en-US Sun, 14 Jan 2024 15:30:03 -0800 60 144 41 /images/layout/goodreads_logo_144.jpg Review6168444446 Sun, 14 Jan 2024 15:30:03 -0800 /review/show/6168444446 Jeff gave 4 stars to The Loop (Unknown Binding) by Nick Perry
A pretty clever Serlingesque tale about a widowed radio dramatist who somehow connects with a fellow writer 50 years in the past. There are tons of introspective moments that put both writers through moralistic dilemmas such as whether or not telling someone about a story they haven't written or preventing a death yet to happen is right. You could tell Nick Perry studied The Twilight Zone well because this radio play truly felt like an episode of that iconic series. ]]> Review273236323 Sat, 10 Jun 2023 22:36:28 -0700 /review/show/273236323 Jeff gave 4 stars to The Animator's Survival Kit (Paperback) by Richard Williams
]]> Review273234602 Sat, 10 Jun 2023 22:35:55 -0700 /review/show/273234602 Jeff gave 4 stars to The DC Comics Encyclopedia (Hardcover) by Scott Beatty
]]> Review273229020 Sat, 10 Jun 2023 22:35:33 -0700 /review/show/273229020 Jeff gave 4 stars to The Hot Kid (Carl Webster, #1) by Elmore Leonard
]]> ReadStatus6688834456 Sat, 10 Jun 2023 22:35:20 -0700 /review/show/273229020 Jeff finished reading The Hot Kid by Elmore Leonard
]]> Review273231300 Sat, 10 Jun 2023 22:35:19 -0700 /review/show/273231300 Jeff gave 4 stars to The Bounty Hunters (Paperback) by Elmore Leonard
]]> ReadStatus6688833637 Sat, 10 Jun 2023 22:34:49 -0700 /review/show/273231300 Jeff has read The Bounty Hunters by Elmore Leonard
]]> Review5610461797 Sat, 10 Jun 2023 22:02:42 -0700 /review/show/5610461797 Jeff gave 5 stars to The Other History of the DC Universe (Hardcover) by John Ridley
This was a story I felt I needed to read, not just because I'm a fan of both comics and DC as a brand but also because it was a story I knew needed to be told.

John Ridley's The Other History of the DC Universe is already a victory because the powers-that-be at DC were comfortable enough to publish it in the first place. It's a prose story with comic-inspired visuals that explores the lives of six heroes (Black Lightning, Bumblebee & Malcolm Duncan, Katana, Renee Montoya, and Anissa "Thunder" Pierce) through their perspective across generations that take place from the mid-1970s to the present. What's rare about this story is that each showcases the lives of some of DC's most iconic minority characters, including two of their first Black heroes on the roster (Black Lightning and Bumblebee), a popular Asian heroine (Katana), a Latina character (Montoya), and a pair of LGBT heroines (Montoya and Thunder).

What hooked me immediately was the interspersing of DC Comics lore with real-world history, including learning about American history I never learned in school.

Also, every hero has some interaction with Batman and the universal consensus all share is that the iconic hero is an egotistical prick who's an embodiment of privilege, wealth, and, well, Whiteness. A brazen yet honestly refreshing take I'm surprised to see in a publication from DC Comics.

Is it actual DC canon? Does it really matter if it isn't? The Other History of the DC Universe is a generational tale about the last 50 years of American history, a period considered the most transformative in centuries. It's a must-read for any comic fan, especially those fans who feel out of place and unheard in the comic fandom, as well as anybody looking for an introduction to a side of comics rarely talked about in the comics themselves. ]]>