Eeek! Review
Originally posted on 02/22/2011 on cxPulp.com. Read and comment on this review here!
Reviewer: Craig Reade
Quick Rating: Pure retro fun
Jason Paulos makes you go Eeek!
By: Jason Paulos
With contributions From: Darren White and Bodine Amerikah
Cover By: Aly Fell
Editor: Elizabeth J. Musgrave
Publisher: Frank Forte, Asylum Press
ISBN: 1617240109
EeekComic.com
Modern comics are almost certainly dominated by the superhero genre – but over the last decade or so, different genres have had little flashes of resurgence. Even still, the classic genre styles remain as lost in comics as they have in other mediums. Just as Science Fiction has morphed into a style that is more legitimate (but less fun), horror seems to have evolved into one of two things – serious psychological thrillers or gore, gore, gore.
Eeek! is an anthology of a different sort. Rather than put out a bland collection of today’s generic variety of horror, Paulos demonstrated what is old can be new again, and had fun. Eeek! features a collection of classic-style horror shorts, the kinds of things you would read in comics prior to the infamous Senate Subcommittee on Juvenile Delinquency. And these stories are dead ringers for those classic tales. They have everything – eerie narrators introducing you to the delightful fright to come – ghouls, ghosts, zombies, vampires – disembodied heads and beautiful, busty women who you just know are going to be stalked, kidnapped, chased, dismembered, or will ultimately be the monster themselves. And to boot – they are funny. Some punch lines are more morbid than others, but there is almost always some kind of dreary twist that is going to make you chuckle.
The art is something else. Paulos draws each story in one classic style or another, but with the added perk of having modern printing techniques and high quality paper stock. The introduction by Bruce Jones points out Paulos’ incredible range, and I am happy to report that it is indeed remarkable. Each story looks completely different from the next, but equally competent to the point where you could almost swear they were drawn by different artists. This is some real quality work.
Speaking of quality work, I have to mention the cover – it is painted by a young artist from the United Kingdom named Aly Fell. This cover I thought was interesting, but nothing overly spectacular. However, when I was looking at the cover and sketch gallery at the back of this book, a couple of them caught my eye. They were brilliant – stunning even. And all painted by Aly Fell. Do yourself a favor – stick his name in a Google search and look at the images that come up. I don’t know what kind of training he has had, but it looks like he has had some. His work makes the work of those popular but mediocre pin-up cover artists we see at Marvel and DC these days look absolutely amateur.
I have to say I was surprised by Eeek!. I had an absolute blast reading it, and for the first time in a while I was able to sit back and enjoy reading something without the faults lining up and begging for my attention. If this is the new face of modern horror books, sign me up for a subscription. This was a fabulous read.
And yes, for those who are familiar with my review style, those are 5 star ratings below. I enjoyed this book that much.
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The Lost Gate Review
Originally posted 02/18/2011 on cxPulp.com. Read and comment on this review here!
Reviewer: Craig Reade
Quick Rating: A mix of classic Card and modern Card
Danny North discovers his great power – and must survive long enough to learn to use it.
Author: Orson Scott Card
Publication Date: January 4th, 2011
Pages: 384
ISBN: 0765326574
Publisher: Tor Books
In this latest effort by Orson Scott Card we are introduced to a young man named Danny – a member of the magical “Great Families.” In this universe, the old gods of Earth were actually mages from the world of the Mithermages – Westil. While there was once a Great Gate that connected Westil to Mittlegard (Earth), these mages are now trapped on Earth. The Great Gate (along with every other gate) was swallowed up by the trickster God Loki, who was actually a powerful gatemage. Loki’s motivations are uncertain, but his actions lead all of the magical families throughout the world to decree that any gatemage should be put to death immediately. Danny, we discover, is one of these gatemages, and the discovery of his abilities forces him to flee into the modern world where he must learn to use his powers on his own while running for his life.
Card has kind of returned to his roots here – and that is a welcome thing. So many of his great stories have involved young protagonists. Whether is is the Ender Saga, the Tales of Alvin Maker, the Homecoming saga – or even one-offs like Wyrms or Songmaster, his best, most captivating protagonists are intelligent and capable young men (or women) who have responsibility beyond their years thrust upon them. I am not saying that I haven’t enjoyed other Card works, but for some reason when one of his stories is told through the eyes of an intelligent child, it is that much more endearing.
