Todd Klein's Blog, page 192

And Then I Read: KNIGHTS OF THE SQUARE TABLE 2 by Teri Kanefield

I enjoyed the first book in this trilogy, and am back for more. The Knights of the title are six young people in a San Francisco school chess club, but they are much more than that. Each of the six is very smart, though they have a wide variety of personalities and interests, as well as strengths and weaknesses. In the first book they had some remarkable adventures. First the jet plane in which they were returning to the US crashed on a small, uncharted island off the coast of Iceland. There Alexis, Cindy, George, Liam, Natalie and Spider found ways to help all the crash victims survive in harsh conditions, as well as keep their spirits up and their relationships civil. They won the admiration of the plane’s pilot, Don, who offered to help them in the future any time they asked. Next, back in San Francisco, the Knights took up a new challenge: trying to avert the beginnings of a nuclear war. When the leader of a southeast Asian country (read North Korea) threatens to launch a nuclear missile, the Knights find a way to hack into the country’s defense computers and prevented the launch. Then George, who speaks several Asian languages, called the leader and spoke to him directly, convincing that leader to change his stance and negotiate for peace. Incredibly, it worked, and no one figured quite how the Knights did it, though the event made them even more famous.

As Book 2 opens, Cindy is calling the group together to explain her plan to continue their good works through hacking, though they all know how dangerous it could be for them. After much argument, they decide to try a “Robin Hood” hack on a bank who has swindled its customers and gotten away with keeping millions of their dollars. They successfully get into the bank’s computer system and redistribute about a half million dollars to charities, but this time aren’t able to cover their tracks completely. They find this out when the FBI shows up and and confiscates all their computer equipment. It seems likely the group will soon be headed to court, but they have time for a quick escape, and head to Canada. There they call on Don, their pilot friend, and ask him to take them back to the island near Iceland. They’ve decided to hide out there. Don is reluctant, but finally agrees. The Knights begin making the island their home, and then current events bring them back into the spotlight in a surprising way.

Well written, with realistic characters I liked, and a story I found unpredictable and fun. Recommended.

And Then I Read: JOE FRANKENSTEIN

Image © Graham Nolan and Chuck Dixon.

This is a fun new look at classic monsters from literature and film. Joe Pratt is an adopted American boy out delivering pizzas when he’s confronted by Frankenstein’s creature, who tells the frightened boy they’re actually related—sort of. It seems Joe is the last of the Frankenstein line (unknown to him), and he and the monster share a very unusual blood factor that can grant long life. That puts Joe in danger from those who want that blood, including vampires working for a long-time enemy of the family. The creature, as in the book rather than the movies, is smart and well-spoken, and has friends and resources that can help both of them if they stick together. After his first encounter with vampires, Joe is all for it. Things get complicated by more minions of the mysterious enemy who kidnap Joe’s adoptive family, and eventually capture the boy himself. Will the creature and his allies be able to save them?

I enjoyed reading this. I have a particular connection to the project, too. Artist/co-writer Graham Nolan had asked me to design a logo for it, but I didn’t have time. Instead I suggested he ask lettering legend Gaspar Saladino, who did the logo seen here. Too bad that’s not mentioned anywhere in the printed hardcover, if I had Gaspar’s work on something I did, I’d sure want people to know! I wrote about this on my blog HERE.

Recommended.

And Then I Read: DOCTOR FATE #12

Image © DC Comics.

I sometimes feel there are few satisfying endings in comics these days, but writer Paul Levitz does a good job wrapping up the major story threads of his second arc here. Khalid has faced all kinds of deadly trouble as the new Doctor Fate, but in his regular life he’s been absent from med school so much, he’s about to be expelled. This is one situation his new powers can’t help much with…or so it seems until the man conducting the hearing on Khalid has a sudden heart attack! Can Doctor Fate recapture the escaping soul? Can Khalid’s medical training help? Great story and wonderful art, as always. And I’m happy to say that the title will continue!

Recommended.

And Then I Read: GREEN LANTERNS REBIRTH #1

Image © DC Comics.

