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gokinjeespot · 4 years ago

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off the rack #1316

Monday, March 8, 2021

Coming up on a year since the pandemic started. I hope you're all healthy and safe. I am hopeful that vaccines will be deployed widely and help us all feel less anxious. I am fortunate enough to be one of those people who is happy as a bug snug in a rug while self isolating. I do really miss my dear friends and family but hugs can wait until we're all vaccinated.

My thanks to Doug for lending me these comic books to read.

Batman Annual #5 - James Tynion IV (writer) James Stokoe (art) Clayton Cowles (letters). It's the origin of Clownhunter and it's not very original. If I had to pay $4.99 US I would have passed on this and lived with leaving a hole in my Batman collection. If you're not familiar with this new vigilante, he's an Asian teenager named Bao who decides he's going to kill the Joker and all of the villain's sycophants. The reason he becomes Clownhunter (and killer) is very mundane. I wish they could have come up with a new motivator. Maybe the philosophical discussion about what to do about the Joker might interest some fans but I found this story quite tedious. I also didn't like the way Bao and his parents were portrayed. Did they really have an Asian saying "Ah, so"? Yes they did on page 8. Shades of Charlie Chan, Batman. I was not offended, just disappointed.

Batman/Catwoman #3 - Tom King (writer) Clay Mann (art) Tomeu Morey (colours) Clayton Cowles (letters). I was thrilled to see the town of Port Orange, Florida mentioned on the first page. My pal Al lives there. It's also where Selina finally catches up with the Joker and does what Batman never did. I love this Black Label book taking familiar characters and treating them in a new and interesting way. Here's a future where Selina has survived her husband Bruce's death and their daughter Helena is the new Batwoman. Now I wait to see how mother and daughter deal with the Angel of Death.

And now, more Future State books.

Future State: Robin Eternal #2 - Meghan Fitzmartin (writer) Eddy Barrows (pencils) Eber Ferreira (inks) Adriano Lucas (colours) Pat Brosseau (letters). The consequence of Tim Drake/Robin being dunked in Lazarus resin is that now he's immortal. Whoop-dee-doo. Not only is this a boring Robin beats up bad guys issue but the art lacked any logical perspective. This issue takes place on a train but you would think it's in a huge building based on the art. I know it's comic books but I hate when one doesn't make visual sense. I think that's just laziness.

Future State: Kara Zor-El Superwoman #1 & #2 - Marguerite Bennett (writer) Marguerite Sauvage (art) Wes Abbott (letters). This 2-issue fairy tale was not meant for old farts like me and Doug. With it's soft pastel colours these books should have included glitter and bubblegum flavoured lip gloss. Maybe young tween girls will like this. The moral of this story is "no one is born wise".

Future State: Dark Detective #3 - Mariko Tamaki (writer) Dan Mora (art) Jordie Bellaire (colours) Aditya Bidikar (letters). There are not one but two Batmans in this issue. You've got Bruce in his new capeless costume but here he's wearing a trench coat to give that fluttering effect, and then there's the new guy in the Bat suit, cape and all. The "uh-oh" point of the story hits here when the bad guys discover where Bruce is hiding out. The Matthew Rosenberg (writer) Carmine Di Giandomenico (art) Antonio Fabela (colours) & AndWorld Design (letters) Grifter story concludes here too with a double cross and a whole lot more of Helena/Huntress. This is my favourite Future State book so far.

Future State: Superman of Metropolis #1 & #2 - Sean Lewis (writer) John Timms (art) Gabe Eltaeb (colours) Dave Sharpe (letters). If you're wondering how a grown up Jonathan Kent takes over for his dad as Metropolis's protector then these two $5.99 US books will satisfy your curiosity. The villain of the story is an evolved Brainiac who is a big multi-mouthed ball now. Metropolis is shrunk ala the bottle city of Kandor, the citizens go nuts but Jon returns things back to normal in the end with the help of Kara/Supergirl. I don't know why Kara's a girl in this story and a woman elsewhere. Each issue has two back-ups so you get your money's worth. One features Mister Miracle and the other the Guardian. They are both dealing with bad things inside the bottled Metropolis. You won't miss much if you don't read them. The Mister Miracle story "The Metropolis Menagerie" is done my Brandon Easton (writer) Valentine De Landro (art) Marissa Louise (colours) Dave Sharpe (letters). The Guardian story is brought to you by Sean Lewis (writer) Cully Hamner & Michael Avon Oeming (art) Laura Martin (colours) AndWorld Design (letters). This one got me excited because a villain wants to throw Jimmy Olsen off of the Daily Planet building.

Future State: Catwoman #2 - Ram V (writer) Otto Schmidt (art) Tom Napolitano (letters). Read this to find out if Catwoman saves the lives of the people on the train. You will also find out if Bruce is freed from the bad guys. Talia Al-Ghul appearing is the deus ex machina in this story. I like the new Cheshire and Onomatopoeia is always fun.

Future State: Superman: Worlds of War #2 - Phillip Kennedy Johnson (writer) Mikel Janin (art) Jordie Bellaire (colours) & Dave Sharpe (letters). In "The Many Deaths of Superman" the Man of Steel fights in the arena of Warworld where Mongul resurrects him after every death match. It's the typical brutal battle scenes and super villain gloating. What's more compelling is an old newspaper story that Clark Kent wrote that inspired a young woman who travels to Smallville. I was totally confused by the three back-up stories featuring Mister Miracle, Midnighter and the Black Racer because they were not very good. I am a completist and have to finish what I start. I could have stopped reading after the $3.99 US main story in this bloated $7.99 US comic book but my obsessive compulsive nature wouldn't let me. It's a character flaw I wish I could change.

Future State: The Next Batman #1 - John Ridley (writer) Nick Derington (art) Tamra Bonvillain (colours) Clayton Cowles (letters). All the teasers for this book hyped the fact that this Batman is black. You won't get the secret identity in this first issue but there are a bunch of likely candidates. Lucas Fox is a possibility but it's confusing because he's a bad guy in another Future State book. This is another $7.99 US book with back-ups. These are more coherent than the ones in Future State: Superman: Worlds of War.

Future State: Outsiders by Brandon Thomas (writer) Sumit Kumar (pencils) Sumit Kumar & Raul Fernandez (inks) Jordie Bellaire (colours) & Steve Wands (letters) gathers together some old Batman associates helping Gotham City citizens escape persecution by the Magistrates outside Gotham City's borders. Get it? It was nice seeing Katana in action.

Future State: Arkham Knights by Paul Jenkins (writer) Jack Herbert (art) Gabe Eltaeb (colours) & Rob Leigh (letters) gathers together some of Batman's rogues gallery to fight the oppressive Magistrate. Two-Face, Mr. Zsasz, Dr. Phosphorus, Killer Croc and other ex-inmates of Arkham Asylum are being lead by an armoured Astrid Arkham. It's super villains being super heroes.

Future State: The Next Batman #2 - John Ridley (writer) Nick Derington (breakdowns) Laura Braga (art) Arif Prianto (colours) Clayton Cowles (letters). We learn the secret identity of the new caped Batman in this issue. It's Lucas Fox's brother. He has a brother? This also has three new back-up stories.

"Batgirls" is by Vita Ayala (writer) Aneke (art) Trish Mulvihill (colours) & Becca Carey (letters). Batgirl/Orphan Cassandra Cain gets locked up in the Magistrate Detention Facility where both good guys/white hats and bad guys/black coats are incarcerated. She got caught on purpose because her mission is to find Oracle and Batman and free them. She gets help from Spoiler who is queen of the inmates. In this reality Cass is way more articulate than she used to be. I didn't like that. I also didn't like that in the other Future State stories the Magistrate foot soldiers have a shoot to kill order for any masks that they encounter. Why are all of these masks alive? Anyways, this part ends with the white hats and black coats forming an alliance so Cass can get on with her mission.

"Gotham City Sirens: Ladies' Night Out" is by Paula Sevenbergen (writer) Rob Haynes (breakdowns) Emanuela Lupacchino (pencils) Wade von Grawbadger (inks) John Kalisz (colours) Becca Carey (letters). Catwoman and Poison Ivy spring a domestic droid named Dee Dee (get it?) from servitude and they have a night on the town at a bar. The bar is run by Sam Bradley and both super heroes and villains can imbibe in peace. Fans of Sex and the City may like this. Not a lot of drama until the last page when the joint is raided by Magistrate goons and major characters are shot.

Future State: The Next Batman #3 - John Ridley (writer) Nick Derington (breakdowns) Laura Braga (art) Arif Prianto (colours) Clayton Cowles (letters). This is the "uh-oh" moment in the story where the hero is felled by the villain. A wounded Batman is attacked by the murderer he's trying to bring to justice. I saw that coming.

I like the change with Black Lightning in the Outsiders back-up.

I like the art in the Arkham Knights back-up even though the dialogue is eye roll inducing.

Future State: The Next Batman #4 - Jace/Batman lives, as if that was in any doubt. This story would have been a lot more interesting if Bruce/Batman was really dead. Even if the Future State line of comics dies out this Next Batman is a cop out. The Batgirls story ends with Cassandra/Orphan saving Barbara/Oracle and the Resistance gaining ground on the Magistrates. The Gotham City Sirens story ends with Catwoman and Poison Ivy helping the Resistance get an advantage in their war with the Cybers thanks to Dee Dee.

I admit that I was sucked in by the hype for this mini. The Next Batman being black intrigued me. The story itself was meh and I would not have missed anything by not reading it. I was not engaged as a mature reader but I think someone in their teens might like all the stories in these four issues.

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myssparklesbookrants · 5 years ago

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FICTIONAL CHARACTERS I WISH WERE TRUE SO THAT I COULD DATE THEM or stare at them from afar

HIWow! It was hard choosing a first topic to talk about. I felt like I needed to talk about something big and glamorous to blow the brains out of… of someone. But alas, this is my best, for now..

So, I chose the first one that I had listed on the top of my head ever since I first started reading.

BOOK BOYFRIENDS!

This is a list of MEN or BOYS who tickle the romantic bone just right! (I had dreamed that there was such an organ in the human body, just near the stomach)

I selected these FICTIONAL BOYFRIENDS as potential members of my harem If I ever defy normal Filipino conceptions of marriage and take up polyandry.

The criteria I used is simple.

Choose the fictional partners that I can imagine existing in real life (not too much of an alpha and rich or good looking that borders on unbelievable). The type of characters that I can imagine talking to, who I find fascinating and can be a potential long-time partner, casual hook up or best friend.

I originally wanted to stick to 10. But as I wrote, a lot of names popped up and I can’t not put them in the list but still, I am sure after I have this article published (Char! Haha) there will be a lot of “Shoot! Why did I not put him on the list???” exclamations. So, maybe I will eventually make another continuation list???

This list is based on the BOOKS I READ so if you have a bet that I didn’t list, please don’t hesitate to give a recom. A new book to swoon over is always welcome.

Most Importantly: READ THE BOOKS WHERE THESE AMAZING CHARACTERS CAME FROM. I liked them because of their wit, their personality, how they interacted with other people, their dreams and how their love for their other half made them better people or vice versa. MEANING: THE BOOK WAS WICKED AWESOME AND THE AUTHOR WAS A GOOD STORYTELLER.

(I must apologize for the lack of female to female romantic partner mentions given my current lack of FF Romance reads, which is something I will rectify soon. But if you have recommendations, feel free to comment below and maybe add some MM ones too!)

Anyway, meet…

1. Clayton Danvers and Lucas Cortez

Kelley Armstrong’s Women of the Underworld Series

Genre: Horror fiction, Paranormal romance, Urban fantasy

This series is adapted on screen called ‘Bitten’ which is available on Netflix.

Clayton Danvers is the strong, silent, and smart type. He is a professor in a university where he met Elena(his student) and a werewolf! His devotion to Elena was sweet, passionate and faithful to the point that bordered on obsessive but not off putting. The best thing about him was how un-Alpha he was. Although he was strong , his relationship with Elena was a partnership.

This is what romance needs today guys! A PARTNER not a rich and condescending daddy!

Lucas Cortez, on the other hand, is a lawyer/sorcerer, young master of a Cabal Group, who informally separates from his family's company to pursue a life as a lawyer protecting the rights of other magical beings against abusive Cabals(including his family's). Unlike Clayton, he was slender with brown eyes behind glasses. So basically, a cute, smart nerd who is the 'good' black sheep of the family.

(they are in separate books with different female romantic partners)

2. Quinn Sullivan

Penny Reid’s Neanderthal Meets Human

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Quin…*sighs*... So awesome! He was quiet, mysterious,unsmiling, rich and had an almost perfect handsome face. I love that the author imagined small flaws like almost unnoticeable crooked bottom front teeth and differing sizes of his ears with one prominent feature -his hawk-like stare. BUT MOST IMPORTANTLY, he took Janie's quirkiness in stride. Asking questions, debating, protecting, annoying, kissing…. You know the drill..😉

3. Beau Winston

Penny Reid’s Beard in Mind

Genre: Contemporary Romance

On first read, Beau was a good looking, charming good boy who is looking for his path after his twin, Duane left to pursue his own.

What I loved about him was how he dealt with Shelley's(Quinn's Sister) clinically diagnosed mental illness(OCD). He researched about it and made efforts to make it easier for her and was just overall supportive.

It was awesome how much the author has put an effort in researching OCD facts to make details perfectly accurate and how it was NOT at all a hastily placed plot device to get the story going.

4.Ted Beaudine

Susan Elizabeth Phillips’ Call Me Irresistible

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Hello to my favorite romance book of all time!

I think I have read this many times already and have to put off re-reading it again for next year(2021) to give my brain some time to forget some of the plot. We need to keep the mystery going! amiright??

Anyway, Ted was the perfect genius, good boy and people pleasing guy. He is perfectly polite, straight laced and has basically carried the whole town in his muscled shoulders for years. (Did I tell you he was the Mayor?)

Meg's carefree life and struggles basically tickled his good boy bone the wrong way.

Read this novel to witness how a perfect boy and wastrel girl turned out in the end. Seriously Please Read!

5. Patrick Jason 'Pick' Ryan

Linda Kage' Be My Hero

Genre: Contemporary Romance

He was the tattoed, orphan softie on the wrong side of town who thankfully did not grow up a thug because of a vision he got when he was young from a moled witch.

One day, his tinkerbell, the star of his visions, enters the bar he works at, but PREGNANT!

Gosh! I loved this so much. This was part of the Forbidden Men Series but can read as a stand alone. Although, I advise you to read the other books also, they were all awesome!

6. Colin Bridgerton

Julia Quin’s Bridgerton Series

Genre: Historical Fiction/ Romance

Charming, green eyed and younger son, Colin was considered a catch of the ton.

He had a case of wanderlust and couldn't stay at one place without getting an itch. I can't say more without giving a major spoiler, but I loved that the author made him major insecurities.

Because secretly,too perfect is boring, right??

7. Sean Cassidy

Penny Reid and L.H Cosway's The Player and the Pixie

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Wewowewowewo. *sexy flames*

Imagine a gorgeous jerk of a jock with sexual inexperience and a rainbow haired goody goody shoes girl (whose brother is his ultimate enemy) who is willing to be the TEACHER!

But it was more than that, I liked how the authors highlighted the perils of kleptomania, the privilege of the rich and how gorgeous jerks are set straight by their women who would not suffer in a relationship with a class A insensitive jerk just because he was good looking and rich.

This was a ride! I lost count how many times I re-read this book.

