced....only it wasn't our Spider-Girl. Araña. Sometimes Marvel doesn't think these things through....

All that's left to mention now is American Dream's featured role in the Captain America Corps mini series by the legendary Roger Stern and the very talented Philippe Briones. 

Hopefully one day the MC2 will see a renaissance and come back bigger and brighter than ever.

Until then, I'll keep the candle in the window

frogoat

Degrees of Doctor Who

Ever sat down to watch a movie or perhaps your favorite new show only to do a comical spit take when you realize you know that characters face?

Just the other day, for instance, I happened to catch a few minutes of  a 1959 film; The Mouse That Roared in time to catch a glimpse of the legendary William Hartnell as Will Buckley. It's such good fun, but let's not make it so hard to play the game. Let's start with the big targets of genre film, shall we?

I've mentioned Tolkien's world previous in The Hobbit review. Sylvester McCoy- best known for playing The Seventh Doctor- here plays Radagast the Brown to kooky perfection. I truly hope we see more of his performance, either in the remaining films or on the home releases special features. Fingers crossed, aye? Check off Middle-Earth, then.

I've only touched upon the Alien universe very briefly when discussing artificial life. This next person is all too human. Alien 3 gives us Golic- a convict turned convert- who is very much out of touch with reality, played by the inimitable Paul McGann, aka The Eighth Doctor. His role is unfortunately cut rather short in the theatrical release, but an entire sub-plot revolving around his character unfolds in the so-called 'Assembly Cut' of the film available in the box sets. Aliens, check.

Christopher Eccelston aka The Ninth Doctor has had a commendable career on the big screen as well as the small. Some people may remember him as the baddie from Gone in Sixty Seconds, or as that guy from 28 Days Later, or even McCullen from the GI Joe flick. Heck, if you watched Heroes, you will remember him. Adding yet another notch in his genre belt, however is the up-coming Marvel film follow up, Thor: The Dark World. Marvel? Big ol' check.


I'm a big Harry Potter fan. I'm a big Doctor Who fan. So, it was both surprising and with much glee that I watched David Tennant-who played the creepy and loyal Death Eater Barty Crouch Jr- cast as none other than The Tenth Doctor. Stange then, isnt it, that in his run on Doctor Who he mentions reading the Potter series and crying through 'book 7'. How does that work, then? The Wizarding World of Harry Potter? Yes, ma'am.
 

Any more? Give it a go, you might find more than you bargained for.

Until Matt Smith is cast in the new Star Wars films, I remain

frogoat

Spider-Girls and Spider-Skrulls

You may recall a while back I made a couple of posts about the various MC2 collections and variants: Part 1: Singles and Variants and Part 2: Trades and Digests.

Well, guess what just arrived in the mail today? 

Skrull-y Goodness

That's right, faithful readers, the Amazing Spider-Girl #19  'Skrull' variant cover. Strangely enough, the regular cover of this issue was incorrectly printed as #17. Even more interesting, I've very recently learned that there is in fact a third version of Amazing Spider-Girl #19; A Newsstand release with correct numbering and the original cover coloring. Cool, right?

Newsstand Variant with correct number

Another interesting thing about this cover, both the Skrull-y version and the original is the clear intent (to my mind, anyway) behind it. Backstory: When Marvel first unveiled Araña back in '04 there was some speculation amongst fan and even hints from the company itself that Anya Corazon would take on the mantle of Spider-Girl.

You can imagine this didn't go down well with Mayday's supporters. There was backlash and angry postings and even some old fashioned letters written to Marvel. Tom Defalco, being the consummate professional he is, took to the comic boards and even took interviews to remind everybody that Mayday wasn't going anywhere...for the time being, anyway.  I've never heard Tom, Ron or anyone working on the book say anything but good things about Araña as a character.

