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icebearinacornfield · 9 months ago

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Rating Alex Rider Villians on a scale of 1-10 on how supportive they'd be of me telling them I'm Agender:

[Just so we are clear, the concept for this came from a TikTok-er who does a good amount of Alex Rider content/analysis!)

Harod Sayle: 5/10 He's too focused on his own revenge plot against British school children to care and he wouldn't entirely understand it, but I get the vibe that he'd ask some follow-up questions about what I meant and then just be like "ok cool IG". He'd misgender me a lot, but it wouldn't be from a place of malice, it would just be because he forgot. He'd be quick to fix his mistake though. All in all, Harod Sayle's just too spiteful to have the energy to expend on being transphobic/enby-phobic/agender-phobic (I never know the right term to use, please send help!), so he simply wouldn't be. If I were British, however, he would be the most transphobic person on Earth to me!

Nadia Vole: 10/10 She'd ask for pronouns upon introduction and always make sure that she's using the right ones! If nothing else, Nadia Vole is a professional, and professionals use people's correct pronouns, names, and honorifics. I also get the vibe that she'd not put up with anyone's bullshit if they're intentionally going around not respecting other people's identities. She also just gives the energy that she's queer (especially in the graphic novel), but then again it might just be me projecting.

Mr. Grin: 5/10 Bro's literally just doing his job and couldn't give less of a fuck. He'd respect my pronouns and stuff, but it'd be out of total indifference to me. Just like, he doesn't have the energy to waste, so it wouldn't matter to him whatsoever.

Dr. Grief: -10/10 He's a racist/nazi/white supremacist/fascist jackass (probably a stronger word would be better suited for this, but I don't feel like putting it in), so going off of what we know already, I can make a very educated guess as to what his stance on me not fucking with gender would be...

Eva Stellenbosch: -10/10 Same with Dr. Grief. She'd also just straight-up hate crime me for fun, so there's that too.

Alexei Sarov: 8/10 He'd be a little confused/not know entirely what being agender meant, or even what it is for that matter, but after it was explained to him, he'd make an effort. He'd read up on the subject, he'd ask questions, he might mess up on pronouns and such pretty regularly, but there'd be an effort on his part and that's what matters!

Conrad: 1/10 He's a chaos gremlin of pure hatred and murder. He is alive solely out of bitterness and spite. He'd purposely misgender me/be actively transphobic just to feel something. Anything. Conrad just wants to watch the world burn and he's got the gasoline.

Damian Cray: 20/10 There was no heterosexual explanation for that man to begin with! I also can't see him being super big on gender in the first place. He'd be out there actively fighting transphobia and showing his support for all of the LGBTQIA+ community! He'd validate me and he'd be aggressively supportive as well!

Nikolai Drevin: 0/10 Y'all saw how he was to his son Paul Drevin. Paul has been head-cannoned/heavily implied to be gay and we all saw how THAT turned out... I just feel like Nikolai Drevin would not hesitate to force me to go to conversion therapy. That's it. Maybe he'd pretend to be supportive at first to lull me into a false sense of security so he could kidnap me for conversion therapy, but it'd be a complete and total act. Believe me, this man IS ABSOLUTELY NOT an ally!!! That being said, he wouldn't outright kill me/other type of hate crime me. Not that conversion therapy is ok or anything, but the bar is so low on this list at points and I'm forced to give credit where credit is due. He'd kill me because I beat him at something which is something he does with everyone else so it's an equal opportunity thing.

Desmond McCain: 3/10 He'd try and do an exorcism of me. not necessarily because of the whole agender thing (not that that would hurt his decision though), but just because of me as a person. I don't care if he's not that kind of religious, but that wouldn't matter to him. He'd become that type of religious. Desmond McCain would also try to talk me out of being agender (not that that's someone that can do) by telling me that "God didn't intend for you to reject your natural calling as a woman." which isn't something that I think that God would agree with because I just don't... Either way, he'd say that I was a sinful person and going to super-hell when I eventually and he'd mean it too even if he's just faking being a Christian.

Dominic Royce: 4/10 He'd be on the quiet side, but don't let that fool you! He'd actively be doing everything in his power to pass anti-trans laws even though legislating is not part of his job! He'd refuse to acknowledge my saying anything about being agender and say condescending shit like 'You're too young to know that!" or "It's just a phase!" and would be calling me "young lady" or "Ms./Miss" a lot which would just be super uncomfortable.

Owen Andrews: 2/10 Bro totally leaves Reddit comments about how being trans/non-binary/agender isn't real/is a mental illness or some bullshit like that in his free time for fun and probably believes it as well. That being said, however, I don't see him being super transphobic out loud to my face. He'd definitely misgender me every time and place he got, but I could probably beat him in a fight and he knows this.

Darcus Drake: 6/10 He'd use the right pronouns, he'd be respectful enough, but mostly he wouldn't be too bothered with any of it.

