#random comic book review

[randomcomicbookreading]

Ka-Zar #5 (1981)

Auto-conclusive flashback episode where Ka-Zar tells Shanna a sad story of his past, involving the native Savage Land settlement, his sabretooth "friend" Zabu and a rabies outbreak.

Clearly because an editorial mistake, the artistic credits are missing in this issue. A quick search in Google solves the mistery: written by Bruce Jones and pencilled by Brent Anderson. In 1981, Jones already had a long experience on writting for Warren magazines, free of infamous Comics Code Authority restrictions, and it is noted in the inherent maturity of his script for this Ka-Zar episode. While Zabu remains missing, a crazed specimen of sabretooth is attacking people of the settlement, resulting in deaths from direct aggression as well as deadly infections from a mysterious contagious disease that Ka-Zar soon identifies as rabies. Ka-Zar fears the infected animal is Zabu, anyway he joins the expedition to hunt the beast. Conclusion: the raged tiger (who finished eaten by a t-rex) was not Zabu, but Tongah, the hunting partner of Ka-Zar gets infected and he has to accept his upcoming death.

The story is narrated in a melancholic mood, where Brent Anderson's dramatic style of drawing bodies (with a touch of homoerotic sensuality) has an inportant role. A good handful of relevant subjects are touched in very few pages: the relationship hierarchy between a person, his beloved pet (kinda…) and other humans, the confrontation between beauty and cruelty present on virgin nature, the conveniences and inconveniences about renouncing to civilized world…

This adult tone makes exteme contrast with tons of advertisment pages oriented to kids. The dissonance between the "supossed vs. actual" readers of comic-books was already strong in 1981. Specially funny and idiosyncratic the ad/mini-comic where Fantastic Four advertise candies.

Purchased at Comic-Book Exchange (Notting Hill, London) for 50p

[fallenangels1987]

wait PAUL DANO was the one who wrote the battinson tie-in comic... help

[muffinsandpages]

The Books Of Magic by @neil-gaiman

I have a few reviews to catch up with, so bear with me!

The Books of Magic is a collection of four stories written by Gaiman and illustrated by John Bolton, Scott Hampton, Charles Vess and Paul Johnson. In each of these stories one of the four members of the "Trenchcoat Brigade" introduces a young boy, Tim Hunter, to the worlds of magic. At the end, Tim is supposed to decide whether he wants magic to be part of his life or not.

I never intended to pick up this book. As I headed to the bookshop I wanted to start reading the Sandman. When I couldn't find it, however, I asked one of the casheers and he told me that (for obvious reasons) they were sold out, but he very kindly gave me a tour of the other Gaiman comics that they had, and he incouraged me to try The Books Of Magic.

Since then I started reading the Sandman, but this was a nice introduction. The story is more or less self-contained and it can be read by someone who doesn't know anything about the DC/Gaiman universe (aka me in September), though there are a few characters that more experience readers will love to meet again. I'd totally recommend it.

[szkicel]

so like 2 days ago I finally read one of the comics I bought blind a while ago with comics that I was actually looking for.

anyway Rat Queens is just mid, if not below average. I wrote a rant/review about it but before i finished it I realised this title is just not worth it lmao

After I read it I only wanted to start reading Dungeon Meshi so I can read sth actually good tbh and maybe i’ll sit down to do it today kjhkjh

[bookrabbit]

Embrace the magic within the Pascha Pumpkin

The Pascha Pumpkin Challenge is a delightful tradition in the world of Noam the Easter Bunny and Moriah Hallow. Let me share some insights about it:

What Is the Pascha Pumpkin Challenge?

The Pascha Pumpkin Challenge revolves around the mystical Pascha Pumpkins. These pumpkins are no ordinary gourds; they hold magical properties and are bestowed upon good-hearted individuals by Bunnies and Forest Friends.

The challenge lies in finding or receiving a Pascha Pumpkin, as they are rare and coveted.

How Does It Work?

Bunnies and Forest Friends gift Pascha Pumpkins to people who demonstrate kindness, compassion, and generosity.

The pumpkins are said to bring blessings, protection, and joy to those who receive them.

The Story Behind Pascha Pumpkins

The enchanting tale of Pascha Pumpkins can be found in the book “Noam Fall Garden.” It’s a heartwarming story that reveals the origins and significance of these magical pumpkins

In this whimsical world, Noam the Easter Bunny and his friends celebrate the picking of Pascha Pumpkins, spreading goodwill and magic throughout their realm2.

Where Can I Learn More?

If you’re curious to dive deeper into this enchanting tradition, consider exploring the book “Noam Fall Garden” by Emile B. LaCerte Jr.

Additionally, there are YouTube videos that touch upon the Pascha Pumpkin Challenge, such as “Getting a Pascha Pumpkin” and "Witch and Pascha Pumpkin"12. These videos provide visual glimpses into the magical world of Noam and Moriah Hallow.

Remember, the Pascha Pumpkin Challenge isn’t just about pumpkins; it’s a celebration of kindness, friendship, and wonder

[quirkycatsfatstacks]

Review: Harley Quinn: Reckoning by Rachael Allen

Series: DC Icons #6Author: Rachael AllenPublisher: Random House Books for Young ReadersReleased: April 26, 2022Received: NetGalley Yes! I’ve been keeping my eye on the DC Icons series (reading them here and there), but I just knew that I had to read this one. Harley Quinn: Reckoning, by Rachael Allen, is precisely what I was hoping to see from this series. Harleen Quinzel has been working hard…

[papil0nglegs]

this is a stupid request 😭😭

how about Scout x Reader where the reader finds out that Scout can’t read and is just like “…Wait you actually can’t..?” and then just starts teaching him how to read LMAO i just think that be funny, like he’s just reading some easy kids book and the readers just like “Yes! You’re doing so good!”

Smell of books 📔

Scout x reader

A/n: I KNOW I keep using the ladybird soundtrack but I always listen to it whenever working on fics, give it a listen/watch it’s so cute 🙏

Warnings: Overworking, slight spoilers for the outsiders

He thought you were a straight up loser cuz you read books. I mean the last time he ever picked up a book was in 4th grade, hasn’t stepped in a school ever since cuz he had to take care of his siblings.

His comments were always eye rolling, they never really bothered you because it wasn’t anything you haven’t heard from a middle school boys

You always assumed he was able to read since you often catch him laughing at random comic books his brothers mailed to him.

It wasn’t until he was trying to read a sign while you and him were taking a drive back to the base

“Raw-ad work ahead?”

“Babe that says road.”

“Yeah I can’t read my bad”

“But you read comic books all the time??”

“Nuh uh, I just stare at the pictures”

“..scout”

As soon as you got back to the base you dragged him to a desk to teach him

He prefers to study on your bunk bed, reviewing flash cards and notes listening to music

Every time he gets 5 flash cards right that’s a kiss from you, this man is DESPERATE so he’ll learn pretty fast

“Okay now what is detach?”

“To like-leave or something”

“Yes! Omg my little student I’m so proud of you muah”

For the most part he was uninterested because you introduced him to mainstreamed books that was a snooze fest to him, gone with the wind Harry Potter etc.

That was until you read him the outsiders, he got so invested because of course he did

You both took turns reading it to each other, whenever it was one persons turn that person would lay on the others chest

“‘If we don’t have each other, we don’t have anything..’”

“Fuckk, I just got goosebumps toots”

He cries when in THAT part of the book, we all know which

The mercs got creeped out when they caught him re-reading it by himself randomly, it was rare to see him read a book, not a comic book a honest to god book!!

