The others were a long time ago

[alexsarll]

That terrible moment - I am in a pub with sofas, Amy Winehouse is playing, and we are talking about mortgages and bank charges.
Our own advanced age aside, I think I like The Noble.

If the police have time to complain about one man skiing down the escalator at Angel, which was clear and thus presumably at an off-peak time, then clearly they have time they could spend better on Tube escalators at peak time, dealing with anyone who stands on the left.

Based on the first three collections, Brian Vaughan's Ex Machina is, like Battlestar Galactica, a political drama in genre clothes. What if there were, not the usual infestation of superheroes, just one? And what if he ran for Mayor of New York? Vaughan is not the best writer ever; he's prone to regurgitating undigested research, and some of the resolutions here are so pat they could almost come from The West Wing. And thus far the format is skirting the edge of formula, with each arc featuring The Political Issue juxtaposed with The Issue Related To His Superheroing (which nonetheless has political implications). And yet...it's basically a very good read. I care about the characters, the plots keep me interested, the art's pitched right. And above all, as against tasteless tosh like Stracynski's Ground Zero issue of Spider-Man, this is a comic which has incorporated September 11th 2001 without tipping into mawkishness, violating its own story logic or otherwise coming a cropper; the altered version of events it recounts is as moving as it is internally plausible.

When I'm reading anything dense or poetic, I find it slightly jarring to attempt to process any music at the same time - and yet, without it I'm distracted either by the little noises of houses and housemates, or simply by the silence. So I like it when it gets warm enough that I can leave the window open, so that even when I've no music on there's always the sound of the city, that comforting background hum. It's not unlike the sensation of laying one's head on a lover's chest - a sort of urban heartbeat. The sound of life.

Comments

[strange-powers.livejournal.com]

I'm about the same amount into Ex Machina, and I'm enjoying it enormously. It is very very West Wing, and it's good for precisely the same reasons - great characterisation, provocative political dilemmas, entertaining writing. I'm really looking forward to Vaughan's go at Buffy now, because Ex Machina and Y The Last Man (even though it's in danger of fizzling rather than romping out) have become my two favourite non-Marvel reads.

Except All Star Superman (when it appears) and Fables, which I'm working through.

[barrysarll.livejournal.com]

Whereas I can't bloody stand The West Wing, and so start getting a little twitchy whenever Ex Machina starts reminding me of it by having too many characters start feeling like mouthpieces for a script which is more uniformly smart than plausibly human. Fortunately, Vaughan isn't nearly so annoying about it as Sorkin et al.
Vaughan's right on the edge of the set 'writers who interest me'; I keep titles where he takes over from a writer I was already buying, but I don't add his own titles to my list. I will, however, follow them through borrowing; I want to read them, but only once. I was reading Y and Fables from the library at about the same rate, but for all its flaws the former has increasingly drawn me in, whereas Willingham has just come to annoy me now, and I've pretty much abandoned it since the fluffed reveal of the Adversary.

[strange-powers.livejournal.com]

Not that far long in Fables, so say no more!


I know you don't like The West Wing though, that's why I mentioned it! It and Ex Machina almost exactly the same, with only a superhero to separate them. Oh, and Vaughan's now the story editor on that other great pop culture dividing line, Lost...

[barrysarll.livejournal.com]

Ultimate Wolverine Vs Hulk - the comic so far behind schedule that I started reading it because I liked Lost back then.

[drummygirl.livejournal.com]

I liked the skiing clip - a really steep run though!

[http://users.livejournal.com/_moggy_/]

It would make a great HBO series actually.

[barrysarll.livejournal.com]

And if Preacher works out, I imagine they will be looking for other suitable comics...

Though I've been wondering about this: I can watch a film of a comic or book I've read, because while I may know what's going to happen, hey, it's only two hours. But if HBO are doing faithful adaptations of Preacher and A Song of Ice and Fire, that means I'll theoretically be watching 80+ hours of TV where I already know exactly how it goes. Under those circumstances, will I be able to sustain my interest?

[http://users.livejournal.com/_moggy_/]

It's a tricky one because with a book they will be kind of precis-ing it but if it comes from a comic which is set out like a film storyboard it could just be the comic come to life. BUT if they extemporise from the comic and make it rather longer then we may get added value. What worries me as ever is that they will try to dumb down when we all know that the really successful dramas are the ones that are a bit more intelligent and quirky than what 'they' think the public can deal with.