The standard release with mis-numbering

Of course, fans being fans, we do like to worry and speculate ourselves into a frenzy. And so, animosity between the two fandoms has been palpable at times. What sort of editorial team wouldn't want to play the angle up? Here on the cover you've got the original versus the 'replacement' Add to that the Skrull motif at the time of paranoia and the fear of hidden usurpers and you've got the perfect recipe for an awesome alternate cover.

There is, of course more to tell about Araña in the MC2, but that can wait for another time...

Until that time comes, I remain,

frogoat

Comic Homages

Continuing on from my previous post about homages and all things lovingly referenced, I present to you, my loyal readers (if I have any) a further examination into not just cover homages, but also panels, stories and motifs. Read on.

You may remember a small little post a while back regarding the subtle and not-so-subtle connections between Amazing Spider-man #9 and Spider-Girl #9: Electrically-themed villain, cover parallels, heck, even the same number issue! I'll link it here so you can take a quick peak: http://frogoat.blogspot.com.au/2012/11/supanova-approaches.html

Well, let's go deeper down the rabbit hole, shall we?

A-Next #8 clearly borrows heavily from the classic Avengers #93 (from the absolutely sublime Kree/Skrull War saga) in which Ant-Man enters the body of the inert android Vision to re-activate him, battling his way through the synthetic man's strange immune system in the process. Meanwhile, in the MC2's Avengers Compound, Stinger enlists her father Scott Lang, the second Ant-Man as they venture inside the mechanical Mainframe (spoilers, by the way) to ensure his malfunctioning module broadcasts his intelligence into another body.

Avengers #93 art by Neal Adams and Tom Palmer

A-Next #8 art by Ron Frenz and Al Milgrom

While we are talking about A-Next, I can't go past the most obvious nod to the Avengers past: Avengers #16. The first and most daring Avenger's roster shake-up ever, throwing the established team of Giant-Man (formerly Ant-Man), the Wasp, Thor and Iron Man out in favor of relative unknown's (to say nothing of known criminals and possible terrorists) Hawkeye, the Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver. The impact this had on the fledgeling team is probably the most significant, proving to the readers and the creative team that this little Avengers thing--this could work no matter who was in the book, so long as it was good.

Avengers #16

 Over in A-Next #4 we get American Dream and her Dream Team thrust upon the new fledgeling team of Avengers by the machinations of the mighty Mainframe. Suddenly, the team has to face the possibility of replacement by an already functional and well-trained team. This time we get American Dream (already glimpsed in A-Next #3 and sneakily hidden in A-Next #1. Look closely), Freebooter, Blue Streak and the mysterious Crimson Curse.

A-Next #4

Want more Avenger-y goodness? Avengers #25 features the newbie Avengers (Cap's Kooky Quartet as fan's have since dubbed them) in Latveria, doing battle with the good doctor himself, Doctor Doom (with a name like that, was he ever going to be a horse-whisperer?). A-Next #5 features (you guessed it!) the new members- teamed with Stinger- in Latveria investigating rumors of a returned Doctor Doom.

 This issue not only pays it's dues to the Avengers tale but also to Marvel history, utilizing Doom's ward Kristoff Vernard and building upon old Fantastic Four and Avengers characters and stories. Most of which I haven't read and don't need to to understand the situation. In short: Stinger aka Cassandra Lang and Kristoff Vernard were lovers. Beautiful.

What it adds is also impressive: We hear in A-Next #3 from the Defenders that the 'savage' Sub-Mariner, Namor did battle with Doom. In this tale we discover more tidbits. Scattered through-out the MC2 universe are hints of what happened: Doom wiped out Atlantis, killing Namor's people, and in return, Namor kill's Doom. Or so we are led to believe.....


Until I run out of homages to ramble about, I remain

frogoat

Comic Cover Homages

Being a comic fan for a long time has it's ups and it's downs; watching continuity being reset, reboot, re-tooled or retconned can be annoying and down right frustrating, for example. On the other hand, if you've stuck with the medium long enough, chances are you've seen a few iconic first appearances, a few classic moments, maybe even witnessed a great piece of comic history being made. By a certain point, you've seen enough to notice the homages.