“Bloody hell, you readin’ mate?”

“Uhh yeah, guess I am. What you got something to say aussie??”

Loves it when you praise him for all his hard work, but he does overwork himself. Since he easily listens to you it was easy to get him to stop

“Jer please just take a breather, you’ve been reviewing those things for hours”

“Sorry sorry, I just wanna make ya proud of me Yknow..”

“Aww Jer, I already am. Cmon it’s cease-day, let’s get the rest we deserved”

Ughh 🙁 he loves you so much

[leafypaws2]

More (Random) Ninjago Headcanons

⚡️ Jay watches Bluey and has plushies of Bluey and Bingo on his bed (he's just like me, fr)

🌊 Nya is vegetarian

🔥 Kai listens to Ariana Grande

🔥 Kai's favourite holiday is Christmas

🪨 Cole listens to Lady Gaga while he works out

⚡️Jay is a Hazbin Hotel fan

💚 Lloyd has an irrational fear of the Grinch (I stole this from TaraYummy's new video)

🔥🌊 Kai and Nya get edited to the song "Diva" on social media (Kai loves it) *bonus headcanon*- ⚡️Jay saves any edits of Nya that come up on his social media feed (she thinks it's cute)

🌊 Nya was many girls gay awakening

🌊⚡️Nya is actually taller than Jay (he loves his tall wife)

💚 Lloyd loves the song "so this is love" from the original Disney Cinderella movie. He sings it while he does his chores

❄️ Zane can play the piano and violin

💚 Lloyd has been teaching himself how to play the acoustic guitar when he has free time

💚🔥 Kai cuts/styles Lloyd's hair. Lloyd refuses to go to an actual hairstylist.

🪨🌊⚡️❄️💚🔥 All the ninja have social media 👇🏻

🔥 Public account/his personal blog, hes verified, has the most followers out of all the ninja, he's kinda obsessed with his Instagram looking aesthetic, posts every day, pictures of friends/family + Skylor + Any Jay slander memes, cute outfits, ninja events (TV appearances), he follows all of his team members + Pixal/Skylor/Darreth, (cruelty free)beauty/hair/alt clothing brands+ NGTV news, ninja fan pages

⚡️Public account, spam posts stupid shit on his story, mainly posts memes + the other ninja + NYA LOTS OF NYA, video game clips, Star fairer, follows all his team mates/Pixal/Darreth + let's play youtubers, meme pages

🌊 Public account, she posts workout videos + Jay/the team + after mission pictures/videos, follows her teammates/Pixal/Skylor/Tox/Sora + local gyms

❄️ Public account, only has 4 posts- 1. Him and the team after the final battle 2. A picture of him and his father for Day of the departed 3. His falcon 4. Gf (pixal) appreciation post for girlfriend day, follows his teammates/Pixal- that's it.

🪨 Public account, posts pictures (and reviews) of different sweet pastries + gym selfies and the current playlist he's working out to (he also posts links to his Spotify) + lots of selfies of him and Jay being silly/his teammates + himself on nature walks, he follows his teammates/Pixal/Geo/Vania + all of the bakerys in New Ninjago City + the gym he works out at + WWE

💚 Private account, also barely posts, when he does post it's beautiful landscapes he's seen on his solo missons + drawings he did + animals + his team (mainly him and Kai or him and Arin) + inspirational quotes and comic books, he follows his teammates/Pixal/Darreth/Skylor/Arin/Sora that's it

That's it for now

This is the only gif I could find with all of them in it. also- Gif isn't mine <33

I just realised Jay's not in it smh😒😒

[rivensdefenseattorney]

The Friend(ships) Part 1

I'm not even sure what to title this, but I wanted to ease my way back into world building and just type some headcanons I have for the friend pairings in the AU. Decided to do Bloom and her 3 older brothers to start out, so we'll see where this goes 😅

__

Bloom x Brandon

These two are chaos together. Brandon is the ultimate bad influence. If he ever wants to do something on a whim, Bloom is the one to ask to do it with him because she'll always say yes. They're always on some kind of adventure or sidequest together. Brandon definitely views Bloom as the little sister he's never had. Bloom explained the concept of a friendship bracelet to him once, and he immediately dropped everything to make one together with her. He definitely bragged about it to Sky later. Bloom enjoys reviewing movies with Brandon. They get very serious when it comes to applying their very specific criteria of judgment. She gets embarrassed whenever he says he wants to read her writing, but she always gives in whenever he asks. The two of them are definitely like firecrackers whenever they're together.

-🧨💥

Bloom x Riven

Bloom and Riven have a natural unspoken understanding of one another. Although they started off on the wrong foot, Riven has grown a soft spot for her. He let's her vent to him, even if he's not able to give her any advice. She just likes having him lend his ear. The two have formed a book club together, and often spend time reading together in silence. Riven also encourages her to assist him while cooking, so she can improve. Bloom thinks he's nagging, but he insists she needs to have more home cooked meals. Her skills still leave a lot to be desired, so he sometimes just packs her a lunch instead. He often warns her not to share it with Sky. Bloom is one of the few people who have open access to his apartment, and she fully treats it like her own personal library. He sometimes comes home and finds her asleep on his couch with her book still open. The two go on rides together whenever they need to clear their head. Whenever Bloom wins a fight using a move he taught her, Riven can always be seen smiling like the proud older brother he is. He's definitely Bloom's #1 cheerleader, although Sky and Brandon would definitely object to that. These two are like two sides of the moon.

-🌗

Bloom x Timmy

These two are nerds through and through. Bloom introduces Timmy to comic books and various sci-fi, fantasy, and superhero movies. He always finds the inaccuracy of the sci-fi films very humorous and enjoys telling Bloom about how interdimensional travel actually works. However, Bloom never seems to be able to remember any of it. Timmy often plays various games from Zenith and Earth with her. She's not very good at any of them, despite what she may claim, but he often allows her to win by giving himself handicaps. He also spends time working on repairs with her, and teaches her all of the differences between earth's technology and the magic dimension. Bloom sometimes comes to the garage just to info dumps random pop culture facts onto him. The two often get into debates over it once Timmy's knowledge starts to catch up. He's even started to picking up on her vocabulary and subconsciously repeats it. Bloom and Timmy have a lot of inside jokes that the others often do not understand. They are each other's partner in crime.

-🦹‍♀️🦸

[randomcomicbookreading]

Underwater #3 (1995)

Underwater is one of the few unfinished Chester Brown's works, hence it has never been compiled in graphic novel format. The only phisical evidence for its existence is the original comic book series where it was periodically published by chapters.

Neither plot nor author's aims are easy to understand starting with chapter three. Underwater is deliberately surrealist, its dialogue is written in a bizarrely distorted version of English, and a single chapter is too few pages long to draw any kind of conclusion.

In fact, the Underwarter episode is so short because it only fills half of the book. The second half belongs to another legendary unfinished work by Brown, nothing less than the Christian Gospels comic adaptation!. Particularly, these 13 pages adapt the "fedding the multitude" miracle according Gospel of Matthew.

It's known that Brown's graphic translation of Jesus' life has a very special feature among others in any medium: The mood and look of Jesus changes depending on the particular gospel writer he is adapting. Clearly, the chosen depiction for Matthew's part is quite uncommon: semi-bald, older than usual, serious (almost angry) face... I am tremendously curious about the other alternative versions and the autor's reasons to choose those characterizations. I'll look for more chapters of Underwater and Yummy Fur on the Internet, hoping that Chester Brown take the decision to finish any of those works in order to see it reprinted .

