Todd Klein's Blog, page 346

Cuckoo Songs

Yesterday morning I went for a birding walk at Higbee Beach WMA in Cape May, my first one for this year. It was a great morning, and I saw quite a few birds. The highlight was this Black-billed Cuckoo sitting uncharacteristically out in plain sight, enjoying the morning sun after a rainy night. What drew me to this particular spot, though, was a very soft version of the bird's song, which you can hear at THIS site.

While studying the bird through my binoculars, and getting this picture, which is pretty good for my camera, I realized I was still hearing the song, and it wasn't coming from this bird. Another cuckoo was hidden somewhere nearby and singing very softly. While it's only a guess, I surmise this one in view is a female, and she was being serenaded by a male. The call was not the usual volume, and almost dovelike, but still the "cooc-cooc-cooc" of the species. Later it brought to mind ANOTHER Cuckoo song, the long-time theme of these particular cuckoos:

Okay, okay, I'll be quiet now, gentlemen. But if you compare the two songs, there's some slight similarity…I think.

(Another fine mess I've gotten myself into…)

And Then I Read: THE UNKNOWN, THE DEVIL MADE FLESH

Images © Boom Entertainment, Inc.

The second storyline in a series is always tricky. You want readers to come back to what they liked the first time, but avoid repeating things so much that it seems like just more of the same. Mark Waid has a great solution in his script for this book. He picks up his two main characters a year later, but in a very unusual way. Catherine Allingham, the brilliant but fatally ill detective, is continuing her work with a new partner. Her partner from the first series, James Doyle, is following her and trying to talk to her. When he finally succeeds, Catherine doesn't seem to know him at all. Both have large gaps in their memories. Gradually the missing story begins to come clear as the characters make their way to a small town plagued by serial killings. A town where, a year earlier, something major happened to both of them. Something they can't remember. I've left out a few crucial twists on even this much of the story, to keep from giving too much away, but it's a great read, even if some of the ideas are pretty far out there.

The art by Minck Oosterveer is quite appealing, very solid. This time it reminded me of Tim Sale at times. The colors have a painted look (can't tell if it's real paint or all digital) that adds depth to the line art and the story, a nice bonus. Good stuff.

Recommended.

And Then I Read: GREEN LANTERN EMERALD WARRIORS 6

Images © DC Comics, Inc.

Well, things are not going in a direction I like much in this title. Kilowog and Arisia have some issues with Guy Gardner's secret deals and motives on their quest to the outer edges of the known universe, and they apparently are quitting, leaving only the Red Lantern shown above to go on with Guy to confront the very powerful source of trouble that's been siphoning off GL energy for his own use. I see no reason to like Bleez, the Red Lantern. Hey, even Guy doesn't like her much. A new character with Green Lantern-like powers shows up, and may prove interesting, we'll see.

The art by Fernando Pasarin and Cam Smith is quite good, perhaps the best thing about this title now.

Mildly recommended.

How I look now…

Time marches on, and the photo on the home page of my website was getting a little dated, having been taken in early 2009. Fortunately, ace photographer Kyle Cassidy took a portrait shot of me recently, when I appeared at Locust Moon Comics. I've just found time to put it on the website. Click on the head shot there for the full photo. Thanks again, Kyle!

And Then I Read: LEGACIES 9

Images © DC Comics, Inc.

These later issues of LEGACIES, the series that gives you a condensed version of the DC Universe as DC wishes it to be now, are not as much fun for me as the earlier ones, but they remain well written and largely well drawn. Here the focus is still on Hal Jordan as he goes from being the Parallax villain to the martyr of the "Final Night" crossover event, to taking on the role of The Spectre. The synopsis by Len Wein did help me fill in a few gaps in my understanding of things I wasn't reading at the time, so that's a good thing.

The art on the main story (above) by Jesus Saiz and Karl Story is well done. The backup feature showcasing the Marvel Family has perhaps the most unlikely artist I can think of inside mainstream comics: Bill Sienkiewicz. An interesting idea, but it doesn't work at all for me. Jerry Ordway, who worked on other issues, would have been a much better choice. Hell, almost anyone now drawing superheroes might have been better! Not a knock on Bill S., I like much of his work, but he's completely wrong for the Marvel Family.

Mildly recommended.

And Then I Read: SHAKESPEARE'S SCRIBE

© Gary Blackwood, illustration © Gregg Call.

