C is for "Comics": A Review

Hello folks! Time for another review of the comics I'm reading this month. As always, these comics will be evaluated on what I will call, "The Jeneric Scale". Basically, I'll review the comic and then let you know if it is worthy to be read by either Jenni or Eric, or both, or neither.

1) Wanted by Mark Millar and J.G. Jones. Top Cow Comics



Wesley Gibson suffers a million little humiliations every day. His job sucks, his co-workers hate him, his girlfriend is sleeping with his best friend and he's bullied every day on the way home by the neighborhood toughs. All this changes when he finds out that he's the sole heir of a superhuman assassin, and he's been recruited to carry on the family business.

This is the avatar of adolescent escapist fantasy. It's violent, juvenile and amoral. It's also some of the best comic writing of late, with a premise to die for. Mark Millar's tale was inspired by his bigger brother, who one day told the younger Mark that all his favourite comic book hero's once existed in real life, but the were all killed by the supervillans. The sheer nihilism presented in this book proves that sibling trauma makes fertile ground for future writers. This book is the logical extension of the media changing concepts introduced in Alan Moore's The Watchmen and Frank Millar's The Dark Knight Returns. The ending, which consists of the main character breaking the fourth wall, is a doozy.

Suggested for (Jenni or Eric?): Neither, actually. It's a good book, but I'm not taking any responsibility for recommending this book to anybody. They're going to have to approach this one on their own.

PS: The movie version of Wanted was released this weekend with Angelina Jolie and James McAvoy. Slate.com reviews highly recommend the movie for S&M aficionados. Something tells me that this ain't no "date movie".

2) Y:The Last Man Volume 10: Whys and Wherefores by Brian K. Vaughan and Pia Guerra. Vertigo Comics


Brilliant end to a brilliant miniseries. The best road adventure since the Wizard of Oz. I've been waiting for this book to come out for a long while and although I have some minor problems with the plotting and pacing of some of the last issues, overall the reading experience was quite satisfactory.

Suggested for: Jenni, although I am betting she already got herself a copy by now.

3) Path of the Assassin by Kazuo Koike & Goseki Kojima

It took me a while to get into this book. A somewhat fictionalized historic account of the rise of Japan's Tokugawa empire, this series is another entry into Koike's and Kojima's Edo period books (i.e., Lone Wolf and Cub and Samurai Assassin). Full of political intrigue and suspense. Don't confuse this one for a kids book. It deals with adult situations and the depictions of violence and sex may not be appropriate for everybody. But think of it as a full-blooded presentation of The Art of War.

Suggested for: Eric. He'll appreciate the details.

4) Planet Hulk by Greg Pak. Marvel Comics

I'm having so much fun with this title. Basically a retelling of Spartacus, except with the Hulk. Each issue gets better and better. The writing is top notch. Hulk titles haven't been this good since Todd McFarlane took the reins way back in the late 80's.


Recommended for: Both Jenni and Eric. Because HULK SMASH!!!

5) Secret Invasion by Brian Michael Bendis and Leinil Yu. Marvel Comics


Ever since the days of Crisis on the Infinite Earths, both DC and Marvel have presented an annual summer cross-over event that shakes up their individual universes. Last year Marvel had the lackluster Civil War storyline, that didn't do much other than to piss of fans. This year's Secret Invasion totally makes up for the previous crap.

The synopsis: A race of shape-shifting aliens called the Skrulls have infiltrated all of Earths defenses and has initiated a hostile takeover of our planet. They mean to wipe out all humans and repopulate Earth as their new throne-world. Normally Earth's Mightiest Superheroes would nip this in the bud, except, some of them are Skrulls in disguise. These sleeper agents have successfully reaped the seeds of doubt sown amongst the heroes during the Civil War crisis, and now nobody knows who to trust.


Usually these summer cross-over events are just a marketing ploy to get fans to buy all the associated titles. But this time around, the core Secret Invasion title is creepily suspenseful and very satisfying. You don't need to buy all the cross-overs to make this one work.


Suggested for: Both Jenni and Eric. Because it's just that good!

All Time Best TV Shows.

In a blatant rip-off of my blog (heh...), Empire Magazine issued its list for the Top 50 TV shows (link here). Here is my knee jerk reaction to the list.

50. Quantum Leap

No... nope. Don't like how this list started. Give me a "Flintstones" right here.

49. Prison Break

Never watched it.

48. Veronica Mars



Awsome show. Awsome writing and one of the best casts on TV. Much too smart for prime time.



I would have loved to have seen "Veronica Mars, F.B.I".

47. Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
Didn't like it.

46. Sex and the City


Liked it up until the season before the final season. It started off original but ended formulaic. I didn't like how the series wrapped up and the final episode was awful. Still I watched it to the very end. High points: Sarah Jessica Parker/Alanis Morisette lesbian lip-lock and any time Mirana had on screen sex. Yowza!

45. Farscape

Never watched it.

44. Cracker

Never watched it.

43. Star Trek

Awful drivel. Really don't like it.

42. Only Fools and Horses

Never watched it.

41. Band of Brothers

Technically this was a mini-series, but it was a tremendous piece of work. Teresa and I just recently enjoyed watching our DVD copy. The actors on this show deserve much more work than they are currently getting.



40. Life On Mars

Never watched it.

39. Monty Python’s Flying Circus

Revolutionary, strange and absurd in it's time.



Deserves higher honors except for the fact that the marketing of Monty Python has achived completely disgusting levels of selling out.

38. Curb Your Enthusiasm

Never watched it.

37. Star Trek: The Next Generation

Probably the best of all the iterations of Star Trek, but really, after "Firefly", all other space shows pale.

36. Father Ted

The show when they were competing in a song writing contest is a classic. Steve's been after me to get more into this show.

35. Alias

Never watched it, but it's on Zip List.

34. Frasier
Crap.

33. CSI

Fucking crap.

32. Babylon 5

Blech!

31. Deadwood

Never watched it. I should Zip List this baby....

30. Dexter



Good show. Really, really creepy.



Watched the first three episodes and like it so far.

29. ER

Great, up until Anthony Edwards left. The show gets props for hiring the Indian girl from "Bend it Like Beckham" and dude who plays Malarky from "Band of Brothers" as regular cast members.

28. Fawlty Towers

Never watched it before. Probably never will...

27. Six Feet Under

Hand down one of the best, most-real, shows on TV. Damn near perfect acting, writing, production, cameras, sets, props.... a real work of art!



26. Red Dwarf

Amusing.

25. Futurama

Don't like it.

24. Twin Peaks

Overrated.

23. The Office

The British version is brilliant.



22. The Shield

Never watched it. Maybe I will if Ngai lets me borrow his copies.

21. Angel

All around good TV show. The season with Conner and Jasmine was not the best, but not as bad as everyone thinks it is. I miss it... lots...

20. Blackadder

Amusing.

19. Scrubs

Eh... not really that interested...

18. Arrested Development

Funny, funny show.

17. South Park

These guys never lost it. The show still rocks.

16. Doctor Who

Probably will never, ever watch it (sorry Sarah).

15. Heroes

Bleh...

14. Firefly

Sing it with me:



Take my love,
Take my land,
Take me where I cannot stand.

I don't care,
I'm still free.
You can't take the sky from me!

Take me out into the black,
Tell 'em I ain't coming back,

Burn the land,
Boil the sea,
You can't take the sky from me!

Have no place I could be
since I've found "Serenity"
You can't take the sky from me...

Long live the Browncoats!

13. Battlestar Galactica

Definately on the Zip List.

12. Family Guy

Smart, funny...

11. Seinfeld

Isn't quite the same after the whole Michael Richards thing...

heh... heh...

10. SPACED

Never watched it.

9. THE X-FILES

Not my thing.

8. THE WIRE

Hope Ngai lets me borrow his DVD's.

7. FRIENDS

I know a lot of people like this show, and I did too, but really... There's way more ethnic people in New York. Where are the black, asians and hispanics. This was the Whitest show in Whitevania.

6. 24

Kiefer Sutherland is an arrogant blowhard. Man I hate that guy!



For contrast...



5. LOST

For Teresa's sake, I'll give this show another chance...

4. THE WEST WING

Teresa really liked it. I'm a fan of Aaron Sorkin, but after a while, the writing started to get formulaic and boring.

3. THE SOPRANOS

First four seasons were great TV.



The last two... genius...

2. BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER

Ah, Buffy... Seven of the best seasons in TV history.



1. THE SIMPSONS

Pretty good, but not as good as the "Flintstones". Skooodely-wah-waaaaahhh.

"The Push Man and Other Stories" and "Abandon the Old in Tokyo"

If you're a fan of comics like "Ghost World", "Love and Rockets" or "Strangers in Paradise", chances are that you have Japan's Yoshihiro Tatsumi to thank. He is the originator of the gekiga ("dramatic picture") style of comic art that deals with more realistic, mature, and somewhat moody subject matter, as opposed to the escapist adolescent fantasies that makes up the more well know comic book fare. It has been said that Tatsumi's influence on modern comic books of the east is similar to Will Eisner's development of the term "graphic novel", to describe comics that relate more mature, realistic, subject matter. In short, both artists have not only broadened the technique applied to the comic arts, but also broadened the scope of the subject matter that could be covered by the medium.

