May 2011

Sixkill

/ / Books & Magazines

sixkillI’ve been reading Robert B. Parker’s Spenser novels since I was in junior high. And I’m more than a little sad this is the last one I’ll ever read. Although Ace Atkins has been hired by Parker’s estate to continue the saga of these characters I’ve come to know and love over the years, this was the last original Spenser novel completed before the writer’s death in 2010.

I was first introduced to the character of Spenser through the three seasons of Spenser: For Hire on ABC during the mid-to-late 80’s. The show starred Robert Urich as the former boxer turned Boston private detective with a smart aleck wit and a code of ethics all his own.

A couple of years later my father introduced me to the novels the show was based on, and I was immediately hooked. Today my collection of Parker’s books takes more than one full shelf of a bookcase.

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Prom, Glee-style

/ / Television Reviews
  • Title: Glee – Prom Queen
  • tv.com: link

 

 

I haven’t written much about Glee this year. Part of that has to do with more contemporary song choices and part of it has to do with storylines I’ve felt have stalled as the show has struggled through something of a sophomore slump. That’s not to say the season hasn’t provided some good moments, both musical and dramatic. And what better way to kick both into high gear than with a prom episode?

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Doctor Who – The Curse of the Black Spot

/ / Television Reviews
  • Title: Doctor Who – The Curse of the Black Spot
  • tv.com: link

Although the Sixth Series has had a few memorable moments (such as the appearance of Richard Nixon and The Doctor’s new nickname for River Song), I’ve got to say it’s been largely a disappointment. The foreshadowing of the Doctor’s (Matt Smith) death and the malevolence of the Silence is the weakest intro to a season since the first two episodes that relaunched the series with Chrisopther Eccleston. I’ve been hoping things might pick up, but I’m afraid they’re getting worse.

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Deadpool Annual #1

/ / Comics

deadpool-annual-1-coverDeadpool, Spider-Man, and Bruce Banner are stuck in an alternate dimension. And, not surprisingly, it’s all Deadpool’s fault.

This issue picks up the threads left hanging from Amazing Spider-Man Annual #38 and focuses primarily on Deadpool’s discovery of a kindred spirit in Death Wish and his attempts to take down the world’s premiere super-villain – Death Mask. (Think Deadpool, but more lucid, not quite so crazy, who grow up to become Doctor Doom.)

Alternate reality stories are a dime a dozen (just ask the X-Men who did this yet again just a few months ago). That said, this is an entraining enough story that doesn’t force you to read the previous annual to know what’s going on. There’s plenty of Deadpool insanity, including an uncomfortable bonding moment between Spidey and Deadpool.

It’s not for everyone, but Deadpool fans should get exactly (no more, no less) what they expect. Worth a look.

[Marvel, $3.99]

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The Intrepids #3

/ / Comics

the-intrepids-3-coverThe series has given us killer cyber-bears and a trained battalion of baboons, but with the third issue The Intrepids starts to give us something new – a few answers.

We learn a little more about Dante, the inventor who over the years has taken in these four youngsters, genetically enhanced them, and forged them into his own team of operatives. There is some definite distrust among the ranks. The flashbacks we’re given shine some light on Dante’s past associations. It seems he has more than a passing knowledge of the mad scientists he sends his Intrepids to stop, and his motivations may not be as pure as he’s let on.

Part Oliver Twist, part spy thriller, and with more than a little in common with Dark Horse’s The Umbrella Academy, The Intrepids is a fun read with a little more going on under the surface than you first might assume.

The series does capture the feeling of family between the group members, although a uniquely dysfunctional one. With only three more issues left, I think I’ll stick around to see how things turn out. Worth a look.

[Image, $2.99]

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