A few years ago I bought and read Blackwood's "The Shakespeare Stealer," and found it excellent, so when I saw this sequel recently, I bought it as well. It's just as good. Young Widge, an orphan, has found a place as an actor with the company "Lord Chamberlain's Men," the troupe that included William Shakespeare as playwright and actor, their London theater being The Globe. Widge is a junior member, and his part is usually to play the young women in the plays, since actual girls and women were not allowed in the acting companies of the time. The company has taken him in despite his troubled past, which included being set up by a former master to steal the plays of Shakespeare for another acting company. He has friends among the others players, and lives in the home of one with some other orphans. All that is about to change, though. The Bubonic Plague is spreading through England, and in London all public gatherings have been banned, so the company plans to go on the road to northern towns where they might still find audiences.

The trip north does not go so well. In some places they are also banned from performing, often violently, they're attacked by thieves, and running out of money. Shakespeare is supposed to be writing a new play for Queen Elizabeth (and the company), and when he breaks his writing arm in a tussle with local lawmen, Widge is drafted to be his scribe, writing out the words Will dictates. Widge is particularly suited for this, as he was taught a kind of shorthand by that devious former master. Before long Widge is even making suggestions and additions to the play, something he enjoys despite the late hours it requires.

A new character appears in Widge's life, Jamie Redshaw, a former soldier and now a gambler who presents Widge with evidence that he's the boy's father. Widge is wonderstruck by this, having never expected to find a living parent, and Jamie is able to fill in some of the boy's missing background. But is he to be trusted? Some of the company don't think so, and trouble follows; trouble that will end in robbery and attempted murder, forcing Widge to flee for his own life.

Gary Blackwood is American, and bucks the trend that favors British writers doing the best job with British historical subjects. Every aspect of this one rings true, from the language and dialects, to the settings and characters. The life of an actor in Elizabethan England is very well handled and feels quite authentic. The historical background and the literary connections all work well without getting in the way of the drama and excitement. There's a third book in this series I'll be looking for in the future, this one is highly recommended, as is the first.

Easter Eggstravaganza 2011

An annual tradition of the last few years is for Ellen and I to join her sister Ann and family to color Easter eggs the day before, and we had lots of fun doing it this year. We began with four Paas egg coloring sets and several dozen hard-boiled eggs, added tools and utensils we like such as Scotch Magic Tape, scissors to cut it, Q-tips, Paper towels, the wax crayons that come with the Paas sets, and a few new things.

I brought some rubber bands to make stripes, and everyone tried that. Ann thought the colors weren't bright enough, and brought out bottles of food coloring, which everyone but me found useful. I planned to take more process pictures, but as usual, once I got started coloring it was too absorbing, and I forgot about that! Plus, I take the longest, and everyone is always remarking on that, so I do feel a certain amount of pressure to keep working.

This is the way the table looked about four hours later, when coloring was nearly finished, Ellen and Ann are doing final touches.

And here are all the finished eggs.

Ann's husband Dave, and Dave's son Josh did the judging this year, picking out 15 favorites to match categories we all suggested.

Here are all the winners. Everyone who colored eggs (Ann, Cristina, Ellen, Zach and I) had some chosen, Ann the most with six. Three were mine.

Here are a few of the winners closer, you can see that the categories range from the obvious to wacky, just like the eggs.

This one made good use of the red food coloring, and we thought it looked like a starscape, too.

This one by Ann was my personal favorite, again using the red and green food coloring on top of traditional colors. I love the contrasting colors.

This one has great textures, we're not quite sure how they were achieved, sometimes things just happen fortuitously.

Most Colorful looks even brighter in real life, and Funniest was by far the darkest, and earned that award because some thought it looked rather like a giant rabbit poop. Ann polished it with olive oil, which only enhanced the idea…

One more look at some of the other eggs not chosen, as well as some that did. Tomorrow we'll eat some of these as part of Easter feasting, and they'll all be gone in a week or so, either eaten plain with a bit of salt, with some vinegar (the German tradition) or chopped and mixed with mayonnaise to make egg salad. Ellen and I will bring some to my brother's house when we visit there tomorrow, too. You can see pictures of eggs from last year and 2009 at those links. It's a good and creative tradition.

And Then I Read: AGE OF BRONZE 31

Images © Eric Shanower.

I've been wondering how Eric was going to handle the appearance in the battle of Troy of mythological creatures and/or gods. It's been a long haul reading this epic version of the epic story, but I don't recall seeing any of those creatures or entities so far, at least not interacting with the main players, all very human. Issue 31's cover features a new character who seems to represent a Centaur in the story, though he's actually a warrior riding  on horseback, something practically unknown to the time and place. I'm guessing that Eric means to keep all the characters fully invested in reality, then: no actual Centaurs. Nothing wrong with that, it helps make the story more believable in one sense. Perhaps a little less fun, but then war shouldn't be fun anyway.

