Todd Klein's Blog, page 111

Incoming: BATMAN THE CAPED CRUSADER Vol. 4

Image © DC Comics

First of these collections I’ve received in a while, this one contains BATMAN #455-465 and BATMAN ANNUAL #15. The Batman issues are all written by Alan Grant, penciled by Norm Breyfogle, inked by Steve Mitchell and lettered by me. The Annual is written by Grant, penciled by Jim Fern and inked by Steve Leialoha with letters by John Costanza. A nice package, fun to see them again. I have no idea when it will be available or how, but at least we know it exists!

And Then I Read: JIMMY OLSEN #9.

Written by Matt Fraction, art by Steve Lieber, colors by Nathan Fairbairn, letters by Clayton Cowles

New comics, even digital ones, have slowed due to the current pandemic, but this is one I’m just catching up on. It’s just as entertaining as the previous eight issues. We have the Li’l Olsens (a bit like Peanuts), reporter Jimmy in Kandorland, Arm-Fall-Off Lad and his family, the odd villain the Porcadillo, and high school Jimmy at his school’s Casino Night with young Lex Luthor. Fun for all ages! This really is a great series, I hope to enjoy the rest of it whenever it’s out.

Recommended.

And Then I Read: RED FOX by Charles G. D. Roberts

Wonderful scratchboard illustrations by John Schoenherr.

It’s a welcome relief to escape into the lives of wild animals in these times, and this book from 1905 is an excellent example, as it follows the life of an exceptionally clever fox in the fields and forests of eastern Canada.

Even as a kit, Red Fox not only was larger and redder than his siblings, but his mind was equally superior. He makes mistakes, like tangling with a skunk, but learns from each one, as two of his brothers do not. There are farmers in the area, one of whom, Jabe Smith, is a crafty hunter and trapper, with a dog who delights in trailing Red Fox when he can, and the battle of wits between fox, man and dog is well told. There’s also a boy who wants only to befriend the wild animal, and learns more about him than Jabe. Most of the book follows the lives of the animals of the area, their interactions, rivalries, battles and the struggle to survive that is ever-present. Red Fox thinks he knows the answer to every problem, but sometimes trouble still finds him, and that’s the crux of the story. Unlike many animal tales, this one does not humanize the subjects, nor does it end with the main character’s death. Instead Red Fox is shown overcoming adversity in a new home in a way I found heartening.

Recommended. This reprint is from 1972, and should not be hard to find.

And Then I Read: THE SECRET JOURNEY OF THE SILVER REINDEER by Lee Kingman

This is a short book, 96 pages, from 1968, with many beautiful illustrations by the legendary Lynd Ward. Only the cover is full color, the interior paintings are in black and blue only:

Despite the shortness, it’s a story full of great characters and thrilling adventure. Fifteen-year-old Aslak of the Lapp people in northern Scandinavia has become the head of his household after his father’s death, which means he is also in charge of the family’s large herd of reindeer, which they follow in nomadic fashion through the seasons from summer to winter grounds. Aslak’s grandfather, Great Jouni, was a lucky man with a large herd and a treasure in gold nuggets, but his son, Aslak’s father, seemed cursed with bad luck, and now Aslak is having the same trouble. Some of his herd has been stolen, and his grandmother is very ill. When they return to their winter town, Aslak finds his Uncle Piera is scheming to take control of the herd and the family. To stop him, Aslak must leave early for a new summer camp where he believes he will find proof that the herd belongs to him. Piera follows, and soon the two are locked in a battle of strength and wills, while Piera continues to scheme and lie to get his way.

Well worth searching out, this is a fine read. Recommended.

And Then I Read: PSYCHOSHOP by Alfred Bester & Roger Zelazny

I thought I’d read all of Alfred Bester’s novels. I thought I’d read all of Roger Zelazny’s. I was wrong on both counts. This one was left unfinished when Bester died in 1987. At some point (introduction author Greg Bear doesn’t seem to know when) it was completed by Zelazny before he died in 1995, and published posthumously in 1998.

