Three more graphic novels bring me to my initial goal!

73.
Title: [The Saga of the Swamp Thing]
Author: Alan Moore
Genre: Comic
Medium: Paperback
Acquisition: Library Book
Date Completed: August 8, 2016
Rating: ***

Alan Moore's Swamp Thing is a canonical graphic novel that breaks new ground and shepherds the genre into new themes and ideas, abandoning caped crusaders to follow philosophical conundrums posed by the creation and existence of the humanoid character now known as Swamp Thing. I know this, and I knew it going into the book, but ultimately the entire text felt like an unfortunate chore - how I'm sure some high school freshman unfortunately feel when forced to read Romeo and Juliet because "it's a classic." I have no intention of debating Moore's influence on the genre, nor his prolific, and often intriguing productions. His narratives don't click for me as a general rule, and this book is no exception. While it was suggested to me both for its cannonical status and for its narrative on Othering and villainy, I didn't find anything that isn't likewise represented in texts I find more enjoyable to work with. A good box to check, but not a favorite for me.

74.
Title: [300]
Author: Frank Miller
Genre: Comic
Medium: Hardback
Acquisition: Library Book
Date Completed: August 9, 2016
Rating: ***

I saw the film 300 long before I knew the story was based on a graphic novel, and snagged it off the library shelf on a whim just recently. What I found was a treat of a story, paced and illustrated much like the kind of mythology which inspires its tale, and brief in its development and execution. The art style is a strong voice in the overall telling of the Spartan warriors willing to sacrifice their lives for their king and his stand for autonomy against an arrogant but powerful imperialist interloper. I couldn't help but let my imagination and the film fill in the narrative holes left in the original story, and I'm not quite sure that's a bad thing - there's certainly more to be said, and more one wants to hear about this march of men.

75.
Title: [Catwoman: A Celebration of 75 Years]
Author: Frank Miller
Genre: Comic
Medium: Hardback
Acquisition: Library Book
Date Completed: August 9, 2016
Rating: ***

This collection of Catwoman stories is the second I've read of its kind, and the editors select largely different representative stories, which allows me a stronger understanding of where the character has been, and where she may be going. Most valuable, though, are the editor's own descriptive introductions, placing the comics and the character into a larger cultural narrative, the better to understand her full development and impact; they speak of shows and movies, trends and cultural artifacts, and work to illustrate how she is a product of her time, while also timeless. Though I haven't yet found what I'm looking for in terms of primary source material, I'd say that this anthology is a great introduction to a classic anti-hero/villain/opportunist nearly as old as Batman, and just as dark and compelling.

65.
Title: Lost Girls: Volume 3
Author: Alan Moore
Genre: Graphic Novel
Medium: Hardback
Acquisition: Borrowed from Diss Adviser
Date Completed: July 14, 2016
Rating: ***1/2

66.
Title: [Hit List]
Author: Laurell K. Hamilton
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Medium: Hardback
Acquisition: Probably Pre-ordered once upon a time
Date Completed: July 12, 2016
Rating: **

This may be the most hideous book cover ever used by a professional publisher. The ethos of the book is immediately destroyed by this visual presentation, and the book itself does nothing to recover.

67.
Title: [Kiss the Dead]
Author: Laurell K. Hamilton
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Medium: Hardback
Acquisition: Probably Pre-ordered once upon a time
Date Completed: July 18, 2016
Rating: **

Neither of these books in the Anita Blake series is especially engaging, forgettable nearly as soon as they're put aside. I've missed Bullet in my straight-through attempt at a series, because a friend had my copy, and I'm currently deciding whether I want to go back to it, or skip it entirely; apparently I wasn't very impressed the first time around. I know the story picks up a bit in later books, so I'm tempted to just keep looking forward.