Dr. Raymond Feng: 5/10 He'd be skeptical about it, but he'd hear me out and just accept it. I get the sense that he'd be thinking 'oh is this internalized misogyny or childhood trauma or something?', but I stand by my statement saying that he'd ultimately be accepting and validating to me more or less. Not a strong ally, not a transphobe, just a man who presumably has a doctorate in psycology with no quams about imprisoning and interrogating a thoroghly traumatized child. And I for one think that's beautiful. (Not actually, I just wanted to put that last part down there.)

Dwain Garfield: 1/10 He's a Trump supporter. 'nuff said. Source? Trust me bro.

Vladimir Sharkovsky: -5/10 He'd hate crime me or, more accurately, have somebody else hate crime me for him.

Harry Bulman: 2/10 Bulman would've been out there writing transphobic AF articles LONG before meeting me. Harry Bulman would be writing articles about how being trans/non-binary/agender was the latest 'fad/trend', go out of his way to make fun of the trans experience, and spread misinformation about how "gender/women are under attack!". Now, I don't think that he'd actually believe what he's writing (except for the whole thing about it being a 'trend' or mental illness or whatever), he's just in it for the money/the clout. Not that this makes it any better, if anything that makes it worse. In any case, he'd laugh in my face when I say I use they/them pronouns and then tweet about it or whatever and call me a 'crazy, blue-haired liberal' or whatever despite me not having blue hair. In short, metaphorically (never literally) fuck Harry Bulman!

Colonel Aubrey Sykes: 1/10 He'd just call me a 'snowflake' and say that he identifies "as an attack helicopter" because like many transphobes, he hasn't evolved much since 2016-2017. Also, since I'm not a veteran or active service member of the military and an American, I just get the vibe that he'd already have had absolutely zero respect for me in the first place even if I was cis. Also, he just gives extremely misogynistic vibes too, so whether or not I was cis wouldn't change much.

[Probably going to do a separate list for SCORPIA members and the Nightshade board. The same goes for MI6/CIA/ASIS characters. It'll be fun maybe!]

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arshipweek · 2 years ago

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AR Ship Week - The Four Yassen Gregorovichs

This is the third weekly post in the lead up to Alex Rider Ship Week. Only 2 weeks to go!

This week we’ve got a fantastic guest submission by AFewBulbsShortofaTanningBed, all about the different characterisations of Yassen Gregorovich.

The Four Yassen Gregorovichs by AFewBulbsShortofaTanningBed

presented roughly in the order in which they came to be

Yassen Gregorovich is one of the most important and iconic characters of the Alex Rider series, one half of the fandom’s most popular ship, Yalex, and the catalyst to many of the series’ most important events - Ian’s death and Alex’s introduction to the spy world, as well as Alex’s being sent to Scorpia and learning of his father’s history with them. He is also, indirectly, a cause of the events of Snakehead - Alex decides to work with ASIS and Ash in part because he wants to know more about Yassen.

Thus far, there have been four official interpretations of Yassen: the original books (of which he appears in three: Stormbreaker, Eagle Strike, and Russian Roulette, a Yassen-focused prequel); the 2006 movie, where he is played by a scenery-chewing Damian Lewis; the ongoing tv series, where he is played by a menacing and mysterious Thomas Levin; and the graphic novel adaptations of the books (of which there have been six thus far.) The following is an overview of each Yassen and how each is written in fic/shippiness. Spoilers ahead!

BOOK YASSEN

illustration by inkyquail

Appearance: close-cropped blond/light hair, blue eyes (which as a child look “permanently surprised”), “almost feminine” eyelashes, chiseled lips and a smooth face (what do these mean? Who knows!), appears “in his late twenties”, the body of a dancer” (there are further mentions of a “sleek dancer’s body”), said to be small for his age and shorter than John as an adult.

Scar: long and straight “as if it had been drawn with a ruler” on his neck, acquired on a mission with John Rider as depicted at the beginning of Eagle Strike; easily hidden by collar if plot demands it.

Accent: none, or a faint Russian accent, depending on the book.

First meeting with Alex: on the rooftop of Sayle Enterprises, right after killing Herod Sayle.

There were two small explosive cracks.

Alex looked down, expecting to see blood. There was nothing. He couldn’t feel anything. Then Sayle staggered and fell onto his back. There were two gaping holes in his chest.

The helicopter landed in the center of the cross. The pilot got out.

Still holding the gun that had killed Herod Sayle, he walked over and examined the body, prodding it with his shoe. Satisfied, he nodded to himself, tucking the gun away. He had switched off the engine of the helicopter and behind him the blades slowed down and stopped. Alex stepped forward. The man seemed to notice him for the first time.

��You’re Yassen Gregorovich,” Alex said.

The Russian nodded. It was impossible to tell what was going on in his head. His clear blue eyes gave nothing away.

“Why did you kill him?” Alex asked.

“Those were my instructions.” There was no trace of an accent in his voice. He spoke softly, reasonably. “He had become and embarrassment. It was better this way.”

“Not better for him.”

Yassen shrugged.

“What about me?” Alex asked.

The Russian ran his eyes over Alex, as if weighing him up. “I have no instructions concerning you,” he said.

“You’re not going to shoot me too?” 

“Do I have any need to?”

There was a pause. The two of them gazed at each other over the corpse of Herod Sayle.