8. Elend Venture

Branson Sanderson’s Mistborn Trilogy

Genre: High Fantasy

Elend was the angsty boy part of the elite class who is disgusted by his privilege and looks for ways to make the government better by reading outlawed books that spark rebellious and forward ideas. In short, he was a closet revolutionary.

Throughout the series there were some major changes in his life from a closet reader to a person who pursues ideas he just once read in books?

How do they say it? Walk the talk or in his case, Walk the read? (talking about it would mean death)

9.Archer Devereux

April White’s The Immortal Descendants Series

Genre: Time Travel Romance/ Historical Fantasy

Dumdumdumdum. Imagine a conservative college boy from the past your future self time traveled in, spends time with you, helps you in your quest, likes you secretly and is shy about it and becomes a vampire stuck in immortality waiting to meet the 'present' you.

Talk about love lasting through time! This was a great book if you love time travel stories with historically accurate and interesting facts injected heavily into the story!

10. Rupert Carsington

Loretta Chase’ Mr. Impossible

Genre: Historical Fiction/Romance

A hellion younger son of an earl who loves an adventurous carefree life who is without inhibition, just goes along the ride and has a set of surprisingly caring and dependable muscled shoulders.

Meets a beautiful tempered scholar who needs his help finding his kidnapped brother in the sands of Egypt.

This is perfect for those who love adventure romances, and topics on the papyrus, mummies and the french and British looting conflict in the African colonies.

11. Sebastian Ballister

Loretta Chase’ Lord of Scoundrels

Genre: Historical Fiction/Romance

My favorite Historical Romance book ever!! Like Ted Beaudine's book, I try to read this at least once or twice a year to forget some of the plot and keep the mystery going.

He was called the Marquess of Dain and has been raising hell since childhood and in the present day France where he meets the blue stocking Jessica. The author throughout the book continually refers to them as the Beauty and the Beast.

What makes this book SPECIAL is how intelligent, witty and funny most of their conversations were. It's funny how many books are under many sexy, funny and witty lists on goodreads but only some of those on the list are actually true! THIS BOOK IS ONE OF THEM!

Jess was not annoying or shy or too much of a fighter and Dain was not too obnoxious. It was perfect.

And if you have not read this book or others from this author or genre, I command you to start reading after you finish this article.Break some cherries!

12. Hardy Cates

Liza Kleypas’ Blue Eyed Devil

Genre: Contemporary Romance

A blue neck Town boy chasing dreams outside of town to leave the shithole of a living. He has white knight complexes but leaves the damsel in distress after the case is solved. Also, muscular and has the blunt and bluest eyes on Texas

This book I have also reread many times because it talks about dealing with domestic abuse and moving on after an abusive relationship, dealing with people who have narcissistic disorder and the life of the privileged.

13. Connor ‘Mad’ Rogan

Illona Andrews’ Hidden Legacy Series

Genre: Paranormal Romance (PNR)

Wootwootwoot. Imagine a former military but now head of the House 'Mad' Rogan successfully publicly kidnapping you in broad daylight using only wads of cloth. Talk about a powerful telekinetic!

I loved that he was once again, A partner in the relationship and not an overprotective ape despite him being awfully more powerful than Nevada.

14.Phil Tucker

Jennifer Crusie Welcome to Temptation

Genre: Contemporary Romance

This is written by an author whose ALL BOOKS WRITTEN i have read and loved.

Phil is part of a long line of male Mayors in the family and meets almost fugitive-like Sophie.

Read as they deal with each other, try to take down a production of town porn video, deal with an enemy, try to dirty Phil down to win the next election and spend time reading a romance classic.

15. Ansel Guillaume

Christina Lauren’s Sweet Filthy Boy

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Known for the many explicit sexy times that can be read throughout the book. So, if you want to stay green in the ears, skip this one till you're legal.

Ansel is a sweet, full of life French Lawyer celebrating with friends in LA and Mia with her friends also, celebrating their newly graduated from college selves.

Ansel is soft, a daydreamer, magnificent bringer of orgasms and game with all things Mia is willing to do.

They married through Elvis and decided to not divorce yet to explore the beautiful France and a possibility of a good relationship.

AND DONE!

I actually have a lot more but these are for now.

CONSIDER THIS LIST AS A BOOK RECOMMENDATION FOR AWESOME ROMANCES WITH WELL WRITTEN AND SWOON WORTHY CHARACTERS

Topic for my next blog entry:

How to Find the Next Good Book to Read:

A Guide to Good Sources of Book Recommendations

#bookaholic #penny reid #jennifer crusie #christina lauren #ilona andrews #loretta chase #lisa kleypas #susan elizabeth phillips #kelley armstrong #april white #brandon sanderson #julia quinn #book boyfriend #bookstagram #books to read #boys #men #love #romance

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kierongillen · 5 years ago

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Writer Notes: The Wicked + the Divine 44

Spoilers, obv.

I'm aware that this is either going to be a relatively short one or an epic one. The risk of the latter is that rather than just talking about the issue, for the first time I'm free to talk about the series as a whole, and so talk about some of those other choices. There'll be some of that, but it would warp the nature of the notes, and give some false perspective. I can talk about it being over now, sure, but talking about it all means I'm not talking about this element. Not least because I can't talk about it all – there's still the question of issue 45.

But still. There's a lot to talk about, and a lot of hard things in here to do. We knew where we going, but the devil is in the details. The devil's everywhere.

Jamie/Matt's Cover

Minerva finally gets her head-shot. I was a little worried that people would realise exactly what was happening to Minerva here, but I didn't see anyone realise she's falling, and speculate why. Of course, I knew what it was and couldn't not see it. That's how it works.

It's a striking last image though – this is an especially blank glance, in the middle of all the motion. Matt's pink/white nimbus is really powerful too.

Emma Rios/Miquel Muerto

Emma's one of our favourite artists, and we were so glad that we managed to get her before the end. Emma's always someone who gets this evocative drama of it all – this is obviously a momentous cover, but you don't know the moment until reading. Laura and Lucifer being a core relationship, and the hint of leaving. Miquel does strong, atmospheric things with the colours as well. It's a great cover to end the story on. On - Pretty Deadly is back on the same day as 45, and I can't wait. Gets!

IFC

In terms of minor things we did which have a big emotional effect, changing the gods' names to their human names was certainly one. It sits there and stings.

Page 1

This issue is particularly tightly wound, so we set the clock on the issue in this one page.

I had a couple of people wonder where the cops came from. I presume it's because the delay in publication – the "we have to go now because of woden's tape has revealed we're almost all complicit" is the only reason why they went for Minerva immediately.

For a page that's so tightly wound, Jamie does some great establishing here. Opening panel with the fire in top of Valhalla, to link to last issue. A shot with all these people in it – a character beat, and three extremely dialogue low panels.

Page 2

Riff on Better The Devil You Know.

The weird rhythm in WicDiv is the arcs-which-take-place-in-a-very-short-time and arcs-which-take-place-over-months. Faust act, Rising Action, Imperial Phase II, "Okay" are the over-a-short time. Fandemonium, Commercial Suicide, Imperial Phase I and Mothering Invention are the extended ones. The closest to one which does both is Faust Act, which spreads its action over a week or two.

Page 3

Lovely stuff in here with Jamie, in terms of character work – obviously this is Lucifer hamming it up, but seeing individual responses around the room is a hell of a thing. Minerva's a total mess here.

Valentine giving up clever insults at this point is probably a thing.

Page 4-5 "Bothersome" is a very Lucifer word. The expression in panel 2 is also key Lucifer – that eye-roll of it.

Laura's captions also arrive mid way through – key, as they're clearly going to be key. I was thinking of having them at the start of page 3 as well, but we can let us live in the moment.

Laura's performance tentacles is a lovely panel – seeing how Matt works the colours on the space. The blues fading to white, the reds. Honestly, this is making me miss working with Matt already, and seeing how good he and Jamie are together.

Callbacks here to Lucifer in the first arc – the cycle of it all.

"There were two girls in hell" makes me well up. |It's one of my favourite Jamie expressions in the issue.

Page 6-7

When planning the larger structure of WicDiv, I was aware that I made certain calls in hope I would be able to save people. The early "death" of the Heads was actually a way to protect them. I was aware that characters who were in play were far more likely to die, as they had more chances to do so. I knew I could likely save the heads, so by making them heads, I made it more likely.

I originally planned for Dionysus to die, but I couldn't bear it. His hubris was real, but the idea that someone could give so much without anyone really caring or doing something for him was too heart breaking, even for me. I realised during Rising Action that I could actually save him – the pieces were already in play, and I just had to lean into those relationships to lead to Baph's choices. At the start, I wasn't sure where Baphomet ended in year 4 – part of me thought he'd survive, as I didn't have that final beat for him at the start. That I didn't have a hard end for Baphomet always made him open to the story finding another purpose for him – which is an end which I can't imagine any other way now. WicDiv is an awful necessary machine.

That applied to Lucifer too. She was a darling, obviously, but she was always going to be trouble. Part of me was aware that she could come back and almost immediately get killed again. I'd like her to make it out, but it was possible she wouldn't.

So, as I said last time, when I realised she was the final opposition I was pleased – that was perfect to the themes and the structure.

I wrote in my synopsis that Laura uses a performance to touch Lucifer and convince her into renouncing her godhood, and left it at that.

There it sat until I came to script it.

Because, in all honesty, I had no idea how Laura was going to convince Lucifer to give up her godhood. I just trusted that there would be some way Laura could reach her. Or, really, I hoped there was – because I knew if I wrote something that didn't feel convincing to me, I wouldn't do the scene. Lucifer would have died instead.

So, the day came when I was scripting this sequence, and I started writing, and wondered what the performance would be, and I just wrote "Laura descends the Ananke head sequence and drags Luci back."

Then I leaned back, a little shocked, because that was clearly right, and so clearly fit with what the series does – a final deconstruction of one of our core visual icons, giving a new way to look at the sequence and think about it. It was just there. As if it was there all along. Or just the sort of thought that emerges when you've been obsessed over this fucking thing for five years.

I'm aware of the weird resonance as well – Laura's finding a performance to save a friend is me finding a performance to save a character. WicDiv was a weird book.

Jamie and Matt go to town, of course – the melting faces are just painful, and wonderfully done. The fleshy reds, the fires. How Clayton uses the captions across the page to play with pacing...

I originally suggested we do it completely as the WicDiv spread, with Laura crawling across the centre spread and making her way up – that it would be treating what is meant to be two columns as a space was decided to be too much, so instead we went with flipping to a subjective perspective on a space that we've only experienced from a single objective outside viewpoint. That's got magic too.

Page 8

A long time to get to this kiss, right?

We moved the dialogue around a little to nail some moments – we had the magic effect on the final panel so the transition to the next page wasn't too much.

The annoyance of Eleanor in the last panel is just my everything. I described it to Jamie by using a metaphor of me in my early thirties, having split up with an Ex, and torn between various places, including seriously wondering whether, after everything, the simple answer to my sexuality stuff was that I was just gay. How annoyed I would have been, after all those years, if it was that. Just a "Oh, FFS. I'm just gay! Why didn't I get that earlier? Why have I wasted all this time? What a fucking fool I am."

That.

Page 9

Repeat of core WicDivian imagery, turned to a different purpose. After these magificent godly reveals, we do this very normal world.

Yeah. This would have been a happy place to end the series.

Page 10

Laura wants to be better, of course. It's easy to say you want to do better.

A+ Cassandra-ing in the background there.

Page 11

Now, Minerva is dead in a few pages time, and she is a genuine monster, trapped in a system of her own making. But I didn't want to send her into the void thinking she had that horror awaiting her. I can't forgive her, but I can give her a little peace.

Title drop, of course, with a wonderful expression by Jamie. There's a lot here.

Okay, let's do this.

"Okay" is a phrase that's haunted WicDiv. We've come back to it multiple times – it's a fascinating word in the English language, and has caused problems for people translating it, in the mixture of ambivalence and optimism in it is really tricky. Clearly, we use everything inside the word.

It wasn't my Dad's last words, but it's the last exchange I remember with him. Everyone else was out, and I was helping him back to his seat. He says to me.

"Son, I know this is strange, but I can't help but think it's going to be okay."

And I can almost imagine my eyes bulging out of my head, as I wanted to howl at him: no, Dad. It really fucking isn't.

This comes up almost verbatim in the first arc, with the exchange between Laura and Lucifer before she breaks out. The series is about many things, but my Father's death was the core inspiration for it, and that "It's going to be okay" haunted me and it.

I don't think this is what my Dad meant, clearly, but it's how I've ended up metabolising it. I've been signing "It's going to be okay" when I sign Faust Acts, partially as it's the WicDiv phrase, partially as a secret-promise-that-they-won't-all-die-and-there-is-hope and partially because "When death comes, it's okay" is that buried in it. If I had to boil the book down to a sentence, it'd be it. It means different things depending how you look at it. That's all I've got.

Page 12

I talk about Solving The Equation of the third year, and Dio being in play for this section is absolutely part of it.

That first panel. I said that the cast were all people I'd have killed to be at various stages of my life. Umar is someone I try to be now. I don't succeed, but he's a worthy goal. Kind is not soft and all that.

While the silent panel is something you've all seen before, it's worth highlighting how good Jamie is. The favourite gesture of the scene is the eyes upwards of Cassandra – I don’t remember Jamie using this angle before, and it's really striking. I suddenly miss that I won't be working with Jamie again for a while. Have fun, Jamie. You were the best.

And now, this.

Page 13-14-15

"It would take a real monster to kill a kid" is one of those lines that have been sitting in the files since the beginning.

There was a fan artist in the WicDiv community early on who kept on doing these totally charming portraits of Baal and Minerva playing around in a big brother and little sister way. Every time I saw them, I felt both love for the art, and a sadness. "In four years time, you are going to have a terrible day."

That's one of the weirdest things of the last four years – that. Knowing that stuff is out there.

Looking at this at a little distance, I see the elements in – the standing on the edge, the "Please Don't" and all that. I sigh. This is awful and upsetting and that page turn is one of the hardest in the series. I wish Valentine would forgive himself, but he couldn't.

This is the sort of thing I want to write a lot about, and want to write nothing. I think I'll keep it as just the facts, in terms of trying to plot this.

Occasionally you get to a knot – I knew Valentine had to kill Minerva, that Valentine couldn't bear to live after that was done and that Minerva had to die after Baal gave up his powers. How to you put those three together, without introducing something else.

C asked "Where does it happen? Could it happen somewhere high?" and the rest was there. Falling being the repeating WicDiv image as well.

I think I pictures this actually side on, without the drop. Jamie's choice is better, just because of the eyes.

The three panels is something we're returned too, but choosing the distance was key. You know it's there, but I didn't want to revel in the dead bodies. This is a different kind of death to many of the ones in the book, and has to be treated as such. Any more blood than shows they're dead would be obscene.

I sigh again. I note that Matt does the lights on the guns perfectly, but I want to highlight craft. The shot of eveyrone waiting is a huge thing – Inanna's grief, Dio stepping in, and the crossed arms of Cassandra...

I think it was when I was plotting the second year at WicDiv that I realised that I couldn't see a way out of this which didn't involve the majority of the cast ending up in jail for a while. I was okay with that, as it made some sense. It's thematically resonant for a few ways – it's a choice which shows their acceptance of their acts, and their actual humanity as well as an understanding of their power, and lots more.

