Todd Klein's Blog, page 366

And Then I Read: IRREDEEMABLE Vol. 3

Images © Boom Entertainment Inc.

Once superheroes were idealized versions of humanity, using their powers for good. WATCHMEN put a new twist on that by taking its heroes off their pedestals and examining them as more realistic humans with faults and flaws. Comics have never quite been the same, but most superhero comics tend to try to combine the idealism with the humanity. IRREDEEMABLE follows the trail of WATCHMEN more closely, attempting to look beneath the superhero façade, peeling away the myth and majesty, unveiling people with feet of clay who happen to have great powers. The Plutonian, the lead character, went bad, creating an atmosphere of paranoia and real fear. Where once he used his powers for good, now he's willing and able to use them for great evil. This turns his entire world upside-down: all heroes are now suspect. The government, reeling from the damage already caused by The Plutonian, unleashes his greatest enemy, another powerful evil and demonic creature, and moves toward the "better safe than sorry" position of capturing and imprisoning those few heroes willing to stand up against the  Plutonian. Meanwhile, writer Mark Waid takes us into the troubled history of the character, his painful childhood, his secret infidelity, and the equally paranoid and devious behavior of his former friends. It's a dark place, and Mark does not shy away from hard truths about all these characters. One can only wonder where things will go next.

The art by Peter Krause is excellent, capturing just the right mix of super-heroics and realism. It reminds me of Brent Anderson at times, nothing wrong with that. The lettering is fine, the coloring is generally good, with perhaps too much knocking out of blacks on the characters in some places, as if they are fading away for no good reason. That's the only very minor flaw I see in this fine work. I can only say that if you read it, be prepared for some grim stuff. Recommended.

Down and Up at The Borgata

I haven't had time to play poker in Atlantic City in months, but finally did today. I decided to play at The Borgata, after checking their website, since they had a $50 tournament this morning. Last time I played a tournament there on Sunday morning it was $120. It's a new format with two rebuys allowed in the first six levels. I did well in the first hour, doubling my stack, coasted through the second hour, and gradually crashed and got knocked out in the third hour, about halfway through. Too late to rebuy, and I had about an hour left before I needed to leave for home, so I played in a 1-2 No LImit cash game for that hour. I sat down at a new table, so all the chip stacks were about even. I had $200 in chips in front of me. About three hands in I was dealt Jack King, not suited, and called the $20 raise by another player. The flop showed two Jacks, giving me three, or trip Jacks, a pretty nice hand. One player bet $25, another went all in for about $50. I went along for this and another round of large bets until all the community cards were out. At that point there were three spades on the board, making a spade flush possible, but otherwise I thought my hand should be good. I called another bet of $25 from my dwindling stack of chips. The all-in player turned over a pair of aces, a losing hand. I asked the other better, "Do you have the flush?" He turned over Jack Nine instead, and I showed the winner, collecting about four hundred dollars (including most of my own $200 in chips)! Not a bad way to start, and if I were smart I would have left the table then, but as usual I stayed to play out my time and lost some the winnings back. I came home $107 ahead for the day, though, which is fine, lots better than losing!

No Joy in Mudville…

…the Phillies have Struck Out. Ah well, wait till next year. I'm actually kind of glad I won't have to stay up late to watch them struggle again tonight, this recent series with the SF Giants has been long, late and tortuous.

Hawkwatching Time

Fall is the time for southward migration, with the best time to see migrating birds in our area being right after a cold front passes, when winds are from the northwest. And the best place to see migrating hawks and other raptors is at the Cape May Point State Park, on the Hawkwatch Platform next to the parking lot, where the official NJ Audubon counters are joined by helpful interns and dozens, sometimes hundreds of folks just there to watch. Friday was an excellent day for it, though sadly I only had about half an hour to spend there after working in the morning and before going to the Cape May Bird Observatory for my afternoon volunteer time at the desk. It was still great, though!

I saw probably fifty hawks in that short time, mostly Sharp-shinned, but also a few Merlins, as above in this fine photo by Terry Sohl, and I did see one eating a small bird on the wing, like this one. "Packing lunch," as one birder put it. I missed the immature Golden Eagle by about an hour or so, but didn't feel too bad, having seen one in Wyoming a month ago.

Here's the Hawk Count tally board for the previous day and totals for the season. You can find count lists on the CMBO website HERE, if you're interested. Next weekend I'll be helping lead field trips for the Fall Weekend event run by NJ Audubon. Hope the weather's this good then!

And Then I Read: BRIGHTEST DAY 7-8

Images © DC Comics, Inc.