In The Lost Gate, Card has developed a very intricate magical system – as evidenced by the decades he has worked on this concept. There are mages of all varieties and power-levels, and as you might expect – political power in the magical world is often tied to the power and practicality of your magic. Through most of his life, Danny was considered the lowest of the low: a drekka – of a magic heritage, with no powers at all. Danny’s an intelligent boy who excels at school, but not much else. Unbeknownst to him, he starts showing signs common to all gatemages, including an affinity for languages and a mischievous “trickster” character. Some members of his family try to conceal this talent, in the hopes that he can live long enough to gain enough power to survive his certain death sentence and to lead their family to dominance against the rest of the world. A visit from a Greek inspection delegation forces Danny into the open – where he has to flee to the world of the drowthers. Drowthers, of course, are the normal humans of this world. Our stories of the mages take the form of myths. All of the ancient pantheons are actually families of gods who interacted with the world.
In his journey, he stumbles upon a group of exiled mages calling themselves Orphans. Outcast, they band together in an effort to protect themselves, and hopefully to discover a gatemage powerful enough to open a new Great Gate to take them back to Westil (their homeworld) and to survive the inevitable attack of the Gate Thief. It turns out Danny is far from the first gatemage to survive since Loki closed the gate, but each one who grew powerful enough to attempt the feat fell prey to the gate thief, who swallowed up most of their power and magical selves, leaving them a shell.
A side plot of this book follows another young man – he is eventually named Wad, and he quickly becomes a servant in a royal house on Westil. His story involves a bit of castle intrigue: he gets thrust in the middle of a political struggle between the supporters of the King and the Queen herself – a foreign noble from a family that recently defeated the King’s family in a war. Like Danny, he displays signs of being a gatemage himself, and his power takes a central role in the court intrigue.
The Lost Gate is a mixed bag. Ultimately Card is an extremely skilled writer, so the story is absolutely enjoyable not matter how you look at it. But comparing this book with some of the other great series starts, it kind of pales in comparison. Danny’s story lacked some of the punch it could have. Once he is thrust into the drowther world, you are told that he is going to be in danger and constantly on the run – but that never really materializes. The reader is reminded of that frequently – but the only time he is ever actively pursued is during the climax. In this confusing scene, he is attacked by his family, who are at the same time rejoicing in his power and asking him to return to restore their power in the world.
As his story progresses, Danny gathers his own little family – and it really felt like the time spent on these characters was wasted. For the most part, these characters are redundant and shallow, and the story could have accomplished what it did using Stone and Hermia alone, leaving a lot more time to really explore the danger Danny was supposed to be in.
Wad’s story, though secondary, was far more captivating. Each character in that story had a purpose – and none of the narrative seemed wasted on him. Though you guess early his true purpose in the story, watching him get to that point was interesting. Of course, his story join’s Danny’s before long, but that confluence was too abrupt and forced. His story abruptly shifts somewhat unresolved (or sloppily resolved), and his story assumes the same half-finished feel that Danny’s had during the entire narrative.
Card describes a bit of the process of creating this novel in an Afterword. He explains that the idea of the universe was first born way back in 1977. As the universe evolves, he collaborates with another writer named Jay A. Parry, with whom he developed the guts of the story that provides the framework for Wad’s tale in The Lost Gate. He further develops the mithermage universe in a novella called Stonefather – which ultimately leads us to The Lost Gate.
Card describes the process of writing The Lost Gate, and talks about how the moment Danny escaped the family compound early in the story, the book “hummed right along to the end.” Strangely enough, this is the exact moment where Danny’s story goes from interesting to phoned in. Card talks about how he struggled to finish the book on airplanes, during writing workshops, and during conventions all to meet a deadline. Sadly, this fact becomes obvious as you read the story.
The elements of this book that Card worked decades on are up to his usual standard. The universe he created is complex and compelling. Wad’s story – largely laid out decades before – hooks the reader in Card’s usual way. But Danny’s exile – the part of the book that is most contemporary – Card seems to spend more time working on a way to include a character named after a friend of his (Victoria Von Roth) than he does providing real depth to the characters he created. By his own admission in the afterword, he was more concerned with completing the book by a deadline, on the road and with distractions, rather than spending the time and effort to craft a complex and compelling story. In a strange way, this novel illustrates the differences between the Card of old and as he is today – it has been some time since I was truly satisfied with a Card novel, and his depiction in the afterword of The Lost Gate clearly explains why. Once upon a time, he was meticulous in his efforts to craft a story – today, he just bangs them out on airplanes to meet a deadline and cash a check. Card is an incredible talent, and even phoning it in he creates something readable and interesting, but I think he did a disservice to this universe he created so many decades ago by just slapping together such a large portion of this book. You can clearly see which parts of this story he worked decades on, and which parts he threw together at the end, and that juxtaposition combined with Card’s afterword really answered a lot of questions I had about his work in recent years.