However, due to all the straight, white characters being dead, it does mean that a all-queer all-PoC-minus-Lucifer cast going to jail, in the current jail system. That said, while far from perfect, the UK is not the US. I don't think I could have written this ending in the US. Even in the UK, I safety-proof it conceptually as much as I can.

They are all queer, and almost all PoC... but they are also superhumans (and mostly rich.) They have a degree of power, and options which are not open to other people... and it is their one chance to try and navigate this space with no-one else (either them or other humans) getting killed. It's their last chance to act in good faith to the rest of the species.

I wouldn't trust the system if they were people without their resources. They're not. And this is the least-worst choice I can see.

I'm sure some of you will disagree with me on that.

More safety-proofing – Voluntuaryism is an anarchist idea. "The only true order is voluntary order" basically.

18-19-20

This is a lot of space for a sequence which is relatively minor dramatic weight, but as we segue towards the end, we want it to breathe a little. Plus there's the matter of the page turns – the previous interstitial was about pushing that as well, so both the "surrender" and Laura's final headshot are on a turn.

Matt's lighting in this sequence is wonderful – I said to Jamie that I was thinking of almost suggesting we're changing genre before Laura steps in. It's a "The special forces go after Batman" sort of sequence. I was thinking of the one from Batman: Year Zero, which is some top class special forces entering darkened environments.

Another moment of the weird-colouring-in-a-balloon, and the actually living in the moment.

Taking the guns is more safety-proofing, showing they are not acting in blind faith of the system. That Laura can take the guns also shows that Laura likely could walk out of prison any time she wants, and the rest will be able to do the same too.

(Not that the people in power know they don't presently have access to their big ones, of course.)

We originally has Cass shouting that final line, but had it much more matter of fact. This is kind of past shouting.

21-22

Yeah, this is calling back all manner of stuff. Back to the courtroom.

Jamie asked me a lot about the final expression, as is only right. This is a story where we've used head shots a lot, normally with pose. This is something else.

Worth noting that Laura couldn't be sentenced to life imprisonment. She's 18 so would be sentenced for "custody for life". Not that the story actually says what she's been sentenced to that either – we cut before the sentence is given. Don’t expect a firm answer to that in next issue either.

But they all have been sentenced to life, in the obvious metaphorical way. Laura has been depressed and self-destructive to the point of a death wish throughout. At the end, she's decided to try to live.

I count that as bitter sweet, and I count that as a win. I'm proud of her. I'm proud of them all.

I'm in tears now.

24-28

And we were when compiling the letters page. Thanks you lot.

Jamie and I both had really intense feelings about the final cover. It's clear why we've kept it secret (it gives away Laura survives) but to see this young woman we've been writing about older was incredibly moving.

Laura was 20 years younger than me at the start of WicDiv, and she's 20 years older than me at the end. Feeling suspended between the two poles, identically. The duality of it, one more time.

I love this cover so much, and I loved these characters, this book, you lot.

Thanks for reading.

#WicDiv #the wicked and the divine #Writer notes

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nbiblioholic · 6 years ago

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Down the TBR Hole was originally created by Lost in a Story! The point of it is to help cull your reading lists down, or maybe push higher anticipated releases up on your TBR! And maybe you all can help me along the way, and tell me if you’ve loved or hated any of these! How it works: ➽ Go to your Goodreads to-read shelf. ➽ Order on ascending date added. ➽ Take the first 5 (or 10 if you’re feeling adventurous) books ➽ Read the synopses of the books ➽ Decide: keep it or should it go? A Court of Thorns and Roses (A Court of Thorns and Roses #1) by Sarah J. Maas Avg rating: 4.27/Release: May 5, 2015 I've got this entire series sitting on my bookshelves. It's been sitting there for a while now. I've bought each book as it released and still haven't started it. Why? Because I haven't stopped signing up for ARCs. After all of the hype this series and author has received, I really hope this story lives up to my expectations. To say they're high would be an understatement. Verdict: Keep Images Eternal (The Shoalman Chronicles #1) by Toni Decker Avg rating: 4.28/Release: September 15, 2014 New-to-me author! I actually don't remember adding this to my to-read list. However, after reading the blurb and realizing that many of my GR friends recommended it, I'm interested. I'm a little scared because it's a new adult romance, but with the paranormal flavor, I'm hoping the story won't annoy me. Verdict: Keep #TripleX by Christine Zolendz & Angelisa Stone Avg rating: 4.19/Release: January 17, 2015 Every book I've read from Christine Zolendz has earned five stars from me so I have no doubt that I'll love this story too. I haven't read from her co-author, but I'm not worried. It's romcom and from what I can tell, I'm in for more laughs than I know what to do with. Verdict: Keep

Roman Crazy (Broads Abroad #1) by Alice Clayton & Nina Bocci Avg rating: 3.84/Release: September 13, 2016 Nina Bocci is a new-to-me author but I've loved everything I've read from Alice Clayton. Laugh-out-loud fun! I saw this book available on Book Outlet, but hesitated about buying it because I don't have a strong motivation to read it. Maybe I'll get it and know that when I'm ready I have it there. Verdict: Keep

Step Bride (Barone Crime Family #1) by B.B. Hamel Avg rating: 3.79/Release: February 4, 2016 I'm not sure how this one ended up on my TBR. This author's books constantly pop up in my recommendations. The books are usually only 99 cents or FREE in Kindle Unlimited. I usually get KU for a couple of months a year, so maybe I'll grab this when I subscribe again. Or maybe I won't. I just don't think it needs to stay on my list as a reminder. Verdict: Delete Embracing Silence (Project Alpha #1) by N.J. Walters Avg rating: 3.64/Release: August 21, 2009 New-to-me author! Another book that ended up on my list without reason. However, I've recently found my love for sci-fi stories again, especially in the romance genre, so I look forward to reading this. It looks like a dystopian, forbidden romance which sounds right up my alley. Verdict: Keep Stolen Breaths (Stolen Breaths #1) by Pamela Sparkman Avg rating: 3.71/Release: January 29, 2014 New-to-me author! Again, how did this book end up on my TBR? Ah well, after reading the blurb, it's a true love story that follows the classic romance recipe. Not exactly my cup of tea. Verdict: Delete Overexposed: Volume 1 by Rae Lynn Blaise Avg rating: 3.63/Release: July 26, 2016 New-to-me author! I don't know what was happening in my life during this period of time, but I added a bunch of books I don't remember. At all! I think this one was a referral by one of my good GR friends because I just saw that she was the only one I know who left a review. She says it's smut and that's enough for me. Verdict: Keep The Found (Crow City #2) by Cole McCade Avg rating: 3.98/Release: August 22, 2016 New-to-me author! This book has been recommended to me by quite a few of my GR friends. Looks like a dark romance and everyone knows how much I like those. When I finally get around to it, I'll be sure to start this series from the beginning. Verdict: Keep Covet (Deceptive Desires 0.5) by Amarie Avant Avg rating: 4.15/Release: August 21, 2016 New-to-me author! This book keeps popping up on Amazon as a free read and after getting it highly recommended by a GR reviewer I trust implicitly, I added it. However, I'm not all that interested in it anymore. If it remains free once I'm interested again, I'll read it. Verdict: Delete You (You #1) by Caroline Kepnes Avg rating: 3.85/Release: September 30, 2014 New-to-me author! I think everyone and their mama has read this book. Everyone but me. After seeing that it's made it to the screen, I'm even more interested in diving into this story. A stalker who kills because he's possessive over his obsession? Sounds like my kind of story! Verdict: Keep For Better or Worse (The Wedding Belles #2) by Lauren Layne Avg rating: 4.13/Release: August 30, 2016 After reading the first book of this series and enjoying it, I immediately added the next book so I could continue to see how love played out for the first couple and see how the other characters would find themselves in love. Although this author is pretty hit-or-miss for me, I have faith that this will be a winner. Verdict: Keep The Bourbon Thief by Tiffany Reisz Avg rating: 4.10/Release: June 28, 2016 New-to-me author! I know, I know. How is it possible that I haven't read any of her books yet? I figured since this one centers around a revenge plot and I find it hard to resist those, that this would be a good introduction to her work. Verdict: Keep Author Anonymous by E.K. Blair Avg rating: 4.18/Release: August 29, 2016 I immediately added this book when everyone reviewed it and gave it 4 and 5 stars. Seriously, with those results, how could I not want to read it?! It must be amazing, right? It must tick every one of my boxes, right? But then I really took the idea of this story in. A truly contemptible heroine whose a cheater. So basically I need to go in knowing that I'm going to thoroughly hate the witch. All from an author I'm not familiar with AND it's a true story. I'll pass. Verdict: Delete Disruptor by Sonya Clark Avg rating: 3.67/Release: September 19, 2016 New-to-me author! A sci-fi romance about a street girl who's suffers scientific experimentation and becomes a superhero. Do I really need to say more? I don't remember who recommended this book, but I'm hoping in the end that I will be glad they did. Verdict: Keep Wonderfully Wicked (The Dreamcaster Series #1) by C.J. Burright Avg rating: 3.82/Release: May 13, 2014 New-to-me author! This sounds like an interesting fantasy romance. It's about a girl whose nightmares come to life. I've been warned that I'm probably going to be extremely annoyed by the heroine and I hope it's not too bad. Verdict: Keep The Hating Game by Sally Thorne Avg rating: 4.22/Release: August 9, 2016 New-to-me author! I remember really looking forward to this book after some of my friends reviewed an advance copy. I love a great enemies-to-lovers romance and this one seems too cute to pass up. Verdict: Keep Retrieval (The Retrieval Duet #1) by Aly Martinez Avg rating: 4.30/Release: September 13, 2016 I don't think there's been an Aly Martinez book I didn't love. Her stories are emotional, evocative stories that I can re-read over and over again. This one got tons of 5-star ratings by my GR friends and I can't wait to join the masses in fan-girling over this story. Verdict: Keep Just Friends (Friends #1) by Monica Murphy Avg rating: 3.29/Release: September 13, 2016 I've really enjoyed some of the books I've read from this author. She's pretty hit-or-miss with me because while I do enjoy YA romance, I don't always love the way they're portrayed. I can't always relate because I was a bit different from what these stories characterize as normal. Way too much angst. I hope this one doesn't have too much drama and nonsense for me. Verdict: Keep Unsuitable (Unsuitable #1) by Samantha Towle Avg rating: 3.88/Release: October 1, 2016 It's been a hot minute since I've read anything from this author. She's another one who delivers stories that don't always turn out to be winners for me. It's gotten some mixed reviews from my friends but I'm willing to test it out for myself. Fingers crossed that I love it! Verdict: Keep So many new-to-me authors on this list! Have you read from them before? Am I on the right track by keeping/deleting them? Have any of these books made it to your list and were they winners for you? That's it for this edition of keeping it real with my TBR. I hope your TBR remains long and fruitful!! Happy reading!! xoxo

#book challenge #book blog #blogger #down the tbr hole

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aarontveit · 7 years ago

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Gavin, John, Bradley, Siobahn, Clayton, Mary

GAVIN.

1: sexuality head canon: Gavin doesn’t have a sexuality. I mean, he does have a sexuality, but there is no real identifier that I’d go for. I mean, there’s the joking way of looking at it, which is to say that his sexuality is “yes.” Except I don’t even want to say that, because he very much is someone who will say no. NOT THAT OTHER PEOPLE DON’T THAT WE LABEL AS “YES” AS A JOKE. I don’t know, I don’t know what I’m trying to say. Maybe I just enjoy the idea of him having a labelless sexuality? 2: otp: - Gavin/Dean- Gavin/Tom- Gavin/Tracy (non-romantically) - Gavin/EphThere’s a part of me that actively ships Ryan with Gavin, for numerous reasons. I’m not as vocal about my interests there, mostly because so many of my characters are intertwined with him - but now, with Erin taking over as him, it’s easier to delve into that “obsession.” Ryan, for me, has quite the crush on Gavin. This guy, this young guy, was just there for his siblings, without asking for anything in return. He was there. In a way that Ryan couldn’t trust anyone else to be. There’s so much faith there, so much understanding, so much respect. Gavin has just been so damn good to Ryan, so it’s easy to see where that “crush” comes into play. Would I actually want it to come into play & something to happen? Absolutely not. It’s still fun to think about, though, because Gavin would definitely be Ryan’s type to some extent. 3: brotp: - Dean- Eph- Tracy- Gavin/Anger4: notp: - literally anyone not mentioned above- especially Gavin/Neil- Gavin/Talking During Sex5: first head canon that pops into my head: Because of how John was with him, and because of seeing John as a father figure when he couldn’t count on Crowley (because he’s never been able to count on him), he had days where he often just wished that John was his father, and it was a bit difficult for him to have that thought when, you know, he was thinking about Dean sexually [when it happened]. There was just a large part of him that wished he could have been more related to that family, even though he knew how broken & fucked up they were. There was always a sense of belonging that came with the Winchesters that he didn’t get with his own family, despite having that closeness with his sister. He felt guilty for that feeling, for wishing he could be “belong” to another family. So, he actively kept those thoughts to himself (much like he would anything, really). 6: one way in which I relate to this character: I, too, have an unspeakable rage that dwells inside me & I will one day snap!I, too, will kill anyone who dares to harm Dean.7: thing that gives me second hand embarrassment about this character:Um, please revisit the third thing listed in my NOTPs!!!!!

JOHN.

1: sexuality head canon: John is, very much so, polysexual. Except, much like Tom, he doesn’t actually know that word exists, so he doesn’t really put a label to himself. Not to mention, he’s John fucking Winchester & he can do whatever the hell he wants in terms of his interests. Fuck the world. Also, let’s be real, the guy is AnnaSexual, AlcoholSexual, and low-key GavinSexual but he can’t admit to any of this - well, maybe the alcohol. 2: otp: - John/Alcohol - John/Gavin- John/AnnaSomeone explain to me why I’m a disgusting trash can who ships John with no one his own fucking age what the fuck is wrong with me, I feel like a horrible god damned person holy shit. This is horrible. 3: brotp: - Victor- Eleanor [low-key]- Gavin4: notp: - John/Interacting With Dean- John/Anna- John/Gavin5: first head canon that pops into my head: John has actual feelings for Anna, and it’s weird, and he knows he shouldn’t have them. He knows that he can’t have them, because that’s Anna fucking Milton. She’s an infant in comparison to him. He knows there’s a power imbalance there, he knows that it isn’t okay, and it’s why he actively tries to avoid her. There’s nothing about this, about that, that he would wish to impose on her. He’s a screwed up individual, and he doesn’t see himself as a good person in the slightest (which, technically, he’s really not). He doesn’t want Anna to ever see what’s underneath the shell that she’s seen him wear. He wishes, to be honest, that Anna could be somehow looped into things with Gavin & Dean.... which is weird. That’s a weird thought for him to have. This whole response has been weird, bye.6: one way in which I relate to this character: I, too, have alcohol abuse/reliance problems & it’s actually why I rarely drink now.7: thing that gives me second hand embarrassment about this character: Every single time he thinks about Anna in a cheer leading uniform.What the fuck, John?

BRADLEY.

