death of a gossip

death of a gossip
hamish macbeth #1
m.c. beaton
mystery
warner bros.
published 1985

Scottish highland village cop Hamish Macbeth must find which target was provoked enough to strangle and drown nasty fat widowed tabloid reported Jane Winters, who revealed many others' guilty secrets.  Much is from the viewpoint of a naive secretary seduced by a blue-blood playboy.  Icy blond aristocratic Priscilla Halburton-Smythe, lends a hand.

This book was incredibly short!  And what is it about book written in the 80's that make it feel like they were written in the Stone Age?

Nonetheless, it was a quick read (I want to say it was around 150-180 pages long) so right when you get into all the characters someone dies and that gets wrapped up pretty quickly.  Most of the characters are horrible, save for a couple.  The most annoying, unfortunately was the naive secretary whose input to the story was completely unnecessary.  Was she supposed to provide the romance aspect of the story?  Or the idiot part?  She definitely covered that.

But it was quick enough and well written enough that I can see myself reading a few more.  I got one of the books for free from Amazon or Book Bub or something, but of course it wasn't the first book so I had to search the library for this one!  We'll see if I make it to my free book.

batgirl: wanted

batgirl: wanted 
collects issues #19-25 +Ventriloquist #1
gail simone & marguerite bennett, daniel sampere & fernando pasarin, jonathan glapion & marc deering
batgirl: deadline
collects issues #26-32
gail simone, fernando pasarin & jonathan glapion
graphics/superhero
dc comics
published 2013-2014

Batgirl struggles to continue fighting crime after being emotionally drained by the death of her brother, James, Jr.  With her relationships with Batman and her father strained, Batgirl faces one of Batman's most ruthless villains, The Ventriloquist, alone.

I am basically reviewing issues 19-34, plus Batgirl Annual #2 and Batgirl; Future's End #1.  Since I subscribe I read by issue, I don't want until the trade comes out, although that seemed to work out here for Volume 4!

I was really starting to get into this storyline.  All the stuff that was going on in Barbara's family life and dating life were moving along nicely.  I feel like Simone finally hit her stride.  While the Ventriloquist was creepy, like other villains she didn't get her chance in the spotlight and I think that's because of the crossovers that aren't listed here (so not really Simone's fault).  This is why the other day I mentioned the comic book black hole.  You find that the series you're reading crossing into another series so you think you'll just buy that issue in that other series, but then what if that series is really good will you feel like you're missing something if you just jump in?  Of course you will!  So you start buying comics left and right and it's a neverending black hole.

But the Knightfall storyline has been going on almost since the beginning, just before Death of the Family and it gets wrapped up rather nicely here before we switch over to the Veronica Mars edition of Batgirl.  (but more on that at another time)

I feel like there was still a lot more story to be told by Simone, but unfortunately, DC didn't see it that way.  At least we got an ending.

The #2 Annual was also great (I love Poison Ivy) but again, I knew I needed to pick up the New 52 Birds of Prey so that really set me back a bit.

Future's End was ..... interesting.

In the end I really did grow to love Simone's Batgirl and I wish she got to spend some more time delving into that character.  I'm continuing on with Fletcher and Stewart's Batgirl so we'll see how that goes.

batgirl: knightfall descends

batgirl: knightfall descends
gail simone & ed benes
collects issues #7-12
graphics/superhero
dc comics
published 2012

Batgirl Barbara Gordon faces foe after foe now that she's back in the role of Batgirl.  A deadly new gentleman killer, Grotesque, stalks the streets of Gotham City; The Court of Owls sets its sight on her father Commissioner Gordon; and an innocent woman sentenced to Arkham emerges more dangerous than the inmates she was locked up with!

One of the problems with trying to follow a comic book series is that you find yourself missing small details because they happened in another series.  Had you not read the Owl issues in the Batman series I think you would definitely feel like you were missing a bit of the puzzle.  But other things happen here or there and I'm constantly feeling like I need to be reading ALL THE DC.  Guess that means they're doing their jobs then, right?

