"Batman: The Sunday Classics 1943-1946"

WORTH CONSUMING!

For being reprints of the 1940s- this series is really very good. Al Schwartz is a marvelous writer. A couple of stories were reprinted in the Greatest Batman and Greatest Joker Stories Ever Told treasuries.

The volume I read is a 2007 reissue of the 1990 treasury of Sunday Comics. But, it’s not a re-edit, so many of the commentaries reflect the release of the 1st Tim Burton Batman movie and thus a little dated. And multiple references are made to the dailies- which are collected in other volumes.

"Darkly Dreaming Dexter: Dexter Morgan"

WORTH CONSUMING!

I got hooked watching CBS air reruns of Dexter recently- and decided to read the book.

Somewhat true to the series- but at fewer than 295 pages- you can’t really get 13 episodes out of that- so don’t expect the book and show to really coincide.

Can’t wait to read the sequels.

"Ultimate Spider-Man, Vol. 19: Death of a Goblin"

WORTH CONSUMING!

Consumed in less than 18 hours!

Ultimate Spider-man is one of the best series ever- current or past. And the main reason is the writer- Brian M. Bendis.

His Spidey is NOT a remake like what Van Zant tried to do with Psycho. Not at all. US is a re-crafting.

For those of you who hate that One More Day happened- don’t abandon the SS PeterParker- come over to the Ultimate side of the Force.

This volume does have a new artist for the 1st ever. It’s not bad art- but for someone who’s gone 18 straight volumes with a different artist, the 1st couple of chapters mean there’s an adjustment period. But by the explosive action at books end- the adjustment is gone and you’re left yearning for volume 20 to hurry up and get printed.

"Showcase Presents: The Brave and the Bold - The Batman Team-Ups, Vol. 2"

WORTH CONSUMING!

Some of the cleanest, purest art, I have ever seen in all of comics history. Great Costars, and great stories to boot. (Although, Black Canary is too much like Marcia Brady for my liking).

Many of the best stories occur in the July-October range, as a more “Supernatural” and “Horror” vein runs through the storylines. Those are great “Halloween” tales. And you can see where these stories inspired Jeph Loeb’s “Long Halloween” stories.

Very much worth consuming!

 

"Essential Captain America, Vol. 1 (Marvel Essentials)"

WORTH CONSUMING!

For a fan of Bond films- this is a great foray into the world of Spy Comics. It’s always great to read a Capt. story and to having some “lost” stories of Capt. and Bucky is great. Plus to finally read the origins of the Red Skull, AIM, and MODOK was great too!

That’s not to say this very early period of Capt.‘s revival is all peaches and cream. 1. I’m convinced that when it can to naming stuff Stan Lee had a series addiction to hyphens! I just hope he got treatment for it! 2. Wouldn’t Capt. think it weird that he fell in love in the 40’s with a girl named Agent 13 and then do the same with a girl who looked the same in the 60’s- also named Agent 13?)

3. Romance is fine- Bond without bedding chicks is that lame NBC show, CHUCK. But a comic book spy romance shouldn’t have its plot ripped from Soap Operas.

Regardless, I enjoyed this book and I cannot wait for volume 2 to come to my local library. Till then- Worth Consuming!

 

The Big Picture: A Short World History of Religions

WORTH CONSUMING!

The interesting thing about this book is that it is more like a book on anthropology and mythology than it is a book on the history of religion. That doesn’t mean I hated this book. In fact it was quite good. I enjoy mythology and so it was sort of a pleasant surprise to have those elements in this book.

Being touted as an Introduction into how religions formed from Caveman to the beginnings of Christianity and Islam- this book was a no-brainer to choose as my intro into the 200 levels of the Dewey Decimal System. And despite some earlier fears- this book is not very controversial. (A little misguided maybe- as Islam is considered a Peaceful religion and yet the effects of Islamic Extremism in today’s society isn’t at least mentioned and the Norse gods aren’t even mentioned and the history of Zoroastrianism is given a total of 10 words- I kid you not!)

"An Inconvenient Book: Real Solutions to the World's Biggest Problems"

WORTH CONSUMING!

Part Comedy Album- Part Political Commentary- Part Worst Case Scenario Survival Guide. The best parts of the book are the humorous slants on everyday life, like Dating, Choosing what Film to watch with the Opposite Sex, and Parenting. It gave me a new found respect for Beck and makes me want to watch his show more often. Plus- he’s more center than Limbaugh and nowhere near as brash or annoying.