Amy Reads the Week (of March 1, 2009)

A shy little peeking out and a brief return from a Rather Long Hiatus From Blogging, Gentle Reader. I confess that life still continues to get the best of This Humble Author, and the only comic (yes, just the one!) I have been able to read this week is, of course, Wonder Woman, from two issues ago.

Diana's lasso is gone, and my heart breaks for the Amazon Princess. But more importantly, my heart breaks watching the heartbreak of her Amazonian Sisters. Donna's and Cassie's reaction, as sisters, as warriors, as those Next In Line to take up the mantle of the Amazon Princess is a scene that We Gentle Readers would not have seen from Mr. Heinberg, or Ms. Picoult, or even Mr. Rucka. They all focused on different aspects of Wonder Woman, and we would have seen, perhaps, The Wonder, The Humanity, or The Alienness, respectively, from these three writers. But with Ms. Gail Simone, instead, we see bonding, and sisterhood, and steel resolve. We see an Amazonian bond that cannot be broken.

I long to become caught up in comics.

In television popular culture news, I adore, yes, adore, Mr. Whedon's new show, Dollhouse. While the first episode was Rather Shaky, I find that the Whedonesque moments here and there--the head shake at the very end of last week's episode, the Most Dangerous Game-ness of the week before--all offer We Whedon Fans an interesting departure from Buffy, and Firefly, at the same time it offers us the things we love about Mr. Whedon.

More soon, Gentle Reader, but for now, a homemade sugar-free apple cobbler and Flight of the Conchords await this Very Tired, Very Overworked (yet still Humble!) Author, and then, if one can imagine, 10 more papers to grade before bed. Until next time, I bid you adieu.

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 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!

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.

Amy Will Not Read the Week (of August 31st, 2008)

Apologies, Gentle Reader, but as there is a (as of now) Category 4 hurricane brewing in the Gulf, We Reads are expecting several family members to descend upon us in the wee hours, as they evacuate New Orleans and the surrounding areas. No time for blogging, as We must Clean, and Cook, in preparation.

Wish us luck, Friends, and send some New Orleans' way.

Amy Reads the Week (of August 24th, 2008)

Happy Fall Semester, Gentle Reader! If you are Academically Inclined, chances are you begin courses tomorrow. As We Reads are of such, we are Bright-Eyed and Bushy-Tailed for the new semester. Nothing but wonderful words to share with the Nation's Youth as We Reads try to impart a love of learning, reading, and writing to our students.

But, and this is more important, Friends, Our Dear Friend Mister Fanboy was Quite Generous with his SDCC (San Diego Comic Con for the non-comics-inclined) haul and This Humble Author received the Glory of Glories, a copy of Adam Hughes's Gorgeous Women of DC Poster signed by This Humble Author's Favorite Comics Writer, the fantastic and fabulous Gail Simone, signed right next to the center image of the fantastic and fabulous Wonder Woman (whose comic is currently being penned by Ms. Simone, to the delight of This Humble Author, indeed!). Along with other delights (Dark Horse preview! Flash ring! Sandman poster!), the package proved to be the highlight of This Humble Author's week. Thank you, Mister Fanboy, for thinking of those of us Too Far Away to revel properly in the Wonder that is Comic Con! Mister Reads and I are to the Hobby Lobby this week for a lovely frame for my lovely poster.

Amy Reads the Week (of August 17th, 2008)

I have returned to Comics, Gentle Reader, but only just barely, and only the slightest hint of a toe in the water. That Is To Say, I have read Some, but Not Much, and nothing really Of Note. A Batman here, a Catwoman there, but nothing really Blogworthy.

Part of that is, of course, due to the fact that I am resuming Full-Time Teaching after six, yes, Six Years, Friends! of Graduate Student Teaching. Not that one is More Important than the other, but the former requires more courses than the latter, and I have many books to read for my multiple classes.

Mr. Reads and I bid a Fond Farewell to The Wire, finally, after a very (!) long wait for the last season to either 1) finish re-airing on HBO, or 2) come out on DVD. We had utilized the first but had only two episodes left, and since the DVDs came out on Tuesday, we finally, and sadly, finished one of the best shows ever to grace a television screen. This means that our television watching is Rather Slim until Fall Lineup begins: Burn Notice, Project Runway, Venture Bros., Eureka, The Middle Man, and the mini-series Generation Kill.

