Thursday, December 31, 2020
My Year in Review 2020 - Fiction and Nonfiction
Wednesday, December 30, 2020
Reader's Diary #2158 - Katłįà: Land-Water-Sky
I am happy to report that I enjoyed Land-Water-Sky a great deal. It is an epic tale beginning in the north prior to colonial invasion and moving into the present. There are fascinating, legendary creatures that survive these hundreds of years shifting themselves to navigate the changing world, but hanging on to grudges that predate even the humans. It is when they intertwine their lives with the humans that things really get interesting.
Mixed in with the story are important themes of domestic abuse, Indigenous rights, and so on, but these are worked in seamlessly with the unique story and well-defined characters. One thing I haven't seen pop up in other reviews of this book, surprisingly, is that it's often quite scary! As a horror fan, this was a really pleasant surprise and if Katłįà ever decides to write a full-on horror book, I'll definitely have no qualms about digging into that one immediately!
Tuesday, December 29, 2020
The 2020 Book Mine Set Short Story Online Anthology
Wednesday, December 23, 2020
My Year in Review 2020 - Comics, Manga, and Graphic Novels
Here we go, the first of my year end countdowns. In a year when I had every excuse in the book to read more, I read less overall. In my defense, I feel I read denser this year and that slowed me down across the board, including graphic novels. A few comments on my selections:
- shameful that I didn't read any manga (a couple have manga-ish art)
- for someone who prefers Marvel to DC, I only read one more Marvel title and DC had a higher ranking
- I read a lot more people of colour (writers and characters)
- I read a lot more music biographies
Ranked in order from least to most favourite:
Tuesday, December 22, 2020
Reader's Diary #2157 - Gene Luen Yang (writer), Gurihiru (artist): Superman Smashes the Klan
Though comics are often abused for propaganda, there's still a certain pleasure when the villains are pretty clearly actual villains. Captain America punching Hitler in the face was a milestone moment. I don't think we see such overt stories anymore as comic writing has largely gotten better, more complex and subtle in their societal commentary.
Still as racism once again started raising its ugly head in the wake of Trump, it's nice to see a title called Superman Smashes the Klan even if I'd have liked to see him take a swipe at the Proud Boys as well.
On that note, it would have been better had the book been set in the present day than 1946, considering we haven't exactly gotten rid of the Klan, let alone racism in general. Still Gene Luen Yang uses the setting not only to address racism, but also the history and evolution of Superman as well. In the endnotes he acknowledges that there was a radio program in the 40s in which Superman went after the Klan, and like Yang's update, described the Klan terrorizing a new Chinese American family that have moved into Metropolis. I found this especially interesting as most people tend to think of the Klan as an anti-Black group. In actuality, of course, they're undiscriminating in their discrimination, and hate anyone different than themselves.
The fight against racism is a personal fight for Superman, as he, too is an immigrant. Unlike the Chinese American family in the book though, he can hide his "alien" identity. It takes the help of the young protagonist Roberta Lee to help him realize that he shouldn't. A great subplot involves another young boy who has befriended Roberta's older brother and wrestles with the fact that his uncle is a white supremacist. Yang handles the story with sensitivity and complexity, while still writing a kickass action tale.
Gurihiru's art isn't typical of superhero comics, aiming perhaps at a younger audience than most DC Comics and resembling Archie comics with a dash of manga. It's bright and expressive and to be honest, as I've grown tired of superhero art lately, I preferred this.
Monday, December 21, 2020
Reader's Diary #2156 - Candra Anaya: Curious Bunny on the Darkest Night of the Year
Monday, December 14, 2020
Reader's Diary #2155- Mary Elizabeth Summer: Christmas Cookies
Not knowing anything about the Beaverton Resource Guide, where the flash fiction story "Christmas Cookies" appears, nor its author Mary Elizabeth Summer, I wasn't sure if the story of a young girl making cookies for Santa would remain sweet through to the end, or if there'd be a twist. Without weighing in on what I was hoping for (so as not to offer any spoilers), I'll just say I wasn't disappointed. Fun, quick story.
