"I'm going on an adventure!" Reading Tolkien

When asked to give the opening remarks for a meeting at my university, I decided to talk about Hobbits. This is one of the things I had to say:

"Just as the hobbits of the Shire forget about the greater problems of the world because they’re watched over by the Rangers of the North, our students don’t realize that the ability to learn about psychology or music for a semester is made possible by a whole host of individuals – staff, administration, donors, faculty – working to create this space. And it’s not just any space, right? It’s one where the consequences for starting over, trying again, or messing up aren’t quite so dire as those outside. So, I’ve decided to think that all of those comments about the real world mean that we’re doing are job so well that students are able to forget that what we’ve created isn’t something separate from the real world – but something sheltered."

Giving students the space and the time to think about literature is a wonderful thing and when I teach British Literature especially I think about those early writers who had to carve out time for art in between invasions, religious persecutions, famine, and other horrors foreign to me in this time and place. So I'm grateful for the people who keep my corner of the world safe (military, police, etc.), the educators and mentors who gave me time and space for learning, and the family that always saw me well supplied with books and never questioned my need to roam into imaginary places like the Shire. 

I still return to those well trodden paths, saying with Bilbo:

"Roads go ever ever on,
Over rock and under tree,
By caves where never sun has shone,
By streams that never find the sea;
Over snow by winter sown,
And through the merry flowers of June,
Over grass and over stone,
And under mountains in the moon.."

 When teaching my class on Epic, I asked students to compare one chapter from The Lord of the Rings to one scene in the film, discussing adaptation choices and elements we'd learned from Paul Inne's Epic text. I intended to read the entire trilogy as we worked through the semester, but I stalled at Fellowship - which is my favorite book because it introduced me to Middle Earth, and my least favorite in terms of plot. It seems to take forever to escape from the sheltered confines of the Shire and move into the story, but maybe Tolkien is teaching us about the value of home and the familiar?

I really enjoyed Shippey's work and it truly illuminated some of Tolkien's thought processes and word choices, but it is a true work of scholarship and, for that reason, it merits reading in small bits. Thankfully, Shippey (or his editor) is wise enough to realize this, and obligingly broke the work into small sections. My favorite discussion connected Bilbo Baggins back to the Victorian concept of the gentleman. Maybe I became a scholar of the nineteenth century later because I was a lover of the Shire, first?

The Library of Grayskull

One of my favorite things about the 80s cartoon He-Man and the Masters of the Universe was its emphasis on education. Even villains acknowledged the value of libraries, museums, and educators (makes you wonder what a teacher's salary is on Eternia...). In honor of that less-than-subtle 80s trend (think Captain Planet's messages about recycling), here are a few books I can imagine being included on the grey-green shelves of Castle Grayskull. Eerie light would flicker off of their spines as currents of magic and distant voices danced off of the walls, beckoning the visitor down unexplored corridors, just as these pages beckon the reader into unexplored realms of ideas!

 

I got my first view of the He-Man Art Book when I was a graduate student with access to the wonders of interlibrary loan. I knew I couldn't afford the title, but I got to spend a rainy weekend perusing its animation cells, product concept designs, film backgrounds, and art-for-the-future. There isn't a great deal to read (outside of section introductions) but this is a beautiful book to page through with its heavyweight pages and sidebars, a perfect treat for the nostalgic part of me that still chants along with the cartoon, "By the power of Grayskull...!"

Equally fulfilling for the child I still am at heart was the publication of the recent He-Man comic series. I'll grant that The Eternity War has the stronger story arc, but all real He-Man fans are really just waiting for that showdown with Skeletor and this first part of the season more than delivers with its focus on familiar villains - who can't even defeat He-Man when one of Skeletor's spells has caused him to forget who he is. Skeletor is particularly grisly in this version; his treatment of the Sorceress had my skin crawling in a way that my beloved cartoon villain could never match (imagine the difference between the Joker from Batman the animated series and Death in the Family; its that kind of dichotomy).

And what would He-Man be without his twin sister, Adora, who, upon raising her own magic weapon, transforms into She-Ra? Unfortunately, Etheria's protectoress has yet to get the book or comic book treatment merited by her brother, a bias I attribute to the incorrect belief that most comic books, fantasy and science fiction are still consumed by men. When searching for something written about the most powerful woman in the universe, I discovered that Hambly has used the name Sheera for her main character and given her a novel a plot that wouldn't be at all out of place in an episode of She-Ra: Princess of Power: an evil wizard has enslaved all the men of the city of Mandrigyn and now it's up to the women to set them free. Their plan? They enslave/enspell a mercenary to teach them how to fight, desperate times apparently calling for desperate measures. This was a fun fantasy read, but the sheer number of (mostly minor) characters kept me from developing a strong sense of most of the characters in the book. I'll probably move on to book two eventually, which leaves the ladies of Mandrigyn behind to follow the mercenary.

