The Order of the Stick: On the Origin of PCs

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The convenient thing about having a friend who owns and is willing to lend out the second Order of the Stick prequel novel is the increased likelihood with which he will own and be willing to lend out the first one. (Signed by the author with a drawing of Belkar, no less! Which, if you knew the guy, Belkar was definitely requested art.) The upshot of which is that I snagged and read it as well. And will return the book no later than Friday, if you happen to see this, Ryan. And, y’know, because of the borrowing, I read it way out of the order I would otherwise employ. Which is cool, as it provided good perspective between the books.

On the Origin of PCs does the same thing as Start of Darkness, except for the good guys. What motivates them? How did they meet? Why are they on the trail of a douchebag lich? The stories are every bit as funny as in the other book and in the comics themselves, but there’s one stark difference between the books that also highlights a difference in the comics. When the PC prequel was written, the comic was a lot more about humor and a lot less about story depth. Which is not to say that the comics have grown less funny, only that the plot has become increasingly more important. But it happened so gradually that, without a comparison point such as between these, highlighting how much better of a story was present in the other book, it would be difficult to see how much the main sequence comic has improved.

Still, though: this one was funny and had nuggets of pretty awesome information that have yet to pay off in the comic itself, years later now. That is pretty good news, if you ask me.

Déjà Dead

0671011367Something like a year ago, I was consistently trolling the mystery section of my various Half-Price Books in search of the Dexter books, because of how that show is so very, very good. And it occurred to me, hey, why not look for the Bones books, too? Bones, see, is this show on Fox starring TV’s Angel as well as a forensic anthropologist, and together they fight crime in Washington D.C.! Except, despite how ironically I’m painting the picture, it really is awesome, and mostly because of the character of Temperance Brennan and her inability to put up with people being all needlessly human. Plus, the show is really funny, and rarely gets bogged down in CSI-style self-congratulatory evidence analysis. Plus plus, anthropology is one of my secret interests. Anyway, said show was based on this series of books, right? And that’s what I was looking for, and I found some, and now you know!

What you don’t know is that I managed to pry myself away from Harry Dresden long enough to fulfill my long-standing rule against consecutive books and read Déjà Dead this week. In thumbnail, Dr. Brennan uses her skill at analyzing bones as well as some natural investigative talent to catch a serial killer, much as you’d expect as a fan of the show. (Which surely you are.) But in the details… well, there’s Brennan, who is at least pretty close to the one on TV, but she lives in Montreal and mostly hangs out with French police who are not in any way reminiscent of vampires. Plus, the research team part is entirely missing. Plus, lots and lots of French. So that took some period of adjustment, but after a few dozen pages I started pretending that these books are being written by TV’s Bones (as she is canonically known to do), and then it became a lot easier to adjust to, even down to maybe trying to pick out some of the character-analogs from the show (as they are canonically known to do; try to find themselves as characters in Bones’ books, I mean.)

Upshot: extremely well-written thriller without too much technobabble, no danger of anyone starting up a vampire-werewolf love triangle (this is a bigger problem with modern fiction than you might expect), and more than one engaging character. I was starting to get annoyed by the way that she’d keep going off by herself into danger for no obviously good reason, but even that was handled fairly plausibly, and I think it will be less of a concern in future books.

WALL-E

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So there I am, sitting at the bar, nursing the water between my third and fourth beers, occasionally snaking a fry from Ryan, sure because they taste good but mostly for the thrill of the hunt, when suddenly the girl next to me says, “Hey, babe. Is this guy boring you? Why not come with me, I’m going to see a movie about robots who could conceivably go to another planet!” Which is why I never had my fourth beer.

But that’s okay, because I got to see an impressive movie instead, in which a tiny robot has decided to clean up this town. And, okay, this town is Earth, and he was probably programmed rather than deciding. But he sounded like R2-D2 (by virtue of being voiced by the same sound editor), so that earns him a lot of credit. WALL-E is the last of his product line still running, so he has the planet to himself. And over the course of probably hundreds of years, he’s picked up personality from unlikely sources. I have to say, as last beings on the planet go, he probably gave Will Smith a run for his money, melancholy pathos and all.[1]

So, after a period in which we get to absorb the tragedy of the ruined planet and its last inhabitant or two, everything changes with the arrival of a bitchy feminine robot on a mission designed by some humans that are still wandering the galaxy. And, you guessed it, WALL-E’s life will never be the same again. A lot of people claim that Pixar makes movies that are equally enjoyable by kids and adults. I’ve skipped a lot of them recently; I think the last one I saw was The Incredibles, and I was quick to acknowledge I was watching a kid movie, contrary to that same claim I’m saying people sometimes make. I point this out as a preface.