Purchased at Gosh! (Soho, London) for  £3.50

[ladyloveandjustice]

My Favorite New Manga and Graphic Novels I Read in 2023

It's time to take a look at the comics and manga I read this year! I read  a whopping 78 manga and graphic novels in all. Here's a link to my Goodreads year in books (the manga is at the beginning, the novels start with Siren Queen) and my storygraph wrap up.

I also read 36 novels! If you want to see my favorites, check out my reviews here!

And finally, I've got the continuing manga series I've enjoyed this year here, so check that post out too!

The Magic Fish by Trung Le Nguyen

This is a tale about a first-generation Vietnamese-American boy struggling with coming out to his mother. He connects with his mother through fairytales-- she uses them to express her journey as an immigrant, and he uses them to explore his queerness and identity as a Vietnamese kid growing up in America. It's an absolutely gorgeous book full of Trung Le Nguyen's signature stunning art. The fantastical, ethereal fairy tales are weaved beautifully into the lives of the characters. The book explores how fairy tales can form connection, can express culture, can tap deeply into something real and true, and can offer tragedy and catharsis. The protagonist uses fairy tales to write his own story, and the ending is lovely and moving.

Exit Stage Left: The Snagglepuss Chronicles by Mark Russell and Mike Feehan

You may know Mark Russell from his darker, socially aware re-imagining of the Flintstones, which made quite a splash on Tumblr with this post. Well, I had pleasure of meeting him at a local convention, and I finally got his comic re-imagining of Snagglepuss, also of Hanna-Barbera. He re-imagines the titular pink puma as a closeted gay playwright in the 50's dealing with McCarthyism. It's as wild as it sounds,but also really digs into the politics of the time, the struggle of standing against oppression and how art fights through suppression and censorship. It's tragic, hopeful, poignant and full of historical references. I enjoyed it ! Definitely be cautious if you're deeply disturbed by homophobia and suicide.

The Summer Hikaru Died by Mokumokuren

A story about a teenage boy, Yoshiki, who realizes that his best friend and crush Hikaru has died and been replaced by a strange eldritch being who is imitating him. But, missing his loved one and desperate to cling to any piece of him, Yoshiki decides to keep on having a relationship with this mysterious entity. This book's horror is visceral and sublime, especially the bizarre, creepy, beautiful body horror involving the being who replaced Hikaru. It's an exploration of anxieties involving grief, relationships, and sexuality that hits just right, and the atmosphere layered with dread is top notch. I love me some messed up relationships and unknowable queer monsters, and this book delivers.

Chainsaw Man, Look Back and Goodbye Eri by Tatsuki Fujimoto

Chainsaw Man needs no introduction, but I did end up really enjoying the story of the doggy-devil boy hunting other devils. It got so tragic and intense at the end, with lots of great surreal horror imagery and darkly funny moments. I'm impressed it went so hard, though the random powers that kept piling up made what was happening hard to follow at times, especially in fights. I'm also enjoying the current weird arc starring a class-A disaster girl and the demon sharing her body.

Look Back

I really do enjoy how Fuijimoto writes messy pre-teen/teenage girls. They ring so true. The manga follows the fraught friendship between two girls as they create manga, exploring the struggle of art mixing with real relationships, and how someone keeps creating after tragedy. It's a little hard to follow at times (especially since I have to differentiate the leads based on hairstyle), but it's a good read.

Goodbye Eri

Probably my least favorite of the three, but it's a fun read- a weird ride that examines the thin line between fiction and reality in art and makes good use of Fujimoto's cinephile background and signature gaslight gatekeep girlboss characters.

Is Love the Answer? by Uta Isaki

The story follows a teenage girl, Chika, who has always struggled with not being attracted to anyone. When Chika enters college, she meets queer people all across the spectrum of asexuality, and starts exploring her own identity. As an ace, this is the best story about asexuality that I've read. It was a nuanced look at asexuality and queerness and all the variations. Chika's journey and how she found her community was moving and poignant. It's a honest, moving look at relationships and identity, and how complicated and hard to define both of those things can be. I loved the moments of Chika imagining herself as an alien to explore and cope, and how she bonded with people through magical girl shows and other geekery. My favorite new manga of the year, it really connected with me!

The Girl that Can’t Get a Girlfriend by Mieri Hiranishi

Oh girl, I've been there. This is a fun autobiographical comic about a butch4butch lesbian's struggles finding a partner in a word that favors butch/femme, and it's just an honest look at the messiness of loneliness and relationships. I also appreciate that crushing on Haruka in Sailor Moon and becoming a HaruMichi stan was the beginning the author's queer awakening because uh...same! She has taste, and is truly relatable.

Qualia the Purple: The Complete Manga Collection by Hisamitsu Ueo and Shirou Tsunashima

See my review of the light novel here for my general thoughts on the story, since it's adapted pretty faithfully. I do think the manga is overall the best experience though, because the illustrations break up the detailed explanations of quantum mechanics a bit, and it includes a bit of extra content that fleshes things out, especially withthe ending.

The Single Life: 60 year old lesbian who is single and living alone by Akiko Morishima

Just like it says on the tin, this focuses on a 60-year-old single lesbian. And definitely the shortest thing on here, since only one 30 page chapter is out.  It's a grounded story about a woman looking back on her journey to finding her identity, touching on sexism in the workplace and other challenges. It paints a portrait of a proudly gay elder who's still perfectly content being single and feels fulfilled by the life she had rather than regretting past relationships. I definitely want to see more.

Daemons of the Shadow Realm by Hiromu Arakawa

Arakawa's latest, the story is about a boy who lives in a small village with his little sister is imprisoned and has to carry out a mysterious duty...but then the village is attacked, supernatural daemons awaken, and everything he knows might be wrong. I'm enjoying this fun romp so far! It delivers an really nice plot twist right out the gate (and an excellent subversion of the usual shonen "must-protect-my-saintly-sister" narratives). It boasts Arakawa's usual fun cast and interesting world (and cool ladies). There's some slight tone and pacing issues in the first part- there's so much time spent explaining mechanics the lead doesn't really get to react to his life turning upside down. But it starts smoothing out by the second volume. I'm excited to see what's next!

Superman: Space Age by Mark Russell and Michael Allred

This is a retelling of Superman set throughout the late fifties to early eighties that has Superman interact with the political and social upheaval of the time and question his own role in things. It explored the Superman mythos through a lot of cool new angles, and has a good Lois (why yes she would break Watergate) which is how I always measure a Superman adaptation. My one complaint is, while I liked some of the things it did with Batman, the ending with the Joker was pretty weak. The ending of the overall comic will also be bizarre for anyone not uses to how weird comics can get, but I think I dug it.

#DRCL by Shin'ichi Sakamoto

A manga retelling of Dracula that focuses on Mina as the protagonist and imagines the characters at an English prep school. It adds a lot of  diversity to the characters  and has exquisite, evocative art. I'm curious where it will go and what it  intends to do with all it's changes (especially Lucy), because right now it's mostly vibes and creepiness and the direction isn't clear.

[interabangs]

DP&W Review

I can't believe I actually love Deadpool and Wolverine! I had pretty much moved on from MCU after Endgame. Haven't watched a post EG movie other than Shang-Chi, which is a good movie. Other than that, I had mostly lost interest.

DP&W is a perfectly imperfect movie that finally got me to care about the characters again and shockingly, root for them! Do I have a new MCU ship? What is happening!

