The second and final volume of She-Hulk. This final volume focuses on Jennifer Walters as an attorney running her own law firm rather than She-Hulk the superhero. Captain America comes into her firm looking for representation... and he's also 90 years old! They don't describe or explain how he got 90 years old, and it was only after BAE told me that I understood. I'm not sure if they should have wasted time explaining how he got so old, but maybe it was assumed that I would have read other comic books such as the Captain America ones?
Anyway, Steve Rogers wants Jennifer to represent him in a case where a dying man laid claim that Steve Rogers murdered his younger brother in the '40s. The lawsuit is in California, and Jen calls her friend Matt Murdock to lend her office space to work out of. However, Murdock, Daredevil, turns a cold shoulder to her, and soon she figures out why: Matt is representing the plaintiff.
There are cool flashbacks to little Steve Rogers and his friends, along with THE NAZIS and ROBOT NAZIS. Steve Rogers puts a lot of faith in his two superhero lawyer friends along with the law for the truth to come out. However, the comic does not reveal whether Rogers is found guilty or not.
The secret of the blue folder is also revealed, with an epic fight between Titania and She-Hulk. In the first volume, there was such a build up over the blue file, and in the second volume, it was solved quickly in the final two issues. I knew that the 2nd volume was the final one, and I think they rushed to finish the story. It's a shame.
Angie Huang continues to be mysterious and when Shulkie begs for her to stay at the end of the book, she does. Oh, and there is a nod to Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D where Jennifer Walters are the Inhumans' lawyer.
The art is consistent and She-Hulk looks strong, beautiful and intelligent. There are a lot of other characters, such as Ant-Man, with the return of Hell Cat. I love She-Hulk and she is easily my favorite superhero of all time. I have Red She-Hulk... I don't know much about that story line, so hopefully I get my Shulkie fix!
Friday, May 29, 2015
Friday, May 22, 2015
God of Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs
So the second book of john carter titled Gods of Mars. So the Therns are a real thing, but they don't make an appearance until the second book. In fact, all of the space traveling explanations happened with this book that happened in the movie, so I guess they combined parts of the second book with the first book for the movie. To be honest, I think the second book would have made a far better movie. However, there is a lot more racism in this book.
So the book largely deals with religion and the falsity of religion. The valley of Issus is where the red and green men of Barsoom go when they are ready to die and go to heaven. What they don't realize and what John Carter stumbles into after 10 long years, is that it's a place where people get eaten alive. Plant men were introduced and the Therns, who enslave people that come to the valley of Issus. If one comes back from the valley of Issus, however, they are killed immediately so it doesn't get out that the valley is not what it's cracked up to be.
John Carter stumbles into that and meets up with Tharks Tharkus who wants to go down the valley of Issus. They run into Plant men,Therns and white apes. There is a lot of fighting with Tharks and John all excited to be together again. However, all John carter wants to do is see his boo.
However, the first born race comes into town. They are a race of black men who are vicious and also steal people for slaves and for their living goddess Issus. Oh yes, you read that right. Race of black violent men who can't control themselves around women. They are pirates too. So Burroughs naturally writes more racist shit. Oh, and they are cannibals and have gladiator fights. They also enslave people and at one point, Burroughs notes that the entire race, the women especially, don't do anything. The slaves do it.
Burroughs describes more of the planet this time and admits that though John was there for 5 years, he saw little of the planet. There is also a middle earth sort of deal like Dinotopia. Which is cool, i guess. There is lots of fighting and men who devote their lives to John Carter or women that wanna bang John Carter. John sheepishly admits many times he isn't a ladies man, but he so is.
There is a tragic end to the story, and I had to read the first chapter of the next book in order to confirm that De'Ajah Thoris didn't die. I didn't think Burroughs would do such a thing, considering John gets mostly everything he wants. However, there was a finality to the last few sentences, so I quickly scanned the chapter. Phew, Burroughs didn't kill her off.
Overall, Burroughs is a racist. I'm going to keep plugging through the rest of the books, because gosh darn it, I bought them!
Friday, May 15, 2015
Parables of the Sower by Octavia E. Butler
Oh Octavia Butler, you're magnificent. This is another book from BAE, so there isn't a story to how I acquired it. Parables of the Sower is the first book Butler ever published. I thought I read somewhere that it was a book she began as a child and then finished it when she was order for publication. However, I cannot find the source now, so it's possible I made it all up.
The reason I mention that is that the story of Parable of the Sower is an adult version of those action stories you read as a kid, like Hatchet or My Side of the Mountain, where the teenager or adolescent is stranded and they have to survive on their own with only a survival backpack and their gumption. The main character go on a journey to get them out of the wilderness or they make a plan to survive in a new, wild place. I, myself, would often daydream about what it would be like to survive on my own.
