My Thoughts On: Who Censored Roger Rabbit by Gary K. Wolf

Title: Who Censored Roger Rabbit?

Author: Gary K. Wolf

Publisher: Smashwords (2010, ebook version)

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Synopsis:

Gary K. Wolf creates a wonderfully skewed and totally believable world made up of equal parts Raymond Chandler, Lewis Carroll, and Walt Disney. A riotously surreal spoof of the hard-boiled detective novel. Packed with action and laughs. Wolf s cult classic, highly praised novel is the basis for the blockbuster Walt Disney/Steven Spielberg film Who Framed Roger Rabbit. (Goodreads)

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My Thoughts:

I’ve been a fan of the movie Who Framed Roger Rabbit since I was little and when I found out it was based on a book, I knew I just had to read it. Unsurprisingly, the book and movie are very different, though they have the similiar type of feel. This is also probably one of the rare cases where I feel the movie is better then it’s book counterpart (which could very well be due to my long standing love of the movie). If you’ve seen the movie, but never read the book because you didn’t want to read what you already saw then you need not worry here.

The two main characters, Roger Rabbit (the toon) and Eddie Valiant (the detective), relationship/partnership remained very close in both of the media outlets, which I felt was nice. Jessica Rabbit, however, was so different I barley recognized her! I ended up really enjoying Jessica’s personality in the book; she was cunning and devious, and really knew how to work her strengths to her advantage. It was interesting to see how things played out between these three compared to its more friendly, I guess, movie version.

The book was pretty much a ‘who killed who and why’ type story and some parts of the mystery I figured out before the big reveal, but there was part at the end that had me a bit blindsided. It was this part that actually had me questioning Roger’s feelings for Jessica. Another thing, which I’ve seen somebody else mention, was the use of thought bubbles for the too characters. The idea was really cool, but at times the execution of it seemed kind of stilted and awkward – something that may have worked better in a visual form.

So, that’s pretty much all I have to say on that really. The mystery was decently predictable, but left some surprises and it was interesting to see such a difference in Roger and Jessica’s romance. I think this book is worth a try at the very least.

Rating: 3 out of 5

Comic Book Wednesday: Post #5

Comic Book Wednesday is a weekly post where I will talk about comics I am reading or have read and will also contain the comic purchases I made over the week.

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Title: Mighty 7: Issue #1

Concept: Stan Lee

Writers: Tony Blake, Paul Jackson, and Stan Lee

Artists: Alex Saviuk, Bob Smith, John Workman, and Tom Smith

Publisher: Stan Lee Comics

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Quick Thoughts:

I picked up the first issue of Stan Lee’s Mighty 7 on a whim while making my weekly adventure to the comic store. Honestly, I’m not sure how I felt about this issue. In some aspects I liked it, but on others I just felt kind of ‘meh.’ Of course, this is just the first issue and I can see this series getting better as it progresses, so I think I am going to continue it for another issue or two before deciding if I am going to drop it or not. (I already have a ton of series I am following.)

I really liked the idea that the story is taking place in a fictional ‘real time,’ so people whom we are familiar with are incorporated with the fictional characters. The characters themselves, obviously, haven’t had much revealed about them yet, but it does appear that Blastok will have a very interesting back story. I need to know why he is no longer part of the task force. I also really liked how the story jumped from Stan Lee’s point of view on earth to that of the superhero characters in space and I’m eager to see how they will combine together in issue two.

I’m hoping that this comic and these heroes turn out to be just as great as Spider-Man or Iron Man. I can already feel a difference between the ‘classic’ heroes and these new guys and I wonder what surprises they will bring in the future. At least, I am hoping they will bring surprises and not turn stale anyway.

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What I Got This Week:

Nothing new this week. I worked today, so I didn’t have time to go pick up any comics. 😦

My Thoughts On: In a Glass Grimmly by Adam Gidwitz

Title: In a Glass Grimmly

Author: Adam Gidwitz

Publisher: Dutton Children’s Books

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Synopsis:

Take caution ahead—
Oversize plant life, eerie amphibious royalty, and fear-inducing creatures abound.

Lest you enter with dread.
Follow Jack and Jill as they enter startling new landscapes that may (or may not) be scary, bloody, terrifying, and altogether true.

