This is a classic book on which opinions have already been formed. The moments that are slow are almost slow enough to set the book down permanently, saved by the knowledge that in a few pages you’ll get back to the story proper. But that proper story is such an awesome trip that’s it’s worth those stops.
Monthly Archives: May 2012
District B13 ••• [three out of five]
People jump around and on things, and it is not unexciting.
Gotham Central (series) – Greg Rucka and Ed Brubaker ♦♦♦♦ [four out of five]
Gotham Central – a police procedural with a great huge cast and a background of superheroes, giving us, as human readers, a place in the big world of Superman and Batman. It stumbled to find its direction at first but would have a good solid 30 issues of amazing crime / noir with a great twist of the fantastic.
Sometimes my sentences stumble for direction at first, before a good solid ellipses…
The Accidental Spy •• [two out of five]
Attempting to straddle many aspects of film in one is not new to Chan’s film history, but here all those aspects – drama, comedy, romance, martial arts, action – don’t hit any real high notes, keeping it a mixed-up, mundane affair.
Batman: Fortunate Son – Gerard Jones ♦♦ [two out of five]
Old folks who don’t read comics might find it interesting.
The Cabin in the Woods: The Official Visual Companion ♦♦♦ [three out of five]
Well, you watched the film. Let’s say that you enjoyed it. Then you’re probably looking forward to watching it again, to reap the rewards of repeated, detail-soaked viewings. To your rescue, then, in the limbo before a blu ray, is the Cabin in the Woods Visual Companion, an over-sized collection of production photos, interviews, and the screenplay. Is it worth the price of admission? Well, I read it cover to cover, including the screenplay. It slaked my thirst. Will it remain on my shelf once I have a physical copy of the movie? Probably not.
Avengers •••• [four out of five]
But Avengers is such an awesome triumph of intent and is so impressively balanced with its big screen personas that it deserves some extra notice. It helps that it’s also a pretty fun movie.
Dark Shadows •• [two out of five]
Dark Shadows plays like a less clever older brother, thematically, to Edward Scissorhands. You can feel Burton reconnecting with something in select moments of the movie, especially the intro, but the lack of definition to what follows drags the film down into industry-line fare, well made and well acted but not much more than a temporary distraction.
Spider (short) •••• [four out of five]
“Spider” packs a perfect punch to make you eager for more.
Countdown Special: The Atom – Gerry Conway ♦♦♦ [three out of five]
If you’re not used to the self-narrative-thought-bubble style of 60s and 70s comics, you won’t enjoy these wacky sci-fi tales, but they are a surprisingly timely find and show off Conway’s ability to straddle the dialogue line between cheeky and serious.
vaguely-offensive 