I was going to talk about a Star Wars book that I read several months ago, but I'm not quite ready for that yet. So instead, I'm going to mention another comic book treasure that I picked up a month or two back: Daredevil Black Widow: Abattoir.
I really don't have a lot of interest in superhero comic books and never have (despite my love for the comic medium, science fiction, fantasy, and myth in general), so it's a rare occasion that I even give the superhero books more than a passing glance at the comic shop. Which explains how I missed a book done by the incredibly talented Joe Chiodo (published by Marvel Comics in 1993). Or maybe I missed it because it's not exactly a comic - it's a magazine-sized graphic novel. Either way, it's a shame that I missed it then and I would have never seen it 15 years later either, but for random chance and the beneficence of my local comic shop, Artifex Entertainment (they had a bunch of comics and trades/graphic novels that they were selling for cheap and this was one of them).
As far as the story and characters, I only recognize the Daredevil character in the book because of that horrible movie with Ben Afflek. The much more interesting Black Widow character was all new to me, but her back story is given in the book, so that was helpful. The S.h.i.e.l.d. organization that plays a big role in the story is a little familiar because of other superhero comics I've been roped into buying because of the art. And the bad guys seem to just be bad guys who were invented for this story, so no problem there.
The art in this book is the real reason to buy it (if you can still find a copy) - forget about the superhero story.
I wish Joe Chiodo would do more comics. His stuff is so great, but because it's so great, I'm sure it takes him forever to finish just one book.
I mentioned that a book called Travel Team was on my September reading shelf a couple of months ago and later mentioned that I had read it (and promised to say more about it later) when I was talking about Terry Pratchett's Nation.
If you don't want to bother going back to the September 24th post, this is the gist of what I said about the book: I'm not really a sports-book guy and haven't read any others by this author or any other sports writers. The book was referred to me by the guy at the local Italian Ice stand (he was actually reading it at the time) so I figured I'd give it a shot when I saw it on the bookshelf at the Crown Books that opened up down the street. I bought it and it sat on the shelf for about a month. And then I slowly read it over about a week.
The author, Mike Lupica, is actually a pretty well-known sports guy. He's a syndicated sports columnist for the New York Daily News and is also on ESPN. He has written a few other sports-books for kids and has written a bunch of other stuff that I've never read (for adults). Since I only know about this book, I'll keep my opinions there.
I suspect this was a book intended for a much younger audience than wrinkly old me, and it definitely had that vibe in many parts - in sort of a "Junie B Jones's trials of Junior High romance/friendship/family, etc" way. Take the following excerpt from one of the early chapters in the book (the second, I think).
Tess Hewitt, who he really liked - though he was quick to point out to Will that didn't necessarily mean he liked liked, and to please shut up - was standing next to his locker when he got there about ten after eight, five minutes before first period. So was the red-haired witch, Emma Carson.
It's mostly not like this, though (there are only a few of these junior high moments). The book also tackles serious issues like the dangers of drinking, what it means to be a father, and the importance of hard work. It's a thoughtful story about a little guy who wouldn't give up and the people around him that I think kids and adults will enjoy.
Oh, and there's a sequel (which I haven't read) called Summer Ball.
When you're the smallest kid playing a big man's game, the challenges never stop-especially when your name is Danny Walker. Leading your travel team to the national championship may seem like a dream come true, but for Danny, being at the top just means the competition tries that much harder to knock him off. Now Danny's leaving Middletown for the summer and heading to Right Way basketball camp, where he's out of his element and maybe out of his league. The country's best ballers are in attendance, and Danny will need to raise his game if he wants to match up. But it won't be easy. Old rivals and new battles leave Danny wondering if he really has what it takes to stand tall.
I've never read L Frank Baum's The Wizard of Oz, so my only exposure to the story has been through the film version. And the flying monkeys freaked me out when I was a kid, so it didn't really become a treasured part of my childhood. But I may have been overly hasty with my dismissal of the Oz series (yes, there are other books beyond The Wizard of Oz that apparently further the adventures of Dorothy & company - though I've never read a word of any of them and have no idea what any of those adventures may be).
So when I saw, months ago, that there was going to be a new Wizard of Oz comic adaptation, I wasn't really all that excited. But then Marvel published a free preview issue that I picked up a couple of weeks ago and my anticipation for the upcoming series changed completely. Not only did I discover that there's more to the story than what I had gleaned from the film in my flying-monkey-traumatized state, but I saw that the art for the upcoming comic was everything I love about many of my favorite artists: childlike innocence and slightly-exaggerated dream-like scenery (Mark Oakley's Thieves & Kings, Lullaby and the Wonderland comics are other examples of this genre).
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum earned the status of bestseller almost immediately upon publication in 1900. Its lavish illustrations by W. W. Denslow raised the bar for excellence in book design. Baum's story, too, set a new standard. This wasn't the first time an American author had created a fantasy using American themes, setting aside elves, fairies, and the trappings of medieval Europe. But it was the first time an American fairy tale struck a lasting chord with readers and took its place on the shelves if great American literature.
I wouldn't ordinarily share the content of any comic book in its entirety, but this was a free one, so I doubt marvel will mind.
I'll be sure to pick this series up when it comes out in December.