Step lively, dear reader . . .
Happily ever after isn’t cutting it anymore. –

(Goodreads) 

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When I heard Adam Gidwitz was coming out with another novel I knew I had to have it. In fact, I nearly cried with joy when I finally had the book in my hands. It’s absolutely gorgeous looking. I’m mean, come on, just look at that cover! Anyway, back to the subject at hand. This book is a companion book to Adam Gidwitz’ first book, A Tale Dark and Grimm, so that means you can read them in any order you like. You don’t have to know anything about the first book in order to read the second, which is kind of nice.

Jack and Jill are two cousins that leave their homes after two separate and horribly scarring events. They team-up with a talking frog named, Frog and when they eventually accept a quest from a shady old woman the adventure begins. They end up going through several different trails in order to, hopefully, complete the quest they have been given, none of which are a cake walk.

Now, Jack and Jill are not as likable as Hansel and Gretel from the author’s first novel, A Tale Dark and Grimm, but that doesn’t mean they weren’t likable at all. Again I found myself liking the male protagonist a bit more than the female as Jill bothered me for a tiny while. However, their time on page also seemed to be more even than it was for their predecessors. Though there trails didn’t seem as horrible (not that they were anything to sneeze at).

The ending, sadly, was kind of disappointing for me. That’s not to say it was a horrible ending per say, it was okay. I just wanted more of the emotional impact family-wise that I was expecting and looking forward to. It felt that, in some ways, it really built up for it, but when everything was said and done fell kind of flat. I was happy about what Jack and Jill received in the end, which was a nice experience. I still love how the author inserts comments throughout the story!

Overall, this novel was quite good and I was pleased with it. I think it lived up well to the last book (though slightly below) and I’m glad that I got the chance to read it. I would recommend this book to anyone how likes fairy tales, especially the ones that aren’t polished and cleaned of bloodshed and other gruesome things (like vomit and stomach acid). In a Glass Grimmly is a quick, fun, and easy read. It pulls you in and makes you wish that you had a three-legged frog companion named, Frog.

Rating: 4 out of 5

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 Other Reviews for This Author:

A Tale Dark and Grimm

Comic Book Wednesday: Post #4

Comic Book Wednesday is a weekly post where I will talk about comics I am reading or have read and will also contain the comic purchases I made over the week.

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I, unfortunately, did not get any comic reading done this week, but I did get tons of new stuff! I’m really excited about all my new comics and hope to get some wonderful comic reading done in the next week. I am not really sure how that will work out with Thanksgiving and Magical Friday both happening, but I am going to try. Also, I am hoping to have another book review up this week as well. Anyway, on to the new comics!

I got several back issues on top of the recently released stuff this week. I’ve been trying to catch up on The Avenging Spider-Man series and I just had to have Iron Man: The End when I saw it.  I have a hard time resisting Iron Man things, I even got a decal for my car this week that reads, “Stark Industries.” I was thinking after I got it though that maybe I should get some Hulk decals for my car too, you know, because it’s green. Yes, I’m a geek like that.

My birthday was also this past week, so I picked up some trades. I’ve been wanting to try out the DC Universe and the book store was having a buy two get one free sale (which they forgot to apply),  so I was able to pick up a few. I figured I would start with the New 52 comics and just picked up the three heroes that sounded the most interesting to me. Honestly, I’ve always seemed to have a soft spot for the Flash. I’m also dying to crack open Avengers vs X-Men and can only hope that is as good as A-Babies vs X-Babies!

Okay, this last purchase isn’t comics per say, but it’s related to comics. I’m a huge fan of The Avengers movie and just had to have the book about the art. I’m super excited about it, It’s such a lovely book! The print next to it was something that my comic store was giving out for free and I had to grab it. I’m a sucker for the Marvel babies. Come on, look at how cute they are!

Well, that’s it for this week.

This is Chimneywriter signing off!

Comic Book Wednesday: Post #3

Comic Book Wednesday is a weekly post where I will talk about comics I am reading or have read and will also contain the comic purchases I made over the week.

