Book Log 2007
Submitted by CaptMal on Wed, 01/03/2007 - 06:44
Tags:
- --Italics indicate rereadings--
- 1/3: The Restaurant at the End of the Universe (1980, Douglas Adams) - A+
- 1/5: Tales of the Vampires (2003-2004, Joss Whedon, Jane Espenson, Brett Matthews, Sam Loeb, Drew Goddard, and Ben Edlund) - A+
- 1/8: Life, the Universe and Everything (1982, Douglas Adams) - A+
- 1/10: So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish (1984, Douglas Adams) - A+
- 1/11: Tales of the Slayers (2002, Joss Whedon, Amber Benson, Jane Espenson, David Fury, Rebecca Rand Kirshner, and Doug Petrie) - A+
- 1/12: Mostly Harmless (1992, Douglas Adams) - A+
- 1/17: Earth X (1999-2000, Alex Ross and Jim Krueger) - A+
- 1/18: John Lennon: Unseen Archives (2002, Marie Clayton and Gareth Thomas) - B
- 1/25: Tunnel in the Sky (1957, Robert A. Heinlein) - B
- 2/2: Time for the Stars (1956, Robert A. Heinlein) - B-
- 2/14: Citizen of the Galaxy (1957, Robert A. Heinlein) - C+
- 2/17: Serenity: Those Left Behind (2005, Brett Matthews and Joss Whedon) - A+
- 2/26: The Love You Make: An Insider's Story of the Beatles (1983, Peter Brown and Steven Gaines) - B+
- 2/27: Batman: The Dark Knight Returns (1986, Frank Miller) - A+
- 3/6: The Most Evil Men and Women in History (2002, Miranda Twiss) - B+
- 3/22: Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Ring of Fire (2000, Doug Petrie) - A-
- 3/22: Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Pale Reflections (2000, Andi Watson) - C-
- 3/22: Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Uninvited Guests (1999, Andi Watson) - D-
- 3/22: Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Bad Blood (2000, Andi Watson) - D+
- 3/23: Spider-Man: Revenge of the Green Goblin (2000-2001, Roger Stern, Howard Mackie, and Paul Jenkins) - C+
- 4/16: Bag of Bones (1998, Stephen King) - A+
- 5/23: Sacred Games (2006, Vikrim Chandra) - A+
- 5/23: Buffy the Vampire Slayer: False Memories (2001, Tom Fassbender and Jim Pascoe) - C+
- 5/24: Fantastic Four: 1234 (2001-2002, Grant Morrison) - D
- 5/26: Joss Whedon: The Genius Behind Buffy (2003, Candace Havens) - A+
- 5/30: Buffy the Vampire Slayer: The Remaining Sunlight (1998, Andi Watson and J. L. Van Meter) - D
- 5/31: Buffy the Vampire Slayer: The Origin (1999, Christopher Golden and Daniel Brereton) - B+
- 5/31: Angel: The Hollower (1999, Christopher Golden) - B-
- 5/31: Buffy the Vampire Slayer/Angel: Past Lives (2001, Christopher Golden and Tom Sniegoski) - B+
- 5/31: Batman: Hush Returns (2004-2005, A.J. Lieberman) - B-
- 6/6: The Batman Chronicles: Volume One (1939-1940, Bob Kane) - B
- 6/6: The Ultimates: Vol. 1 - Super-Human (2002, Mark Millar) - A+
- 6/14: Firefly: The Official Companion - Volume Two (2007, Abbie Bernstein, Bryan Cairns, Karl Derrick, Tara Di Lullo, Ben Edlund, Tim Minear, Jose Molina, Cheryl Cain, Joss Whedon, and Brett Matthews) - A+
- 6/19: Batman: War on Crime (1999, Paul Dini and Alex Ross) - B
- 6/19: Buffy the Vampire Slayer: The Dust Waltz (1998, Dan Brereton) - B
- 6/20: Wonder Woman: The Hiketeia (2002, Greg Rucka) - A+
- 6/23: Serenity: Those Left Behind (2005, Brett Matthews and Joss Whedon) - A+
- 6/25: The Absolute Sandman: Volume One (1988-1990, Neil Gaiman) - A+
- 6/26: Silent Bob Speaks: The Collected Writings of Kevin Smith (2005, Kevin Smith) - A-
- 6/30: An Inconvenient Truth (2006, Al Gore) - A+
- 7/22: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (2007, J.K. Rowling) - A+
- 8/1: The Essential Spider-Man: Vol. 1 (1962-1965, Stan Lee) - A+
- 8/2: The Sandman: Season of Mists (1990-1991, Neil Gaiman) - A+
- 8/3: Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Spike and Dru (1999-2000, Christopher Golden and James Marsters) - B+
- 8/15: Superman: True Brit (2004, Kim "Howard" Johnson and John Cleese) - D-
- 9/4: Lisey's Story (2006, Stephen King) - B
- 9/7: Pizza: From Its Italian Origins to the Modern Table (2000, Rosario Buonassisi) - B+
