Amy Reads The Best of 2008: A Retrospective

Gentle Reader, many wonderful, fantastical things came about in 2008 in the Pop Culture Arena, that it feels necessary to list them, as is customary, in a stack of 10. However, one cannot lump Comics with Television with Books ethically, no?

Instead, I offer a Brief Retrospective with the promise of a Best of... List for each category individually. This way, I feel as if I Have Done My Duty as a Pop Culture Fan.

So away to the first list of many!

The Best of... 2008: A Retrospective

1) Gail Simone's run on Wonder Woman
Did you doubt this, Gentle Reader? Despite my Initial Misgivings about Tom Tresser (which, I do confess, still continue somewhat, but only because at heart, I am a Bat-Wondy 'shipper), I have learned to Stop Worrying and Trust in All Things Simone.

2) Buffy and Fray meet, finally.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Season 8 has been Quite Extraordinary, and the introduction of a long-time favorite, Fray, to the mix was Quite Extraordinary Indeed.

3) Joss Whedon's concluding run on Astonishing X-Men
Ahem.
"Astonished, Ms. Pryde," still reduces me to tears, each time I read it.

4) The Dark Knight
This, like Spider-Man II, is what a Smart Superhero Movie should look like.

5) Iron Man: The Movie
This is what a Fun Superhero Movie should look like, without any doubt.

6) Dr. Horrible's Song-Along Blog
Only Joss Whedon would decide to write a web-musical while on writer's strike.
Well, okay, perhaps others would, too, but Whedon Does It Best.

7) The Wonder that is ABC's television show The Middleman
Gentle Reader, please, please, please tell me this Incredibly Smart Show will return for a Second Season. Not only is this a show I love, it is a show that Mr. Reads and I decided we want any future Daughters Reads to watch, for inspiration.

8) Jericho Season Two--and the power of fandom
Huzzah, indeed, Friends, for the "nuts!" campaign and the conclusion of fine television.

9) Both SNL and 30 Rock allow Tina Fey free rein
Someone has taken the leash off of Tina Fey, and the results are Beyond Amazing.

10) The Likeness by Tana French
And finally, a literary option for you: Tana French's sequel to In the Woods is perhaps the best book that I have read not only this year, but in the past few years, overall.

Over the next several days, I will offer Best of... lists on Comics, Movies, Television, and Books. Until then, Gentle Reader, ciao!

Amy Reads the New Year; Or, Resolutions of the Comic Book Variety

Greetings, Gentle Reader, from the auspicious year of Aught-Nine. I have Declared This Year to be a Year of Many Things, including This Humble Author's foray into the Making of Great Soup.

Yes, Friends, that is right: Aught-Nine will be The Year of the Soup.

Also, I wish Aught-Nine to be The Year of Reading Comics with Alarming Regularity Once Again, as I have difficulties relaxing--no surprise to you, O Constant of Readers!--and doing things just for me. Comics are so often Just For Me that I feel somewhat guilty enjoying them in lieu of the stacks upon stacks upon stacks of work to be done.

With that in mind, I have decided that I must resume my blogging, and most particularly, resume my weekly reviewing. The truth is, Friends, that I *miss* blogging, and the blogging community, and in particular, the comics blogging community, especially those of a feminist persuasion.

I recently returned from San Francisco, and had the Great Pleasure of visiting the Cartoon Art Museum, which was Quite Lovely, if I do say so myself, although due to time constraints our visit was limited to the Delight of Delights, the attached store. I purchased work by some local artists for The Reads Household--a standard purchase for We Reads whenever we enter a new city--and a lovely Wonder Woman pin to wear on my lapel, with pride (and wonder!).

Before that, We Reads spent a few days in the deeps of the Southwest, and I read all of Grant Morrison's run on Seven Soldiers, which is Quite Amazing, and caught up on Gail Simone's Wonder Woman and Secret Six, both of which are Quite Amazing Indeed. To the Local today, as well, to pick up any backlog, and to resume comics review blogging this weekend are Worthy Goals, methinks, for this first weekend of the New Year.

Happy New Year, Gentle Reader!

Returning in the New Year

Gentle Reader, I know I have been a Horrible Friend, a Wicked Correspondent, and a Terrible Comics Reader. But that will all change--This Humble Author Promises!--after the New Year. Until then, the best to you and your loved ones for this holiday season, for whichever holiday you choose to celebrate. (If you choose not to celebrate a holiday, all best for a delightful day off!)

Returning soon,
Amy (Reads)

Comics in (Very!) Brief

No, not an actual post, Gentle Reader, but a few comments.

1) Why o why did Mr. Reads not make me read Ultra sooner? Egad, it is Fantastic!