1: sexuality head canon: Bradley is 100% gay, but because of compulsory heterosexuality placed upon by Thierry, and by the town in general, he still sleeps with women sometimes. He does get off on it, and there are times when he legitimately enjoys it - but in the end, it’s not something he actually wants to do. He’d rather be face down on a bed with a dick in his ass, but you know! I also feel the need to mention that while he is starved for romantic attention & validation, and while he experiences romantic attraction, he does not actively want those feelings & he does not actively want them returned (mostly because he doesn’t trust them and/or believe them). Bradley, without a doubt, falls along the aro spectrum, it just has yet to be decided where on that spectrum he lies. And like, even with his homosexuality, it’s hard for him to sit there and say, flat out, “Yeah, I’m a gay man.” Like, he can say it, but it’s a whole other thing for him to mean it? Thanks, Thierry! You’ve been a real pal!2: otp: - Bradley/Fabien- Bradley/Ryan- Bradley/Junkie AestheticI’m always going to be a fan of Bradley & Ryan, because I know their entire history up inside my head, and it rips me to shreds. Ryan is the only person who has ever shown Bradley what love really looks like, has made Bradley feel like he’s deserving of that love. He makes Bradley feel in ways the guy didn’t even know he could. Those feelings terrify him though, and it’s part of the reason I also don’t ship them - because that fear manifests itself in such a negative light, that it causes Bradley to lash out at Ryan. It makes Bradley abusive to Ryan - and Bradley’s history doesn’t absolve him of that responsibility. Then there’s Fabien. That’s an entirely different story because of them being brothers & then their weird codependent dynamic that’s also not codependent. I don’t know, it’s so weird, but Bradley’s so addicted when it comes to him. Fabien knows him so well, can read him like a book. Bradley knows it, too, and he welcomes it. It’s why it’s so hard for him to accept this Stepford version of his brother, a version of this guy who sees what Bradley looks like right now, and says nothing. It breaks him in a way that has yet to be touched on. Bradley never thought he’d see a day where he wished he was dealing with the addiction in Fabien, not the cult. In another light, I also don’t ship Bradley romantically with people. He’s just so starved for that acceptance, and it’s unhealthy. I want to say that he needs to be able to learn to accept himself before he can begin to love another, but I don’t think he will ever be able to love himself, because everything that he sees is just a lie - something that shouldn’t be able to exist. Not to mention that Bradley is on the aro spectrum. God, he’s borderline akoiromantic, if not actually so. Which is interesting for me because so is Chet. Anyway.3: brotp: - Fabien- Ryan- SageI am, honestly, interested in the progression of his friendships with Anna & Adina as things go on, especially when Adina finds out. It’s going to be so fun! Because Adina’s going to love having someone new in the family, and she’ll be so weirdly amused to know it’s Bradley of all people, haha. Bradley doesn’t really know how to process being the town witch’s sibling, but he doesn’t really mind because he knows Adina is super chill. He’s a little weirded out by it all though, and there’s just so much possibility there! With him becoming close with Anna, and them relating to one another on some fronts. They’re great! They’ll be even greater! I mention Anna a little less only because I’m still forcing myself out of the mindset that is, “If he wasn’t related to Anna, they would bone because she would be able to dom that boy & he’d adore it, regardless of her being a woman.” Bradley doesn’t discriminate from good sex! 4: notp: - Bradley/Prestyn- Bradley/Drugs- Bradley/Balthazar- Bradley/Clayton- Bradley/Depression5: first head canon that pops into my head: Bradley has absolutely been involved with prostitution. The extent of that is unknown, but it was definitely something he was involved in. I also firmly believe that Bradley (while with Balthazar) would participate in “sharing.” I forget what the actual name is for this noise, but basically it’s Bradley being shared to other people for sexual purposes - and like, he wouldn’t have been opposed to this. See, I know that Balthazar was possessive as fuck when it came to Bradley, which is why I can see this having happened even more. Because it falls under the territory of Bradley only truly being pleased by him, that Balthazar could only truly give Bradley what he wanted (sexually). 6: one way in which I relate to this character: There are a number of ways in which I can relate to him, and I’d rather not cry, so no.7: thing that gives me second hand embarrassment about this character: That boy is the biggest, hardest, most subbiest sub I have ever role played as.

SIOBAHN.

1: sexuality head canon: I picture Siobahn have a pretty fluid sexuality, but also just being insanely bisexual. I also feel like her sexuality, sometimes, might be confusing for her? I don’t know if I’m equating that with her profession, or what. It’s just something that’s kind of inside my head. So, I could be way off base there. She absolutely owns herself, though, and her sexuality. Siobahn is her own person, with her own body, and she owns that knowledge. It’s her super power.2: otp: - Siobahn/Mel- Siobahn/David- Siobahn/Hael3: brotp: - David- MelThere hasn’t been much done with them, but I’d like to think Brady should be on this list.4: notp:- Siobahn/CastielI only actively do not want Castiel involved with Siobahn in any way, shape, or form because he’s so [unintentionally (unless it’s Hael)] horrible to people. He’s selfish, inconsiderate, and self-serving. I don’t want her to get mixed up in that shitty behaviour because the girl deserves so much more in her life. Let her live under the same roof as David, or Hael (not both, for obvious reasons), so she can be loved, appreciated, and get a good lay in whenever she wants. The girl deserves it!!! Let her live!!!! 5: first head canon that pops into my head: Her & Mel have definitely worked on a client together.6: one way in which I relate to this character: I don’t. She’s too powerful. I can’t relate to a fucking Goddess. 7: thing that gives me second hand embarrassment about this character: Her interest in Castiel. YOU DESERVE BETTER, HONEY! LOVE YOURSELF!!

CLAYTON.

1: sexuality head canon: Honestly, I really don’t know. I mean, he’s certainly BradleySexual.2: otp: - Clayton/Bradley3: brotp: - Bradley4: notp: - Clayton/Bradley- anyone that isn’t Bradley5: first head canon that pops into my head: Anything I could think of has pretty much been talked about, so instead, I’m going to talk about how much I love that he went out of his way to sleep with Balthazar so he could prove to Bradley that he was a sack of crap, but then it kind of worked out in the end anyway even though Clayton had done that. Honestly, I fucking love that because it’s so dark, and it’s twisted. And if Bradley had found out, it would have hilarious for Clayton to realize he’d done it all for nothing because Bradley would have shrugged off that “newfound” knowledge and told him, “So? Not like he hasn’t done it before. Not like I haven’t done it before.” Which, by the way, Bradley never actively cheated on Balthazar, but he definitely alluded to having done so. ANYWAY, so yeah, poor Clayton in a way, to be honest.6: one way in which I relate to this character: I, too, am a little fucking weird. (shut up)7: thing that gives me second hand embarrassment about this character: ………………………………………..the things he says…………………during sex………..

MARY.

1: sexuality head canon: I don’t like saying straight, but I feel like in the case of Mary, she’s straight.And a little EphSexual, but in a confusing way that’s not real.2: otp: - Mary/Eph3: brotp: - Mary/EphThere has not been much interaction outside of them to warrant anyone else making this list, except for minor moments involving Kirsten - but that was literally for live tweeting purposes, so who knows if they’re really friends, but I think the consensus there is that they’re supposed to be. We should work on that.4: notp: - Mary/Eph, respectively 5: first head canon that pops into my head: She really wanted to reach out & talk more to Ephraim when the stuff with Neil came out, when his “accusations” were made against him, and the town seemed to [again] turn against Eph because Neil was just the “stand up guy.” She didn’t think he was lying, because how could Ephraim, of all people, lie about something like that? It didn’t really add up, so she knew there was validity to it, and she was concerned about him. This feeling came about again when his parents were murdered - but really, what could she have said in those moments? I feel like there was a powerless emotion that’s been there ever since these moments. 6: one way in which I relate to this character: I DON’T. But this will probably change.7: thing that gives me second hand embarrassment about this character:When she was asking Eph if he thought about before, if things had been different.Yeah….

#gordonwalkr #asks #misc: role playing

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fangiirlism-blog · 6 years ago

Text

the order ( ep 1 reaction )

this is spoiler-y and unimportant to your life i just think that if i get obsessed with it, it might be fun to look back on what i though

but, if you want to read this for some reason, it’s just my reaction chronologically through the episode

the cupcake on the grave thing? cute af.

i love the black-haired girl already damn

ok does homeboy not know about magic or does he? bc his reaction to the letter changing was weird

fucking A! was funny as shit i think i like him

the logos nice

if hes going to university why does he have a pre algebra book? thats freshman yr of highschool???

jack’s kinda pretty?

“fuck you edward my daughters dead because of you” was so forced im gagging

i like the grandfather-grandson relationship they got tho its sweet

sksksskkk “he’ll be fine” and he immediately gets kidnapped lmao

oh my god they pulled an eliot

did he forget his show lines or his actual lines lmao

“uhhhh no” is great

ok wait i love jack

TODD

clayton turner is me at 4am

they have non-binary bathroom locations and how not to rape pamphlets i??? love it

ughhhhhhhhh wait nvm that was a love at first sight moment gross

i hate alyssa send tweet

oh my god yes jack fucking own her

his foundation doesn’t match his neck

TODD! randall?

oh my god i love todd-not-todd

“im wikipedia smart” skskksk

ok todd-not-todd left im bored

black haired lady!!

where do i know her from???

oh shit someone already died

it was probably a werewolf

oh its the creepy thing from the promos im kinda mad its not a villain

this ethics professor, todd-not-todd, and jack’s shiny moments of sarcasm are the only things getting me through

pls no alyssa stop this is so bad in my heart it hurts i hate it

like im not against straight relationships or even obvious relationships but they’re just chemistry-less and that douche that she’s dating is so forced

how is she so bad at keeping secrets shes in a seCRET SOCIETY

lmao he said todd and i flipped

the effects are actually really good

i like amir

wait i like this todd too

oh my god why is alyssa so bad at secrets

why are the douches in this show so over the top

that was an alarm not a phone ring fuck you

ok if it was so easy to recognize the voices, why doesnt the society use like voce modulators or something this secret society thing should have been found out decades ago

i love pops

“i did not sign uP FOR THIS”

oh my god im so angry that he didn’t know about magic and just straight up didn’t think about how they kept putting shit in his pocket and the coin thing and the letter

in case its not obvious enough yet i hATE ALYSSA

he’s just digging up his dead mothers grave??? WHAT THE FUCK?

fucking kyle bro

OH MY GOD THE SHOVEL SKSKSK

“oh wait fuck you kyle”

ok im.... so conflicted. the forced romance and dialogue is gross but i want to watch more so i guess ill see how i feel after a few episodes

#*the order

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haleyfury · 7 years ago

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As I was preparing my traditional What I Read post for February, I realized that I did a few more bookish, fandom, and bloggish things that I want to talk about! Because I don’t just want to discuss books today, I’m going to be guiding you through what I wrote and watched this month, as well as some fun, in-real-life happenings.

February was a weird reading month because I feel like I didn’t read a lot, between school life and being busy on the weekends, but I managed to read X books! I tend to read less during the school year because I like not having to concentrate too much when I get to relax (hence a lot of Youtube and TV watching). I spent a lot of time reading for my English classes this month (2 books from my contemporary American lit class are included down below), and while I’m not including them on my list, I read Logicomix and Berlin: City of Stones Vol.1 for my graphic novels course.

If I don’t talk about the books below right now, it’s because you’ll find reviews for them in the next section.

The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden | 4.5/5 Stars

This Is What Happy Looks Like by Jennifer E. Smith | 4/5 Stars

The Cruel Prince by Holly Black | 4/5 Stars

Her Body and Other Parties by Carmen Maria Machado | 4/5 Stars

Her Body and Other Parties is the second book I’ve read for my contemporary American lit class, and it was a book that was on my TBR radar before I found out it was on the syllabus!?! I’m still slightly in shock that I’m reading books published within the past year in SCHOOL (not-so-patiently waiting for my school to add a YA lit class). Anyways, I really enjoyed Her Body and Other Parties for its genre-bending short stories and focus on women. My favorites include “Inventory”, “Eight Bites”, and “The Resident” (all of which you can find online!).

Thunderhead by Neal Shusterman | 5/5 Stars

After the Quake by Haruki Murakami | 4/5 Stars

My contemporary American literature class is focused on the short story cycle, and it’s been really interesting to read so many short stories. I’ve heard good things about Haruki Murakami’s 1Q84, so I was excited to pick up this short story collection centering around the Kobe earthquake. When I’m reading for school, I often take the time to take notes as I read, but I was so immersed in Murakami’s writing that I forgot to until I finished! My favorite stories were “ufo in kushiro” and “thailand”.

Heir of Fire by Sarah J. Maas | 5/5 Stars

My reread review of HoF will be coming next week, just know for now that I was very happy to be reunited with Manon & Abraxos.

Like my reading, I feel like I didn’t post as much as I have in the past six months, but I only had two weeks where I went back to my original schedule of only 3 posts a week. I’m really happy with February’s content.

Reviews

The HYPE IS REAL: Scythe by Neal Shusterman

The Review That Time Forgot… Okay, It Was Me: I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter by Erika L. Sánchez

Before the Fae: Throne of Glass and Crown of Midnight Reread Discussion

The Upside of Unrequited by Becky Albertalli

Keeping Up With Fantasy: The Bear and the Nightingale & The Cruel Prince

I READ A SUMMER CONTEMPORARY IN FEBRUARY??? | This Is What Happy Looks Like by Jennifer E. Smith

CAN THE THUNDERHEAD GIVE ME THE 3RD BOOK? | Thunderhead by Neal Shusterman

Book-Related

I’M CRAVING FANTASY & 100 BOOKS: What I Read in January 2018

Top Five Wednesday: Favorite YA Romance Novels

Fandom

My Experience Seeing Dear Evan Hansen ft. the Amazon Bookstore

TBB Asks: All About Love & Fangirl Things Q&A

My Funko Pop Collection-February 2018

Tags

Reputation Book Tag

I LIKE BOOK TAGS THAT AREN’T BOOK TAGS | Book Blogger Test

The Greatest Showman– I’m about two months late to the party, but during the first weekend in February, my sister and I finally saw The Greatest Showman. In January, I saw so many people online completely raving about this musical-film inspired by P.T. Barnum (a sentence I thought I’d never write), and it was Zoë Sugg of Zoella and her vlogs that made me want to see the film. It’s safe to say that I absolutely loved The Greatest Showman, and I have been completely obsessed with the soundtrack. I run to “A Million Dreams” and “The Other Side” , guys. Besides the two songs that I just mentioned, I love “Never Enough”, “Rewrite the Stars”, “From Now On”, and “Tightrope”.

The Good Place – Almost every book blogger I follow on Twitter have raved about The Good Place. What really sold was me were all the mentions of PARKS & REC EASTER EGGS!

It was so much fun to be back in a Michael Schur show— HE CREATED Parks & Rec- and I just love how complex the storyline has become, not to mention the hilarious characters. As I’m writing this post, I’ve just started watching Ghosted again because you know, Adam Scott (Ben Wyatt is forever my fictional bf), WHO IS ACTUALLY IN SEASON ONE OF THE GOOD PLACE. I cannot wait for the third season to come out, and until then, I might need to watch another Michael Schur show (I’m thinking Brooklyn-Nine-Nine) or it’” be time for another Parks and Rec rewatch.

The Belles Book Signing- During the second weekend in February, I went into New York City to spend the day with one of my best friends. We spent most of the day catching up and working on a film project of his-while writing will always be #1, my love for video has expanded this year with my film classes—and around 3:30, we decided to do something bookish and head to Books of Wonder for Dhonielle Clayton and Adam Silvera’s event for The Belles. Our first mistake was leaving about twenty minutes before the event, as the signing turned out to be the most crowded event I’ve been to. Our second “mistake” was continuing to take our time and then end up at the downtown Books of Wonder.The event was of course held at the uptown Books of Wonder location, so a few subway stops later we made it there. Luckily, we made it in time to hear Dhonielle and Adam answer questions from the audience and treat ourselves to some macaroons. I also convinced my friend to buy History Is All You Left Me, which is my favorite book of Adam’s, but unfortunately we didn’t say for the signing because there were about 70 people in front of us and I had a train to catch. However, I still had a great day in the city with my best friend and those macaroons were the perfect snack for the train ride home.

