"charming negativity"

Should auld acquaintance be forgot....

Now that it's almost the new year, here is my late The Xmas rundown-
Food: homemade crab dip, stuffed mushrooms and wheat berry bread, Heavenly ham and smoked turkey, roast potatoes, veggies, and stuffing. Italian cookies, mini cheesecakes, and cupcakes.
Drinks: Baileys, beer, and soda
Entertainment: Guitar, Wii bowling, Trauma Center, keyboard DJ, and Dr. Phil
Gifts: 1976 Batgirl glass, freshwater pearl necklace, music, gift cards, more!

And some thoughts on--
Shortcomings
Adrian Tomine profile

Bookslut interview

(Shortcomings was serialized in Tomine’s iconic comic book series Optic Nerve and was excerpted in McSweeney’s Quarterly Concern #13.)

What is it about? It's relationships and art and politics and race, all through the life of the cranky Ben Tanaka, Japanese with a thing for white girls. I really enjoyed the art and the commentary, and the support of characters like Alice, Ben's Korean lesbian friend. But, in the first scene, I felt for his girlfriend Miko-- he was sarcastic and dismissive and not interested in her Asian film fest. Or going to bed with her.

At the end Miko tells him he is "Trying to hold onto something because your're pathologically afraid of change". It's just bad fit relationship issues that most people can relate to.

NYT: Tomine has always been attracted to love gone wrong among the hesitant young men and women of the bourgeois-bohemian set, but he gets his subject across in the unsentimental style of an anthropologist's report.

Publishers Weekly: Tomine does something far more valuable: almost incidentally and without visible effort (for such is the strength of a true artist) he explodes the tottering myth that love is blind and from its million phony fragments assembles a compelling meditation on the role of race in the romantic economy, dramatizing with evil clarity how we are both utterly blind and cannily hyperaware of the immense invisible power race exerts in shaping what we call "desire."

Stop the Joker at the carnival

Booster Gold 5

All Batgirl, Joker, Killing Joke fans be sure to pick up Booster Gold 5, in which Booster goes back in time try to stop the shooting and paralysis of Barbara Gordon. I'm not reading this series, but I enjoyed the story and the retro image recreations of the Killing Joke panels.

Next: my thoughts on Shortcomings, the graphic novel by Adrian Tomine.

Minimates and Baby Taylor

Look at the cute Minimates I got--
Her dress is actually a dark green, like in Spider-Man 3. I actually got the variant, which has an additional Spidey head with mask.
Minimates Central

Another gift to me this week (helped with some cards for buying a Refridge and W/D)

I haven't done much more than look at the cover flow art, and download free Anderson Cooper and Variant Edition vidcasts. I can't believe the studios try to make us believe they make no money from all those TV shows and series you can buy on iTunes. Give me a break!

While I'm sharing this, how about my Baby Taylor, only a few months old. Was working on "Santa Claus is coming to town", "Blue Christmas" and "Auld Lang Syne". I think the sound for a 3/4 size is excellent, and it's so light to play after using an electric solely.

Hope you are all having a good holiday season! Patrons and staff have been giving us cookies and candy. I gave Ref. some green tea and popcorn today.

news I can use

My Tivo list is shrinking fast- no Heroes, Private Practice, Daily Show, Colbert Reports. Watched the last It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia. Damn studios just give the writers some piece and stopped hoarding the dough. As a patron told me about trying to 'squeeze' out a promotion "always got to squeeze from those suckers! they got the money!". Baby boomer librarians, please retire and make some room for the rest of us! If you can get a pension, and soon Social Security, go use it up because they say the well will be dry for us Gen Xers.

Future Comic news I found interesting--

The Dresden Files novels by Jim Butcher are set to be adapted by the Dabel Brothers.

Did you see the CSN that listed many of the 52 DC universes. (post 52 worlds)

Matt Wagner is working on Zorro comics for Dynamite.


Invincible 51 (Robert Kirkman) has a Jim Lee cover with an all new costume, home, partner, and new beginning. I'll admit I have only sporadically read Invincible in the last 20 issues. My first instincts here are too much change, and at first glance I thought Invincible was Nightwing!
Maybe it is the time to jump into the series again as advertised.
Newsarama link here

*

I'm a big baseball fan, so I've been following the Mitchell Report and the fallout from it. Many Yankees were named, but I think that's because we tend to get established, wealthier older players. Andy Pettitte has been my long time favorite pitcher- just a great lefty- and I'm glad that he took responsibility for HGH. At that point, it wasn't illegal, just unethical- trying to recover quicker from an injury. But the entire system colluded to allow players and owners and fans to keep a blind eye to the steroids-- and after 20 years of dragging feet, the time has come to really make some changes.

I did email the local news (Action News Philly) that 50% of baseball fans are female, yet not one person interviewed about the Mitchell report was female.

...and everyone visit Gordon and get his super-duper 2008 calendar!

Denied!

Denied!
I was hoping to do a "Great Graphic Novels of 2007 for Teens and Adults" at the NJ library conference, but our proposal was turned down due to 90 committee suggestions. I may still be part of the 'comic book mafia' as David calls us and for the Rock and Roll Librarian's GN session.