This book is enjoyable. As I said before – though it is painfully obvious that Card didn’t spend the effort finishing this book that he could have, even his half-efforts produce something worth reading. This looks like it is going to be the start of a series, and I can say that I will probably pick up the second installment when it eventually comes out. Recommended.
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America by Heart: Reflections on Family, Faith, and Flag Review
Originally Published on 02/13/2011 on cxPulp.com. Read and comment on this article here!
Reviewer: Craig Reade
Quick Rating: Short and eloquent, but lacks punch.
Sarah Palin explains her concept of Commonsense Constitutional Conservatism and her love of country.
Author: Sarah Palin
Publication Date: November 23rd, 2010
Pages: 304
ISBN: 0062010964
Publisher: Harper
If you read Sarah Palin’s last book – Going Rogue, you will notice right off the bat that this book has a slightly different focus. Going Rogue was more of a memoir – outlining her life and experiences – everything that lead up to and culminated in the 2008 campaign with Senator John McCain. America by Heart, on the other hand, shifts focus and talks more about political philosophy.
In my experience, there are three basic approaches to political philosophy books. There is the “low politics” of Ann Coulter and Al Franken – with books like How To Talk to A Liberal (If You Must) and Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them. This sort of political commentary is largely based on negativity directed at political opponents. These books are rarely factual, and generally appeal to the lowest common denominator. Like sleazy porn, they simply go for the cheap appeal by painting the opposition in the worst possible light, with little regard for accuracy and the truth. Thankfully, America by Heart does not fall into this category.
The second kind is political philosophy from the perspective of the intellectual – the Constitutional scholar attempting to prove that the Founding Fathers had a certain system in mind, and in a scholarly manner explore our current system, explain how we got from there to here (citing legislation and court cases), and fundamentally break down where we are and where we are going. This is the kind of thing you see in Mark Levin’s Liberty and Tyranny: A Conservative Manifesto. America by Heart doesn’t fall into this category either.
Sarah Palin’s latest book falls into the third category – political philosophy on a basic, big-picture basis. America by Heart sets out to explain Palin’s core political ideology. On that note, it does a tremendous job. Palin clearly articulates the core values that has made her such a hit with the Tea Party movement, and effectively describes what motivates that part of the population.
I’ve read some pretty nasty reviews of this book – almost all of them were pretty well word-for-word repeats of the hideous and vacuous criticism she has received since she came on the national stage. Very few of them talked at all about what she had to say, and simply bashed her for “name-dropping Reagan” or worse still – slamming her for using a ghostwriter. I have no idea if there was a ghostwriter on this or not – but there probably was. The most interesting thing about that criticism is that it is so obviously politically motivated that those reviewers should be completely and totally discredited. Politicians using ghostwriters is hardly a new thing. Both Clintons were famous for using ghostwriters – as was our current President Barack Obama, who used a ghostwriter for both of his memoirs. Even Conservative godfather Barry Goldwater used a ghostwriter on his famed Conscience of a Conservative. It would not surprise me in the least if Sarah Palin used a ghostwriter for this book – it’s so common in politics that it should surprise no one. I just find it laughable that the same critics who lavished praise on Dreams From My Father would have the temerity to criticize Palin for using a ghostwriter.
Is it wrong to use a ghostwriter? From my perspective, not really. Not for something like this anyway. Presidents and other politicians have been using paid speechwriters for decades – this isn’t any different from that. The thing about a ghostwritten book like this is: I have never seen a politician have their work received poorly, and then publically blame the ghostwriter. No matter how much of the book the ghostwriter is responsible for, the person whose name is on the cover had better have been extremely specific about what the book contains, how it is said, and ultimately should know the work inside out before it hits the stands, because good or bad, they are ultimately responsible for its contents.
The approach to this book was pretty straightforward – in each chapter, Palin seeks to not only explain her political philosophy, but also explain how love of country is at the heart of what she believes to be right. She covers the gamut – everything from the Constitution to why she supports the military, and the importance of family and faith in the health of our country.