Being featured on Jacquelyn Middleton’s blog

Jacquelyn Middleton is the author of London Belongs to Me, one of my favorite NA reads, and London, Can You Meet. On her blog, Jacquelyn has been sharing so many bookstagram photos of her books and mine was featured in her post, “London Belongs… To You: Part Twelve“! I consider myself to be a VERY amateur bookstagrammer, so it was amazing to be featured along such amazing bookstagram accounts– I think one of my summer projects is going to be upping my Instagram game.

fangirlfury.com

I mentioned this in my Funko Pop Collection post, but on Valentine’s Day, I bought my blog domain! While I didn’t post until March, I created Fangirl Fury in February of 2017, and I feel so excited to own my domain a year later. You can now officially find me at fangirlfury.com. Whether this is your 1st or 150th time reading a Fangirl Fury post, I want to thank you for supporting my spot on the Internet. Here’s to another exciting year of blogging, reading, and fangirling!

I really liked writing a true monthly wrap-up, and I can see myself expanding my “What I Read” posts to this format. Do you like monthly wrap-ups? What did you read or watch in February? Share in the comments!

BOOKS, WRITING, AND LIFE HAPPENINGS: February Wrap-Up As I was preparing my traditional What I Read post for February, I realized that I did a few more bookish, fandom, and bloggish things that I want to talk about!

#2018 Books #Blogging #TV

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amtushinfosolutionspage · 7 years ago

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DGB Grab Bag: Happy Birthday Gretzky, Mid-Season Awards, and a Crotch Goal

Three Stars of Comedy

The third star: The Crotch Goal – It’s a lot like the Butt Goal, only with less butt and more crotch.

The second star: Jimmy Eat World – Yes, the band. No, I didn’t expect them to ever show up in this section either. But that was before they started dunking on team Twitter accounts.

Seriously, is it too late to get these guys to perform at the All-Star Game instead of Kid Rock? They don’t even have to sing, they can just go through all the league’s social media accounts and rip them individually. Let’s make this happen.

The first star: Auston Matthews is one of us – Nobody knows what goaltender interference is anymore. That includes Matthews, who lost a goal on Monday to a phantom interference penalty after a lengthy review. But it was worth it, because it gave us this all-purpose reaction GIF we can now use for pretty much every decision the NHL makes.

He followed that up with a goal and another classic reaction. Strong GIF work out there, Auston. Remember kids, there is no “I” in meme.

Outrage of the Week

The issue: For the first time in decades, the PHWA has released a round of midseason awards, covering all the major trophies and a few made-up ones as well.

The outrage: The results are wrong and the writers are stupid and you feel strongly about this.

Is it justified: I don’t even know what the results are as I’m writing this, or whether they’ll have been released by the time you read this (they’re supposed to come out at some point this morning). I just know that somebody out there is angry about them. And that’s good. That’s part of the fun. If we didn’t debate the picks, the whole process would be awfully boring.

If we’re being honest, the midseason picks will probably be even easier to criticize than the final season-ending votes. We’re working with a smaller sample size, but since these aren’t official awards there will probably be less time spent on the research side of things. (Believe it or not, PHWA members are known for obsessing over the details on their year-end ballots.) Some of these won’t hold up well a week or two from now, let alone at the end of the year.

But again, that’s part of the fun. So in the interest of transparency, here’s the ballot I submitted. I look forward to helpful feedback about how I can do better in the future. [brick flies by head] Oh cool, there’s some already.

Hart Trophy

1. Nathan MacKinnon

2. Nikita Kucherov

3. John Tavares

4. Blake Wheeler

5. Alexander Ovechkin

MacKinnon’s recent hot streak nudges him ahead of Kucherov. I wanted to get Wheeler on to the ballot, as his career year has helped the Jets stay on track even without Mark Scheifele. But that means I don’t have room for Steven Stamkos or Patrice Bergeron, let alone any defensemen or goalies. Here’s hoping a few of these guys separate from the pack in the second half, because right now this is a real tough choice.

Norris Trophy

1. Drew Doughty

2. Victor Hedman

3. P.K. Subban

4. John Klingberg

5. Alex Pietrangelo

I give Doughty a slight edge here, but Hedman is the interesting choice. He’s hurt now, and will miss a few more weeks, so he’s almost definitely not going to win the real award. There are a few guys in that situation around the league. Do you take them off your midseason ballot? I didn’t, just like I wouldn’t eliminate an end-of-season candidate who was hurt on the final weekend.

Vezina Trophy

1. Andrei Vasilevskiy

2. Mike Smith

3. Connor Hellebuyck

4. Pekka Rinne

5. Corey Crawford

This feels like a relatively easy call at #1, followed by about a half-dozen guys who could range from second spot to off the ballot. You could make a case for John Gibson, Frederik Andersen, or Jonathan Quick too.

Calder Trophy

1. Mathew Barzal

2. Brock Boeser

3. Charlie McAvoy

4. Clayton Keller

5. Mikhail Sergachev

The top two guys are running a fantastic race so far. From there, I kept McAvoy on my ballot despite his health issues for the same reason as Hedman. I had Sergachev a bit higher earlier in the week, but the Lightning making him a healthy scratch spooked me a bit.

Lady Byng

1. Marc-Edouard Vlasic

2. Mark Stone

3. Ryan O’Reilly

4. Auston Matthews

5. William Karlsson

Good players dominate this award these days, and rightfully so—they’re the ones targeted for the most abuse, so they get extra credit for not getting sucked in. But players who are asked to shutdown stars have it even tougher, which is why my top three picks here are guys who excel in their own end. You could make a case for all three, but defensemen never win the Lady Byng and that annoys me, so Vlasic is the pick.

Selke

1. Patrice Bergeron

2. Sean Couturier

3. Anze Kopitar

4. Mikael Backlund

5. Aleksander Barkov

A midseason Selke is an especially weird concept, since the real trophy is basically a lifetime achievement award. That tips a close race to Bergeron, even as Couturier emerges as a new contender.

Jack Adams

1. Gerard Gallant

2. Bruce Cassidy

3. Jared Bednar

4. Jon Cooper

5. John Hynes

Gallant will win this easily, and probably the end-of-year award too. I worked in Cooper as a protest vote, since this award shouldn’t always go to somebody from a “surprise” team.

General Manager

1. George McPhee

2. Doug Armstrong

3. David Poile

4. Ray Shero

5. Joe Sakic

This award doesn’t make sense for a full season, so you can imagine how a half-season version feels. It’s another easy Vegas win, while Armstrong made the offseason’s best trade, and Poile is Poile. If you’d told me would be on my ballot I’d have laughed at you, but here we are.

Best defensive defenseman (i.e. The Langway)

1. Hampus Lindholm

2. Mattias Ekholm

3. Marc-Edouard Vlasic

4. Zach Werenski

5. Jason Demers

This Langway doesn’t exist in real life, of course, so the PHWA is having some fun here. It’s a tough one to pick—clearly we’re not looking for guys who rack up points, but how many is too many? Do you set a cutoff? If so, do you eliminate guys with too many points altogether, or penalize them a few spots on the ballot? The real Rod Langway won the Norris in the mid-80s with 30 points, which on an era-adjusted basis would be like -10 today, so he’s no help. I looked at a combination of ice-time, penalty killing, zone starts, and relative possession, but I suspect the results here will be all over the map.

Comeback player

1. Mike Smith

2. Claude Giroux

3. Phil Kessel

4. Marc-Andre Fluery

5. Kris Letang

We weren’t given specific guidance here, but we were told that it wasn’t meant to be a copy of the Masterton. So I went with Smith, a guy who seemed to have fallen off the map in Arizona but has been reborn in Calgary. And Giroux and Kessel are back in the Art Ross race after some down years.

And that’s that. Please keep in mind I submitted this ballot before last night’s games, so if any of my picks are wrong that’s the reason.

Obscure Former Player of the Week

You’ll probably see a lot of birthday wishes being shared today in honor of a certain hockey legend who we’ll get to in the YouTube section. But he’s not the only former player born on this date. There’s also a Hall-of-Famer (Frank Nighbor), a former first overall pick (Dale McCourt), a future head coach (Ivan Hlinka), and a guy who sounds like a deranged serial killer character from a 1980s family sitcom (Alf Skinner).

But for this week’s obscure player, let’s keep it simple and go with another birthday boy: Harold Druken. Druken was a second-round pick by the Canucks in 1997, the same round as, uh, nobody really. Man that was a terrible second round. Druken went back to juniors for two more productive seasons and spent time in the minors before making his NHL debut during the 1990-00 season. He had 16 points in 33 games, then followed that up with 15 goals and 30 points in 55 games in 2000-01; he also scored the overtime goal that clinched the Canucks’ first playoff appearance since 1996.

Unfortunately, that 2000-01 season wound end up representing the peak of his NHL career, as injuries and lack of opportunity prevented him from playing another full season. He was traded to the Hurricanes, then bounced between Carolina and Toronto via waivers and trade. By the time the 2004 lockout arrived, Druken’s NHL career was over.

Today, a YouTube search brings up that playoff-clinching goal, a few fan tributes, a memorial for a different Harold Druken that briefly made me think this one had died, and lots of videos of severely intoxicated dudes fighting and dancing that were posted by people who misspelled “Drunken.” Not a bad legacy if you ask me.

Also, I always read his name in the Street Fighter II voice, and now you will too.

Be It Resolved

We apparently got a sneak peek at the names being considered for the NHL’s upcoming Seattle expansion team this week, as several domain registrations appeared to reveal the list of candidates.

Some are good (Sockeyes, Firebirds, Sea Lions), some are not good (Evergreens, Renegades), and some are just ripping off old teams (Seals, Whales). Some are uninspired choices that you used to use in your made-up hockey leagues when you were a kid (Cougars, Eagles). And some sound good, but would get annoying almost immediately (yes, yes, “Release the Kraken,” that is indeed a fun line from a movie that came out in 1981).

But while we’re at it, am I the only one who thinks it’s weird that “Metropolitans” isn’t on the list? The Seattle Metropolitans were the first American team to ever win the Stanley Cup. It happened in 1917, months before the NHL was formed. That seems like a pretty cool bit of history that you might want to acknowledge.

As an added bonus, having a team named the Metropolitans would force the NHL to change the name of the Metropolitan Division, which we can all agree would be a good thing. And as the Senators have shown us, if you use the same name as an old and forgotten franchise from a century ago, you get to lay claim to the championships for some reason.

So be it resolved, the new Seattle team should be called the Seattle Metropolitans. The Metros for short. Who’s with me? MET-ROS! MET-ROS!

Nobody? Dammit, you kids today have no sense of history. Fine, Sea Lions it is.

Classic YouTube Clip Breakdown

Today is Wayne Gretzky’s birthday, as the greatest player in NHL history turns [checks notes] … 57? Dear god, that can’t be right, can it? We are all so old. I need to lie down. Wait, that was a bad idea, now I can’t get back up.

I know what will make me feel better. Let’s travel back – way, way back – to a time when Gretzky was just a fresh-faced teenager, as he does one of his first major appearances in front of the national media.

It’s 1977, and a 16-year-old Gretzky is sitting down with the CBC’s Peter Gzowski. He’s already a heavily hyped prospect at this point, and he’s just joined the OHL’s Soo Greyhounds. I realize the quality isn’t super great here, but remember this is from a time before high-def cameras, crystal clear audio, and also, apparently, lights.

Gzowski’s first question is about Gretzky’s poise, which leads into his origin story. “When I was two years old I started skating, and I’d be out on in my backyard on the rink every day until one in the morning.” Wait, what? I don’t like to tell people who to raise their kids, but two-year-olds probably shouldn’t be outside after midnight. That seems extreme to me.

“I left home when I was thirteen.” Yeah, to escape the mandatory middle-of-the-night skating drills, I’m guessing.

Next comes a funny sequence about how Gretzky is still growing but has trouble gaining weight. He claims to be 160 pounds, and Gzowski just openly calls B.S. on him right then and there. Like he doesn’t even let him finish the sentence, he just goes right into basically saying “Nice try spaghetti arms, you’re not fooling anyone.” I thoroughly enjoyed Peter Gzowski.

And yes, this is of course the same Gzowski who we saw earlier this season sparring with Dick Beddoes in 1982 over how hairy Gretzky’s legs were. His skinny, hairless legs.

We get a few shots of Gretzky at practice. You can tell the clip is from early in the season, because he’s wearing #14. He’d asked for #9, a number he’d worn for years, but teammate Brian Gualazzi already had it and refused to give it up to a rookie. Legend has it that Greyhounds coach Muzz MacPherson convinced Gretzky to switch to #99 instead, and the rest was history.

Can we just take a minute to appreciate young Wayne’s collar game? As best I can tell based on this being filmed in candlelight, he appears to be wearing two separate butterfly collars with a mock turtleneck in between. It’s like the animal kingdom is waging war for this throat.

Next up we see Gretzky’s parents, Walter and Phyllis. Gzowski asks if they’re worried that their scrawny son will get hurt, and Walter explains that Wayne has an uncanny ability to avoid contact. Meanwhile, Phyllis stands silently and makes angry mom face at the idea of anyone touching her boy. Forget Dave Semenko, hockey moms are the ones you have to watch for.

We’re back to Wayne, who’s asked how much thinking he does on the ice. He explains that he tries to think ahead as much as possible, but it doesn’t always work. “The other night in Ottawa I was going to do something, I was thinking of it anyway, and then all of a sudden everything just went blank.” I’m pretty sure that’s the 2017-18 Senators’ team slogan, actually.

We get a blink-and-you-miss-it clip of an insane goalie going full Hasek on a poke check attempt, then it’s back to Walter. He’s asked if his son will be the next Bobby Orr, but stickhandles around the question to explain that it’s really Wayne’s schooling that matters. By the way, solid collar work by Walter here too. The well-decorated Adam’s apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.

The education theme continues as Gretzky describes his plan to play two years of junior, finish high school, and then “Yes I’ll be going to university for sure.” Gzowski basically calls B.S. again, and this time Gretzky immediately abandons the idea. That’s strike two, Wayne, you lie to Peter Gzowski one more time and he’ll McCreary you.

We close with a sweet view of Gretzky walking down the streets of Sault Ste. Marie. The CBC somehow managed to edit out the “Staying Alive” soundtrack that must have followed Wayne around at all times back in those days. They do leave in the guy in the car in the background who seems to be flipping the bird out the window, though.

Gretzky describes the pressure of playing in a small town, then closes on an optimistic note by hoping he can have a good season. Epilogue: He did, putting up 182 points in 63 games. That one season was it for his junior career, as he was off to the WHA by 1978 and in the NHL a year after that. He’d go on to smash every offensive record in the book, despite the relentless march of time having a devastating effect on the quality of his wardrobe.

Have a question, suggestion, old YouTube clip, or anything else you’d like to see included in this column? Email Sean at [email protected], and follow him on Twitter @DownGoesBrown .

DGB Grab Bag: Happy Birthday Gretzky, Mid-Season Awards, and a Crotch Goal syndicated from https://australiahoverboards.wordpress.com

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kierongillen · 8 years ago

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Writer Notes: The Wicked + the Divine 28

Spoilers, obv.

