The Wolverine

I don’t think of Wolverine in terms of how the story played out or how the action came across; I was captivated by how the film imparts the essence of Wolverine to the audience. It has only intermittently come through in other X-Men films. Wolverine is crassly characterized as a rough, violent, man with a short temper. Sure, he pops his claws here, but now it isn’t fetishized. The camera doesn’t zoom-in and follow the claws around while Jackman screams in the background. I think that’s a superficial understanding of the character. More compelling, richer, and more rewarding is the idea that Wolverine represents the apex of fearlessness, confidence, is an utterly self-reliant individual. It’s what makes me excited to see Wolverine doing things other than gutting a faceless thug in half a second.

The scene I keep coming back to and replaying in my mind (doesn’t spoil anything) is where Logan is trekking back into town from the forest with a giant bear keeping pace with him. To read all the details of scene you have to keep swapping perspectives until the two characters are indistinguishable. It’s not a simple statement that Logan is as strong as a bear and cows them with his presence. It’s that they share the same instincts; knowing the bear is assessing Logan and reading that he’s doing the same off Jackman’s face. Seeing how relaxed Logan is in this element, mirroring the naturalness of a bear in a forest. Wolverine is fantastic because it allows moments like this. It isn’t fate of the world crap all the time.

The action itself was too disinterested in showcasing Logan’s talent. The stabbing is always just out of frame. Maybe that’s so the film isn’t just a montage of people getting skewered. Maybe that footage is being saved for the, rumored, R Rated cut to be included on the DVD. I’ve always felt the brutality of Wolverine, quite apart from most other members of the Marvel Universe, distinguished him as someone more grounded, realistic even. Whereas other characters could spout off their moral qualifications and get away with a tame, kid friendly, blast of energy to defeat a foe, Logan had to be intimate. He doesn’t have the option of hiding behind powers. He’s forced to sees their face, feel their bodies give way beneath his claws, to know exactly how they died when he cuts them, ect. That’s the rationale behind the gruff attitude. He’s earned it. The absence hurts the overall understanding of who Wolverine is.

Viper was sensational. Sauntering back and forth between vulnerable and powerful with perfect confidence. Her powers cross from cool to creepy / gross with similar grace. She is assuredly evil, but isn’t comfortably so. At times it’s hard to consolidate her outlandish attire with the tone and setting of the narrative but if she wants to be a crazy, flamboyant, mutant than I’ll let her have it.

Yukio (the one sent to find Logan) has a silly introduction but gets a rebirth in Japan. She, thankfully, doesn’t try to play a “me too” Wolverine, or act as the comic foil to Logan’s acclamation. Wolverine is so good at letting characters just be themselves. Yukio’s character gradually unfolds. I can’t say exactly when or why but after a while I started missing her. She always brought her own something to a scene. It seems an impossible position to manage being Wolverine’s sidekick but she went beyond by fighting for and winning a partnership with him.

Mariko (the love interest) breaths a lot of life into simple gestures. That’s how she supported the quieter moments of the film. It balloons the limited time she and Logan have together into feeling like an honest piece of life.

Logan’s mutation is too often thought of as a commodity. It isn’t helped when Logan sees his berserker self as somehow implanted. As though there is a Weapon X stored in his body. Able to be healed, cured, or removed. No. Logan is Weapon X. That is a legitimate part of Wolverine’s character arc, though. But there can’t be an actual machine to suck the mutation out of Wolverine. Genetics doesn’t work like that. The plot throwing that out in all seriousness just renders an antiquated quality to the proceedings.

It will sound like a backhanded compliment but I’ll say it anyway: except for the story and action, Wolverine was a good movie, almost a great one.  It survives on excellent characters not being preoccupied with the weaker elements of the film.

Lawless Review Discussion

Lawless is the type of movie that you won’t know was shallow until the end. It’s murky, entertaining, and provocative throughout. I kept getting the feeling the film was going somewhere important. It just needed to build a few more pieces. Progress a few more relationships. When the end hits, I was left thinking “is that all?”.*

The moonshine business and wild west feel of prohibition are invitations for men to form their own rules about everything. The arbiter of all is Violence. Men’s reputations are made on it. It safeguards their land and livelihood. Men get women with displays of their master of it. Even a character as adverse to all expression of the form, like Jack (Shia LeBeouf), is compelled instinctually to, at least, fake it till he finally commits.

Beyond the rewards from its use, Violence is left as a scale. Success is directly correlated to “how far” a man takes Violence. That limit appears set at birth. The primal draw of its power is intuitively understood and not questioned. But that’s like saying “Hey Guy! Remember how you’re human. And we’re human!”. A reflection of what I already know isn’t interesting.

The narrative sings the first few notes of such a well-known song, the rest of the story will flash through your head in an instant. The struggle of one man coming to grips with Violence seems silly in this context. Nearly every single other male in the entire film is better apt and more comfortable with Violence. The scale comes in again to insinuate that maturity level also directly correlates to Violence. Consequences of any particular violent act has nothing to do with morals or honor and all to do with the ripple effect. “Who will this piss off? Can I kill the man who comes after me if I kill this guy?”.

Maggie (Jessica Chastain) alone is able to break this fixation on Violence (tell-tale, she wears red). Whether because of exhaustion (somewhere between coping with and ignoring Violence), fear , or a stronger will than to be defined by it is unclear.

* - Punctuation bends to my will

Batman - First Arc Review / Discussion

-BATMAN-
Batman has the story skeleton of a typical tale but Scott Snyder is showing real balls in how he tells it. Both he and (artist) Greg Capullo have been fearless in roughing up Batman. Seems every issue Batman gets a sword or likewise instrument shoved clean through his abdomen. The fights have been legit. Batman has damn near died in every single one, leaving his body covered in scars. Then the scenes of Batman losing his mind in the labyrinth! I was honestly concerned if he’d come out still a functioning person. A wild eyed, unshaven Batman with no control over his mutterings and no plan of escape (after days!) so breaks the current control-freak persona that it was scary to see. His parting bluff / tirade before dragging then throwing his nearly broken body down a crude hole revealed a new Batman and a villain actually worth his time.