I like it when a superhero comic takes a moment to do something real life, and that's how this issue begins, with Hawk, Dove and Deadman in a burger place having a meal. In fact, doing so at the request of Deadman's white ring. After that, Deadman is transformed into a white version of himself (I mean, ALL white) and the White Lantern begins to explain what it's all about. Of course, before it gets very far, we switch to…segments of the other stories that have been developing, featuring  J'onn J'onzz, Firestorm, the Hawks, Aquaman and Mera. Finally at the end, many of the characters resurrected at the beginning of Brightest Day are shown becoming White Lantern versions of themselves, and being given missions by the White Lantern entity. Does this add up to something? On the one hand it suggests all before has been just a prelude, on the other hand it does tie all the disparate stories together.

Ah, but in issue 8 we see that the characters are NOT all White Lanterns, so that was either a vision of the future or some other illusion. Here we have J'onn J'onzz still investigating the mysterious other Green Martian, and Hawkman struggling to save Hawkwoman (with an interesting reveal for their opponent). Is this playing fair? Without rereading the entire text, I'm not sure. The story is beginning to slip away from me, and I'm tempted to simply wait until the the next issue and see if it comes back together. I like some of what's going on here and it's therefore mildly recommended.

And Then I Read: THE FLASH 4

Image © DC Comics, Inc.

This issue is full of action, and as you might expect with Flash, it's frantic. It begins with a great bit of heroics as Flash saves the crew of a helicopter in a way that only he could, and escalates as he does battle with the policemen Rogues from the future, who are trying to arrest him. The present-day Rogues, still thorough villains, are in the mix, too, and it gets complicated toward the end, but I'm continuing to find this version of the character, as written by Geoff Johns and drawn/painted by Francis Manapul, fun to read. If the story gets much more convoluted I may begin to lose interest in the villains, but so far Barry Allen and Iris are still very appealing, and the issue is recommended.

And Then I Read: BRIGHTEST DAY 6

Image © DC Comics, Inc.

Things are moving faster in some of the storylines in this issue. A truly creepy and vicious Martian opens the story with a double murder. It's the one J'onn J'onzz is tracking, but he's well behind, and facing his own personal dilemma: every plant he touches dies, and he doesn't know why. With help from other heroes, he follows clues to Australia where another shock awaits him. Hawk and Dove and Deadman try to resurrect Dove's sister, but it all goes wrong. Ronnie Raymond is still struggling, as Firestorm, with too many people in his head, and Aquaman and Mera try to get to the truth about their relationship, after Mera's confession that she was originally meant to kill him. The violence is escalating, but so far the stories are still intriguing. Recommended.

And Then I Read: GREEN LANTERN CORPS 50

Image © DC Comics, Inc.

The mastermind behind the Alpha Lantern revolt is revealed on this cover, an interesting choice. There's nothing particularly Supermanish about him, really, except the costume, though he reminds me of some of Superman's villains of old like Brainiac. He's built up quite a power base with this Alpha Lantern thing, and they're all programmed to follow his every command. The Corps members sent to investigate the situation are in dire straits, as he's even able to siphon off the power from their rings. It seems the former Guardian Ganthet is the real target here, but all the heroes are in big trouble. The only ray of hope is a cave full of robots, the original inhabitants of this planet, Grenda. I'm looking forward to what happens next. Recommended.

And Then I Read: GREEN LANTERN 56

Image © DC Comics, Inc.

Hector Hammond, the villain with the giant head and paralyzed body, came out of the early 1960s DC, a time when giant heads signified great mental powers rather than mental disability. I've never found him very interesting, so I was surprised to see writer Geoff Johns devoting much of this issue to him, and in one sense making him menacing again, or perhaps for the first time. Also featured is Larfleeze, the one and only Orange Lantern, a character I like much more. His thing is greed, in an over-the-top way that I find amusing. Hal Jordan is kind of between the two in a storyline that's well told, with just a bit of other Brightest Day characters as well. Enjoyed this much more than the last issue. Recommended.

New Lettering Blog

Image © Jim Campbell.

I never seem to have time to write much about lettering anymore, but someone else is stepping into the breach. British letterer Jim Campbell has recently begun a new blog with the focus on lettering how-to's, critiques, and helpful hints, among other things. You can find it HERE. And as soon as I get a chance I'll be adding it to my Blogroll on the left, which is due for some updating…a number of the folks on it can't seem to be bothered to post even once a month, so out they go, and new ones will be chosen. Hope I can get back to writing about logos and lettering sometime soon, but it's been non-stop hectic for me since at least June. Hence the reviews, which take less time.