QUICK HITS

The second book I read this year was Private Wars by Greg Rucka; it also his second novel featuring characters from his comics series QUEEN & COUNTRY. I've read the series up to this point in trade paperback (it is soon to restart), so it's hard for me to know how the novel would translate to someone who hasn't read the comic. For example, there is little to no description of the characters - no big deal to someone who has seen them drawn but to a new reader...I don't know. That said, I really liked the book. It had that mixture of the personal and the political mixed up amidst some very tense action sequences. Anyone who likes a good thriller would do well to read his books and pick up those Q&C comics (as well as his WHITEOUT comics).

Speaking of comics, I've also read a couple trades over the last few weeks. First up was 100 BULLETS: SAMURAI, the 7th volume in that series. It actually came out more than a year ago, so I was finally getting back into the swing of the series. This one collected two stories from the ongoing - Loop Hughes in prison where Lono shows up and more with the druggie Jack. Both are solid additions to the long-running story with great-as-always art by Eduardo Risso. Again, if you like thrillers and conspiracies this would be a good series to look into. The 9th volume is coming out soon, so I still have to catch up a bit.

The first part of Grant Morrison's sprawling DC series of mini-series was recently collected in SEVEN SOLDIERS VOL. 1. It opens with the issue #0, which sets the stage for who the Seven Soldiers were, who they've become, and what happens to them. That last part is used to launch into the various mini-series detailing those who are the new new Soldiers. Except they don't know it yet. Sound complicated? Well, it is and it isn't. Morrison and his various collaborators toss off a bunch of fun/strange concepts and you can start to see links amongst the series featuring Shining Knight, Guardian, Zatanna, and Klarion the Witch Boy. Great fun.

Finally, I read FABLES:HOMELANDS, which is the 6th volume of that ongoing series featuring classic fairytale and fable creatures. This volume sees Jack of the Tales going to Hollywood and trying to create a legacy for himself but it mostly focused on Boy Blue's trip into the Homelands to try and learn as much as he can about The Adversary (who forced them into the "real world"). Writer Bill Willingham went back to some of his cliched writing on these issues but on the whole it was a solid collection. For me, the series goes up and down in quality but is obviously worth reading if I've bought all six trades to this point.

There isn't much point in talking about the Feb. issue of Asimov's. Why? Well, it was full of stories that did nothing much for me. I don't want to be bored reading Asimov's; heck, I don't think I've ever felt that way about a whole issue. There's always a new one around the bend, at least.

Even though I said I gave up on Zadie Smith's latest and am now reading Jonathan Carroll, chances are good I'll pick up the Smith one more time. I hate having to put down a book...guess I feel like I'm failing it rather than it failing me...