Comics Wrap Up - Little Gods and Political Problems

Two Marvel comics to include in my wrap-up this week - I picked up a load of comics cheap recently, and Vengeance (#4 of 6) was part of that haul. Despite the cover (which is all artistic-y - look at the artistic-y-ness!) this actually features young teen Loki, rather than his adult form. Kid Loki is freaking adorable. This is part of the Vengeance mini-series, which is about a young team of heroes, trying to help the forces of chaos and order to stay balanced, while a new team of young villains try to do away with the old heroes and villains alike. Because they are a**holes. I really enjoyed it. And the inclusion of a Latina bisexual hero - Miss America (America Chavez) and a black hero - Angel Salvadore - is an awesome addition. Not least because they are both awesome heroines in general. Could have done without some of the unrealistic and totally impractical shots of Chavez's boobs, but this is a comic book - multiple universes we can do, but the heroine at some point will probably have breasts that defy physics.

And so to that most ethnically diverse of superhero teams, and Uncanny X-men #388 (World's End Part 1 of 4.) This is a 2001 comic that's sort of reviewing old ground as far as plot is concerned. This is mainly concerned with Senator Robert Kelly, Mystique's plan to assassinate him (her second plan, they've done this cat-and-mouse game before,) and the ramifications for the future (the future-mutants Bishop and Cable are faffing around.) My advice to you with this one? Don't bother too much about the details. With so much time-travel and rebooting flying around, you're just going to get confused if you try to keep too hard a grip on the ins-and-outs. Just enjoy the ride my friends. Also, I don't know why Mystique seems to be on steroids on the cover - she just is. There are a few... larger-than-life depictions of pretty much everyone here - it seems to just have been the style they were going for. To be fair, it's pretty affective - the artwork in this issue is really awesome.

Reviewing the Evidence - Angelfall by Susan Ee

Title: Angelfall (US Link)
Author: Susan Ee
Genre: angel, paranormal, dystopian, YA
Series: Penryn and the End of Days (#1)

A few starting notes:


This is a young adult angel book that's also dystopian - I'm talking the apocalypse. Hold on tight, there are some things to say here.

Premise:

It's been six weeks since the angels returned to earth; the angels are not the friends of humanity. The angels are here to destroy everything.

Penryn Young is trying to help her family to safety. This is made more complicated when her sister, Paige, is kidnapped by angels. Penryn had to get her back. Add an injured angel to the mix, and you've got a whole lot of trouble.

Best bits:

This is original; the premise mixes the grit of dystopia with the otherworldly of angel books, creating something fresh. Written entirely in the present tense, the prose is sparse - something which I thoroughly applaud. Words are not wasted here, and I'm a big fan of short sentences with impact.

There is no insta-love - it's always awesome when relationships develop instead of erupt. In fact, despite the romantic subplot, I don't think the words 'I Love You' are ever spoken - another great point.

I'm also pleased that the author has attempted to add in some diversity of characters. True, I have some issues with the way both physical disability and mental illness are portrayed - which I'll discuss in the next section - but the very fact that Ms Ee has tried to include these characters in the book is a positive. I also love that the main character, Penryn, is a carer - complete with conflicting thoughts and self-sacrifice to a destructive level. Believe me when I say that there are not enough books that depict carers - let alone ones that paint a realistic picture. This does a half-decent job; and I know that Penryn's feelings and determination are very realistic for someone in her position.

Not so great bits:

I have some problems with the representation of physical disability and mental illness in this book. Paige, Penryn's little sister, is wheelchair bound; that is fine - what isn't fine is the pedestal Paige seems to inhabit. She's just not realistic; no seven year old girl is that saintly, serving only as an idealised damsel in distress for Penryn to rescue and feel responsible for. She needed to like, throw a tantrum, or laugh at the word 'booger,' or do something stupid for the hell of it. If someone is too good, they become unreal.

The portrayal of mental illness - Penryn's mother is a paranoid schizophrenic - is blunt at best. Penryn's mother is seen as little more than a liability - a potential danger to Penryn and Paige. She has very few moments of lucidity. Penryn (whose POV we are following here,) portrays her with a level of disdain that could do with some tempering. There just doesn't seem to be enough recognition of their mother as someone who has thoughts and feelings beyond the 'craziness' the plot calls for; and there's certainly not enough recognition that their mother is, in her own way, just as innocent as the saintly Paige.

This book gets gory. A lot. And a lot of people won't like that. There's also the aforementioned depictions of mental health. And there's a fair amount of stuff that wouldn't be out of place in a horror novel - including cannibalism. People of a religious persuasion may be offended by the part of the angels as cruel and arrogant creatures, many of whom have some pretty nasty things lurking in their pasts.

Verdict:

This is a page turner. There are some downsides, but over all this is fresh and thoroughly enjoyable.