Tatsumi started publishing his stories in the late 1950's, and his works were not published in North America until the late 1980's. But more and more of today's comic book artists are citing his influence on their modern works. The gekiga style is more prevalent than you think. The influence is shown in works by creators such as Kazuo Koike and Goski Kojima ("Lone Wolf and Cub"), Lynn Johnston ("For Better of For Worse"), Charles Burns ("Black Hole").





I found collections "The Push Man and Other Stories" and "Abandon the Old in Tokyo" in the graphics novel section of my local library, which is quickly becoming a much beloved source of entertainment. Tatusmi's works are compelling, but they are not easy reads because the subject matter is pretty explicit. His works focus on post-war Japan, on the isolating effects of increasing urbanization. The stories show how amid the sheer numbers of Japan's overpopulated cities, one can get lost in the miasma caused by just eking out a day to day living. His stories are sexual, but not titillating, violent but not gratuitous. His works are just plain undeniable.




I don't know if that is a recommendation or not. I'm just telling you what it is. It's up to you to decide whether you want to experience it or not.

In other comic book news...

It is exactly one year until the re lase of the movie version of Alan Moore's and Dave Gibbon's "Watchmen". To celebrate, Zack Snyder has released the following photos, showing the Watchmen in full costume.







Looks slick, baby! I think the costumes are phenomenal, and although not absolutely faithful to the graphic novel, I am impressed with the choices made to bring the characters to life. Hopefully the story holds up. I'm still holding out my reservations because Zack Snyder did wonderful thing with the visuals in the movie 300, but I think he crapped out on the acting and story.

"Ex Machina" is actually pronounced "eh-cks mah-kin-ah": A Graphics Novel Guide for Jenni and Eric

Ever suggest a movie/book/TV show to a friend, with full expectations that they'll love it as much as you do, and your friend doesn't like it? That happened to me twice this weekend with Jenni and Eric (Buffy and Superbad). I guess I should learn a lesson from that, and not make any more suggestions. Alas, my ego knows no bounds so I present a list of graphic novels that I'm abosolutely SURE, either Jenni or Eric will love as much as I do.

10) Ex Machina



Synopsis: Mitchell Hundred is a structural engineer who develops super powers after coming in contact with a mysterious alien artifact. What does he do with his new abilities? He runs for Mayor of New York City.

Suggested for (Jennie or Eric?): Eric.

Why?: Well, like the protagonist, Eric is a somewhat super fellow with political aspirations. He may well identify with the day-to-day challenges of a man who can fly as fast as a passenger jet, but is daunted by the bureaucracy involved with closing the Greatest City in the World down for a snowstorm.

9) Astonishing X-Men Vol. 3 - "Gifted", "Dangerous", "Torn" and "Unstoppable"



Synopsis: Written by Joss Whedon and drawn by John Cassaday, this is the highest quality X-book out on the market to date. It's also the X-book with the most publishing delays, but us fan-boys are still lining up to get them issues. This book still achieves high sales and even higher critical acclaim.

Suggested for: Jenni

Why?: Although not the absolute best of Joss Whedon's writing (the Buffy episode "Once More With Feeling" and the Firefly episode "Objects In Space" are granted that honour), it's a fantastic piece of work. Familiar X-characters are beautifully drawn, and the writing harkens back to the days when Chris Clearmont and Alan Davis were in charge of the franchise. Plus, Kitty Pryde is back! Hubba, hubba!

8) The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen: The Black Dossier



Synopsis: The long awaited third installment of Alan Moore's and Kevin O'Neil's The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen series updates the timeline beyond the Victorian Era.

Suggested for: "Eh, Rick..."

Why?: For selfish reasons. My man, Eric borrowed the first two volumes of Leauge from me back in the day and apparently enjoyed them. The Black Dossier is not available in Canada, so I'm hoping he will buy the book and return the favour.

7) Identity Crisis



Synopsis: One of the most contraversial collections with a story line that shakes the foundations of the DC Universe. Identity Crisis explores the ramifications when the DC Heroes cross a fundemental ethical line.

Suggested for: Jenni

Why?: Jenni tends to be into less mainstream graphic novels. Identity Crisis is to comic books what Pulp Ficton is to movies: a mainstream work with indie sensibilities. Also, I think this would be an interesting counterpoint to Jenni's usual choices.