“You killed Ian Rider,” Alex said. “He was my uncle.”

Yassen shrugged. “I kill a lot of people.”

“One day I’ll kill you.”

“A lot of people have tried.” Yassen smiled. “Believe me,” he said, “it would be better if we didn’t meet again. Go back to school. Go back to your life. And the next time they ask you, say no. Killing is for grown-ups and you’re still a child.”

He turned his back on Alex and climbed into the cabin. The blades started up, and a few seconds later, the helicopter rose back into the air. For a moment it hovered at the side of the building. Behind the glass, Yasen raised his hand. A gesture of friendship? A salute? Alex raised his hand. The helicopter spun away.

Alex stood where he was, watching it, until it had disappeared into the dying light.

Other key moments: The Fer-de-lance, Alex’s failed assassination attempt, and subsequent bull-fighting incident (illustrated here by the excellent inkyquail)

There was a slight tremble in the hand holding the gun and he brought his other hand up to steady it.

“You have my gun,” Yassen said.

Alex took a breath.

“Do you intend to use it?”

Nothing.

Yassen continued calmly. “I think you should consider very carefully. Killing a man is not like you see on the television. If you pull that trigger, you will fire a real bullet into real flesh and blood. I will feel nothing; I will be dead instantly. But you will live with what you have done for the rest of your life. You will never forget it.” He paused, letting his words hang in the air. “Do you really have it in you, Alex? Can you make your finger obey you? Can you kill me?” Alex was rigid, a statue… “Maybe you have forgotten what I once told you. This isn’t your life. This has nothing to do with you.” Yassen was totally relaxed. There was no emotion in his voice. He seemed to know Alex better than Alex knew himself. Alex tried to look away, to avoid the calm blue eyes that were watching him with something like pity.

Air Force One and the “I love you” speech

“He saved my life. In a way, I loved him. I love you too, Alex. You are so very much like him. I’m glad you’re here with me now… If you don’t believe me, go to Venice. Find Scorpia. And you will find your destiny…”

Russian Roulette - the eponymous book as a whole, particularly his relationship with John (which has given rise to numerous John/Yassen fics)

Backstory: Given to us in Russian Roulette and Snakehead. Yassen grew up as Yasha Gregorovich, a young Russian boy living in a tiny village called Estrov, hundreds of miles south of Moscow. Unbeknownst to him, his parents and many of the villagers work at a factory manufacturing weaponized anthrax, and an accident at the factory leads to the destruction of Estrov and the deaths of everybody there besides Yassen. (It’s very heartbreaking.)

The whump doesn’t stop there for Yassen; he is betrayed by his parents’ friend, lives on the street for a while, and is eventually captured by Vladimir Sharkovsky, a cruel man who forces Yassen to play a game of Russian roulette for his life, and who Yassen eventually learns was responsible for the destruction of Estrov. There isn’t anything Yassen can do about it, though; he is forced work as a slave for Sharkovsky, as both household laborer and food taster who is frequently tormented by Sharkovsky and his son, Ivan. Several years later, a Scorpia assassin is contracted to kill Sharkovsky, and Yassen escapes with him, thereafter brought to Malagosto and trained as an assassin.

Though he excels in many aspects of training, he struggles with taking a life; due to his potential, he is given a second chance, this time under the tutelage of John Rider, an experienced assassin. John isn’t entirely trustworthy, but treats Yassen with more kindness than he has received in years, and saves his life during one of their missions (the scar incident.) He doesn’t think that Yassen is cut out to be an assassin, emphasizing the harshness and loneliness of the life while pointing out that he has lots of potential and can work elsewhere, have a gentler life. Yassen is on the cusp of leaving Scorpia and the world of espionage and murder behind when he learns that John works for MI6; betrayed and devastated, he plays one final game of Russian roulette (with five bullets and one empty chamber) to determine the course of the rest of his life - he doesn’t want to be a killer, but John’s betrayal has convinced him that there is no world in which he lives and can be anything else. Yassen lives, murders Sharkovsky and his son Ivan, and returns to Scorpia, vowing to become the best assassin he can and loyal to nobody but himself to spite John.

Some time after his return, Yassen and John are in Mdina where John is to be extracted by MI6, in what is staged as a capture. However, the mission goes wrong, and Yassen kills many members of the extraction team and stabs John’s best friend, Ash, in the stomach, leaving him with lifelong pain and disability and contributing to his resentment of John and his decision to agree to Scorpia’s offer to work for them and have the Rider family killed with a bomb in their plane.

Important relationships:

Alex Rider (a parallel and foil, he’s responsible for killing Ian Rider, the closest thing Alex had to a parent and his last remaining family member, and for indirectly throwing him into the world of espionage, and later on sending him to Scorpia. Though usually ruthless and unemotional, he becomes emotionally compromised when Alex comes into play.)

John Rider (mentor, saved his life, gave him the training that allowed him to survive. His lessons affected Yassen’s approach to being an assassin - someone with no attachments, no loyalty, no sentimentality. Though he is revealed to be working for MI6, Yassen still feels gratitude and loyalty towards him for the training he gave him and the time he saved his life, and still loves him over a decade after his death. This in turn leads him to spare Alex multiple times despite orders and opportunities to kill him, and to save his life with Sayle.)