I wasn’t thrilled with the art as I went into the series but it has grown on me quite a lot. Out of costume, Bruce has this cartoonish square jaw and looks like a linebacker. The mayor has a similar physique, so much so that I couldn’t tell them apart for a few pages. Suited up Batman at least looks more reasonable proportioned. His suit is gray and compact. Coupled with the lack of serious gadgets, it feels like a naked Batman. Which is not to say bad, at all, just the opposite of the embellished, flowing shadow he’s been for a number of years now. Given his handling thus far, incredibly appropriate. Refreshing even. Gotham is a mean, jagged city with clashes of new and gothic everywhere. But it puts on this face (through color mostly) of a nice, decent city that the eye can see right through in an instant. Only with effort is the masked found again. It’s how I imagine a real Gotham would look. Nobody would live in a full on gothic horror pit if there wasn’t at least some pretense of it being livable.

The first arc “wrapped up” but I can’t wait for the sequel. It’s got all the makings and a “feel” of real Batman story. Not filler staring a costumed detective. I hope Snyder and Capullo keep pushing the story. Everyone is going to like what they find.

Image Copywrite DC Comics

Suicide Squad - First Arc Review / Discussion

-SuicideSquad-

Suicide Squad, at the very foundation from which all action takes its cues and direction, is smart. The Squad is never given time to rest or recoup. Right, cause why should they? Burn those suckers out. Definition of expendable that whole squad. It keeps everything moving and exciting (or should). The Squad isn’t told all the details of the mission either, they’re just given the gravity of the situation (a city dies or the governments fall, those levels), at which point they bitch they don’t have enough time left on the bombs implanted in their heads to accomplish their goals, to which Waller (their handler) says “better get moving”. How else to motivate them?

Right yeah, all good decisions, and there’s many more (no public face to the Squad another), but what’s build on top of this sound structure is blah. It’s not crap. It’s just enough to get the job done. The action straddles both worn-out and stupid. Prison break-outs, infiltrating secret terrorist bases, zombie stadium. Nothing played with with any real care or fun. They go to a place with four walls and kill things. Each character has one weapon or attack and uses it exclusively. Their enemies are fodder to such a degree it’s inconceivable any member of the Squad could ever be seriously hurt.

That’s blah but it isn’t bad. What’s bad, really fucking atrocious, is El Diablo. He’s the most flat, boring, preachy character imaginable. I am telling you, all people, that it is impossible to construct a worse character. If he does not die soon, he will kill this book. You know the type of person that says the same thing over and over, only changing the order of the words, but always delivering the message with the same level of hammy overbearing? That’s him and he pops up every other panel! Worse! He’s completely unneeded. The “conscience” of the Squad is King Shark. And he did everything El Diablo wants to do in one panel that was striking for how much it said and how easily it conveyed the emotions of a monster character who’s speaking parts have been, thus far, “meat” and laughing (it’s the one where he eats Yo-Yo for no reason, then grabs his head in frustration, shame, defeat at his own nature. Beautiful).

I’m hopeful for the on-going issues of the book though. Again, underlying decisions are smart. And now the Squad is moving away from the generic action pieces. Plus, from the beginning the art has been wonderful. Everyone saves the art for last to talk about as though it were the cherry just to top the rest of the "real" work but I wouldn’t be nearly as confident, nor have lasted this long, without Federico Dallocchio. That one panel of King Shark was pitch perfect, There’s truth to the violence being depicted without ever getting gory or excessive, which keeps the tone of the book lighter. More easy to simply enjoy than pick apart. There have been scenes which made El Diablo seem likable! I’m thinking the Squad will get better. 

Images Copywrite DC Comics

New 52 First Arc Review Discussion

Know what? Let's just review / discuss the first arc of each of the books I've kept up with. They're all meant to be read in six issue chunks. Which are being released as a trade paperback soon.

-Green Lantern-

Green Lantern did than better than most of these new series by offering a real cliff-hanger in the middle of the first arc. Unfortunately the arc has done little but have both major characters get their person lives squared away. It makes the book feel like clean-up. Just giving Sinestro and Hal Jordan a little something to lose for the next arc, but it isn’t thrilling or satisfying to see Hal “get the girl” or Sinestro accept responsibility for all he’s done to his race. I can get pretty cozy with just some exploration of the Green Lantern mythos though. I’m with Sinestro in never having trusted the Guardians or their dogma, doesn’t matter how big their book is. Those tidbits have sustained me but a Hal centric story will push me right out. Hal’s just this self-centered little nothing wreck of a man wanting to feel special. Sinestro will actually take this story in interesting directions by figuring out all the secrets the Guardians have kept. Hal dragging down half the book makes it tough to keep reading…

-RedHood-

What A Fucking Mess. The Red Hood that got me into this series has all but disappeared. Let me just blow through major plot points and scenes from issues 2-5 to showcase how absurd it has gotten. So, ancient shapeshifting beings of pure evil live among humanity, blending into the day-today, not causing a fuss unless an ancient, but not quite as ancient, monk collective shows up for a throw down. Cue Red Hood (the last of the monks). Meanwhile, Random Fucking Guy transform himself into a green goblin (not capital Gs) using alien technology that he hates to fight aliens because he hates them (they killed his mom and dad or something). Goes through his whole life story without prompt. Deeply lonely. Beaten by Arsenal so you know he’s garbage. Flashback! Starfire isn’t just a set of giant, orange, boobs. She knows bullshit pop culture psychology AND philosophy. Tells Red Hood to forget all that history that makes him a character and be something new for this series. Because she can only smell people anyways. 

The art is brilliant at least. Colorful with this comic book / realistic sketchy quality. Everything is crisp and vibrant. Detail without being a mess at first blush. Even if you’re not the type to really take in a scene, it will drag your eye over every inch of it. I mean it. Every inch. Red Hood’s coat? Incredible (check out that cover right there). Never mind the action poses or the characters themselves.

