Books: Three Trades, an RPG, and a Shattered World

[woodwardiocom]

Astonishing X-Men Volume 3: Torn by Joss Whedon and John Cassaday

-Honestly, if you liked Uncanny X-Men back in the 80s, and you like Joss Whedon, there's no sane reason why you shouldn't be reading Astonishing. In fact, strike the "and you like Joss Whedon" part, it isn't necessary. Whedon casually throws in references to classic X-Men moments with the skill of a Da Vinci and the love of a Trimble. He writes the X-Men like I wanna write the X-Men. Go, buy volumes 1 and 2, and then pick up this one. Utterly recommended, to the point where I may tie people up to make them read it.

Seven Soldiers of Victory by Grant Morrison, et al

-This comics event originally took the form of seven four-issue miniseries, with two bookend issues surrounding them. I picked it up as four trade paperbacks. It's about the defeat of an otherworldly menace called the Sheeda by a team of seven heroes who aren't a team. The heroes are the Shining Knight, Klarion the Witch-Boy, Zatanna, the Guardian, Mister Miracle, the Bulleteer, and the Frankenstein Monster.

-I enjoyed it, kinda. Morrison plays with big ideas, and mixes them together in interesting ways. But he's way too drunk on his own cool-ness, and I feel that he can't stop being hip and deconstructionist long enough to, y'know, tell a coherent story. Plus, I think I speak for 90% of the comics-reading population when I ask creators to stop rewriting characters' histories. Please? Only really recommended to Morrison fans. Otherwise you're likely to be baffled.

Fallen Angel Volume 1: To Serve In Heaven by Peter David and J.K. Woodward

-I must have missed the announcment when the ever-reliable Peter David started writing this dark urban title for DC. (Apparently DC canceled it, and he took the title over to IDW Publishing. This is the first IDW collection.) I was surprised when I saw this trade on the rack, and was dithering, when I saw the artist's name. Good old J.K. Wish I'd heard of him before, he's good.

-A woman named Lee lives in the city of Bete Noire, and tries to do good. She claims to be a fallen angel, and that what happens in the city affects the entire world. She may be right. Dark, weird, gothic, and pretty darn good. Recommended.

GURPS Bio-Tech

-Another big shiny hardback of complicated rules for the GURPS roleplaying system. It does exactly what it sets out to do, and presents a pretty good intro to modern (and potential future) biotechnology along the way.

The Shattered World by Michael Reaves

-I believe rumhann lent me a copy of this book back in college. I tracked down a copy for myself last year. A solid fantasy story, not in the Tolkien mode, in which an engaging array of characters fight over magic artifacts and try to figure out how to save (or doom) their world. The werebear thief is the best-defined character; wossname the cloak-fighter, much less so. The other protagonists are somewhere in-between. Moderately recommended.

Comments

[hackard.livejournal.com]

Michael Reaves, in case you weren't aware, cut his teeth by writing for the late, unlamented D&D cartoon. In fact, he scripted the (unfilmed) final episode.

[sweetmmeblue.livejournal.com]

> Astonishing X-Men Volume 3: Torn by Joss Whedon and John Cassaday

Which is this? Mine don't have numbers on them but have titles, like "Dangerous", "Gifted", & "The End of History".

[woodwardiocom.livejournal.com]

Mine don't have numbers on them but have titles, like "Dangerous", "Gifted", & "The End of History".

-Look on the bottom of the spine.

"Gifted" is Whedon's Astonishing, volume 1. "Dangerous" is volume 2. "Torn", volume 3, was just released in trade paperback today.

("The End of History" is, I believe, a volume of Morrison's New X-Men.)