SIDESTORY: I actually ran away once to try that. I think my mother and I got into a fight, and I packed my stuff and left. I made it out into the woods by my house (they actually filmed Tuck Everlasting, btw, so it's beautiful), but then I was afraid and hungry, so I went home. I got into a lot of trouble. I also think I stopped my day dreams of living out in the woods after that day.
Ok, back to the review. Parable of the Sower is an adult version of the adventure story littered with sex, drugs and though I wish I could say rock n' roll, violence. Butler is a mastermind at revealing a potential future that we're staring in the face of. Parable of the Sower is set in 2026, which might be a long way off when she wrote the book in 1993, but it's only 11 years down the line. I think that, more than anything, scared me the most. It also scares me because of how Butler writes the characters surrounding the main character. They are in denial about the catastrophic changes in their lives and they hope it will get better, or ignore the increasing amount of struggle outside of their quiet four walls.
The main character's name is Lauren. She is a the daughter of a preacher and she lives in a "gated" community with 10 or so other families. She has a step-mother and 3 younger brothers. The book is set up as a journal first person. Everything that happens, occurs after the fact when Lauren writes it down.
Her "gated" community was self-imposed by the families that live in the cul-de-sac. They put up the walls to keep the homeless, the druggies and the criminals from entering their homes. It's dangerous to go outside of the walls. It is incredibly hard to get a job, and her father, a professor at the university, goes outside of the wall a few times a week to teach. Many people are killed when they go outside.
Lauren, in the first half of the book, describes her daily life, and her complex relationships with her father, step-mother, brothers and the other members of the microsociety she lives with. The threat of the outside world is always a factor, and when a company goes into a similar city to provide jobs with room and board, many families are interested in taking it, no matter the risks and the cost of having a job.
This book is complex and it's so well written that it's hard to unpack the book while not giving much away. A gentle buzz in the background of the book that slowly makes it way front and center at the end of the book is Lauren's Earthseed. It's a new type of religion, though Lauren maintains that it is a way of life. Christianity, her father's religion, doesn't serve her needs and the changing needs of the world in which they live in. Christianity, she feels, does not give her a chance to survive in a violent world.
One final thing about the book worth mentioning (though the entire book is worth mentioning) is Lauren's hyperempathy. Caused by a drug called, I think, Pyro? Pyco? which contributes to much of the decay of American society, Lauren's mother was addicted to it, which gave Lauren something called, "hyperempathy." She feels other's pain or other's pleasure, to mixed results. It becomes evident to why she hides in as the book continues, but it makes for some interesting choices when it comes to people she meets and who she discloses his information too.
Ms. Butler is heads and shoulders above most other science fiction and fantasy I read now and days. Its a shame that she wasn't as famous (maybe she didn't want to be) or that none of her books were ever turned into movies (maybe she didn't want them to be). I'm currently reading Kindred in class, and most of the students are into the novel. Those that aren't into the book aren't much into anything, however. I can't wait to read Parable of the Talent, the second and final book in this series. Apparently she planned to write a 3rd novel, called Parables of the Trickster, but writer's block prevented her from finishing. Her writings are on display at Huntington Library (Indiana).
The reason I mention that is that the story of Parable of the Sower is an adult version of those action stories you read as a kid, like Hatchet or My Side of the Mountain, where the teenager or adolescent is stranded and they have to survive on their own with only a survival backpack and their gumption. The main character go on a journey to get them out of the wilderness or they make a plan to survive in a new, wild place. I, myself, would often daydream about what it would be like to survive on my own.
SIDESTORY: I actually ran away once to try that. I think my mother and I got into a fight, and I packed my stuff and left. I made it out into the woods by my house (they actually filmed Tuck Everlasting, btw, so it's beautiful), but then I was afraid and hungry, so I went home. I got into a lot of trouble. I also think I stopped my day dreams of living out in the woods after that day.
Ok, back to the review. Parable of the Sower is an adult version of the adventure story littered with sex, drugs and though I wish I could say rock n' roll, violence. Butler is a mastermind at revealing a potential future that we're staring in the face of. Parable of the Sower is set in 2026, which might be a long way off when she wrote the book in 1993, but it's only 11 years down the line. I think that, more than anything, scared me the most. It also scares me because of how Butler writes the characters surrounding the main character. They are in denial about the catastrophic changes in their lives and they hope it will get better, or ignore the increasing amount of struggle outside of their quiet four walls.
The main character's name is Lauren. She is a the daughter of a preacher and she lives in a "gated" community with 10 or so other families. She has a step-mother and 3 younger brothers. The book is set up as a journal first person. Everything that happens, occurs after the fact when Lauren writes it down.