-JusticeLeague-

The quality has plummeted since issue TWO. All effort to organically and logically being the League together has been jettisoned in the fall. Cyborg, the unknown kid with alien tech strapped over his body, just appears and joins up. Never mind that what the League is fighting are aliens with tech strapped over their body. I think Superman asks him if he’s “cool”, to which Victor (Cyborg) says he has no idea what’s going on or who he is, and apparently that’s good enough. Wonder Woman is trying so hard to be tough but the abysmal writing can’t convince anybody. She’s also playing the comically ignorant “alien on Earth” and those efforts just make you want to gag. By the time Aquaman pops out of nowhere, it’s clear anybody can just show up and be on the team, plus get the next cover. He quips that the aliens are under water too and falls right into line. Sum total motivation and exchange with the League over in one panel. Very efficient.

The biggest problem is the League is one shared personality with seven mouths. And the only thing this beast can do is verbalize the action. “Superman just used that truck like a baseball bat!”. I hate when anybody speaks. It’s tedious, boring, and insulting.

Darksied is another set of problems. 1) His name is dumb. 2) His signature, and perhaps only, attack is dumb. 3) He looks dumb. 4) His plan to conqueror Earth to feed his ego is dumb. The guy is from decades ago and doesn’t need to be revisited in this form. Crazy aliens attack the Earth with lasers! We all, children to adults, know every step and feint of this story. On top of the handling here being so clumsy. After SIX I’m done and not looking back. Jim Lee couldn’t save this and that’s saying something. 


Images Copywrite DC Dcomics

DC New 52 - Comic Discussion / Review

Since these are so late, I've opted for more of a discussion style while still reviewing the books. 

BATMAN # 2

High marks! The titillating ending of last issue is killed off quick though. I don’t think DC is serious about changing much. Ok, new villain, but it’s the same formula of mysterious guy attacks Batman or Bruce Wayne out of the blue --> detective stuff --> fist fight --> mysterious person leaves with much less mystery about them. A new paradigm isn’t even played with. It’s one big page at the end of issue 1 to suggest something then right back to the grind.

Batman again provides full issue musings on Gotham and its history. I dig it. Gotham is a marvelous city. Little convenient that everything that has ever happened there can be traced back to the Wayne family, but Gotham is supposed to always be in turmoil so it works. But it also puts Batman’s actions in some continuum where he is just the latest expression of an old idea rather than the product a radial situation. The mayor outright says so. But I do like it. The city itself seems to be suggesting dark magic while also offering the plausible excuse that bad stuff just happens. The villain is embodying these ideas, though, that I’m not sure need a body. He’s awesome. I’ll be clear. He’s what I want in a villain: keeps his mystery, prepared, great theme, actually manages to hurt the hero, looks amazing in everything he does. Especially that last reason. I don’t want posing but if by accident, as a by-product of you doing your thing, I wish to high-five you, that’s completely acceptable. But back to my point, I don’t want Gotham to happen to be the site of some ancient ritual that is the source of all evil (the physical manifestation of) on Earth. I’m much more interested in the questions of “is Batman fighting human nature itself? Is an end possible? Is humanity its own enemy? Is the human mind unraveling under the pressures of its own advancement?”. A face on all that just says “no, there’s just some jerk, the world is literally black and white”.

An enjoyable Batman story. Doesn’t seem to be stretching for anything.

RedHood #2

Oh Jason Todd. You aren’t doing what I’d like and with people I don’t care for but I have to know what you’re doing. Issue two is another mixed bag for me.

I was curious why and how these three people got together. I'm not suggesting these characters are all loners so would never team up with anybody, they’ve all been on a team of some sort, but how did they meet? Why did Red Hood break Arsenal out of prison? Arsenal provides as good an answer as we're likely to get with “what else would we be doing?”. Hmm… That’s not a terrible strong reason. Issue one had these three just together and I don’t think the writer (Scott Lobdell) really cares why. I get nervous when a writer disregards reasoning for their stories. It makes caring about them difficult.

Mr. Roy Harper does not impress. He dresses poorly and says generic or dumb things. Honestly, I think it would help the character a lot if he were to be maimed horribly. Give that drifter something to focus on, toughen him up a bit. I don’t want to read about someone who isn’t special floating around doing not special things.

Kori, Ms. Alien Princess Starfair, is just attractive baggage. Credit to artist Kenneth Rocafort for his fashion sense (two links for him! Get an official site bro). But Starfire is getting full page spreads to look good and that’s it. She physically follows the two males around, adding some green light to fight scenes, and making lame sexual innuendos. This isn’t just a complaint about how “women need better representation in comics”, it’s also “there’s an incredible powerful alien not doing anything or being the least bit interesting”.

So why read this? Because Jason Todd, resurrected- ex- side-kick of Batman, jet sets around the world with Talia al Ghul, daughter of the (Demon’s) Head of the League of Assassins, training to become… Actually I don’t know what. He’s never said he wants to be “the best”, nor has he identified a goal (like Kill Batman) that would give a reason for all this training. Maybe it’s a habit for people like him to learn new ways to kill people. It’s a problem with the narrative that there’s no reason for anything that’s happening. Fat Lady (Suzie Sue) surprises Jason in his safe house, highlighting his lesson that nowhere should be considered safe, then gets killed. Cool! Apparently there’s some history between the two (I’ve read all Red Hood stories, never heard of her before this). Why was she there? What purpose of the story does she serve? I already knew Jason kills people, does it well, with guns… Maybe her father will come after Jason later, and they’ll be a good story there, and I’ll applaud in hindsight for the writer creating a narrative that stretches beyond a few issues, but right now I feel “stuff” is just getting thrown around. Nothing is tying the characters together, and the closest thing given as a goal (or quest) is a mysterious girl (also not in any previous Red Hood stories) who points out some mysterious entity that killed some unknown people Red Hood likes for reasons he doesn't relate to the reader. Man, I'm down for mystery but I need a thread to hold onto. Let me know where Jason is mentally. More than "safe houses shouldn't be considered safe". Or give me a mystery to care about. Supermonks being killed by a villain isn't worth my time. 