The narrator, Alf (also Bester’s name of course) is a magazine reporter given an assignment in Rome to investigate a place called the Black Place of the Soul-Changer. It’s run by a man named Adam Maser, that’s the only lead Alf has, but he soon makes contact with Adam who invites him into his unusual shop, one where a person can trade any physical, mental or emotional skill or ability one doesn’t want for something else one does. The shop has been there since ancient Roman times, and the clientele, as Alf soon learns, come from many times and places in the past and the future. At the center of the shop is a black hole which provides the energy for its enterprises. Adam is assisted by a snake-like woman, Nan, while Adam himself has feline or tiger-like qualities. Alf is soon invited to help with the business, and Adam and Nan seem as curious about him as he is about them. Perhaps the group of bodies in the back room of the shop that look exactly like Alf have something to do with that, and perhaps Alf will turn out to be much more than he seems, even to himself.

It’s an interesting book, full of clever ideas, word play, snappy patter, moments of action and suspense. It’s kind of like science fiction in a film noir or pulp mystery package. I didn’t find it obvious where one author left off and another began. As Greg Bear says in his intro, both Bester and Zelazny were like jazz musicians, improvising great riffs, and fascinating ideas at a rapid pace. What the book does lack for me is any emotional resonance. Alf is cool and calm no matter how strange things get, kind of like a film noir detective. I never felt he was in much danger, or that he was ever much worried. Adam and Nan seem equally in control in almost any situation. There are clever plot developments and mysteries unveiled as the book reaches a climax, but it all felt rather distant and uninvolving for the most part. I prefer characters that give me some reason to care about them, and these did not. It’s still worth reading for the performance of both authors as creators of cool ideas.

Recommended.

And Then I Read: ASSATEAGUE DEER by B.F. Beebe

This is a book about a sika deer (native to Japan) which has been naturalized in many other parts of the world, in this case Assateague Island, on the coasts of Maryland and Virginia. As the story opens, a pregnant sika doe is swimming to a small island to give birth, unaware that a shark is following her and about to attack. The doe manages to arrive safely and gives birth to Little Sika, the main character of the book. Little Sika has many adventures and some brushes with death growing up on Assateague, as he and his mother join a small herd of sika deer and encounter many other animals, some friendly, some wanting to eat them. It progresses along the lines of Bambi, except that the animals are not humanized, and there are no humans in the story. The natural history knowledge is presented well, and seems accurate. The events, from Little Sika being trapped in deep mud to the climactic hurricane, are interesting and exciting, but in the end I can’t say I loved this book. Nothing wrong with it, but it’s not as good as, say, Marguerite Henry’s books about the wild horses of Assateague or Bambi by Felix Salten.

The illustrations by the author’s husband, James Ralph Johnson, are quite good, and I like his two-color cover.

Ellen had this in her animal stories collection and decided not to keep it. I thought I’d read it before we donated it to a thrift shop, and I’m not sorry I did, but on to a new home it will go. Mildly recommended.

Rereading: THE ADVENTURES OF TOM SAWYER by Mark Twain

I don’t think I’ve read this since I was a child myself, and I only remembered the highlights, which may actually be from a film version. Twain’s writing is always worth a revisit.

Tom Sawyer is a boy with ideas, always scheming or planning some big trick or adventure. He lives in the small town of St. Petersburg (inspired by Hannibal, Missouri where Sam Clemens grew up). His closest friend is Huck Finn, who Tom admires for the fact that he gets away with living just as he likes, never going to school or having a parent to trouble him. Early in the book we get a sense of Tom’s cleverness from the famous fence story where Tom convinces a lot of his friends to whitewash the Sawyer fence for him, a job he’s been assigned by his Aunt Polly, matron of the Sawyer home. Tom’s adventures at school follow, where sometimes he pulls off a good trick, and other times he takes hard punishment. A new girl at school, Becky Thatcher, has Tom enchanted from her first appearance, but it takes a long time for her to see anything in Tom. At one point Tom, Huck and one of their friends run away from home to be pirates on a small island, leaving their families sure they’ve drowned.

These typical boyhood tales are interspersed with a much scarier and more dramatic story that begins when Tom and Huck are at the town graveyard late one night and witness a murder by the town’s most dangerous character, Injun Joe. Twain plays it for all it’s worth, a truly frightening experience. Thereafter, Tom and Huck are haunted by what they’ve seen, and Tom is tempted to accuse Joe, though he feels sure he’ll pay for it, perhaps with his life. Other encounters with Joe happen, one in which Tom and Huck see Joe and his friend planning to rob and torture a rich widow, another where they see them with a large sack of money that the boys would love to get hold of.

