Book Reviews Three: Astonishing X-Men & G.W. Frog

Astonishing X-Men Volumes 1 & 2, by Joss Whedon & John Cassaday

The X-Men were what got me into comic books. As a kid I'd watch the animated series and read whatever X-Men comics I could get my hands on. Wolverine. Iceman. Gambit. All the heroes I could ask for. As I grew, I still loved the Marvel staple, but I somehow got disconnected from the comics. I loosely followed what was happening, but not enough. 

Years passed, and a lot happened in the Marvel Universe. I read the titular Civil War trade paperback, but none of House of M. Apparently the X-Men had so many convoluted arcs going that the series needed a hardcore reboot. The one to take the helm was none other than Joss Whedon, a man fully capable of telling the tale. 

So I picked up the first edition of the new Astonishing X-Men, Gifted. Emma Frost and Scott Summers have decided to reform the team, intending on astonishing the world. Along with Wolverine, Beast, and Kitty Pryde, the X-Men set out to do just that. And as soon as they do, a remarkable cure for the mutant gene is found, ripping the world (and the team) apart. 

Joss Whedon's plot was smooth and fluid, as his always are. Each character was well written, given enough individuality to make them stand out. The dialogue was also fun.  Joss Whedon crafts great characters, and it is the team's characterization that is the most enjoyable for me to read. I like the dynamics between the heroes, especially Emma Frost and Kitty's dislike for each other. 

In the art department, John Cassaday does an amazing job. This could be the slickest art for any X-Men comic I've ever read. The colors were rich and vivid. The drawings were exactly what I want in a comic, especially one with superheroes in it.

One of my favorite characters was Beast. His design is awesome, and I think the Cassaday did an excellent job with him. Also, his personality is deep, and Whedon pegged him dead on. Plus, he's actually pretty cool now, acting "beastly" even. Quite a bit different than how I remember him from the old stuff. 

Volume Two of Astonishing X-Men, Dangerous, wasn't as good as the first, but still enjoyable enough. The story continues what was started in Gifted, but only loosely connects back to the events that happened. Instead, the X-Men face a new foe, one that knows all their moves and formations and is extremely powerful.

This collection revealed a bit more about the world outside the mansion. We learn about Genosha and the Professor's whereabouts and some of his past. We get a little more insight to S.W.O.R.D. and S.H.I.E.L.D. This worldbuilding was nice to have with the team, though minimal.

The Astonishing X-Men let me re-live the sweetness of the X-Men again, and I thoroughly enjoyed the first volume. The next arc, Torn, is being requested for purchase (by me) at the library, and I hope they get it. For any fans of the X-Men, I easily recommend Whedon and Cassaday's Astonishing X-Men.

G.W. Frog and the Circus Lion, by George W. Everett

G.W. Frog and the Circus Lion is a sweet and fun story about an elderly lion that is concerned about losing his teeth. When he confesses this to his friends, they decide to remedy the situation.

I really enjoyed G.W. Frog and the Circus Lion more than I thought I was going to. At first glance, it looked like a lot of text and some of the illustrations didn't look finished, so I was unsure how my young brother-in-law was going to like it. I waited for him to come over to my house, and for bedtime, I lay in bed and read him the story. He liked it plenty (I even questioned him the next morning and he said).

The only slight problem I had was how a few pages were formatted. It confused me a bit while reading aloud. I guess some pages are meant to be callouts from something on the opposite page, but I'm unsure. I feel this may could cause kids to stumble when reading themselves, but not very much. 

G.W. Frog and the Circus Lion is a great kids book that teaches wonderful lessons, offers a fun story, and serves the purposes of entertaining & educating kids. It fits perfectly on the shelf with the rest of the kids books, which I’ll be using for my own come next year.

I received G.W. Frog and the Circus Lion from the author in exchange for an honest review, which I have provided here.  The obligatory pumpkin pie offering that I requested was not included.

A Trip Through the Garden of the Mind

They say there is no Sanctuary.  They say it’s a thoughtcrime to doublethink like I do.  They say Simon didn’t really see the “Beast” on that island after the crash.  They even say the soma is good for you, but I hear it’s high in calories. 

Weird Al Yankovic has mixed feelings on downloading music from the Internet.

“I have very mixed feelings about it. On one hand, I’m concerned that the rampant downloading of my copyright-protected material over the Internet is severely eating into my album sales and having a decidedly adverse effect on my career. On the other hand, I can get all the Metallica songs I want for FREE! WOW!!!!!”—Ask Al Q&A for 7/5/03

I could listen to Iron & Wine pretty much all day long, especially this song.  Is it any wonder that I&W had an album that ranked #6 on my crazy iPod journey I took last year?  No, I think not.

“Abandoned Ode on a Styrofoam Cup”
by LoganKStewart

Thou white and blue cup of silence!
Thou sweet orphan of polystyrene and passion.
Has e’er there been a container as grand as thee?
How you quiver in the wind.
How you light and fail ‘neath the flame.

I just finished watching Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along-Blog again.  I love it as much now as I did the first time I watched it.  The plot is perfect, ripe with humor and emotion.  The songs are all phenomenal.  The ending is still tragic and sad.  If you’ve ne’er watched it, then I strongly suggest that you do so immediately.  All three acts are probably available somewhere fo’ free on the Interwebs.

Here’s a fan video someone created in response to Dr. Horrible.  It’s an imagined 8-bit version of the musical’s first Act, and it’s pretty cool.

Thirty-one days til I’m in the Caribbean.  My mind’s been on vacation for the last month or so.  I cannot wait to be on the boat, surrounded by food and fun.  I can’t wait to see the blue-green waters and feel the warm, coarse sands.