The Newspaper Comic Strips are another of those wonderful hardback Dark Horse publications. The sheer heft of the book makes me wonder how it can sell for $20 while the average novel is now pushing $30... These stories felt exactly like cartoon episodes placed on the page; Skeletor's dialogue even made me giggle! Like the episodes themselves, the strips were uneven in their quality with th best ones grouped at the beginning of the book. The final strips are even missing panels, with synopses written in to account for the breaks, but that made for some disjointed reading. According to the introduction, there were four years of comic strips, so I suspect that volumes 2-4 aren't far behind!

This is one of those cases where capitalism rejoices in my existence, because when this popped up on Amazon.com, I just had to know. I went in with low expectations and was very pleasantly surprised! The artwork is bright, flowing, and beautiful and the characters are well written (with some narration even tricking me for a bit). There's even a nod toward "growing up" both seasons when the villains are allowed to imagine their ultimate conquest (it's gory). The villains do seem downright silly sometimes, but since this is a mingling of two television shows meant for six year old boys, they can probably be excused!

Slower than a mind meld: Reading Star Trek

This has no particular relation to this post (outside of the presence of Spock) but it makes me laugh every time.

For many Trek fans, this is the ultimate novel, so I had to check it out. It was an enjoyable one - especially the attempts of one time not to influence another time - and I agree that the Reeves-Stevens pair are the best of the Trek novel writers. Still, this one focused to much on Cochrane for me, leaving me still loyal to Prime Directive as a favorite novel. The voices are just right though; I could hear Stewart and Shatner's voices as I read!

When it comes to episodes, I do agree with prevailing Trekkie opinion that "City on the Edge of Forever" is one of (if not the ) best Original Series episode. For that reason, I was excited to see the publication of this graphic novel. In my (admittedly limited) experience, it's a difficult thing to find a good Star Trek graphic novel, but this one is satisfying for a number of reasons: it expands on the original episode so even longtime fans get something new, the art is gorgeous, and the emotional shock is very real, even if you went in familiar with the episode. (Of course, I can never get too upset about Edith, because I want Kirk to end up with Spock, but that's neither here nor there...)

Though it is here in this delightfully Spirky clip...

When I heard about this book I really hoped it would start a trend. Who doesn't want a biography of Hamlet? Mickey Mouse? Jon Snow? This is a goldmine for someone. This particular book was a fun diversion (anyone familiar with Trek won't be in for many surprises, naturally) but my favorite part came in the final pages. As with Shatner in the The Return, this one proves, once more, that good characters should never lightly be let go. In an epilogue written by Spock, readers are informed that Kirk is alive somewhere because if he wasn't, Spock would know about it (that whole t'hy'la thing we're trying to sidestep, no?) and (best of all) he will return! I hope I someday craft a character that people love so much that they will deny his or her death. Will that make me an heir of Conan Doyle?

Urban Murder

Family Guy does Law and Order.

One of my favorite episodes of Law and Order contains the quote: "It's New York. People find bodies in all kind of places." The same apparently can be said of books! The following titles, though separated by genre, are linked in their treatment of murder in the city.

Because my research centers on museums, I was drawn to this title for its setting during a world's fair. The book is full of wonderful historical background such as the maneuvering Olmsted and company went through to get the fair off of the ground and the horrendous working environment endured by those erecting the buildings and installing the displays. As with Larson's Dead Wake, however, so much is a given in the beginning (we know who the killer is) that it undercuts the drama that should have attached to H.H. Holmes' building projects and schemes. The chapters about the children traveling with Holmes were especially unsettling and I was left thinking about how American cities have been built into rather ominous settings through crime shows and comic books...

Terrible as the film was, I did enjoy the book Gone Girl because it surprised me and this one was billed as a second Gone Girl. It certainly drew me in, though almost all of the characters were terrible people and difficult to sympathize with. I also solved the mystery about four chapters from the end, but the excellent pacing kept me reading. My biggest critique is that the characters all had incredibly generic names and since there were two couples I quickly began mixing them up!

In the tradition of saving the best for last, I'm finishing with a book that I think everyone should read. It centers on the murder of African Americans in Los Angeles and examines homicide squads through the lens of a single murder (the killing of a cop's son) arguing that if all cases were investigated in the way that single case was, justice could be delivered to communities that have lost all faith in it. Leovy's ability to conjure the principal actors is excellent and the words of those actors help the reader to feel sympathy with the individuals who people these pages and these communities. The epilogue by itself is a great piece of scholarship, discussing how and why things have changed since the book's publication and offering solutions. This is an America I've never experienced and the fact that such conditions exist here is an important problem that everyone needs to read about and think about -- and hopefully help with through votes and attitudes if nothing else.

Back to school we go: astride a unicorn!