Grotesque is another villain that got absolutely no page time other than a couple of panels where he waxes poetic on his desire to possess everything that would be considered 'the best'.  But why?  And who was he?  (To be honest, I'm a bit further ahead in the series, I'm just late reviewing these so I do know there could be a bit more on the horizon, but still as I'm reading it I feel like I don't really care what Grotesque is up to.)

It's like Batgirl is cycling through villains at record speed.  No one sticks around to play for any length of time and her story arcs are just little blips.  I've got to say, I don't think Gail Simone is really using Batgirl to the full of her potential here.  She skips around to every part of Barbara's life without ever really digging down deep and giving us anything below the surface.  Her relationship with her roommate....is there one?  Is she ever there at home with her roommate?  Her relationship with her father?  One of the biggest in her life and nothing.  I just feel like there are so many missed opportunities here for some really great storytelling.

batgirl: the darkest reflection

batgirl: the darkest reflection
gail simone, ardian syaf & vincente cifuentes
collects issues #1-6
graphics/superheroes
dc comics
published 2011

Barbara Gordon is finally back as Batgirl!  The nightmare-inducing brute known as Mirror is destroying the lives of Gotham City citizens seemingly at random.  Will Barbara be able to survive her explosive confrontation with this new villain, as well as facing dark secrets of her past?

I'm FINALLY getting around to reviewing these books.  I'm so behind on all this!

I'm taking into consideration that Barbara Gordon's return to the suit after everything that happened is a giant thing that must be addressed, but had I not already had a love for Barbara Gordon as Batgirl I might not have kept reading after this one.

There is very little character development on the villain side.  We're told a quick blurb about how they got from normal to nutso, but that's it!  The one issue of Gretel seemed out of place.  Barbara spends much of the issues mulling over her being out of shape and the psychological pitfalls to having been shot and left for dead.

Now, I'm not saying there's anything wrong with that because of course this is a big deal, I just wish that there was a little more time spent on the villains.

catalyst

catalyst
laurie halse anderson
ya/realistic fiction
speak
published 2002

Meet Kate Malone - straight A science and math geek, minister's daughter, ace long-distance runner, new girlfriend (to Mitchell "Early Decision Harvard" Pangborn III), unwilling family caretaker, and emotional avoidance champion.  Kate manages her life by organizing it as logically as the periodic table.  She can handle it all - or so she thinks.  Then, things change as suddenly as a string of chemical reactions.  Kate feels that her life is spinning out of her control - and then, something happens that truly blows it all apart.

I loved Speak and Wintergirls.  Laurie Halse Anderson's writing is very poetic and descriptive and I feel like her words are floating around in the air like clouds, lightweight yet heavy with meaning.  The one fangirl moment I had while reading Catalyst was when Melinda makes a quick appearance.  Speaking(!), happy and full of life for a brief moment.

I should have known there was something that would break me and unfortunately I got to that part at my break before I was going to sleep so I had to continue reading because I could not go to bed with that being the last thought in my head.

I wonder how impactful this book would be for a young adult and if it would be as meaningful to them as it was to me.  I found Kate to be kind of a pushover and even at the end she wasn't someone who stood up for herself as much as I needed her to.  There was very little resolution, but there was an ending.  Does that make sense?

I didn't find any characters well rounded or sympathetic.  Kate treated her brother like a kid yet I found him to be more mature than that.  Her father just seemed like a mess, her best friend was just there and her boyfriend was flat and uninteresting.

In the end, I thought the whole thing, like Pangborn, kind of fell flat.


Meet Kate Malone-straight-A science and math geek, minister's daughter, ace long-distance runner, new girlfriend (to Mitchell "Early Decision Harvard" Pangborn III), unwilling family caretaker, and emotional avoidance champion. Kate manages her life by organizing it as logically as the periodic table. She can handle it all-or so she thinks. Then, things change as suddenly as a string of chemical reactions; first, the Malones' neighbors get burned out of their own home and move in. Kate has to share her room with her nemesis, Teri Litch, and Teri's little brother. The days are ticking down and she's still waiting to hear from the only college she applied to: MIT. Kate feels that her life is spinning out of her control-and then, something happens that truly blows it all apart. Set in the same community as the remarkable Speak,Catalyst is a novel that will change the way you look at the world.

the enchanted

the enchanted
rene denfeld
fiction
harper
published 2014

"This is an enchanted place.  Others don't see it, but I do."  The enchanted place is an ancient stone prison viewed through the eyes of a death row inmate who finds escape in his books and in re-imagining life around him, weaving a fantastical story of the people he observes and the world he inhabits.  Fearful and reclusive, he senses what others cannot.  Though bars confine him every minute of every day, he marries visions of golden horses running beneath the prison, heat flowing like molten metal from their backs with the devastating violence of prison life.