Because, I’m not going to claim that with WALL-E, Pixar finally made a movie that can be enjoyed by adults and kids alike. It’s more like… honestly, I felt like Pixar made an adult movie and then added a bunch of kid-laughs after they remembered they were Pixar and are only allowed to make kid movies. So now the kids are able to sit in the theater and not be bored by what their parents are watching. Which is a trend that I hope continues, because damn, but the effects are consistently spectacular, and it’s nice not to be even a little bored between them. Yes, it was a child-like, innocent movie. But if it was specifically kid-oriented, then I’d think the other Pixar movies would have sucked me in better than they did.

P.S. If you happen to watch it, there’s a thing that bothered me a little bit. I get why a Disney movie isn’t going to delve into the mechanics of reproduction, but did it seem to anyone else that the humans should have become extinct a generation or two prior to the events depicted, or at the very least should have been on their way in this generation?

[1] I should pause here to point out the possibility that my identification with our robotic main character here may have colored my favorable impression of the movie. But I’m pretty sure that’s it’s also as good as I think it was.

The Happening (2008)

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Yesterday, I said to myself, hey, let’s go see a movie! And then I looked up times, but the dollar movie I want to see (even though I found a second dollar theater, and right across the highway, not far away like that other one (where “far” in this case equals about 1/3 of my daily commute. Help.)) was only showing in the evening, and I already had evening plans. So then I poked around at what was out in general, and settled on The Happening. And then I saw it, which just goes to show you the value of a plan.

The movie itself was an odd mix of satisfying and cheeseball. I went in knowing nothing beyond what I’d seen in a couple of previews, which as it happens is sufficiently little to make the thing work; I have to assume that without the mysteriousness pulling you in, the satisfaction would have been nowhere to be found. The premise is straightforward: one day in Central Park, people start acting mentally and physically confused, and then they start dying. And those scenes which open the movie? Creepy as all get out, I tell you. Next thing, a teacher and his wife and some friends are headed out of town because of their concern over the TV-reported terrorist attacks that have just occurred, and the film turns into about one-third mysterious deadly event and two-thirds marital drama. Or maybe fifty-fifty? I was never annoyed that the scary mystery part had vanished, and the drama part was pretty decently done.

Unfortunately, this was billed as M. Night Shyamalan’s first R-rated movie. I call this unfortunate because, aside from a ridiculous chase scene about which I cannot divulge more that would otherwise assist me in mocking its ridiculousness, the biggest problem the flick had was its focus on gore. It just wasn’t the right kind of movie, in mood, to be concerned with over-the-top death scenes; and there were a few. It’s like M. was just trying too hard, to no good effect. Well, the acting was a little iffy, too, which is odd, because I’ve seen both leads do far better jobs elsewhere. All in all, though, it was a decent, scary movie. It was not the best movie I saw yesterday, which is kind of funny when you consider I had only planned to see the one. But anyway, just don’t go in expecting Shyamalan’s previous brilliance, and you should be fine.

The Walking Dead: Made to Suffer

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If you’re wondering why I’m so out of my standard rotation on graphic novels, one reason is that the Marvel stuff reads very quickly and another is that the Stick book was borrowed. But you were probably talking about the actual rotation, not all this side stuff, right? Right, you pay attention to that as closely as I do, so of course you were! Well, the answer to that is that the newest Walking Dead volume has been delayed for months. (And the next one will be delayed even further, as Wikipedia Pete informs me there are only two out of the standard six that have even been published as single issues, thusfar.)

