In hero years...I'm dead Review/Comic Rant

Comic Rant 

I've been enthralled with superheroes for as long as I can remember. My dad watched the old Hulk TV series, and Superman movies when I was growing up. Somewhere along the line I got into comics. Read everything I could get my hands on. I loved the stuff, and couldn't get enough. Though thing about getting older is watching the things you love change. Frank Miller, and Alan Moore ushered in a darker era of comics, and like the virus that is popularity it has yet to ebb up. Neither I consider bad writers. I'm a big fan of Alan Moore's work. Millers seems to have that prevailing dark style where ever he goes, and it's weird for a guy that has admitted he hates superheroes to have so much work devoted to it. I think of them as what Richard Pryor is to comedians. Great, and often imitated.

So when people ask why I don't read comics anymore I tell them,"All my heroes are dead." They really are. I grew up with guys who had different writing styles, and artists that at least tried to maintain a sense of graphical continuity. Yes, I'm ignoring the goofs like forgetting the yellow S on the cape in some panels. That stuff happens to everyone. I'm talking more about how Superman can go from looking like Cristopher Reeves to Dracula(widows peak), or Anime-ish without a story reason. Storywise the characters became shadows of themselves. No longer did you have great characters with a supporting cast. You had characters that mostly just showed up to fight bad guys. Batman is no longer Bruce Wayne. He's Bruce Wayne with a costumed crime fighter habit. Secret Identities went to the way side. Villains, even the murderous psychopaths,  for the most part could care less about hurting a hero, and care more about whatever there job is. Kinda funny when psychopath has a good worth ethic, and doesn't want to kill the people who are actually making there lives hard.

In hero years...I'm Dead by Micheal A. Stackpole Review

All that served a point. This book in alot of way reminded me of a lighthearted version of Watchmen. Except the story had a much clearer narrative. A hero returns to the world to find things have changed. Twenty years worth of change. The world at times seems small as it mostly takes place in Capital City. Even so it hits on alot of notes. Being something I'd like to see more of, but given how much history went into making the story it would pretty much haft to be tackled from another angle to have the same sense of grand peril.

As a fan of Stackpole, there was some minor similarities to some of his other works. Namely Battletech: Blood of Karensky Trilogy. He introduced I believe a bidding system the Clans used to decide who got what, and how much they would commit to an action. In here we have a Superhero version of that. A villain says they are going to rob a bank, and even tells how many thugs he plans to use. A hero bids on fighting them, and then will subcontract a few other heroes in on the gig if they feel they need it. This all works into a point system of sorts. Heroes, and Villains get rated on how well they do, make some money, and people who invest in them get some too. As well as some of it going towards city maintenance. It doesn't even seem like too bad of a system since the villains, and heroes both agree to use nonlethal weapons. Thus limiting collateral damage.

This book really hit on somethings I've been missing. A sense of continuity. People get older, change. It's a natural course of life. Though Comics don't have that. At least not as much as they should. They don't get old, and if they do others don't age with them. Even if they die, they'll be back. It's a clusterfuck nightmare of stories that are related, and yet not. Poor Editing over the years has resulted in a lot poor management choices, and a slow death if it isn't fixed.

Final thoughts: "Be good." - Puma
Next Review: A Clash of Kings by George R R Martin

Greywalker Review

Greywalker by Kat Richardson

When I first read the The Third Death of the Little Clay Dog in Mean Streets I thought Kat Richardson had an interesting style. There is just something about the depth of culture, and people she relates to the page that has an interesting dynamic. Now that I've finally read Greywalker that remains true, and like you'd expect reading a novel vs. a short story you get so much more out of it.

As for the story itself I really expected more of ghost talker then what I got. Partly because of the short story, but weaving in other mythologies into the Grey to make a more complex, and compelling story. It's almost like reading a supernatural version of 3D. Though I'm not exactly sure where the series is going, but the journey is always more fun then the destination.

I don't read many female authors. Not entirely sure why, but at least I have no regrets, and may have learned a thing or two.

Next Review: Unless I have a problem, In Hero Years...I'm Dead by Micheal A. Stackpole. Otherwise it'll be Clash of Kings by George RR Martin.

Woken Furies Review

Took me a lot longer then I thought it would to finish this book. 

Woken Furies by Richard K Morgan

Woken Furies is the third, and the final book in the Takeshi Kovacs series. I actually started this book sometime last year, got bored, and had trouble getting back into it. It's not a bad book book by any shape of the imagination, but it does take it's sweet time getting to the point. Could almost take the parts, and make different books out of them. Just so it didn't feel so damn long. It's odd though. Normally I like it when a book takes it's time, and let's the main character get where he's going.

Though this book seemed to be about alot of things. Hope, and life coming full circle. I'm kinda going to miss this series, but at this point I feel like even the writer was getting bored with this character/universe. So maybe it's for the best.

Final Thoughts: After finally finishing it, and Red Faction: Geurilla I feel a sense of irony. Both are about fighting for what you believe in. If you ever found yourself liking a Phillip K. Dick book, give Altered Carbon a shot. It's the first book in the Takeshi Kovacs saga. If you're a fan of Outer Limits/Twilight, and Man on Fire give Broken Angel a shot. As for Woken Furies..every main character deserves there final ride.