2) I adore, absolutely adore Avengers: The Initiative. It feels as if it is the natural Avengers bookend to Academy X. Young Avengers, my All-Time Favorite teen Avengers highlight, feels as something Completely Different. And why yes, I am collections behind, but I plan to catch up Rather Shortly!

3) No, I have not read Wonder Woman yet. No, I have not gotten to My Local to pick up my now Very Large Backlog of Comics. I think this makes me a Very Bad Wonder Woman Fan AND a Very Bad Gail Simone Fan Indeed. It is tragic, Friends, the amount of work under which I labour. Very little fun reading At All gets accomplished in the Reads Household. Tragic, tragic, tragic.

4) I find myself oddly giddy about the new Star Trek movie, more so about the Wonder Woman animated, and even more so yet about Watchmen. Oh yes, Watchmen.

Holding...

I *have* been neglectful, Gentle Reader, not only to You, but to Comics, as well. But I *am* going to rectify this, and I *am* going to pick up a month's worth of comics backlog (!!!) this weekend, and finally get back into the groove of things. Please, Friends, just a few more days of patience, and I promise to review comics once again!

Trick or Treat!

Happy Halloween, Gentle Reader! We Reads were not too elaborate with our costumes. I went as 19-year-old Amy Reads, which meant wearing lots of eyeliner and black Doc Marten boots. We handed out candy to all the cute kids, and were pleasantly surprised to see the large number of Batmans, Hulks, and Supermans in the crowd. This Humble Author was a Little Distressed over the one child Joker she saw, not for the costume but for the age. Our friends' children were dressed as a monkey and as a strawberry, respectively, and a Good Time was had by All.

Enjoy your evening, Friends!

Amy Reads the Week (of October 26th, 2008)

The name of the game, Gentle Reader, is The Incredible Hulk. As I have mentioned many times on This Humble Blog, I occasionally feel as if Mr. Reads and I are the only two people in the world who not only appreciate but adore, yes, *adore* Ang Lee's Hulk. It is beautiful, and smart, and well-written, and, most importantly for the Hulk legend, tragic. There is something utterly tragic about the Hulk in Mr. Lee's version, not because he can be calmed by the serene beauty of Betty Ross (played by one of This Humble Author's favorite actresses, Ms. Jennifer Connelly), but because the Hulk understands. There is a core of Bruce Banner's gentleness inside of the Hulk in Mr. Lee's version, and that core is, ultimately, the tragic flaw of The Incredible Hulk.

Mr. Reads and I resisted seeing The Incredible Hulk (2008) in the theater for a variety of reasons, but namely because we adore the 2003 version so much. The Hulk has never been one of my favorite characters; As Constant Readers of This Humble Blog know, This Humble Author is a DC girl, to to the core. I dabble in Marvel, certainly (give me your Emma Frosts, your Kitty Prydes, your Iron Men), but at The End Of The Day, I would rather have a Wonder Woman or a Flash or a Batman, thank you very much. I am more for the Iconic and less for the Representation.

But I do enjoy Marvel to some degree, make no mistake. The imprint does Representation So Very Well. Their characters are symbolic to a level that is almost--dare I say it in light of the X-Men imprint?--Uncanny. While DC is archetypal, Marvel is Metaphorical. And who is more Metaphorical than The Hulk?

Part Jekyll, part Hyde, yet it seems without the arrogance of either, The Hulk is not often written with a sense of poetry that I think he deserves. Ang Lee's version offered us that. Bruce Banner and the Hulk both were metaphorical, symbolic, representative. The 2008 Hulk was just Hulk Smash, all around.

Not that I did not enjoy it. It was enjoyable in that I do not regret the two hours I spent watching the movie. But I did not walk away from the DVD thinking that it was a movie I must see again. There was no motivation in the movie. I do not mean for the characters but rather for the viewer. Why was I supposed to care? Why was I supposed to sympathize?

It all boils down ultimately, Gentle Reader, to two comments: one in support of what I liked, and one in explanation of what I didn't.

What I liked: Or, rather, what I found interesting and worth my time. This Hulk was not tragic or poetic or flawed. He was almost all monster. But neither, then, was this Bruce Banner tragic or poetic or flawed. Rather, there was a level of pathetic about Bruce Banner that led almost--Almost, Gentle Reader!--to disgust on the viewer's part. He was not a tragic hero, or an anti-hero, or stuck in a bad situation. He was unable to take care of himself, even on the most basic of levels. It seemed almost an Ultimates version of Bruce Banner more than anything else.

What I didn't: This movie had No Sense of Timing. That is to say, even in those moments that would have been funny (if they had not been all revealed in the trailers), the actors and directing plowed through them without so much as a By Your Leave. By the time the viewer got the reference, the next scene was already taking place.

