Three Batman Adventures

Here are three more Batman comic book stories that I've read recently on Hoopla.  I'm telling you, at this rate I might have to get a subscription.

The Batman Adventures Vol. 1

This comic very vividly recreates the look and feel of that old cartoon by Bruce Timm, Paul Dini, and company.  The gang's all here, The Joker, Clayface, The Riddler, and others, and they have some very inventive and dirty schemes cooked up to thwart the Batman.  My favorite issue is the one where Bruce Wayne is framed for murder, which resembles a classic Dick Tracy story in its creativity.  All are masterfully crafted and go beyond what a typical Batman story usually does.  Check them out!

The All New Batman: The Brave and the Bold: Small Miracles

This comic is based on a later cartoon series featuring the Batman, Batman: The Brave and the Bold.  I was actually reading these stories as possible Christmas gifts, and was looking at ones that were more fun and audience friendly.  This is a great comic book that's noteworthy for it's many interesting and oddball characters.  The stories where Batman competes with The Flash, and where Batmite falls in love with Batgirl, are both classics.  The standout is the Small Miracles story, though, where a superhero named Ragman, Batman, and a Rabbi question the role of God in such a crime-ridden world.  They come to a very profound conclusion.  Really enjoyed this one!

Batman Adventures: Mad Love

This might be the best Batman story, or just any story, that I've read in a while (it won an Eisner award).  It tells Harley Quinn's origin story, explains why she loves the Joker, and then involves Batman in a new, thrilling adventure.  I liked this story for its insights into the nature of love, and how often misguided love can lead us down a wrong path.  There is some great dialogue, and some great plot twists.  If you're just getting into Batman on Hoopla, you might want to start with this one!

Reading List for Upcoming Books

Hello, all.  I know I've been focusing a lot on reviewing comic books and films lately, but that doesn't mean I haven't also been working on reading actual books, too.  Right now I'm currently reading Letting Go by Philip Roth, which is a phenomenal piece of work so far.  I'm also giving it to my family for Christmas this year.  After I'm done with it, I'm thinking of focusing on the following list of books, in chronological order.

1. The Sellout by Paul Beatty
2. The Noam Chomsky Reader by Noam Chomsky
3. The Crying of Lot 49 by Thomas Pynchon
4. The Plague of Fantasies by Slavoj Zizek (I might not be able to review this one. . .  his books are so hard to read!)
5. Dream On Monkey Mountain by Derek Walcott
6. The Rabbit Angstrom Novels by John Updike
7. The King James Bible

I'm thinking these will keep me occupied for the foreseeable future.  Stay tuned, and I will definitely let you know what I think about at least some of these!

Batman '66 Meets John Steed & Emma Peel and Batman by Brian K. Vaughn

I sure am enjoying the heck out of my Hoopla account!  Here are my reactions to two more Batman comics I read on there recently.

Batman '66 Meets John Steed & Emma Peel

This graphic novel is just as much fun as the recurring series.  Aside from this story, I'm actually not familiar with the Avengers, but this comic really makes the characters of John Steed & Emma Peel come to life.  The ending is surprisingly gripping and sort of reminded me of Ridley Scott.  And the British Batmobile is awesome!  Recommended!

Batman by Brian K. Vaughn

Although I saw the movie Ex Machina, until I read this Batman story I was unfamiliar with Brian K. Vaughn's comic book work.  But boy is he great.  This collection features the Batman story where he plays Matches Malone, a story where he fights the Mad Hatter, a story where Wonder Woman fights Clayface, and a few pages introducing a character called The Skeleton who can assume other villains' identities.  The story that really stuck with me was the one about Matches Malone.  It's really a perfect, archetypal Batman story, one that's not overdone or gimmicky in any way, that deals with my of the familiar themes concerning Batman's identity.  Many twists and turns throughout this book, and lots of great character moments!  Extremely well written.  Also recommended!

Happy reading!

Alien: Covenant review

Well, folks, last night I saw Alien: Covenant, Ridley Scott's long-awaited sequel to his 2012 film, Prometheus, for the first time.  I know, I know, I've built this one up an insane amount, so it couldn't possibly live up to expectations.  As it turned out, though, I really liked it.  It's an artful, and very different, continuation of that film.

On another website, I wrote that the film is sort of like what would happen if all the people who didn't like Prometheus got together and made another film with the same characters.  And so it is!  What the creative talent does with the characters from Prometheus is very unexpected, very different than what I would have done, and in a way oddly fitting.  It also provides a set-up for a descent into a very hellish interpretation of the classic Alien film.  The characters here, and the monsters they face, come off as iconic, and they are put into some very inventive, violent situations.  Katherine Waterson, in particular, might be the greatest heir to the Alien lead heroine mantle than anyone except for Sigourney Weaver.  Also, the visuals are to die for.