Spoilers:

While I thought DP1 was a solid origin story and vastly superior take on Wade than Origins, I left DP1 feeling like... it's a good movie, it's objectively better than DP&W, but I couldn't connect with DP1. I wanted to like it but I think I overhyped it. I might like it more on re-watch but it's, just fine. In DP&W, Wade became so relatable, and I found his catharsis uncompromisingly sincere. Props to Ryan for keeping the mask on for so long and emoting without making it look too OTT. He does a great job riding that line between endearing, audacious, and menacing. He IS Deadpool.

I had liked Wolverine in the X-Men movies, I even liked the Origins Wolverine movie, but I wasn't invested in him as a character until this movie! Sure, Worst Best Wolverine could have had a more 'show not tell' backstory but I think it was handled that way to avoid making him look irredeemable to the audience. Hugh knocked it out of the park, he IS Wolverine and his acting was top tier. I felt like his presence was perfect to balance out Deadpool's random hilarity, and Hugh brought some much needed groundedness to the narrative. This movie really hinged on the chemistry between D&W and it's out of this world omg

I love that the movie gave no fucks about looking 'too cheesy' in the climax, it just did the Power of Friendship handhold Madonna ab shot, and it was exquisite. The movie revels in being a comic book come to life, and even though I didn't read superhero comics, I felt like a kid again, just enjoying the moment and not worrying about this or that. It was beautiful in its simplicity. I love that Wade's importance was affirmed while Logan's legacy was honored and the movie said, "It's okay to care about these characters! We care about them too." I felt immersed, I felt like the characters matter, that this story and all the Fox Marvel movies, good and bad, mean something. I teared up at the credits tribute, it was so sweet.

DP&W is about a 8/10 objectively, there are problems but I don't care. The movie FEELS like a 10/10 to me and is now in my top 5 MCU movies. Like I'm still in disbelief at how entertained, engaged, and happy I was from start to finish. This was exactly what I didn't know I wanted. I ended up watching DP&W in theaters 3 times and had a blast in every viewing. I can't wait for this to come out on Disney+ and for deleted scenes/extras! Maybe I really am just a simple bitch lol

This is such a fun movie with heart, absolutely love it ❤️💛

[loopy777]

So I've read 'The Reckoning of Roku'

This isn't a real review, just my impressions and reactions. No spoilers.

I'll start by admitting that to me, Randy Ribay is no F.C. Yee. I vibe perfectly with Yee's stuff, to the point where he's on my "Read Anything They Write" list; I vibe with his genre choices, his dialogue, his characters, his scope, his storytelling, etc. By contrast, Ribay's writing is functional for me, but nothing more, and feels bit more narrow. There are a few instances, even, where I think he made some amateurish wording choices, but most people probably wouldn't be bothered by it and that's likely me just being snobbish. What I'm leading up to is that I think the story is Fine, and I don't have the enthusiasm for it that I do for the earlier Avatar novels, but neither do I think it's bad.

Part of that ambivalence is our familiarity with Roku. Compared to Kyoshi and Yanchen, we know a lot more about him. We have an entire episode of AtLA devoted to his life story. This book finds a slot we haven't explored before, but I think I could summarize the feel of the story by describing the prologue: the book opens after Roku has learned he's the Avatar but before he says goodbye to Sozin, then skips the scene where said goodbye is said (since we saw it the cartoon and I guess there was no desire to novelize it), then resumes the next morning for their final public formal goodbye, all while trying to achieve the same feel and impact of the actual goodbye scene from the cartoon. Similarly, my impression is that the book covers a character arc for Roku which feels very much like what was covered in 'The Avatar & The Fire Lord,' presented as a kind of microcosm of that lifelong story, via events set shortly after he begins his Airbending training.

For all that, though, it fits poorly considering what we already know about Roku. These novels have been very free with retcons, especially when it comes to Avatar Kuruk, but I've been pretty tolerant of that since so little was known about those characters previously and they obviously weren't constructed to be protagonists of their own stories, just props to Aang's. But Roku was a bit more developed and got a whole episode devoted to his life story, so I feel like some things are revealed about him in this book that should definitely have been mentioned in 'The Avatar & The Fire Lord.' Likewise, what we see of Roku's Airbending training in the cartoon doesn't really fit with this story, and I feel like a hint about Sozin's father in the cartoon is interpreted in an awkward way here. None of it "breaks canon" or anything, but it sticks out as a poor fit.

But I'm sounding pretty negative so far. Let's talk about what I like in the book.

Young Gyatso is wonderful. 10/10 no notes, as the kids say.

Sozin is a real piece of work, as he should be.

Ta Min is a lot more interesting than I expected.

As I've noted in a lot of my talk of the AtLA comics and the other Avatar novels, I'm usually very down on forced references to random stuff in AtLA/Lok, and especially needless explanations for elements of those stories which would be better just as something random. However, there's something in this novel that's both a forced reference and a needless explanation, and I thought it was hilarious and wonderful. So good on Ribay for making that work for me. I'm still grinning about it.

The plot is more straightforward than the previous novels, but still creates tension and mystery. It also has a few beats that feel rather mythical, which I always enjoy. And I think it does a great job creating a balanced set of stakes, where things feel urgent and important without leaning on the old Fate Of The World too much.

The story feels complete while also having some very clear paths for the sequel to follow.

So, overall, I think the Avatar novels continue to outshine the comics, even if I don't want to kiss this book.

[gemsofgreece]

RE: the Anon about bad Greek representation in the game Hades 2

Hello, I answered your ask last night however I was soon notified that the link you added came from a YouTuber who, apart from the incidental valid points made in this particular video, has altogether different motives and beliefs than the ones I wish this blog to be associated with. So I deleted the ask with the link but I am giving you my original answer regarding problematic Greek representation intact. Besides, this video does not analyze why such representation in the context of Greek mythology and identity is questionable but rather disregards diversity in media just for the sake of it. So any person interested in Greek matters won’t learn much from watching it.

Like I said the basis of his points in this video makes sense. However, I don't know, I feel like all this discourse regarding the poor, agenda driven Greek representation and the appropriation of the mythology drains me and for no good reason.

Unfortunately, I have realised that the people who support such questionable treatment of the Greek cultural heritage among other things, supposedly for the sake of the greater good of inclusivity and diversity, are absolutely not open to feedback and other opinions and appear unable to entertain the possibility that they have chosen toxic, problematic and - above all - counterproductive ways to support those very important values. The same exact thing is happening with companies - say Netflix and Disney - which are left scratching their heads about what is going wrong and all their new projects are bombing so bad. It is funny how so many people around the world consider the answer obvious but the companies are still having crisis meetings to solve the impossible challenge.

There are several reasons I do not bother much with it. First of all, all this discourse and the urgency for a diverse Dodecatheon is an exclusively American concern through and through. People from Africa, Asia and South America resolutely couldn't care less and I have read in several comments that many people feel weird about how North Americans and a few West Europeans act regarding those matters. I feel disconnected from all these people both in terms of age and interests and as a Greek I also feel entirely disconnected from all these "Greek inspired" products. We all know very well that there's nothing Greek about the Hades videogame, the LO comic, Percy Jackson, Kratos and so on. Literally nothing whatsoever.