The sad fact of the matter is, my book club passed up this book.  Thankfully, it was one of my choices and I already had it on my TBR list for this year.  So I started reading it and I found I had a really hard time putting it down.

The interesting thing is there isn't really a story here.  There is a telling.  Observations and bits of tales all put together.  Facts are blurry and we don't really know what these characters have done to find themselves in this enchanted place, but we don't need to know.

Denfeld has been compared to Alice Sebold and I can see that.  She writes magically about a place that by all rights should have no magic.  That one would never describe as "enchanted" as we tend to perceive enchanting.  She writes about darkness by bringing it into a lighter place.

There is much that is left unsaid, but for whatever reason I wasn't bothered by this.  I sighed when I closed the book after the last page.  I didn't need more, I just wanted peace for the silent man and a cabin in the woods for The Lady.

saga, vol. 3

saga, volume 3
brian k. vaughn & fiona staples
graphics/sci-fi/fantasy
image comics
published 2014

When two soldiers from opposite sides of a never-ending galactic war fall in love, they risk everything to bring a fragile new life into a dangerous old universe.  As new parents Marko and Alana travel to an alien world to visit their hero, the family's pursuers finally close in on their targets.

Although not nearly as sweepingly fantastic as the first two volumes this is still a really good, engaging read.  The end of each issue always had me reaching for the next and the issues are not long enough for my liking!  I could read 100 issues in one sitting and it wouldn't be enough Brian K. Vaughn or Fiona Staples for me.

flash: rogues revolution

flash: rogues revolution
francis manapul & brian buccellato
graphics/superhero
dc comics
published 2013

The Flash's Rogue's Gallery are back - but they are more powerful than ever and they're each looking to take down the Fastest Man Alive!  Who is behind their sudden organization and why are they also after their former leader, Captain Cold?  The Flash must think fast if he can outrun and survive their attack!

Awhile ago I started thinking I should try reading some Marvel comics because everything I read is DC, well most everything.  Anyway, a couple of friends told me that I wasn't going to find much of the dark, gritty stuff I read in DC, but I didn't think it would be a big deal.  I've yet to find something in the Marvel universe that keeps me interested the way Batman, Harley Quinn, Batgirl or Suicide Squad does, but I'm still trying.  The funny thing is, The Flash reads a lot like a Marvel comic to me.  It's tame, the villains are nearly laughable (oh, who am I kidding, they're totally laughable) and Barry is just a very good, decent guy.  His biggest struggle is whether or not he should tell his girlfriend (who hates The Flash).

So the story is silly, but the art is fantastic.  The art carries the story for certain and I'll keep picking up Manapul's Flash books as long as he's drawing them.

the flash: move forward

the flash: move forward

francis manapul & brian buccellato

graphics/superheroes

dc comics

published 2011

Struck by a bolt of lightning and doused in chemicals, Central City police scientist Barry Allen was transformed into the Fastest Man Alice.  But there are some things even the Flash can't outrun.  After years spent on the hunt for vengeance, one of the Flash's oldest friends has returned, with new enemies hot on his tail - an unstoppable mob that seems to grow more quickly than the Flash can stop them.

In the supermax prison called Iron Heights, the Flash's most dangerous enemy plans his escape, dreams of revenge, and prepares to put the Flash on ice for good - driven by a personal grudge the Flash can't see coming.  And deep within the Flash himself, incredible new powers are ready to be unleashed - unforeseen, unexplored abilities fueled by the same Speed Force that makes the Flash run, and which could be his greatest weapon....or his worst nightmare.