The big finale takes place in a cave where a group of children on a party excursion go exploring, and Tom and Becky get lost. No one misses them for a while because of things Huck is up to trying to save the Widow Douglas from Injun Joe. The story of the search for the lost children, and then Tom and Becky’s story, make an exciting climax to this entertaining book, with Injun Joe’s treasure as a capper.

Highly recommended.

And Then I Read: EDGAR ALLAN POE’S SNIFTER OF TERROR Season 2 #5

Image © Ahoy Comics

First, let me say how much I like seeing my logo for this book used on an EC Comics pastiche, parodying perhaps the company’s most infamous cover.

This issue has two excellent stories. The first is “The Man That Was Used Up” freely adapted from the Poe story by cartoonist Rick Geary. Rick’s work is always a delight, his combination of creepy and cute is a rare mix that is hard to beat. Here we have Poe himself meeting a famous war hero and being very impressed with the man in every way, from his intelligence to his manly figure. Poe is determined to find out more, and perhaps is sorry he did.

The second story is “Berenice” written by Alisa Kwitney, art by Mauricet. This one is more realistic in approach, and leans more toward horror than humor. Doctor Egaeus is very fond of his cousin Berenice, and to protect her, decides he must perform some dental surgery. Later, after they marry, he comes to regret that decision.

Always fun is the two-pager pitting Poe against The Black Cat by Hunt Emerson.

Perhaps my favorite issue of the second season! Recommended.

And Then I Read: POGO: UNDER THE BAMBOOZLE BUSH (Vol. 4)

I haven’t posted here in a while for several reasons. First, the corona virus situation has put me out of the mood. Second, I had nothing to review because I’ve been reading this wonderful strip collection for the last month. I love Pogo, and I love these strip collections, but Pogo is a dense strip that takes time to read and appreciate, even when it’s just going for slapstick humor, and I can only read about 15 pages at a sitting. At over 300 pages of strips, that takes a while. Worth every minute, though.

There’s plenty of goofy humor, but also a share of political satire, as in the strip above where a pig takes the place of Soviet Union leader Nikita Krushchev. This collection covers 1955 and 1956, which was an election year, so there’s a fair amount of “Pogo for President” business and other election hoohah, with P.T. Bridgeport and other bombastic characters. The Olympics in Australia gets some funny coverage, as do a reporter and photographer from “Newslife,” who are quite sure Pogo is not a possum. The majority of these strips draw humor simply from the familiar characters of the Okeefenokee Swamp, their frequent misunderstandings and confusions, with Pogo about the only level head in the bunch. It’s great fun, and Walt Kelly is in fine form here.

Highly recommended.

And Then I Read: THE SINISTER MYSTERY OF THE MESMERIZING GIRL by Theodora Goss

This is the third book about The Athena Club, a group of female characters from fantastic literature who work together to solve crimes and mysteries, along the lines of “The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen,” but not derivative except for a few crossover characters. The Athena Club are sisters Mary Jekyll and Diana Hyde of Stevenson’s book, Beatrice Rappaccini from “Rappaccini’s Daughter” by Nathaniel Hawthorne, Catherine Moreau, the lone surviving beast-woman from Well’s “Island of Dr. Moreau,” and Justine Frankenstein, the intended bride of Frankenstein’s creation. Other characters from literature abound, including Ayesha from H. Rider Haggard’s “She,” Dorian Gray, and Sherlock Holmes, Watson and the Baker Street Irregulars.

While I loved the first book, which introduced the characters and explored their origins and history, the second took them on a case in Europe that I found somewhat flawed but still enjoyed. This third book takes place mostly in London and Cornwall, and is as satisfying as the first one. One narrative technique that’s distracting is that Catherine is the “author” of the book, and her writing is often interrupted by comments to her from the others about what she’s writing. This tends to pull me out of the story, but at times is entertaining too. There’s plenty of excitement in the plot as Moriarty is gathering a gang of shady characters himself with a plan to kidnap Queen Victoria and take over England, while on a personal level the Athena Club is searching for their maid and friend Alice, who has gone missing along with Holmes and Watson. Thrilling scenes take place in the British Museum as well as on the coast of Cornwall, and despite their abilities, the Athena Club has formidable odds to overcome.

A good and enjoyable read, as are the first two, and recommended for those who want to get away from today’s harsh realities.