Good Books » Epilogue

Previewing the Week’s Releases for 9/14/09 – 9/20/09

admin — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 17:49:00 +0000

Comics
Amazing Spider-Man #605 – For the past few months Amazing Spider-Man has been turning in one solid arc after another. The Red Headed Stranger was an above average arc. Fred Van Lente did a solid job with his first arc on this title. Though this is supposed to be an epilogue issue to The Red Headed Stranger but we already got an epilogue at the end of the last issue. Should be interesting what happens in this issue especially with Black Cat around the corner.

Batgirl #2 – The first issue with Stephanie as the new Batgirl was an okay start. I’m still not sold that Stephanie can carry her own ongoing series and if this series belongs on my permanent pull list. But I am willing to see if Bryan Q. Miller can prove me wrong and turn in a good second issue.

Batman and Robin #4 – Morrison has been doing a fantastic job with Batman and Robin so far. This is the most fun I have had with reading a Morrison penned series. I’m interested to see what Morrison has in store for Batman and Robin with the Red Hood making an appearance.

Batman: Streets of Gotham #4 – This has been the best out of all the Batman titles. Dini has been doing a fantastic job with this series. Though I’m sad that he will hand over the writing duties to Chris Yost for the next arc I am glad that he is returning in the arc after that, as Matt Ampersand from Weekly Crisis reported. Looking forward to seeing how Dini ends this Zsaz and Hush arc and if Hush actually believes Dick will go through with his threat from last issue.

Blackest Night #3 – I have been one of the biggest critics of Geoff Johns work on Blackest Night, much to the hate of everyone who is loving this series. While I don’t want to give too much away from my review for Green Lantern Corps #40, which should be up tomorrow, I do want to say that I am already sick off the Black Lantern Corps. At this point I have seen more than enough of the Black Lantern Corps but hopefully Johns can work his magic on this third issue and make me start to like this book.

Captain America: Reborn #3 – This has been one strange mini-series involving the return of Steve Rogers. Brubaker is using a lot of sci-fi elements to bring back the character which goes against the more grounded approach this series has been known for. I am hopeful that Brubaker can recover with issue and turn in a quality read.

Dark Reign: The List – Daredevil #1 – Originally I was only going to get the Spider-Man and Wolverine issue of Dark Reign: The List but after Daredevil #500 I decided to give this one-shot a try as it suppose to serve as a continuation of Matt being the leader of The Hand. I’m interest to learn what Andy Diggle has in store for Daredevil with the new status quo for the character Brubaker has left him.

Invincible Iron Man #18 – The last issue of Invincible Iron Man was very disappointing. As an Iron Man fan I am still optimistic that Fraction can turn in a good end to this arc. Hopefully we see these final two parts turns up the action as these past few issues have been lacking any sort of action.

Ultimate Comics Armor Wars #1 – Warren Ellis + Iron Man = More money for Marvel from me. Ellis is always money when it comes to writing Iron Man. And I have enjoyed most of Ellis work so I sure to love this mini-series involving Ultimate Iron Man.

DVD/Blu-rays
Dragon Ball: Season One – While this anime has sort of become a joke within anime fans, specifically DBZ and DBGT, I will admit that Dragon Ball is the series that introduced me to the world of anime and manga. While I did not like the later parts of DBZ I really enjoyed the original Dragon Ball were we followed a young Goku around in his search, along with Bulma and others, for the Dragon Balls. While I would like to get this box set right away I will probably wait a while till I get some more money to buy it. Still if you are a Dragon Ball fan this is a DVD you should pick up.

The Big Bang Theory: Season Two – The Big Bang Theory is one of my favorite shows on TV. This is just an awesome TV show. If you haven’t given it a try then do yourselves a favor and pick this show up as it is hilarious nerd comedy.

X-Men: Volume 3 and 4 – While Spider-Man and Batman were the first comic book characters I was exposed to it is the X-Men that started my fanaticism with comics and made me go to the comic shop every week. And the reason for that is the 90s cartoon of the X-Men. For me this was my favorite cartoon as a kid because it had so many interesting characters that I could relate to. This series captured everything that was great about the X-Men and made me want to hunt down every issue of the X-Men, along with Spider-Man and Batman comics, that I could find as I wanted to learn more about these characters. These two DVDs are a must for any fan of this series and the X-Men in general. Personally, I’m looking forward to watching the “Dark Phoenix Saga” again as it was one of my favorite episodes of the series.

X-Men Origins: Wolverine – This first movie of Wolverine was a good action summer blockbuster. But nothing more. For the most part this movie while centered around Wolverine was mostly used as a catalyst to start a bunch of X-Men related movies. Will probably get it since I already have the first three X-Men movies. Damn me and my completist nature.

Movies
The Informant – I’ve always like Matt Damon’s movie and this new movie looks like it could be a good one. It should be interesting to see Matt Damon in a comedy role as he has done a lot more series action roles than comedic ones.

Video Games
Marvel: Ultimate Alliance 2 – I enjoyed the first Ultimate Alliance game. I am unsure about this second one though. It looks like it could be a fun game with all the Fusion abilities to play around with but I will probably rent it before buying it just to see how it is.

The Mystic Arts Of Erasing All Signs Of Death

admin — Thu, 21 May 2009 12:14:22 +0000

AUTHOR INFORMATION: Charlie Huston is the author of the Henry Thompson trilogy which includes the Edgar-nominated “Six Bad Things”, the Joe Pitt Casebooks, and the Los Angeles Times bestseller, “The Shotgun Rule”. He also penned the recently relaunched Marvel comic book, Moon Knight. Upcoming releases include the fifth and final volume in the Joe Pitt series.