I mentioned in the back of the issue that I was thinking that Imperial Phase Part I would just end with no climax. As in, what would be more proggy and self-indulgent than to do that? Just to assume that people would accept a whole year of issues as a single trade, and have that slow build. And if people are expecting a surprise, not having a surprise would be the bigger one?

Except I plotted out the fucker, and realised this issue would end the trade, and that works pretty well as a climax. Not as big as any of the other ones, arguably, but wider and certainly a change of status quo. Plus it's an unexpected answer to the question of “Who's going to die?” undermining the assumption that it has to be one of our core cast.

This is probably a good example of how I talk about knowing everything in WicDiv, but the execution being more flexible. As in, all these beats are there, but working out how to play them came when planning these two arcs.

It's a hard issue for me, to be honest. WicDiv is definitely in a cause of anxiety place for me now, and thematically I can see why. WicDiv is always a juggling act, but I'm aware I'm juggling knives.

Jamie's Cover: The last of the first half of Imperial Phase. The design continues to the second half of Imperial Phase, with variations. I think this one is particularly beautiful, but pointed.

Elsa Charretier's Cover: We met Elsa when we were launching WicDiv in France. Glenat, our French Publisher, had commissioned her to do a WicDiv print. That was beautiful, and we asked her if she'd be up for a cover. And lo, this was born. The commission was glamour and sex – I think I suggested the idea of a sun in a martini glass. Elsa summoned this panorama that I just lose myself in.

It's also one of our rare Alt covers which is actually coloured by Matt Wilson, who took a pretty radical approach to the image. Matt Wilson for Eisner!

Page 1 Last time I talked about having a surplus of material and working out how to present it, and it actually all compressing down worryingly well. I had my list of things I wanted to happen before the party. I realised that some of them – mainly Sakhmet related – I could move into issue 29. Which left this, which I felt as an incredibly low-key mundane scene made a fun thing to hard cut from to the party.

Roehampton chosen due to me doing a seminar at the University there last year. I felt that Blake would be teaching in a place like it.

Jamie had a hefty re-write of this one when drawing it, and we chewed over the execution in chat a little. “The script is the start of a conversation, not the end of it.”

Wall stuff was also done in conversation. I gave Jamie a bunch of suggestions and we unpacked a little more. Shall I go though and say what they all are? I'm not sure if I can recognise them in fragments. That's Girl's Generation, the K-Pop band on the left. They were the primary visual inspiration for the Valkyries. Oh – and Jamie tells me that's Katy Perry on the right.

Page 2 I am very fond of the side-eye of Blake in the second panel. Strong Jamie expression.

Behind Blake is... League of Legends, Ghost in the Machine and Voltron.

And another really strong face in the last panel.

Page 3 Oddly, Cassandra's habit of little encouraging asides to people seems to be a thing now. How will people read them in world? Actually sincerely or patronising? I guess it depends how defensive they were feeling on any given day.

Page 4 A call back to Larkin's This Be The Verse, quoted by Luci in the first issue, recalled by Laura in issue 6.

My first draft title was Pride, drawing a line between Blake's parental pride and Sakmet's pride of lions. And then we remembered it'll also call to mind Pride, which when there's a slaughter at a pansexual orgy, is definitely not a comparison we wanted to make. So we went to this.

I suspect these writer notes are mainly my “here are some of the landmines we nearly stepped on” log.

Page 5 Originally the line was a lift of Lady Vox's in Phonogram, but something more noxious was clearly better. I called for the cocaine-tool, and Jamie out-did himself. The mosquito-like device emerging from the helmet is quite the thing. I suspect this is a left over Iron Man idea.

The visual element of the performance of the colouring-stage added symbols came from Matt. He was playing with various overlapping shapes, which were beautiful, but didn't seem to be anything other than a cute aesthetic. And then we realised that if we made them all Amaterasu symbols it'll integrate into the whole book. And lo, it does.

When plotting this issue, it's very much a “okay, what order CAN they be in.” I suspect I'd have rather taken more time to get to the confrontation, but everything else is more important to be in its place. Space is the interesting one – I suspect given an infinite budget we'd have have played more space to introduce this party/temple, probably with a issue-8 style dance-floor shot. But we don't, so we go completely the other way with this very TIGHT open, and put you in the middle of this slightly disorientating party you build up piecemeal.

Page 6 This involved some consultancy here, as I suspected (and I was right) that the original draft of Cassandra's dialogue let Woden off the hook too easily. We ended up tweaking a bunch to make her angrier to start, and still angry at the end, even after she takes Woden's point. I suspect I'd have gone even further given a chance to do it again.

(I mean, do you believe Woden that he didn't click? Plus that he knows the implicit threat by saying he didn't click – as in, he definitely could click if he wanted to. This is particularly noxious by Woden.)

End of the page is the closest we get to an establishing shot of the club/temple, btw.

Note that Jamie has moved away from a strict eight panel grid here, which suits the material. That panels two and five are these relatively smaller moments means that it would be dead space.

Page 7 And notice the strict eight panel grid here, which Jamie maintains as all these beats are basically of equal narrative weight.

Panel 7 is Jamie redrawing the splash from Brandon Graham's issue. Clearly relevant to what's coming further down the line.

In an issue of fairly bleak jokes, I think Woden's last panel takes the prize.

Page 8 The sequence is the last bit of set-up for the end of the issue. I suspect a re-read of the last couple of issues will see what I considered the necessary Sakhmet beats to get here. Next issue has more, but it's all very morning-after.

Special call out for Clayton for the second panel, which uses a PING! To basically split this panel into two panels in terms of reading. There's Amaterasu's first line... a small delay – and then the next piece of information. This is joined to the left-right movement across the panel from seeing the back of her head (I'm leaving!) to the right side of the panel (Where we then see she's looking at her phone.)

The softest beat of the issue, and probably one that I'd have stressed more if it was only a grace note, would be the reason for Baal's absence. Persephone assumes it's because that she is there, hence the segue in conversation on hurting people.

(In a boring practical way, Baal and Minerva not being here streamlines an issue which all the cast are present at. They don't need to be here, and their absence says more.)

The last three panels on the page are the closest that Sakhmet has come to a speech. Originally, there was about twice as much dialogue, but we worked it over obsessively to get to the core essentials (and try and avoid juxtapositions which we simply didn't want.) C and I shouting various takes and word-switches for about an hour in the living room.

All the WicDiv characters depress me. I think Sakhmet depresses me most of all.

Page 9 Anyway, yes, Sakhmet, that is a very good look.

Sakhmet's entry for the bleak joke competition, evidently.

Page 10 That we cut away from Casssandra means we get to cut back to her after the reasonable stage of an exchange and straight into this.

Hmm. There's something odd about this issue in terms of how pretty it all is, versus the emotions that are flying around. That's Amaterasu all over though.

The third panel was key for us to have Amaterasu's lines juxtaposed by Cassandra's response, so that it couldn't be taken out of context. A character responding to another character's incoherent racism is important context. I considered the archaic spelling “Moslem” but decided that while I'm sure that Amaterasu would use it, it wasn't worth putting in the text. It's offensive enough anyway.

Page 11 Some fascinating character work by Matt and Jamie on Amaterasu's speech to camera. The passive-aggressive nature of her threat is particularly sickly.

Cass' swearing is a delight.

I think I originally did something like “Clawing her eyes out” and tweaked as I) gendered ii) with where the issue goes, sets up all sorts of uncomfortable resonances with both Morrigan and Sakhmet. WicDiv is designed to be viewed as a hologram, so removing data strands that aren't intended is key.

(I mean, I talk about being anxious earlier? That's certainly a reason. There's so many moving parts in this fucker, and for all our efforts we can’t be sure that some of them are going to mesh awkwardly. We can always miss something.)

Anyway – there goes Cass, told to go home, the first of the people to leave the party. Everyone else gradually leaves, until it's just the people who remain. Woden doesn't get an exit, but let's be candid – no-one would have ever assumed Woden would be invited to the orgy.

And Dio takes over as the connective tissue. Hmm. Re-reading this after a few weeks is making me realise how tightly wound it really is. I had a friend write to tell me how many panels the last two issues had. 26 with 127 and 27 with 142. I did a quick count, and this one is (about) 119, so a little down, but when an average mainstream comic would have around 80 panels in (No more than a 5 panel beat, with average panel count lower than due to splashes, action pages, etc) it speaks to how compressed this is running on. No wonder I feel like it's going to explode.

Anyway, Dio. What have you seen?

Page 12 The main worry on this page was not making the storytelling too comic. The “someone leaves” And then “Someone unexpected follows pushing first person out of the way” can definitely come across as slapstick. Jamie doesn't do that, so phew. It's setting up for the destination.

The hyper-distorted close-up-to-reader Amaterasu symbols here are fascinating. Well done, Matt.

Page 13 And out in the street. Matt's glow from the door, into the cold blues of the street is strong. Immediate change of mood.

(Also, has me thinking of the break to darkness in issue 8 before going back to the party, as a structural parallel)

I don't actually use much contemporary slang in WicDiv. I suspect this isn't actually something people have noticed. As such, I had a good hard think before using Ghosting, but it's the right word and sentiment. And – well – Ghosting and Goths is an interesting line.

The goth kids absence from the comic have been notable. As they'd been major players earlier, they were always going to step back so other characters can move closer to the spotlight. I realised pretty early in planning Imperial Phase that the necessary retreat from the spotlight would be a way to explicitly introduce the plot. We could delineate their absence.

Page 14 Yeah, I'm uncomfortable too.

I don't think it's worth talking about this in any more detail now. Probably more later as we continue into the story.

Dionysus is the character who has most often surprised me in WicDiv. When he enters a scene, he goes in an unusual direction. He asks slightly different questions from most of the cast. “She chased him out the building and now he looks like this? Clearly...” seems a fair leap to make.

Page 15 “I love you, but...” is one of the more obvious bits of connective tissue in the issue.

Jamie does an interesting choice in terms of panel 4 and Persephone's response.

Another bit of peak Amaterasu here in the “What happened to my party?” response. Upset of her party not going according to her plans is, of course, how the arc starts for Amy as well.

Matt obviously gets the colouring interesting – all amber here – but Jamie is doing a lot to bridge the gap between two sub-scenes. That fifth panel re-sets it all, and hopefully Amaterasu's voice carries people back inside.

Page 16 The first panel landed very well. There's a lot of emotional weight that this has to carry, and suggesting of other things, and it seems to hold together. I suspect you can patch together all the Persephone Lines To Camera in WicDiv and get an interesting portrait of where she thinks she is.

(I mean, this is Jamie. It's never just about the line. I can't even imagine trying to write this stuff for another artist.)

My favourite person in all of WicDiv may be the guy in the hat in the bottom panel who goes “You know – actually, no, I don't think so. I think I'll have an early night” when presented with this offer. Good call, random person.

Interesting choice of panel breaking by Jamie on the last panel, which gets a sense of the rush of the response.

Page 17 Well, yes.

Page 18 When someone asked me about sex scenes a while back, this was already written and perhaps even being drawn, so I was aware of this in terms of a hypothetical WicDiv scene scene. Let's quote the thing here for reference...

We certainly don’t linger on the sex scenes. There’s an orgy in issue 11. There’s one beat where you see Morrigan and Baphomet in issue 16. There’s the repurposed Sex Criminal pages in 14. There’s very little kissing in terms of what you actually see - there’s one in 20 and one in 24, so far. While at the same time, characters having sex with one another is one of the things which drives the plot.

Speaking generally, I’ve got no moral reservation about sex scenes in stories per se. It always speaks to the effect the story is trying to have. To state the obvious, in erotica it’s very much the point of the thing.

There’s a couple of problems specifically in WicDiv…

1) Seeings someone have sex has a tendency to make the scene about you watching. Our characters are often, in their own way, viewpoint characters. Anything which makes a character perform for the viewer is against our intent there. There’s times we’ve approached it, and Jamie has very much backed away when we approached the page, as it was just extraneous. Why do it if it serves no purpose? 2) Probably more importantly, sex is usually dead pages in terms of drama. The fight scenes WicDiv does are almost always not about fighting. They’re about a change of dramatic states, a visually interesting way to push the plot along. Go through a fight scene and note down what you learn about each character in it. You can certainly do that in a sex scene… but dramatically speaking, the “decision to have sex” and “how you feel afterwards” are the key beats. So we linger on them a LOT.

But there’s certainly sex scenes I’ve written in my notes, and they’re much more character driven things, one way or another. I suspect one will come up sooner rather than later, though watching how we do it will be the interesting one.

That “interesting” sits uncomfortably with me, as it sounds like I'm foreshadowing this awful mess, when I'm talking in terms of craft. How do you do that and stay to our aims? The things I'd point to here is primarily Jamie's choices – how he chooses to frame nakedness, how he chooses to frame sex. Generally speaking, this is an illustrative scene. The neutrality is key – Amaterasu's nakedness in panel 6 would be a key one. There is no pose for the readers' eye's delight. This is a character who happens to be naked. Or at least, that's how we hope it's read.

(There's also other things – we thought that if Sakhmet is the first character to be shown naked just as she turns on a killing range, that has a lot of semiotics in there we'd like to avoid.)

Page 19 You know how life can just shatter in a second? I guess that's what we were going for here. Just one character being thoughtless, and...

(Fill in “That escalated quickly” gif, obviously)

For my money, perhaps Jamie's best art of the issue is the last two panels. The suspended glass, and then that close up – which is not one, but both of the best single expressions in the book.

Page 20-21 Amaterasu runs – I've seen some people think that Sakhmet killed her in this scene, which is one of those “you always must remember your audience is diverse in terms of how much they're aware of things like knowing what a character's power looks like, especially when a larger than normal percentage of your readers are new to comics.” I'm not sure there's much we could have done, except maybe a “come back!” from Sakhmet in the first panel. But that feels too crass for the people who DO get it. Balancing what is too opaque and what is too crass is basically 95% of comics for me.

This spread was budgeted as a single page, in terms of the amount Jamie has drawn. I may have done it anyway, but it is a way to ensure that we have a page turn onto the image on page 22.

(Also visual symmetry with Sakhmet in issue 17, where the black out image is also used.)

Page 22 I like how careful Jamie is here as well. I suspect the page with the most colouring tweaks in it, as Jamie wanted it to have the correct level of horror to it.

I originally had a more on-the-nose element to the image – a message scrawled in blood – but as much as I like a good System Shock homage, it was decided it was just too much. It's a Grand Guignol beat, sure, but not like that. It seems that there is a thing such as “too unsubtle” even for WicDiv.

Page 23 When originally planning the book, I thought this flashback was going to be at the end of Rising Action. After writing it, we realised we didn't need it – Persephone terrible and resplendent, with all the awful potential didn't need anything else. This is probably a good example of what I talk about in terms of when we say “we know all the material – it's just a question of execution.” I find myself thinking of how movies are really made by the editor, cutting scenes around.

(There's certainly things I've wanted to get in this arc which I've lost as something else was always more pressing. You may remember me saying one of my worries about year 3 in WicDiv was it was mainly girls being involved with girls, and there wasn't enough male/male intimacy? That would be an example of something which I'd like to find a place for, but have failed to do so far. Still, onwards.)

As a craft note, I'd point towards “6 months earlier” as a choice worth considering for creators. If you just write dates to control flashbacks rather than stating the relative position, you will lose your reader almost completely. They don't remember what period a story is set in just via numbers. They need either word based hand-holding or something much more visual in the story. Be very careful with this shit.