68.
Title: [Affliction]
Author: Laurell K. Hamilton
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Medium: Hardback
Acquisition: Probably Pre-ordered once upon a time
Date Completed: July 25, 2016
Rating: ****

I enjoyed Affliction both for its character development (finally!), and for the balance of romance and action.  When Micah's sheriff father is struck with a strange disease in the line of duty, his mother calls Anita, and the principle menage-a-trois travels home so Micah can say goodbye.  Coming home for the first time since falling under the tyranny of Chimera, Micah's stress is increased by both his former efforts to alienate his family for their protection, and a fanatical family branch who literally has his worst interest at heart. Introducing himself as a functioning member of a polyamorous relationship is the icing on the social cake, and ultimately this introduction serves to further the otherwise stagnant personal relationships that run Anita's household.There's more than initially meets the eye in nearly every social interaction, and resolution is found.  Anita gets back to work, with Edward on board, and seeing her in the field helps re-center the character in her non-amorous life (though, as other readers said, the social tension she encounters in these professional situations is repetitive to the point of pointlessness, no longer offering useful tension but adding a layer of annoyance to the plot lines. Not every secondary or tertiary character should serve as a therapeutic revelation and positive assertion of self). As an urban fantasy/romance the story is reasonably engaging, and provided just the entertainment I hoped for.

I struggle with the series from a number of critical perspectives, particularly as it clashes with my own theoretical allegiances. However, I don't read these as objects of study - I read them to check out and indulge, and Affliction lead me back to doing just that.

69.
Title: [Dead Ice]
Author: Laurell K. Hamilton
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Medium: Hardback
Acquisition: Pre-ordered
Date Completed: July 28, 2016
Rating: ***

Dead Ice, the Anita Blake installment of last summer, is a classic case of Laurell K. Hamilton's misdirection: promotional materials would have readers believe that the novel focuses on a case involving zombie porn, and the "apparent" (i.e. everyone can "tell") capturing and reinsertion of soul into the zombies being manipulation for the purposes of pornography. Smacking of a badie from before, Anita's anxiety spikes as she attempts to discern the identity of the animator, and just how he can accomplish this vile act once managed by only one priestess in the world.

Except ... the case barely registers.  As per usual, the circumstances of Anita's involvement in an FBI case are marginal to her personal confrontations, which in this book involves her ball-busting new guards and trying to do something with the disaster that is Asher (and Kane). The original case is a wonderful premise, and one worthy of development, but the novel completely fails this plot in favor of watching Anita stomp around the Circus asserting her big-doggedness and gaining even more metaphysical power.

I've come to realize that rereading the series in order was perhaps not the best decision if I wanted to maintain my casual fandom: these books are much more entertaining in isolated bursts of quick entertainment, and do not stand up to the test of extended development in synchronous reads. Though I love many of the characters, Anita is not one, and I'm finding myself more relieved than entertained that I've now finished the available series. I'm hanging on for the wedding, because it seems like the one true moment of progress I've seen, but I'm not nearly as excited as I was a year ago.

59-60.
Title: [Lost Girls: Volume 1] and [Lost Girls: Volume 2]
Author: Alan Moore
Genre: Graphic Novel
Medium: Hardback
Acquisition: Borrowed from Diss Adviser
Date Completed: June 16-17, 2016
Rating: ****

Alan Moore's three-volume Lost Girls is a pornographic re-visitation of three familiar fairytale characters meeting, and enjoying clandestine affairs, in an unusual hotel.  Alice (of Wonderland) is a wealthy elderly lesbian who has been socially shunned from her family - not that she cares much; Wendy (Darling) is a meek and submissive wife still daydreaming of dalliances in the park with a fairy-like young man; Dorthy is a spunky American Westerner spinning yarns of frisky farm life for her European companions. Together, the women share their sexually deviant but fulfilling histories, while enjoying a casual intimacy which is represented as comfortable and engaging, asking nothing and giving everything: the stories known to us as children are represented as metaphors for sexual awakenings and adventures in a very adult world. Realistically, there are some power dynamics which show a tendency towards predatory consumption of  young women, and taboos are unapologetically represented as part of the characters histories. In the telling, though, Moore gives each of the characters agency, allowing them the pursuit of pleasure and interesting a way that would have been (and arguable still can be) denied young women, and negates any sense of shame or apology. In a first reading I'd then suggest that this is an intriguingly feminist text, at once acknowledging how society and social groups can take advantage of young women, and how those same young omen can find their own autonomy in the ownership of their sexuality. Moore's take on these traditional female figures captures and articulates the strange in-betweeness of Victorian sexuality - that which shouldn't be, but is undeniably there. It also expresses a keen understanding of intended audience and fairy tales, giving back to adults a space of fantasy and metaphor that the Victorians relinquished to children. The series was recommended to me by one of my dissertation advisers as I first approached a project on gender and Victorian novels and modern comics, and it's something to think about as I move forward with the project.

