Album of the Week: Hiss Golden Messenger "Haw" (2013)

At first listen, Haw seemed like a typical indie pop record.  Upbeat tempos, catchy choruses, etc.. I thought it out of place on a label like Tompkins Square. Then I noticed the tasteful acoustic guitar fills.  Then the fiddle.  Shortly after that, I realized the lyrics made continual allusions to Biblical phrases and themes.  Aha!  So this does fit!

There’s a pervading sense of satisfaction and joy running throughout Haw.  Rather than focusing on the ever popular Biblical themes of suffering or apocalypse, the choice is made to tell the other side of the story.  It’s all about redemption and joy.

Sean Howe "Marvel Comics: The Untold Story" (Harper, 2012)

When I was a kid I read both comics from both Marvel and DC, but my heart was always with Marvel.  DC seemed like Mr. Rogers—grandfatherly and in a cardigan.  Marvel was more like Sesame Street—weird looking young people on a street that I knew was supposed to be New York, even if it looked totally alien to my eyes.  Marvel was dynamic in a way that DC couldn’t hope to be.  At their best, DC came off like someone’s dad trying to be cool.

So of course I was excited to hear about Marvel Comics: The Untold Story. Here was my opportunity to find out what really went on in the Bullpen, and learn the truth behind all those crazy nicknames.

Sean Howe does a fantastic job of telling the story behind the stories.  After a brief overview of Marvel’s WWII era legacy heroes, he begins the story with the dawn of the modern Marvel – in the 1960s with Stan Lee and Jack Kirby.  From there he goes through the story of the company, ending only around the millennium.  All the big name writers and artists seem to be here, as well as many that would otherwise be forgotten.

Readers looking for storyline rehashes will be disappointed.  While some major characters and storylines are discussed, it is always from the perspective of business or creative decisions, not from any sort of in-universe perspective.   But the real story is intriguing all on its own.

It’s fascinating how many problematic issues surrounding comics were already issues 40 years ago.  Intellectual property, creator compensation, gender and race issues, boom and bust sales cycles, exploitative sales and marketing strategies were all being argued many years ago.  Howe spotlights many of these issues without bringing his own perspective to the fight.  He uses interviews to allow various voices to be heard.

Sarah Zettel "Fool's War" (Open Road Media, 2013)

There’s been quite a bit of talk in the last few years about the gender imbalance in SF.  It can be difficult to find quality books written by women.  If you’re short on reading material, Open Road Media has recently republished Sarah Zettel’s Fool’s War as an ebook.  Fool’s War was originally published in 1997, and was a New York Times Notable Book of the Year.  

Initially, Fool’s War seems to be space opera.  We meet Katmer Al-Shei, owner of a small freighter, who is struggling to earn the necessary cash so her family’s dream of a large ship (where they can be together) can be realized.  As the story progresses, it becomes clear that the real story is not about moving interstellar freight and data, but rather about the emergence of artificial intelligences, and how that will impact all of known space.  It’s really impossible to discuss plot specifics without massive spoilers, so just rest assured that Fool’s War is tightly plotted, with plenty of twists and turns that are both exciting and surprising.

One of the major themes of the book is prejudice and persecution.  We’re presented with three different groups who have to deal with this:  the Muslims, the Freers, and the AIs.   The Muslims are disliked because of a major bombing some 500 years in the past.  The Freers face prejudice because of their philosophical/religious beliefs that humans should live in artificial environments and their pro-AI stance.  Artificial intelligences are hated and feared because the damage that they have caused on becoming emergent in existing networks.

It’s refreshing to see Zettel’s portrayal of people of faith.  So often SFF depicts character’s religious beliefs as some sort of personal flaw at best, or blind fanaticism at worst.  Katmer and the other Muslim crew members are portrayed as complex individuals, whose beliefs are simply one aspect of their personalities.  It’s part of their daily lives, just as it is for millions IRL.

Fool’s War was an exciting space based SF adventure with strong female characterization.  While some of the AI storyline read as a bit dated, so much of the characters resonate more strongly now than they did in 1997 when this novel was first published.

Ed Brisson & Michael Walsh “The Comeback” (Image Comics, 2013)

If you are incredibly wealthy and a loved one dies in an accident, Reconnect can help you out (for a hefty fee).  They’ll send their agents back in time to just before the death.  Seth & Mark will snatch the person, fake the death, and in a few weeks you’ll be reunited with the person that you had lost.  Unfortunately all of this is illegal, and the FBI has been investigating for quite a while, hoping to get a good lead. Seth & Mark find themselves caught between the FBI and their employers, who don’t have their best interests in mind.  

Ed Brisson has written a captivating mashup of hardboiled crime dramas and time traveling chicanery.  That’s an interesting juxtaposition that you don’t encounter often.  Yes, the plot is incredibly timey wimey and very very confusing.  Personally I found this to be a feature, not a bug.  The characters themselves are confused and frustrated, and the plot complications made their emotional states clearer.

Michael Walsh’s art is simple and dark, echoing the noir tones in the story.  It looks more like a crime story than a SF one.  Unfortunately the dark tones and shadows mean that occasionally the details are lost, and it can be difficult at times to determine exactly what is happening.

This isn’t a comic for everyone, but I found it to be a great deal of fun.  The plot twists kept me guessing and wondering what could possibly happen next.

Chuck Wendig "The Blue Blazes" (Angry Robot, 2013)

By now you’re probably aware of how the bog standard urban fantasy steals its bones from Detective novels.  The protagonist is in the role of the classic private eye, trying to unravel some sort of mystery, and the cast is populated with an assortment of vampires/werewolves/whathaveyou.  In The Blue Blazes, Wendig sidesteps this generic setup, borrowing instead from the crime novel. 

The protagonist, Mookie Pearl, works for the mob (or The Organization, in Wendig’s world).  He runs crews who mine Blue Blazes, a powder that makes you feel invincible and lets you see the terrible things that live deep in the Earth below New York City.  Unfortunately for Mookie, the head of The Organization is dying, and there’s a succession problem.  And oh yeah, his teenage daughter is working on the outside to seize control of the whole thing.

The Blue Blazes was my first experience reading one of Wendig’s books.  I was delighted to discover his lean and mean style.  Short sharp sentences combined with a propulsive plot push the reader along making the book harder and harder to put down.  Great worldbuilding combined with selective usage of tropes from crime and urban fantasy novels make this a unique, fun read.

But what really sets The Blue Blazes apart from the competition is its heart.  Sure Mookie is a big lug who does bad things to bad people.  That’s not so uncommon to read about.  What makes Mookie a great character is the great big heart inside this big scary guy.  His loyalty to The Organization and his boss; his love for his daughter; his desire to protect the innocents who get caught in the crossfire of this whole mess; these things give Mookie a depth that make him sympathetic and the story engaging on an emotional level.

It’s not all hugs and kisses, however.  Be prepared.  If you have problems with offensive language, or violence, this won’t be a book you’ll enjoy.  It’s big and bold and profane.  But if you can handle that, Mookie will take you on a ride to hell and back.