The only journey I'm really thinking about right now is the one today to Birmingham, to see my mum. I haven't seen her in ages, not even at Christmas, when times were bad and she was working on selling her big old house after my grandfather died. It will be great to catch up again, and not just in the exchange of presents. Patch things up, and hope things will get better this year, when Mum plans to move closer to us. So it's a journey for her as well as for all of us.
Train journeys are peaceful, too. Well, not at the moment, of course.
Friday, 20 January 2017
Sunday, 8 January 2017
Book Review - 'Americanah' by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
2023 EDIT: Part of my 2023 clear-up, of books I no longer like, or am no longer interested in, or remember well as standing out, or find as special anymore, or I otherwise will not miss.
(Also I no longer support Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie - see here for more.)
Final Score: 3.5/5
Original Review:
A spectacularly-written contemporary love story about race and culture, and how it all is from different perspectives.
'We Should All Be Feminists' introduced me to Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie and her work. 'Americanah' is the first novel I've read of hers.
She is a fascinating person and writer. 'Americanah' is about imperfect people with imperfect lives lived and yet to live. It explores how, no matter where we come from, no matter our privileges, many of us are unsatisfied with our own backgrounds and history, and yearn for something more and better in far-off places of dreams. Rich, exotic dreams.
Except nowhere is perfect, no one is perfect, and yeah, the American dream is a huge fat lie. A trap.
Could we truly be happy then? Even if we are with the people we love, will there always be complications - real world and internal struggles - and unfocused issues in the way of achieving a healthy relationship?
'Americanah' is beautiful in its writing of various settings and introducing a set of colourful, memorable, and tragically human characters. So many characters, and none of them are ever forgotten about. There is a whole spectrum of themes touched upon aside from cross-culture racism (like how nobody African-born is considered black until they enter non-African countries like America and England, plus how African-Americans must see themselves when they live in a racist society). Feminism, corrupt politics and businesses, immigration, travel survival, depression, classism, the societal differences (each problematic in their own way) between countries from the "Third World" and "First World", and hope for a better world that is not really here despite the progress we have made. The way we're going, true equality might never come.
The author looks in on the African main characters' lives and experiences - their names are Ifemelu and Obinze - from an authentic African viewpoint. The "plot" of 'Americanah' is mostly told in flashbacks: the reader is immersed in how the two distant lovers change overtime, from wide-eyed enthusiastic teenagers from Lagos, to beaten-down adults living abroad (Ifemelu in America and Obinze in England and then back to Nigeria) and making the best of their individual situations. Dreams, love, passion; these things wither and die in the face of the worst adversities. Or do they?
Ifemelu is a high-profile race blogger in America - an outsider within - who does not know as much as her writing suggests, and Obinze starts from nothing but becomes a wealthy Nigerian businessman with a family. Despite everything that happens to them, they find that after years of being apart and no longer in contact with each other, their old innocent passion kindles still. How will it end for Ifemelu and Obinze? Though in life there is no ending, only beginnings.
'Americanah' is smart, emotional, funny, heartbreaking, genuine, enticing and addictive. It has incredibly planned-out events; effortless moments of reflective character development as the story goes. This is what I read novels for. And for my first novel of 2017, this year is off to a great start.
It isn't perfect, with naivete and submissiveness being annoying traits in certain characters, and a rushed ending which has the feat of wrapping up everything yet not wrapping up much at the same time. Not satisfying exactly, but such is the way of real life, isn't it?
Like 'Persepolis', the 'Millennium' series, 'Jane Eyre', and the works of Maya Angelou and Jacqueline Woodson. But 'Americanah' is unique in its own right, and deserves to be lauded as such. For any outsider looking in on African culture, American culture, African-American culture, and English culture and society, this is a 477-page learned lesson. A personal quest for everyone to hear.
'Americanah' is not merely to be read, or criticized. It is an experience to be lived through.
Final Score: 4/5
(Also I no longer support Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie - see here for more.)
Final Score: 3.5/5
Original Review:
A spectacularly-written contemporary love story about race and culture, and how it all is from different perspectives.
'We Should All Be Feminists' introduced me to Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie and her work. 'Americanah' is the first novel I've read of hers.
She is a fascinating person and writer. 'Americanah' is about imperfect people with imperfect lives lived and yet to live. It explores how, no matter where we come from, no matter our privileges, many of us are unsatisfied with our own backgrounds and history, and yearn for something more and better in far-off places of dreams. Rich, exotic dreams.
Except nowhere is perfect, no one is perfect, and yeah, the American dream is a huge fat lie. A trap.
Could we truly be happy then? Even if we are with the people we love, will there always be complications - real world and internal struggles - and unfocused issues in the way of achieving a healthy relationship?
'Americanah' is beautiful in its writing of various settings and introducing a set of colourful, memorable, and tragically human characters. So many characters, and none of them are ever forgotten about. There is a whole spectrum of themes touched upon aside from cross-culture racism (like how nobody African-born is considered black until they enter non-African countries like America and England, plus how African-Americans must see themselves when they live in a racist society). Feminism, corrupt politics and businesses, immigration, travel survival, depression, classism, the societal differences (each problematic in their own way) between countries from the "Third World" and "First World", and hope for a better world that is not really here despite the progress we have made. The way we're going, true equality might never come.