PLOT SUMMARY: Web Fillmore Goodhue is quite possibly the least likely person in Los Angeles County to be working with a crime scene clean-up crew. After all, he is a disaffected slacker with no ambition, thanks to a recently suffered traumatic event. But when his only friend in the world lets him know that his freeloading days are over, he finds himself in a pinch and joins Clean Team. Soon he’s sponging a Malibu suicide’s brains from a bathroom mirror, and flirting with the man’s bereaved and beautiful daughter.

Then this already screwed up situation gets weirder when the dead man’s daughter asks a favor. Her brother’s in need of somebody who can clean up a mess. Every cell in Web’s brain tells him to turn her down, but something makes him agree. Whatever it is, soon enough it’s Web who needs the help when he finds himself in way over his head, getting his face kicked in, facing down some gun-toting cowboy smugglers, and hanging on for dear life. Then things get even worse…

FORMAT/INFO: Page count is 336 pages divided over a Prologue, Epilogue and chapters that feature such titles like “Pipe Bomb in the Ass” and “What Being a Dick Gets You”. Narration is in the first-person exclusively via the protagonist, Web Fillmore Goodhue. The novel is self-contained, but is the first volume in a proposed long-running crime series. “Something I could return to every year or two”, says Charlie. January 13, 2009 marks the North American Hardcover Publication of “The Mystic Arts of Erasing All Signs of Death” via Ballantine Books. Cover designed by Chris Sergio.

ANALYSIS: When it comes to reading a Charlie Huston novel, certain things are expected like scintillating dialogue, unique and memorable characters, over-the-top violence, humor with a nasty bite, vigorous pacing, and a wild story that is equal parts crime and pulp, and “The Mystic Arts of Erasing All Signs of Death” is no exception.

Starting with the dialogue, it just doesn’t get much better than Charlie Huston. Full of sarcasm, wit, humor and vulgarity, Charlie’s dialogue is far and away the highlight of his books. This is notable because his books are mostly dialogue-driven, which in turn sets the tone for their dynamic pacing. What particularly impresses me is how Charlie is able to write dialogue that fits the personality of his characters. In this case, Web Fillmore Goodhue is the world’s biggest dick, but also a pansy. So he’s pretty much all talk, which is what gets him into trouble . . . and his ass getting kicked quite often. I also love the jousting that goes on between characters with the interactions between Web & Gabe, Web & Jamie, and Web and his father some of the book’s most entertaining moments:

“That’s OK. I understand you’re the reticent type. I just thought that since we were accessories in a few felonies together that you might warm up a little and share a couple biographical details. For the sake of conversation.”
“I make an observation here, Web?”
“Sure, but don’t go crazy. You’ve already spoke more in the last fifteen minutes than I thought was possible. Don’t want you to sprain your tongue or anything.”
He nodded. “No danger. No danger.”
“Good. Well, as long as you’re careful, what is it you’ve observed?”
“Some looks. A few silences.”
“Wow, man. Fascinating stuff.”
“It is. In its own way.”
“Uh-huh. Well. Thanks, Gabe. That was enlightening. Thanks for the observations.”

As far as characters go, the cast in “The Mystic Arts of Erasing All Signs of Death” are a delightful bunch. Delightful in that the characters are incredibly eclectic and that everyone, no matter how major or minor a role they play, are outfitted with unique personalities and traits. For instance, Web’s mother is constantly high and still living like it’s the sixties, while his father is a former screenplay writer legend now turned legendary dick; Gabe is a quiet individual with a very disturbing sense of humor; Jamie is an “adult utterly unequipped to provide for themselves and emotionally cope with the world”; Po Sin’s wife is lacking for intimacy because of her challenged son; and the homeless couple down the street from Web & Chev’s place are constantly cussing each other out. Just to name a few.

But the star of the show is without a doubt, Web Fillmore Goodhue. At one time just a normal elementary school teacher, Web is now an ass who’s finally convinced to take a job for cash — as part of a trauma team cleaning up after suicides, murders and other nasty jobs. But there’s a reason why Web is such a colossal dick. He’s suffering from severe post-traumatic disorder, so for all of his jackassery, Web is still a character that readers can care about and connect with. In fact, it’s quite inspiring to see Web come to terms with his problem and taking steps toward recovery, although in a twisted way because of the crazy events that lead him to that point.

Which brings me to the outrageous, yet totally entertaining plot behind “The Mystic Arts of Erasing All Signs of Death”. A plot that revolves around a profession that most people probably never think about and consists of trauma cleanup gang wars, smugglers, almonds, kidnapping and all sorts of other craziness. As to the book’s violence, “The Mystic Arts of Erasing All Signs of Death” is not as brutal as other Charlie Huston novels with bodies flying everywhere, but has more of a Chuck Palahniuk-shock factor vibe going on because of the trauma cleanup angle. But even though the body count is significantly lower, “The Mystic Arts of Erasing All Signs of Death” still has plenty of blood, gore and shit to go around, and is definitely not for the squeamish.

Once added all together, what you have in “The Mystic Arts of Erasing All Signs of Death” is Charlie Huston at the top of his game . . . and one hell of a novel…

CONCLUSION: Since 2004, Charlie Huston has established himself as one of the best writers in crime/pulp fiction, and with “The Mystic Arts of Erasing All Signs of Death”, the author delivers another masterpiece. In fact, “The Mystic Arts of Erasing All Signs of Death” is my favorite—and arguably the best—Charlie Huston novel thus far. So it goes without saying that if you’re a Charlie Huston fan, then “The Mystic Arts of Erasing All Signs of Death” is a must read. And if you haven’t yet had the pleasure of experiencing a Charlie Huston novel, then do yourself a favor. Pick up a copy of “The Mystic Arts of Erasing All Signs of Death” and prepare to be blown away…