The most annoying thing about it is that these people genuinely think they "know" Greek culture. But honestly I think at some point soon they will grow out of it. Most of them are really young and act young about it, you know? At some point the companies also will either shut down or change tactics and content. Because the "piss on" trend of course doesn't affect only the Greek culture but many other fields, i.e European history, classic literature, traditional fairytales, Norse mythology etc

Because this world operates so much on money, simply not giving something your money is your most effective way to voice your opinion. Don't pay for that movie or that game or that book. And maybe leave a review phrased in the manner of constructive criticism, not an aggressive attack, because this leaves you vulnerable in front of these ahistorical people who call every mere different perspective as "fascism" (the irony XD).

I am always far more alarmed by actual historical revisionism, especially the one that is happening around us, in places next to us, waaaay more than I care about a random teen in the other side of the globe who wants an Asian Hestia girlboss or else they can't sleep easy at night. You have to realise that such a person doesn't truly think this is how a Greek is supposed to or usually looks like. Such a person actually doesn't give a shit about the Greek look or anything Greek at all. All they care is what the videogame they play looks like and how much the designers agree with them or include features they have. The fact that the character comes from Greece is entirely irrelevant and incidental. They do not care. So I now feel it's a lost cause to even try to discuss this with them. Judging from comments I have read, they downright don't understand and they are visibly unwilling to understand what we say.

And I am always way more irritated by the double standards with which the Greek civilization is studied , the very real discriminations against Modern Greeks, the toxic levels of academic classicism, the historical appropriation in the West and in the Balkans for different reasons and above all else the amazing inability of our nation to care, address the problem and at least attempt to protect our identity with dignity and confidence. Compared to these, all the whims of fanfiction readers and videogame players just pale to me. I do react some times but it's not a regular thing.

[ufonaut]

Happy Pride Month! A while back, I posted some excerpts from The Sour Lemon Score by Richard Stark -- the twelfth book in the Parker series, that seminal classic of American noir (which us comic book fans are most likely familiar with from Darwyn Cooke's fantastic adaptations). What's so special about Sour Lemon is the gay couple at the centre of its tale and the fact that Mr. Stark's handling of gay characters is not just a first for this kind of genre fiction but it's also completely revolutionary.

For a book written in 1968, there's a level of introspection and complexity that had certainly never been afforded to gay characters in the mainstream before. It's the kind of thing we're not even seeing right now, let alone in the 1960s. The theme of the Parker novels has always been identity, the knowledge of oneself and the right to be that person is sacred above all else in Richard Stark's work but that's never been so evident as it is in this particular novel.

Parker's been double-crossed by a fellow heister named George Uhl and when we first meet Paul Brock & Matt Rosenstein, he's only trying to track down Uhl through his associates.

Again and again, we keep coming back to Paul Brock's apartment and its "veneer of masculinity" -- Parker's downright obsessed with the details of the place, and who can blame him? It's a fascinating choice on Stark's part, this decor, and hardly a random one. Heavy wooden furniture with Spanish influences seemed to have been a big thing for gay men in the 1960s, just take a look at Rock Hudson's home (nicknamed "The Castle") from 1962 to his death:

(from Rock Hudson: His Story 1986)

Even Liberace with his more flamboyant tastes had his Palm Springs home, nicknamed "The Cloisters", Spanish-style and with a heavy brass & wood motif and quite reminiscent of the "monastery" description up there in the Stark novel:

(from The World of Liberace 1973)

Obviously it's the existence of the second man in Brock's apartment -- the intimate details of the two toothbrushes, the clothes in the closet in two different sizes, etc. -- that's the main attraction here but the seemingly personal knowledge of gay tastes at the time add a necessary dimension to the character & the world around him. Paul Brock is not a stereotype, despite presumably being 'visibly' gay.

His lover, Matt Rosenstein, is an equally fascinating and well-developed character while exploring his struggle with internalized homophobia:

It's a portrayal of internalized homophobia that's cutting, visceral, and hard-hitting, especially for the era. Rosenstein and Parker are built up as mirrors of each other throughout the book and despite both of them referring to Brock as a "faggot" in their internal monologues, it's the more effeminate Paul Brock with his self-acceptance that wields all the power in his dynamic with Parker and that makes Rosenstein realize this reality about himself -- these are all books about criminals and hard cases, the narrative maintains that Rosenstein's worst trait is not knowing who he is.

The use of slurs may be disconcerting to most modern readers and I've noticed a large number of reviews calling Stark's work homophobic but I think the intention behind the story is loud and clear, and other books in the series have used "gay" and "homosexual" interchangeably and the preferred terminology has always been left up to the POV character. Even here, there's a stark (ahem) difference between Parker's use of the word -- to him, it's a descriptor -- and Rosenstein's -- drowning in his self-hatred.

As I come close to finishing the final book of the series, I wanted to shine a spotlight on my favorite entry in it and a widely unacknowledged piece of thoroughly fantastic gay literature.

[thegayhimbo]

Stranger Things Flight of Icarus Review

If you haven’t yet, be sure to check out my other Stranger Things Reviews. Like, Reblog, and let me know what your thoughts are regarding the show or the upcoming season! :)

Stranger Things Comics/Graphic Novels:

Stranger Things Six

Stranger Things Halloween Special

Stranger Things The Other Side

Stranger Things Zombie Boys

Stranger Things The Bully

Stranger Things Winter Special

Stranger Things Tomb of Ybwen

Stranger Things Into The Fire

Stranger Things Science Camp

Stranger Things “The Game Master” and “Erica’s Quest”

Stranger Things and Dungeons and Dragons

Stranger Things Kamchatka

Stranger Things Erica The Great

Stranger Things “Creature Feature” and “Summer Special”

Stranger Things Tie-In Books:

Stranger Things Suspicious Minds

Stranger Things Runaway Max (Part 1 of 3)

Stranger Things Runaway Max (Part 2 of 3)

Stranger Things Runaway Max (Part 3 of 3)

Stranger Things Darkness On The Edge Of Town (Part 1 of 3)

Stranger Things Darkness On The Edge Of Town (Part 2 of 3)

Stranger Things Darkness On The Edge Of Town (Part 3 of 3)

Stranger Things Rebel Robin Book and Podcast (Part 1 of 2)

Stranger Things Rebel Robin Book and Podcast (Part 2 of 2)

Stranger Things Hawkins Horrors Review

Stranger Things Episode Reviews:

The Vanishing of Will Byers (Part 1 of 2)

The Vanishing of Will Byers (Part 2 of 2)

Synopsis: Hawkins, Indiana: For most, it’s simply another idyllic, manicured all-American town. But for Eddie Munson, it’s like living in a perpetual Tomb of Horrors. Luckily, he has only a few more months to survive at Hawkins High. And what is senior year, really, but killing time between Dungeons & Dragons sessions with the Hellfire Club and gigs with his band, Corroded Coffin? At the worst dive bar in town, Eddie meets Paige, someone who has pulled off a freaking miracle. She escaped Hawkins and built a wickedly cool life for herself working for a record producer in Los Angeles. Not only is she the definition of a badass—with killer taste in music—but she might also be the only person who actually appreciates Eddie as the bard he is instead of as the devil incarnate. But the best thing? She’s offering him a chance to make something of himself, and all he needs to do is get her a demo tape of Corroded Coffin’s best songs. Just one problem: Recording costs money. Money Eddie doesn’t have. But he’s willing to do whatever it takes, even if that means relying on his dad. Al Munson has just stumbled back into Eddie’s life with another dubious scheme up his sleeve, and yet Eddie knows this is his only option to make enough dough in enough time. It’s a risk, but if it pays off he will finally have a one-way ticket out of Hawkins. Eddie can feel it: 1984 is going to be his year.