I like 'Y: the last man' too but the most recent vertigo thing I read was the first 4 issues of american virgin which i thought was toss.

What would you reccomend for me to read next? I've done preacher, transmetropolitan, some of fables but 'eh', sandman, black widow, hellblazer, the invisibles, swamp thing, DMZ yadda yadda yadda.

[barrysarll.livejournal.com]

The interview I saw about Preacher (forget where, sorry) was talking in terms of roughly one episode = one issue, though with some leeway and potential different stories. But with Ennis and Dillon as exec producers, and HBO's rep, I'm assuming that any changes will be to keep it up to date and adapt to the medium; this is not a channel that dumbs down.
Similarly, Ice and Fire was going to be one season = one book, and again I think the writer went with them because he trusts them.
Clearly to some extent one has to change in an adaptation - this is why the Lord of the Rings films work as films where the Harry Potters only feel like promo videos for the books.

Fables is indeed pretty 'eh'. If you like Sandman and Hellblazer you could do a lot worse than Lucifer. Grant Morrison's superhero stuff is well worth reading even if you're not that big on superheroes - well Hell, pretty much anything of his is (you read We3?). I would also recommend Shade, the Changing Man if only the good stuff had been collected.

[barrysarll.livejournal.com]

Oh, and only one little miniseries rather than a new Project, but absolutely lovely - My Faith In Frankie. A romantic comedy about a girl having to choose between two men - but this time they're her personal deity, and a boyfriend back from the dead.

[http://users.livejournal.com/_moggy_/]

Oh that sounds brilliant.

BTW I cannot wait for the film of Stardust. Princess Bride with CGI - I want to see it 5 (five) times.

[barrysarll.livejournal.com]

I am currently avoiding the trailer, because it seems to be putting people off and I am SO EXCITED about the film from Gaiman's reports.

[http://users.livejournal.com/_moggy_/]

Oh no, the trailer is fine. Apart from Sienna Miller.

[barrysarll.livejournal.com]

She's fine, so long as she only has to look decorative, rather than do anything crazy like act.

[http://users.livejournal.com/_moggy_/]

oh and elecktra and ohhh - I meant to ask you, have you read any of Richard Morgan's books? If not, do.

[barrysarll.livejournal.com]

Yeah! I thought each of the Kovacs books was better than the one before (making me sad he's finished with it, even if I appreciate his reasons), and Market Forces was fun if pretty lightweight. Not rushing to get the new one, though obviously if I get sent a copy, hurrah. I also liked his first Black Widow but felt the second was a bit of a mess.

[http://users.livejournal.com/_moggy_/]

I emailed him. I told him that the Ladytrom album 'witching hour' went very well with 'market forces' and he replied.

Give me comic recommendations. Bear in mind I came late to them and don't understand 'universes' and shit. My mate Mark tried to explain about the whole crisis in infinite worlds shit and I understand in theory but I don't know how I can start later on without having read the earlier stuff.

[barrysarll.livejournal.com]

But the whole *point* of Crisis was that the earlier stories don't count anymore! But there I should stop, since I'm meant to be writing a monologue about that for an ill-advised musical project, so will otherwise ramble.

As a general rule, any good comic should give you all the information you need to understand and enjoy it, though it can also contain plenty of little nods which enhance the appreciation for those who get it. This is what Morrison does especially well - he'll refer to loads of mental and cool-sounding stuff, some of which he's just made up, but some of which is detail from some obscure 1970s comic that sold three copies. If you don't know that, it doesn't matter - it just sounds like mental cool stuff!

Put it this way - if you've read Sandman, that is absolutely *awash* with references to DC continuity - including Crisis, but also loads of obscure shit. Did you notice? No, and nor did I first time I read it. Which is how it should be.

[pippaalice.livejournal.com]

That little man has a fork in his EYE alex! :-O

[barrysarll.livejournal.com]

Yes. I do not have a fork in my eye. I forget which mood icon that was, but the word seemed about right. Then I saw he had a fork in his eye and thought, that is a lot worse than I feel really, but I want to keep the picture up ftb it is ace and I don't think I've seen it before!