Okay, I just want to go to work on the back of a unicorn, but Phoebe and Her Unicorn is a pretty close second! Seriously, if you're headed back to school to learn, to teach, or if the end of August just gets you thinking about school supplies, Phoebe is for you!

 This is the book that introduces Phoebe and Marigold Heavenly Nostrils. Phoebe saves Marigold from her reflection by inadvertently skipping a stone into her face. Granted a wish, she asks for Marigold to become her best friend and their adventures begin. As with Calvin and Hobbes, Phoebe and Marigold take the stage as mischievous kid and wiser sidekick (Marigold is even old enough to remember vinyl!) but there are other characters worth exploring, too: Phoebe's popular girl rival, Dakota (didn't we all have a Dakota?), her friendly boy Max, and her parents. When you're out perusing Walmart's 25 cent notebooks, get yourself some Phoebe, too!

Unicorn on a Roll continues the adventures of Phoebe and her four legged friend - complete with roller skates! If it would result in the fun, hilarity, and candy dragon antics of these two, I should probably skip more stones! 

Tales from the Greenwood

I feel that I should open with the disclaimer that my favorite versions of Robin of the Hood were brought to the screen by Mel Brooks and Walt Disney. If you can maneuver your way past that, then welcome to the latest grouping of books!

 This was a really fun take on the Robin Hood story and it made Prince John into one of my favorite characters. Since I'm biased toward Richard, this took some slick writing! In this version, Guy of Gisbourne is a noble mercenary on the trail of dangerous outlaw, Robin Hood. The writing has a strange cadence to it, almost as if it's been translated, so it slows down the reading a little. Still,
I'm looking forward to the second book!

This book has been one of my favorites for many years. It focuses on ward of the crown, Marian Fitzwalter and Robin of Locksley, newly returned from the Crusades. They team up with a band of newly-minted outlaws and outcasts: the miller's son Much, the Hathersage giant Little John, Will Scarlet, would-be-friar Tuck, the moneylender Abraham - in a scheme to outfox Sheriff William de Lacey and divert Prince John's taxes to the ransom of the king. Roberson mingles familiar legends, lovely descriptions, and real history and makes it all feel new. There are places where the sentences tangle and lose their way, but there are also wonderful character developments like Locksley's PTSD and his father's movements between negotiation and intimidation.

Wandering among "the blooming heather: books of Scotland

My sister recently told me about attending a Bible study where a woman provoked the prayer group by saying she prayed for solitude. If the universe ever deals justly with me in ways of solitude, I want to put it on notice that by solitude I mean: Scottish castle with my wonderful husband and cats, a huge library, and Amazon cards for days. So I guess what I really mean is: lottery win.

At present, there is no prospect of Scottish castles outside of a desktop background, so I'll have to settle for books about the country. You'll have to do some of the heavy lifting: imagine the scent of the grass under your feet and the cold air off of the sea. It's one of my great regrets that when I finally made it over to Europe I mostly saw London with only a bit of Wales, Ireland, and Scotland mixed in. Books do make for a cheap mode of travel, though!

This was a beautiful little book: glossy pages, iconic illustrations, and small, digestible chapters. It made for a great introduction to the clans and the history surrounding them. A great introduction for a general reader that I hope to follow up with some deeper history books.

And now for a rare admission: I don't know what to do with this book. I already felt conflicted about its predecessor (the gay villain trope? really?, not to mention the abuse and misogyny) but it was a fun read that really drew me in. So, I moved on to book two and I loved the first hundred and last hundred pages of this one - but the boring middle was in serious need of an editor. I'm going to eventually read book three, but I think I need a break first!




And we shall conclude with: Sam Watererston in a kilt, because he's just adorable! I don't know that in encourages reading per se, but it does make me smile!

The Game-Changers (part six): Graphic Novels and Comic Books

Comics: just one of the many places a girl can find a role model or three!

Because I work at a truly awesome institution, I get the great, good privilege of teaching a class on graphic novels this fall, so I've been spending the summer pretty wrapped up in speech bubbles and splash pages! I've also returned to one of my first loves and inspirations, ElfQuest, so this felt like the perfect opportunity for a post on those writers, artists, inkers, and editors who changed my view of reading, writing, and thinking through comics and graphic novels!

One of my cousin's introduced me to Calvin and Hobbes when I was still a little too young to understand it. But, since I was already writing, the concept of an older, wiser, imaginary friend made perfect sense! Since then, curling up with mischievous Calvin and his constant companion (and a lasagna-lovin' cat) has become one of my favorite wintertime rituals. It's hard to beat a cup of cocoa, a cozy blanket, and wit, wisdom, and humor distilled into a comic book!

When I got a little older, I added Foxtrot to the mix! I have two siblings, so this one became a favorite for the three of us to laugh about - especially me and my sister. I have an enormous pile of Foxtrot comics now and I wish it were still ongoing!