Troilus and Cressida are still front and center in much of this issue, and their story is well-handled, if a bit overwrought at times. The war scenes are painfully real, though it's sometimes hard to know who is who, but when it matters most Eric makes it clear. Other subplots work around the edges well.

Eric's art is as terrific as ever, remarkably consistent and with great figure work and composition. No particularly memorable stand-out moments for me this time, but it's all quite fine. Eric mentions that the next collection of this book will be out soon, and the collections would be a very good way to enjoy this series.

Recommended.

And Then I Read: HELLBOY, DARKNESS CALLS

Images © Mike Mignola.

I screwed up. I read Volume 9, "The Wild Hunt" before this one, which is Volume 8. And many story elements continue from 8 to 9. But honestly, I don't think it harmed the reading experience of this one. In a few places I knew where the story was going, but in many others I did not, and enjoyed the surprises herein. Hellboy's megastory is coming to a head in these volumes, with many of his past enemies coming together to torment him in one way or another. Here we have Baba Yaga, out for revenge (Hellboy took her eye), Koshchei the Deathless, Baba Yaga's servant and invincible warrior. Then there's Hecate, lots of witches, a witch hunter, a ghost girl, and more. Sheesh! Can Hellboy continue to soldier on and even crack wise in the face of such odds? You bet he can.

This is the first book with art by Duncan Fegredo, who slips into the role of Mignola artist almost seamlessly, yet without slavishly imitating him. It's a great fit for both, I think. The one thing that bothered me a little is on this page: Hellboy's weird metal hand looks too robotic. When Mignola draws it it seems more like part of Hellboy's own body. That's a very minor point though, overall, the art is great. And the coloring by Dave Stewart and lettering by Clem Robins are also terrific.

There's nothing to keep this storyline from being the best Hellboy epic ever…except perhaps the next one! Great stuff, highly recommended.

And Then I Read: MATTIMEO

© Brian Jacques, illustration by Troy Howell.

The third book in the Redwall series continues  the story of the first published book, "Redwall," but some years later, with Matthias, the warrior mouse hero, now getting older (though still a strong fighter), and many of the characters from the first book now parents. Mattimeo is the son of Matthias and Cornflower, and something of a spoiled favorite in Redwall abbey, always getting into mischief with his friends, and causing trouble for his parents. There has been peace in the Abbey since the battles of "Redwall," and the group of animals from many species who live and work there together have been lulled into complacency. A grand feast day brings a troup of traveling acrobats to the Abbey, led by a masked fox. The Abbey folk welcome them, little knowing that Slager the fox has an evil plan in place to steal away some of the children of the Abbey to be his slaves. Slager's plot succeeds all too well; Mattimeo and his friends wake up chained and are soon on a long forced march south where Slager has further plans for them.

Of course Matthias and his comrades go in pursuit of the slavers, but the fox always seems to outsmart them, and they can't catch up to rescue their stolen children. The journey takes slavers and rescuers alike through perilous lands and into unexpected dangers and battles. Meanwhile, at the Abbey, a new threat arrives: a raven from the north, General Warbeak, and his band of crows, rooks and magpies, swoops in on the poorly-defended Abbey, occupies the roof and attics, and begins a campaign to conquer the building and occupants from the top down. The Abbey animals are soon barricaded in the basement, trying to fend off this new threat. Constance the Badger is their only fearsome fighter, and if they're going to survive, they'll need a clever plan. Help may come in the form of riddles and mysteries from the past, if they can figure them out in time.

A good read from start to finish, with lots of action, entertaining characters, and a well-developed plot. Like the first two Redwall books I've tried, there are some things it's best not to think about too hard. The animals in the story are anthropomorphized, often acting more like people than animals, but still with aspects of their animal nature. It's a delicate balancing act, and Jacques wobbles unsteadily at times. For instance, the size difference between a mouse and fox makes it hard to believe even the fiercest mouse could threaten a fox (or his band of weasels and stoats) in battle. And there are story elements that aren't explained well, such as all the things the Abbey folk eat that are made with cream and butter, but no mention of any cows. Some other kind of milk, perhaps, but it's not made clear.

If you can overlook that sort of thing and just go with the story, and think of the animals as largely human, it works well enough. And Brian Jacques is certainly a good storyteller, expanding his world considerably here, both in space and time, in ways that are fun to read. Recommended.