What I've Been Reading
The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay. This Pulitzer-Prize-winning novel by Michael Chabon (Wonder Boys) is all about--get this--a couple of guys who start a comic book company in the late 1930s. The story follows their experiences, good and bad, over the next 15 years or so, providing a fair amount of social commentary as well. It's a great read--I sped through the whole 650 pages in a single day at the beach last weekend--and should appeal to anyone who likes good characterization, comic fan or not. Chabon displays a clear appreciation and knowledge of the history of the industry, even acknowledging the debt his writing owes to the work of Jack Kirby himself. Those familiar with the industry will recognize some names along the way, as well as some parallels to real-life events.
Angels and Demons, by Dan Brown. The perfect book for a Dark Matter fan, Angels and Demons throws a decidedly non-action hero into a web of conspiracy involving the Vatican, CERN, the Assassins, and of course, the Illuminati. Brown keeps the pace up from start to finish, thanks in large part to a story that takes place over the course of a single day. The book's laden with historical references, lore, and other bits that keep you guessing as to what's real and what, hopefully, isn't. Since reading this book, I've picked up three more by the author, and haven't been disappointed yet. Basically, Brown's picked up where Michael Crichton left off to write scripts for Hollywood blockbusters, penning well-researched and smartly written tales that liberally mix mystical lore and exciting technology.
His Dark Materials series, by Philip Pullman. Book I, The Golden Compass, is the strongest in the series, as it introduces the reader to an alternate world in which religion, science, and magic mix in odd ways to create a society both similar to and different from ours. The next two volumes, The Subtle Knife and The Amber Spyglass, are solid reads, but they trade the subtle characterizations of the first book for heavy-handed indictments of organized religion. It's clear that Pullman has a serious axe to grind with Christianity, and while I don't begrudge him his conclusions, the moralizing gets awfully blunt toward the end of the series. Still, there are plenty of interesting concepts of fantasy explored here, and some of the characterizations are surprisingly complex.
The Incredible Hulk, by Bruce Jones. I measure any depictions of the jade-jawed giant against the innovative work of Peter David, whose run on the comic gave us some truly unique visions of the character (including the gray-skinned Joe Fixit and the Hulk-with-Banner's-mind dedicated to improving the world by working against tyrannical regimes. When David left, I basically gave up on the title. I've never liked the typical "Hulk Smash!" stories--which no doubt adds to my trepidation about the upcoming blockbuster film--and just pointed my comic-buying dollars elsewhere. But recent reports about the great work being done by horror scribe Bruce Jones on the title led me to pick up a couple of the collections, and I haven't regretted it. Though the plots rely a little too much on the X-Filesish conspiracy angle, I'm really enjoying reading stories about Banner the man, dealing with the atrocities that he may or may not have performed as the Hulk. When you think about it, the story of the Hulk isn't a superhero story, it's a monster story, a modern retelling of the "monster inside a man" legend made popular by werewolf tales and of course, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Actual "Hulk sightings" in the comic are few and far between--kind of like the old TV show, but without the overdramatic music and 70s styles--making them something special rather than simply cliches in emerald green.
Transmetropolitan. I just finished re-reading my collection of Warren Ellis and Darick Robertson's hypnotically horrible vision of a post-post-modern future City, as seen through the green-and-red shades of attack journalist Spider Jerusalem (a not-so-subtle riff on Hunter S. Thompson, right down to the drug-popping, foul-mouthed fury). This comic series, published as part of DC Comics' Vertigo line, is suggested for mature readers only, and that's for a lot of good reasons--this isn't kiddie fare, and those who blanch at cursing, casual drug use, disrepect of governmental entities, random killing, nudity, and over-the-top perversions galore should steer WAY clear of this. For the rest of us, though, it's brutally on-target satire of a lot of the trends of the past decade, and well worth the read. You can pick up the collections of the first forty issues or so at any comic store or at places like Amazon.com. Try to avoid reading more than one collection in a sitting to avoid sensory overload. "If you loved me, you'd all kill yourselves today."