Some recent reads, in no particular order. Iām really behind in my updates, and I havenāt been able to read as much lately because of school.
ā¦but donāt you know: school is cool.
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Iāve been catching up with Spideyās āBrand New Dayā story arc, which meant a whole lot of reading, because that arc spanned over 50-80 issues. Hope to reach āBig Timeā soon.
something olā skool (1968):
Finally, a thread where I could (hopefully) post my many comic book reviews of Spider-Man.
My catch-up with Spideyās comics has been rather successful. As I mentioned, Iāve written many reviews, so I think Iāll just post my latest one here:
The Sensational Spider-Man #33.1 / 33.2: Monsters!ā
Reading these āpoint oneā issues, Iām constantly finding myself unsurprised at how the other writers tell better Spider-Man stories than Dan Slott.
DeFalco was one of the senior editors and writers on the team who gave us some rather ambiguous anti-heroes like The Rose (a underused character whoās the son of Kingpin) and Puma (a spiritual being with an honor code as interesting as Kravenās). Next to Roger Stern (and Ditko of course), he was perhaps the third person in running who also explored that street-level side of Spidey fighting against the mob. He also had a strong grasp on the multiple plot-threads that led to some very intriguing plot-twists and reveals that felt a lot more natural than many of Slottās gimmicky twists. I particularly enjoyed his take on the Hobgoblin and setting up Flash Thompson as the fall guy when Hobbyās identity was supposedly revealed. He was an excellent editor as well who worked alongside the many greats like Peter David and, of course, Stern himself. But Iām digressing too much in this review with my fanboying over DeFalco. God, I need to reread his run again.
This story has a lot of good things going for it. For starters, itās topical, touching on yet another real world problem; this time, illegal immigrants shipped from Russia and Pakistan forced into prostitution and slavery. Iām really not surprised this was DeFalcoās work. Heās known for such gritty storylines that touch on relevant topics. This kind of story can distract from the story if the spotlight is shed on the social problem itself than the characters, but I feel like itās not a problem here as the characters still have meaningful development to keep them from being just observers reacting to a horrific crime.
For example, thereās the other good thing about this story, Carlie Cooper, whose return I much despised after Spider-Island. But for some reason, reading DeFalcoās take on Cooper and her detective work makes her grow on me! And looking back, I might have been too harsh on Cooper. As could be seen here, she can make an interesting supporting character as a significant ally of Peter whoās also part of the police, something we havenāt seen in a while (I donāt really count Watanabe since her role in Spideyās life has often been minor compared to Carlie and, of course, Jean DeWolff). I donāt know why itās taken me until now to really appreciate Carlieās CSI skills, but it might have something to do with how Carlieās always berating Peter about something, an annoyance thatās still visible in DeFalcoās story here, albeit in small doses.
Thereās one lapse in logic that feel more like a nitpick in the big picture, like how the immigrants managed to survive the fall within the cargo container when itās dropped from at least three stories high (a fall that destroyed the container, but leaving the immigrants intact). I usually donāt criticize too much on these points UNLESS the story is boring and unentertaining (like āNo Turning Backā that I reviewed recently). Here, DeFalcoās writing keeps me distracted enough that such trivial points barely bother me.
The second issue is also a little weaker, but it doesnāt ruin the story for me. What I donāt really like is how the story just ends without Spidey being involved in taking down the main villain. On the other hand, it feels appropriate. The entire story is meant to convey Carlieās frustrations about the limitations of the law and how complete monsters like Vorski gets away with manipulating the system to his will while innocents screwed over by the system (the immigrants) are punished, so itās only fitting here that the hero doesnāt get to catch the bad guy. And besides, Vorski does get his just desserts at the end, which is satisfying.
I love the analogy DeFalco use regarding monsters of the literal and figurative form, the Vulture and Spidey being the former, and Vorski the latter. Such strong parallels is yet another display of DeFalcoās writing, as heās always been able to ensure his stories embody specific themes throughout their entirety. This isnāt easy. Themes can be an effective way to send a meaningful message to your readers, but many writers I know (Slott included) are more interested in weaving multiple plot-threads for future stories than focus on a specific theme in the present one (which isnāt necessarily a bad thing, but can often dilute the impact of the writing). I particularly like how Spidey is a little more violent in this story, further conveying the theme of how Spidey has a little monstrous side to him. Now, Vorski is obviously the real monster here, but such parallels to show the length of which Spidey is willing to go to in pursuit of justice makes for a compelling read.
As a Spidey anniversary story, it does seem an odd choice to focus on such a heavy story, touching on a very significant subject that can distract the readers from Spider-Man himself. But I canāt say I hate it either, because this is a very good story nonetheless. Itās not often that Spider-Man stories tackle the human condition and the state of our society, but when it does, it feels very appropriate. Iāve often said that the defining trait of Spider-Man is that heās one of us, an average everyman. Itās only fitting that he fights the same social problems that we are troubled by in real life. I only wish more writers like Slott could learn from this.
Final Rating:
military sci-fi with a Gary Stu protagonist and Gary Stu weaponry. Think Starship Troopers but not as good. Half-price might give it a good home.
Iām currently reading āThe Outsider,ā the new one from Stephen King. Good so far, crazy plot twists!
within the last 3 weeksā¦more or lessā¦
American Exceptionalism! Huzzah!!
A good sci-fi novel from 1998, (20 years old, wow!). Still a good read, but now up in the resell queue.
Iām still reading āThe Outsider,ā the new one from Stephen King. Itās a good read folks, but very graphic so be forewarnedā¦
Recently finished:
Took a while to get in to, but it ended up being a pretty good story.
Recently finished āGone Girlā by Gillian Flynn. Lots of twists and turns with a really twisted ending.
Currently reading āCradle and Allā by James Patterson. Going through it pretty quickly and finding it very interesting.
all I get is a 404 error. japan, donāt you want bad press for your authors. Japan, why u so shady.
Word!
Sorry - I tried to re-post it, but it says it no long exists. Weird.