Have I mentioned we watch a lot of television in Chez Reads, Gentle Reader?

Thank goodness for the DVR, no?

Off to make delicious enchiladas for the Supa-Family and our scheduled dinner this evening. More soon! Ciao!

Amy Reads the Week (of August 10th, 2008)

Not really, Gentle Reader, but I did *graduate* the week after many years of *reading*. Does that count?

This week resumes "real life" preparations: syllabi writing, frantic pre-course reading, moving offices, and hopefully, the return to comics. Until then, Friends, ciao!

Amy (Belatedly) Reads the Week (of August 3rd, 2008)

I am on the verge of graduation, Gentle Reader, so this week has been occupied with cleaning house for the impending Family Visit. Also, too, getting back into the non-teaching groove of things, only to find that destroyed a few mere weeks from now, when I return to the teaching trenches.

But I have been reading, Friends. I have finally (!) finished Tana French's delightful, engaging, heartbreaking, stunning novel, The Likeness, a sequel to her Edgar winning first novel, In the Woods. Constant readers may remember that This Humble Author finished French's first novel while on vacation earlier in July, and eagerly anticipated the release of her follow-up. The Likeness is stunning, Friends, truly. There are few other words. I will endeavor, after graduation, to write a more complicated review, but until then, let me say that French is a gifted and wonderful writer, both of prose style and of plot. If forced to compare her to Other Writers--an activity I find draining and complicated, but occasionally fun, I would liken her novels to a cross between Raymond Chandler and Flannery O'Connor: the same sense of pacing, of will, of drive, with a superb backdrop of place, atmosphere, and idea. Add in a slight dash of Stephen King and Jane Austen claustrophobia of social scene, just for good measure, and you have Ms. French.

I strongly urge you, Gentle Reader, to pick up her books forthwith.

Amy Reads the Week (of July 27th, 2008)

Unfortunately, Gentle Reader, that title is A Misnomer. I have not read that much at all, as I am still deep in the throes of teaching, teaching, teaching. But I have seen the new X-Files movie, and while I found it Not Bad, I did not find it All That X-Files-Y (if that makes sense). What I did find it was Fantastically Distracting, and a Welcome Relief from my current pedagogical efforts.

And, of course, a Welcome Relief from my current Less Than Two Weeks Before Graduation And Thus Something Must Be Wrong Anxiety--a misplaced form, an unpaid bill, a forgotten application somewhere--which is, of course, Part and Parcel with the fabulousness of One Amy Reads. Please continue to post those Comic Con Reviews, Friends, so that I might live vicariously!

Amy Reads the Week (of July 20th, 2008)

I have four words for you, Gentle Reader:

Comic Con San Diego.

Four more words, then?

Alas, Amy cannot attend.

Max Brooks! Ed Brubaker! Jim Butcher! John Cassaday! Darwyn Cooke! Joe Hill! Geoff Johns! Jim Lee! Brad Meltzer! Mike Mignola! Grant Morrison! Greg Rucka! Gail Simone! Joss Whedon! Connie Willis!

I do not think there has ever been such a gathering of my favorite people in all the world. And to think that I have taught or will teach works by six of Those Esteemed Authors! And that is No Exaggeration, Friends. O, to ask them questions! To hear their answers! To bask in the glory that is some of the best talent of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries!

Amy Reads is Very, Very Sad.

Very Sad Indeed.

For those of my Most Constant of Readers who are, perhaps, More Fortunate than This Humble Author and have the ability to attend Comic Con San Diego, I wish you Great Joy and Love. Please report back on action figures (for Mr. Reads) and on Wonder Woman news (for Dr. Reads).

Amy Reads the Week (of July 13, 2008)

Or watches the week, Gentle Reader, as Mr. Reads and I went to see Hellboy II yesterday. While I enjoyed the first half immensely, I felt the second half lacked something. Perhaps a stronger brushstroke from Mr. Mignola, perhaps? Too much Mr. Del Toro, I believe. But it was pretty. Oh yes, it was Very Very Pretty.