Next Review: Greywalker by Kat Richardson

O Hero, Hero, wherefore art thou Hero?

There is many definitions for this word. Even a few outdated ones that changed with the times. Like Male Dogooder. Even though Heroine is still quasi appropriate. It's weird how we idolized heroes in various fictions, but in reality we see it more often as a job(Firefighter, Policeman, Military, etc), or a fluke(9 year old boy runs back into a burning building to save a neighbors baby). Most of the time we don't even think about how bad things would need to be for us to need them all the time. So that 9 year old boy may never get his chance to show that it wasn't just a fluke. Not that his neighbor cares. She's got her baby back, and the 9 year old suffered minor injuries. In the grand scheme of things that's all that matters.

Can the world even afford heroes anymore? Outside of saving lives that is a conundrum. Is there even a call? Most of the time we don't think about this till afterwards. Mostly because heroes live in the moment. Both in our minds, and because of the necessity of the moment.

Like the legend goes a hero can't exist without a villain. The 9 year old boy found courage in facing the fire. If there wasn't a fire there he wouldn't have felt the need to act. Thus heroes are reactions to dangers. Something all to easy to forget in the face of the media that we surround ourselves.

Alot of us look on in awe of something we're capable of, but never really aspire to be. Under the right circumstances we can all do great things. A mother lifts the car off her baby. Busting down doors we thought we couldn't get through because getting to the otherside was a hell of alot more important then how tough the door was. Even those of us who have done such things don't really think about it that much.

Instead of asking where your hero is, ask what you need a hero for. You might find you need one less then think, and if you do need one, don't be afraid to be your own hero. Miracles happen by faith.

Blade Runner vs. Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep Review

Yes, I know.

SHEEP SHEEP SHEEP SHEEP SHEEP SHEEP SHEEP SHEEP SHEEP

I've been saying Sleep for years, and metaphorically it works, but still isn't the title.

Now I've been a fan of Philip K. Dick for years. His works always have a way of making you think about them. I like to consider there being two main types of scifi. Intellectual, and Entertainment. Which isn't to say some writers won't find themselves in the grey area. Though there are alot of levels to Intellectual Scifi. Meaning you can show it off through Combat, History, Art, Evolution, Science, and a hundred of other fields of study, but the point is some writers really know how to flex there mind on the page.

I've talked to alot people about PKD over the years. Even met a few that feel he should be classified as an entertainment writer of scifi, but most Scifi writers I've read have never come close to PKD. I remember one set of Trek(TOS) who said that Scifi was about exploring the human condition. That upset me for a time. Mainly because I'm more interested in the aliens then I am the humans. You can discuss humans anywhere, what makes Scifi different? Though that's exactly it. Scifi gives you alot of ground to explore that you can't in our current social Scifis, and Fantasy is the same exact way.

This isn't to say that I hate Entertainment books, or that I mean to demean them by calling them such. I still read plenty of Entertainment.

Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep by Philip K Dick

I don't know what I was expecting reading the book. The front, and back cover both had pics from Blade Runner. Which don't make much sense considering how different the movie is, but it's there to sell the book, and I might not have remembered the real title otherwise.

This book is much different then I expected it to be. Not bad by any sense of the word. I was a little slow in starting. I have trouble getting into multiple characters, but a little over 50 pages in, and I started to enjoy it. Multiple characters are like that though. It's kinda like the writer showing you how to tie a special knot. At first you don't understand how he does it, but as slowly eases you into it you begin see it all coming together to make a nice neat bow.

As for the content of the book, I feel like it was censored. I keep getting fork instead of f***, and stuff like that. Not something I blame the writer for. It's mostly publishers, and editors that take the honor with that stuff. So you might want to take heed of which version you get if that stuff bothers you.

Now as for the theme of the book. Are Androids alive, and what constitutes being alive? This is the fundamental question raised by the book. I remember someone saying that PKD was good at asking questions that he didn't answer, and to me that is the main reason I like his works. The sense of mystery that comes from that question, and the desire that raises in some people to find an answer.

Blade Runner

Took the time to watch the movie again before writing this entry. Mostly to see what was different, and what was the same. Compared to the book it felt watered down. On it's own merits after all these years I still find the movie boring. While I wasn't expecting an action movie Ridley Scott just has this slow pace about some of these things, and so there are alot of scenes that appear to be trying to set the mood with nothing happening. Now I'm a big fan of wide shots. I hate face close ups, but with how dark most of the scenes were it's hard to make out what alot of the characters are even doing. To me that really hinders the movie when you do it throughout the entire movie. Though I wish some directors would experiment with it more. As it does help the mood when it's what you're aiming for.

I did find alot of stuff interesting though. From hover cars, keeping normal cars, the Rosen Building(Pyramid), and other stuff.

Story wise it felt like the writers had started writing a sequel to the book, and were told to go back with changes to X, Y, and Z to make it more like the book. Then again maybe I had backwards somewhere, and someone just didn't like the idea of Decker cheating on his wife. Oddly the message behind the movie seems to be akin to the Fountain of Youth along with what qualifies as being alive, but they did take a firmer stance on where Deckard found himself.