Page 24 In an issue as compressed as this, a page of Ananke way back in issue 21 me a luxury. But for someone like Ananke, it's so rare I hope it's interesting. Some strong expression work in here.

Clearly the advantage of that mask of hers is that it means it's harder for people to see that she's been crying.

Page 25 A “free” page in terms of budget, though Jamie clearly committed to it with the hand.

In the third year's hardback, we may include our somewhat hilarious lettering trial runs where Chrissy and Katie tried their handwriting. The final one is actually the work of Marguerite Bennett, who as a self-described Supervillain seemed a good person to ask to do it. Also, I've seen enough of her pen when signing issues of Angela, so knew she had a fascinating font. She was enormously ill and bed-ridden, so it was touch or go whether she would be able to do it, but thankfully it all came together. Thanks, M.

Page 26 A complete re-use of the opening of issue 21, with the final panel turned into a (tweaked) repeat of the penultimate panel. Once more we return and all that.

We'll be doing a little tweak to this page in the trade in the penultimate panel, to put a little glow on the machinery.

Page 27 We had to debate whether to put the present date or the flashback date here, but settled on this.

And that's it. Coming up shortly is the 455 AD special, which certainly fits thematically in with this arc and Andre (and Matt) have done wonderful work on. Then the trade in June, and back with Imperial Phase Part II in July.

Thanks for reading.

#WicDiv #elsa charretier #the wicked and the divine #writer notes

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gokinjeespot · 5 years ago

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off the rack #1281

Monday, September 30, 2019

Paul and I have known each other since we were 3-years-old, so 60 years. Our families lived in the same house for a bit after I came to Canada with my mom. Our dads worked together at the Lucky Key restaurant until they both retired. We've always kept in touch even though we're far apart geographically. The very first comic book that I read was a Superman at his house so Paul started me on my love of sequential art. It was a pleasure to spend a little time with him and his wife while they were visiting family this past weekend.

Once & Future #2 - Kieron Gillen (writer) Dan Mora (art) Tamra Bonvillain (colours) Ed Dukeshire (letters). This issue tells us whether the newly resurrected King Arthur is good or evil. With the back cover saying The King is Undead you can probably figure out that he's not nice. Now it's just a matter of seeing how Duncan and his Gran save Great Britain. I hope this gets more interesting than just zombie knights.

The Avant-Guards #8 - Carly Usdin (writer) Noah Hayes (art) Eleonora Bruni (colours) Ed Dukeshire (letters). I hope this isn't the one and only season for this basketball team. I have grown to like them. If you're into Love & Rockets, I think you'll enjoy this too.

Action Comics #1015 - Brian Michael Bendis (writer) Szymon Kudranski (art) Brad Anderson (colours) Dave Sharpe (letters). The front half features Brian's newest creation Naomi asking Superman for help and the back half is Superman fighting the Red Cloud to tie this issue in with the Year of the Villain event. There's a lot of dialogue in here and that's one of my favourite things about reading a Bendis book.

Avengers #24 - Jason Aaron (writer) Stefano Caselli & Luciano Vecchio (art) Jason Keith (colours) VC's Cory Petit (letters). If I wanted to read a Ghost Rider comic I would have grabbed one off the rack. The Spirits of Vengeance have taken over this title and I'm not a happy Avengers fan. Not only that, but the fight with the Cosmic Ghost Rider turns out to be a massive battle of misunderstanding. What a waste of space. I can't wait until the team saves Robbie Reyes and this story arc ends.

Detective Comics #1012 - Peter J. Tomasi (writer) Doug Mahnke (pencils) Jaime Mendoza (inks) David Baron (colours) Rob Leigh (letters). Mister Freeze and his obsession with his dearly departed wife dominates this issue. Batman's on the case and the inevitable confrontation is just around the corner. I love the spooky art.

Batman Superman #2 - Joshua Williamson (writer) David Marquez (art) Alejandro Sanchez (colours) John J. Hill (letters). It's Batman and Superman versus a Batman Who Laughs infected Shazam. Billy actually wins one for the bad guys and puts Bruce out of commission for a while. I like the good guys' plan to trick the Batman Who Laughs and that they finally used the term World's Finest in this story.

SFSX #1 - Tina Horn (writer) Michael Dowling (art) Steve Wands (letters). Imagine a SAFE SEX neon sign with the A and Es not lit up. That's the title of this new comic book about sexual repression in the US. It's the future where the far right has dictated that any deviant sexual activity is illegal. Anybody caught participating is disappeared. Not a place I want to live in or read about. The book is titillating but the heavy handed regime turned me right off.

Harleen #1 - Stjepan Sejic (story & art) Gabriela Downie (letters). This Harley Quinn origin story really benefits from the $7.99 US larger format. The art is stunning and both Harleen and the Joker look so good I wish Stjepan could make this a regular monthly. I didn't think anything could top The Killing Joke but this story, even though it's just the start, beats it in my book. I can't wait to read the next 2 issues and I might consider buying the collection when it hits the racks.

Wolverine Annual #1 - Jody Houser (writer) Geraldo Borges (art) Marcio Menyz & Miroslav Mrva (colours) VC's Cory Petit (letters). This "Acts of Evil" one-shot story has Wolverine flashing back to 1930s Hollywood and an old love. Turns out she's not the country beauty he fell for. I didn't recognise the villain's costume on the cover so I had to wait until the reveal inside but this fight is so contrived to show Logan in his costume that I rolled my eyes. I think that Marvel threw this on the racks so that they don't lose the copyright on the villain's name. You'll only want this if you're a Wolverine completist.

Strikeforce #1 - Tini Howard (writer) German Peralta (art) Jordie Bellaire (colours) VC's Joe Sabino (letters). This new super hero team did not thrill me. I didn't like the way they were slapped together nor the new group of bad guys that they have to fight. I base my disappointment on how badly this book is written and don't blame the team members. If you want to see Blade, Angela, Spectrum, Winter Soldier, Spider-Woman, Wiccan and Hellstrom kill shape shifters then have at thee.

Powers of X #5 - Jonathan Hickman (writer) R.B. Silva (art) Marte Gracia (colours) VC's Clayton Cowles (letters). Charles and Erik recruit Emma the White Queen to their fledgling Mutant nation. I can't belabour this point enough; what makes this and House of X so awesome for me is the art. Emma is super hot here and she doesn't have to be falling out of a bustier to look that way. I also like how Forge is rocking the headband. I will be anxiously awaiting the next comic book that R.B. Silva draws.

Absolute Carnage Miles Morales #2 - Saladin Ahmed (writer) Federico Vicentini (art) Erick Arciniega (colours) VC's Cory Petit (letters). Carnage Miles is sent to kill a major character and we get a hint to how this story ends. I don't think Marvel is going to keep Miles trapped in a Carnage body so I don't feel like I need to read the rest of this mini. Plus the major character that Miles hunts down isn't going to die anyways.

The Amazing Spider-Man #30 - Nick Spencer (writer) Ryan Ottley (pencils) Cliff Rathburn (inks) Nathan Fairbairn (colours) VC's Joe Caramagna (letters). This one is an Absolute Carnage tie-in which means it's just a big fight between Spider-Man and Carnage. Ugh. It does feature some more hints about the new super villain Kindred however, so that saves the day. I still have no clue who it is though.

The Superior Spider-Man #11 - Christos Gage (writer) Mike Hawthorne (pencils) Wade von Grawbadger (inks) Jordie Bellaire (colours) VC's Clayton Cowles (letters). Norman Osborn here. Norman Osborn there. Norman Osborns everywhere. The former Green Goblin seems to be the go to super villain in the Spider-Man books nowadays. Poor Otto can't beat the bad guy and he makes a deal with the devil to try and win. A lose-lose proposition I think. The last page is a shocker.

Marvel Team-Up #6 - Clint McElroy (writer) Ig Guara (art) Felipe Sobreiro (colours) VC's Clayton Cowles (letters). I loved this team-up with Captain Marvel and Ms. Marvel fighting a bunch of Kree warriors. It looks like this is the last issue of this title and I am sad.

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gokinjeespot · 6 years ago

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off the rack #1260

Monday, May 6, 2019

I don't tweet or instagram but I am on facebook. I joined a facebook group 613fishing where fellow fisher folks post stuff. Fishing season in zone 20 on the Saint Lawrence river opened on Saturday and the pictures of peoples' successes got me excited for zone 18, where my lake is, to be open this coming Saturday. I can hardly wait.

Domino: Hotshots #1 - Gail Simone (writer) David Baldeon & Michael Shelfer (art) Jim Charalampidis (colours) VC's Clayton Cowles (letters). Cold War part 3. Just when you think the team can't win against some giant robots a surprise twist helps out. The search for the Creation Constellation continues.

Savage Avengers #1 - Gerry Duggan (writer) Mike Deodato Jr. (art) Frank Martin (colours) VC's Travis Lanham (letters). Now that the dearly departed light-hearted West Coast Avengers is gone off the racks I have room for a new Avengers book. So the rumour that Conan the barbarian was going to be in the Marvel U are true. His appearance in Avengers: No Road Home was a surprise and it leads to this story where Conan in stuck in the Savage Land. Makes sense, doesn't it? We meet 5 of the six members in this debut and with the Hand as villains the sixth member should show up soon. I like 4 out of the 6 so I'm going to see what happens next.

DCeased #1 - Tom Taylor (writer) Trevor Hairsine & Stefano Gaudiano (art pages 1-6, 15-26) James Harren (art pages 7-14) Rain Beredo (colours) Saida Temofonte (letters). The cover blurb of this 6-issue mini says "the end of everything starts here". What, again? Darkseid's obsession with the anti-life equation sparks a world wide epidemic turning people into zombies. The Justice League is up against what the heroes of Winterfell were defending themselves from in the Game of Thrones. I don't think (spoiler alert) killing patient zero will win the day this time. I would normally give the rest of this story a pass because fighting zombies doesn't thrill me much but I do like what Tom Taylor has written in the past so I'm going to keep reading to see what interesting things might be in the future.

War of the Realms: Strikeforce, the Dark Elf Realm #1 - Bryan Hill (writer) Leinil Francis Yu (pencils) Gerry Alanguilan (inks) Matt Hollingsworth (colours) VC's Joe Sabino (letters). One of the things that the good guys need to do is to destroy the Black Bifrost that Malekith is using to win the War of the Realms. Lady Freyja assembles a team to do that. This one-shot shows us how she recruits Blade, Ghost Rider, She-Hulk and the Punisher. I liked how this issue ended with the team nearing the end of their mission.

Year of the Villain #1 - The cover blurb of this 25 cent one-shot says "the most dangerous summer event starts here". You can pick your poison, it's either this or DCeased. I'm having a déjà vu moment as I remember that DC did a big villains event a few years ago. That one involved Lex Luthor and this one does too. There are two new villains this time around to make things different. We've got the Batman Who Laughs and Leviathan to boost interest. You sure get your money's worth with three chapters in this comic book.

Chapter one is called "Doom" by Scott Snyder (writer) Jim Cheung (pencils & inks) Tomeu Morey (colours) & Tom Napolitano (letters). Lex Luthor and his Legion of Doom kick things off.

Chapter two is called "Leviathan" by Brian Michael Bendis (writer) Alex Maleev (art) & Josh Reed (letters). Batgirl features prominently and she meets Leviathan who makes her an offer.

Chapter three is called "Justice" by James Tynion IV (writer) Francis Manapul (art) & Tom Napolitano (letters). The Justice League must gather every hero in the Multiverse to fight against the Batman Who Laughs and Perpetua, DC's new Dark Goddess.

As you can see, they've got some big time creative teams telling this story so it should be entertaining. I think I'll hang around for a while.

War of the Realms #3 - Jason Aaron (writer) Russell Dauterman (art) Matthew Wilson (colours) VC's Joe Sabino (letters). Well geez, if it was that easy to get the Rainbow Bridge going again why didn't they do it sooner? The war is happening on many fronts here. The War Avengers are still defending Midgard. Lady Freyja sends Captain America to Jotunheim, Realm of the Frost Giants, to find Thor. Cap's got Power Man, Iron Fist, Spider-Man and Wolverine with him. We get to see what we missed in War of the Realms: Strikeforce, the Dark Elf Realm #1 as Lady Freyja and her team battle towards the Black Bifrost and find out why their mission changed. When Thor is finally found it doesn't look like he's in any condition to help his friends. I am in awe of the art in this series so far.

Batman #70 - Tom King (writer) Mikel Janin & Jorge Fornes (art) Jordie Bellaire (colours) Clayton Cowles (letters). The Fall and the Fallen part 1. Now that Batman has awakened from his Knightmares it's time to confront Bane. But first he goes home for a nap. I found it hard to slog through all those Knightmares. I'm so glad we're back to reality. There's a bonus 6-page sneak peek at "Batman: Last Knight on Earth" that looks very promising. The creative team of Scott Snyder (writer) Greg Capullo (pencils) Jonathan Glapion (inks) FCO (colours) & Tom Napolitano (letters) certainly makes the first issue a must read.

The Amazing Spider-Man #20.HU - Nick Spencer (writer) Cory Smith (pencils) Mark Morales (inks) Erick Arciniega (colours) VC's Joe Caramagna (letters). This Hunted supplement features Adrian Toomes/Vulture and tells us how Arcade helps him rally the super villains. I wouldn't trust Arcade as far as I can throw him. Then there's the back-up story by Nick Spencer (writer) Tyler Crook (art) Jim Campbell (colours) & VC's Joe Caramagna (letters) that features the pathetic Vermin. It will explain why there's a pack of rats in the next issue.

Young Justice #5 - Brian Michael Bendis (writer) John Timms, Kris Anka & Evan "Doc" Shaner (art) Gabe Eltaeb (colours) Wes Abbott (letters). This may be part 5 of "Seven Crises" but if you can't find the first four issues because they're sold out you can catch up quite easily once you read the first page. I appreciate when writers do a recap. It jogs my memory and helps me keep track of stories. One of my biggest turn offs is feeling confused when I'm reading a comic book. I need to be reminded that this title is in an alternate reality where Tim Drake is Robin.

Marvel Action Spider-Man #3 - Delilah S. Dawson (writer) Fico Ossio (art) Ronda Pattison (colours) Shawn Lee (letters). The three Spideys fight the Lizard and do some genetic engineering to save the city. These kids are unbelievably smart. That's what's so great about comic books. Anything is possible.

Marvel Team-Up #2 - Eve L. Ewing (writer) Joey Vazquez (art) Felipe Sobreiro (colours) VC's Clayton Cowles (letters). This story where Ms. Marvel and Spider-Man swap bodies is a lot of fun but it made my head hurt when they switched back and forth a couple of times. Kamala talking as Peter and vice versa freaked me out. Thank Thor for word balloon tails.

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gokinjeespot · 7 years ago

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off the rack #1193

Monday, December 18, 2017

No, I have not seen Star Wars: The Last Jedi yet. Seeing as how I have seen all of the other Star Wars movies in a theatre I will see this one eventually. I understand there are new things in it and that fans are hard pressed not to see spoilers before getting a chance to see the movie. It's a good thing that I don't get out much.

Daredevil #596 - Charles Soule (writer) Stefano Landini (art) Matt Milla (colours) VC's Clayton Cowles (letters). Most of the action has Daredevil trying to elude the NYPD after he "attacked" the mayor. That mayor of New York City being Wilson "The Kingpin" Fisk, if you didn't know. If you think that's a shocking development, wait until see what happens at the end of this issue. It's a classic case of politics making strange bedfellows.