Congratulations on creating a not cliché martial arts master to train Jason! Well, besides being an unassuming old lady. Don’t know if modern day teen persona was the right direction. That was odd. It’s cool to play around though. Jason’s flight wings were the embodiment of his baller status and I’m sure the electricity flicking around them is totally backed up by actual science showing his “wings” would function. But, um, why does Red Hood care about these people who trained him? Maybe this clean slate (new 52) isn’t working in Red Hood’s favor. The writer is trying a new direction but not connecting to his past, which is where I’m getting mixed signals. That especially makes sense with the “don’t effing mention B-Man” chat the outlaws have. Real shame. Jason Todd is fun but divorced from any history, he isn’t as interesting to me.

Whilst searching for some online presence to link to for Scott Lobdell (he gave it all up apparently, s'why I opted for the Wiki entry), I found a Q&A he did regarding Red Hood and the Outlaws. He's thinking about issues more than is being let on in the actual issues.

Power Dynamics, i.e. Starfire

Red Hood and Starfire's relationship, and a bit of where the series is going

The Series Is Going Somewhere, and Defense of Starfire as a Woman.

JUSTICELEAGUE #2

There’s a calm, sensible approach to story-telling going on here. Instead of instantly teaming up, the heroes are feeling each other out. That type of methodical story-telling works well for the dialogue scenes, as just standing around some old printing press talking kept my engaged, assuming the point of view of each character in turn and checking the scene out with new eyes. Yeah, the characters are more than just some multicolored parade of exposition and punching. What makes Green Lantern meeting Batman a worthwhile event to see if how their personalities match up. I think that’s the fan dream, not the “oh GL would make chains and Batman would throw baterrangs!”. Cool cool in this regard.

The fighting loses all sense of urgency though. It’s obvious each hero is waiting their turn to attack so readers can judge relative power levels. It’s not the crazy melee one would expect from three super-powered people slamming into each other for the first time. Everyone is showcasing their signature moves, and it actual flows like a turn-based game. Batman uses gadgets (pass turn), Superman does a flying tackle (pass turn), Batman ect. It’s not a fun time now but I’m happy to see the attention to detail and thoughtfulness of it. When the League does form, I just hope the pace of these pick up while keeping the higher thought level.

Dialogue was a letdown in most of this issue. Everyone is so blunt. ‘Dad, I want you to watch me play football’ ‘That’s not important to me, son’.Really difficult to care about characters with no personality. It’s as though the story is all broad strokes and the details don’t matter. A lot of comics function that way. Take any series and just describe what happens in the course of a year and it sounds amazing. Actually reading it doesn’t have nearly the same impact. Play to genre strengths. What other form of storytelling gives a new short story every month and lasts for years? Make the moments matter.

I’ll just note here, too, that any new dynamic idea for the status quo isn’t even teased for issue three. It’s only two issue so I won’t say “DC lied about everything”, but it is shocking how the end of the first issue says “new things!” and issue two ends with “remember this guy?”. The characters themselves are richer, the situations they are in are not.

SUICIDESQUAD #2

Hey, remember how the premise of this series was “crazy villains being forced to work together for good (sorta)”? How the inherent conflict but also tension for that is deeply compelling? Issue two is “we’re all a team now and really polite to each other”. “Hey Harley, please tell me about your past. I’d like to help you work through your problems”. Deadshot is the de facto leader, probably on account of his sane and charming narration. There’s no power struggle? Not even with the blood crazed shark!? That guy’s cool with everything!? Everyone in the DC universe finds teamwork so natural. Can the villains at least not be slaves to order? Don’t make the whole universe predictable in under ten issues…

Somebody made a zombie plague (that’s what happens). Is this a violent comedy book? I guess we’re not taking this seriously. But I’m supposed to care about the characters history and their future development? Things aren’t jiving here. SUPER! One of them developed an obnoxious sense of morality. Oh and he won’t shut-up? Perfect. Keep telling me how killing things is bad even though that's your job and also only way to survive. I didn't know. Voltic and Black Spider, my numbers two and three for likeable characters, promise something to watch: rivalry. Oh wait one of them dies! And with them another reason to keep reading this series.

The ending takes a page from every military action movie ever created. Are we just working through popular movies of the decades? How can the same writer create a solid first issue concept, then spit out cliché nonsense the very next month?

Ultimate Doomsday - Book Discusion

This being a discussion of Ultimate Doomsday written by Brian Michael Bendis with art by Rafa Sandoval, I will SPOIL with the assumption one has read the book. Though I provide barebones details for any to tag along.

After reading Ultimate Doomsday, I found that I deeply related and was sympathetic to young Reed Richards. “Found myself” is accurate because it was surprising. Richards, as anyone familiar or not with comics can vouch, is an unlikeable dork. He’s there to be whiny most of them time, until the writer has him solve all problems with either 1) few key strokes, or 2) stupid looking machine. Apparently, all the character of Richards needs to be of any worth is the addition of motivation to accomplish a goal (he just invents in a wandering sort of way normally) and removal of his childish sense of morality. He’s a villain now. The new Doctor Doom.

Both Richards and I have a problem with the expectations and goal imposed-upon us by society. Worth or value of anything is directly related to monetary value. It’s so ingrained that that last sentence was borderline stupid. Anything and everything a person does must make money. Money is needed to breath. It seems to me that I must look at all my hobbies or interest for some angle, some way to transform them, into a potential career or additional source of revenue. That’s hyperbole for the average day-to-day life but if I were to be of immense success, a personal fully engaged with this world, I’d be making money all day. But I can’t go full into an argument about the role of money else I will be unable to discuss a thing else. The important bit is for the recognition that money is important, perhaps central, to life in this country in this year. Should that premise bother you (you) then what follows will be silly at best. But it’s where I come from when reading Doomsday.

