Alternative Historicomics

Over the weekend, I finally got around to reading Neil Gaiman and Andy Kubert's Marvel 1602. After finishing most of Sandman, watching the BBC miniseries Neverwhere, and reading his prose book Good Omens, I felt the need to move on to other literary-clothed comics writers.

But after an email exchange with an acquaintance about our comics-reading habits, an exchange during which he asked me whether I'd read 1602, I realized that not only had I not, but I wanted to -- almost immediately. So I placed an order for the trade paperback collection of the eight-issue series, which began publication in 2003. And while I had avoided it at the time because of Gaiman fatigue, I'm glad to have finally read it.

The TPB includes some bonus material, including a two-page introduction by Marvel's first archivist, a two-page afterword by Gaiman about how the series came to be, and script and sketchbook excerpts. The gambit of the book is clear: Marvel wanted to capitalize on some of the Gaiman mythos and mystique -- and Gaiman wanted a chance to revisit some of the Stan Lee, Jack Kirby, and Steve Ditko-era Marvel characters that first attracted him to comics. And readers who are worth their salt will seek out the series to take in Gaiman's reinterpretation of what might be America's best comic icons. At the same time, the 17th-century setting brings Neal Stephenson's fiction to mind, particularly the Baroque Cycle.

While the series isn't quite on par with Gaiman's David Foster Wallace-dense Sandman (early readers' biggest concern), there's plenty of near-real history worked into the work. And the repositioning of the characters is intriguing. Nick Fury and Dr. Strange loom large, and several other characters play important roles -- including the Angel, Daredevil, Thor, and, surprisingly, Captain America. Of the teams featured -- the X-Men and the Fantastic Four -- the latter resonates most strongly with the setting in time and place. And other characters are included in the book almost as afterthoughts. Nevertheless, the borderline cameos of Peter Parker and Bruce Banner still impress.

Of all of the icons included, however, Captain America plays the biggest role -- and best ties the piece into the rest of the Marvel Universe. Rather than go back to the future, Marvel 1602 steps forward into the past. Think Alan Moore's 1963, Frank Miller's return to the Dark Knight, and perhaps even Moore's ABC books. If you haven't read it yet, it's worth checking out -- and made a nice precursor to my current read: George R.R. Martin's A Game of Thrones, which is making me a renewed fan of fantasy fiction.

Promising Periodicals

One of my favorite parts of Us magazine is the "Stars -- They're Just Like Us!" feature. They run across the street! They give gifts to friends! They cart groceries to the car!

Elsewhere in the Jan. 16 edition, the editors missed another that would have been perfect for that item. In the "Angelina's Dilemma" feature, we get the following caption: "At the... bookstore... [Brad] Pitt browsed the architecture section for 20 minutes but didn't buy."

Stars -- they're just like us!

Bonus: Us's "Cover Stars" feature holds up five other magazines -- Glamour, Elle, Jane, Harper's Bazaar, and Marie Claire -- offering tidbits on why you should read them, too. More magazines should cover magazines. Meta!

Why I Read the New York Times

Edward Rothstein's Connections column. Case in point: A Philosopher's Vision of Fundamentalism. We need more writing like this in American newspapers.

Quotes of Note II

Gilmore Girls: "Denying you're a Trekkie is a violation of the Prime Directive."

Simpsons: "Paul Bunyan never fought Rodan."

Event-O-Dex XXII

Repeat After Me
(artists explore the idea of self-replication)

Opening: Saturday, Jan. 7, 2006
6-10 p.m.



At Flux Factory, Queens

The exhibition continues until Jan. 28
Open Friday-Saturday 12-6 p.m.

TV You Need to See

In the last week, I've become quite a fan of a new -- as in, new to me -- TV show. It airs on BBC America, and it's called At Home with the Braithwaites.

The matron of a suburban family wins a $60 million lottery and doesn't tell anyone -- not even her husband. Meanwhile, while the family hovers above a safety net it's not even aware of, life goes on.

The father has an affair of sorts and leaves his job to escape his love interest. One daughter -- who has learned about her mom's newfound wealth -- gets a job and does little with the opportunity. The middle daughter, a nose-ringed teen, leaves school and home to move in with her working-class boyfriend. And a beefy newspaper reporter tracks down the fictional Jane Crowther, the head of a new charitable trust. This in just the two installments I've seen in recent days.

The program is a fascinating mix of family drama, comedy of errors, and society-driven mystery. (BBC actually categorizes the show under drama and mysteries.) And the characterizations and plot twists -- in just two episodes -- are what have captured my attention and interest. While the show could have easily followed the tropes of its precedents -- the fish out of water goofiness of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, the happy-go-lucky cluelessness of Silver Spoons, the wealthier-than-thou entitlement of shows like Dallas, or the unrealistic life-changing stories of our financial fantasies -- it does not.

Instead, the series shows that money can only complicate already complicated lives. And that money can't buy you happiness. Or love. Or peace and quiet. Regardless, life goes on. That might be why organizations such as More Than Money exist.

Logo-a-Go-Go

Today on Google:



I smudged my laptop display testing whether the logo was actually bumpy. Because Google might be that good.

Strokes Under Par?