 

 I haven't got a great deal to say about this topic right now, but I guess the visuals speak for themselves, anyway.

 

As you can see from the last couple alone, the MC2 is teeming with love and respect for the classics. Fitting, I think, considering the creators are clearly channeling the feel of the Silver Age, the Bronze Age and even the so-called Modern Age. Why, I hear you ask? It's simple: When something is good, it's good!

Until I quit loving comics in general and the MC2 in particular, I remain

frogoat

Tales of Who's Past: Rose

That is a nice jacket.

Rose Tyler traveled with both the Ninth Doctor and the Tenth Doctor. Rose was both a companion to the Doctor and, for (almost) the first time ever, a love interest. The story of Rose and the Doctor is written as a love story, 'without the shagging' as David Tennant would say. I both enjoyed and despised the new take on the companion in Doctor Who. Here's why:

Rose is a Mary Sue, the blank slate for the audience to latch onto and identify with; she is us, we experience the series through Rose's eyes first (check out the very first new series episode, aptly titled 'Rose'). Trouble is, Rose is perfect. Well, okay, to be fair, Rose has flaws, it's just that in language of the series she doesn't ever have any negative consequences. Rose is a cypher, in the sense that she does everything the audience wants to do....it's almost like reading a fan fiction sometimes.

Don't misunderstand me, I adore Rose. Rose was my first companion, and she holds a special place in my heart as a fan of the series, however she does get a bit arrogant and even blasè by the time you get half way through series 2, laughing at danger. Rose saves the Doctor -just like the audience at home wanted too- in The Parting of the Ways, brings Captain Jack Harness back from the dead (the sexy devil!) and destroys the Daleks. But she also treats Mickey (her boyfriend) rather badly and admits to her mother she made a decision long ago, choosing the Doctor over her mother. Try telling Amy that when she traveled with her boyfriend/fiance/husband, daughter and father-in-law. And a mad man in a blue box, naturally.

Rose, I loved you, I missed you when you left, but I also remember the down side to being such a blank slate character. It's a mixed blessing, this Mary Sue business.

Until Captain Jack makes out with the Face of Boe, I remain

frogoat

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey Review

Fashionably late, as ever, I deliver unto you, my faithful readers, my review of The Hobbit (well... the first part of a three-part adaption that integrates material from other Tolkien sources to flesh it out further).

Firstly, the film is long. It clocks in at around 3 hours. But don't worry, it will fly by. Peter Jackson's direction gives the film a good pace, with no part of the film dragging nor feeling to short. Obviously, the small fights become gigantic set-pieces for action sequences and I have to say, it's appreciated. After the Lord of the Rings trilogy, it goes without saying that we've come to expect rollicking action adventure in our fantasy films and Jackson delivers the goods with style.

Secondly, I've never read the novel, nor any of Tolkien's work, and I never felt lost or a step behind. The narrative is straightforward enough and the few references I didn't understand didn't amount to any great lose of enjoyment or fits of despair. Always a good sign, surely. At times in the film, however, I did identify that which I believe was clearly 'filler' or, to put it another way, a screenwriter's embellishment or change. This isn't to say the film was made any less enthralling, it's just that the added material was often very noticeable. Certain characters occasionally switching speech patterns, that kind of thing. Again, I haven't read the novel, so feel free to correct me.

Thirdly, the returning cast were on fine form and the new faces were welcome additions. Sir Ian McKellen slides back into the robes of Gandalf with ease, and Andy Serkis is as entertaining as ever as the twisted Gollum. Martin Freeman impressed as a young Bilbo Baggins while Richard Armitage puts in a great turn as Thorin Oakenshield. Special mention, however, has to go to what I believe to be the best piece of character-actor casting in the history of cinema: Sylvester McCoy as Radagast the Brown. I challenge anyone not to play Six Degrees of Separation with this cast...