61.
Title: [The Female Detective]
Author: Andrew Forrester
Genre: Detective Novel
Medium: Paperback
Acquisition: Beach Read
Date Completed: July 5, 2016
Rating: ***

Andrew Forrester's The Female Detective, published in 1864, is the first of its kind*, introducing a female protagonist in a relatively new genre. Using the name of Mrs. Gladden, although never actually recognizing this as her legal name, the female detective in question introduces the occupation to her readers in a series of narratives, both justifying her position and actions and relating the specifics of a series of "cases" in which she is involved.  As a whole, the novel is clumsy and unsure of itself, using bracketed asides and footnotes to try to direct and clarify and generally justify the text, characters, and occupation itself. Interestingly, a true organization of occupation familiar to modern readers (and anyone familiar with police procedurals!) is missing, and Mrs. G reads more like a busybody with police connections than a competent professional; for example, in one significant case she takes it upon herself to research the strange adoption of a young girl, whose household presence secures a financial legacy, ultimately revealing the results of her investigation because it is "required" of her position, though she was hired of no one and her investigation threatens to bring true harm to very good people. Her works seems more like that of cozy mystery protagonists than a professional detective, which has interesting gender implications for the genre itself.  Not good in its own right, Forrester's novel is nonetheless an interesting cultural object for the study of Victorian culture, and the evolution of the genre.

*Like many "firsts", this is a bit contentious. However, despite the existence of Ruth the Betrayer from 1862/3, I'll maintain for my own purposes that Forrester's novel is "first." My own personal justification for this is that Ellis' text is a serial penny dreadful, a different form of publication from Forrester's formal novel publication.  Therefore, Ellis' spy may be the first female detective in English, but Forrester's novel is the first female detective novel.

62.
Title: [Clean Room]
Author: Gail Simone
Genre: Graphic Novel
Medium: Paperback
Acquisition: Pre-ordered
Date Completed: July 6, 2016
Rating: *****

A well-written, strongly-illustrated, highly-compelling graphic novel. Clean Room takes a Scientology-esque institution and places it into productive action, revealing an alternative awareness of the world which both enlightens and terrifies those who know. Astrid Mueller is a horror writer turned self-help guru who has attracted a large umber of devoted followers, including nearly all of Hollywood, who attend weekly "readings" and espouse her wisdom. The organization is also cited in a number of suicides, calling into question Mueller's intentions and control, and whether or not her "help" is really positive. When a reporter's fiance falls under Mueller's spell, and kills himself suddenly, she makes it her mission to expose Mueller and take down the organization. Of course, there is far more to the story than she imagines, which she discovers after being allowed a rare glimpse into the "clean room" that is Astrid's true command center. The book is a creative take on alternative social communities and suggestive of a real horror that will leave readers on edge.  The character development is strong and largely believable, making the fantastic all the more possible.  Very well done.

25.
Title: [From Hell]
Author: Alan Moore
Genre: Comics
Medium: Paperback
Acquisition: IS Primary Source
Date Completed: April 8, 2016
Rating: ***

I am of two minds about this Ripper conspiracy theory from comics behemoth Alan Moore, and my rating reflects only half of that mind.  The divide comes from its purpose and use-value: as a popular text intended to entertain, titillate, and thrill, and as a cultural object of study that reflects and forwards theories and perspectives useful for a continuing discourse on social, political, and values.

From Hell is Moore's foray into what is (actually!) known as Ripperology - the study of Jack the Ripper and the infamous Whitechapel murders of 1888, which remain officially unsolved to this day.  From the time of their act to now the spectacular case has drawn a great deal of interest, and serves as a modern whodunnit which holds the real-world promise of a spectacular resolution, if only someone finds, reads, and understands the right clues. The brutality of the crimes, the development of modern detection, and the sensationalism of nineteenth-century newspapers all add to the fervor, and from these real brutal slayings has come mountains of scholarship of varying levels of credibility, performance, art, and literature.