Posting will be sporadic for the next three weeks, Friends, as my summer II teaching takes priority. But I will Read the Week with you when I can!

Amy Reads the Week (of June 29th, 2008)

What a lovely week it has been, Gentle Reader, with an even more promising week to come. Tomorrow, Sister-In-Law Reads comes to visit as Mr. Reads and I have a week or two off before I begin teaching second summer session, and Mr. Reads takes a much-needed break from teaching to get Writing Done. Then, all members of Chez Reads--Mr. Reads, Amy Reads, and Pup Reads--will head to Rural Area outside of Relatively Nearby Metropolis to enjoy a (very!) brief vacation at a, yes, Friends, dog-friendly bed and breakfast. We are all of us thrilled, but none more so than Pup Reads herself.

Pop culturally, We Reads have discovered a fantastic television show entitled Burn Notice. Normally, We Reads shy away from anything on the USA Network (has anything on said network reached the pinnacle of USA Up All Night? I think not!), but on seeing many stellar recommendations, we decided to get the first disc. And then we promptly got the last three and finished the entire first season in a week. It is smart, fresh, funny, sad, well-written, well-acted, and most importantly, engaging. As season 2 begins in a few weeks, I Highly Recommend that you watch season 1 in preparation!

In comics related news, I have finally (!) gotten caught up with Wonder Woman, much to my pleasure, and greatly enjoyed participating in Renee Montoya Week on the site Who Is The Question? Thanks to Eric for allowing This Humble Author to speak out on one of her favorite characters! And as news trickling out of Wizard-Chicago reveals, once again Amy Reads is heartbroken over not attending a convention. Gail Simone and Greg Rucka both speaking on a panel about Wonder Woman? It is This Humble Author's convention dream transposed to reality! One day, Gentle Reader, one day.

There is still Amy Reads's Great Read of Green Lantern and X-Men coming soon, but more importantly, there is a desire to get some Real Writing Done, Myself. Now that the dissertation has been Put Away (in a metaphorical sock drawer, for six months, as the old sage advice goes), I feel an almost-desperate need to Produce and Accomplish.

Amy Reads the Week (of June 22nd, 2008)

Still playing catch-up, Gentle Reader, and this time, I have gone Way Way Back. Over the past few days, I have worked through over 50 issues of New X-Men, Academy X, and the New Mutants.

I think what these titles really drive home is the awful face of Hatred in the X-Men universe. That is to say, it is one thing when someone expresses Hate against Emma Frost, or Wolverine, or another Grown-Up who can Fight and Protect Him-or-Her-Self, but to see that same racism, that same hatred against children, against teenagers, to see that hatred bring forth death and destruction of children, well, that is to see the True Face Of Hatred, Indeed.

Some parts of the run handle this better than others, of course, but I think what they all reveal is the immediate danger for those Mutants, particularly the young ones post House of M. For the Younger Members of the 198, the world has become a Very Dangerous Place Indeed. What Marvel does as an Imprint, and what it has always Done Well, is to use the comic book universe as a marker for "real-world" problems. The Hatred directed against the Mutants, purely because They Are Different, and that Hatred directed against Young Children, solely out of Fear, is analogous for racism, homophobia, sexism, classism, anything in which there is blind hatred and fear against someone different.

DC does archetypes well; Marvel handles analogies with perfect aplomb.

I have never been a very big fan of the X-Men until reading Morrison and Whedon. I grew up a DC Girl, and in my heart, a DC Girl I will stay. But when written well, the X-Men are written Very, Very Well, and I am about to embark on Mr. Brubaker's and Mr. Carey's run on the Mutants, as they are two writers whom I Absolutely Adore. Then, Friends Who Adore Those Of A Greenish Hue, I embark on a Quest of Brightest Day and Blackest Night.

Amy Reads the Week (of June 15th, 2008)

What a week-end, Gentle Reader! You may not know this about This Humble Author, but I am--dare I say it So Publicly?--Rather Anxious. That is to say, in the revelry of this week-end, I found myself at some points staring off into space, wondering if I had fixed This Reference or That Mistake in My Dissertation.

