Monthly Archives: July 2017
Cave Carson Has a Cybernetic Eye by Gerard Way, Jon Rivera, and Michael Avon Oeming – A Book Review
You may remember from last November that I loved Cave Carson Has a Cybernetic Eye #1 (click HERE if you want to read that particular review). Life got in the way of reading subsequent issues, but I made a point to purchase the collected edition of the first six episodes which has been titled “Going Underground.”
Everything I adored about the first issue continues with each additional installment. Yes, this title gets weirder and weirder (which is a total compliment), but it also gets funnier, more sentimental, and even more full of action.
Way and Rivera pack this volume full of everything a reader could want. There’s melancholy and loss regarding Cave’s wife, Eileen. There’s science fiction and mystery regarding his cybernetic eye. There’s a family dynamic and father/daughter tension regarding his college-aged daughter, Chloe. There’s intrigue and corporate turmoil regarding his former employer, EBX. There’s fantasy and philosophical conflict regarding the underground kingdom known as Muldroog. And there’s lots and lots of gunfire regarding Cave’s unlikely friend and obscure blast from the past, Wild Dog (a personal favorite of mine).
But, even with all of these different things going on, Way and Rivera deliver a cohesive story that seems to be going somewhere specific. I won’t lie — this book travels to some strange places and doesn’t always make obvious sense. That’s part of what I love about it. However, the authors have revealed enough to make me trust their vision and skill. I suspect this will be an epic story that unfolds slowly amidst more immediate action, and that’s just the way I like it. Best of all? There is a dark humor always present, one that is sometimes delightful, sometimes disturbing, but always funny.
Michael Avon Oeming’s art suits this story perfectly. At times, this book gets really, really violent. Oeming’s art is a little on the cartoonish side, so it’s always shocking when he depicts one of those intense moments. However, even though his art has a simplified look, his characters are always in motion, his panels flow smoothly, and the implied movement is always conveyed interestingly. In other words, he’s very good at this medium. I particularly enjoy the angles he chooses and his creative use of space upon the page. At times he employs the traditional panel grid, but he is also unafraid to subvert that convention and do something more experimental.
We can’t appreciate Michael Avon Oeming without also crediting Nick Filardi’s coloring. There are certain teams in the industry that enhance each other’s talents to create something incredibly special. Oeming and Filardi are such a duo. Filardi’s colors in this book are subdued yet extreme, strange yet beautiful, traditional yet innovative. His use of the dot matrix looks customary but feels revolutionary, which is probably a great way to describe Cave Carson Has a Cybernetic Eye as a whole.
It’s also a great way to describe another element of this book — Tom Scioli’s Super Powers. Allow me to take a trip down memory lane … Once upon a time, I enjoyed a cartoon called Super Friends. The Super Friends had a few kid members, particularly Zan and Jayna — The Wonder Twins. That cartoon eventually evolved into Super Powers, which also had a comic book and a toy line that I still revere to this day. Finally, comic books used to have backup stories featuring less popular characters that couldn’t always support their own series.
Cave Carson Has a Cybernetic Eye features such a backup story called Super Powers by Tom Scioli that features Zan and Jayna — The Wonder Twins. It is absolutely bonkers and marvelous. It embraces beloved elements and designs of that era, yet it also undermines those elements to create something mutinous and captivating. It is unorthodox, daring, and strangely charming. In an industry where we seem to keep getting the same stories over and over, Super Powers defies established methodology.
By now you’ve probably guessed this, but I highly recommend you add Cave Carson Has a Cybernetic Eye: Going Underground to your bookshelves.
(Did you enjoy this review? Check out Scott William Foley’s short stories HERE!)
Spider-Man: Homecoming – A Movie Review
I have to be honest, even though I thought Tom Holland’s Spider-Man proved one of the best parts of Civil War, I did not feel excited about yet another reboot of his own movie series. I absolutely did not want to sit through poor Uncle Ben getting killed yet again, Pete getting bitten by a spider again, another turbulent romance with Mary Jane, and then a retread of the same villains we’ve also already seen.
Why didn’t I have faith in Marvel?
My mistake.