Nerd Church! - Juno Dawson's Diversity List

Hey everyone! I'm probably, as you're reading this, off on nerd pilgrimage to my local comic-con, happily basking in my nerdiness.

So, instead of leaving you all high and dry, I thought I'd leave this link to a list of diverse YA fiction from the author Juno Dawson. Enjoy - and I hope you find something to add to your tbr list - I know I will. I first found this list through this post on Tumblr - which has a bunch of awesome cover pics all smushed together for the visuals to be all visually visual (I haven't even had coffee, what is wrong with me?)

Friday Fics Fix! (In Which the Blogger Regrets Her Life Choices)

I haven't found this post easy this week guys - honestly. It's just... the internet! All of the depravity! I'm seriously struggling to find a fic that I've read this week which I can share with you in good conscience.

I've seen some stuff man, oh God, have I seen some stuff.

So, while I try and deal with my extreme scarring at the metaphoric hands of the internet, I'll leave you with some Johnlock fluff (def: John and Sherlock romantic stuff that doesn't get sexy.)

The appropriately named Johnlock One shot by hallucilucifer is cute, short, and safe. As in, there aren't any scenes which will have you questioning what you're doing with your life.

Hopefully I'll have a bit more for you next week, but I've fallen into a deep dark den of disturbing fics with nary a rope in sight to pull me out (and I just used the word 'nary,' I think I need help.) If you have any suggestions I'd be happy to hear them - particularly if they restore my faith in humanity. I've spent too much time on ao3.

(Fangirling note: the two main fanfiction sites (excluding Tumblr) are Fanfiction.net and An Archive of Our Own (or ao3) - Fanfiction.net likes to pretend it's civilised: fur-coat, no-knickers, style. Whereas ao3... ao3 has no shame. Nobody ever pushes the 'Go back' button. Save our souls.)

Comics Wrap-Up - Disorientation and Vampires

Spring 1: Born Again, is another of the Double Take comics that I've been working my way through. I have to say, unfortunately, I wasn't impressed with this one. Apart from the unnecessary naked girl on the cover (which, let's face it, happens in comics from time to time,) and some of the (ahem) artwork that is most definitely not appropriate for younger audiences, I didn't actually have a clue what was going on. This may just have been me being a bit dull. But I have no clue what this was about - something to do with water? I was even confused about whether this was supposed to be one time period or two - there was 1960s stuff going on, and then what seemed to be modern stuff (though I'm not sure,) and I just got really disorientated with the whole thing (sigh.) Maybe I'll try reading it again some time - with more coffee in me - to see if it makes sense then.

The other comic-reading I've done this week is of the vampire variety - Halloween is coming up after all. I read Dark Horse Does Vampires Right - this is a sampler of vampire stories from Dark Horse - one of the larger non-Marvel, non-DC, publishers. Dark Horse's stable (ha, unintended horse pun,) tends to be quirky and/or slightly gothic. Vampires are one of their mainstays because of their rights to various Buffy the Vampire Slayer titles, which continue on past the show's seasons. Half of this collection of six tales involve titles from the Buffy pantheon - and I have to say, the Spike story bl***y rocked! I also love that the big, cataclysmic event, which changed everything in the Buffy universe was named 'Twilight,' somebody knew what it was they did - and is probably still chuckling to themselves to this day. The Strain and Baltimore stories were pretty cool - if a little creepy/bloody for some tastes. I like the art for the House of Night story - a comic adaptation of the House of Night YA novel series by P.C. and Kristin Cast. I've noticed a lot of YA gets adapted to comic/graphic novel form these days - which is pretty cool in my ever-so humble nerd-girl opinion. So, yeh, if you want a taste of Dark Horse's vampire titles, I do recommend this sampler - though it's perhaps a little mature for some readers.

Nerd Church! - 5 Bookish Ways to Chase Happiness

Ah happiness, that wriggly little sh** that no-one can ever seem to pin down for very long. What better way to spend this week's Nerd Church than to share a few of my bookish tips for chasing down the little b*****d when it's got away from you (I have a lot of practice at this - depression is the clingy b**ch that scares happiness away every time you tempt it back.) So, with that string of possibly unnecessary, and partially censored, swearing over with...

1. Creative books

Adult colouring has recently become a big thing. And then there are the creative books which I personally prefer - the books like Wreck This Journal which provide a place to just be creative, have fun, and maybe destroy some stuff. What both adult colouring and the other creative stuff have in common is the ability to allow us to work some stuff out - while we don't even realise it. Creative therapy is used a lot to treat kids with mental health problems, and/or who have suffered trauma, why not for adults too? Sometimes we can put stuff on paper that we can't say out loud.