Luckily for This Humble Author, Friends were on hand to distract.

Friday night's venture into Nearby Metropolis was a smash, and delicious fondue and lovely conversation were had. Saturday evening, Myself and Four Girl-Friends descended upon the local Tasty Eats and Beverage Hole (margaritas and quesadillas to be had by all) and then the local Dance Club to enjoy the celebration of not one but two newly-minted Ph.Ds, myself and another colleague. Wearing a button that declared my status, courtesy of the fantastic Supadiscomama, I enjoyed the evening Very Much and forgot, just for one moment, the possibility of Typos.

But upon arriving home to find a sleepy Husband and Pup, I was too awake to sleep myself, so I finished The Avengers: The Initiative vol. 1. As I have mentioned before, Friends, I am Rather Behind in Marvel, and I am using this strange and nebulous time to get caught up in lots of things: cleaning, organization, comics, and pleasure reading.

I quite enjoyed The Initiative, mostly for the overwhelming push towards out-of-controlness among the registered superheroes in the Marvel Universe. There is a constant sense that everything is spiraling away from everyone in control, and this issue, dealing with both the impact of the New Warriors and the Post-Registration/Post-Civil-War world in which those like Iron Man and Spider-Man now exist was Rather Extraordinary.

The focus on the children, the up-and-coming superheroes, was a particularly interesting move. There often exists two types of child hero in comic books: the one who wants to Prove Everything, and the one who Wants Nothing. There are exceptions to this, of course: I point to Vaughan's Runaways and Simone's Gen-13, in particular. But there is in most literature focusing on a child of extraordinary abilities the struggle between Being Different and Being Similar. That is to say, the child hero either loves her powers or loathes them, but there is rarely a struggle between.

Again, there are exceptions, Gentle Reader. Far be it for me to assume a Generality on All Literatures! But often, this story *is* the story of childhood: worry over difference (writ large for puberty, for change, for struggle), worry over place (writ large for parental control, for individualism, for confidence), worry over acceptance (writ large for peer pressure, for friendship, for cliques). I have Said Before that Gail Simone's Gen-13 offers an interesting view of the same-yet-differentness of the Extraordinary Child, and I point, too, to Runaways, to Whedon's early Buffy, to Heinberg's Young Avengers.

In The Initiative, we see teens struggling not with their difference, but rather the difference of Those Who Came Before: The New Warriors. Worried not over trying to fill shoes but rather trying to avoid doing such, these teens are insulated and do not, cannot, work as a team. This separation occurs early on, with the death of MVP, and the rest of the collection has the group struggling to find their place in themselves, not their place in a new team. There are few moments when the teen heroes work with each other, and almost every time, those moments fail. Rather, this book stresses the individualism of each member, and how that individualism, like Trauma's control of his fear-power and his manipulation of his power into a force of healing rather than Fear, Itself, is the backbone of a heroic story.

An interesting focus, considering What Has Come Before: Captain America's separation from Iron Man, the struggle for and against Registration, and, ultimately, the success of Iron Man and his Registration Act. When he is good, Gentle Reader, he is Very Very Good, but when he is bad, he is Downright Scary. I have always believed this about Tony Stark who, while Iron Man is so often compared to Batman, is not broken like Bruce Wayne. There sometimes is no core of humanity left in Stark. In those moments, he frightens me Very Much.

We see the darker side of these superheroes with this collection, and I think The Initiative does an excellent job in reminding us that they are, ultimately, fighting a war. But I think, too, it does an excellent job in reminding us that there are reverberating consequences to Civil War, and the Fallout will, I think, exist for some time yet.

In other news, Happy Father's Day to Those Gentle Readers So-Inclined to children, of the human or non-human kind! Mr. Reads, Pup Reads, and I will celebrate Mr. Reads's canine-fatherhood with a trip to the park and, tomorrow, a Rather Delayed trip to Our Local to pick up our comics for this week.

Amy Reads the Week (of June 8th, 2008)

Can't blog, Gentle Reader. New Avengers to read.