The scene that resonated the most with me had Sue Storm (Richard’s ever love interest) and Richards talking over a picnic. Sue asks where Reed’s head is it as he’s doing his typical “staring off into space, inventing things” pose. Reed bluntly states that he doesn’t much like the present world he lives in. He puts to Sue that they both could leave at any point they wanted to. Full stop there. How indescribably wonderful is it that Reed can act on any and all of his desires? To say, yes all humankind possess freewill, but for all their thoughts and dreams, how many are able (physically) to accomplish them? Who else may make a pleasing thought into reality? (That’s a very interesting superpower: freewill and the ability to use it). Sue brushes Reed off, wondering or not if he is serious outwardly, but Sue’s smart and knows Reed doesn’t (ever) joke, so she’s really stalling as the answer upsets her or she doesn’t have one.

Right there is a beautiful moment. As the perpetually bullied (one could argue even the super villain’s continue the trend) dork announces he has had enough of this entire planet - everyone in it too. To be ready to throw the whole of the Earth, and everything it possess, away? The fundamental makeup of the character has changed. Importantly though, it isn’t a shift toward selfishness. Later one, Reed rails against the “rape” of science. Which is actually true in the Ultimate Universe. Every organization, from the corporation Roxxon to the world police S.H.I.E.L.D. has recklessly pursued scientific advancements purely for money, power, or both. Many of the villains are the botched (or illegal) experiments of one group or other. Reed’s grief is that the entire world is relentlessly trying to degrade itself for petty reasons. And he, as a genius scientist, has only wanted to work quietly on making it better, but is roped into covering up the screw-ups or inventing the extra-dimensional gun. Intentions don’t get more noble than Reed Richards’s. It makes sense (and I’m so happy) that he finally gets angry enough to really alter course. Coming from Reed, this is a condemnation that the Earth can’t be and isn’t worth saving. Reed’s emotions have always been tied into his sense of morality, and coupled with his persona being (essentially) a force of discovery (as opposed to a person who also is a scientist, like Sue Storm) is what makes his anger at everything so powerful. He’s not a pissed off young kid stomping his feet at the existence of injustice. He’s an elemental judge who wanted and expected better from people and has been monumentally let down.

The very best stories are not ones with incredible technical merit but ones that catch the reader at a particular emotional moment in time (not saying vulnerable, saying story matches mood); supplying a full-on discourse of the critical issue. I apologize Greater Society, I don’t wish to contribute economically (it’s the reason you made me after all). I want to write my stories, study where my curiosity is, and not worry about shit else. I think Reed and I are both upset at being thrown into a game we don’t like nor have any ambition to play. I wish his genius characteristic didn’t come and go, so that he would have realized stealing all of science from the world of superheroes with a constructed fodder race was a poor way to kick-off his new life. Then my man, Brian Michael Bendis, wants to hit the reset on profound change with a character who doesn’t even know how his powers work or why (Nova)? That’s insulting. Maybe a cosmic joke but still galling.

Regardless, I’m rooting for Reed Richards. I hope he reengineers physics for the Ultimate Universe so that certain levels of technology become impossible. Just rip the rug out from underneath ‘em all.




All images Copyright Marvel

The Shadow Of The Wind - Book Discussion

I like to jump right in, so this is the heads up: Book = The Shadow Of The Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon. These two quotes will help to bring anyone up to speed and provide focus:

"When peace finally came, it was the sort of peace that haunts prisons and cemeteries, a shroud of silence and shame that rots the soul"

“Wars have no memory, and nobody has the courage to understand them until there are no voices left to tell what really happened, until the moment comes when we no longer recognize them and they return, with another face and another name, to devour everything they left behind"

Carlos Ruiz Zafon creates War and its Aftermath (which for ease I will call Aftermath with a capital “A”. Even though Zafon refers to that time after War as Peace, I don’t think it felt especially peaceful, as the lingering effects of War were still causing distress with attempts made to repress memory) as nearly personified forces. I’d say “elemental” forces but I’m not sure that will carry the same meaning universally as an elemental being leads my thoughts to a humanoid shaped being constructed of X element. Or in this case, a dispersed body with a will / purpose but lacking the complexities of human character. I’m drawing these thin lines across ground that maybe nobody cares about to begin with. I do though. It affects the tone and feel of the story to think of an actual, living, malignant force suffocating Spain. And then it becomes “other”. War isn’t described as action taken by people, not as people behaving badly / cruelly. The people involved in the war have left their human bodies (they no longer act or understand as humans do) and are thus untouched by human emotion (their own) and cannot be understood by others. In the beginning of the story, Barcelona is surrounded by War but the residents hold their breath hoping that it skips them by. That’s the first effect of War, to create a terror that denies confrontation. Everybody in the city not talking about, no behaving as though it’s near, but characters retelling the stories of their lives during this time make it clear the thought of it has hallowed out a portion of everyone’s mind. They are not going about their lives “as normal” but purposefully avoiding any contact. Then War does come into Barcelona. Any stories told of this time are bereft of the precise details that are usual in the stories any character tells of their past. Everything is vivid, from dates to emotions, but not anything of War. It’s that Terror that War brings that has pushed them out of living in the present moment that these characters typically do, and forced them into a numbed state. Events are still recorded on some level: the torture, killings, and shifting alliances of Francisco Javier Fumero aren’t missed or ignored, just not engaged with. War is being characterized by the reaction to it. War is a monster too terrible by reputation to even look at. In this way, as one unified force divorced from human input, War’s form (how it is fought) cannot be altered in part of whole, nor can it be associated with any noble ideas. I contrast this with the current (2011, United States) conception of war as a tool, used in limited or full scale effect, and expressing some idea (liberation / freedom). In The Shadow of The Wind universe, War possess humanity to destroy it. There can be no debate then: War is evil.