One chapter stands out in the book as the most poignant – her ideas of the role of women in the Tea Party movement, and her general impressions of feminism. It might be a surprise to “traditional” feminists – but she definitely considers herself a feminist, despite the odd idea that has cropped up in the last couple decades that you can’t be a feminist if you don’t agree with abortion or don’t consider yourself a liberal. This is a topic she is uniquely qualified to comment on, and I found this chapter to be the most interesting in the entire book.
Another thing I liked was her approach to faith. She did one thing in this book that a lot of conservative commentator seem to get wrong. She does spend some time talking about the ongoing freedom of/from religion debate, and repeats the oft quoted comments from the Founding Fathers that faith is an integral part of the success of this nation – but she takes the extra step of explaining why. The morality of faith is the reason for this position, and she acknowledges that it isn’t religion that is a requirement – it is a fundamental morality an individual can have without the trappings of religion. On this point she hit the nail on the head – and makes a point that those of us who have been screaming about the dominance of the Christian Right in the GOP have been trying to make for years.
There are a lot of quotes in this book – a lot. This was expected: it was part of the marketing of this book, and she uses most of the quotes to effectively explain her political position. And she quotes everyone – from Harriet Tubman and Martin Luther King Jr. to Abraham Lincoln and Ronald Reagan. She even quotes a range of unexpected individuals, from Dash (The Incredibles) to Calvin Coolidge. She goes a little overboard with the quoting, but in some respects it works for this book. To often these days, people have no idea what some of these historical figures (Dash being the exception) actually said, and hearing a position explained in a historical perspective can be valuable.
Unfortunately, America by Heart preaches to the choir. If you already agree with Palin, you are going to enjoy this book. If you are curious about what she believes, you will find it informative. But as far as making a case for an ideology, it utterly fails. She comes close a few times – but rarely does she ever step beyond “This is what I believe and here is a quote by a historical figure that makes this point.” The book is largely positive though – and while she invokes President Obama many times, it is never will malicious intent. She just didn’t go far enough in making her case. She explains it – but doesn’t give much incentive for you to change your mind and agree with her.
Rather than parroting the extremist stance that the Democrats “hate America and are trying to destroy it,” she starts with the more likely idea that they do love this country, but have a different vision for it. She expresses a love of American Exceptionalism, but rightly points out that those on the left don’t deny it because they hate the country – rather, they feel that this position is jingoistic and believe we should be more outwardly focused. Naturally she disagrees with this position, but she paints the opposition correctly – which was kind of refreshing in this political environment. She also talks about the Republican establishment in a way that made her something of a party-hero well before she came to the national stage. She challenges the Republican establishment, and rightly points out that while the Democrat Party is moving towards socialism at 100 miles per hour, the Republican party is going the same direction, only slower. She spends time on the idea that both parties are virtually the same, and does talk about how the current Democrat party has morphed over the last several decades from the philosophies of the great Democrat Presidents Roosevelt and Kennedy.
I have to seriously gripe about the length of this book. Short books are fine – and this really didn’t need to be much longer to accomplish what she was going for. The trouble is, the publisher packaged this thing greedily. It’s barely 5.5” by 8.5” – a small hardcover by any standard, with only 304 pages (which includes an introduction, afterwards, and acknowledgements). Each page has ridiculously huge margins and line spacing, and the indentation is even bigger for the many quotes. All this for a $25.99 cover price. Bottom line – this book is a rip-off for the price.
If you are on the fence about Sarah Palin (though who really is), this might help you understand her a little better. I strongly recommend this book to anyone with an open mind who honestly wants to know what those in the “Tea Party” believe – instead of insisting that they are a bunch of redneck racist extremists, and stopping there. If you are looking to be convinced – this isn’t going to do the job. She explains the positions extremely well, but she doesn’t do such a good job championing them. Either way, this is an extremely easy read – it uses common language and was short enough that I could read it in a single sitting, so it isn’t a huge time investment. I admit that this is something few beyond her supporters will appreciate and enjoy. You know which camp you belong to – so that should pretty well determine whether or not you will enjoy this book.
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Wolverine #5.1 Review
Originally published on 02/11/2011 by cxPulp.com. Read and comment on this article here!
Reviewer: Craig Reade
Quick Rating: Well written and fun.
