On 3 May, 2006

It's Spring! What more is there to say? Spring in Michigan is a wonderful, wonderful thing.

Reading music: Serenity soundtrack (Yes, again. It makes for extremely effective background music.)

--Warning: Spoilers ahead--

Dark Horse

Archenemies #2: One of my favorite things about old-school Doonesbury is the unlikely friendship between B.D. (a first generation character, jock and professional soldier) and Phred the Terrorist. B.D. is the "good guy." Back in the day, he was eager to drink, party, and fight both on the football field and in the 'Nam. Phred, a Vietcong terrorist because "his family pressured him into it," saved B.D.'s life (when they were both lost in the jungle) by finding a cache of beer. Needless to say, B.D. overcame his prejudices and got to be good buddies with a sworn enemy. (If you don't believe me, check The Doonesbury Chronicles out of your local library. Or get it used for extremely cheap on Amazon. Either way...)

The relationship between Ethan and Vincent, the Archenemies, has a similar vibe. Ethan is gaining some dimension and becoming more likeable; and Vincent is becoming more sympathetic even as he sets death traps for his roommate. Ethan remains kind of clueless, but he's getting more difficult to dislike. I'm still rooting for Vincent Darko, which seems odd until I remember that, hey, I've always preferred Phred to B.D., too.

Marvel

Amazing Spiderman #531: Okay, I really don't mind reading a comic rife with testimony before a Senate subcommittee. Chalk it up to growing up with a bureaucrat who is heavily into the policy end of things. C'est la vie. Spidey's battle with Titanium Man and Stark's disturbing subterfuge made up for the contrived Abraham Lincoln stuff.

So Marvel keeps asking, "What side are you on?" I started out anti-Registration, but after reading Civil War #1, I'm not so sure anymore. It would probably help if the writers over at Marvel wrote up the actual proposal and published it somewhere for us to read. They probably won't (too dry), but wouldn't it be kind of cool if they did, just to lend a little authenticity to the whole "event?"

Okay, maybe not. Anyway, this is actually some compelling storytelling, the philosophical debate well-balanced with non-gratuitous action sequences. Nice.

Doc Samson #5: Tina Punnett uses her ubergeek skills to free herself from the virtual reality game and her friends (Jack and Whistlepig) from the slot machine; Doc Samson psychoanalyzes his Earth-617 doppelganger; and the team battles nightmarish beasties from the Dream Dimension. And Doc somehow doesn't get banned from the casino for card-counting. That's it. End of series.

The backup story about Whistlepig and the dreamcatcher is adorable, though.

Marvel Romance Redux I Should Have Been A Blonde: Holy crap. That first 18-page story just dragged on. Frankly, the commentary of the captions from page 12 onwards didn't help much. *sigh* "The Language of Love" and "The Girl with Bogart's Brain" weren't much better. The highlights? "Hedy's Uncomfortable Fanmail" and "Patsy Walker's Battlesuits!" Two pages out of, what, 32? cripes. Ah, well, at least it had its moments.

Week's most memorable moment: In Archenemies #2, Vincent sits in front of his computer, sketching a deathtrap for Ethan. The computer monitor displays AEbay, an auction site selling such things as anvils and Laser-guided Penguins.

Tentative checklist for 10 May, 2006

Fantastic Four: First Family #3
She-Hulk 2 #7
X-Men: The 198 #5