So...Whatcha reading? [From comics to tea leaves and everything in between.]

[Jon O]

Gonna' start Action Philosophers next, but I definately will get to it.  I liked it very much. 

I'm about 3/4 through Action Philosophers, it's really fun to be so incredibly deep.

[JimN]

I finished reading (or in some cases, re-reading) the first 25 issues of Unwritten. It's good stuff. I want to love the book but I don't. nevertheless, I like it and it's very well done. Issue #24 was excellent, A great change of pace!

I just finished listening to the audiobook of Stephen King's IT. It's massive, perhaps even bloated (I think King needs an editor with a firmer hand) but there were moments of brilliance. I love the way King writes kids. He has a real knack for it and a knack for characterization in general. To me, that's where this book really shined. The horror of It never quite took hold for me, perhaps because I don't find the concept of an evil clown frightening, but the characters and their story kept the book working for me. It seemed to me like that's where King's real interest was anyway.

Thanks to those who recommended the book to me. If not for recommendations on this forum, I wouldn't have listened to it.

Regarding that clown:

Pennywise takes on a much more cosmic, Lovecraftian flavor late in the novel when his true nature is revealed and being a Lovecraft nut, that worked better for me.

Jim

[Jeppe]

I've been on a bit of a comics hiatus the last couple of weeks and have only read a few trades, but I've been all over my stack of fiction titles, which has grown during the past semester.

Recent reads



This one came to me as one of the most hyped manga titles since Akira. The first volume was a good read, and it certainly made me want to pick up the next one, but I don't think anything could really have lived up to the hype.




Alexander McQueen is probably the most talented fashion designer who ever lived, and he is one of those artists who far transcends his chosen medium, able to speak to the emotions of people far outside of his particular niche. I know I most likely won't get much traction with this, but I recommend Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty, the MoMA exhibition and the book, to anyone interested in contemporary art and design.




Talk about shelf porn! This book is just gorgeous, and it is great flipping through it and marvelling at the breadth and depth of Stuart Immonen's talent. Glad I got on board the limited slipcase edition.




I recently discovered the small publisher Soho Press, and in particular their crime fiction imprint Soho Crime, and I love their stuff! I've been buying a bunch of their titles, and this was the first one I read. A great cop novel set in Mahattan's Chinatown during the 1990s, in a very well written noir style infused with Asian American themes and the filth of New York City.




This was one of the first novels by Japanese Ryu Murakami (who later wrote the extremely unsettling Audition and In the Miso Soup). It's setting is very much like that of Haruki Murakami's Norwegian wood, but this one is much more up beat and the introspective sadness of the protagonist of Haruki's novel is replaced with a neverending quest for fun and, well, sex. A very refreshing, short, and enjoyable novel about life in small-town Japan for your typical 1969 high school student.




Burdett's crime novels set in Bangkok are pretty good, less so for their plots than for the very detailed setting descriptions. This one, the second one I believe, deals with Thai prostitutes, tattoo artists, and wayward CIA agents. A good, fun romp through the streets of Bangkok.




Can you tell that I've been on an Asian literature streek yet? Anyway, I love love love Kobo Abe, one of my favorite authors ever, and this one doesn't dissapoint. Surrealism and nightmarish visions as only the Japanese master can write them. If you like Haruki Murakami's more surreal stories, you owe it to yourself to check out Abe's work.

Current reads

[Thermite (Iz Wilkison)]

[Jon O]

How were those old Sheena books.  I've been looking at those for awhile now.  I found "It Rhymes with Lust" interesting but not mind blowing in any way.

[ja$#b w*&ch]

First time trying the novels but I need more of a Doctor Who fix.  Almost finished and loving it.

[Farrell]

I'm in the midst of reading the entire series, getting ready for "The Hourman" next (issues #29-32).  I love this series so much.

[Thermite (Iz Wilkison)]

How were those old Sheena books.  I've been looking at those for awhile now.

Like a lot of Golden Age stuff, the stories are hit and miss, but I'm a sucker for anything Matt Baker.
And I love that they left in a lot of the vintage ads of the time (gonna order me some fireworks, a peanut bank, and a real diving submarine!)

[Jon O]

I've got no qualms with golden age storytelling. 

[ja$#b w*&ch]

[deadcowaroma]

I've been on a bit of a comics hiatus the last couple of weeks and have only read a few trades, but I've been all over my stack of fiction titles, which has grown during the past semester.