The author looks in on the African main characters' lives and experiences - their names are Ifemelu and Obinze - from an authentic African viewpoint. The "plot" of 'Americanah' is mostly told in flashbacks: the reader is immersed in how the two distant lovers change overtime, from wide-eyed enthusiastic teenagers from Lagos, to beaten-down adults living abroad (Ifemelu in America and Obinze in England and then back to Nigeria) and making the best of their individual situations. Dreams, love, passion; these things wither and die in the face of the worst adversities. Or do they?
Ifemelu is a high-profile race blogger in America - an outsider within - who does not know as much as her writing suggests, and Obinze starts from nothing but becomes a wealthy Nigerian businessman with a family. Despite everything that happens to them, they find that after years of being apart and no longer in contact with each other, their old innocent passion kindles still. How will it end for Ifemelu and Obinze? Though in life there is no ending, only beginnings.
'Americanah' is smart, emotional, funny, heartbreaking, genuine, enticing and addictive. It has incredibly planned-out events; effortless moments of reflective character development as the story goes. This is what I read novels for. And for my first novel of 2017, this year is off to a great start.
It isn't perfect, with naivete and submissiveness being annoying traits in certain characters, and a rushed ending which has the feat of wrapping up everything yet not wrapping up much at the same time. Not satisfying exactly, but such is the way of real life, isn't it?
Like 'Persepolis', the 'Millennium' series, 'Jane Eyre', and the works of Maya Angelou and Jacqueline Woodson. But 'Americanah' is unique in its own right, and deserves to be lauded as such. For any outsider looking in on African culture, American culture, African-American culture, and English culture and society, this is a 477-page learned lesson. A personal quest for everyone to hear.
'Americanah' is not merely to be read, or criticized. It is an experience to be lived through.
Final Score: 4/5
Tuesday, 3 January 2017
Graphic Novel Review - 'Mockingbird, Vol. 1: I Can Explain' by Chelsea Cain (Writer), Kate Niemczyk (Artist)
"How can we have a meaningful dialogue with adolescent girls when we live in a culture that still can't talk about tampons?"
'Mockingbird, Vol. 1: I Can Explain' is one of the most intellectually challenging superhero comic books I've ever read, starring an incredibly intelligent female lead.
I knew nothing about the Marvel character Mockingbird before purchasing and reading her first solo volume. After reading it, and studying it some more, I have come to the conclusion that Barbara "Bobbi" Morse, aka Mockingbird, aka Agent 19, is one hell of a smart woman. She is a biochemist, a former Avenger (who isn't in the Marvel universe nowadays?), a secret agent working for S.H.I.E.L.D., an inventor, a coroner, an aspiring superhero, a martial artist, a feminist, a dominatrix, a subject infected with deadly mutant cells and a virus, a mental health patient, a faux psychic, a friend of the Queen of England, a badass, and a borderline sociopath.
Mockingbird is more versatile than Barbie. Science and discovery are her life. She treats her male partners, including her ex-husband, Hawkeye, more like experiments, lab rats and sex toys than equal human beings. Clint Barton and Lance Hunter are mostly shirtless and in compromising positions in this comic (not limited to explicit BDSM imagery that's outright comedic) - yes it is manservice in favour of the female gaze; an unapologetically blunt subversion.
Bobbi is so undeniably complex that I can overlook her faults - her hand-waved instabilities - and I no longer think, "Oh, just what we need: another pretty blonde bombshell in comics", when I see an image of her. (That 'Hawkeye: Avenging Archer' cover, though. Urgh! With all the costumes Mockingbird wears in 'I Can Explain', I like her standard superhero outfit the best, the one where she is wearing pants).
Bobbi Morse is a strong-willed, fascinating person. Despite everything that's happening around her, and inside of her, she has it all under her control. She is a scientist, and you believe it in the very clever writing. Agency is Bobbi's middle name; she makes her own decisions and she is usually right, remaining disturbingly calm even in life-and-death situations. Her snarky sense of humour is spot-on solid.
Like Mockingbird herself, the plot is also, as is described by the author Chelsea Cain and the Marvel publishers, a puzzle box. The story - the individual issues - are not told in linear order, and the reader does need to pay particular attention to details. Bobbi is obsessed with patterns, microbes, genetics, human evolution, and finding pieces that fit where they should and start making sense. The story and artwork reflect this (the art is one of the absolute best I've ever seen in comics, BTW). It can get a little confusing, but it comes together towards the end, and the brilliantly-human characters keep us willing to go along the ride. The last issue indicates more puzzles - going back from the first issue - to be solved, with pieces to be clicked into perfect place.
Even the title of the volume, 'I Can Explain', has a double meaning. It explains the convoluted layering of the plot and how its structured, and Mockingbird's own questionable psychosis on top of it.