That is to say, Mr. Reads and I just discovered that the last issue of New Avengers I have read is issue 36. 36, Gentle Reader! I do not think we have had any Skrull revelations yet!

Or, perhaps, just one.

On the television front, This Humble Author is behaving Much Better. We are almost finished with all available DVDs for Foyle's War, which I cannot recommend highly enough.

Must go help Mr. Reads with the New Avengers and Mighty Avengers (and Initiative, and Young Avengers) Sorting, so that I may understand Secret Invasion a Bit More.

Amy (Belatedly) Reads the Week (of June 1st, 2008)

Mea culpa, Gentle Reader, for not writing sooner. I wish I could claim the busyness or the stress of the past few months, but, in fact, I cannot. Rather, Mr. Reads and I spent the weekend in blissful television and movie enjoyment. We went to see Speed Racer (Very Fun Indeed!), we watched through season 3 of Foyle's War (Quite Brilliant), tried to see Indiana Jones, but could not summon the energy (I would rather, in all honesty, see The Strangers), and, most importantly, saw the most recent season premiere of The Venture Bros., a show I would hesitate in confessing to like if it were not as smart as it is (and that is Rather Smart Indeed).

There was, of course, also the Rather Expensive Dining-Out Celebration of my Successful Defense, and it was, it must be said, Rather Delicious for all of that.

As for presents for a Successful Venture, I believe I have mentioned that Mr. Reads purchased for myself (and therefore also himself) a Nintendo DS, and I have purchased for myself (and only for myself) a shiny pretty pink ipod nano, 8mg, as my original 2nd generation ipod has died a slow, painful, and Rather Agonizing Death. The nano is Awfully Tiny, and I worry, constantly, that it will get lost in the *ahem* shuffle.

I urge you, Gentle Reader, to pursue Foyle's War, a BBC show set in Hastings during the beginning of WWII. It is a detective show complete with ghastly Murder Mysteries, of the most (and least) well-mannered and cozy kind. That is to say, it is in the tradition of the armchair detective (a la Christie) but with a True Detective (a la Chandler). Very enjoyable, particularly for its portrayal of gender, class, and sexuality issues.

Amy Reads the Week (of May 25th, 2008)

The count is on, Gentle Reader, as I defend My Dissertation on Thursday, yes, this Thursday. Several years of my academic life come down to this week, a mere four days into the future, and I must confess, I am Rather Nervous.

That is to say, not Nervous about the Dissertation, because who knows the material better than its author, the Humble One before you? Instead, I am Nervous about Being Nervous: Amy Reads does not crack under pressure, but she does ripple and bend on occasion.

So to distract myself from such nervousness, and as a complement to the days spent rereading my dissertation and preparing for my defense, Mr. Reads and I have watched the entire first and second seasons of David Mamet's The Unit. I adore Mamet as a playright--Oleanna is quite the heavy hitter--and as a screenwriter he is Rather Extraordinary. The Unit, particularly in those episodes written by Mamet Himself (marked, of course, by repeating dialogue: "This is what we're going to do--*this* is what we're going to do," for example), is nothing short of genius. And there is, of course, the genius of Dennis Haysbert to consider.

But unfortunately, The Unit is now just another show in a long list of stressful and nerve-wracking television shows on the Reads Family Watch List. Lost, The Office, Battlestar Galactica, Mr. Reads and I cannot seem to find a fun and happy television show. Or perhaps, the more likely scenario, we cannot find one we like. One could argue for 30 Rock or even The Office as fun and happy, but I would argue with Said Arguing. There is nothing, nothing, Gentle Reader, relaxing and fun about The Office or 30 Rock. Funny, yes, hilarious, certainly, but never relaxing or fun.

So to relieve the tension of the tension-relief The Unit was, originally, planned to be, Mr. Reads and I took a break to watch Air Guitar Nation. That, Friends, definitely accomplished the job.

By this time next week, Gentle Reader, I will, hopefully, be able to ask you In All Seriousness to address me as Dr. Reads rather than Ms. Reads. While I would never be so presumptuous with you, Friends (never!), I would be presumptuous enough to ask that if you be so inclined, please wish This Humble Author Luck, particularly of the beneficial kind.

Until then, adieu.