There are some other creative-type books you could try too: an old-fashioned sketchbook, notebook, or journal, to just shove whatever ever is in you out onto a page; sticker books (if adults can colour then goddamn it, I don't see why there shouldn't also be stickers involved;) or activity books for kids. Don't let the target age fool you when it comes to kids activity books, I have an Avengers activity book that I absolutely adore (actually it's a design, inspire, create sketchbook - or something similar - apparently.) There's no shame in expressing yourselves guys, just let it happen. And have fun!

2. Read what you love

Never be afraid to read what you love. If your little heart desires chick-lit (or, as I call it, ditzy books,) then read them. If you're a sci-fi fan, a comic book nerd (guilty as charged!) a fan of literary fiction, or YA, or whatever - just read it.

There is no shame in reading whatever you like - whether that's the infamous 50 Shades of Grey, the equally infamous Twilight, or a biology textbook detailing the breakdown of enzymes in the gut (check me out with my A in GCSE Biology - I still remember the big words and everything,) if you enjoy it, and it's going to help you chase that little sh** happiness down and trap it, then read it.

You might find that reading about the stuff characters are dealing with helps you with your own problems, or helps you to forget your own problems, or just plain entertains you. It's all good, lovely people, it's all good.

3. Libraries and book-shops

For the truly bookish, there is nothing quite so calming/exciting as a walk through a book shop or library. I recommend the library if you're skint, like me. Just stroll along the aisles and look at all the pretty covers - hello pretty covers! Hello worlds within pages! See? Don't you feel better already? Maybe pick up a few, maybe sit down and bask a bit if there's enough comfortable seating. And the world is just that little bit lighter.

4. Get visual

The human brain is a weird and wonderful thing - and it responds remarkably to visual stimulus (i.e. pictures,) so go get some pretty stuff to look at! Obviously, the brighter the better, but if you feel like looking at some dark and broody stuff, then that's good too - just watch that it doesn't make you feel worse.

'But how is this bookish?' I imagine you crying. Well, that's because the best place to get hold of images is accompanied by some form of text ;) - I'm talking magazines, graphic novels, comic books. And there are so many subjects covered by these things that you're bound to find something that interests you. Just the act of flicking through a magazine gives you a little bit of the 'me-time,' that you most definitely deserve.

5. Fangirl/boy it up

Obsession, where would we be without you? But if you join the fandom of your favourite book (or film or whatever) then you can find yourself a little slice of giddy happiness (along with so many tears and feelings - please fangirl or fanboy responsibly, and try not to get yourself slapped with a restraining order.)

Yes, the world of Gifs, memes, fanart, fan comics, and fan fiction awaits you - along with merchandise and cyber-stalking. It's the chance we've all been waiting for - to be part of an equally obsessed online community who are just as twisted and weird as we are. Plus, you can help weave the strands of modern mythology together by reading and writing fanfiction - maybe even about problems you can relate too. If you need recs for fanfiction, feel free to prance over my Friday Fics Fix series (I'll tag this post,) and yes, I used the word prance. And I regret nothing.

Reviewing the Evidence Again! - The Book of Madness and Cures by Regina O'Melveny

Title: The Book of Madness and Cures (US Link)
Author: Regina O'Melveny
Genre: Historical fiction

A few starting notes:

This was a random pick-up from last library haul. I had absolutely no idea what it'd be like, but the cover was pretty cool, and it caught my eye.

Premise:

Gabriella Mondini is a female doctor in sixteenth century Venice. Life is never going to be easy for her.

Her father has been away for many, many, years, working on gathering information for his Book of Diseases - the work which will be his masterpiece. Ten years he has been gone; but his last letter worries Gabi, and she embarks on a journey to bring him home.

Best bits:

The prose has moments of true eloquence - a by-product, probably, of the author's background as a poet. Certainly, the imagery is truly beautiful - particularly the evocations of the hot and dusty Arabian desert. The enthusiasm of the author also seeps its way through the writing - it's always nice when the writer has a true passion to share in their work.

Fans of historical fiction will doubtless revel in the setting, which takes in much of the sixteenth century world as Gabriella travels through Europe and Arabia in search of her father.

Strangely, the strongest character is that of Gabriella's father - who, truly, we only see through letters and remembrances, rumours, and half-glimpses. Yet the character is so strong that you feel him, permeating through the pages.

Not so great bits:

The plot seemed to lack just a bit of direction - meandering with Gabriella, who seems equally lost - and that is just a tad annoying.

There's also a fair few distressing scenes here - not least that involving dissection. There's also a lot to do with mental health here - and most of it not positive. Chaining up of the 'mad' was not uncommon throughout history, and some readers may find it difficult to stomach.

Verdict:

A very readable book with some great prose and some interesting ideas. If you enjoy this and/or you're interested in reading about historical Venice (and have the stomach for it) I do recommend The Book of Human Skin by Michelle Lovric.