Her "gated" community was self-imposed by the families that live in the cul-de-sac. They put up the walls to keep the homeless, the druggies and the criminals from entering their homes. It's dangerous to go outside of the walls. It is incredibly hard to get a job, and her father, a professor at the university, goes outside of the wall a few times a week to teach. Many people are killed when they go outside.
Lauren, in the first half of the book, describes her daily life, and her complex relationships with her father, step-mother, brothers and the other members of the microsociety she lives with. The threat of the outside world is always a factor, and when a company goes into a similar city to provide jobs with room and board, many families are interested in taking it, no matter the risks and the cost of having a job.
This book is complex and it's so well written that it's hard to unpack the book while not giving much away. A gentle buzz in the background of the book that slowly makes it way front and center at the end of the book is Lauren's Earthseed. It's a new type of religion, though Lauren maintains that it is a way of life. Christianity, her father's religion, doesn't serve her needs and the changing needs of the world in which they live in. Christianity, she feels, does not give her a chance to survive in a violent world.
One final thing about the book worth mentioning (though the entire book is worth mentioning) is Lauren's hyperempathy. Caused by a drug called, I think, Pyro? Pyco? which contributes to much of the decay of American society, Lauren's mother was addicted to it, which gave Lauren something called, "hyperempathy." She feels other's pain or other's pleasure, to mixed results. It becomes evident to why she hides in as the book continues, but it makes for some interesting choices when it comes to people she meets and who she discloses his information too.
Ms. Butler is heads and shoulders above most other science fiction and fantasy I read now and days. Its a shame that she wasn't as famous (maybe she didn't want to be) or that none of her books were ever turned into movies (maybe she didn't want them to be). I'm currently reading Kindred in class, and most of the students are into the novel. Those that aren't into the book aren't much into anything, however. I can't wait to read Parable of the Talent, the second and final book in this series. Apparently she planned to write a 3rd novel, called Parables of the Trickster, but writer's block prevented her from finishing. Her writings are on display at Huntington Library (Indiana).
Tuesday, May 12, 2015
Which is Better?: The White Queen, the first half of the season
The White Queen, a series produced by Starz, combines three books by Philippa Gregory, The White Queen, The Read Queen and The Kingmaker. I reviewed The Red Queen earlier in my blog, and The Kingmaker is in my book stash currently. I stumbled onto The White Queen a few years ago when a vintage store was giving away free books once you've made a purchase.
I didn't intend on comparing the TV series with the books from the series Cousins' War, but like most things, I stumbled upon it on Amazon Prime when Baltimore City closed schools due to the riots and I needed a break from the news. I remembered when this show aired, and there were complaints about the costuming and set up of the show. I didn't have Starz, so it didn't make much difference to me. As you all know Gregory is my girl and so I decided to review the TV series. Since this is not a movie, I am going to break up my review into 2 parts: episodes 1-5 and 2-10.
So the series opens with what I remembered from The White Queen. Elizabeth Woodsville has a premonition and goes to meet King Edward by the side of the road with her 2 sons to beg for her lands back when he husband is killed on the battle field. King Edward is oh, hay, gurl, hay and is captivated by her beauty. There is a bit of a rapey scene but it doesn't happen, and then King Edward comes back and tells Elizabeth that he caught feelings and that they should get married. They get married in secret and they do it a bunch of times before King Edward goes to war. Elizabeth's brother catches them as he leaves and tells her she's duped and that he's done this to other women before.
Then, MAGIC. Elizabeth's mother claims they are descendants of a river goddess and they go to this river and cut string and eventually Elizabeth reels in a crown ring. After King Edward squashes the rebellion, he comes back for Elizabeth. There is a lot of angst over whether Edward will be true to his word, but he is, and Warwick is all kinds of pissed off when Edward goes against him and the treaty of France and announces his marriage to Elizabeth, which kicks off one of the many conflicts of the series.
So, the Cousins' War books documents the War of the Roses, and the battle for the British Crown. Elizabeth and Edward are of York, and Margaret Beaufort, King Henry are of the Lancaster house. Margaret Beaufort, the star of the book The Red Queen, appears briefly in the first episode, then becomes a major player in the series. I like how they flip back and forth between Elizabeth and Margaret. Film gives more flexibility in terms of showing complex opposing sides. Books can also do this, but Gregory doesn't specialize in 900 page books.
They also show Anne and Isabel, Warwick's daughters, or, like the title of the book, The Kingmaker's Daughters. I have not read the book (yet), but not a lot of time was spent on them in the Queen books. They were painted as timid and sickly and not major players. It is very clear that they are pawns in men's thirst for power, and both Anne and Isabel must survive in a world that cares little for them. They have a lot in common with Margaret, though they do have any screen time together so far.
