Summer Reading List

Quick reviews of what I am reading this summer.  I was on science fiction and fantasy binge this summer...

1. Science in the Capitol Trilogy - Kim Stanley Robinson

Perhaps the most non-fiction science fiction I have read.  Dealing with the very real issue of climate change and the condition of scientific research and political machinations, this is one of the most immersive works of science fiction I have read.  It creates a believable reality that draws you into a future you believe is very likely.  It does not have lasers and fancy names... and that's the scary part.

2. The Kingkiller Trilogy - Patrick Rothfuss
Fantasy in the form of song and poetry, a combination of coming of age and immersion in the world of science and magic.  Wonderfully written, the first book "The Name of the Wind" and the sequel, "Wise Man's Fears", sets the stage for one of the most anticipated climaxes in popular literature since Harry Potter 7.

3. The Mistborn Trilogy - Brandon Sanderson
A trilogy in four parts by master fantasy writer Sanderson (who finished The Wheel of Time series).  A work of high fantasy, "The Final Empire", "Well of Ascension", and "Hero of Ages" weaves together religion, philosophy, magic, and politics with superb insight into the human condition.  I'm presently reading the fourth - "Alloy of Law".

4. Bloodsong - Anthony Ryan
Another high fantasy novel, the start of a trilogy, this self published work by Ryan feels like an homage to "The Name of The Wind", but what a wonderful homage it is.  A coming of age story, of love and politics, it is like "Game of Thrones" with a hero.  A great addition to the genre.

5. Ender's Game - Orson Scott Card
I re-read Ender's Game in anticipation for the movie release.  I can see no way a film can do justice to the sheer scope and angles of the book.  I'm also presently reading "Speaker for the Dead", book 2 in the Ender Sextology.

6. The Gate Thief - Orson Scott Card
I was a little disappointed by OSC's latest, a work of contemporary fantasy.  The characters seem crude and even the cruelty, which was poetic in "Ender's Game", seems forced and random.  I trudged through the sequel too, but no more.

Ambition

Comic Quotient 2012!

So Delhi hosted the 2nd Comic Con this weekend.  Among other things, my friend Aniruddho Chakraborty launched his new comic book company: Chariot Comics with three titles: V.R.I.C.A., Damned, and Eklavya: Godslayer.  Do check them out.

We were going to host the Comics Quotient Quiz too, but due to "technical difficulties" we did not, so I thought I would just post all the questions here.  Be warned this is some cold, hard, geeky stuff... not for the comically causal ones. 

I'll put the answers in the comments section in a week or so.

COMICS QUOTIENT QUIZ

1. The Wachowski Brothers claimed that a Masumane Shirow manga - which was also made into a movie and an anime series, was responsible for the visual aspect of The Matrix.  Name the manga series.

2. Which graphic novel is the only comic book ever to win the Hugo Award for Science Fiction?

3. Sherlock Holmes lives in 221B Baker Street, in the English translation, where does Tintin live before he moves to Marlinspike Hall?

4. In 1989, the creator of Lucky Luke, Morris, won an award from the World Health Organization.  Why?

5. William Moulton Marston, famous as the creator of Wonder Woman, is also famous for inventing a well known instrument which was used to question Nazi POWs in WW2.  What was this device?

6. Jimmy Olsen, Perry White, The Daily Planet, and Kryptonite all appeared in a particular format before they became regulars in the Superman comic books.  What format are we talking about?

7. In the 1940s on the Superman radio show, a journalist called Stetson Kennedy helped Superman use "Truth, Justice and the American Way" to fight a real world menace in the US.  The Radio show put the bad guys on the same moral plane as Lex Luthor and the Nazis.  Who did Superman fight?

8. In 1983, Judge Jack Love of New Mexico was inspired by a 70s Spider-Man comic strip where Kingpin was tracking Spidey's movements via an electronic bracelet.  What gadget did this inspiration lead to?

9. Masashi Kishimoto, an award winning manga-ka became the 9th highest taxed individual in Japan back in 2006.  Name his most famous creation.

10. In 1981, DC and Marvel together trademarked a much used phrase in the world of comic books.  What phrase is this?

11. In 1994, in X-Men Unlimited #4, which former member of the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants was revealed to be Nightcrawler's mother?