But the important part is, the aptly named Made to Suffer finally did publish, and then I got it and read it. Yay! For values of yay that mostly relate ironically to the title, because, damn, that was a brutal book. The two civilizations we’ve seen in the series have been on a collision course for about half of its length, and this book marks the payoff. The zombies have a front row seat to a mini-armageddon in which nobody is safe, not least because said zombies forgot to bring their popcorn, if you know what I mean. (And I think you do.)

Made to Suffer may also mark the first time I’ve seriously considered the forthcoming zombiepocalypse as an extinction-level event. But if people act like this (and if there’s one thing I can say Kirkman seems to have access to in spades, it’s the human psyche), we’re all doomed, no matter how well prepared we may feel. I guess the moral of the story is “Don’t be a dick,” which would be more comforting if people who are dicks were so easily able to recognize that about themselves while also trying to stave off the end of the world.

The Order of the Stick: Start of Darkness

OOTS99_7in72dpi_RGBdsFirst of all: if you now or have ever played Dungeons and Dragons, why aren’t you reading the Order of the Stick? It’s a long running webcomic that combines humor based on the role-playing game, actual humor, and a globe-spanning epic quest to save or destroy the world, depending upon what character viewpoint any given comic is following. And the art, you will be retrospectively unsurprised to learn, is based around stick figures. So now you know, and you should read it!

But you probably already are, and like me, you probably never got around to buying the prequel graphic novels that are only available in published book form. Luckily for me, I know people who did, and I performed a borrowing of opportunity while at a fireworks show a couple of days ago. Start of Darkness is a quick (if not light) read chronicling the rise of the douchebag lich and the sympathetic but ultimately flawed goblins who follow him in his quest to destroy some gates that will in turn destroy the world. You know how these evil mastermind plans go. The point is, though, the stories here are just as funny, though a bit grimmer than the online version. It is about bad guys, and all. And the stories are definitely as affecting as the online version. (Did I mention that between the humor and the D&Dness of it all, there’s a genuine story here, with emotional highs and lows? My hand to God.)

Plus, secret bonus for long-time readers: Rich finally turns a spotlight on the scary monster that’s always hiding in the dark!

Grave Peril

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Back in May, I decided it was time to get back to the Dresden Files. So I grabbed the third book off my shelf, stuffed it in my luggage, and flew off to Michigan with it. At least, I assume that’s what happened, because I remember the intention to do so, but somewhere in the course of that weekend, the book disappeared into a mystical vortex or fell through a hole in reality, or something. You know how you’ll walk around life, and occasionally when you open a door you’re certain that instead of leading to wherever it’s supposed to lead, it will instead be a portal to someplace else entirely? That is what happened to my book, is what I’m saying.

Luckily, it only took a little over a month to find a replacement copy. So now I’ve read Grave Peril, and dude, this series is really maintaining its awesomeness. Only now, there’s added depth. We learn a little more about Harry Dresden’s possibly-dark past (but only a little), while he tries to figure out who or what is riling up all the Chicago-area ghosts; plus, he’s got to sort out his relationship issues with tabloid journalist Susan Rodriguez and represent the White Council (wizards who are also good guys, and all organized, and maybe a little to strict about the good guy thing for the realities of Butcher’s magical world) at the promotion party of local vampiric queenpin Bianca, with whom he has a tenuous relationship at best. (But still not the Anita Blake kind. Yay!)

All of those ingredients rate pretty well for some tasty plot soup, although I could wish that… well, there’s no way to clarify without massive spoilers; but one aspect of the mystery was heavy-handed, yet I’m not sure how it could have been handled differently without writing an entirely different book, so I’ll let it go. The mystery really is the least part of these, what with the continued greatness of Harry’s narrative voice. And now there are signs that the books are tying together into a slightly less episodic format, which also fills me with glee. At least, until I get to a book with a cliffhangerish ending and don’t have the sequel published and sitting on my shelf, waiting for me. But that day is a ways off, so for now: glee.

Lucifer: Children and Monsters

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The second volume of the Gaiman-inspired, Carey-created Lucifer series picks up almost immediately from volume one. Lucifer has been given his requested gateway into the void, and now he simply has to work out what to do with it while simultaneously fending off the varied forces (including everything from ancient beings beyond time and space to the assembled might of the Heavenly Host) who wish to steal it from him, and optimally kill him in the bargain. As before, though, what makes Children and Monsters shine, for the most part, is Lucifer himself. He’s perhaps not evil, but unquestionably self-involved beyond all human measure. He never breaks his word, he practically never lies, and he mostly offers people what they want, freely. And yet, nearly everyone who deals with him comes out far the poorer and looking at least a little bit like the bad guy, to boot. That takes some pretty meaningful talent.