The casting for all the characters is pretty spot on and what I envisioned them to be in the books. The actresses for Isabel and Anne are not ugly women, but they do play the part of plain and thin. At first, I didn't believe the forbidden romance between Jasper Tudor and Margaret Beaufort, but their beliefs in the future of Henry Tudor brought them together and made their draw towards each other more believable.
Again, I have not yet read The Kingmaker's Daughter, so I am unsure if Gregory spent time on Margaret of Anjou, but her and Edward are 4 kinds of creepy. Just... wait and see.
Finally, since I read the article about the costuming, I noticed the zippers and close stitches of the costumes, but it got better as the series went on. I was never a stickler with costuming as long as I got the gist of the time, and I thought the show did a good job of that so far.
I think the show did a great job of combining all three books into one fluid TV show. Can't wait until the second half!
I didn't intend on comparing the TV series with the books from the series Cousins' War, but like most things, I stumbled upon it on Amazon Prime when Baltimore City closed schools due to the riots and I needed a break from the news. I remembered when this show aired, and there were complaints about the costuming and set up of the show. I didn't have Starz, so it didn't make much difference to me. As you all know Gregory is my girl and so I decided to review the TV series. Since this is not a movie, I am going to break up my review into 2 parts: episodes 1-5 and 2-10.
So the series opens with what I remembered from The White Queen. Elizabeth Woodsville has a premonition and goes to meet King Edward by the side of the road with her 2 sons to beg for her lands back when he husband is killed on the battle field. King Edward is oh, hay, gurl, hay and is captivated by her beauty. There is a bit of a rapey scene but it doesn't happen, and then King Edward comes back and tells Elizabeth that he caught feelings and that they should get married. They get married in secret and they do it a bunch of times before King Edward goes to war. Elizabeth's brother catches them as he leaves and tells her she's duped and that he's done this to other women before.
Then, MAGIC. Elizabeth's mother claims they are descendants of a river goddess and they go to this river and cut string and eventually Elizabeth reels in a crown ring. After King Edward squashes the rebellion, he comes back for Elizabeth. There is a lot of angst over whether Edward will be true to his word, but he is, and Warwick is all kinds of pissed off when Edward goes against him and the treaty of France and announces his marriage to Elizabeth, which kicks off one of the many conflicts of the series.
So, the Cousins' War books documents the War of the Roses, and the battle for the British Crown. Elizabeth and Edward are of York, and Margaret Beaufort, King Henry are of the Lancaster house. Margaret Beaufort, the star of the book The Red Queen, appears briefly in the first episode, then becomes a major player in the series. I like how they flip back and forth between Elizabeth and Margaret. Film gives more flexibility in terms of showing complex opposing sides. Books can also do this, but Gregory doesn't specialize in 900 page books.
They also show Anne and Isabel, Warwick's daughters, or, like the title of the book, The Kingmaker's Daughters. I have not read the book (yet), but not a lot of time was spent on them in the Queen books. They were painted as timid and sickly and not major players. It is very clear that they are pawns in men's thirst for power, and both Anne and Isabel must survive in a world that cares little for them. They have a lot in common with Margaret, though they do have any screen time together so far.
The casting for all the characters is pretty spot on and what I envisioned them to be in the books. The actresses for Isabel and Anne are not ugly women, but they do play the part of plain and thin. At first, I didn't believe the forbidden romance between Jasper Tudor and Margaret Beaufort, but their beliefs in the future of Henry Tudor brought them together and made their draw towards each other more believable.
Again, I have not yet read The Kingmaker's Daughter, so I am unsure if Gregory spent time on Margaret of Anjou, but her and Edward are 4 kinds of creepy. Just... wait and see.
Finally, since I read the article about the costuming, I noticed the zippers and close stitches of the costumes, but it got better as the series went on. I was never a stickler with costuming as long as I got the gist of the time, and I thought the show did a good job of that so far.
I think the show did a great job of combining all three books into one fluid TV show. Can't wait until the second half!
Friday, May 8, 2015
Blood Canticle By Anne Rice
I am not going to lie. After Blood and Gold, I was hesitated to get back into Anne Rice books. The last couple of books, Merrick, Armand and good Lord, Mnemoch the Devil, I was afraid that Rice lost her touch. However, when I read Pandora and Vittorio, I thought that she got her stride back, but I was sorely mistaken. Where was the writer who wrote Tales of the Body Thief and Vampire Lestat? I have to admit, I liked most of the Mayfair Witches books, though I read them out of order. Fair warning (or maybe it's a selling point?), they were almost soft core porn. Racy, indeed.
However, ye faithful Baltimore Book Fair delivered Blood Canticle for 3 dollars (in hardback!) and I couldn't resist. I have Violin as well, but that is farther down the book stack. I knew that there was another book, Blackwood Farm before Blood Canticle, but I couldn't find that book to read before this one. When it came time to choose a new book, I figured that if I really didn't know what was going on, I would stop reading and buy Blackwood Farm before starting up Blood again.
