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2021 Year End Honorable Mentions – Books/Comics

I posted my favorite books/comics of 2021 a few weeks ago. As usual, I had a few entries that didn’t necessarily make my favorites list, but I still wanted to talk about them. Good and bad.

Starting with books…LET’S BEGIN!

Shadow & Bone / Seige & Storm – The first two books in the Grishaverse series. This is what the Netflix show is based on, well the first book here, and another book in the series are mashed together. I read the first two books in 2021. I like a lot of what’s in them. The world that’s set up is awesome. This version of magic is closer to super powers than actual sorcery. I like the main protagonist, Alina. She’s got a nice arc through 2/3 of the first book, until she doesn’t. The biggest issue I have with this series is Alina’s love interest, Mal. He is the f**king WORST. Completely worthless. Shadow & Bone starts off with Alina being best friends with Mal and pining for him while he goes off completely ignoring her. Typical storyline. But then Alina is found to be Grisha, which means she goes off to a special school to learn about her powers. At this school, she discovers that she can’t use her powers. They refuse to work on command. She has to work through her feelings about Mal, who isn’t Grisha, and realize that she was suppressing her powers and hiding them from Mal so he didn’t find out. because he was kind of anti-Grisha. Alina ultimately gains control of her powers again because she gives up this weird attachment to Mal. BUT THEN, Mal returns and completely destroys everything Alina had gained from the previous portion of the book. And he’s terrible to Alina. He says he loves her, but his actions say otherwise. He treats her like garbage. I hate him. And I don’t know why he came back. Alina didn’t need his love or his help in the climax of the book. And he’s still there being a complete wet blanket throughout the second book. So, these books are great. The characters are awesome. The world is interesting. The one character of MAL is *very* close to being a deal breaker. I hate him so much.

Nathaniel Cade
The President’s Vampire series by Christopher Farnsworth – This series is so high premise I get vertigo just thinking about it. One hundred and fifty years ago a vampire was discovered on a whaling vessel that had docked in Boston Harbor. Thinking quickly, President Andrew Johnson has a voodoo witch doctor bind the vampire to the office of the President of the United States. From then forward, the vampire, now known as Nathaniel Cade, is sworn to protect the office and the country from all unnatural enemies. I love the idea of this series; imagine the series 24 but swap out Jack Bauer for a vampire. That’s essentially what this is. And it’s totally played straight. They handle all the supernatural elements very well. And along with all the unnatural goings on, we do get a bit of political intrigue as well. So far it’s only these three books, but Farnsworth also wrote two novellas featuring Nathaniel Cade; The Burning Men and Deep State. This is a fun series that I really enjoyed reading this year.

Recursion by Blake Crouch – I love time travel. Especially when a book does something different with it. And this book sort of intertwines time travel, with memory, and alternate realities. I really don’t want to give anything away, because there’s a lot of surprises here, but, on a high level, there is a doctor that is working on a cure for Alzheimers. Her mother has it. She is hoping to create a system that allows people to relive their memories in a fully immersive VR environment. Needless to say, her work is picked up and sort of steered into a new direction and all hell breaks loose. Like seriously. This book gets BANANAS. I really enjoyed it. It literally just missed out on being in my “favorites” list.

Now, how about some comic book honorable mentions?

Maniac of NY
Maniac of New York by Elliott Kalan – This comic is a *lot* of fun. It takes the premise of…”What if Jason Voorhees were real, and nobody could stop him? So city officials and the people in the city decide to make the best and just live with him.” How would peoples’ lives change? This really puts forth some interesting thoughts. Radio morning shows have a Killer Watch during the traffic report. They let you know if he’s been seen on the subway. And there’s a task force set up to stop him, but no one seems to be able to as he appears and disappears like a ghost. I read the first 5-6 issues of this and really liked it.