Recent reads



This one came to me as one of the most hyped manga titles since Akira. The first volume was a good read, and it certainly made me want to pick up the next one, but I don't think anything could really have lived up to the hype.

Like most books, I really didn't get sucked in until volume 4 or so. If you're still interested, keep on going with it. It gets crazier. 

[Sampsa_G]

After wading through alot of old Swampthing I'm now reading through Daredevil Visionaries 1 Frank Miller..

[Spooky]

I need this.

[Robert]

I've been pouring through all kinds of good stuff due to my recent illness;

YEAH!  by Peter Bagge and Gilberto Hernandez

Heathentown  drawn by Mr. Gabriel Hardman

Tales Designed to Thrizzle Vol.1  by Michael Kupperman

Secret Warriors TPB Vol.1

The Unwritten TPB Vol.1

[Jon O]

The Arctic Marauder by Jaques Tardi

Incredible.  I enjoy this story more than the Adele Blac-Sec I've read.  The artwork has some of the most impressive hatch work I've ever seen and Tardi is never one to shy away from a good twist or two.

Red Hulk Scorched Earth by Jeff Parker and Gabriel Hardman

I picked this up from Gabe at Heroes last week.  It was mildly amusing to see Red Hulk getting pummeled by Iron Man, Thor, etc, and Hardman's art explodes off the page.  I was mostly bored by the story though.  Nothing poorly done, just nothing that really grabbed my interest.

Even the Giants by Jesse Jacobs

It's hard to explain what Even the Giants is.  There is a main story that is returned to throughout the book involving monsters and Eskimos.  This is at times, funny, sad, and often surreal.   These are interspersed with sci fi twinged comic strips gags which have nothing to do with Eskimos but still seem to exist within that same funny, sad, little world.  The art has a lot of fine detail work, and its a great use of the monochromatic look.

[Jeff B.]

Finished up the Tooth HC last night.  This will get some 11 O'Closcars nominations from me.  It was inventive and funny and done in the old school horror comics of years past, just so much fun to read and I recommend it to anyone who wants to try something a little different.

[Tim H]

Gotham Central vol.4

[Farrell]

I've been pouring through all kinds of good stuff due to my recent illness;

YEAH!  by Peter Bagge and Gilberto Hernandez

Heathentown  drawn by Mr. Gabriel Hardman

Tales Designed to Thrizzle Vol.1  by Michael Kupperman

Secret Warriors TPB Vol.1

The Unwritten TPB Vol.1

Those are some pretty damn good comics.  Sorry you don't feel well, though. 


[/quote]

[Jeff B.]

Started reading Jason Shiga's Empire State last night.  I have heard a lot of good things about him and wanted to check out his work.  His humor comes across well in this book, there are a lot of little quips and snarky remarks the characters make back and forth that cause some laugh out loud moments.  The art is interesting as well since he does not use the entire page, there is a large amount of white space and he creates panels of all sizes depending on the scene.  Sometimes the panel is just a picture of a person with a word balloon, it is an interesting departure from the "normal" page layout of a comic.  I am enjoying what I have read so far and definitely want to check out his other work.

Also reading through the Simonson Thor Omnibus.  I don't think I could find two more differently packaged comics to read at the same time.  This is about 30 lbs and 1100 pages or so, Empire State is about 100 something pages and is in a small 5" x 5" format.  Anywho, from the moment you open this book you are struck with the gorgeous recoloring of the work, it is truly amazing the work they did on this, I really think Marvel put together a beautiful omnibus here.  Oh and Simonson's pencils are pretty good too.      I am not that familiar with this run of Thor so I am reading these stories for the first time and its pretty evident the comfort level from the start that Simonson seemed to have with the character.  Its so much fun to see a creator firing on all cylinders.

[scoundrel3000]

Someone posted a pic of Dalgoda a while ago.  I had never heard of this book before but thought that a space dog looked cool.  Recently we had a small con in my town.  I was thumbing through some boxes when I found the complete set for 5$.  Though I'd take a chance.  So far I'm only up to the second issue but It's really good.  I'm most impressed with the coloring on it.  Still holds up after all these years.  Cool



ps.  Back up fantasy comic with Kevin Knowlan art (Grimwood's Daughter).  I'm skipping reading them for now but it LOOKs great.