Observations:

Ordinarily, when I do these reviews, I sum up the synopsis in my own words to convey my experience reading it. This time, I took the synopsis word-for-word from the book cover because I found it unintentionally hilarious and teeth-grinding that the publishers at Random House Worlds would try to bait Stranger Things fans like this. They had to have known most people who bought this book already saw the fourth season and were aware of Eddie's eventual fate. Even if they hadn't seen it, a.) It's pretty much an open spoiler at this point, and b.) You can figure out real quickly from the title (Flight of Icarus) and your basic knowledge of Greek Mythology exactly how this story is going to go. Giving both the audience and Eddie a Hope Spot in thinking things might improve for him was a cruel joke.

I know that prior to this books release, there were fans accusing Netflix of trying to milk Eddie's popularity with the audience despite his eventual fate in season 4. Having finally read the book myself.................it's a little more complicated than that.

Yes, the book does bait the audience with the idea of things getting better for Eddie when we already know that's not going to happen. At the same time though, it wasn't a book devoid of substance. There were themes and character interactions that left a lot to chew on, and might even play an upcoming role in season 5. Just like with Rebel Robin, there were aspects of the book that struck a personal nerve with me because of how they related to what's gone on in my life and what's currently going on in the world right now.

I'll discuss the book in detail here (Spoilers Ahead!) and let you decide for yourselves if this is a book you want to read.

Part 1: Eddie's relationships to other characters

The synopsis covers the majority of the plot. Eddie's in senior year, failing school, and coasting by on the Hellfire Club, his band, and his dead-end job at a bar. Unlike his friend Ronnie, he has no future prospects ahead of him until he encounters a girl from Los Angeles named Paige, who overhears Eddie playing one night and invites him (and Corroded Coffin) to record their music for a studio called WR Records. The hopes are that her boss, Davey, will be impressed enough that he'll invite Eddie and the band to later fly out to Los Angeles for an audition with the executives. Following them recording for Davey, Paige reveals to Eddie that Davey's more impressed with him than his band and only wants him to come out to LA to become a rockstar. However, Eddie still needs the money to make this dream a reality. So when his dad shows up with an illegal job that involves stealing weed from a Kingpin's truck so they can sell it for money, he reluctantly agrees despite knowing things could go wrong.

And just based on where Eddie is by the time season 4 starts, you already know how this is going to turn out.

Eddie on the show was already established as being an outcast who gets blamed for the murders committed by Vecna, but this book further explores that he was the town scapegoat way before any of this happened. Part of it has to do with his low socioeconomic status, part of it has to do with the bad reputation the Munson family has in Hawkins as crooks and lowlifes thanks to the behavior of Eddie's father (who is a loser and a sorry excuse for a dad), part of it has to do with the Hellfire Club and all the pearl-clutching parents did in the 80s about D&D being linked to Satanism (which, as Erica puts it in season 4, was bullshit), and the rest are people in Hawkins projecting their issues onto Eddie. They want to believe the worst in Eddie, and don't care about creating a self-fulfilling prophecy with they way they treat him.

Wayne Munson also gets fleshed-out more in this book, which I appreciate because he's one of the few adult characters on the show that I like. Unlike Al, who is constantly absent from Eddie's life unless he needs something from him, Wayne is a parental figure to Eddie who made sure he was being fed and taken care of when he needed it.

He's also one of the only people who treats Eddie like a person and believes in him when no one else does.

On top of that, Wayne is shrewd and able to put the pieces together just by reading a situation. He's the kind of person who can look at someone and figure out if they're being honest or not. When Al comes back into Eddie's life, he knows Al is up to no good, and he puts together pretty quickly that Eddie is going along with Al's con to get money. He allows Eddie to make his own choices, but he also warns Eddie that he's lying to himself if he thinks this is going to go well for him.

On a semi-related note, the way Wayne is depicted here gives more context behind why he was willing to let Nancy interview him when Eddie went missing after Chrissy's death: Unlike other reporters , who were either gearing up to paint Eddie as the villain before anything was confirmed, or else were trying to get their big break with this story, Wayne could tell Nancy wasn't just there to advance her career. She genuinely had an interest in what happened, and Wayne likely suspected something else (i.e. the death of Barb) was motivating Nancy to look into this case.

Another relationship that gets more context as well is the one between Jason and Eddie. There were hints in the fourth season that these two had a history with one another before Jason wrongly suspected Eddie of killing Chrissy and led the basketball team in hunting him down. This book confirms that history. I will admit I had a headcanon for a while that Jason and Eddie used to be friends before falling out (which is also something Mason Dye joked about), but this book blows that out of the water by revealing they've been enemies since they knew each other. Jason was a part of a jock group led by Tommy Hagan (Steve's former best friend) who bullied students like Gareth who were either outcasts or part of the Hellfire Club. But because Tommy and Jason were valued basketball players at the high school, they were able to get away with their behavior whereas Eddie would get punished simply for trying to help out his friends.

This puts the cafeteria scene between Eddie and Jason in a whole different light: Eddie's disdain for Jason in that moment wasn't because Jason did basketball, but because he knew Jason as a bully and had nothing but contempt for him:

Just like with Lucas on the Line, this book doesn't paint Jason in a good light. Not only is he associating with Tommy (who is just as loathsome as he was in season 1), but the book also hints at the darker, zealot side of his personality that's going to be on display in two years following the events of this book:

Chrissy also makes an appearance, and she's just as nice of a person as she was on the show. She actually intervenes (unsuccessfully) on Gareth's behalf to stop Tommy and Jason from bullying him, and we get to witness the flashback to the talent show when Eddie first encountered Chrissy and she showed him empathy and compassion in a moment when Eddie was feeling vulnerable after his dad didn't show up to watch him perform.

While I'm not an Edissy/Hellcheer shipper, I understand the appeal of that relationship, as well as why the Duffer Brothers later regretted killing off Chrissy when there was more that could have been explored with her character. I'm also deeply sorry Grace Van Dien was harassed by immature Stranger Things fans because she liked the Eddie/Chrissy ship (to the point Joseph Quinn had to speak up in her defense). No actor or actress should ever have to put up with disgusting behavior like that. I wish people in this fandom would grow the hell up already, and stop treating the actors as if they're props to project themselves onto. 😒

We also get to know more about Eddie's parents in this book. Eddie's mom is dead by this point (though her love for music is a big reason why Eddie was inspired to take up guitar) and Eddie's dad is a contender for one of the worst fathers in the series. He isn't as awful as Neil Hargrove, but he makes little to no effort to raise Eddie (to the point Eddie is often fending for himself), is constantly engaging in illegal activities and ending up in trouble with the law, only comes back for Eddie when he needs something from him (something that Eddie is painfully aware of), and straight-up abandons his son to the cops the moment his heist plan lands both of them in trouble and results in a police officer getting shot. He's a selfish man who's good at lying to everyone around him, and even to himself. The sad thing is, because Eddie is so desperate to get out of Hawkins, he willingly believes his dad's plan to get them rich so they can move to LA and fulfill his dream, which makes it more of a gut punch when everything eventually goes downhill.

Given Eddie's death in season 4, I seriously question if his dad is going to show up at all if he ever hears about what happened to his son. Somehow, I doubt it.

The final character with any real significance is Gareth. In this book, he's a freshman who's up-and-coming in the Hellfire Club, and there's a whole subplot dedicated to Eddie helping him to craft a perfect D&D character that resembles who Gareth is rather than having him borrow someone else's character. Also, as noted before, Eddie is one of the few people who defends Gareth from high school bullies, which is why Gareth has a lot of loyalty towards Eddie. I know Gareth became an Ensemble Dark Horse for many fans when Season 4 premiered, and I would be thrilled if he, along with the rest of the Hellfire Club and Corroded Coffin, got significant roles in season 5. Maybe they could team up with the Party to defeat Vecna.