Odd tidbit: Someone pointed out to me that Edward James Olmos was in the film. For some reason this baffled me. On the way to IMDB to look it up, I kept thinking there was only one person he could be. The voice was on loop in my head the whole time,"It's too bad she won't live, but then again who does."

Concluding Thoughts

With a possible movie sequel/prequel on the way I have no idea where i stand. Maybe some new visionary will come along, and breath some life into Blade Runner. Though it may be absent familiar faces, and voices. Some actors have a way of leaving there charm on things.

As for the book, it goes down as a Scifi favorite of mine.

Next Review: Woken Furies by Richard K Morgan

You can't do that. It's not popular enough.

When did that even become a valid argument for anything?

I'm genuinely curious since it's one of those things that pops up alot among popular IPs. Take the new Batman(The Dark Knight Rises) movie. In just about every topic asking what villains people would like in it someone had to state this. Then it usually steam rolled into several posts everytime someone mentioned a villain that wasn't part of Batman's popular rogues gallery.

Another example of this is using words from other languages. Common words from other languages are okay. Usually this never bothers me since most authors/shows have enough explanation in context not to warrant me having to go to an interpreter to find out what they said, and in some cases you weren't even meant to understand what the person was saying in context till later. Still I like it because it adds depth.

The reason lately it's started to annoy me is, how does anything get popular? One of two ways. Either you put it out there, and take your chances, or you play to the highest common denominators of popularity. Which means you leach on what is already popular till it plays out. Making it hard for people who want to visit that area later. That's right I just called popularity the great land fill of ideas, but so far there is no Eco Group preventing us from poisoning our originality.

My main point is how does your audience learn anything if you treat them like a highly sheltered bubble child? Which is a funny state of evolution from the "your audience is dumb" trope. I know the goal of any product is to sell, but if you're throwing things out that add depth you're doing a great disservice to yourself, and adding to the sameness that alot of stuff seems to be growing towards. Are we really living in that sheltered of a world?

Inside: Delta Force Review

Inside: Delta Force by Eric L Haney

One of my favorite shows in the last decade was the Unit. It was one scene in the first episode that really hooked me. A plane hijacking. I've seen alot of movies try there hand at this scene, and more or less found them boring. The one thing that stuck out about this scene was the intensity of it. You could see the emotions being relayed on the persons face. The thoughts going through his head were easy to read. Most of the time when you see that scene there is just something missing. Like the actor, or director didn't understand. This time they nailed it on a level that I actually cared about what was going on. The tension was in the right place. There was no damsel in distress that her hunky boyfriend was coming to the rescue of. It was just a man doing a job that needed doing, and if he screwed up a whole plane full of people were going to die. Himself included. That pretty much summed up all I needed to know about the show. Then of course I got to the credits, and there was a book credit in there. Non-fiction at that. I usually read the books on stuff I really like, but I can't even remember the last non-fiction book I've read, and considering my affinity for history that's bad. Yeah this was along time coming.

The last fifty years in regards to history are a blur for me. I know very little about what the United States has been doing outside our own boarders. I found this book very informative. Even if it's written from the point of view of one soldier, and the stories he heard while he was in Delta Force. His writing style is mostly straight to the point, and didn't stop to explain what these places looked like. He focused more on the soldiers, and how things were done. Which I really liked.

I've heard of some detractions from the book. A former squad mate chimed in elsewhere to say that the book blemishes stuff.  Two things I remember offhand are alot of members of Delta Force consider Colonel Charles Beckwith as the sole founder of Delta Force, and that he wasn't punched in the nose. Had he been, the man responsible would've been shot without a thought. The Department of Defense also released a statement saying they weren't consulted on the book, and the book is full of half truths. What's real, and what's not they for the sake of national security have chosen to remain silent on. Just some food for thought.

So is the book worth reading? If you liked the Unit, military buff, or just want a perspective on history it's very good.

Beckwith himself did write a book on his unit, Delta Force: The Army's Elite. Which may appear in a later review.

I would also like to personally thank Delta Force for doing a thankless job in world that often times find ways to make it a hell of a lot harder then it needs to be. So cheers.

Next review: Do Androids Dream of Electric Sleep by Phillip K. Dick

New Destroyer: Guardian Angel Review

New Destroyer: Guardian Angel by Warren Murphy and James Mullaney
My first Destroyer book since Chinese Puzzle. Very nice to see Warren Murphy back in the saddle. Even if the two years for me were much longer for him.

Overall a very fun book. As a Texan it hit home pretty hard. Though the Destroyer books have never been ones to shy away from political controversy. Often exploring them at there extremes, and making no apologies along the way.

Highlights:
Master Chiun. Always a bright spot in any Destroyer novel.
Remember the Alamo. Till you really stop, and think about you don't realize how much of history influences the present till someone takes the time to slap you in the face with it.
Misc Characters. For some reason canon fodder for Remo's puns, but they never get old.

I'll try to be more elaborate in my next review: Inside Delta Force by Eric L Haney

Welcome to Ghost Knight's Castle

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