Unfortunately, I fear that I’m not making sense. Anyway, the story stuff continues to feel deeper than I’m going to fully comprehend on the first pass, but it certainly already tied together some things from the first book. Plus, it introduced a long-term (I presume) adversary and solidified a long-term ally, both of whom I look forward to seeing more of. Even if wanting to see the adversarial one is mostly based on a comeuppance thing. (Which is funny; I mean, the guy is a dick, but I feel obscurely bad about primarily disliking someone because he’s being a dick to, y’know, the Devil. Well-written character, is what I’m still trying to say.)

Ultimate Spider-Man: Double Trouble

For the most part, the third volume of Ultimate Spider-Man is more of the same. But when you consider what a high watermark that is, the phrase turns out to be praise rather than pejoration. Pete’s got a handle on his powers, he’s sort of got a handle on how to use them, and he has a solid ally in his corner. Naturally, therefore, the stakes get ratcheted up commensurately with his new stability. Not only is there a person at school who believes he’s seen though Spider-Man’s secret identity, not only is a philosophical, attractive, and anti-bully switch-blade wielding Gwen Stacy causing tension between Peter and Mary Jane; on top of these, one of the people who worked in the lab where Peter was bitten by the genetically-modified spider that started all the upheaval in his life has awakened from a coma with strange new powers and a grudge, and Australian Animal Planet personality Kraven the Hunter[1] has decided that a defeated Spider-Man would make an awesome trophy, not to mention bolster a flagging career.

As usual, though, it is Spider-Man’s gradual ascent towards genuine super-hero talent, Peter Parker’s lightning-quick banter, and Aunt May’s struggle to keep rein on a boy about whom she knows far less than she thinks (though far more than he thinks) that combine to steal the show. (I seriously cannot say enough good about May Parker in this series. With appearances in fewer than half of the twenty-one individual comics I’ve read over these three volumes, she has managed to redeem a character that I expected to dislike forever.)

[1] If this sounds kind of familiar, well, I expect it’s supposed to.

Ultimate X-Men: Return to Weapon X

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The X-Men are still the clear also-rans in the Marvel Ultimate universe, although Return to Weapon X marked a substantial increase in series quality. It turns out that in addition to Professor X’s eponymous X-Men (dedicated to peaceful co-existence between humans and mutants) and Magneto’s Brotherhood of Mutants (dedicated to a world where homo superior reigns supreme, either through conquest or extinction of homo sapiens), there is a third organized group of mutants in the world: a black-ops division of S.H.I.E.L.D.[1] called Weapon X kidnaps mutants, adjusts them genetically and psychologically to fully weaponize them in defense of freedom, justice, and apple pie, and throws them away like so many apple cores when they’re of no further use, which seems to happen within months or less for most such kidnapped mutants. And now they’ve got their eyes on the X-Men.[2]

Yeah, on the whole it was pretty good. There are characters I disliked, though I have trust that it was often on purpose and some of them will be redeemable in the course of time. Most egregious of all was someone who thankfully will not be involved in the X-Men stories much: Nick Fury (you may remember him as Samuel L. Jackson in the Ultimates comics as well as the Iron Man movie from earlier this summer) is supposed to be a hard-bitten, tough-as-nails spy who can be covert but is more comfortable punching commies (or whoever) in the face. Whereas this guy was a particularly poncey version of James Bond who, even worse, looked nothing like Samuel L. Jackson! So every time he was on-panel, I wanted to punch a commie my own self.

[1] Shield are the people who set up the Ultimates that I’ve reviewed elsewhere, and in general they’re movers and shakers in the Marvel universe who tend to combine the best aspects of the CIA and NSA into one unstoppable unit.
[2] The return in the title refers to the fact that Wolverine escaped from Weapon X before the events of the previous volume, the only mutant ever to have done so. Because he’s awesome.