The rest of the new characters are by-the-numbers. Ronnie is Eddie's lifelong friend who has a future at NYU, and they both have a falling out due to disagreements with Eddie's choices. Paige gets into a romantic relationship with Eddie for a while (which also falls apart later), but she isn't really memorable and doesn't stick out the same way that other characters from tie-in materials do (i.e. Mr Hauser from Rebel Robin, Joey Kim from Zombie Boys, etc). Mr. Higgins, the principal who has it out for Eddie, is the embodiment of Mr. Vernon from The Breakfast Club, and his interactions with Eddie are pretty similar to the ones Vernon has with Judd Nelson's character (John Benson) in the movie. Officer Moore is a stereotypical asshole cop who harasses Eddie because he sees him as a future criminal who will grow up to be just like his dad.

There are a few brief cameo's from the main characters: Hopper appears towards the end when Eddie is arrested, and is one of the few people sympathetic to Eddie's plight. Will and Jonathan also make an appearance when Eddie defends Will from jocks who make fun of Will for being "Zombie Boy," gives Will some encouragement about being who he is and embracing his love for D&D, and even offers to sell Jonathan some weed (which is cheeky foreshadowing for Jonathan's drug habit that develops in season 4).

Out of all the interactions with the main characters, the one between Will and Eddie was my favorite. Even though Will never joined Hellfire Club due to moving to Lenora, it's nice seeing these two get to interact and bond over something they love.

So that sums it up for the characters and main story. Let's talk about the main themes:

Part 2: Eddie and "Forced Conformity"

Just like with El in season 4, and even Steve, there's always been this stigma that because Eddie did badly in school, it meant he was dumb. However, unlike El, who struggles to catch up with her peers because of the way Brenner raised her (but is keenly aware of concepts even if she doesn't have the words for them at the time), or Steve who was more interested in chasing popularity at the expense of his grades (but has demonstrated his intelligence and ability to make connections that other people miss), Eddie doesn't put effort into school because he doesn't care to. School and homework doesn't interest him. D&D, Corroded Coffin, playing songs on his guitar, and even the works of J.R.R Tolkien do, which is why he invests more time into those things:

There was a GIF set last year with bits of trivia about Eddie, and something that was noted in it is that Metallica's album Master of Puppets was released on March 3, 1986. Given the night Eddie performs their song "Master of Puppets" in the Upside Down was on March 27, 1986, this means he had less than 3 weeks to learn how to master the song on his guitar. Some fans will probably dismiss this as "lazy writing" (which I notice gets thrown around a lot these days when people don't want to think critically), but I beg to differ. Eddie is invested in music. It speaks to him. That investment, combined with doing something he loves, means he's going to put time and effort into learning the song. I can buy he learned "Master of Puppets" in less than 3 weeks because he's that good of a guitarist, and he was passionate about the song in the same way he's passionate about D&D and Tolkien.

The problem though is those kind of interests aren't considered "acceptable" by the school system, which is more interested in churning out "productive members of society" and punishing those who don't get on board with the program (This is a theme that's also explored in both Rebel Robin and Lucas on the Line). It doesn't help that Hellfire Club, D&D, and the music Eddie loves to play constantly come under fire due to the Satanic Panic at the time, which only causes Eddie's resentment towards Hawkins and his school to fester.

You'd think things would have changed in the 4 decades since this series took place, but given how we're still living in an era of "concerned parents" wanting to ban specific books from being read by kids, or else enforce a conservative viewpoint in schools that prevents any kind of critical thinking, it's fair to say we haven't. In fact, there's an argument that things have gotten worse in recent years.

We can talk all day about the problems with the education system and school curriculum in the United States until the cows come home, but the point is Eddie is aware of the "forced conformity" schools impose on students, and is having none of it. As a result, he's punished for rebelling against the system.

It doesn't help that none of the teachers, nor Mr. Higgins, are remotely interested in trying to reach out to Eddie. They have decided in their minds that Eddie is a waste of space, and are either condescending or dismissive towards him. Even Robin, Mike, Lucas, Dustin, and Will had teachers like Mr. Clarke or Mr. Hauser who were interested in bringing the best out of their students. Eddie has been written off as a lost cause, and aside from his uncle Wayne (who's limited in what he can do for Eddie), no other adults believe in him. That just makes his eventual death later on harder to stomach.

I hate teachers and school authorities like Mr. Higgins. I get they have to put up with a lot of crap, both from kids and from the stress their jobs can bring, but I have no respect for teachers who either go to the lengths of bullying their students, or come up with preconceived notions about a student and then unfairly project that onto them so they can feel justified in treating them with contempt.

I had two teachers like this when I was growing up: One of them was from fifth grade. The second was my English Teacher from my senior year of High School.

The former was a straight-up bully who had a reputation for making kids cry (I was one of them) and was a Bitch in every sense of the word. I do not have good memories of her class, and I know several students who had their lives impacted by her for the worst: One of them was someone I went to the same church with whose mom later pulled him out to be home-schooled because he was frequently targeted by that teacher. The second was a former friend who had a rough time in her class, and later forfeited going to college entirely (and now works in retail) because of the impact she left on her. I make no secret that I DON'T miss her, and I hope she's no longer teaching.

As for my English Teacher, she was a condescending twat. She presented herself as an expert in literature, but I later found out that A LOT of her so-called "discussions" and "lessons" were taken straight from SparkNotes. I remember her going out of her way to publicly humiliate me in front of the class because I did a presentation that she didn't like, and then she later got patronizing with me over a different assignment several months later, saying she could see how I was struggling and then said "Allow me to give you some advice: Try harder." This was when I was also juggling 4 other AP classes and a Spanish class, along with my extracurricular activities, so this wasn't like I was half-assing my work. Once again, I was not the only person she treated like is. Multiple students despised her, and there was even a rumor for a while that she was a misandrist, which is why she treated the girls better than the boys. I can't confirm if this was true, but I wouldn't be surprised if it was. My brother (who's one of the smartest people I know) was fully aware of her reputation prior to his senior year, and specifically took a different English class just to avoid her. I still maintain that was the best decision he ever made.

I should briefly mention that, despite the two examples I just listed, I had some wonderful teachers growing up. Ones that not only encouraged me, but made their classes engaging to the point that I took an interest in topics I hadn't before. The entire reason I later pursued a degree in History is BECAUSE of my teachers in High School.

Regardless of whether people want to admit it, teachers are some of the most important people next to parents in a kid's life. They can either be the ones to elevate a student and set them on a good path, or they can be the ones to tear them down and dismiss them as a lost cause. It's a big reason I feel strongly about who teaches in schools and how our education system is structured, and why I get angry whenever teachers or school authorities either abuse their power, are apathetic about their jobs and their students, or else project their issues onto kids. I'm not saying there aren't kids out there without major behavioral problems that need to be dealt with (I literally had one such kid yell "Fuck You" at me two weeks ago from a speeding truck for no discernible reason, so I'm not advocating that all kids are sweet angels), but it infuriates me to see characters like Mr. Higgins who are smug in their belief that they have teens like Eddie figured out, and don't want to hear anything that contradicts that. People like that shouldn't be teaching in schools, period.