Anyway, I thought I would share my general suggestions here-- these were GNs and trades that libraries could have in their collections. Not at all a complete list for 2007.

Garage Band - Gipi
I loved the unusual art of this Italian GN, and forming a rock band is a great topic.


Minx line:
The Plain Janes, Clubbing, and Confessions of a Blabbermouth
For the teen drama fan in me; if you watched Veronica Mars or Dawsons or The OC, these are for you. The art and dialogue are sharp and modern, and deal with more than a supervillian.

Criminal 2: Lawless
Crime noir with melancholy characters by Ed Brubaker ;Sean Phillips art is pitch perfect
Criminal 1 post

Jack of Fables: The Nearly Great Escape
Vertigo: Bill Willingham, Matthew Sturges and Tony Akins
Fun, literate with excellent characterization and art that supports the Fables.

52 - volumes 1-4 in trade
Compiling the successful weekly trades, making C list characters the heart of the DC universe, and year in the world without Superman, Batman or Wonder Woman.
Much better received than the weekly Countdown DC is putting out.

DMZ 2: Body of a journalist
Brian Wood's political and thoughtful series. War, the media, responsibility, home, place, all rolled up in one package.

Any of these series highlight back issues of the characters-- Showcase Presents (DC) and Essential (Marvel).

Others I've bought for our library--
The Middleman [Viper]
Silverfish
Elephantmen
Elk's Run
The Otherside
God Save the Queen
The Castaways [NBM] Rob Vollmer, Pablo Callejo
Buffy the Vampire Slayer Omnibus
Death Note series
Inubaka series

YALSA- Top ten great graphic novels for teens Most are 2005 and 2006 releases, so I tried to go more recent in my list for an 2008 presentation. Particularly liked Sloth and loved Pride of Baghdad.

handbag becomes weapons bag

Detective Comics #363 (May 1967), The true false face of Batman, pencils: Carmine Infantino

Here we see how Barbara changes from librarian to Batgirl. It seems that if she had the library closet, she could just stash an outfit rather than have to roll down her beret (and presumably where a skin tight black jumpsuit under her outfit all day). In the summer I don't even like to wear hose!

Got to catch up on several comics today- DMZ 25(Wilson), The Boys, Vinyl Underground 3, Buffy - end of BKV's Faith arc.

I heard Springsteen's Santa Claus is coming to town 3 times today- it's that time of year!

Diana and Rex

Three weeks of comics are now in my hands. It was a thicker pile than in quite a while, with many favorites.

Wonder Woman 14
Written by Gail Simone; Art and Cover by Terry Dodson and Rachel Dodson

As I've mentioned, I'm not as steeped in Wonder Woman lore as many comic fans. I know she is the premier female icon, but other than the Lynda Carter show and my underoos, I don't have the same connection to WW. But with Gail Simone now writing the title, I am now on the journey. I think she hit all the right notes: the grand sweeping superhero statements and the funny moments she is so good at writing. I loved when the Grodd gorillas were using her as a 'test' before fighting Superman-- that was great. I think WW suffers from a lack of a recognizable villian-- Cheetah only goes so far. Captain Nazi in this arc should make for an interesting fight, if not a historic one.

WW 15: Who tried to assassinate her on the night of her creation? Special Agent Diana Prince may not live to find out, as she faces a brutal Captain Nazi alone, unable to use her powers. And the re-forming army of the Society of Super Villains hunts her mother on Paradise Island!

Rex Libris 9
I hope more than librarians are reading Rex Libris. Just as Grey's Anatomy is only slightly about being a doctor, the crazy adventures of Rex are just in name only being a librarian. It's the most literate and intricate comic I read, with at least a few big smiles or laughs each issue.

New The Boys, Un-Men, BOP, The Sword, Justice League, DMZ, and more. With the freezing rain and cold maybe I can catch up soon.

Shoreturtle and I have also read the whole Dexter series of books (3) in a row. It's been a while since I was thrilled by a series read.

The holidays chock full the calendar. Lunch in south Jersey Fri and Saw a lot of college friends Sat in North Jersey, back to work and the dang weekend is over!

nightman

Six lame superhero TV shows
One I've never heard of is called Night Man: This was about a saxaphone-playing jazz musician (Johnny Domino!) who is struck by lightening and then is "telephathically tuned to the frequency of evil."I need to watch these videos-- never can watch clips at work--

..which makes me think of one of my favorite clips from It's always sunny in Philadelphia, where Charlie writes a song about the 'nightman'. I was crying from the words (written as images because Charlie is so illiterate) and Mac's reaction. Did you know Charlie is married in real life to the coffee waitress that can't stand him?

plain jane Babs

Detective Comics #363 (May 1967), The true false face of Batman, pencils: Carmine Infantino

Continuing the stellar view of librarianship, Barbara is a 'colorless female brain'. A good story where Barbara's library work leads to the criminal. However, now protecting patron's records based on their circulated titles is very important!

Congratulations to shoreturtle on 2nd place in his age group in the 5K yesterday!

Mom is visiting, the Xmas tree went up, and the first snow in the new house. Today at the library we have a book sale, a magician, a movie, and a performance of A Christmas Carol-- and the regular library work! Hoping the snow dusting won't keep people away.

And I'm three weeks behind on comics.