Reading + Watching Wednesday

[dhampyresa]

READING

What did you finish reading

2015

Sandman Overture by Neil Gaiman (scenario) and J. H. Williams III (art): Well, that is certainly a published comic book. I wanted to like this a lot more than I ended up actually liking it.

I didn't care for meeting the Endless' parents -- yeah, that's a thing now apparently. /does standard comics thing of "only canon that matters is canon I like"

The plot was pretty eh, overall, I have to say. Tbh, I always considered what happened immediately before Sandman to be best left unexplained, because any explanation was (a) not needed and (b) unlikely to live up. As it turns out, I was bright on both counts. I did like the call forward with "Hope", though.

The art is very pretty. Unfortunately, sometimes it's very pretty at the expanse of legibility.

So all in all, it's okay and made disappointing by the fact that I expected better.


2015
Magnus Chase and the Sword of Asgard
The Red Pyramid

2016 (finished)

Marie des dragons intégrale
volume 4 of Les aigles de Rome
Cixi de Troye
Plogoff
Star Wars Shattered Empire
Star Wars Princess Leia
Year of Marvel: July
Lucifer v2 1-6
DC Comics Bomshells 1-36 (Year One)
Spider-Gwen v2 1-6
Toil and trouble 1-6
Captain Britain and the Mighty Defenders 1-2
The Spire 1-8
The Grass King's Concubine
Les Ogres-Dieux: Demi-Sang


What are you reading now

Have made no progress on:
Contes et récits de l'histoire de Carthage by Jean Defrasne
Paris fais nous peur: 100 lieux du crime, de l'étrange et de l'irrationnel, by Claudine Hourcadette et Marc Lemonier
Warhorses by Yusef Komunyakaa
La Controverse de Valladolid by Jean-Claude Carrière

I can never remember/make up my mind: do I talk about US comics as they come out in floppies here or not?


What are you reading next

Books that I have already:
Pyramids of London by Andrea K Höst
Prisoner (Echo's Wolf Book 1) (Werewolf Marines 2) by Lia Silver
Taking Stock by Scott Bartlett
February by Lisa Moore
The Demigod Diaries by Rick Riordan
The Skull Throne by Peter V. Brett
Hostage by Sherwood Smith and Rachel Manija Brown
Le Graal de l'Inframonde by Vanessa Callico and Diana Callico

Books that are out and that I haven't got:
Infomocracy by Malka Older
Magnus Chase and the Hammer of Thor by Rick Riordan
L'armée furieuse by Fred Vargas
Temps Glaciaires by Fred Vargas
Drinking Gourd by Barbara Hambly
Clariel: The Lost Abhorsen by Garth Nix
Ancillary Justice by Ann Leckie
Melting Stones by Tamora Pierce
Battle Magic by Tamora Pierce
The Lions of Al-Rassan by Guy Gavriel Kay
The Beginning Place by Ursula Le Guin
Seraphina by Rachel Hartman
The True Meaning of Smekday by Adam Rex
the last two books of Kate Eliott's Spiritwalker trilogy
The Missing Queen by Samhita Arni
Throne of the Crescent Moon by Saladin Ahmed
whatever's out of the Craft Sequence series
Chroniques du Pays des Mères by Elisabeth Vonarburg
Lord of the Two Lands by Judith Tarr
Fortunate Fall by Raphael Carter
Barbara Hambly's vampire series
Sorcerer to the Crown by Zen Cho
The Sand-Reckoner by Gillian Bradshaw
The Idylls of the Queen by Phillys Ann Karr
Odd and the Frost Giants by Neil Gaiman
The Good Fairies of New York by Martin Millar
City of Blades by Robert Jackson Bennett
Slow Bullets by Alastair Reynolds
The Golem and the Jinni by Helene Wecker
The Library at Mount Char by Scott Hawkins
Untamed by Anna Cowan.

Books that aren't out yet (and when they're out): The Sleeping Life (Eferum, #2) by Andrea K. Höst (2015), Benjamin January #15 by Barbara Hambly (no idea), the Tris book by Tamora Pierce (2015), The House of Shattered Wings by Aliette de Bodard (caveat), Too Like the Lightning by Ada Palmer and whatever Jenny Dolfen's next project is.

---

WATCHING

Star Wars Rebels: S03E05:
THE LAST BATTLE OF THE CLONE WARS! Clone Trooper Captain Rex vs Super Tactical Droid Kalani, winner takes all.

SO I SHIP REX/KALANI NOW SORRY NOT SORRY the "old enemies who find common ground and respect each other" dynamic just hit me where I live, okay?

I am having ALL OF THE CLONE FEELINGS, seriously. Cody*! "Clone Order 66"! "A good soldier follows orders", Rex, noooooooooooooo!

I am so glad Rex didn't die. SO GLAD.

It may have been my monitor, or the lighting or whatever -- and I fully expect to be Jossed by the next episode -- but Sabine's hair looked blue and white to me in this ep and I'm going to headcanon it was because she dyed it that way to honour Rex (and if it's back to pink-ish newt ep, I may have to write fic about the fallout of Agamar, re: Rex).

* I cannot believe when the preview came out I thought "Oh hey they got Cody's voice actor back just for this scene, that's sweet". Self, Cody and Rex have THE SAME VOICE ACTOR.