All in all, I enjoyed this third of the tale. I still don't see this stretching into two further films as smoothly, but I'll reserve judgement for the time being.

Until Gandalf comes out of the Hobbit hole, I remain

frogoat 

Global Re-Read: Spider-Girl #13-15 and Annual '99

So, after completing the first year of May's tales, Miss A -as my pal shall, be referred to for now-has sat down and we've chewed through another chunk of MC-2 goodness. Enjoy.
 

First things first, May get's the idea to join the new Avengers team. Seems daddy dearest wasn't a joiner, only briefly working with the Avengers or the FF. Spider-Girl, on the other hand is not going down that road. So, she tries out-by way of capture the flag-and rapidly wipes the floor with nearly every member of the team, until beaten by Stinger, who's all kinds of cool. Miss A and I agree, however, that May's conversation with Jimmy (who's been acting all kinds of macho jerk butt-hole lately) about their friendship was the stand-out moment of the issue, both a satisfying conclusion to the plot thread and hilarious and real to boot. 

May never told anyone about Jimmy peeing in a girls sanfbox as a kid. A wonderful touch of honesty.

  
At this time, I'd better come clean: We read out of order. The Annual fits neatly between #12 and #13....oops. Anyway! The shock of Misery's Grief Machine-induced trauma was a big deal to Miss A, especially when *SPOILERS!* Peter and Mary Jane are apparently killed. The back-up tales are fun too, particularly the who's-better-at-what of Spidey versus Spidey powers. Very cool.

Issue #14 is brilliant. Miss A instantly took a liking to Kaine, and, having already latched onto Darkdevil, this issue was always going to be enjoyable. But then came the characterization, the dialog, the sheer gravity behind Kaine's debut- at least in this universe. Kaine has history-or at least knowledge of the Parker family and had something to do with Darkdevil's origins. Hmmm, interesting! The final page,  however, is a punch directly aimed at us, the reader. Take a look.

Finally, issue #15 begins with a shocked MJ discovering May's shiner. Miss A found this moving, powerful stuff with great page layouts. We get a nice, light adventure with Davida taking May shopping to cheer her up, encounter a newly almost-together Moose and Courtney and Moose defends Spider-Girl. Speaking of Moose, Jimmy and he are--what's the phrase I'm looking for, here--No! Friends?! Speedball and Spider-Girl battle the goofy-but-fun villain Mr Abnormal, and May realizes it's not always fun, but it's worth stinking with the hero biz. Meanwhile, Moose doesn't realize Courtney isn't Spider-Girl. Oh, Moose, Miss A is amused.

Until the next batch of issues get's read and discussed, I remain

frogoat

Tales of Who's Past: Martha

Last time, I talked about Donna. Poor, doomed, Donna. But for rough treatment, let's not forget Martha, the martyr, the rebound Who-Girl. I like Martha, but it always seemed like she was replacing Rose, rather than being given her own place in the Who-niverse. Martha is introduced brilliantly; a doctor in training, with a family that's both falling apart and relying on her emotionally. Martha's very different from Rose, but ends up literally filling her place in the Doctor's eyes, or rather, not filling her place.




The Doctor never realized what a wonderful woman he had right in front of him Running for their lives, hiding from the darkness, fighting the most vile monsters imaginable and the Doctor never stops to think what a genuine bastard he can be to those around him. Not until it's too late.

Martha saved the earth and along the way realized this man, this legend, this Doctor was never going to return her affections. So, standing up and facing forward, Martha does the hard thing and tells him 'no'. Martha's got enough faith in herself, enough self respect and enough moxy to walk away. Quite right, too.


Dr Martha Jones, here's thinking of you!

Until Martha get's cloned....again (meow!), I remain

frogoat

Tales of Who's Past: Donna

Less than hour before I can sit down with mates and watch the latest Doctor Who Christmas Special, I've just finished watching 2006's The Runaway Bride Christmas episode. You know what I realized? I bloody love Donna.

