Fictional Mortality

I've been drifting back to prose lately. Most of it is fantasy. Oh, I'm still reading comic books, don't get me wrong, but Marvel keeps getting bleaker, and my interest in that is decreasing at a higher rate than my interest in DC is increasing. And my interest in the DC monthlies is primarily the surreal metafiction (Air, The Unwritten, Greek Street...) that's been coming out of Vertigo lately.

My favorite fantasy series these days are urban. Not paranormal romance so much, but adventures centered on wizards and werewolves, peppered with vampires, fae, and djinn? Sure! A little romance on the side is good too. Spices things up a bit. And then there are the reasonably strong female protagonists:

-Carrie Vaughn's Kitty Norville, the snarky werewolf radio talk show host, whose personal growth is pronounced as the series progresses.

-Patricia Briggs' Mercy Thompson, the coyote shapeshifting VW mechanic with, among other things, a great gift for finding trouble (and getting out of it.) There is also a comic book mini-series, which I would recommend. The trade is coming out in late August, according to Amazon.

-Rachel Caine's Joanne Baldwin, a Weather Warden with slightly more strength than mental acuity. To be fair, though, she has more magic than most Wardens, and I think she's smarter than she lets on. Just started reading the series, though, so I can't know for certain...

Those are my three favorite series so far, but the world of urban fantasy is still pretty new to me, Buffy and Charmed episodes of my youth not withstanding.

And then there are the more traditional fantasy series, not the least of which is George R. R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire. I bring up ASoIaF because, well, let's put it this way. You learn very quickly not to get too attached to characters because NONE OF THEM are safe. POV characters are almost as vulnerable as non-POV characters, and none are exempt from the threats of mutilation, torture, death, or worse. (And believe me, there are fates worse than death in ASoIaF.) I don't think Martin will kill off all of the Starks (none of whom are named Tony or wear high-tech power armor, by the way), but you never know. The point is, I do know what to expect in terms of character death, I have since close to the beginning of the series, and I don't expect it to change.

Character death is somewhat less frequent in the urban fantasy series, but the key protagonists generally don't die, or if they do, they get resurrected pretty quickly for obvious reasons. It's okay to get attached to the leads, at least. The mortality rate for likable supporting characters is naturally higher.

But comic books. I thought I knew what to expect from Marvel, starting out. It's my own fault, really. I thought it was safe to get attached (as much as one can get attached to fictions), in spite of jumping in at the tail end of House of M, because they are comics and... yeah. I don't know why I assumed it was safe.

Of course, it's not safe. I know that now. Of my favorite trio -- I think of them as an unofficial trio, which I know I've mentioned before -- only one is neither dead nor MIA. That would be Sue Richards, who a few months ago I was almost certain they would send the way Janet van Dyne.

And I have no idea what terrible fate they have in store for Jennifer Walters. I'm not sure I want to know.

Ultimately, I'm not sure it's worth it. With the urban fantasies and ASoIaF, I know what to expect, and it's fine. The stories are good, sometimes great, and I can accept them for what they are. But the cape and cowl yarns? Story quality fluctuates depending on creative teams and editorial edicts. The constant isn't the storytelling, but the characters, and it's the characters I seem to follow. If my favorite characters go away, temporarily or (rarely if ever) permanently, then, I suppose, so do I.

On 24 May, 2006

No stories, anecdotes, or random thoughts this week. It's late, and I'm tired so... just reviews.

Reading music: Dusk Till Dawn: The Best of Capercaillie

--Warning: Possible spoilers ahead--

Dabel Brothers Publications

Ptolus: City by the Spire #1: Mmmm. High fantasy. Been a while since I've read any of this stuff. A retired mercenary/master swordswoman teams up with the ghost of a friend (a mage/thief), to steal a brooch from a well-guarded mansion. Of course, things don't go as planned.

There are magical swords, there are werewolves, and there are demons. Pretty typical fantasy RPG stuff, which is exactly what it's supposed to be. The womens' faces all look kind of alike, but that's my only issue, and only because it confused me for a moment.

Since it seems to be a limited series, and it's fun, it might be worth continuing, if only to add a little variety to my reading diet. Maybe I'll even check out the associated RPG. Eventually.

Do I know what I just read? Yes
Do I care? Kinda, yeah.

DC

Blue Beetle #3: He's lost a year. His mother is pissed, his sister is freaked, his dad walks with a cane, and his friends have moved on and away. His personal life is in shambles, and his scarab wants him to kill things. In other words, a lot is going on for Jaime.

