Todd Klein's Blog, page 233

And Then I Read: B.P.R.D. HELL ON EARTH Vol. 9

Image © Mike Mignola.

If you like comics with monsters that will really creep you out, have a look at this one. Writers Mike Mignola and John Arcudi are spinning out a relentless tale of a disintegrating world, and this volume focuses on New York City. Two teams of B.P.R.D. agents are attempting to enter in from different directions, hoping to meet in the middle. Their mission is simply to gather information, not get into battles with whatever evils have taken over the city, but as you might expect, that doesn’t last long. Liz Sherman, the team’s fire-starter, is back to full strength, and itching to take on The Black Flame, the apparent demon ruler of the city, and it’s a battle you have to see to believe. Plenty of other horrible things are in the path of both teams, both hellish and human. As usual, the teams take a beating, but this time they do at least complete their mission. The art by James Harren is excellent, he’s a great find, and team players Dave Stewart and Clem Robins help make this book a complete success.

Highly recommended.

Belleplain Color

This afternoon Ellen and I walked the trails at nearby Belleplain State Forest looking for fall colors. It’s about a week past the best of it, but we still found enough to enjoy, and the weather was pleasant for November.

The maple is king of fall color, but this orange one was already fading.

Another maple with fading yellows. We don’t get the red in our maple leaves as they do further north.

Generally our oaks are drably colored, but there are exceptions, especially in the right light.

Occasionally the oak leaves achieve rich maroons and cherry reds.

Sometimes a single leaf in the right place is stunning.

Sometimes a single leaf is all you need to feel the glory of fall.

And Then I Read: A CITY IN WINTER

Image © Mark Helprin and Chris Van Allsburg.

Chris Van Allsburg is probably best known as the writer and artist of the book “The Polar Express.” This is one of three by Mark Helprin illustrated by Van Allsburg, and the book is formatted in a similar style to the artist’s other books that I’ve seen. At 8 by 10 inches, and 148 pages, it straddles the boundary between picture book and children’s novel. The illustrations are gorgeous, often making good use of perspective and low viewing angles, two Van Allsburg trademarks.

The story by Helprin has many good qualities, and some that bothered me as well. The prose is often full of strong, evocative imagery that rivals the pictures. It’s told from the perspective of a young girl from distant mountains who is secretly a princess destined to rule the massive city she comes to, or so she’s been told, but at present that city is ruled with iron control by “the usurper,” who killed her parents. As the innocent girl is swept into city life and put to work in the massive kitchens of the royal palace, she finds friends who help her toward her destiny, though that path is dangerous for all of them. The emotional arc of the story works well, and I liked the characters, but the book is full of impossible things (like a single room filled with ovens for baking that takes hours to travel through) that kept pulling me out of the story. The plot is also full of lucky coincidences and deus ex machina solutions that don’t play fair. I suppose I might have accepted such things with less trouble in my own childhood, so perhaps this book is not for me. In all, I liked it, but never fully fell into the story, as I think one should with a fantasy. The “willing suspension of disbelief” was too difficult.

Mildly recommended.

And Then I Read: JUSTICE LEAGUE 35

Image © DC Comics, Inc.

Geoff Johns really is good at this. The issue features a fascinating challenge between two alpha males, Lex Luthor and Bruce Wayne, who have seemingly joined forces both in business and in the Justice League. But the undertow is staggering, with both plotting and counter-plotting. Bruce’s plots are more obvious, but Lex’s are more dangerous. The interplay is brilliant, and the rest of the team stands by clearly ready for anything, but enjoying the battle of wits and fortunes. Of course, things go wrong, a third party enters the picture intent on mayhem, and the team action is on. The art by Mahnke, Reis and a host of inkers is outstanding, as usual, and seamless. This is great comics.

Recommended.

And Then I Read: RESIDENT ALIEN Volume 2

Image © Peter Hogan and Steve Parkhouse.

Now that this series is in its second arc, I have a clearer picture of the story’s direction. An alien has been stranded on Earth, and is hiding out in plain sight in the small town of Patience in the Pacific Northwest. He was posing as a retired doctor devoted to fishing, but has been sucked into working as the town’s doctor. After being shot in the first volume, he’s recovering and still helping his young replacement, who the nurses and townsfolk don’t like very much. This is one storyline that presents great character development, but there are two more. The alien is also a detective novel fan, and solved a serial murderer case (leading to his being shot). Now another murder victim, unrelated, has turned up, and the alien can’t seem to resist the opportunity to try to solve this one as well. Finally, the government knows something or someone crash-landed years ago, and is still trying to find out more. New evidence surfaces with a photo of the alien’s true face (that most around him can’t see, though we readers can). The government sends out a team to investigate.

This combination of science fiction, murder mystery and small town soap opera from veteran British creators Peter Hogan and Steve Parkhouse is great reading, with lots of interwoven threads and slowly building tension. Reminds me a bit of that old TV show “The Fugitive,” except this fellow is mostly staying put and hoping not to be found out, though the chances of that are increasing.

Well done and Recommended.

And Then I Read: I WAS THE CAT

Images © Paul Tobin & Benjamin Dewey.