Flash 36 Flash 61
The Flash (1987-) #36 – 61 – Being a big fan of The Flash, I read this title as it was coming out starting with issue #3 in 1987. Back then I probably read up to like issue 50 or so. I only stopped about the time I went to college and stopped reading comics for the most part. Back in 2020, I decided to start a reread of this title. I read issues #1-35 in 2020, and then I continued through issue 61 in 2021. Mark Waid started his storied run in issue #62, but my memories of this series are the first 61 issues before Mark even got there. And I thoroughly enjoyed my reread of this series. These Wally West issues are pretty great. He loses his powers. Gains them back. He wins the lottery and becomes rich. Then loses all his money and becomes poor only to get rich again. It’s a roller coaster. And there are more than a few issues that are weird and not great. Linda Park is completely wasted in her run, even becoming possessed by what seems like an ancient Irish wizard, but turns out to be the Kilg%re. Lots of weirdness and wackiness. But most of it is really good.

So there are a few extra book/comic recommendations. Look for some movie honorable mentions later this week!

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AWESOME-tober-fest 2017: The Lost Boys sequel comic from Vertigo

Posted in comic books, monsters, movies, pop culture, vampires with tags AWESOME-tober-fest, Awesome-tober-fest 2017, Halloween, holiday, monsters, movies, pop culture, vampires on October 30, 2017 by Paxton

The Lost Boys is a cult classic. It is beloved by many. It’s not hard to argue since the movie is so good in so many ways. It’s a great addition to the vampire mythos. It has the two Coreys. It has a beefy, oily guy in chains playing the sax. It has a rockin’ soundtrack. It was a literal time capsule of the 90s. Not much to really argue about there. Why didn’t we ever get a decent sequel?

You probably already know about those two The Lost Boys “sequel” movies. The Tribe and The Thirst.

I’ve seen them. They’re terrible. They even bring back the Frog Brothers. Still terrible. Actually, that probably makes them even more terrible.

Back in 2008, Wildstorm put out a sequel comic called Reign of Frogs that also brought back the Frogs and made the story more about them. And it was a bit nonsensical and not very good either.

That first movie is so good and beloved, you really want these projects to work. But for the most part, they don’t.

Flash forward back to 2016. Vertigo starts releasing a Lost Boys comic. Written by Tim Seely. It is billed as the Lost Boys sequel you always wanted.

We’ll see about that.

The story takes place in Santa Carla very soon after the first movie. The Frogs are training with Grandpa who now, we know, belongs to a group of vampire hunters. Michael is dating Star. The mom is back at the video store. Things are trying to get back to normal. Until a group of vampires called the Blood Belles show up and start killing all the resident vampire hunters. So the Frogs have to weapon up with Sam and Michael to stop whatever plans they have in store for Santa Carla.

It’s a decent setup. The writing is mostly solid. The covers are great and the interior art is mostly good but the faces on the characters are off. It was confusing to read because I couldn’t tell the difference between Michael and Sam nor either of the Frog Brothers. So it was tough understanding at first who is talking. Other than that, I felt like Tim Seely represented the characters well and wrote in their voices that I can remember from the original movie.

Other than that the overall plot is good. We get the return of a few more characters from the original movie. It’s fun. Nothing ground breaking or amazing but a solid return to that world.

Or at the very least, a more solid return than any of the other returns we’ve gotten before.

Also, check out the blog Countdown to Halloween for more Halloween-y, bloggy AWESOMEness.

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AWESOME-tober-fest 2016: The Ghost Busters episode 10 – The Vampire’s Apprentice (1975)

Posted in Dracula, Halloween, holiday, horror, monsters, pop culture, TV shows, vampires with tags AWESOME-tober-fest, AWESOME-tober-fest 2016, Dracula, Ghost Busters, Halloween, holiday, monsters, TV shows, vampires on October 26, 2016 by Paxton

Today, I finally get to talk about the old live action TV show, The Ghost Busters, from 1975. I talked a bit before about this show back in 2007 when I discussed the difference between The Real Ghostbusters cartoon and the Filmation Ghostbusters cartoon. As I said earlier, I actually like the old Filmation Ghostbusters cartoon so I was excited to finally go back and check out the TV show that spawned the cartoon.