When I was talking about subscribing to a new comic I was thinking about Red Hood or Nightwing (which is actually over and restarting as Grayson) or even Damien Son of Batman.  Ray said I should get out of Gotham and try something else.  Since I'd already read some Green Arrow books (though nothing in the New 52) I thought maybe I'd try The Flash.  With his show coming to TV next season it seemed like a good fit.  Plus, the library had the first two volumes so that pretty much sealed the deal.

I thoroughly enjoy Francis Manapul's artwork.  It's pencily looking (can you tell I'm such an artist), not too slick, but the panels are clear and easy to interpret.  The story itself was pretty great as well although we go from some scientific cloning/regeneration talk to time-space rifts to talking gorillas.  It's quite a spectrum.

Basically Barry Allen is trying to balance what every masked hero is balancing.  How to do stuff and not be hated by your girlfriend.  It doesn't seem to matter that Barry is probably the nicest superhero, everyone still kind of blames him for stuff.  Poor guy.

It kept me entertained and I started reading the next volume before I stopped myself and said I should write this review!

monster, vol. 3-18

monster, vol. 3-18
naoki urasawa
graphics/manga/suspense
viz media
published 1996-2001

Johan is a cold and calculating killer with a mysterious past, and brilliant Dr. Kenzo Tenma is the only one who can stop him!  Conspiracy and serial murder open the door to a compelling, intricately woven plot in this masterpiece manga thriller.

After sitting on my shelf and renewing them twice from the library I finally started reading these (after stopping at volume two and not reading much of anything) again.  I ended up tearing through them in a couple of days because I needed to know what happened!

The story flows so nicely.  You're caught in this twilight time.  It's not a tv show, it's not a novel, it's both.  The suspense is definitely edge-of-your-seat and with each cliffhanger ending you automatically start reaching for the next volume.

By the end, most questions are answered, though to me, seemingly the most important question wasn't.  Arrgh!  But I guess that's perfect that way.  It is truly a fantastic series.  Characters are rich and life like.  I can to care about characters I didn't think I would have in the beginning and by the time I got to the last volume I wanted to cheer or exclaim out loud.

Now that I'm done with this, I suppose, as I've been told, I should start on Pluto!  Library, here I come!

batwoman: world's finest

batwoman: world's finest
j. h. williams & w. haden blackma
graphics/superheroes
dc comics
published 2013

Batwoman's search for Medusa brings her together with the Amazing Amazon, Wonder Woman, but even the teaming of the World's Finest might not be enough to bring down the mythological monster -- leading Bones, the DEO, Abbot and the Religion of Crime all descend on Gotham City to take part in the fight.

*yawn*

Basically, that's what I felt about this volume.  I was hoping I'd really like this series, especially since Suicide Squad was ending and I could subscribe to another comic.  But it won't be Batwoman.

It wasn't bad, it just wasn't great.  It took so long to get some sort of closure in this story arc I really wanted to see it through, but halfway through I just wanted it to be over.  So much inner dialogue.

I'm just not into Batwoman.

batwoman: to drown the world

batwoman: to drown the world
j. h. williams & w. haden blackman
graphics/superhero
dc comics
published 2012

MEDUSA.  Taking its name from the horrifying creature of myth, this global conspiracy of crime has taken its war against goodness to Gotham City.  There, its sinister agents prey upon Gotham's children, using the guises of urban legends.  Ghosts in the mirror searching for bloody retribution.  Monsters in the sewer hungering for innocent lives.  Crazed specters spreading their pain in a tide of blood.  Brutal killers wielding death with a hook-bladed hand.

At MEDUSA's dark heart stands the Mother of Monsters.  Her goal is to drown the world in darkness.

It's bugging me that 1) this story is taking so long to wrap up and 2) the disjointed flip-flopping of the story.  Switching from character to character isn't a big deal, but the time lines going back and forth really irked me.  I like a good, even flow to my books.

There's a whole lot of supernatural in Batwoman's world.  More so than Batman and yet they are from the same Gotham.