Other heroes make cameo appearances, notably in S.H.I.E.L.D. itself, including Miles Morales as Spider-Man, and Howard the Duck, who is growing back in popularity.
'Mockingbird, Vol. 1: I Can Explain' is proof that Marvel can and should be brilliant. The boys-club company can do better, and it must never shy away from being progressive and expanding on its target audience (DC isn't much better at this either, but that only shows how far the comic book industry still has to go). By hiring more female writers and artists it has already achieved a lot. Enjoyable? Depends on the reader. Respecting the reader's intelligence? Oh yes.
So clever, and so feminist. Ask Bobbi (and Chelsea Cain) about her feminist agenda? How about asking why that's a problem? And why more creative media aren't following this example?
Final Score: 3.5/5
'Mockingbird, Vol. 1: I Can Explain' is one of the most intellectually challenging superhero comic books I've ever read, starring an incredibly intelligent female lead.
I knew nothing about the Marvel character Mockingbird before purchasing and reading her first solo volume. After reading it, and studying it some more, I have come to the conclusion that Barbara "Bobbi" Morse, aka Mockingbird, aka Agent 19, is one hell of a smart woman. She is a biochemist, a former Avenger (who isn't in the Marvel universe nowadays?), a secret agent working for S.H.I.E.L.D., an inventor, a coroner, an aspiring superhero, a martial artist, a feminist, a dominatrix, a subject infected with deadly mutant cells and a virus, a mental health patient, a faux psychic, a friend of the Queen of England, a badass, and a borderline sociopath.
Mockingbird is more versatile than Barbie. Science and discovery are her life. She treats her male partners, including her ex-husband, Hawkeye, more like experiments, lab rats and sex toys than equal human beings. Clint Barton and Lance Hunter are mostly shirtless and in compromising positions in this comic (not limited to explicit BDSM imagery that's outright comedic) - yes it is manservice in favour of the female gaze; an unapologetically blunt subversion.
Bobbi is so undeniably complex that I can overlook her faults - her hand-waved instabilities - and I no longer think, "Oh, just what we need: another pretty blonde bombshell in comics", when I see an image of her. (That 'Hawkeye: Avenging Archer' cover, though. Urgh! With all the costumes Mockingbird wears in 'I Can Explain', I like her standard superhero outfit the best, the one where she is wearing pants).
Bobbi Morse is a strong-willed, fascinating person. Despite everything that's happening around her, and inside of her, she has it all under her control. She is a scientist, and you believe it in the very clever writing. Agency is Bobbi's middle name; she makes her own decisions and she is usually right, remaining disturbingly calm even in life-and-death situations. Her snarky sense of humour is spot-on solid.
Like Mockingbird herself, the plot is also, as is described by the author Chelsea Cain and the Marvel publishers, a puzzle box. The story - the individual issues - are not told in linear order, and the reader does need to pay particular attention to details. Bobbi is obsessed with patterns, microbes, genetics, human evolution, and finding pieces that fit where they should and start making sense. The story and artwork reflect this (the art is one of the absolute best I've ever seen in comics, BTW). It can get a little confusing, but it comes together towards the end, and the brilliantly-human characters keep us willing to go along the ride. The last issue indicates more puzzles - going back from the first issue - to be solved, with pieces to be clicked into perfect place.
Even the title of the volume, 'I Can Explain', has a double meaning. It explains the convoluted layering of the plot and how its structured, and Mockingbird's own questionable psychosis on top of it.
Other heroes make cameo appearances, notably in S.H.I.E.L.D. itself, including Miles Morales as Spider-Man, and Howard the Duck, who is growing back in popularity.
'Mockingbird, Vol. 1: I Can Explain' is proof that Marvel can and should be brilliant. The boys-club company can do better, and it must never shy away from being progressive and expanding on its target audience (DC isn't much better at this either, but that only shows how far the comic book industry still has to go). By hiring more female writers and artists it has already achieved a lot. Enjoyable? Depends on the reader. Respecting the reader's intelligence? Oh yes.
So clever, and so feminist. Ask Bobbi (and Chelsea Cain) about her feminist agenda? How about asking why that's a problem? And why more creative media aren't following this example?
Final Score: 3.5/5
Non-Fiction Book Review - 'Ada Byron Lovelace and the Thinking Machine' by Laurie Wallmark (Writer), April Chu (Illustrator)
A picture book about the Bride of Science and Mathematics herself, and pioneer for the first computer program, Ada Lovelace.
It tells about her life, from her childhood to meeting and working with the inventor and scientist Charles Babbage. It also tells about her wide ambitions and passion for science and maths - her father Lord Byron's poetry was in words, her poetry was in numbers.
Ada sought out to make various physical, scientific discoveries; not just concerning Babbage's Analytical Machine, but the airplane and sailboat as well. She had a liking for astronomy too. No matter how many times people told her that girls shouldn't do anything analytical or scientific, this lady never gave up her love of numbers and note-taking.