Vladimir Sharkovsky (responsible for the destruction of Estrov and deaths everybody Yassen knew and loved and then personally tormented him for years, his treatment of Yassen is often interpreted as haunting him long after he escapes - often in subtle ways)

Fics: Being the original version and the one that has introduced most fans to the fandom, this is the Yassen who is written about most and who has the longest history of fics about him. You can find book!Yassen in some of the earliest fics of the fandom (though this author does not know how to use ff.net or livejournal and at this point doesn’t believe she will ever learn), and he continues to be popular in fics, in whole or in part, today. The way Yassen is written has evolved significantly, influenced by both the release of the movie (which likely led to a number of fics that favored a more sinister Yassen), and Russian Roulette (which gave us his sympathetic and whumpy backstory and likely led to increased interest in Yassen - replacing K Unit as Alex’s most popular adult companion(s).) More than any other adaptation of Yassen, the books portray Yassen and Alex as parallels and foils, emphasized by their similar appearances and histories, as well as matching scars - both have been shot in the chest and along the side of the neck.

BoldAsBrass - Christmas in Chelsea, New Rules, Exit strategy BurntWhisper - Overture in G Minor Suzie_Shooter - Lights Out series Ireliss - alone together fredbassett - Coins in the Fountain (Yassen Gregorovich/Monica Peretti, inspired by the short story The White Carnation)

MOVIE YASSEN

Appearance: Damian Lewis, red hair and all, taller than Alex (Rider and Pettyfer)

Scar: none???

Accent: heavy, Russian

First meeting with Alex: all the nonsense with the vials in the lab

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Other key moments: Campy highlights include the assassination at the beginning

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and of course, the rooftop scene

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Important relationships

Alex (confrontation over vials, saves his life, tells Alex to forget him and shrugs knowingly when Alex says he won’t, possibly arranged for fog machines and violin music for reasons unknown)

???

No relationship with Ian that we know of, aside from killing him in the most iconic way possible

Backstory: who knows!

Fics: The second interpretation of Yassen and the first one we see onscreen, this Yassen has sadly fallen out of fic-writing favor in recent years. As compared with present-day book!Yassen, movie!Yassen is often written as more suave, confident, and sexually forward. He is also very, very Extra. Though fics tend to tone down his more dramatic tendencies, he remains the campiest of the Yassens. I hope for a resurgence in popularity someday.

RimauSuaLay - No Enemies yaseanne - A brief and tentative excursion abrandnewboom - keep you like an oath

TV YASSEN

Appearance: Thomas Levin - brunet, dark eyes, stockier build and perpetual five-o-clock shadow, long and dramatic black coat, shorter than Alex (heh)

Scar: prominent and on the side of his face, somewhat spider-webby, impossible to miss

Accent: nonspecific, non-native accent; American accent skills shown off at one point

First meeting with Alex: the “Alex Friend” scene (can be found here in a gifset by emziess)

Other key moments

Killing Ian Rider

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The rooftop at the end of season 1 where he shoots Julius Grief (here)

The time he nearly shot Alex but then didn’t, concealing Alex’s identity, protecting him on Air Force one, telling him about his father (spectacular moments show in this gifset and this one)

Important relationships:

Alex (similar to the above descriptions, he’s saved his life numerous times and has shown a soft spot for him - hopefully to be explored further)

Ian (unlike the books, the encounter between Ian and Yassen at the beginning of season 1 seems to suggest that Yassen has some sort of personal history with Ian, beyond being his murderer. What that history is, we do not know!)

John Rider (not explored yet, but Yassen says that they worked together. Something that will likely be explored in season 3.)

Backstory: in general, a mystery. We get suggestions that he has a history with Ian, a history with John, and that he was thought to be dead for years. These will hopefully be explored further in season 3!

Fics: The biggest changes (aside from physical appearance and tv-specific events) that I have noticed between how tv Yassen is written in fic as compared to book Yassen is the use of the nickname “Yas” and an increased emphasis on his relationship with Ian - and concomitant increase in Ian/Yassen (aka Yian) fics. (As we saw in the post for week 1 of ship week, it is the most popular ship over the past year behind Yalex!) Numerous fics also incorporate elements of both tv and book Yassen, for instance, including both elements of book!Yassen’s backstory from RR and tv!Yassen’s possible history with Ian and encounters with Alex, or blending their appearances (i.e. a Yassen with blond hair, a facial scar, and a black coat.) He is less of a super-assassin than in the books or tv series, with abilities that seem more grounded in reality and closer to those of a normal hitman, and is less prone to dramatics.

fredbassett - I Spy series (starring Yassen/Ian!) Nanimok: i do forgive thy robbery, gentle thief; Spies and Recreation; The Alec Walker series; Just Say I do (featuring a combo of book and tv show, which seems not uncommon) kelkblr - The French Connection

GRAPHIC NOVEL YASSEN

Appearance: at a glance, I thought that his appearance was meant to be similar to Damian Lewis, but with darker red hair (closer to an auburn.) Upon closer inspection, his face is in fact quite different, as is his build. He has blue eyes and pale skin, but doesn’t look particularly feminine, and his eyelashes are not particularly notable. Taller than Alex.