Wednesday, December 09, 2020
Reader's Diary #2154 - chris (simpsons artist): the story of life
His work first came to my attention on someone's Twitter feed who clearly didn't get it. This was the photo, presented as an example of a shitty textbook in a shitty school:
This illustration, in fact, comes from the story of life and let me assure you, is not meant to be taken seriously. Mostly his art is intentionally wrong and weird. Weird for the sake of weird? Sure, so not everyone's cup of tea (my wife, for instance, understands that it's a joke, she doesn't find it particularly funny, while my daughter and I were in hysterics). I think what I appreciate is how it's presented as someone who tried to be serious, like a mocumentary, but who failed miserably. I also like how consistent it is. Most people have too many fingers and derpy eyes. Most animals have human faces.
It's also largely positive and clean. Granted I like dark humour as well, there's something bizarrely uplifting about chris (simpsons artist)'s art. Like you believe his naivete and root for him.
Tuesday, December 08, 2020
Reader's Diary #2153 - Vivek Shraya (story), Ness Lee (art): Death Threat
Vivek Shraya's graphic memoir, Death Threat details her ordeal with a series of emails from a deranged and hateful individual named Nain who took issue with her existence as a trans-gendered woman
Nain's exchanges are inconsistent, often incoherent, and out of touch with reality. Clearly not everyone with mental illness is dangerous, but when it's combined with such a level of hatred, Vivek's fear is certainly understandable. Worst than that, it takes a toll on her physically and emotionally. She has trouble sleeping, she begins to doubt her parents and friends.
Before too long, fortunately, she had the idea to turn the experience into a comic book nad this not only proved cathartic but also took her power back. This seemed to let the wind out of Nain's proverbial sails and the emails stopped. (At least by the end of this book, I'm curious if there's been any word since.) The book therefore is mercifully short, but it's nonetheless powerful and I don't think anyone would be left with the impression that every transgendered individual stops violence against themselves that easily.
Adding to Vivek's story is Ness Lee's highly creative and stylized art which takes a lot of figurative risks that pay off and enhance the emotion.
Monday, December 07, 2020
Reader's Diary #2152- Christine Yant: The Gift
Christine Yant's "The Gift" is a wickedly amusing story about a down on their luck family who finally have an unexpected treat: dinner!
So it all sounds amusing and like a happy ending, expect for the readers who know something that the family doesn't.
I really hope I haven't given too much away!
Friday, December 04, 2020
Reader's Diary #2151 - Various artists and writers: Robin / 80 Years of the Boy Wonder
Robin: 80 Years of the Boy Wonder is a hefty volume and it includes a lot of must read material, from his very first appearance in print to the passing of the Robin moniker from Dick Grayson to Jason Todd, Tim Drake, Stephanie Brown, and Damian Wayne. Reflected in these stories and their art are the values of yesterday to today, the simpler hero tales to the grittier, more complex turn superhero comics took from the 80s onward.
Despite the size though, I'd argue it's still not perfect as far as being a representative summary. While I realize Dick changed his alter ego to Nightwing, and not Robin, I felt the story of how that happened was missing. Likewise, the endings of partnerships with the latter Robins are never shown. We're told in an essay that Jason Todd was killed off as the result of a fan vote, but this is never shown. Call me morbid, but I wanted to read that!
Still, additional features, like an essay by Burt Ward who played Robin in the campy 60s live action TV show, helped make up for at least some missing stories.
All in all, a really good collection, just shy of great.
Monday, November 30, 2020
Reader's Diary #2150 - Bret Harte: Tennessee's Partner
Thursday, November 26, 2020
Reader's Diary #2149 - David Kyle Johnson (editor): Black Mirror and Philosophy
Of course, as fans of the Black Mirror TV show know, there's typically a lot of obviously intentionally provocative ideas about technology and society, so in that regard the philosophers writing for this book had a lot of their initial work done for them. Still, in the Blackwell series fashion, they explored the show more comprehensively and complexly, but in a conversational, usually amusing manner. Still, I doubt it would be of much interest of those who didn't see the show or the particular episodes discussed.
In this book we get the expected debates such a show would
inspire: should we be concerned with the direction technology is leading us in? Are our actions online and in the virtual world a reflection of our true selves and what are the ethics of such behaviours? Can technology help us gain real immortality? And so on. These are all handled expertly in the book and as an added bonus, it made me rethink certain episodes. For instance, I always felt that the very first episode, while good, was a weird way to start the series as I don't find it really representational of the series overall. The discussion in Black Mirror and Philosophy made be appreciate its positioning much more.