The book is mainly for a child readership, so many aspects of Ada's life have been left out, such as her marriage and tragic early death. But it is a "thinking book" for schoolchildren, and the illustrations are charming and beautiful. Did Ada really have a cat, one which was there for her throughout her youth? I don't know, but it's a nice little touch.
'Ada Byron Lovelace and the Thinking Machine' - About the extraordinary mind of an extraordinary woman of science in the 1800s. Great for girls aspiring to work in the STEM fields, but also educational and entertaining for all ages and genders.
A short but lovely book. Ada Lovelace must be recognized and talked about more, especially in history, science and computer lessons. Today we have a lot to thank her and her brilliant brain for.
Final Score: 4/5
It tells about her life, from her childhood to meeting and working with the inventor and scientist Charles Babbage. It also tells about her wide ambitions and passion for science and maths - her father Lord Byron's poetry was in words, her poetry was in numbers.
Ada sought out to make various physical, scientific discoveries; not just concerning Babbage's Analytical Machine, but the airplane and sailboat as well. She had a liking for astronomy too. No matter how many times people told her that girls shouldn't do anything analytical or scientific, this lady never gave up her love of numbers and note-taking.
The book is mainly for a child readership, so many aspects of Ada's life have been left out, such as her marriage and tragic early death. But it is a "thinking book" for schoolchildren, and the illustrations are charming and beautiful. Did Ada really have a cat, one which was there for her throughout her youth? I don't know, but it's a nice little touch.
'Ada Byron Lovelace and the Thinking Machine' - About the extraordinary mind of an extraordinary woman of science in the 1800s. Great for girls aspiring to work in the STEM fields, but also educational and entertaining for all ages and genders.
A short but lovely book. Ada Lovelace must be recognized and talked about more, especially in history, science and computer lessons. Today we have a lot to thank her and her brilliant brain for.
Final Score: 4/5
Graphic Novel Review - 'Goldie Vance Vol. 1' by Hope Larson (Writer), Brittney Williams (Artist)
2023 EDIT:
Reread: I deduce and report that I'm not into 'Goldie Vance' in, well, anything, anymore. To me the first volume reads as being very short and shallow. The mystery story is not well developed, there are holes and easy-ways-out, and plot points and characters - even villains - are forgotten about or glossed over at the end.
I now find Goldie to be a highly obnoxious, reckless, selfish, thoughtless, irresponsible and criminal hero - she actually almost gets people killed here, and she doesn't care. Some of the other characters are not much better. They range from being morally grey to just pathetic.
But, on the positive side, the art is great and colourful, and the comic is easy and breezy enough that it can be a starting point for getting people into the comics medium. It has good sapphic representation, too.
It's a shame 'Goldie Vance' didn't entertain me or keep my attention enough for me to keep it.
Read my review of 'Goldie Vance: The Hotel Whodunit', which in hindsight further explains my thoughts on Goldie herself, and the series as a whole.
Final Score: 3/5
Original (and very dated) Review:
I came across 'Goldie Vance' from a list of comics with LBGTQ content, online (where else?). Because it's about a girl sleuth, it is so often compared to 'Nancy Drew' and 'Veronica Mars'. Well, I've never consumed anything Nancy-related in my life, and I seriously dislike 'Veronica Mars', so for a while I thought I'd skip 'Goldie Vance', since it didn't seem to be offering anything new or exciting, apart from the diversity of the cast. But curiosity eventually got the better of me, and I added the first volume to my Christmas list.
I'm happy I did. 'Goldie Vance', for the first several pages, isn't special. But as the plot progresses and the main character gets to interact with more people outside the hotel she lives and works in, I was suckered in.
Basically 'Goldie Vance', set in Florida in the 1960s, is about the titular biracial teenage girl, who is a valet at a hotel called Crossed Palms Resort, where her divorced dad also works. She aspires to be a detective and is always searching for clues about the latest case, partnering with Walter, the hotel's in-house detective, whom she gets on his tired case (bad pun, I know. I couldn't help it, sorry).
The comic is colourful, vibrant, nostalgic and a *ahem* tiny bit ridiculous, reminiscent of classic cartoons such as those of Hanna-Barbera (Scooby Doo, indeed), only much better drawn. The mystery of this first volume is decent and well-planned - nothing major but it's clear there are bigger adventures to come. There is over-the-top action and comedy (Mars colonization ends up here somehow), with a nice heart pulsing all the way. A great love of cars and driving is present - it is the sixties - as well as of nostalgia, cartoons and sleuthing.
The characters stand out just as well. Goldie is smart, witty, nimble, fast in every sense - in thinking, driving and acting, and adorable. You would really like to be her friend; she's a little sister figure who can hold her own. Goldie also has melancholic, self-doubting moments when solving a case, and she makes mistakes, for she is human. It's obvious she likes girls, too, so 'Goldie Vance' wasn't on that LBGTQ list for nothing, even if it isn't quite explicit (yet).
Plus she has a catchphrase: "Oh, flash!" Sweet.
