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Post by spacer on Apr 26, 2005 2:10:48 GMT -5
I'm reading now Starman Jones by Robert Heinlein.
I'm halfway through and I think it's too naive to be an adult book but it can be a great novel for adolescents.
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Post by Fenril on Apr 30, 2005 1:29:48 GMT -5
Clockwork Orange by Burgess You baffled me Fenril, what do you mean by infamous last chapter? It was quite peaceful to me. That's exactly what I meant by "kick in the gut TO THE EXPLOITATION FANS". ***MAJOR, MAJOR SPOILER*** See, with the truncated ending, the novel would seem to tell us that human evil in unstopable, and ever present. What happens in the final chapter is simply that Alex grows up and decides that he's grown bored with violence, so now he'll try to go for a more normal life. Basically, Burguess is telling us that violence, while horrific and dangerous is ultimately a puerile experience, and something kids will just grow out of if given a chance. So much for neverending human evil... *** SPOILER END*** At lest, that was how I understood it. Quorton, about WATCHMEN... I think this is the GREATEST superhero story ever written, and that's including the Real heavywheights such as Spirit, The authorithy, Top 10, and so on... One of the best comic books (considering comic books as an actual Art, which is what it is) ever made, truly, with the enormous subtext and near-subliminal images (like the image of a face with one eye crossed out that is hidden several times in each chapter). Sin City is also great, through in a very different vein. |
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Post by Phoenix on May 3, 2005 16:03:14 GMT -5
Watchmen for me - yuck. It's a total 'guy' book in my opinion and I had a lot of trouble getting through it.
I hate the 'impotence' storyline as well. Give Owlman some Viagra! I remember reading that and thought 'give me a break, no wonder so many men like it! They can identify!'
I prefer it's predecessor, Squadron Supreme. Many of the same themes are there.
AND Alan Moore admittedly rips his ending of Watchmen from an Outer Limits episode.
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Post by Fenril on May 5, 2005 23:47:20 GMT -5
Watchmen for me - yuck. It's a total 'guy' book in my opinion and I had a lot of trouble getting through it. I hate the 'impotence' storyline as well. Give Owlman some Viagra! I remember reading that and thought 'give me a break, no wonder so many men like it! They can identify!' That's odd: I have read the entire comic several times and I sure don't recall seeing an "impotence" storyline in it. Could it be that you are referring to a sequel or something? |
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Post by spacer on May 6, 2005 6:02:05 GMT -5
Thank you Fenril for your explanation.  |
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Post by Phoenix on May 6, 2005 10:20:51 GMT -5
Thank you Fenril for your explanation. So I pulled out the ol' Watchmen trade. I haven't read this in like 10 years so I thought maybe I was wrong about the 'impotence' thing. Issue 7, pages 13-28. He can't..uh..'get it up'. Then he dons the Owlman suit, saves some people, and is able to get it on again. The costumes 'make it good.' :PNothing like a little roleplaying! |
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Post by Fenril on May 6, 2005 14:18:58 GMT -5
Spacer, you're welcome.
Phoenix: Ah, now I get it.
But see, isn't that the whole point of Nite Owl (as opossed to the story as a whole)? He's always threated his superhero persona with a lot more enthusiasm than his real self --and role playing is right, if the dream sequence with the dominatrix is anything to go by...
Basically, he's a more realistic version of characters like spider-man, hence it's called "satire".
I'll admit that most (oh, allright, ALL) of the story is told from a male point of view, and that, with one exception (the taxi driver) the major female characters are all depicted in a rather stereotiped way.
Still, I think that the overall story, the satire, and the art (not to mention the way the panels are connected without sound effects or transicion lines) still let it qualify as one of the greatest superhero comics.
Of course there are even better comics out there, but they'd be a different matter. Comics are an art, so it'd be like comparing two different kinds of movies or paintings...
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Post by Pulpmariachi on May 11, 2005 19:58:14 GMT -5
I'm reading:
PLANET SIMPSON: HOW A CARTOON MASTERPIECE DEFINED A GENERATION by Chris Turner.
Besides his hard time focusing a bit, the book is really funny and insightful (especially of the reminders of past episodes).
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Graveworm
New Member
George Andrew Romero
Posts: 31
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Post by Graveworm on May 14, 2005 7:57:22 GMT -5
The Rising Brian Keene it is about a small group of survivors of a zombie apocalypse. And (part of it) is to do with one man getting from one side of the country to the other, to get to his 8 year old boy. Who is living with his mother and she is aparently not feeling too good, and the boy has locked himself in the attic. He contacted his dad on the mobile phone just before the battery went dead. So his dad is tryign to get to him, before it is too late. There is this going on and a load of other stuff to keep it all interesting.
The book is an excellent read, I can't put it down, it is a real page turner.
After this is finished I am moving on to the other two books I bought earlier:
Reign Of The Dead.
Reign Of The Dead: Apocalypse End.
Both written by Len Barnhart
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taxidriver
Junior Member
"Ain't that the quintessential truth, Ruth."
Posts: 55
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Post by taxidriver on May 22, 2005 8:48:34 GMT -5
I just finished a lesser-known Lemore Leonard book called '52 Pick Up'. Good, but a bit run-of-the-mill for him.
I'm now reading Last Exit to Brooklyn by Hubert Selby Jr., which I can't put down. Can anyone recommend any of his other stuff?
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Post by spacer on Jun 3, 2005 7:42:12 GMT -5
I've just finished reading Starman Jones by Robert Heinlein.
When I was halfway through I think it was too naive to be an adult book and that it could be a great novel for adolescents. But maybe this commentary is not completely right.
It is more of a mixture of naivete and very adult judgements being too mature even for most of adults but still written in a very light "for adolescents" way. At moments I was bored with it but still I enjoyed the book.
Certainly it wasn't the best Heinlein book but it wasn't a crap too.
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Post by Pulpmariachi on Jun 3, 2005 12:15:13 GMT -5
Selby? All I've read from his is Requiem for a Dream, which is more depressing and messed up than the movie (which was especially depressing and unnerving in its own right).
Me? I'm reading Sarah Vowell's Assassination Vacation.
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Post by Bartwald on Jun 4, 2005 10:38:09 GMT -5
Still waiting for Slade's Cutthroat an in the meantime reading Koontz's Shadowfires; hey D.K. fans: what do you think of this book?
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Post by LivingDeadGirl on Jun 4, 2005 11:02:23 GMT -5
Koontz's Shadowfires; hey D.K. fans: what do you think of this book? That's actually one of his that I haven't read yet. I'm anxious to hear what you think of it. I just started on Drawing of the Three. |
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Post by Bartwald on Jun 4, 2005 12:08:07 GMT -5
Love Drawing Of The Three - one of the best volumes in the Dark Tower saga!
Shadowfires starts so-so, but I hope it will grow better after the intro stuff is dealt with. Will keep you informed.
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