This issue, though pretty serious, is laced with humour in the form of Jaime's ongoing dialogue with said scarab. It's a one-sided dialogue, but guessing about the other side is fun. You can almost picture an evil little insect hopping around on Jaime's shoulder, chirping excitedly about violence and doing stuff. At least, that's kind of what I picture.

Do I know what I just read? Yes.
Do I care? Yes.

Catwoman #55: I really like the Film Freak. What a cool villain. "I told you never to call me during a movie. Never." Nice. Why he didn't turn his darn cell phone off, I don't know -- that would have been logical -- but if he had, he wouldn't have had that awesome menacingly geeky line. So all is well.

Meanwhile, Holly gets some training, Selena hires a babysitter, and Film Freak gets an angle. Not sure how Wildcat's advice will help Holly, if at all, since it seems like her fighting style is different by necessity. She's certainly not a bruiser.

Do I know what I just read? Yes.
Do I care? Enough to give it another issue.

Hawkgirl #52: I'm a little on the short side, and have trouble reaching the top shelf of comics in my LCS. This week, both Hawkgirl and Catwoman were up there. So, as usual, I asked S. Or rather, he asked me if I needed any help, and then I said something polite but demure like "Yes, please." But I speak softly (though I do not carry a big stick) and S. misheard Hawkgirl as "Hotgirl." Oops. But we got it straightened out, and I expressed my disinterest in anything with a title like "Hotgirl."

As for Hawkgirl, shady things are happening. Thugs are pursued. Bruce Wayne meets up with Kendra at a museum fundraiser. The museum is strapped for cash and the bank is shady. Kendra has another nightmare, this time about Bast's handmaidens, whatever that means. There's something evil in the basement! ...

I don't know. I was happy to find a DC title that didn't seem to require that pesky background knowledge, but... I guess I'm just not feeling this one. Sorry, Hawkgirl.

Do I know what I just read? Yes.
Do I care? Not really, no.

Marvel

Fantastic Four: A Death in the Family: "Dead is dead." So it is. The highlight of this whole thing is the kitchen scene, wherein Johnny helps Sue make chili. The story is pretty much a throw-away thing, one little event in the main Fantastic Four timestream, but as a character study (Johnny in particular), it's enjoyable.

Nestled nicely in between the fun cover story and a cute Franklin Richards short is a reprint of Fantastic Four #245, a John Byrne story in which Susan defends her role as a wife and mother on both philisophical and physical fronts. It made me think of Ragnell (scary), to be honest. Not Barbara Walker, the uberfeminazi journalist Sue has to contend with, just the feminist thing in general.

Do I know what I just read? Yes.
Do I care? Yes.

Nextwave #5: Death bears! Combat Pterodactyl Suits! And an Armageddon Horn! Learn all about Dirk Anger's insanity, Monica's honesty, and Aaron Stack's relationship with the Celestials. Ohh lord, this whole book is insane. But fun. Lots of fun.

Do I know what I just read? Surprisingly, yes.
Do I care? Totally.

She-Hulk 2 #8: Two Avengers (and members of the New Warriors) come to Jennifer Walters for (what else?) legal aid. Somebody has posted a New Warriors hate site and is revealing the Warriors' identities one by one. Needless to say, things are getting increasingly uglier for the surviving New Warriors, thanks to the Stamford incident. Did I mention that this is a Civil War tie in? Do I really need to?

There are about three major things going on in this issue. Dan Slott cures Jen's problem in all of two pages, which feels hasty but gets the necessary job done. Transformation problem solved. Sort of. John Jameson can't get his mind off of Jen, and gets some sound advice from a wanted fugitive (i.e., Steve Rogers). And things get ugly in the courtroom. To be honest, I don't think this is some of Dan Slott's best work, but it sets things up nicely for next issue (which will be a blast), adds some dimension to John Jameson (who doesn't come off as quite so much of a jerk as he did), and gets more people to read the comic. Because, after all, it's a Civil War Tie-in. And for a title like this, that's always a good thing.

Do I Know What I Just Read? Yes.
Do I Care? Absolutely.

Week's most memorable moment(s): Attack of the killer koalas in Nextwave #5.





Tentative checklist for 1 June, 2006
All New Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A to Z #5
Amazing Spider-Man #532
Ex Machina Special #2
Doll & Creature #3
Runaways #16
Son of M #6
The Thing #7
Ultimate Fantastic Four #30

I'll also be picking up Marvel's Halo Sampler Book for my brother. I may or may not peek at it myself.