Then there's her receptionist friend Cheryl who dreams of becoming an astronaut; Walter, a pretty useless and ineffectual detective even though, unlike Goldie, he is a professional; Sugar Maple, Goldie's ex-friend and rival, and the daughter of Crossed Palms's head manager, and who resembles Penelope Pitstop; Goldie's mum who works as a live mermaid at a club; Diane, the cool, beautiful record shop retailer and the girl sleuth's crush; and a load of others who are as colourful and memorable, including the bit-part ones like Skunk the skeevy, dealing racing car driver. The diversity of the cast is magnificent.
I can see 'Goldie Vance' being a Saturday morning cartoon. It is marketed as young adult, but its content isn't so "mature", nothing that kids can't handle, anyway. However, like many sleuth stories it does contain instances of the good guys committing dubious, borderline criminal acts, such as stealing and fraud, in order to solve a mystery and catch the "real" criminals. No one is perfect, though, and it is sometimes true that desperate times call for desperate measures.
'Goldie Vance' - Oh, flash! I just love its nostalgic appeal. Light but not too light, it's a fun little comic for all ages. If I didn't like the detective genre before, aside from a few Agatha Christie stories, I could do now with the spunky Goldie.
I am genuinely interested in reading more about her adventures, and seeing these characters again.
Final Score: 4/5
Reread: I deduce and report that I'm not into 'Goldie Vance' in, well, anything, anymore. To me the first volume reads as being very short and shallow. The mystery story is not well developed, there are holes and easy-ways-out, and plot points and characters - even villains - are forgotten about or glossed over at the end.
I now find Goldie to be a highly obnoxious, reckless, selfish, thoughtless, irresponsible and criminal hero - she actually almost gets people killed here, and she doesn't care. Some of the other characters are not much better. They range from being morally grey to just pathetic.
But, on the positive side, the art is great and colourful, and the comic is easy and breezy enough that it can be a starting point for getting people into the comics medium. It has good sapphic representation, too.
It's a shame 'Goldie Vance' didn't entertain me or keep my attention enough for me to keep it.
Read my review of 'Goldie Vance: The Hotel Whodunit', which in hindsight further explains my thoughts on Goldie herself, and the series as a whole.
Final Score: 3/5
Original (and very dated) Review:
I came across 'Goldie Vance' from a list of comics with LBGTQ content, online (where else?). Because it's about a girl sleuth, it is so often compared to 'Nancy Drew' and 'Veronica Mars'. Well, I've never consumed anything Nancy-related in my life, and I seriously dislike 'Veronica Mars', so for a while I thought I'd skip 'Goldie Vance', since it didn't seem to be offering anything new or exciting, apart from the diversity of the cast. But curiosity eventually got the better of me, and I added the first volume to my Christmas list.
I'm happy I did. 'Goldie Vance', for the first several pages, isn't special. But as the plot progresses and the main character gets to interact with more people outside the hotel she lives and works in, I was suckered in.
Basically 'Goldie Vance', set in Florida in the 1960s, is about the titular biracial teenage girl, who is a valet at a hotel called Crossed Palms Resort, where her divorced dad also works. She aspires to be a detective and is always searching for clues about the latest case, partnering with Walter, the hotel's in-house detective, whom she gets on his tired case (bad pun, I know. I couldn't help it, sorry).
The comic is colourful, vibrant, nostalgic and a *ahem* tiny bit ridiculous, reminiscent of classic cartoons such as those of Hanna-Barbera (Scooby Doo, indeed), only much better drawn. The mystery of this first volume is decent and well-planned - nothing major but it's clear there are bigger adventures to come. There is over-the-top action and comedy (Mars colonization ends up here somehow), with a nice heart pulsing all the way. A great love of cars and driving is present - it is the sixties - as well as of nostalgia, cartoons and sleuthing.
The characters stand out just as well. Goldie is smart, witty, nimble, fast in every sense - in thinking, driving and acting, and adorable. You would really like to be her friend; she's a little sister figure who can hold her own. Goldie also has melancholic, self-doubting moments when solving a case, and she makes mistakes, for she is human. It's obvious she likes girls, too, so 'Goldie Vance' wasn't on that LBGTQ list for nothing, even if it isn't quite explicit (yet).
Plus she has a catchphrase: "Oh, flash!" Sweet.
Then there's her receptionist friend Cheryl who dreams of becoming an astronaut; Walter, a pretty useless and ineffectual detective even though, unlike Goldie, he is a professional; Sugar Maple, Goldie's ex-friend and rival, and the daughter of Crossed Palms's head manager, and who resembles Penelope Pitstop; Goldie's mum who works as a live mermaid at a club; Diane, the cool, beautiful record shop retailer and the girl sleuth's crush; and a load of others who are as colourful and memorable, including the bit-part ones like Skunk the skeevy, dealing racing car driver. The diversity of the cast is magnificent.