Masterful writing is evident in this, the best of the Rebirth titles I’ve read so far. It opens with narration filling in the Green Lantern story, but with a point of view that suggests the narrator is a threat who wants to do them great harm. A new sort of power ring is teased as well. Both points are excellent ways to create interest and tension. We then spend time with Simon Baz, the fairly new Earth Green Lantern, and Jessica Cruz, the even newer Green Lantern seen mostly in JUSTICE LEAGUE I think. Writers Geoff johns and Sam Humphries are playing with the idea of why there are so many Earth Green Lanterns, which I’m sure many readers have wondered, and that’s another thing I liked. Simon and Jessica are both called into action together, meeting for the first time it seems, and not hitting it off well. Then another important figure shows up to tell them more about what’s really going on. Finally, the narrator from the opening pages is revealed, setting up the beginning of the new series. I’m a long-time GL fan and reader, and I know the back story pretty well, but I think this issue does a fine job of setting up a relaunch while telling a good new story that’s accessible to new readers. Well done. Whether the new storyline will appeal to me enough to read remains to be seen, but I will certainly try it.

Recommended.

And Then I Read: GAY-NECK, THE STORY OF A PIGEON by Mukerji

This was the Newbery Award winner in 1928. Ellen read it and didn’t like it enough to keep, so it was going in the donations box, but I pulled it out to try it myself.

Mukerji writes of a very different world: northern India before World War One,  when he was a boy raising pigeons, a popular hobby among him and his friends. Gay-Neck (so named because of iridescent feathers on his neck) was his prize pigeon, and this is the story of his life. It has some surprising elements, including trips to a remote monastery in the Himalayas near Everest (not yet conquered by men at the time) and a trip to Europe during the war to act as a courier pigeon for Indian troops fighting for the British. There are harrowing moments: encounters with hawks and eagles, not to mention war planes and guns, but much of the book is about daily life in India, at Mukerji’s home and in the forests and countryside. Some of the book is “narrated” by the pigeon himself, other parts are told by the author. The style seems unusual, with elements of mysticism, pragmatism and occasional sly social comments. Mostly it’s a good animal story, though. The plot is definitely episodic, and wanders off topic at times. I can’t say I loved it, but I’m glad I read it. Newbery winners are almost always worth a try. The illustrations by Boris Artzybasheff are stark, striking, all black and white patterns and shapes except for the cover, unique. I liked those too.

Recommended.

And Then I Read: STAR GUARD by Andre Norton

Cover art by Richard Powers.

This science fiction novel by Norton came out in 1955, but somehow I missed it all these years, and have recently read it for the first time. In the far future, Earthmen have joined together as one people after disastrous nuclear wars and achieved space flight to distant stars. When they got there, however, they found a very old and long established government of beings and worlds called Central Control, (Federation, anyone?) which examined Earth and found it too violent and aggressive for full membership. Instead, Earth was assigned the role of providing mercenary soldiers, fighters for hire, for conflicts on distant worlds. There were two types of mercenaries, the Archs for service on primitive worlds, and the Mechs for service on more advance worlds. Weaponry for Archs was limited to not much more than swords and hand-to-hand combat.

Kana Karr is a young man who has just graduated from training as an Arch Swordsman, Third Class. He’s anxious to sign on for a first assignment, and is happy to take the one offered, with Yorke Horde on a police action mission to the planet Fronn. The fact that he’s had X-Tee training (alien first contact) helps him get the job. Once he gets to Fronn and the Horde goes into action, though, things don’t go as planned. They’re supporting a local warlord in a bid for power, but strange rumors abound about another Earth Horde supporting the other side, and it’s Mech. Mech’s are not supposed to be on primitive worlds at all, let alone fighting Archs. Before long things go from bad to worse, and Kana and his Horde find themselves on the run, fugitives among hostile aliens and fauna with very few options.

Great read. Norton does not delve deeply into emotions, but the wartime action is believable and thrilling, and there are plenty of surprises. Recommended.

Incoming: WONDER WOMAN BY GREG RUCKA, Volume 1

Image © DC Comics.