6) The Dark Tower: The Gunslinger Born



Synopsis: This retelling of Roland Deschain's early adventures was personally overseen by Stephen King and Robin Furth. A must-read for any Dark Tower fan.

Suggested for: "E-rector set"

Why?: Not only is the main story arc faithfully written and beautifully rendered (Jae Lee and Richard Isanove, 'nuff props!), the graphic novel features previously untold, secret tales that flesh out the world of the Dark Tower. For example, ever wonder where Rhea of the Cöos came from? Or how Eldred Jonas got his limp? Well, now you can find out!

5) From Hell



Synopsis: Alan Moore's and Eddie Campbell's haunting meditation on the identity and motives of Jack the Ripper.

Suggested for: Jenni

Why?: Actually, I don't really want to suggest this one for Jenni, it was just her turn. This book is pretty challenging, not because of the dense narrative, more because it's syle places us smack dab in the middle of ugly Victorian London at the end of the century. Think of this book as the movie Se7en without the uplifting ending.

4) Serenity: Those Left Behind



Synopsis: Takes place in Joss Whedon's 'verse, in between the events of Firefly the TV show and Serenity the movie.

Suggested for: "E-rock"

Why?: More Serenity is a good thing. (Chances are Eric read it already anyway).

3) V For Vendetta



Synopsis: A mysterious anarchist named "V" works to destroy the totalitarian government who controls a dystopian future.

Suggested for: Jenni

Why?: Features big words like "anarchist", "totalitarian" and "dystopian", that only smart folks like Jenni truly understand. Also, it's better to read the graphic novel before watching the somewhat passable but mostly uninspiring movie version.

2) Planet Hulk



Synopsis: For some reason people insist on pissing Hulk off. The Hulk is tricked by a bunch of people who really should have known better, and finds himself exiled to another, unihabitated planet. Due to an "unforseen navigational error", he instead finds himself on a real craphole, war-torn planet in a weakened state and on the wrong side of a set of slave manacles. Eventually.... HULK SMASH!!!

Suggested for: "E-rotic massage"

Why?: Why not? Sure graphic novels can be lit'ry and profound, but sometime you just wanna see HULK SMASH!!!

1) Lost Girls



Synopsis: Graphic novel depicting the sexual adventures of three important female fictional characters of the late 19th and early 20th Century, namely Alice from Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, Dorothy Gale from The Wizard of Oz, and Wendy Darling from Peter Pan.

Suggested for: Both Jenni and Eric

Why?: Pure, unadulterated porn. To be read together in bed after the little one is asleep.

Ta ta!

Who Watches the Watchmen

Me, that's who.

Yep, I'm going to be one of the first guys to go see the movie adaptation of The Watchmen (directed by Zack Snyder of 300) on opening weekend some time in 2009. And you know what? It's going to suck. Even if its a decent and enjoyable, it will suck multitudes when compared to the original comic.

Why, you ask? Because even at their best movies based on comic books and graphic novels are limited by the media of film itself. Not so much the visuals, because the Spiderman, X-Men, Blade, Sin City and even 300 show that you can present a visually dynamic, somewhat faithful representation of our favourite comic book hero's as depicted in comic book panels. But these same movies also show how the stories we comic book fans know and love often suffer under the strict time limits of the typical Hollywood blockbuster.

Perhaps the reason why the Spiderman, X-Men and Blade franchises suffer the least in the comic-book-to-movie transition is because these stories are entrenched in popular culture, thus screenwriters and movie audiences have a familiarity with the respective mythologies. Screenwriters can employ a kind of short-hand approach to depicting character origins, and audiences are more willing to accept a cursory review of the salient backstory points (for Blade, the overall vampire mythology serves as the short-hand, but still the first movie of the franchise, the origin tale, is an unsatisfactory movie as compared to Blade II).

Now, for a graphic novel like The Watchmen, the characters are not as well known in general popular culture, even though they are revered within the culture of the comic book world. Screen writers cannot employ a short-hand approach, rather, to do the characters justice, each one requires a significant introduction and development. Additionally, The Watchmen is a dense, complicated story, employing many literary tropes, including an arresting narrative-within-a-narrative (i.e., Tales of the Black Freighter) to counterpoint the main storyline. This is a lot to fit into a 2 to 2.5 hour summer blockbuster movie and the typical movie audience won't stand for the more leisurely pace required to do the original graphic novel justice.

