As I stood in the library looking at the graphic novel section, I realized that I had never read any Osamu Tezuka manga. So I grabbed the book sitting in front of me, Dororo. It’s not one of Tezuka’s better known stories (although it did win an Eisner award in 2009 (for an English translation). I dug in and started reading and enjoying the book and feeling a bit silly for not checking out Tezuka previously. Let’s check it out.
Author Archives: Mark S
Netflix Rewind: Buffy Season 2
A long, long time ago (on a media platform far, far away), I watched Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 1. I had been warned off watching the movie, but, for whatever reason, never got around to watching the TV show. I heard all the good reviews, but just never started watching. Although the good reviews for Buffy and Angel did lead me to watch Joss Whedon’s next show. So one of the shows I decided to catch up on with my newly acquired Netflix account was season 2 of Buffy. It was a bit harrowing, since there were 22 episodes to catch up on. But, having watched it, I’m glad I did. Even though I know most of what happened (or will happen) from overhearing discussions, it was still a very enjoyable experience. Let’s check it out. (Spoilers ahead if that can be said about a 15-year-old show)
Warbound by Larry Correia
Most authors usually only work on one series at a time. Larry Correia is working on two separate series and both series are worth reading. Beside his Monster Hunter series, Correia also has the Grimnoir Chronicles, the latest is Warbound. This latest book finishes off the trilogy wonderfully, ending the story while leaving the readers wanting to see more of these characters. Let’s check it out.
New Webcomics I Read
It’s been a couple of years since the last time I mentioned the list of webcomics I currently read. In the last couple years, there has been an explosion of new webcomics online as well as some old favorites either disappearing or going to very irregular updating. I’ve added a couple new webcomics to what I read (as well as adding and dropping numerous others). Let’s check them out.
Kill City Blues by Richard Kadrey
Richard Kadrey has made quite an impression with his Sandman Slim series of books. The main character is acerbic, violent, dark and yet heroic. His latest adventure in Kill City Blues shows our hero in a more laid back setting than when he was the latest Lucifer. The latest book isn’t as plot heavy as previous stories, but Kadrey makes up for it with a lot of characterization and keeps the reader invested in the story despite the slower plot. Let’s check it out.
Continuum Season 2 review
The second season of Continuum finished up this weekend (in the US, it’s been finished in Canada for a while now). And while, it was still good, I didn’t enjoy it quite as much as season one. There was a lot going on, but, at times, it seemed to jump from place to place without much reason except that the storyline needed something to happen. But there were some good moments along the way. Let’s check it out. Spoilers ahoy.
Doughnut by Tom Holt
I have never read Tom Holt’s books before and I’m not sure I had heard of him either. His books are usually humorous fantasy, many of them based on various myths or stories. But I saw his latest book, Doughnut, on the shelf and it looked interesting. Reading the book, the humor seems mainly based on putting people in a ridiculous situation and it doesn’t always seem to work. I enjoyed reading the book, but near the end, the ridiculousness collapsed on itself and made it hard to read and even harder to figure out what was going on. Let’s check it out.
Sharp by Alex Hughes
In the first novel of the series, Clean (my review), we met Adam, the level 8 telepath who was kicked out of the Guild and now makes his living as an interrogator for the police. The Guild doesn’t trust him outside the Guild since they worry about him telling Guild secrets and the police worry that he’s secretly siding with the Guild. In the sequel, Sharp, Adam must confront the people he hurt directly on his way out of the Guild. Alex Hughes has created an interesting, flawed character that presents a lot of wonderful story telling opportunities. Let’s see what happened.
Planes movie review
If you’re like me, then Cars is far down the list of Pixar films (with probably only Cars 2 below it). So it was with some trepidation that I went to see the new movie Planes, set in the same world as Cars. Two things to note: First, I was dragged to see this against my will and second (and possibly more important) it’s not a Pixar movie. Planes is the first sequel to a Pixar movie made by Disney studios (which confuses everyone since Disney owns Pixar). Basically, a different group of people made Planes than made Cars. Sorry to say that they didn’t make it any better in their attempt. Let’s check it out.
Netflix Rewind: Battlestar Galactica Season 1
As I’ve mentioned previously, I’ve started using Netflix to go back and watch some shows that I didn’t watch when they originally aired. This time, I’ve watched the first season of Battlestar Galactica. I’m not talking about the original Battlestar Galactica (although I did watch it when it originally aired), but the grim and gritty reboot by Ron Moore. For whatever reason, I just never started watching the series when it first aired in 2005. I’d heard both good and bad things about the show along the way, but decided that I should check it out. Let’s see what happens with season one.