Reading Wednesday (already? BUT HOW?)
Nov. 19th, 2014 11:08 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
dhampyresaHi, new people, welcome to "dhampyresa goes tl;dr about books".
Also, wow, this week went by so fast. I barely had time to do anything, including read. HOW IS IT WEDNESDAY ALREADY?
What did you finish reading
I'm still processing Barbara Hambly's Crimson Angel. I mean, it was a truly excellent book, but it also touched on some ethical issues I've grappled with in the past and am still grappling with, if I'm being honest. If I haven't made up my mind about this by this time next week -- and let's face it, it's very likely that I will -- you can look forward to me going tl;dr about it when I review the book. I'm sure you're all delighted.
The Wicked + The Divine, by Kieron Gillen (scenario) and Jamie McKelvie (art): Finished the first arc of this (5 issues) this a while ago, but I kept forgetting to talk about it and/or thinking that people wouldn't care. (For some reason, I think people don't want to hear me blather on about comics.)
Anyway, I liked this. It was a little too self-consciously clever for me and if I hadn't had the first four issues on hand when I read it, I would have dropped it and never picked up anything by Gillen again after what happened at the end of #2, because no, you did not just do that to a) one of my favorite goddesses and b) a fucking war goddess for who it would make no sense. Turns out it was bullshit, though, so I guess that's good. Still pissed about it, though, and I remain dubious about Gillen's ability to write the Morrígan (accent on the o optional). Not just because of this, but also because of Babd having red hair. Of the three forms of the Morrigan, she's the only one who does. HER NAME LITERALLY MEANS 'CROW', COME THE FUCK ON. I'm also dubious about "Gentle Annie". She's supposed to be Annand, right? And I'm going to assume that the last form of the Morrígan is Macha, if only because the wordplay involved would make my little mythology nerd self laugh.
This said, I do have a couple of problems with the way the gods are portrayed. A white girl is maybe not the greatest choice for the current incarnation of a Japanese goddess (Amaterasu). Just maybe. And why the fuck is Minerva twelve? Why? Is this a plot point and if not, why not?And why isn't she Athena, huh? And why is Innanna a dude? Although, I suppose that since Lucifer's a girl, there's a certain logic to that. (Although I would say the situation is not 1:1, given that despite Lucifer being traditionally a male figure, angels are sexless beings. Don't mention the Nephilim. And Lucifer was an angel, that's the whole point. )Really not liking what's been done to Sekhmet so far either. Really, acting like a cat? REALLY? And also, CAN WE FUCKING STOP WITH THE CARTHAGINIANS MAKING CHILD SACRIFICES ALREADY? Archeological evidence is inconclusive! And I really hate to perpetuate a 2000 years old smear campaign. (Yes, there are child corpses in sanctuaries dedicated to Baal, but the presence of unborn fetuses there point more towards that being a necropolis for children than a place of ritual sacrifice.)
That said, I did love the characterisation of Baal Hammon as the "Carthaginian god of fuck you".
Also, I really really love Luci's design and her character. I like the way both are very clearly inspired by Sandman's Lucifer, what with the explicit references to David Bowie. (Although I can't remember off the top of my head if it was Sandman's Lucifer or Lucifer's Lucifer that was compared to Bowie, but since they're the same character -- Lucifer and Sandman both ebing Vertigo comics and the former being a spin-off of the later -- it doesn't really matter.) I love interpretations of Lucifer/the Devil that are charming and anti-heroic and tragic, because the Fall of Lucifer is a tragedy, no matter what way you look at it. And proud should go without saying. As far as I'm concerned, if Lucifer doesn't come across as the kind of person who would think "Better to reign in Hell, than serve in Heaven", it's not really Lucifer. themes of Free Will vs Predestination are also very important. (I'm on Team Free Will, btw, and so's Lucifer.)
I... don't really have a handle on who the fuck Laura is yet, but then again, that's only to be expected. Gillen's not all that good at characterisation and a lot of the sense of "who are these people" I have wrt the gods comes from my knowledge of mythology. I know fuckall about Baphomet either, and I have no handle on his character either. This characterisation problem was also apparent in Young Avengers v2. Less so in Journey into Mystery but the vast majority of characters there are pre-existing characters from Marvel comics.
McKelvie's art is gorgeous and seems less lifeless than it usually feels. I think it has something to do with the colouring. (Still a bit of a same-face problem, though.)
From #2, pages 12 and 13.
I liked seeing "inspiration" in there. It fits in the whole Morningstar/Lightbringer theme.
