Recommended Read's & See's, 6/5/12 (Short and Sweet Edition)
In Comics:
Doctor Who/Star Trek: TNG Crossover, Issue 1: I really like the way the plot is going, but the art is throwing me for a loop. I read a somewhat unkind accusation somewhere that it looked like the artist had simply photoshopped filters onto stills from both TV shows. I don't think that's what it looks like, but there's a weird disconnect between the quality of the art and story.
Angel and Faith, Issue 10, "Ladies of a Certain Age": I will admit, I broke my own rules to buy this one issue. Anything to find out more about Giles and the Watcher's Council... except that frustratingly little of that was extent. Instead, there was a funny story about Giles' two aunts, who turn out to be very good characters with interesting personalities (Best line, "Darling, we're shallow, not stupid"), and a lot of action and banter that made me feel like I was watching an episode of the TV show, not reading a comic. I don't know if I'll keep buying, but I didn't end up disappointed overall.
In Manga:
Sunshine Sketch, Vol. 5: For some reason, this one seemed more dull than the others. It could be that I'm tired of the set-up, but it's more that the introduction of two new characters is taking up a lot of the already slow plot's time. Anyway, this is still one of the sweetest, most adorable manga that I can think of. I know I should be reading it in Japanese to practice, but nothing can knock Yotsubato! from that perch, and I'm loathe to go find more things to put on the to-read pile.
At the Movies:
Men in Black 3: This was utter fluff, and I really enjoyed it. I didn't get the feeling that Tommy Lee Jones or Will Smith was in it simply for the paycheck, and the plot actually surprised me a couple of times. (I will say that I didn't really appreciate the digs at Andy Warhol, but whatever.) Obviously not Oscar-bait, but good, puffy, sci-fi-lite fun.
On TV:
Legend of Korra, Episode 8, I really liked how this episode started light and silly, but became very serious in the second half. To go from Team Avatar kicking ass in their souped up Sato mobile (this sequence was so exciting and entertaining that I could have watched an entire episode of just it) to seeing Korra defeated at the hands of Magnificent Bastard!Tarrlock was a nice meta reference to the "extremes" that the episode title referenced. MB!Tarrlock is actually a pretty good villain, all things considered (although I was yelling things at the TV during the last half of the confrontation.) I had long suspected that he had something up his sleeve, bending-wise, and now we know. I wonder how long he'll be able to keep up the facade for the rest of the city, and I eagerly await the beat down he so clearly deserves.
Adventure Time, "Goliad": This episode really reminded me of why I love this show so much; the writing was incredibly funny, the artwork was at its reality-skewing best. (Finn trying not to show his thoughts to Goliad was just wonderful, so real and relatable, and yet completely fantastical at the same time.) And even though I guessed the plot twist, it didn't matter. I was having too much fun to be annoyed. :D
The scene with the candy toddlers wrecking havoc at the daycare, though, made
yebisu9 and I look at each other. After a moment, one of us said, "Yeah..." and the other answered, "I know." Funny how the animators managed to channel R.'s sheer chaos into an animated 20 seconds of perfection.
Doctor Who/Star Trek: TNG Crossover, Issue 1: I really like the way the plot is going, but the art is throwing me for a loop. I read a somewhat unkind accusation somewhere that it looked like the artist had simply photoshopped filters onto stills from both TV shows. I don't think that's what it looks like, but there's a weird disconnect between the quality of the art and story.
Angel and Faith, Issue 10, "Ladies of a Certain Age": I will admit, I broke my own rules to buy this one issue. Anything to find out more about Giles and the Watcher's Council... except that frustratingly little of that was extent. Instead, there was a funny story about Giles' two aunts, who turn out to be very good characters with interesting personalities (Best line, "Darling, we're shallow, not stupid"), and a lot of action and banter that made me feel like I was watching an episode of the TV show, not reading a comic. I don't know if I'll keep buying, but I didn't end up disappointed overall.
In Manga:
Sunshine Sketch, Vol. 5: For some reason, this one seemed more dull than the others. It could be that I'm tired of the set-up, but it's more that the introduction of two new characters is taking up a lot of the already slow plot's time. Anyway, this is still one of the sweetest, most adorable manga that I can think of. I know I should be reading it in Japanese to practice, but nothing can knock Yotsubato! from that perch, and I'm loathe to go find more things to put on the to-read pile.
At the Movies:
Men in Black 3: This was utter fluff, and I really enjoyed it. I didn't get the feeling that Tommy Lee Jones or Will Smith was in it simply for the paycheck, and the plot actually surprised me a couple of times. (I will say that I didn't really appreciate the digs at Andy Warhol, but whatever.) Obviously not Oscar-bait, but good, puffy, sci-fi-lite fun.
On TV:
Legend of Korra, Episode 8, I really liked how this episode started light and silly, but became very serious in the second half. To go from Team Avatar kicking ass in their souped up Sato mobile (this sequence was so exciting and entertaining that I could have watched an entire episode of just it) to seeing Korra defeated at the hands of Magnificent Bastard!Tarrlock was a nice meta reference to the "extremes" that the episode title referenced. MB!Tarrlock is actually a pretty good villain, all things considered (although I was yelling things at the TV during the last half of the confrontation.) I had long suspected that he had something up his sleeve, bending-wise, and now we know. I wonder how long he'll be able to keep up the facade for the rest of the city, and I eagerly await the beat down he so clearly deserves.
Adventure Time, "Goliad": This episode really reminded me of why I love this show so much; the writing was incredibly funny, the artwork was at its reality-skewing best. (Finn trying not to show his thoughts to Goliad was just wonderful, so real and relatable, and yet completely fantastical at the same time.) And even though I guessed the plot twist, it didn't matter. I was having too much fun to be annoyed. :D
The scene with the candy toddlers wrecking havoc at the daycare, though, made
yebisu9 and I look at each other. After a moment, one of us said, "Yeah..." and the other answered, "I know." Funny how the animators managed to channel R.'s sheer chaos into an animated 20 seconds of perfection.