Scar: Only when the artist remembers it’s supposed to be there. Usually no.

Accent: ???

First meeting with Alex: a blend of book and movie (the adaptation of Stormbreaker incorporates elements of both), on rooftop after killing Sayle

Other key moments: Pulls the same dangling-from-a-helicopter nonsense as movie version

and refusing to kill Alex followed by the “I love you” moment from Eagle Strike

Important relationships:

Alex (like the books and movie)

John (similar to the books thus far, though Russian Roulette has not yet been released)

Fics: none :(

Graphic novel Yassen has the distinction of being the most forgotten Yassen, and thus, he has no fics attributed to him, shippy or otherwise. I’m not entirely sure why this is, though I have some theories. It could be in part due to limited availability of the graphic novels, limited publicity, and slow release; that they do not add much of anything that has not already been portrayed in the books or movie, so there is no new material to grab fannish attention; and that they do not provide a visual of a book-accurate Yassen but instead create yet another version that is, unfortunately, not as pretty as the Yassen of the books and thus is not nearly as alluring. Perhaps this ship week, graphic novel Yassen will finally get recognized!

#alex rider #yassen gregorovich #arshipweek #meta #mod posts

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vaschenko-chao · 10 months ago

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Finally some news about the Snakehead graphic novel, which will be released on August 1!

Source: https://www.walker.co.uk/Snakehead-The-Graphic-Novel-9781529507898.aspx

#alex rider #snakehead #alex rider graphic novels #tbh i preferred the anime art style of the first four #i was hoping they would return to it for Snakehead #oh well I'm still excited for what it is #snakehead graphic novel #mine

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sapphireswimming · 2 years ago

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By the way, I was going through some old likes and I noticed I asked you about Scorpia Rising way back. I have been so out of touch with Alex Rider lately I have NO IDEA if there are any new books or movies or TV shows or WHAT. Do you know of anything that's been in the works recently?

Oh hey!! I've also fallen a little out of touch during the past few years because there's actually been a lot of Alex Rider activity!

Since Scorpia Rising in 2011, there's been *cracks knuckles*:

Russian Roulette

Never Say Die

Secret Weapon

Nightshade

Nightshade Revenge has an anticipated publication date of 2023

A Taste of Death (post Point Blanc short story)

The White Carnation (Russian Roulette extra chapter)

Alex Rider: Undercover short story collection

Eagle Strike graphic novel

Scorpia graphic novel

Ark Angel graphic novel

Two seasons of Alex Rider the TV show on Amazon Prime

#blogquantumreality #alex rider #horowitz has also published over 15 other books since 2011?#and worked on 5 shows??#don't ask me how the man does it #because I have absolutely no idea #it's exciting for us though hahahaha #replies #ss

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monkeyjaw · 1 year ago

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Year in Review (by way of books) 2023

Books and Comics/Graphic Novels 2023

January

The Doubtful Guest – Edward Gorey (illustrated book/graphic novel)

The Promised Neverland: Volume 6 – Kaiu Shirai, Posuka Demizu(manga)

The City and the City – China Mieville

Sandman Volume 6: Fables and Reflections – Neil Gaiman, various artists (graphic novel)

Sandman Volume 7: Brief Lives – Neil Gaiman, Jill Thompson, Vince Locke (graphic novel)

The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglas – Frederick Douglas, read by Charles Turner

The Sandman Volume 8: World’s End – Neil Gaiman, various artists (graphic novel)

The Bartimaeus Trilogy 2: The Golem’s Eye – Jonathan Stroud

The Man Who Fell To Earth – Dan Watters, Dev Pramanik (graphic novel)

The Carpet People – Terry Pratchett, read by Stephen Briggs

Hikaru no Go Volume 15: Sayanara – Takeshi Obata, Yumi Hotta (manga)

Hikaru no Go Volume 16: The Chinese Go Association – Takeshi Obata, Yumi Hotta (manga)

Witch Hat Atelier Volume 1 – Kamome Shirahama (manga)

February

The Sandman Volume 9: The Kindly Ones – Neil Gaiman, Marc Hemple, various artists (graphic novel)

Titus Groan – Mervyn Peake, read by Simon Vance

Paper Girls Volume 3 – Brian K. Vaughan, Cliff Chiang (graphic novel)

Beastars Volume 1 – Paru Itagaki (manga)

Revenge of the Librarians – Tom Gauld (graphic novel)

Lucifer Volume 1: Devil in the Gateway – Mike Carey, Peter Gross (graphic novel)

Saint Young Men Volume 1 – Hikaru Nakamura (manga)

The Sandman Volume 10: The Wake – Neil Gaiman, Michael Zulli, Jon Muth, Charles Vess (graphic novel)

Hikaru no Go Volume 17: A Familiar Face – Takeshi Obata, Yumi Hotta (manga)