The show first aired in 1975. It lasted for one season of 15 episodes. It starred Forrest Tucker, Larry Storch and Bob Burns as bumbling paranormal detectives who use a “ghost dematerializer” gadget to send said ghosts back to the netherworld.

ghost-busters

The show made use of several famous monters in its 15 episodes including Jeckyll & Hyde, Dr Frankenstein and his monster, the Red Baron, Billy the Kid and, in the episode I’m about to look at, Dracula and his wife.

Here’s Dracula and his wife. Since this show is a comedy, the duo are characterized as very slaptick and goofy.

It’s interesting, the episode several times mentions that they are the GHOSTS of Dracula and his wife, which doesn’t really make a whole hell of a lot of sense. They interact as if they are corporeal vampires, but in the beginning and the way they are dispatched in the end seems to suggest that they are ghosts. Weird.

The whole episode is weird and the humor is…eh. At one point, Larry Storch’s Spencer is turned into a vampire. To ward all the vampires off, Forrest Tucker’s Kong hands them a “wooden steak” (Haha! Get it?). Of course the vampires look at it oddly at first and then they theatrically recoil in horror when they realize it’s a “wooden steak”. That’s the level of hilarity throughout this episode. Plus, there are constant jokes about how Dracula can’t remember anything because he’s getting old and he’s constantly running into walls when he turns into a bat.

When it’s finally time to dispatch the vampire “ghosts” Kong grabs the “ghost dematerializer” and disintegrates Dracula and his wife back to wherever the hell they came from.

So I’ve finally watched this show. It’s not great. Definitely a product of the time, but the concept is solid. I’ll check out a few of the other episodes with other more famous monsters. I’m really interested in checking out the episode with Billy the Kid’s ghost!

Also, check out the blog Countdown to Halloween for more Halloween-y, bloggy AWESOMEness.

AWESOME-tober-fest 2016: Angel vs Frankenstein (2009)

Posted in comic books, Frankenstein, Halloween, holiday, horror, monsters, TV shows, vampires with tags Angel, AWESOME-tober-fest, AWESOME-tober-fest 2016, comic books, Frankenstein, Halloween, holiday, monsters, reviews, vampires on October 25, 2016 by Paxton

Back in 2011, when I did Dracula/vampires for my theme, I covered the appearance of Dracula in Buffy the Vampire Slayer. This included several comic book appearances with Buffy and Spike. So, I thought I should next cover another Buffy character teaming up with another classic monster. Let’s see if this one fares any better.

In 2009, IDW released a one-shot called Angel vs Frankenstein. It was written and drawn by the great John Byrne.

angel-vs-frankenstein-01-001

The story takes place after Mary Shelley’s novel, which we get a brief recap of in the comic. It also takes place before Angel is cursed by the gypsy to have a soul. So, after Frankenstein discovers Victor dead in the arctic at the end of Shelley’s novel, he decides to return to his home to claim the right as the last heir of Frankenstein. However, the monster realizes he can’t do it alone, so the monster hires Angelus to return to Castle Frankenstein with him to help. However, Angelus has different ideas and throws the monster out of the stagecoach and over a cliff. He then goes to the castle to claim the fortune for himself. But the monster didn’t die, and it makes its way back for his revenge. Queue Frankenstein vs Angelus fight.

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It’s a pretty good story. I like the setup. I love Byrne’s art. I enjoyed reading it. It’s only a one-shot, so it’s short, but Byrne makes the most of it.

Then in 2010, IDW released a sequel called, appropriately, Angel vs Frankenstein II. This one-shot was also written and drawn by John Byrne.

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This takes place many years after the first comic. Angelus is now just Angel. He’s in America and working as a janitor at a mental hospital. He discovers the monster bound up in a hidden set of rooms in the hospital. Angel tries to sort out the mystery of how the monster got there but when the monster sees Angel, he goes off on a rampage thinking it’s Angelus and Angel has to stop him from tearing apart the city. We also learn a few secrets about the nature of this Frankenstein monster.