Part 3: The Evils of Society

Back in 2005, there was a horror movie called Chaos that was released, which got negative reviews and a scathing response from film critic Roger Ebert, who proceeded to call the movie "ugly, nihilistic, and cruel." The film's writer and director didn't take this well, and posted a letter to the Chicago-Sun Times where he condescendingly told Ebert that the movie was supposed to be ugly, nihilistic, and cruel as a way of conveying what evil was like in the 21st century, and smugly asked Ebert if he preferred the movie was sanitized of violence. Ebert later responded in a very classy and intelligent manner, where he not only called out the director for his sanctimoniousness, but also deconstructed his whole argument of depicting evil in a movie with no meaningful point or catharsis:

"I believe evil can win in fiction, as it often does in real life. But I prefer that the artist express an attitude toward that evil. It is not enough to record it; what do you think and feel about it? Your attitude is as detached as your hero's."

"Your real purpose in making "Chaos," I suspect, was not to educate, but to create a scandal that would draw an audience. There's always money to be made by going further and being more shocking. Sometimes there is also art to be found in that direction, but not this time. That's because your film creates a closed system in which any alternative outcome is excluded; it is like a movie of a man falling to his death, which can have no developments except that he continues to fall, and no ending except that he dies. Pre-destination may be useful in theology, but as a narrative strategy, it is self-defeating."

I've seen fans who've complained about the direction season 4 took in its tone and it's depiction of bullying and the Satanic Panic, with people complaining about it being "trauma/torture porn," which............I strongly disagree with. Trauma/Torture porn is (as Ebert points out) the kind of thing that has no point beyond indulging in meaningless suffering. Season 4 was dark (probably the darkest season they've done so far), but there was a message the Duffer Brothers were making with it; Not just in depicting how and why bullying becomes a pervasive problem, or how Vecna acts as a metaphor for depression and trauma driving people into despair, but also how the current social systems and attempts to force people to be "normal" cause long-term problems.

Bullies like Angela and Jason didn't suddenly decide to become awful overnight. Their behavior was enabled, not just by their peers, but by the adults around them who did little to nothing to stop the way they acted. Look at when El gets publicly humiliated at Rink-O-Mania by Angela and her friends, and how the adults there either participated with the other bystanders in it, or did absolutely nothing to stop what was happening to El (yet were conveniently available for Angela's benefit when El smashed Angela's face in with a roller-skate). Look at how Jason was able to turn a room of adults into a lynch mob to go after kids who were a part of the Hellfire Club by appealing to their fear of the Satanic Panic, as well as their fear of all the terrible things that had been happening in Hawkins.

Adults play a major role in whether kids become spoiled, entitled brats, and that was absolutely the case with Angela. As for Jason, he was a star basketball player who made Hawkins High look good, which is why Mr. Higgins and other teachers always looked the other way at his behavior (as depicted in both this book and Lucas on the Line). It's also why both Angela and Jason felt justified in their awful behavior: Angela was able to convince herself that El had snitched when she hadn't, and therefore deserved to be punished for it. And when El finally had enough and lashed out, Angela twisted the narrative in her head to make it out like she was the innocent victim and El was the bully. Same thing with Jason in regards to how he treats Eddie: Jason sees himself as the perfect "All American Boy" and Eddie as the freak who may one day become a criminal and gives Hawkins a bad name. And while the deaths of Chrissy and Patrick (combined with witnessing how Patrick died which he chalked up to Eddie being in league with Satan) played a major role in Jason's actions, he already had preconceived notions about Eddie without truly getting to know him first. There's an argument to be had that, even without Chrissy's death, he would have looked for any reason to go after Eddie if he felt justified in doing so.

Even isolated areas like Hawkins Lab weren't exempt from this: Dr. Brenner specifically fostered a culture among the special kids where he would put them at odds with one another to fight for his approval, and allowed El to be viciously bullied by Two and the others in the hopes it would unlock her potential and get him the results he wanted. Brenner established the institution where El grew up in, and was the main person who benefited from it. Two was a vicious bully similar to Angela, but the reason he became that is because Brenner and his cronies enabled his behavior (only punishing him as a means of building up resentment among the other kids towards El and making her more of an outcast as part of his plans).

Likewise, there's an interesting parallel between Eddie and Vecna: Both are "outcasts" whom society tried to force to be "normal." However, while Eddie still maintained compassion and empathy for others, as well as making it his mission to look out for other outcasts like Mike, Dustin, and Lucas so their lives wouldn't be miserable, Vecna internalized the rage and resentment of "performing in a silly terrible play, day after day" until it consumed him and turned him into the monster everyone feared. Now he intends to destroy everything and everyone so he can create the world he wants.

It's the Harvey Dent quote from The Dark Knight:

Eddie, despite being treated badly for most of his life, died as a hero, protecting those he cared about. Vecna lived to become the villain, and has abandoned his humanity in pursuit of his goals.

Tying this all back to Roger Ebert's letter: While Season 4 may have been dark, there was meaning to be found in the darkness: The season hit on the theme that, in spite of how Hawkins looks like a perfect suburban neighborhood, there's a lot of rot underneath, and NOT just from the Upside Down. There's an inherent bigotry in the town (and others like it, such as Lenora), of institutions trying to mold students and teachers into "productive members of society" at the cost of their happiness and well being, of punishing anything that's considered abnormal or against the status quo, of how ostracizing "outcasts" can lead to a self-fulfilling prophecy where the person either becomes the monster (Vecna) or is scapegoated and can never escape those stigmas no matter how hard they try (Eddie).

The Duffer Brothers aren't apathetic in their attitude about how they depict characters and themes on the show. If anything, they care deeply. It's why they wrote the character of Eddie in the first place, and based him off of Damien Echols, one of the West Memphis Three who was wrongfully convicted in 1994 of the murder of three boys in Arkansas, with a lot of bias directed at them due to the three of them being "delinquents" (as well as how the police pressured them into giving false confessions), which resulted in their lives getting ruined. Likewise on the show, Eddie is accused of killing Chrissy when he didn't (simply being in the wrong place at the wrong time), and his life got destroyed because of it. Even if he was a delinquent with his own personal issues, he didn't deserve what happened to him. Neither did Damien Echols. Society failed both of them, and allowed the true killers to go unpunished.

There are a lot of problems in our society today that have carried over from the 80s: From cultures that enable bullies and punish their victims, to attempts to control what kids learn in schools and how they should act, to bigotry and biases that aren't just rooted in people but in the institutions and laws that uphold the social structure, to people like Jason who take the law into their own hands regardless of the collateral damage it will cause, to government corruption, to people dehumanizing others because it's more important for them to be right over being nice, and so on. Stranger Things may be a love letter to the 80s, but it does not shy away from deconstructing the uglier aspects of that decade, and conveying how some of those issues had carried over into today's culture.

Final Thoughts:

Overall, this book is a mixed bag. It gives interesting details about Eddie and his life, and provides better context for certain scenes in season 4. Given that Caitlin Schneiderhan (the author of the book) had talks with the Duffer Brothers and other Stranger Things writers prior to penning this, it's likely this book can be considered canon. It's also a book that inspires discussion (as you can tell from what I've written), which is always a plus.

However, if you're a fan of Eddie, and you were upset over his death, this book isn't going to give you any catharsis. Unlike others, I'm not going to claim it's milking off of Eddie's popularity. At the same time though, it is hard to read when it teases that things might get better for Eddie and you already know what Eddie's fate is going to be.

In other words, you have to decide for yourself if this is a book you want to read. I hope my synopsis and this review gives some idea of what to expect.