Lucifer: S02E03, S02E04 and S02E05: I can't quite remember what happened when, so you get three for the price of one. I continue to enjoy this ridiculous show greatly. Character interactions are gold and I love how many of the characters are women (Dr Linda, Maze, Chloe, Ella, Mum, Trixie). Dr Linda was a phone sex operator, omg and then there was a bar fight. Lucifer and Dan geeking out over action movies were cute. I grow impatient about getting to see CHLOE AND MAZE ROOMATES HIJINKS. I'm kind of sad Uriel is gone already, for some reason I tend to like Uriel best in ~classic angelology~ and his power here was pretty cool. I do like that we got canon confirmation that angels can be female (Azrael/the angel of death is "she"). Faced with the lack of non-binary/ungendered angels, I'll take 'angels can be male or female, it's whatever'. Also, Tom Ellis does Righteous Fury really well.


Legends of Tomorrow: S2E02: Are we done with the Nazis yet? Like. Seriously. I know Timetravel To WW2 is a well-used trope, but are we done yet? One episode is pretty the price I agree to pay when I get into a timetravel show, twice is trying my patience. At least Sara leading the crew is now oofficial.


Class: S01E01 and S01E02: Well, that was unexpectedly violent. I thought this would be a kid's show! (I did not follow the promos at all.) And yet I was really charmed by all the characters, from super-smart Tanya to Ms Quill the freedom-fighter-turned-reluctant-teacher/bodyguard to April whose bravery comes from kindness.


Luke Cage: S1E07: No progress.


Nirvana in Fire: E06: Have made no progress.


Miraculous Ladybug: S01E02: This show gives REALLY GOOD PARIS, I have to say. To the point that, despite the fact that I was watching the English dib (my search for the Korean dub remains fruitless), I ended up thinking "Genre la meuf va au Troca pour trouver un pigeon. Genre!" ("Like the girl goes to the Trocadéro to find a pigeon. As if!") in French, which usually never happens -- I certainly didn't think in French while watching Legends of Tomorrow, even though it was nominally set in Paris this week. So ML gives great Paris, including aaaaaaaaaaaall the subtle social clues. Yikes. I think I went to school with some of those people. Adrien's social clues are unambiguous, but Marinette's are more confused. Then again, I'm only two episodes in.

---

Watch on YouTube

DID YOU KNOW X-23 WAS GOING TO BE IN A MOVIE

Comments

[yuuago]

Heee, I'm glad Miraculous Ladybug doesn't fall down on the setting end of things. :D

[dhampyresa]

It definitely does not!

[st_aurafina]

DID YOU KNOW X-23 WAS GOING TO BE IN A MOVIE

I am legit so excited!

[dhampyresa]

RIGHT?!

I HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR THIS SINCE X-MEN:EVOLUTION

[muccamukk]

Must lay hands on Class.

I was going to say that this is our penalty for a Nazi-free season one, but then remembered that we swung through WWII near the end, though briefly. Hopefully that's the end of it, or once Vixen joins it will be.

I'm very excited about X-23, and this is from someone who didn't watch the last Wolverine movie.

[dhampyresa]

It's a BBC show (Doctor Who spin-off), so it should be available wherever BBC shows are available.

I completely forgot the show dropped by WW2 briefly at the end, probably because they didn't do a whole song-and-dance on "we must stop Nazis from altering the course of history!!!!!!!". I hope the writers got it out of their systems now.

I have watched none of the Wolverine movies, but I have loved X-23 since X-Men:Evolution so I am SUPER EXCITED.

[geckoholic]

As far as I understand it, NO ONE knew X-23 was gonna be in that movie, and I am 350% more excited for it now. YESSSSSS.

Would you rec Class for someone who hasn't seen and Doctor Who since... uh since the Ponds died, basically? I kinda wanna watch it, but do I really, I don't know. XD

[http://users.livejournal.com/_profiterole_/]

I thought this would be a kid's show!

Non, ça, c'est la série dérivée Sarah Jane, que je ne regarde pas. Class, c'est YA, ce qui a tendance à ne pas faire dans le tendre ces temps-ci (ex. : The 100). A part ça, ça continue de me faire bizarre à chaque fois qu'un Britannique commente quelque part que DW est une série pour les enfants. Je ne dis pas que des enfants ne peuvent pas regarder, mais bon, ça ne suit pas du tout les codes des séries "pour enfants".

[dhampyresa.livejournal.com]

Oui, je pensait que Class s'était plus Sarah Jane que Torchwood -- vu que la dernière fois qu'on était à l'école de Clara c'étaient des gamins, pas des ados. Comme je disais, j'ai rien suivi.

[rogueslayer452.livejournal.com]

I don't watch Lucifer (though I probably should, based on the things I've seen), however the fact that Tricia Helfer is playing his mother makes everything so much more awesome, imho. :D

The Logan trailer fascinates me because it is so unlike the rest of the franchise. The tone and atmosphere is completely different, and I like that. I know most were rolling their eyes at the prospect of yet another Wolverine-centric film, but after this trailer I think many have changed their tune, especially after the X-23 reveal. I know I am intrigued.

[dhampyresa.livejournal.com]

I find Lucifer to be very silly and very entertaining, so I can only reccomend it on those grounds.

It's a completely different tone, sort of post-apocalyptic western, but it's oddly fitting. and OMG X-23!!!!!