12. In 1979, Vince McMohan and Marvel comics struck a sort of a deal linking two of their respective superstars.  What kind of a deal was this?

13. Kevin Smith in his acclaimed run on the Daredevil title killed off a major Spiderman villain without notifying the Spiderman editors who were using the same villain in their next Spiderman title.  Who was this villain?

14. In the 1978 cartoon adaptation of The Fantastic Four, the character of The Human Torch was mysteriously replaced by a robot.  What was the robot's name?  Bonus point for the full name.  More points if you can tell me why the Human Torch did not feature in the TV show.

15. Joe Carter created the Marvel character The Human Torch, but is much more famous for creating another character for DC, under a different name.  What character and what name?

16. Along with Jack Kirby, and Carl Barks, who was the third inaugural inductee of the Will Eisner Comic Book Hall of Fame?

17. The Joker made his first appearance in Batman#1 in 1940; which is the first issue of Batman in which the Joker dies?

18. The Hulk's alter-ego's name started as Bruce Banner, but mysteriously changed to Bob Banner a few months later due to Stan Lee's forgetfulness.  How did Stan Lee bridge this discrepancy?

19. In Amazing Spider-man #573, writer Mark Waid and artist Patrick Olliffe re-created the iconic Amazing Fantasy#15 cover (where Spiderman makes his first cover appearance); with a television funny man rescuing Spider-man.  Who is this famous television funny man?

20. Name the five male Green Lanterns in order of appearance.

21. What is the real name of Lee Falk's quintessential purple clad hero - the 21st Phantom?

22. What is the name of the Archie gang's hometown?

23. In the standard cannon name the three people who have donned the Robin cape.

24. Name the seven original members of the Justice League of America.

25. In Pran's Chacha Chowdhury comics, when Sabu gets angry, what natural phenomenon occurs somewhere?

26. Which Raj Comics character was taught martial arts by Haldi Khan, boxing by Dhania Khan, and marksmanship by Kalimirchi Khan?

27. Which superhero has an Egyptian snake called Saudangi living inside his body?

28. I am the son of trapeze artists Shyam and Radha.  I was raised under the tutelage of the different artists of Jupiter Circus.  I have the ability to speak to animals and sea creatures.  Who am I?

29. Connect the following: the movie The Matrix, Neil Gaiman's The Sandman, the newspaper comic strip Little Nemo, and the video game Resident Evil: Dead Aim

30. I was born in 1957 to an Irish Catholic family in Maryland.  My formative years in Hell's Kitchen, New York, influenced my 80s work on Daredevil.  My lesser known works include Ronin and Holy Terror.  I have won six Eisner Awards, four Kirbys, and three Harveys.  I have also made cameo appearances in Robocop, The Spirit, and Daredevil.  Who am I?

31. Todd McFarlane wrote and drew Spiderman#1 in 1990 which went on to become one of the largest selling comic books of all-time.  After a tiff with Marvel, he started his own publishing company and introduced a new character.  The debut comic sold over 1.7 million issues and spawned a feature film and an HBO TV series.  Name the character.

32. His first drawing was published in Ripley's Believe it or Not in 1947.  His first strip was called "Li'l Kids".  His primary character was based on himself, but he borrowed the name from a friend.  Another one of his main characters is the mascot of a major insurance firm.  Who and which comic strip?

33. The 2005 Keanu Reeves movie "Constantine" is based on which Brian Azzarello Vertigo Comics series?

34. In which Eisner and Harvey award winning comic book would you find The Dog, The Bastard, The Wolf, The Point Man, The Rain, The Monster, and The Saint?

35. Which Nordic Marvel character first made his appearance in Journey into Mystery#83 as disabled medical student Donald Blake?

36. What distinction does the comic strip character "The Yellow Kid" created by Richard Outcault hold in the history of comic books?

37. Which comic strip holds the Guinness Book of World Record for being the world's most syndicated comic strip?

38. This series of comics was created by Anant Pai and published by India Book House.  In 2007, the imprint and all its titles were acquired by ACK Media which is digitizing the entire collection.  Which well known imprint are we talking about?