I don't think I'll keep reading Batwoman, but I do want to see how this story ends.

monster, vol. 2

monster, vol. 2
naoki urasawa
graphics/manga/suspense
viz media
published 1995

An ice-cold killer is on the loose, and brilliant Dr. Kenzo Tenma is the only one who can stop him!  Conspiracies, serial murders, and a scathing indictment of hospital politics are all masterfully woven together in this compelling manga thriller.

Tenma springs into action when he discovers that Johan, the boy whose life he saved nine years ago, has grown up and turned into a serial killer.  But when Tenma finds out that Johan has strong inside connections with government officials, he realizes that this monster is far more powerful than he could have ever imagined.

Dr. Tenma is searching desperately for clues to Johan & his twin sister's whereabouts, sure that more murders will happen soon if he can't find them.  He teams up with a reluctant reporter and together the try to connect the dots that will ultimately lead them to terror.  The story builds within every page, tension is rife throughout the entire book.  How is that possible?!

The manga reads like a novel, rich and satisfying, but seriously terrifying as well.  I think it's time to rip into this series!

batman: the wrath

batman: the wrath
mike barr & tony bedard
graphics/superheroes
dc comics
published 1984

The Dark Knight is a man propelled by purpose, driven by a mission of justice.  He has honed his mind and body as the perfect weapon against evil.  But what if there was a man with all the same skills working against him?  The Wrath's contempt for law enforcement rivals Batman's hatred of criminals.  However, unlike the Caped Crusader, he hunts his prey with deadly force.  Setting his sights on Commissioner Gordon, the Wrath will stop at nothing to kill every cop in his way.  It's up to Batman to stop his mirror image before he can accomplish his goal.  On this case, Batman is literally his own worst enemy!

I love the old Batman comics.  Don't get me wrong, I really love the New 52 Scott Snyder Batman, but there is something so charming and sweet about the early Batman stuff.  I don't know what it is, maybe he was more human?  Had more emotion?  More empathy?  He showed surprise and regret.  Something.

There's a 24 year gap between The Wrath and The Wrath Child, the two stories that encompass this book.  Which is good because at the end of The Wrath you don't have any idea why he was after Jim or killing cops or who he was.  The Wrath Child wraps everything up for us and brings some closure to the story arc while also giving Robin/Nightwing a part in the story that he didn't have before.

A quick, but satisfying read.

batman: the joker's last laugh

batman: the joker's last laugh
chuck dixon
graphics/superheros
dc comics
published 2001

They say that dying is easy, while comedy is hard.  But what happens when you combine the two?  For the Clown Prince of Crime, a diagnosis of terminal cancer means that it's time for his final performance - and it's going to be a real showstopper.  Because if the Joker is going down, he's going to take everyone with him - and all the heroes of the DC Universe may not be enough to stop the laughter.

I think the only reason why this is titled as Batman is because Joker is Batman's villain, but the Bats is not the focus here.  If anything, I would say Oracle and Nightwing are carrying this story.  But what was annoying about the story was it was incomplete!  There are places where it has an * with the note that if you want to 'read more about this battle' read Nightwing issue whatever.  What?!  Super boo!

But there's so much going on and everything just kind of scrapes the surface.  The whole prison break is so full of sci-speak that I found myself literally nodding off.  The villains are easily dispatched when members of the JLA and the rest of the Bat-family step in.  The art is good, but again a little too cartoony for me.  If you want to read a good Joker story I suggest The Killing Joke, but the part with Harley Quinn did crack me up!

batman: the black mirror

batman: the black mirror
scott snyder
graphics/superheroes
dc comics
published 2011

A series of brutal murders pushes Batman's detective skills to the limit and forces him to confront one of Gotham City's oldest evils.  Helpless and trapped in the deadly Mirror House, Batman must fight for his life against one of Gotham City's oldest and most powerful evils!

Then, the corpse of a killer whale shows up on the floor of one of Gotham City's foremost banks.  The event begins a strange and deadly mystery that will bring Batman face-to-face with the new, terrifying faces of organized crime in Gotham.

Now, I don't know if I just needed to get used to it or if it was Scott Snyder's writing, but Dick's Batman has grown on me.  But Scott Snyder definitely writes brilliantly.  In my opinion this is a must read for fans of Batman.  The Skeleton Key story was by far my favorite.  Creepy, personal and something that has always been lurking in the shadows, Snyder brought it all to light and it was amazeballs.