The Aftermath personifies the malaise of Barcelona. It’s the intense regret of the citizenry being unable to confront War and thus being abused by it. It’s the feeling of losing one’s dignity, and to some extent their sense of self. Meaning that, again, all are bullied into a quiet regarding, exactly, what happened to them and their city. Nobody will confront the war, even after it’s past, because to do so will necessitate reliving their shame of who there were during it. By attempting to save face, the war generation deprives the next of any guard against war coming back. Daniel’s investigation seems to pull the lingering life out of all the war’s survivors. They give away all their secrets and hopes at being remembered well posthumously, gaining small relief from whatever infected them. Which isn’t to say they were “saved”, the evil cloud scattered, as each was disfigured (metaphorically, though Julian Carax was physically) by the events of the war. There isn’t a reset to happy times. Actions matter because their result must be lived with. The relief comes from no longer worrying or caring about the eventual consequences. Like a body’s death sigh; the fight is over but the outcome is still death. Making Daniel an innocent little soul collector. Curiosity started him off but fear from the numerous threats he soon gathered is what pushed him to fully coax out the truth. His chief interest was preserving himself. That makes sense too, to finish the characterization of humanity as selfish, giving reason for the weakness which makes it easily penetrated by War.

What’s so astounding and beautiful about Carlos Ruiz Zafon’s prose is that it creates two worlds at once. One is the story, the combined sequence of actions with Daniel at the center. The words. The other is a loose, outlined but undefined, painting. The image of War circling Barcelona. War coming back with another face. To me if feels as though he painted a giant, Sistine Chapel-like, story. It’s one image but as your eyes take it all in the story presents itself. He does this at least once a chapter… It’s how one imagines a story about War and Aftermath, with all its secrets, without the aid of words to describe them. They have to be given form. The two worlds reflect slightly different versions of the other back, inspiring but not giving a more nuanced understanding of them both. And just to heap the praise on, the worlds are equally interesting and beautiful. Beautiful not a description of quality but the qualification of form. The concept of. I’ll call this a book just so anybody can identify the physical space it occupies. About as accurate and useful as “over there”. This book is a work of art.

Orbus by Neal Asher - Book Discussion

I memorized Neal Asher’s name as an author to watch after reading Strood (In Years Best SF 10). The story was so weird; I felt it actually captured the feeling of “alien”. I read a lot of science fiction but rarely do I feel challenged that what I’m reading, what’s supposed to be “alien”, is any great leap away from familiar and human. Seems to be the quick and easy way to create an alien civilization is to exaggerate one small cultural practice and make it uniform for an entire race. Deciding to start at the beginning of Asher’s Runcible (Or Polity I’ve seen it called) Universe, I read Gridlinked… Just a whole mess of clichés and “junk”: Ideas and characters that can seem intriguing or, I will say it, cool, at a glance but are ultimately broken in many ways (shallow, childish, stupid). I’ve made peace with the fact that Neal Asher is not my personal salvation and now enjoy his stories as just pure fun. But such was the strength of Strood that I still look into new Asher novels hoping for a return to that alien feeling. His short stories are consistently good, fun, and entertaining, so my faith gets incremental reassurance.

I write all that so that it’ll make sense when I write “I was surprised by Orbus”. Asher actually changed the fundamentals of his universe. And, perhaps it was a realigning of my expectations but, the junk ideas were more fun this time and not as exasperating. There were moments of “alien” feelings. But more important than expanding the range of imagination is feeling that characters are actually doing / changing. Else what is the purpose of the story?

I WILL NOW SPOIL VARIOUS STORY ELEMENTS. The spatterjay virus worked on a number of levels to really make this story. First, I will admit, it makes people really cool. I love that Asher can fit this ancient sea captain into his science fiction universe and have him not be ridiculous. Beautiful thing that traveling a little this way and you can get a heavy cybernetics / A.I. emphasis, and cross a line over here to get brutal monsters, and in-between are all manner of cowboy types and monolithic superbeings. Orbus (the old captain) underscores the raw cruelty of Asher’s universe by being powerful only by virtue of the virus, which at first is just another natural part of the universe. As if the universe is saying “here is a match to your best creations”. Later, once it’s revealed that the virus was engineered by a mysterious / ancient / long gone/ incredibly powerful race (but they’re bugs! Which are typically the fodder of alien races), the virus still functions as a warning that everywhere has something that wants to kill; not even a world completely lacking in technology is safe.

Characters that are driven to acquire new (armor, ship, money, armies, powers) imbue the story with life. I care much more about someone, real or fictional, actively pursuing a goal in their life. Characters just out to solve THE problem are boring. I want to see all the sides of that character, what they would do if they had X power. And the best thing about the spatterjay virus was that, so long as the character kept living, they got more abilities. More possibilities to do. It feels like the universe is actually going somewhere. Characters only goal isn’t to reestablish the status-quo set at the beginning of the story. Topple a king, invent immortality, even discovering a better career are much better uses of their time and mine. The virus also added this mean undercurrent in that anyone infected with the virus, but that couldn’t eat non- infected food to recover, would lose their mind to the virus. Now every battle has a cost to be paid at the end. A new something that must be acquired. Little events, like eating or equipping new armament, make the character more than a plot device. It also means I get immersed in the fiction, which is exactly what I want. Orbus was full of that. I got so excited when Vrell captured the dreadnaught class Prador ship. And justifiably so. He created an army, got in a position for revenge, got a base with all sorts of utility.

Best of all, as far as progression of story in concerned, the virus changes this animalistic, feudal, shortsighted race, into something that will at least have a long term goal. They may stop eating their own young, which is both a metaphor and not. I was so happy the character of the Prador gets altered, not because they weren’t any good before, but because they’ll become more powerful (and thus interesting) by the results of contact with the spatterjay virus. So enjoyable to see Asher shuffle around his universe. And at a fundamental level! This universe’s identity was Polity vs. Prador. And now the Prador are different. I don’t even know what the details of this shift are; just the fact of evolution gives me a good feeling in the reading.