- 9/7: In the Shadow of No Towers (2004, Art Spiegelman) - A
- 9/11: Sex, Drugs, and Cocoa Puffs: A Low Culture Manifesto (2004, Chuck Klosterman) - A+
- 9/22: The Beatles Anthology (2000, The Beatles) - A+
- 10/4: The Beatles and Philosophy: Nothing You Can Think That Can't Be Thunk (2006, Michael & Steven Baur, eds.) - A
- 10/4: Fray (2001-2003, Joss Whedon) - A+
- 10/8: Memories of John Lennon (2005, Yoko Ono, ed.) - A+
- 10/11: Serenity Found (2007, Jane Espenson, ed.) - A+
- 10/22: The Beatles (1968, Hunter Davies) - A+
- 10/25: A Hard Day's Write: The Stories Behind Every Beatles' Song (1994, Steve Turner) - A
- 10/26: In His Own Write (1964, John Lennon) - A+
- 10/26: In His Own Write (1964, John Lennon) - A+
- 10/26: Lennon Remembers (1971, Jann S. Wenner) - A+
- 11/2: The Playboy Interviews with John Lennon and Yoko Ono (1981, David Sheff) - A+
- 11/5: Skywriting by Word of Mouth, and Other Short Works, Including the Ballad of John and Yoko (1986, John Lennon) - A
- 11/21: My Boring-Ass Life: The Uncomfortably Candid Diary of Kevin Smith (2007, Kevin Smith) - A+
- 11/26: Ultimate Spider-Man: Vol. 1 - Power and Responsibility (2000-2001, Brian Michael Bendis) - A+
- 11/26: Ultimate Spider-Man: Vol. 2 - Learning Curve (2001, Brian Michael Bendis) - A+
- 11/27: Ultimate Spider-Man: Vol. 3 - Double Trouble (2001-2002, Brian Michael Bendis) - A+
- 11/27: Ultimate Spider-Man: Vol. 4 - Legacy (2002, Brian Michael Bendis) - A+
- 11/27: Ultimate Spider-Man: Vol. 5 - Public Scrutiny (2002-2003, Brian Michael Bendis) - A+
- 11/27: Ultimate Spider-Man: Vol. 6 - Venom (2003, Brian Michael Bendis) - A+
- 11/28: Ultimate Spider-Man: Vol. 7 - Irresponsible (2003, Brian Michael Bendis) - A+
- 11/28: Ultimate Spider-Man: Vol. 8 - Cats & Kings (2003-2004, Brian Michael Bendis) - A+
- 11/29: Ultimate Spider-Man: Vol. 9 - Ultimate Six (2003-2004, Brian Michael Bendis) - A-
- 11/29: Ultimate Spider-Man: Vol. 10 - Hollywood (2004, Brian Michael Bendis) - A+
- 11/29: Ultimate Spider-Man: Vol. 11 - Carnage (2004, Brian Michael Bendis) - A+
- 11/29: Ultimate Spider-Man: Vol. 12 - Superstars (2004-2005, Brian Michael Bendis) - A+
- 11/29: Ultimate Spider-Man: Vol. 13 - Hobgoblin (2005, Brian Michael Bendis) - A+
- 11/29: Ultimate Spider-Man: Vol. 14 - Warriors (2005-2006, Brian Michael Bendis) - A+
- 11/29: Ultimate Spider-Man: Vol. 15 - Silver Sable (2006, Brian Michael Bendis) - A+
- 11/29: Ultimate Spider-Man: Vol. 16 - Deadpool (2006, Brian Michael Bendis) - A+
- 11/30: Ultimate Spider-Man: Vol. 17 - Clone Saga (2006-2007, Brian Michael Bendis) - A
- 11/30: Ultimate Spider-Man: Vol. 18 - Ultimate Knights (2007, Brian Michael Bendis) - A+
- 12/3: Carrie (1974, Stephen King) - A-
- 12/21: Chronicles (2004, Bob Dylan) - A+
I've just started reading Batman Graphic novels, read the first 2 books of "The Dark Knight Returns" & "The Killing Joke" i see you gave Return of Dark Knight a A+, i see Ultimate Spider-Man on you're list, are they graphic novels ?
I'm really into it so far, i liked the second book of dark knight returns a little less than the first but i love how it goes deeper into the supporting characters such as gordon. Also the way it hints at things to come, like the joker being shown in both books so far but yet to step up to the mainstage of the story. I wouldn't mind reading other G.novels like Ghost World as i've seen the movie & american splendor for the same reason
I love comic books!
The Dark Knight Returns completely changed the game, altering the public perception of superhero comics as well as the industry as a whole, and permanently wiping away the idea that Batman was the silly, kitchsy clown Adam West had made him to be on the horrible 60's TV show. It's one of the greatest comic books ever written, second only to Alan Moore's Watchmen, the most brilliant examination and deconstruction of superhero mythology ever done.