Title: Marvel Now’s Deadpool #1

Writers: Gerry Duggan and Brian Posehn

Artist: Tony Moore

Colors: Val Staples

Publisher: Marvel

This comic is my first true experience with Deadpool outside of the world of fanfiction and a brief appearance he made in a cartoon, and it was really close to what I was expecting. The presidents of the past have been revived from the dead and have acquired killer intent during their should have been eternal nap. America is in trouble, the Avengers (especially Captain America) can’t help, so there is only one person the can turn to… Deadpool!

I love Deadpool’s character just as much as I thought I would, which is a lot. He has great commentary and I love how he interacts with others both enemies and ‘allies.’ I also really loved President Lincoln’s part at the end. The irony of it was fantastic! Overall, my opinion on this series, based of the first issue, is rather high and I hope it maintains this quality or raises above it. I’m really looking forward to the insanity in the next issue!

I wrote to the Marvel crew that had a hand in this issue to say how much I enjoyed it. It was a special fangirl moment. Unfortunately, I didn’t read a lot this week, but hopefully next week there will be more on what I am reading!

What I bought This Week:

Until next Wednesday:

Chimneywriter signing off!

Comic Book Wednesday: What I Got This Week (and Last Week)

So, I figured I would try to divide Comic Book Wednesday into two parts: What I got and a review. Not sure if I will be able to do both every Wednesday, but I will certainly attempt one each week. So without further ado, here is what I got both this and last week!

 

 

I’m trying to catch up on all the issues already released for Avenging Spider-Man and I’m nearly at my goal!

Book To Movie: The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky

Title: The Perks of Being a Wallflower                                                                                                                                                                      

Studio: Summit Entertainment

Author: Stephen Chbosky                                                                                                                                                                                                    

Director/Screenwriter: Stephen Chbosky

Publisher: MTV Books                                                                                                                                                                                                              

 

Synopsis:

“This is the story of what it’s like to grow up in high school. More intimate than a diary, Charlie’s letters are singular and unique, hilarious and devastating. We may not know where he lives. We may not know to whom he is writing. All we know is the world he shares. Caught between trying to live his life and trying to run from it puts him on a strange course through uncharted territory. The world of first dates and mixed tapes, family dramas and new friends. The world of sex, drugs, and The Rocky Horror Picture Show, when all one requires is that perfect song on that perfect drive to feel infinite.” – (Goodreads)

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My Thoughts:

The Perks of Being a Wallflower has a special place in my heart, so when I heard there was going to be a movie adaption I was determined to go and see it. After a few unexpected bumps in the road I was able to pull some money together and, along with some friends, headed off to the theater. It has been about a week since I have seen this film, but I really needed to let the feels set in before writing up my thoughts on it. Honestly, I was fully expecting to cry during this movie.

About two or so minutes in I was starting to get nervous though. The relationships seemed to be playing differently than the way they did in the book and it felt like it ‘jumped’ between times. What I mean by that is it felt like at some points it was in the present, but at other points it was at the time the book took place. Yet, after a few minutes of that it seemed to smooth out. The relationships also started to play out more like the book’s as well.

The acting in this movie was phenomenal! Logan Lerman (Charlie), Emma Watson (Sam), and Ezra Miller (Patrick) were all so true to the characters they were portraying. They really made the watcher feel as if they were there with them and experiencing what they were experiencing. I should mention though that I did feel the movie lost a tiny bit of it’s emotional investment because when you are reading the book it is letters from Charlie to an anonymous person, whom I also liked to believe was myself. By imagining that it was me he was writing to it gave a bit more of a personal touch, however; in the movie he doesn’t write as many letters and it is slightly harder to imagine that they are to me. That’s not to say this movie didn’t produce any emotion, on the contrary, it was an emotion overload. Seriously, I was swimming in the feels! I did not end up crying, but I was holding the tears back and my eyes stung.

This was our general reaction to the movie (created by the lovely Blezon ) :

Both the book and movie deal heavily with drugs, rape, and other issues that may make some people feel uncomfortable. These issues, in my opinion, do not deteriorate the message of the book/movie at all, but in fact enhances them to there fullest potential. It makes me happy to find an author/director that isn’t afraid to tread into dangerous waters and is willing  to work with, instead of against, so many social taboos. It in no way gives a message that doing drugs or what not is alright, but more that different people handle different things, well, differently. It’s, to put it simply, beautifully done.