I was with the movie at least half-heartedly until the big fight scene commenced, and there, the movie completely lost me. It was uninteresting and predictable and in my opinion, meant nothing to the movie but big Hulk Smash and Grab. Holding this up not only to the beautiful and poignant Ang Lee's Hulk but also to Dark Knight, Iron Man, Superman Returns, Hellboy, X-Men II, Spider-Man II, all of the really fantastic comic book movies out there and you see how comic book movies are Supposed To Be Made. Even without The Origin Story Problem, as The Incredible Hulk skipped past the Origin Story and straight to Story, this movie failed to connect with This Humble Viewer, at least.

But I am, Friends, very, very excited about the upcoming Wonder Woman animated film, and Iron Man II, Thor, Avengers, and of course, Watchmen. And I hope that one day, The Flash movie focusing on My Beloved Wally West will actually be a reality.

Amy Reads the Week (of October 12th, 2008)

Mea culpa, Gentle Reader. Mr. Reads mocks my inability to begin blog posts with anything but an apology for my recent abandonment of You, Most Constant Of Readers, but I am, dare I say? Too Busy to even dabble in pop culture, much less read comics. I watch my shows, and that is all, so thus, I offer you these pieces of insight.

Where have all the good shows gone?

This is not a judgment on New TV. I believe that several new shows have brought an extraordinary amount of talent to the scene. The Mentalist, Fringe, and Life on Mars (although We Reads are such a fan of the British version that we may sour of the American version quickly) are all Rather Good, and demonstrate the Potential For Greatness.

Nor is this a judgment on Old TV. Supernatural is a show that just gets better and better each episode, so much so that We Reads find ourselves comparing it to That Giant of Television, Buffy the Vampire Slayer. The Office gets better each episode, and we eagerly anticipate the return of 30 Rock.

Of the new-ish shows, j'adore Life, and The Middle Man (any word on its return, Friends?), and Terminator, and Pushing Daisies. But I find myself straying from Tried and True shows such as Heroes, which has recently (just!) been dropped from Our Weekly Lineup.

Why?

Because it bores, Friends, truly, utterly, and completely. It has lost sight of what is interesting and has instead gone for what it thinks the fans want. On the cusp is True Blood, because while I very much liked the early books in Charlaine Harris's Sookie Stackhouse series, I find the television show to focus less on the neat oddness of this world she had created, and more on the sex oddness of the world it adapted from Harris's vision.

Mr. Reads and I take guilty pleasure in culling series from our Lineup, because as one can see with the rather long sidebar to the right, we have many, many series to choose from. But I do not enjoy losing a series, because Gentle Reader, that implies that perhaps, just perhaps, some quality has been lost.

I am out of town next weekend for a Blast from the Past, so I will attempt to offer a mid-week column instead of my (somewhat aberrant) weekly column. Until then, Friends, happy pop culturing, and happy presidential debating.

Amy Reads the Week (of September 28th, 2008)

Will September never end, Gentle Reader? Between weather and school and illness (oh my!), I feel as if September has drained me of All Productive Activity. Woe to you, Most Constant of Readers, as this has Greatly Affected my Blogging.

Or, should we say, Lack of Blogging?

But what September has brought is the New Fall Lineup. I have already Waxed Poetic on Fringe, but let me express my delight on the Dark Horse Contender (but not Our Beloved Publishing House Dark Horse), The Mentalist. One episode in, and I am Greatly Impressed!

But o, Friends, the one that has pleased Above All Others is the season premiere of The Office. What else is there to say but that This Humble Author is pleased? Very, very pleased indeed.

And the Amazon.Com Fairy arrived this week, bringing two Delights beyond all imagination: Chelsea Cain's Sweetheart and the Cold War Kids's[1] Loyalty to Loyalty. The former is quite the powerhouse follow-up to Cain's dark and disturbing Heartsick, although neither quite has the charm of Confessions of a Teen Sleuth. The latter is Beyond Great. I cannot even begin to tell you, Gentle Reader, how much I adore the Cold War Kids. They have impressed me So Mightily that I think they deserve a place in Amy Reads's Top Five Artists and Bands, with such heavy-hitters as David Bowie, the Beatles, Nina Simone, and Portishead.

I apologize for my brevity which, in this instance, is certainly not the soul of wit. But I am still Rather Ill, and sitting upright at the desk, without real work put into preparing classes for this week, feels too decadent for This Ill (albeit still humble) Author. And as you Most Gentle of Readers know by now, Decadence is abhorrent to Those of Us languishing in High Victoriana. It must be savored only for those brief (!) forays into the fin de siecle.

[1] Mr. Reads and I discussed the grammatical correctness of this to determine whether it should be Cold War Kids' or Cold War Kids's. We both decided that as it is a collective unit--the band is The Cold War Kids--then it should be treated as a proper noun, like Wells's. Please feel free to contribute thoughts to this grammatical conundrum, Gentle Reader!