I really just can't say enough how much I love Snyder's work.  I can't.  He wrote a confident, but not arrogant Dick who is both flawed and perfect as Bruce Wayne's Batman ever was.

Read it.  You won't be sorry.

batman: life after death

batman: life after death
tony s. daniel
graphics/superheroes
dc comics
published 2009

With Batman pounding the pavement in search of a new crime figure calling himself Black Mask and the completion of the new Arkham Asylum looking close, Gotham City has reached a boiling point!  But when pandemonium breaks out at the inaugural ceremony of the new Arkham Asylum, the combined forces of Oracle, Huntress and Catwoman aren't enough help for Batman and The Caped Crusader takes on an unlikely ally - The Penguin!

I'm just going to say it.  I don't like Dick Grayson as Batman.  I want him to be Nightwing and I want Bruce Wayne to be Batman!  *end whiny kid rant*

I'm not entirely sure then if I didn't care for Life After Death because Grayson was Batman or because I just didn't like it.  Thinking about it now I realize how this volume is basically other people playing parts they never should have played.  Batman & Black Mask, both impostors!

There was a bunch of stuff going on and things were confusing at points and then it would drag for a bit to the point where I was almost bored.  Too bad.

batman r.i.p.

batman r.i.p.
grant morrison
graphics/superheroes
dc comics
published 2008

In mind, body and spirit, Batman has trained himself to the peak of human ability.  But even the World's Greatest Detective has his limits - and now he has an enemy who knows exactly where they are.

I have got to admit, reading this was .... strange.  I liked the artwork and the Joker is magnificent.  I love the creepy, skinny, truly insane Joker best, but Zur-En-Arrh Batman?  And the chubby little Batman cherub?  It lost all kinds of credibility for me there.

Not to say that it wasn't good or that Batman should never be wacky because I think every once in awhile it should be a tension breaker, but this didn't feel like someone having fun, it felt like someone was trying to take it seriously.

That said it was a good read for the most part except I could have done without the last two stories which, for me, just ended up being confusing.

batman: under the red hood

batman: under the red hood
judd winick
graphics/superheroes
dc comics
published 2003

Batman is confronted with a hidden face from the past - it's the return of the vigilante Red Hood who appears to be Batman's one-time partner Jason Todd, the same Jason Todd that died many years ago.  But the Red Hood's violent ways pit him against the Dark Knight in his hunt for the very person responsible for his death: The Joker.

One of the most iconic Batman images for me, and for many others I would expect, is the four volume paperback cover with Batman on the floor cradling a broken and bloodied - and dead - Robin.  So when Red Hood showed up it was a little confusing.  Sure, there have been resurrections in the DC universe, but I had missed this one entirely.

Under the Red Hood is fantastic.  Jason Todd is back (again as we 'saw' him in Hush) and he is determined to clean up the streets of Gotham in a way that Batman was never capable of doing.  He sees Batman's morality as a weakness and while he's working way at Black Mask's hold on Gotham he's actually setting the stage for his ultimate showdown with the man who he thought of as a father.

Gripping, tightly wound and emotional.

batman: false faces

batman: false faces
brian k. vaughn
graphics/superhero
dc comics
published 2000

The Dark Knight has always managed to balance his double life as Batman and billionaire Bruce Wayne.  But what happens when leading a double life becomes too much for him to handle?  Up against his old enemies the Ventriloquist and the Mad Hatter, the guardian of Gotham City must keep it together in the face of their criminal endeavors...although his greatest adversary may be his own secret lives.

And when classic Batman villain Clayface decides to play a deadly new role, it's Wonder Woman who finds herself fighting to survive an identity crisis of her own.

Three short and unrelated stories all centered around identity.  Batman's, Bruce Wayne's, the villains and those around them.  I expected a little more being Brian K. Vaughn, but it is his earlier stuff.  I did feel like it was written for a younger set, especially the artwork, it had a more cartoony look to it.  I guess I'm just used to the darker Batman books.