Donna Noble is so brash and...well, she can be a bit thick. But here's the thing: She's so easy to wound. Just in the one episode, I think they summed her up. Here, tell me what you think:

Donna: But...we were getting married.

Lance: Well, I couldn’t risk you running off. I had to say yes, and then I was stuck with a woman who thinks the height of excitement is a new-flavoured Pringle! Oh, I had to sit there and listen to all that yap-yap-yap. "Brad and Angelina, is Posh pregnant, X Factor, Atkins diet, feng shui, split ends, text me, text me, text me!" Dear God, the never-ending fountain of fat, stupid trivia! I deserve a medal.

The Doctor: Oh, is that what she’s offered you, the Empress of the Racnoss? What are you, her consort?

Lance: [glances at Donna] It’s better than a night with her.

Donna: But I love you.

Lance: That’s what made it easy! It’s like you said, Doctor. The big picture. What’s the point of it all if the human race is nothing? That’s what the Empress can give me. The chance to...to go out there, to see it, the size of it all. I think you understand that, don’t you, Doctor?

Donna's got a lot of heart. She's wonderful. She's brave. She's wounded. It's why she's so brash. It's why you have to love her. Here's to you, Donna Noble. Merry Christmas.

Until they bring her back, I remain

frogoat

The Casual Vacancy Review

Good girl gone bad-

Take three-

Action.

No clouds in my storms...

Let it rain, I hydroplane into fame

Comin' down with the Dow Jones...

I've just finished reading JK Rowling's 'The Casual Vacancy'. I cried. Not ashamed to admit it. This book shook me to my core. It was like reading the inner-most thoughts of my friends, neighbors and fellow small-town residents. It's a simple concept, really: one man dies, leaving a small town without a Parish Councillor. But it's so much more than that. It's about class systems and abuse and the terrible things we do to one another.

I read intently as the little town of Pagford played like a day-in-the-life of all those people in the world, with their little hang ups, their damages, and their pain. I didn't identify with a single character. No, not one. I saw buried within these works of fiction parts of myself. I couldn't stop thinking as I plowed on through this novel, I am everyone of them and none of them. JK doesn't just write silly characters and great jokes, she writes human beings. Real, broken, human's who have all found their own manner of dealing with the world around them. 

If there was a message in all this, it wasn't wasted on me. Trouble is, I didn't feel like a message was being shoved down my throat....no, it crept up on me, like a lurking, horrible realization. These people aren't evil, just people, and if it takes something akin to the events of this book to make the little minds of this world we live in to stir from their self imposed slumber, then consider me terrified.

Pick this up. It's about all of us.

Until I stop having feels, I remain

frogoat

p.s. I realize it's neither a comic nor my usual spiel. Just check it out, you won't regret it.

Global Re-Read: Spider-Girl #0-12

Over the past few months, I've introduced the Spider-Girl series to a friend of mine and we've been going through, issue by issue and reading (re-re-re-re-re-re-re-reading in my case) and talking about different elements. This has been a really enlightening experience.

So, first thoughts: She likes Mayday. Apparently May has that affect on people, who knew? Darkdevil is cool, a fast favorite amongst the heroes introduced in the series. She's very interested in the relationship dynamics, Moose thinking Courtney is our hero, Brad and Jimmy trying to date May, May and her parents. All entertaining stuff.

Oh, and Davida is clearly Ladyhawk...both of them(?!). The humor is appreciated, especially when Spyral accuses our webbed hero's weight for throwing them into the past...and her later 'retort', or, as mentioned before, Moose believing Courtney to be Spider-Girl.

Well, they do share the same hairstyle...

Interesting, to me at least, was my friend commenting about Brad becoming, rather quickly too much of a 'good guy,' being too nice, without much else to make him interesting. I'm looking forward to watching both the characters grow and her impressions on these changes. Should be fun.

Until I forget to update this blog, I remain

frogoat