I didn't need to read the book. I figured out the story of Blackwood perfectly within the context of Blood Canticle.
I also have to say...
Anne Rice is back!
Oh man, I love snarky Lestat more than anything else. I know Rice was trying to explore other vampires, but snarky and over dramatic Lestat is my favorite vampire. Other than Mnemoch, he makes any story compiling.
So in the Vampire Chronicles, Rice created a world in which Lestat has written and sold "Interview with the Vampire," "Queen of the Damned," "The Vampire Lestat," "Mmemoch the Devil" and "Tales of the Body Thief." Readers think that vampires are fiction, though he says again and again, that they are not.
Rice comes out shooting when she addresses the vicious criticism of Mnemoch the Devil. Lestat breaks the fourth wall and laments on how the readers didn't want to hear the truth of his adventure to Heaven and Hell. I was hoping. I was praying that she wasn't going to go veer off into God territory, discussing Angels and Demons, but she didn't! Lestat, in all of his snarky glory, wants to be a good person, but realizes that he truly isn't a good person. He struggles with this standard, and not meeting it, throughout the entire book.
Blood Canticle combines both the Mayfair Witches and the Vampires Chronicles in one book. Taltos was the first book I read of the Mayfair witches series, and with The Witching Hour as a close second, Taltos was my favorite book out of the three. The reason Taltos is my favorite is because of Ms. Mona Mayfair, who is one of the main characters of Blood Canticle. The set up is that Lestat just defeated Goblin from Blackwood Farm and Quinn Blackwood was turned into a vampire. Merrick dies in defeating Goblin, and everyone is upset over losing Merrick Mayfair (of the "colored" Mayfairs. Oh yes, "colored.")
Meh. She wasn't that cool anyway.
Then, they get a visitor. Mona Mayfair. After giving birth to the "Walking Baby," they call it, she falls seriously ill. Rowan Mayfair vows to heal her, but Mona hates and fears Rowan for her powers. Mona is about to die, and Quinn, who is now a vampire and loves Mona, wants to give her the Dark Kiss. Lestat, understanding the extent of the Dark Kiss, agrees to give it to Mona. Mona becomes a Vampire, and slowly reveals her story about the Taltos, another species on Earth that somehow bred with the Mayfairs and there are more since Mona birthed Morrigan and she left with another Taltos.
Mona wants to know what happened to Morrigan, and Lestat and Quinn agree to help her. Oh, Rowan Mayfair is there, and Lestat falls in love with her, much to Mona's dismay. Mona is jealous though I don't understand why.
Here is the thing about Rowan in all these books... she's kind of boring. I get it, Anne put herself in Rowan, with the way she describes Rowan Mayfair (the hairstyles are the same, their fashion is similar, no makeup) and how her husband, Michael Curry, is utterly devoted to Rowan, despite Rowan head over heels for Lestat. It's just... Mona Mayfair is a much better character than Rowan and I was glad that Rowan wasn't in much of the story.
I wish there were more Mayfair Witches/Vampire Chronicle crossovers, because the old Mayfair family and the Talamasca are really interesting. Rice is fascinated by rich, old New Orleans families, and the Matriarchal Mayfairs are it! However, the ending of Blood Canticle was very definitive with Quinn and Mona going away to be taught by another vampire.
Oh Lestat, how I missed you.
Tuesday, May 5, 2015
Princess of Mars v. John Carter of Mars. Which is better?
Princess of Mars is the first book out of the book series by Edgar Rice Burroughs titled John Carter of Mars. Confession time: I first watched the movie a few years ago with BAE, but the only thing I remembered about the movie was Tim Riggins, and green aliens. I already written a review of the book, here (enter link here). So if you haven't already, click on the link and read my hot takes.
BAE brought me the Blue Ray of John Carter of Mars. I didn't remember that Disney made the film. Interesting. Oh, It was only 4 dollars, which, I think, says a lot for how well the movie fared since it's released. However, the movie is still wrapped because BAE and I caught the movie on cable when we were down at the beach for the start of our spring break! Lucky us!
Side note: How do people with cable not eat themselves to death? The thing about just having Netflix (no advertisements), and Hulu (minimal advertisement) is that there is no bombardment of the same ads over and over telling the viewer to get Sonic because if they don't, they will be the saddest human being in the entire world. I had an urge for Sonic like no other after watching this movie.
Alright the movie John Carter has the same gist as the book. John Carter is transported to Mars where he is picked up by green men, know as Tarks. He is captured and taken back to the horde of green men. He meets a red woman by the name of Dejah Thoris, and the pair, along with Sola, a green woman, get into many adventures. However, that is where the movie and the book similarities end.