Major Pettigrew’s Last Stand – Helen Simonson

Beastars Volume 2 – Paru Itagaki (manga)

Woman World – Aminder Dhaliwal (graphic novel)

Black Paradox – Junji Ito (manga)

Beastars Volume 3 – Paru Itagaki (manga)

March

Lucifer Volume 2: Children & Monsters – Mike Carey, Peter Gross, Ryan Kelly (graphic novel)

Doomsday Book – Connie Willis, read by Jenny Sterlin

Moonshadow – J.M. DeMatteis, Jon J. Muth, Kent Williams (graphic novel)

The Magic Fish – Trung Le Nguyen (graphic novel)

Sleepless Volume 2 – Sarah Vaughn, Leila Del Luca (graphic novel)

The Monkey Prince Volume 1: Enter the Monkey – Gene Luen Yang, Bernard Chang (graphic novel)

Unbroken – Lauren Hillenbrand, read by Edward Hermann

Thrawn: Ascendancy 2: The Greater Good – Timothy Zahn, read by Marc Thompson

Thud! – Terry Pratchett, read by Stephen Briggs

April

Operation Mincemeat – Ben McIntyre

Beastars Volume 4 – Paru Itagaki (manga)

Parasyte Volume 2 – Hitoshi Iwaaki (manga)

Major Pettigrew’s Last Stand – Helen Simonson

The Promised Neverland Volume 7 – Kaiu Shirai, Posuka Demizu (manga)

Parasyte Volume 3 – Hitoshi Iwaaki (manga)

The Wheel of Time Bk 4: The Shadow Rising – Robert Jordan

Twig – Skottie Young, Skyle Strahm (graphic novel)

Spring Rain: a graphic memoir – Andy Warner (graphic novel)

The Multiversity – Grant Morrison, various artists (graphic novel)

The Promised Neverland Volume 8 – Kaiu Shirai, Posuka Demizu (manga)

Goldie Vance Volume 2 – Hope Larson, Jackie Ball, Brittney Williams (graphic novel)

Team of Rivals (Abridged) – Doris Kearns Goodwin, read by Richard Thomas

Stretching the Heavens – Terry L. Givens

May

The Promised Neverland Volume 9 – Kaiu Shirai, Posuka Demizu (manga)

Parasyte Volume 4 – Hitoshi Iwaaki (manga)

Parasyte Volume 5 – Hitoshi Iwaaki (manga)

Conan Volume 1 – Robert E. Howard, L. Sprage De Camp, Lin Carter

Parasyte Volume 6 – Hitoshi Iwaaki (manga)

The Promised Neverland Volume 10 – Kaiu Shirai, Posuka Demizu (manga)

Penric’s Demon – Lois McMaster Bujold, read by Grove Gardner

Kamen Rider: The Classic Manga Collection - Shōtarō Ishinomori, translated by Kumar Sivasubramanian (manga)

Parasyte Volume 7 – Hitoshi Iwaaki (manga)

Shuna’s Journey – Hayao Miyazaki, translated by Alex Dudok de Wit (manga)

Parasyte Volume 8 – Hitoshi Iwaaki (manga)

Maggy Garrison – Lewis Trondheim, Stephane Oiry (graphic novel)

Double Cross – Ben McIntyre

The Promised Neverland Volume 11 – Kaiu Shirai, Posuka Demizu (manga)

June

The Promised Neverland Volume 12 – Kaiu Shirai, Posuka Demizu (manga)

The Promised Neverland Volume 13 – Kaiu Shirai, Posuka Demizu (manga)

My Hero Academia Volume 1 – Kohei Horikoshi (manga)

Think Again – Adam Grant

Adventure Game Comics Volume 1: Leviathan – Jason Shiga (graphic novel)

Ranma ½ Volume 35 – Rumiko Takahashi (manga)

Ranma ½ Volume 36 – Rumiko Takahashi (manga)

The Promised Neverland Volume 14 – Kaiu Shirai, Posuka Demizu (manga)

Thrawn Ascendancy Volume 3: Lesser Evil – Timothy Zahn, read by Marc Thompson

Leviathan Wakes – James S.A. Corey

The Man Without Talent – Yoshitsaru Tsuge (manga)

July

A Bride’s Story Volume 3 – Kaoru Mori (manga)

The Promised Neverland Volume 15 – Kaiu Shirai, Posuka Demizu (manga)

The Promised Neverland Volume 16 – Kaiu Shirai, Posuka Demizu (manga)

Almost American Girl – Robin Ha (graphic novel)

The Woman Who Smashed Codes – Jason Fagone

The Swamp – Yoshiharu Tsuge (manga)

The Wheel of Time Book 5: The Fires of Heaven – Robert Jordan

A Bride’s Story Volume 4 – Kaoru Mori (manga)

Pulp – Ed Brubaker, Sean Phillips (graphic novel)

Locke & Key: Small World – Joe Hill, Gabriel Rodriguez (graphic novel)

Breaking Cat News – Georgia Dunn (graphic novel)

August

Labyrinth Coronation Vol 1 – Ryan Ferrier, Simon Spurrier, Daniel Bayliss (graphic novel)

