Review- STAR WARS: DARTH VADER VOL. 2: SHADOWS AND SECRETS

STAR WARS: DARTH VADER VOL. 2: SHADOWS AND SECRETS (Marvel, First Printing, 2016; Softcover)

Collects Darth Vader #7-12 (cover dates September, 2015- January, 2016)

Writer: Kieron Gillen

Artist: Salvadar Larroca

Colorist: Edgar Delgado

This is a very well done series. Everything is slick and top notch, from the writing to the artwork to the coloring. Aphra has come into her own as a fully formed character. In the first arc she felt stiff and wooden, little more than a plot device. Here she develops a personality and a purpose.

There are a ton of cool things going on here. Lots of bounty hunter action, with plenty of Bossks and IG-88s to spice things up. Triple-Zero (or 000), the sadistic protocol droid, continues to amuse me.

The Emperor obviously suspects Vader's betrayal, and assigns Inspector Thanoth to assist Lord Vader in finding the stolen Son Tuul Pride treasures. Vader engineered the heist to fund his search for Skywalker. It becomes a game of cat and mouse, with Thanoth implying Vader's guilt while trying to convey a sense of cooperation in working with him to root out the enemies of the Empire.

There is still no resolution to the first arc, as we have a sprawling 12 issues and counting storyline. I am okay with that, as this series works. I checked this book out at my local library but it is worth paying for.

Junk Food For Thought rating: 4.5 out of 5.

The OCD zone- I find library copies to be fascinating studies of durability in the workmanship and materials of these collected editions.

Paper stock: Coated stock with a slight sheen.

Binding: Perfect bound trade paperback.

Cardstock cover notes: Laminated cardstock cover.

Reviews- Monsters University and Despicable Me 2

Monsters University (Disney/Pixar, 2013)

So we were at the in-laws on the 4^th of July, and my mother-in-law was recovering from her recent surgery. A houseful of 5 kids wasn't conducive to rest, so we went to see this. Aside from snippets I've caught while my kids were watching it at home, I have not seen the first movie. We did go on the ride at Disneyworld (or was it Disney Hollywood Studios?), so there is that, too. I liked this well enough, I guess. I would have never went and seen it if not for my kids, as the premise doesn't appeal to me. The CGI is perfect, almost disturbingly so. It's sad when the fake looks more realistic than the real.

The story is as predictable as any of these kids' movies, with things telegraphed a mile away. That is fine, as this movie was made for my 6 and 3 year old, not me. I'll never understand why they pay big bucks to have celebrities voice these movies. Kids don't care who did what voice, and I certainly don't care, either. Just give me a bag of popcorn.

Junk Food For Thought rating: 3 out of 5. 

Despicable Me 2 (Universal, 2013)

Another sequel that I saw in the theatre but I did not see the original. I think my wife or my father-in-law took my son to see the first one at the show. I don't know. I just know that I never saw it. I did go on the ride at Universal Studios on our vacation last month.

My wife had to work on Friday, July 5, so that left me home alone with two kids. I looked outside and saw rain, so I went for the low hanging fruit: a movie. The kids wanted to see this anyways, bugging me for weeks. The reach of marketing to children never ceases to amaze me. They know all of the release dates for these movies.

Two different people texted during the movie, once each. Texting during movies should be a felony. I will admit that I would have rather been surfing the Internet rather than watching the movie, but I will not ruin anyone else's experience at the theatre by pulling out my phone. Humans suck.

Like Monsters University, I had no interest in this movie. Unlike that film, there were aspects of this movie that I found to be highly enjoyable, Gru dressing as the Fairy Princess at his daughter's birthday party being up there. The CGI is well done. Things are telegraphed from a mile away and I had the end figured out within the first act...whatever. This was not made for me, it was made for my kids. Just give me a bag of popcorn and keep my kids quiet for a while.

Junk Food For Thought rating: 4 out of 5.

So I saw two movies in a 48 hour period, neither of which were on my list. I wanted to see The Lone Ranger, for chrissakes! Not this weekend, but hopefully soon...

And as usual, I saw these films in 2D. Fight the power!

Reviews:MARVEL MASTERWORKS- ATLAS ERA JUNGLE ADVENTURE VOL. 1; ASTRO CITY- SHINING STARS; Winnie the Pooh movie 2011

MARVEL MASTERWORKS: ATLAS ERA JUNGLE ADVENTURE VOL. 1 (Marvel, 2009 ; Hardcover)

Collects Lorna, The Jungle Queen Nos. 1-5 and Lorna, The Jungle Girl Nos. 6-9 (cover dates July, 1953- September, 1954) and the “Loona” Lorna spoof story from Riot No. 6 (cover date June, 1956)

Blame it on Sheena. I passed on this when it was originally solicited because I couldn't care less about Jungle comics. Then I found a copy of Devil's Due Golden Age Sheena Vol. 2 trade paperback in a $5 box at my local comic shop. Months and months went by, and I read it. I was completely blown away, so much so that I tracked down Vol. 1 and then grabbed this book.

This is superb! Don Rico's writing is excellent, if somewhat offensive to 21^st Century sensibilities. Sexism and unflattering portrayals of minorities abound, but this was the 1950s. Werner Roth does the artwork on all of the Lorna stories, and I was shocked by the quality of his artwork. I was unimpressed on his run on The X-Men during the '60s, but here he is a master. Rich, lush linework is the norm. His jungle scenes and animals are photo realistic, and I love how he crams so much detail into each panel without sacrificing clarity. His page layouts are tightly structured, with 7-9 panels per page.

The writing can be a little formulaic after a while (how many lost lands can there be in one jungle, after all?), but this was a blast to read. Dinosaurs, giant apes, jewel thieves...this stuff rocks. Do yourself a favor and check it out. On the OCD side of things, everything gets two thumbs up: nice paper, sewn binding, superior linework and color restoration, nice aroma...I am ill, but at least I admit it. If loving these things about books is wrong then I don't want to be right. 

ASTRO CITY: SHINING STARS (Wildstorm/DC, 2011; Hardcover)

Collects Astro City: Astra Nos. 1, 2, Astro City: Beauty, Astro City: Samaritan and Astro City: Silver Agent Nos. 1, 2 (cover dates September, 2006- September, 2010)

This collects the odds and ends of the Astro City series, an assortment of one-shots and mini-series. These are all character sketches that add to the mythos but do not necessarily function as a cohesive read. Still, it is nice to get all of the odds and ends tied up in collected edition form. The Samaritan one-shot is great, with writer Kurt Buseik coming close to Alan Moore level cleverness...back when Moore was still clever and didn't rely on boobies to be “mature”. The Silver Agent mini-series was excellent, and I love how he was a mailman in his civilian identity. It's about time that a superhero was a mailman. I hope that we see a follow-up to this book sooner than later. The only thing that is frustrating to fans of this series is the wait between “seasons”.

Winnie the Pooh (Disney, 2011)

I took my hatchlings to see this yesterday, and they seemed to like it. For kids weaned on CGI films, this throwback to traditional animation must have seemed archaic. I guess that I liked it well enough, too.