Monday, November 23, 2020
Reader's Diary #2148 - Daniel Hudon: Our Universe
Monday, November 16, 2020
Reader's Diary #2147 - John Michael: The Surgery
Monday, November 09, 2020
Reader's Diary #2146 - Hannah Storm: Winners and Losers, 2004
Monday, November 02, 2020
Reader's Diary #2145 - James Joyce: A Painful Case
Monday, October 26, 2020
Reader's Diary #2144 - Maryse Meijer: Good Girls
Tuesday, October 20, 2020
Reader's Diary #2143- Brianna Jonmie with Nahanni Shingoose (witers), Nshannacappo (artist): If I Go Missing
Monday, October 19, 2020
Reader's Diary #2142- Edgar Allan Poe: The Oval Portrait
Wednesday, October 14, 2020
Reader's Diary #2141 - Derek McCulloch (writer), Shepherd Hendrix (artist): Stagger Lee
Monday, October 12, 2020
Reader's Diary #2140 - Peter Orner: My Dead
Wednesday, October 07, 2020
Reader's Diary #2139 - John Kennedy Toole: A Confederacy of Dunces
It's been 9 years since I visited New Orleans and believe it or not that's when I picked up my copy of John Kennedy Toole's A Confederacy of Dunces in a local secondhand bookstore. Believe it or not, this is how long it's taken me to finally get around to it. I'm not sure what prompted me now. Maybe something about the bizarre upheaval and uprising of idiots south of the border?
Monday, October 05, 2020
Reader's Diary #2138 - Sheila Massie: Ghost Collecting
Thursday, October 01, 2020
Reader's Diary #2137- The Book of Mormon
Monday, September 28, 2020
Reader's Diary #2136- David Garvey: The St. Thomas More Band Break Up
Monday, September 21, 2020
Reader's Diary #2135- Andy K: The Canal
Monday, September 14, 2020
Reader's Diary #2134- Khulud Khamis: The Unspeakable Act
Monday, September 07, 2020
Reader's Diary #2133- Nancy Stohlman: I Found Your Voodoo Doll on the Dance Floor After Last Call
Wednesday, September 02, 2020
Reader's Diary #2132 - Cole Pauls: Dakwäkãda Warriors
What a surprising treat Cole Pauls' Dakwäkãda Warriors graphic novel was! Telling the story of two Earth protectors, Crow and Wolf against the evil Long Ago Person and Bushman, it was like nothing I've ever read before.
Monday, August 31, 2020
Reader's Diary #2192- Joan Baril: The Snail House
I don't typically read creative non-fiction pieces for Short Story Mondays, but I read this one before noticing and honestly it felt like a short story so I've decided to include Joan Baril's "The Snail House" anyway.
It involves a camping trip in Northern Ontario to visit a bizarre snail-shaped house where a hermit lived and mysteriously died years before. It's very descriptive, well-paced, and felt almost like a horror story, especially with the description of the abnormal number of mosquitoes (even for northern Ontario). Had it been an actual short story, I'd have liked the mosquitoes to have tied back into the death of the hermit, but otherwise, a very entertaining piece.
Wednesday, August 26, 2020
Reader's Diary #2191- Vivek J. Tiwary (writer), Andrew C. Robinson (artist): The Fifth Beatle
Tuesday, August 25, 2020
Reader's Diary #2190- Gail Simone (writer), Adriana Melo (artist): Plastic Man
Monday, August 24, 2020
Reader's Diary #2189- Nino Cipri: A Silly Love Story
It's quite an achievement to let a reader know right up front what they can expect, even how it will end, and yet still maintain the reader's interest. Nino Cipri's "A Silly Love Story" is quite like that; it's a silly love story and as is hinted at early on, it's got a bit of a threat of danger lurking just beyond the ending. And okay, it's not really silly, it's quite lovely.