A Bride’s Story Volume 5 – Kaoru Mori (manga)

Worst Journey In the World Volume 1 – Sara Airress (graphic novel)

Best American Comics 2016 – various artists, writers, edited by Roz Chast (graphic novel)

Labyrinth Coronation Volume 2 – Ryan Ferrier, Simon Spurrier, Daniel Bayliss (graphic novel)

Hikaru no Go Volume 19: One Step Forward! – Takeshi Obata, Yumi Hotta (manga)

Hikaru no Go Volume 20: The Young Lions – Takeshi Obata, Yumi Hotta (manga)

Thirsty Mermaids – Kat Leyh (graphic novel)

Criminal: Coward – Ed Brubaker, Sean Phillips (graphic novel)

Parable of the Sower – Octavia E. Butler, read by Lynne Thigpen

Hikaru no Go Volume 21: Great Expectations – Takeshi Obata, Yumi Hotta (manga)

Hikaru no Go Volume 22: China vs. Japan – Takeshi Obata, Yumi Hotta (manga)

Hikaru no Go Volume 23: Endgame – Takeshi Obata, Yumi Hotta (manga)

Dead Boy Detectives Vol. 1: Schoolboy Terrors – Toby Litt, Mark Buckingham, Gary Erskine (graphic novel)

Dead Boy Detectives Vol 2: Ghost Snow – Toby Litt, Mark Buckingham, Gary Erskine (graphic novel)

Seek You – Kristen Radtke (graphic novel)

John Constantinte Hellblazer Volume 2: The Devil You Know – Jamie Delano, David Lloyd, Richard Piers Rayner (graphic novel)

September

Once & Future Volume 5: The Wasteland – Kieron Gillen, Dan Mora (graphic novel)

The Once and Future Witches – Alix Harrow

The Sandman Presents: The Deadboy Detectives – Ed Brubaker, Bryan Talbot, Steve Leialoha (graphic novel)

Batman: The Doom That Came To Gotham – Mike Mignola, Richard Pace, Troy Nixey, Dennis Janke (graphic novel)

Free Country: A Tale of the Children’s Crusade – Neil Gaiman, various writers, artists (graphic novel)

Man’s Search For Meaning – Victor E. Frankl, read by Simon Vance

John Constantine Hellblazer Volume 1: Original Sins – Jamie Delano, Mark Buckingham, Richard Piers Rayner (graphic novel)

Can’t We Talk About Something More Pleasant? – Roz Chast (graphic novel)

Edge of Spider-Verse – Dan Slott, Jason Latour, various artists/writers (graphic novel)

Spider-Gwen Volume 1: Greater Power – Jason Latour, Robbi Rodriguez (graphic novel)

John Constatine Hellblazer Volume 3: The Fear Machine – Jamie Delano, Alfredo Alcala, Mark Buckingham, Mike Hoffman (graphic novel)

Cosmic Odyssey – Jim Starlin, Mike Mignola, Carlos Garzon (graphic novel)

October

The Autobiography of Martin Luther King, Jr. –edited by Clayborne Carson, read by LeVar Burton

Spider-Women – Robbie Thompson, Jason Latour, various artists (graphic novel)

Spider-Gwen Volume 2: Weapon of Choice – Jason Latour, Robbi Rodriguez (graphic novel)

Gender Queer – Maia Kubata (graphic novel)

Black Orchid Book 1 – Neil Gaiman, Dave McKean (graphic novel)

Black Orchid Book 2 – Neil Gaiman, Dave McKean (graphic novel)

Black Orchid Book 3 – Neil Gaiman, Dave McKean (graphic novel)

Tombs – Junji Ito (manga)

Locke & Key: The Golden Age – Joe Hill, Gabriel Rodriguez (graphic novel)

Wraith – Joe Hill, Charles Paul Wilson III (graphic novel)

A Great and Terrible King – Marc Morris, read by Ralph Lister

The Birds and Don’t Look Now – Daphne du Maurier, read by Peter Capaldi

My Lesbian Experience With Loneliness – Nagata Kabi (manga)

Spider-Gwen Volume 3: Long-Distance – Jason Latour, Robbi Rodriguez (graphic novel)

The Birds & Other Stories – Daphne du Maurier

November

John Constantine Hellblazer Volume 4: The Family Man – Jamie Delano, Grant Morrison, various artists (graphic novel)

The Feng Shui Detective Agency – Nury Vittachi

Delicious in Dungeon Volume 1 – Ryoko Kui (manga)

The Saga of Swamp Thing Volume 1 – Alan Moore, Stephen Bisette, John Totleben (graphic novel)

Spider-Verse – Dan Slott, various writers/artists (graphic novel)

Breakfast With Socrates – Robert Rowland Smith

Harleen – Stjepan Sejic (graphic novel)

Spider-Gwen Volume 4: Predators – Jason Latour, Robbi Rodriguez (graphic novel)

Spider-Gwen Volume 5: Gwenom – Jason Latour, Robbi Rodriguez (graphic novel)