39. The last unfinished story had a plot involving the world of modern art, and the story ends as the main protagonist is about to be killed, encased in Perspex, and about to be presented as a work of art.  Unfortunately, the creator died on the 3rd of March 1983, leaving the comic unfinished and the protagonist's fate unknown.  Name the character and the comic.

40. In Marvel's Uncanny X-Men #390 who dies of the Legacy virus?

41. What is J'onn J'ozz, the Martian Manhunter's one weakness?

42. Name the 7 original members of the West Coast Avengers.

43. In the Spider-Girl comics, why did Spiderman give up being Spiderman?

44. Matt Fraction, the Eisner award winning writer of The Immortal Iron Fist and Uncanny X-Men, once took out a restraining order on fellow Eisner award winning writer Ed Brubaker.  Can you tell me why?

45. In DC Comics, Clark Kent has had 3 loves in his life.  Name them.  Hint: they all start with the letter "L".

46. In DC Comics World's Finest #258 what is the Kryptonian Curse and what does it do?

47. In 1991, Jim Lee and Chris Claremont released a spin-off series starting with X-Men#1 which holds the Guinness Book of World Record for what particular distinction?

48. In 1992, Jim Lee drew and co-wrote a new series for Image Comics called WildC.A.T.s.  What does the acronym C.A.T stand for?

49.  In DC's Adventure Comics "Dial 'H' for Hero", what was unique about the Heroes Chris and Vicki turned into?

50. Jamie Hewlett created the cyberpunk comic book called "Tank Girl" in the 1980s, but he is more famous for another cartoon creation that he came up with Blur front man Damon Albarn - a creation that would take the music world by storm.  What was this creation?

51. In the Calvin and Hobbes comics, what space faring persona does Calvin take on when he is day dreaming?  Extra point if you can also tell me what the name of the alien species he is usually fighting in these dreams.

52. Name the comic book that features a 3-eyed cat, cancer-free cigarettes, and a character who likes to say "I don't give two tugs of a dead dog's dick".

53. Name the fishmonger, blacksmith, and bard of Asterix's sleepy little village.

54. Which famous Defender of the Earth's arch nemesis was Ming the Merciless?

55. This famous Padma Vibhushan winning cartoonist's work adorn the walls of Cafe Mondegar in Colaba.  The creator of characters like Miss Nimbupani and Miss Fonesca, he had a long and illustrious career with R.K. Laxman and The Times of India.  He passed away on the 11th of December 2011 in his house in Mumbai.  Name him.

56. Name the single panel newspaper cartoon strip that made R.K. Laxman a household name in India.

57. Which famous webcomic, created by Randall Munroe has the tagline "a webcomic of romance, sarcasm, math, and language"?

58. This video gaming driven webcomic, first launched in 1998, features John "Gabe" Gabriel and Tycho Brahe as the alter egos of the creators.  Name the webcomic.

59. In the DC and Marvel worlds, what is the one universal law that separates the "good guys" from the "bad guys"?

60. Which comic book publication contains characters such as Kalia the Crow, Shikari Shambhu, and Suppandi?

61. In the newspaper comic strip "Hagar the Horrible", what is the name of Hagar and Helga's son?  The names of everyone in Hagar's family start with an H.

62. Which superhero was born with the "Curse of Kordax"?  Bonus point if you can tell me what physical feature of the character denotes the curse.

63. What super villain was created when Emil Blonsky, a spy assigned to steal the research of Dr. Bruce Banner, accidentally exposed himself to a concentrated burst of gamma rays?

64. What Chester Gould character made his first appearance in the Detroit Free Press on October 4, 1931?

65. Which super-hero grew up on the planet Tamaran?

66. Edwin Jarvis serves as a butler to which super hero team?

67. Which super-heroine was inhabited by the soul of an ancient Egyptian princess after attempting suicide?

68. Who is the Scarlet Witch's twin brother?

69. Which super-hero gained his powers after being exposed to the Orb of Ra?

70. T'Challa, the king of Wakanda, is also known as what superhero?

71. When Bucky was wounded in combat, who became Captain America's new sidekick?

72. Which writer/director of Buffy, and Firefly, also wrote Astonishing X-Men?

73. Which comic book character is named after a physiological test devised by a Swiss psychologist in the 1960s?

74. In which Marvel franchise does Wolverine make his first ever appearance?

75. Which famous comic book author, whose many graphic novels have been made into movies, requests that his name be removed from the credits of movies based on his work?