Spider-Man: Homecoming won me over completely. It avoided all of those things I most dreaded. Instead, we’ve got a Spider-Man finding his way months after Civil War. This Spider-Man movie felt completely fresh and absolutely a part of the larger Marvel Universe. Other than the web-slinging and the colors of the suit, Homecoming departed from much of what has already been done with Spidey on the big screen. Tom Holland looks like an actual high school student. He acts like an actual high school student. He sounds like an actual high school student. He’s got a whole new group of supporting characters. Even Aunt May is a big departure from what we’ve already seen and they had some hilarious ongoing gags about her attractiveness.
As you’ve seen from commercials, Happy Hogan and Tony Stark play huge roles in this film. This also sets it apart and makes it far more funny than any previous Spider-Man movie. Tom Holland has great chemistry with pretty much everyone, but especially with Robert Downey, Jr. and Jon Favreau.
In terms of tone, Homecoming is pretty lighthearted and humorous. However, that’s not to say it doesn’t have some serious action scenes and real suspense. I wouldn’t say it’s scary at all, but the Vulture is definitely an intimidating villain in both appearance and action.
Speaking of whom, Michael Keaton undeniably crushes it as the Vulture. He delivers a multifaceted character who is both sympathetic and even likable. I love how they set him up, the motivation they give him, and then his mindset. I think that, along with Alfred Molina’s Doctor Octopus, he is the best cinematic Spidey villain yet. Maybe even the best contemporary Marvel movie villain, for that matter.
What delighted me most about Homecoming, though, is that it genuinely surprised me several times. There were huge character revelations that I didn’t expected that made the story all the more intimate and definitely increased my investment. I cared about virtually every character in this movie!
Spider-Man: Homecoming managed to somehow surprise while keeping a funny, light tone with real moments of suspense. Tom Holland oozes charisma while emanating Peter’s intellect, charm, youthful indecision, and — most importantly — innocent heroism.
Against all odds, I am fully committed to this third Spider-Man reboot. Here’s hoping Tom Holland will serve the anchor to Marvel’s cinematic universe for many years to come.
(Did you enjoy this review? Check out Scott William Foley’s short stories HERE!)
The Spectacular Sisterhood of Superwomen by Hope Nicholson – A Book Review
I got this item for free on Amazon Vine. When I saw it, I thought it would be perfect for my eight-year-old daughter. She’s developed a real affinity for super heroes, and I particularly want her to realize there are plenty of strong, intelligent, respectable female super heroes as well.
Initially, I assumed this would be a reference book of our most popular female heroes for her to both enjoy and from which to learn. That was my mistake. (That sounds overly dramatic. This is not a negative review at all. I’ll explain in a bit …)
As is my habit when I get unknown books for my children, I preview them first. It became very obvious very quickly that this is not intended for an eight-year-old.
This is not so much a reference book as it is a historical overview of female comic book characters going as far back as the 1930s. The book is divided into chapters by decade and presents anywhere from five to twelve characters per chapter. The author tries to choose culturally important characters or characters that influenced the industry, and is sure to include an “Icon Of the Decade” at the end of every chapter. The characters are incredibly diverse and from a wide range of publishers.
These publishers sometimes include those of the “adult” variety, and so some of the illustrations may be a little more suited for an older audience. Like I said, I assumed this book was meant for children, and that’s my mistake. There is a long, sordid history of objectification and exploitation of female characters in comic books, and this book does not shy away from that fact.
Nicholson has written a well-researched historical guide of influential female characters throughout the medium’s evolution. She also provides nice insight and a funny sense of humor. As my daughter ages, I will be more than happy to let her look through this book in order to understand the journey of the female comic book character as well as the growth of the industry. In regards to females, comic books have come a long, long way, though there is still room to grow.
I am heartened that the final chapter, the 2010s, showcase some outstanding characters who are self-reliant, intelligent, strong, full of story, and largely free of being sexualized. As a father of two little girls, I pray this is indicative of a change in societal views as well.
(Did you enjoy this review? Check out Scott William Foley’s short stories HERE!)
SCOTT WILLIAM FOLEY 