Todd Klein's Blog, page 352

And Then I Read: AMERICAN VAMPIRE 9

Images © Scott Snyder & DC Comics, Inc.

This issue wraps up the 1920s (1930s?) Las Vegas storyline with an interesting look into the childhood and family of sheriff Cashel, then it becomes a showdown/battle between the various vampire groups and vampire hunters that have been battling for control of the city and the storyline. As you can imagine, things don't go well for most of them.

While I like the writing in this book, particularly when it goes deep into the characters as the beginning of this one does, but I'm getting less and less from the art. I find the characters confusingly similar, the inking technique unattractive, and the exaggerated vampire images don't do much for me either. Not sure whether I'll keep reading it. Mildly recommended.

San Diego hotel booking now on!

Just filled out the form, which came right up for me at 12 Noon Eastern (9 AM Pacific). No spinning beachballs, no waiting, everything moved as fast as I could type it in. Impressed so far, now we'll see what I actually get…

UPDATE: received a confirmation email, so I know my request went in. My hotel reservations request number is 10603. I wonder if that means there were 10,000 in ahead of me? Oddly, the time sent on the email is listed as 7:39 PM Eastern, while I'm writing this at 2:54 PM Eastern. Oh, and they asked for 20 hotels in order of preference, but show only 12 here. Nothing else I can glean from this, but so far so good.

And Then I Read: KNIGHT AND SQUIRE 2

Images © DC Comics, Inc.

This book is so delightfully British I could kiss it. Paul Cornell seems to be channeling the best of British TV and comics writers, tossing out memorable lines and scenes on every page, ably abetted by artist Jimmy Broxton, whose work has a warm, organic approach and beautifully realized characters who inhabit this book, not just appear in it.

Like much of British comedy, the characters play it straight, while the audience/readers have a chuckle. For instance, this "to the Batcave" scene for Squire, taking her into Knight's lair below an ancient castle. Oh, and the magazine she's bringing him? "Total Castle," with an entire cover design and funny headlines like "Groats in your Moat? We have the answers." Nice work by letterer Steve Wands on that and all the other magazines and packaging in the village shop.

Everything about this book is a delight, even if you're not a staunch Anglophile like me. If "Dr. Who" appeals to you, or the 60s TV show "The Avengers," you'll feel right at home in this one.

VERY Highly recommended!

And Then I Read: EMERALD WARRIORS 4

Images © DC Comics, Inc.

The heroes of this book are meant to be on a quest of sorts to unknown regions, but they're taking time getting to it.  Much of this issue focuses on the planet Daxam, former home of GL  Sodam Yat. The group led by Guy Gardner is looking for him, at the request of his girlfriend Arisia, but find only trouble with the locals; Sodam has already led a team of rebels off and away somewhere. It's an interesting somewhere. Guy's group finally gets to the unknown regions and begins investigating the power drain to their rings emanating from there. A slave labor mine seems a good place to start, but at the end of the issue an attack from an unlikely source ensues.

The art by Pasarin and Smith looks fine, everything about this title is well-produced and artful, if perhaps not remarkable or outstanding. I guess I feel about the same way regarding the writing. I enjoyed reading it, but it wasn't memorable. Mildly recommended this time.

My WSOP attempt for this year

This week at Caesar's Palace casino in Atlantic City there's a WSOP circuit event, and today I played in a satellite tournament to the big game that will be played there this weekend. Buy-in was $200, and there were eventually 30 people in this small tourney. I did pretty well at the start and in the middle, knocking out two other players, and just getting to the final table, but went out there in ninth place, and out of the win. Top three players earned a $1600 ticket to the weekend tourney, fourth place got about $140. Ah well, maybe next year…

And Then I Read: BATMAN ODYSSEY 5

Images © DC Comics, Inc.

The title of this series includes the word Odyssey. If writer/artist Neal Adams intends a comparison to Homer's "Odyssey," how would that work? A long voyage across the landscape and characters of Batman's world, perhaps? Okay, probably doesn't fly, but Neal's attempting to get lots of characters and lots of plot into these pages, and it's becoming overcomplicated and somewhat confusing to this reader at least. We have Aquaman, Man-Bat, another Man-Bat, Talia Al-Ghul,  The Joker, a bunch of other Jokers, Deadman, Commissioner Gordon and some odd policemen in this issue, while the setting moves from the wharf in Gotham Harbor to Arkham Asylum, conveniently just up the coast. (Don't think AA has ever been next to the water before, but I could be wrong about that.) Neal's writing continues to veer wildly from odd to funny to clumsy to clever. It's kind of a roller-coaster ride, and if you're willing to go with it and not get stuck on the tracks somewhere, it's kind of fun.

This issue I'm actually enjoying the little details he's throwing into the art more than anything. There's a great scene where Batman changes his thoroughly ripped and battered costume for a new one, and Neal has thought of some nifty things about that costume. Then there's an art exhibit built around some of the sources for The Joker's mad grin that's great, too. In general, Neal's art looks terrific, though his characters still tend to overact on a pretty regular basis. But they look good doing it.

Generally recommended, more for the art than the writing this time.

