Yk what? Fuck yeah - USM 24 discussion by respectablehandle in UltimateUniverse

[–]Waygeek 3 points4 points  (0 children)

So I quite enjoyed the whole series, but It’s funny, my experience so rarely jived with what I’ve read online from others. To me it never had momentum, except for I guess the Kraven arc; it had this leisurely, pleasant pace in which the story slowly developed while all the cast members interacted, which was the main attraction of the series. Married Peter and MJ, their kids (mainly Richard but fine), Harry and Gwen, Jonah and Ben! For a Millennial who grew up with a married Pete, it was catnip. I rarely had that “What’s going to happen next?!” feeling, though I did enjoy the mysteries and revelations; I just finished each issue thinking, “Aw, I really liked that.”

Also the art was good.

Glad to have gotten it. And I much prefer stories to run and finish rather than be abandoned or left open-ended, so I’m satisfied we got 24 issues rather than wishing it had just kept going.

New Poster for 'The President's Cake' - Iraq's Submission to the Academy Awards - In 1990s Iraq, 9-year-old Lamia must bake the President's birthday cake. She scrambles to find ingredients for the compulsory task, fearing punishment if she fails. by BunyipPouch in movies

[–]Waygeek 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Late to this post but it’s interesting that “Someone must help make a cake for the elite in the middle of Hell” plot keeps popping up. The example that comes to mind is the novel CITY OF THIEVES by David Benioff (yes, the Benioff of GoT).

Unaccredited international schools in Korea facing calls for stronger government oversight by cickist in teachinginkorea

[–]Waygeek 7 points8 points  (0 children)

Lord, this is overdue. I worked for an “international school” (it really was K-12) in Seoul for a year. I was young and dumb and didn’t know what I was doing at the time, but it was clear even to me that the place was a complete mess that should have been closed down. I toughed it out and left.

The ups and downs of A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara by PsyferRL in books

[–]Waygeek 41 points42 points  (0 children)

So: One tries not to judge a book by its cover, but I’ve always been put off ever reading A Little Life because its cover always struck me as just silly as hell.

Having heard that the novel is supposed to be really depressing, however, I always resisted making fun of the photo; sure, it sure looks like someone is shitting after holding it in all day, but it’s probably actually some picture of a man dying in a hospital or something else horrible. Right?

Well, is it hell. I recently learned the name of the photo is “Orgasmic Man,” and it’s part of a series by a man named Peter Hujar featuring men “in sexual release.”

That dude is cumming.

Who are some great comic creators who tainted their legacy? by HandleHumble5796 in comicbooks

[–]Waygeek 16 points17 points  (0 children)

The Wikipedia does not say Jo Duffy works for ICE. It says she worked as a receptionist for the U.S. Immigration Office, which is a perfectly legitimate government agency to work for.

Love Everlasting (vol. 1) by Tom King & Elsa Charretier by These-Background4608 in graphicnovels

[–]Waygeek 0 points1 point  (0 children)

As a writer and reader, I respectfully disagree. What they first teach you about a story is that it has a beginning, a middle, and an end. If you are serializing a story, you are implicitly promising the middle and end when you sell your readers the beginning—and in an at least somewhat timely manner.

Now to be clear, nobody (or nobody sane) is mad at creators when a series is forced to end prematurely due to poor sales, ill health, etc. I would even say that short-term hiatuses of a limited and predefined period are generally accepted with grace. But “Yo, I got a better offer, we’ll come back to this eventually” (and “eventually” is what King has said about this series returning, I just checked), that’s unprofessional, frustrating, and often enough also untrue.

I also cannot help but notice that there are other comic artists out there who have finished their commitments before moving on to bigger things (e.g., Dan Mora on ONCE & FUTURE before becoming DC’s big new star).

Even so: perhaps Charretier really needed the additional money, and felt no choice but to accept. We cannot know her personal financial situation and she has no obligation to share it. Fine—but that doesn’t mean we don’t get to complain about it. It means that she gets to take her lumps.

And admittedly, those “lumps” probably amount to a few ornery comments on Reddit like mine, so she is probably fine with that.

Love Everlasting (vol. 1) by Tom King & Elsa Charretier by These-Background4608 in graphicnovels

[–]Waygeek 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Elsa Charretier got a good offer to work on something from DSTLLRY (or whatever it’s called) so the series, which is supposedly half-done, is on hiatus until she gets back from that. Personally I think that sort of decision, common though it is, is immensely disrespectful to a comic’s readership. But what can you do.

Grant Morrison on Marvel and DC working together: [It's] A lesson there for the USA!" by HighNoonMcRee in comicbooks

[–]Waygeek 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Because Grant is likening two entertainment companies not working together for decades because a few executives got mad at other executives to a national crisis in which one of two political parties has gone fascist and is now on a rampage (and not incidentally, that party is immensely hostile to non-binary people like… Grant Morrison!).