On the whole, I think I'll keep reading, but having been burned twice by Gillen's endings, I think I'll wait until the series is over to buy the trades. (I first came away from Journey into Mystery's ending with the opposite impression from the one I should have had and since Stephanie Hans was on art, the fault is solely on the writing, then I made the mistake of reading what Gillen had to say on the subject, and that stank of "breaking the toys so no one else can play with them". The ending to Young Avengers v2 barely resolved the main plotline and didn't resolve some of the others, such as the identity of Patri-Not or how Tommy came back.)
What are you reading now
Mostly the same ones as last week. Or at least I try.
StoryKiller, by Kelly Thompson: The misuse of commas is still grating, but at least it looks like the story's picking up a bit. (Although, urgh. Why Fenris? His name is either Fenrir or Fenrisúlfr.) Not sure that I like the conflation of Fenrir/s with The Big Bad Wolf or that he's a shape-shifter. It doesn't jive with how I interpret either.
The Art of War, by Sun Tzu: No progress was made.
The Kick-Ass Writer, by Chuck Wendig: Also nope.
Darshan, by Jade Baudain: Nor here.
La véritable histoire de Carthage et de Hannibal, de Jean Malye: Sadly, no.
Gustav Adolf Mossa: L'oeuvre symboliste: 1903-1918 (exposition catalogue for a 1992 exposition at the Pavillon des Arts): Some progress!
Les Parques in the closest I could find on line to th eoriginal colours.
The way they seem to melt into one figure is pretty cool and the spinning wheel is people!
Dude still has massive problems with women. Ngl, it's almost nauseating at times. There's a lot of female monsters/Monstrous Feminine, but what's even creepier is the almost single-minded focus on the Femine as Montrous. I'm not sure if I'm explaining this right, but it's this sense that for Mossa, being female was monster enough. Does this make sense? It feels a little like Inception-in-the-brain-of-a-misogynist. I'm learning stuff about symbolism, though.
Also, dear commentator, "Mossa was one of the last artists of the dying Middle Ages" (emphasis mine, translation clumsy). By 1905? I should fucking hope the Middle Ages were dead and buried by then.
What are you reading next
Darkness Over Cannae, by Jenny Dolfen: Next week for su-- ooh, pretty pictures! (Still not over how fucking good the art is.)
A to-read list that is properly formatted, so I don't forget about books I wanted to read!
Books that I have already: City of Stairs by Robert Jackson Bennett, Prisoner (Echo's Wolf, Book 1) (Werewolf Marines 2) by Lia Silver
Books that are out and that I haven't got: Clariel: The Lost Abhorsen, by Garth Nix, Ancillary Justice, by Ann Leckie, Melting Stones and Battle Magic by Tamora Pierce (THERE ARE NEW CIRCLE BOOKS AND NO ONE TOLD ME? My inner teenager is flailing at the idea of new Tamora Pierce books omg.)
Books that aren't out yet (and when they're out): The Sword of Summer, by Rick Riordan (Autumn 2015), Benjamin January #14, by Barbara Hambly (no idea), Empire Ascendant, by Kameron Hurley (Summer 2015? Still unsure if I'm even going to be reading this one), the Tris book by Tamora Pierce (2015), whatever Jenny Dolfen's next project is (THAT ART!)
And I think I told someone I would read, um, Craft Sequence I think it was called? And Rachel Manija/Sherwood Smith's Stranger. And I also need to finish reading Kate Eliott's Spiritwalker's trilogy. Can't remember right now which categories those fall into.
Also, wow, this week went by so fast. I barely had time to do anything, including read. HOW IS IT WEDNESDAY ALREADY?
What did you finish reading
I'm still processing Barbara Hambly's Crimson Angel. I mean, it was a truly excellent book, but it also touched on some ethical issues I've grappled with in the past and am still grappling with, if I'm being honest. If I haven't made up my mind about this by this time next week -- and let's face it, it's very likely that I will -- you can look forward to me going tl;dr about it when I review the book. I'm sure you're all delighted.
The Wicked + The Divine, by Kieron Gillen (scenario) and Jamie McKelvie (art): Finished the first arc of this (5 issues) this a while ago, but I kept forgetting to talk about it and/or thinking that people wouldn't care. (For some reason, I think people don't want to hear me blather on about comics.)
Anyway, I liked this. It was a little too self-consciously clever for me and if I hadn't had the first four issues on hand when I read it, I would have dropped it and never picked up anything by Gillen again after what happened at the end of #2, because no, you did not just do that to a) one of my favorite goddesses and b) a fucking war goddess for who it would make no sense. Turns out it was bullshit, though, so I guess that's good. Still pissed about it, though, and I remain dubious about Gillen's ability to write the Morrígan (accent on the o optional). Not just because of this, but also because of Babd having red hair. Of the three forms of the Morrigan, she's the only one who does. HER NAME LITERALLY MEANS 'CROW', COME THE FUCK ON. I'm also dubious about "Gentle Annie". She's supposed to be Annand, right? And I'm going to assume that the last form of the Morrígan is Macha, if only because the wordplay involved would make my little mythology nerd self laugh.