76. Which X-Men character is Remy LeBeau better known as?

77. Dark Claw is an Amalgam Comics superhero. He is a combination of a Marvel Comics' and a DC Comics' comics character.  He exists only in the temporary Amalgam Universe created when the DC and Marvel Universes combine.  Name the individual characters.

78. In which fictitious city do the events of Frank Miller's Sin City take place?

79. Which countries are these two X-Men characters from: Wolverine, Nightcrawler.  I want both countries.

80. In the events of Batman: Knightfall, after Bane breaks Bruce Wayne's back, who takes on the role of Batman?

81. In the Wildstorm universe, Jenny Sparks aka The Spirit of the 20th Century forms which super team with Swift and Jack Hawksmoor after the end of Stormwatch Black?

82. Which famous 1996 DC comic book by Mark Waid starts with the prelude of The Joker massacring the staff of The Daily Planet including Jimmy Olsen, Perry White, and Lois Lane?  Hint: The Joker is then killed by a new super hero named Magog.

83. This inter-company crossover DC comic series by Brad Meltzer (with Rags Morales and Michel Bair), starts with the murder of Sue Dibny, the wife of super-hero Elongated Man and the JLA investigating to find the killer.

84. Which Vertigo comic book written by Garth Ennis tells the story of Jesse Custer in the small Texas town of Annville?

85. Which Vertigo title deals with various characters from fairy tales and folklores that are forced out of their homelands by "The Adversary"?

86. Which manga and anime characters signature finishing move is the "kame-hame-ha"?

87. In the extended Star Wars universe of the Legacy series, which decendant of Luke Skywalker is the main protagonist?
Enjoy!

"You Make A Move Where Your Opponent Will Be, Not Where He Is..."

Bobby Fischer: The Knight Who Killed The Kings.  A free web comic about the life and games of one of the greatest chess maestros.  This isn't a glowing epithet about how brilliant Bobby Fischer was, nor is it nitpicking his flaws, neurosis, and paranoia.  It's a good comic, telling a good story with very French New Fave art work and a human Boris Spassky.  As of right now, only three chapters are up, but they are worth the time.

http://gatherfield.com/graphic-novel/

From Batman to 100 Bullets

This blog has been on hiatus for a while, but I'm back... this time with comic books.

I've grown up with different kinds of comic books, from Archies to Tinkle, Doga, and Phantom. Below is my take on some of the best trade paperbacks and comic book series I have read in my short and torrid love affair with comic books. They are no necessarily in order of preference...

Alan Moore's "The Watchmen"
I think everyone is quite familiar with this series. In fact, with the movie craze on, if you're not, you soon will be... Needless to say one of the finest comic books written. It was the first comic to be called a "graphic novel" and the only comic book to win the Hugo Award for science-fiction. 'Nuff said.






Frank Miller's "Batman: Year One"; Ed Beaubarton's "The Man Who Laughs"; Jeph Loeb and Time Sale's "The Long Halloween", "Dark Victory"; Jeph Loeb and Jim Lee's "Hush"; Brian Azzarello's "The Joker"; Alan Moore's "The Killing Joke"; and Frank Miller's "The Return of the Dark Knight" in this particular order is the best set of Batman graphic novels in the market.

More to come...

My Motto

Dattebayo!

Recently an old friend from high school who was recently accepted to University of Southern California told me that he was getting interested in anime. To save him from bad anime, and generally to give a brief overview of the industry, here is my anime special:

Anime specifically refers to Japanese animation, a booming multi billion dollar industry in Japan that markets all over the world, with France and the United States as two of the largest external consumers. Animated movies like Shrek and Ice Age are not considered anime since they are created by Pixar and DreamWorks, which are US studios.

Anime falls into various categories like shounen, which literaly translates to "for boys", involving big explosions, mecha and action. Seinen is a more mature genre dealing with psychological and sophisticated plots aimed at the college market. There's shoujo, anime aimed at girls with plenty of cutely drawn characters. Kodomo targets little kids - Pokemon and other crap would fall into this category. And lastly there's hentai which is pretty much animated pornography. No offense meant, but the Japanese are crazy people. For a country with the lowest sex rate in the world, they sure produce a lot of perversive material, and it's not just with anime...