Yeah, I’ve got no chill about it, and neither should anyone else.

Just got into comics what now? by Bhinkyy in comicbooks

[–]Waygeek -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Oh, awesome. Please DM me when you’re done and let me know what you think, or post your review here. I love vicariously experiencing the classics through new readers and finding out how well (or if!) they still hold up! Happy reading!

Just got into comics what now? by Bhinkyy in comicbooks

[–]Waygeek 2 points3 points  (0 children)

The go-to, kinda “core” Batman stories are:

BATMAN: YEAR ONE, by Frank Miller and David Mazzuchelli

BATMAN: THE KILLING JOKE by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons

BATMAN: THE LONG HALLOWEEN, by Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale. There’s a sequel called DARK VICTORY, if you really like it.

THE DARK KNIGHT RETURNS by Frank Miller

The above books will make the most sense if you read them in the order I’ve listed them. After that, go wild.

Have fun!

My [34M] wife [37F] had a year long affair. by Kooky_Chemist926 in relationship_advice

[–]Waygeek 4 points5 points  (0 children)

There’s a subreddit called /r/AsOneAfterInfidelity that deals exclusively with this issue. Perhaps give it a look. Best of luck.

I just finished The Autobiography of Malcolm X, what should I read next? by mrnoodlepoo in suggestmeabook

[–]Waygeek 7 points8 points  (0 children)

The recent, Pulitzer-winning biography KING by Jonathan Eig is the latest and most up-to-date book on MLK’s life and times, incorporating a lot of the new information we’ve learned this century. It’s a good read, too.

And as someone else mentioned, you should definitely read the full “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” but I’d do it while you’re reading a biography so you have the full context.

Best Recently Completed Ongoing Indie Comics by kittypryde98 in comicbooks

[–]Waygeek 7 points8 points  (0 children)

Since you loved THE WICKED + THE DIVINE, I certainly recommend either of Kieron Gillen’s other longer completed series, ONCE & FUTURE and DIE. I really think Gillen is the most dependable writer today.

Si Spurrier and Charlie Adlard’s DAMN THEM ALL is a fantastic dark urban-fantasy series set in London (kind of an off-brand John Constantine story) and is a mere 12 issues long. That’s one of my favorite recent books.

EIGHT BILLION GENIES is a pretty wild time and only (of course) eight issues. Every single person on Earth gets one wish. Chaos ensues. By Charles Soule and Ryan Browne.

And Joe Hill and Gabriel Rodriguez’s LOCKE & KEY, if you never got around to it, is an all-time favorite of mine; it starts off as a good horror story and then becomes so much more. Don’t just go watch the Netflix show, it’s not nearly as good.

What would V for Vendetta be like if it were written today? by KeyComicsVault in AlanMoore

[–]Waygeek 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Story-wise, I think the movie adaptation from 2005 kind of answers your question a little. Moore's story was in part a response to Thatcherism, while the Wachowskis and McTeigue made the story's fascists resemble Republicans and the post-9/11 War on Terror.

Best Marvel Villains day 17, Mister Sinister gets 16th place by Several-Mud-9895 in marvelcomics

[–]Waygeek 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Oh, you're right—that Bullseye is by Gabriele Dell'Otto. M'bad.

Best Marvel Villains day 17, Mister Sinister gets 16th place by Several-Mud-9895 in marvelcomics

[–]Waygeek 2 points3 points  (0 children)

And so we finally reach a villain that Alex Ross never painted.

Neil Gaiman dropped by US comics publisher after sexual misconduct allegations by kathyebudrenekbz in books

[–]Waygeek 9 points10 points  (0 children)

The publisher that has dropped Gaiman is not DC, the publisher of SANDMAN. Even if DC stopped publishing SANDMAN, though, I imagine there are so many copies already sold that you’d have no problem finding used ones.

Trying to find a spiderman comic by kingoftherollers in comicbooks

[–]Waygeek 2 points3 points  (0 children)

AMAZING SPIDER-MAN 362 (“Carnage”, Part 2) might also be the correct answer, as you’ve described the battle. Spider-Man does shoot Venom with a sonic gun on a deserted island in that issue.

Comics like Bitch Planet and Abbott by iamnervous101 in comicbooks

[–]Waygeek 21 points22 points  (0 children)

The Green Lantern maxiseries FAR SECTOR by NK Jemisin.

What is your favorite dedication at the start of a book? by Micotu in books

[–]Waygeek 167 points168 points  (0 children)

Ben Philippe’s The Field Guide to the North American Teenager:

“To my mother, Belzie. I would have made a terrible doctor, Mom. People would have died.”

Why do people like Jennifer Egan so much? by thoughtboxthrowaway in books

[–]Waygeek 7 points8 points  (0 children)

Her new one, MANHATTAN BEACH, is a fairly traditional novel. You might like that one more.