This said, I do have a couple of problems with the way the gods are portrayed. A white girl is maybe not the greatest choice for the current incarnation of a Japanese goddess (Amaterasu). Just maybe. And why the fuck is Minerva twelve? Why? Is this a plot point and if not, why not?
That said, I did love the characterisation of Baal Hammon as the "Carthaginian god of fuck you".
Also, I really really love Luci's design and her character. I like the way both are very clearly inspired by Sandman's Lucifer, what with the explicit references to David Bowie. (Although I can't remember off the top of my head if it was Sandman's Lucifer or Lucifer's Lucifer that was compared to Bowie, but since they're the same character -- Lucifer and Sandman both ebing Vertigo comics and the former being a spin-off of the later -- it doesn't really matter.) I love interpretations of Lucifer/the Devil that are charming and anti-heroic and tragic, because the Fall of Lucifer is a tragedy, no matter what way you look at it. And proud should go without saying. As far as I'm concerned, if Lucifer doesn't come across as the kind of person who would think "Better to reign in Hell, than serve in Heaven", it's not really Lucifer. themes of Free Will vs Predestination are also very important. (I'm on Team Free Will, btw, and so's Lucifer.)
I... don't really have a handle on who the fuck Laura is yet, but then again, that's only to be expected. Gillen's not all that good at characterisation and a lot of the sense of "who are these people" I have wrt the gods comes from my knowledge of mythology. I know fuckall about Baphomet either, and I have no handle on his character either. This characterisation problem was also apparent in Young Avengers v2. Less so in Journey into Mystery but the vast majority of characters there are pre-existing characters from Marvel comics.
McKelvie's art is gorgeous and seems less lifeless than it usually feels. I think it has something to do with the colouring. (Still a bit of a same-face problem, though.)
From #2, pages 12 and 13.
I liked seeing "inspiration" in there. It fits in the whole Morningstar/Lightbringer theme.
On the whole, I think I'll keep reading, but having been burned twice by Gillen's endings, I think I'll wait until the series is over to buy the trades. (I first came away from Journey into Mystery's ending with the opposite impression from the one I should have had and since Stephanie Hans was on art, the fault is solely on the writing, then I made the mistake of reading what Gillen had to say on the subject, and that stank of "breaking the toys so no one else can play with them". The ending to Young Avengers v2 barely resolved the main plotline and didn't resolve some of the others, such as the identity of Patri-Not or how Tommy came back.)
What are you reading now
Mostly the same ones as last week. Or at least I try.
StoryKiller, by Kelly Thompson: The misuse of commas is still grating, but at least it looks like the story's picking up a bit. (Although, urgh. Why Fenris? His name is either Fenrir or Fenrisúlfr.) Not sure that I like the conflation of Fenrir/s with The Big Bad Wolf or that he's a shape-shifter. It doesn't jive with how I interpret either.
The Art of War, by Sun Tzu: No progress was made.
The Kick-Ass Writer, by Chuck Wendig: Also nope.
Darshan, by Jade Baudain: Nor here.
La véritable histoire de Carthage et de Hannibal, de Jean Malye: Sadly, no.
Gustav Adolf Mossa: L'oeuvre symboliste: 1903-1918 (exposition catalogue for a 1992 exposition at the Pavillon des Arts): Some progress!
Les Parques in the closest I could find on line to th eoriginal colours.
The way they seem to melt into one figure is pretty cool and the spinning wheel is people!
Dude still has massive problems with women. Ngl, it's almost nauseating at times. There's a lot of female monsters/Monstrous Feminine, but what's even creepier is the almost single-minded focus on the Femine as Montrous. I'm not sure if I'm explaining this right, but it's this sense that for Mossa, being female was monster enough. Does this make sense? It feels a little like Inception-in-the-brain-of-a-misogynist. I'm learning stuff about symbolism, though.
Also, dear commentator, "Mossa was one of the last artists of the dying Middle Ages" (emphasis mine, translation clumsy). By 1905? I should fucking hope the Middle Ages were dead and buried by then.
What are you reading next
Darkness Over Cannae, by Jenny Dolfen: Next week for su-- ooh, pretty pictures! (Still not over how fucking good the art is.)
A to-read list that is properly formatted, so I don't forget about books I wanted to read!