Wednesday, August 19, 2020
Reader's Diary #2188 - Charles Forman: I Am Not Okay With This
Tuesday, August 18, 2020
Reader's Diary #2187- Various writers and artists: Mephisto Speak of the Devil
Everyone seems to have their limits on how they'll suspend their beliefs for a story. For me, that often relates to religion. My least favourite horror genre is demonic possession and when it comes to comics, in a reality where there are actual god characters, I find it bizarre when characters like Daredevil or Ms. Marvel are staunch Catholics and Muslims respectively. So, it was with some hesitation I picked up this collection of Marvel comics featuring Mephisto. Still, he's a character I've barely encountered before and so I was curious enough to give it a spin.
To be fair, enough of his lore suggests that he's not supposed to be the Christian idea of Satan just that as his motives are similar, he's kind of just run with it.
Like most collections, it was uneven in terms of storytelling and art but I'd say there were more misses than hits. I especially didn't enjoy the earlier ones in which he's quite a cheesy character who seems to be defeated when a soul is just too good. However, I came to appreciate his powers and ability to pretty much always get away.
However, if any story in the collection makes it worth it, it's the Roger Stern penned Triumph and Torment which featured the unexpected team-up of Doctor Doom and Doctor Strange facing off against Mephisto. This was surprisingly well written, with neat twists and turns and excellent art by Michael Mignola (Hellboy).
Interestingly, the only story in here I'd encountered before was the one featuring Black Panther and though I didn't enjoy it the first time around, didn't mind it so much now.
Monday, August 17, 2020
Reader's Diary #2186 - Gila Green: Cutty Sark
It's a well-paced story with a strong voice.
Monday, August 10, 2020
Reader's Diary #2185 - Mike Dowd: Chasing the Dream
Monday, August 03, 2020
Reader's Diary #2184 - Alicia Fox: A Fresh Start
It's not a complaint, a whine about double-standards or any such crap, but I did want to say that I find it amusing that a short story like Alicia Fox's "A Fresh Start" is published in Cosmopolitan as "erotic fiction" when it's basically a porno story like you'd read in Penthouse: Forum only from a female perspective.
It's all good, a pleasant romp in the hay tale involving two old friends who hook up after denying that they could be more than just friends for years. It's got a lot of great imagery (yes, even the non-sexual stuff) and the tone is light and engaging.
Tuesday, July 28, 2020
Reader's Diary #2183- Lily E. Hirsch: Weird Al Seriously
Lily Hirsch tries to take him even more seriously, sometimes trying to paint him as a leftist progressive. I don't disagree that he leans to the left but sometimes her analyses of his work attributes more serious themes than I think he usually intended. She acknowledges that Al himself sometimes downplayed this in their interviews.
Still it's a very in-depth look at the man and his work. I definitely learned a few things. Didn't know he was an architect, that the longevity of his original band ranks up there with U2 and ZZ Top, that he was such an Elton John fan. (Why has he barely parodied Elton John at all?)
And, despite my suggestion that Hirsch's biography was a bit political, it's still a light, often amusing read.
Monday, July 27, 2020
Reader's Diary #2182 - Kevin O'Cuinn: Bear With Me
Usually finding the terms "short fiction" and "short story" interchangeable, Kevin O'Cuinn's "Bear With Me" is better classified (as it is on the Feathertale website) as short fiction. Definitely not a story in the plot-sense, it's the musings of a bear (yes a bear, so definitely fiction) on various topics, as if being interviewed but readers don't get to see what the questions were exactly.
It's amusing, occasionally thoughtful, and has a rich overly-sophisticated voice (which adds to the amusement). I don't know that I'd care to read a longer work like this but it works for a shorter piece.
Monday, July 20, 2020
Reader's Diary #2181- Ann Leckie: Night's Slow Poison
Ann Leckie's "Night's Slow Poison" is an example of a great science fiction story. Wonderfully developed world, compelling story, and enough reflections on life that have meaning in our very real world.
The most obvious of the latter is how she talks about immigration and prejudices. However, there's a bit of a throwaway paragraph about people using rudeness as a mask that I especially enjoyed. It calls out those folks who brag about how they "say it like it is" and man, did I appreciate that.
The descriptions in the piece are supremely well done. She has a spaceship navigating through a particularly precarious space in which it must proceed slowly and carefully for a few months and wow, does she ever make you feel that.