I watched Up in the Air last night.  ‘Twas a good movie with great themes and acting, but quite sad, too.  It left me filled with thoughts and possibilities, thinking about our modern world and the lack of personal relationships.  George Clooney did an excellent job, as did all the other actors in the film.  I felt the film hit the Realism aspect of life dead on.

Oh look!  Is that a tulip sprouting from my flower garden I planted last weekend?  And the hostas are growing up quite well, too.

A man’s gotta do what a man’s gotta do………………

A Little Bit of Everything

Egads, man!  It’s not like I’m trying to go all random on you, but it just happens, y’know?  Like rain.  It just happens.  Just every once in a while my brain kicks in all random-like and stuff.  But what do you expect?  My blog’s not called Rememorandom for nothing.  First off, there’s an artist who’s captured my heart.  Ever wondered what STAR WARS would look like in a steampunk setting?  Yeah, me neither, but this guy did, and it’s awesome.

If you click on that picture or the link above you can find out more about the designer, and other works he’s done.  For those nerds out there, you’ll enjoy, as the man did some DC and Marvel characters, too.  I really like the Obi-Wan, the Stormtrooper, and Grand Moff Tarkin.  All are awesome, though.
Ever just have one of those days when a song plays over and over and over and over in your head, always the same line.  No?  Ok.  Never mind then.

Me and Alex have been working on making our own music, writing our own songs and stuff.  We’ve got one demo out right now, based on Isaiah 57:14-21.  Maybe we’ll get a finished product over the next week or two and I’ll post it up here.  I find it easier to write poetry as opposed to songs, usually, but I’m trying.
Speaking of poetry, how about I post up “isabella’s secret pt.1”?  Y’know, so you won’t think I’m all bent on dark stuff.  Cause “see the man” was dark, dude.  Dark as the outer darkness of space.  This one has a different tone.

"jetson mancer" or "isabella's secret pt. 1"

jetson mancer
was a dancer
that's how he spent his nights.
making money
with his honey
isabella poorsight.

he was comely
she was homely
but soon the two were wed.
'ere long he'd cheat
and oft repeat
with women in his bed.

isabella
had one fella
that was jetson mancer
she could not see
the treachery
and sadly got the cancer

If you’re interested, between those two poems you should be able to piece together what’s coming in Part 2.
You guys and gals wanna see the homemade muffins I made?  And by homemade I mean homemade.  From scratch.  No boxes and such rubbish.  I found the recipe from a new blogger’s site here, thought it looked good, and decided to make ‘em.  The recipe was pretty simple and it made one dozen like it was supposed to, but I lost two due to crumbling.  I guess I didn’t let them sit long enough in the trusty Pampered Chef stoneware muffin tin.  Anyway, this is how they turned out.  Rather tasty and fancy, if you ask me.  Check out the blog and the recipe if’n you’re hankering for something delicious.










The cold spell’s sitting strong here in Kentucky.  Heck, in most of the US it’s cold.  I guess that’s why it’s called winter?  It snowed somewhere between two to four inches last night, but thankfully most of the roads were navigable.

I got an email from the library letting me know that the complete series of Firefly is now available to me.  As a Buffy and Dr. Horrible fan, I just had to get it and watch it, especially since it’s got a huge following.
Another new blog I’ve started following is The Sound and the Fury of Kristopher A. Denby.  Mr. Denby shares his thoughts and ideas on various things one typically shares their thoughts and ideas on, like music, books, movies, politics, etc., but I really like his opinions.  Plus, he must have some Celtic heritage or something, and that’s a doubleplus in my book.  That, and he loved The Name of the Wind, so that sealed the deal.  (There’s a review on that book from 12/20/2009.)

There’s not much left to add.  Brandon Sanderson is doing a Q&A over at Goodreads on the Fantasy Book Club about Warbreaker.  I’m currently using 443 MB (5%) of my 7409 MB Gmail space.  Reading about the atomic bomb’s effects on Japan are heartbreaking.  I didn’t even think The Blind Side looked good, but I guess since it’s a “true” story and stuff it must be?  Why’s it making so much money?  I’m so excited for Lost’s final season to start up in February.

Yeah.  That’s about it.  Maybe something else tomorrow?  Maybe, possibly, even some musing.  People say she’s crazy she got diamonds on the soles of her shoes…

Update + Dr. Horrible

Life has been extremely hectic these past few days. School is wrapping up, very quickly, and projects are coming to a close almost too fast for my comfort. I've been swamped, to be blunt. Also, I'm still looking for a job (but hopefully for not much longer) and a home for when school is over.

Even with all the commotion and the hustle and bustle, I still find myself relishing the fact that school will be over very soon. Less than one month and I will have my Masters degree in Civil & Environmental engineering and then I shall be finished for the time being. That means I won't have homework when I'm home. That means I won't have to study. That means that I'll not have to sit through more lectures.

With that, I'll be brief. I listen to music all the time, especially when I'm studying. Also, I'm a fan of hulu, even if they're plotting to take over the world. I found that Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog was available for a full view. Sure, I've purchased the phenomenal experience on iTunes and have it on my iPod, but it just seems easier to view it on hulu.

Anyway, for those of you that have never heard of the show, or if you've heard but never watched it, I highly endorse and recommend it. Basically, it was created during the writers strike last year, made by the Whedon clan to prove a point, and the result was simply amazing. So amazing that TIME magazine called it the 15th best invention of 2008. It won numerous awards and has a fanbase in the trillions. (Okay, obviously not that high, but still a huge one, I'll wager.)

So feel free to watch and enjoy the hit. It's only 43 minutes. And it's definitely worth every second. Take care, folks. And wish me luck.