"Babies, Babies, Babies"; or, Amy Reads as a Fan

Not as an academic, Gentle Reader, or as a Reviewer. Not tonight. Not now. Tonight, I am a bit morose. Not suffering under any Romantic pretense of ennui, no, nothing so intellectual. Just a general sense of The Grumpies. So tonight, rather than reading in preparation of class, or working on various Bits and Sundries of Those Things More Important Than Comics, I instead Read Comics.

And I Read Comics as A Fan.

As Constant Readers of Arrogant Self-Reliance are aware, there is nothing of which I am a Fan more than The Wonder Woman.

Wonder Woman #24 is *fun*, and *serious*, and *witty*. This is the complexity of Wonder Woman, surrounded by the complexities of Her Past. Beginning at Home, with a mother who decrees that Tom and Diana give her "Babies, Babies, Babies," we move from demands that Tom Tresser is "Not Food," to the gorilla guards' demands to "hear more about this fresh fruit portion of the negotiations." That is to say, I laughed out loud, and there is nothing I love more than laughing at good dialogue.

(Especially while suffering under my current general malaise.)

But here is The Thing, Gentle Reader. We get two panels of Wonder Woman, hugging a woman in need. And at a moment when This Humble Author is feeling--dare I say it?--rather fragile and In All Honesty in need of a hug, I felt myself thinking, "Wonder Woman hugs well."

She does, Friends, with whole heart and emotion, with no expectation and no sense of pulling away. The focus in on her face, with its eyes closed, its expression consoling and gentle, and you remember this is a Woman who is a Sister, used to hugging. This is the Diana responding to the birthday party from several issues ago. This is the Diana lamenting over the lack of hugs in her new life, her new workplace.

This is Diana, longing for her Sister Amazons.

Wonder Woman #24 deserves a Smart Review. A Longer Review, at least, something more In Depth, examining its place within The Mythos, the Larger Arc, and Simone's Larger Run. But rather, this evening, I would like to say simply, I liked it, very much.

Very Much Indeed.

Amy Reads the Week (of September 14th, 2008)

Tired, Gentle Reader, very tired, after watching Hurricane Ike with a wary eye all Friday and Saturday. Mr. Reads and I alternated sleep Friday evening and Saturday morning so we could keep an ear out for the potential tornadoes that threatened to touch down in our neck of the woods. Saturday mid-morning, we kept an eye on the trees in the backyard during those 50-75 mph wind gusts, as they threatened to drop branches on top of our electrical line. But we were Quite Lucky in our neck of the woods, and as long-time former residents of Southern Louisiana (and This Humble Author a New Orleans Native), we are saddened and empathetic for the those suffering under the devastation that has hit the Texas Gulf Coast.

Now today, safe here but saddened for My Fellow Gulf Coast Citizens, I find myself tired here, on Sunday, and thus have declared it a true Day Of Rest. That is, I am reading and watching television for the rest of the day. Any planning for school will resume tomorrow morning.

But a brief (!) run-through of the recent Pop Culture in the Reads Household should suffice, no? Unfortunately, it is a Very Brief List Indeed, as I have been Quite Busy with school and preparing to go back on the job market.

1) Fringe - definitely possibility, Friends! I am Rather Impressed with the language, which borders on Whedonesque at times.

2) Wizard World Texas - some great names have appeared on the roll call, but where is Gail Simone, Greg Rucka, or Grant Morrison? Truly, Mr. Reads and I must move closer to San Diego and thus Comic Con.

3) Tamara Siler Jones - Mr. Reads picked up the first book in her Dubric Byerly series, Ghosts in the Snow, and after some convincing, passed it on to me. I cannot help but be charmed and impressed. I have started her second book and am enjoying it immensely.

4) Comics - bah, Gentle Reader. Bah. I am So Far Behind in the Comic Book World that I fear I can never unearth myself. The latest issue of Ms. Simone's Wonder Woman (for which the buzz is Outstanding!) sits, sad and alone, at My Local, unpurchased and unread. Secret Six has finally arrived, and that sits alone, too. Not to mention the Unread Options: Buffy, Secret Invasion, Final Crisis, the list goes on and on. Partly it is due to the impact of Gustav (the Reads Family descended for a week) and Ike (our entire town shut down in preparation of the storm). But mainly, it is due to work, work, work.

5) Project Runway - as it is still Ongoing, I cannot read anything coming out of Fashion Week. This, of course, makes me Very Grumpy.

Delays

Apologies, Gentle Reader. One hurricane became another, and we are expecting some Very Bad Weather here in the next day or so. Wish us on the Gulf Coast Well, and I will see you on the other side of this nastiness.