This handsome hardcover from Oni Press has a lot going for it, and not just because it’s about Burma, a talking cat. What the cat talks about, to his newly hired memoir writer Allison Breaking, is a charming and yet sinister series of stories about his nine lives throughout history, in each of which he is sneakily planning to take over the world. Interspersed are present day elements like Allison’s relationship with her paranoid roomie Reggie, and Burma’s present day activities and that of his large staff, much of it also sinister. Burma makes the most of his cute catness, especially for Allison, who has a hard time taking the cat seriously, even when he tells her awful things. The writing by Paul Tobin walks this tightrope with skill, and the art by Benjamin Dewey is equally skilled. As Burma’s present day plans to take over the world heat up, the latter half of the book becomes more of a thriller, adding another level to the entire work.

My only problem with the book, and it’s a large one for me, is the lettering. It’s too small, too condensed (compressed horizontally) and the font is poorly made with large gaps between some letters that make one word look like two. I could only read a chapter of this at a time, the lettering was so annoying! Despite that, I enjoyed the book as a whole, and recommend it.

And Then I Read: DEPT. OF MONSTEROLOGY 1-4

Image © Renegade Arts Entertainment, Gordon Rennie & Paul Holden.

Publisher Alexander Finbow was kind enough to send me these, and I enjoyed reading them. The concept is something of a mix of Indiana Jones action adventure and Lovecraftian horror. I have to admit I didn’t find the monsters inside to be very scary. For one thing, I’m old, and I’ve seen drawings of a lot of monsters. For another, even the characters don’t seem very scared of them, so it’s hard as a reader to be so. When I first read Lovecraft as a teenager, his stories really creeped me out because they were so alien and inhuman, but over time Lovecraft has permeated our culture, and now his ideas have become nearly as used and familiar as Dracula and Frankenstein’s creature. The comics include the monster-hunting adventures of several teams, and each team has unique and interesting members. Their back stories are just beginning to unfold behind the action plots, but they work well so far, as teams, and as characters. Probably the scariest thing in the books is the repulsive but human opponents of these teams, Jocasta and Sebastian Lamont. They’re the real monsters within.

Recommended.

And Then I Read: LEGENDERRY 2

Image © Dynamite Characters llc.

To recap, this is a steampunk miniseries featuring new or somewhat new versions of many characters licensed from various places by Dynamite. The only two that are obvious and familiar in this issue (with the addition of steampunk goggles) are The Green Hornet and Kato, and they take center stage for a fun adventure involving a runaway horse-drawn carriage and a giant Hindenberg-style airship. It’s good fun, and the characters are beginning to develop personalities I can enjoy, though new characters keep popping up, interrupting the flow. As a sort of Justice League gathering of disparate elements, it doesn’t quite work yet, but there are some nice moments, and the art is appealing.

Mildly recommended.

November Woods

NOVEMBER WOODS

A forest path;

the sun in the trees,

the leaves in the breeze,

strollin’ along,

whistlin’ a song.

 

With the weather cold

your breath turns to steam,

there’s ice in the stream,

the leaves whirl around

with a whispery sound.

 

The woods are a misty brown and gray,

it’s getting colder along the way,

silence grows as the forest waits for the snow.

 

The path winds down

through a thicket of firs,

we’re covered in burrs,

the pines are still green,

the first we have seen.

 

We stop at last

at the cliff on the hill,

the forest is still,

and spread out below

are the places we know.

Now the snow begins and the woods grow colder,

we must turn back ere the evening’s older,

the darkness grows, but the light remains in the snow.

 

We wander on, and the clifftop is still,

and so is the hill….

Todd Klein, early 1970s

Rereading: STARSHIP TROOPERS by Robert Heinlein

Image © estate of Robert Heinlein, art not credited.

This is the novel that put Heinlein into idealogical conflict with many of his faithful readers. It posits a future America where full voting rights are only granted to military veterans, and follows the life of Juan Rico from high school, to enlistment in the service, (which is strictly voluntary and the recruiters do their best to discourage recruits), then through basic training, advanced training, and combat action on distant planets. Juan is “Mobile Infantry,” which means he wears a powered armored suit that sounds like something out of Transformers, and his missions are against a hostile alien civilization nicknamed “Bugs,” as they are set up in communal hives rather like ants or termites.

Heinlein was a Naval Academy graduate, and Naval veteran, though he did not see combat, I believe. The ideas he presents are well thought-out, and even though they present life choices I would never make, I found those choices rational, admirable and believable as told. The military in the book is idealized, in that everyone is on the same page, works hard and well together, and there are almost no desk jobs, except for veterans with severe injuries like lost limbs. Human nature being what it is, both the military and the government as presented are never likely to happen in real life, but as ideas to strive for, they’re certainly worthy of thought and fun to read about. The book does get bogged down in idealogical and political discussions at times, but mostly it’s about a boy’s journey to manhood in an arena of great danger but even greater camaraderie. Despite the sniping Heinlein took from many left-wing writers and critics, the book won the Hugo Award for best novel, the highest honor in the science fiction field. It’s a fine read that will make you think, whatever your personal beliefs.

Note that if you’ve seen the movie, which I haven’t, expect the book to be different, and from what I understand, better.

Recommended.