When the first Strokes LP, "Is This It?", came out in 2001, I picked up a copy because the buzz about the band was so solid. When their sophomore followup, "Room on Fire," came out two years later, I didn't bother. Early reviews of the record cited the proverbial second-record slump, and the first album wasn't so amazing that I needed to see what the band did next. I still haven't listened to that record at all. At all.

Yet I continued to be aware of -- and even interested in -- the band. They were based in New York City, they were about a decade younger than I was, and Fabrizio Moretti dated Drew Barrymore. So when the Strokes' third record was announced -- three years after the second -- and early reviews indicated that it might be a return to their earlier relevance and importance, I knew I had to check it out sooner than later.

Well, the record, "First Impressions of Earth," came out today -- the first new record day I've participated in in awhile! -- and I'd pre-ordered a copy via iTunes for the sake of expedience. Having downloaded it and listening to it this evening, I'm pleased with the purchase -- it's not a bad record -- but I'm not surprised or delighted with it. Julian Casablancas's voice remains as plaintive and dully tortured, almost bored, and the intersecting guitars provide what might be the most interesting musical details over a mostly monotonous bed of bass and drums.

So, more of the same. Not overly divergent from their debut, five years ago. And while not boring, not dangerous. The music lacks edge, while it possesses elements of edge -- Casablancas's vocals as an example -- and there's never much feeling of risk or raucous disregard for control or restraint. Some songs tend in that direction -- "Juicebox" and the opening of "Vision of Division" are examples -- but there's little gambled, and little gained.

"Razorblade" reminds me of Barry Manilow's "Mandy," and the sleepy "Ask Me Anything" might be one of my favorite songs so far, even if it's one of the least edgy or raucous. "Electricityscape" made me smile, and I even appreciate the repetitive drum and bass propulsion. 11 songs in, and there's finally some gleeful cacophany! The ending of "15 Minutes" is awesome. More like that, please! The next song, "Ize of the World," also indicates what the band could be and proves a wonderful step after "15 Minutes." In fact, those two songs and "Evening Sun" really surprise. Either I'm warming to the band right at the end of the record, or they opted for a strong closer rather than a strong opener. The latter half of the album, I'll return to, for sure. A nice bump, set, and spike. The online album closes with two non-album songs, including the peppy "Hawaii," which I could do with more of.

Blogs on the record: via Technorati
Mainstream media weigh in: via Google News

Hero Warship

Have you seen The Ultimate Showdown of Ultimate Destiny yet? It's awesome, and you'll be surprised who wins... or does he?

[Thanks, Megan!]

Unbelievable SF Artistry

The first book I've read in the 2K6 is a science-fiction paperback, a used copy of Kristine Kathryn Rusch's 2002 novel The Disappeared. I first learned of Rusch's work in Famous Wisconsin Authors -- Rusch was born in Wisconsin. Now living in Oregon, Rusch once edited The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction and ran Pulphouse Publishing. Previously, I'd read one of her fantasy novels, The White Mists of Power -- she works in multiple genres -- as well as the newest edition in her Retrieval Artist series, Buried Deep. And the latter was so good that I passed it onto a friend and began to track down its predecessors.

At 374 pages, the book is still an easy read -- I read it in three days. For the most part, it's a breeze because the writing pulls you through the text on its own accord. Equal parts mystery novel and science fiction story, reminding me somewhat of Isaac Asimov's The Robots of Dawn and his character Elijah Bailey, it's a fascinating book. Less fascinating, perhaps, than Buried Deep, which introduced me to the concept of the Retrieval Artist -- a gumshoe-like professional who tracks down the Disappeared (people who purposely drop out of society) -- as well as Rusch's approach to portraying alien races, but fascinating nonetheless.

That might be my favorite part of these books. Rusch's approach to incorporating non-humans in her work resonates with that of the inclusion of the Phneri in the Future Boston project. In Buried Deep, Rusch provides one of the most interesting and in-depth portrayal of an alien society -- without giving you much to go on in terms of describing what the aliens look like. That's most writers' first approach -- to differentiate aliens based on their physicality -- and she avoids it entirely.

The Disappeared isn't as mysterious in portraying its aliens -- the Rev and the Wygnin are much more detailed -- perhaps because the Disty have been adequately described in earlier works... yet their physical, cultural, and societal descriptions are rich and worth considering. Rusch's aliens are more alien than most, and that's welcome. In addition to combining two alien races, she weaves two related plotlines, which connect well in the end and propel the protagonists forward into future narratives.

The characters are excellently portrayed. Their personal stories are worth following. The situations and intrigues they find themselves involved in -- and are trying to get out of -- are awesome. And the Earth-Moon-Mars world that surrounds them is very, very cool. One of my favorite new discoveries in terms of authors -- and what might be one of the best science-fiction series I've encountered.

Make a new year's resolution: Read these books.

Man of the Year

Did you know that Joseph Stalin was Time magazine's Man of the Year in 1942? 63 years later, it's Bono and the Gates. An interesting exercise in comparison and contrast!

Cyber-Stoop Sale

For the first time ever, I'm selling some items via Ebay. Most of what I offer will be media-related, so if you follow Media Diet, be sure to check out my occasional listings. Here's what I have up for bidding right now:

• Anarchy: A Journal of Desire Armed #56 (2003)
  
• MacAddict magazine back issue lot (2003-2004)
  
• Macworld magazine back issue lot (2004)
  
• Mojo: The Music Magazine, August 2004 back issue