Also, The Watchmen graphic novel is designed to explore the full dimensions of the comic medium. Both text and visuals work together to fully examine the universe depicted within it's pages. It is a unique structure, made especial for the comic medium. Sadly, the story won't be nearly as effective as a movie.

If I had my druthers, I would love to see The Watchmen adapted as an HBO mini-series. The best way to recreate the world of the graphic novel would be in a multi-episode format with the high visual and storytelling quality often afforded to HBO productions. And since I'm just plain daydreaming, I decided to present my casting choices for the non-existent HBO mini-series and compare them to the current cast of the The Watchmen movie currently under production. Here we go:


1) Nite Owl/Dan Dreiberg



Official Cast: Patrick Wilson



Mr. TWIT's Cast: Damien Lewis



I love Patrick Wilson's work in Angels in America, Hard Candy and Little Children, but I don't see him as the Nite Owl.

I can totally buy Band of Brothers's Damien Lewis as Dan Dreiberg, flabby, introverted, impotent, ornithologist by day, who in his Nite Owl persona, becomes a confident, dashing, dangerous crime fighter by night. He could totally play all the complex, psycho-sexual repression that so informs the character. And it would greatly make up for the fiasco that was Dreamcatcher.

2) Silk Spectre/Laurie Juspeczyk



Official Cast: Malin Ackerman



Mr. TWIT's Cast: Michelle Monaghan



Don't know much about Malin Ackerman. I saw her on a couple episodes of Entourage, and I know she was in the last Ben Stiller/Farrelly Bros. movie. She's obviously beautiful, but she didn't impress me much. Her The Heartbreak Kid co-star, Michelle Monaghan is my casting choice. She blew me out of the water in this years Gone Baby Gone. In the graphic novel, Laurie Juspeczyk is more than just a hot chick. The character is central to a major plot revelation, and it requires an actor of some weight to carry the drama of it. Michelle Monaghan definitely has the chops (plus she would look great fighting crime in a see-through negligee).

3)Rorschach



Official Cast: Jackie Earle Haley



Try as I might I can't argue with this choice. In Little Children, Jackie Earle Haley was able to play a child molester who's equally repulsive and sympathetic, which is no mean feat. I think he would make a great Rorschach. If I was forced to re-cast the role, I'd choose Leland Orser, best know as the sex-shop patron in Se7en.



4) Ozymandias/Adrian Veidt



Official Cast: Matthew Goode



Mr. TWIT's Cast: Patrick Wilson



I can totally buy Patrick Wilson as Adrian Veidt, the Smartest Man In The World. He looks almost exactly like Dave Gibbons's depiction of Ozymandias. On the other hand, I don't know Matthew Goode and don't really care to.

5) Dr. Manhattan/John Osterman



Official Cast: Billy Crudup



Mr. TWIT's Cast: Neal McDonough



Nothing in Billy Crudup's past repertoire leads me to think of him as Dr. Manhattan, the World's First Superman. That doesn't mean he couldn't do a good job portraying the character, because he is a good actor and acquits himself well in movies like Almost Famous. But personally, I'm not a big fan. For the role I would choose another Band of Brothers vet, Neal McDonough. I am a huge fan of his, and although I think he's slumming it in TV land right now, he would make a superb addition to the Watchmen cast. His "all-American" looks would serve well in the role of the human John Osterman, and would be a very tragic counter-point to Dr. Manhattan's ever-growing lack of humanity.

6) The Comedian/Edward Blake.


Official Cast: Jeffery Dean Morgan



Mr. TWIT's Choice: Clancy Brown



Again, don't know much about Mr. J.D. Morgan to offer an opinion of if he fits the role or not. What I do know is Clancy Brown is one of the best character actors around, and at his age, he would make a more believable choice for the Comedian. Clancy is famous for his bad guy roles in moves like The Shawshank Redemption, The Highlander, and Carnivale, but it's his funny, sympathetic role in the HBO movie Normal that leads me to think he would make a great Comedian. A funny and sympathetic bad guy is much more real and scary than a cardboard cut-out villain.

I think that if there is a common critque of my cast choices is that the actors are fairly old for the typical summer action movie. But I think the point I'm trying to make is that the problem with adapting Alan Moore graphic novels is that they are not summer blockbuster fodder. Look at the relatively unsatisfactory cinematic results of The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, From Hell and V: For Vendetta (as compared to the source graphic novels), and you may agree that an HBO mini-series would be a better forum for a screen adaptation of Alan Moore's work. Still, I don't think there is a better form of media for his stories than the original graphic novels.