I can see 'Goldie Vance' being a Saturday morning cartoon. It is marketed as young adult, but its content isn't so "mature", nothing that kids can't handle, anyway. However, like many sleuth stories it does contain instances of the good guys committing dubious, borderline criminal acts, such as stealing and fraud, in order to solve a mystery and catch the "real" criminals. No one is perfect, though, and it is sometimes true that desperate times call for desperate measures.
'Goldie Vance' - Oh, flash! I just love its nostalgic appeal. Light but not too light, it's a fun little comic for all ages. If I didn't like the detective genre before, aside from a few Agatha Christie stories, I could do now with the spunky Goldie.
I am genuinely interested in reading more about her adventures, and seeing these characters again.
Final Score: 4/5
Monday, 2 January 2017
Graphic Novel Review - 'The Legend of Wonder Woman Vol. 1: Origins' by Renae De Liz, Ray Dillon (Inker and Colourist)
Last year my first review was of a 'Wonder Woman' comic, so I thought, "Let's carry out this kind of tradition!". This year my first review is of 'The Legend of Wonder Woman Vol. 1: Origins'.
I've waited nearly a year to get my hands on this beauty. It's been agonizing, but utterly worth it. Wonder Woman has had her origin retold again and again, not as much as Batman's origin or Superman's, but with 'The Legend of Wonder Woman', it is clear she deserves as much attention as they do, if not more so.
'The Legend of Wonder Woman' is an epic, a fantastic story. The structure and pacing - sublime. The characters - phenomenal in their own way. Simply put, it is a universal wonder. An alternative title would be, 'The meaning of life, the universe and everything in it is... Diana of Themyscira!' Renae De Liz clearly loves Wonder Woman and respects her in everything she represents.
In this retelling of her origin, Princess Diana is a mortal, like most of her Amazon sisterhood, who the Greek gods gift with girl children every ten years in thanks for their worship of them. Gods still rule the lives of the tragic Amazons, especially that of the downhearted immortal Queen Hippolyta, through different pantheons. An unknowable, cosmic force guides the young curious princess throughout her sheltered life of "peace", helping her to sense the darkness invading Themyscira from the war-torn outside world, and carry her towards her true destiny.
One loss Diana endures is being unable to return to her beloved homeland once she leaves its enchanted boundaries, in order to bring the pilot Steve Trevor back home safely after she wins a tournament. All the while she navigates through the manipulations of the gods, and of an Amazon who had caused Steve to crash land on Themysira in the first place, in a plot to overthrow Hippolyta. The poor Amazon princess's mother, and her people, end up meeting a terrible fate in her absence.
After many hardships and betrayals like those suffered by her mother before her, Diana, initially a reluctant hero, turns out to be the ancient Greek champion of WWII America, the world, of truth, justice, compassion, light, love, and the creation of the universe itself.
She can actually fly in this version of her tale!
Yep, 'The Legend of Wonder Woman' loves its strong-hearted heroine. This comic allows the feminist icon Wonder Woman to make her own decisions regarding her destiny throughout her hero's journey, giving the middle finger to the interfering gods for good measure. The story lives up to its hype and its potential, and it is glorious.
After reading the whole 350-page fantasy epic, I felt exhausted, like I'd just finished a long holiday abroad. But the memories of adventure and sunshine remain and fade and come back stronger than ever.
Aside from having nearly everything I'd want in a 'Wonder Woman' comic, such as a true hero's journey-type origin, in 'The Legend of Wonder Woman' each character has a distinct personality and arc - nobody is brushed aside and forgotten about. In the setting of America in 1944, the Second World War is put in the forefront of the story and of Diana's personal development; the horror and tragedies are not glossed over. Wonder Woman becomes an icon of love and peace for girls, and for the seemingly-hopeless world, because of her insistence that there is still good to be found, and to fight for, in all the death, violence and darkness.
The artwork is brilliant - can't forget about that, either. Renae De Liz wrote and drew the entire volume; such talent should not be overlooked and underappreciated in the comic book industry today.
One character I'd like to dedicate a paragraph to besides Diana is Etta Candy. Yeah, she is rightfully included in this version of Wondy's origin. Etta absolutely steals the show. With her endless funny and charismatic dialogue and the respectful, human way she is written and drawn, she shines in every single panel she is in. Her larger-than-life personality contrasts with Diana's silent and solemn one - upon entering man's world during World War II - making them a great friendship pair and odd couple. Etta is the one who shows the lost princess the ropes in this fish-out-of-water tale, who gives her a home, who helps her to blend in in a new environment, and who is always there for her in any situation, no matter how tense and dangerous. Etta is a true friend. Did I also mention she is the one who gives Diana the name Wonder Woman, and makes her costume? (One of the funniest moments is Etta crying out about Wonder Woman being difficult to figure out - one of the many clever feminist commentaries this comic offers). And Etta fires a machine gun from a fighter plane.
Etta Candy is unstoppable, and a vital part of Wondy's path to becoming a hero. I love it.
Steve Trevor, to my pleasant surprise, doesn't have as strong a presence, as Diana's sort-of-but-not-really-subtle love interest. He's a decent human being who befriends and helps out Diana along with Etta and her singing sorority girls. Turns out Steve is the one who teaches the superheroine how to fly a plane, and who unwittingly gives her her invisible jet. He's a nice bloke, overall.