It’s Logan’s birthday! But will he make it home in time for the surprise party?
Written by: Jason Aaron
Art by: Jefte Palo
Color by: Nathan Fairbairn
Letters by: Cory Petit
Cover by: Paolo Rivera
Editor: Jeanine Schaefer
Publisher: Marvel Comics
In this issue, Wolverine is on his way home to what he thinks will be a quiet evening with his girlfriend Melita. She’s done some digging, and after hearing him mutter something about his real name in his sleep, discovers his birth record and decided to throw him a birthday party. A ton of Avengers and X-Men are in attendance (save Spider-Man, who is seen wondering alone down the halls of the Avengers Mansion), all waiting for the arrival of the guest of honor. However, as so often happens, Wolverine is sidetracked by a pool of blood and some tracks leading into the forest.
The art in this issue is an absolute turn-off. Granted – the layout is outstanding, and there is little doubt that Palo can set a scene. But his characters, good lord – they are horrible. If you were to break his work down, overall it is strong – but since the characters themselves are the focus of the reader, ugly characters turn the reader off before they can see the outstanding detail in the background.
The story is outstanding. Yes it was silly, and some of the party stuff was contrived. But it was fun – and that is what counts. You get your money’s worth in this issue – a strong, single-issue story that is entertaining through and through. As a Marvel.1 story though… I am not sure it completely does the job for the concept. Yes, it is a strong single-issue story that does give you all the information about Wolverine you will ever need (though does Wolverine really need that kind of introduction?). However, this series isn’t even in double-digits yet. Do you really need a “key-issue, jumping on point” when the regular issue #1 was just a couple months ago? Having read a couple of these Marvel.1 books, I am getting the feeling that the “get the reader excited about the upcoming arc” bit isn’t really accurate, since once again I have no idea what is to come in this book.
Still – the concept has produced entertaining single issue reads, and this issue is no exception. If you haven’t followed Wolverine in a while, this is a great issue to pick up. It is an outstanding read with no strings attached.
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Red Robin #20 Review
Originally published on 02/10/2011 by cxPulp.com. Read and comment on this article here!
Reviewer: Craig Reade
Quick Rating: Makes me think it might be time to look at Teen Titans again.
Red Robin looks for help going after The Calculator
Written by: Fabian Nicieza
Pencils by: Marcus To
Color by: Guy Major
Ink by: Ray McCarthy
Letters by: Sal Cipriano
Cover by: Marcus To, Ray McCarthy, and Brian Buccellato
Editor: Rachel Gluckstern & Sean Ryan
Publisher: DC Comics
This issue begins the two-part crossover with Teen Titans, which will conclude in Teen Titans #92 next month. I personally think this crossover was a great idea. A lot of readers groan about things like this – especially since there hasn’t been a time period where there wasn’t some major event (or build-up to a major event) going on since before Infinite Crisis. Little self-contained crossovers like this one occasionally give you a glipse of another similar book, and in this case it’s appropriate.
Tim’s still working to keep the Unternet down, but that puts him face to face with Catman, who has been hired by Mikalek to help him regain access. Tim confronts Catman, and manages to delay his escape. Catman then uses Tam Fox’s cell phone to breach The Calculator’s security, painting a target on her that forces Tim to go defend her and allowing Catman to escape. Tam’s dorm is destroyed (she wasn’t there) by a Calculator android – a clue that leads Tim to what he believes is a hub of The Calculator’s activities and a perfect place to strike. He can’t do it alone though, so he calls in the Teen Titans to help.
I used to read Teen Titans religiously some time ago, sadly the book has been going through a rough time and I dropped it. A few times I tried it again, and each time it was worse than before. I’ve heard some good things about the new team – but despite that, I never felt compelled to pick the book up again. This crossover gives me an excuse to do so – and this issue makes me optimistic about what I will find when I finally try it out in two weeks.
Nicieza’s work is strong, as always. He get’s Tim Drake, and he definitely gets the Teen Titans that Tim used to mesh so well with. The story seemed a little rocky at the beginning, but the meat of it came fast and everything smoothed out… a little lag in changing gears, nothing more. This was a strong issue with outstanding art – and I am really excited to see where this goes in the next Teen Titans issue. Red Robin has been a strong corner of the DCU for a while now – this issue only continues that trend. Krul is following a tough act… hopefully he impresses. I’m looking forward to seeing where this goes.
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