First off, John Carter in the movie is very different from the book. John Carter in the book is a "Gary Stu." He is attractive, honorable, smart, reliable and everyone freaking loves him. If they don't love him, well, they're dead within the next few chapters. John Carter in the movie is a royal fuckup. They keep his confederate soldier background and his desire to find gold, but he is also a drunk who is running away from his problems. John Carter in the book does not have a family, whereas in the movie he leaves his family to fight in the war, and comes home to the cabin burned to the ground with his family inside.
So, John Carter has demons in the movie. He also is commissioned to be a captain in the United States Army, and there are scenes where he escapes from the other soldiers only to be thrown in jail. He is snarky, rude and beholden to no one. He's shunned honor because of his family dying... I guess. Maybe also has something to do with the fact that his side lost the Civil War.
This leads me to the second big difference between the book and the movie. John Carter in the book is an honorable dude (to the point where John Carter can do no wrong) and throughout his adventures, seems to get out of every situation without sacrificing his honor. John Carter in the movie? This motherfucker cannot wait to get home. He gets to Mars, looks around, concludes a big "NOPE!" and tries throughout the movie to get home. He pulls Dejah and Sola into his plan to get home as well, which leads them onto separate adventures from the book.
The mention of Dejah Thoris leads me to the third big difference between the book and the movie. So in the book, Dejah is a thirst trap. When John lays eyes on her for the first time, she is literally naked, covered in metal and jewels. She is a Princess and is set to marry the Zodanga prince but for the most part, relies on both Sola and John Carter to ensure her safety. She kind of sucks in the book.
In the movie, she is smart and though she still has to marry the prince of Zodanga to ensure the peace of Helium and Zoganda, she doesn't rely on anyone else to find a way out of it. Along with her education, she is a badass and fights alongside John Carter for most of the movie. Though there is initial attraction between them, Dejah finally helps him to get home, despite her desire for John to remain and fight for Helium, teaching his fighting and jumping skills to the other red men.
So the plot of the movie is much more complex than the book. John Carter in the books stumbles into a cave where it takes him to Mars. He navigates the culture of the Tharks, dazzling them with his jumping and fighting abilities and is all in when he meets Dejah Thoris. John Carter saving Dejah is the whole plot of the book with each chapter a separate mini adventure. The movie attempts to tie John Carter's adventures and take the focus off the Damsel in Distress by introducing the Therns. Bald men dressed in blue robes who have an amulet that transports them between planets. The Therns also introduced this blue lightening technology, the 9th ray to the Zodanga, Helium's enemy to destroy them. Dejah Thoris has to marry the Prince of Zodanga, but she is desperate to find a way out of it.
Enter John Carter. John Carter of the movies stumbles into the cave, gets attacked by this bald person, and then is transported to Mars. He is captured by the Tharks and meets Dejah after she escapes from the Prince to also be captured by the Tharks. The movie focuses on John desperate to get home with the antagonists as the Therns and their adventures trying to get there.
Finally, the ending of the movie. In Princess of Mars, John lives on Barsoom for 5 years with Dejah and they have a child together. However, Barsoom falls into crisis when the tower with the rays stop working when the final person running the tower dies. John remembers an encounter with the guy, and goes off to save Barsoom. However, as he gets there, he tells the sounds to the guard and falls unconscious. He wakes up on Earth again unsure if Barsoom survived.
In John Carter, John defeats the Therns but is unable to capture them. Dejah, free from her engagement, agrees to marry John. On their wedding night, John throws away the amulet he acquires from his fight with the Therns and begins walking back to Dejah when a Thern pops out, puts an amulet on John and takes him back to Earth.
So the verdict? Which is better, John Carter or Princess of Mars?
The movie is better.
Is it a ridiculous movie? Absolutely. Is it the greatest movie ever? No. Will I love Tim Riggins forever? Yes.
What skewed my decision was how they treated Dejah Thoris, and the attempt to weave the story together by using Therns. Dejah was a character in the movie and not a means to an end. They even attempted to give John a more flawed character instead of the superhero in the books. The Therns were an interesting take on the plot. I'm not sure if I liked them but it was a story telling tactic that got the movie moving.
Also, no mention of Apache Indians as "Braves" and not a peep of slaves worshiping John Carter. Dejah Thoris actually wore clothes and stood on her own. All good things in a movie.
Now I will read the next book in the series, John Carter. Here's to hoping there is less racism, sexism and white savior but I am not holding my breath.
BAE brought me the Blue Ray of John Carter of Mars. I didn't remember that Disney made the film. Interesting. Oh, It was only 4 dollars, which, I think, says a lot for how well the movie fared since it's released. However, the movie is still wrapped because BAE and I caught the movie on cable when we were down at the beach for the start of our spring break! Lucky us!