It is excellent that Diana's mentor - her first, on Themyscira - is a fellow Amazon. A captain of the guard in fact, and an immortal like the princess's mother Hippolyta, with whom the mentor has a long, complex history with. She plays a big part in Wonder Woman's development, and in all the gloom and doom and brutality proves a positive influence.
Not a spoiler: Ares is the main villain in this origin story. He is not really shown to the reader, but he is a sure, ominous being felt and talked about throughout all the war and devastation happening in the world. He is a monster of corruption, feeding off of death, grief and hatred, and will do anything to bring about earth's destruction, taking its ungrateful humanity with it, who're without any ancient magic gifted by the gods many a millennia ago. Ares is not a shadow, a shapeshifter, or a jilted lover of either Hippolyta or Diana. He is just a vengeful war god, one of many who originated from the stars of the universe after the Big Bang. And that is perfectly okay.
Another bonus: Here we get cameos of a few famous DC Universe characters in their early days. One of which is Alfred Pennyworth, whose appearance is so unexpected and hilarious I laughed hard and had to take a little break from reading. I won't spoil anything, but it is ingenious.
Slight negatives about 'The Legend of Wonder Woman' I can point out are the numerous characters and villains to keep tract of and find relevance in the story, for this epic origin manages the feat of being a bit complicated yet simple at the same time. Hippolyta I find to be the weakest character, in her pessimism, self-pity and subservience to male gods, including the manipulative Zeus. I was like, "Holy Hera, would you stand up for yourself already, you're the queen! You're thousands of years old! Try to protect yourself and your people! Do something!" (But at least it is she who makes Wondy's famous attire and weapons, including the golden lasso, for her) And the loose ends deliberately left unresolved after the awesome climax are annoying. I know it's the first volume, but I'd like to read a superhero graphic novel that is a satisfying standalone all on its own, just once.
Still, for a fantasy/drama/Greek mythology/World War II comic built up to a such a huge, universe-sized scale, in a less capable writer's hands it could have been a disaster. Thanks to De Liz, it isn't. Princess Diana is left in the dark as well as the reader for most of the comic, as answers are slowly revealed to her, making us relate to and empathize with her more.
So, is 'The Legend of Wonder Woman Vol. 1: Origins' one of the best origin stories, nay, one of the best stories about Wonder Woman to date? Hades yes! Like I said, it is an epic. One that fans of Wonder Woman would want. Action-packed, daring, haunting, colourful, well-researched, and knowingly feminist, it is pure, wonderful awesomeness of a high magnitude.
This and 'The True Amazon' are my favourite 'Wonder Woman' graphic novels. She keeps getting better and better, seemingly through the ages, her truth shining brighter in my eyes.
Like a true legend.
Final Score: 5/5
I've waited nearly a year to get my hands on this beauty. It's been agonizing, but utterly worth it. Wonder Woman has had her origin retold again and again, not as much as Batman's origin or Superman's, but with 'The Legend of Wonder Woman', it is clear she deserves as much attention as they do, if not more so.
'The Legend of Wonder Woman' is an epic, a fantastic story. The structure and pacing - sublime. The characters - phenomenal in their own way. Simply put, it is a universal wonder. An alternative title would be, 'The meaning of life, the universe and everything in it is... Diana of Themyscira!' Renae De Liz clearly loves Wonder Woman and respects her in everything she represents.
In this retelling of her origin, Princess Diana is a mortal, like most of her Amazon sisterhood, who the Greek gods gift with girl children every ten years in thanks for their worship of them. Gods still rule the lives of the tragic Amazons, especially that of the downhearted immortal Queen Hippolyta, through different pantheons. An unknowable, cosmic force guides the young curious princess throughout her sheltered life of "peace", helping her to sense the darkness invading Themyscira from the war-torn outside world, and carry her towards her true destiny.
One loss Diana endures is being unable to return to her beloved homeland once she leaves its enchanted boundaries, in order to bring the pilot Steve Trevor back home safely after she wins a tournament. All the while she navigates through the manipulations of the gods, and of an Amazon who had caused Steve to crash land on Themysira in the first place, in a plot to overthrow Hippolyta. The poor Amazon princess's mother, and her people, end up meeting a terrible fate in her absence.
After many hardships and betrayals like those suffered by her mother before her, Diana, initially a reluctant hero, turns out to be the ancient Greek champion of WWII America, the world, of truth, justice, compassion, light, love, and the creation of the universe itself.
She can actually fly in this version of her tale!
Yep, 'The Legend of Wonder Woman' loves its strong-hearted heroine. This comic allows the feminist icon Wonder Woman to make her own decisions regarding her destiny throughout her hero's journey, giving the middle finger to the interfering gods for good measure. The story lives up to its hype and its potential, and it is glorious.
After reading the whole 350-page fantasy epic, I felt exhausted, like I'd just finished a long holiday abroad. But the memories of adventure and sunshine remain and fade and come back stronger than ever.