The one thing I got a little lost in were the various cultures and why they dislike one another. This is more of an issue with me though. I know I had a similar issue with Star Trek: Deep Space Nine back in the day as I found it hard to differentiate between the Cardassians and Bajorans.
Thursday, July 16, 2020
Reader's Diary #2180 - Foenkinos and Corbeyran (writers), Horne (illustrator): Lennon the New York Years
For the most part, I also enjoyed this graphic novel. I do wish though that those who called it inaccurate would have given more examples. Not really having studied Lennon's life before, I didn't pick up on much except it omits any part of him being physically abusive to women or Julian, which he himself has admitted to.
It was interesting to leave that stuff out as other flaws were left in (violence towards men, drug abuse, disinterest in Julian, infidelity) and I suspect it ties back to the frame story. The story's being told from John himself as he unburdens himself from a psychiatrist's couch (this also didn't happen, by the way). I've encountered a lot of framing devices that I really haven't enjoyed, and I know some critics didn't enjoy this one either, but I found it effective in portraying him more sympathetically. I suspect the authors knew the misogyny and child abuse were lines in the proverbial sand that would destroy most readers' sympathies.
Another complaint I've read by reviewers is the repetitive use of certain panels. I will absolutely not knock this or any aspect of the art which was gorgeous (grayscale watercolours). The repetition was always purposeful, a reflection back to a previous scene which now had new context, a reminder that he was sometimes spinning his wheels, repeating previous mistakes.
A will, however, point out that the title is misleading. It implies a memoir of a very specific time in his life, when in actuality it's a full-on biography starting with his birth right up to his death.
Wednesday, July 15, 2020
Reader's Diary #2179- Various artists and writers: Taskmaster Anything You Can Do...
To be sure, he's a great character and I've learned a lot about him. He has the ability to instantly replicate physical moves from a single watching, granted they're not of the supernatural sort or require special equipment (he can for instance, replicate Hawkeye's perfect aim, but cannot shrink like the Ant-Man or doesn't possess the strength of Thor) and I must say, I like that these skills and limitations are well-defined. He also has a schtick of training thugs for hire and has the uncanny ability to escape right at the last second. Oh, and he looks like Skeletor with a cape and boots.
The stories in the collection are all pretty solid though because they've been collected it does grow tiresome that he explains (usually during battle) over and over again what his powers are, presumably for new readers when they originally appeared with lots of time between stories. I also wish collections like this would give a little more info about when they were originally published. I could narrow decades down by context and styles but that's about it.
Tuesday, July 14, 2020
Reader's Diary #2178- Séan McCann and Andrea Aragon: One Good Reason
Despite being a musician and a Catholic and being from the same band, Séan McCann's earlier years seemed remarkably different. And reading about the trauma he endured, Doyle and I should count our lucky stars. McCann had been groomed by a local priest, sexually assaulted, and became an alcoholic.
Billed as "a memoir of addiction and recovery, music, and love" I would say the emphasis is on the addiction aspect, as I would also say that despite given co-author credit, the focus is more on McCann than his wife Andrea Aragon. This is not to suggests any of this particular focus is a problem, just throwing it out there so as other readers know what to expect.
His time with Great Big Sea is nonetheless interesting. A folk band is not what one would think of a group living the Rockstar life, but they certainly did. It was also fascinating to read about the level of fame beyond the Canadian border and what that meant for performances. And while he doesn't come right out and name names or get into too many specific grievances, the sting of the break up of the band was still prevalent during the writing of the book. One does not sense the other guys were particularly supportive of his struggle to go sober. I do wonder if any of them have reached out since the book.
Overall, it's a well-paced, inspiring book. It does beg for a sequel at some point down the road though!
Monday, July 13, 2020
Reader's Diary #2177- Emma Cline: Son of Friedman
Emma Cline's short story "Son of Friedman" is a depressing story. It's well written and she certainly captures father/son angst (not to mention aging, success, as well as a few other themes), but yes, depressing.
The whole story takes place in one night as two old friends, Hollywood types, meet up to go to the premier of a film one's son has just produced. Expectations are low.
As an aside, it made me want a martini and a steak.