Also, on the naming conventions Asher uses. Many of them I hate. Sniper, Dragon, Prador. I associate such names with a level of creative prowess that would be insulting to Mr. Asher (because he is not at that level). Prador is obvious a few letters chopped and switched from Predator, which is an accurate adjective for them but also plain and ugly. Even just use a better adjective to cut up. Vicious. Viious / Vious / Vous. I’ve got a thing for names and this continues to bother me a great deal.

The Dream Of Perpetual Motion - Book Discussion

Book discussed is "The Dream Of Perpetual Motion" by Dexter Palmer

The dream of perpetual motion is the useless hope of a better world while evidence of widespread decay of the actual world is all around. “Dream” is apt because the characters seem to be willing themselves not to see how far gone their world is, clinging to ideas or people (in this case, people embody ideas) as salvation when they are clearly not. The dreamers are everyone. The world is collectively trying to dupe itself. Which, one would think would work if everyone is in on the game, but what they want is impossible (happiness) and nobody is really trying anyway. What everyone wants stays a wish and the world crumbles with no effort put into its maintenance.

This story might only work provided the reader is male. The salvation everyone believes in is a girl. Do women also believe salvation comes from women? I’m working under the assumption that this is a man-myth or romanticization (the process of romanticize-ing) or women. Maybe it works because children (majority of the story the female is a child) equal innocence and girls especially so. Sexist? I think it’s a common enough idea for anyone to at least grasp it.

The narrator, Harold Winslow, is detached from humanity, no longer understanding what one does or how one feels as a human. He can recognize where emotions, and which, are appropriate but lacks the will to summon them or the understanding of why he should. He isn’t unique in this regard and apathy  runs rampant. A powerful form of nostalgia too, that has older members of society believing that angels and miracles walked their earth. But the present state of the world, as Harold navigates it, is dead. Nothing oppressive or invasive. No pervading darkness. Because even that would be motion and life. Harold’s world is devoid of color and life. The cover of the book does a great job of setting this up. I pictured the whole novel in shades of bronze. Additionally, the current onslaught of new technology so confuses civilization they lose sight of any meaning to their lives, falling back on old stories (in a general sense, not specific ones) to make sense of their life and tell them what to do next.

All hopes of this lost world rest with Prospero Taligent. Genius inventor. Lives in a tower (never leaves). Eccentric. Sounds too close to an archetype character to be interesting but Dream is also commenting on the role of stories in people’s lives. So he’s supposed to instantly be familiar. Actually, Prospero turns out to be the most fun and weird characters of the novel. He is the one building the hope of all people; his daughter Miranda. I love this: Humanity’s only salvation must be built by humanity itself, it won’t come from anywhere else, but humanity rejects any savior that itself makes because it then lacks some mystical property (which nobody can define, if they could it wouldn’t work) essential to it being a savior. Prospero knows this. He tries to create the perfect girl with a mixture of odd tech and force of will. It’s like he’s trying to summon the answer all the while knowing there is no magic. Very desperate world. The conflict, at its core, is the feverish human search for meaning that proves people are special but humanity itself doubts it’s capable of being anything. Like wanting to be a superhero and knowing it’s impossible and that want just eats away at a person until they’re sick. Confusion infiltrates even fundamental understanding so every possible action is tried in desperation, disregarding any moral system or sense of how ridiculous it might be. Great quote from Prospero ,“ If you're so damned concerned about the few pounds of flesh that holds the information matrix - what! You come to me now with talk of ethics? A little late for that, I think. Now you'll do what I say. You cut her there, and you cut her to the bone, and you cut her in C-Sharp, with a blueness".

I don’t know how it all works out in the end. It gives some evidence that Prospero failed all throughout (his perpetual engine isn’t perpetual) but the closing words are upbeat and hopeful. One of those hideously ambiguous, “pick your own ending” type, horseshit. The author should tell or show me what happened, and not cop-out at the very end. It’s their story they’re telling, don’t leave it to me. [Anger]. Here’s how I see it, since the author doesn’t have an opinion. The groping for specialness is growing pains, an adolescent yearning for the magic of childhood when the world seemed bigger and there was always something to look forward to (the nostalgia in this story). Left to define themselves, people can’t, their imagination defaulting them to helpless victims in an endless struggle to (but they don’t know it) come up with an identity. Too scared to take the next step, or seeing all possibilities of the future as just fictitious childhood imaginings, but well past the stage of believing in magic they stagnate. Choosing an identity is integral to everything else in life. What does one do, what do they want, how do they feel, what do they think of? Identity gives purpose to life. Rejecting stories as “fake”, and thus rejecting adopting the personas of, the test is to come up with something completely unique / new and validate the notion that life is dynamic and limitless. Which, put like that, is again slaving under the past / old / fake because that concept of life is an old idea (but a true one and thus exempt?). It’s a paradox. Human language and understanding don’t allow one to invent something completely beyond them yet there is this idea of doing so, and wanting to do so very badly. To become alien. That’s a good thing, right? How else is new achieved or the next stage (of evolution or thought) gained without impossible standards being set? What better goal, and better tribute, to all that is life then surpassing it? Fill every possibility, work within in completely, but to stay would be the same as dying, so moving on.

I give all this extraneous thought in lieu of providing another ending. I can’t get past the paradox or come up with something new. If Harold leaves in a portal of light to the fulfillment of all, then is that good or just a trite happy ending? Does he just curl up and cry, never able to rise above childish instincts? Critics, if they poke holes in a work, should fill them. Sorry I can’t.

The American - Movie Discusion

The American kept me in the dark, never giving an explanation for what exactly what was going on. For the most part that's fun. I felt like a genius detective, dissecting each conversation and action to find what this story is about. The story itself isn't so complex that the lack of exposition hurts it. Actually, I would have liked a more complex story, or a new twist. It's impossible for me to tell if it's my fault my fault or the story's. Perhaps I didn't dig deep enough or I lack some crucial experience that is the key stone to identifying and understanding the main character (Jack, George Clooney). Though the story did drag for a while and I could only read so much and so many times into a man drinking espresso.