Just in time for Greg Rucka’s return to WONDER WOMAN is this handsome and thick hardcover containing the WONDER WOMAN: THE HIKETEIA graphic novel and issues 195-205 of the monthly comic. It all looks great to me! HIKETEIA has wonderful art by J.G. Jones and Wade  von Grawbadger, the series has art by Drew Johnson, Ray Snyder and others, plus covers by Jones. I lettered all of it, and for you lettering nerds out there, you can compare my hand-lettering on HIKETEIA with my digital lettering on the rest, this work falling on both sides of the divide, when DC went all-digital on lettering. Not sure when it’s out, but I certainly think it’s worth your time.

And Then I Read: ASTRO CITY 35

Image © Juke Box Productions.

What a nice surprise to find the art of Ron Randall in this (and the next) issue of ASTRO CITY! I’ve been a fan and friend since we worked together in the early 1980s.

The story this time is about the family who are behind the hero named Jack-In-The-Box, one of the more flamboyant characters in the series. It’s told from the viewpoint of Ike Johnson, the grandson of the original Jack, and the son of the second Jack. Ike’s dad has passed on the hero identity to a friend, leaving Ike to wonder where he fits in, but Ike’s early attempts at heroic work didn’t go so well. Ike’s dad, meanwhile, has become the head of a successful toy company, and is using some of his money to investigate the crime scene where the first Jack fell for the last time. As always, it’s a story with depth and emotion as well as action. Writer Kurt Busiek and Ron Randall deliver a fine issue. I particularly liked the looks of the villain shown on Alex Ross’s cover, Mister Drama.

Recommended.

And Then I Read: THE FLASH REBIRTH #1

Image © DC Comics.

Like the WONDER WOMAN REBIRTH I read yesterday, this is sort of a prologue to the upcoming relaunch of the Flash series, but it does have more of a story. Wally West, Kid Flash, has been missing from the DC Universe for a few years, and has been brought back, first in the pages of the main REBIRTH title, now here. As with Wonder Woman, Barry Allen in this book is having visions, this time of his enemy Zoom. Barry takes his troubles to his father, and we learn in the story that continuity here is rather like the Geoff Johns reboot, also mirrored in the Flash TV show, though they’ve gone to weird places with it there. Wally West as Kid Flash appears to Barry, who can’t remember him at first, but once he does, things change and Wally is alive and well again. (Sorry if that’s a spoiler, but it’s kind of an obvious one.) Then the plot gets into other elements from the main REBIRTH comic I won’t describe here. I like the writing of this book by Joshua Williamson, and the art too, which has a looser advertising art feel than most DC hero comics, and reminds me a bit of Carmine Infantino’s Flash. The artist’s name is Carmine Di Giandomenico.

I wouldn’t call this an easy read for someone who has never followed The Flash, but it would make sense to someone who has at least watched the TV show, so it might well work for new readers. Recommended.

And Then I Read: WONDER WOMAN REBIRTH #1

Image © DC Comics.

Greg Rucka is back as writer on the new WONDER WOMAN book, and having enjoyed lettering his previous run, I thought I’d try this. It’s not the first issue of the new series, though. Instead, it’s kind of a prologue, I guess. Mostly it’s Wonder Woman thinking about herself, about contradictory personal histories that she remembers, about who she was, who she is now, and who she will be. There’s a sketchy plot of sorts, as she rescues some captive women in the beginning, but mostly it’s flashbacks, and Wonder Woman confronting herself, then moving on to Olympus, which is deserted except for some robotic guardians, who provide action at the end.

The confusion of the character mirrors my own. What we’re getting in Rebirth is not exactly a reboot, it seems, but a character who is choosing what she wants to remember from her many past versions and long history, and deciding what she wants to be going forward. It’s all rather nebulous at this point, and on the final page we learn that there will be two alternating story lines in the new series. One will focus on the present, the other on the past,  beginning with issues 1 and 2 respectively. Since I haven’t been following the character much, it will all be relatively new to me. I’m going to give the series a try, assuming DC sends me digital copies to read. Has the weight of past history become too much to allow a new series to feel fresh? Will it make sense to someone like me who doesn’t read a lot of the DC Universe books? Will it be good? We’ll see.

Mildly recommended.