Monday, July 06, 2020
Reader's Diary #2176- Jared Hines: What's In the Box?
Jared Hines' short story "What's In the Box?" practically overdoses on descriptive and figurative language. It's effective though in slowing down the pace and building up the tension of readers who just want to know what the hell's in the mysterious box that's arrived on his doorstep.
I feel that the "reveal"/ twist-ending is a bit on the preachy side, but otherwise a fun story.
Thursday, July 02, 2020
Reader's Diary #2175- Jessica Gunderson (writer), Pat Kinsella (illustrator): Hip-Hop Icon Jay-Z
Framing the story around an interview regarding his supposed retirement concert in 2003 isn't a bad idea per se, but the dialogue is forced. The most egregious though is the art. I don't know if there was fear of a lawsuit from using celebrity likenesses or whatnot but not of the people here look like who they're supposed to be. Not Beyonce, not Rihanna, not Kanye, and not even the title man himself.
Tuesday, June 30, 2020
Reader's Diary #2174- Various writers and artists: Bob Marley in Comics
He's certainly portrayed as a driven man and maybe in part due to having multiple tellers, a complicated man. I recently complained about a Michael Jackson biography that completed ignored some pretty awful allegations about the man. Despite Bob Marley in Comics coming across as pro-Marley, they did at least include some unsavoury moments. One scene in particular shows him slapping his wife Rita. Whether or not they handled this scene with enough depth or sensitivity is a whole other debate, but at the very least they showed it.
Like most multi-authored collections, I had some favourites and some that I didn't particularly care for, but there was no terrible art. I do wish publishers NBM included little bios, perhaps in a back appendix of the creators though.
Monday, June 29, 2020
Reader's Diary #2173 - Sophie Lovett: Bacon
In case anyone ever wondered how I chose the stories I do for Short Story Monday, there's not much of a rhyme or reason. With Canada Day coming up, I simply Googled "short story" + "bacon" and found Sophie Lovett's short story of the titular meat. It's not really Canada related, nor did I expect it to be, but it is still pretty appropriate for this time of Covid and Trump. It tells of a woman who stockpiles bacon in fear of an impending apocalypse. Eventually her family seeks an intervention.
It's an amusing story with a great voice and imagery. Bonus points for making me recall the bacon scene in Last Man on Earth.
Monday, June 22, 2020
Reader's Diary #2172- Michael V. Smith: Weinmeier
Michael V. Smith's short story "Weinmeier" came to my attention via Twitter when someone remarked their amusement over the length of a penis described. I read the money-shot paragraph at the time, and while I found it amusing, it also seemed like a Penthouse Forum story (or whatever the gay equivalent of that would be). I was surprised that it was in Joyland, a magazine that has a decidedly more literary reputation.
So I gave it a second chance, the whole story this time, and yeah, it's quite good. I think what I like the most about it was the reflective tone of the narrator. He recounts a time in his life when he's able to acknowledge the lessons he's learned in the meantime while still be in awe over the confidence and immortality of youth. He was a young man working in a bookstore finding hook-ups when they presented themselves. And on that note, his youthful attitudes were wildly discordant with the realities for gay men in Toronto at the time who could not publicly seek partners. The result is a nostalgic story of summers and flings but with a hint of sadness and danger underneath.
Thursday, June 18, 2020
Reader's Diary #2171- Terry Collins (writer), Michael Byers (artist): King of Pop
Granted at 32 pages, it was unlikely to be an in-depth look and it's aimed at younger readers, but honestly younger readers would turn in a more thorough school essay than this. It doesn't even mention Janet Jackson, let alone La Toya. And then there's the censorship of certain details of his life. I get that not everyone believes the allegations against him sexually abusing young boys, but to ignore them all together doesn't not paint an accurate picture of his complicated legacy. Instead, the supposed drawback to his fame is demonstrated by outlandish tabloid headlines about sleeping in an oxygen chamber, etc. Like, geez, look at the silly rumours. Then there's his death. It says, "Suffering from chronic insomnia, an exhausted Michael struggled to sleep. The long night was restless and led into the dawn. Once he finally fell asleep, the King of Pop never wakened." So, we're just going to ignore the drugs in his system? He died of... sleep?
At least Michael Byers' art is adequate.