There are already some very good reviews of this film on Ain't It Cool News and Roger Ebert.com.  I won't launch into a full-on plot description, but instead will urge you to see the film ASAP.  You won't be disappointed!

A quick top five

Although I often get asked by random people if I have a top five, for many years I've had more of a top three (Raging Bull, 2001: A Space Odyssey, Unforgiven), with the last two being rotating.  Well, today on my drive to work, I finally figured out what I think the last two should be.  Granted, these are most *best* movies than necessarily my favorites (favorites are harder to pin down), but I still really like them.  They are No Country For Old Men and There Will Be Blood, those two classics from 2007.  What a great year for movies, and what a seminal year in my life, that was.  As I went through library school and started to define my life as a librarian, those two films, each with very deep social implications, served as touchstones for me.  So, the list is:

1. Raging Bull
2. 2001: A Space Odyssey
3. Unforgiven
4. No Country For Old Men
5. There Will Be Blood

Raging Bull, I think deep down, will always be my favorite movie.  Never will there be a better movie about human isolation and suffering.  With 2001, the same goes for it being a statement about isolation, and it also has great themes about human nature (and great visuals).  Unforgiven is sort of the ultimate postmodern film, a deconstruction of the typical movie western that compares that film to gritty, prejudicial reality, and it sports two great performances from Clint Eastwood and Gene Hackman.  No Country For Old Men is, I would say, the world of film's best statement about the nature of evil, with a plot that really sucks you in.  And as for There Will Be Blood, go back and check out the crying scene in the middle of the film (where Daniel Plainview is camping out).  Very, very powerful stuff.  I think that about says it all, one moment of breakdown for an otherwise bitter and soulless man. 

So, though Prometheus holds a special place in my heart, these will be the top five that I give people for the foreseeable future.  Until next time!

Two Great Takes on Batman: Batman '66 Vol. 1 and Batman: Year 100

Recently, I've read two interpretations of the Batman character that I enjoyed very much: Batman '66 Vol. 1 and Batman: Year 100.  Batman '66 is a series inspired by the old Adam West TV show, and it might be the most fun I've ever had reading a comic book.  It's very fast and funny, and it features a lot of details from the old show that I'd forgotten, like the Aunt who never can figure out that Bruce Wayne is Batman, or the Batdance.  Very lighthearted, enjoyable stuff.

Batman: Year 100, as you might be able to tell from the title, is sort of the opposite take, featuring Batman in the futuristic world of 2039 fighting against the brutal and conspiratorial Gotham police force.  With only a handful of friends on his side, including Commissioner Gordon's grandson, Batman must do everything he can to clear his name (he's been framed for murder) and also protect his identity.  There are fascinating implications here about the value of such things in our current and future world.  Berlin Batman is also included with this graphic novel (both are by Paul Pope), which imagines if Batman had existed in Nazi Germany (and was Jewish).  Yet another great story.  Check these out!

Hoopla

Before I get into the reviews of the two Batman comics I've been reading, I wanted to briefly mention a new database I've been using called Hoopla.  It's a great resource where one can access ebooks, movies, music, television shows, and yes, even comic books. Lately, I've been using it mostly to access comic books, and I hope you find it and enjoy it just as much as I do.  It should be available through the main library of your local public library system.

Alien: Covenant The Unofficial Animated Series - Episode 1 - LV-223

I remember about a year ago when I pitched the idea of essentially an Alien series to 21st Century Fox and they basically couldn't do it.  Now it looks like some like-minded individuals have had a similar idea with this new Alien: Covenant The Unofficial Animated Series.  The series will run at the first of the month for this and the succeeding four months, and will expand on and illustrate theories about Prometheus and Alien: Covenant, specifically, that have been put forth on the Alien: Covenant website's forums.  Personally, I think this is a great idea, as it allows someone who doesn't have the time to read the forums, like me, access to these theories.  I look forward to watching this series and to maybe referencing some of these theories in my own Alien work.  Here is episode 1:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SZesg-dTnJY&t=28s

It basically states that the Deacon (the creature that emerges from the dead Engineer at the end of Prometheus) will go up into the head statue inside the Engineer ship and turn into the Xenomorph creature that we all know and love (or dread).  This sets the stage for Alien: Covenant, where we see a creature like that attacking the ship of the main characters.  I think its an interesting theory, and man is this episode scary!  I'm almost afraid to think what the other ones will be like.  Once again, this is a great idea that I'm looking forward to watching.