Side note: How do people with cable not eat themselves to death? The thing about just having Netflix (no advertisements), and Hulu (minimal advertisement) is that there is no bombardment of the same ads over and over telling the viewer to get Sonic because if they don't, they will be the saddest human being in the entire world. I had an urge for Sonic like no other after watching this movie.
Alright the movie John Carter has the same gist as the book. John Carter is transported to Mars where he is picked up by green men, know as Tarks. He is captured and taken back to the horde of green men. He meets a red woman by the name of Dejah Thoris, and the pair, along with Sola, a green woman, get into many adventures. However, that is where the movie and the book similarities end.
First off, John Carter in the movie is very different from the book. John Carter in the book is a "Gary Stu." He is attractive, honorable, smart, reliable and everyone freaking loves him. If they don't love him, well, they're dead within the next few chapters. John Carter in the movie is a royal fuckup. They keep his confederate soldier background and his desire to find gold, but he is also a drunk who is running away from his problems. John Carter in the book does not have a family, whereas in the movie he leaves his family to fight in the war, and comes home to the cabin burned to the ground with his family inside.
So, John Carter has demons in the movie. He also is commissioned to be a captain in the United States Army, and there are scenes where he escapes from the other soldiers only to be thrown in jail. He is snarky, rude and beholden to no one. He's shunned honor because of his family dying... I guess. Maybe also has something to do with the fact that his side lost the Civil War.
This leads me to the second big difference between the book and the movie. John Carter in the book is an honorable dude (to the point where John Carter can do no wrong) and throughout his adventures, seems to get out of every situation without sacrificing his honor. John Carter in the movie? This motherfucker cannot wait to get home. He gets to Mars, looks around, concludes a big "NOPE!" and tries throughout the movie to get home. He pulls Dejah and Sola into his plan to get home as well, which leads them onto separate adventures from the book.
The mention of Dejah Thoris leads me to the third big difference between the book and the movie. So in the book, Dejah is a thirst trap. When John lays eyes on her for the first time, she is literally naked, covered in metal and jewels. She is a Princess and is set to marry the Zodanga prince but for the most part, relies on both Sola and John Carter to ensure her safety. She kind of sucks in the book.
In the movie, she is smart and though she still has to marry the prince of Zodanga to ensure the peace of Helium and Zoganda, she doesn't rely on anyone else to find a way out of it. Along with her education, she is a badass and fights alongside John Carter for most of the movie. Though there is initial attraction between them, Dejah finally helps him to get home, despite her desire for John to remain and fight for Helium, teaching his fighting and jumping skills to the other red men.
So the plot of the movie is much more complex than the book. John Carter in the books stumbles into a cave where it takes him to Mars. He navigates the culture of the Tharks, dazzling them with his jumping and fighting abilities and is all in when he meets Dejah Thoris. John Carter saving Dejah is the whole plot of the book with each chapter a separate mini adventure. The movie attempts to tie John Carter's adventures and take the focus off the Damsel in Distress by introducing the Therns. Bald men dressed in blue robes who have an amulet that transports them between planets. The Therns also introduced this blue lightening technology, the 9th ray to the Zodanga, Helium's enemy to destroy them. Dejah Thoris has to marry the Prince of Zodanga, but she is desperate to find a way out of it.
Enter John Carter. John Carter of the movies stumbles into the cave, gets attacked by this bald person, and then is transported to Mars. He is captured by the Tharks and meets Dejah after she escapes from the Prince to also be captured by the Tharks. The movie focuses on John desperate to get home with the antagonists as the Therns and their adventures trying to get there.
Finally, the ending of the movie. In Princess of Mars, John lives on Barsoom for 5 years with Dejah and they have a child together. However, Barsoom falls into crisis when the tower with the rays stop working when the final person running the tower dies. John remembers an encounter with the guy, and goes off to save Barsoom. However, as he gets there, he tells the sounds to the guard and falls unconscious. He wakes up on Earth again unsure if Barsoom survived.
In John Carter, John defeats the Therns but is unable to capture them. Dejah, free from her engagement, agrees to marry John. On their wedding night, John throws away the amulet he acquires from his fight with the Therns and begins walking back to Dejah when a Thern pops out, puts an amulet on John and takes him back to Earth.
So the verdict? Which is better, John Carter or Princess of Mars?
The movie is better.
Is it a ridiculous movie? Absolutely. Is it the greatest movie ever? No. Will I love Tim Riggins forever? Yes.
What skewed my decision was how they treated Dejah Thoris, and the attempt to weave the story together by using Therns. Dejah was a character in the movie and not a means to an end. They even attempted to give John a more flawed character instead of the superhero in the books. The Therns were an interesting take on the plot. I'm not sure if I liked them but it was a story telling tactic that got the movie moving.