Flipped – Wendelin Van Draanen

American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer – Kai Bird, Martin J. Sherwin, read by Jeff Cummings

Spider-Man, Spider-Gwen: Sitting in a Tree – Brian Michael Bendis, Jason Latour, Sara Pichelli, Robbi Rodriguez (graphic novel)

December

John Constantine Hellblazer Volume 5: Dangerous Habits – Garth Ennis, Jamie Delano, various artists (graphic novel)

My Solo Exchange Diary Volume 1 – Nagata Kabi (manga)

Birds of Prey Volume 1 – Chuck Dixon, Jordan B. Gorfinkel, various artists (graphic novel)

My Solo Exchange Diary Volume 2 – Nagata Kabi (manga)

Shuna’s Journey – Hayao Miyazaki, translated by Alex Dudok de Wit (manga)

When Stars Are Scattered – Victoria Jemison, Omar Mohamed (graphic novel)

My Alcoholic Escape From Reality – Nagata Kabi (manga)

Dune Messiah – Frank Herbert, read by Simon Vance, Euan Morton, Scott Brick, Katherine Kellgren

Smoke Bitten (Mercy Thompson #12) - Patricia Briggs

Lore Olympus Volume 1 – Rachel Smythe (graphic novel)

Diary of a Young Girl – Anne Frank, read by Selma Blair

Lore Olympus Volume 2 – Rachel Smythe (graphic novel)

Spider-Gwen Volume 6: The Life of Gwen Stacy – Jason Latour, Robbi Rodriguez (graphic novel)

Hungry Ghosts – Anthony Bourdain, Joel Rose, various artists (graphic novel)

I read 156 books and graphic novels in 2023. 119 graphic novels, 37 books. 25 non-fiction, 131 fiction. 69 graphic novels, 50 graphic mangas. 15 re-reads.

Starting in March with Unbroken, I started reading a number of books about World War II. I think I had, as ever a goal to read more non-fiction and since there are so many books on the 2 World Wars, they are often the ones that I’m able to check out from the library without a super long wait list. Then Oppenheimer came out this summer so I was more intrigued and decided to read the basis for the film (which is atypical for me outside of comics). Following Unbroken I read a few spy books, Operation Mincemeat and Double Cross in May by Ben McIntyre that were super interesting.

I had previously read The Confidence Men about 2 British POWs from WWI who escaped a Turkish POW camp by (among other things) a Ouija board. I had started reading The Diary of Anne Frank/Diary of a Young Girl sometime this past year I think and finally finished it near the end of the year and Victor Frankl’s Man’s Search For Meaning in October. I started listening to The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich in November or December and read for my family’s book club The Woman Who Smashed Codes about Elizabeth Friedman and her husband who developed cryptology in the US between World War I and II and was treated pretty wretchedly by the US government for her efforts. This was in no small part due to J. Edgar Hoover, who seems to be more and more a villain every time I have the misfortune of encountering him in books and other media.

A manga series I had started last year, The Promised Neverland, I’m close to finishing (I believe there are 20 volumes, which isn’t super long for a manga series. Full Metal Alchemist is 20-something volumes if I remember correctly) and I finally finished Hikaru no Go about a teenager who accidentally finds himself competing in the Japanese game Go due to a haunted Go board in his grandfather’s attic. A web comic that my wife got me interested in, Lore Olympus, retells the story of Persephone and Hades with a combination of contemporary and antiquity culture. The comic is broken up into “seasons” and the second season was recently finished so I wanted to read up to that point while waiting for the end of the third season. Unfortunately, it was long enough ago that I had read up to the end of the first season I ended up having to start over. But this was good as there were a number of things I caught the second time through and appreciated more on a re-read.

I also read the 4th and 5th Wheel of Time books for the second time this past year, which was an interesting experience. There were a lot of things I remembered incorrectly because of the 25ish years since I read them initially. I don’t think I’m going to read the entire series all the way through again, but I might read book 6. I finished re-reading The Sandman (partly due to the release of the Netflix series) and went on a kick of other Vertigo (an imprint of DC Comics that focused on non-superhero books, more adult and more creator-controlled that is now largely if not entirely defunct) titles (the Dead Boy Detectives, Hellblazer, Swamp Thing). Don’t know where I’ll go with that. Also read a decent amount of Spider-Verse comics (mostly Spider-Gwen but one big crossover book that was sort of the culmination of the Spider-Verse storylines (I think?)) that was interesting. Spider-Gwen is a great comic that has yet to lead to the frustration I felt with the later Miles Morales books.

Nagata Kabi’s memoirs about self-esteem, her fraught relationship with her parents, alcoholism and eating problems is both interesting and very frustrating. I am very lucky to not have hardly any of her emotional, mental and health issues that are wound up together but reading her mangas it is hard not to want to shake her when she seems to recover from one life-threatening catastrophe only to work herself into another. I’m morbidly curious about her later volumes about pancreatitis.

Lastly, there were some books on Arthur and some non-fiction or books by African-American authors that I had intended to start or finish that I’m dragging my heels on. We’ll see what happens in the next year with that.

#books #reading #graphic novels #manga #memoir

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