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Again, this is a good, if a bit more understated comic story. It’s another one shot, but Byrne makes good use of the characters and his art is great. I like the wrap up of the Frankenstein monster here. I’d definitely recommend these comics to a fan of Angel.

Also, check out the blog Countdown to Halloween for more Halloween-y, bloggy AWESOMEness.

Movie Man-a-thon: Dracula, secret agents and a time traveling Ethan Hawke

Posted in Dracula, Genres, horror, monsters, time travel with tags Dracula, monsters, Movie Manathon, movies, reviews, time travel, vampires on March 19, 2015 by Paxton

Steph took the kids to her parents for the week so I was left to my own bachelor devices. So, as usual, I programmed a viewing schedule of movies and TV shows that Steph would not ever want to watch. I’ve done this before, time to do it again.

Dracula Untold (2014) – The Universal monster rally movies can now begin! I didn’t hear a lot about this movie beforehand but I look forward to any movie utilizing the classic monsters, especially Universal who says they want to plan a “monsterverse” set of movies. This actually wasn’t that bad and a pretty good re-interpretation of the legend of Vlad the Impaler. It makes him a more sympathetic character and places the inhuman bloodthirsty killer on another character from which Vlad will get his vampiric status. The cast is great and the effects are pretty awesome. Recommend. However, to be honest, I was a bit disappointed we didn’t get a glimpse or hint of another monster in a post credit sequence. But that’s a relatively small gripe.

Kingsman: The Secret Service (2015) – Until very recently I had no idea this was based on a Mark Millar comic. Honestly, I think Millar had the screenplay written, no one bought it, and so he made it into a comic. Then when the comic did pretty well, he was able to sell it to Matthew Vaughn. And this is a pretty spectacular movie. I love Colin Firth and he’s brilliant in this. On one hand he plays directly into your expectations of him while simultaneously doing something completely different that you would never expect him to be doing. Michael Caine is also great. The new kid is pretty good. My only gripe would be Sam Jackson as the villain. We’re to the point now where Sam Jackson will immediately take me out of a movie. He’s no longer Sam Jackson the actor, he’s Sam Jackson the character. He transcends whatever he’s trying to do. And I appreciate he’s trying to do something a little different with the lisp, but I never saw anything other than SAM JACKSON playing the villain. That being said, he’s remarkably entertaining to watch in this movie. I highly recommend it. I hope there are more Kingsman movies to come.

Predestination (2015) – On the surface, it looks to take the same basic idea of agents policing the time stream as Time Cop. But quickly you find out it’s a completely different movie. It’s a more intimate story involving one time agent on one mission that seems to have some huge importance to history, but also some very personal importance as well. It’s not really what I wanted out of the movie but I’m not going to lie, the way the story wraps up has a few surprising reveals that I didn’t see coming. I saw one of them coming pretty early, but not the other. It’s mostly well acted and interesting, but definitely quirky and a bit weird. The story focuses more on Ethan Hawke and Sarah Snook’s characters and their interactions with each other more than the actual time travel or the agency that is policing the time stream and how it works. But it’s still a good movie. I’d give it a soft recommend.

Game of Thrones: Season 2 – My wife and I started watching Season 2 a few weeks ago but she bowed out after two episodes. By contrast, I was hooked after the same two episodes. I went ahead and finished the season while Steph was away. THIS SHOW IS SO GOOD. Great characters, great drama. Everything in this world is so f**king filthy. Dirt and mud is EVERYWHERE. And I feel sorry for the actor who plays Joffrey. He plays the most despicable person in a TV show EVER. I want to punch him in the face. With a crowbar. SO GOOD. But far and above everyone else is Peter Dinklage kicking so much f**king ass as Tyrion Lannister. He gets better every episode. I’m two seasons behind right now so I’m trying to stay as spoiler free as possible, but I’m already aware that there is this thing called a “Red Wedding” and it happens at the end of season 3. But that’s all I know. SO SHUT UP ABOUT IT ALREADY.