 I was introduced to ElfQuest through the novelization (as I've noted elsewhere) but when I found out there were full-color graphic novels my whole life was made (I was nine)! Kings and Quest represent my favorite installments of the series for their wealth of characters (and characterization) the challenges those characters face in war and with ambition, and the connection between the now-elves and their ancestors. I also recently rediscovered the 2-issue arc, "How shall I keep from singing?" and I'm adding it to the list! From the non-anthologized ElfQuest comics, Shards is my favorite, because it returns to much of the spirit of Quest's End with a specific group of warriors set on reclaiming the elves' heritage.

Timmain from "How shall I keep from singing?"

 When it comes to manga-style comics, my first introduction was through Fake which is a sort of Law and Order (set in the same precinct, even) meets romance story. It has a lot of great things to say about how people overcome (or fail to overcome) their beginnings, how we shape families as much as we are born into them, and what justice might mean -- and it pairs those bigger concerns with some pretty humorous typical-manga art!

My other game-changing manga is Rurouni Kenshin. I came to it through the anime, which I highly recommend, though you have to listen to in the Japanese because of the superior voice acting. It isn't often that a comic book sends you out in search of thick, serious, previously unknown history, but Kenshin did that for me. Also, he's adorably androgynous and fierce!

 When it comes to stereotypical superhero comics, I start to yawn. The one exception is Batman and I'm really just there for the Joker. I was lucky enough to have my Batman obsession flare right when the Death of a Family arc was being released. In it, Joker's motivation is clearly getting Batman's attention and the focus is on his worship/love of the Dark Knight - so it really felt written just for me! Killing Joke I love for its art and its ambiguity. What does happen in those final frames??? (In my version, they run off together and eat waffles, but I doubt that was Alan Moore's plan...)

I can hardly conclude without mentioning the recent He-Man and the Masters of the Universe comics. They didn't do terribly well, I guess, but they were everything my nostalgia-filled heart could have wanted - a grown up version of a beloved kid's show, with all the right "insider" references and enough gore and danger to take things to a new level. Now if they would just do an Etheria-centric series...

As I've noted elsewhere, Saga is really amazing. It deals with race and gender and species, pollution, ethics, warfare... and the narrator is an infant!

And we end pretty much where we began, since Phoebe is a modern day Calvin and Hobbes! It's also a perfect rainy day go-to!

Na-na-na-na-na-na-na!!: Batman Books

Disclaimer: "There is no me without you," sings Claudio Sanchez as Joker and that's how I feel about the Bat-verse, too. I'm really there for the Batman/Joker relationship.

I rarely feel the urge to write about a book immediately after finishing the final page, but, strange to say, reading this book felt like coming home. Since I left graduate school behind, I've had few occasions to wade into  differance and heteroglossia, few pages that made my eyes cross as I contemplated Bakhtin, Foucault, Derrida, and company and, if asked, I probably would have said I didn't miss them. But there was something refreshing about crossing minds with another English major and something wonderful about being able to follow things that once would have made me weep in frustration (true story: I used to read Judith Butler out loud to my cat just to keep from losing my place, she confused me so badly. Razzle did not appreciate these sessions). Brooker investigates the proliferation of the Bat-brand, the carnivelesque nature of Gothan, the duality of Batman and Joker, and how selectively choosing pieces of the Batman myth actually narrows and cheapens the character. Some of the material is repetitive (hazard of academic writing, maybe?) but the insights are convincing and he packs a lot into a short work. I do wish he would put out an expanded edition that looks into Gotham the television series and Death of a Family, since these are both part of 21st century Batman. Until then, I suppose I'll have to turn to his longer work: Batman Unmasked.

The cover of The Last Crusade should tell you exactly why it called to me. I'm something of a Joker junkie. I blame this on Mark Hamill (Joker's voice in Batman: the animated series) and Claudio Sanchez, singer/composer of "Deranged," which I am listening to as I write; both of them drew me back to the one character in superhero comics that could hold my interest (he's a villain, so not sure what that says about me...) and since they did, I've been an avid reader of Joker stories like The Killing Joke, Death of the Family, and even Batman Europa which is full of delightfully slashy fan-service!

Despite Joker's presence in this one, I can't quite make up my mind where I stand on it. Some reviewers call it the first worthwhile continuation of the Dark Knight series. Others call it mundane. I'm somewhere in the middle. Batman did feel believable and human, as did his relationship with Jason... but something was missing. The story needed to be longer, perhaps, or maybe they should tack it in with A Death in the Family which is precedes.

I may appreciate this one less because I don't have a rich comic book history that was revitalized by this work. There are certainly things I like about it: Bruce's humanity, Gordon's narration, placing Batman squarely in history with human problems, Joker's "Darling," a girl Robin, resurrection... but the story is too final for someone like me who needs her heroes to be forever - and her villains, too!