Books that I have already: City of Stairs by Robert Jackson Bennett, Prisoner (Echo's Wolf, Book 1) (Werewolf Marines 2) by Lia Silver
Books that are out and that I haven't got: Clariel: The Lost Abhorsen, by Garth Nix, Ancillary Justice, by Ann Leckie, Melting Stones and Battle Magic by Tamora Pierce (THERE ARE NEW CIRCLE BOOKS AND NO ONE TOLD ME? My inner teenager is flailing at the idea of new Tamora Pierce books omg.)
Books that aren't out yet (and when they're out): The Sword of Summer, by Rick Riordan (Autumn 2015), Benjamin January #14, by Barbara Hambly (no idea), Empire Ascendant, by Kameron Hurley (Summer 2015? Still unsure if I'm even going to be reading this one), the Tris book by Tamora Pierce (2015), whatever Jenny Dolfen's next project is (THAT ART!)
And I think I told someone I would read, um, Craft Sequence I think it was called? And Rachel Manija/Sherwood Smith's Stranger. And I also need to finish reading Kate Eliott's Spiritwalker's trilogy. Can't remember right now which categories those fall into.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
(no subject)
Date: 2014-11-19 11:47 pm (UTC)Not true! I definitely want to hear you talk about comics. :)
I read, like, one issue of The Wicked + The Divine because it was on sale for 99 cents at the time, but I didn't care enough to pick up any more issues. I liked the art, though.
(I first came away from Journey into Mystery's ending with the opposite impression from the one I should have had and since Stephanie Hans was on art, the fault is solely on the writing, then I made the mistake of reading what Gillen had to say on the subject, and that stank of "breaking the toys so no one else can play with them".
How so? I haven't read Gillen's JiM run, but I don't care about spoilers.
(no subject)
Date: 2014-11-22 12:09 am (UTC)Gillen and McKelvie have also worked on Young Avengers and Phonogram together, so maybe one of those will be more to your taste.
Okay, so Gillen's JiM run focused on an all-new Loki (kid!Loki), so has spent the whole run so far trying to be good. He was very trickster-y about it, but for the most part he succeeded.
In the last issue, it turns out the pet bird kid!Loki's been dragging around since the first issue is actually all in his head and/or the ghost of old!Loki. Old!Loki tells kid!Loki that now that kid!Loki has earned his redemption, old!Loki is going to take him over.
Kid!Loki, understandably, isn't okay with this, but has no choice (because his fear of becoming old!Loki is powering a doomsday artefact). And then kid!Loki says "I win.", breaks the magpie's spine with his teeth (and eats it) and says "Damn me, damn you all".
I originally took this sequence of events to mean that kid!Loki had killed old!Loki to get rid of his fear and was going "damn me" because he'd in effect become a murderer.
It's actually kid!Loki says "I win" -> eats bird to become old!Loki and the "damn you all" is adressed to the reader because ~the status quo can never change~. (Never also a comment that if kid!Loki was allowed to stay kid!Loki, sooner or later someone would make him evil and that would ruin the character. Which :/ everyone in Marvel's been evil at least once.)
Does this make sense? I'm tired and it's comics.
Also! JiM continued after Gillen's run with a Sif-centric run and when that ended, Gillen made a comment along the lines of "I thought JiM ended 10 issues ago [ie with his run]".
(no subject)
Date: 2014-11-22 01:38 am (UTC)I think that makes sense, yeah! As much as comics ever make sense, haha.
Ew, I didn't know he said that. And the Sif JiM run I actually have read, and it was really fun!
(no subject)
Date: 2014-11-20 06:47 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2014-11-22 12:18 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2014-11-21 03:25 am (UTC)I haven't read Gillen since Young Avengers ended. I don't know if Original Sin cleared anything up. I'm still figuring out which issues to read, if any or if I should just read what happened online instead.
I understood Loki's ending of Journey into Mystery a lot more through Young Avengers and Loki: Agent of Asgard...I also specified Loki's ending because JIM continued with Sif for about a year and it was GLORIOUS! But totally not written by Gillen.
Les Parques is gorgeous. Have you ever read Abarat?
(no subject)
Date: 2014-11-22 12:21 am (UTC)Oh, I read the Sif run of JiM (I own the second trade, actually), but I thought it was clear from context if it was referring to the Gillen run.
EDit to add: I have, but it was such a long time ago that it was in French and I'm pretty sure the second one wasn't out yet. Why?
(no subject)
Date: 2014-11-22 03:54 am (UTC)I've always loved the paintings for Abarat. It's what first attracted me to the book and then, I found out that he paints first and writes the story around what he's painted which sounds like an incredibly fascinating process. There are three books now.