Overall, this was a lovely adaption to the book. I would recommend this movie to fans of the book and people have not read it. It’s a glorious movie that is easy to get invested in and attached to the characters. So, if you are looking for a movie about life and a movie that will give you hope, I point you here. Here to The Perks of Being a Wallflower.

Thank you, Stephen Chbosky for both a extraordinary novel and a magnificent movie. They were both awe-inspiring! Also, thanks to all the actors and actress for bringing this book to life and thanks to my friends for coming to share in the feels. I can’t…

 Rating: 5 out of 5

Comic Book Wednesday: Avenging Spider-Man: My Friends Can Beat Up Your Friends by Various

Since my comic book/manga reading has increased I’ve decided to create a meme called Comic Book Wednesday. Each Wednesday I will post about a comic book series I’ve read or am reading. It’s generally the same as My Thoughts, but geared towards comics/manga. I hope you enjoy!

 

Title: Avenging Spider-Man: My Friends Can Beat Up Your Friends

Writer: Zeb Wells

Artist: Joe Madureira, Greg Land, Leinil Francis Yu, and various others

Publisher: Marvel

This trade contains the issues #1-5 for the currently running series, Avenging Spider-Man.

Will most likely contain spoilers.

My Thoughts:

When I was growing up I was never really able to get into the superhero comics, but than this past summer happened. I got together with some friends and we ended up watching Marvel’s 2011 film Captain America: The First Avenger, needless to say, I fell in love. While we were watching the movie I found out The Avengers was also out in theaters, so a couple days later I went to go see that, loved it, and went to see it again. Now, add on the new Amazing Spider-Man movie, a re-watch of some of the older films (Fantastic Four and Spider-Man 1 and 2), and you have a fangirl. So, it was after the viewing of most of these movies that I decided to give the comic book world of heroes another try.

I picked up this trade while out with a friend and, despite my reservations, I was not disappointed. The first three issues are mainly about Spider-Man teaming up with the Red Hulk to free the enslaved mole people under the streets of New York, as well as rescue the captured J. Jonah Jameson (the guy whom gives Spider-Man most of his bad reputation). It was an interesting team-up to say the least. I like how it showed that brute force isn’t always the answer and that you shouldn’t turn your back on someone just because that would be the easy way or because they did something to you in the past. The art in this three part story was top-notch too!

Now, onto issue number four! In this part Spider-Man teams-up with the ever lovable Hawkeye against  the Serpent Society. This issue really reminds me of the reasons I love Spider-Man. He is such a great guy who is willing to do things for his teammates so they aren’t hurt physically or emotionally. I liked the art for this issue, but not as much as I liked the art in 1-3.

Lastly, we have issue number five in which we have a team-up with Captain America. Now, this story is rather sweet with a side of action. Peter (Spider-Man) wants Captain America to remember whom he was before the serum and to continue the passion (comic drawing) he had before donning the red, white, and blue costume. When the team goes after Sidewinder, Spider-Man volunteers to go with Captain America in hopes of connecting with him, however, he is sort of pushed aside. Peter, though, still tries to open the other’s eyes that you don’t necessarily have to give up one thing for the other. I felt like this story had more to do about connecting with a teammate than the other 4. (The other four dealt with that a bit, but not as much.) I had similar feelings to the art in this one as I did to issue number four.

What I really like about this trade though was that Spider-Man’s personality stayed consistent (it probably helped that the writer was the same for all five).  His humor was like a breath of fresh air from what I am normally used to reading and so was his understanding. I’m really happy that I started my trek into the land of Marvel Heroes with this trade and I’m looking forward to reading more of the Avenging Spider-Man comics in the future. I would recommend this one to people who have at least a little background on the characters because it doesn’t really go into depth about how anyone got their powers or their pasts in general. It’s certainly a good read.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5

My Thoughts On: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button by F. Scott Fitzgerald

Title: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Author: F. Scott Fitzgerald

Publisher: Scribner

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Synopsis:

“In 1860 Benjamin Button is born an old man and mysteriously begins aging backward. At the beginning of his life he is withered and worn, but as he continues to grow younger he embraces life — he goes to war, runs a business, falls in love, has children, goes to college and prep school, and, as his mind begins to devolve, he attends kindergarten and eventually returns to the care of his nurse.” – (Goodreads)

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My Thoughts:

I really loved the concept of a man aging backwards and that he falls in love with a woman who ages normally;  however there were still a good number of things that made me pull back:

• One: How was the mother completely all right after giving birth to a 5’5 ft old man? Seriously, there was no repercussions of that? It hurts enough pushing out a 6ish pound baby let alone pushing out full grown old man!
• Two: The romance was just blah. There was no real meat to it, or any development to the characters really, at all. Now, this story was good for the length it was, but I can’t help but to wish that it was longer so the reader could get more context – something that felt more real.
• Three: The memory loss felt strange, yet it wasn’t a huge deal as it felt similar enough to what happens when you get older.

I would recommend this short story to anyone who is looking for something that will make them think (especially if they are wondering what it would be like to age backwards) or perhaps is looking for a quick read for a book discussion. I actually found this read nice to do analysis on, which I don’t normally like to do. (You know, like when your in school and your professor asks you to right a five page paper on the irony of Benjamin Button’s marriage.) I, however, would not recommend this if you are looking for something with lots of development. In the end it felt like Benjamin was just somebody I passed by on the street and, outside his unusual condition, nothing about him really stuck out. Though the reversal in his relationships was interesting.

Rating: 3 out of 5

My Thoughts On: Fall Out Toy Works: Vol. 1 by Brett Lewis (writer) & Sam Basri (artist)

Title: Fall Out Toy Works: Vol. 1
Author: Brett Lewis
Artist: Sam Basri

Published by: Image Comics

Synopsis:

A brilliant young toymaker risks his entire company for his factory’s newly produced android, Tiffany. But when he falls in love with his own creation and she’s already been sold to the most powerful man on Earth, getting her back becomes his greatest passion – and his own destruction Inspired by the ideas and lyrics of Fall Out Boy, Fall Out Toy Works brings the magic of innocence to life as both a toymaker and his invention set about learning the true secrets of life. Created by Fall Out Boy visionaries Darren Romanelli (Dr. Romanelli DRx) and Nathan Cabrera, this trade paperback collects Fall Out Toy Works #1-5, and includes interviews with Pete Wentz and Darren Romanelli, plus a sketchbook section revealing the origins of the designs for the project. – (Goodreads)

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My Thoughts:

I was very excited to dive into this comic, but sadly I was kind of disappointed. The story seemed very disjointed and I often felt like I was missing something like a line a character said or even an entire page (I reread passages often). This tended to lead to quite a bit of confusion about what was going on exactly. Was it a dream? Did it restart? Are they even in love? I am not familiar with the song this comic is based off of, so maybe that has to do with some of the confusion – I don’t really know.

The grammar also bothered me sometimes, which surprised me because I am in no way good with it myself. It was just so apparent in some places though such as the use of the wrong tense or simply the wrong word all together. One character did have the excuse of English being their second language, so the way they spoke didn’t bother me.

The art, however, I loved! The artist did very well in portraying facial expressions, so it was easy to tell what a character was feeling even if I didn’t necessarily understand what was happening. All the characters were also very distinguishable and it was simple to keep track of who was who. It was all just felt very clean.

The only real problem I found with the characters themselves was that they all felt rather flat (this can go hand and hand with the disjointed story). You never really get any background on any of the characters and the one character I feel you really do get some info on (Tiffany) is just really mind-boggling because of all the separate memories.

It’s not that I didn’t like the concept of this comic – I did. It just didn’t feel like it was executed well. It’s possible that there is another volume (it says 1 on the side), but I have looked and haven’t found anything as of yet (it also said ‘end’ at the…well, end). Anyway, I can’t really see where the story would go after this volume.

I would recommend this comic if you were looking for something with really nice eye-appeal or were looking for a mind-twister. However, if you were looking for a happy love story with a nice plot (with surprising, but understandable twists) this may not be the read for you.

Rating: 2.5 out of 5

(close to a 3)