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!

Comics Backlog #2: Final Crisis

Gentle Reader, in the immortal words of Kitty Pryde,
yeahbuwha?

Also, I adore, absolutely adore Manhunters, both of the Human and Martian varieties, and I dislike the idea of losing either of them.

And a few highlights:

- Alpha Lanterns - I will be swayed by Green Lanterns' Light yet, it seems!
- Batman and his eternal dossiers
- Yes, Vandal Savage, we've all waited 50,000 years. Please, hurry on with it.
- Um, Libra?
- Um, early Man?

And do not forget the 52, Gentle Reader!

I believe that is enough Comics Backlog for one evening, although Mr. Reads has just placed Secret Invasion #1 and #2 on my desk and slyly walked away. We Shall See, then, no?

Comics Backlog #1: Batman and Manhunter

Gentle Reader, Kate Spencer is back! Or, as Bones says, our favorite red-leather wearing single mom is back, and with a vengeance. I like this return issue, particularly in its femicide plotline. Manhunter is a comic that pays particular and, I Dare To Say, almost unique attention to the problems of women. That is, Manhunter becomes a superhero for women in the same way that, Back In The Day, Selina Kyle/Catwoman did the same. In this issue, we see Kate returning to superhero-ing with a vengeance, and that vengeance is all about the protection of the innocent.

As for Grant Morrison's Batman, much has been made of the lead-in to the Death of Batman, that is, Batman RIP, and I must say that it is making much ado about everything. Joker, Talia, Damien, Alfred, Jezebel Jet!

Er, that is, Jezebel Jet?!

Methinks she is Evil, Friends. What say you?

I do like the odd surrealism that occurs in the past few issues, and making the reader as confused as Batman Himself is is just a matter of Good Writing. But then, what else have we come to expect of Mr. Morrison?

Brief reviews only, Gentle Reader, as I make my slow and (rather) plodding way through my Very Large Backlog of Comics. I will save longer reviews for particular runs, like Wonder Woman and Astonishing X-Men. Until then, Friends, I return to the comics trenches.

A Blog Scolding; or, Dr. Reads Discovers the Sheer Amount of Comics Backlog

Gentle Reader, I must scold you! Why o why have you not told me how Very Far Behind I am in Comics? Certainly, I was aware that The Dissertation was distracting me from my Pop Culture, but really? Four issues behind in Batman? Nary a glance cast on Final Crisis? Not to mention the latest issues of Wonder Woman, Buffy, etc. etc. ad nauseam?

I did, however, read the Final Issue of Astonishing X-Men yesterday morning, and promptly cried and cried. Review coming, forthwith.

For now, along with Dissertation Edits, and Thesis Office Requirements, and Summer School Teaching, I will attempt to unearth myself from the vast amount of comic book paper piling on top of me. I begin with Batman (je t'adore, Mr. Morrison), then move to Wonder Woman and Final Crisis. Where else have I fallen behind?

Captain America is still dead, yes? Spider-Man is still ridiculously unmarried, yes?

(mental note: also must read Secret Invasion)

Postscript: notice the use of "Dr." in my name. Will I ever tire of seeing it, Friends? I dare say that I shall not!

Amy Reads the Week (of April 6th, 2008)

Yesterday was a Rather Productive Day, Gentle Reader, and as happens on most Rather Productive Days, come night, Mr. Reads and I were Rather Bored. We had accomplished everything we set out to accomplish--I wrote 2 pages of my last (!) dissertation chapter and read 20 (!!!) articles, while Mr. Reads enjoyed the rare moment of an instructor's life: nothing to grade. So around 9:00 p.m., we decided to leave the house in search of action figures.

We drove to two of the Large Mega-Marts in town to look for the latest DC Universe action figures, of which Mr. Reads wants all, and I, of course, want Pup Reads's namesake, Ms. Harley Quinn. Alas, none have reached our Small Town yet, but we are hopeful to find them.

This, of course, made me think of my two latest purchasing dilemmas: To Super Lois, or Not to Super Lois?, and, does This Humble Author deserve a graduation present?

The answers are, I believe, Yes, and No.

That is to say, I cannot justify spending $300 on a Wonder Woman statue, when there is the rent to be paid, and the car to be fixed, and the sofa to purchase, or, at least, consider. Not to mention a new computer and printer for This Humble Author, and, considering the dramatic rise in gas prices, the future inevitability of Better Walking Shoes.

But, Gentle Reader, she is so *gorgeous*. She is So Incredibly Beautiful, I almost cannot stand it. Look at her in full 360 degree turnaround. Have you ever, in all of your life, seen a statue this beautiful? This powerful? The axe, I think, is the nicest touch, a testament to the warrior Wonder Woman is.

Of course, I almost must consider a Possible Trip to the Big Apple to see the upcoming exhibit on Fashion and Superheroes, two things that This Humble Author can say, with great certainty, affect her academic life. O! If only money were happier!

I have decided to take a few hours to myself today, and Friends, I am going to sneak the new Jim Butcher novel, Small Favor, away from Mr. Reads. Although he has priority reading because His Birthday is this coming Friday, and lacking an autographed issue of Grant Morrison's We3, I cannot think of a better way to celebrate the anniversary of his birth.