I think it boiled down to an assassin being lonely. Though I'm leery of calling Jack an assassin as he just makes the gun for his client. But in the opening scene he was quite skilled with his pistol, so he doesn't completely lack a body count. I wondered why assassins have to socially estranged. During the numerous quiet scenes in the film, one is free to pursue all manner of stray questions. Jack is told by his handler (I thought he was) that he should never have friends. Sure sure, he could be found out and arrested, or few people would be comfortable knowing an assassin but maybe there's a way. And then the film shows that way when Jack becomes friends with a prostitute; Clara. And despite their respective backgrounds the relationship is pretty normal if hesitant. Understandable. This is the part that's the most fun to watch. Jack seems like an awkward loner going after the gorgeous woman. Neither talks about what their "career" is and expect the other not to ask. Perfect, it puts them on equal footing but with that thought constantly at the back of one's mind it adds a spice to the courting. These two honest-to-god interesting people getting to know each other. Not the 2-D fashion slaves that comprise the totality of romance movies. Good people. By films end I saw prostitution and assassination as just another job, and was upset everyone (real world and their world) discriminated against them. In fact, I'd be happy to know either or both and count myself fortunate for the experience. Of course it helped that Jack only killed in self-defense and only made the weapon, and also that Clara was gorgeous and didn't engage in raunchy, anything goes anywhere sex. Everything was kept very classy. Easy to get lost in a world where even the "deplorables" are decent people.

But I was left unsatisfied by film's end. It was enjoyable and thought provoking but not to any especially strong degree. It does drag in places. But I don't regret seeing it. I'm not sure if the length if important in creating the right tone and influencing the mind-set of the audience but a shorter film would make me think much better of it. It's one of those stories where your own frustration with it seems to be what it wants from you, to turn that around and say "now you are the main character". Can't help but applaud when one is manipulated so well.

The Social Network - Movie Discussion

The Social Network was incredible. Every scene, every character, was excellent.

Mr. Mark Zuckerberg deserves the most discussion here so let me get to it. My understanding of Zuckerberg prior to the movie was colored by pundits covering big Facebook stories (‘Zuckerberg says privacy is dead’) and the reaction after Social Network was made (That Zuckerberg says it wasn’t true while everyone else said it was). Regardless of all that, I loved Mark Zuckerberg. So focused, so spiteful, yet with such obvious vulnerability. The intensity of his focus is what gives him such a bad name I think. But it was so honest! I mean honest in that he never hid how entirely self-centered he was. It’s obvious he used his friend (Eduardo Saverin) for money. He never pretended to care about the same friend getting into the Phoenix Final Club. A fault seems not be to anymore when the person is open about it, after that it’s up to others how they deal with it. I just love a person / character who knows what they want and goes get it. No nonsense, no compromise. Anyone who tried to stop him, he insulted before paying them to get lost and shut-up. Some of the best scenes are Zuckerberg fearlessly starring down a team of lawyers, telling his own to quiet down, then breaks down the situation, how it’s going to work, what everyone is thinking. That’s a confident man in full control. And the little touches in the scene too! The notepad he’s writing on for the whole meeting, casually flips it up and everyone sees he’s just been doodling. I pumped my fist there. Give it to the fucking man Mark.

Which is how I would categorize the film. The founding of Facebook, sure. But also it’s this new generation coming up, not wanting to slip into the established order, but (one) create the world as they want it. Whether that be a crazy party house in Palo Alto and or reconfiguring the nature of social interaction. But (two) also to defend themselves from ruthless theft of ideas and make sure they as people aren’t discarded. As a creative person constantly worrying about such, worrying about “breaking into the industry”, this movie is heaven. Like a Revenge film. All the people I can’t stand (or will grow to loathe) getting a verbal and financial beating. Embarrassed first. Then slammed. How is Zuckerberg hated? He’s a hero for the new / next generation of people. Look at the Winklevoss twins. Trying to go through the proper channels, getting the older generation (I supposed those in power would be synonymous with older generation) to fight the battle for them. They failed because of it. Nobody cared about them. That older generation just wanted to rob and sell the idea, whoever had it / got it / stole it. As an aside, the Winklevoss twins were hilarious. “I’m six-five, two hundred and twenty pounds, and there are two of me”. Thank you I love you. The morale is if you want it, take it.

Sean Parker was the cautionary tale. Willing to help a fellow young blood and eager for payback. Again, I don’t know how people don’t like him. He made music free. Hero. He’s seen this minefield the older generation has laid out. All the tricks they have and what they think. How they have constructed all the systems of finance and intellectual property to take. He knows they literally have to take on the world. Maybe it’s a statement on Zuckerberg or on the state of the world, but Zuckerberg was already wary of how to proceed with Facebook. Was it only because he didn’t trust anyone? It strikes me as common sense not to trust anybody in business. Brutal world. Justin Timberlake was perfectly cast for the role, with his real life celebrity persona just bleeding a little bit into his character to give him instant notoriety and insider information. So well played.

I misunderstood the ending, at first, for my benefit. I thought Zuckerberg was trying to friend the lawyer woman (who just left). And I thought ‘what a message’. To say despite all Zuckerberg has achieved and been through, that face-to-face poor Mark was still ill equipped to handle a relationship with someone he could care for. But it was also saying that he has changed how personal relationships are handled. His constant refreshing wasn’t pathetic but realistic for how often people check their Facebook page. That the first thing that anyone would do after work or after anything is check their page. The actual ending stirred similar thoughts. Just with a little added detail that even though Erica Albright knew Zuckerberg build Facebook and still didn’t like him, she still had a page. Facebook is inescapable. Facebook is necessary. It’s a pillar of modern social life. I was sympathetic to Zuckerberg’s longing but not especially keen on him attaining his desire. As happy as I was to see him assert his personality completely and honestly I recognize it’s not an entirely agreeable one, and so, as far as fights that are not generational, I’m not very invested in the outcome.