Heart of Dorkness

I bought some comics this week.

Astonishing X-Men - We are still very much in the second act of this story line. The villains sneak up on our heroes and attack. There are some interesting set pieces here: like Colossus, I forgot what Sebastian Shaw's powers were; and the way Wolverine is, er, "neutralized" is very entertaining. I have only a vague idea what powers the "goth punk" wields, though. We get a glimpse of the villain from the last storyline but I am not very interested. The White Queen made a pretty tough decision a few issues ago, and followed through with it, but this issue hints that she is playing another game entirely.

There are glimpses of Joss Whedon's characterization, especially with the young women featured in the book (this should come as no surprise, what with the Buffy and all). Although Mr. Whedon clearly favors Kitty Pryde, I am far more interested in the White Queen. She has far greater potential for interesting conflict. This conflict builds from her history as well as her own character, which is all too rare in fiction these days. I am also a big fan of the Beast but I am not as confident that Mr. Whedon will develop the conflicts inherent in that character. After all, he may be blue and hairy but he is still a male.

And, as usual, Mr. Cassaday's art is amazing.

Ultimates - Everyone in this comic is still an asshole. This morning, I wrestled with the question: why do I still read this thing? For one, Mr. Hitch's art is pretty darn good. He has problems with complicated fight scenes but in this issue he does a good job with some tough stuff. I particularly liked Captain America's fight with the villain who makes copies of himself. I also enjoy the character design for Iron Man.

But the real reason I keep picking up this comic is that I am pretty dumb. Marvel releases issues so infrequently that I forget how much I hated the previous issue. I buy the current one when I see the pretty pictures. And yet as soon as I get home, and experience the agony that is Mr. Millar's writing, I slap myself on the forehead and say, "Oops! I did it again!" Stupid, stupid art.

All-Star Superman - This issue featured Jimmy Olson and the best gypsy curse since the Spleen ("You smelled it, you dealt it!"). The plot is pretty standard Superman stuff (where he is the victim of his own power) but I enjoyed the characterization very much. Everybody and everything is interesting in this issue. And, like previous issues of this title, the "golly gee whiz" factor is cranked up to eleven. A much needed balm after reading Ultimates.

I gave my wife a copy of the new Wonder Woman comic. I wanted to see if she would like it and to see if she would have any trouble with the character's rather convoluted backstory. I also did not tell her that the Mr. Heinberg also wrote several episodes of "Sex in the City" and "Gilmore Girls." She liked it. She liked the idea that Diana's sister is now Wonder Woman and she had no problem with following the story or the characters. Her sentiment echoes mine too. When I told her about the writer's television experience, she said "oh!", and I think that was a good thing. I may continue to buy the comic.

Two of the comics I looked at this week are written by television writers and a third, Ultimate Wolverine vs. the Hulk, is written by one of Lost's show runners. I think this makes perfect sense. Many people making a living writing today were big comics fans as kids. I also think that the skills it takes to create episodic, ongoing stories translate well from television to comics (and vice versa). Those writers who come to comics from television, by and large, succeed in the printed medium and (perhaps) attract readers who would not have picked up a comic otherwise.

But.

There is a problem. A big problem. I planned to go on a long rant about this, but Paul O'Brien beat me to it. As he is more capable of making the point more eloquently than I, I am happy to link to his thoughts on the matter and let him do the talking.

Odds and Ends

Paul McCartney is now 64 years old. I'll give you a few moments to think about that.

The US tied with Italy this weekend, 1-1. Neither team played very well, especially in comparison to Ghana's performance earlier that day. Ghana schooled the Czechs 2-0, scoring their first goal during the first two minutes of the game. As I watch these and other games in the World Cup, I marvel at the way these players control the ball, plucking it out of the air with their feet. I also marvel at the extraordinary aerobic conditioning those guys must be in, to run around nonstop for 90+ minutes.

Linda and I watched Howl's Moving Castle on DVD this weekend. The story is only loosely based on the book by Diane Wynne Jones but it boasted the most coherent narrative that I have seen in a Miyazaki film. And, as ever, the animation is gorgeous.

We also watched Orson Welles' F is for Fake, a documentary about fraud and con artists. It is not a linear presentation but a amiable meandering through the subject matter. I liken it to a dinner conversation with Mr. Welles, where he can hold you spell bound with his asides and logical leaps while still leading you inexorably to his point. It was pretty challenging but pretty good too.

I read Jeff Vandermeer's City of Saints and Madmen. It is a lush read about a fantastic city where the people live uneasily with, well, mushrooms and squid. The book is not a single narrative but a series of short stories, excerpts from imaginary historical and scientific essays, and the like. The city is locked in a perpetual war between the human populace and the alien mushroom dwellers, a war that the humans do not realize that they are fighting and losing. As I read each section, the almost cthulhu-like horror crept up on me, hidden by the dark humor and absurdity of the premise. A great fantasy book!

World Cup Update

Well, my boys on the Costa Rica team will not advance to the next round. And the US team got its butt handed to them by the Czechs (awesome beer+soccer prowess=world domination) but I do not think that the US is out of the running yet.

The official site is here.

Finally: my amigos on the Mexican team has finally done what the US has yet to do: show up Iran! I have hopes that at least one North American team will represent at the Cup.

Go Costa Rica!

Costa Rica plays Germany in the World Cup today at 12pm EST.

Update: Germany won 4-2.

Nawlins, Part III

Our last day at the Fest was a traditional tourist experience. We visited the French Quarter and ate beignets at Cafe Du Monde before hitting the Fest. Despite the devastation we had seen the day before, the Quarter looked much like I expected it to look. The neighborhood was spared much of the flooding and weather that plagued the rest of the city and tourists like me were there in force. Cafe Du Monde was bursting with people, coffee and powdered sugar.

Once at the Fest, we listened to the Treme (pronounced "tre-MAY") Brass Band at the Economy Hall tent, while a sudden downpour drenched passers-by. The band attempted to march through the crowds but the surging crowd prevented it, so they contented themselves with playing standards with irrepressible energy.

We sat in on an interview between Harry Shearer (of "Spinal Tap" and "The Simpsons" fame) and Marcia Ball. They talked about music, of course, and of the towns they lived in. Ms. Ball lamented the fact that Austin is no longer the town she knew 20 years ago, and I must agree.

We wandered back to Fais Do-Do, where the New Orleans Klezmer Allstars played a set and finished the day at the Jazz Tent. Nicholas Payton was supposed to play at the Tent but he could not make it, so a pick-up band of brass players improvised a set of standards. It was an extraordinary thing and highlighted what makes New Orleans so special. Brass bands are such an institution in this city, and the players are a close knit community, that members of different bands can play with members of other bands so seemlessly. The music they made on the fly was extraordinary, a wall of triumphant sound that continued to build as more musicians took the stage until the audience could hardly stand it! It was the perfect way to end the Fest.