Anime is also not to be confused with Manga which is a black and white Japanese comic book. Manga is extremely popular in Japan and for some reason, France. In Japan it's not surprising to find forty-year old businessmen in suits reading manga on the subway. There's manga for everyone, from housewives to ninjas, they cover and extremely diverse range. In fact, most anime are actually based on pre-existing manga and more often than not, the quality of the manga is considerably better. Example: The famous Dragonball series was based of manga, however, unlike the manga where the plot is pacy and bold (blood and language), the anime converted each chapter into five episodes, slowing down the plot so much that it almost felt as if the characters were staring at each other for whole episodes.

So for those interested here is my top picks in the anime and manga industry:

Ghost in the Shell
First released in 1995, the movie based on Shirow Masamune's manga was a psychological thriller set in the near future where the line between man and machine has been blurred and ergonomics has taken on a completely new definition. The Wachowski Brothers admitted that the Matrix was heavily influenced by this movie and asked the creators, Production I.G. Studios, to make the Animatrix. The movie spawned an excellent television series in 2003, Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex. With superb music by the legendary Yoko Kanno, this is perhaps the best animated series in the market. The show ran an even better second season and is now planning a third season to be relesed in 2007. The movie too had a sequel in 2005, Ghost in the Shell: Innocence which shames the animation quality of every other anime, including Final Fantasy: Advent Children.

Cowboy Bebop
An American favourite, Cowboy Bebop follows the tale of two space age bounty hunters each with a shady past and their attempts to correct their wrongs. With plenty of humor and action based on Bruce Lee's Jeet Kun Do and John Woo style gun play and a riveting plot this is a really entertaining watch. Once again Yoko Kanno delivers excellent music. The movie Cowboy Bebop: Knocking on Heaven's Door is also worth a watch but not noteworthy.
Naruto
Heir to the Dragonball franchise, Naruto is now a 200 odd episode series based off the manga by the same name. Popular is an understatement, creater Masashi Kishimoto is now the third highest tax payer in Japan! Unlike DB, Naruto is racy, funny, smart and of all things holistic. It's a ninja version of Aesop's Tales. The music, ninja fight sequences and exceptionally good character development makes this show addictive. My friend here at Hamilton watched 98 episodes during exam week because he just had to find out how it was going to end, because unlike DB where the good guys always win, Naruto is unpredictable.

Bleach
Based on the manga by Kubo Tite, like Naruto, Bleach is another hevy weight in the marathon anime industry. Bleach deals with Shinigami, a class of spirits responsible for destroying evil spirits called Hollows and maintaining order in the spirit world. With brilliant plot twists this anime is always surprising you. Presently running at 80 odd episodes, this one promises to be a long runner.

Neon Genesis Evangalion
Although not my personal favorite, this show has far too many loyal fans to be ignored. I describe it as "giant robots and angsty teenagers" but that's just me. I asked my sophomore year roommate Alex Stamoulis, a hardcore Eva fan to write up a brief review:
"Evangelion was a transcendental anime in a variety of ways. It helped introduce and popularize the concept of an imperfect hero in the mecha genre previously dominated by macho protagonists as three-dimensional as cardboard cut-outs. Eva's characters are troubled, imperfected and often hide deep psychological issues. Adding giant bio-mechanical mecha and monstronsities titled 'Angels' to the mix only serve to make Evangelion's appeal even greater. Produced in 1995-6 by a director who was clinically depressed and off his meds, Evangelion and it's two films, "Death and Rebirth" and "End of Evangelion" has become an icon in the Anime community. Also Rei Ayanami is hot.
Fanboys agree."

Other notable mentions are Samurai Champloo, Full Metal Alchemist, Rouruni Kenshin, Trigun, Spiral and Hellsing. Among others, Ninja Scroll, Akira, Princess Mononoke are classic animated movies and Miyazaki's Spirited Away is the only anime to have won an Academy Award.

I feel like a geek...

DO YOU STILL WANT TO KNOW HOW HARD HAMILTON PARTIES?