Moore's book forwards one particular conspiracy theory, based on his own reading of Ripperologists and historical research.  The solution offered defies nearly all logic and reason, but such is often the case with conspiracy theories, and this isn't something I hold against Moore.* Ultimately, however, I did not find the book to be entertaining.  Despite the sensational subject material, the plot is plodding, and long chapters seem extraneous to the movement of the narrative; though I understand why the author may have included such prolonged ravings and devoted espousals, they weigh down the text as opposed to building tension and anxious incredulity or curiosity.  In short, I found Ripper himself to be exceptionally dull, as are nearly all of the characters revolving around him, and the actions at hand.  An observation contrary to this criticism: one consistent trope in Moore's books, which seemed particularly successful in this text, is his explicit illustration of sex and sexuality. While I've found it unnecessarily gratuitous in other works (i.e. external to the plot), I thought the attention to human intimacy and sex to be compelling and forthright, and very well represented.

Despite my boredom with the graphic novel as a work of entertainment, I believe it is a useful, compelling, and thoughtful artifact which clearly articulates cultural values and systems worthy (and in need of ) deeper introspection.  For my present purpose, I found From Hell to represent a constant negotiation of gender, particularly masculinities, illustrating conventions, beliefs, and ramifications, both as these definitions are upheld and as they are challenged.  It promises to be a fascinating object of study, and so I am actually very excited to continue working with it.




* I don't really wish to spoil anything, but the fact that certain people would feel themselves completely powerless against the person who is Ripper is literally inconceivable; the ultimate end the murderer finds could have been implemented after the first death, with similar success.  That the instigator would not recall commands goes against all historical demonstration and documentation of character, decision, and action, and the final conclusion that it doesn't really work shows the frivolity of it all.

24.
Title: Batman/Houdini: [The Devil's Workshop]
Author: Howard Chaykin
Genre: Comics
Medium: Paperback
Acquisition:
Date Completed: April 7, 2016
Rating: **

The only thing redeeming this ridiculous comic is the visual representation of a Joker-like character, which happens to be beautiful and eerie.  The story is flat, the characters are useless, and the whole thing was really a dud.  It doesn't in any way live up to the legends of Houdini or Batman.

Great cover, though.

23.

Title: [Batman Detective Comics: Faces of Death]

Author: Tony S. Daniel

Genre: Comics

Medium: Paperback

Acquisition: Primary Source for IS

Date Completed: April 2, 2016

Rating: *****

This is the comic I was looking for - the pivotal moment when Joker has his face removed by the Dollmaker at which point they both proclaim they are "reborn."  Though the Joker himself plays a minimal active role in the book, this specific moment is a catalyst for the arc to come, and for my own reading of his masculinity.  The artwork is stunning.  

22.

Title: [The Hobbit]

Author: J.R.R. Tolkien

Genre: Fantasy

Medium: Paperback

Acquisition: Teaching Text

Date Completed: April 5, 2016

Rating: *****

Homework

57.
Title: [Catwoman: Volume 1]
Author: Ed Brubaker
Genre: Graphic Novel
Medium: Ebook
Acquisition: Class Text
Date Completed: July 2014
Rating:

58.
Title: [Catwoman: Volume 2]
Author: Ed Brubaker
Genre: Graphic Novel
Medium: Ebook
Acquisition: Class Text
Date Completed: July 2014
Rating:

59.
Title: [Sweet Life: Erotic Fantasies for Couples]
Author: Violet Blue
Genre: Erotica
Medium: Paperback
Acquisition:
Date Completed: July 2014
Rating:

60.
Title: [Batman: Nightfall Volume 1]
Author: "Various"
Genre: Graphic Novel
Medium: Ebook
Acquisition: Class Text
Date Completed: July 2014
Rating:

61. 
Title: [Hero]
Author: Perry Moore
Genre: YA Superhero
Medium: Paperback
Acquisition: Class Text
Date Completed: July 2014
Rating: ***1/2

An interesting take on the assumed binary between superheroes and "othering" as applied to other marginalized groups; here, Thom has to "come out" as both a superhero and a gay man to his bigoted father.  The story has a great deal of potential, but the gendered implications of Thom's powers (both his initial, and then the shift at the conclusion) ruins its power. I can't really say more without spoiling, so there you have it.

62.
Title: [Ultra: Seven Days]
Author: Jonathan Luna
Genre: Graphic Novel
Medium: Ebook
Acquisition: Class Text
Date Completed: July 2014
Rating: *

I really wanted this to be a satire, but I don't think it's intended to be. Hideous art, and terrible characterization.

