Currently I am kicking some titles around. B is for Movie, Be is for Exile (to continue using the letter E-never underestimate the power of alliteration) or B is for Attitude. It might change a few times like Enchilada did, before I struck comic gold.
I'm giddy!
Let me start off by saying that I am totally unfamiliar with the Kickstarter program, but it appears to be a way of funding new, up and coming comic books that are just outside the mainstream. If that’s the case, you know I’m a big fan. I like to see the little guy get a chance to get his work out there, and Joe Martino is doing just that. He sent out a tweet asking for potential reviewers and that’s how we got connected. Pretty cool.
The Mighty Titan is a caped super hero living in the Chicago area, which is a nice change of pace, considering nearly every costumed hero seems to operate in New York. I bet it’s a little crowded there, and tough to find work. Mark Williams is looking for a job, so perhaps that is why he headed to the windy city. It hasn’t helped yet, though as Mark is still struggling to find gainful employment, a very relatable theme in today’s economy.
This issue is a good introduction to our hero and some of his supporting cast, including the diabolical Trenchmouth. He’s a pretty twisted villain, and it will be interesting to see what evil he has in store for Titan.
The art in this issue is far better than I expected it to be. I’ve reviewed a few other “underground” comics and a few of them have had art that was so bad, I simply avoided mentioning it in my review. Mama always said, “If you don’t have anything nice to say…” I was glad to see so many panels lead into each other, which is a rather advanced method of story-telling. It’s good when the reader can follow the art, and the layouts here were very clear.
If you haven’t been able to check this book out, give it a shot. I am expecting some good things. The fact that the story is semi-autobiographical leads me to believe that there will be some gripping drama as the art imitates life. I look forward to the rest of the journey.
I try to keep track of all of the books I read in a calendar year for several reasons. One is to simply hold myself accountable. I want to push myself a little to make sure I’m reading as much as I believe that I should be. Also, I try to make it a habit to read “scholarly” works in addition to the pabulum. I’m not disparaging novels and other types of fiction, and I’m a big fan of using them as a way to decompress, as you can see by perusing my list, I just want to make sure that I’m challenging myself as well as taking a little jaunt through the woods so to speak. I also try to read a few of the “classics” each year, especially those that eluded me during my high schools years which is another way of saying that I was supposed to read them, but adamantly refused.
I try to write up a blog post celebrating my herculean efforts. I attempt to do this at the beginning of each year. It is now May, and I figured, the time is ripe. The time is well-nigh fermented, truth be told, but let’s not have any more whine, let’s simply get on with it.
The first book I read in 2012 was from the Dune series. I started it in December, 2011 and I had honestly grown a bit tired of the series but wanted to continue making headway. I’ve decided to give Herbert a little rest. I might return to the series at some point, but for now, I’m pretty sure that all the novels I have not yet read consist of Duncan Idaho and the Baron resurrecting and a mysterious stranger returning (it’s always Paul) and so on, and so forth. It’s a bit tiresome and predictable, which is fine, except the books are so long, I just can’t see the point in continuing.
1. House Atreides – Frank Herbert
2. Fugitive Pigeon – Donald Westlake
3. The Tale of Despereux – Kate DiCammillo
4. The Reluctant Dragon – Kenneth Grahame
5. Ender’s Game – Orson Scott Card
6. Ender’s Shadow – Orson Scott Card
7. Speaker For the Dead - Orson Scott Card
8. Seventh Son - Orson Scott Card
9. Red Prophet - Orson Scott Card
10. Prentice Alvin - Orson Scott Card
11. Memory of Earth - Orson Scott Card
12. The Rise of David Levinsky – Abraham Cahan
13. Uncle Tom’s Cabin – Harriet Beecher Stowe
14. Lunatics – Dave Barry
15. Tom Sawyer – Mark Twain
16. Never Have Your Dog Stuffed – Alan Alda
17. Air – Wilson/Parker
18. Super Team – Bill Willingham
19. Wishful Drinking – Carrie Fisher
20. The Dark Knight – Frank Miller
21. The Great Gatsby – F. Scott Fitzgerald
22. Plague Ship – Clive Cussler
23. The Chosen – Chaim Potok
24. Fables in Exile – Bill Willingham
25. Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man – James Joyce
26. No Longer a Slumdog – K.P. Yohannon
27. Whitttington – Alan Armstrong
And that’s it. A fairly paltry list. The previous year I read 68 books PLUS several books of the Bible. Of course, I was unemployed for several months that year.
So here’s the breakdown:
Of the 27 books
3 Young Adult
4 Graphic Novels
1 Biography
4 would fall into the Classics category
1 book on building a better marriage (whoops! My goal is always 12-one a month)
2 Jewish Lit books
7, yes 7 novels by Orson Scott Card. Ender’s Game was recommended to me, and then I went on a tear. I really enjoyed his writing.
My favorite book for 2012 was The Chosen, by Chaiam Potok. You need to read this book. It was great. It was filled with drama, intrigue and some humor. It made me cry, and I don’t usually cry when I read a book, unless it’s a really gripping Batman story…This was a tale of a boy and his father, a young man and his friend and another boy and his relationship with his father. I love stories about relationships and how they work, or how they don’t work. Great, great book, which I cannot recommend highly enough. Unless you’re a dunce, in which case, you might not like it.
My least favorite read: James Joyce. Oh boy. This is a supposed classic, but it was just awful. I don’t even know what it was really about. It seemed like the kid was delirious and suffering from visions caused by a high fever. Honestly, I couldn’t even bring myself to finish it, but I am finished with it, so it’s included on my list. I started seven other books after it, and I completed each of them before I gave this one up for good. It was terrible. This is said to be Joyce’s “most accessible” work, so I don’t guess I’ll be reading Ulysses. Two thumbs waaaaay down. Boo. Hiss.
I mentioned already that it’s May and I’ve read 19 books so far this year, so I’m guessing I’ll beat last years 27. Still, 27 is more than one book every other week, so it’s not horrible. I also read and reread my blog several times so that should count for something!
My favorite read this year is certainly A is for Enchilada, so be sure to check it out and better Blogs near you!