Detective Comics #970 - James Tynion IV (writer) Joe Bennett (pencils) Salvador Regla, Ricardo Jaime & Marcio Loerzer (inks) Jason Wright (colours) Sal Cipriano (letters). Lots going on in this book. Red Robin is obsessed with fixing everything. Clayface is looking at maybe getting cured of his affliction and someone has created cyber assassins to kill the team. The good guys certainly have their hands full. I'm waiting to see which hero gets the shaft.

Star Wars #40 - Kieron Gillen (writer) Salvador Larroca (art) Guru-eFX (colours) VC's Clayton Cowles (letters). Excitement is at a fever pitch as I write this (December 14) for tomorrow's opening of Star Wars: The Last Jedi movie. I think Luke Skywalker plays a major role in the new movie and he also steps to the fore in this comic book. I like the photorealism of the art but some of it didn't work this time. The faces looked photoshopped and unnatural in some panels. It made a good reading experience into a slightly disappointing one.

Action Comics #993 - Dan Jurgens (writer & pencils) Joe Prado & Cam Smith (inks) Hi-Fi (colours) Rob Leigh (letters). Booster Shot part 1. If Booster Gold is in this story then you've got to know that there's going to be time travelling involved. Ugh. I always think that EVERYBODY should know not to mess with time travel, but no one is that rational. Maybe this culminates in a major event in issue #1000. I certainly hope so.

Amazing Spider-Man #792 - Dan Slott & Mike Costa (story) Dan Slott (writer) Ryan Stegman (art) Brian Reber (colours) VC's Joe Caramagna & Joe Sabino (letters). Venom Inc. part 2. This story has an old school feel to it. It reminds me of the stories where Spider-Man fights super villains like the Shocker but now the bad guys are infected with the Venom symbiote. The odds are stacked against the hero so we'll see how he overcomes.

She-Hulk #160 - Mariko Tamaki (writer) Jahnoy Lindsay (art) Frederico Blee (colours) VC's Travis Lanham (letters). Stop me if you've heard this before. Jennifer Walters gets captured and her blood is used to change a bad guy into a Hulk-like creature. Rehashed plots are the main reason I've whittled down my list of comic books to read. I'm hoping that the old Hulk villain in this story does something interesting.

Runaways #4 - Rainbow Rowell (writer) Kris Anka (art) Matthew Wilson (colours) VC's Joe Caramagna (letters). This is the reunion that I have been waiting for since the rebirth of this book. Molly is my favourite Runaway and Rainbow has captured her youthful voice and enthusiasm very well. I've been watching the new TV show and enjoying that too. This team of younguns is in good hands right now.

Weapon X #12 - Greg Pak (writer) Yildiray Cinar (art) Frank D'Armata (colours) VC's Joe Caramagna (letters). Nuke-Clear War part 1. We haven't seen this villain in a while. I thought the facial tattoos looked familiar. This should relieve the team's boredom.

All-New Wolverine #28 - Tom Taylor (writer) Juann Cabal (art) Nolan Woodard (colours) VC's Cory Petit (letters). Orphans of X part 4. The bad guys have found a new way to kill mutants so Laura and company head to Japan to find a way to protect themselves. The last page shocker made me go "what the fork?". Especially right after reading Weapon X.

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gokinjeespot · 8 years ago

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off the rack #1159

Monday, April 17, 2017

I'm back. Missed posting last week while I was vacationing in Cuba. It was a nice break to be totally unconnected. I managed to read two week's worth of comic books for today's deadline so this will be longer than usual.

Weapon X #1 - Greg Pak (writer) Greg Land (pencils) Jay Leisten (inks) Frank D'Armata (colours) VC's Joe Caramagna (letters). That was a very promising start. This new mutant team book opens with Old Man Logan chillaxin' in the wilds of Washington state and ends with him teaming up with Sabretooth. The age old enemies must work together to fight a common enemy. I look forward to seeing how they hook up with the other three mutants featured on the credits page.

Superman #20 - Patrick Gleason & Peter J. Tomasi (writers) Patrick Gleason (pencils) Mick Gray (inks) John Kalisz (colours) Rob Leigh (letters). Venom was all over Marvel variant covers recently but I didn't expect to see him in a DC comic book. Part one of "Black Dawn" is a World's Finest team-up that has Batman visiting the Superman family on their farm. Seems the neighbours are not what they seem. It's stories like these that make me appreciate the biweekly release schedule.

Godshaper #1 - Simon Spurrier (writer) Jonas Goonface (artist) Colin Bell (letters). This is the story of Ennay, the godshaper. He travels around reshaping gods for people in a weird new world where personal gods make life easier. See, natural science doesn't work in this world so gods are what helps people live. I like Ennay. He's a hustler with a conscience who is just trying to get by

and not a con man. Jonas's art is vibrant and colourful and Ennay's little god sidekick Bud is cute.

Deadpool vs. Punisher #1 - Fred Van Lente (writer) Pere Perez (art) Ruth Redmond (colours) VC's Joe Sabino (letters). Well, that's one way to start a feud. Frank hurts Wade's accountant and the battle is on. I know that neither killer will win this fight but I might read it to see how they settle the feud.

Action Comics #977 - Dan Jurgens (writer) Ian Churchill (art) Hi-Fi (colours) Rob Leigh (letters). Part one of "The New World" starts off with a rehash of Superman's origin story going right back to when his parents put him into a rocket ship to Earth just before the planet Krypton explodes and Ma and Pa Kent finding baby Kal-El on their farm in Smallville. I found the retelling tedious but there are a few pages peppered in showing a mysterious new super villain that almost made up for that feeling of reading a rerun. This new villain will keep me coming back for more.

Riverdale #1 - This new Archie publication is based on the new "hit" TV series. I have not seen the show but I have a long time love of these characters, especially for a certain blonde girl next door. There are two short stories. The first by Will Ewing (writer) Joe Eisma (art) Andre Szymanowicz (colours) Janice Chiang (letters) features Archie going through the varsity football team's hazing rituals. I am impressed that Will made me like this version of the redheaded teenager. The second story by Michael Grassi (writer) Joe Eisma (art) Andre Szymanowicz (colours) John Workman (letters) features my gal Betty Cooper as she endures hazing by Cheryl Blossom, the wicked witch captain of the cheerleading squad. This book made me want to tune into the show now.

X-Men Blue #1 - Cullen Bunn (writer) Jorge Molina & Matteo Buffagni (art) Matt Milla (colours) VC's Joe Caramagna (letters). This is the original young X-Men team with Jean Grey/Marvel Girl as leader. It reads like a straight up super hero comic book with Marvel Girl, Cyclops, Angel (with flaming wings, when did that happen?), Beast and Iceman fighting Black Tom Cassidy and Juggernaut on a luxury yacht. Not very interesting until the surprise twist at the end. The twist bothered me more than intrigued me because the character is also in other X-books and I'm wondering are they good or bad in this one? The back-up story looks like it features Wolverine but this guy is a blonde. I liked the art throughout, especially the cover by Art Adams but my opinion is that these kids should be in their own little world to make it interesting for me and that isn't this.

Hal Jordan and the Green Lantern Corps #18 - Robert Venditti (writer) V Ken Marion (pencils) Dexter Vines (inks) Dinei Ribeiro (colours) Dave Sharpe (letters). The Green and Yellow Lantern Corps working together would be like the FBI and the CIA working together. Things are going to get testy at times. Having Guy and Arkillo make peace after almost killing each other in a slugfest is hokey but it kind of works for this comic book. This is a good issue to jump in on as it starts the new story "The Prism of Time". I don't know how long I will stick with this story as it involves time travel. I know because the surprise guest star on the last page gives it away.

American Gods #2 - Neil Gaiman (writer) P. Craig Russell (script & layouts) Scott Hampton (art) Rick Parker (letters). I have a mild obsession with time. I like to know how long something lasts. I put a date label on Bic pens to see how long it takes for the ink to run out. We rarely lost one at the Snail and one pen would last just over a year. A can of my shaving gel runs out after just over a month. The number 44 is bad luck in Chinese culture so I wear an analogue watch rather than a digital. It always seemed that whenever I looked at the time on a digital it was 44 minutes after the hour and I would get anxious. I kid you not. There's an incident in this issue that relates to a certain time and now that I am aware of it I am going to see if it happens in real life. This is the kind of stuff that makes reading comic books a lot of fun for me. Seeing the incident unfold in three panels made the impact on me even bigger than just reading about it in a novel.

Jessica Jones #7 - Brian Michael Bendis (writer) Michael Gaydos (art) Matt Hollingsworth (colours) VC's Cory Petit (letters). This issue starts and ends with Maria Hill and leads to a new case for Jessica. There's a touching scene with Jessica, Luke and their daughter Danielle but not a resolution to their damaged relationship. I really hope Luke forgives Jessica.

Batman #20 - Tom King (writer) David Finch (pencils) Danny Miki & Trevor Scott (inks) Jordie Bellaire (colours) Deron Bennett (letters). The finale to "I Am Bane" was meh. It's a fight between hero and villain that I've witnessed many, many times. This one is just brute force versus brute force and how Batman puts down Bane (because we all know that's what will happen) was very mundane. I hope the next story ends in a more interesting way.

Rat Queens #2 - Kurtis J. Wiebe (writer) Owen Gieni (art) Ryan Ferrier (letters). The main story has the Queens landing the demon Canada goose to tie up another quest. The back-up story by Patrick Rothfuss (writer) Nate Taylor (art) Ryan Ferrier (letters) is a nifty little campfire story that was very clever. Fooled me.

Guardians of the Galaxy #19 - Brian Michael Bendis (writer) Valerio Schiti (art) Richard Isanove (colours) VC's Cory Petit (letters). This issue is "Bendis' big-time bye-bye blowout!" and it is an artists lover's dream. The guest artists here are Phil Noto, Andrea Sorrentino, Ed McGuinness & Mark Morales, Arthur Adams, Kevin Maguire, Mark Bagley & Andrew Hennessy, Sara Pichelli and Filipe Andrade. It's basically a big fight between the team, a few of their friends and Thanos. My one complaint is that Gamora did not act like I thought she should but it was an expedient reaction to seeing the Mad Titan in that situation. I loved Brian's run on this book so writer Gerry Duggan has a hard act to follow.

Wonder Woman #20 - Greg Rucka (writer) Bilquis Evely (art) Romulo Fajardo Jr. (colours) Jodi Wynne (letters). Veronica Cale has exhausted all medical means for getting her daughter Izzy back from the clutches of Phobos and Deimos so it's time for the mystical option. I like Greg's incarnation of Circe. She can give Loki a run for his money.

Paper Girls #13 - Brian K. Vaughn (writer) Cliff Chiang (art) Matthew Wilson (colours) Jared K. Fletcher (letters). Time travel makes my head hurt but I have an emotional stake in these girls now and want to know what happens to them.

Champions #7 - Mark Waid (writer) Humberto Ramos (pencils) Victor Olazaba (inks) Edgar Delgado (colours) VC's Clayton Cowles (letters). That's twice that the team has tussled with the Freelancers and the super villains have given up too easily. There's a good reason for that other than because they're cowards and bullies. There's more than one way to hurt the good guys besides beating them up. Time to call in Matt Murdock.

Kingpin #3 - Matthew Rosenberg (writer) Marc Laming (layouts) Ben Torres (art) Jordan Boyd (colours) VC's Travis Lanham (letters). Sarah the biographer gets chummy with Wilson Fisk which leads Sarah the reporter into very deep trouble with Tombstone. Can Wilson protect her from harm? I like this portrayal of the Kingpin.

Savage Things #2 - Justin Jordan (writer) Ibrahim Moustafa (art) Jordan Boyd (colours) Josh Reed (letters). Ruthless terrorists who have no qualms about killing women and children make for some very nasty bad guys. It's interesting that the good guy Abel trained with these same men. I am anticipating the much larger threat that Cain has planned.

All-New Wolverine #19 - Tom Taylor (writer) Leonard Kirk (pencils) Cory Hamscher (inks) Michael Garland (colours) VC's Cory Petit (letters). The 3-part "Immune" starts here. Laura and Gabby take down a human trafficker while an alien craft crashed on Roosevelt Island, New York. That crash has consequences for Laura. I am waiting to find out what the connection between the alien and Laura is. I really like Gabby and I hope she plays a bigger role in this book.

Red Team: Double Tap, Center Mass #6 - Garth Ennis(writer) Craig Cermak (art) Vinicius Andrade (colours) Rob Steen (letters). This issue adds some true romance to the true detective plot of the story. Detectives Mellinger and Giroux break the cardinal rule of workplace romance and that never ends well. Garth will get back to blood and mayhem soon I'm sure.

Amazing Spider-Man #26 - Dan Slott (writer) Stuart Immonen (pencils) Wade von Grawbadger (inks) Marte Gracia (colours) VC's Joe Caramagna (letters). Plenty of action in part 2 of "The Osborn Identity" with Spidey and Silver Sable fighting Norman's henchmen. Some mild intrigue with Doc Ock in the background. I don't get S.H.I.E.L.D.'s stance on what Parker Industries is doing to help Symkaria. Dan has made up some political drama for the sake of the story that doesn't make sense to me.

Star Wars: Doctor Aphra #6 - Kieron Gillen (writer) Kev Walker (pencils) Marc Deering (inks) Antonio Fabela (colours) VC's Joe Caramagna (letters). No killer droids this issue made it a lot less fun but I did like how the story ended.

The Unstoppable Wasp #4 - Jeremy Whitley (writer) Elsa Charretier (art) Megan Wilson (colours) VC's Joe Caramagna (letters). I really like this energetic and slightly naïve super hero. She did try to reason with a super villain but when she had to kick butt she did. I hope she can save her old Red Room mate.

Spider-Man #15 - Brian Michael Bendis (writer) Szymon Kudranski (art) Justin Ponsor (colours) VC's Cory Petit (letters). It's time for Miles's mom to find out about his secret identity. She's not taking it as well as the Ultimate Universe Aunt May did when Peter's secret came out. Szymon's turn on the art for this book is okay but I wish he wouldn't copy panels so much. I feel like I'm not getting my money's worth when artists do that.

Uncanny Avengers #22 - Gerry Duggan (writer) Pepe Larraz (art) David Curiel (colours) VC's Clayton Cowles (letters). The team de-powers the Red Skull of Professor X's super powers and Charles Xavier can now rest in peace. There's a page in this issue where Rogue is thinking about Professor X and the major decision that she made that Pepe and David did a beautiful job of expressing. I'm sure when Gerry wrote the scene he could not imagine how well rendered it would be. That page choked me up and stopped me reading. I had to send Pepe a message right then to let him know that image is burned into my memory like John Romita Senior's Peter Parker walking away down an ally with Spider-Man's costume in a garbage can in the foreground. Some comic book art is unforgettable and their page qualifies. Geez Pepe, you outdid yourself.

Spider-Man/Deadpool #16 - Joshua Corin (writer) Scott Koblish (art) Nick Filardi (colours) VC's Joe Sabino (letters). I did not leave the best for last. This is a tie-in issue. "'Til Death Do Us…" part 4's only interesting thing for me was seeing who Deadpool teams up with in his other book Deadpool & The Mercs for Money. This did not make me want to read that book nor the grand finale in Deadpool #29 to see what Wade and his monster queen wife Shiklah will wind up doing. I anticipate it will be the divorce from hell. I hope we get back to the silliness that I have come to expect from this book soon.

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