Aside from having nearly everything I'd want in a 'Wonder Woman' comic, such as a true hero's journey-type origin, in 'The Legend of Wonder Woman' each character has a distinct personality and arc - nobody is brushed aside and forgotten about. In the setting of America in 1944, the Second World War is put in the forefront of the story and of Diana's personal development; the horror and tragedies are not glossed over. Wonder Woman becomes an icon of love and peace for girls, and for the seemingly-hopeless world, because of her insistence that there is still good to be found, and to fight for, in all the death, violence and darkness.
The artwork is brilliant - can't forget about that, either. Renae De Liz wrote and drew the entire volume; such talent should not be overlooked and underappreciated in the comic book industry today.
One character I'd like to dedicate a paragraph to besides Diana is Etta Candy. Yeah, she is rightfully included in this version of Wondy's origin. Etta absolutely steals the show. With her endless funny and charismatic dialogue and the respectful, human way she is written and drawn, she shines in every single panel she is in. Her larger-than-life personality contrasts with Diana's silent and solemn one - upon entering man's world during World War II - making them a great friendship pair and odd couple. Etta is the one who shows the lost princess the ropes in this fish-out-of-water tale, who gives her a home, who helps her to blend in in a new environment, and who is always there for her in any situation, no matter how tense and dangerous. Etta is a true friend. Did I also mention she is the one who gives Diana the name Wonder Woman, and makes her costume? (One of the funniest moments is Etta crying out about Wonder Woman being difficult to figure out - one of the many clever feminist commentaries this comic offers). And Etta fires a machine gun from a fighter plane.
Etta Candy is unstoppable, and a vital part of Wondy's path to becoming a hero. I love it.
Steve Trevor, to my pleasant surprise, doesn't have as strong a presence, as Diana's sort-of-but-not-really-subtle love interest. He's a decent human being who befriends and helps out Diana along with Etta and her singing sorority girls. Turns out Steve is the one who teaches the superheroine how to fly a plane, and who unwittingly gives her her invisible jet. He's a nice bloke, overall.
It is excellent that Diana's mentor - her first, on Themyscira - is a fellow Amazon. A captain of the guard in fact, and an immortal like the princess's mother Hippolyta, with whom the mentor has a long, complex history with. She plays a big part in Wonder Woman's development, and in all the gloom and doom and brutality proves a positive influence.
Not a spoiler: Ares is the main villain in this origin story. He is not really shown to the reader, but he is a sure, ominous being felt and talked about throughout all the war and devastation happening in the world. He is a monster of corruption, feeding off of death, grief and hatred, and will do anything to bring about earth's destruction, taking its ungrateful humanity with it, who're without any ancient magic gifted by the gods many a millennia ago. Ares is not a shadow, a shapeshifter, or a jilted lover of either Hippolyta or Diana. He is just a vengeful war god, one of many who originated from the stars of the universe after the Big Bang. And that is perfectly okay.
Another bonus: Here we get cameos of a few famous DC Universe characters in their early days. One of which is Alfred Pennyworth, whose appearance is so unexpected and hilarious I laughed hard and had to take a little break from reading. I won't spoil anything, but it is ingenious.
Slight negatives about 'The Legend of Wonder Woman' I can point out are the numerous characters and villains to keep tract of and find relevance in the story, for this epic origin manages the feat of being a bit complicated yet simple at the same time. Hippolyta I find to be the weakest character, in her pessimism, self-pity and subservience to male gods, including the manipulative Zeus. I was like, "Holy Hera, would you stand up for yourself already, you're the queen! You're thousands of years old! Try to protect yourself and your people! Do something!" (But at least it is she who makes Wondy's famous attire and weapons, including the golden lasso, for her) And the loose ends deliberately left unresolved after the awesome climax are annoying. I know it's the first volume, but I'd like to read a superhero graphic novel that is a satisfying standalone all on its own, just once.
Still, for a fantasy/drama/Greek mythology/World War II comic built up to a such a huge, universe-sized scale, in a less capable writer's hands it could have been a disaster. Thanks to De Liz, it isn't. Princess Diana is left in the dark as well as the reader for most of the comic, as answers are slowly revealed to her, making us relate to and empathize with her more.
So, is 'The Legend of Wonder Woman Vol. 1: Origins' one of the best origin stories, nay, one of the best stories about Wonder Woman to date? Hades yes! Like I said, it is an epic. One that fans of Wonder Woman would want. Action-packed, daring, haunting, colourful, well-researched, and knowingly feminist, it is pure, wonderful awesomeness of a high magnitude.
This and 'The True Amazon' are my favourite 'Wonder Woman' graphic novels. She keeps getting better and better, seemingly through the ages, her truth shining brighter in my eyes.
Like a true legend.
Final Score: 5/5
Sunday, 1 January 2017
New Years Not-So Hangovers Hang-Out 2016 (plus a cat)
Happy New Year to all, and to my boyfriend and our mates! :) xx
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