I haven't actually read The Killing Joke, which is pretty embarrassing. As far as Batman goes, Batman: Year One is another essential read by Frank Miller.
If you dug the movie, you should definitely check out the Ghost World graphic novel. It's basically the 90's equivalent of Catcher in the Rye. I saw the movie well before I had read the book (and I only read it a couple months ago), and liked it a lot, but now having read and fallen in love with the book, I need to see it again.
I loved the American Splendor movie, but sadly I've never read the comics, which is another embarrassing oversight considering that Harvey Pekar is a Cleveland native and I live in a city right by Cleveland.
The Ultimate Spider-Man series is a fantastic re-imagining of the Spider-Man saga by Brian Michael Bendis, and though I feel kind of like I'm betraying the Stan Lee originals by saying this, it's pretty much the definitive Spider-Man, and this is coming from a lifelong webhead. It's totally revamped from the ground up as its own story, while still remaining true to the spirit of the regular Spider-Man comic book line. In fact, it was so successful and acclaimed that it spawned an entire Ultimate Marvel Universe, with updates of characters like the X-Men, the Avengers, Daredevil, the Fantastic Four, etc.
Two other comic book series which I would highly recommend are Neil Gaiman's Sandman (I've only read like the first five graphic novel collections, but it's already one of my favorite things ever) and Brian K. Vaughan's Y: The Last Man. Y just wrapped up its 60-issue run earlier this year, and I read every issue in just a couple of weeks. It was an exhilarating ride.
And oh yeah, I almost forgot Art Speigelman's Maus, the Pulitzer Prize-winning comic where Speigelman tells the true story of his father's life as a Jew during the Holocaust, with mice as Jews and cats as Nazis. It's awesome on more than a few levels.
Thankyou for your detailed response mate
yes from reading the dark knight returns i can see that it is far and away different from the 60s version, lol that must of been a shock for the readers back then ! Watchmen sounds pretty good , its only £9.99 on play.com i may have to get this, i'm also planning on getting The Dark Knight Strikes Again, but i hear it isn't as good as The Dark Knight Returns.
I'll be picking up ghost world hopefully at the weekend, i went to the closest Waterstones (about half an hour bus ride) today and they had it there, didn't have the cash on me but by weekend i will so gonna pick it up . oh yes big fan of the film, how loyal was the film to the source material would you say?
Ultimate Spider-Man is on play.com for average £8-10 a pop. So you say it revamped it, so origin story is different and everything? whats what i'm loving only having read first 3 books of Dark Knight Returns & Killing joke how its all about people's vision of an already established hero, so creative. so do Ultimate Spider-Man follow a story throughout like dark knight returns or is it a new story each edition?
thankyou again for the recommendations, look forward to your reply.
I think The Dark Knight Returns shocked the general public more than it did regular comics readers; Batman started out dark (in the beginning he even murdered villains!) and only got campy and goofy in the 50's and 60's, especially once the show hit. In the 70's, legendary comics writer Dennis O'Neill went back to basics during his run on the series and Batman got all dark and noir-ish again. Then again, it had moments to shock readers of all stripes such as when (spoilers for the final issue) Batman beats Superman to a bloody pulp for being Reagan's boy scout.
The Dark Knight Strikes Again is also great, if not as revolutionary or groundbreaking.
It's been a few years since I've seen the Ghost World movie, but from what I can remember, it's pretty loyal to the comics.
Ultimate Spider-Man doesn't have one single story line, as it's a traditional ongoing superhero series, where Peter faces different adversaries every few issues or so. Still, the series is big on continuity and there are lots of characters and themes which float in and out. It's kind of like if Joss Whedon were to do Spider-Man; there are "monsters of the week" (so to speak), but larger storylines and themes run throughout, the characters all the while spitting a slew of pop culture references in a very idiosyncratic way. I love it. In fact, apart from the current canonical comic book continuations of Joss' shows Buffy and Angel, Ultimate Spider-Man is the only series I buy regularly.
Hey mate
i've made a huge error lol i saw Batman Year One, and i didn't pick it up ! i've heard so many good things about it but its my birthday soon so i was hoping to ask for it for my birthday, save me forking out the money, but i fear with my luck it'll be sold out soon, i've never seen it before today in the shops lol oh my, i hope it doesn't sell out :P
still haven't read watchmen yet, gonna start soon !
just quick story lol hope all is well dude!
Hey, my birthday's soon too! On the 29th, to be exact.
When is yours?
24th, i have so many birthdays of friends and family in august, covering 20th, 23rd, 26th and 27th, its mad. :)
Wow, nice. My best friend's birthday is on the 18th, her little sister's birthday is today, and her dad's birthday was earlier in the week.