Also, no mention of Apache Indians as "Braves" and not a peep of slaves worshiping John Carter. Dejah Thoris actually wore clothes and stood on her own. All good things in a movie.
Now I will read the next book in the series, John Carter. Here's to hoping there is less racism, sexism and white savior but I am not holding my breath.
Saturday, May 2, 2015
She-Hulk Volume 1: Law and Disorder
Growing up, my mother was never willing to buy comic books. I was a ferocious reader (and obviously, still am) and I went through books like food. Comic books are expensive and didn't have the staying power like some books did. Now, you may be wondering why my family didn't make use of the library. I don't really have a good answer to that, other than my mom never remembered to return books. Library fines are not fun to pay. Comic books, although a potential interest, fell to the wayside.
Until this year. BAE read comic books for much of his life and even now has a sketch comedy show about comics. Though the Batman movies have consistently been apart of popular culture for decades, the Marvel movies and now the DC television shows made superheroes (and comics) more accessible to society. Which leads me to The Hulk. The Hulk has a few movies (and a very famous TV show under it's belt) but I was more drawn to his lesser known counterpart, She-Hulk. I'm not sure where I heard about She-hulk, but without knowing much about her, I was already her biggest fan. Someone that turns green, is super strong and looks like me? Done.
Now that I'm an adult, I can purchase my own comics and She-Hulk was my go-to. After reading the complete volume 1 and 2 by Dan Slott, BAE bought me Volume 1: Law and Disorder. To give a little background on She-Hulk: Jennifer Walters is a lawyer, whose cousin is Bruce Banner. After an accident, Jennifer needed a blood transfusion, and Bruce was the only match. However, he also passed along the "Hulkiness" (or is it the gamma rays?) and Jennifer Walters is also now a Hulk. The Complete volumes of 1 and 2 do not focus on her transformation, but rather her life as a lawyer and coming to terms with her Hulkiness.
Alright, Law and Disorder picks up with Jennifer Walters waiting to be brought him by the partners of the law firm she works at. What I love most about the She-Hulk is the devotion to her craft. She is seen in other issues her practicing law, and her defending superheros' rights is a very big theme in the complete volumes 1 and 2. The partners bring her in and they drop a bombshell--she is let go from the firm even though she has worked her butt off and brought in a lot of billable hours. So, she cracks the table (like She-Hulk does) and starts her own firm... with lackluster results. She still has one case opened... the dreaded blue file!
So I read some of the reviews on this volume on goodreads, and there was a lot of outcry about the art in the last two issues and that She-Hulk looked like a man, etc. etc. So I cracked open my copy of the book and looked at it. And looked at it again.
First of all, women come in many shapes, sizes and transitions. To say that She-Hulk looks like a man in the last two issues is harmful to the way society views women and the reviewers on goodreads who said that should be ashamed. Now, for the reviewers on goodreads who expressed they didn't like the art, well now, that is a grown up way to express your displeasure. Good job. Did I prefer the work of Pulido over Wimberly? Yes, I did. I thought the panels were not set up clearly enough and I found myself reading over the issue because I wasn't sure where it was going. Did I have a problem with the way She-Hulk looked?
To be honest with you, no, I didn't. Along with She-Hulk's commitment to the law, I loved and admire the way Jennifer Walters embraced She-Hulk, almost to the point of hiding behind her superhero mask during points of complete volume 1 and 2. She is aggressive. She knows what she wants and she is not afraid to be sensual and sexual. She is powerful and she physically stands over others. She even goes to bed with men that are shorter than her, and all of that is ok! I feel like I am oversimplifying her character a bit, and that's not all who she is, but the main point is that she embraced all of the physical characteristics of She-Hulk--big, bulky, powerful and green, which are all characteristics that women do not want to be.
At this point in time, I have spent more time being shorter than most power than not, but girls never forget the times where they felt bigger, fatter and out of place. Women are constantly bombarded with the message that the proper woman and the right woman, is someone thin, or even skinny, and petite. They are quiet, sweet and nice. Those are traits that women should strive for and even though many women (myself included) try to fight those messages, it still seeps into our subconscious. It's the idea that women shouldn't take up space.
Jennifer Walters, She-Hulk, takes up some motherfucking space with all 7ft and 300+ of her. So what if the art in the issues #5 and #6 is funky? She looks different and it's OK for women to look like that! It's OK for them to have angular faces, an Adam's apple and beefy arms. It's OK for them to be svelte or hippy, or have round faces or square faces. It's all OK! I think the point of the art is to show a different version of She-Hulk and that she can represents different manners of women. Women don't have to look good to men. She-Hulk doesn't have to look a certain way to please men (and to make her less threatening). She-Hulk is going to do whatever she damn pleases, beefy arms and weird hair included.
Now where is my She-Hulk show?!
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