63.
Title: [Watchmen]
Author: Alan Moore
Genre: Graphic Novel
Medium: Ebook
Acquisition: Class Text
Date Completed: July 2014
Rating:

64.
Title: [Wanted]
Author: Mark Millar
Genre: Graphic Novel
Medium: Ebook
Acquisition: Class Text
Date Completed: July 2014
Rating:

65.
Title: [Ex Machina: The First Hundred Days]
Author: Ed Brubaker
Genre: Graphic Novel
Medium: Ebook
Acquisition: Class Text
Date Completed: July 2014
Rating:

66.
Title: [Daredevil: Born Again]
Author: Frank Miller
Genre: Graphic Novel
Medium: Ebook
Acquisition: Class Text
Date Completed: July 2014
Rating:

67.
Title: [Cage]
Author: Brian Azzarello
Genre: Graphic Novel
Medium: Ebook
Acquisition: Class Text
Date Completed: July 2014
Rating:

68.
Title: [Superman: Red Son]
Author: Mark Millar
Genre: Graphic Novel
Medium: Ebook
Acquisition: Class Text
Date Completed: July 2014
Rating: **

I am not a fan of The Boyscout, and making him Russian did not elicit any further sympathy.

69.
Title: [Batwoman: Elegy]
Author: Greg Rucka
Genre: Graphic Novel
Medium: Ebook
Acquisition: Class Text
Date Completed: July 2014
Rating:

70.
Title: Rhetoric articles - approximately 1,500 pages
Author: Various
Genre: History
Medium: .PDF, various books
Acquisition: Class Text
Date Completed: July 2014
Rating:

71.
Title: Superhero and US Media articles - approximately 450 pages (so far)
Author: Various
Genre: History
Medium: .PDF, various books
Acquisition: Class Text
Date Completed: July 2014
Rating:


I'm missing plenty, I didn't log partial reads, and I'm low-balling the articles. I'm going to be so glad I did this, and I'm very ready for things to settle down ... just in time for another semester to begin.

Hello, grad school - I missed you.

59. Pratchett, Terry. Going Postal. 377 pages. 5.28.09.

60. Moore, Alan and Dave Gibbons. Watchmen. 416 pages. 5.28.09.

Watchmen was recommended to me by several intelligent friends, and though I have been wary of the genre I figured I'd give the graphic novel a go. I saw the movie when it first came out, and I think that was detrimental to my reading of the original text. As printed material I found Watchmen to be surprisingly unappealing. The film seems to be very close to the original, but far surpasses the comic in terms of visual interest. The women were particularly disturbing, as the movie had lead me to believe they were supposed to be attractive, and not have .. mullets (yes, the original Silk Specter has a mullet in the text).

I wish I had read Moore and Gibbons before seeing the film - I think I would have enjoyed it much more. As it stands, it was actually fairly slow-going for very little end reward.

56. Moore, Alan, et al. The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen. 176 pages. 5.20.09.

Less than entertaining.

57. Pratchett, Terry. The Truth. 348 pages. 5.23.09.

Terry Pratchett is an insightful master of satire and literary/historical allusions. I can't help but feel that categorizing Prachett as "fantasy" is misleading, because there is much much more to his work than wizards and trolls; the fantastic elements serve as a background more than anything else, while the meat of his work focuses on much more universal themes.

The Truth is the first Pratchett novel I ever read, and remains a favorite after all these years. At first I was a bit hesitant by the suggestion - after all, I really have no interest in reading about dwarves and elves and things of the like - but I was pleasantly surprised by what I found. Although there are several elements of "traditional" fantasy in Pratchett's Discworld books, the motifs are as much a part of his larger satirical work as the "main" subjects. You can take nothing in Pratchett's novels at face value, and his work is a delight for literature enthusiasts (I remember studying obscure 18th-century literature as an undergraduate, and stumbling across a reference to some of the same texts in a Pratchett book I happened to be reading).

The Truth follows a hapless William de Worde as he accidentally becomes involved in the publication of Ankh Morpork's first newspaper. Pratchett creates a world of fabulous characters as he examines how something as pedestrian as a newspaper can change the political and social landscape of a society - for better and for worse. He tackles subjects such as wealth and privilege, politics, and racial prejudices as he effortlessly satirizes all elements of various social institutions. No one is safe from Pratchett's scrutiny and wit, and the result is a truly entertaining and intelligent novel.

For those who are unfamiliar with the Discworld novels, I always recommend The Truth first. I really feel that it has something for everyone, and serves as a wonderful introduction to Pratchett's style while delighting audiences of all kinds.