And Then I Read: GREEN LANTERN CORPS 54

Images © DC Comics, Inc.

The storyline in this book is relatively easy to follow, and still interesting. The Weaponer of Qward has it in for Sinestro, so he kidnaps Sinestro's daughter, the Green Lantern Soranik Natu, expecting that will draw Sinestro to him. He sends Soranik's boyfriend, GL Kyle Rayner to tell Sinestro about this. They fight first, of course. Then Sinestro says he has no interest in Soranik, so tells Rayner to deal with it himself. The Weaponer has already proven quite equal to Kyle in power and abilities, if not superior, so there's the problem.

The art by Tyler Kirkham and Batt is good, and has a little more life and vitality to it than what I'm now thinking of as the DC house style, seen on BRIGHTEST DAY and other titles I look at. I like it. I like this book generally, and think Tony Bedard is doing a good job with the writing. And the Brightest Day storyline doesn't really have much impact here, which is fine with me. Recommended.

Rereading: BEDKNOB AND BROOMSTICK

© Estate of Mary Norton, illustration © Erik Blegvad.

I hadn't read this in a very long time, and it was a nostalgic and fun reread. Mary Norton's best-known work is probably the series about The Borrowers, a very tiny family living in an old manor house in England, under the floor, but this one's name is also well known because of a Disney musical made from it. More on that later.

Three children are sent off to stay for the summer in a small, rural English town when their mother has to be away from home at a new job. Things get interesting right away when they find a neighbor lady in the garden of the house they're staying at early one morning. She's twisted her ankle, and can't walk, but she doesn't want a doctor, she wants the children to help her get home. As Carey and Charles help her, young Paul picks up the broom lying nearby.

"We don't want that," Carey told him sharply. "Put it up against the tree."

"But it's Miss Price's. It isn't ours. It's hers. It's what she fell off. It's what she rides on."

Turns out, Miss Price is trying to learn to be a witch, and Paul has seen her novice broom-riding from his bedroom window. The children agree to keep her secret, in exchange for some magic they can use themselves. Paul happens to have a brass bedknob from his bed in his pocket, and Miss Price puts a spell on it, so that when Paul turns the knob at home, the bed will take them wherever they want to go. This seems a wonderful idea, but as usual with magic in books, things don't go so well.

Paul's first wish is to visit their own home, back in the city, and the appearance of a bed and four children on the doorstep late at night causes them to be taken in by the police. They just manage to squeak out of that one. For the next trip, Miss Price insists on coming along, and they choose a distant tropical isle where they can sunbathe and enjoy the water and weather. Do things go smoothly? Of course not!

In the second half of this two-part novel (originally two separate books, apparently), the children return to stay with Miss Price, but are greatly disappointed to find out that she has given up magic. Before long they have tempted her to try one more expedition with the magic bedknob, the bed for which is now in her house. This time they decide to investigate the past…and, as you can imagine complications ensue.

This is a fun story with fine writing, fairly lightweight, but with inventive ideas and great characters. Now, when Disney had made the film "Mary Poppins" out of another English series, they must have thought this would make a good follow-up, but "Bedknob and Broomstick" is a much quieter story than the Mary Poppins books by P.L. Travers, and the main character, Miss Price, is meant to be rather timid, and not a very good witch, something that makes the story more fun. The film actually takes very little from the book, and none of it's quiet magical spirit, and tries to make it another "Mary Poppins," using perhaps 10 percent of the book at most, and going to something much louder and sillier for the rest. Too bad, this is a book that is well worth reading if you like magical adventures and I highly recommend it.

Lens on Leo

We love our three cats equally, but lately it's Leo who's been doing things I find entertaining enough to take pictures of. Here he is during our last snowfall, a few weeks ago, trying to observe the birds and squirrels out back from the porch, and keeping to the handy shadow made by snow against the screen door.

When lit up by the flash, he seemed to be thinking, "Why'd you give me away?" Of course he can't get out of the porch, but likes to think he can.

Leo's new thing at evening play time, when I dangle things from strings, like this feather toy, is to go into a shoebox Ellen put down for them, and he wants to play from there. It's pretty funny to see him getting into this box: he goes in head first and somehow turns around inside, and it's a very tight fit!

Caught it! But not for long.

Now I've tempted him out of the box, hoping he'll run around some and use up his bountiful energy! Other recent games are a return to ping-pong-ball soccer, and crawling under pillows and blankets. The latter can be disconcerting when you don't know he's there!

Incoming: COMIC-CON ANNUAL 2011

© 2011 San Diego Comic Convention.

This arrived in the mail today; rather than the previous comic-size reports, it's magazine-size and square bound, all color on good quality offset paper. A very nice upgrade, and the material inside is nice too. In addition to the usual promotional information about Wonder-Con and SDCC there are many pages of 2010 con photos, articles on Ray Bradbury, Fantastic Four #1, the birth of comics fandom, comics in 1986, and more, most of which I started to glance through and ended up reading, they were that well done. It's free, and if you don't get the print version, you can download the online one HERE. Good going, Comic-Con! Now if only getting a hotel room this year could be as much fun…